My tennis game has improved a lot over the last few years. Some of that has to do with playing more often but most of it is the result of changing my attitude towards taking shots. For the longest time I simply could not keep myself from hitting the ball hard all the time and trying to win a point quickly. That resulted in many beautiful shots but even more unforced errors. I am simply not good enough to hit the ball hard when I am not well positioned. People would often congratulate me on ho...

My tennis game has improved a lot over the last few years. Some of that has to do with playing more often but most of it is the result of changing my attitude towards taking shots. For the longest time I simply could not keep myself from hitting the ball hard all the time and trying to win a point quickly. That resulted in many beautiful shots but even more unforced errors. I am simply not good enough to hit the ball hard when I am not well positioned. People would often congratulate me on ho...

One of my favorite themes is the slowness and profoundness of structural change. I was reminded of this in looking at my tax bill. We pay a lot of county taxes and it makes me wonder what counties are good for. They are sort of like middle management in the government hierarchy sitting between states and local communities. Now middle management has been under most pressure from the use of IT in companies. Information reporting and aggregation up the chain is becoming easier, as is the disseme...

One of my favorite themes is the slowness and profoundness of structural change. I was reminded of this in looking at my tax bill. We pay a lot of county taxes and it makes me wonder what counties are good for. They are sort of like middle management in the government hierarchy sitting between states and local communities. Now middle management has been under most pressure from the use of IT in companies. Information reporting and aggregation up the chain is becoming easier, as is the disseme...

A group called SpeechNow.org is suing the Federal Election Commission to allow individuals to contribute as much as they want to the group’s effort to buy TV advertising. Their argument, loosely paraphrased, is that billionaires can spend as much as they want to on TV advertising, so why shouldn’t “ordinary” folks be allowed to pool their money in donations of more than $5,000 (the current legal limit). This is a case where I believe the best regulatory approach by the government would be “fo...

A group called SpeechNow.org is suing the Federal Election Commission to allow individuals to contribute as much as they want to the group’s effort to buy TV advertising. Their argument, loosely paraphrased, is that billionaires can spend as much as they want to on TV advertising, so why shouldn’t “ordinary” folks be allowed to pool their money in donations of more than $5,000 (the current legal limit). This is a case where I believe the best regulatory approach by the government would be “fo...

Recently I have heard some people say that they would have voted for Hillary Clinton, but are now planning to vote for John McCain. Anyone even contemplating this should make sure to look past their perception of John McCain and inspect his voting record. My firm believe is that actions speak louder than words and whatever McCain has been telling voters and the press, what should matter more in assessing his judgment and his basic philosophy is how he has actually voted. It turns out that McC...

Recently I have heard some people say that they would have voted for Hillary Clinton, but are now planning to vote for John McCain. Anyone even contemplating this should make sure to look past their perception of John McCain and inspect his voting record. My firm believe is that actions speak louder than words and whatever McCain has been telling voters and the press, what should matter more in assessing his judgment and his basic philosophy is how he has actually voted. It turns out that McC...

I was not a fan of Eliot Spitzer’s tactics as AG. Instead of the slow grind of building cases, he frequently used threats and intimidation. I was not surprised that this approach backfired in Albany and there was a hint of self-destructivenes. But his cataclysmic fall yesterday is still stunning. I can’t help but think that one of his previous targets paid a PI to trail Spitzer and handed this to the Feds on a silver platter.

I was not a fan of Eliot Spitzer’s tactics as AG. Instead of the slow grind of building cases, he frequently used threats and intimidation. I was not surprised that this approach backfired in Albany and there was a hint of self-destructivenes. But his cataclysmic fall yesterday is still stunning. I can’t help but think that one of his previous targets paid a PI to trail Spitzer and handed this to the Feds on a silver platter.

As a fairly recently naturalized citizen I am excited to be participating in my first set of primaries and in the fall my first presidential election. I grew up in Germany where the Chancellor is elected by the Legislature instead of in a vote by the people. Since members of the Legislature generally vote along party lines this means that the party with the majority in the Legislature effectively nominates the Chancellor. The parties in turn determine their candidates at a party convention ge...

As a fairly recently naturalized citizen I am excited to be participating in my first set of primaries and in the fall my first presidential election. I grew up in Germany where the Chancellor is elected by the Legislature instead of in a vote by the people. Since members of the Legislature generally vote along party lines this means that the party with the majority in the Legislature effectively nominates the Chancellor. The parties in turn determine their candidates at a party convention ge...