Debunking Cain: Turning 999 Upside Down
Herman Cain’s policies escaped close scrutiny while his presidential campaign lingered on the margins, but the businessman/radio personality’s recent burst into the frontrunner’s box targets him as a candidate to be taken seriously. He’s armed with what he calls his 999 Plan, and he’s dangerous. Cain’s plan is ultimately...
Is Social Security A Ponzi Scheme?
Texas Governor Rick Perry made headlines last week at the Republican presidential candidates’ debate when he asserted with an imperious tone that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme. It’s a tempting analogy because most of the payments to retirees are financed out of receipts from payroll taxes imposed on...
Do We Still Have A Dream?
We celebrate anniversaries to mark time, to reflect on progress year over year. On this 48th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, Washington celebrates great leaps forward in race relations with the unveiling of the King Memorial, but my reflections leave me wondering if a...
My Hero, My Wife, And A Purple Donkey
Recent events have reminded me that behind every good man stands a better woman, a Hillary to inspire the dreamer in Bill. Please forgive the redundancy in the title, but this post is about only one such woman. Ellie is my wife and my hero–and a purple donkey, too....
How You Can Help An Author Who Inspires You
Have you ever experienced the excitement of discovering a new author who inspires you and wondered why you haven’t heard of him or her before? With thousands of novels published every month, it’s tough to find an audience. Ten years ago, a strong review in Publishers Weekly earned The...
What Would Republicans Say If Democrats Tried Extortion, Too?
Negotiation occurs when two parties stake out principled positions and work together to achieve reasonable compromise. Sometimes one party has more bargaining power and may negotiate a favorable deal. But extortion occurs when a person uses coercion–threats of harm–to establish bargaining power where none otherwise exists. Raising the federal...
Deficits, Taxes & Shared Pain
I’m not an economist, but I played one in college–well enough to know that if you put 100 economists in a room, you’ll get at least a dozen inconsistent theories (and the makings for a really exciting cocktail party!). I believe there is no economic basis for choosing between...
Self-publisher Sells 1 Million Kindle Books–Now What?
Follow the link below to Mike Shatzkin’s blog about John Locke’s options after being the first self-publisher to sell one million Kindle books. The debate in the commentary between Shatzkin and Joe Konrath, another astonishingly successful self-publisher of fiction, is worth a read by anyone interested in the future...
Tax Hike!!!!
My wife, Ellie, and I watch the Sunday morning news shows religiously each week. We usually remain fairly civil, even in the privacy of our own living room, but nobody brings out the wrath of the Kahns like Mitch McConnell, who was interviewed on This Week today. No matter...
King of Paine Publication Date
As chronicled here and on my website, I’ve been struggling with the decision to self-publish KING OF PAINE, my second novel, or slog through the process of finding an agent and then a commercial publisher. I half-heartedly sent out a few query letters earlier this year, and one agent...
Interview & Book Giveaway
King of Paine is featured in a “random act of publicity” on Gail Handler’s blog, “Write From the Soul & Visualeyes.” There’s a short interview with me and a book giveaway contest. Gail usually blogs about her experiences as an aspiring children’s book writer and chronicles her journey of...
Wealth Redistribution, The Law of the Jungle & Seeds of Revolution
We look on with hope and concern as revolution breaks out across the Middle East, but as the world’s great bastion of democracy we seem to consider ourselves immune from civil unrest. I think that’s a mistake. The conservative agenda is planting the seeds of revolution in America, and...