Michael Hiltzik says the medically uninsured iin America have become a political football. Opponents and supporters of healthcare reform toss assertions about them back and forth.
The report, which says 46.3 million people lacked coverage as of the end of 2008, makes the case for reform stronger than ever by punching holes in arguments that minimize the plight of the uninsured.
Includes comments by WUSTL social work and public health professor Timothy McBride.

References:

1. Sept. 17, 2009 — U.S. Census Bureau data on the medically uninsured simply can't be denied in the Los Angeles Times

WUSTL economics professor David Levine says abolishing 'intellectual property' won't solve all social ills, but it would be a big step in the right direction for solving a range of problems from the high cost of health care, to innovating our way out of the current recession. In a series of posts with his co-author, WUSTL economics professor Michele Boldrin, they will be posting here about green technology, entertainment, free speech, multinationals, and innovation over the next weeks.

References:

1. Sept. 15, 2009 — Save the Whales! Abolish Patents! in the Huffingtonpost.com

U. of Georgia historian Stephen Mihm writes about the late WUSTL economist Hyman Minsky, who "has begun emerging as perhaps the most prescient big-picture thinker about what, exactly, we are going through. A contrarian amid the conformity of postwar America, an expert in the then-unfashionable subfields of finance and crisis, Minsky was one economist who saw what was coming. He predicted, decades ago, almost exactly the kind of meltdown that recently hammered the global economy. "

References:

1. Sept. 13, 2009 — Why capitalism fails in the The Boston Globe

How much is it going to cost to provide health care for all Americans? Until the details are complete, the only honest answer is: no one knows, reports John Schoen. "We know that the underinsured tend to be healthier," said Timothy McBride, associate dean for WUSTL's public health. "So if they were to get insured they would not be as expensive as the rest of us."

References:

1. Sept. 9, 2009 — Elusive price tag for universal health coverage in the MSNBC.com

Should states' rights trump the fed? It seems to be a trend across the country. At least 20 states have introduced resolutions reasserting states' rights because they think that federal government is way too involved in what states do with things like taxes and health care and education. WUSTL law professor David Law comments.

References:

1. July 31, 2009 — Should states' rights trump the fed? in the CNN American Morning

The Princeton Review -- an education services company that helps students choose and get in to colleges -- this year collected a wealth of data to help applicants and parents find the highly-coveted financial aid that a majority of them will need to pay for college. WUSTL was among 13 of which received the highest possible score of 99.

References:

1. July 27, 2009 — The Princeton Review gives 623 colleges financial aid ratings in the The Princeton Review

Controversy over compensation received by the president of the shipyard workers union, much of which was returned after it was disclosed to the government. Several labor analysts expressed concern about the union's pay practices and the changes it made in its financial reports. Labor consultant and WUSTL law professor emeritus Neil Bernstein comments.

References:

1. May 11, 2009 — Union boss returns some of $1.2 million pay in the The Washington Times

The Supreme Court rejected a favorite tool of prosecutors in immigration cases, ruling unanimously that a federal identity-theft law may not be used against many illegal workers who used false Social Security numbers to get jobs. WUSTL immigration law professor Stephen Legomsky comments.

References:

1. May 5, 2009 — Justices Limit Use of Identity Theft Law in Immigration Cases in the The New York Times

and 3 others.

When it comes to swine flu, Obama is trying to strike the right balance between protecting public and economic health. That's resulted in some doublespeak and spin, evidence of the inextricable ties between a looming epidemic and a listing economy. Includes comments by WUSTL American culture studies director Wayne Fields, who is an expert on presidential rhetoric.

References:

1. May 2, 2009 — Flu control tests Obama balancing skills in the Associated Press

and 47 others.

President Obama has gotten off to a busy start, fielding more questions in formal press conferences in his first months in office than the American people saw from his predecessor. WUSTL history professor Peter Kastor comments.

References:

1. April 28, 2009 — Obama takes more questions than Bush in the The Washington Times

Just as California under President Bush asserted itself on issues ranging from gun control to medical marijuana, a motley cohort of states — from South Carolina to New Hampshire — are presenting a foil for President Obama's national ambitions. WUSTL political science professor Steve Smith, who is director of WUSTL's Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government and Public Policy, comments.

References:

1. March 27, 2009 — States rebel against Washington in the The Christian Science Monitor

Advice for parents explaining to children what changes may need to take place when a family faces economic hardship. WUSTL senior consultant and author Karen Levin Coburn.

References:

1. March 25, 2009 — Break It to 'Em Gently: Telling Kids About Financial Woes in the The Wall Street Journal

To curtail costs while avoiding the strain of layoffs, companies, colleges and state governments are mandating temporary hiatuses, commonly known as furloughs. WUSTL employment and labor law professor Marion Crain comments.

References:

1. March 5, 2009 — More companies turn to furloughs to save money, jobs in the USA Today

and 1 others.

In less than two months, regulators have seized 14 banks. Experts think many more banks will collapse before the financial crisis is over. "We'll have a banner year [of failures] this year," said Stuart Greenbaum, retired dean and professor emeritus at the WUSTL's Olin Business School.

References:

1. Feb. 20, 2009 — Get ready for a wave of bank failures in the CNNMoney.com

WUSTL political science professor Steve Smith comments on some lessons learned by Obama and his team in the push for the stimulus bill.

References:

1. Feb. 11, 2009 — Stimulus fight gives Obama lessons early in the USA Today

and 1 others.

The stimulus plan emerging in Washington could offer an unprecedented, multibillion-dollar boost in financial help for college students. Both the House and Senate bills call for the largest-ever funding increase for Pell Grants, the government's chief college aid program for low-income students. It could also hand out billions to the states to kick-start idled campus construction projects, including new dorms at WUSTL.

References:

1. Feb. 8, 2009 — Who Gets What: Billions to colleges and students in the Associated Press

and 56 others.

Like a tornado, the economic downturn appears to be touching down and wreaking financial aid havoc for some colleges while leaving others unscathed. Financial aid officers at Boston College and Washington University in St. Louis report no dramatic increase in requests for scholarships.

References:

1. Jan. 13, 2009 — Financial Aid Applications Rise by 10 Percent in the U.S. News & World Report online

In hard times, the man in the Oval Office usually is the cheerleader-in-chief, looking ahead optimistically. Not Barack Obama, who is taking office full of gloom and doom about the nation's economy, warning that things are dire and bound to get worse. WUSTL American culture studies director and political rhetoric expert Wayne Fields comments.

References:

1. Jan. 13, 2009 — SPIN METER: Obama stresses dire economy at start in the Associated Press

and 32 others.

The news that President-elect Obama may include more than $300 billion in tax cuts as part of an economic recovery package was preceded by a lobbying push by businesses, which argued that providing tax relief may be a better way of reviving the economy than simply directing money to pay for road and bridge construction. Includes comments by WUSTL economics professor Steven Fazzari.

References:

1. Jan. 5, 2009 — Business welcomes talk of tax breaks in stimulus in the TheHill.com (DC) online

Experts disagree on how to fix the economy. Advisers to President-elect Barack Obama are assembling a huge plan to stimulate the economy. Some experts doubt this is a good idea. David Kestenbaum talks with some experts, including WUSTL economics professor Steve Fazzari.

References:

1. Jan. 2, 2009 — Economists Duke It Out over Stimulus Plan in the NPR Morning Edition