Economy | The Barefoot Spirit

Can Legislative Indecision Hurt Small Business?

“LET’S POSTPONE THAT MAJOR PURCHASE!”

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Business Blog

A small business owner recently asked us if we thought Washington’s indecision over the health care issue could affect her business. Our answer was not the one she wanted to hear. It has been the public’s willingness to commit to the purchases of new cars,...

We Can’t Afford to Take a Break from Climate Change Mitigation

SCIENCE IS REAL!

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Business Blog

Why is it suddenly necessary for tens of thousands of scientists to march on Earth Day and implore us to take climate change seriously? Why do they have to insist that there is no debate and that the signs are already here? They obviously think we need a strong...

Climate Change Will Change More Than Climate

PUT A BUCK ON IT!

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Business Blog

It’s hard to believe that with the world’s scientific community in overwhelming agreement, the documented loss of the coral reefs, and melting of the polar ice caps that so many folks still act like climate change is not happening. We were recently...

Bring Back the Trades!

OUR DEMOCRACY IS AT STAKE!

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Business Blog

Within the last few decades we have seen the increasingly rapid demise of the teaching of the trades in high schools and community colleges. The “shiny ball” seems to be technology. Courses in the physical trades – also known as vocational education – seem...

Student Debt is Everyone’s Problem

WE CAN’T AFFORD IT!

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Business Blog

What if you gave a back-to-school sale and nobody came? That’s what retailers are facing this year as many college students and grads face the frugal realities of their college debt. In the last recession we saw how interrelated the various elements of the economy...