by Henry Oliner | Jul 30, 2010 | Politics
In the wake of the elections of November 3, 2008 we noted the dramatic swing of the independent voter. Who are these voters and why do they refuse to ally themselves with one of the two major parties? I confess up front that this is my sense and perception and I do...
by Henry Oliner | Apr 25, 2010 | Economy, Financial
George Melloan writes in The Wall Street Journal, The Lessons of Basel’s Bean Counters Summarized: In 1988 the banking regulators from 20 leading industrial nations of the International Monetary Fund met in Switzerland and created Basel I to create a common...
by Henry Oliner | Mar 21, 2010 | Economics
The financial crisis was deemed a failure of capitalism. Yet very little is said of the government’s role in creating the crisis. Commentators lament the deregulation, but omit specific regulations and policies that caused the crisis. Milton Friedman accurately...
by Henry Oliner | Feb 18, 2010 | Economics
With the clarity of time we can look back at the brink of the collapse that hit us just prior to the last national election. In the midst of the collapse we were stunned and angry, and tended to blame the party in power. Although the Democrats had controlled both...
by Henry Oliner | Jan 4, 2010 | Economics, Philosophy, Politics
There are those who see our financial problem as a moral failure. In one sense it is, but not in the sense those who wish to frame it in moral tones believe. To blame greed for the meltdown is simplistic and irrelevant. Greed has been with us forever. Why would it...
