Category: Opinion

ANALYSIS: The Fed Is Raising Rates, but What About the $8.3 Trillion Balance Sheet?

News Analysis All financial eyes will be on next week’s policy meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). The futures market is penciling in a quarter-point increase to the benchmark federal funds rate. But while all the focus among economists, investors, and market analysts is on interest rates, what about the Federal Reserve’s massive…


The Curious Case of China’s Missing Foreign Minister

Commentary If it turns out to be true that China’s missing foreign minister is under “discipline inspection” by the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) own internal party police, he will likely disappear into the little-known secret detention system known (to a few) as Liuzhi. These strange disappearances, often lasting several months, up to half a year,…


Are 15-Minute Cities Smart?

Commentary The 15-minute city (FMC)—a neat idea, a new way to control the populace, a trendy blip in the public planning industry, a long-term insidious scheme—all, some, or none of these? If you have questions about the concept, here is what you are already being called. As with the gas stove “debate,” any questioning of the…


You Are the Population They Want to Control

Commentary Worldwide birthrate per 1,000 people follows a very predictable trend. In “developed” and/or wealthy nations, the birthrate is low and in nations at the lower end of the economic development scale, the birthrate is high. Nothing new there. Many countries, including the United States, have birthrates that either are too low to sustain current…


Weak China Policy Does Not Serve American Interests

Commentary The world’s superpower continues to send diplomats to genuflect before the throne in Beijing. Blinken’s China Trip Leading the parade of American supplicants to Chinese leader Xi Jinping was Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Despite Mr. Blinken’s claim of “progress” being made during his visit last month, most serious longtime China watchers have panned his visit,…


Woe, the Humanity: How AI Fits Into Broadly Rising Anti-Humanism

News Analysis The future of humanity is becoming ever less human. The astounding capabilities of ChatGPT and other forms of artificial intelligence have triggered fears about the coming age of machines leaving little place for human creativity or employment. Even the architects of this brave new world are sounding the alarm. Sam Altman, chairman and CEO of…


‘Smart Drugs’ Might Not Be so Smart

Commentary In the United States, the number of people being diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is on the rise—especially among young women. People with ADHD struggle to pay attention and manage their impulses. In an effort to treat the neurodevelopmental disorder, doctors often prescribe stimulants such as Ritalin, the brand name for the prescription…


‘Sound of Freedom’ Pushes Forward California Anti-Trafficking Bill

Commentary Sometimes art influences life. A dramatic case is the recent movie “Sound of Freedom,” which is pushing into law California Senate Bill 14, by Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield). In the bill’s language, it “would include human trafficking of a minor within the definition of a serious felony for all purposes, including for purposes of…


High Expectations, Monetary Policy Cause Debt Burden

Commentary High expectations and disastrous monetary policy have put Americans into a vicious debt spiral. In the first quarter of 2023, American household debt hit a record high of $17.05 trillion, about 73 percent of the nation’s GDP. One of the many issues with the high debt rates that Americans carry is that with rising…


The Slide Into Prolonged Economic Stagnation

Commentary Economic data these days is so convoluted and confusing, and the interpretations so filtered through political blather, it becomes difficult to know what the truth is. Another way to put this, it’s hard to square one’s personal experience with the broader claims from the top that all is well. To hear the Biden administration…