tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29634467395128048372012-01-16T08:27:44.344-08:00News & Views on Long Island, New York, and the NationRaymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.comBlogger1641100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-72837163299196838672011-12-05T17:29:00.000-08:002011-12-05T17:29:38.276-08:00

by Ray Keating Business Tips on TV #5 The following is a chapter from “Chuck” vs. the Business World: Business Tips in TV by Ray Keating. Failure sucks. Nonetheless, failure is part of life, and it’s certainly part of business. It also can be a valuable experience for learning important lessons. Many entrepreneurs, for example, experience business failure – sometimes multiple failures – before

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-29721458913511012292011-12-05T17:23:00.000-08:002011-12-05T17:23:46.107-08:00

by Ray Keating Business Tips on TV #4 At the end of last season, things were changing substantially for the characters on NBC’s “Chuck.” But as entrepreneurs grasp better than most, change can come often and fast. And in fact, more change came in this season’s premiere episode that aired on Friday, October 28 -- change, again, that business owners and managers understand. As a quick review, “

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by Ray KeatingBusiness Tips on TV #3 NBC’s Chuck returns for its fifth and final season on Friday night, October 28. And it looks like all the stops will be pulled out in terms of guests, characters, story - and yes, potential lessons for career and business that build on those offered during seasons one to four as I laid out in “Chuck” vs. the Business World: Business Tips on TV. As for the

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by Ray KeatingBusiness Tips on TV #2 Just how far do you have to go in terms of being honest with co-workers? That question crossed my mind while watching the return of USA Network’s Psych for a sixth season on October 12. Psych ranks as my personal favorite among USA’s winning line-up of television series. It’s provides reliable laughs, and is wonderfully offbeat and uplifting. So, what

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-68887727609889605932011-10-18T06:22:00.000-07:002011-10-18T06:26:01.646-07:00

by Ray KeatingBusiness Tips on TV #1 How do you deal with rejection or failure? That’s an ongoing question in business - whether it be a business that goes under; being fired; a product, service or project that failed to meet expectations; or not getting the job even after a great interview. In the October 3, 2010, episode (“Head Case”) of Castle, while Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Beckett (

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-89531196327068344972011-10-18T06:19:00.000-07:002011-10-18T06:19:39.537-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandOctober 18, 2011 Today’s crop of central planners and big spending politicians could learn a thing or two about economics from Henry Hazlitt’s classic bestseller, Economics in One Lesson, published in 1946. Common sense doesn’t have an expiration date. “There is no more persistent and influential faith in the world today than faith in government spending,” Hazlitt wrote. “

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by Ralph R. Reiland September 27, 2011 “Middle-class families shouldn’t pay higher taxes than millionaires and billionaires,” repeatedly proclaims President Obama, arguing for his proposed $1.5 trillion tax increase over the next 10 years. “That’s pretty straightforward. It’s hard to argue against that.” In fact, Mr. Obama’s statement is anything but straightforward and not hard to argue

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-6631807382898449212011-07-29T13:18:00.000-07:002011-07-29T13:23:12.662-07:00

by Raymond J. KeatingJuly 29, 2011 Nassau County is a fiscal basket case, suffering from chronic budget shortfalls, burdensome debt and high taxes. Yet County Executive Ed Mangano wants to take on more debt and raise taxes further to provide handouts to New York Islanders owner Charles Wang. When they dole out corporate welfare to pro sports team owners, politicians always promise huge economic

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   by Ralph Reiland Last month, attempting to patch things up a bit with the business sector, President Obama began his February 7th speech at the U. S. Chamber of Commerce sounding more like Milton Friedman than Saul Alinsky. “America’s success didn’t happen by accident,” Obama declared. “It happened because of the freedom that has allowed good ideas to flourish and capitalism to thrive.” Now

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by Ralph R. Reiland Just when it looked like employers were getting less fearful about what President Obama might do next to worsen the business climate, the National Labor Relations Board (now with its first Democratic majority in a decade, thanks to Obama’s appointees) announced on December 14 that private employers will be required to display pro-unionizing posters in their businesses under

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-76281008701874834142011-01-04T06:11:00.000-08:002011-01-04T06:11:31.933-08:00

  by Raymond J. Keating January 4, 2011 Ray Keating comes down hard on Ben Bernanke’s Fed and their loose monetary policies in a recent article. As Keating notes, “Eventually loose monetary policy channels its way into a rise in the general price level, i.e., inflation.” Read the entire piece at the Daily Caller.  

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-44614074769074664702011-01-04T06:10:00.000-08:002011-01-04T06:10:11.613-08:00

  by Raymond J. Keating January 4, 2011 To frack or not to frack? In a recent op-ed, Ray Keating takes a look at this process for extracting oil and gas from rock. Read the entire piece at the Daily Caller.  

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-39946414525413878422011-01-04T06:08:00.001-08:002011-01-04T06:08:56.326-08:00

by Raymond J. KeatingJanuary 4, 2011 Are new regulations imposed on debit cards a good idea, or do they mean increased and shifting costs. Ray Keating takes a look in a recent op-ed. Read the full article at Politico.com.  

