Simon Company's year-end balance sheets follow. At December 31 Current Year 1 Year Ago 2 Years Ago Assets Cash $ 27,761 $ 31,807 $ 34,485 Accounts receivable, net 80,459 56,787 44,627 Merchandise inventory 100,160 75,040 48,493 Prepaid expenses 8,851 8,518 3,757 Plant assets, net 248,630 229,452 210,138 Total assets $ 465,861 $ 401,604 $ 341,500 Liabilities and Equity Accounts payable $ 118,319 $ 65,835 $ 45,078 Long-term notes payable 90,209 92,369 73,962 Common stock, $10 par value 163,500

The companys income statements for the current year and one year ago, follow.

For Year Ended December 31	Current Year		1 Year Ago
Sales		$ 605,619		$ 477,909
Cost of goods sold	$ 369,428		$ 310,641
Other operating expenses	187,742		120,911
Interest expense	10,296		10,992
Income tax expense	7,873		7,169
Total costs and expenses		575,339		449,713
Net income		$ 30,280		$ 28,196
Earnings per share		$ 1.86		$ 1.74

(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?