In April 2013, Stephen Colbert interviewed former President William Jefferson Clinton. It would be difficult to imagine a more flattering interview, unless scripted by Clinton's own press people (upon reflection -- perhaps it was).

For those not familiar with The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert (masquerading as a right-wing political commentator)...

New York Ideas 2013 -- Some Reflections

The recent New York Ideas 2013 conference, sponsored by The Aspen Institute and The Atlantic Magazine, brought together about 600 New York and national thought leaders.

Among the many participants were people such as: Robert K. Steel (NYC Deputy Mayor for...

Only hypocrisy and demagoguery can explain Republican opposition to gun regulation, alleging potential infringement of constitutional freedoms -- alongside Republican support for monitoring American citizens based solely on religion and empowering the government to deprive citizens of their rights, by deeming them enemy combatants.

The Congress won't restrict sales...

Bitcoin seeks to be an electronic cash (currency) system that doesn't rely on trust. Paradoxically, Bitcoin requires a trust-based ecosystem.

As a brief summary: The Bitcoin system was developed as an electronic currency by Satoshi Nakamoto (apparently, a pseudonym). Bitcoins exist only in the online world (they have no...

Conservative politicians, including Mitt Romney during his presidential campaign, supported legislation mandating drug testing for recipients of federal aid, such as: the unemployed, families in assistance programs -- in general, citizens down on their luck or in trouble. Interestingly, none of these politicians has suggested drug tests for...

It's time to appoint an independent special prosecutor to investigate the Department of Justice (DoJ) and U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz about the death of Aaron Swartz.

To the best of my recollection, I've never met Ortiz or Swartz. I write not from any personal connection to this...

"Congress should "act immediately to appropriate whatever is necessary to put armed police officers in every single school in this nation" Wayne LaPierre, CEO, National Rifle Assn. (NRA)

Shootings in our schools are tragic, and each of us has the urge to "do something," but I have major...

I have strongly criticized ludicrous gun enforcement that criminalizes ordinary citizens, but I also support Mayor Bloomberg's and Mayors Against Illegal Guns' (a coalition of over 700 Mayors of American cities and towns) efforts to Demand a Plan to reduce gun violence.

However,...

Eight Parallels Between the Collapse of Rome's Republic and Contemporary America

"History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce."
-Karl Marx

Lawrence Lessig's Republic Lost documents the corrosive effect of money on our political process. Lessig persuasively makes the case that we are witnessing...

In the world of UN conference boondoggles, luxury-loving oppressors masquerade as the oppressed, while seeking to restrict everyone else's freedom.

In December 2012, under the auspices of the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU), representatives from 193 countries will meet in Dubai, in the UAE (ranked

Web 2.0 moves us closer to frictionless (free, instantaneous) communication, but we were already pretty close.

We have a productivity paradox. Web 2.0 (including social media) is radically transforming society and entire industries -- Facebook has about 800 million users, Twitter has about 500 million...

Perhaps we should stop complaining about the lack of inspiring leaders, and instead take a long look in the mirror.

President Obama, the quintessential self-made man, preaches the importance of government assistance and community to help overcome adversity. Governor Romney, the quintessential patrician, preaches self-reliance, that government is never the...

Welcome to the Great Convergence -- The Developing World is Converging to Developed Country GDP Per Capita Levels -- The Alternative Would Be Worse(1)

This is an election season, so all hope of intelligent policy discourse has been abandoned in favor of the partisan soundbite. One side, uniquely brilliant,...

Welcome to the world of dysfunctional Belief Communities.

"Americans ... values and basic beliefs are more polarized along partisan lines than at any point in the past 25 years." (Pew Research)

Pundits bemoan this polarization, and await a leader who'll cut the Gordian knot of gridlock politics to...

The dangers to Israel's existence, from a nuclear-armed Iran, are real. Equally real are the dangers of a pre-emptive military attack on Iran. Perhaps the greatest danger to Israel, however, is Prime Minister Netanyahu.

America is Israel's most important ally, providing financial (~$3 billion/year), military, and diplomatic...

But They Shouldn't Be Rewarded for Failure

Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu recently withdrew from a conference because former Prime Minister Blair was also a speaker (and, unlike Tutu, receiving a lucrative fee). Citing the suffering caused by the Second Iraq War, Tutu called for the prosecution of Blair, former...

"We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters." ~ Peter Thiel, Founders Fund website

We live in an age of rapid change. Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Twitter and many other innovators have changed how we work, communicate and live. But is this a new industrial revolution?

Structural Reform in Europe is Key for the Euro's Survival

Germany has received scathing criticism from many experts for its approach to resolving the euro crisis. Germany has been trying to: limit/reduce government budget deficits and promote large-scale structural reform (e.g., improved international competitiveness in the European...

It's time for us to cut back on government and help the American people. -- Mitt Romney

Chief Executive Magazine annually surveys CEOs about the best and worst American states for doing business. America's CEOs consider: Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and Indiana the Five...

"A republic, if you can keep it" Benjamin Franklin, when asked whether America would be a republic or a tyranny.

Our political debates reflect little interest in facts and nuanced discussion -- soundbites reign supreme. The fault's not with our politicians, however; it's with us. Politicians (e.g.,...