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Like a natural disaster, without the upside

Posted Wed, Nov 4, 6 a.m.

When an economic engine like Boeing snubs your state on your watch, there's not much for a governor like Chris Gregoire to do. Just take the hit and try to move on.

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Humor: The noble public service of Goldman Sachs

Posted Sun, Nov 1, noon

Far from humbled by recent financial stumbles, Ron Rapacious offers a new line of derivatives: betting on future legal settlements.

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Gregoire signals new willingness to talk taxes

Posted Tue, Oct 27, 6 a.m.

As the state's projected deficit grows, the governor's new chief of staff says he "would be surprised" if the shortfall can be closed without new revenue.

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In Olympia, recession is looking like an opportunity missed

Posted Thu, Oct 22, 6 a.m.

Desperate times call for bold measures, but structural and political obstacles make any meaningful change unlikely, our columnist says.

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It's like a full-time gig

Posted Mon, Oct 19, 6 a.m.

Navigating the unemployment system is no easy task ... for people seeking jobs, hiring, or even those advising the applicants. Anybody need a professional hoop-jumper?

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Seattle, toward a 'MetroNation'

Posted Thu, Oct 15, 6 a.m.

Brookings' Bruce Katz argues in a UW talk that this "metro" can help lead the U.S. toward a new, more prosperous economy.

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Welcome to 'Destroy History Month'

Posted Mon, Oct 12, 6 a.m.

September's demolition of state landmarks leaves Washington preservationists reeling.

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Learning from Detroit, the City of Ruin

Posted Thu, Oct 8, 6 a.m.

A city that defines urban decline was once like Seattle, built on a dominant transportation industry. Can it become a laboratory for urban reinvention?

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Turbulence watch on the state's economy

Posted Tue, Sep 29, 6 a.m.

Forbes gives the state high marks for its business climate, but you wouldn't know that at a summit of business leaders, suffering from the Boeing jitters.

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'Just Do It' can be taxing in D.C.

Posted Wed, Sep 23, 6 a.m.

Why making progress on health care, foreign affairs and the financial system is harder than it looks.

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Business-as-usual is back in the saddle

Posted Tue, Sep 15, 6 a.m.

September is a time to remember 9-11 and the financial free-fall of 2008. The sad truth is that the Masters of the Universe haven't heeded the call for common sacrifice.

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The fate of Obama's presidency

Posted Fri, Sep 4, 6 a.m.

It hinges on the economy, which is slowly recovering, and Afghanistan, which is fatefully resembling Vietnam.

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Why do people like Medicare and fear health care reform?

Posted Tue, Aug 18, 6 a.m.

A reporter talks to protesters at a Yakima rally and discovers profound disconnects between beliefs and behavior

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Humor: Failure we can believe in

Posted Sun, Jul 5, 10:15 a.m.

An exclusive interview with President Obama, in which he unveils his new strategy: 'Build on Failure'

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Making the best of a bust

Posted Fri, Jul 3, 6 a.m.

Even in hard times, there are signs that livable Seattle can still make progress despite, or even because of, the challenges of the economy

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And for Seattle's next 'world's fair,'...

Posted Fri, Jun 5, 6 a.m.

Puget Sound boosters are proposing to launch an annual Global Health Celebration in 2012 to re-brand Seattle for the new century.

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Hello, Poppy? Obama here. Need some advice.

Posted Thu, Jun 4, 9:10 p.m.

As the senior Bush had to mop up the mess created by Reagan's deficits, Obama now has to deal urgently with mountains of federal debt created in fending off the recession.

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Testing time for Obama

Posted Fri, May 29, 6 a.m.

A new Supreme, overhauling health care and energy, North Korea, Pakistan. And did I mention the Great Recession?

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Earth to GOP: start talking about real solutions

Posted Thu, May 28, 6 a.m.

The media, and the Republicans, have been gleefully obsessed with self-flagellation. If the GOP is going to regain respect, it has to have distinctive answers to the big problems of the day. Here are some examples.

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Jobless in paradise

Posted Tue, May 26, 6 a.m.

So far, Portland and Seattle are still magnets to young, educated, restless people. But couch-surfing and microbrews will only last so long. Here's a look at the demographic realities in the two cities.

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Other media

What if most economists are wrong about the recovery? The consensus forecast, aided by the latest bleak jobless report, suggests lackluster growth for the next couple years. Take heart. There's a rosier scenario.

U.S. unemployment rate hits 10.2%, worst in 26 years "The job market is still in reverse," says one economist.

This week's 'Marketplace Minute' Bill Radke manages to get Constantinople into the weekly business news, and even makes it rhyme.

Shakespeare, that noted economist, explains how to avoid the next Great Recession Shylock understood the power of asset-backed loans. Economists are thinking hard about collateral and leverage as they grapple with new ways to model the U.S. economy.

Joel Connelly: Sen. Murray gives some economic advice The Boeing shock treatment continues, and one agency that is taking economic challenges seriously is the Port.

Blog posts

Ready to get real yet?

Posted Thu, Oct 8, 9:44 p.m.

We're still in the denial stage over local hard times, dining on our acres of clams.

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Northwest will be in the money

Posted Sat, Sep 12, 11:11 a.m.

Or rather, on it, as the U.S. mint prepares to issue a new series of quarters.

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Russell: company of destiny

Posted Wed, Sep 9, 4:50 p.m.

Once the Tacoma-based company became a global high-roller, it was unlikely that the City of Destiny could hang on to its big fish.

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High-speed sprawl?

Posted Sat, Aug 22, 11:06 a.m.

An economist is skeptical about the goals and benefits of Obama's rail vision.

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Trade wars: bad news for Washington state

Posted Wed, Jun 10, 3 p.m.

A few ominous dispatches from the front lines of an escalating war

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Starbucks is the new garage

Posted Tue, May 19, 6 a.m.

In re-building the brand, the coffee company could find opportunity with the Great Recession's diaspora.

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Obama's banking plan: a turning point?

Posted Mon, Mar 23, 9:40 p.m.

Both the plan, and the administration's unveiling of it, show a recovery from earlier missteps

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Obama cannot repeal basic economic laws

Posted Thu, Mar 26, noon

Two examples: You can't borrow if you can't repay; and trade barriers beget trade barriers.

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Back-of-the-napkin doodles by Democrats

Posted Thu, Mar 19, 6 a.m.

A public-records request finally gets answered

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Two ways to punish the AIG(reedy)

Posted Tue, Mar 17, noon

Not quite as good as 18th-century sanctions, but a start.

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