by Heather Hastie | Jan 2, 2017 | Economics, Freedom of Speech, Human Rights, Russia
2016 has been Putin’s year. He has succeeded in much of what he wants. He tells himself it’s about Making Russia Great Again. In reality, it’s about Putin himself. The Russian people are suffering and because of Putin, so are millions of others. And...
by Heather Hastie | Oct 27, 2016 | Economics, Health, US Politics, USA
It’s less than two weeks before election day and it’s just been announced that Obamacare premiums are increasing significantly next year. In a normal election cycle this would have been the October surprise that could have sunk the Clinton campaign, but...
by Heather Hastie | Mar 20, 2016 | Economics, USA
Many politicians, especially those on the right, preach the gospel of Trickle-Down Economics. The theory is that if businesses have more money they will employ more people and therefore it is essential to reduce business taxes. Raising the income of the wealthiest in...
by Heather Hastie | Mar 13, 2016 | Economics
On 1 April New Zealand’s minimum wage is increasing from $14.75/hour to $15.25/hour (US$10.29), so I thought I’d take the opportunity to do one of the posts on The Economy I’ve been promising. Whenever the level of the minimum wage is discussed, there are those who...
