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About Aaron Johnson

Authored 24 articles.

Articles

• Albany Artist Marie Salter's 'Frock Paper Scissors' Exhibit Opens Thursday

  News, April 08, 2022

• Commentary: Will The BRICs Come Tumbling Down?

  News, July 03, 2013

• Commentary: Why Government Is Essential, Yet Inefficient

  Features, July 01, 2013

  Aaron Johnson's motivation for this post stemmed from a funny analogy made by Thomas Sowell, whose simple, yet outrageous example, speaks to the inefficiency of government.

• Commentary: When A College Degree Is Not Valuable

  News, June 28, 2013

• U.S. Deficit Projected At Lowest Level in Five Years

  News, June 27, 2013

• U.S. Southeast Unfortunate Standout in Food Stamps

  News, June 26, 2013

• Commentary: If Bernanke’s Superman, Then…

  Features, June 24, 2013

  The U.S. economy is his kryptonite. On the other hand, Al Lewis of MarketWatch apparently believes that Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is the “Man of Steel”. Darton State College Economics Professor Aaron Johnson examines Ben Bernanke's performance.

• How Owning A Home Could Hurt Your Job Prospects

  News, June 19, 2013

• Commentary: Marriage and Taxes

  News, June 17, 2013

• Southwest U.S. Outpaces Rest

  News, June 14, 2013

• Commentary: Are They Calling Off Euro Zone Crisis Too Soon?

  News, June 13, 2013

• Labor Force Shrinking at Slower Rate

  News, June 12, 2013

• Commentary: Job Report Solid, But Remains Insufficient

  News, June 11, 2013

• Interest Rates Rising, But Not Enough To Curtail Housing Sales

  News, June 10, 2013

• Commentary: Why Japan’s Currency Devaluation Is Worrisome

  Features, June 06, 2013

  Japan has been in an economic funk since the 1990s. It was at that time that many speculated that they would overtake the U.S. as the global economic superpower, rather than China. However, a poorly regulated financial system led to a housing crisis that they have yet to recover from.

• Commentary: Let’s Amend, Not End, Capitalism

  Features, May 22, 2013

  The United States prides itself as being the “land of opportunity”. With the U.S. being a favored destination for immigrants across the world, that distinction still has merit. However, there are disturbing trends where many are questioning the value of capitalism due to its contribution to income inequality. Even so, we must acknowledge the role that capitalism played in lifting not only Americans out of poverty and into prosperity.

• What If the U.S. Economy Operated Like NFL?

  Features, May 14, 2013

  On one hand, we have the U.S. economy where President Obama and Congress draft laws and regulations to oversee economic activity. Then there is the National Football League (NFL) and the English Premier League (EPL), who each have administrations that develop policies and rules to regulate their respective brands of football or ‘futbol’, as known by my soccer aficionados. When looking at the U.S. economy, one could argue that the U.S. government has more closely reflected EPL over the last couple of decades, rather than the NFL. Is that ideal or should they look to the NFL as a better model for governance?

• Commentary: Is Two-Tiered Minimum Wage The Elixir for Poverty?

  Features, May 13, 2013

  During Obama’s State of the Union, he brought up raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $9.00 an hour. If Congress passes this piece of legislation, then all employers cannot pay any worker below $9 an hour. However, poverty and income inequality remain troubling concerns that need to be addressed.

• Commentary: Does Obamacare Have A Death Panel?

  Features, April 29, 2013

  Bloomberg Businessweek’s January article entitled “Wanted: Obamacare Death Panelists” corrects misperceptions of the law, but also highlights serious challenges in fighting fraud and rising health care costs. This references the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), which was created to slow the growth in Medicare spending when President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

• Commentary: Will Health Care Reform Hit A Snag?

  Features, April 15, 2013

  Reports are that a key target of the Affordable Care Act signed by President Obama in 2010 appears ambivalent about buying health insurance. Specifically, the young and healthy have so far not been interested in buying health insurance. However, it is still early and none of the insurance exchanges have been set up. Plus, it is possible that they are waiting until the last minute before having to pay a fee for not being insured.

• Why a Good February Jobs Report Might Be Deceiving

  Features, March 22, 2013

  The February jobs report exceeded expectations with the unemployment rate falling to 7.7% and 236,000 jobs added. Darton State Economic Professor Aaron Johnson says while that suggests optimism, self-inflicted wounds from congressional gridlock may eventually lead to unnecessary damage to economic growth and unemployment.

• Maybe The Fed Is The Problem with Weak Recovery

  Features, March 12, 2013

  Aaron Johnson, Economics Professor at Darton State College, digs deeper into reasons behind the weak economic recovery, and what role the Federal Reserve might be playing in it.

• Darton Economic Professor Shares How the Fiscal Cliff Deal is Insufficient in Long Run

  Features, January 07, 2013

  Darton College Economic Professor Aaron Johnson talks about the legislation passed averting the fiscal cliff, and digs deeper into the many effects that the deal may have on Americans.

• A Lower Unemployment Rate Not Always a Good Thing

  Features, September 21, 2012

  Darton College Economic Professor Aaron Johnson digs deeper into unemployment numbers, and how when unemployment declines, due due to a misunderstanding of what the unemployment rate measures, the numbers aren't as good as they seem.