Know what I will miss most about newspapers when they’re finally gone forever?
Recent columns have examined Indiana’s GDP in isolation and in midlevel detail (21 sub-sectors). Now let’s widen and narrow the view.
On the 246th anniversary of our founding, many Americans will find reason for pessimism about the nation’s future. There are many difficult challenges before us, which I will list shortly. Still, we are also possessed with deep wells of strength from which to craft a free and prosperous future.
This week, we move deeper in Indiana’s economy, down the GDP rabbit hole into the sectors of that economy.
In the past few months, I’ve had several folks ask if recent inflation is the worst it has ever been. To those sweet summer children, I say what should be obvious: inflation has been much worse. That is why economists at the Federal Reserve are burning the midnight oil trying to figure out h…
In the aftermath of two momentous Supreme Court decisions last week on guns and abortion, emotions are running high and, indeed, starting to turn ugly.
Throughout the pandemic, companies have struggled to strike the appropriate balance of maintaining productivity, employee morale (particularly amid the “Great Resignation”), and employee safety as many workforces begin mandating some level of returning to the office.
Many elected officials and official-wannabes may not know basis facts about the Hoosier State. This is a prefect time to step away from toxic news and partisan fermentation to scan reality.
This current bout of inflation reminds us just what a bipartisan policy fiasco looks like. Before chronicling policy proposals that range from the goofy to counterproductive, it’s good to clearly define inflation and outline its causes.
“Not you, Leo.”
This current bout of inflation reminds us just what a bipartisan policy fiasco looks like. Before chronicling policy proposals that range from the goofy to counterproductive, it’s good to clearly define inflation and outline its causes.
Question: I have a business plan. Do I need to create a marketing plan too?
In the last few years, a huge shift in consumer behavior has occurred, with more and more purchasing items online. It’s estimated that by 2040, e-commerce will facilitate more than 95% of all mobile purchases. Virtual storefronts sell a wide range of products and services, providing consumer…
Among the more influential economic narratives in recent decades has been a publication by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), “Rich States, Poor States.” That work, now in its 15th edition, is authored by Arthur Laffer, Stephen Moore and Jonathan Williams.
Gov. Eric Holcomb sent shivers up my spine last week with his bizarre billion-dollar bomb blast.
I just came across a statement so indefensibly foolish that it is hard to fathom how it showed up in print.
There’s more competition for attention than ever before — and more compelling evidence that video content is the key to cutting through the clutter. Doing it well, however, can be a challenge, so it’s worth hearing what the experts have to say. To provide some insight, I recently spoke with …
June 10 - Opinion: Michael J. Hicks: Mindless economic development strategy in Indiana? No thank you
The past couple of weeks saw Hoosier leaders celebrate two new factory announcements in the state. Together they promise 1,900 factory jobs and roughly $4.6 billion in new investment. Unsurprisingly, this is the sort of thing elected leaders like to tout. The sunny economic development news …
Mather Marcus, the preacher in our family, is telling me, “It’s the Feds who’ve caused all this inflation. Why a $20 bill today buys only about what $17 bought five years ago. We’ve been robbed of $3. And who benefits from that?
I did not go to college because I wanted to.
Every year about this time homeowners receive a Form 11 from their county assessor. It’s the notice of assessment of land and structures, and it shows the previous assessed value of the home, and the new value for taxes payable next year.
Vietnam was the first war brought to our living rooms by television, so I always thought it interesting that the movie about the war that was moving me most was a made-for-TV film.
A good friend told me recently he bought four guns as insurance against a violent society. I didn’t bother to note that he lives in a particularly low-crime city.
On Memorial Day weekend we set aside time to remember those men and women of whom we asked everything. We asked them to suffer deprivation and pain and ultimately asked that they relinquish all of their tomorrows for us. We asked that they do this so that we could have a Republic — a place r…
President Joe Biden has made no secret of his support for unions and has repeatedly said that he would like to be the most union-friendly president in history. Against this show of support, union campaigns are surging across the country. In New York, an Amazon distribution center was recentl…
Indiana students and families have just days left in this school year and many children, just like my own, are prepping for a summer filled with activities and vacations. But as educators get ready to finalize grades and close the books, they are still dealing with an ongoing teacher shortag…
Whenever I explain why Indiana needs more kids to attend college, I get some version of the comment, “a young person doesn’t need college to do well; we need more people in the trades.”
Small-business owners need to do more with less and, unfortunately, those limitations often apply to marketing. Because of their efficiency, email marketing campaigns are an option many small businesses turn to for connecting with their customers while staying within a tight budget.
Let you in on a little secret: Non-European, non-white voters are flooding the polls, boosting prospects for the Democratic Party and relegating Republicans to permanent minority status.
We are deluged with “news” that the American labor market is a shambles. Business owners say, “We can’t get people to work, even with higher wages and improved benefit packages.” Well maybe, just maybe, workers have had it with low wages, inadequate respect, and the worm has turned.
Customer touchpoints refer to every direct or indirect interaction your brand has with consumers. What many businesses overlook is that these interactions begin well before the customer has made it to the checkout.
The Consumer Price Index was released this week, showing inflation at 8.3%, year over year. The number is not especially surprising, just a tad better than March. We have probably passed the month of ‘peak’ inflation for this cycle.
It’s probably sacrilegious for a Hoosier to admit this, but I find auto racing the dullest of spectator sports.
We know “home is where the heart is.” And, “there’s no place like home.” “A man’s home is his castle.” While, “a woman’s place is in the home”
According to MIT, “More and more companies realize the power of data to inform business decisions, predict customer behaviors, and drive transformative technologies like machine learning and predictive analytics.”
Want to sign up to be an inflation fighter? Don’t think it’s just something for the Fed, Congress, and Big business to do?
Last summer a reader penned me a note, asking that I write about the changes in women’s lives over the past century as a tribute to Mother’s Day. That is a fine way to consider the sweep of recent economic history. I do so through the experiences of four women — my and my wife’s grandmothers…
Pushing to grow awareness for small business owners is one of the major drivers behind revenue growth, lead generation, brand engagement, website visits, recruiting top talent, and retention. The key to expansion comes down to being a digital-first business.
We continue to hear it whispered where once it was shouted: “Manufacturing isn’t dead yet, but it is certainly dying.” If growing is a signal of dying, then there is no hope for anything.
My heartfelt congratulations to President Biden. He is proposing an idea so bad that it replaces the No. 1 choice of worst federal government scheme of my lifetime.
Open and honest communication is a necessary part of an ethical marketplace, in which both businesses and customers benefit from genuine customer reviews. When customers have access to honest reviews, they’re able to make informed decisions about where to spend their money, and businesses ha…
For most of my adult life, I’ve described myself as a free market economist. But, I should explain just what that means, and how it influences what I research and write about. The best way to start this essay is to observe that nearly all economic research examines the points at which market…
Res ipsa loquitur.
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