Author Archives: Tom Bengtson

Happiness and joy

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Tom Bengtson

The day after I attended a funeral for a dear friend, I feel compelled to write about happiness. Dick Miller, with whom I had worked for nearly five years, died suddenly at age 64. The well-attended funeral in Saint Paul … Continue reading →

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Posted in reflection | 139 Comments

Some perspectives on state budgets.

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Tom Bengtson

I like this speech Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke delivered recently in New York. He is talking about state budgets and some of the issues that come up that make it so difficult for lawmakers to match expenses to revenue. He … Continue reading →

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Posted in government | 68 Comments

Free doctors to apologize

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Tom Bengtson

In “Emerging Son,” I write about undergoing surgery that fails. The mistake wasn’t detected until after a two-week recovery period. I remember when it was discovered. The doctor’s face went ashen. He understood the magnitude of the failure much more … Continue reading →

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Posted in Emerging Son, State law | 192 Comments

Welcome

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Tom Bengtson

John Mueller’s new book, Redeeming Economics: Rediscovering the Missing Element, relies on Aquinas to frame economics along a four-part reduction of all human action: production, exchange, distribution and consumption. Mueller points out that although Aquinas drew on the work of … Continue reading →

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Posted in Uncategorized | 1,968 Comments