All civilized people were outraged by the terrorist attack during the Boston Marathon on April 15.  My readers have noted some similarities between the fictional terrorists in mynovel TIME FALL and the ethnic Chechen brothers who slaughtered and maimed so many innocents.  I was asked if characters and events in the book – including the use of “Caucasion” Islamic terrorists to evade racial profiling by Western counterterrorism authorities – were based on fact. [Read more...]

Regardless of who wins the White House next week, taxes will go up. I hate to admit it, but the only way to reduce the US deficit is to raise taxes.  We’ll never grow our way out of themorass, and severe austerity will only generate more economic misery while merely chipping away at the problem if defense and entitlements spending are relatively untouched.

Obama, Romney and their policy advisors know this, and they are aware that a Value Added Tax (VAT) raises a stunning amount of money. The base for a VAT (the total amount of goods that would be subject to tax) would range from one-third to one-half of US GDP.  A 10 percent VAT with a relatively broad base could raise $750 billion a year, enough to pay for about a fifth of the federal budget. This would make room for cuts in other taxes. [Read more...]

With the Republican Convention in full swing this week, it’s worth taking a look at the third party platform of President Theodore Roosevelt, a GOP icon (“I love Teddy Roosevelt,” says Mitt Romney.  ”Anybody who says ‘Bully’ is a friend of mine.“) The formerpresident founded the Progressive Party (aka Bull Moose Party) because he was disappointed with his successor, William H. Taft’s “increasingly conservative policies.” [Read more...]