economics etc »
THE ENEMY IN THE WAR ON TERROR
The current debate over how to label the enemy in our so-called “war on terror” reminded me of a column I wrote for Lagniappe one week after the 9/11 attack. I asked the editor
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HOLLYWOOD AND POLITICS
The Academy Awards are just around the corner. Normally, I don’t pay much attention to the shenanigans of movie stars and celebrities. My youngest son, Billy, is the family movie guru; he is in
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2014: THE YEAR IN REVIEW
A number of notable events occurred last year, most of them not particularly good. Here is my recap of what I consider the most significant. The year began with the legalization of recreational marijuana
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The PLUMMETING PRICE OF OIL
The week I wrote this column, several gas stations around town were selling gasoline for $2.39 a gallon. The reason for the lower price is that oil has fallen from $115 a barrel last
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Gifts You Won’t Find In Stores
Each year, I write a column about Christmas gifts that are not found in any store, or even on any website. For example, Christmas came early this year for five million undocumented workers, when
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Republicans Capture The Senate
According to the polls, the midterm elections were supposed to be real nail-biters, as Republicans tried to wrest control of the U.S. Senate from Harry Reid and the Democrats. Instead, Republicans swept to victory
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Ballooning, Bungling Beauracracy
The biggest problem plaguing our federal government is ballooning bureaucracy and bureaucratic bungling. The latest scandal to hit the public eye is the ineptness of the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and its lack
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How Dangerous Is Ebola?
Epidemics, pandemics and plagues have played a huge role in the history of mankind, but, in this age of modern medicine, the danger posed by viruses has often been overlooked or considered a thing
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Rational Ignorance: Why Voters Are Not Better Informed
Democracy may be a great political system, but it is not perfect. One of its flaws is what economists call “rational ignorance,” which some have dubbed “the dumb voter theorem.” The premise is simple:
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Obama’s Foreign Policy: Lessons In The Art Of Obfuscation
For the past month, most Americans have been outraged over the beheadings of two U.S. citizens — James Foley and Steven Sokoloff — by ISIL (AKA the Islamic State). Americans wanted our president to
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