The American Dream: Endangered?

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Bill Allen

Will our children and grandchildren have better lives than we do?

This question is on the back cover of Tom Brokaw’s new book The Time of Our Lives and it caught my eye.  He said that the question is “so fundamental it might as well be carved in stone on a Washington monument.”

Further along he wrote: “I believe it is time for an American conversation about legacy and destiny.” A prime purpose of this site is to facilitate this kind of conversation and stimulate political action to make the answer to the above question a resounding YES.

I just finished the book.  It’s excellent and I recommend that you read it.  Brokaw proves again that he understands and loves America and its people.  As I write here there are 15 reviews of the book on Amazon, most better written and more comprehensive than what I could produce.  To see these go to The Time of Our Lives on Amazon

The subtitle of the book is A conversation about America; Who we are, where we’ve been, and where we need to go now, to recapture the American dream.

Bill Allen    11-13-11

More than ever we need to have this conversation.

Bill Allen    03-21-15

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From Duck Test to WNJDI Questions

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Bill Allen

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and squawks like a duck, it’s a duck.

I have always liked this piece of folk wisdom.  I call it the “duck test”.

Parallel thinking leads to this question:

If we have a problem, and we want to solve the problem, and we know how to solve the problem, why not just do it?

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Too Good Not to Share

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Bill Allen

“My colleagues, they study artificial intelligence.  Me?  I study natural stupidity.”

I found above in my Barnes & Noble browsing today.  The speaker was Amos Tversky, a Stanford psychologist, now deceased, and a founding father of behavioral economics.  The quote is in the new book The Darwin Economy by Robert H. Frank.

I have no comment to wrap around this quote now.  I post it because it’s too good not to share.  

Bill Allen,  10-19-11

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Occupy Wall Street: Following the Facts

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Bill Allen

For many years I have read that the size of the financial sector has been growing relative to the economy as a whole. But I was unprepared for what I saw when I looked at the actual numbers.

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Help Wanted

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Bill Allen

“It is astonishing what foolish things one can temporarily believe if one thinks too long alone, …”

I have an addiction: books. I feed my habit by browsing books in the local libraries and book stores. In my regular weekly trip to Barnes and Noble today I reviewed three relatively new books. [I miss Borders.]  One was Keynes Hayek: The Clash that Defined Modern Economics by Nicholas Wapshott.

The author tells the story of the  argument between the great economists John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich Hayek that persisted over decades. Both men are dead, but the argument continues.

The quote above is from the preface to Keynes’ masterwork, The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money. He was writing in 1935 and acknowledging “the constant advice and constructive criticism” he had received from fellow economists during five long years of work.

Keynes’ observation is true and pertinent here. This site and I need your advice and criticism. Please post a comment directly or submit an article for publication.  You will find that it’s easy and will probably do it again.

Bill Allen, 10-12-11

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Tax Simplification: A Proposal for the Super Committee

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Bill Allen

The proposal below is written for the “Super Committee” that was formed by Congress in August to recommend measures that will reduce the federal deficit by $1.5 trillion or more over ten years.  It has been sent to each committee member and will be copied to other key people.

The proposal was published as a Letter to the Editor in the Bernardsville News on October 20, 2011. 

Dear  (member of Super Committee):

There are many reasons to simplify the federal tax code and this is a frequent topic in the budget debate.   The principle argument being advanced is that elimination of various deductions and tax breaks, bundled under the general heading of “tax expenditures”, will raise revenue, and that this will provide opportunities to reduce both tax rates and deficits.

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Please inform and lead the people, Mr. President.

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Bill Allen

The message below was sent to the White House on July 3, 2011, and published as a letter to the editor in the Bernardsville News on July 7.

Dear President Obama:

You did an excellent job at your June 29 press conference when you focused on the need to raise the federal debt limit. You were tougher on Congressional Republicans than you have been and I applaud this. Please don’t hesitate to increase this pressure.

You also took issue with complaints that you have not led on this issue and cited many meetings with members of Congress from both sides. Here you overlooked a fundamental fact: It is your responsibility to lead the American people. You have the bully pulpit.

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Take bold initiatives to get the country moving again

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Bill Allen

The message below was emailed to the White House on 06-09-11 at 0440P.   

Dear Mr. President:

 I wrote you a very angry message on June 7 in which I said:  ” You have been AWOL from the economy for two years, and you have refused to put on the table a serious long-term plan to resolve the federal deficit.  I am a strong Democrat and have voted for every Democratic presidential candidate since Adlai Stevenson in 1952.  But if an election were held today, Mr. President, I would not note vote for you.  You don’t deserve it.”

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Do something, g-d d-mn it!!!

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Bill Allen

The message below was emailed to President Obama on June 7, 2011 and published as a letter to the editor in the Bernardsville News on June 16.     

 Dear Mr. President:

“So do something, g-d d-mn it!!!” 

These words came hissing thru clenched teeth when I watched a clip of your news conference today and you said:  “But we’ve still got enormous work to do.” 

You have been AWOL from the economy for two years, and you have refused to put on the table a serious long-term plan to resolve the federal deficit.  I am a strong Democrat and have voted for every Democratic presidential candidate since Adlai Stevenson in 1952.  But if an election were held today, Mr. President, I would not note vote for you.  You don’t deserve it.  

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Take a tough stand, Mr. President

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Bill Allen

The message below was emailed to President Obama on 05-13-11 at 1030A.  

 Dear Mr. President:

 I am a life-long, fiscally conservative Democrat.  I believe you are intelligent and have courage, that you know that we must deal with our long term deficit, and that this will require both a reduction in spending and an increase in revenue.  So I do not understand, and am very frustrated, that  you and your administration are not making this case to the American public.

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