Ethics and the Coronavirus As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to grow and the death toll mounts, it’s useful, from an ethics perspective, to use our experiences to date to evaluate our personal responsibilities to each other in this crisis. Why does this matter? Our society depends on communal... Read more →

Have We Acted Responsibly? As the number of COVID-19 cases continue to grow and the death toll mounts, we should use our experiences so far to evaluate our personal responsibilities to each other and whether the government has met its burden in handling the crisis. Why does this matter? Our... Read more →

What is the Public Interest? It’s been about 18 years since Congress created the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in response to widespread fraud in the financial statements of the likes of Enron and WorldCom. Given the high rate of audit deficiencies identified in PCAOB inspections of public company audits,... Read more →

Thoughts on Picking a Democratic Candidate for President I’ve decided the best way to chose a candidate for President from the field of Democratic candidates is to ask with whom I would like to have a beer. The reason is we should take everything they say with ‘a grain of... Read more →

Ethics vs Values Has the Trump presidency been marked by ethical behavior? How would we know? Why should we care? Ethical behavior is important in all aspects of life because it reflects our character: who we are and what we stand for. Ethical values, such as honesty and kindness, inform... Read more →

Were His Disclosures in the Public Interest? Reports that the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden in light of the publication of his book, Permanent Record, which is about his experiences at the NSA, raises the question once again whether he did the right... Read more →

The Chaos Stock Market The stock market gyrations that are causing whiplash can be attributed to many factors including uncertainty about the federal funds rate, whether the tax stimulus of 2017 has run its course, and a host of arbitrary considerations brought on by President Trump’s inconsistent messages about tariffs,... Read more →

What is Moral Courage? Courage. What is it? Is it bravery? Is it the strength of one’s convictions? Is it the same as integrity? Is it an ethical value that we all should aspire to achieve? Ayn Rand said in her classic book The Fountainhead that “Integrity is the ability... Read more →

Has President Trump gone too far? Has President Donald Trump gone too far with his “America first” program? Is he ignoring the needs of other countries including our historic allies? Has Trump’s actions violated the very values we seek to aspire including fair treatment, empathy and caring and concern for... Read more →

Freedom of Speech I imagine if you ask 100 people on the streets of just about Anytown, USA what is the Bill of Rights about 1/2 wouldn’t know. I’m quite sure they wouldn’t know how many amendments exist (27 to be clear). Most probably don’t know the exact wording of... Read more →