A manager’s job entails understanding the changes that have already occurred and responding accordingly, without losing the value of enduring principles that still apply to the operating environment. In the political sphere the Republicans seem slow to accept and understand
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I believe McCain’s campaign emphasis on Obama’s ties to Ayers and Wright is misplaced, not that they are not problematical but that they become increasingly irrelevant. One of the common mistakes in advertising is ‘borrowed interest’, where the marketer apparently
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Some of my employees have started to panic because of the losses in their 401k. While I am precluded from advising specifically, I do advise that they consider a 20/ 20 rule. If they have less than $20,000 in their
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from the Wall Street Journal Online Barney Breaks It DownWho really caused the credit crisis? excerpt “Last week Representative Artur Davis of Alabama said in a statement: “Like a lot of my Democratic colleagues I was too slow to appreciate
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The biggest challenge for an economic thinker is to see the invisible. Every dollar spent on one item is a dollar not spent on something else. The thousand dollars spent on a new digital camera is a thousand dollars not
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I was watching the Wrath of Khan, the second of the Star Trek movies. Khan, played wonderfully by Ricardo Montebalm, was bragging of his superior intellect in his battle with Captain Kirk. Spock advised Kirk, “he has intellect but no
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Many supporters are frustrated and angry at McCain’s seemingly inability to close the gap. The talking heads on the AM dire to script his responses. So here is my script for John McCain. Mr. Obama’s association with Bill Ayers is
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by Henry Oliner Many attribute the financial crisis to pure greed. I disagree. There is always greed. In fact the market tempers greed with open information, transparency, and competition: three items missing from Fannie Mae. If we keep insisting that
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Many are unaware that the original articles of impeachment against Bill Clinton had nothing to do with lying about sex with interns. The original articles were about highly illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals. When Hillary was in the race
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There are those who belive that the Republicans have mishandled our foreign policy so badly that they just can not stomach the thought of returning any of them to office at any level. Then there is a growing group (growing
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Headlines in 1974 Dow Industrials Down 46% President Nixon Forced to Resign United States Withdraws from Vietnam Arab Oil Embargo in Full Swing Worst Recession Since Great Depression Largest Collapse in U.S. Retailing History- W.T. Grant New York City Can’t
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by Henry Oliner The ‘black swan’ (explained in Nassim Taleb’s book by that name) is that rare statistical outcome that lies far outside the realm of prediction. But if the particular event that is rare is severe and threatens the
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Acorn is engaged in voter fraud on a national scale. The registration in Indianapolis is 105% of the voters. Voter fraud is nothing new. It is known as Chicago style politics and it is credited with electing John Kennedy. It
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Michelle Obama’s first cousin once removed is one of the most prominent Black Rabbis in the country. From the Jewish Daily Forward- The Obamas Have a Rabbi in the Family Cousin of Candidate’s Wife Leads Synagogue on Chicago’s South Side
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Years ago one of my truck drivers engaged in a nifty theft scheme. When fueling the company truck the attendant at the gas station offered to split the take if he would cooperate and help him falsify some fuel tickets
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Wall Street is crashing because of a crisis in credit. There is plenty of money out there but it is stuck in the safest areas and nobody wants to loan any of it to anybody. Credit is based on the
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While the House Recue Bill has passed we have learned about the programs that have been added to the bill, but I have heard nothing about the programs that have been cut to help pay for it. Starting with the
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Henry’s Pogo Corollary- The harder it is to understand a problem the more likely it is that we are the problem. While the two parties blame each other for the financial crisis, and while they both blame greedy Wall Street
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If the ‘rescue’ was supposed to restrore confidence in the markets it did not work. But perhaps the rescue is trying to solve a problem in the market unrelated to the banking and Fannie Mae scandals. Perhaps the greater correlation
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The financial rescue package finally passed the House, but I am concerned that nothing was learned from the experience. Nobody liked the package and both Democrats and Republicans were nauseous when they voted for bill, in what was a true
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