In a democracy, every citizen, regardless of his interest in politics, ‘holds office’; every one of us is in a position of responsibility; and, in the final analysis, the kind of government we get depends upon how we fulfill those responsibilities. We, the people, are the boss, and we will get the kind of political leadership, be it good or bad, that we demand and deserve. — John F. Kennedy The American people have spoken. The political leader they chose for the nation in this past … [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.
The perils of Trump’s proposed tariff trade war
President Donald J. Trump’s second term began in the same dramatic fashion as his first term. Trump 1.0 kicked off in 2017 with his so-called Muslim ban. Trump 2.0 in 2025 has begun with a wave of immigrant deportations and a trade crackdown. I will address the immigration crackdown in a future column. Today, my focus is on trade. Fulfilling a key campaign promise, Trump escalated trade tensions by imposing tariffs on goods from the United … [Read more...]
Jimmy Carter: A Good Citizen
In January, in our nation’s capital, there was a state funeral for Jimmy Carter, the 39th president, and Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States. Trump is very well known. Carter not so much. This raises the question: Who was Jimmy Carter? There was a flood of commentary answering this question after Carter died on December 29, 2024, through his state funeral and burial on January 9. Among other things, he was remembered as an … [Read more...]
H-1B debate is a vote on America’s future
The H-1B visa debate intensifies under Trump, impacting tech growth and the Indian American community. The H-1B visa programme has been instrumental in driving the growth of America’s tech industry over the past four decades. Through the years, millions of tech workers have come to the United States (US), contributed to the industry’s growth and benefited themselves. Among those who leveraged an H-1B visa as a pathway to success in the US are Elon Musk, the world’s richest … [Read more...]
The Federal Government’s Need for Reform in Perspective
The federal government is under attack. That attack is not coming from a foreign government or enemy troops, but from those in this country who consider the federal government the deep state, or want it to do only their bidding. The attack is supported or approved of by some citizens who, for a variety of reasons, have issues with the federal government. There is no question that the federal government is not perfect and never will be. It is, however, not a deep state, nor should it be … [Read more...]
2025: Year of the Trump-et and the Musk-et?
On January 20, 2025 Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. Eight years earlier on January 20, 2017, Trump was sworn in as the 45th president. In the period from that date until he left office on January 20, 2021, President Trump blew his trumpet improvisationally and idiosyncratically. He did that because he had no specific musical score to play and was not prepared for the job. That will not be the case this time around. Trump has a definite … [Read more...]
A Holiday Prayer For Peace On Earth
Peace on earth has been a common request since the beginning of time. Luke, the apostle, said in Bible verse 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the poet, in 1863 wrote: I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men! U-2, the rock band, in 2001 sang: Heaven on Earth We need it … [Read more...]
Rediscovering America’s Working Class
Working class voters sent a wake-up call in this presidential election. Their call was that they were angry and tired of being taken for granted. As a result, the majority of them voted for Donald Trump instead of Kamala Harris. That call raises the conventional “W” questions of who, what, when, where, why: Who is in the working class? What are the conditions of the working class? When did those conditions start to change? Where does the working class live? Why did … [Read more...]
Democratic Party needs to chart a citizen-centric path
The Democratic Party has considerable work to do in order to reposition and revitalise itself as a winner in a presidential election. Weeks after a devastating electoral defeat, the Democratic Party finds itself in a period of serious introspection. With Kamala Harris’s historic candidacy ending in a loss, the blame game has been relentless, both within the party and among media pundits. While the shock does not rival the seismic political upset of 2016 when Donald Trump defeated … [Read more...]
2024 Thanksgiving Thoughts: The Light Of Democracy Still Shines
This Thanksgiving we are thankful that the light of our American democracy still shines. That was the opening sentence of our Thanksgiving blog, written after the 2022 mid-term elections. Even though we are not happy with who won the presidency, it is the opening sentence for our Thanksgiving blog this 2024 election year as well. Here’s why. In 2022, we described the electoral environment as follows: Much of the media in the period from Labor Day in September until the … [Read more...]