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-68613829380980764672010-12-20T05:54:00.001-08:002010-12-20T05:54:46.155-08:00

by Ralph R. Reiland December 20, 2010 “Washington, D.C.’s workers enjoy the highest salaries of any U.S. city, with a median household income of $85,198,” recently reported CNNMoney. It’s even higher for the federal workers segment of the city’s workers, with an average wage last year for federal civilian workers of $81,258 per person (per person, not per household). That’s over $30,000 more

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by Ralph R. Reiland December 15, 2010 It wasn’t the flavor of her lasagna or the shabby section of town where her restaurant was located that made Elaine Kaufman into a legendary celebrity. What Elaine Edna Kaufman from the Bronx created was a community of interesting people. In an age of excessive controls and isolation, a time when new homes are built without front porches and cafeteria

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  by Raymond J. Keating December 10, 2010 New York and New Jersey are the worst states in America for starting up, building or running a business -- with the Garden State ekeing out a "victory" as No. 50… Read the entire article in the New York Post.  

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-78130575856321984632010-12-10T13:32:00.000-08:002010-12-10T13:32:18.943-08:00

by Raymond J. Keating December 10, 2010 As we have seen over and over again, public policy can be a huge obstacle to entrepreneurship. Politicians like to serve up nice talk about small business, but all too frequently, public policy raises costs, creates uncertainty, and diminishes incentives for starting up and investing in businesses. And it’s not just the federal government that does this —

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by Raymond J. Keating November 19, 2010 What do you have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving? It might sound trite, but God, family, country and work top my “to be thankful for” list. But given the state of the economy over the past three years, that last one - work - might not be on this year’s Thanksgiving menu for millions of Americans, while it raises questions and worries for millions

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by Raymond J. Keating November 19, 2010 November has been one tough month for President Barack Obama. On November 2, the American voters largely rejected his policies on spending, debt, taxes and regulations, taking it out on the president’s Democratic brethren in Congress, governor’s offices and state legislatures. But the rejection continued on the international front. The president emerged

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by Raymond J. Keating November 15, 2010 As an economist, I often ponder the following question: Why do so many people fear big business but love big government? The answer, of course, lies with a fundamental misunderstanding of economics, and how both the market and government work. People seem to think that big corporations have enormous power and control over, well, just about anything one

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by Ralph R. ReilandOctober 30-31, 2010 Here’s a short multiple-choice quiz. Who said the following? “Were we directed from Washington when to sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread.” a. Fidel Castro, warning Cubans to resist the power of their capitalist neighbor.b. Thomas Jefferson, warning about the inherent inefficiencies of centralized power. It was Jefferson. He also said, “A

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October 28, 2010 Economist Ray Keating was a guest on Fox Business on Tuesday (October 26). He was talking about the economic ills of the death tax. Check it out here.

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by Ralph R. ReilandOctober 28, 2010 What’s very weird, even a bit “foreign,” not unlike how self-declared communist leader Hugo Chavez in Venezuela regularly demonizes the business sector, is how President Obama seems to have decided that his best shot at reversing the grim election outlook for Democrats is by way of smearing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as being too “foreign.” With zero

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October 13, 2010 Ray Keating has a piece in the October 13 New York Post titled “Our jobs-killing pols.” The article highlights how key members of Congress from New York voted on issues of importance to small business. Keating asks: “If our elected officials in New York love small businesses as much as they claim, then why do they keep voting to make life so difficult for entrepreneurs?” Read

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-50662185252197500602010-10-06T05:23:00.000-07:002010-10-06T05:23:23.105-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandOctober 6, 2010 The rhetoric at the White House radically changed on September 27. The event was the signing by President Obama of the Small Business Jobs Act. Until the afternoon of that ceremony in the East Room, the party line expressed by President Obama and Congressional Democrats was that the income tax hikes on “the rich” that they were proposing for January would not

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-85189937824480844702010-09-29T10:43:00.000-07:002010-09-29T10:43:18.830-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandSeptember 28, 2010 We raise taxes on things we want to discourage, like cigarettes, and we lower taxes on things we want to encourage, like education. The idea is to manipulate prices by changing costs, via taxation, so that we end up with more expensive Marlboros, smaller hikes in tuition, fewer smokers and more college students, i.e., a smarter and healthier America. That’s

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-36645136230807186892010-09-26T15:53:00.000-07:002010-09-26T15:53:27.097-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandSeptember 26, 2010 At least for a few moments recently, we had the strange spectacle of President Obama sounding more like a collectivist than Fidel Castro. With the federal payroll in the United States up by 200,000 positions and the private sector down by 7.8 million jobs since the current recession began, Mr. Obama continues to aggressively push a statist agenda of higher

