Peter Morici
Columns by Peter Morici
How American universities create liberal ‘Stepford Students’
American universities are morphing into Orwellian dystopias -- tracking students' movements, regulating faculty thought and actions to the totem of political correctness and molding young citizens to be comfortable with authoritarian state control. Published January 7, 2020
U.S. stocks and economy poised for a hot decade
The new decade offers great opportunities for the American economy and investors. After 20 years of slow growth -- bedeviled by halting productivity advances and sluggish labor force participation -- breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet are about to turn that around. Published January 1, 2020
Forget politics, stick with stocks in 2020
Folks who invested in stocks were richly rewarded this year. The S&P 500 index, which tracks most publicly traded equities, is up about 25 percent. Sadly, too many small investors listened to the left-leaning financial press and economists about President Trump. Published December 19, 2019
Giving the Fed better tools to manage a financial crisis
Incentivizing banks to lend by not rewarding passive reserves and the capacity to directly inject money directly into business and consumer checking accounts would give the Fed sharp tools in a crisis. Published December 12, 2019
Why Elizabeth Warren’s new health care plan will fail
Health care has been the number one topic in the Democratic debates. President Trump should take heed -- rising health care costs and candidate fitness for leadership will dominate the 2020 campaign. Published December 4, 2019
How party loyalty corrupts democracy
My grandfather, a buttonhole maker, had three loyalties -- family, his union and the Democratic Party. His politics were tribal, and he embraced politicians who often worked against his interests. Published November 28, 2019
How Britain’s elections could sound the death knell for the European Union
Boris Johnson now has a good shot at winning a workable majority in Parliament to pull the U.K. out of the EU. This will prove a turning point for Europe -- rather than enabling consolidation of the continental bloc, Brexit will provide the contrast that blows it apart. Published November 25, 2019
Why the economy will not save Trump
Republicans are counting on a strong economy and energized base to re-elect President Trump. Economists who study such things agree but the major polls and recent off-year elections in Virginia and Kentucky tell a different story. Published November 18, 2019
Elizabeth Warren’s wealth tax will hinder economic growth and innovation
Ms. Warren proposes a 2 percent levy on individual fortunes over $50 million and 3 percent on those over $1 billion to raise about $2.75 trillion over 10 years. Published November 7, 2019
Getting skyrocketing drug prices back down to earth
Prescription drug prices are rocketing into the stratosphere, and Democrats in Congress have a sensible plan to bring those back down to earth. Currently, pharmaceutical companies can set whatever price they like for new drugs, because Medicare is not permitted to negotiate or set reimbursements. Published October 29, 2019
How to fix Washington
In the snows of New Hampshire, yet another American president could emerge pledging to fix Washington -- the political gridlock and the pervasive influence of "evil" special interests and K Street lobbyists. Published October 16, 2019
Why the Trump administration should get serious about a cheaper dollar
The Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and other foreign monetary authorities are engaged in a dangerous race to the bottom -- pushing interest rates to perilously low levels. Published October 7, 2019
Raising the gas tax to rebuild infrastructure, boost the economy
The economy needs a jolt to keep growing. President Trump and Democrats should put aside differences to boost infrastructure investment and modernize cities and rural technology. Published September 25, 2019
Why Britain should bolt and join NAFTA
The European Union, spread over 28 countries and 24 official languages, may make sense as a free trade area similar to NAFTA but virtually none as a broader economic community and political union. Published September 19, 2019
Democrats and Detroit need a dose of reality about electric cars
Democratic presidential hopefuls and automakers are betting big on new technologies to rid cars of fossil fuels and field self-driving vehicles. Published September 4, 2019
Sticking with stocks in a volatile market
These are vexing times for ordinary folks saving and investing for college expenses and retirement. With stocks exhibiting extreme volatility and growth slowing in all the major economies, many individual investors are rebalancing portfolios toward bonds -- savvy investors will resist this temptation and stick with stocks. Published August 26, 2019
Who’s winning the trade war?
To listen to the White House, America is winning the trade war with China, but like other great struggles, a few battles won does not necessarily equate with victory. And progress in trade wars is not like military operations where victories can be measured by territories gained and populations pacified. Published August 13, 2019
Why Washington should get behind Facebook’s Libra
Few things unite Democrats in Congress, the Trump administration and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell like opposition to Facebook's Libra. Instead, they should get behind the new cryptocurrency by crafting effective regulation. Published August 8, 2019
When the economy delivers troubling news for the Trump re-election
The U.S. economy just delivered bad news to the White House -- the Trump miracle economy is over. Published August 1, 2019
Why college is a waste for many high school graduates
Across the country, millions of families are preparing to send their 18-year-olds off to college -- for many, this will be the worst thing they ever did to their children. Published July 23, 2019
