| Oct 8, 2013 | Economy / BusinessThe Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle called economics “the dismal science.” He was only half right. Dismal, yes, but a science, no. Economics is more like a religion, in which reality is shaped by belief or blind faith. And, in the case of free-market...
| Oct 1, 2013 | Economy / BusinessSomeone should make a movie about JPMorgan and title it: “Bankers Gone Wild.” Not long ago, America’s biggest Wall Street Empire was hailed as a paragon of financial integrity. Not now. JPMorgan has been assessed record fines of nearly a billion...
| Jul 31, 2013 | Economy / BusinessAl Capone was a bad boy. How bad? He cheated on his income taxes. He went to prison in 1931 for that. Not for the people he gunned down, nor for any of the other gross illegalities the guy committed as a notorious Chicago mobster. Tax evasion landed Capone in the...
| Jul 16, 2013 | Economy / BusinessThe word “help” is so uplifting. It conveys our best humanitarian values. How odd, then, to see it used in this New York Times headline: “Banks’ Lobbyists Help in Drafting Financial Bills.” I’ll bet they did! We all know how...
| Apr 17, 2013 | Economy / BusinessAs foreclosures Trim our ranks, The biggest scoundrels Are still the banks. The nation’s big banks are making big profits again. Whew! I was a little worried there for a minute. During America’s recent financial meltdown we actually lost a few biggies, and...
