As the guarantor of regional security in Asia, the United States should be paying closer attention to the military buildup and strident anti-Taiwan rhetoric of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Other nations may be able to dismiss these threats as just another...
POLITICS
Pat Robertson Supports Forced Abortions in China, But Opposes Voluntary Abortions in America
In a CNN interview on April 16, 2001, [Pat] Robertson, the founder of the Christian Coalition and head of the Christian Broadcasting Network, was asked how he reconciles his support for close ties with China with Beijing's ruthless one-child policy, which has forced...
Bull Fighting: Are We in a Bull or Bear Market?
I've made some good money in the strong recovery that began April 4, and you probably have, too. And all along I've been saying it's nothing but a great big wonderful bear market rally. I must say, I've caught myself this week hoping the market would go down just so I...
Downey Supporters Only Half Right
Award-winning actor Robert Downey Jr. has been arrested again. Before Tuesday's arrest on drug charges, he already faced the possibility of nearly five years in prison for charges stemming from his arrest last November in Palm Springs. Now state officials have...
Pauline Kanchanalak: Poster Girl for the Futility of the McCain-Feingold Bill
Remember Pauline Kanchanalak? Probably not. But if there were ever a poster girl for the futility of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill, Ms. Kanchanalak is it. Despite funneling nearly $700,000 in illegal foreign contributions to Democrats, Ms....
Alan Greenspan’s Solution to Market Volatility: The Gold Standard
I wrote yesterday that Alan Greenspan's repeated rate cuts weren't helping the economy, and that further cuts might not help either. We could find ourselves in the position of Japan, with rates at zero and an economy still spinning its wheels in a deflationary spiral....
The Duty to Die
Our betters have been telling us how to live our lives for so long that it is only the next logical step for them to tell us when to die. We have grown so used to meekly accepting their edicts, even on what words we can and cannot use -- "swamp" has virtually...
Individual Tax Credits for Health Coverage
A number of legislative proposals on Capitol Hill would provide uninsured workers with a tax credit to help them purchase health insurance. The most recent was introduced on March 14 by Senators John Breaux (D-LA) and James Jeffords (R-VT). President Bush has proposed...
Socialism Does Milk Good?
Socialism is dead in the former Soviet Union, but if you live in New England, it is alive and well in your grocer's dairy case. The price you pay for a gallon of milk is not determined by competition and the free market. It is set instead by a cartel called the...
Self Objectivity
Q: You often write that it's a good idea to identify your objectively positive behaviors each day, so that your morale and self-esteem will build. How can you practically go about doing this? A: The single most effective method I know of is to simply summarize, in...
Alan Greenspan: Maestro or Meddling Menace?
Yesterday the markets thumbed their collective nose at the "Maestro." At Tuesday's close, all the broad indices -- every one of them: the NASDAQ Composite, the S&P 500, the Russell 2000, and the Wilshire Total Market -- were all slightly lower than they were on...
Kids and Guns
Every time there's a school shooting, there are demands for greater gun control measures that range from longer waiting periods and mandated gun locks to stricter licensing and restricted sales. With all the political posturing and demagoguery that follows, a...
Advanced Investing: Strangle with SOX
If you're a tech investor and you're feeling a little whiplashed right about now, here's an idea for you: strangle on SOX. I don't mean you should strangle yourself with your socks -- although I admit it's tempting sometimes -- I mean you should consider a particular...
Laws Versus Values
During the '40s, when I attended primary and secondary school, one didn't hear of school shootings. Why? Did we have better laws banning guns in and around schools? Or hadn't guns been invented? Many of today's youngsters begin the school day passing through metal...
Free Trade: Why Think Local When You Can Go Global?
If Bush administration officials think they have their hands full shepherding the president's tax-cut package through a closely divided Congress, wait until they turn their full attention to reviving a moribund U.S. trade policy. As U.S. Trade Representative Robert...
Dressing Down Environmental Fashion at Patagonia
Patagonia, maker of "environmentally conscious" sportswear and enemy of conventional agriculture, has issued a "chicken little" alert to its customers over genetically modified crops. Employing the usual bad science and scare tactics, the trendy clothing manufacturer...
Pol Pot’s Cheerleader
The death of Pol Pot, 23 years to the week after he and the Khmer Rouge seized control of Cambodia, occasioned long backward glances at one of the 20th century's most horrific genocides. It was noted everywhere that the communist reign of terror in Cambodia lasted...
Now What?
Great. Now what. The NASDAQ has logged the best two weeks in its history. All the major market indexes have reinstated back above the long-term trendlines that they broke last month. The Fed has lowered interest rates for the fourth time so far this year. We've gotten...
Let There Be Free Trade
Leaders of 34 American countries are meeting this weekend in Quebec City at the Summit of the Americas to discuss the establishment of a free trade zone extending from Canada to Chile. A Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is a top priority of the Bush...
Is Racial Profiling a Fact in Cincinnati?
The shooting of a 19-year-old black, unarmed man by a Cincinnati police officer brings the number to 15 -- 15 black males killed by the Cincinnati police since 1995. The latest death occurred on April 7, when a police officer chased and shot Timothy Thomas, a teenager...
Rosie vs. Reality: What Every Woman Must Know
Suppose a Hollywood star or a political figure publicly announced that he or she favored making all women and families helpless and defenseless against vicious thugs. Would women cheer and vow their undying support for that person? Yet if you believe the published...
P.C. vs. B.C.
Have you read the comics lately? They're not your father's funny pages, anymore. The superheroes and silly creatures of old have taken a back seat to more politically correct characters -- such as single working women ("Cathy" and "Maxine"), gay teens ("For Better or...
Poisonous Politics: Arsenic in the Water
The latest political alarm is about arsenic in our drinking water. Yes, Virginia, there is now, has been in the past, and may forever in the future be arsenic in our drinking water. Obviously not a lot or I wouldn't be writing this and you wouldn't be reading it. As...
Lessons From Luber’s Beige Book of Investor Psychology
Last night I found myself absent-mindedly singing a snippet of a song from Meredith Wilson's song from The Music Man, "The Sadder But Wiser Girl For Me." Only to my surprise, the words came out differently....."A slower and stealthier rally for me." (Of course, I am...
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