John A. Parnell, Ph.D.
The US economy is heating up. Trump supporters credit the President for the growth, while many on the left struggle to accept, understand, and explain a turnaround they claimed we’d never see. In fact, many Trump detractors predicted a stock market crash and a deep global recession shortly after the election. President Trump deserves some […]
Read MoreMuch of what we see in the business and political worlds can be explained by incentives. When companies, politicians, and governments create the wrong incentives, bad things happen. Consider the following example at Uber as reported in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal: Unlike taxis, ride-hauling services like Uber charge fixed fares to passengers based primarily on […]
Read MoreI’ve lost track of the number of times a likeminded free-marketer has chastised me for failing to oppose President Trump’s approach to trade and tariffs. The exchange usually goes something like this: Other person: Trump says we should “put workers first” and raise tariffs to reduce the trade deficit. How can you possibly support that […]
Read MoreThe Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) passed in 1993 provides (among other things) 12 weeks of unpaid leaves to moms and dads to care for their newborns. During the last quarter century, companies such as Facebook, Twitter and American Express have added paid leave as a job benefit. Nonetheless, men hesitate to take the leave, […]
Read MoreI don’t understand everything President Trump says or does, but a lot of insight can be found in The Art of the Deal. He is not afraid to leverage strengths, call bluffs, and remain unpredictable. Many in the mainstream media see this as chaotic and a lack of preparation, but they continue to miss the […]
Read MoreOne Sunday, Nicolás Maduro was “reelected” president of Venezuela for a second six-year term. But most Venezuelans who oppose Maduro knew the process was rigged and refused to participate. Legitimate opposition parties were not allowed to field candidates and outside observers were not permitted in polling places. Although the nation has a population of about […]
Read MoreA recent study of faculty at 51 of the nation’s top 60 liberal arts colleges reveals that 39% of employ no Republicans as professors. While many colleges and universities in the US claim to be the foremost defenders of diversity, the concept is foreign in campus life. https://www.nas.org/articles/homogenous_political_affiliations_of_elite_liberal The findings reported here are not unusual. […]
Read MoreI decided to wait a few days after Zuckerberg’s testimony to Congress before posting my comments to see if it had any staying power. I don’t think it did. This is unfortunate because there are several important takeaways. First, I was miffed at how little Zuckerberg professed to know about the underlying issues. His response […]
Read MoreI’ve heard many free-traders question the wisdom of President Trump’s tariffs against China. They argue that free trade benefits everyone and that tariffs elicit responses that can trigger a trade war. I don’t need to be convinced that their arguments are 100% correct as far as they go, but they make 3 questionable assumptions. They […]
Read MoreLast week, Delta Airlines buckled to gun control pressure and began disassociating with the National Rifle Association. In response, the Georgia House and Senate just voted overwhelmingly to eliminate an amendment that would have renewed a $50 million jet fuel tax exemption for the Atlanta-based carrier. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle summarized the sentiment this way: […]
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