RichC | February 21, 2015
CNBC interviewed Gov. Scott Walker on Thursday morning (video below) as America is beginning to talk and take note of him as he makes the media rounds. It is early, but for Walker getting a little better better name recognition is a way to keep dollars growing for a potential (and likely) campaign run to […]
RichC | January 28, 2015
After 6-years of saving $2,500 each year on our “unchanged plan” or greatly improved “21st century” Obamacare health care plan, Democrats in congress and President Obama have made it possible for average Americans to have now amassed $15,000 (6 yrs x $2500) … no thanks to those Republicans voting against it (#sarcasm). And since getting […]
RichC | January 21, 2015
After taking notes during the State of the Union address I went to bed disgusted rather than hopeful … even though I knew in advance the direction President Obama would be saying in his address. Call me sentimental or just hopeful, but I really thought that after the mid-term elections where, “make no mistake, his […]
RichC | January 10, 2015
One would think that a “rising tide lifts all boats” when it comes to gains for financial markets, but that is not the case for conservatively managed U.S. pension funds. The strong stock market returns during 2013 and 2014 have helped most individual investors recover from the 2008 financial collapse, so as long as they […]
RichC | December 14, 2014
A discussion between the host and guest on CNBC this week concluded that instead of saving college students money on their student loans that the government was using the repayments in other areas amounting to BILLIONS of dollars – ie. $19 billion for deficit reduction and Obamacare! It seems the take-over by the Federal Direct […]
RichC | December 9, 2014
One wonders if today’s Democrats blindly following President Barack Obama and his administration’s goal of “fundamentally transforming the United States of America” even remember what it was like to support a leader who understood our democracy?John F. Kennedy knew what it was to believe and fight for the words and principles which founded this country. […]
RichC | December 5, 2014
It’s not entirely fair to blame President Obama for American decline and China’s rise in economic prominence, but his lack of inspiring American Exceptionalism and worldwide apology tour hasn’t helped. Words and attitude aside, his policies slowing our economic recovery are most to blame as we watch industry evaluate the best place to invest capital; […]
RichC | November 24, 2014
We’ve driven the PA turnpike several times in the past, although the last trip traveling the full length was probably close to a decade ago, but the 2014 tolls structure gives a new meaning to the term “highway robbery.” This past weekend, my wife drove to Philadelphia from Cincinnati for a bridal shower and thought […]
RichC | November 15, 2014
Some of the political hot-potato news this past week was related to self described “off the cuff” comments from MIT’s Jonathan Gruber a respected health economist. He helped craft President Obama’s health care law and was captured on video commenting about the “stupidity of the American voter” and suggesting the law was passed dishonestly (NYTimes). […]
RichC | November 11, 2014
There was a day when being an Apple Macintosh computer user put one in the minority … but not anymore it seems. The photo below is of journalists in the White House press corps traveling in China … take a look at their desks. The number of Apple logos made me chuckle and I could […]
RichC | November 4, 2014
There is a populous push coming from Democrats and the Obama administration to increase the Federal minimum wage … instead of letting markets to set the proper levels. It’s understandable with all the negatives facing the Whitehouse and failing policies being pushed by Democrats to create jobs, that politicians resort to simpleton tactics that appeal […]
RichC | November 2, 2014
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RichC | October 30, 2014
The left, the media and even mainstream Republicans had me convinced that Senator Ted Cruz was not a viable candidate to put on the national ticket … and that his ideas were “just too radically conservative” for today’s America. BUT … listening to him for 6 minutes (below) on CNBC’s Squawkbox this morning, I’m not […]
RichC | October 15, 2014
WSJ’s “Ebola’s Deadly Reach” map of locations I understand our government’s reluctance to over react to the deadly Ebola virus, but disagree with the lack of precautions being taken to prevent the spread by those traveling from Western Africa to the United States … particularly by air. Commonsense dictates that we expect too much from […]
RichC | October 8, 2014
It’s getting ugly as we close in on mid-term elections. Democrats are making a desperate attempt to convince voters NOT vote them out of office. Republicans see blood in the water and are doing their best to tie previous and recent failures to Democrats and the president. Kentucky’s Democrat for Senate, Alison Grimes, has gone […]
