T.O.T.N. (Thoughts On The News) 24 Feb. 2013. Taxes?! Of COURSE we need taxes! [UPDATED. See end of post.]

It is not often one can berate the WSJ (SHAME on the Wall Street Journal re: Payroll Tax Whacks Spending) but one can ALWAYS find some die-hard liberal cause jumping from the pages of the NEW YORK TIMES. While catching up (discarding actually) recent digital back-issues, I came across this House Editorial (unsigned piece (who DOES …

SHAME on the Wall Street Journal re: Payroll Tax Whacks Spending

SHAME on the Wall Street Journal for making the Payroll Tax item a front page, above the fold, near-banner headline: I may have to institute an official Donald Sutherland/1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers SHAME AWARD for egregious (outstandingly bad; shocking) misrepresentation of facts to the public at large.  (See my previous post Gun control, Elisabeth Rosenthal, …

T.O.T.N (Thoughts On The News) 17 Feb 2013: Minimum Wage

The WSJ Opinion Page has a good article on Obama's SOTU (State Of The Union) proposal to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $9.00 per hour.  It has facts (what a novel idea), but as a friend often reminds me, "don't confuse me with the facts".  I will try to confuse you anyway. The …

T.O.T.N. (Thoughts On The News) 02/13-14/2013

Obama's State of the Union Address, Minimum Wage, Marco Rubio, Immigration, Gun Control, oh my!  REALLY?! I could opine on conservative thought 3 times a day.  I definitely should opine more than 3 times a year.  If I have anything in life it is a surfeit (noun, an excessive amount of something) of opinions. I often …

Yet another book you must read: FREE MARKET REVOLUTION

Free Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand's Ideas Can End Big Government by Yaron Brook, Don Watkins This is an excellent book.  I approve its message. (It is presidential election season.) The book is a methodical, reasoned analysis of the self-inflicted big government altruism that is bankrupting us.  It offers logical steps to reclaim the good of free …

CAPITALIST SOLUTIONS – A Philosophy of American Moral Dilemmas by Andrew Bernstein

This is a dynamic, powerful book.  It is filled with in-your-face pull-no-punches logic and reason.  Oh these Ayn Randians (Bernstein has written and lectured with the Ayn Rand Institute for some time).  Do they never stop spouting about individual rights, freedom of choice and rational self-interest? It is a short book, 175 pages in hard cover …

Why Facebook is a house of cards

"Rich Karlgaard writing Monday at Forbes.com on Facebook's disappointing IPO: 1. Too late. Facebook's shares have been dead in the water for the last 12 months. Private investors had already bid up Facebook to a $100 billion value a year ago. 2. Mark Zuckerberg's disdain for investors. He never wanted to be a public company. …

NO THEY CAN’T by JOHN STOSSEL

...WHY GOVERNMENT FAILS-- BUT INDIVIDUALS SUCCEED. This is libertarian John Stossel's retort to the big government political slogan "Yes We Can".  It is his latest book for individual freedom of choice and against overbearing government.  Stossel was a consumer reporter on ABC network and its 20/20 investigative show for a couple of decades.  Since becoming …

Inside Apple by Adam Lashinksky, book review

INSIDE APPLE: How America's Most Admired--And Secretive--Company Really Works, by Adam Lashinsky. Published January 2012 by Business Plus of the Hachette Book Group. At slightly over 200 pages this is a clear, fast, easy read, for which I am always grateful. I enjoyed this book and, more importantly, was educated.  The author gives an excellent …

The History of Standard Oil

...by Ida M. Tarbell.  The "muckraker". Book review time.  Commentary actually, a real review would be too much work.  Checklist: Here I sit, laptop in lap.  Check. I'm sipping leftover Lipizzan Port from the Greystone Vineyards in Palidsade, Colorado that m'lady and I opened and consumed the greater share of many weeks ago. Check.  (It's …