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-77243923475376991152010-09-20T20:33:00.000-07:002010-09-20T20:34:47.471-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandSeptember 21, 2010With 15 million workers unemployed and another 11 million underemployed, President Obama recently decided that the answer was to hit the road and throw some anti-rich red meat to some friendly stadium audiences.At a Labor Day rally in Milwaukee, Mr. Obama declared that the United States “didn’t become the most prosperous country in the world by rewarding greed

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-16976889220945744232010-09-17T09:18:00.000-07:002010-09-17T09:20:56.167-07:00

September 17, 2010Tim Hawkins’ “The Government Can” video and song will make you laugh … unfortunately, laugh until you cry.Definitely, check it out at on YouTube._____Brief comment from Raymond J. Keating

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-8880839124140893212010-08-20T15:23:00.000-07:002010-08-20T15:24:26.834-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandAugust 20, 2010Remember those stories about Nero playing the fiddle while Rome burned?Actually, if he was really playing, it was probably a lyre, a small harp-like stringed instrument. Fiddles weren’t around yet.Well, showing how little the art of governance has improved, we’re now borrowing money from China to buy cocaine for monkeys, calling it a jobs program and running up

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-49505411551938812042010-08-16T15:35:00.000-07:002010-08-16T15:37:04.334-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandAugust 16, 2010Democrats in Congress, frightened by what voters are likely to do in November, have been given their marching orders by the Obama administration.We're to be told that we're now enjoying "Recovery Summer," an economic turnaround that's the direct result of unprecedented government spending on stimulus-funded pork.And after "Recovery Summer," if we don't flinch and

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-56027164958597915872010-08-04T10:15:00.000-07:002010-08-04T10:17:04.035-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandAugust 4, 2010Pushing for more billions in deficit spending to extend jobless benefits to a record 99 weeks, or nearly two years, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently declared that more red ink and more dependency on government checks for longer stretches of time was a top and fast way to stimulate the U.S. economy and create jobs."This is one of the best stimuluses to our

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by Ralph R. ReilandJuly 15, 2010With job creation in the private sector basically dead and a growing number of jobless workers ceasing to even look for work any longer, the number of people officially counted as part of the U.S. labor force shrank by 652,000 in June. That was more than double the 322,000 drop in the size of the labor force in May. And from the White House, with people giving up

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-90856050362787492032010-05-13T16:27:00.000-07:002010-05-13T16:28:39.777-07:00

May 13, 2010Raymond J. Keating recently appeared on Fox Business to discuss a report he wrote comparing tax burdens on entrepreneurs and small business in the states.View the clip here.

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-32833062929497598232010-04-20T06:58:00.000-07:002010-04-20T06:59:25.181-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandApril 20, 2010Here’s the news from The New York Times on the day before tax day: “Forty-seven percent. That’s the portion of American households that owe no income tax for 2009. The number is up from 38 percent in 2007.”Given that nine point jump in no-pays in just two years, it looks like it won’t be long before a solid majority of American households are taking out more than

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April 15, 2010In his latest column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating addresses the issue of taxes and the rich. The piece starts out:The rich pay more than their fair share in taxes. In fact, all of us would benefit by deep, across-the-board tax cuts that include relief for the wealthy.That’s right – you read that correctly.I can practically hear the screams of outrage generated

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-89724230969606469722010-04-15T14:57:00.000-07:002010-04-15T14:59:21.112-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandApril 15, 2010Jack Cassell is too much for some people. He’s the Florida doctor who told his patients to go elsewhere for treatment if they voted for Obama. The message posted on his office door: “If you voted for Obama, seek urological care elsewhere. Changes to your health begin right now, not in four years.” It didn’t take long for Cassell’s Congressman, Rep. Alan Grayson, a

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-81794672856158763842010-04-13T06:47:00.000-07:002010-04-13T06:49:03.560-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandApril 13, 2010Obama’s big promise is that the vast majority of the U.S. population can get tons of free stuff from the government and it won’t cost them a single dime. They can just force “the rich” to fork over their money to pay for it.It’s sort of like sticking up the opera fans from the wealthy suburbs when they come downtown for a show, except that there’s no risk of jail

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-31280034119989041782010-04-06T06:54:00.000-07:002010-04-06T06:55:29.106-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandApril 6, 2010Now that ObamaCare has been enacted, we definitely won't be knocking any new archways through the wall at our restaurant and expanding into the empty storefront next door.With a waiting line on weekends, we could use the additional seats. The adjacent space could also be turned into a party room with seating for 50, perfect for communions, business meetings, and

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-7597033584540764222010-02-23T05:57:00.000-08:002010-02-23T05:59:19.605-08:00

February 23, 2010In an op-ed for the New York Post, Raymond J. Keating observes:New York City is a lousy place to start up, run or invest in a small business, but city officials don't seem to have a clue as to what to do about it… Read the rest of the column here._________________Raymond J. Keating is the publisher and editor of Keating Reports and the Long Island Sentinel, and an economist. He

