“Some men see things as they are and ask why; I see things as they could be and ask why not” -George Bernard Shaw (later paraphrased by Robert F. Kennedy)             At work, I’m called Grumpy Ed.  It’s somewhat of an affectionate moniker, or at least I assume it is, since most people who […]

“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” -Charles Dickens, “A Tale of Two Cities”             In America, Thanksgiving is believed to have originated either in Massachusetts in 1621 or in Florida in 1565.  It has been celebrated annually since 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln officially recognized it at the height […]

            With respect to American politics, you have to keep your eyes wide open and your ears close to the ground to stay ahead of the constant evolution that the system undergoes from generation to generation, and, not infrequently, from election to election.             Kevin Phillips was exactly on target when he predicted a Republican […]

            The victory balloons still had air in them at many Republican campaign celebrations last week when Ben Bernanke and his colleagues on the Federal Reserve Board let loose with a heavy spray of cold water on all those candidates who have vowed to keep government spending under control.             In one fell swoop, the […]