Month: September 2020 Page 3 of 6

The Real Value of Stock Options

Harvey’s Introduction

This was a technical discussion on how to handle stock options from an accounting point of view. At the time, the issue was whether stock options should be expensed. I was overruled by the accountants, but my arguments were better.

Who Says I should Pay Higher Taxes

Harvey’s Introduction

President Obama made a number of speeches about the need, as he sees it, for high income earners to pay more in taxes. Warren Buffett, a long time friend and a person I greatly admire, supported Obama’s assertion with an extraordinary example. He pointed out that his secretary had a higher income tax rate than he did and this was wrong. I thought the whole discussion was nonsense. If you read all my essays, you’ll see I dealt with this version of class warfare a number of times. When Warren made his public comment, I thought a rebuttal was in order. The number and vitriol of the letters written in response to my op ed was really interesting. I enjoyed reading all those comments at the time. My op ed in the WSJ certainly got people’s attention

FASB Plan To Eliminate Pooling Is Misguided

Harvey’s Introduction

I wrote this article for the WSJ 20 years ago. I took on the FASB on a technical ruling concerning accounting issues in a merger. I don’t remember whether my point of view prevailed, but I guess I’ve always been somewhat cynical towards experts, since they often get upset when asked to explain their logic..

Globalization

Harvey’s Introduction

During one of the perennial discussions about whether globalization was good or bad, I decided to enter the discussion and did so with this essay. I think my points are valid today, particularly both parties are becoming more populist in their thinking about trade.

A Simple Tax Code Is a Fair Tax Code

Harvey’s Introduction

I wrote this article in 2012 dealing with two issues – whether or not the “rich” paid their fair share – which I dealt with quite briefly and deserves more detailed analysis in another essay and secondly, my view of what a fair and efficient tax code would look like.

Why Dani Pletka Supports Trump

Harvey’s Introduction

Dani Pletka is one of the most knowledgeable people I know about U.S. foreign and military policy. She and I have had a number of great conversations on these matters. She has also been a very vocal critic of Donald Trump and we have stayed away from that topic. Consequently, I was surprised, and pleased, with her decision to support Trump in the coming election. I think her analysis is shared by a large number of other conservatives,

Defense of Milton Friedman

Harvey’s Introduction

In our now fashionable “woke” culture, corporations are being asked to push programs for social justice and elevate employees, customers and the general public good as legitimate and equal stakeholders in the decisions of the management in businesses. Corporations latest fad is to support the entirely Marxist enterprise under the banner of the Black Lives Matter organization and they are providing that support in large numbers. In essence, they are refuting the teachings of Milton Friedman and the wisdom accumulated over centuries about what makes a happy and prosperous society.

This is an important issue and I wrote this essay quickly to deal with it. I will revise this essay over the next few weeks as I hear from you and think further on the points I need to make and the inevitable criticisms I will hear about. Please write your thoughts in the comments section. Thank you.

Common Thread Between Wokists and Islamists

Harvey’s Introduction

Ayaan is an incredibly brave and intelligent woman who has undergone extraordinary difficulties in her life – from separation from family to death threats from Islamic militants. I like to hear her take on what’s going on in our country because of her outside perspective.

Social Responsibility of Corporations

Harvey’s Introduction

This is an essay written by Andrew Ross Sorkin for the New York Times. He takes issue with Milton Friedman’s understanding of corporate social responsibility which is to maximize long term value. Sorkin seems to support a more currently fashionable view that Corporations have a broader social responsibility serving customers, employees, the general public as equivalent stakeholders to shareholders. I completely disagree and will write an essay refuting this insipid and mushy notion. In the meantime, I wanted my subscribers to read this article and give me their thoughts until I do write my rebuttal.

Clinesmith, the Russia Lie, and the Deep State

Harvey’s Introduction

This is one of the biggest scandals by a law enforcement officer in our history. It was, in my mind, part of a deep state plot to take down the president through illegal means and was treasonous.

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