Why is Boise State ahead of USC in the Polls?
Boise State is #8 in the current AP poll. They could easily go undefeated with only 1 quality win (Oregon) on their schedule. The problem with the BCS is not its process, but rather the voter mentality that enables Boise State to move up in the polls after wins over low quality opponents. Does anyone believe that Boise State is better than USC, Ohio State, Virgina Tech or Oklahoma? If not, why is Boise State ranked higher than them? Teams in non-BCS conferences just don't face the week-in-week-out competition that SEC, Pac-10

Obama's Tire Tariff Smacks of Special Interest
Barack Obama won the election on a platform of change with particular reference toward minimizing the role of special interests in politics and he did some great work early in his term to reduce the influence of lobbyists, but whats up with his recent decision to impose a 35% tariff on Chinese tire imports?The AFL-CIO and the United Steelworkers pushed for the tariff but the Tire Industry Association (TIA) strongl

An Idea for Bank Pay Reform
In general government regulation is hurts economic growth. However, there are circumstances where minimal controls may be necessary. Wage controls and banking/trading are particularly tricky because bankers and traders can easily evade national regulation by moving to foreign firms while still operating in domestic markets. Despite the public outrage at Wall Street, its not entirely clear if pay regulation is necessary, but if it is, here are a couple ideas on how to approach it.First, lets clarify that the goal of any regulation should not be to punish. It doesn't matter how much bankers and traders earn relative to the general public or that they may be perceived as overpa

Obama Speaks but will Bill Maher Listen?
Earlier this evening on 60 Minutes Barack Obama said:"In the era of 24 hour cable news cycles that the loudest shrillest voices get the most attention... And so one of the things that I'm trying to figure out is how can we make sure that civility is interesting... And that hopefully I will be a good model for the fact that you don't have to yell and holler to make your point and to be passionate about your position."Hopefully this is a wake up call to fans of Bill Maher, John Stewart and Steven Colbert. Although rarely subjected to the same level of criticism, their influence degrades the quality of political discussion equally as much as their more no