The 2020 race for the White House will culminate in less than three weeks on November 3. However, some experts are predicting the outcome will not be determined that night and there will be a protracted result due to the massive number of mail-in votes. In fact, state officials in Pennsylvania are expecting controversy. The […]

Recently a group of businesses, including Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, called on insurance companies to stop supporting fossil fuels. Some state insurance commissioners are similarly pressuring the companies they regulate to cut ties. The immense consequences of ending fossil fuel use mean that this should require the unambiguous consent of the governed and not […]

Earlier this month, we celebrated World Teachers’ Day – a day dedicated to showing gratitude to all of our wonderful educators. As students have learned to adapt to new methods of schooling as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, teachers have worked overtime to ensure their students continue to receive a proper and meaningful education. […]

Daniel Tompkins. George Dallas. Schuler Colfax. Garret Hobart. John Garner. Do any of these names ring a bell? If they don’t, it’s OK, you are not alone. All of these men at some point in time served in America’s second-highest office as Vice President of the United States. They, like most vice presidents, were mostly […]

The mission of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management is to ensure for all Alabamians “a safe, healthful and productive environment.” It’s a mission that ADEM and its nearly 600 employees take very seriously. Ensuring a safe, healthful and productive environment means more than simply being the environmental cop, though that certainly is part of […]

If you lost your job and are looking for work because of the COVID-19 pandemic, you are certainly not alone. Here in Alabama, while our economy is recovering, nearly 800,000 Alabamians have filed an initial unemployment claim since March. The pandemic hurt the economy across the board, though workers in public-facing industries were hit especially […]

Recently, my wife and I were preparing to attend a wedding. As we made ready to leave the house, we checked to make sure that we had our masks at which point she lamented that she did not have one that matched her outfit. We both paused on that and then jointly expressed that the […]

The United States is such a big and diverse country with transparent sources of information and data that we are the world’s lab for various policy practices. Take the response to COVID-19. Some states closed down early and hard and stayed that way for a long time. Others were more judicious about their closure, closing […]

My father, Charles, served in the U.S. Army, so I often heard the joke about the young recruit who was participating in his first military parade, looked around at his fellow soldiers, and smugly thought, “I’m the only one who’s marching in step.” That story sums up the way that Doug Jones has approached his […]

COVID-19 has killed over 200,000 Americans while policies to stem the virus’ spread have caused enormous economic and societal harm. Any comparison must use a common metric, and economics uses dollars, even for human lives. No one can avoid placing a dollar value on saving lives; always choosing safety just places an infinite dollar value […]

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual international campaign aimed at increasing awareness of this common disease, with the long-term goal of someday ending it entirely. Although deaths from breast cancer continue to decline, they’re falling at a slower rate than in previous years, and the number of cases we’re seeing is rising. […]

Over the last few election cycles, we’ve become accustomed to seeing the candidates for vice president square off in a debate. Perhaps this is acknowledging the greater responsibilities performed by modern-day vice presidents. I’ve always regretted that 60 years ago, vice presidential hopefuls Lyndon Johnson and Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. didn’t debate. It would have […]

Baldwin County has united once again, standing alongside one another to lend a helping hand to fellow neighbors in the wake of disaster. As our county deals with the aftermath of Hurricane Sally, we’re reminded of what Baldwin County is all about: serving our neighbors, no matter the circumstances, no matter the time, and doing […]

Congress was sent home by Speaker Pelosi last Friday without securing a deal with the White House or the Senate on the next COVID bill. While we were told we might get a 24-hours’ notice to return, our calendar doesn’t show us coming back to Washington until November 16. President Truman ran against the Republican […]

The United States has witnessed unprecedented economic disruption due to COVID-19. State and local governments closed thousands of “nonessential” businesses. Now, businesses have filed over 1,000 lawsuits against their insurance companies to collect for COVID losses. What should we make of this litigation? The businesses suing insurers include the NBA’s Houston Rockets, Minor League Baseball, […]

It is hard to believe autumn has arrived and the holiday season is right around the corner. As you know, with colder weather comes peak flu activity, and the world is still dealing with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Health officials are warning Americans to take certain precautions as these two viruses collide in hopes that […]

One of the hallmarks of our government is that every state is fairly represented in Congress. It doesn’t matter if you are from the big city or a rural area, our Constitution ensures that every American has the opportunity to elect someone to stand up for their community’s interests in the Capitol. However, one of […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused everyone to hit the pause button on life. During the stoppage and forced time away from routines, many people have come to appreciate the important things in life – family, friends and faith among others. Still, the loss of some routines and regular activities hurt worse than others, namely last […]

Near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, critics of President Donald Trump’s response to the novel virus claimed that he didn’t have a plan. They’ve derided him for not having a “national response” and have called for a nationwide lockdown and mask order. Critics pressed the president to use the power of the federal government […]

On the Friday night after Hurricane Sally passed, while many of us down here were still digging out and cleaning up and without electrical power, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. As an attorney, Justice Ginsburg was a leading advocate for women’s rights and gender equality. She was placed on the powerful U.S. […]

It has been since 1976 when Alabama voters last selected a Democrat for president. While Alabama continued to vote for Democrats at the local level, the state’s electors have sent their votes to the Republican nominee for the past 10 presidential election cycles. Since 2004, the Republican nominee has won by over 20 percentage points. […]

What would you do if you woke up tomorrow with millions of extra dollars in your bank account? At some point, most Alabamians have probably daydreamed of such a scenario. Perhaps you would buy a new house, a fancy car, or give it away to causes important to you. Here’s the catch, if you don’t […]

Imagine there’s a simple way to save your family money, help the environment and support the creation of American jobs in one simple step. It’s not science fiction. It’s the reality for motorists who have chosen to drive electric vehicles (EVs) instead of gasoline-powered cars and trucks and explains how EVs have emerged as the […]

Opinion polls consistently find that young Americans view socialism favorably. For example, in a recent Gallup poll, 49% of millennials and Gen Z’ers held a favorable view of socialism versus 32% of Baby Boomers. Does support for socialism indicate a need for more economic education in America’s high schools and colleges? As an economics professor, […]