Tag Archives: congress

UMD Study: Fiscal Cliff Could Trigger Deep Recession, Fear of Cliff Has Cut GDP Already

By Guest PostOctober 30, 2012Economyamerica, analysis, congress, debt burdens, defense spending, economic crisis, economic environment, effect, employment level, Europe, federal spending, financial crisis, fiscal cliff, fiscal shock, gdp, government policy, inforum, interindustry forecasting project, jeff werling, maryland, multiplier, nation, prediction, recession, sequestration, tax cuts, tax increase, tax reform, u.s economy, university

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The so-called “fiscal cliff” has already begun dampening the U.S. economy – even before it officially kicks in – and by year’s end will have cut 2012 GDP an estimated six-tenths of one percent, says a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland’s Interindustry Forecasting Project (Inforum).

The study, called Fiscal Shock: America’s Economic Crisis, is one of the first to look beyond the first year effects of the combined federal spending cuts and tax increases. It projects an escalating impact into 2014 and beyond, as “multiplier” effects of fiscal contraction kick in. (more…)

‘Civilian Cyber-Warriors’ Not Driven By Patriotism

By Guest PostSeptember 12, 2012Politics, Technology2012, anonymous, civilian, congress, cyber attack, cyber warrior, cybercrime, cybersecurity act, domestic, download, foreign government, government, hacktivist group, internet regulation, max kilger, michigan, military, municipal, music illegally, national pride, patriotism, physical protest, politically radical, power grid, societal risk, state university, thomas holt, vulnerable resource, water system

EAST LANSING, Mich. — People who commit cyber-attacks against the government also tend to download music illegally and participate in physical protests. Surprisingly, however, they don’t appear to be acting out of some sense of national pride or patriotism.

Those are some of the findings to emerge from a Michigan State University study that for the first time begins to paint a profile of “civilian cyber-warriors,” or people who engage in attacks against domestic or foreign governments without support from military or government agencies. Cybercrimes pose a huge societal risk and have become a hot issue globally, yet little is known about the mindset behind them. (more…)

National Deficit Outlook Unchanged Under Obama: UMD Policy Analysis

By Guest PostSeptember 9, 2012Economy, Politicsaccumulation, afghanistan, alternative, budget control act, bush era tax, cbo, congress, congressional budget office, debt, deficit, democrats, election policy, fact check, finance, fiscal cliff, fiscal scenario, gdp, george bush, Iraq, key, national debt, philip joyce, policy issue, President Obama, presidential campaign, public policy, republican, social security, university of maryland, war, wealthy american

Public Policy’s Philip Joyce Offers Election Policy Fact Check

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – From a public policy point of view, the national debt accumulation since President Obama took office is largely a result of policies put in place prior to his inauguration, says a new analysis by University of Maryland expert Philip Joyce. He adds that Obama’s policies will make little impact in the debt over the next decade.

“The best that can be said about presidential fiscal policies thus far is that they would slow the bleeding, but they neither would stop it nor would they do much to heal the patient,” Joyce says.

The size of the debt has been one of the biggest issues of the presidential campaign, with Republicans arguing that the President has allowed the debt to rise out of control and Obama saying that he inherited the policies that led to an increase in debt and deficits. (more…)

Uncollected Internet Sales Taxes Cost Missouri $468 Million Annually, MU Study Shows

By Guest PostMay 1, 2012Economy, TechnologyAmazon, brad fischer, business, california, congress, david valentine, e-commerce, internet, internet transaction, lobby, missouri, missouri legislator, online retailer, revenue, roy blunt, sales, sales tax, supreme court, university of missouri, us sales, wal-mart

MU researchers recommend legislative action to help local economy, state revenue

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Internet, or e-commerce, sales have increased over the past two decades, comprising nearly 17 percent of the total U.S. sales in 2009. However, many states, including Missouri, have no effective means of collecting taxes on those sales. Researchers at the University of Missouri Truman School of Public Affairs found that the state lost approximately $468 million annually in sales tax revenue during the past decade.

