Are there no more poor people in the United States of America? That’s what the following statement in the report, Expanding Work Requirements in Non-Cash Welfare Programs (Expanding Work Requirements Report), recently released by the White House Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) implies: “Based on historical standards of material well-being and the terms of engagement, our War on Poverty is largely over and a success.” Is that assertion correct? Have the … [Read more...]
Articles
Frank blogs regularly for the Huffington Post and writes occasional columns and articles for publications such as the International Business Times and The Economic Times of India.
Frank writes on a wide variety of topics that are critical to shaping the future of America and the American dream and to making the United States and the world a better place. These include: Business; education; poverty and inequality; politics and public policy; immigration; manufacturing; innovation; leadership; citizenship; and social commentary.
Frank’s most recent blogs are highlighted on this page. To read other blogs or articles by Frank, click on the categories or publications links on the left.
Civic education can enhance democracy in India
As India approaches Independence Day on August 15, it is an appropriate time to celebrate the past and Indian democracy. It is also a time to contemplate the future and the democracy that India should become. India has the opportunity, the responsibility, and the capacity to be a global beacon of hope for democracy. There is a critical need for India to become that beacon. Freedom House, the organisation that looks at the quality of freedom in countries around the world, … [Read more...]
If Trump Won’t Protect the Free Press Abroad, Maybe America’s J Schools Can
Donald Trump has recently turned his long-running attacks on the news media up a notch. Last week, he devoted most of what was supposed to be a speech in support of a Republican candidate to deriding what he called the “fake, fake disgusting news.” In late July, after a public spat with the publisher of The New York Times, he tweeted that journalists are “unpatriotic” when they report on “internal deliberations of our government”—that is, when they do their … [Read more...]
US-Muslim leader sees tough time for Pak-US ties under Imran
ISLAMABAD: US-Pakistan relations are heading towards a difficult phase under Pakistan’s new government as Imran Khan’s demand for relations based on equality will be met with staunch opposition from Trump administration. These were the views of noted US Muslim leader and philanthropist Frank Islam, who had previously worked with Obama administration on South Asia affairs. Frank shared these views in an email interview with The News. Frank, a graduate of Aligarh Muslim University … [Read more...]
American Big Business Stifling the American Dream
In our book Renewing the American Dream published in 2010, we provided the following conceptualization of the American Dream: The American Dream is the opportunity each and every citizen has to realize one’s personal potential and to achieve success, generally measured as economic security. The fundamental elements of the dream are getting educated and working hard in order to have a good job that pays decent wages, provides adequate benefits, puts food on the table, a … [Read more...]
The “Stable Genius” Revealed
Donald Trump has recently re-asserted that he is a “stable genius.” When we first heard Trump’s proclamation we thought he meant he was good at working in a building with stalls for horses. Seriously, we recognize that Trump intended to communicate that he was a rock steady person with a very high IQ. Trump has been bragging about his IQ for some time. We shared our opinion on the President’s IQ in a Huffington Post blog titled “Alternative Perspectives on … [Read more...]
General Eclectic
A Lesson on the Need for Focus from GE. General Electric set the standard for business success in the 20th century. In 1999, Fortune magazine named Jack Welch, its CEO at the time, the best manager of the century. GE was one of the original businesses on the Dow Jones industrial average, established in 1907. On June 26, GE was dropped from the blue chip index, replaced by the Walgreen’s Boots Alliance drug store chain. In the first eighteen years of this new century, GE’s … [Read more...]
View: India can be a global beacon for democracy.
In this 21st century, democracy is descending and autocracy is ascending in countries around the world. That is the conclusion and argument that Yascha Mounk and Roberto Stefan Foa present in their article titled "The End of the Democratic Century" published in the May/June edition of Foreign Affairs. For much of the 20th century, the United States was the leader in promoting and promulgating democracy and democratic values internationally. With the Trump presidency that leadership has eroded … [Read more...]
1968 to 2018 The Arc of American History
The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. – Martin Luther King 1968 was a watershed year for the United States of America and us. It appears that 2018 may be so as well. 1968 is the year that Martin Luther King and Robert Francis Kennedy were tragically assassinated. It is also the year that Frank Islam came to the U.S. from India to study computer science at the University of Colorado in Boulder and Ed Crego, after serving in Vietnam, joined the staff … [Read more...]
The Struggle for America’s Head, Heart and Soul
Since the beginning of this year, there have been a spate of books such as Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury; David Cay Johnston’s It’s Even Worse than You Think; and James Comey’s A Higher Loyalty that “spill the beans” on Donald Trump. While entertaining reads, they do not provide much insight into the future of this democracy. Three new books released within the past few months do so — because they provide perspectives on the ongoing struggle for America’s head, heart … [Read more...]