Next time you feel like buying a new driver for $400, or maybe a new set of irons for $600 to $750, do yourself a favor and redirect the urge.

October 13, 2004

CLEVELAND - Republican John McCain promised to pivot from President Bush's economic policies and impose strict controls on government spending that would spur investor confidence and the stock market's recovery. "I will protect your savings and retirement accounts and get this stock market rising again," said McCain, after huddling with economic advisers and pledging a break with Bush administration policies.

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Friday called the economic policies of rival Barack Obama from the far left of American politics. In its hunt for votes for next week's election, the Obama campaign continued to tie McCain to the unpopular President Bush and promise a reversal of tax policies favoring the wealthy.

WASHINGTON - With chaos rocking financial markets, John McCain assailed "greed and corruption" on Wall Street and promised to clean it up, while Barack Obama blamed White House policies and said his opponent would only deliver more of the same.

Sales taxes represent more than half of Scottsdale’s total General Fund revenue. Since any major shift to property taxes or other available revenue tools is highly improbable, it’s an “economic given” that the city will continue to rely heavily on sales tax revenue to maintain, upgrade and expand services.

WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress on Wednesday he doesn't believe the economy will slip into a recession and rejected the notion raised by his predecessor, Alan Greenspan, that the economic expansion, which started in late 2001, could be running out of steam.

Williams Gateway Airport on Monday released figures highlighting its effect on the local economy, three days before a special meeting will be held to review a contested residential development near the airport.

August 24, 2004

It's exciting that the world is so excited about Barack Obama. I'm excited, too. That he achieved the presidency says something good about America.

In a rancorous and contentious campaign season, one can expect all manners of high-blown rhetoric and less-than-civil dialogue to surface, and indeed it has.

Jay Tibshraeny

WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve on Wednesday lowered its projection for economic growth this year, citing damage from the double blows of a housing slump and credit crunch. It said it also expects higher unemployment and inflation.

KYOTO, JAPAN - The dual realities speak for themselves. Asia’s poverty rate has plummeted from about 50 percent to less than 19 percent in the past four decades and the average income has grown nearly sixfold, but nearly 2 billion people still live on less than $2 a day.

Those who lament the lack of night life in downtown Mesa can take comfort in at least one upside: The streets don’t stink with pee.

Chandler is doing what Mayor Boyd Dunn said it didn’t need to do: Paying incentives to lure business.

It seemed like a sign of the times when Diamondbacks managing general partner Jerry Colangelo announced a mandatory autograph policy at the start of spring training. Simply put, give fans something special during hard economic times and they're even more likely to dispose of their disposable income on tickets.

The state of the economy has taken center stage in almost every conversation. Many families and businesses are already hurting, and hopefully the actions recently taken by our federal government and the contemplated actions to be taken by our state governments, as well as our financial community, will provide some short- and long-term relief to those who are suffering.

In a more fair world, Franklin Raines and Jim Johnson would be doing a perp walk. After all, the CEOs of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac committed the same white-collar crimes that brought down Enron and WorldCom, among others.

WASHINGTON - In defense of his war policy, President Bush will highlight U.S. efforts to help Iraqis overhaul their economy and rebuild their shattered infrastructure - an endeavor continually undermined by unrelenting violence.

Arizona is creating a new economic development organization, at least in part to compensate for the state’s lack of financial incentives to lure new business.

Austin Hill: Why don’t faith-based Americans concern themselves with economics? Does that seem like a strange question? You may be wondering what I mean by “faith-based Americans.”

CANTON, Ohio - Closing his case for the presidency, Barack Obama promised on Monday to restore economic prosperity and a sense of "higher purpose" to a tired, embattled nation. "We are one week away from changing America," the Democratic presidential candidate proclaimed, campaigning with the confidence of a contender nearing victory.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Robert J. Aumann and Thomas C. Schelling won the 2005 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences on Monday for their work in game theory that explains political and economic conflicts, arms races and even preventing warfare.