Category Archives: Economy

Jobs Slower to Recover than the Economy

Posted on March 15, 2012 by matt ohern

(This column first ran in the Richmond Times Dispatch on March 5, 2012) Now that the economy has started growing, the next question becomes when will we return to the employment levels prior to the Great Recession? Not until 2015, … Continue reading →

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How Many Americans Go Hungry?

Posted on March 15, 2012 by matt ohern

(The Jefferson Policy Journal is running a column from Just Facts Daily and hope these issues generate a robust conversation with our readers.  You can read other “facts” from this publication here.) While arguing that safety-net programs should be strengthened … Continue reading →

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State’s Retirement System Needs Repair

Posted on February 16, 2012 by matt ohern

(This column ran in the Richmond Times Dispatch on February 13, 2012.) Frantically, many Virginia Retirement System (VRS) stakeholders have asked me: “Are we really in a financial danger zone?” With the potential McDonnell infusion of $2.21 billion to VRS, … Continue reading →

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Keystone Decision Should be Challenged

Posted on February 16, 2012 by matt ohern

President Obama “is focused like a laser on putting people back to work,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) assured us last fall – echoing repeated statements by President Obama and Administration officials who “can’t wait” for Congress or others to … Continue reading →

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U.S. 460 Project an Economic Development Powerhouse

Posted on February 2, 2012 by matt ohern

The McDonnell administration’s thinking behind the $1.6 billion reconstruction of U.S. 460 between Suffolk and Petersburg has come into clearer focus with the publication of an economic study by Chmura Economics & Analytics. The I-85 Connector, as the administration has … Continue reading →

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