07/02/18 Filed in:
Political SystemRobust political debate is great, but underhanded tactics and vicious personal attacks are dangerous. Never mind who threw the first stone, our political leaders should get back to the issues. Read More...Tags: 2116 presidential election, President Donald Trump, James Comey, Robert Mueller, Rod Rosenstein, Heraclitus, Illegal immigration, family separations, FBI Trump-Russia investigation, Hillary Clinton, IG report, Michael Horowitz, Christopher Wray, Rep. Jim Jordan, Rep. Trey Gowdy, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Kristjen Nielsen, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, "families belong together", "abolish ICE"
10/23/17 Filed in:
Political SystemDon’t stop at political style in assessing the president’s performance; also consider his policies. Read More...Tags: President Barack Obama, President Donald Trump, negative media coverage, President George W. Bush, GovCare, "the talent", NATO funding, opioid epidemic, debt limit, filibuster rule, budget reconciliation process, Republican healthcare bill, Republican tax plan, joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Mitt Romney, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, New World Order, open borders, Brexit vote, Illiblerals
07/07/17 Filed in:
Political SystemWhen political positions are taken on an "I think it so it must be true basis," rational answers may prove elusive. Here are three current examples. Read More...Tags: Hamlet, dynamic scoring, Richard Rahn, tobacco taxes, special economic zones, minimum wage, Seattle, voter fraud, national popular vote, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Pesidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, Vice President Mike Pence, Kris Kobach
01/23/17 Filed in:
Political System“There’s a new sheriff in town,” and the inaugural address suggests big changes are on the way. Read More...Tags: Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey Show , Art of the Deal, Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton, Aniti-Trump demonstrations, Women's March, Kellyanne Conway, Jill Stein, James Comey, Russian cybersecurity activity, Rep. John Lewis , Trump tweets, Barack Obama, Inaugural address, Pollster John Zogby
12/19/16 Filed in:
Political System | EssaysEfforts to delegitimize outcome of our presidential election pose more danger than alleged Russian hacking. Read More...Tags: Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Democracy for realists, national popular vote, Electoral College, recounts, fake news, Russian hackers, Paul Krugman, Jamelle Bouie, Alan Gilbert, E. J. Dionne, Kathleen Parker, John Podesta, WikiLeaks, John Kerry, Trump thank you rallies, Kenneth Rogoff
12/05/16 Filed in:
HealthcareFixing GovCare looks doable, but our political leaders need to act quickly versus vainly seeking perfection. Read More...Tags: Affordable Care Act, GovCare, SAFE healthcare reform plan, Sen. Tom Carper, healthcare insurance, HCI, Donald Trump, Sen. John Barrosso, repeal and replace, health savings accounts, sale of HCI across state lines, Medicaid block grants, first 100 days, reconciliation process, Sen. John Cornyn, Hillary Clinton, filibuster, public option, single payer system, Rep. Tom Price, Sen. Chris Coons, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Sen. Bill Cassidy, Rep. Pete Sessions
11/21/16 Filed in:
SpendingAn $800B economic stimulus package was all the rage in 2009; now the wonder cure is more infrastructure. Read More...Tags: President-elect Trump, campaign promises, first 100 days, Highway Trust Fund, federal motor fuel taxes, short-term fixes, DRIVE Act, FAST Act , Hillary Clinton, Trump's infrastructure plan, free lunch, Dakota Access pipeline, Keystone pipeline, tax reform , John Maynard Keynes, Obama administration, economic stimulus package, spending money wisely, Speaker Paul Ryan
11/14/16 Filed in:
Political SystemThe US system for electing presidents may seem deficient to some, but it works pretty well in practice. Read More...Tags: Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Electoral College national popular vote, anti-Trump protests, George Soros, Sen. Harry Reid, Sen. Joe Manchin, Al Gore, George W. Bush, voter fraud
11/07/16 Filed in:
Political SystemA scholarly tome (Democracy for realists) helps to explain why so little time is spent discussing the issues. Read More...Tags: Democracy for realists, economist letters, Donald Trump, conspiracy theories, red herring, Hillary Clinton, sepeat policy mistakes, needs economy freedom agenda, UD economists, Woodrow Wilson, change election, national debt, healthcare , Syria, Russia , immigrants, stagflation, Identity politics, get out the vote efforts
