Economy

By Mary Sanchez, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

America, this Bud should have been for you.

But many of us were too busy grousing about the sale of another national icon to a foreign firm to heed the wake-up call.

By Bob Sommer, Midwest Voices columnist 2008

The clerk in the tiny post office in Onaga, Kan., told me I was in for some good food at the 4 Seasons Cafe.

Reasonable, too. The meatloaf special was $5, gooseberry pie $1.50. The waitress offered me her cell phone when mine didn’t get a signal.

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

UPDATED FRIDAY PM
Let's be contrarians. Now that almost all the experts think $4 gasoline is here to stay, it's actually about time for the bubble in petroleum prices to pop. Just look at the last three days. (Oh, and remember 1986.)

Many Americans are reconsidering their family budgets as prices for food, gas, health care and other essentials continue to rise — while stock-market and real-estate losses have cut into their assets.

Walking, biking, taking public transit and driving less are all possible ways to save money on transportation. Now another option is on the rise — scooters.

With their relatively low cost (less than half the price of a cheap new car) and great mileage (more than 60 mpg on average), they offer an excellent alternative to the car, at least on city streets in fair weather.

President Bush declared Tuesday that the government should not be involved in “bailing out companies.” But in the case of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, such sentiments are far too late to matter.

In their continuing efforts to reassure the public about mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, federal officials on Friday discounted reports that fundamental changes might be in the works.

By Mary Sanchez, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

As if getting a downpayment together isn't tough enough these days..... A proposal by HUD to eliminate charitable down payment assistance is angering the nation's mayors, Congressional leaders and those in the home loan industry. Details below:

By Roger Merryfield, Midwest Voices panelist, 2008

Let’s not abandon free-market capitalism in favor of socialist economics.

Despite its imperfections, capitalism has fueled the highest standard of living for the greatest number of people over the last century.

Everything from a hydrogen-powered vehicle to one that runs on compressed air has been touted as the wave of the future for America’s transit needs.

Though such technologies are worth pursuing, the technology for all-electric vehicles is here now and becoming cheaper each day. This option promises even more energy savings than hybrid vehicles now on the market.

By Mary Sanchez, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Kansas City in a league with Beijing, Calgary, Barcelona and Seattle?
According to FastCompany.com -- Yes!

KC -- illustrated with a beautiful photo of the Nelson-Atkins Museum expansion -- is touted by the magazine as among the most innovative. The redevelopment of downtown, the Sprint Center, and growth in the field of bioscience are also cited.

Auditors in Kansas have turned up an alarming breakdown in security procedures that allowed surplus state computers to be sold before they had been purged of confidential information.

Investigators checked computers for sale at the surplus property office and found that one contained nearly 3,000 Social Security numbers. Others held personal tax information, Medicaid files and confidential reports.

By E. Thomas McClanahan, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

And so, when the price of gasoline broke the barrier of $4 a gallon, the cry went out across the land: Drill, drill, drill!

By Mandy Earles, Kansas City Star Contributing Writer

It’s not just about the gas prices, but trust me the prices don’t help when we have to drive more than 30 miles to work every day. Employees are trying everything from carpooling to searching for new jobs closer to home. But now, thankfully, employers have started to wise up and realize they need to make their employees happy.

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

It's becoming more and more clear that corn-based ethanol -- and Missouri government's mandate to use it -- has been a costly mistake for all motorists.

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

If Saudi Arabia pumps more oil, will that drive down gasoline prices for beleaguered U.S. motorists? No, the Saudis and other OPEC countries will just make more money.

Denise Tiller, Midwest Voices 2008

Last week as I was volunteering at Vacation Bible School at our church, the state of the economy was a major concern of the adult staff. Everyone is feeling the pinch of high gas and food prices and they are actively trying to economize. Members of our church are very involved in Harvesters and the Stilwell Caring Ministry and it seems certain that the number of needy will increase while the donations of food may decrease. It seems inevitable that some will have to choose between gas and food. The problem for most of us is that it takes gas to earn the money to buy food and it takes even more gas to produce the food and bring it to us.

Denise Tiller, Midwest Voices 2008

The recent unemployment statistics are pretty grim, but they don't give the complete picture. The statistics don't count first time job seekers. It has become exceedingly difficult for young adults to land that all important first job.

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Friday's report from the American Automobile Association shows Missouri has the 2nd lowest gasoline prices in the nation. Kansas is 11th. Isn't that great news?

Spurred by soaring gasoline prices, America’s car-buying habits have changed dramatically the last few months. This sudden development should help conserve energy and reduce pollution, two worthwhile goals.

By Steven O'Hern, Reader Advisory Panel 2008

Missouri and its citizens would benefit greatly from a Free Trade Agreement recently negotiated between the United States and South Korea. That was the message delivered yesterday by Tae-Sik Lee, the Republic of Korea ambassador to the United States, who spoke to the International Relations Council of Kansas City.

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

The finger of blame for higher gasoline and oil prices should be pointed squarely at the U.S. Congress.

For two decades Congress failed to require more fuel-efficient vehicles, to reduce their appetite for massive amounts of gasoline.

Federal officials are proposing tougher rules on how credit-card companies handle their relationships with customers — steps that are long overdue.

The recommended changes were drafted by the Federal Reserve, in conjunction with the Office of Thrift Supervision and the National Credit Union Administration. They are expected to become final by the end of the year.

Members of Congress have had two bad ideas this spring when it comes to holding down gasoline prices.

Fortunately, it appears a gas-tax holiday hasn’t gained traction in Washington. It would mean billions of dollars less for needed road-construction projects.

Congress has been arguing about the next farm bill for many months, but the passage of time has not improved the end product. Quite the contrary: The bill passed last week by veto-proof margins is a travesty.

The housing bill passed recently by the U.S. House has a few good points. The program it creates would be voluntary. It would tighten regulation of the mortgage giants, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — something Congress has resisted for far too long.

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Board

Boiled down, I'm a happy Sprint customer, the kind that Sprint/Nextel CEO Dan Hesse says he desperately needs to keep the company alive. But I could have jumped off the bandwagon several times.

In Niger the chance of survival for children and their mothers is often bleak. One child in four never sees a fifth birthday.

Only about a third of mothers in the west-central African country have trained medical assistance when they deliver babies. Lack of such assistance adds to the risk of death for mothers and children.

By Barb Shelly, Kansas City Star editorial board

Interesting that GOP House leaders and the White House are objecting to Barney Frank's mortgage relief bill because it might reward speculators and irresponsible borrowers.

Deloitte & Touche USA is angling to be an exception. In response to higher turnover for women employees, the company launched a series of women's initiatives.

In the '90s, the company held a series of workshops on men and women as colleagues. The sessions helped erase some of the unease and misunderstandings between the sexes on the job. But they didn't stop there. The workplace today, they recognized, demanded a different career ladder, and so they now speak of a "career lattice."