RichC | September 15, 2014
Since visiting my son Taylor a couple times in northwestern (Williston) North Dakota, I pay closer attention to what is happening in his area and the boom growth as well as the politics around moving energy. Unless someone sees the train tanker cars lined up or drive on the roads which are packed with truck […]
RichC | August 25, 2014
Uncommon brilliance from a voice “for” the common man … that would be Mike Rowe. His answer to a reader Facebook post from earlier this month is worth reading. Off The Wall Interesting conversation over on the wall. It was started by a guy called Jayson LaVictorie, who has posted a few thousand words about […]
RichC | August 24, 2014
The stock market roars to new highs as the summer comes to an end, but investors continue pouring money into higher risk equities as if they have forgot what can happen. This is in part due to the low yield in fixed income assets and the new indice highs have more than a few economy […]
RichC | August 8, 2014
Even after the Sandra Fluke plea to congress over free birth control, is hard to believe the 2700 pages of Obamacare overlooked including feminine sanitary products? [/sarcasm] Tweet from noted feminist Jessica Valenti: Twitter friends: Anyone know a country where tampons are free or somehow subsidized? — Jessica ValentiJessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) August 8, 2014
RichC | August 4, 2014
While reading President Obama’s comments in The Economist, the same class-warfare ire continues to be flamed for those who believe those living in the United States are against each other: Poor vs. wealthy, CEO vs. employee, ambitious vs. entitled, black vs. white, Democrat vs. Republican, etc. Isn’t it possible that those CEOs and corporations being […]
RichC | July 10, 2014
I listened to a debate on CNBC on Wednesday morning featuring Princeton economics professor Alan Krueger discussing the problems of long term unemployment which lead to Joe Kernen suggesting there are financial disincentives to taking entry level jobs … the kind of work the unemployed need to gain experience. Krueger discounted that people weigh the […]
RichC | July 2, 2014
I’ve been doing some reading lately from those concerned about an uptick in inflation. Since many of the writers are the same people who have been warning for years about inflation, it is easy to take their analysis with a yawn and a bit of skepticism. Still, my commonsense indicator has also kicked in […]
RichC | June 15, 2014
As civil society’s long drawn out war on terror or GWOT continues dealing with Islamic terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda, the U.S. struggles in an effort to wind down military involvement and to leave political stability in Iraq and Afghanistan. After reading many of the biographies, political and history oriented books being published, I’ve gained better […]
RichC | June 9, 2014
Originally, Sunday afternoon was going to be spent outside power washing the the pool deck and patio furniture, but that had to change due a slow drizzling rain that lingered most of the day. It became a perfect day to tackle a long overdue project … the pool house changing room now that Pumpy […]
RichC | June 6, 2014
While closing the first full week of June on a rather high note (all time high!), the financial markets and Dow Jones Industrial Average pushed ever closer to 17K — DJIA closed at 16,923.77 up 87.66 (0.52%). I’m probably not the only one wondering how companies can keep performing when consumers have fewer dollars leftover […]
RichC | June 6, 2014
When I posted about the growing worldwide trend we describe as Nationalism, I reflected on the sacrifice required to stop Germany and the Nazis the last time a country went down the Nationalism path. United States involvement began in earnest on June 6th, 1944 … 70 years ago. Americans along with allied troops stormed the […]
RichC | May 31, 2014
WSJRadio had a short segment with their Washington Bureau Chief Gerald Seibtalking about Nationalismand how it seems to be growing around the world. Usually Americans take pride in our national identity and “American Exceptionalism” … but taken too far history shows that this sentiment can be dangerous – think about the events which lead to […]
RichC | May 11, 2014
Fox Business anchor Stuart Varney comment, in between his entertaining persiflage with Don Imus, struck a chord with me as he highlighted the failures of the Obama administration’s big government policies — regulations that are killing small business entrepreneurs. Stuart Varney with Don Imus (MP3) – May 2014 As someone who started a someone “traditional” […]
RichC | May 6, 2014
Outspoken President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Richard Fisher, talked with Maria Bartiromo on her new Sunday Morning Futures program this weekend and laid out a good case lower tax rates. His point is that money and investment flows to where it is treated the best and in turn jobs and […]