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-68975896289072455812010-02-16T08:01:00.000-08:002010-02-16T08:03:18.346-08:00

by Ralph R. ReilandFebruary 16, 2010Whatever happened to the Constitutional concept of equal protection under the law?Whatever happened to the recognition that it’s overwhelmingly the nation’s private sector that delivers the jobs, goods and services, and our overall well-being? Or as Calvin Coolidge succinctly put it, “After all, the chief business of the American people is business.” With his

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-11736899916925797172010-02-11T06:26:00.000-08:002010-02-11T06:28:07.094-08:00

February 11, 2010In an op-ed for the New York Post, Raymond J. Keating observes:New Yorkers don't get what they pay for when it comes to government employees. The issue recently sprang to life on Long Island: In Nassau, one of the first acts of the new Republican majority was to jack up salaries for legislative leaders more than $20,000 apiece for the top three officers…Read the rest of the

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by Ralph R. ReilandFebruary 8, 2010We’re already on the hook for about a half million dollars per household just to pay for the unfunded liabilities in Social Security and Medicare, according to David M. Walker, former comptroller general of the United States and head of the Government Accountability Office from 1998 to 2008.“The Peterson Foundation calculated the federal government accumulated

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-30057553011864951112010-02-02T05:52:00.000-08:002010-02-02T05:53:46.247-08:00

by Ralph R. ReilandFebruary 2, 2010Is there anyone out there who thinks Barack Obama hasn’t been on TV enough, hasn’t been on enough magazine covers, or hasn’t done enough softball interviews?It seemed to me that he was vastly overexposed, getting old. I thought the next thing was giant portraits of Obama on the side of buildings, like Fidel in Havana.But it seems that President Obama thinks the

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-32766684398661500272010-01-20T06:08:00.000-08:002010-01-20T06:10:07.175-08:00

by Ralph R. ReilandJanuary 20, 2010I’m writing this somewhere in a swamp in Georgia, chugging northward on the Auto Train, the world’s longest passenger train.At full capacity, the train carries 650 passengers and 330 vehicles, its 18 passenger cars and 33 vehicle carriers stretching for three-fourths of a mile.Amtrak runs two Auto Trains, each scheduled to depart at 4 p.m., one from Sanford,

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-44449170188979945662010-01-12T11:48:00.000-08:002010-01-12T11:50:12.909-08:00

by Ralph R. ReilandJanuary 12, 2010PALM BEACH, FLORIDA -- The column headline here in this morning’s newspaper: “So where’s my global warming, dude?”“Dude” could be Al Gore, the doomster Dracula figure of global warming hysteria. Or it might be Hillary or Obama, running off to Copenhagen with the promise that the United States, with nothing but red ink in the government’s coffers, will gladly

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-88000276326119866242009-12-01T12:53:00.000-08:002009-12-01T12:54:46.641-08:00

by Ralph R. ReilandDecember 1, 2009There’s a new picture of Obama that’s sticking in my mind, like a song that keeps playing in your head (the one that keeps playing for me this week is “Empire State of Mind,” especially the lines by Alicia Keys). In this mental picture of Obama, he’s crunched down in a tiny cockpit and wearing oversized Kamikaze goggles.His plane is completely coming apart,

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-452736689057506022009-11-24T17:22:00.000-08:002009-11-24T17:24:44.542-08:00

November 24, 2009In his latest column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating observes:Can liberals be good economists? That question came to mind reading a Nov. 17 letter on health care policy addressed to President Barack Obama signed by 23 economists …Read the rest of the column here._________________Raymond J. Keating is the publisher and editor of Keating Reports and the Long

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-82169252696408921152009-11-24T17:19:00.000-08:002009-11-24T17:22:16.446-08:00

November 24, 2009Raymond J. Keating made a brief cameo on a CNN report about entrepreneurs who own different businesses within the same community.To see the CNN story, go here.

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-88185208531581532192009-11-20T14:08:00.000-08:002009-11-20T14:10:28.758-08:00

November 20, 2009In his latest column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating observes:President Barack Obama announced on Nov.12 that he would host a White House jobs summit in December.The President said, “We’ll gather CEOs and small-business owners, economists and financial experts, as well as representatives from labor unions and nonprofit groups, to talk about how we can work

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-6842097087053173352009-11-17T08:04:00.000-08:002009-11-17T08:05:48.455-08:00

by Ralph R. ReilandNovember 17, 2009In news from the world of universal health care, Mark Wattson, 35, collapsed in pain in the street in Swindon, England, a month after he had his appendix removed.He was rushed by ambulance to Great Western Hospital, the place where his appendectomy was done and where doctors had released him after assurances that all went well.This time, Mr. Wattson was told by

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-9138052309973358912009-11-12T13:22:00.000-08:002009-11-12T13:23:58.014-08:00

November 12, 2009In his latest column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating begins:When it comes to expressing indignation over government gone awry, few do so more passionately than the politicians actually responsible for government going awry. Various Democrats in Congress and the Obama White House, for example, are talking up the need to rein in budget deficits they helped create.

