Economics

Center on Wealth & Poverty

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The Toxic Patterns that Keep People on the Streets

We Heart Seattle’s “Recovery First” Model is Working Seattle voters say the homeless drug crisis remains a top three issue. But the Harrell administration is still engaged in a game of Whack-a-Mole and has failed to find long-term solutions. That’s because they’re not addressing the drivers of this humanitarian disaster which include drug addiction, mental illness, and broken relationships. Instead, Read More ›

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Solar panels and wind power generation equipment
Image Credit: hrui - Adobe Stock

Donnelly: Study Sobering Look at Cost of Electrification

Oregon’s and Washington’s legislatures have passed electrification mandates, with deadlines for net-zero emissions by 2040 in Oregon and 2030 in Washington, and for carbon-free emissions by 2040 in Oregon and 2045 in Washington. But what will these mandates cost? Until now, we haven’t known. Read More ›
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Ken Peterson Talks with Brandi Kruse About “What Does It Cost?” Documentary

In April, Ken Peterson appeared on [un]Divided’s Sundays with Subscribers, hosted by Brandi Kruse. In this teaser, Peterson and Kruse discuss the land mass that wind and solar would require in the Pacific Northwest and the infinitesimal effects net zero energy policies will have on global climate. Watch “What Does It Cost?” below:

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President Donald Trump delivers remarks on a partnership deal with U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel at the U.S. Steel Corporation-Irvin Works in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, Friday, May 30, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)
Public Domain image from the White House at Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:P20250530DT-1172_President_Donald_Trump_delivers_remarks_on_a_partnership_deal_for_U.S._Steel_in_Pennsylvania.jpg

Trump’s Budget Bill Cuts Off the Green-Energy Cash Spigot — And It’s About Time

Whether it's tax credits or long-term contracts that force ratepayers to pay above-market prices for these intermittent energy resources, the pro-subsidy crowd ignores economic reality. Sure, subsidizing an industry or an individual firm can "create" jobs — but those subsidies must be paid for by someone. We pay in the form of soaring electricity rates. Read More ›
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Ride the Amtrak passenger train through lush Michigan landscapes from Chicago, Illinois to Detroit, Michigan.
Image Credit: Sandris_ua - Adobe Stock

The Failure of Subsidizing AMTRAK and How to Make Passenger Trains Profitable Again

We are publishing this paper volunteered by J.D. Wong, a Georgia businessman, that makes a strong, well-researched case that government subsidies for Amtrak should be terminated. In his opinion, only a couple of long distance train routes are potentially sustainable, and that a reliance on standard rail cars, rather than sleeper cars, is a business mistake that mainly reflects political influence. Read More ›
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Vibrant cereal bowls displaying various colorful breakfast options
Image Credit: Olga Phoenix - Adobe Stock

Cereal or Eggs?

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Investment strategies illuminating financial growth with coins and light bulbs
Image Credit: krit - Adobe Stock

Information Economics: George Gilder’s “Life After Capitalism”

What underpins this understanding of economics is what George Gilder calls the "materialist superstition." From the capitalism of Adam Smith and David Ricardo to the socialism of Karl Marx, classical economics to socialist economics rest on the assumed pillar of Newtonian determinism and static materialism. There is also only so much matter to go around, the materialist superstition has us believe, therefore, no amount of incentives and technological innovation can avoid the fact that we will run out of material goods. Read More ›
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Seattle Government Ignores Suffering of Chinatown

Each day, Asian American grandmas have to walk through this gauntlet of drug addicts and maneuver around the black market of stolen goods on King Street. “The police here just kind of chase them away, and like, two hours later, they come back,” says one resident. Right across the street is Ho Mai Park. Instead of laughter coming from children, Read More ›