Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. Republicans are flailing about these days, trying to rebrand themselves before the next election cycle. A certain amount of introspection and internecine debate is inevitable after suffering a stinging loss against an opponent with … Continue reading
Economics & Political Systems
MF Global and the Cypriot Banking Crisis
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. With MF Global (MFG) recently disclosing more details on its bankruptcy and liquidation, let’s quickly review the financial debacle that came to fruition under former New Jersey governor, former … Continue reading
Social Justice and Pope Francis: Choosing Freedom Over Serfdom
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. Having spent most of his life in Buenos Aires, Pope Francis has given proof that he can rise above his environment. As his compatriot Bishop Alberto Bochatey remarked, “he is … Continue reading
Preserving Hugo Chavez
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at American Spectator. The gushing, almost angelic praise for Hugo Chavez by the left in America and around the world has been shocking to behold, but hardly surprising. I will not … Continue reading
From Aid to Enterprise: Intelligent Poverty Cures
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. We will always have the poor among us (Matthew 26:11), but over a billion living on less than $1 a day? It is natural for well-meaning individuals to work … Continue reading
Medicare: Did You Really Pay For That?
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. Last summer, Barack Obama riled a lot of entrepreneurs when he got carried away at a campaign event and told any American who had built up a successful enterprise, … Continue reading
The Power of Truth: Reagan’s “Evil Empire” Turns 30
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared as an Exclusive Special Report for American Spectator. Today, Ronald Reagan’s Evil Empire speech turns 30 years old. It stands as one of the most memorable orations of the last three decades. It … Continue reading
Hugo Chavez: Faithful to Death
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at American Spectator. There’s an old joke from the Cold War. It went like this: Hardline East German communist Walter Ulbricht (who erected the Berlin Wall) died and went to hell. … Continue reading
Eliminating the Deficit, Progressive Style
Editor’s note: A longer version of this article first appeared at American Thinker. A wise man once told me that when any tax-levying entity operates at a deficit, the possible causes number precisely two. Either it is taxing too little … Continue reading
The Pentagon Budget as Political Football
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. The Pentagon’s budget occupies center stage in the sequestration drama. Defense spending comprises approximately 18 percent of the 2013 federal budget, but accounts for 50 percent of federal spending cuts stipulated … Continue reading
The Spendaholics’ Offensive
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. A primary meme of the Democratic Party in 2013 is that the federal government doesn’t have a spending problem. That is what President Obama reportedly said to House Speaker John Boehner … Continue reading
Crossing the Rubicon
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at RealClearMarkets.com. The current global debt accumulations are unprecedented. In fact, it can be observed that at no time in the history of the human race, other than during periods of … Continue reading
Abraham Lincoln and Slavery
Stephen Spielberg’s masterful movie on Lincoln and the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation have recently brought even greater attention than usual to Abraham Lincoln. Holidays like Presidents Day remind us of Lincoln’s position on slavery and his role in … Continue reading
Erasing Reagan? The Illiberal War on Truth
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. The prospect of four more years of Barack Obama in the White House has caused several conservative voices (among them, The Wall Street Journal’s Daniel Henninger, Fox News commentator … Continue reading
Think Tanks: Masters of the Universe?
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. How do think tanks contribute to produce outcomes conducive to better public policy? Working for over three decades in this field, I developed a simple model based on complex inputs. Outcomes are … Continue reading
Thinking About Think Tanks: Which Are the Best?
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. The history of the London exchange dates back to 1698. John Castaing, a pioneer of a Starbucks of sorts, started listing stock and commodity prices in his Jonathan’s Coffee-house. In … Continue reading
Is America’s House Divided Again?
Having just viewed Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” and knowing that Lincoln’s birthday is approaching, it seemed fitting to ponder one of Lincoln’s most famous speeches, and perhaps a lesson for Americans today. On June 17, 1858, Lincoln gave his famous “House … Continue reading
The End of the Reagan Era?
Editor’s note: A longer version of this article first appeared at American Spectator. With Barack Obama’s second inauguration, liberals are touting an altogether new epoch: the end of the Reagan era. Unfortunately, I believe they are largely correct. We are witnessing a period … Continue reading
Obama’s Medical Devices Tax … It May Be Harmful to Your Health
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared in The Washington Times. With the start of the New Year, one of the little noticed but potentially harmful features of Obamacare has now gone into effect. It is the tax … Continue reading
Economic Outlook for 2013: ZIRP, Zombies, and the Japanization of the American Economy
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. I recently indulged in some wistful, year-end nostalgia, but now that 2013 is underway, let’s turn our attention to a time more crucial to our well-being: the future in … Continue reading