Speaker Paul Ryan's House seat in Janesville, Wisconsin- improving economy in a U.S. midwestern factory town and the debate on trade, help for working class families

08/10/2016

The unemployment rate in Janesville, Wisconsin drops to 4.4% in May 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It was over 9% following the closing of the GM plant and the recession from the 2008 financial crisis. A working class town Janesville was hit hard by the closing of the GM plant in 2008. Amy Goldstein of the Washington Post describes the impact of losing about 5000 jobs at the GM plant, and the problems typical of most manufacturing dependent towns. Throughout the period since being first elected to Congress in 1998 Ryan has continued to be able to get elected on the basis of faith, family and public service, even though some of his policies may not have helped the poor and elderly or laid off workers. Ryan voted for rescuing the auto industry and worked hard to keep the GM plant, and listens to his constituents, and as the economy recovered by 2016 won easily in this old industrial midwestern town. His influence in national politics gives Janesville an opportunity to be heard, as it tackles problems common to many midwestern towns in the U.S.

Linked Articles

Could Paul Ryan’s ideas help his struggling home town? - The Washington Post

Washington Post 08/19/2012

Amy Goldstein, Amy, Goldstein

The Guardian 08/10/2016

David Smith

Ireland, Northern Ireland and Britain- preserving the gains of the peace deal and the open borders after Brexit

07/12/2016

Northern Ireland favored Remain in EU by 55%. Should it be pushed into a situation of withdrawing from the EU like Scotland which also favored Remain based on the preference of voters in England and Wales? Should Ireland be divided by hard borders again after 20 years of peace and open borders? These are questions the people of Ireland are asking.It is also a question for Irish Americans who supported the peace deal.

Linked Articles

Brexit and Irish Unity

The New York Times 07/12/2016

DW.COM 07/05/2016

The pause in the U.S. economy with the May 2016 U.S. jobs report showing 38,000 jobs added

06/06/2016

Krugman discusses the U.S. May 2016 jobs report from the Labor Department. He says it will be harder to come up with a response to the political uncertainty in an election year, especially now that rates are near zero.

Linked Articles

Sharp Fall in U.S. Hiring Saps Chance of Fed Rate Increase in June

The New York Times 06/03/2016

The New York Times 06/06/2016

Donald Trump's proposal for 45% tariff on China's exports to the U.S.- how a policy of bringing jobs home could lead to the loss of 1 million U.S. jobs

03/08/2016

By damaging the international trading system including with allies such a Canada, Britain, France and Germany, the result of a downward spiral through higher tariffs in other countries, could end up costing the U.S. 1 million jobs. Under such a system the U.S. would lose many of the advantages of its booming tech sector, its tech driven global advantages in many industries, without signifcant gains in low cost imports such as clothing which would simply migrate to other countries such as India. The problem of worker wage stagnation in the U.S., and loss of jobs in certain sectors, is very real, but this is the wrong way to tackle the problem. China is already moving towards a consumer driven economy. Economists show that trade with Mexico would be seriously hurt both ways, creating more pressure of migrants at the border under such proposals as a 45% tariff and its indirect effect on Mexico, when the actual fact is that net migration from Mexico is the lowest it has ben in decades. Politics can do strange things as when two senators Smoot and Hawley from agricultural states Utah and Oregon, at the head of important committees in the U.S. Congress pushed and passed legislation for a 60% tariff in 1930 for the industrial sector they had no idea about. When Smoot and Hawley lost reelection in 1932 they left behind a lot of damage, especially for the farmers and workers they thought they were fighting for.

Linked Articles

How Trump’s Hard Line on Trade Could Backfire

Wall Street Journal 03/25/2016

Bob Davis, Bob, Davis

Wall Street Journal 03/08/2016

Holman W. Jenkins Jr., Holman, W., Jenkins, Jr.

The Donald Trump campaign for U.S. president in 2016- strategies from "The Art of the Deal"

02/25/2016

Thinking big embracing the entire electorate, using social media to the fullest, improvising often based on voter sentiment, commonsense approaches, worked for Trump in the Republican primaries in 2016. The failure of the other candidates to address issues of voter frustration, and splitting of the vote with many candidates, created the opportunity for Trump to succeed with his unconventional campaigning style coupled with a careful attention to what troubled voters.

Linked Articles

Donald Trump’s Campaign Blueprint: His Own Book

Wall Street Journal 03/03/2016

Monica Langley, Monica, Langley

Wall Street Journal 02/25/2016

Editorial

Criticism of the $8.3 million Dec. 2015 'comfort women' agreement between Japanese prime minister Abe and South Korean prime minister Lee

12/29/2015

Linked Articles

South Korean and Japanese Leaders Feel Backlash From ‘Comfort Women’ Deal

New York Times 12/29/2015

Jonathan Soble, Jonathan, Soble, Choe Sang Hun, Choe, Sang Hun

New York Times 12/30/2015

The Editorial Board, The, Editorial, Board

Donald Trump's proposed ban on Muslims entering the U.S. "till we know what is going on," following the Sn Bernardino terrorist attack in Dec. 2015

12/08/2015

Linked Articles

Donald Trump Calls for Ban on Muslim Entry Into U.S.

