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After playing (price) tag for more than a year, Apple Inc., the iconic symbol of Generation Y, recently blew past Exxon Mobil Corp. and is riding the wave of success following the release of its new iPad. With its market capitalization pegged at more than $550 billion, the technology giant achieved the uncontested title of…

On Saturday The Times reported on an apparently growing phenomenon in Europe: “suicide by economic crisis,” people taking their own lives in despair over unemployment and business failure. It was a heartbreaking story. But I’m sure I wasn’t the only reader, especially among economists, wondering if the larger story isn’t so much about individuals as…

Congress is getting more serious about cyber-security. Cyber-security involves everything from a foreign power attacking our ability to control the national power grid, to a disgruntled employee hacking into the office computer and stealing proprietary corporate documents. I covered additional thoughts on national cyber security earlier. There is no national standard for cyber-security and no…

During the presidential campaign, Cabinet departments are wide targets for candidates touting efficiency and fiscal responsibility. This makes for a nice sound bite, but how badly are these departments performing? It is high time to have a top-to-bottom review of all Cabinet-level departments to determine the purpose, mission and efficacy of the organization. Every Cabinet…

Two policies of the Obama administration illustrate an axiom: As government expands, its lawfulness contracts. Consider the administration’s desire to continue funding UNESCO and to develop a national curriculum for primary and secondary education. In 1994, Congress stipulated that no U.S. funds shall go to “any affiliated organization” of the United Nations that “grants full…

WITH Super Tuesday in the books, the time has come to praise that most mocked, maligned and misunderstood of Americans: the Republican primary voter. The longer the primary campaign drags on, the more its noise and nastiness are being cited as proof that Republican America has gone crazy. “Political parties aren’t supposed to act suicidal,”…

It wasn’t that long ago that American parents were gripped with Tiger Mother anxiety. Did we over praise our kids in the name of promoting self-esteem? Were we forfeiting an Ivy League future for them if we didn’t force them to practice endless hours of violin or rip up birthday cards that weren’t perfect? Were…

I’m rooting for Rick Santorum to win the Republican nomination. Seriously. You probably think that is because it would be the best possible outcome for President Obama. No doubt it would be. If Santorum were the Republican nominee for president, the independents disenchanted with Obama would come flocking back; their fear of Santorum’s unyielding brand…

THE right-wing provocateur Andrew Breitbart and the neoconservative scholar James Q. Wilson, who died within 48 hours of each other last week – Wilson at the age of 80, Breitbart so unexpectedly at 43 – had one important thing in common: They were both prominent conservatives who arguably left their most enduring legacy in the…

DETROIT — For the past week, much of the focus of the Republican presidential race has centered on the consequences Mitt Romney will face if he loses Michigan’s primary. After a debate in Arizona on Wednesday, the question should be: What will happen if he wins his home state? Polls in Michigan show a tight…

If you are adopting a child in 2011, I want to encourage you to familiarize yourself with the adoption tax credit. The Affordable Care Act increased the amount of the credit and made it refundable, which means it can increase the amount of your refund. Here are six things to know about this valuable tax…

Dumbing Deficits Down Gas Prices and a Sane Energy Policy Another Inside Job Biennial Budget, a Step Toward Fixing Deficit Tax Tips $$$ IRS Loses: Estate avoids undervaluation penalty when both sides’ experts were wrong.   When a woman died, her shares in a private company were valued by the IRS at $32.4 million and…