Who are we as citizens of these United States? With the exception of the indigenous Native Americans, we are all immigrants in this immigrant nation. This nation is a great nation. Immigrants have helped make it so. In 1958, before he became president, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, wrote a book titled, A Nation of Immigrants. In his book, Kennedy observed: The abundant resources of this land provided the foundations for a great nation. But only people could make 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.
The Cancer Cult is Infecting Our American Mind and Memory
I believe totally in your freedoms. I do, you’re free, you got to do what you have to do. But I recommend taking the vaccines. I did it, it’s good, take the vaccines. — Donald Trump at an August 21 rally in Alabama [This is the third and final blog of a three-part series. In the first blog, posted on August 17, we examined the impact of the cancer cult on the nation’s physical health. In the second, posted on September 1, we looked at the cult’s impact on the … [Read more...]
The USA: No More Poor?
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...]
A False Choice: Earned Income Tax Credit or Minimum Wage Increase
The release of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) study, The Effects of a Minimum Wage Increase on Employment and Family Income, in mid-February created a brouhaha within and around the Beltway. In our opinion, however, the study brought more heat than light about what to do to address the economic needs of those in low income families and low wage workers. That's because the study itself became the story as its methodology and conclusions were debated by those in the economic … [Read more...]
America’s New Poverty: The Poverty That Must Be Defeated
In this 50th anniversary year of the initiation of the War on Poverty (War), there has been much discussion about the war and its relative success and failure. There has been far too little attention paid, however, to America's new poverty. That is a poverty of compassion, a poverty of commitment, and a poverty of creativity. Before we examine the nature of those emerging dimensions of poverty, let's reflect on the history of the War on Poverty. On January 8, 1964, in his State of the … [Read more...]
Saving Grace: Renewing the Promise of the American Dream
On December 4, Sotheby's sold "Saying Grace" -- one of Norman Rockwell's more famous paintings and "best loved scenes" -- at auction to an unidentified acquirer for $46 million. It is a sad sign of our times that this painting of "average" Americans bowing their heads in prayer before eating a meal in a restaurant can sell for such a stunning amount, while -- if the House gets its way on food stamp cuts -- there will be less food on the table for millions of our fellow citizens. We might … [Read more...]
Braking Bad: The Critical Need to End Congressional Gridlock
It's been more than a week now since Congress put on the brakes and officially ended the bad being done by the shutdown. Unfortunately, the bad lingers on and the worst may be ahead. That's because the shutdown was a symbolic manifestation of a much bigger ongoing problem that has had and will have significant economic, psychological and behavioral consequences. During the shutdown, Rana Foroohar wrote an article for Time titled, "Congress is Bad for the Economy." How "bad" is it? Let's … [Read more...]
Time to Make Job Creation a Team Sport
The American jobs machine is broken. To fix this, we need to bring more cooperation to capitalism and make it a team sport. In our previous two blogs we looked at the condition of labor and workers in the United States and recommended worker cooperatives as a means to address that condition. In our final blog in this series, we explore why this is an essential action at this point in time and what cooperatives of all types can bring to the table. America has always prided itself on rugged … [Read more...]
Minimum Wage, Maximum Dissent
Given the reactions that President Obama got after he proposed raising the minimum wage to $9 an hour in his State of the Union address, he must have felt a little like comedian Rodney Dangerfield. He just didn't get any respect. And that was from the left and the right. Those on the conservative side criticized the increase as a job killer and harmful to small business. Those on the progressive side criticized the increase as insufficient and too small to be meaningful. From the right, … [Read more...]