IntentBlog

Reconsidering my decision to tune into the Inauguration

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 16:52:06 -0800

The US Presidential Inauguration is this coming Tuesday…and it couldn’t come soon enough. It is clear that the problems facing the US and the world at large are very serious and we need vigorious action oriented leadership with the public’s confidence at the helm in this country ASAP.

So as we approach the Inauguration, and in light of President Elect Obama having invited gay bishop Gene Robinson to lead prayers at Sunday celebrations leading upto the Inauguration, I’m reconsidering my stand on whether I’m tuning into this historic occasion.

A Roof Over Every American’s Head: Addressing the Core of our Current Crisis of Confidence

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:06:48 -0800

What is the #1 worry that most Americans have when they get laid off? I believe it is that they might lose the roof over their and their families’ heads in a worst case scenario (i.e., if they are unable to find adequate alternate sources of income).

Transparency and Tradeoffs: The Missing T's in The Healthcare Industry

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:31:45 -0800

AV’s recent inpatient surgery experience - she had a cervical dystectomy (relatively common neck surgery) - reminded of how fundamentally flawed our US healthcare system is. Almost every industry/market that’s “efficient” functions on some basic common principles/dynamics: Customers make purchasing decisions based on cost, quality and service and producers/companies compete on the basis of these 3 core product/service “differentiation” dimensions.

Untapped and Under-tapped Foreclosure Prevention Strategies: “Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom”

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 10:29:17 -0800

There is widespread agreement among key national political, economic and housing stakeholders (the government and regulators, consumers and Banks among others) on the need to help prevent foreclosures, keep as many people as possible in their homes, and “clear the housing market” of troubled assets quickly and fairly. This would help the housing market find a bottom more quickly - which housing market bottom will mark a turning point in our nations’ economic recovery.

Obama’s slap in the face to the gay community

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:50:54 -0800

A few days before November 4th, the evangelical/right wing proponents of Proposition 8 (the anti-gay marriage ballot initiative) widely broadcast President Elect Obama’s words on the issue of gay marriage to Californian’s. Although Obama was against Proposition 8 and supports civil unions for same sex couples, he does not support gay marriage and has said on many occasions that he believes marriage is appropriate only between a man and a woman.

My Grandfather’s Sikhism, My Simple Life Philosophy

Sat, 06 Dec 2008 16:19:07 -0800

I consider myself spiritual but not very religious and don’t have much patience for the bureaucracy of most religions including my own. I just don’t see the need to have middlemen translate the teachings of my religion to me; my grandfather did a fine job of this during the times we spent together on vacation in Punjab, India while he was alive.

Capital and Risk-Sharing: Smart Crisis Fighting Tools That Should Be Used Much More

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:31:35 -0800

I’m glad to see the government is finally using 2 “smart” tools – capital and risk sharing – to help address the financial institution panic and resulting failures we have seen since earlier in 2008 which have seriously escalated the financial and economic crisis facing the US and global economies today. While these tools don’t comprehensively address the myriad of financial and economic issues facing the US or the world today, they:

1. Help stabilize Banks when no other 3rd party can/will do so: this is critical to stabilizing consumer sentiment, the markets and economy
2. Are leveraged in their impact to the real economy: Because Banks typically lend $10 to $20 for every dollar in capital they hold
3. Help minimize the tax-payer bill from all this government investing and intervention: by acknowledging the uncertainty around where the housing and credit/financial markets will bottom out, and putting a “cap” on the maximum losses a private investor can incur on an investment
4. Help establish a floor for asset values (by limiting downside risk for investors): and therefore support and encourage the return of private investors into the capital markets

Redefining the War on Terror

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 13:38:44 -0800

The Mumbai "terrorist" attacks are a clear message to President Elect Obama, us, and the rest of the world. The problems of the world aren't just economic....they are equally urgent, social and extend deeply into our homes and places of worship.

Equality for all: US Supreme Court Decision and Timing

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:10:25 -0800

I am a strong believer that civil rights issues should be resolved through the legal (not political) process and feel it is only a matter of time until the US Supreme Court strikes all the discrimination that has been “constitutionalized” during the last 8 Bush years on the issue of gay marriage (sadly, fully 30 states now “ban” gay marriage via their constitutions). I was feeling like a naive optimist after a conversation over brunch this past weekend, where a (clearly very smart) lawyer made a strong argument that the US Supreme court wouldn’t do what I say it will…at least not for the next 20 years!

Real Estate Construction Costs: Deflated in LA

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:19:20 -0800

There has been a constant ‘inflation’ in real estate construction costs over the past few years driven by the usual suspects: high commodity prices and a tight labor/talent market (with high demand for construction labor driving labor costs higher and higher over time).

The (oft unknowing) tyranny of the majority

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 11:17:04 -0800

On May 15th, 2008 the California Supreme Court made a historic decision. They ruled that it was a violation of the equal protection clause of the California Constitution to not afford gay couples the right to marry – almost exactly the same ruling they had made in 1948 on inter-racial marriage (which was at the time not allowed in California). Between June 16th (the day gay wedding licenses started being issued) and November 4th, approximately 18,000 couples got married in California.

Elusive Search for the Bottom: Housing Market Update

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:48:53 -0800

A lot of people around me, especially those focused on buying real estate as an investment in this historically challenging real estate market, are obsessed with when US home prices will “bottom out”. I believe people sometimes focus on finding the lowest home price at the expense of other equally important economic factors such as the cost of construction/”fixing the place” and financing costs…both of which are at historic lows right now, and thought I’d share some of the latest news/information relevant to this topic:

Speculation and accountability in the real estate market

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:27:59 -0800

It is a well known fact that most if not all asset bubbles are characterized by significant speculative investment activity (and by this I mean investors with very short investment timeframes and expectations). And this was certainly true of the US housing market (and other overinflated housing markets globally) over the last few years. It’s impossible to know exactly how much of the housing market was driven by speculation, as no agency tracks this issue…and even if they tried, it’s impossible to verify someone’s intent. But I sit back and wonder if our society has gotten too lax on “personal accountability”.

One simple idea for ending price discrimination in health care

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:36:57 -0800

2 women walk into a hospital with acute stomach pain. One is a highly paid lawyer at a top law firm who is covered by her company’s health insurance plan and the other is a working class American without health insurance. Both women get the exact same diagnostic tests and medical care, and both stay in the hospital for the exact same number of nights. Do the two women pay the same amount for the health care they consume (in total, including payments made by the insurance company on behalf of the lawyer who has health insurance)? Likely not, if the above happens in the USA.

A New Focus for American Foreign Policy: Human Rights

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:51:46 -0800

One of the fatal flaws of the Bush approach/policy framework that I would love to see Barack Obama change…is this idea that it is America’s job to spread Democracy around the world. As a student of Democracy and child of the largest Democracy in the world (India), I do believe in and love Democracy. However, just like Capitalism….Democracy, too, is a flawed, chaotic, and imperfect system and I just don’t think it’s America’s job to tell other countries what political system is best for them.