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Open or closed borders?

Columnists

Who said this? “If you don’t have any borders, you don’t have a nation.” The speaker went on, “Trump did a better job. I don’t like Trump, but we should have a secure border. It ain’t that hard to do. Biden didn’t do it.” It was Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in characteristic candor. If, as Milton Friedman argued, you can’t have open borders and a generous welfare state, Sanders, as a self-described socialist, prefers the welfare state. The facts at this point are not in much doubt. The Pew Research Institute, not an anti-immigration outfit, estimated that there ...

Free Market Works

Columnists

Who wants higher electricity rates? Ask just about anyone and they’ll agree that energy prices have risen. They’re not wrong. In recent weeks there has been significant attention in the Mountain State on what is driving those costs. The question has no doubt arisen from people seeing their electricity bills steadily rise, especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic five years ago. A review of data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that electricity rates have risen for most states. For example: West Virginia: +27.71% Ohio: ...

NYC mayor race has national ramifications

Columnists

In just a few days, a Karl Marx-quoting communist who has struggled to disavow Hamas is likely to be elected the next mayor of the nation’s financial and cultural epicenter. Thirty-three-year-old New York state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani has surged to the front of the race. He leads by double digits in virtually every public poll, he is an overwhelming favorite in the online betting markets. Absent a miracle, in short, Mamdani is going to win and will be the next mayor of New York City. But one might be forgiven for believing in the possibility of miracles. Mamdani must, somehow, be ...

Success always starts with building relationships

Columnists

Do not assume. This thought hit me as I read feedback from attendees of a sales conference. The most often mentioned takeaway is to focus on building relationships. Reading them, I wondered how many of us make assumptions in this area. Do the people we lead know a positive outcome begins by building a relationship? It is not unusual for salespeople to be told to make so many contacts a day. Research likely says a certain percentage of these contacts will be converted to a sale.  In hospitals, managers are told to engage with (round on) every patient in their area. In most ...

Go with the money

Columnists

When considering who would assist the Saudi Arabian oil industry, King Ibn Saud stated in 1933 that he preferred Americans. When asked why, he said, “They work hard! They get the oil, and they don’t get into politics.” This would surprise most U.S. citizens in 2025. It seems that all the United States does is meddle in politics, particularly in the Middle East. Of course, this was before the establishment of the State of Israel. From 1948 onward, the U.S. has had to balance its oil interests in Arabia with its commitment to the Jewish state. This juxtaposition of their ...

Remember

Editorials

There was a time not too long ago when the first Saturday in November meant everyone needed to travel through their houses changing the time on clocks, watches and microwave ovens, and then head out to their cars to make similar adjustments. While that chore has largely been eliminated, thanks to smart phones and watches that always show the exact time no matter where you are, other clocks that automatically adjust and even appliances that are connected to the internet and never fail to show the proper time, the return of Eastern Standard Time represents a good reminder to check ...