RichC | May 3, 2014
The LearnLiberty.org YouTube channel is one of the better online timewasters learning tools when it comes to educational web surfing. I particularly enjoy the variety of subject matters and guests who contribute to making the short and concise content. In the video below, Professor Deirdre McCluskey points out the radical change innovation made in our […]
RichC | May 2, 2014
Love him or hate him, billionaire “business magnate, politician and philanthropist” Michael Bloomberg clearly understands the effect the Federal Reserve has when it comes to pumping money into the economy. So simple and so true when it comes to who benefits the most from government trying to solve business and wealth inequity problems. He is […]
RichC | April 30, 2014
Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs often offers some pretty solid commonsense advice that should be like the infamous NCIS Leroy Jethro Gibbs smack in the back of the head. I wonder how many asking Mike for advice ever bother to correct their mindset or change their actions when it comes to looking for work (or […]
RichC | April 15, 2014
Heritage.org
RichC | April 14, 2014
I found some dinosaur bones while clearing brush on Saturday … as I joked on Facebook (photo above left). Actually it is probably a raccoon or possum and it is much better finding the fully decayed bones rather than gagging while having to bury the dead carcass! It is amazing at just how invasive […]
RichC | April 11, 2014
Those who spend any time watching financial markets and attempt to analyze a mix of investments the future, understand that there are mix signals coming from economist, financial analysts and those hired to manage investments (or pick for TV). I follow both the bullish and the bearish thinkers, yet end up being more conflicted about […]
RichC | April 6, 2014
Chris Mooney in an Inquiring Minds podcast interviewed John Hibbing, a political scientist (University of Nebraska) and co-author of Predisposed: Liberal, Conservatives, and the Biology of Political Differences. They conversed at length about the research in measuring sympathetic symptoms of differing political ideologies. Mooney’s follow-up article also appeared in Mother Jones. According to John Hibbing, […]
RichC | April 3, 2014
As the U.S. continues to delay and “study” the Keystone pipeline as a way to efficiently move North American crude oil from east of the Rocky Mountains in both Canada and the Dakota Bakkans to Texas refineries, other options and pathways are moving forward. Energy pipeline company Kinder Morgan Energy Partners L.P. ($KMP) held a […]
RichC | March 23, 2014
Wallethub compared how average families from each state when it comes to paying taxes … how does your state look? According to their color coded map, the brighter red your state, the more you pay; conversely, the greener your state, the lower your taxes, and brown puts you somewhere in the middle. If you hate […]
RichC | March 10, 2014
For a country that should have a robust economy, we’re not showing it when looking at the employment numbers or the average family’s purchasing power (link Gallup). The U.S. Payroll to Population employment rate (P2P), as measured by Gallup, continued its recent decline in January, dropping to 42.0% from 42.9% in December. This is the […]
RichC | February 27, 2014
It is hard to believe that it has been 6 years since the death of the renown conservative thinker and writer William F. Buckley; where have the years gone? I posted back in 2008, that his work played a significant role in my life when it came to my political philosophy, business, personal interests and […]
RichC | February 15, 2014
Although I have a libertarian slant to my political philosophy, the wars and struggles in the Middle East demonstrate why our country need to maintain the appropriate balance between freedom and over reaching government. An article in the WSJ on Friday is a reminder that the threat from terrorists, cartels, gangs and other countries is […]
RichC | February 4, 2014
If business growth is the medicine for job creation and a healthy economy … how does the U.S., or more specifically, each state, encourage business growth and incentivize expansion? Companies need to have an attractive tax climate in order to put capital at risk (or at less competitive), although it is not the only criteria […]
RichC | February 2, 2014
Most people dislike partisans who are only be looking for ammunition to attack the other side … and I do find myself slanting from that perspective too. So while President Obama delivered his “Blah, blah, blah …” SOTU speech last week, I had to work hard not to approach every word and idea with skepticism, […]
RichC | January 29, 2014
President Obama addressed the nation with his State of the Union rhetoric on Tuesday night and his blabbering leaves many of us wondering if he really knows how to rejuvenate the economy? Focus, Mr. Obama, focus. I have my doubts he even cares, let alone understands how jobs are created. Once again an Obama speech […]
