To get attention, headlines focus on extremes. Perhaps in these days of information overload that’s just something we all have to live with. Sometimes, however, it is helpful to focus between the headlines, or behind the story, to come up with the right questions about public policy.
After the Democrats’ healthcare Waterloo in Massachusetts, President Obama made a big public display, wishing himself back into the mold of change agent by taking up the mantle of banking reform (something at times he rejected and at other times ignored during his first year in office). To do this he placed a big target on the excessive bonuses paid to executives of financial institutions that benefited from TARP funds. Putting aside the President’s attempts to get out in front of public anger once again, there are good reasons to take a close look at Wall Street’s behavior, and it’s more than just bonuses. Remember these guys already brought the system to its knees once, triggering a bail-out that we’ll all long remember. Read the rest of this entry »






Last Tuesday’s election results have been hailed as a rejection of President Obama’s first year. Local politics aside, that does seem to be the case. Even the late-night talk show hosts are starting to take their shots. However, it’s not time to celebrate. There is still plenty to do. Republicans must develop our own agenda that will take us farther into the 21st Century than the next election, and tea parties aren’t the answer.
If pop-culture is a mirror on society, then the character of Gordon Gekko is an excellent example. Michael Douglas won the Academy Award for his portrayal of the character in the 1987 movie Wall Street. The character became something of a national hero. Many Americans related to his powerful “greed is good” speech. This is how the speech went:
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