Category: News and Politics
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Summary of the HEROS Act
This past week the U.S. House of Representatives passed the HEROS Act that includes: – Money for city and state governments struggling to provide public services with the collapse in tax revenue– Hazard pay for front line workers– Virus testing, tracing and treatment– Second round of direct payments to citizens make up for lost income–…
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New Jersey political forecast 2020
Political forecasting is an important part of effective small business strategic management. This is a digest of the latest Politico “New Jersey Playbook” published Thursday 4/23 reporting on the latest Monmouth University statewide poll results: MARIJUANA: It looks like New Jersey will be legalizing marijuana. 61% in favor, 34% opposed. PRESIDENT AND SENATE: Biden leads…
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Armchair epidemiology
This is one of those times when a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous and frustrating thing. I’ve had some formal training in epidemiology, virology and public health policy and worked as an intern in a high profile medical research lab but never pursued this as a career. My most recent formal education comes…
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59 Q&As on Families First Coronoavirus Response Act All Miss the Main Point!
The U. S. Department of Labor thoughtfully provides 59 Questions and Answers related to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act but omits the most common situation encountered in the small business market. So I will add Q and A #60 to the list: 60: What happens if my employer has lost 75% to 90% of…
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“I hope you weren’t looking to read good news this morning”
A few clients and other people have commented about my lack of response to recent government actions. Some, I notice, seem to be enjoying an emotional buzz about jockeying for their potential share of the $2 Trillion government aid package. In short, it’s just that there isn’t much worthwhile for me to say about any…
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Does this marketing strategy make sense?
I’ve been a subscriber to The Wall Street Journal for almost 40 years. I started way back in college, about age 19, after responding to a special offer to students. While I had already cultivated an interest in current events, reading the publications of Time, Esquire, Popular Science and The Wall Street Journal really helped…
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The Real State of the Union
I’ve spent much of my career, now in its 5th decade, focused on addressing the devastating impact of the widening wealth and income inequality gap. I first recognized the problem while working for two Wall Street firms in the middle 1980s. The problem has gotten much worse lately. It is not just an issue of…
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My unlikely ramble into national politics
A reflection on my unlikely journey from neighborhood flood response to construction techniques to national politics. Before 2016 I was not personally active in politics. Yet as a small business owner I financially supported a number of candidates in both parties, typically in small dollar amounts from $250 to $500 per campaign over several decades.…
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Democrat or Republican: still a dangerous fraudster
I supported Van Drew back when Trump was a Democrat fraudster. Now Trump’s a much more dangerous Republican fraudster. Fraud is still fraud. This is not about party politics. Dear Congressman Van Drew: You wrote in a fundraising letter that we “are fixated on one thing and one thing only. Bringing down Donald Trump. I…