economics etc »

Chasing The News

Michael Kurth August 4, 2016 Comments Off on Chasing The News

Every two weeks I write a column for Lagniappe. I usually pick a topic and start composing the column in my head about a week before the deadline. I haven’t written about family matters

Read More »

The Special Interest Effect

Michael Kurth July 21, 2016 Comments Off on The Special Interest Effect

Economists are famous for disagreeing with one another. So a few years ago, Harvard professor Greg Mankiw put together a list based on various surveys of what economists agree about. He found that 93

Read More »

The Search For A Vice President

Michael Kurth June 23, 2016 Comments Off on The Search For A Vice President

Donald Trump is now the Republican presumptive presidential nominee, and Hillary Clinton, despite a pesky challenge by Bernie Sanders, appears to have a lock on the Democrat nomination. Thus, speculation has turned to whom

Read More »

A New Political Center?

Michael Kurth June 9, 2016 Comments Off on A New Political Center?

It appears the presidential election this fall will offer us a choice between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton — two candidates with the highest unfavorable ratings in political history. Their campaigns will be based

Read More »

Who ‘Owns’ Our Political Parties?

Michael Kurth May 4, 2016 Comments Off on Who ‘Owns’ Our Political Parties?

A Primer on the Electoral Process Many people are angry about and befuddled by our convoluted process for choosing the president. The confusion has been made worse this year as millions of new voters

Read More »

LOUISIANA’S FISCAL CRISIS

Michael Kurth March 3, 2016 Comments Off on LOUISIANA’S FISCAL CRISIS

All eyes in Louisiana will be on the special session of the state Legislature for the next three weeks as it works to avert a fiscal crisis. Legislators must come up with nearly a

Read More »

LOOKING FORWARD TO 2016

Michael Kurth January 21, 2016 Comments Off on LOOKING FORWARD TO 2016

The year 2015 was not a particularly good one. It was dominated by news of terrorist attacks, crazy people with guns, fear of immigrants and refugees from war-torn Syria, protests and riots, villainization of

Read More »

TRUMP MEETS THE PRESIDENT OF MEXICO

Michael Kurth December 17, 2015 Comments Off on TRUMP MEETS THE PRESIDENT OF MEXICO

When I woke up this morning, I found a soiled envelope that someone had slid under my door. It had a Mexican postmark, and inside was a handwritten note in Spanish signed “El Chapo.”

Read More »

NO GREATER LOVE: COMING HOME FROM THE WAR

Michael Kurth November 19, 2015 Comments Off on NO GREATER LOVE: COMING HOME FROM THE WAR

A month ago, the SEED center hosted a screening of No Greater Love, a documentary about U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.  I thought about going, but didn’t. Later, several of my friends who went told

Read More »

TRUMPTOPIA: WHO IS GOING TO PAY FOR IT?

Michael Kurth November 5, 2015 Comments Off on TRUMPTOPIA: WHO IS GOING TO PAY FOR IT?

Trumptopia: it will be fantastic, amazing, you’ll love it! Imagine a world where America is great again. The dummies who presided over the decline of our nation have been fired; our enemies fear us

Read More »