10/31/16 Filed in:
Political SystemTrump says he wouldn’t automatically accept election results; pushback suggests elitist insecurity. Read More...Tags: 3rd presidential debate, Donald Trump, Chris Wallace, Hillary Clinton, Dick Morris, voting fraud, rigged election, Al Gore, 2000 election, Election Day violence, Patrick Buchanan, John Stossel, Kurt Schlichter, Democratic National Committee, Republican National Committee
No one has seriously engaged the presidential candidates on the fiscal problem; it keeps getting worse. Read More...Tags: 3rd presidential debate, Chris Wallace, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, debt & entitlements, debt as % of GDP, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, sustainable deficits, Trump economic machine, trade deals, tax cuts, War on Poverty, Clinton tax increases, "fair share" for the wealthy and corporations
Trump wasn’t wrong to play the special prosecutor card, but doing so may not pay off for his campaign. Read More...Tags: 2nd presidential debate, Donald Trump , Billy Bush of NBC, Hillary Clinton, President Barack Obama, birther controversy, Sen. Joseph McCarty, Roy Cohn, Clinton e-mail server, FBI Director James Comey, General David Petraeus, AG Loretta Lynch, Sen. Barack Obama, Sen Ted Cruz, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Supreme Court, judicial appointments, Constitution , judge Richard Posner, Chris Wallace
10/10/16 Filed in:
Energy | Campaign IssuesMan-made global warming theory deserves serious consideration, but not so claims of a 97% scientific consensus. Read More...Tags: carbon dioxide, Industrial Revolution, MMGW thoory, climate change, Katharine Hayhoe, Secretary of State John Kerry, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Kellyanne Conway, Mike Pence, Leonardo DiCaprio, President Barack Obama, Paris climae agreement , Craig Idso, Robert Carter, Fred Singer, NIPCC, IPCC, natural climate variability, 97% consensus?, David Legates, John Greer, Climate Hustle (film), Aleppo, Russian-backed Assad regime, Russia warns US, ISIS, surge in illegal border crossings, fiscal problem, VP debate, Tim Kaine, Mike Pence, SAFE cartoon
10/03/16 Filed in:
Political SystemIf it was intended as something more than political theater, the first presidential debate missed the mark. Read More...Tags: Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Lester Holt, Hofstra University, Commisson on Presidential Debates, job creation, tax plans, race relations, police shootings, gun controls, stop and frisk, cyberattacks, Vladimir Putin, ISIS, current nuclear weapons policy, no first use proposal
09/12/16 Filed in:
Political SystemThe presidential candidates are gearing up for their first direct confrontation; may the best person win. Read More...Tags: Commission on Presidential Debates, Libertarian Party, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Jennifer Rubin, Commander-In-Chief forum, Matt Lauer, Clinton's e-mail problems , Trump's position re Iraq war, Barrack Obama, John McCain, Tom Brokaw, Bob Schieffer, Mitt Romney, Candy Crowley, Benghazi attack, anti-Islamist video , Rose Garden remarks, UN speech, Richard Nixon, John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, Goerge W. Bush, Clinton debate prep, Linda Chavez
09/05/16 Filed in:
SpendingOur political leaders will never solve the fiscal problem if they don’t start acting differently. Read More...Tags: Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, continuing resolution, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, government shutdown, Office of Management and Budget, mid-session review, discretionary spending, mandatory spending, Press Secretary Josh Earnest, log rolling, defense appropriations bill, targeted spending cuts, Prime Cuts 2016, government fees, Federal Communicaiton Commission, Amtrak Loan, Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, Solyndra, Export-Import Bank, Rep. Jeb Hensarling, lawfare, Volkswagen defeat device, Environmental Protection Agency, don't kill the goose, side payments to activist groups
08/29/16 Filed in:
Political SystemEven with control of both houses of Congress, GOP failed to put the US on a more conservative path. Read More...Tags: Department of Homeland Security, government shutdown, lame duck session, Keystone pipeline, GovCare, Congressional budget resolution, appropriation bills, executive amnesty, REINS Act, Clean Power Plan, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Larry Sabato, continuing resolution, Speaker Paul Ryan, Sen. Mitch McConnell , Trans-Pacific Partnership
