The recent debacle involving Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and the sinkhole rates that it charges consumers points out one clear thing — that Citizens is not a true insurance company; it is a socialized mechanism that undercuts the private market and maintains artificially low rates because it has the power to tax all policyholders when [...]

The US GDP is growing too slowly to create enough jobs to tame 9.1 percent unemployment.  New business formations have traditionally been a major source of job creation, but since 2007 formations have been 20% below normal or 1.8 million jobs short of normal pace.  McKinsey estimates 21 million jobs need to be created by [...]

We know America is on the wrong track.  We’ve lost the fresh hope of “morning in America” and forgotten the sage counsel of “ask not what your country can do for you.”  We’re beaten down. There are too few jobs and those that we have face an unstable future affected by European recession and a [...]

For 3 years, a partisan spitting match has dominated Congress and the White House, while consumers experience painful challenges daily; jobs, government spending and low growth.  Instead of effective solutions, our politicians demand extremist-inspired remedies then demagogue anyone who objects.  They cynically try to hijack our basest emotions as a way to boost their own [...]

Resale prices in the housing market have declined since 2006 by 28.7% and rent prices have grown by just 2% in the last year.   Since 2006, homeowners who want or need to move elsewhere face the painful dilemma of selling at reduced price or renting the house while they await its price recovery.  Most are [...]

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Creating Jobs is the Real Challenge We are mired in a slow growth economy and hobbled by political inflexibility while 22 million American consumers look for a job.  Demand is slack and the Administration sprinkles regulatory “agent-orange” across markets where the private sector would normally invest in equipment and jobs.  Large and small firms are [...]

Europe is relevant to consumers tending a retirement account.  After wild 500-point Dow swings in early August, US Stock prices stabilized somewhat. We can attribute that to many reports of good earnings and a few large mergers.  Price levels are suppressed partly by the dismal US outlook and partly by fears of European Union troubles.  [...]

Filling meaningful new jobs is a high priority for the US.   In July there were 1,137,000 unemployed construction workers and probably one-third more who have given up.   No layer of government seems to have money for infrastructure projects our nation needs, and there is neither a shortage of dwellings, nor an awaiting throng of move-up [...]

The Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 (FCRA) may sound righteous, but it contains a scam costing consumers a pile of money.  The FCRA forces the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to assume that loans made directly by the government earn huge profits (called “savings”) without provision that such estimates could be wrong.  Congress likes this [...]