When Boston Scientific received recent federal approval to sell a new drug-coated stent, the Twin Cities news media uniformly portrayed the act as good news. While based in Massachusetts, the firm has plants here that may add 2,000 jobs because…
Placing value on thanks and giving
The great American philosopher Woody Allen once said, “Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.” That is a good insight to remember on a day when tradition says we should reflect on what we have that is…
Make penalty match profit
The latest news from the accounting firm front — KPMG’s apparent failure to register a tax shelter — offers strong support for an assertion by Nobel Laureate Gary Becker. Becker, famous for his applications of microeconomics theory to marriage and…
Using common funds for the common good
The energy legislation emerging from Congress in recent weeks is a sterling example of the kind of government action that makes us poorer as a society. It is chock full of unnecessary subsidies to nuclear power and the petroleum industry.…