Public life is now at a standstill in the United States. Millions are social distancing and staying at home to avoid further community spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19. It’s important to remain positive, but times are tough. Nearly 18% of American households are facing reduced hours or layoffs at work according to […]
Are Timeshares the Ultimate Vacation Racket?
Last year, I won a free trip to a Las Vegas resort. But it came with a catch: I had to listen to a sales pitch on at least one afternoon of my three-day, two-night stay. No biggie, I thought. I’d pop in and hear the pitch before I hit the pool. The trip was […]
The Green Rush Is Already Here, and We Need Smart Cannabis Policy to Direct It
This week, 60 Minutes ran a report on the failure of cannabis policy in California, specifically the marijuana-rich region of the Emerald Triangle. Though California legalized cannabis beginning in 2017, the region has created a special conundrum for law enforcement and regulators. The northwestern region of the state, with its ideal growing climate, grows an estimated 70% of the […]
Have We Reached Peak Lawsuit?
Another day, another bogus lawsuit. That seems to be the trend in today’s frantic fever to adjudicate every aspect of our lives. It’s gone much beyond the famous $3 million McDonalds “hot coffee” lawsuit of the 1990s. We see this with the landmark $572 million opioid lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson in Oklahoma, boiling down […]
Nicotine is Not Your Enemy
In the fourth season of the popular show Mad Men, creative advertising executive Donald Draper pens a page-long ad in the New York Times explaining why he’s “quit tobacco.” A long time creative force in pushing cigarettes in popular media, he decides he’s had a change of heart when it comes to the dangerous effects […]
We Must Make Consumer Privacy a Priority
Nearly every day we hear of more major cases of identity theft, financial crime and other forms of attacks or malicious interference on the internet. Breeches become commonplace and lax standards leave consumers worried about how their information is safeguarded. The colossal breaches at British Airways and Marriott and Starwood in 2018 compromised the private […]
Facebook Trustbusters Are Motivated by Partisan Politics, Not Concern for the Consumer
Channeling the spirit of Theodore Roosevelt and nostalgia for the early 20th century Progressive Era, the latest bad idea being circulated in elite circles is to use the trust-busting power of the federal government to break up the social network Facebook. The idea has been promoted by the likes of Democratic politicians like senators Elizabeth […]
The Social Media ‘Deplatforming Purge’ Will Only Make the Internet a Seedier Place
At the dawn of the social media revolution, our first instincts were on the money. Instantaneous communication, blogging and social networks were the ultimate innovations for free speech. Millions of people were given a voice beyond the reach of traditional gatekeepers. It was glorious. Now that we’ve lived through two decades of this revolution, however, […]