Detroit needs more than better management
What makes the city’s problems so hard is the harsh reality of operating a government – any government – in these times.
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Taiwan: The Unmentioned Question
In Taipei, the unmentioned question haunted our U.S. Congressional Delegation’s formal meetings with Taiwanese officials, including President Ma Ying-jeou, Vice President Wu Den-yih, Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng of the governing Kuomintang Party (KMT), and the major opposition leader Tsai Ying-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Like once heated lovers in a cooling affair, … Continue Reading →
The real structural problem in our economy
I’ve had no internet access for the last three days, so I’m a bit out of the loop, but this is the quote of the week on what’s really ailing our economic recovery. No, it’s not that our workforce isn’t equipped to do the work and neither is it that our kids are taking the … Continue Reading →
Why you're paying more for gas - Part Two
Now that I’ve covered what doesn’t affect the price of gas, let’s look at what really could be affecting gas pricing. We know it’s not demand. It’s been established demand is down in the U.S. and while global demand is rising over the long term, the stalled economies in Europe and China’s quickly slowing growth … Continue Reading →
The cost of contraception
Leaving aside the religious objections, the biggest complaint I’m seeing about the new contraception plan is a misguided concern about costs. In truth, providing comprehensive contraception care costs less: “[E]very dollar invested by the government for contraception saves $3.74 in Medicaid expenditures for pregnancy-related care related to births from unintended pregnancies. In total, the services … Continue Reading →
Romney gets testy with the press - Updated
An awkward moment for Willard M. Romney on the campaign trail. An AP journalist breaks The Village protocol and challenges Romney’s false statement at a meet and greet. When Romney claims no lobbyists run his campaign, the reporter asks him to explain why a key advisor to the candidate is a well known lobbyist. Harsh … Continue Reading →
My Iowa predictions
Finding it difficult to care what happens in the Iowa caucuses tonight, so to make it more interesting, to me, here’s my off the wall predictions for the Iowa caucus vote. Santorum will win. Romney and Paul coming up a close second. Perhaps so close that they might considered tied. And Perry will beat Gingrich … Continue Reading →
The price of oil sand fuel extraction
You’ll recall during the payroll tax battle last week, the one big ransom demand Republicans were able to wring out of the process was forcing President Obama to rush a decision on the contentious Keystone XL pipeline which would deliver some of the dirtiest, low grade oil from Canada via a mammoth pipeline over 2000 … Continue Reading →
When big investors clamor for zero interest US bonds
Before the Occupy movement kicked the conventional narrative back into reality, we spent most of 2011 talking about the imaginary immediate threat of the dreaded deficit. That’s not to say we should never address eliminating it, but as I’ve said about a million times, the time to cut spending is not when the economy is … Continue Reading →
The end of retail politics as we knew it
Republican primary voters in Iowa are feeling neglected. In presidential races past, they have enjoyed the undivided attention of the media and candidates on account of their status as the first thermometer that takes the temperature of the voters in a national race. In contrast, during this round the “candidates have barely visited the state.” … Continue Reading →