Marty Robins

There has recently been a good deal of attention on the downfall of CEOs such as Scott Thompson of Yahoo and Brian Dunn of Best Buy for alleged indiscretions. These developments are said by some to be a triumph for shareholders. I'm not sure why anyone should think so. As...

There's been a lot of bad news coming from the University of Illinois athletic programs lately: long losing streaks, coaches fired, top players leaving early to go pro, sought-after coaches not interested, trustees not approving a coach's contract solely on account of his race,... However, one does not...

The most recent kerfuffle involving the alleged depredations of Goldman Sachs illustrates a fundamental cause of our recent economic problems. No, not Goldman and other institutions taking advantage of innocent consumers, although some of the latter undoubtedly occurred. I'm talking about major institutions doing nothing to protect their own interests,...

Amidst all of the controversy surrounding Sen. Rick Santorum's apparent rise in the polls is one fundamental question: Are any of his core beliefs important to the country or to enough voters to matter? Senator Santorum makes no secret of his emphasis on social issues such as gay marriage, contraception,...

If the 'settlement' involving mortgage foreclosure practices is supposed to be good news for the country, I must have missed something. To me this is economically detrimental, manifestly unfair to those who did not take on unaffordable mortgages, and a thinly disguised attempt to buy votes (with banks'...

I think both parties should be discussing the Obama Administration's recent failed attempt to replace Attorney General Eric Holder with Prof. John Yoo. Has everyone read of this attempt to remake the Justice Department in a manner which would have been extreme even for the Bush Administration? ... No, because...

As we consider which presidential candidate is best equipped to lead us back to prosperity, we must address which ones are most in touch with reality. Judging from recent events, it is clear that too many influential people are overly detached. As the campaign proceeds, the electorate must be most...

For a somewhat unconventional, but I think ultimately insightful, view of what has gone wrong in the private sector of our economy, and what needs to be fixed to avoid future financial crashes, look no further than the Chicago Bears football team and its "offensive coordinator", Mike Martz .

Recent events and disclosures regarding the Penn State football program are most disturbing for several reasons. While there is no question that the assaults allegedly perpetrated by Mr. Sandusky are despicable and should, if proven, cause his imprisonment for life, and those who may have facilitated these assaults should be...

Amidst all of the handwringing about the economy and what needs to change to get it back on track, we read of the bureaucratic mentality of "same old same old" impeding such consideration and efforts. Specifically, when one sees articles on the so-called foreclosure settlement, discussions between major lenders...

Ladies and Gentlemen:

You would be doing a great disservice to the US and its consumers if you approve the proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile. Simply put, AT&T does not have in place management sufficient to discharge the company's current responsibilities, let alone those which would be added if...

Typically, a bias toward action is desirable. This is especially true in crisis situations, such as our current economic predicament. However, on occasion, we encounter suggestions for action which are so misguided that they cry out for a declaration that 'nothing' would be preferable. This is the case with Peter...

It's easy and logical to blame stock market turbulence on the S&P downgrade of America's credit rating. However, it may pay to look at other, less apparent factors to see why America's economy is struggling and what needs to be changed to get back on track.

What prompted me to...

A few months ago I might have started this column with something like 'I don't mean to sound like an alarmist...' but now I think it's time to be an alarmist about the state and direction of America. This country is in deep and worsening trouble and it's time that...

There's been a lot of overheated rhetoric around the pending National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)/Boeing matter, in which the NLRB is considering whether Boeing's attempt to move plane production to South Carolina from Washington State, because of the more employer-friendly labor laws in the former, violates federal labor...

Commitment or its absence is an issue in many contexts. However, there is no situation where this is more the case than our current economy. By any standard, economic growth is profoundly disappointing for where we are relative to the Great Recession.

Whether the indication is unemployment, housing prices,...

As a retail investor, I'm told that I should be happy about the Rajaratnam conviction on various charges related to insider trading activity. The prosecutor in the case tells the world that this behavior "cheats the ordinary investor." I'm also told that the insider trading crackdown which...

It's an interesting juxtaposition of events, but one which causes me concern about the direction of the country. We woke up this morning to hear and read of the brilliant and selfless accomplishment of our military in neutralizing Osama bin Laden, which will unquestionably enhance our safety. We should all...

Recent days have seen a good deal of commentary regarding a proposed easing of the SEC's rules governing so-called "private placements" of securities. The rules would among other things, increase the number of shareholders a company could have and remain private for securities law purposes -- i.e. not required to...

I wonder if other economic observers were shaken to the extent I was by recent comments by seemingly disparate actors, William Dudley, president of the New York Fed, and President Obama. The former sought to downplay the extent of price inflation by explaining that as is true...