Economy and Business
America’s Cosmic Tax Gap
The folks working for the federal government can do some incredible things. Over at NASA, for instance, they’re now putting the finishing touches on the new James Webb Space Telescope — an instrument The Washington Post says will be powerful enough "to capture the...
Our Poverty Myth
If you're poor, many Americans think, it's your own fault. It's a sign of your own moral failing. I don't personally believe that, but the idea has roots in our culture going back centuries. In The Wealth of Nations, the foundational work of modern capitalism, Adam...
A Commencement Address for the Most Indebted Class Ever
Congratulations, college graduates! As you enter the next phase of life, you and your parents should be proud of your achievements. But, I'm sorry to say, they've come at a price: The system is trying to squeeze you harder than any previous generation. Many baby...
Uber Goes Under in Austin
Pouty, whiney, spoiled-bratism isn't nice coming from a four-year-old. But it's altogether grotesque when it comes from billion-dollar corporations like Uber and Lyft. The two car-for-hire companies call their service "ridesharing." But these internet-based brats are...
Onshore Tax Havens
The first thing you notice on the cab ride from the airport to downtown Panama City is the skyscrapers. They're architecturally beautiful, but jumbled together as if there was no plan or consideration for how they might look next to one another. What you might not...
King Coal Is Headed to Prison
So long, Don, it's been God-awful to know you. Don Blankenship, who was the King of King Coal, is headed toward a place he never imagined he'd end up: federal prison. The ruthless former CEO of the Massey Energy company arrogantly assumed he was above the law. For...
Inequality Will Get Worse Until There’s a Revolution
Imagine, after a deep sleep, you suffered the fate of Rip Van Winkle and woke in the spring of 2040. What might you find? Among other things, maybe a presidential candidate railing against America's concentration of wealth. Except this time, it's not the 1 percent...
Crime Can Pay if It’s Big Enough
Wow, $5 billion. That's the stunning amount Goldman Sachs has agreed to pay to settle federal criminal charges over its shameful financial scams, which helped wreck America's economy in 2008. That's a lot of gold, even for Goldman. Yet the Wall Street powerhouse says...
Tone Deaf on Trade
Cameron Is Cornered
It's said that there's nothing more vicious than a wild animal that's cornered. I'd add that there's nothing more devious than a top corporate or political official caught in a hypocritical scandal. Witness the huge menagerie of political critters who've recently been...
