According to a new Pew Research Center survey, 66 percent of respondents agree that there are “very strong” or “strong” conflicts between rich and poor in America. This is up from 47 percent that agreed with this two years ago.

I don’t care what the Wall Street Journal said or other so called political genius’ from the GOP establishment, House Republicans blew it this week when they caved into Senate Democrats two month payroll tax holiday scam.

Naturally I disagree with much of the opposition and my well-meaning colleagues on the left in regards to Keynes and his school of economics. Many in this school of thought cannot accept the fact that Keynesian economics has never worked; it did not work in the depression nor has it worked any time since then.

It is a tragedy when people become so blinded by ideology that they waste their life savings or lose their jobs. When the blinded individuals hold power over federal spending, however, they waste other people’s money and lose other people’s jobs. Solyndra—the solar panel manufacturing company which became the graveyard for hundreds of millions of federal dollars—is just one of many such disasters.

…like the rest of the economic stimuli that have come from Washington over the last three years, the only thing that has been stimulated is the growing hole of national debt into which we sink deeper and deeper.

Self-esteem is the knowledge that you are a capable human being, able to learn from mistakes and turn them into triumphs. When you step out into the world, you must be able to converse and act with confidence in business and with friends. Home is one of the best places to start.

Again the public trust has been breached by those who are entrusted to protect other people’s money. What is the difference between Corizine and Madoff? Corizine lost other people’s money by taking unnecessary and unapproved risks. Madoff stole other people’s money in a Ponzi scheme.

When the Republican presidential candidates were asked in the most recent debate if the United States should help bail out these bankrupt European nations, the consensus response was “no.”

Millions of poor, black, Latino and elderly Americans will bear the brunt of rising energy costs. Even middle class families will have to decide whether to heat their homes or buy groceries or medicine.

Whatever happened to people such as Berry Gordy of Motown Records, John H. Johnson of Johnson Publishing or cardiac surgery pioneer Vivien Thomas? There are new names of note, such as movie special effects and digital music pioneer Marc Hannah and car designer Dennis Moses, but not legends like their predecessors.