Race Claims Echo In Gay Marriage Debate
September 1, 1996In this dreary summer of realpolitik I find it comforting to re-read Chief Justice Earl Warren’s opinion in the case of Loving vs. Virginia. Loving struck down laws against interracial marriage that were still on the books in 16 states in 1967. Another fourteen states had only recently repealed such laws when the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that those statutes violated the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the …
No ‘Defense’ In Fed Marriage Act
September 1, 1996Nasty things sometimes crawl out of legislative bodies in an election year. This year’s prime example is the “Defense of Marriage Act,” a bill that sailed through the House in July that would deny recognition of same-sex marriages. (Webmaster’s Note: The Senate approved the Defense of Marriage Act 85-14 on September 10, 1996 after this issue of Sentinel went to press. President Clinton signed the legislation into law on September …
How the Experts Break Out Of Gridlock
June 1, 1996People who are stuck in traffic get impatient. When caught in legislative gridlock, the temptation to take a shortcut across the median is too strong for some to resist. This explains why tax officials are resorting to scare tactics to make policy changes that the Clinton administration has no prayer of getting through Congress. It’s the newest thing in democracy: legislation by announcement. Want to get in on the game? …
IRS Takes Shot at Split-Dollar Life
June 1, 1996Riddle: What kind of rifle should a blind hunter use? A loud one. If he misses the target, maybe he can scare it to death. Some recent pot shots by the Internal Revenue Service against a popular planning technique, “split-dollar” life insurance, recall our blind hunter. It may not matter that the Service seems to be firing in the dark. Split-dollar life has always been something of an adventure, so …
The Baby Boomers Turn 50
February 1, 1996Babes no longer but as influential as ever, the oldest Baby Boomers turn 50 this month. Soon the demographic herd will begin to lumber toward retirement. Financially, our options are to stay out of the way or be trampled in the rush. Boomers have reshaped our economy ever since they took their first steps in those tiny shoes that their parents paid good money to bronze. In the 1950s we …
A Simple Network With Windows 95
February 1, 1996My former employer, the Big Accounting Firm, brought out the heavy hitters nine years ago when it first networked a few personal computers in our New York office. Three specialists flew in from Chicago one Friday, entrenched themselves at the New York Hilton, and spent the weekend shuttling between the hotel and our computer room, whence issued much jargon and cussing. With a final sprinkle of holy water on Monday …
Seek Global Investments of ‘Enduring’ Value
February 1, 1996To The Editor: Read with interest your comments on Hungary and international investing (“
The Baby Boomers Turn 50
February 1, 1996Babes no longer but as influential as ever, the oldest Baby Boomers turn 50 this month. Soon the demographic herd will begin to lumber toward retirement. Financially, our options are to stay out of the way or be trampled in the rush. Boomers have reshaped our economy ever since they took their first steps in those tiny shoes that their parents paid good money to bronze. In the 1950s we …
Unseen Influence: The Web Makes Its Mark
December 1, 1995We began this year with an Internet primer (Internet 101: What, Where, How) just as the “information superhighway” hoopla was hitting high gear. This issue we pause to take stock once again of the Internet, which is a very different place than it was just nine months ago. From reading the daily press, one might think that this year’s big cyberstories are the scarcity of commerce and the abundance of …
Worthwhile Internet Sites for Investors
December 1, 1995or much of the past year, Wall Street has bet and won on Internet-related stocks such as Netscape, Lycos and Yahoo!. The irony is that most of the investors capitalizing on the success of these stocks have yet to grasp how the Internet can enhance their own investing. Investment information is flooding the ‘Net, mainly on the World Wide Web. If you need to know something, there is a good …
