Great article from the WSJ which explains the role of government in the recent economic meltdown. I’ve selected a few interesting points made by the author Charles Gasparino and added my own commentary. This is probably the most balanced explanation of what happened in late 2008 that I have read in the media. Mr. Gasparino has published a book (see below) in which he goes into greater detail.
I recently sat down with legendary investor Ted Forstmann to discuss why, on the one-year anniversary of the financial meltdown, the press has largely ignored the role of government in creating the meltdown—and possibly setting the stage for another one—by allowing Wall Street to borrow cheaply and easily during the past three decades.
Problems with inflation of medical costs and increased numbers of uninsured individuals have resulted in widespread calls for reform of the U.S. health care system. Proposed reforms have generally emphasized increased regulation of the medical and insurance industries, but disputes over the cost and consequences of these proposal has so far prevented legislation from being passed. This paper’ is presented from an alternative perspective that views the current symptoms on cost and access as the results of decades of Hawed public policy, rather than government inaction. We trace the origins of dysfunctional health care markets in prior public policy, and outline an approach to healing the health care system based on a new dedication to free market principles and individual choice.
I started writing this post about a year ago, but never published it. Today, I came across an article in FastCompany, entitled “How much are you worth to Facebook?“ The author, Adam Penenberg, introduces a concept called “viral loops” with which companies like Facebook and Twitter have successfully grew their user base by connecting one [...]
OnLive, a new company founded by Steve Perlman, will announce a new game service which makes it possible to play advanced video games on almost any PC and certain specially equipped TVs via a standard home broadband connection. This service eliminates the game console and the need for never ending PC upgrades to support the latest games. In fact, it appears OnLive may also jump into the console fray with a device called the OnLive MicroConsole.
In the past I have ranted about examples of poor customer service, such as the iPhone 3G launch by Apple, or the exclusive selection of AT&T as the iPhone carrier by Apple. I thought it only fair to point out an example of excellent customer service I experienced today at Les Schwab.
As my son and I stood at the counter waiting, in the space of no more than 3 minutes, we were asked by 7 Schwab employees if we had been helped or if we needed anything while we were waiting. It is a testament to Les Scwab (died in 2007), and the current Les Schwab management, that every employee understands the importance of the customer and ensuring a positive customer experience.
I imagine that Les Schwab will weather (pun intended) the current economic downturn better than many of their competitors because of their relentless focus on the customer.
I recently sat down with legendary investor Ted Forstmann to discuss why, on the one-year anniversary of the financial meltdown, the press has largely ignored the role of government in creating the meltdown—and possibly setting the stage for another one—by allowing Wall Street to borrow cheaply and easily during the past three decades.
