Friends: We’ve hearing a lot of rhetoric from Washington lately about the economy and job creation, but very little action.  This week, President Obama announced a new “stimulus” plan for the economy that includes $50 billion in infrastructure spending and an extension of the research and development tax credit for some businesses. Although the White House claims these initiatives could… Read more »

Associated Press House Republican Leader John Boehner on Wednesday proposed a two-year freeze on all tax rates and a cut in government spending to the levels of 2008, before a deep recession took hold of the economy. In a broadcast interview, the Ohio Republican said he was offering a "bipartisan" alternative to the package of business tax incentives and infrastructure spending that… Read more »

By Caroline Harris; The Washington Times As our economy meanders down the road to recovery, yet to hit its stride, the American dream slides out of reach for too many. Nearly one in 10 Americans can't find work. If you consider those who have given up looking or settled for part-time work, that number jumps to nearly one in five. Things are bad - and they are about to get worse. On… Read more »

By Walter Alarkon; The Hill The U.S. economy faces a “lost decade” like the one Japan suffered through in the 1990s if the government continues to spend and rack up debt, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Monday. Ryan, one of the GOP’s leading voices on the economy, said the White House and congressional Democrats have spent too much and pushed policies that have created too much… Read more »

By David Lerman and Liz Smith; Bloomberg BusinessWeek Sales are off by 20 percent this year at Image Computer, which repairs printers in suburban Detroit. So President Steve Olis is worried about whether he can continue paying the $71,000 a year it costs him to provide health insurance for his employees. The Obama Administration's answer for Olis and other small-business owners: a… Read more »

Dear Friends:   According to a recent CBS poll, more than 80 percent of Americans think the economy is in bad shape and 34 percent believe things are going to get even worse.  Fears of a “double-dip” recession are gaining momentum, particularly as we learn that economic growth shrank during the second quarter and housing sales collapsed in July.  It is now clearer than ever that the… Read more »

By Martin Vaughan and Corey Boles; Wall Street Journal Karen Port of St. Louis fears that President Barack Obama's plan to let tax rates rise for top earners will be a double whammy for her hot-tub dealership. Not only would the company—which takes in between $1 million and $3 million annually in gross sales—pay taxes at a higher rate, but the tax increases could leave less money… Read more »

By George Melloan; Wall Street Journal A report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York last week showed that consumers are having difficulty climbing out of the debt hole they dug for themselves before the credit bubble began to deflate in late 2007. The report gives support to the fears of those asset managers and economists who believe the U.S. is facing deflation. Bill Gross,… Read more »

By Brent Martin; MissouriNet A member of Missouri’s Congressional delegation would like to see Congress extend the tax cuts enacted by President Bush, but doesn’t see that happening. Northeast Missouri Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer says he has been traveling throughout his Congressional district, which actually extends all the way south to Osage Beach with a portion even below I-44.… Read more »

By William Seay; The St. Joe Channel U.S. Representative Sam Graves was in St. Joseph today at American Family Insurance. The Congressman toured the American Family building, and met with business leaders who wanted to voice concerns about the American economy. Congressman Graves says that visits like his today are vitally important when he has any downtime from his job in Washington,… Read more »