As energy prices continue to skyrocket, the tall tale about energy independence continues to get grander.And that falsehood is that this United States of America can in the very near future, say in fewer than 20 years, reach energy independence – the catch-all phrase for weaning the world’s largest economy off foreign oil with fancy [...]

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The growing consumer clout of the Hispanic community and its positive effect on the U.S. economy have largely been lost in the acrimonious debate over immigration policy that sadly has defined most Latinos living in the U.S. Yet, an increasing number of American companies aren’t letting that quarrel prevent them from seeking growth opportunities [...]

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Community colleges in West Memphis and Morrilton may play an important role in bringing some good-paying blue-collar jobs back to Arkansas.The state reported 195,500 manufacturing jobs in April, down 5,000 from a year ago and 64,500 from the 260,000 blue-collar jobs the state claimed just a decade ago. Meanwhile, the state’s fast-growing service sector [...]

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Immediately after the U.S. Senate passed its immigration reform bill Thursday, the nation’s top news wire services were flooded with press statements from business and trade groups with an expressed interest in the outcome of the legislation.The Senate bill would allow those who have been in the country two to five years to enter a [...]

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Playing the “patriot card” doesn’t seem to be working for the Big Three automakers as foreign auto giants continue to woo American consumers with quality products and better-built cars.Auto giants GM, Ford and Chrysler have resorted to waving the American flag to get U.S. motorists and Congress to rescue them from the brink of bankruptcy.On [...]

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Amazingly, an administration so hawkish about homeland security and a strong national defense does nothing to bolster the unstable U.S. dollar.In the past week, Tony Snow, former Fox commentator turned White House press secretary, sent out an e-mail blast decrying the media’s coverage of America’s economic progress.Yet, the Fox-Snow and the White House have been [...]

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Gubernatorial candidates Mike Beebe and Asa Hutchinson have been true to their promises of talking about jobs and economic development in the 2006 race for governor, and people hope that, as governor, one of them will make good on his vows. However, talk about economic development has become so prevalent in races for statewide [...]

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Small business folk are angry, consumers are mad and politicians are still busy smiling and busy shaking hands while hawking an increasing number of strange and ridiculous proposals they say will solve all our energy problems.But no one is listening. This week, the average retail price rose to $2.91 per gallon, 67.8 cents [...]

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As payday lending becomes a hot topic of debate in the current election cycle, a closely related issue that some politicians won’t dare touch is the cash cow that banks are milking with pricey fees.Bankrate Inc. reports that the average fee for a bounced check is $27.04, a 25 percent increase since the online [...]

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Maybe the people who say the economy is booming are right on target. After all, the U.S. has experienced 17 straight quarters of economic expansion and current barometers show that the outlook is good despite some challenges in the road ahead.Those who tout the current expansion have plenty of evidence, too. They can point to [...]

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