No, this is not a commentary on Erica Jong or 50 Shades of Grey. Brace yourselves: this is a commentary on the fiscal cliff. Such a surprise, right?

Anyway...I'll get to the point. Jump.

Take a running start and spread eagle into the "unknown." Our fiscal finances need to be drastically restructured (compared to now) and the only way to do it is to rip the bandaid off. So let's do it. Here's why:

#1 We have $16 Trillion in current...

Bad Policy, Bad Judgment, Bad Outcome

This entry is not about the crimes of one man and the moral failings of his associates. Justice has been served to them. The perpetrator has been tried, convicted and imprisoned, potentially for the rest of his life. His associates justice will be served shortly through the criminal system, if not in the afterlife. A completely new organization now leads Penn State, with no ties whatsoever to the past, and processes in place to rectify and...

I have been having a running debate with one of my investment bank friends (call him Mike) about how to stimulate the economy. His essential premise is that below-water mortgages (where the value of the home is less than the outstanding mortgage) are causing banks to freeze lendable assets in anticipation of being forced to write down potential bad loans in the inevitable event of a homeowners default. If the government “covers” the portion of the account underwater and allows the bank to remark...

Sanity Zone 9-25-2011

The Role of Government

I am not going to offer a political commentary on this topic, but rather an attempt to offer a distillation of the competing theories of “government” and what the impacts may be. As with any short piece, there will be missing or abbreviated concepts, so address those with comments, please.

First, let’s get definitions:

• Government: A third party formed to create and enforce

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Hi Everyone.

I thought it somewhat necessary for my intellectual health to write at least something on the foolishness surrounding the so-called "Debt Crisis." I hope you all remember that I have no dog in this hunt, save that I am partial to eating and sleeping safely in my home, working for a wage, and not being persecuted for my beliefs.

For all those who wonder whether it would be catastrophic to allow the US to default on its obligations, the answer is yes....