http://www.kevinhiggins.org/ en-us 2010-01-28T17:23:09-05:00 The Battle of the Speeches Great editorial by Art Carden, assistant professor of economics and business at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn.. Two giants took to the stage, or podium, yesterday. Both were visionary, but came from diametrically opposing positions on how delivery should take place. http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/28/obama-steve-jobs-speeches-opinions-contributors-art-carden_print.html... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000160.html Op-Ed Articles khiggins 2010-01-28T17:23:09-05:00 Very illuminating article in the WSJ that most peope, whether for or against the path to Health Care "reform" that we're tracking down, will find educational. The subtext is conservative, of course: "It was foolish of President Obama to think he could reform 16% of the nation's economy." However, this is a worthy read, even if you dismiss the subtext and simply focus on the facts. It will help you understand why the bill ended up over 1000 pages and give you some insight into the difference between grand ideas that are good in theory, and the implementation of those ideas (and ideals) in an impossibly complex system that is insinuated into almost every aspect of our economy and our lives. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704094304575029331665110908.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_BelowLEFTSecond... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000159.html Op-Ed Articles khiggins 2010-01-28T11:02:50-05:00 Can Common-Sense Economics Found a New Party? I've certainly made no secret of my appreciation for the intellect and insights of Bill Frezza, a partner at Adams Capital Management, an early-stage venture capital firm and online columnist. In his latest column, Bill asks some common sense questions. Unfortunately, common sense remains in short supply. Here's an excerpt: "What foul bit of sophistry convinced Americans that it is not only proper but a civic duty to vote for the lesser of two evils? Isn't that a perfect recipe for perpetuating evil? What else can explain the fact that we have surrendered giant swaths of our economy to Congressmen that are rated less trustworthy than used car salesmen? Why do we stand up like trained monkeys and cheer when politicians lie to us about the "change" they are going to deliver when experience tells us that as soon as they obtain power it's business as usual? Just because the pendulum started swinging again does that mean the clowns who govern us have learned anything? How long can we let the entrenched parties play musical chairs before Washington turns us all into indentured servants? How many months a year do you work for Uncle Sam?" Read the entire column, here: http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2010/01/25/can_common-sense_economics_create_a_new_party_97606.html... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000156.html Op-Ed Articles khiggins 2010-01-25T06:53:42-05:00 I love the way Peggy Noonan thinks, and writes. She was speechwriter for Ronald Reagan, but resonates often with my centrist independence: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703699204575017503811443526.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_BelowLEFTSecond... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000155.html khiggins 2010-01-22T10:59:06-05:00 The White House Council of Economic Advisers said Thursday the $787 billion stimulus plan kept one million people working who would otherwise not have had jobs. http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2009/09/14/saving_one_million_jobs_at_787000_per_job_97404.html The White House Council of Economic Advisers is lead by three presidential appointees. Currently, these are Christina Romer, Austan Goolsbee, and Cecilia Rouse. According to their biographies on the Council web site, these people have never held jobs outside of academia. Their positions at Princeton, Berkeley, and the University of Chicago were protected by lifetime tenure. Unemployment, to them, is a theory that cannot become a personal reality. What in their backgrounds makes them experts on the subject of job creation?... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000154.html Op-Ed Articles khiggins 2009-09-14T06:28:20-05:00 The good news? Our National Debt, as a percentage of GDP, has been a LOT higher than it is now. The bad news? Congress is likely to fix that... http://www.american.com/archive/2009/september/debt-be-not-proud-the-sorry-tale-of-america2019s-out-of-control-spending... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000153.html Op-Ed Articles khiggins 2009-09-08T06:07:03-05:00 Facebook has a strange magic created by overemphasizing the tertiary characters in the story of your life. That then sometimes leads to wishing you were a better writer.... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000152.html Mundane Comments khiggins 2009-08-28T05:37:29-05:00 I think it's become the job of the media--internet and cable news in particular, but ultimately most reporting and opinion publishers--to turn people into bigots. The highest margin reader is the one they've convinced to see the world in simplistic black and white.... