Government debt, money and economic activity

Debts, Public ; Money

Average Food Prices: A Snapshot of How Much Has Changed Over a Century

In January 1913, when the U.S. Department of Labor was formed, the buffalo nickel would soon replace the Liberty Head nickel, women were protesting for the right to vote, and a family could buy a pound of potatoes for less than two cents. Fast forward 100 years to January 2013, when the U.S. Department of Labor is a century old, credit cards and online purchases are the more common forms of payment than the cash purchases of 1913, a record number of women are elected to Congress, and a pound of potatoes now costs 62 cents. These historic comparisons show how much has changed in the United States, and food prices have changed as well. To examine prices over time, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has Consumer Price Index (CPI) data going back to January 1913 and a few average prices going back to at least that far. This article summarizes some average food prices over the last century. Table 1 lists selected food average prices a century apart

The Consumer Price Index and the ‘Median CPI’

The broadest measure of consumer price change is the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), published each month by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Shortly after the publication of the CPI, the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland publishes its ‘median CPI’. This article summarizes the difference between these two measures of retail inflation

Writing an Escalation Contract Using the Consumer Price Index

[Excerpt] Each year thousands of people write contracts with escalation clauses that are tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Escalation contracts call for an increase in some type of payment in the event of an increase in prices. These contracts are used in a wide variety of ways, from adjusting rent prices to adding cost-of-living adjustments to alimony payments and wage contracts. Unfortunately, many escalation contracts tied to the CPI are vague. For example, a contract may stipulate that “the Consumer Price Index (CPI) be used to escalate an apartment rent, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes thousands of CPIs each month, so a more carefully worded contract could minimize ambiguity and the likelihood of future disputes. This issue of BEYOND THE NUMBERS can help those who use the CPI to write escalation clauses to create a more comprehensive contract

Demographic Trends in National Forest, Recreational, Retirement, and Amenity Areas

Those who live near national forests are both potential forest visitors and neighbors who feel the impact of many forest management decisions. This paper provides some insights about those proximate populations. It does so by measuring the proportion of national forest land within each county and then combining that with an analysis of the patterns of demographic change over the past several decades. Because there is considerable overlap between counties that contain national forests and those designated as recreational, high amenity, and retirement destination counties, demographic trends in such counties are compared. A total of 757 of the 3,141 U.S. counties contain national forest land. More than 66.1 million people resided in these counties in 2000, some 24% of the U.S. total. The population in national forest counties grew by 19% between 1990 and 2000 compared to 13% for the nation as a whole. Most of the population gain in national forest areas resulted from net in-migration. Population gains in national forest counties were slightly smaller than those in recreational and natural amenity counties and significantly less than those in retirement destination counties; however, the gains were considerably larger than those in other counties. National forest counties that are metropolitan have significantly more Hispanics than other metropolitan counties but fewer Blacks and Whites. Nonmetropolitan national forest counties contain a much larger proportion of non-Hispanic Whites than their metropolitan counterparts, a finding consistent with that for nonmetropolitan counties in general. Knowledge about the changing size and demographic structure of the population in national forest counties has particular relevance to Forest Service planners and policymakers

Balancing Leisure and Work: Evidence from the Seasonal Home

Seasonal homes are used during leisure time for many recreational activities, yet recent technological innovations have diminished the separation between the work place and the seasonal home. In a survey of Walworth County seasonal home owners, most who work full time report they seldom work during vacations and weekends from their seasonal home. Yet there is a distinct subgroup who do mix work into weekends and vacations for a variety of reasons. The most frequent reasons given by these people for working from the seasonal home were related to the expectations of coworkers and clients. Understanding more about the habits and motivations of those who frequently work during weekends and on vacations could provide a new perspective on the obstacles everyone faces in balancing work and leisure

U.S. Cyber Command Chief Inducted Into NPS Hall of Fame

Article taken from NPS news website: http://www.nps.edu/About/News/U.S.-Cyber-Command-Chief-Inducted-Into-NPS-Hall-of-Fame.htmlU.S. Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, Commander of U.S. Cyber Command, and Director, National Security Agency/Chief, Central Security Service, was inducted into the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Hall of Fame during the university’s Spring Quarter Graduation ceremony, June 21

Demographic change in the northern forest

This brief examines the population redistribution in the Northern Forest, which includes thirty-four counties scattered across northern and central Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. Authors Ken Johnson, Susan Stewart, and Miranda Mockrin report that the population of the Northern Forest grew modestly between 2000 and 2010, and the population gains were greatest in recreational areas and least in manufacturing areas. Racial and ethnic diversity is also growing in the Northern Forest, and the population is getting older due to aging in place among current residents and net outmigration among younger populations

A Warrior’s Legacy - McChrystal Shares His Story During Unique SGL

Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates referred to him as “perhaps the finest leader of men in combat I have ever met.” Retired U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s military resume speaks for itself. He led a coalition of 45 nations as the commander of U.S. and International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) in Afghanistan, ran the Joint Special Operations Command, and chased SCUD launchers during the Gulf War, just to name a few highlights