BestOfSwla economics etc Archives

Corona Life

Michael Kurth August 20, 2020 Comments Off

I am sitting in my office with my dog Bandit. He and I have been in semi-self-quarantine for the past three months, which is difficult when you have six kids, 12 grandkids and your

Family Matters

Michael Kurth August 6, 2020 Comments Off

In case anyone noticed, I missed the deadline for my last Lagniappe column. Our household has been in a bit of a turmoil recently. My wife’s mother, “Poochie” Dowers, passed away two weeks ago.

With our nation polarized as it faces multiple crises, I wanted to write about something light and non-political that would not cause me to lose any friends. Maybe something about family matters. The following

The Economy After The Shutdown

Michael Kurth June 18, 2020 Comments Off

After eight weeks of quarantining and social distancing, it is nice to see some measure of normalcy return as the state begins to relax restrictions on businesses, allowing some to open back up under

Coronavirus: Part II

Michael Kurth March 19, 2020 Comments Off

How Does It Compare To The Flu? By Michael Kurth Four weeks ago I devoted my column in Lagniappe to the coronavirus (bestofswla.com/2020/02/20/how-dangerous-is-the-coronavirus). I said its symptoms were like a bad case of the

Lessons From Watergate

Michael Kurth January 23, 2020 Comments Off

In the summer of 1972, I was living in the Washington, D.C. area when Richard Nixon was running for re-election against George McGovern, a far-left senator for South Dakota. My first wife, Jette, and

The True Believer

Michael Kurth November 21, 2019 Comments Off

Understanding Trump’s Base Congressional Democrats are about to wrap up their investigation into President Trump’s foreign policy dealings with Ukraine and the possibility he withheld needed military aid approved by Congress in an effort

What Might Impeachment Mean?

Michael Kurth October 17, 2019 Comments Off

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the Democrat controlled House of Representatives, recently announced she was launching a formal inquiry into impeaching President Trump. The first thing to understand about this is that impeachment does not

Recent Events

Michael Kurth September 5, 2019 Comments Off

I usually write my column on a single topic. But several things occurred recently that I believe are worthy of comment. One is that the nation was shocked when two mass shootings occurred less

Government Megatrends

Michael Kurth August 15, 2019 Comments Off

Megatrends are sustained changes that shape our future. Globalization, urbanization, the application of technology, climate change and development of new energy sources are often cited as megatrends. When it comes to government, I believe