Articles Tagged With ‘Economy’




Running on empty

OPINION By STACEY WARDE As I write this, a collection agency is leaving another annoying, threatening message on the answering machine. The voice is petulant, measured and all business. I’ve just walked back into the house to make a call... (Continue reading)

Following the corporate pied piper

OPINION BY MARILYN ARMSTRONG Prior to the 1970’s, America was primarily a cash based system.  Most families had savings accounts, and adhered to a program of placing 10 percent of their earnings into their savings. Even large ticket items, such... (Continue reading)

California incomes plummeting

Personal Incomes for Californians dropped the first time since World War II, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. [MarketWatch] The agency said that California incomes dropped by $40 million during 2009. That’s down about 2.5 percent in a year.... (Continue reading)

One in three California teens can’t find a job

Consider it a new form of teenage angst: 34.5 percent of young workers in California were out of a job in June. [California Watch] Teens in California are having a tougher time than other teens around the country, where unemployment... (Continue reading)

Stamps may go up to 46 cents

The U.S. Postal Service on Tuesday proposed a 2-cent increase in the price of a first-class postage stamp to 46 cents. If approved, the change would go into effect  Jan.2, 2011. [CNN] The proposed rate hike underscores the deep financial... (Continue reading)

Controller refuses to cut state workers’ pay

State Controller John Chiang announced Thursday that he would strongly defy Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s order to pay state workers minimum wage “until the courts hand down a final resolution.” [LA Times] Earlier in the day, the governor had ordered all... (Continue reading)

Governor prepared to pay minimum wage to state workers

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is threatening to pay minimum wage to state workers during July if lawmakers fail to agree on a new budget. [Los Angeles Times] The threat came in the form of a memo from Debbie Endsley, the governor’s... (Continue reading)

What would you do for five bucks?

We thought we had seen just about everything in terms of social networking on the Internet. Then we stumbled across Fiverr. The new web site seems to offer up everything from the silly to the serious. The premise is ridiculously... (Continue reading)

County supes draft 2010-2011 budget

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors tentatively adopted a 2010-2011 budget of $442.7 million on Wednesday, down $25 million from last year. [Tribune] The county currently employs 2,400 workers. Forty-three staff positions, all of them already vacant, were eliminated.... (Continue reading)

Cal Poly brings $469 million to the economy

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo brings an estimated $469 million annually to the local economy through campus expenditures and off-campus student spending, according to a recently released report from the California State University System Office of the Chancellor. In addition,... (Continue reading)