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000151.html Mundane Comments khiggins 2009-08-27T07:07:26-05:00 From The Washington Post: "The nation would be forced to borrow more than $9 trillion to support President Obama's initiatives and other federal programs over the next decade, the White House said Tuesday, a sharp increase in projected deficits that provided fresh ammunition to critics of the president's sweeping proposal to expand health coverage to the uninsured. "In their traditional summertime budget review, administration officials acknowledged that they relied on overly optimistic assumptions about the economy when they forecast in March that Obama's budget plans would generate deficits of $7.1 trillion over the next 10 years. After factoring in the severity of the recession and the prospect of a more sluggish recovery, the White House concluded that the budget outlook is significantly worse. "White House budget director Peter Orszag played down the grim forecast as unsurprising, saying the update merely brings White House projections in line with those of outside experts. "He noted that this year's deficit is now expected to approach $1.6 trillion -- the highest on record and the biggest as a percentage of the economy since the end of World War II, but slightly smaller than officials had feared." Completely missing: What the fuck they're going to do about it. Jesus!... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000150.html Announcements khiggins 2009-08-25T22:00:29-05:00 "As the public debate over pending healthcare legislation veers into the surreal with angry voters who have never read the bill shouting at cowering Congressmen who have never read the bill, are you amused or frightened to see the debate becoming ever more shrill? "Lock 300 million people in a room, tell them that there is only a fixed amount of oxygen to go around, and have radio and TV personalities scream at them about the worsening air crisis. Then stand back and watch how ugly the national conversation gets." http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2009/08/17/whats_so_bad_about_death_panels_anyway_97362.html... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000149.html Articles and Snippets khiggins 2009-08-17T06:57:37-05:00 http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/17/a-mid-summers-dream/ Excerpt: "Twenty years ago, as young and impressionable undergraduates, we enrolled in Harvard University Professor Lawrence H. Summers' public-sector economics course. Mr. Summers had a legendary reputation as a remarkable intellect unwilling to tolerate sloppy reasoning and mundane questions, so we approached his class with awe and fear. "We worked hard, enjoyed the intellectual challenge, and learned a great deal. "We now consider the policies championed by our former mentor from his new post as President Obama's chief economic adviser. We wonder: What would Professor Summers think of Economic Adviser Summers? A few key lessons from his course would seem to conflict with the policies he now promotes. "... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000148.html Op-Ed Articles khiggins 2009-08-17T06:56:02-05:00 A dead-on view from the left: http://www.salon.com/opinion/paglia/2009/08/12/town_halls/index.html Excerpt from Salon.com: Buyer's remorse? Not me. At the North American summit in Guadalajara this week, President Obama resumed the role he is best at -- representing the U.S. with dignity and authority abroad. This is why I, for one, voted for Obama and continue to support him. The damage done to U.S. prestige by the feckless, buffoonish George W. Bush will take years to repair. Obama has barely begun the crucial mission that he was elected to do. Having said that, I must confess my dismay bordering on horror at the amateurism of the White House apparatus for domestic policy. When will heads start to roll? I was glad to see the White House counsel booted, as well as Michelle Obama's chief of staff, and hope it's a harbinger of things to come. Except for that wily fox, David Axelrod, who could charm gold threads out of moonbeams, Obama seems to be surrounded by juvenile tinhorns, bumbling mediocrities and crass bully boys. Case in point: the administration's grotesque mishandling of healthcare reform, one of the most vital issues facing the nation. Ever since Hillary Clinton's megalomaniacal annihilation of our last best chance at reform in 1993 (all of which was suppressed by the mainstream media when she was running for president), Democrats have been longing for that happy day when this issue would once again be front and center.... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000147.html Op-Ed Articles khiggins 2009-08-12T05:51:00-05:00 Doctors (A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is 700,000. (B) Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year are 120,000. (C) Accidental deaths per physician: 0.171. Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services. Now think about this: Guns (A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000. (Yes, that's 80 million) (B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is 1,500. (C) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner: .0000188. Statistics courtesy of FBI So, statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners. Remember, "Guns don't kill people, doctors do." FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR. Please alert your friends to this alarming threat. We must ban doctors before this gets completely out of hand! Out of concern for the public at large, I withheld the statistics on lawyers for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek medical attention!... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000146.html Humor khiggins 2009-06-04T05:07:39-05:00 “When the government parks its tanks on capitalism’s lawns, that spells trouble for those who invest, add value and create jobs,” says Tim Price, director of investments at PFP Wealth Management in London. Read the article... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000145.html Op-Ed Articles khiggins 2009-05-23T03:08:49-05:00 This ties into the two articles presented earlier today: http://www.hillsdale.edu/news/imprimis.asp... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000144.html Op-Ed Articles camisade 2009-05-14T12:08:41-05:00