Regulatory uncertainty: A phony explanation for our jobs problem

[phantom power]

What do economic trends and employer decisions indicate? The demand-side explanation (...)

Investment and hiring trends inconsistent with “uncertainty” story (...)

Trends in weekly hours inconsistent with “uncertainty” argument (...)

when looking at both what employers are doing in terms of hiring and investing and what they (and their economists) are saying in private surveys, it’s nearly impossible to make the argument that uncertainty about regulations is holding back the economy. A Bloomberg News editorial makes the point even more broadly:

“There is no doubt that certainty is generally preferable to uncertainty, in the economy as in most aspects of life….But there is no evidence that uncertainty has increased during the Obama presidency, or that, if it has, the president’s policies are responsible for it…The charge of “creating uncertainty” is a way to blame Obama for the U.S.’s economic trials without having to explain the connection.”

http://www.epi.org/publication/regulatory-uncertainty-phony-explanation/

[RaleighNCDUer]

1. If they were told "your taxes are going up - deal with it" that would renmove

the uncertainty, wouldn't it?

Uncertainty is not the problem. Lack of demand - meaning, lack of money in the hands of consumers - is the problem.