A Victim of the Recession or Expected Outcome from Attempted Theft?
The Washington Post had another one of those articles over the weekend where they try to blame everything on the recession. It seems that “the recession” has given many people yet one more excuse for their own poor decision-making. This time the story portrayed a woman, Daverna White, who supposedly “took a chance on the American dream” [of home ownership] but failed, leaving she and her four children homeless. The Post introduced the article as “as the recession shows signs of easing and the economy begins to recover, the families most affected by it, such as Daverna White’s, are starting to recover, too.R

Wealthy and Dumb
The Washington Post recently profiled several young and very wealthy people who felt “guilty” about their wealth. These folks, members of The Resource Generation, had achieved their wealth not by work for earnings or trade but by sheer luck-inheritance. The article focused on their “emotional difficulties” as the “grappled” with their wealth. About 10% of the wealthiest in America got that way through inheritance and that number is dwindling every year. It seems that oftentimes when wealth is passed from a generation of pr

Montgomery County to Require Calorie Counts — Another Unnecessary Regulation
The Montgomery County, Maryland Council has voted to require restaurants to post calorie counts of foods they sell. Once again, we have government passing “feel-good legislation” which supposedly is going to save people from themselves while at the same time is increasing the cost of doing business for the business owner. Increased costs for the business — increased costs for consumers. First, do they have any objective evidence that someone who marches into a 7-Eleven looking for the chocolate covered cream filled pastry is going to be dissuaded when he learns it’s packing 1200

My Fix for Bank Overdraft Fees
In this morning’s Washington Post Michelle Singletary is jumping for joy over new rules that regulate bank overdraft fees for transactions that take place at automated teller machines or with debit cards. Her words: “it took a deep recession that finally the need to protect consumers is outweighing the almighty concern for business to make a buck.” She even quotes from an organization calling itself the “Center for Responsible Lending” that complains that the new rules don’t go far enough. Unfortunately, the new rules will do nothing but raise fees and costs for those who act responsibly. More people will now be denied access to automated

Sen. Chris Dodd: “to Heck with the Small Business Owner, He’s Expendable”
Here’s another anti-business idea from Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut. He is preparing emergency legislation that would guarantee paid sick days for anyone diagnosed with the H1N1 virus. Guarantee, not by the government but by the business owner who is risking time and capital to run a business. His exact quote: “families shouldn’t have to choose between staying healthy and making ends meet.” Okay, so this is another tax on the small business owner. Someone gets sick and the owner loses productivity or hires a replacement for the day. The Senator’s proposed new government interference with small business would mandate that the employer p