jobs and employment	237
economics	180
education	153
economic development	153
state and local government	140
taxes	126
indiana	117
budget and spending	112
finance	110
migration and population change	109

CBER Weekly Commentaries - 2008

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January 7, 2008	The Real China Threat“An affluent China is far more likely to be a peaceful world partner than if it remained a struggling economy.”
January 14, 2008	Property Taxes and the Sub Prime Mess“Fixing property taxes soon may give us significant, unintended benefits.”
January 21, 2008	One of the World’s Nastiest Jobs“Tax policy changes hatch “lobbyist math” proposals.”
January 28, 2008	The Sub-Prime Thriller“The case of the loan market and the economy.”
February 11, 2008	The School Referendum Debate“Referendums provide the critical link to local government spending.”
February 18, 2008	The Risky Fed Chairman“It isn't surprising that this fiscal stimulus package passed in an election year. What is surprising is that it passed with the whole hearted backing of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke .... .”
February 25, 2008	The Chamber’s Study on Indiana’s Workforce“Simply put, one in four working aged adults in Indiana today cannot read a street map, divide one-half by one-eighth, or fill out a job application.”
March 3, 2008	Indiana Leading Telecom Reform“...in the inelegant, but important world of telecommunications policy, Indiana has emerged as a true leader.”
March 10, 2008	Property Tax Plans Summarized“...cutting property taxes significantly, means raising other taxes, and there are only ...three options: income taxes, sales taxes, or corporate taxes.”
March 17, 2008	Ben Bernanke and the I Word“The combination of unanticipated risk and uncertainty has clobbered ... many in the financial services industry.”
March 24, 2008	Process Produced First-rate Property Tax Reform“Most importantly, this legislation sets the stage for the more difficult task of reforming local government.”
March 31, 2008	Corporate Greed and Election Year Rhetoric“Politicians who pander with talk of corporate greed have clearly exhausted their relevant ideas.”
April 2, 2008	Educating a Quality Workforce Begins at Home“Focusing investment on low productivity students with potential makes sense.”
April 7, 2008	Sales Tax Increase Helps Cut Government Spending“…the increase in sales tax is part of a package that cuts the expense of government.”
April 14, 2008	Long Term Prosperity Linked to Education“The most important issue looming for Indiana and the nation as a whole is education.”
April 28, 2008	Recession - Is it or isn't it?“In the end it isn't the boom and bust cycle that holds much sway over our lives.”
May 5, 2008	A Healthy Hoosier Economy Doesn’t Make an Interesting Campaign“Painting Indiana as an economic catastrophe makes for good sound bites, … but it is silly in today’s Indiana….”
May 12, 2008	Blocking Free Trade is ExpensiveTrade benefits all but the protected special interests.
May 19, 2008	Gas Prices Fueling Election NonsenseGetting votes has edged out energy independence or global warming as a top priority.
May 26, 2008	Savor the Future on Memorial DayThe cost of war is not death on the battlefield but the surrender of days to come.
June 2, 2008	Who Wins from High Priced Gas?High prices are accompanied by calls to identify potential villains.
June 9, 2008	Competition Lowers Cable CostsThe passage of HEA 1279 in 2006 brought true competition to telecommunications.
June 16, 2008	Hard to Know True Costs of Global WarmingBad policy could give us big sacrifices and small changes.
June 23, 2008	Public Policy and Pie EconomicsFighting over the slice of the pie or making all slices the same size, leaves us all a smaller "economic pie."
June 30, 2008	Health Care Policy is ComplexRising costs, payment sources and increasing regulations perplex the policy debate.
July 7, 2008	Corporate Social Responsibility - Just Another Interest GroupThe CSR movement takes our eye off the regulatory role of government.
July 14, 2008	Summer Fun EconomicsLife lessons of hard work and compassion learned from the ball diamond might be more valuable than a Ph.D.
July 21, 2008	No Simple Solutions for Property TaxesThe complexity of the tax system reflects the complexity of economic life.
July 28, 2008	Jobs Lost to LegislationAs many as 600 Indiana mortgage brokers in the state are likely to be forced out of business because of ill-considered regulatory changes.
August 4, 2008	Gas Prices Set by Demand not SpeculationGas prices are indeed high, but the futures price of petroleum isn’t what drives gasoline prices.
August 11, 2008	State's AAA Bond Ranking indicates Healthy EconomyMarkets for state and municipal bonds tell the story of a regions’ economy far more accurately than any advertising campaign.
August 18, 2008	Investment in Rail Transport LikelyExpanded rail service is good news for the Crossroads of America.
August 25, 2008	A Future Fuelled by Alternative Energy Remains a Distant PossibilityThe notion that we can achieve an alternative energy future in 10 years is a myth.
September 1, 2008	The Economic Consequences of MarriageA long marriage is easily worth a million dollars.
September 8, 2008	Gas Prices not Policies affect Car PurchaseHigh gas costs propelled the adoption of alternative fueled vehicles.
September 15, 2008	Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Takeover Offers Chance to Get Privatization RightThe good news is that mortgage holders will be unaffected.
September 22, 2008	Bad Loans Soured Lehman Brothers' SoupIgnorance rather than greed is the explanation for the current crisis.
September 29, 2008	Financial Crisis Rooted in 9/11It isn’t the politics of the matter, but rather our response to a crisis that sowed the seeds of today’s problems.
October 6, 2008	Subprime Loans Add to Wall Street ChaosFailure to reset subprime mortgages compounded the problems on Wall Street.
October 13, 2008	Financial Market Mayhem Feeding RecessionRecessions, even big ones, actually have a more modest effect than most believe.
October 20, 2008	In the Midst of All This Joyless Market WatchingImportant economic news for East Central Indiana has been overshadowed by financial markets.
October 27, 2008	Taxes - Trick or TreatWhen my kids get something useful for their candy taxes they don’t complain as much.
November 3, 2008	Know the Issues - then VoteIt is hard to imagine a time, if ever, when we have had a better set of choices.
November 10, 2008	What do Economists do??Economists largely agree about big economic questions but not policy choices.
November 17, 2008	Public Policy Can't Fix PovertyFor most, the only upward path is through work.
November 24, 2008	Worthy of ThanksgivingThe things for which Lincoln proclaimed a Thanksgiving are more alive and well today than ever before.
December 1, 2008	Budget Realities Call for Painful ChoicesShrinking pains can be as difficult as growing pains.
December 8, 2008	Recession Pains OncomingThe recession so far has been as pain free as they come, and that is about to end.
December 22, 2008	And It Came to PassThe clouds of darkness will pass, fear will be removed and the light of the season will linger in those who seek it.

Center for Business and Economic Research - Ball State University

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CBER Weekly Commentaries - 2008