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-62189556962065006342009-11-09T11:21:00.000-08:002009-11-09T11:22:33.382-08:00

by Ralph R. ReilandNovember 9, 2009What the Democrats should have learned from their losses last Tuesday is that the advice given by political strategist James Carville to candidate Bill Clinton in the 1992 presidential campaign is still valid --- “It’s the economy, stupid.”More specifically, what hurt Democrats at the polls is the lack of new jobs and the flood of red ink --- plus the

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-84374195823468333742009-11-05T11:24:00.000-08:002009-11-05T11:25:45.595-08:00

November 5, 2009In his latest column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating observes:There’s an old saying that often applies to politics and policy: Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.For economists, labor unions are easy to pick on. After all, the mission of labor unions in effect is to get their members increased compensation for less work. While that might be temporarily

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-3400208436270131972009-11-02T06:54:00.000-08:002009-11-02T06:56:31.633-08:00

November 2, 2009In his latest column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating observes:President Barack Obama wants to help small businesses. Given his track record on economic policy so far, should small business owners be worried? … Keating makes the case that entrepreneurs should be very concerned, to say the least.Read the rest of the column here._________________Raymond J. Keating

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-89983214212026837352009-10-19T10:05:00.000-07:002009-10-19T10:07:09.539-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandOctober 19, 2009I don’t want to sound negative, but is anyone else getting the idea that we’re starting to live in Clunker Nation?Start with the actual clunker deal where we borrowed money from China to buy Japanese cars in order to save Detroit. Nuts!All told, we spent $2.88 billion in money we didn’t have in order to smash 690,114 cars, according to the final numbers from the

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-65743635154299899952009-10-16T06:16:00.000-07:002009-10-16T06:18:11.580-07:00

October 16, 2009In his latest column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating observes:Forget about big business. Push the consumer aside. Government? Oh please. When it comes to innovation, economic growth and job creation, small and midsized businesses are where the action is in the U.S. economy.After all, according to the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, of the 29.6

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-81816040266961545612009-10-09T10:53:00.000-07:002009-10-09T10:55:58.575-07:00

October 9, 2009In his latest column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating observes:Immigration is overwhelmingly about economics. If any doubts linger, they should be wiped away by the decline in the U.S. foreign-born population last year.In a growing economy, rising labor demands by businesses and, ultimately, consumers not met by the native-born population translate into increased

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-13387508612907969712009-10-06T05:57:00.000-07:002009-10-06T06:00:31.678-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandOctober 6, 2009The headline in Investor’s Business Daily, September 16, 2009: “45% of Doctors Would Consider Quitting If Congress Passes Health Care Overhaul.”The headline in The Boston Globe, September 28, 2009: “States risk it, raise tax on rich.” The problem with four of nine U.S. doctors saying they “would consider leaving their practice or taking an early retirement” is

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-353891235164408752009-10-01T14:01:00.000-07:002009-10-01T14:03:40.899-07:00

October 1, 2009In his latest column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating explains that entrepreneurship is critical to the economy, yet economists, educators and policymakers treat the entrepreneurial process as a mystery. In particular, Keating emphasizes the need for colleges and universities to teach prospective innovative entrepreneurs.Check out the entire story.

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-60277191849958095532009-09-28T03:06:00.000-07:002009-09-28T03:08:04.449-07:00

September 28, 2009In his latest column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating writes:What does President Barack Obama have against affordable tires for individuals, families and small business owners and employees?On Sept. 11, the president, in effect, imposed a new tax that would raise prices and reduce choices when it comes to low-priced tires for cars and light trucks. Some

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-34270848507521989092009-09-21T07:00:00.000-07:002009-09-21T07:03:16.218-07:00

by Raymond J. KeatingSeptember 21, 2009Politicians do not-so-smart things all of the time. That includes, of course, raising taxes that will hurt consumers, businesses and the economy. Long Island politicians seem to be particularly adept at this.Last week, Suffolk County legislators – by a vote of 13-5 – jacked up the county hotel tax by a staggering 300 percent. The tax, which was supposed to

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-74231399344019404142009-09-18T11:24:00.000-07:002009-09-18T11:26:38.130-07:00

September 18, 2009In his latest column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating writes:The health care policy debate touches on various issues, including access to and the affordability of quality care. But many people – including assorted policymakers – forget it’s also about freedom.At its best, government protects individual freedom.For example, the Declaration of Independence says: “

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-43517276119603112582009-09-05T06:53:00.000-07:002009-09-05T06:54:50.853-07:00

September 5-7, 2009In his latest column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating writes:Assorted words and phrases came to mind – “frightening,” “wasteful,” “destructive” and “out of control” – while taking in the federal budget estimates released on Aug. 25 by the Congressional Budget Office.Unfortunately, if President Obama and congressional leaders get their way, the budget story will

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-79872967785176243672009-09-04T07:18:00.000-07:002009-09-04T07:19:28.752-07:00

