The F-Word (s) February 26, 2009

Have you stopped to think how a variety of f-words have become part of our everyday vocabulary?
Fraud makes news just about every week now. The latest–the arrest of two Wall Street money managers who are accused of stealing $667 mil from investors. It’s actually rather paltry by today’s standards, set by Bernie Madoff (alleged fraud [...]

The Housing Bailout February 20, 2009

Quite a debate is underway about who stands to benefit from the housing plan announced this week by the President. It centers on whether so called “bad players” should be among those getting a break—both irresponsible lenders and borrowers who should have known they may have been biting off a whole lot more than they [...]

Death of the Death Penalty? February 18, 2009

Governor O’Malley is renewing his effort this week to convince the legislature to repeal the state’s death penalty.
As a matter of practice, the death penalty’s already been put on the back burner in Maryland.
Currently, there are five people on death row in the state. None received his sentence in the past ten years.
The last death [...]

Greenspan’s Delusion February 16, 2009

Must see TV is currently CNBC’s documentary: House of Cards.
It’s a two-hour presentation that lays out, step by step, the chronology of how we ran our economy into the biggest, deepest ditch since the Great Depression. I say “we” rather loosely—the documentary is much more specific about laying blame at the doorstep of [...]

Bipartisanship Bust February 13, 2009

The revised economic stimulus plan passed the House of Representatives on Friday without one, single, solitary Republican vote. This is generating nearly as much debate as the plan itself—and for good reason. The question, of course, is whether bipartisanship is really possible. Given its failure in these circumstances—the worst economic crisis since the Great [...]

The Bankers February 11, 2009

It was quite a sight in Washington on Wednesday with the CEO’s of the 8 big banks appearing on Capitol Hill. Essentially, they were there to answer one simple question:
What exactly did you do with all that bailout money you got? The total handout to them, at this point, is in the neighborhood of $150 [...]

Those Poor Yankees February 10, 2009

I, for one, am not at all surprised by the Alex Rodriguez story—not the revelation that he used steroids nor the fessing up on ESPN. He becomes just one more “star” (athlete, entertainer, politician, CEO—take your pick) whose lofty achievements, it later turns out, came with the help of some sort of lying, cheating, or [...]

Hey Ray February 6, 2009

A new contract for a (nearly) 34 year old All-World linebacker in Dallas: $10 mil/yr
A year’s supply of Tums to cope with the stress of the Cowboys’ dysfunction: $250
A big case of ear plugs to block the annoying whining of T-O: $130
Playing out your career for an organization that stood by you in [...]

I Told You So? Not quite… February 5, 2009

I heard former Governor Bob Ehrlich this week publicly declare, “I told you so”, when asked about the current slots mess in Annapolis. He may have some ground to stand on. He was, after all, the champion of slots—trying, year after year when he was Governor, to get a bill passed. Mostly, he ran into [...]

Presidential Mea Culpa February 4, 2009

There’s really nothing terribly unusual about nominees for big cabinet posts getting caught in some embarassing misstep.
Go back any number of presidential administrations and you’ll find them. The latest, of course, is Tom Daschle–President’s Obama’s choice to lead Health and Human Services.
Daschle withdrew from nomination on Tuesday because of revelations over the last few days [...]