War and Peace – Part Deux

If one looks at American history from a distance, our singular characteristic has been commerce. Tocqueville noted it in his highly accurate examination of America of the 19th century. He specifically commented on just how sharp and energetic we were in business competition. This far exceeded anything on the European continent.

A perusal of national income in the late 1700’s shortly after our founding, shows we Americans, we tiny 13 colonies, made an absolutely prodigious amount of money. It was done mostly via trade. At the time boats for trade were being built as fast as they could be. A vessel would go off on a voyage and pay for itself – on one voyage. Everything afterward was profit. So even in the vagaries of the sea and … Continue reading

Teaching Catch

IMG_3632

I spent this afternoon with a two year old. Cute kid. At first he didn’t know what to make of this tall foreigner but all little kids love to play. First his parents took one each of his arms and did the “Jump and pulled him off the ground” game. Then I played the “Jump and lift the little guy to ride on my shoulders” game. He was probably scared so I let him down to his mother’s arms. Once his mother put him down he put up his index finger. Yes, the international signal for “One more time”. I don’t know what they are feeding … Continue reading

War and Peace

We are all aware of Washington’s comment that we should be strong so as to avoid war, and to deal with all but form binds with none. Clearly we have failed to follow his advise. This can be good or bad, depending on one’s viewpoint. There are, however, some important issues to be hashed out before we can stand cleanly and decide what exactly we want of us and the world.

Political theory has for some time contended that kings rule for their own aggrandizement, and not that of the people. This is the heart of the whole concept that the king rules by divine provenance, when in point of fact he rules by his own ambition and grip on the reins of power. If we conclude this, … Continue reading

House Republicans Repeal ^X Replace ^X Reheat ObamaCare

So the deed is done and now the Senate gets to have their say. I think we may assume that President Trump will sign whatever comes his way on this, so the Senate is the real issue. I don’t have a sense of what the Senate will do with this. Will they rubber-stamp it? Vote it down? Mark it up so much that it must go to reconciliation? I suspect the last of those options is what will happen, but that is based only on a generic sense of what the Senate usually does.

What do you think?

A Simple Solution

https://amgreatness.com/2017/03/25/whats-in-a-doctrine/

Can it be this simple? A strategic policy of self interest first, middle and last?

But that does not require elaborate explanations of why doing the stupid is necessary in tomes of polysyllables.

It does not require a massive number of mouth flappers who explain why we need to ‘understand’ other cultures.

It just requires a handful of tough guys and gals and an ass kicking military with economic power.

Seems too simple, but then again, never confuse simple with easy. Often the complex is the lazy man’s game.

trumpwantsyuCwq0NOFWgAASkbU-768x860

Continue reading

An Unreported Trend

I have talked before about the surge in small business, about the dollars that have been on the sidelines now being deployed by business owners into expansion, capital equipment and new product and services.

This is the unreported sector, the subchapter S and LLC businesses that get scant mention from the WSJ and Bloomberg and no mention in the media.

Today, I needed to find an office manager for a client. Six owners of temp agencies tell me now they are recruiting talent as few are flocking to their doors.  They cannot keep people . Also, even temps are refusing part time gigs.

All this is in a state that is doing it’s best to pass a gross sales income tax to match an insanely high personal income … Continue reading