All tagged economy

Infrastructure Bill Did Us No Favors

The $1 trillion infrastructure bill President Joe Biden signed into law on November 15 attracted the votes of both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in Washington and has attracted praise from many North Carolina leaders, as well — once more illustrating the fact that bad ideas can also be popular ideas.

Biden approval rating dips amid concerns about the economy

In a new poll out Thursday, Oct. 21, there are rumblings that North Carolina voters are growing frustrated with President Joe Biden's overall performance and his handling of jobs and the economy. With North Carolina a key state in the 2022 midterm elections, this statewide survey of 600 likely voters found 38% of respondents approve of Biden overall, but 56% do not. The margin of error in the survey is plus or minus 4%.

Labor force shouldn’t be shrinking

North Carolina’s economy has enjoyed a substantial recovery from the depths of the Great Suppression — that is, from the COVID-19 downturn of 2020. Most businesses are back up and operating. So are schools and universities. More employees than ever before are working from home. That’s had positive consequences for worker satisfaction and traffic congestion (although the consequences for productivity are admittedly unclear). State government is flush with revenue. North Carolina’s headline unemployment rate was just 4.3% in August.

Income and poverty facts matter

The income of the median American household fell by nearly 3% last year as the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent regulations shuttered many businesses for months, closed others for good, and forced still other employers to cut back on hours and wages for the people they still employed.

Trade lifts North Carolina economy

When North Carolinians are free to trade with whomever they choose, be it South Carolinians or South Koreans, some local businesses may lose sales. The case for markets isn’t based on promises of cost-free benefits or perfect outcomes. No such promises could ever be honored in the real world.