Federal law and U.S. Supreme Court rulings only allow states to levy sales taxes on a business with a physical presence in the state. For example, Amazon.com does not charge sales tax in Missouri because it is physically located in California. However, Wal-Mart charges sales tax, since it has stores in Missouri. In the study, researchers analyzed historical data on e-commerce activity and estimated that the state will miss out on $1.4 billion in potential revenue from 2011 to 2014. (more…)

Political Leaders Play Key Role in How Worried Americans Are By Climate Change

By Guest PostFebruary 12, 2012Environment, Politicsacademy awards, afghanistan, Al Gore, american clean energy, americans, an inconvenient truth, anti environmental voting, climate change, climate change threat, climate threat, congress, democrats, environmental magazines, extreme weather, factor, gdp, gross domestic product, Iraq, j craig jenkins, jason carmichael, John McCain, Media, movie, new york times, political battle, political leader, Politics, price of oil, republican senators, republicans, robert brulle, Science, threat, threat index, unemployment rate, war deaths

COLUMBUS, Ohio – More than extreme weather events and the work of scientists, it is national political leaders who influence how much Americans worry about the threat of climate change, new research finds.

In a study of public opinion from 2002 to 2010, researchers found that public belief that climate change was a threat peaked in 2006-2007 when Democrats and Republicans in Congress showed the most agreement on the issue. (more…)

2012 Economic Forecast from UMD Business Faculty

By Guest PostJanuary 25, 2012Economy2012 economic outlook, american jobs act, banking industry, banking sector, black friday, canada, cliff rossi, congress, consumer spending, credit, debt crisis, Economy, european, foreclosure, global financial market, housing market, million dollar question, money, new york times, obama administration, President Obama, qr codes, revenue growth, robo signing, sba, sephora, small business administration, small business saturday, small businesses, unemployment, university of maryland, Wall Street Journal, walmart express

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – A weak housing market, tight credit for small businesses, no significant growth in the banking sector, anemic consumer spending, and modest sales for retailers – that’s the outlook for 2012 according to experts at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

“Several important dynamics frame the 2012 economic outlook,” says Cliff Rossi, Tyser Teacher Fellow and executive-in-residence. These factors include:

Massive financial leveraging across the board by sovereign countries, state and local governments, banks, businesses, and individuals;
Fear and uncertainty among consumers and investors, despite faint signs of optimism at times;
Political self-interest and brinksmanship increasingly interfering with effective policy making. (more…)

WHOI-Led Study Sharpens Picture of How Much Oil and Gas Flowed in Deepwater Horizon Spill

By Guest PostSeptember 6, 2011Environmentacoustic doppler current profiler, adcp, alexandra h techet, amount of oil released into the gulf, andrew bowen, barrels, blown out, chris reddy, congress, dana r yoerger, daniela di iorio, deepwater horizon leak, deepwater horizon oil spill, doppler measurements, Environment, flow rate technical group, frtg, gulf of mexico, imaging multibeam sonar, jeffrey s seewald, judith fenwick, louis l whitcomb, macondo well, maxx3, MIT, natural gas, oil, pnas, proceedings of the national academy of sciences, remotely operated vehicle, richard camilli, sean p silva, well fluid, whoi, woods hole oceanographic institution

In a detailed assessment of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, researchers led by a team from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have determined that the blown-out Macondo well spewed oil at a rate of about 57,000 barrels a day, totaling nearly 5 million barrels of oil released from the well between April 20 and July 15, 2010, when the leak was capped. In addition, the well released some 100 million standard cubic feet per day of natural gas. (more…)

Who Wants to Deliberate with Politicians? More than Some Expected, Study Finds

By Guest PostApril 8, 2011Culture, Politicsamerican public, citizens hate politics, congress, conventional wisdom, david lazer, deeply misleading, deliberative democracy, democrats, digital government program, michael neblo, political corruption, political discourse, republicans, stealth democracy

Conventional wisdom suggests that average citizens hate politics, loathe hyper-partisan gridlock, balk at voting even in presidential election years and are, incidentally, woefully ill-informed.

Given that, the thinking goes, it’s reasonable to conclude that citizens want less, not more, involvement in politics.

But that widely accepted theory does not survive empirical scrutiny, a team of researchers that includes a University of Colorado Boulder political scientist found. (more…)