Wall Street Journal 12/08/2015

Reid J. Epstein And Peter Nicholas, Reid, J., Epstein, And, Peter, Nicholas

Washington Post 12/09/2015

Dan Balz, Dan, Balz

A guide to understanding the Middle East and South Asia, 1980-2015, and what this means for Europe and the U.S. (1) - Iraq, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan

09/25/2015

Linked Articles

The Duel of Despots

Wall Street Journal 11/12/2015

Bartle Bull, Bartle, Bull

Wall Street Journal 09/25/2015

Neil Rogachevsky, Neil, Rogachevsky

A guide to understanding the Middle East and South Asia and what this means for Europe and the U.S. (2) - Iraq, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan

09/11/2015

Linked Articles

Why Russia is in Syria - The Washington Post

Washington Post 09/11/2015

Ishaan Tharoor, Ishaan, Tharoor

Wall Street Journal 09/25/2015

Neil Rogachevsky, Neil, Rogachevsky

2016 U.S. presidential candidate Jeb Bush's Tax Plan that spells out details, and takes a shot at 4% growth for restoring lost social and economic mobility in the U.S.

09/09/2015

The efforts to wrestle with the deficit in 2011-2012 led to a vigorous debate on changing the tax code, yet political leaders failed to take up new ideas or spell out the details. Jeb Bush, with advisors Martin Feldstein and Kevin Warsh, takes the unconventional approach of putting in the details, and taking up ideas such as the idea of limiting itemized deductions to 2% of adjusted gross income proposed by Feldstein in that debate. On the $2.1 trillion in income held overseas by U.S. companies Bush proposes 8.75% tax paid over 10 years. On business investment he proposes capital investment be allowed to be deducted in full immediately. It is based on the idea that business investment can drive a vigorous recovery, that workers bear 50% of the burden of higer taxes through sluggish wage growth. It levels the playing field for debt and equity capital, removing "carried interest" provision, as a lesson from the excessive leverage taken by financial institutions in the past.

Linked Articles

The Bush Growth Plan

Wall Street Journal 09/10/2015

Editorial

New York Times 09/09/2015

Alan Rappeport, Alan, Rappeport, Matt Flegenheimer, Matt, Flegenheimer

The huge contrast between Chancellor Merkel's approach and the approach of Obama and Cameron to the Syrian refugee crisis

08/20/2015

The German chancellor will be remembered in history for the way she handled the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015, and for the courage to say, "if Europe fails on the question of refugees, its close connection with universal civil rights will be destroyed." Reports in the Guardian newspaper say Germany is likely to accept about 1 million refugees in 2015. Chancellor Merkel says about 800,000 refugees will be admitted in 2015. Contrast this with the UK reports the Guardian which has 166 refugees admitted to the UK, and reports in the WSJ that about 1500 refugees have been admitted to the U.S.. Merkel has taken on the challenge in a spirited way as Europe faces anti-immigrant sentiment and rallied German society in a way that is remarkable. The withdrawal of the Obama administration from the Middle East led to the collapse of the fragile situation in Libya, Iraq and Syria, and the unravelling of these countries, leading to the current refugee crisis with about half of the Syrian population dislocated and large parts of the population of Libya, Iraq, and Kurdish regions dislocated.

Linked Articles

U.S. Pressed to Take More Syrian Refugees

Wall Street Journal 09/05/2015

Felicia Schwartz, Felicia, Schwartz

Washington Post 08/20/2015

Rick Noack, Rick, Noack

The devaluation of the yuan in August 2015 as China responds to lower exports, the appreciation of the euro and the yen, and the U.S. Federal Reserve's plan to raise rates

08/12/2015

China's currency appreciated 9.2% against the euro and 57% against the Japanese yen with its soft peg to the dollar in 2013-2015. The 8.3% decline in China's exports for July 2015 over the prior year led to the policy action to devalue the Chinese currency, the yuan on August 11, 2015.

Linked Articles

China is trying to save its economy with a cheaper currency - The Washington Post

Washington Post 08/12/2015

Matt O'brien, Matt, O'brien

Wall Street Journal 08/12/2015

Editorial

Hillary Clinton's plan to change the way the capital gains tax works to encourage long term investors

07/27/2015

Under Hillary Clinton's plan the lower rates for capital gains tax would be introduced with a sliding scale at the highest tax bracket of 39.6%, with the rate gradually declining in year 4, and the rate not reaching the current rate of 23.6% (20% plus a 3.6% surcharge) till year 6 following the investment. Clinton calls it a way to restrain "quarterly capitalism," disincentivize "cut and run shareholders," and incentivize investors "to build companies." One unintended effect of this could also be the shift away from investments that do not support improving productivity levels, to investments that have a longer horizon and have a material effect on productivity growth. Especially considering the low productivity growth improvements in the last decade, as productivity growth will be needed to break out of a period of stagnant wages.

Linked Articles

Hillary’s Capital ‘Lock In’

Wall Street Journal 07/29/2015

Editorial

New York Times 07/27/2015

Andrew Ross Sorkin, Andrew, Ross, Sorkin