I love my country, America. There has been nothing like it in the history of the world. I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts about our revolution and the founders of our republic. It’s easy to be sarcastic or critical of their faults but these men, intellectuals, farmers, lawyers, and businessmen, founded the United […]

I am asked all the time whom I will vote for, Harris or Trump. My unequivocable answer is that I am not going to vote for president. “What!?” – you may say. “You have a duty as an American citizen whose forebearers fought and died for your right to vote!” Well, I reply, I didn’t […]

Deficit spending has significant harmful long-term economic effects but neither Kamala Harris nor Donald Trump are talking about it. The growing deficit will lead to more borrowing by the government, higher interest rates, a “crowding out” effect on private debt markets, force cutbacks on entitlement programs, jeopardize the standing of the U.S. dollar, and slow […]

This is the second analysis of policies proposed by our presidential candidates. No. 1 was about trade. This one is about taxes. Both candidates like to spend but have different ideas about how to raise revenues. Kamala Harris wants more revenue from taxation. Donald Trump favors less taxes but believes lower taxes would lift the […]

I, who get my tirades published every other week, have five articles to write before the November 2 election, starting now.  These articles will give context to the issues that you will hear from our presidential candidates. Readers who have suffered through my policy critiques understand that I try to explain what works and what […]

In my last two articles I reviewed the policies of candidates Harris and Trump. Here’s my take on the two. Just so you know, the standards through which I analyze politics and policy are things that have worked best over the years to make us the most prosperous country in the world: individual liberty, freedom […]

My last article (“It’s Kamala!”) was about Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for president. This one is about Donald Trump as nominee for the Republicans. I’ve written a lot about Trump over the years, most of it critical of him and his policies. Like my article on Kamala, I try to rely on facts, […]

In my last article two weeks ago (“The Thing You Can’t Unsee”) I said that Biden would go and he did. Biden immediately endorsed Kamala Harris. Most Democratic leaders and potential rivals quickly capitulated to Ms. Harris. She’s the Democratic presidential candidate. I also said that based on polls, middle-roaders, about 70% of the electorate, […]

It would be remiss of me to ignore our current political turmoil.  One thing is obvious: You can’t unsee what happened to Biden in the first presidential debate. No matter what he does from that moment on, that performance will be forefront in the minds of voters.  Another obvious thing: Trump isn’t going away. Republicans […]

I thought the Clash song would be a good title. It rather succinctly states the dilemma faced by those wishing to immigrate to California. Here’s my premise: You are a wealthy couple from a place where you made your money, but you wish for the California lifestyle and climate in your latter years. Home is […]

It has been said that there has been more technological innovation and more data produced in the last 20 years than, well, no one actually knows, but it has been an unprecedented period of innovation. There definitely has been more data produced than in the entire history of mankind given the amount of material on […]

Since I criticize the great state of California for their policies that don’t work, I thought I would catch up on some recent news that caught my attention.  Minimum Wage California fast food restaurant chains now have to pay their employees $20 per hour. My criticism of these new minimum wage laws said that they […]

In a recent New York Times editorial, socialist economist Gabriel Zucman of Berkeley wrote “It’s Time to Tax the Billionaires.” Congresswoman Barbara Lee proposed a wealth tax, the Oligarch Act of 2023. Rep. Lee wants a yearly 8% tax on the “extreme wealth” (net worth) of the “aristocratic” rich. Our legislators in Sacramento have also […]

I went to the UCSB Santa Barbara Economic Summit held at the Granada Theatre. The place was packed and the presentations were great.  The speakers, Gene Deering, a principal at Radius Commercial Real Estate, host UCSB econ professor Peter Ruppert, and real estate entrepreneur Rick Caruso, were informative and hit on some of the problems […]

Argentina is what happens to a country when the people running it have no idea what they are doing. They think they know what they are doing and are undeterred when things don’t turn out so well. Socialist countries suffer this fate. Ditto most government-run economies. I call this process “Argentinization.” I mention Argentina because […]

The title of this article is provocative and I understand this. But, as one economist put it: those clamoring for manufacturing jobs have never worked in one. My point is that U.S. trade policy is completely misunderstood and our political leaders are demagoguing the issue to create fear and buy your votes. Tariffs and protectionism […]

With elections on the horizon I’m often asked who I’m voting for, Trump or Biden? My answer is that I can’t stomach either candidate. I don’t think I’m unique. Biden may or may not be cognitively challenged, but what he definitely is, is a Progressive. You will recall that in his inaugural speech he said […]

We all want a thriving, vibrant State Street, but we don’t have one. I first wrote about the decline of State Street in 2017. As I look back to those articles not much has changed.  State Street isn’t actually dead, but it has been dying for years. I know that some folks deny this, but […]

We think about money constantly. How to get it, how to keep it, and how to spend it. This is the human condition whether you are rich, poor, or just doing ok.  This article is about the problem of keeping your money in a world of inflation.  The Federal Reserve, the U.S. Treasury, the President, […]

I always find it curious that proponents of higher minimum wages don’t aim high enough. The Federal minimum wage is $7.25. As of January 1, California’s minimum wage went to $16 per hour; fast-food workers get $20 per hour. If they believe this is the way to lift low-wage workers out of poverty, why is […]

There was a popular book a few years back, Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki which gave some very good advice about financial health and wealth. It was a catchy title, so I came up with something similar: Rich Country, Poor Country.  I’m going to examine why some countries are rich and some are […]

Everyone has heard about artificial intelligence and the computer program ChatGPT. It seems to have reached some level of intelligence by digesting and synthesizing data from billions of articles on the World Wide Web. It’s a stunning achievement and holds the promise to positively transform society.  Let me disclose at the beginning that I wrote […]

I’m going to take some steel discs, slugs – you know, the kind you find in electrical outlet boxes – stamp HarCoin on them plus my profile, and sell them at auction. I will call them HarCoins. I’m going to number them serially through an RFD chip that will be embedded in the slug. If […]

The Montecito Association is considering recommending to the County a ban on “big box,” “formula” retailers in Montecito. I oppose such a ban. My wife and I have lived in Montecito since 1978. We are members of the Montecito Association. We have been active in the community over the years. Recently I was a promoter […]

The problem with Gov. Gavin Newsom is that he is not a leader. Like most politicians he follows the money to keep his office in a blue state. In California, that means the liberal-Progressive political leadership who control politics in the state. The result has been a California that is on a downward slide. To […]

To use a well-worn phrase, the homeless (“unhoused,” “unsheltered,” “houseless”) are a blight on our fair city. It’s not that we don’t have sympathy for these folks, but when they are met on the street most of us steer wide of them. I’m not insensitive to the homeless, but from what I’ve seen on State […]