Peter Morici
Columns by Peter Morici
How to solve the skyrocketing costs of college tuition
Student debt and skyrocketing college tuition are terrible burdens for young adults, and to win their votes Sen. Bernie Sanders promises to forgive their loans and make public colleges free. Published March 8, 2020
Narcissistic Democrats will destroy free markets and constitutional rights
Apparently, reformists can succeed in destroying free markets and our constitutional rights if they don't nominate someone so transparently radical that he frightens moderate voters. Published March 2, 2020
Donald Trump is the moderate candidate in the 2020 presidential election
Whether it's Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, Michael Bloomberg or Joe Biden, the country will get a choice between a defender of the status quo ante -- Donald Trump -- and a radical vision to shake American capitalism to its foundations. Published February 21, 2020
Why the Fed’s refusal to issue digital dollars threatens national security
The Federal Reserve and Treasury oppose issuing digital dollars to ordinary citizens. That's a burden on our economy and threat to national security. Published February 17, 2020
Although optimism about the economy abounds, don’t rule out an election-year recession
Five decades of economics have taught me trouble comes when you least expect it, and the Federal Reserve, Treasury and their brethren abroad are often clueless about what to do. Published February 10, 2020
Pete Buttigieg’s Trojan horse for socialism
Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg wants us to believe he is a moderate alternative to Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren but his $1 trillion infrastructure plan is hardly enough and demonstrates he's a socialist, too. Published February 2, 2020
Why Trump deal with China is good for free trade
President Trump's Phase One trade deal may save the World Trade Organization from breakdown and takes international commerce to a better place in a world divided between democratic market and autocratic state-directed economies. Published January 24, 2020
Michael Bloomberg’s wrong answer to income inequality
Inequality and economic growth have been central themes in national elections since John Kennedy's campaign. The Clintons, Barack Obama and the latest crop headed by Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg want to give us freer access to health care, higher education (and debt forgiveness), child care and the like by taxing the wealthy. Published January 19, 2020
Economy needs Middle-class gains to re-elect Trump and deliver a Republican majority
If the election were held on Valentine's Day, President Trump would have good prospects, but next November the story may be different. Published January 11, 2020
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