September 4, 2009In a recent piece, George Leef, author of Free Choice for Workers: A History of the Right to Work Movement, observes:This has been the long, hot summer of ObamaCare. The president’s plan to change our health care system has led to ugly confrontations between ardent supporters and those who want no part of it. Repeatedly, arguments have broken out where opponents object to some

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-77331986990501683932009-09-02T09:12:00.000-07:002009-09-02T09:14:13.953-07:00

by Raymond J. KeatingSeptember 2, 2009New York politicians have worked relentlessly over the years to establish the Empire State as a very unfriendly place to run a business. If an onerous tax or burdensome regulation has been dreamed up, New York’s elected officials more than likely have imposed it on investors, entrepreneurs, businesses and their employees.That being the case, what should be

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-41251153653824691732009-08-31T06:51:00.000-07:002009-08-31T06:53:45.328-07:00

August 31, 2009In his latest column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating writes:You know the U.S. Postal Service is inefficient when President Barack Obama takes a jab.After all, the president is a guy who apparently thinks there is little that government cannot do. Can government restructure the entire health care system? Sure. And how about reworking the energy sector of the

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-51894508573125327082009-08-21T12:31:00.000-07:002009-08-21T12:33:04.254-07:00

August 21, 2009In his latest column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating observes:The story from the Obama administration, various economists, and other assorted experts is that it’s going to take a good deal of time to get this economy revved up.For example, as reported by the New York Times in early August, Lawrence Summers, director of President Obama’s National Economic Council,

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-72931143599940358682009-08-15T10:16:00.000-07:002009-08-15T10:18:21.787-07:00

August 14-16, 2009In his latest column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating observes:It’s officially the Car Allowance Rebate System. Far catchier, it’s also known as the “Cash for Clunkers” program. That nickname fits, as it can only be described as clunker economics...Check out the entire story.

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-13199407889556651992009-08-13T14:48:00.000-07:002009-08-13T14:54:33.472-07:00

August 13, 2009In an entry for The Hill’s Congress Blog, Raymond J. Keating observes:Some in political, media and economic circles seem to verge on euphoric regarding the July 2009 jobs numbers released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday (August 7). Perhaps we need a little dose of sobriety.The best that can be said about the July jobs report is that it was less bad than in recent months

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-41938340797864760052009-08-11T08:14:00.000-07:002009-08-31T14:21:43.514-07:00

by Raymond J. KeatingAugust 11, 2009The Obama policy agenda has been anything but small business friendly. Consider taxes, for example. Entrepreneurs apparently are not expecting positive results. An August 3 Rasmussen Reports poll found that 62% of the nation’s entrepreneurs expect their taxes to increase.This should not surprise anyone familiar with the Obama tax agenda – featuring higher

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-33520104503222412352009-08-06T09:20:00.000-07:002009-08-06T09:21:57.083-07:00

August 6, 2009In his latest column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating observes:For some reason, though, economists have been unable to spread the good news about trade and immigration.Could country music star Brad Paisley succeed where economists have failed? The title song of his new album is “American Saturday Night.” This rockin’ country tune co-written by Paisley does a superb

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-24652402625627075772009-08-04T11:17:00.000-07:002009-08-04T11:18:08.847-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandAugust 4, 2009Here's how to get the money for health care reform, and it can be done without Congress passing another trillion in spending, without putting more job-killing mandates and taxes on business, without killing off whatever incentives still remain for our best students to become physicians, and without turning millions of patients into wards of the state.To get the

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-10957768811389181532009-07-30T13:54:00.000-07:002009-07-30T13:55:43.341-07:00

July 30, 2009Raymond J. Keating notes in his latest column for Long Island Business News:Many members of Congress apparently have a tough time figuring out that individuals earn raises due to increased productivity. That is, improved skills, hard work and jobs well done lead to higher compensation.Perhaps the fact that U.S. representatives and senators receive automatic pay increases - without

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-41924334882156721452009-07-29T09:06:00.000-07:002009-07-29T09:09:45.818-07:00

July 29, 2009Has the economy hit bottom? If so, does the Obama administration deserve credit?National Review Online offers an online symposium, with various experts weighing in on the matter.Raymond J. Keating is included in the mix. He, in part, notes:The worst of the current recession is likely behind us. But that does not mean solid growth is just around the corner. And the Obama

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-78756021235415146962009-07-28T10:37:00.000-07:002009-07-28T10:39:29.391-07:00

by Raymond J. KeatingJuly 28, 2009New York is no different from other states in that small business is the engine of the economy. For example, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, small and medium-size businesses (with fewer than 500 employees) made up 99.1 percent of all employers in the state in 2006 (more recent data). Add in the self-employed, and the

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-17675030772666441852009-07-27T06:51:00.000-07:002009-07-27T06:54:42.229-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandJuly 27, 2009"This isn't about me," President Barack Obama asserted recently, maintaining that his manic push for a vote on health care reform is all about us.In fact, the big rush is all about him and his attempt to hurriedly get his problematic notions on health reform enacted into law before his quickly falling approval numbers drop him completely into the cellar.A recent

