Successor to Thomas Wolfe’s “Master of the Universe” Once upon a time, human beings were lowly Neanderthals. Gradually, Neanderthals evolved into Cro-Magnons, and from there into Homo Sapiens. What is mankind’s next (d)evolutionary step? According to muckraking journalist (and amateur anthropologist) Matt Taibbi, it is “Archipelago Man,” as personified by none other than Mitt Romney. Archipelago Man in...Read More
The Country in the City When you can buy a dozen eggs at Cub for $1.49, — or two dozen at Sam’s Club for $1.99 — it’s hard to see an economic motive for keeping your own egg-laying hens (garden-variety goldfish seem to pose a challenge for the Kaplan household). I suppose that leaves purity...Read More
2012 Presidential Campaign “President Obama’s campaign has $88 million in the bank. Mitt Romney’s campaign has $30 million in the bank. The Obama campaign plus the Democratic National Committee has $123.7 million in the bank. The Romney campaign plus the Republican National Committee has $185.9 million in the bank. And that advantage is increasing month...Read More
Why People (OK, Me) Don’t Respect Today’s Politicians If you want instant analysis of Paul Ryan’s selection as Mitt Romney’s running mate . . . believe me, you’ve got lots of (other) blogs to turn to. I’ll limit myself to this parting shot: Unless Mitt Romney is elected and subsequently serves two full terms, the...Read More
“Put the Interests of the Client First. No Excuses. Period.” In a world where individual investors have few friends (sadly), Vanguard founder John Bogle — now 83 years old – is a true champion. What does he propose doing now to fix the stagnant economy and (still) battered financial system? Bogle advocates taxes to discourage...Read More
Straw Horse? How About, Straw Herd?? “Long before Sanford Weill suggested last week that big banks should split up, Bank of America executives and directors considered the idea and then decided against it, said people close to the nation’s second-biggest bank by assets.” –“Bank Breakups: Not So Fast“; The Wall Street Journal (July 29, 2012)...Read More
