Edward Lotterman

Ed Lotterman: Beekeeping highlights principle of 'positive externalities'

There is a lot of economics in an issue that gets little attention from the public: the colony collapse disorder that is affecting honeybees across most of the country.

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Archive by category ''Edward Lotterman

EDWARD LOTTERMAN

Lotterman: The ins and outs of high gas prices

Few things cause more generalized public anger than a spike in gasoline prices, as we saw in many areas of the country in late May, but particularly in the Midwest.
EDWARD LOTTERMAN

Ed Lotterman: Tax law favors big multinationals

Problems in the U.S. system of taxing corporate income were front and center recently when senators grilled Apple CEO Tim Cook about his company's tax minimization measures. Yet no one argued that Apple has violated U.S. tax laws or even that it is particularly aggressive or egregious in its tax...
EDWARD LOTTERMAN

Ed Lotterman: Calculating immigration's effects is tough

The brief hubbub about a Heritage Foundation report on one aspect of legalizing unlawful immigrants - how it would affect government finances - contrasts sharply with the lack of discussion of how such immigration and eventual legalization affect the broader economy.
EDWARD LOTTERMAN

Ed Lotterman: Economic studies warrant skepticism

Politicians in particular and the public in general should be careful about supporting policies based on one or two economic studies. The latest lesson is the recent brouhaha over a flawed study by Harvard professors Kenneth Rogoff and Carmen Reinhart.
EDWARD LOTTERMAN

Ed Lotterman: Internet sales-tax bills will level the field

It is encouraging that the "Marketplace Fairness Act" is progressing well through the U.S. Senate. The House may prove to be a different story, although the odds are that some version of it will pass eventually.
EDWARD LOTTERMAN

Ed Lotterman: 'Sin taxes' still relevant today

Taxes on harmful substances like tobacco and alcohol are often scoffingly referred to as "sin taxes," but that does not mean they are a bad idea.
EDWARD LOTTERMAN

Ed Lotterman: Riding a wave of farmland value

According to the county assessor, our 211 acres of farmland in southwest Minnesota is worth $225,100 more than it was a year ago. Not only is that a lot of money, at least for a couple of ink-stained scribblers like my wife and me, but it raises questions that go to the heart of current economic...
EDWARD LOTTERMAN

Ed Lotterman: Returning to gold standard would be disaster

David Stockman, a former congressman from Michigan and the boy-wonder director of the Office of Management and Budget for the first four years of President Ronald Reagan's administration, kicked up a lot of dust with a recent op-ed in The New York Times. Many criticisms of his rant are justified...
EDWARD LOTTERMAN

Ed Lotterman: The ins and outs of currency swaps

As an intro to a five-nation summit in South Africa, China and Brazil this week announced an agreement to swap their currencies to support trade if necessary in some future crisis. What does this actually mean, and why are they doing it?
EDWARD LOTTERMAN

Lotterman: Health care costs could be passed on

A few businesses have the power to raise prices without sacrificing much in quantity sold. Others have no price-setting power at all. And many in-betweens might have the administrative ability and legal right to raise prices, but doing so frequently may be a bad business decision.