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Monthly Archives: February 2012
After the Rain
Sometimes it helps to take a break from politics to enjoy nature’s splendor. In this picture taken today, a double rainbow appears over Mount Diablo.
Obama and Youth Unemployment
In 2008, young adults piled into election booths to vote overwhelmingly for Barack Obama. Their adulation struck me personally as a weird sort of homage to the cult of personality. After all, Obama had no executive experience running any organization … Continue reading
Did Obama Help or Hinder the Recovery? Dueling Campaign Narratives
Today, I came across a variation of the employment chart below in an Obama campaign ad. In this ad, the old adage holds: There are “lies, damned lies, and statistics.” In this campaign season, this truism will likely apply to … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Leadership, Policy, Politics
Tagged Decision 2012, Democrats, Employment, Jobs, Lies, President Obama, Republicans, Statistics, Unemployment
29 Comments
Taxes: Fairness Is Not the Problem, Complexity Is
When TurboTax spit out the estimated amount of our federal and California income tax refund would be this year, I nearly soiled myself. I was flabbergasted.
Posted in California, Finance and Economics, Policy, Politics, Taxes
Tagged Complexity, Fairness, Flat Tax, James Ross, New York Times, Taxation, Taxes, TurboTax
6 Comments
Catching a Falling Knife: The Hazards of California Real Estate
When I returned to the San Francisco Bay Area in July 2006, real estate prices were absurd. At the time, I had also saddled myself with a massive amount of school loans. That said, no-doc loans were all the rage, … Continue reading
Posted in Business, California, Finance and Economics, Investing, Mathematics, Policy, Politics
Tagged California, Housing, Housing prices, real estate
2 Comments
Where Are the Carriers?
Over the last few weeks, Stratfor, a global intelligence site, has provided updates on the approximate location of the American carrier fleet. According to Stratfor’s estimates, two carriers are operating in or near the Persian Gulf, another is operating in the … Continue reading
Is Fracking Causing the Mystery Disease in Le Roy, New York?
Today, I learned that eighteen individuals in LeRoy, New York have been suffering inexplicably from a strange neurological disorder that caused them to develop “uncontrollable twitching and verbal tics.” No one seems to be able to explain the root cause … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Energy Security
Tagged Conversion Disorder, Ergot, Fracking, Hysteria, LeRoy, Natural gas, Neurological Disorders, Salem Witchcraft Trials, Superfund, TCE
28 Comments
Bush vs. Obama: Unemployment (January 2012 Jobs Data)
Update: Click here for the most recent jobs statistics. On the first Friday of every month, I update the unemployment numbers so that I can compare the unemployment rate under President George W. Bush with the unemployment rate under President Obama at that … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Media, Policy, Politics
Tagged Bush vs. Obama, President Bush, President Obama, Unemployment
130 Comments
Congress Finally Does Something Right
Last November, I alerted readers to the hypocrisy that “members of Congress are not subject to insider trading laws, despite having access to far more material, non-public information than the average American, or, for that matter, the typical hedge fund manager.” … Continue reading
Posted in Finance and Economics, Investing, Leadership, Politics
Tagged Congress, Insider Trading, Senate
3 Comments