Now that the Republican and Democratic national conventions are over, it's time to see what impact they had on the truly independent voter. And, the answer is very little. That's because most independent voters are "unconventional". They don't watch the conventions or only catch snippets when they are channel surfing and forget to hit the "change channels" button on their remote control quickly enough. Conventions are not what they once were. Today they serve three primary purposes: … [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.
This Is Not Your Mother’s Medicare: Part 2
In Part 1 of this post we provided background and information on the Ryan Plan for Medicare highlighting reasons why it would neither protect nor strengthen Medicare. We concluded Part 1 as follows: It seems to us that there is little to no question that if the Ryan Plan were adapted it would mean dramatic changes to the way Medicare is delivered and would apparently have substantial negative cost and coverage consequences for many beneficiaries. There would still be a promise. But, it would … [Read more...]
Race for White House: Bill Clinton makes case for Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention
CHARLOTTE: Twenty-four hours after Michelle Obama delivered a magnum opus, it was Bill Clinton's turn to be the showstopper at the Democratic National Convention. In his nearly 50-minute speech, the former US president worked the 20,000-strong crowd in a way only he could do. Clinton used his legendary persuasive skills and command of facts to dismantle, one by one, charges Republicans made against Obama last week. Clinton - who was first elected to the White House in 1992, during a trying … [Read more...]
Race to White House: Heavy on optimism, Barack Obama spells out his goals for the next four years
In a speech that was thick on policy and heavy on optimism, Barack Obama accepted his party's nomination for president of the United States on Thursday night, the last day or the Democratic National Convention. Framing the election as "a choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future", the US president urged Americans not to turn the clock back on all the progressive initiatives he put in place in the past four years. "[Know] this, America," he said "Our problems can be … [Read more...]
Race for White House: Michelle Obama delivers a masterful speech at the Democratic National Convention
After getting pummeled during the Republican National Convention in Tampa last week, it was finally time for the Democrats to make their case. And that is what one witnessed in Charlotte on Tuesday, the first day of the Democratic National Convention. Speaker after speaker made eloquent and powerful cases to the American people for giving President Barak Obama four more years. There were several speakers that stood out, but none more than San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and Massachusetts … [Read more...]
This Is Not Your Mother’s Medicare: Part 1
It takes The Villages to raise many misconceptions regarding Medicare to national attention. It takes the Republican Party Convention to make them central to the national discussion. Paul Ryan, the Republican vice presidential nominee, visited The Villages, a senior retirement community in Florida, on August 18 with his 78-year-old mother by his side. Jon Busdeker of the Orlando Sentinel opened his article on the visit by reporting that Ryan went there "to make a point about Medicare." … [Read more...]
Labor’s Love Lost
"Look for the union label." That was one of the catch phrases for the union movement in happier times. It used to be labor unions were something that many working class Americans loved. It now appears that labor unions are something that many working class Americans hate. What is the status of labor unions as we approach Labor Day 2012? On January 27 of this year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its Union Members Summary for 2011 which showed that the union membership rate … [Read more...]
A Tale of Two Armstrongs
In the past week, two American heroes passed away: One literally -- the other figuratively. Both were household names not only here in the United States but around the world. In the future, both will be remembered but for different reasons. Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who walked on the moon in 1969, died on Saturday, August 25. This Armstrong became famous for declaring "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" as he set foot on the moon's surface. Armstrong traveled … [Read more...]
Higher Education Reform in Motion
It's been said that necessity is the mother of invention. As we have shown in our first three posts in this series on higher education, there is much necessity. This necessity has spawned "inventions" and innovations ranging from system changes at the federal, state and local levels to individual initiatives. In this final post, we provide a Whitman's sampler of some of the approaches that are being discussed or are underway in the areas that we analyzed in our prior posts: costs; graduation … [Read more...]
Donald Trump, Statesman of the Year?
No, it's not a skit for Saturday Night Live -- at least not an intentional one. On August 26, on the day before the Republican Convention officially begins in Tampa, Florida, the Sarasota Republican Party will honor Donald Trump as its Statesman of the Year in an award ceremony in Sarasota. In making the announcement of the award on July 9, Joe Gruters, the Sarasota Republican Party chair, said to Jim Meyer of Newsmax "He is a very sage, skillful, and respected leader. Jobs and the economy … [Read more...]