Michael R. Strain

As the Covid-19 pandemic recedes across much of the US, the difference between the lasting and temporary changes that it wrought are starting to emerge. Hype and wishful thinking have contributed to predictions that are likely to prove wrong; just because a change was striking or desirable doesn’t…

Earlier this week, Bloomberg columnist Michael R. Strain spoke with Dr. Scott Gottlieb, his colleague at the American Enterprise Institute and a former head of the Food and Drug Administration, about Covid’s variants, vaccination rates and coming risks. In this installment, Gottlieb, who is author…

The Covid-19 pandemic seems to be ending almost as abruptly as it began. Across the US, states are dropping restrictions on business activity and people are resuming normal lives. Throughout the pandemic, there’s been evidence that remote work has increased the productivity of some workers and…

The pandemic has taught people to stay home when they’re sick. That’s a lesson to keep living by. Covid-19 has most certainly not been “just a bad flu,” as the wishful thinkers have insisted since the pandemic began affecting daily life in March 2020. But social distancing to slow the spread of…

President Joe Biden is reportedly considering the first major tax increase in several decades. It won’t be clear whether higher taxes are worth paying until more is known about the spending programs they would finance. But it’s not too soon to say that at least one aspect of Biden’s approach…

The US economic recovery from the pandemic been surprisingly swift, with output increasing, consumer spending recovering, and unemployment falling faster than expected. State and local governments’ tax revenues recovered rapidly as well, despite the dire predictions of many governors. But what…

Covid-19 is surging — but, finally, the light at the end of the tunnel is visible. Preliminary test results indicate that vaccines being developed by Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. are more effective than many dared to hope. Treatment protocols have improved and new therapies are available. The…

The housing market is booming. Is this another indication that the recovery from the Pandemic Recession is complete for the rich, while low-income households are left behind? No, it isn’t. It’s primarily driven by the usual suspects in any market: supply and demand. But serious challenges are…

In Thursday night’s debate, both President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden expressed openness to a $15-per-hour national minimum wage. Biden seems all for it, and Trump indicated it may be a good idea for some states. They both know that raising the wage level is a popular idea…

The US Congress has a full plate, to say the least. The coronavirus pandemic has claimed over 200,000 lives, and the virus will continue to spread this fall and winter. Members of both houses are up for re-election in November. The Senate will probably be asked to approve President Donald Trump’s…