At December 31 Current Year 1 Year Ago 2 Years Ago Assets Cash $ 35,668 $ 41,280 $ 43,421 Accounts receivable, net 105,424 72,240 56,760 Merchandise inventory 127,403 98,324 61,060 Prepaid expenses 11,714 11,053 4,635 Plant assets, net 318,351 293,103 264,124 Total assets $ 598,560 $ 516,000 $ 430,000 Liabilities and Equity Accounts payable $ 146,061 $ 86,332 $ 55,625 Long-term notes payable 109,153 121,054 95,030 Common stock, $10 par value 163,500 163,500 163,500 Retained earnings 179,846 145,114 115,845 Total liabilities and equity $ 598,560 $ 516,000 $ 430,000 (1) Debt and equity ratios. (2-a) Compute debt-to-equity ratio for the current year and one year ago. (2-b) Based on debt-to-equity ratio, does the company have more or less debt in the current year versus one year ago? (3-a) Times interest earned. (3-b) Based on times interest earned, is the company more or less risky for creditors in the Current Year versus 1 Year Ago?