The grim progression of bloody autocrats in major as well as lesser quarters of the globe can make for personal and political paralysis here in the U.S. When Alexei Navalny is snuffed out in Russia and Vladimir Putin grinds on to occupy Ukraine, or when Xi Jinping stamps out dissent in greater China and pursuesContinue reading “A Twilight Strategy on Hong Kong”
Category Archives: General Blog
He Comes to Bury the Tax Cutters
Michael J. Graetz long ago established himself as a nettle in the side of those who promote lower tax rates for economic growth–in recent times what’s known as a “supply-side” agenda. Today Princeton University Press publishes the Ivy League law professor’s book chronicling the last 45 years of that cause, “The Power to Destroy: HowContinue reading “He Comes to Bury the Tax Cutters”
Hamptons Farmland: A Death and a Legacy
A significant but underappreciated aspect of the South Fork of Long Island land-preservation story is the role that old farming families have played. This is particularly true of the Polish clans that so prominently figured in the agricultural belt below the moraine that runs along the Water Mill to Bridgehampton stretch, some of the mostContinue reading “Hamptons Farmland: A Death and a Legacy”
Was Hamptons Democrats’ Sweep a Clean One?
Election of Maria Moore as supervisor of Southampton town on Long Island was said by her backers to be a “green” triumph, but the Democrat got a big financial boost from a golf course mogul who masked his support.
Long Island’s East Is Far from Red
Despite Ed Romaine’s victory in Suffolk County, New York, Democrats achieved significant wins in Long Island’s elections. They dominated in East Hampton, presumably clinched a victory in Southampton, and tied in Southold. These gains, especially in Southampton, reflect a shift from its historic GOP stronghold status, highlighting the increasing strength of the Democrats, amidst changing demographics and policy preferences.
Come 2024, the Kitchen Table Issues Reemerge
When wide attention refocuses on the economy, the political importance of GDP, inflation, income stress and grievous inequality will return to the fore. It won’t be any clearer which way all the data are cutting. There’s no question that “Bidenomics” made many people better off, at least until price increases worked through the system. TheContinue reading “Come 2024, the Kitchen Table Issues Reemerge”
When Suffolk County Got Its Foothold on Open Space
A big contributor to the preservation of open space on eastern Long Island during the critical early boom years of luxury development—1967 to 1999—was the Suffolk County, N.Y., parks department. It was no coincidence that this happened then: the parks authority had only recently been created. It is a reflection of the era that wasContinue reading “When Suffolk County Got Its Foothold on Open Space”
Making a Hash of Legal Cannabis
“Recreational” marijuana sales are legal now in nearly half the U.S. states, but the effort has gotten ahead of itself on the retail front–or at least, ahead of the regulation still imposed on it. The rollout of shops for legitimized selling of weed, which memorably suffered in early-adopting California, is continuing to give New YorkContinue reading “Making a Hash of Legal Cannabis”
An Excise Tax That Fortifies Long-Island Wine
Some milestone anniversaries on the East End of Long Island have been easy to overlook but not so its start as a wine region. Fifty years ago, as the “Hamptons” south fork of the island was consumed with some of its earliest development battles, the north fork saw the planting of its first commercial vineyardContinue reading “An Excise Tax That Fortifies Long-Island Wine”
A Dry-Witted History of Dismally Easy Money
We’re never long or far from a reminder that interest rates have a powerful effect on the human economy. Nearly $700 billion has flowed into money-market mutual funds this year because they offer a decent yield–4+%–when many bank savings accounts pay next to nothing. In this inflationary period, that’s a financial no-brainer, as well asContinue reading “A Dry-Witted History of Dismally Easy Money”
Tim W. Ferguson 