Random Links

1. Gloom and doom from Robert Reich: "The Truth About the Economy that Nobody In Washington Or On Wall Street Will Admit: We're Heading Back Toward a Double Dip."

2. Senators Bacus and Kerry argue in the WSJ that Congress should pass the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Colombian products have nearly complete access to U.S. markets, while U.S. farmers face an average tariff of 30% in Colombia, and manufacturers face a 14% rate. The Colombia FTA will eliminate tariffs for U.S. exports. Seems like a no-brainer.

3. The Mackinac Center reports that Michigan's recent economic revival of late can be traced in part to two little-known sources – China and Saudi Arabia. Michigan's international exports increased 36.3% from 2009 to 2010, the third-largest increase in the nation.

4. Daniel Yergen writes in the WSJ on the promise of shale gas: "Estimates of the entire natural-gas resource base, taking shale gas into account, are now as high as 2,500 trillion cubic feet, with a further 500 trillion cubic feet in Canada. That amounts to a more than 100-year supply of natural gas."

5.Oregon cops hope classical music deters loiterers, vagrants, vandals and ne'er-do-wells who loiter near a busy transit stop.

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