Author Archives: oliverakel

One of the great aspects of our democracy is the attention given to freedom and the rights of the people. The Bill of Rights is the cornerstone of our constitution, and we do a serious disservice to ourselves and to our country if we do not rigorously uphold them. But we face great danger, andContinue reading “On Rights”

We proclaim great unease about global warming, we decry the increasing obliteration of our forests, and we express concerned about the rising costs of just about everything. So what are we doing about it all except wringing our hands? Paper products: Paper equals trees; the more paper we consume, the more trees we cut down, theContinue reading “On Waste”

Too often these days we read how other major powers are taking over, surpassing us in so many areas, and eating our lunch. There is some truth that China, in particular, is seemingly making great strides in replacing the U.S. as the “go-to” country, and challenging the worldwide dominance we have enjoyed since the fallContinue reading “On America”

After WWII, Japan began its recovery making and exporting products that were most often of inferior quality. I recall that anytime we encountered a poor quality product we automatically labeled it as “made in Japan”. For some time “made in China” carried the same portrayal. Not so much anymore.  Deng Xiaoping followed Mao Zedong asContinue reading “On China’s Rise”

Is American at war with itself? Are the streets of America now hardened battlefields? Do we put the lives of our families at risk when we go to a mall or send our children to a school?. I believe that this is America – –  “the home of the free”; free to live out our dreamsContinue reading “On Mass Shootings”

The dictionary defines Complacency as: “A feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or with one’s achievements.” Does that sound a bit like America today? Are we just looking back at how great we were yesterday and failing to see where we are today and where we may be tomorrow? Are we so self-confidentContinue reading “On Complacency”

There are several rather important priorities for America moving forward:             Grow the Middle Class.             Reduce income inequality.             Reduce dependance on foreign sources.             Prioritize production over speculative enterprises. Deal effectively with climate change.             Reduce wasteful time kids spend on their laptops. All needed and very important undertakings. By the way, these priorities are from Xi Jinping’sContinue reading “On Progress and Such”

In the 17th and 18th centuries China had an unhappy and often humiliating relationship with Russia. Even in 1912 when the Chinese Republic was created, it was too weak to resist the unequal treaties foisted upon it by Russia (and others). In the Bolshevik revolution in 1917-1922 China supported the losing White army. In 1923Continue reading “On Vladimir and Xi”

China is a Goliath with several significant near term challenges. Its economy is struggling with slow covid recovery, an aging and shrinking workforce, a strident, demanding population and a disgruntled client base. Its rapid rise to a dominant world power is in heated competition with the U.S. and, to a lesser extent, with Russia. InContinue reading “On Ukraine, Russia and China”

 Correction/update  (I hate it when that happens) It is commendable that young people take on major debts to better themselves by obtaining a quality education, and it is noble that the government would want to ease the pain of such an undertaking.  There are around 45 million students/former students with school debt totaling over $1.7Continue reading “On Student Debt”