[Note to Readers: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway (“Berkshire”), or any other entity referenced. Edina Realty is a subsidiary of Berkshire.] You didn’t need to read the news or watch TV to know that Joe Biden resoundingly won most of yesterday’s primaries,...Read More
“Oh . . . umm . . . I see — Never Mind” [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway (“Berkshire”), or any other entity referenced. Edina Realty is a subsidiary of Berkshire.] “Sanders has edge in latest New Hampshire polls, with...Read More
Or More Like Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater? Funny that New York Times columnist Ross Douthat’s latest column compares Bernie Sanders to Ronald Reagan (yes, Reagan). I was just thinking Sanders is more of a latter-day Barry Goldwater. Douthat’s case for Reagan: “Like Reagan following his attempt to primary Gerald Ford in 1976, Sanders is coming...Read More
Lehman’s “Not So Big” $600,000,000,000(!) Balance Sheet “The 2008 financial crisis itself was centered not on big banks but on “shadow banks” like Lehman Brothers that weren’t necessarily that big.” –Paul Krugman, “Sanders Over the Edge”; The NYT (4/8/2016) No matter what you think of big banks or who caused The 2008 Crash, I think...Read More
Forget a New New Deal; We Need a New GI Bill Bernie Sanders may be calling for a “revolution” (“Revolution?”), but there’s nothing radical about free (or at least affordable) public college education. That was effectively the norm in this country for over half a century, spanning from after World War II until just the last...Read More
Outsiders Trump, Sanders Take New Hampshire “Justice, justice shall you pursue.” –Deuteronomy 16:20. One of my favorite classes in college was “Criminal Justice,” taught by Stanford Law School Professor John Kaplan (no relation). Kaplan asserted that there were only ever four reasons to imprison lawbreakers: 1) punishment, i.e., to hold them morally accountable; 2) isolation,...Read More