It’s time to rethink the “price is no object” approach to government healthcare programs. Read More...Tags: public disssatisfaction with GovCare, reduced number of Americans without healthcare insurance, HCI exchange operations, government subsidies for HCI policies, expansion of Medicaid, HCI insurers incentivized to misprice risk, Insurance "death spiral", option one: do more, Bernie Sanders, Medicare for all, Hillary Clinton, public option, Sen. Marco Rubio, option two: do better, House Republicans, Donald Trump, Congressional Budget Office, scoring of Affordable Care Act
No wonder there’s so much debate about economic policies; the two sides disagree on the goal. Read More...Tags: Gresham's Law, Wesley Pruden, Donald Trump, Detroit Economic Club, America First ecolnomic plan, Hillary Clinton, Futuramic Took & Engineering, NAFTA, TPP , trickle-down economics, fiscal problem, Stephen Moore, Larry Kudlow, half a loaf versus none
Opponents claim voter ID laws aren't needed because voting fraud is rare to nonexistent. Read More...Tags: voting fraud, Heritage Foundation, dead voters, voting precincts in Philadelphia, counties in Ohio, NYU law school, President Barack Obama, voter turnouut, mandatory voting, Hillary Clinton, automatic voting registraion, Civil Rights Act, photo ID laws, Indiana (Crawford v. Marion County), Texas (Veasey v. Abbott), North Carolina (NAACP v. McCrory), Wisconsin (One Wisconsin Institute v. Thomsen), Hans von Spakovsky, John Fund
08/01/16 Filed in:
Political SystemTrump says America is in big trouble; Clinton proposes to keep doing the same things only more so. Read More...Tags: Republican National Convention, Democratic National Convention, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, make America great again, we're stronger together, Gov. Chris Christie, Trump's dark night speech , Stephen Moore, Clinton threads the needle, Overrule Citizens United, To defeat ISIS, Dick Morris's Armageddon
07/18/16 Filed in:
Political SystemSputtering Trump campaign needs to get its mojo back; focusing on the issues might help. Read More...Tags: Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, House report on Benghazi attack, FBI Director James Comey, Bernie Sanders, Mike Pense, Orlando, Dallas, France (Nice), Republican National Convention, Democratic National Convention, Trump's chances in November, national polls, swing state polls, proposal to unbind GOP delegates, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, John Kasich, convention coup, "Network" video, Brexit vote, Speaker Paul Ryan, "A Better Way" proposal of House Republicans, War on Poverty, Tax Foundation, House tax cut plan, Trump tax plan, dynamic scoring, Democratic 2016 platform
Calls for the government to direct and control the economy are rooted in human insecurities. Read More...Tags: abundant jobs , rising pay levels, government action bias, postwar years, Reagan era, The Fractured Republic, May 2016 Jobs Report, anemic economic growth, static median household income, Income inequality, per capita GDP, hourly wage rate, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Professor Moshe Vardi, sharing economy, Uber, Airbnb, Robots at McDonald's, Universal Basic Income, Charles Murray, Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowell
05/16/16 Filed in:
Energy | Campaign IssuesThe manmade global warming theory is a dandy excuse for growing government; it will be defended fiercely. Read More...Tags: campaign Issues, taxes, deficits and debt, free trade, Social Security , manmade global warming theory, Hillary Clinton, clean energy economy, Donald Trump, MMGWT hoax, EPA, Climate Hustle (film), progressives, Jonah Goldberg, bipartisan energy bill
04/25/16 Filed in:
Political SystemBernie Sanders will fall short this year; is there any hope of reaching his under-30 supporters with a conservative message? Read More...Tags: Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Millennials, Mona Charen, Democratic establishment, The Can Kicks Back, Fix the Debt, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Advanced Placement US History Exam, Thanksgiving, socialism, capitialism, minimum wage, student loan mess, Erskine Bowles, Fiscal Commission
04/04/16 Filed in:
Political SystemDon’t give up if none of the presidential candidates seem appealing, support the least worst. Read More...Tags: Internet sign, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Eugene Robinson, Andrew Napolitano, Donald Trump, Megyn Kelly, Peggy Noonan, Trump doubters, Bernie Sanders, Vice President Joe Biden, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Eric Bolling, betting markets
Social Security burden keeps growing, and most of the presidential candidates are pretending not to notice.
