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. [...]
There Are Not Enough Babies, Alarming the Whole World
Today’s Wall Street Journal (5/14/24) highlighted a startling demographic milestone. Specifically, the global fertility rate has dropped so precipitously that over time the world’s population will decline. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation [...]
Just How Dangerous is Europe’s Rising Far Right?
Today’s New York Times highlighted the growing role of the far-right parties in Europe. Anti-immigration parties with fascist roots—and an uncertain commitment to democracy—are now mainstream. The growth of right-wing populism often takes the [...]
Trump Allies Draw Up Plans to Blunt Fed’s Independence
Today’s Wall Street Journal reported that Donald Trump’s allies are quietly drafting proposals that would attempt to erode the Federal Reserve’s independence if he wins a second term. That said, his advisors are divided [...]
Income Tax Paid by Americans
The Wall Street Journal provided an overview of the income tax paid by Americans, broken down by income. Our nation is on an unsustainable fiscal path, driven by the mismatch between the government’s commitments [...]
J Street Seeks a Middle Path on Gaza. Is That Possible Anymore?
Today’s New York Times wrote an article describing the purpose of J Street. The article raised the question of whether a middle path on Gaza is possible. Please note… Large parts of this essay [...]
Vanderbilt University Will Charge Some Students Nearly $100,000 in Total Expenses for the 2024-2025 School Year
Today’s New York Times reported that Vanderbilt University will charge some students nearly $100,000 in total expenses for the 2024-2025 school year. Other schools are expected to follow Vanderbilt over the next few years. [...]
U.S Women Make Gains in Highest Paying Occupations but Still Lag Men
The Pew Research Center provided an overview of women in today’s U.S. Workforce. Women make up 35% of workers in the United States’ 10 highest-paying occupations, up from 13% in 1980. They have increased [...]
China’s Growth Figures Do Not Add Up
Despite China’s boast that its economy grew at 5.2% in 2023, Greg Ip of the WSJ discounts that figure. Ip wrote, “Western analysts and even some Chinese officials have long taken Chinese gross domestic product with [...]
Majority of Biden’s 2020 Voters Now Say He’s Too Old to be Effective
A New York Times/Siena College poll revealed that even his supporters worry about his age. Among his supporters, 47% strongly believe that he is too old to be effective, and 26% somewhat agree. The [...]
Mexico’s Gang Policy Spreads Grief
“People just ask themselves: Who can help us? Not even God?” Today’s Wall Street Journal highlighted a major problem in Mexico. Specifically, criminal gangs behind the U.S. drug epidemic are seeing accelerated growth, commanding [...]
The U.S Government’s Mounting Debt Will Make Our Interest Costs Soar
Treasury yields have increased to multiyear highs, forcing the U.S. government to pay significantly more in interest. This in turn is putting significant pressure on the budget. America is expected to spend $870 billion, or [...]
Japanese American Incarceration During World War II
Introduction I was not made aware of the internment of about 112,000 persons of Japanese ancestry who lived on the U.S. mainland, mostly along the Pacific Coast, until about 20 years ago. About two-thirds [...]
Lessons Learned from the Band of Brothers
Originally published in January 2003 This past week three of members of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, U. S. Army spent significant time with the fixed income department of Lazard [...]
A School District Offers Classes Separated by Race
School District Offers Classes Separated by Race by Sara Randazzo and Douglas Belkin A November 26 Wall Street Journal article highlighted a very troubling development. The Evanston, Illinois School District, in an attempt to [...]
The American Story, by David Rubenstein
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. David Rubenstein, who has enjoyed a remarkable career, interviewed leading historians. For the most part, these historians discussed the subjects of their biographies. While one can read this [...]
Culture War in Israel Undermines Women’s Rights
An August 13 New York Times article, “Growing Segregation by Sex in Israel,” highlighted the culture war that has sharply divided Israel’s secular majority and the politically powerful minority of ultra-Orthodox Jews, who frown on [...]
Colleges Spend Money Like There is No Tomorrow
Introduction I received a BA from the University of Texas (Austin), a MA from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), and an MBA from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). My tuition at the University [...]
My last essay for the Herald-Tribune
As I sit down to write my final column for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune after 15 years as a guest columnist, I find myself filled with a mix of emotions. First and foremost, I want [...]
The Next Chapter
As I sit down to write my final article for the Sarasota Herald Tribune after 15 years as a guest columnist, I find myself filled with a mix of emotions. First and foremost, I want [...]
Current status of the U.S. economy
The U.S. economy is entering the second half of 2023 much stronger than anticipated. The American economy is benefitting from broad-based momentum despite rising interest rates. For more than a year, there have been [...]
Growing ties between U.S. and India
On June 22, 2023, President Biden showered Indian Prime Minister Narendi Modi with expansive flattery during a lavish state dinner. He sought to draw India closer at a time when the United States is in [...]
Federal Reserve faces policy challenges
The Federal Reserve currently has two major challenges — fighting inflation and averting a credit crunch. Raghuram Rajan, the former governor of the Reserve Bank of India, summarized the problem: “They (the Federal Reserve) are between a [...]
Officials Neglect Covid Vaccines’ Side Effects By Allsyia Finley
Introduction Allsyia Finley, writing for the Wall Street Journal, exposed several disturbing issues: (1) While we do not know the percentage of people taking the covid vaccine that have suffered very serious negative consequences, [...]
The remote work revolution
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted our lives. The entire ecosystem collapsed during the early months of the pandemic as office workers shifted to working from home. The office market has been slow to [...]