IMF Reports Global Economic Slowdown
Is the world in danger of drowning in debt? The International Monetary Fund this month issued a report highlighting its concerns about worldwide debt, which it said totals some $152 trillion. “The period of [...]
U.S. Economic Growth is Slowing, but Do Not Get Hung Up on the Short Term
On Thursday, the Commerce Department reported that the U.S. economy’s rate of growth slowed to an annual rate of 2.2 percent in the last quarter of 2018. This is below the 3.4 percent growth [...]
Federal Reserve Says Low Inflation Remains a Concern
On Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell said that he is concerned about low inflation not only in the United States but also in other developed countries. Specifically, inflation for a significant time period [...]
The Elephant in the Room – Spiraling Government Debt
“The high level of U.S. government debt is likely to mean that the U.S. economy is much more interest-rate sensitive than it has been historically.” Robert Kaplan, president of the Dallas Federal Reserve Robert [...]
McMartin Preschool Trial A Travesty of Justice
I normally rewrite the material that I describe; however, in this case I have extracted much from Wikipedia because it accurately portrays the horrible abuse that was inflicted on the McMartin family. I find it [...]
The Fifties by David Halberstam
I recently reread this classic and happily can report that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Halberstam made an interesting comment. When we think of the 50’s, we have an image of a black and white society [...]
Life After Carbon: The Next Global Transformation of Cities
"It always seems impossible until it’s done." -Nelson Mandela I recently heard a presentation on climate change and read a book “Life After Carbon” by Peter Plastrik and John Cleveland. Plastrik and Cleveland highlighted [...]
Record Corporate Buybacks Stimulate Controversy
The anticipation that U.S. corporations will repurchase a record $940 billion of their stock has raised significant congressional criticism, particularly from Democratic presidential hopefuls, but also from Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. The [...]
John Hopkins Cancer Symposium 45 Years of Turning Research into Results
I have just returned from a very exhilarating experience, the John Hopkins Cancer Symposium, sponsored by Erwin and Stephanie Greenberg. In brief, all of us would be elated to learn about the incredible breakthroughs [...]
Defending Intellectual Property Crucial, but We Want China’s Economy to be Strong
This past Thursday, President Donald Trump gave an upbeat assessment of efforts to settle our trade dispute with China. Vice Premier Liu He promised China would buy more U.S. farm and energy products and [...]
I Can Be Harry Truman’s One-Handed Economist
President Harry S. Truman once quipped that he wanted a “one-handed” economist because all his economic advisers said, “on the one hand this, and the other hand that!” Alas, “Give ‘em Hell Harry” would [...]
Israel’s Dangerous Dalliance with China by Ilan Berman
In today’s Wall Street Journal, Ilan Berman wrote an editorial that frankly surprised me. In brief, Berman highlighted America’s concern that Israel’s growing political and economic relationship with China has sinister implications. Specifically, John [...]
Why Apple Announcement Sparked Fear of Slowdown
On Thursday, the markets dropped precipitously for a variety of reasons, including Apple’s disappointing revenue projections, concerns over the Federal Reserve ‘s monetary policy, the U.S.-China trade impasse and weak U.S. manufacturing data. Stephen [...]
What Explains U.S. Mass Shootings: International Comparisons Suggest an Answer – Access to Guns! New York Times
In the wake of the mass shootings this past week in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas, the New York Times reprinted an article (2017) that sought to explain the high numbers of mass shootings [...]
Lee: General Order Number 9
My father was educated in a one-room schoolhouse in Pearland, Texas. While certain deficiencies particularly in mathematics and foreign languages arose from such a rudimentary background, other excellent disciplines were instilled. In particular a strong [...]
The Strange Career of Jim Crow, By C Vann Woodward
The Strange Career of Jim Crow By C Vann Woodward The issue of race has always fascinated me. To understand the complexity of race relations, I read for the first time C. Vann Woodward’s pioneering [...]
Where the Police Wear Masks, and the Bodies Pile Up Fast: Brazil Death Squads
The New York Times reported the appalling statistic: The police kill an average of 17 people every day in Brazil. Rogue officers are killing even more off duty For over a decade masked gunmen [...]
Pew Research: Most Americans Say There is Too Much Inequality in the U.S. but fewer than Half Call it a Top Priority
In looking at the Pew Research findings, one can understand why there is growing partisan divide. That is, there has been growing division in wealth between upper classes vs. middle and lower classes. Only the [...]
