3 Approaches to Curbing Gun Violence — Using Economics
Last week’s tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut has done what many mass-shootings did not: reinvigorate the national debate over gun control. Advocates for restricting gun use in America have been on the retreat for almost two decades, as states across the country have scrapped restrictions on gun use and the federal ban on assault weapons — signed into law by President Clinton in 1994 — expired in 2004. But on Sunday we heard high-profile politicians like California Senator Diane Feinstein and New York Senator Chuck Schumer call for a renewal of the assault weapons ban, and even President Obama hinted at his desire to consider new legislation. Of course, deciding that something must be done doesn’t even get you halfway there. The ultimate goal of any gun legislation is to decrease gun violence while at the same time limiting as little as possible access to firearms for legitimate uses like self-protection and sport. And a law like the 1994 assault-weapon ban wasn’t particularly effective ...
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IMF money for Greece contingent on debt buy back
WASHINGTON - The International Monetary Fund will not disburse Greece's next bailout tranche until the country completes a voluntary buy back of its debt, an IMF spokesman said on Thursday.
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Reuters
Fiscal Cliff: Why Congress Might Have to Mess with the 401(k)
One of the earliest fears about tax-favored savings accounts like IRAs and 401(k) plans was that when this pool of savings grew large enough Congress would not be able to resist tapping it to help solve the nation’s debt problems. We’re about to find out if those fears—persistent for three decades—have been justified. Everything including the sacred mortgage deduction is on the table as lawmakers wrestle with the fiscal cliff, a year-end avalanche of scheduled spending cuts and tax increases. With a combined $10 trillion sitting in IRAs and 401(k) plans, retirement accounts make a juicy target. Much of this money has never been taxed, and under current law never will be. To maintain this savings incentive the government “spends” $100 billion a year in the form of tax breaks to those who stash money in these kinds of accounts. Now, a new study suggests this tax incentive does little to change saving behavior. Some lawmakers, no doubt, are wondering: Why keep an expensive tax incentive ...
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Reinventing The Wheels
As millions of americans begin their annual migration home for the holidays, there’s one group that will escape the indignities of airports and the soaring cost of gas: budget-minded, tech-crazed, urban-dwelling young people. They will make Thanksgiving one of the busiest days of the year for Megabus and BoltBus. Living in cities with heavy traffic and limited transportation alternatives beyond cars, 20- and 30-something riders have emerged as the core constituency for this new breed of curbside buses, which are becoming the JetBlue of U.S. highways—fun, cheap and efficient. Initially launched in Chicago and then operating along the East Coast’s I-95 corridor, curbside-bus companies are expanding across the country. Megabus, owned by U.K.-based Stagecoach Group, started service in San Antonio, Houston and Dallas in June, just six years after its U.S. debut. BoltBus, its main competitor, opened routes in Seattle, Vancouver and Portland, Ore., this year. By embracing technology, the ...
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Superstorm Sandy to Cause at Least $20 Billion in Damage — and Possibly Much More
Even before Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the East Coast of the U.S., economists were predicting that the historic storm would cause billions of dollars in damage across more than a dozen states where planes were grounded, stock exchanges were closed, public transportation was halted and homes began to get pounded by devastating wind and torrential rain. By Monday, disaster-modeling company Eqecat estimated that Sandy would cause $5 billion to $10 billion in insured losses and $10 billion to $20 billion in economic damages. (In 2008, Hurricane Ike had similar economic damages at $20 billion.) Others have estimated as much as $100 billion in damages. The real cost is probably somewhere in the middle. For example, Peter Morici, a business professor at the University of Maryland, is estimating up to $45 billion in losses by comparing Sandy with Hurricane Irene when it hit the Northeast in 2011. (MORE: Banks Waive Fees for Residents in Path of Hurricane Sandy) The initial estimates last ...
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