Newt’s New Toot

Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich has proposed a new “Contract with America”.  Undeterred with his low poll numbers, vanishing campaign war chest, or any serious attention being paid his campaign by anyone, Newt has rolled out what could be the platform for any of the other GOP candidates. There is the usual, like “Repeal ObamaCare” (of [...]

Two Enigmas

Every so often there appears upon the public stage some events that are simply hard to understand.  Mitt Romney and Admiral Mike Mullen represent two puzzling cases. Mitt Romney is seeking the Presidential nomination from a party that simply does not appear to want him.  Romney keeps plodding along and slowly increasing his straw poll [...]

One Term President

Whomever is elected President in 2012, he or she will be a one term President. If it is President Obama, of course, he would be term limited and can only serve one more term.  He and his Democrat Congress members, however, will be swept out.   If it is any of the GOP show business [...]

Two Mill Stones

With all the ridiculous antics by the Congressional GOP members and the off the wall assertions by GOP Presidential hopefuls, why is it not already a slam dunk reelection for President Obama? Remember, the GOP is the party of George W Bush, on whose watch the budget went from a surplus to a deficit, the [...]

Cain and Abel

Over the weekend Herman Cain won a Florida straw poll.  He did not just win, he slew his opponent, Governor Rick “Abel” Perry. The “slewing” was justified based upon Perry’s overall performance.  It was also justified by Cain’s own clear message and 9-9-9 solution.  Cain’s clarity and uniqueness as the only candidate with a plan [...]

Take The Money And Run

A sideshow, now playing in Washington, stretches the edges of common sense.  Disaster relief funding, along with the funding needed to run all other government operations are being held captive by the GOP demand that the disaster relief be offset by cuts elsewhere.  Now there should be no question that if the objective is too [...]

The Invisible Hand

Adam Smith described the invisible hand and how it moves the economy.  His message was that if left alone, the invisible hand will guide the allocation of resources in the most productive way.  I wonder whether Adam Smith could detect an invisible hand behind today’s Wall Street and other world markets? The Dow, for example, [...]

Twenty Years and Silence

I have always wondered which was worse, life imprisonment or death by execution.  I hope personally never to find out.  I am afraid, however, each time a death row celebrity comes up to the final moment, I will forced to think the same question again. Yesterday another man, this time in Georgia, was executed after [...]

Looking Through The Wrong End Of A Telescope

This week President Obama announced he wanted to revise the tax code.   The super rich should pay their fair share of taxes. Specifically, the President called for invoking the “Buffett Rule” for those earning $1 million or more annually.  Lacking any specifics, it has been a field day for pundits.  Class warfare has been [...]

Almost Right, But Not Quite

President Obama came close yesterday to getting it right on Medicare and Medicaid.  Close enough some may argue, but unfortunately not close enough.  Here’s why. The President said he would veto any bill that tried to cut the deficit by cutting Medicare AND did not at the same time propose revenue increases.  For President Obama [...]