Conservatism 101 for Those Not Paying Attention. By Lloyd Marcus
You and I are politically well-informed. But there are many Americans like my family who do not follow politics as closely as we do. Their political views are shaped by liberal media hit-pieces, spin, and sound bites.
About 99.9 % of my family are Democrats because Marcus family tradition taught us that the democrats are "for the little guy." Republicans are "rich white racists." Liberal media and the Democratic Party jointly support and promote this silly, simple lie, which still wins the Democrats 95% of the black vote.
Despite me, the eldest of his five children, being a black conservative Tea-Party Republican, my 84-year-old dad's negative view of Republicans remains steadfast. Dad tolerates my baffling political views because he loves me.
About 99.9 % of my family are Democrats because Marcus family tradition taught us that the democrats are "for the little guy." Republicans are "rich white racists." Liberal media and the Democratic Party jointly support and promote this silly, simple lie, which still wins the Democrats 95% of the black vote.
Despite me, the eldest of his five children, being a black conservative Tea-Party Republican, my 84-year-old dad's negative view of Republicans remains steadfast. Dad tolerates my baffling political views because he loves me.
We're Not Electing a Messiah. By R. Clayton Strang
No one is perfect. No one. Not a single one of us has led a completely blameless life. We've all said something that we wish we hadn't. We've all lied, cheated, or stolen. We've all done or said hurtful things. Imperfection is a reality of the human condition. We know and accept that we are flawed. We realize that our parents, brothers, sisters, friends, and neighbors are flawed. If we accept this as true, why do we expect more from our potential elected leaders?
The Promise of Yo and the Legacy of Communism. By Stephen D. Bryen
He is 6'8" tall, so he could play basketball. In fact, he can play basketball -- whenever he wants; he owns the NBA's New Jersey Nets. He also owns Renaissance Capital, Onexim, and a number of enterprises, from sports to liberal media (where he is a major player) to real estate to minerals. He became a billionaire at the age of 28. He is not American, but Russian.
His name is Mikhail Prokhorov, and he is one of the few Russian oligarchs to hold onto his fortune, derived from ownership of a nickel company. In 2007 his net worth was estimated at $17 billion by Forbes. Unusually, he is not only an entrepreneur, but an innovator. Prokhorov appears to have been the generator and financier of a project in Russia called Yo. While he now appears ready to sell much of his stake, the story of Yo -- including the part about selling out of the project -- is a window into 21st-century Russia and the legacy of communism that has not been overcome.
Winners, Losers, and the Minimum Wage
By D. Kyle Ward
Many support the idea of a minimum wage, and usually that support is driven by a desire to help those with less. That inner desire is noble, but minimum wage laws have been around a long time, and people have had plenty of time to study their impact. Even with the best of intentions, if these laws harm those at the bottom, we should discard them.
"No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. By living wages, I mean more than a bare subsistence level -- I mean the wages of decent living" (FDR, 1933).
The Problem with the Fed's Targeting
By James E. Miller
The monetary policy of targeting nominal gross domestic product (NGDP) is starting to come into vogue in mainstream economic and political circles. Christina Romer, the architect behind President Obama's first stimulus failure and professor of economics at the ideology vacuum known as the University of California, Berkley, recently penned a New York Times editorial on the issue:
The Best Leaders That Money Can Buy
By Bob Weir
"All right, ladies and gentlemen, let's go back to the board to see how much has been added to the total. As of five minutes ago, Mitt Romney was in the lead with $17 million, but we have some new figures coming up." The numbers begin spinning as multi-colored lights flicker. A new number emerges, and the host becomes visibly excited. "Great Scott, people, here comes Rick Perry with just over $15 mil. The Texas governor may have flubbed some debates, but he's no slouch when it comes to amassing the long green. Newt Gingrich is a distant third with a mere $8 mil, but his dollar signs are growing fast lately. Hold on to your hats, folks -- this is just the beginning."
Are you as tired as I am of hearing about how much money is being raised by these presidential candidates? It's become synonymous with a Jerry Lewis Telethon, with the numbers continuously changing on the tote boards.
"All right, ladies and gentlemen, let's go back to the board to see how much has been added to the total. As of five minutes ago, Mitt Romney was in the lead with $17 million, but we have some new figures coming up." The numbers begin spinning as multi-colored lights flicker. A new number emerges, and the host becomes visibly excited. "Great Scott, people, here comes Rick Perry with just over $15 mil. The Texas governor may have flubbed some debates, but he's no slouch when it comes to amassing the long green. Newt Gingrich is a distant third with a mere $8 mil, but his dollar signs are growing fast lately. Hold on to your hats, folks -- this is just the beginning."
Merkel’s Moment
If past is prologue to the future, there is little reason to believe that Merkel will allow the ECB to provide unlimited support to the periphery.
As Europe’s sovereign debt crisis now envelopes Italy, Spain, and even France, one has to pity Angela Merkel, the doughty German chancellor. She now finds herself helplessly caught between two irreconcilable forces.
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