President Obama used his State of the Union address to shift the legislative and national focus from austerity (the debt and deficit) to audacity (growth and economic development). Some pundits assert that in doing so he was taking his eye off the ball. We would argue quite the contrary. Putting jobs and wages in the direct line of sight is exactly what needs to be done to move the economy forward in a manner that benefits the middle class and average Americans. We made that argument last … [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 Key to Prosperity: Manufacturing American Jobs
In his recent major speech at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA 7th District) called for Republicans to "focus our attention really on what lies beyond the fiscal debates" and to create "conditions for health, happiness and prosperity." It appears that the national conversation may be about to pivot from an almost obsessive concentration on big government and expense reduction to a concern for the well-being of the individual citizen and revenue … [Read more...]
Budget And Beyond: What India Needs To Do
For a while now, the performance of the Indian economy has been driving supporters of India worldwide to the sort of frustration that is often experienced by parents and teachers of a gifted teenager whose behavioral issues come in the way of fulfilling his or her enormous promise. Once the poster child of growth, the Indian economy has been having a bumpy ride in the past few years, with growth slowing down and investor confidence taking a major hit. In fact, in the past couple of years, the … [Read more...]
Gun Control vs. Mind Control
The tragic shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School have unleashed a torrent of public discussion and legislative proposals on gun control. Nationally, however, unless this debate can be framed as more than a fight about gun rights, it seems unlikely that this will result in much meaningful change. That's because, given the state of our American psyche today, mind control trumps gun control. That's not true just for gun lovers. It's also true for the general public as well. A poll … [Read more...]
Hands On, Hands Up, Hands Off: Our Necessary Social Contract Debate
America used to be a land where we took care of our own. Times are changing. Today, some would have the weakest and most vulnerable among us tighten their belts, lower their expectations, and take care of themselves. President Obama called the question on those individuals and on the shape and size of the nation's safety net in his inaugural address. A debate has been requested and it is an essential one for the future of our democracy and the American dream. For far too long, as the … [Read more...]
Manufacturing America’s Future
Once upon a time, America was the world's factory. That time will never come again. But, recent results and research indicate that factories and products will and must play a pivotal role in manufacturing America's future. Even with its relative decline as a contributor to GDP as an employer of American workers, the manufacturing sector remains a powerful force. Bruce Stokes notes in a 2011 posting published by the New America Foundation: The United States is the world's mightiest … [Read more...]
Two India-related inaugural balls and plenty of star power
For the first time in the rich and varied history of the US presidential inauguration balls, there will be two India-related balls. An Indian-American ball, sponsored by the non-profit group Indiaspora, and a Yoga Ball, hosted by Washington's Yoga community, are among the dozens of events that will celebrate the commencement of President Obama's second term. The Indiaspora Ball, scheduled to be held at the Mandarin Oriental hotel near Capitol Hill on Saturday night, has attracted … [Read more...]
Congress at the Crossroads
Congress is being held in contempt. That contempt comes from the American people. A poll released last week by Public Policy Polling (PPP) reveals that contempt is deep and broad. Congress got only a 9 percent favorability rating in the PPP study. That's the good news for the institution. The bad news is that Congress was rated considerably less popular than a number of other "distressing" things such as colonoscopies, root canals and being stuck in traffic by the survey respondents. These … [Read more...]
Conservative Messengers Need New Ideas
Former Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) who left Congress to head the conservative Heritage Foundation wrote a recent op-ed column for The Washington Post titled, "Conservative ideas need a new message." In our opinion, the conservatives' problem nationally is not a problem of messaging but one of ideas. Conservative messengers need new ideas not new messages. And, we should add, so too do liberal messengers. America is at a pivot point in a number of areas. We don't need tired partisan ideas … [Read more...]
Let’s Make America the Creation Nation Again
You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. The management consulting firm Arthur D. Little disproved this old adage in 1921 when its chemists created silk from pork byproducts. Those were the good old days of United State's innovation and, as economist Tyler Cowen points out, in the period from 1947 to 1973 because of American creativity and productivity, the inflation adjusted median income here almost doubled. From 1973 to 2004, it rose only 22 percent and has actually declined over … [Read more...]