Tag archives: economy
Trump famously asked why we can’t have more immigrants from Norway and fewer from “shithole countries.” But what makes a country a shithole country? I have often approached this from the other end: What makes a country civilized? I have generally offered two minimal requirements: 1) True universal healthcare 2) Good public transportation (especially high-speed […]
Crises have become partisan, notably the debt and the climate crisis. The US national debt just hit $40 trillion. Does that mean we are bankrupt? No. But it means something is wrong and needs fixing. Republicans ring debt alarm bells when Democrats are in control. But now they are silent. See my 2023 article “Two […]
I woke up this morning with the realization that one man ruling largely by fiat is causing global chaos. All everyone seems to talk about these days is Donald Trump and what he’s done or will do. And for good reason. It’s making us nervous. And it’s not just us: the whole world is talking […]
Trump Imposes100% Tariff on TelevisionsBreaking NewsIndependent Mind News ServiceDateline: April 5, 2025. 9:30 AM PDTMontecito, California President Trump announced on Truth Social today that he is imposing a 100% tariff on imported televisions as of April 2. Acting on a campaign promise he said, “LIBERATION DAY IN AMERICA IS COMING, SOON. FOR YEARS WE HAVE […]
Many Americans feel that the country is headed in the wrong direction. They feel they spend more and get less. Many factors feed this sense but here I want to focus on a nearly 60-year-old idea from late economist William Baumol called “Cost Disease.” There was rage in this recent election about inflation. But inflation […]
The title of this article is provocative and I understand this. But, as one economist put it: those clamoring for manufacturing jobs have never worked in one. My point is that U.S. trade policy is completely misunderstood and our political leaders are demagoguing the issue to create fear and buy your votes. Tariffs and protectionism […]
There was a popular book a few years back, Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki which gave some very good advice about financial health and wealth. It was a catchy title, so I came up with something similar: Rich Country, Poor Country. I’m going to examine why some countries are rich and some are […]
Most folks are feeling significant pain at the gas pump and the grocery store these days. Remarkably, the cause for that “pain” is the same for both – inflation. The question is, should we all be worried about that issue in isolation, or should we focus on the economic fundamentals that underlie this spurt of […]
As almost everyone in the U.S. is now aware, Georgia’s Republican legislators passed legislation to: a) actively suppress voter turnout, making it significantly harder for minorities to vote by adding new vote-by-mail identification requirements, limiting drop boxes, and an assortment of other measures designed to resuscitate “Jim Crow” voting in the state; and, b) provide […]
James Carville famously coined this phrase in 1992 as candidate Bill Clinton campaigned for president. He hung it (together with two other “targeting” phrases) in the Clinton “War Room” where that campaign was planned and executed. It turned out that the recession of 1992 was just the boost that Clinton needed to unseat then-President George […]
It’s sometimes said that Santa Barbara, with its powerful full-time city administrator overseeing more than 1,000 city employees in ten different agencies, tends to leave the mayor as a figurehead, not much more than a glorified seventh city councilmember who happens to represent all constituents rather than those in one district. But don’t tell that […]
We frequently hear on public media that “the stock market does not reflect the ‘real’ economy.” That is absolutely correct. The question we should ask ourselves is why doesn’t Wall Street reflect the real economy? Why is Wall Street today at all-time highs when we are now in the worst recession since the Great Depression, […]
New York Governor Cuomo said in March, “If it’s public health versus the economy, the only choice is public health. You cannot put a value on human life.” But public policy absolutely requires placing a value on human life. There are about 35,000 automobile deaths each year in the U.S. If we reduced the speed […]
On Tuesday, April 21, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors received an update from local health officials and executives regarding the status of COVID-19 in our area. In addition to hearing updated case numbers, the Board was given detailed demographic data for the positive COVID-19 cases, which up until this point, had not been […]
Powers that Be Just read Jim Buckley’s letter “Uglification of Montecito” and I definitely agree with his comment on the ruination of our beautiful community other than his placing some concern with the Montecito Association. The County and City ‘powers that be’ have control, I understand. Jean Von Wittenburg Restarting Santa Barbara Today I went […]
“Put it this way, the glass is more than half empty. Let’s just throw the glass out the window. Let’s forget it. There’s distrust. There’s disdain. That kind of baggage,” Jason Harris admitted. He’s Santa Barbara’s newly hired, first ever, Economic Development Manager (EDM). He’s moving his family from Santa Monica to Thousand Oaks, not […]
They call it the novel coronavirus. It will have existed for 142 days as of this publication. It’s called a “novel” virus because, while variations have existed before, this one is brand new. It’s unique in that it replicates quickly in asymptomatic people who are stealth carriers, then explodes in the population overwhelmingly, debilitating the […]
Nice Surprise Home delivery?! Now, the calm and comfort we feel from living in a small and caring community is complete. What a surprise to find the MJ in the driveway this morning along with the Times and WSJ. From a distance, I assumed we’d received some junk publication, but instead I found our more-valuable-than-ever […]
Unlike a Rolling Stone By the way, the drought is over. I don’t care what the experts say, look at the moss on the 100-year-old wall at the Santa Barbara cemetery. Plants don’t have an agenda. Dan SeibertSanta Barbara Money Laundering Explained As always, I appreciate MJ publishing my letters and anytime you may comment […]
For some reason the memory of silent-film star Charlie Chaplin is exploited with the fantastical myth that he “built” the Montecito Inn. Totally untrue. In David Myrick’s definitive history (“Santa Barbara & Montecito,” Volumes I and II), he explains the origin of the Montecito Inn in some detail. “Don B. Sebastian and William S. Seamans,” […]