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-86198267435179809332009-07-24T07:09:00.000-07:002009-07-24T07:11:36.823-07:00

July 24, 2009Raymond J. Keating opens his latest column for Long Island Business News this way:What’s the deal with Democrats and higher taxes?Once they gain political power, it’s like some kind of addiction. They seem driven to raise taxes, particularly on upper-income earners.Recall that soon after Bill Clinton was elected president in 1992, he and a Democrat-controlled Congress increased taxes

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-264982821231639182009-07-18T07:30:00.000-07:002009-07-18T07:34:50.459-07:00

by Raymond J. KeatingJuly 18-19, 2009Housing – particularly “affordable housing” – gets lots of attention and discussion on Long Island. Local politicians love to talk about their latest scheme to make the costs of housing on Long Island less burdensome.Putting aside the rhetoric, however, it turns out that almost everything that elected officials actually do in terms of policy clearly works

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-29000923348528062322009-07-16T10:42:00.000-07:002009-07-24T07:12:02.357-07:00

July 16, 2009Raymond J. Keating notes in his latest column for Long Island Business News:What the heck happened to that massive $787-billion so-called “stimulus” package passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in February?After all, the economy continues to wallow in a deep recession, with private payrolls shedding two million additional jobs just since February.And the

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-84100817790864552822009-07-14T09:29:00.000-07:002009-07-14T09:31:23.762-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandJuly 14, 2009“No more talk,” said President Barack Obama in his weekly address on July 4th. “No more talk. No more delay.” He was referring to health care reform and telling us that we should stop the talk, stop the debate and questions, and just rush into law his particular ideas on how to fix a system that he simplistically describes as “broken.” In fact, the five-year

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-9700814556763376502009-07-10T09:31:00.000-07:002009-07-10T09:33:03.193-07:00

by Raymond J. KeatingJuly 10, 2009Entrepreneurs are doers. They’re generally not big on those who talk a good game, but fail to deliver.That raises the question of what entrepreneurs should think of President Barack Obama. After all, one thing that our President is good at is talking.Jonathan Ortmans, a senior fellow at the Kauffman Foundation, apparently is a big fan of the President. He likes

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-5929866983886474702009-07-09T10:38:00.000-07:002009-07-09T10:40:22.910-07:00

July 9, 2009Raymond J. Keating writes in his latest column for Long Island Business News:What is it about politicians and economics? Too many elected officials either ignore economic reality when pursuing political desires or never had a clue about economics in the first place.Of course, politicians are not alone. It’s not unusual to find an economist who succumbs to the dark side of politics,

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-9704509250427672752009-07-02T08:20:00.000-07:002009-07-02T08:23:25.008-07:00

July 2, 2009Raymond J. Keating writes in his latest column for Long Island Business News:Many people say they favor health care proposals pushed by President Barack Obama and leaders in Congress. But do they really have a clue as to how this agenda would alter medical treatment and how much it costs?I don’t think so.The Democrats’ emphasis is on government. More government programs, spending and

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-78526260645601610642009-07-01T12:55:00.000-07:002009-07-01T12:56:27.349-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandJuly 1, 2009SEA ISLE, N. J. – After the age of 20, they say we lose about 50,000 brain cells a day. That means you'll probably lose a couple hundred just during the few minutes it takes to read this column.For those big guys on Wall Street with the two-hour train commutes each way from Connecticut, that means a loss of about 4,000 brain cells just while they're on the way into

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-55806101864134059262009-06-24T09:05:00.000-07:002009-06-24T09:07:12.046-07:00

June 24, 2009Raymond J. Keating writes in his latest column for Long Island Business News:Today, business is more dynamic, versatile and mobile than at any other period in history. That’s largely due to dramatic leaps ahead in computer and telecommunications technologies brought about by innovators and entrepreneurs in recent times…Home offices, telecommuting, Wi-Fi, cell phones and more

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-19571405382370285802009-06-19T09:26:00.000-07:002009-06-19T09:27:29.359-07:00

by Jerry BowyerJune 19, 2009It's never a good sign when your Treasury Secretary announces a plan to overhaul the financial system and the market plunges 200 points that same day. But that's what happened on Monday to President Obama.It's no better when you, the President himself, release the details of that plan two days later and the market nosedives again as you are speaking. And it's certainly

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-52500971747261382962009-06-18T06:12:00.000-07:002009-06-24T09:04:43.371-07:00

June 18, 2009Raymond J. Keating notes in his latest column for Long Island Business News:Regarding our current poor economy, Thomas Sowell has written an important book titled “The Housing Boom and Bust,” just published by Basic Books. Sowell is an economist, historian and columnist, and serves as the Rose and Milton Friedman Senior Fellow on Public Policy at Stanford University’s Hoover