RichC | December 28, 2013
2013 introduced us to the pain of what sold to America as the Affordable Health Care for America Act by the 2008 Democrats during President Obama’s first term. Instead of “affordable,” Obamacare launched with high premiums, high deductibles and far more frustrations for those who were already insured by their employers or paying for health […]
RichC | December 20, 2013
I listened to the president answer questions in today’s long news conference and it was interesting to hear reporters finally drill down on the Obama administrations’ blunders and shortcomings. For the past five years most network reporters in the Whitehouse press corps have been pretty gentle with questions and all but a few seemed to […]
RichC | December 11, 2013
The other day in sorting through my email inbox (need to work on a few more filters), I ran across a personal story about medical care overseas … in this case Bangkok, Thailand. For some of us, including the author, there is a preconceive notion that going into a hospital in southeast Asia is dangerous […]
RichC | December 9, 2013
As a conservative, government intrusion into the private sector is something I have difficulty in supporting. Unfortunately in the United States we’ve at least partially embraced the idea that government will regulate crucial areas of our economy in order to keep prices affordable for the masses. Utilities and food items come to mind and the […]
RichC | December 7, 2013
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana Photograph from a Japanese plane of Battleship Row at the beginning of the attack. The explosion in the center is a torpedo strike on the USS Oklahoma. Two attacking Japanese planes can be seen: one over the USS Neosho and […]
RichC | December 1, 2013
Charles Krauthammer is one political analyst I always enjoy listening to, be he a regular panelist commenting on the nightly news (Special Report with Bret Baier), or as a guest on many Fox News programs. His columns at The Weekly Standard are always excellent and his intellectual prowess is even respected by those who politically […]
RichC | November 21, 2013
Partisanship and opinions aside a moment, I took a serious look at the Affordable Care Act and exchange pricing just to see what it might cost IF one was to retire early and purchase heath care on the exchanges. As a resident of Ohio (or Florida), which both have federally run exchanges, the monthly outlay […]
RichC | November 15, 2013
The U.S. stock market powered forward again today with the expectation that Janet Yellen will continue the easy money policies as head of the Federal Reserve. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (chart above) has investors cheering even as recent bumps attempted to derail the anemic jobless recovery. I doubt the party can continue forever, but […]
RichC | November 3, 2013
RichC | October 25, 2013
As a student of economics, a business manager and as a hesitant investor, I’m concern about what is going to happen when the Federal Reserve finally pulls the stimulus intravenous therapy? It is likely that Fed Chairman Bernanke is worried about weaning the stimulus too, by the fact he hasn’t started to taper. It is […]
RichC | October 20, 2013
Last week Dave Ramsey attempted to simplify the Affordable Care Act on his financial advice radio program for his listeners. He asked listeners to take off the political blinders – be they those of the supporters of Obamacare or those who want the law overturned. In a “tough love” Dave Ramsey kind of way, he […]
RichC | October 9, 2013
RichC | October 6, 2013
In a previous post, I commented on the Obama administration choosing to shutdown U.S. memorials and parks in what many perceived as unnecessary. It is obviously that it is purely politics when it requires more federal workers and costs more to close sites like the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial (never closed […]
RichC | October 3, 2013
Although I’m not a big fan of the “goings on” in Washington DC, particularly the current government shutdown … but I’m really frustrated to see political elements doing their darnedest to make it even more uncomfortable for everyone. Most news watchers are aware of the brouhaha over the WW2 Memorial this past Wednesday, where World […]
RichC | October 2, 2013
In my pile of books, I’m reading one co-authored by Robert Wiedemer called “Aftershock Investor” and he is anticipating, after he accurately pinpointed the housing bubble, that we are nearing two additional bubbles. First, he highlights the dollar bubble as the Fed’s “quantitative easing” continues … followed by the government debt bubble as at the […]
RichC | October 1, 2013
Once again our dysfunctional federal government reared its ugly head and made many of us wonder why we continue to send money to Washington DC? The taxpayer continues to be squeezed by our bloated bureaucrats who can’t seem live on the nearly trillion dollars we send them each year — it’s ridiculous! From my […]