Category Archives: Finance and Economics

S&P Lowers United States Debt Outlook to Negative

Posted on Monday, April 18, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Today,  Standard & Poor’s lowered its rating outlook for United States debt from stable to negative on the heels of the American government’s persistent dysfunction to reduce the deficit. The market’s reaction has been slightly negative to this news, even though … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, International Security, Investing, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

Obama Administration Continues Pursuit of Endgame for Libya

Posted on Sunday, April 17, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

In another sign that the Obama administration is moving toward an endgame in Libya, the United States is seeking a refuge for Qaddafi in the event of a settlement. The refuge will likely be in another African nation that has “not signed or … Continue reading →

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Posted in Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Middle East, Nuclear proliferation, Policy, Politics, War | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Movies Left and Right

Posted on Friday, April 15, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

There is a movie and a cable mini-series that I am looking forward to viewing in the near future. One is inspired by a diehard libertarian and the other by an unabashed liberal. I cannot wait to see both. Today, … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Media, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

California Dreaming: Governor Moonbeam’s Taxation Nirvana

Posted on Thursday, April 14, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

“There is a certain amount of magical thinking going on under the Capitol dome. And the magical thinking is that the $13.5 billion can be conjured. Poof! Getting that $13.5 billion is going to take some taxes. And if it’s … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Education, Finance and Economics, Healthcare, Investing, Policy, Politics | Tagged | 5 Comments

Obama Debt Reduction Speech Rife with Class Warfare and Partisanship, But Good Start

Posted on Wednesday, April 13, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

To be frank, the first part of President Obama’s speech today at George Washington University was difficult for me to stomach. While the President gave a cursory nod to Ronald Reagan by acknowledging that America was a country of rugged individualists, he offered … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Defense, Education, Finance and Economics, Healthcare, International Security, Policy, Politics, Predictions, Social Security | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Grover Norquist, Hypocrite on Ethanol

Posted on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Normally, I generally agree with Grover Norquist’s calls to reduce the size of America’s bloated government. However, this recent article in The Economist made me furious. Mr. Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), an organization whose raison d’etre is to reduce the size and complexity of … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, Food Security, Investing, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Obama’s Debt Reduction Plan

Posted on Monday, April 11, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

On Wednesday, President Obama will present his debt reduction plan to a university audience. According to The New York Times, the President will urge Republican lawmakers to join him in finding ways “to raise revenues and reduce the growth of popular … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Policy, Politics, Predictions, Social Security | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Political Compass

Posted on Sunday, April 10, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

I discovered another fun application this week called the Political Compass via Divided We Stand United We Fall. The application administers a brief test that asks users a host of political questions. The application then scores their answers and plots these scores on the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Policy, Politics | Tagged , | 18 Comments

My Plan to Balance the Budget

Posted on Sunday, April 10, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

To be honest, I am writing this blog to take advantage of a nifty little application The New York Times published a few months ago that actually makes the task of balancing the budget fun (No, really, I’m serious). I … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Defense, Education, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, Healthcare, International Security, Policy, Politics, Predictions, Social Security, War | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Government Still Growing, Even After Compromise

Posted on Saturday, April 9, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Now that the dog and pony show surrounding last week’s budget brinkmanship is over, it is more clear than ever that neither political party truly grasps the magnitude of the government’s spending problem (or they do, but do not care). … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, International Security, Media, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 14 Comments