The crash of 2016?
February 15, 2016
By Robert J. Samuelson You cannot understand the vulnerable state of the U.S. and global economies — and nervous stock markets — without coming to grips with the crash…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
The crash of 2016?
February 15, 2016
By Robert J. Samuelson You cannot understand the vulnerable state of the U.S. and global economies — and nervous stock markets — without coming to grips with the crash…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
#Outoftouch
February 15, 2016
By Kathleen Parker Two recent comments by famous feminists have underscored the inevitable and predicted the foregone: The feminist era of Hillary Clinton, Gloria Steinem and Madeleine Albright has…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: op-ed
#Outoftouch
February 15, 2016
By Kathleen Parker Two recent comments by famous feminists have underscored the inevitable and predicted the foregone: The feminist era of Hillary Clinton, Gloria Steinem and Madeleine Albright has…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: op-ed
Hillary’s golden tongue
February 15, 2016
By Kathleen Parker PALM BEACH, Fla. – As speaking fees go, Hillary Clinton’s allegedly scandalous $200,000 per engagement is chump change compared with Donald Trump’s $1.5 million. But, of…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Hillary’s golden tongue
February 15, 2016
By Kathleen Parker PALM BEACH, Fla. – As speaking fees go, Hillary Clinton’s allegedly scandalous $200,000 per engagement is chump change compared with Donald Trump’s $1.5 million. But, of…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
It’s still the economy, stupid!
February 8, 2016
By Robert J. Samuelson In 1992, James Carville popularized the adage “It’s the economy, stupid.” If the economy is ailing, people tend to vote against the party in the…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: op-ed
Deficits … who cares?
February 8, 2016
By Robert J. Samuelson Just how far have budget deficits drifted off the radar screen of presidential politics? Here’s one indicator: Last week, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO)…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Oh, Donnie boy
February 8, 2016
By Kathleen Parker If you ask Donald Trump fans what they like about him, there’s an excellent chance they’ll say, “Because he’s not politically correct.” But this is only…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
An upbeat economic story
February 1, 2016
By Robert J. Samuelson Here’s some good — and generally overlooked — news about the U.S. economy: Among major ethnic and racial groups, African-Americans scored the biggest job advances…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: op-ed
What’s behind the stock selloff?
February 1, 2016
By Robert J. Samuelson Capitalism has always been an epic struggle between risk and reward, and the easiest way to understand the present turmoil in world stock markets is…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Clinton’s cracked credibility
February 1, 2016
By Kathleen Parker The first question to Hillary Clinton from an audience member during Monday night’s Democratic town hall in Iowa must have been a blow from one so…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: op-ed
Bonfire of the vulgarities
February 1, 2016
By Kathleen Parker At first it seemed too weirdly awful to be true, but there she was: Sarah Palin standing next to Donald Trump last Tuesday and endorsing him…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
What is the stock market saying?
January 25, 2016
By Robert J. Samuelson Just whether the sharp selloff of stocks signals an economic slowdown or recession is an open question. Most economists seem to think not. Strong job…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Why economic growth lags
January 25, 2016
By Robert J. Samuelson It’s only January, but what may be the year’s most important book on economics has already been published. Called “The Rise and Fall of American…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: op-ed
The China bubble pops
January 25, 2016
By Robert J. Samuelson The China bubble has burst. No longer are the country’s economic managers viewed as magicians who can orchestrate rapid growth whatever the obstacles. No one…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: op-ed
Daddy Trump is looking out for you!
January 25, 2016
By Kathleen Parker So you say you want a daddy for your president? OK, so maybe you didn’t say it, but on a subliminal level, you may have felt…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: op-ed
Nikki Haley’s righteous gamble
January 25, 2016
By Kathleen Parker By broad consensus, the winner of Thursday night’s GOP debate was Donald Trump, followed by Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, with most of the post-game commentary…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
When fair game is a foul play
January 18, 2016
By Kathleen Parker Fair play can sometimes be a raunchy racket. In the midst of Hillary Clinton’s promising presidential bid, a blast from the past blew through the back…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: op-ed
Not dead yet
January 14, 2016
By Kathleen Parker Reports of Jeb Bush’s political death may be greatly exaggerated. Not only is Bush essentially locked in a statistical tie for second place in New Hampshire,…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
The next recession?
January 12, 2016
By Robert J. Samuelson It’s hard not to wonder: Is the stock market telling us something? True, the market’s record in forecasting recessions is horrendous. Stocks often move according…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
The Republicans’ civil war
January 11, 2016
By Robert J. Samuelson The Donald Trump phenomenon ranks as the great political story of 2015 — and maybe 2016 — but could it simply be a subplot of…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: op-ed
The “hollowing” of the middle class?
January 11, 2016
By Robert J. Samuelson We’ll be hearing a lot about the middle class in the coming months. That’s one sure bet for 2016, as both parties compete for votes.…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Obsessed with guns
January 11, 2016
By Kathleen Parker It is axiomatic that congressional Republicans will oppose anything smacking of “gun control,” which may as well be read as “Your mama.” Thus, it comes as…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Can we set the world’s temperature?
