Common Cents Blog
Everyone probably already knows the old expression “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” The meaning is pretty simple: don’t question or be otherwise be ungrateful when receiving something for free, as in a gift.…
“I’m recovering from a cold. I’m so full of penicillin that, if I sneeze, I’ll cure someone.” Tommy Cooper Maybe you have heard the expression “the cure is worse than the disease.” This is a…
Yesterday, March 12, I made a presentation to a group of people here in Birmingham about the macroeconomic impact of COVID-19. More correctly, I was one of three speakers in a brief morning seminar. As such,…
“When you live in hysteria, people tend to think emotionally.” John Mellencamp While the stock market gets most of the headlines, the recent price action in the bond market has been breathtaking. To most people,…
“Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics.” Attributed to Mark Twain This morning, at 5:30 am ET, the Wall Street Journal dropped an article by a Jon Sindreu on its website entitled: “Inequality Isn’t Shareholders’ Fault, But…
“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.” Margaret J. Wheatley A few weeks ago, I wrote about how well-intentioned actions can have unintended economic…
“I Like Boring Things” Andy Warhol Long years ago, I was in a group conversation which ultimately led to the following question: “if you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what…
“Panic causes tunnel vision. Calm acceptance of danger allows us to more easily assess the situation and see the options.” Simon Sinek According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 1.5 million people worldwide…
“One of the things that we have to realize is we cannot get off gas, we cannot get off oil, fossil fuels tomorrow – it’s going to take a few decades. maybe we can shorten it,…
“I think we are at the dawn of a new era in commercial space exploration.” Elon Musk Over the last week, with the NCAA Championship Game, the impeachment saga in Washington, the ongoing turmoil in…