By Nancy Spannaus March 18, 2020—American journalist Andrew Spannaus updated his report on the fight against the coronavirus in Italy yesterday. His conclusion: The country is “on the brink” of seeing its hospital system overwhelmed. (His full report can be found on Consortium News) Given that Italy is a G-7 […]
By Nancy Spannaus, editor March 10, 2020–When I first read Alexander Hamilton’s Report on Manufactures some 40 years ago, it transformed my understanding of American history. Here was a crucial founding father, the man who devised our financial system, talking about building the wealth of our nation with an economic […]
(Note: While this report is not up-to-date, it includes certain basic information that should be useful as the spread of the coronavirus in Italy (and elsewhere) proceeds. The town where Andrew lives is now in the “red zone.”) By Nancy Spannaus March 5, 2020—The nation of Italy represents the major […]
by Nancy Spannaus March 2, 2020—As Alexander Hamilton knew well, parsimony—i.e., purchasing everything at the cheapest price, and only when absolutely necessary—is an unwise policy. That practice doesn’t create wealth, and it certainly doesn’t provide for the health and prosperity of a nation. Shouldn’t our unpreparedness to even test adequately […]
By Nancy Spannaus Feb. 27, 2020—State legislators around the nation – from Arizona to Rhode Island – are campaigning for Federal action to build vital infrastructure. The campaign is taking the form of Memorials calling for the creation of a National Infrastructure Bank, crafted according to the principles established by […]
By Nancy Spannaus Feb. 22, 2020—My husband Ed and I just returned from a celebration of Black History Month, and that phrase from Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1963 “I have a dream” speech is still ringing in my ears. It resonates as well with the Negro National Anthem “Lift Every […]
By Nancy Spannaus Feb. 16, 2020—My book, Hamilton Versus Wall Street: The Core Principles of the American System, was published on Feb. 15, 2019. As I look back, it’s been a pretty good year. As those of you who read this blog know, I intended this book to be a […]
By Nancy Spannaus February 14, 2020—Long before I encountered Alexander Hamilton’s American System of political economy, I came upon another uniquely American republican tradition: the demand for truth as a standard in law and journalism. I refer to the case of John Peter Zenger, a New York editor who was thrown […]
By Nancy Spannaus Feb. 13, 2020—Yesterday my husband and I attended the commemoration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday at the Lincoln Memorial for the third year in a row. The hour-long ceremony is hosted by the National Park Service and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States […]
by Angela Vullo March 27, 2020–Those of us who are baby boomers, might remember the famous sketch by Jack Benny from the 1960s. A mugger stops the comedian in the street and says, “Your money or your life”. After several seconds, when Benny does not respond, the mugger says, “Well?” […]
By Nancy Spannaus March 18, 2020—American journalist Andrew Spannaus updated his report on the fight against the coronavirus in Italy yesterday. His conclusion: The country is “on the brink” of seeing its hospital system overwhelmed. (His full report can be found on Consortium News) Given that Italy is a G-7 […]
U.S. Precedents in Protecting Public Health
By Nancy Spannaus March 17, 2020—The United States, and its predecessor colonies, have ample historical precedents for taking aggressive action to protect public health. It’s high time we put appropriate modern versions into effect. One of the first significant actions came during the Revolutionary War itself. The Continental Army had […]