When the New York Times publishes an article on the extent of government dependence, that’s when you know that you have to begin wondering just how dependent the average American has become on government. Read More »

As of yesterday, Indiana became the first state in the “Rust Belt ” to enact right-to-work (RTW) laws , as well as the 23rd state in the Union to do so. It’s the first time in about a decade that such a bill has been passed . One thing is for certain: Big Union is throwing a hissy fit . Read More »

I hardly consider myself a fan of the New York Times. However, Thomas Friedman recently penned a piece entitled “Average Is Over ,” and I have to say that I enjoyed it. The premise of the article is that being average, whether in education or job skills, used to get an individual a cozy lifestyle. Read More »

On some level, I always find that America expresses bi-polarity when it comes to morality. Think about it for a moment. When it comes to sex, we have a Puritan-like taboo on the topic while simultaneously having it on television and advertisements, being told that “sex sells.” Being able to swear is no different. Read More »

I came across an article entitled “Public Opinion Snapshot: Conservatives versus Hispanics” from the Center for American Progress (CAP), which identifies itself as progressive. The premise behind the article is that the Republican Party’s stance on immigration puts it at odds with the Hispanic community. Read More »

The value-added tax, better known as the VAT, is a consumption-based tax that assesses a tax during each stage of production of a given good. Read More »

U.S. debt is at 100% of GDP , and citizens are worried. Odds are that reducing the debt will be a hot-button topic in the upcoming elections, especially considering that Obama has increased U.S. debt by more than four trillion since he took office.  Keynesian economist Paul Krugman recently wrote an op-ed piece entitled “Nobody Understands Debt . Read More »

As we approach the end of 2011, I look back on the blog entries that I have wrote throughout the year.  It was so hard to narrow the list to a “Top 10″ that I had to expand it to a “Top 20″ list. Read More »

The Pew Research Center put out recent survey data as to what the American people think about the tax system.  When asked about “what bothers you most about the tax system,” the number one answer was “the wealthy people don’t pay their fair share.”  Not surprisingly, there is a partisan divide on this one. Read More »

It’s always nice to know that you can meet up with your high school friends with whom you have kept in touch all these years and still partake in political polemics as if nothing has changed. Read More »

For years, you have heard Bill O’Reilly clamor about it.  The Christian Right in this country fears it .  Even Rick Perry brought it up in his recent gaffe of an advertisement .  Yes, it is that most wonderful time of year: to bring up the War on Christmas. Read More »

In this week’s parsha, Joseph interprets two of Pharaoh’s dreams.  The first is that of seven fat cows being eaten up by seven lean cows (Genesis 41 : 1-4).  The second dream was that seven fat stalks of grain were overcome by seven lean stalks (ibid 41: 5-7). Read More »

I have a much greater propensity to read articles and studies from think tanks than I do when it comes to reading [political] blogs.  Analysis and expectations, even when not libertarian, are much higher in the think tank world.  However, there are a few blogs that I decide to read.  One such blog is Heathen Republican . Read More »

The balance between obeisance and defiance in Judaism is captivating.  The story of Chanukah gives another example to better find that balance. As the story goes, Antiochus IV Epiphanes expanded into the land of Judea, which resulted in a divide between the Jews. Read More »

Between the controversy over Matisyahu shaving his beard and the fact I recently read a Chabad article that said one of the reasons that Jews, and more specifically, Chasids, don’t shave their beards is because shaving is a form of cross-dressin g (true story…. Read More »

This previous Saturday, presidential candidate Herman Cain withdrew from the GOP primary race, most probably because of his alleged extramarital affair .  It doesn’t matter what I think of Cain coming up with the 9-9-9 plan or his catering to social conservatives to get primary votes. Read More »

Those on the Left are arguing that government regulations have a negligible effect on layoffs.  The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), for instance, argues  that because a small number of businesses attribute government intervention as the cause for the layoffs (see Bureau of Labor Statistics data ), we shouldn’t have to worry. Read More »

The ability to wake up “on the right side of the bed” is important because doing so properly affects the rhythm and mood for the rest of the day.  There are certain ways of going about this secularly .  I would like to approach this from a Jewish standpoint. Read More »

Many news outlets have been reporting on the “euro crisis.”  Within the past few weeks, attention has been diverted from Greece to Italy, mainly because Italy’s economy, which is the eighth largest economy in the world, has a debt that well exceeds 100% of its GDP ($1.9 trillion in debt, which is six times the amount of Greece’s). Read More »

When asked what people are grateful for, common answers during Thanksgiving are family, friends, financial security, good health, or a nice, wonderful Thanksgiving meal.  These are good answers, and I certainly don’t eliminate them as things for which I need to be thankful. Read More »