My weekly reading for April 14, 2024

Here are some highlights from my weekly reading this past week.

by Kyle D. Fee and Brian A. Mikelbank, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Community development reportsFebruary 23, 2o24.

Extract:

Based on our analysis, more than 830,000 Ohioans would be at risk of leaving the workforce if only half of drivers with DRS were in compliance. This amounts to 14.4 percent of the working population. Metropolitan labor markets would be hardest hit by the labor exodus, as would nonmetro areas in southern Ohio. Compared to the nation, Ohio’s new jobs are more likely to require a driver’s license, and the requirement is increasing. It is becoming increasingly common in almost all sectors that a driver’s license is required as a condition of employment. This is particularly true in suburban, suburban and rural economies, reflecting mobility challenges in areas not well served by public transport. In addition, driver’s license requirements from employers tend to be highest in middle- and lower-income occupations, indicating the importance of a driver’s license for this segment of the workforce while highlighting how a lack of a driver’s license can hinder the economic mobility of most. is at risk of developing a DRS.

Our analysis shows that these suspensions, especially when combined with increasing driver’s license requirements, make finding and keeping work more difficult for a significant portion of Ohioans, but the instability also impacts the broader economy. Fewer people in the workforce means fewer people to employ and fewer people to produce and consume goods and services.

Note: I posted about this topic in November 2013. I quoted one of my students who said, “It doesn’t benefit anyone to make it harder for someone who owes money to make money.”

by Colin Grabow, Cato at FreedomApril 10, 2024.

Myth 1. US manufacturing has collapsed. Rubio’s call for stronger government intervention to rebuild domestic production implies that the sector is in dire straits. Rubio twice refers to the “collapse of American manufacturing,” which requires what he describes as a “serious effort to rebuild American industry.” But his entire premise is wrong. Domestic production does does quite well.

Whether it is measured in terms of added value or ExitU.S. manufacturing is at or not far from record highs. The United States is responsible for a greater share of global manufacturing output than any country except China, with greater output than Germany, India, Japan, and South Korea combined. U.S. exports of manufactured goods in 2022 totaled almost $1.6 trillionincluded tens of billions worth each of automobiles, medical instruments, integrated circuits and aerospace. In 2021, the United States was the world fourth largest steel producer, second largest car manufacturer, and largest aerospace exporter.

by Edward McSpedon, Wall Street JournalApril 5, 2024 (protected)

Extract:

An objective look at the required technical performance reveals many reasons for optimism. The access structures – the causeways on either side of the main ship channel, which carry waterborne traffic to the bridge’s center span – appear to have suffered little damage. Even the column that directly struck the ship may be able to be rebuilt using part or all of the existing foundation.

The part of the bridge most affected was the superstructure of the 300-metre-long main span. This is the steel ‘truss’ that carries the roadway high above the water in the middle of the ship canal. This “clear span” eliminates the need for underlying support columns that would interfere with navigation. The components of the damaged steel truss can be quickly replicated using the design information already available from the current bridge. These sub-components can then be prefabricated into large sub-assembly units at an off-site location, on land or in a dry dock.

Note that the title is the log gave it says it should not have to takes a long time, not that it is will not take a long time.

The photo above is of Marco Rubio.