Commentary
« Previous Entries Next Entries »Educational Standards
Friday, April 9th, 2010The plea of some industry leaders in the U.S. for common educational standards smacks of more central planning and attempts to turn children into products of assembly line processes. Yes, we need better education in this country. No, the answer is not more standardization. That does not mean we don’t need standards. We need individual [...]
What Should I do with My Money?
Sunday, March 14th, 2010What should I do with my money? Interest rates are low. Inflation is low. Should I be investing in stocks? How about bonds? Money market funds? Bank CDs? Real estate? Precious metals? I have very strong opinions about these questions. First, it is difficult to answer these questions without facts, and the “facts” being supplied [...]
U.S. Post Office
Monday, March 8th, 2010The U.S. Post Office recently announced it was considering eliminating Saturday service. Why? Budget problems. It is losing money. The U.S. Post Office is not a private company. It was established by the U.S. Government and remains controlled by the U.S. Government. Why is that an important distinction? For the answer, let’s explore the budget [...]
Political Speech
Friday, January 22nd, 2010The Supreme Court has ruled that corporations and unions are entitled to their First Amendment rights just like individuals. They have the right to support political candidates during elections. Some are appalled by this ruling, believing this opens the door to political domination by large corporations. They advocate restrictions on corporations during elections so that [...]
Mass Loss of Confidence
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010Yesterday’s Massachusetts vote for senator is being interpreted as a victory for the Republican Party. I have a different view. I see the Massachusetts vote as a lack of confidence in government. I see the vote as a rejection of policies that don’t make sense to the American public. I see the vote as a [...]
It’s Not the Fed’s Fault
Saturday, January 9th, 2010As analysts try to describe how we got into this financial mess, policies of the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank are frequent targets. The Fed held interest rates too low for too long, encouraging the explosion of debt, and encouraging those who borrowed money to bid up asset prices, including technology stocks in the 90s and [...]
The Freedom Delusion
Thursday, December 31st, 2009The word “freedom” is tossed around freely in the U.S. Our military exists to defend our freedom. We fought wars in defense of freedom. Our politicians say they are protecting our freedom. International diplomacy is conducted with the objective of maximizing freedom throughout the world. Founding documents, establishing the United States, make freedom the highest [...]
Investing
Friday, October 9th, 2009If I tell you I invest in land, what is your vision of what I do? Most people think I buy land in a metropolitan area in the path of progress, wait for new development to reach my land, then sell it for a profit to a land developer. That’s not only not what I [...]
Cash for Cadavers
Sunday, September 20th, 2009If you believe “cash for clunkers” was a success, you should be even more enthusiastic about this next idea. The objective of the Obama Administration is to enact new health care legislation, bringing “free” health care to everyone, while not increasing costs or negatively impacting the economy. You have heard that most of the cost [...]
Extraordinary Ted
Sunday, August 30th, 2009Last week Ted Kennedy died. This weekend the tributes to him have been truly extraordinary. His funeral was attended by a who’s who of American politics. What was so extraordinary about Ted Kennedy? What did he do in his 77 years to deserve such an outpouring? Well, he served 47 years in the U.S. Senate. [...]
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