Author Archive for Andrew Wong
Education: Poverty’s Nemesis
Two weeks ago, the U.S. Census Bureau released an alarming report regarding the economic well-being of Americans. According to the release, 15.1 percent of people in the world’s largest economy with one of the highest per-capita income rates in the world are below the poverty line. Before jumping to alarmist conclusions, let’s look into the details of how the 15.1 percent number was built, its implications, and finally examine education as a way of addressing the issue.
Warren Buffet and the “Buffet Tax”
Warren Buffett, the “Oracle of Omaha” and one of the world’s three richest men, sparked a furor of debate with his editorial published recently in The New York Times.
Steve Jobs Resigns as Apple CEO
Steve Jobs is one of the most pivotal figures in American business, and his contributions to technology testify to the resilient entrepreneurial spirit of America.
Justice Has Been Done
On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaeda operatives launched a series of coordinated suicide attacks involving four hijacked commercial passenger jet airliners. The images of the carnage flickered across screens around a stunned nation and the voices of hollowed journalists echoed throughout homes around the world.
Drill Baby Drill, Still
Three months and 4.9 million barrels of oil later, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill had finally been resolved after devastating the Gulf of Mexico and causing what White House energy adviser Carol Browner called “the worst environmental disaster the U.S. has faced.” Yet early last week, Transocean Ltd., owner of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, submitted a clumsily worded filing to the SEC calling 2010 its “best year in safety performance” as justification for awarding executive bonuses and raising base salaries as much as 22.2 percent.
Moving Toward Better Environmental Policies
The Environmental Protection Agency is poised to begin establishing greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution standards for factories and power plants in 2011 as mandated by the landmark Clean Air Act of 2011 and the Supreme Court ruling in Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency in 2007. However, concerns have arisen over the consequences of a showdown between the Obama administration and a new Republican majority in the House of Representatives over the EPA’s new responsibilities. Will the Clean Air Act of 2011 and its empowerment of the EPA achieve its intended aim of reducing greenhouse gases?
Space Plan’s Deep Impact
On Thursday, April 15, President Obama expressed his firm belief that he would see men on Mars within his lifetime. He outlined a plan for a new direction in space exploration: landing on an asteroid and then on Mars.
As NASA’s current manned space shuttle program nears its end, there has been much discussion about which [...]
Will Hybrid Cars Ever Be Profitable? Yes.
Necessity is the mother of all invention. The most successful products are justly so because they fulfill the needs or wants of the consumer. Hybrid vehicles are no exception. If any of us have faith in the capitalist system within whose bounds we live, then the laws of supply and demand should reign unquestioned and [...]
Truthiness in Food
The pervasive influence of ignorance extends its tendrils through every corner of our country, and the lack of knowledge concerning the food you consume is no exception. In its struggle to combat the obesity epidemic running its course through the American population, the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) is contemplating revisions of nutrition labeling on [...]
Clickety-Clack, Getting Trains Back on Track
Every great journey begins with a single step. On April 16, 2009, President Obama helped the nation take a step in the right direction when he outlined his dreams of developing high-speed passenger rail lines in at least ten different regions. Mr. Obama espoused his belief that train travel was a solution to America’s congested [...]
