I am a frequent user of the greenways in and around Roanoke. By frequent, I mean that I walk an average of 5 miles per day along the Roanoke River, and I also take my son for regular rides in his bike trailer. I believe that the greenways are one of our most important recreational [...]
Every day we hear politicians and pundits bemoaning the sad state of our economy, and blaming our problems on “greed”, “lack of regulation”, and “unbridled capitalism”. These statements belie an incredible ignorance of human nature, and of the capitalist system based on our voluntary interactions. The reality is that greed is the driving force behind [...]
In this excellent article in The Atlantic, Richard Florida provides a chilling prediction of the long-term effects of the current recession. According to his analysis, those regions of the country with the highest concentrations of creative class workers will eventually emerge stronger, while those that rely heavily on manufacturing and other blue collar industries may [...]
There are few things that lawmakers look forward to more than a good crisis. Under ordinary circumstance, voters tend to be very skeptical of any attempt by legislators to pass sweeping reforms. When those same voters are confronted with the prospect of a looming crisis, however, our elected representatives take full advantage of the situation [...]
Like many of my fellow Americans who voted against President Obama, I am skeptical, if not downright fearful, of the legislative proposals he put forward during the campaign. In spite of my lack of confidence in his policy prescriptions, I sincerely hope that he is able to successfully maneuver our nation through the difficult times [...]
I am not a sentimental person by most measures, but as our nation anticipates the inauguration of our first black president, I cannot help but be moved by the historic significance of the event. I was born the same year as Mr. Obama, and during our lifetimes we have witnessed a seismic shift in attitudes [...]
There has been a great deal of misinformation floating around about the hourly wages paid to UAW members by GM, Ford and Chrysler. The most common figure cited is around $71.00 per hour, but most of the people using this number either don’t understand what it means, or they are deliberately misrepresenting the facts to [...]
Every day we hear politicians telling us that we are in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. While we may be heading in that direction, current evidence suggests that this is a gross exaggeration. Either the people who are trying to convince us that the sky is falling are woefully [...]
Negotiators in the House and Senate worked through the weekend to cobble together a temporary bailout plan that would tide the embattled Detroit automakers over until they are able to secure a more generous deal under the Obama administration. The plan would provide $15 billion in loans to keep the companies afloat through March. It [...]
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. [...]