Blog archives

Economy stories in our blog

Price of gas when Obama took office: $1.81

January 22, 2012

Gasoline prices were lower when President Obama took office. Can you remember why the price of gas was so low?

Michael Lewis book: 'Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World'

October 5, 2011

Michael Lewis on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Fresh AIr with Terry Gross, and Charlie Rose, promoting his new book Boomerang.

Austerity (budget cuts) and social unrest

August 9, 2011

Mark Blyth says that austerity, driven by class politics, usually ends badly. Louise Cooper sees a connection between austerity and the UK riots.

Paul Ryan is Dagwood Bumstead

April 7, 2011

Is Rep. Paul Ryan the bright young Republican man on the rise — or a bumbling Dagwood Bumstead?

Obama a Keynesian? Ron Johnson says 'start digging'

November 3, 2010

Meanwhile, Ron Johnson, soon-to-be senator from Wisconsin, knows how to get out of a deep hole.

Al Franken speech: Obama's car-in-the-ditch metaphor

October 26, 2010

Sen. Al Franken revises President Obama’s car-in-the-ditch analogy during a rally at the University of Minnesota supporting Mark Dayton for governor.

Ron Johnson for Senate with no jobs plan?

October 22, 2010

All three Feingold/Johnson debates are now streaming online — but Ron Johnson, Wisconsin candidate for U.S. Senate, has no jobs plan.

Pledge to America: Republican tax cuts cost jobs, hurt grandchildren

September 23, 2010

What if there was a plan with a proven history of creating lots of jobs while balancing the budget? As it turns out, there is.

Ditch Day plus 2 years: Obama, the Tea Party, and the attention of Americans

September 18, 2010

Exactly 2 years after America’s economy crashed into a ditch, Americans are considering taking the same wrong turn yet again.

Barack Obama speech, town hall meeting in Racine, Wis.

July 3, 2010

President Barack Obama visits Racine, Wisconsin for a town hall meeting as midterm election season begins to warm up.

The Tea Party and a warped sense of time

April 20, 2010

Can the 1-year-old Tea Party really be credited for Wisconsin’s 5-year trend toward lower taxes? Our newspaper thinks so.

Amy Czerniec and the dog that broke her heart

July 1, 2009

Saying goodbye to one workplace, and beginning the search for the next.

'Tweezing': How to pluck yourself big money from Twitter

April 22, 2009

Carve out an exciting a new career in the 140-character economy.

Rick Santelli, CNBC in hot water on 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'

March 5, 2009

Finally someone on TV takes a closer look at Rick Santelli’s much-hyped bailout rant.

Rachel Maddow ridicules Racine's Rep. Paul Ryan

March 3, 2009

The recession is Rep. Paul Ryan’s chance to become more visible, and he’s taking it.

AIG and a little trouble sleeping

March 2, 2009

AIG has succeeded wildly at one thing: Keeping families up at night.

NPR: Wisconsin car dealer Russ Darrow believes in auto sales, is hiring

February 18, 2009

The company hopes to hire 55 more employees in sales, maintenance and repair and administration by March 1.

Grease is golden

January 9, 2009

An economy works thanks to the magic of money changing hands — from you, to the savings and loan, to your neighbor, to the real estate agent — the faster, the better.

Snuggie, Slanket, Heat Surge: My TV monk life

January 1, 2009

The Great Recession makes me consider becoming a monk — a monk with a Snuggie, a Slanket, and a Heat Surge.

Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP is getting panned

December 6, 2008

If Gwyneth Paltrow wants to be the Thin White Next Oprah, she may need to kick her GOOP down a notch.

She loves me, she loves me not

December 5, 2008

If we play a role in creating the world and our own future in it, then the part where we toss our crystal ball back and forth between the one hand and the other hand is crucial.

The news is in my house

December 4, 2008

Steve Dahl called me to say that CBS Radio is canceling his show, so I am losing my job.

Racine's minute in ABC's 'World News' spotlight

October 11, 2008

The Dow drops 679 points and throng of Obama supporters gathers in downtown Racine. ABC World News, here in our city to cover the election, shows none of this.