Erik Hare

Erik Hare is an Economics and Business columnist for MintPress. Hare is author of "The Long View", which focuses on decades long trends that influence our economic lives. Hare is also a freelance writer and world renown blogger at Barataria. His work has appeared in Salon, the Star-Tribune, St Paul Pioneer Press, many other publications. Hare also holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie-Mellon, and holds 9 US patents.

Stadium Frenzy Ignores Economics

As the economy bounces back from recession, so is stadium construction in the U.S. The structures cost more than a pretty penny, but few seem concerned about economics.

May 08th, 2014

By Erik Hare @wabbitoid

The roar of the crowd is electrifying and the bubbling solidarity of the fans cheering on their team swells an intoxicating civic pride. The emotional arguments for professional sports are strong, of course, but is there a solid economic case for building sports facilities? The short answer to that question is: rarely. In fact, most cities have

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The Case for Optimism

The economy is improving, but very slowly. There are reasons for optimism in 2014 as things are picking up, but this is nothing like a typical postwar “recovery”.

May 06th, 2014

By Erik Hare @wabbitoid

News about the the economy has been mostly positive lately. The official Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report showed an impressive gain of 288,000 in April, an annual rate of 3.4 million if it were to continue. The headline unemployment rate fell to 6.3%, and the more comprehensive U6

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The Underground Economy

Despite new ways of paying for things, cash isn’t going away. It has an important place in today’s economy, particularly the most dynamic part of it – unreported income that makes up an underground economy.

May 02nd, 2014

By Erik Hare @wabbitoid

No matter how hard times get, people have to make a living. As regular nine-to-five jobs become more difficult to find people turn to making money where they can – and a lot of it is in cash. “We have seen the rise of a new generation of people who

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The Death Of Inflation

There are at least two good reasons why inflation remains well below targets even as the economy is improving and despite years of economic stimulus.

April 29th, 2014

By Erik Hare @wabbitoid

Since 2008, the Federal Reserve has more or less printed over $3.2 trillion in three rounds of quantitative easing. That’s now tapering off to zero, but many have speculated that all this printing must result in inflation simply because it puts more U.S. dollars out there

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Getting Real With Long-Term Investments

Despite an historic bubble and bust cycle, many Americans still believe real estate is the best long-term investment option — but is it?

April 25th, 2014

By Erik Hare @wabbitoid

The classic American dream of homeownership as the core of financial security isn't dead, despite a roller coaster ride through bubble and bust over the last few years. This is reflected in a Gallup poll conducted as part of an

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What Is The Real Unemployment Rate?

There’s only one problem with the headline unemployment rate of 6.7 percent: hardly anyone believes it.

April 22nd, 2014

By Erik Hare @wabbitoid

What is the real rate? The number most commonly reported is 6.7 percent, down considerably from 2010, but everyone seems to have their own opinion. “The 6.7 percent is probably 21 or 22 percent in real numbers,”Donald Trump

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Today’s Job Market Exploits Marginal Workers

Is the notable rise in temporary workers a sign of an improving economy or the continuation of a trend toward less security and safety on the job?

April 18th, 2014

By Erik Hare @wabbitoid

A good jobs report for March had the business world buzzing. Thegain of 192,000 jobs was seen as a sign of strength amid indicators that the economy is picking up steam. But

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