In the spring of 2011, a newly-elected Republican Congress claimed a mandate from the American people to cut spending at any cost. Twice – in February and April – Congress came within hours of a government shutdown before short-term spending measures (Continuing Resolutions) were passed, cutting spending in each case. As spring moved to summer, … Continue reading
Category Archives: Politics
A Tale of Two Economies
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” – Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities In the iconic opening lines of a Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens describes pre-revolutionary France, but he could just as easily be … Continue reading
America / Economy / Fiscal policy / Politics / Presidency / Regulation
A Comparison: Reagan, Obama & Jobs
A myriad of articles have been written on how the presidential election of 2012 should garner a stringent comparison to that of the 1980 presidential election. I agree. During both presidential elections the United States economy was and is hurting. But, the focus of this article is: how did the presidents perform after they won … Continue reading
America / Economy / Fiscal policy / Politics / Uncategorized
Investment or Waste
When we invested in the Hoover Dam or the Golden Gate Bridge, or the Internet, sending a man to the moon — all those things benefited everybody. And so that’s the vision that I want to carry forward. – Barack Obama This statement, in a nut shell, represents the entire positive argument that President Obama is … Continue reading
America / Dpt. of State / Foreign Policy / Gov. Officials / National Security / Politics / Presidency
Death of a Diplomat: The Fiscal Cliff and Diplomatic Security
In the wake of Ambassador Christopher Stevens’ death, the resultant media deluge on Libyan consulate attacks spouted a cornucopia of opinions, including discussion on the anti-Muhammad film that sparked the initial protests, the effectiveness of President Obama’s foreign policy efforts towards the Middle East;, the thought process, or lack thereof, of Mitt Romney’s ill-time statement … Continue reading
Economy / Fiscal policy / Politics / Tax
What Are the Bush Tax Cuts?
The period between March 1991 and March 2001 was the longest continuous expansion in U.S. economic history, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. But the sunset of this period, with the bursting of the Dot Com bubble and the attacks on 9/11, marked the beginning of a two-year recession. In response, the Bush … Continue reading
Reverse Teacher Crisis
You heard it all over the Democratic Convention 2012 last night. President Obama calling for the hiring of “100,000 new math and science teachers.” He also said, “I don’t believe that firing teachers or kicking students off financial aid will grow the economy, or help us compete with scientist and engineers coming out of China.” … Continue reading
DNC 2012: The “Things You Shouldn’t Say Out Loud” Department
Watching the Democratic National Convention, I’ve been struck by one overarching thought: whatever you believe about the issues discussed, many of them are not things that should be said out loud, at least if you’re trying to attract votes. It’s obvious that the Democratic Party has taken this opportunity to speak to their base. The … Continue reading
Fact-Based Opinions: The User’s Manual
The game of politics. Some wish they could win it; everyone wishes they could understand it. Naturally, the game involves playing. (It is a game, after all.) So, it comes as no surprise when, during this political season, “Fact Checkers” pop up left and right. We laypeople need the plain truth, not the politicized version … Continue reading
Time for a tough call on Syria
President Obama has waffled for too long on Syria. It didn’t want to intervene but it was hesitant to do nothing. The middle ground it chose is bad for Syrians, bad for the region, and bad for American foreign policy. Obama has prioritized good politics above good policy long enough in Syria – he needs … Continue reading
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