Peter Morici
Columns by Peter Morici
Bernie Sanders’ Medicare numbers don’t work
Democratic presidential hopefuls are at it again — promising free college tuition, forgiveness of student debt and to dramatically lower what individuals pay for health care. Like President Obama, if any lands in the Oval Office, the country could be saddled with another albatross — the Affordable Care Act has not tamed health care costs but it has so radically altered the marketplace that voters are afraid to dismember it. Published April 23, 2019
Stress testing your retirement plans
If you are planning to retire sometime in the next several years, then you should stress test your plans — living arrangements, retirement portfolio and income and anticipated leisure pursuits — because retirement is like your first days in kindergarten, full of surprises. Published April 16, 2019
China’s ascent to global dominance is predicated on its authoritarian government, socialist economy
President Xi Jinping believes China's ascent to global dominance is inevitable, because its authoritarian government and socialist-market economy can better deliver technological progress and prosperity than decadent Western democracies. Established elites in the West may be proving him correct. Published April 11, 2019
Building taller cities to cope with climate change is less costly than the Green New Deal
Humans are unique in our ability to change the environment and unlock the secrets of nature. Erecting shelters, building aqueducts and mining the Earth, we moved from the temperate plains of Africa and caves of Chauvet-Pont d'Arc to harness agriculture, establish great cities and create technological wonders. Fossil fuels accelerated the ascent of man but according to the architects of the 2016 Paris Agreement, we must curb our appetite or global warming will make uninhabitable vast settlements. Published April 2, 2019
Global appetite for dollars permits the U.S. to run the printing presses, but it’s not unlimited
The bounty of oil has made many developing countries initially rich but undemocratic and corrupt, and now the growing global reliance on the dollar threatens the same for America. Published March 26, 2019
Beyond the admissions scandal: $1.6 trillion in student debt slows the economy
The college admissions scandal lays bare the true weaknesses in American higher education — its obsession with athletics and liberal prejudices that subvert academic standards. Published March 19, 2019
Why America should go cashless
Most folks purchasing a Curry Chickpea Bowl at Sweetgreen or a Nora Roberts novel at an Amazon brick-and-mortar store reflexively pay with a credit or debit card or an app -- they might be surprised if they try a 20-dollar bill. Published March 14, 2019
Trump should call out Congress to boost the economy
President Trump's economy has been good so far, but to sustain the momentum and raise his re-election prospects he should champion policies that many Republican or Democratic members of Congress don't like, are inclined to obstruct but could be persuaded to accept. Published March 11, 2019
