“Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it, if it keeps moving, regulate it, and if it stops moving, subsidize it.” Ronald Reagan, 40th U.S. President, 1981 to 1989   I have become increasingly optimistic about the long term prospects for growth in the economy while at the same time becoming bearish on the newly reformatted democratic party’s view of economic popularism. It seems to me that the lack of accountability on the part of federal officials is beginning to rival the cowboy mentality that made Wall Street so…

Here in California, there’s a buzz brewing in the construction industry that’s going to have quite a future.  As you may know, our state has imposed upon itself a noble goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions drastically over the next forty years or so.  You may also be aware that buildings—their construction and operation–typically account for about forty percent of the GHG produced in the United States.  Therefore, those of us who plan and design new buildings and communities are intently interested in figuring out how it will ever be possible to meet the stated goal.  The quick answer, of…

“In Russia, we only have two television channels. Channel One is propaganda. Channel Two consists of a KBG officer telling you: Turn back at once to Channel One.” Russian Comedian Yakov Smirnoff Hello Comrades. the next message you see may be from the Commissar’s office thanking you for contributing your information freely to the Motherland. Russian company Digital Sky Technologies just bought into Facebook and while there aren’t a lot of bells going off at the Federal Trade Commission, you can be sure the National Security Agency is working late nights trying to combat this one. If you happen to…

As CAP rates rise, property managers and owners are looking to adjust to their current realities. The economic and financial crisis has forced owners to change course and look to plans B and C. In many cases, the proposed cash out year of 2009 has been pushed back to at least sometime in 2010 at the earliest, based on a new owner’s ability to obtain financing. So what does plan B and C look like? For many, this concept was never thought of upon acquisition. But that is okay. It is never too late to change direction and tact for…

The state of mind to which I am referring when I mention “conviction” in this blog space is that “of being convinced,” according to my World Book dictionary. To take a position on something that may seem edgy, counter-cultural, annoying, or whatever the counter-intuitive flavor of the week happens to be, requires more than a casual commitment. To stand in the face of opposition, baby, you gotta’ believe!   Last week I regaled you with my story of finding a way to take the office kitchen wastes home on the train. Hopefully that struck as many of you as being…

The nation’s economic data has turned from a seemingly endless parade of bad news, to more of a mixed bag as of late, with some positive (or relatively positive) readings sprinkled in among the doom-and-gloom. The dichotomy is of course providing optimists and pessimists alike with plenty of grist for their respective mills. We’ll try to keep a clear-eyed view of things. April saw retail sales continue their slump as consumers kept their purse strings tight on non-essential purchases. According to a Commerce Department report, retail sales sagged 0.4 percent during the month; but for those apt to look on…

No, I’m not talking about the criminal kind, though some might consider the following story to be crazy. I’ve wanted to talk about this for a while. The tipping point probably occurred when my need to transport the compost bucket from my house to the office AND take the train collided and demanded resolution. I live about 40 miles from my downtown LA office. As often as possible, I take the train to Union Station, transfer to the subway, and emerge about a five-minute walk from the office. WHEN I don’t have to drive out of the transit zone for…

What’s everywhere, practically invisible and costs $15 billion each year?   Energy in New York City buildings! New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, along with Council Speaker Christine Quinn, recently announced plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing residential, commercial and government buildings. As MHN has reported, the proposed legislation is aimed at encouraging developers to meet tougher energy requirements any time they renovate, to conduct an energy audit every 10 years, and to make energy improvements that will pay for themselves within five years. (Click here to read MHN’s story.) According to the city, the energy improvements could…

Ah, it’s the last day of my (brief) “staycation.” I’m sure you can relate to the idea of having a huge list of things to do and only accomplishing a few of them. How does this happen? The simple answer is that those of us who plan to do things are in a select group—those always thinking ahead of the next thing(s) to accomplish, and laying out a plan for how they are to be done. It all sounds so easy on paper. If your universe is parallel to mine, what you have been experiencing lately is a scrambling from…

“An Army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights as a team. This individuality stuff is a bunch of bullshit.”–General George S. Patton, Jr. Sometimes you just have to wonder how these guys keep getting the top spot. Former Home Depot Chief Bob Nardelli was well known around the orange themed retailer as a guy with organizational prowess and discipline on his mind. What became known inside the company as the Orange Crush, (with apologies to Syracuse University) the military like precision (is that an oxymoron now?) that Nardelli attempted to instill in the troops, from cashiers to counter…