Understanding Income Inequality
I presented this information at a talk about the growing income inequality in the United States. It was shared in a PowerPoint format. I am sharing the information with you, my readers, as a document [...]
The Movie – Cinema Paradiso
Introduction I was reminded about Cinema Paradiso after reading a book that focused on the Allied campaign in Italy during World War II from 1943-1945. While the war was primarily fought against Germans, not Italians, [...]
The Tragedy of the Failure of MS St. Louis to Help Jewish Refugees Escape from Europe
Introduction My friends know my ongoing interest in events surrounding World War II. They have asked me from time to time why Franklin Roosevelt (FDR) did not allow Jewish refugees into the United States after [...]
The Cossacks: The Scourge of Russian Jews
Several weeks ago, I saw, for the fifth time, Fiddler on the Roof, which is based on Sholem Aleichem’s short stories. Sadly, for hundreds of years Russian Tsars used the Cossacks to implement murderous pogroms [...]
The Importance of the Fall of Constantinople in 1453
Introduction For several years I have taken courses online through thegreatcourses.com and also on their app. The Great Courses provides access to highly acclaimed teachers on video. The current course that I am attending [...]
How a Nobel Laureate Winner Helped Score Record Pay for WNBA Union
The front page of today’s (3/31) The Wall Street Journal highlighted the wonderful act by Claudia Goldin, who was the first woman to win a solo Nobel in economics. Specifically, Miss Goldin advised the [...]
Does the Collapse of the French Third Republic in 1940 Provide Lessons for America?
Introduction Today, I participated in a weekly telephone conference with colleagues. Our discussion focused on the enormous power of the Executive Branch of our government at the expense of Congress. These developments are troubling [...]
Acquiescence of the American Government in the Murder of the Jews During WWII (Re-post )
Introduction After reading The Washing War: FDR’s Inner Circle by James Lacey I feel there is sufficient explicit and implicit facts to charge key State Department and Army officials that they “acquiesced in the Murder [...]
Lecture re-post: 2025 Economic Overview and the Looming Debt Crisis
Click on the image below to see Doc's presentation: "2025 Economic Overview and the Looming Debt Crisis" Lecture: 2025 Economic Overview and the Looming Debt Crisis
“Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind.”
“Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind.” — Book of Hosea, The Bible Introduction Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist Yeh Atid Party, 14th Prime Minister of Israel wrote for The Economist and shared, “America [...]
An Overview of the Kurds, Including the Discrimination They Face
Introduction Recent tensions involving Iran have placed the Kurdish population of the Middle East in a complicated position. Many Kurds have long sought an independent nation, commonly referred to as Kurdistan. However, independence for [...]
Is President Trump’s Concern About Trade Deficits Misplaced?
After Winston Churchill lost the 1945 general election, his wife Clementine tried to comfort him. According to several accounts, she told him defeat might be a “a blessing in disguise.” Churchill reportedly replied, “At [...]
Jan Karski: Conscience of a Silent World (1914-2000)
Context I recently saw a one act play about Jan Karski, a recipient of Yad Vashem’s designation as “Righteous Among the Nations.” After World War II, Karski spoke about the moral responsibility and failure [...]
Acquiescence of the American Government in the Murder of the Jews During WWII
Introduction After reading The Washing War: FDR’s Inner Circle by James Lacey I feel there is sufficient explicit and implicit facts to charge key State Department and Army officials that they “acquiesced in the Murder [...]
Ken Griffin, Citadel founder, criticized the Trump Administration for interfering in corporate affairs and making self-serving decisions
Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin criticized the Trump administration’s interference into the day-to-day business of American companies and raised concerns about self-serving decisions made by government officials. Griffin, a Republican megadonor, emerged last year as President Trump’s most [...]
Tom Friedman View on Immigration
I recently saw an interview by Walter Isaacson with Tom Friedman. While they covered several topics, Friedman’s thoughts on immigration resonated with me. Tom Friedman has long argued that immigration is neither a simple [...]
Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off
Over the past 20 years, Pew Research has conducted surveys of Americans observance of religion. After many years of steady decline, the share of Americans who identify as Christian shows signs of leveling off [...]
