February 6, 2026
Because there is nothing going on in Washington right now — except EVERYTHING going on in Washington right now — I’ve decided to write about something completely different this week.
Consumer Spending Trends
January 30, 2026
How’s your “Dry January” going? Did you even try it this year? You know Dry January; it’s the public health initiative where after a period of overindulgence during the holidays, participants abstain from all alcohol for January’s 31 days.
January 23, 2026
A snowmageddon, a snowpocalypse, an Arctic blast, a bomb cyclone; whatever you want to call it, a major winter storm is probably barreling your way.
January 16, 2026
It’s the 1980s. The Police, Michael Jackson, and Van Halen are chart toppers; the Washington Redskins were an NFC powerhouse; and Ronald Reagan was president.
November 14, 2025
It’s weird how the mind works. Earlier this week, as I attended a home dedication for a post-9/11 veteran, while sitting outside in wind chill temperatures in the 20s, Cicero’s On Duties, a book I last read as a philosophy major, came to mind.
September 19, 2025
Among others, September is National Coupon, National Preparedness, and National Library Card Sign-Up Month…
September 19, 2025 Read More »
September 12, 2025
Earlier this week, my thought was to write about turning 60, what that means in Japanese culture, relate my celebration of Kanreki to French historian Fernand Braudel’s three cycles of history (day-to-day events; paradigm shifts; and longue durée), and finally link those cycles to current political and public policy trends. However, the aftershocks ripping across political Washington of Turning Point USA founder and conservative star Charlie Kirk’s assassination are just too big to ignore.
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September 5, 2025
Yesterday, after breakfast, my wife said to me, “Don’t throw those bags out…I need those bags to put my bags in.”
August 1, 2025
Last week, I was able to escape the swamp-like conditions of Washington, D.C., and trade them for the near perdition-like temperatures of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. There, I visited our Steel Summit subsidiary and made my way to Nashville for The Conference Board’s quarterly Government Relations Executive Council meeting.
May 30, 2025
Memorial Day is a time for deep reflection. My father was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, Congress recognizes the holiday with a weeklong recess, and even President Trump slow rolled his schedule for the better part of this week.