Who is John Crudele?

I’m a Post reader and have always been one.  When I’m not wearing my Mets hat, people often will register their disbelief in the form of something subtle like voice inflection. One of the major reasons I read past it’s first page is for “Taking Stock” by John Crudele.   True to his chosen milieu the headlines are a little bombastic at times, however, he will offer real analysis behind common reports such as this weeks announcement from the Commerce Department that personal savings has risen from “zero” to a sizable amount. John, as he always does, explains what forces drive the figures released.  In this case, it turns out the formals are sensitive to amount of tax paid to Treasury.  This is of course down as of late, argo:

Since the computers believed people still had the money (because Treasury didn’t have it) and since they are not spending that money, it must mean Americans are saving more.

If you like little tidbits like that, he’s worth the 75 cents alone.

New Data from the Census

Ask him why villages need home rule

The U.S. Census Bureau has just released 2008 population estimates beyond the county level to include “minor civil divisions” and “incorporated places.”  These are commonly known as cities, towns, and villages although this can depend on the home rule particularities of each state.

Why is this so important?

In between the breathless anticipation of the next shark attack or firework mishap that will bookend this upcoming holiday weekend, local media tends to revert to its more traditional role of boosterism which of course has habit of becoming a zero sum game of hand-wringing over which town will get the new WalMart.  It’s nice to see the WSJ keep that “small town” outlook on the national level:

U.S. cities that for years lost residents to the suburbs are holding onto their populations with a mix of people trapped in homes they can’t sell and those who prefer urban digs over more distant McMansions, according to Census data released Wednesday.

The article then goes on to tell two anecdotal stories to back up this assertion up. Similar articles will no doubt spring up from sources who might have better things to worry about then “smart growth” pulling up the housing market. An article from Detroit makes the very valid point that

State and federal money to communities, most notably federal Community Development Block Grant funds, are based on population.

Either as evidenced green shoots for the economy or the greenbacks of increased government spending, this data will be increasingly in the public eye.