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-26246581652692044282009-06-15T05:44:00.000-07:002009-06-15T05:46:44.217-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandJune 15, 2009Sea Isle, N.J. --- I met Elaine Scattergood for breakfast last week in a little coffee shop on Dune Drive in Avalon, just a few blocks from where Utz potato chip magnate Michael Rice is putting the finishing touches on a super-sized mansion that sits atop the highest dune in town.Now in its third year of construction, the 40-room, 14,000 square-foot house will have

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-22616216194566896862009-06-11T09:30:00.000-07:002009-06-11T09:32:34.135-07:00

June 11, 2009Raymond J. Keating opens his newt column for Long Island Business News this way:When the Bernard Madoff scandal broke several months ago, we heard a good deal about Ponzi schemes. While pleading guilty in March, Madoff admitted: “I operated a Ponzi scheme.”A Ponzi scheme is a scam in which older investors gain returns from new investors. As long as new investors keep coming in,

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-83367077171969416882009-06-10T05:34:00.000-07:002009-06-10T05:38:26.835-07:00

by Raymond J. KeatingJune 10, 2009Governor David Paterson (D) is continuing a tradition of wrongheaded economic policies that date back to at least former Governor Nelson Rockefeller (R).The basic formula is to tax and regulate the private sector to a punishing degree, while expanding the size and reach of government, including doling out big dollars to politically favored industries and

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-24994349731410796952009-06-08T11:50:00.000-07:002009-06-08T11:52:00.596-07:00

June 8, 2009Raymond J. Keating opens his latest column for Long Island Business News this way:It was inevitable. Government’s reach is expanding on all fronts. Indeed, there seems to be nothing that President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats in Congress believe government cannot do. As a result, government spending and budget deficits are hitting unprecedented levels.It was only a matter of

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-829637780048425112009-06-03T11:15:00.000-07:002009-06-03T11:17:05.157-07:00

June 3, 2009In his latest column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating writes:When it comes to health care reform, too many politicians resemble bad fantasy novelists.They attempt to tell a story of a strange land where the laws of economics either do not exist or are turned completely upside down. In particular, in this dominion of the unbelievable, government is efficient. That’s

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-59784138223213237122009-05-22T05:36:00.000-07:002009-05-22T05:38:18.818-07:00

May 22, 2009Antitrust activism by government is another bad idea for the economy being embraced by the Obama administration. In his latest column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating writes:Many bad ideas never die, with government, of course, often providing the life support. Take antitrust actions against so-called big, bad monopolies supposedly doing bad things to

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-90798189543543911452009-05-19T13:03:00.000-07:002009-05-19T13:05:39.833-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandMay 19, 2009Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman got it right about a lot of things, but he was overly optimistic when he wrote in 1990 that socialism was dead."Ten years ago, many people around the world believed that socialism was a viable, even the most promising, system for promoting material prosperity and human freedom," wrote Friedman. "Few people anywhere in

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-36765379783570102402009-05-18T13:52:00.000-07:002009-05-18T13:54:35.614-07:00

May 18, 2009Is ethanol just a big scam – on both the fuel and environmental fronts? In addition, is it doing serious damage to many engines? If so, then why is the government doling out big time subsidies and bailouts to the ethanol industry? The answers are provided in an excellent article by Ed Wallace for Business Week.

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-5641190669099825862009-05-15T11:25:00.000-07:002009-05-15T11:38:30.008-07:00

May 15-17, 2009In a new column for Long Island Business News, Raymond J. Keating deals with the issue of immigration reform.Keating writes:Remember when immigration reform was the hottest political issue around, and seemingly everyone on the planet listened when Alan Greenspan spoke about the economy? It wasn’t too long ago.But the rough economy pushed immigration to the back burner. And as for

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-18064321361807191812009-05-14T06:42:00.000-07:002009-05-14T06:44:10.537-07:00

by Raymond J. KeatingMay 14, 2009With New York State and New York City elected officials already roughing up businesses and consumers with higher taxes, or at least ready to do so, Long Island officials apparently can’t resist getting a few licks in as well.Nassau County lawmakers are looking for state approval to impose a $2 per pack tax on cigarettes. Meanwhile, Suffolk County legislators not

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-27825071417442228382009-05-12T05:07:00.000-07:002009-05-12T05:08:44.238-07:00

by Ralph R. ReilandMay 12, 2009“Only 53 percent of American adults believe capitalism is better than socialism,” according to an April survey by Rasmussen. Age made a large difference in how Americans viewed capitalism and socialism, according to the survey, with capitalism getting the worst grades among adults under 30. Only 37 percent of the under-30s favored capitalism, 33 percent preferred

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2963446739512804837.post-45627131034364219372009-05-11T13:13:00.000-07:002009-05-11T13:15:09.038-07:00

May 11, 2009In a new column for Long Island Business News, George Marlin describes the many problems government creates for businesses in New York, how those problems just got worse, and the roles that two Long Island Democratic state senators – Brian Foley and Craig Johnson – played in making matters worse. Regarding Johnson and Foley, Marlin writes: “My initial reaction to this news was that

Raymond J. Keatinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08803360812725657487noreply@blogger.com0