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Chris Berry

Bailing Out Big Three Will Keep New Technologies Off The Market

Posted by Chris Berry on December 2, 2008 in Economic Meltdown, Energy and Environmental Issues

The heads of the Big 3 automakers are heading back to Washington this week for another round of congressional hearings on a proposed bailout package. There is little question that the Democrats in the House and Senate will eventually pass a relief package, but what remains in doubt is where the money will come from. [...]

Random Thought Of The Day 12-1-08

Posted by Chris Berry on December 1, 2008 in Random Thoughts

If the federal government had not approved the endless series of mergers and acquisitions that allowed them to become so large in the first place, we wouldn’t be bailing out giant financial institutions that are now considered too big to fail.

New Deal Spending Programs Didn’t Work Then And Won’t Work Now

Posted by Chris Berry on December 1, 2008 in Economic Meltdown

As the Obama administration prepares to take office, Democrats on Capital Hill are scrambling to piece together a so-called economic stimulus package with a price tag that could top $700 billion. The centerpiece of this package would be a massive New Deal style program of public infrastructure spending. The fact that this same type of [...]

I’m Not An Economist, But I Did Stay At A Holiday Inn Express Last Night

Posted by Chris Berry on November 25, 2008 in Economic Meltdown

By some estimates, the federal government has already committed more than $7 Trillion in loans, asset purchases and guarantees in an attempt to bring an end to the global credit freeze. In spite of this unprecedented spending, there has been no measurable improvement in the state of our economy. The fact that Timothy Geithner was [...]

Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics From The Big Three

Posted by Chris Berry on November 21, 2008 in Economic Meltdown

In an effort to gain support for a $25 Billion federal bailout, Detroit automakers are engaging in a shameless disinformation campaign designed to create a wave of panic regarding the economic fallout from their potential collapse. While there is no question that the failure of the Big Three would have a significant detrimental impact in [...]

Please Tell Your God To Mind His Own Business

Posted by Chris Berry on November 20, 2008 in Gods and Monsters

In an ideal world, religion would be a private matter based solely on the spiritual relationship between an individual and the god of their choosing. Unfortunately, the world we live in is far from ideal. Instead of taking solace in their own spiritual well being, too many people feel compelled to impose their personal beliefs [...]

Restoring Civility To Public Discourse

Posted by Chris Berry on November 17, 2008 in Elections and Voting, Writing and Blogging

Now that the election season is finally over, I would like to think that we might restore some semblance of civility to our discourse. Elections tend to bring out the worst in us, turning otherwise reasonable people into strident partisans and rabid attack dogs. Language and behavior that we would never tolerate under ordinary circumstances [...]

Coming Out Of The God Closet

Posted by Chris Berry on November 15, 2008 in Gods and Monsters

I have a secret that until this moment I have only admitted to a tiny handful of people. I’ve kept it to myself to avoid embarrassment for my family, and alienation from my friends and neighbors. There’s a good chance that admitting my secret may cause potential employers to discriminate against me, and it will [...]

What If No One Had Health Insurance

Posted by Chris Berry on November 12, 2008 in Healthcare

Conventional wisdom tells us that the problem with the healthcare system in America is that too many people lack private insurance coverage. Approximately 59% of the population is covered by an employer sponsored health insurance plan, and another 9% purchase their own private coverage. The remainder of the insured population receives government provided healthcare in [...]

We’re Already Spreading The Wealth More Than You Think

Posted by Chris Berry on November 11, 2008 in Death and Taxes

President-Elect Barack Obama ignited a firestorm of controversy during the final days of the 2008 campaign with his now infamous comments about “spreading the wealth around”. In follow-up interviews, then Senator Obama made it clear that he believes the tax code should be used not only as a means of raising revenue, but also [...]

Random Thought Of The Day 11-11-08

Posted by Chris Berry on November 11, 2008 in Random Thoughts

I’m no fan of George W. Bush, but the people who insist that he is the worst president in recent history clearly don’t remember Jimmy Carter.

Rewarding Failure Only Postpones The Inevitable

Posted by Chris Berry on November 10, 2008 in Economic Meltdown, Energy and Environmental Issues

In 1979, the federal government provided $1.2 billion in loan guarantees to help the ailing Chrysler Corporation fend off bankruptcy. The company was teetering on the brink of failure because it produced poorly designed and poorly built vehicles that consumers rejected in favor of Japanese and European brands. They were failing because they were unable [...]

Election Has Left Me Feeling Blue

Posted by Chris Berry on November 7, 2008 in Elections and Voting, Political Parties

Even though I have voted Republican for my entire life, I’ve never really identified with the policy positions of either major party. While I have developed a more pragmatic view of government as I get older, my ideological leanings tend to be libertarian. My support for the Republican party to date has been based entirely [...]

Do The Election Results Indicate Tolerance Or Hypocrisy?

Posted by Chris Berry on November 6, 2008 in Elections and Voting, Rights and Wrongs

While the election of our first black president is a historic event that would seem to indicate we are becoming more tolerant as a society, the passage of ballot initiatives in 3 states banning same-sex marriage tells a very different story. Voters in California, Florida and Arizona all passed constitutional amendments that define marriage as [...]

Random Thought(s) Of The Day 11-5-08

Posted by Chris Berry on November 5, 2008 in Random Thoughts

Even if I disagree with most everything he says, it will be nice to have a skilled orator representing our nation on the world stage.
If McCain’s campaign had been as gracious as his concession speech, the election outcome might have been different.
The fact that Ted Stevens appears to be on the verge of re-election is [...]