The Attacks on Federal Reserve Chairman, Jerome Powell, and Senator Mark Kelly
Executive Power, Institutional Independence, and the Boundaries of Lawful Authority Introduction To be transparent, I’ll share my bias. Historically, I have voted Republican on most occasions because of my strong belief in the traditional [...]
Pope Pius XI and Mussolini
The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe by David I. Kertzer David Kertzer provided a wonderful overview not only about the complex relationship between [...]
Chat Summary of Rosella Werlin
Here’s a well-sourced summary of Rosella Werlin’s remarkable life and career — based on archival material from the Texas Jewish Historical Society and newspaper records: Early Life and Beginnings Rosella Werlin (née Horowitz) was [...]
America’s Quiet Turn Toward State Capitalism
The Wall Street Journal recently observed that the United States is drifting toward a new economic model—what it describes as state capitalism. This system is neither socialism, in which the government owns the means of [...]
Discussion of Trump Tariff Policy
Personal Background: I majored in Economics at the University of Texas earning a BA and then master’s degrees in Economics and an MBA from the University of Michigan. My career on Wall Street spanned [...]
The Splendid and The Vile By Erik Larson
The Splendid and The Vile By Erik Larson I recently finished the book, The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson. Larson focuses on the first year of Winston Chuchill’s ascendency to become Prime [...]
UC San Diego and the Crisis of Education
A December 3rd article in the Wall Street Journal exposed the crisis in our educational system. Specifically, the number of freshmen entering the University of California San Diego (UCSD) has fallen below a high-school [...]
Anything Goes America – Abstract from The Economist
“Anything Goes America,” an abstract from The Economist, had a sad commentary on the decline of America. The first paragraph detailed Harry Truman, who after his presidency, lived on an income from his memoirs and [...]
German Views of the U.S. – Germany Relationship Turn Sharply Negative
Pew Research recently published an article describing the dramatic decline in the relationship between the United States and Germany. Nearly three-quarters of German adults say relations with the United States are bad. Sadly, I think [...]
Middle Class is Buckling Under Financial Strain of Inflation
Today’s Wall Street Journal highlighted that after nearly five years, middle-class earners now find that living is becoming increasingly unaffordable. Pew Research Center defines the middle-class broadly as having a household income between about [...]
Lecture: 2025 Economic Overview and the Looming Debt Crisis
Click on the image below to see Doc's presentation: "2025 Economic Overview and the Looming Debt Crisis" Lecture: 2025 Economic Overview and the Looming Debt Crisis
Immigration Plan Faces Big Roadblocks
The Wall Street Journal discussed major roadblocks that will prevent President-elect Trump and his team from deporting a significant number of illegal migrants. The roadblocks include: Court Backlog: Most immigrants in the U.S. illegally [...]
U.S. Surgeon General Calls for Cancer Warnings on Alcoholic Beverages
Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S Surgeon General, said alcoholic beverages should carry cancer warnings to increase awareness that the drinks are a leading cause of preventable cancers. An act of Congress would be required [...]
Cutting the Deficit Will Be Difficult
In today’s Wall Street Journal, “Cutting the Deficit is Easy-Just Unpopular,” the author, Grep Ip pointed out that cutting the deficit will be very difficult. Certainly, not politically easy. In 2024, the deficit was [...]
How to Recover American Jewish Identity
By Elliott Abrams, Fellow Middle Eastern Studies at Council on Foreign Relations Summary In an essay written for the Wall Street Journal (Oct 24, 2024), Elliott Abrams highlighted that American Jews have focused less [...]
American Revolution 1775-1776
Introduction I recently heard a lecture by David McCullough on the first 18 months of the American Revolution. McCullough highlighted that the odds were great against a successful revolution given that Great Britain had [...]
Congressional Budget Office Warns of Impending Debt Challenge
The Peter Peterson Foundation reported the following based on the June 18, 2024 CBO report.Yesterday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) warned that the United States is on an unsustainable fiscal course marked by rising deficits. [...]