Author Archives: tonyj126

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About tonyj126

I'm a 50+ married man who always seems to have a large backlog of work to do, but also a lot of flexibility in my schedule. Much of the work I do is volunteer or taking care of extended family members. I suffer from, as my priest calls it, "the sin of self-sufficiency," which means I can figure out how to do most things myself, and consequently, reduce the need for community to solve problems. As a logical extention (at least to me), I find myself called to comtemplate the country's and the world's woes and offer my observations. I hope someone out there will find them useful.

Are We Misinterpreting the Populist Political Movement?

Posted on April 19, 2016 by tonyj126

The popularity of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders this primary season has baffled many political players. They speculate that the electorate is sending a message, or that the country has gotten so polarized that only the candidates with extreme views … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, U.S. Politics, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

A Baby Boomer Worries About Millennials

Posted on April 18, 2016 by tonyj126

That may not be a surprise, but I don’t mean it in a, “Get off my lawn!” kind of way. I mean I’m worried for millennials. I’ve touched on this a couple times in earlier posts, but my thoughts coalesced … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, U.S. Politics, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Donald Trump’s American Dream

Posted on April 18, 2016 by tonyj126

In the piece “Vitamin Flop” which aired on April 13, The Daily Show highlighted a failed business venture of Donald Trump’s. The Trump Network was a company started in 2009 by Ideal Health. The anti-Trump National Review claims that Donald … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, U.S. Politics, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Uh-Oh!

Posted on April 15, 2016 by tonyj126

The U.S. presidential primary season has certainly been unusual. For some of us, it’s been a nice change. I don’t mean that the slate of candidates is wonderful or it has been a pleasant experience to watch the news. I … Continue reading →

Posted in U.S. Politics, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Strong Women – Different Interpretations

Posted on April 15, 2016 by tonyj126

In a story on Morning Edition about life-long democrats in Western Pennsylvania turning to Donald Trump, NPR’s David Greene spoke to Trump campaign volunteer Trisha Cunningham. She is drawn to the candidate because of his strong position against illegal immigration. She … Continue reading →

Posted in U.S. Politics, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Why Trickle-Down Economics Won’t Work

Posted on April 14, 2016 by tonyj126

I’ve gotten a little blog writing advice – stick to one topic per post. Good idea. Most of the following is from my last post, but it’s less cluttered here. In his economic working paper “Tax Cuts For Whom? Heterogeneous … Continue reading →

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It’s Annoying When Your Friends Preempt Your Indignation

Posted on April 13, 2016 by tonyj126

I have a friend who knows a lot of stuff. I’m generally a glass-half-full kind of guy, but every now and then I rail against some injustice or stupidity; it’s the stupid things that bother me the most. But sometimes, … Continue reading →

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Mental Fidgeting

Posted on April 12, 2016 by tonyj126

That title comes from one of my favorite lines in Anne Tyler’s The Accidental Tourist. “But his study was so dim and close, and it gave off the salty, inky smell of mental fidgeting. He walked in and felt overwhelmed … Continue reading →

Posted in Musings, Uncategorized, Writing | Leave a comment

Favorite First Chapters: The Accidental Tourist

Posted on April 9, 2016 by tonyj126

While in Italy a month ago, I began writing a novella, or perhaps a novel. Actually, I began writing a short story based on this interesting idea I had a couple months ago, but I seem to be too verbose … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, Writing | Leave a comment

Fifteen Years of Change in U.S. Automotive Manufacturing

Posted on April 8, 2016 by tonyj126

The 2000 Numbers 1. # of motor vehicles produced in the world: 58,374,162; 2. # of motor vehicles produced in the U.S.: 12,799,857 (21.9%); 3. # of workers employed in U.S motor vehicle and automotive parts manufacturing = 1,313,400; 4. … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Make America Great Series, U.S. Politics, Uncategorized | 1 Comment