Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Economics

A Warning From America’s Cities: The Recession Has Only Just Begun to Hit

By Elana Schor | Nov 19, 2009 | 1 Comment

President Obama may be optimistic about continued U.S. economic growth as 2009 ends, but the reality on the ground in urban America — which an estimated two-thirds of the population calls home — is undeniably, disturbingly bleak. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter (Photo: PennLive) That was the message delivered today by two economists and a bipartisan […]

Senate to Take Up Mysterious ‘Jobs Bill’ — Is Infrastructure in the Mix?

By Elana Schor | Nov 11, 2009 | No Comments

The notion of a "front-loaded" infrastructure bill to counter the rising U.S. unemployment rate has been circulating in Washington for some time, though solid details on such a measure have yet to emerge. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) (Photo: LV City Life) The talk took a new turn yesterday, when Senate Majority Leader Harry […]

Meet the Obama Administration’s New Clean Energy Loan Man

By Elana Schor | Nov 11, 2009 | 3 Comments

The Department of Energy (DoE) yesterday chose venture capitalist Jonathan Silver to head up its loan programs, which include $25 billion in loan guarantees for low-emissions cars and $32 billion in loan guarantees for renewable energy projects. Jonathan Silver (Photo: DC Business Journal) Silver may have his work cut out for him on the latter […]

Chrysler: Taking Taxpayer Money and Running Away From Cleaner Cars

By Elana Schor | Nov 11, 2009 | 6 Comments

(Chart: Chrysler Restructuring Plan) When Chrysler asked the government for a second round of bailout money in February, it submitted a 177-page restructuring plan that vowed to usher in a new era of fuel-efficient vehicles at the famously gas-chugging automaker. The chart above, taken from that restructuring plan, shows six models of electric and hybrid […]

Clinton’s Budget Director Backs Congestion Pricing, VMT Tax

By Elana Schor | Nov 10, 2009 | No Comments

Alice Rivlin, now at the Brookings Institution, is one of the capital’s most experienced economic hands. Alice Rivlin (Photo: Brookings) She served as the founding director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and former President Clinton’s budget director before moving on to become vice chairman of the Federal Reserve. During the economic stimulus debate earlier […]

GOP Chief Steele on Infrastructure Spending: ‘That’s Not Creating Jobs!’

By Elana Schor | Nov 9, 2009 | No Comments

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele appeared on ABC News yesterday, and Daily Kos’ Jed Lewison caught him making a pretty strange argument against federal spending to improve the nation’s infrastructure. When Steele’s counterpart, Democratic counterpart, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, described "small businesses all over Virginia that are doing infrastructure projects because of" the […]

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