January 4, 2016
By Robert J. Samuelson On climate change, curb your enthusiasm. It’s not that the recent international conference in Paris didn’t take significant steps to check global warming. It did.…
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America’s stubborn poverty
January 4, 2016
By Robert J. Samuelson Should we fight the “war on poverty” all over again? Well, yes. That’s the recommendation of a group of liberal and conservative poverty scholars, who…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: op-ed
How Trump does it
January 4, 2016
By Robert J. Samuelson Welcome to what I’ve called “the politics of self-esteem.” By this, I mean that increasing numbers of people, on both the right and left and…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Trump’s embarrassment of riches
January 4, 2016
By Kathleen Parker The biggest political news is that Donald Trump may be doing even better than polls have suggested. Yikes. Apparently, many Trump supporters have been fibbing to…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: op-ed
Can we talk?
January 4, 2016
By Kathleen Parker When President Obama addressed the nation following the terrorist attacks in San Bernardino, he reiterated the call to resist animus toward Muslims. This was a familiar…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Top Ten SC Leaders in 2015
December 29, 2015
By Alan Cooper Publisher, MidlandsBiz The following is a recap of comments that I made on the South Carolina Business Review with Mike Switzer. It has been an…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
The startup slump
December 28, 2015
By Robert J. Samuelson There’s more discouraging news about American business — specifically about entrepreneurship. We confidently assume that we have the world’s most entrepreneurial nation, and the proof…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: op-ed
‘Liftoff’ at the Fed
December 28, 2015
By Robert J. Samuelson Barring an unforeseen calamity, the Federal Reserve will raise short-term interest rates this week. Among Fed watchers, this is known as “liftoff.” The analogy is…
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Donald Rodham Trump?
December 28, 2015
By Kathleen Parker Gee, wonder what Hillary Clinton has been up to? If you haven’t heard much about her lately, it’s because Clinton news has been as scarce as…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: op-ed
Women in combat put men at risk
December 28, 2015
By Kathleen Parker Crickets. This was the sound of America reacting to news earlier this month that all military positions, including ground combat, will be opened to women. It…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Tips for buying a car as a Christmas gift
December 15, 2015
We all have seen the commercials on TV that suggest a car can make an ideal gift this Holiday season. And while a car can make for a terrific gift…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Generational conflict: another view
December 14, 2015
By Robert J. Samuelson Comes now economist Gary Burtless of the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, with another view of government spending on the elderly. People like me…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: op-ed
Cybergeddon
December 14, 2015
By Robert J. Samuelson When it comes to cyberwar and cyberterrorism, we need to think the unthinkable, says veteran TV journalist Ted Koppel. And for Koppel, the unthinkable is…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: op-ed
The multinational tax muddle
December 14, 2015
By Robert J. Samuelson Whoever wins the White House next year will have to deal with an issue of almost-impenetrable complexity and contentiousness: How to tax multinational companies? On…
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Waging war outside the box
December 14, 2015
By Kathleen Parker Americans looking for a Snuggy Bear and a blankey to ease their anxieties about the Islamic State will have to become more comfortable with ambiguity and…
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The few, the foolish
December 14, 2015
By Kathleen Parker As the Islamic State amped up attacks around the world, the Pentagon responded by bravely announcing that American women will now be put in direct ground…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Generational warfare, anyone?
December 7, 2015
By Robert J. Samuelson An enduring puzzle of our politics is why there isn’t more generational conflict. By all rights, younger Americans should be resentful. Not only have they…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Deranged and dangerous
December 7, 2015
By Kathleen Parker Predictably, the killing rampage at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood facility has prompted a political scrimmage of the usual sort. From the pro-choice front, we hear…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: op-ed
The pathology of Trump-itis
December 7, 2015
By Kathleen Parker Surely he’s finally gone and done it now. Donald Trump, insulter extraordinaire, was bound to cross a line too far. Two days before Thanksgiving, he made…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Crazy is as crazy does
November 30, 2015
By Kathleen Parker One week, Beirut and Paris; the next week, Mali. The nightmare is young. Where next? The pace and threat of terror seem to have picked up,…
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Education is Key to Financial Health
November 30, 2015
By Curtis M. Loftis, Jr. South Carolina State Treasurer As State Treasurer, I believe that achieving a strong financial future for our children is crucial to achieving a strong…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: education, government, headlines, op-ed
For thin-skinned students, we have nobody to blame but ourselves
November 28, 2015
By Kathleen Parker It would be easy to call protesting college students crybabies and brats for pitching hissy fits over hurt feelings, but this likely would lead to such…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
The new battlefield
November 23, 2015
By Robert J. Samuelson The horrific massacre in Paris reminds us of the Achilles’ heel of American foreign policy. Ever since World War II, our foreign policy has rested…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: op-ed
Why Fannie and Freddie survived
November 23, 2015
By Robert J. Samuelson One of the most interesting and uncovered stories these days is the survival of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — the giant housing entities created…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Fear and loathing in America
November 23, 2015
By Kathleen Parker We shouldn’t be surprised that many Americans fear the fresh arrival of Syrian refugees in the wake of last week’s Paris slaughter by jihadists, including at…
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True Trump
November 23, 2015
By Kathleen Parker DES MOINES, Iowa – You can’t drive far in these parts without seeing Ben Carson on a billboard, looking more like a man of the cloth…
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