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‘The Land Of The Free And The Home Of The Brave’

When Francis Scott Key wrote the words “the land of the free and the home of the brave” in 1814, he did so in a poem called “The Defense of Fort McHenry.” The battle of Fort McHenry in Baltimore was a decisive one in which Americans truly demonstrated bravery and fought for freedom. This was the War of 1812, the origins of which are lost to history. The British government claimed that President James Madison had designs on the British king’s lands in Canada, and so it attacked the U.S. The Americans argued that the British government’s stated reason for its attack was a ...

How Could This Have Happened?

Years ago one of my kids’ teachers joined the FBI. I remember how the students, their parents and her fellow teachers talked about this. There was reverence, deep respect. For her as well as the agency. After all, the FBI was the crème de la crème of law enforcement. You had to be a quality person of the highest character to be selected by the FBI. I wonder how these folks would react these days to similar news. Now that we have learned about the sleaziness at the top of the FBI. (I also remember how, in my family’s Roman Catholic community, we revered those who chose the ...

My Medication Was More Than $350

Question: Why was my new medication more than $350? Answer: In 2020, there are only three products with no deductible, so most people will have a deductible impact their medication purchases. Many of the insurance products with a deductible waive the deductible rule for medications that are Tier 1 or Tier 2 level. You may have been filling medications up to this point that are Tier 1 or 2 so you may not have noticed this deductible. This new medication may be a Tier 3, 4 or 5 and therefore the cost is much higher during the deductible. Medicare allows up to a $435 deductible. Most ...

Notes On The Coming Meat Shortage

The Great Toilet Paper Scare of 2020 has come to end, but don’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet. The Spring Meat Stampede is here. At my local Costco in Colorado Springs on Monday, fresh chicken breast was nowhere to be found. Nationwide, bacon prices doubled. Wholesale pork prices for ham, ribs and loins rose between 12% and 32% over the last seven days. COVID-19 outbreaks among the nation’s major meat processing plants have shut down nearly 20% of the country’s fresh pork production. Chinese-owned Smithfield Foods has shuttered five facilities so far because of sick and ...

Rebuilding Economy And Society

The massive economic destruction being wrought by the COVID-19 epidemic and the government’s attempt to mitigate the impact on American families and businesses raises a fundamental question: Is the sum total of America’s greatness measured by its markets or by its people? Americans have served the world, and particularly the developing world, as the largest consumers of goods and services of any nation on earth. Entire civilizations have risen from the dust — notably China — on the back of the American consumer. In return for opening its markets to foreign goods and services, ...

Simple Economic Principles Are Not Simple-Minded

Modern mainstream economics tends to involve complex mathematical models that purport to forecast the future from past results, in close enough detail for politicians to make decisions that affect the economic well-being of an entire nation and even the world. They have, however, proven no better at predicting key turns of events than the average man in the street. The irony is that many economists have forgotten or totally ignore basic economic principles when building the models. Some even consider them quaint, outdated, or simple-minded. Basic economic principles, however, are ...