This week, I ache for the nation, as I’m sure many of you do. I am contemplating a future in which my beloved country is not only feckless, but Twinkie-less. How have we come to this? Yet another good reason to use “feck” in a sentence. Ah, well. In the past few days, I’ve seen … Continue reading Three Great Links and a Snack Cake
Category: Public Affairs
An Example of What I Described in My Last Post
I'm breaking my promise to stop writing about politics, but I'll be very brief. Please take a minute to read this story, which aired today on CBS Sunday Morning. Read story here! This is exactly what I was talking about in my last post. A moderate Republican congressman proposes a budget that would "slash spending … Continue reading An Example of What I Described in My Last Post
Who Dealt This Mess?
This is my last pre-election post, and hopefully my last about politics for quite a while. It's long and I apologize, but please bear with me. Almost everyone I know complains that our campaigns are conducted largely through negative, personally-oriented TV ads and that our elected officials pursue the agendas of some set of “special … Continue reading Who Dealt This Mess?
Inconvenient Facts
A week ago, I promised (threatened?) to share a few inconvenient facts. Here they are, and they’re all about taxes. They were sent to me by my friend, wealth manager Kris Garlewicz. (Note – this data is from 2009, which I guess is the most recent available.) Taxpayer Share of Share of Effective Income Segment … Continue reading Inconvenient Facts
Disingenuous
A week ago, I described hearing an economist put the cart before the horse. I happened to see his name in yesterday’s newspaper, right next to the phrase “Nobel Prize winner.” Oops. Undeterred, however, I’d like to describe another case of an economist getting it, if not backward, then at least sideways. A few weeks … Continue reading Disingenuous
Would My Healthcare Solution Work (and Other Bits of Unfairness)
In the two weeks or so since I proposed a simple, comprehensive fix to the healthcare mess (see previous post), I’ve been given three reasons why it wouldn’t work. It’s politically implausible, either because it involves too much common sense or because it would gore the ox of a large, well-entrenched industry. I’ve lived inside … Continue reading Would My Healthcare Solution Work (and Other Bits of Unfairness)
Healthcare Solved – Really!
I’ll get to healthcare in a minute, but before that, a couple of digressions, which by now you should expect from me: First, my daughter Julia, who graduated from high school in May (a year early, no less) is now on Day 5 of her Latin American adventure. She will be in San Pedro Sula, … Continue reading Healthcare Solved – Really!
Sleeping Our Way to Lower Healthcare Costs
When I say sleeping, I actually mean sleeping. But first, a story: A few years ago, I spent some time working with a company that had attempted, with less success than they would have liked, to turn around and operate failing public schools on a for-profit basis. Leaving aside basic business model issues, neither they … Continue reading Sleeping Our Way to Lower Healthcare Costs
2.5 More Random Thoughts
OK, I’m not even going to try to apologize for the short interval between my last post and this one. A few quick thoughts, one that I should have included in my last post, one that’s an update on an item mentioned there, and one that’s new. Should have mentioned last time: One of the … Continue reading 2.5 More Random Thoughts
Random Thoughts – From Pleasure Centers to (Wannabe) Presidents
OK, I know I promised that I wouldn't post more than once a week. I'm far too polite to say "Bite me." I had these thoughts rattling around in my head, and they had to go somewhere. Harvard on pleasure centers Every week, I get an email newsletter called HBS Working Knowledge from my graduate … Continue reading Random Thoughts – From Pleasure Centers to (Wannabe) Presidents
Carp Diem 