John A. Parnell, Ph.D.
Discrimination against gays is a hot topic these days, whether it’s a bakery refusing to prepare a wedding cake for a same-sex couple or state legislators attempting to codify the rights of business owners to run their companies in accordance with their religious convictions. The political left and mainstream media are arguing that some individuals—homosexuals […]
Read MoreThe socialist government in Venezuela is so short on foreign currency that it must decide which obligations to pay and which ones to forego. Caracas has been making payments to foreign bondholders on time, but hasn’t been paying the private companies that operate within the country. In fact, the government currently owes $14 billion to […]
Read MoreThe National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has accused Walmart of unfairly disciplining works who participated in recent demonstrations over the minimum wage and other working conditions. Wal-Mart is fighting the claim. The Wagner Act of 1935 created the NLRB and granted workers the right to strike against their employers over pay, working conditions, and other […]
Read MoreThere’s a lot in Obama’s SOTU address worth comment, but one proposal really caught my attention. Lamenting the low savings rate of low and moderate income families–and inferring an unfairness associated with recent stock market gains–the President offered a solution, the myRA. This interesting contraption is supposed to be a “simple, safe, and affordable starter […]
Read MoreWith the President’s State of the Union address next week, the talk of income inequality and the so-called income gap persists. For those of you still convinced that the gap between high and low incomes is problematic, I’d like to encourage you to think about two concepts, lifestyle and individual choice. Whenever you make such […]
Read MoreWith the Obamacare rollout in full swing, several things are clear: Washington will decide what kind of healthcare plan you need. The cost of your plan is likely higher than it used to be. Few Americans are actually purchasing health insurance through Obamacare. Most Obamacare buyers are in moderate to high-risk categories. Obamacare has been […]
Read MoreIncome inequality is the Democrat’s official political villain of 2014, but this is not really new. President Obama often likes to distinguish between the fat cats and easy money of “Wall Street,” and the daily struggles of “Main Street.” The inference is that there’s only so much success to go around, and whatever goes to […]
Read MoreI took some time to get all the facts and let things play out before commenting on the Ryan-Murray budget deal. With the academic semester coming to a close at most colleges and universities, it’s time to issue a grade here as well. ECONOMICS: F. There’s no need to discuss all of the details because […]
Read MoreOn Thursday, fast food workers in over 100 US cities will walk off the job to demand an increase in the minimum wage to $15. The current rate is $7.25 and President Obama has already committed to backing a Senate measure to raise it to $10.10. The walkout is supposed to create sympathy for minimum […]
Read MoreOn November 24 the Swiss will vote to add a CEO pay restriction to the nation’s constitution. If 50% of the voters affirm, then CEO pay will be capped at 12 times that of the lowest paid worker in a company. The logic has simple emotional appeal–no individual should earn more in a month than […]
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