Those Angry Days, Roosevelt, Lindbergh, and America’s Fight Over World War II, 1939-1941 by Lynne Olson
By Lynne Olson Personal Thoughts For me, the struggle against Fascism represented the clearest example of good versus evil. I would have loved to have actively participated on the side of those who favored [...]
Oberlin Pays for Smearing the Town Grocer
By William Jacobson, Wall Street Journal Today’s Wall Street Journal printed an editorial by William Jacobson, a professor at Cornell Law School. Sadly, the behavior of both the student body and administrators of Oberlin were [...]
How Democrats Can Avoid Losing by Ted Van Dyk
Ted Van Dyk, who has been active in Democratic National policy and politics for 40 years, wrote an excellent editorial for the Wall Street Journal. In brief, Van Dyk worries that despite President Trump’s [...]
Multiple Legal Abuses involving Florida State Football Player
On November 15th, the New York Times wrote an article Florida State Player Fled Crash but Got Only Traffic Ticket. The NYT investigative reporter found the following: On October 5th, the FSU starting cornerback [...]
Tolstoy and Lincoln: Insights by Doris Kearns Goodwin
As I have previously mentioned, I have thoroughly enjoyed the book The American Story by David Rubenstein. Doris Kearns Goodwin provided wonderful insights into Abraham Lincoln. She repeated a story about Tolstoy and Lincoln. Tolstoi [...]
Book Review: Working By Robert Caro
I absolutely loved this book, Working. The author, Robert Caro, has devoted his life to writing biographies of two men, Robert Moses and Lyndon Johnson. Caro is fascinated by how men amass power in a [...]
New York State’s Home for Developmentally Disabled Residents – An American Concentration Camp
By Benjamin Weiser and Denny Hakim (New York Times) Today’s New York Times revealed the systematic beatings and maltreatment of residents of a New York State run facility for Developmentally Disabled Residents. My fear is [...]
Cancer: What You Need to Know by Dr. Stephen Rosenberg
Cancer: What You Need to Know, by Stephen Rosenberg Introduction Dr. Stephen Rosenberg spoke at our CTAC 2019 event and wrote this very informative book that we help all of us cope with cancer. [...]
Roosevelt’s Second Act: The Election of 1940 and the Politics of War by Richard Moe
Because this book is so focused on a single, but pivotal year, I am hesitant to recommend it. That is, one has to be a committed World War II Buff to enjoy it. Richard Moe, [...]
Interest-Rate Pause is Warranted
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve nudged up short-term interest rates to 2.25 to 2.5 percent, the ninth increase since December 2015. In recognition of slowing growth in China, Japan and Europe and of our [...]
Women’s March Roiled by Accusations of Anti-Semitism
The New York Times reported today that anti-Semitism and racial divide has split the women’s movement so badly that it undermines its effectiveness. Vanessa Wruble, a Jewish Brooklyn based activist, was pushed out of the [...]
Your Next House Might Not Use Any Energy at All
I had not thought about homes and businesses not using energy until a good friend of mine sent me an article about his housing development that has an energy free environment. Today, there was an [...]
Senator Joseph Lieberman
Several days ago, I had a wonderful opportunity: (1) I introduced Senator Lieberman before he addressed attendees at the American Israel Public Affairs Council (AIPAC) annual meeting in Sarasota and (2) spend a few minutes [...]
How Oil Prices Have Become a Double-Edged Sword for the U.S.
Over the past six weeks, U.S. crude oil prices have dropped from close to $75 a barrel to below $50, the lowest since October 2017. It is almost inconceivable that just a few weeks [...]
Government Incentives for Amazon Will Prove to be Good Investments
Last week, Amazon chose New York City and Northern Virginia as the locations for the company’s second and third headquarters. To attract Amazon, New York offered a package of nearly $3 billion, while Virginia [...]
A Warning About Trouble in the Corporate Bond Market
In recent weeks, significant attention has been paid to the possibility of a stock market correction. By contrast, few have focused on the challenges developing in the corporate bond market. The bond market is [...]
The US-Mexico Trade Agreement Should Be Approved
The completion of the U.S.–Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) alleviates the concerns of businesses and investors who for months worried about our trade relationships with Canada and Mexico. Investors seem generally relieved that important components of [...]
A Decade After Global Financial Crisis, Are We Still in Danger?
Ten years after the global financial crisis, the combined debt of sovereign governments, nonfinancial corporations and households has grown by $72 trillion to a total of $169 trillion, according to a briefing note from [...]