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 Answer for Renewing the American Dream and America
Not Socialism. Not Capitalism. A More Inclusive and Equitable Democracy. In this 20th year of the 21st century, the United States of America has become a land of inequality and a sanctuary for the rich and powerful. The top 1% of earners have more wealth than the bottom 80% and the top 20% have more wealth than all those in the middle class. America today is an economically divided nation. And, as we noted in our previous blog, those on the underside of that … [Read more...]
NOT SOCIALISM. NOT CAPITALISM.
In this 20th year of the 21st century, the United States of America has become a land of inequality and a sanctuary for the rich and powerful. The top 1% of earners have more wealth than the bottom 80% and the top 20% have more wealth than all those in the middle class. America today is an economically divided nation. And, as we noted in our previous blog, those on the underside of that divide include many in the middle class, blue collar or low wage workers, gig workers and … [Read more...]
Afghan Peace Agreement: Need to convert uncertainty to opportunity
ON Saturday, 29 February, the United States and the Taliban signed a peace agreement between the two entities in Afghanistan. This agreement presents the potential opportunity to end the longest war in the US history. There is much uncertainty, however, as to whether it will be consummated. There is no uncertainty, on the other hand, that Pakistan played a role in helping to get to this point and could make a contribution to converting this opportunity into a reality. … [Read more...]
The U.S. Economy: Boom Or Bust For The American Worker?
Is today’s U.S. economy a boom or a bust for the American worker? It all depends on who is looking, where one looks, and what measures are being used. Until the coronavirus hit a couple of weeks back, the macro-economy in 2020 appeared to be firing on all cylinders. Wall Street was setting records. GDP was up. Unemployment was the lowest in 50 years. Wages, which had been growing incrementally, had begun to rise. And consumer confidence hit a record high. With the … [Read more...]
Healthcare: India and US can learn from each other
Healthcare: India and US can learn from each other (Comment) India and the United States of America are the two largest democracies in the world. For most of this 21st century, they have served as solid examples for others to follow. The same cannot be said for their delivery of healthcare. The World Health Organization (WHO) provided its first and only ranking of health systems in 2000. The US ranked 37 and India ranked 112 out of 191 countries. The current coronavirus crisis, … [Read more...]
Trump’s India visit was aimed at the diaspora vote
By all accounts, the India visit of President Donald Trump was a grand success, if one were to judge it as a pure spectacle. The highlight of the trip was a public event at the Motera Stadium, where huge numbers of adoring Indians cheered the United States President. It was perhaps the largest crowd ever drawn by Trump in his short public life. Crowd size apart, how consequential was the Trump visit? Will it have any long-term impact on US-India relations? In the weeks prior to the … [Read more...]
Trump’s India visit: More symbolism than substance
The past few days have been bad ones for the Trump presidency in general due to the President’s inability to think and speak directly about the coronavirus and the markets falling precipitously. By contrast, the few days before them with his India visit were very god ones for the President himself. Here’s why. In September of 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went from India to the United States on a ballyhooed visit. It kicked off in Houston with an event called “Howdy Modi” … [Read more...]
The Trump Administration: The Plot Sickens for Our Democracy
This past decade was a one of loss for the United States. We’ve hoped that this decade would be one of recovery. As we noted in our last blog, however, we are not off to a good start in this regard. There were five disquieting events in the first week of February indicating that the loss in the 2010s might continue and even accelerate in 2020s. They were: President Trump’s State of the Union address The Senate’s acquittal of Donald Trump on the impeachment … [Read more...]
2010–2019: A Decade Of Loss. 2020–2029: A Decade For Recovery.
The decade 2010–2019 for the United States, to paraphrase T.S. Eliot, was one that “ended not with a bang but with a whimper.” Some of that whimper was President Donald Trump bemoaning the unjustness of his impeachment by the U.S. House. Some of it was writers looking back retrospectively and commenting on those ten years. In their assessment, this past decade was not one of joy and American progress but one of sadness and retreat. The cover page of the Sunday Review … [Read more...]