Water Usage – and Population? – Down in 2008
The Las Vegas Review Journal reports a 4% decrease in water consumption for southern Nevada so far this year – and a possible decrease in our official population as well.
Economy »
October 08 Economy In Brief
The Nevada Employment Security Department today published the October 2008 “Economy in Brief” and it is available online. Amongst this issue’s most fascinating statistics: Nevada’s personal income growth rate has been cut in half since the record 2003 tax hikes and 2005 increase in minimum wage.
September Sales Tax Collections Down
Compared to a year ago, September sales tax collections were off more than five percent, a continuing indicator that Nevadans are either fewer than they were one year ago and/or have stopped spending as much money per person.
Coverage from the Las Vegas Review Journal.
Harvard: The Age of Friedman
Here’s a must-read paper published by Harvard.
The last quarter century has witnessed remarkable progress of mankind. The world’s per capita inflation-adjusted income rose from $5400 in 1980 to $8500 in 2005.Schooling and life expectancy grew rapidly, while infant mortality and poverty fell just asfast. Compared to 1980, many more countries in the world are democratic today.
The last quarter century also saw wide acceptance of free market policies in both rich and poor countries: from private ownership, to free trade, to responsible budgets, to lower taxes. Three important events mark the beginning of this period. In 1979, Deng Xiao Ping started market reforms in China, which over the quarter century lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. In the same year, Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister in Britain, and initiated her radical reforms and a long period of growth. A year later, Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States, and also embraced free market policies. All three of these leaders professed inspiration from the work of Milton Friedman. It is natural, then, to refer to the last quarter century as the Age of Milton Friedman.
Global Economic Impact
This has little to do with Nevada – it’s global and worldwide. But it sure is cool.
Census Data On Nevada
Here is the US Census Bureau’s 2005 “American Fact Finder“.
Some nuggets:
- We have a very young median age (43rd in median age, 41st in percentage over 65)
- We are below average for grandparents taking care of their grandchildren.
- Below average in children living in poverty
- Below average (but nowhere near the bottom) in percent completing high school.
- Average for earnings by full-time, year-round females
- Above average household income (17th of 51)
- Fourth highest in percentage of people who don’t speak English well.
