Since the dawn of civilization, man has dreamed of living longer, healthier lives. The average human life span has increased from around 30 years just 500 years ago to nearly 70 years today; in advanced countries, it is rapidly approaching 80. However, the maximum age for individuals has not increased; it’s remained stuck at about 120 years. Even now, our market-driven healthcare system appears to be blasting through that barrier. What is this new breakthrough? What are the implications? We’ll fill you in.

view full article

A hallmark of the EU and Canada is state-run, universal healthcare. After categorically rejecting such a program in 1994, the United States will reconsider it in the run-up to the 2008 elections. What are the critical issues involved? How is it likely to develop? We’ll diagnose the problems and prescribe a cure.

view full article

Those who fear a so-called North American Union may be especially frightened by the possibility that the United States might become the kind of uncompetitive welfare state embodied in the EU. Regardless of whether it represents the future of North America, we can learn a lot from examining the past, present, and future of Europe. Where has it been? Where is it going? And why? We’ll provide the answers.

view full article

Just as some people believe all of the manufacturing jobs are moving to China, others believe that the United States is soon going to merge with Canada and Mexico, in a structure resembling the EU. Is this a real possibility? What are the implications? We’ll explain.

view full article

Another place where people “miss the forest because the trees get in the way” is in understanding employment and industrial development. The mass media would have you believe that only high-tech wizards and private equity managers are thriving. This is not the case at all. We’ll show you why manufacturers and their skilled workers can still thrive in America.

view full article

Whether it's the S&L crisis of 1989, the Asian debt crisis of 1998, the "tech wreck" of 2000, or the American subprime mortgage crisis of 2007, investors tend to look at the proximate causes and solutions of each crisis as unique. However, the problem, the solution, and the outcome are fundamentally the same in every case: Speculators get carried away with enthusiasm for one asset class; then, rather than letting the market sort out the winners and losers, a set of fiscal and monetary tools put in place during the Great Depression is used to "get us beyond the crisis," without completely resolving the underlying imbalances. How do these tools work? What are the implications of using them? And, how can each of us use our understanding to profit from crises, now and in the future? We’ll show you the "big picture."

view full article