It’s the Economy Stupid!

The presidential primaries are in full swing and the state of the economy is a big issue. In this election cycle the debates can occur on YouTube.

In the Republican debate tonight the questions included:

· What measures will you take to tackle the national debt?
· What are the top three federal programs you would cut?
· Do you support a 'Fair Tax'?
· Will you pledge never to raise taxes?
· Will you eliminate farm subsidies?
· Repay the $2 trillion borrowed from Social Security?
· How can we repair the infrastructure of America?

Sounds like Macroland to me!

An interesting idea for a Discussion Board post might be to analyze the macro policy planks of your favorite (or least favorite) candidate(s). You should focus on fiscal policy (tax policy, spending priorities) and trade policy. How does your candidate plan to deal with the budget and trade deficits? What about the depreciating dollar? How will they pay for the retirement of the Baby Boom generation?

The usual Discussion Board rules explained on the syllabus still apply if you chose to post on a candidate’s proposed macro policy. Make sure that you read the Guidelines for Your Discussion Board Post inside on the Complete Your Discussion Board Successfully forum, as well as the syllabus, before you submit your Discussion Board post.

Extra Credit: Answer one of the following questions: Which past successful presidential candidate used the phrase: “It’s the economy, stupid” as a campaign theme? OR What country currently has the highest rate of inflation (hyperinflation) in the world today? Explain your answer and cite your source. If you are the first student to send me an e-mail (kwoodward@saddleback.edu) with the answer, you will be rewarded with two extra credit Discussion Board points. Only two points extra credit per student can be earned in any given week from the blog questions.