Read More...Tags: Social Security , AARP, Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, retirement age, COLA, personal accunts, Gov. John Kasich, means testing, bipartisan cooperation, Hillary Clinton, decent monthly benefit, caregivers, Sen. Bernie Sanders, payroll tax cap, investment income tax, effective top marginal tax rate, disability awards, Bipartisan Budget Act, Laurence Kotlikoff, Congressional Budget Office
If the presidential candidates mean what they are saying, the Trans-Pacific Partnership may be doomed. Read More...Tags: NAFTA, Mexico, Canada, Ross Perot, trade agreements, "fast track" approval, TPA, TPP , Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, Gov. John Kasich, currency manipulation
Presidential candidates ignored the fiscal problem in 2008, and the same thing could happen this year, but wishing won't make the problem go away. Read More...Tags: red ink, economic stimulus package, green jobs, long-term budget outlook, unfunded liabiliites, Lawrence Kotlikoff, Gary North, David Walker, IOUSA, October surprise, Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. John McCain, Fiscal Commission, Erskine Bowles, Alan Simpson, William Devane, Gallup poll, top issues, Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Ted Cruz, Gov. John Kasich, Ben Carson, Wolf Blitzer
Nonstop deficits are a huge problem; which of the presidential candidates would be most likely to fix it? Read More...Tags: SAFE's survey for presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Democratic presidential debates, Republican presidential debates, Gov. John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Gov. Chris Christie, Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Marco Rubio, Dr. Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina
01/25/16 Filed in:
Political SystemJust because people want something, that doesn't prove it would work nor that they are willing to pay for it. Read More...Tags: Democratic presidential debate, Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Clinton's e-mail problems, 13 Hours, Martin O'Malley, Lester Holt, Andrea Mitchell, political revolution, campaign finance reform, Professor Lawrence Lessig, Goldman Sachs, Obamacare, single payer system, tax increases, American people want it, Martin Luther King Jr., Vladimir Putin, Michael Mukasey, Charles Krauthammer, Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Ted Cruz, eminent domain, Sen. Marco Rubio, Gov. Chris Christie, Sarah Palin, Bob Dole, Glenn Beck, Mark Levin, Rush Limbaugh, National Review, Thomas Sowell
01/18/16 Filed in:
Political SystemAs Harry Truman famously said about political life, “if you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.” Read More...Tags: State of the Union address, King of Thrones, Kemp forum, Sen. Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Donald Trump , Senator Ted Cruz, Mitt Romney, President Barack Obama, San Bernardino terrorist attack, Veterans Affairs, President George W. Bush, Gov. Nikki Haley, Wayne Allen Root, GOP presidential candidates debate, Neil Cavuto, Maria Bartiromo, Sen. Marco Rubio, natural born citizen, "birther" argument, Professor Lawrence Tribe, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Gov. Chris Christie, Hillary Clinton
12/07/15 Filed in:
Taxes | Campaign IssuesThe candidates are searching diligently, but there isn’t much money available for tax cuts these days. Read More...Tags: Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Ted Cruz, Clinton economic plan, healthcare tax credit, Laffer Curve, Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, dynamic scoring, simple flat tax, business flat tax
11/02/15 Filed in:
Political SystemIt’s beginning to look as if this race will be about the issues for a change. Read More...Tags: Hillary Clinton, Anderson Cooper, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vice President Joe Biden, John Kasich, Mike Huckabee, Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Sen. Ted Cruz, Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Rand Paul, Carl Quintanilla, Becky Quick, John Harwood
10/26/15 Filed in:
EnergyHow real is this problem, and would another layer of governmental authority help to address it? Read More...Tags: nuclear power, Copenhagen 2009, Paris 2015, Green climate fund, biodiversity, national contribution, UN Climate Change Summit, Climate Action Plan, Clean Power Plan, National Security Director Susan Rice, G-7 country leaders, Al Gore, Tom Steyer, DE Governor Jack Markell, Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State John Kerry, Hurricane Patricia, Freeman Dyson, Dr. Patrick Moore, Professor Hal Lewis , Senator Marco Rubio
10/05/15 Filed in:
Energy