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Young Adults and Obamacare
“This only works if young people show up,” said Bill Clinton the other day. He was explaining Obamacare. On the surface, that’s an odd …
Government Shutdown Wreaks Havoc
A tense drama unfolded this week with the virtual shutdown of vital government agencies: the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, …
How Much Surveillance Can We Accept?
Three months after Edward Snowden’s leaks began to reveal the extent of the U.S.’ mass surveillance program, “serious people” are beginning to make the …
Is Wall Street Really the Heart of Capitalism? Blaming the Wrong People for 2008
The other night, I tuned into The Flaw, a 2011 documentary about the 2008 financial crash. While telling the crash story, the movie flashes …
Taxes: Man’s Inhumanity to Man
My community in the Deep South prides itself on friendship, community feeling, and an overall happy spirit. So it was a bit strange for …
More Shutdowns, Please: The Pro-Democracy Case for an Obamacare Crisis
In all likelihood, Republican efforts to defund Obamacare are toast — and sooner rather than later. It appears to be a fantasy that a …
How to “Fed Proof” Your Wealth
Stocks settled down recently. The Dow dropped 40 points. Either the market had already priced in “QE forever”… or investors are starting to wonder. …
6th-Grader Suspended for Government Drawing
A sixth-grader has been suspended for drawing an inappropriate picture. The drawing did not include any gun, but showed a checkpoint backed up by …
Corporate America Goes Off the Grid
As much as I love technology, part of me hates being so dependent on a live wall plug wherever I go. You find yourself …
Spend ’til it Hurts
Every year, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) adds to its short-term budget forecasts (10 years and 25 years) a long-term (75-year) outlook.The 2013 Long-term …
America: Freer Than France for Over 200 Years
It has now been nearly two centuries since French political scientist Alexis de Tocqueville visited America and compared American democracy to the French variety. …
Pulling a Mob Job on America
Mobsters shake down, say, a restaurant owner. They drink all the booze and eat all they want and pay nothing. They rob the cash …
Pension Funds: The $4 Trillion Problem
A new assessment of state pension obligations suggests the problem is even worse than it already appears. How much worse? EMPTY COOKIE JAR: Pension …
3 Important Lessons from a Canadian Border Crossing
I was at the Canadian border, headed toward the freedom that exists a few feet beyond the last security check. I was gently waved …
The Untrustables
I have come to the point that I cannot believe a thing President Obama says. That’s not quite the same as saying I don’t …
In Praise of Government Gridlock
Our “Crash Alert” flag warns of a crash in U.S. stocks. Readers are advised to proceed with caution. But since the start of September, …
What TSA Really Stands For
Fort Meade, MD – The United States, the least unfree country on Earth, is fighting a major invasion of the Blueshirts. The most visible …
“Privacy” Held Hostage By “Security” – Public Unimpressed
Sometimes, the news of the day causes me to say, “Huh?” The New York Times revelations last month about NSA programs and activities to …
The U.S. Really Wants a War With Syria
Apparently, global markets rallied overnight on hopes that a conflict may be avoided if Syria gives up its chemical weapons. If that’s the case, …
The “Domestic Terrorist” You Can Call a Hero
I dreamed I saw Bernard von NotHaus, alive as you or me. Said I, “But Bernard, you’ve been jailed two years.” “I never was,” …
You Don’t Deserve Your Privacy
U.S. and British intelligence agencies have successfully cracked much of the online encryption relied upon by hundreds of millions of people to protect the …
Inside Scoop on the Next Fed Chairman
Following an extensive investigation, The Martian can reveal that it is neither Lawrence Summers nor Janet Yellen who will be the next chairman of …
Paul Krugman is Wrong… Again
Writers sometimes worry if a day will come when they have nothing more to say. As long as Paul Krugman is around, I will …
How to Fake a Fast Food Strike
Oh, how the media love a good strike. Look at these fast-food workers and peasants standing up to the owners of capital! They aren’t …