The U.S. government has officially entered into “fiscal madness” (from First Trust Economics Blog on September 5)…

Back in the 1980s, President Reagan took enormous political heat (Sam Donaldson comes to mind) for being fiscally irresponsible. His offense? Presiding over a budget deficit that peaked at 5.9% of GDP in Fiscal Year 1983. But at least Reagan had an excuse.  Actually, multiple excuses. The unemployment rate averaged 10.1% in FY 1983, which
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Walmart’s recent pay cuts suggest the jobs market is softening (from The Wall Street Journal on September 7)…

Walmart is paying some new store workers less than it would have three months ago, a sign that employers are seeking to cut labor costs as the once-hot market for hourly staff cools.   The country’s largest private employer changed its wage structure for hourly workers in mid-July, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street
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