Archive

We look at a stranger and subconsciously register gender, race and perhaps class markers. These reflexive cognitive observations reveal nothing about the person yet often carry heavy judgmental baggage. In… Read More

Antitrust prosecutors recently issued subpoenas to major airlines to explore possible collusion – but all they had to do was ask air travelers. Anti-trust law is complicated. The price-fixing portion… Read More

I’m not obsessive about pet names. I usually leave them to the kids, perhaps with a little parental guidance, like avoiding undistinguished names like Fluffy or Spot, or ambiguous names… Read More

I no longer believe in economic development. There, I said it. Now, let me clarify. I believe the best business development strategy is being a great place to live, educate,… Read More

The news was stunning. Barclays, Citibank, J.P. Morgan – Chase, RBS, Bank of America – Merrill Lynch, and UBS, all pled guilty to illegal currency and LIBOR rate manipulation and… Read More

I just searched Senator John Campbell’s official State website and typed in “ethics.” The site yielded “no results” and urged me to check my spelling. Campbell has been an outspoken… Read More

Comments: VT Design Technology Educators Assoc. May 8, 2015  at VT Tech – Randolph The challenge for those of us who teach or, in my case, taught, is to maintain… Read More

We pride ourselves on being a nation of laws, perhaps too many laws. Much as we try, we can never translate moral obligations or prohibitions into legal ones. Moral codes… Read More

Conservatives want to reduce government services that alleviate the effects of poverty, addiction, crime, illiteracy, and disease. Liberals want to increase them. But what if both were wrong and our… Read More

The legislature has a four-speed gear box: inaction, study, nibble around the edges, and overdrive. The under-utilized overdrive gear brings forth bold action and initiates substantive change. The perennial re-appearance… Read More

The well-being of citizens and their economy are interdependent and a functioning democracy balances and sustains the natural confluence of both. Otherwise, democracy may weaken and even fail. Today in… Read More

Common sense names don’t work for politicians. What you or I would call “tax exemptions,” they call “tax expenditures.” Let me explain. The government needs a defined amount of money… Read More