John A. Parnell, Ph.D.
Recent economic data suggest a modest improvement in the job situation. While this news is nothing to celebrate–and overblown in my view–any positive movement in the economy puts those seeking to unseat President Obama in an interesting predicament. If the economy appears to be moving in the right direction around election time, the President could […]
Read MoreI ran across an interesting blog today by Trevor Brookins on The Socialist’s Journal. Brookins contends that socialism is the natural extension of Christianity and challenges economic conservatives “who call themselves Christian” to point out the flaws in his logic. http://www.eurweb.com/2011/11/the-socialists-journal-the-religious-imperative-for-socialism/ Brookins seems like a nice guy and I accept his challenge. His “Jesus in […]
Read MoreThe Euro is under a lot of pressure these days. The size of government has ballooned in countries like Greece, Italy and Portugal. Ordinarily this type of problem would be confined primarily to the profligate nations, but not when there is a common currency. The problems of several nations affect the entire continent, particularly the […]
Read MoreAfter years of promoting the development of electric cars, the federal government now finds itself in the position of investigating a key safety risk. Batteries in the Chevy Volt caught fire in three recent crash tests, prompting the NHTSA to investigate. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203935604577064663206681538.html But don’t worry. Both the NHTSA and GM stress that everything is OK. […]
Read MoreThe debt reduction super committee must decide by Wednesday how to cut $1.2 trillion over the next ten years or face automatic reductions that include a hefty cut in defense. However this turns out, the upcoming week will remind us that the Democrats are simply unwilling to address the spending problem and the Republicans aren’t […]
Read MoreThe flat tax idea must be gaining traction. Just take a look at former Fed vice chairman Alan Blinder’s op ed piece in Monday’s (November 14) Wall Street Journal. Blinder is a heavy hitter for the left-of-center Keynesians and he doesn’t waste time attacking ideas that don’t seem to be going anywhere. His piece, “The […]
Read MoreMost of the economic proposals I’m hearing from the Republican pool have some merit, but they miss the mark. Simple plans like Cain’s 9-9-9 just don’t hold up to economic and political scrutiny. Complicated ones like Romney’s 59-point outline are too cumbersome. For markets to be relatively free they must be relatively unencumbered, which means […]
Read MoreSelf-proclaimed consumer advocate Ralph Nader posted an interesting op ed in today’s (November 2) Wall Street Journal calling for a “tax on speculation.” This is necessary, as he puts it, to “break the corporate stranglehold on our country.” The crux of his argument is that financial speculation is too risky and hence destructive to the […]
Read MoreStudent loan debt is receiving a lot of attention, especially with the 2012 election cycle in full swing and President Obama struggling to retain his strength with college students and young voters. In early 2010, President Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress (completely) forced banks out of the student loan program. www.nytimes.com/2010/03/26/us/politics/26loans.html Many in the Occupy […]
Read MoreI like Herman Cain, and I really like his boldness in the campaign. But I’ve had some misgivings about his 9-9-9 proposal for a while now. And the more I think about it, the more concerned I become. First and foremost, we have one major political/economic problem in our country—the size and scope of the […]
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