Colorado state budget researcher: ‘We’re headed off a cliff’

There is nowhere near enough money for Colorado to continue to do the business of the state as things stand, according to an influential team of researchers at the University of Denver. State lawmakers will either have to raise more money or cut away the kind of programs and services most Americans view as measures of the baseline quality of life achieved over centuries in the world’s wealthiest nation.

PPP Colorado poll: Lukewarm on Obama; even less warm on likely GOP rivals

Americans are deeply dissatisfied with officeholders across the political spectrum, and in swing-state Colorado, a key battleground for next year’s presidential election, the hot enthusiasm generated here by candidate Obama three years ago has cooled considerably, according to a new survey conducted by Public Policy Polling. Although, the methodology of the poll has rightly come under scrutiny (same as every poll), given the historically dismal economy and the battering Obama has taken on the right since he entered the White House, it’s remarkable that PPP pollsters found he nevertheless notched double-digit leads in the state over every potential GOP opponent except Mitt Romney, whom he leads here by 7 points.

Federal Reserve expects a somewhat slower pace of recovery

The Federal Reserve’s policy committee, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), met Tuesday and voted on what course of action they would take with respect to U.S. monetary policy in the coming months. Their statement reflects the commonly-held perception that the recovery from the Great Recession has stagnated:

Sawmills let off hook on federal bark-beetle contracts, but financial issues persist

The announcement late last week that three Colorado sawmills are being let out of pre-recession timber contracts with the U.S. Forest Service was met with relief from U.S. Sen. Mark Udall and skepticism among some in the conservation community who say the move will only have short-term impacts.

Could the U.S. be headed for a second sub-prime crash?

The sloppy lending habits that brought the recession on in the first place seem to be on their way back as sub-prime loans are getting more popular every day.

Obama explains deal: Tax cuts for wealthy the GOP ‘holy grail’

Taking heat from the left as well as from moderate Democrats like Colorado’s Mark Udall for cutting a deal with Republicans to extend tax cuts for millionaires in a time of recession and ballooning deficits, Pres. Obama explained the…

Labor Dept. bad news: Colorado still bleeding jobs

The latest U.S. Labor Department figures provide no cheer for Coloradans. The news from Washington is that the state lost another 8,600 jobs in August, bringing the total number of jobs lost in Colorado over the last 12 months…

Top analysts find government action saved U.S. economy

In a new paper released Wednesday, entitled “How the Great Recession Was Brought to an End,” prominent economists Alan Blinder and Mark Zandi say the stimulus, stress tests, emergency Federal Reserve maneuvers and Troubled Asset Relief Program saved the…

Recession’s end? Wealthiest Americans buying more Vail, Aspen real estate

VAIL – One sign the economy may be recovering is the recent resurgence of Colorado’s high-end mountain real estate market.

Eagle County, home to Vail and Beaver Creek ski areas, saw the dollar volume of real estate sales more than double in the first five months of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009, according to Land Title Guarantee Company.

Unemployment benefits extension no help for growing numbers of jobless

Late Thursday afternoon, President Obama signed into law a bill granting workers out of a job for more than 26 weeks additional unemployment insurance payments, paid for by the federal government. The benefits had been in place since November 2009, but had lapsed for seven weeks — an unprecedented hiatus, given the 9.5 percent unemployment rate. The bill, held up in the Senate by Republicans concerned about the deficit, makes benefits retroactive to June 2 and forward to Nov. 30. In states with higher than 8 percent unemployment, workers will continue to receive up to 99 weeks of benefits.