John Nordin

John Nordin is a Mint Press columnist who divides his time as a professor and a researcher between the Twin Cities and Greece, where he specializes in Greek politics, international relations and the economy. John holds a Ph.D. from MIT, and has worked as a Lutheran pastor, a computer science teacher in Kenya and a writer.

The Economy Is Not Like Your Family

A man checks a stock exchange monitor in Milan, Italy, Monday, May 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) If a family’s debt continues to grow and grow, it usually leads to serious trouble, perhaps including bankruptcy. You hear regularly that the federal government’s debt is rising rapidly and, like a family, it must cut back and […]

John Nordin
Por John Nordin
A man checks a stock exchange monitor in Milan, Italy, Monday, May 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

If a family’s debt continues to grow and grow, it usually leads to serious trouble, perhaps including bankruptcy. You hear regularly that the federal government’s debt is rising rapidly and, like a family, it must cut back and live within its means.  Even if the analogy is not used, it seems a near consensus that current federal debt is an

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Can We Predict The Presidential Election?

In this Aug. 28, 2008, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., gives his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File) With two months to go, can we say anything useful about who will win the 2012 presidential election? Examination of […]

John Nordin
Por John Nordin
In this Aug. 28, 2008, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., gives his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)

With two months to go, can we say anything useful about who will win the 2012 presidential election? Examination of polling and previous results leads me to the following prediction: Even if most of the close states break for Gov. Romney, President Obama should be narrowly reelected with between 275 and 290 electoral votes (against the 270 needed

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You’re Losing Control: The Dangers Of Technology

This picture shows a Twitter status update box. (Photo by Andy Melton) There has been much discussion in recent years about privacy and its loss. Each year seems to bring more surveillance, more corporate data-gathering and more information about us becoming public. Security cameras seem to be popping up everywhere and now we can be […]

John Nordin
Por John Nordin
This picture shows a Twitter status update box. (Photo by Andy Melton)

There has been much discussion in recent years about privacy and its loss. Each year seems to bring more surveillance, more corporate data-gathering and more information about us becoming public. Security cameras seem to be popping up everywhere and now we can be tracked by our cell phones. Loss of privacy is a serious problem. However, there is

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If I Were Running For President

In this Aug. 30, 2012 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File) I’m not, of course, but if I was – and you asked me about taxes … Now, you’ve asked me about Gov. Romney’s taxes and if I could prove he had […]

John Nordin
Por John Nordin
In this Aug. 30, 2012 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

I’m not, of course, but if I was – and you asked me about taxes … Now, you’ve asked me about Gov. Romney’s taxes and if I could prove he had done anything illegal. That’s not the point. I fully trust that Romney followed the law very carefully and did nothing illegal. After all, he has enough people helping him fill out his taxes; he ought to be

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The LIBOR Scandal: Regulation Of Business Is Needed By Business

A man walks by the headquarter of Standard Chartered bank in the City of London, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Sang Tan) That regulation of business is an evil drag on the freedom of business leaders to innovate and grow is a commonplace of right-wing rhetoric. Mitt Romney’s official website lists “regulation” as an issue all by […]

John Nordin
Por John Nordin
A man walks by the headquarter of Standard Chartered bank in the City of London, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

That regulation of business is an evil drag on the freedom of business leaders to innovate and grow is a commonplace of right-wing rhetoric. Mitt Romney’s official website lists “regulation” as an issue all by itself and describes it as a “major part of the problem” of our “faltering economy.” The Web page cites a Small Business Administration

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Freeway America: What We Can Learn From Our Roads

Jack Maloney checks on corn on his farm in Brownsburg, Ind., Monday, July 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Each year I drive from the upper Midwest to the Pacific Northwest and back again. Being on the road is a different world from my normal round of classrooms, books, ideas, grades and tests. On the freeway […]

John Nordin
Por John Nordin
Jack Maloney checks on corn on his farm in Brownsburg, Ind., Monday, July 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Each year I drive from the upper Midwest to the Pacific Northwest and back again. Being on the road is a different world from my normal round of classrooms, books, ideas, grades and tests. On the freeway is a world where jobs are about concrete things: hauling things, assembling things, fixing things. It’s the world of the 7/11, of trucks and

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The Politics Of Roadside Rest Stops

A rest stop sign hangs on the side of a rest area building in Nebraska Oct. 23, 2008. (Photo by lostinfor via Flikr) (MINNEAPOLIS) – The sign has alerted you and you take the off ramp and coast into a parking spot. Time to stretch, go to the bathroom, get a drink, maybe sit at […]

John Nordin
Por John Nordin
A rest stop sign hangs on the side of a rest area building in Nebraska Oct. 23, 2008. (Photo by lostinfor via Flikr)

(MINNEAPOLIS) - The sign has alerted you and you take the off ramp and coast into a parking spot. Time to stretch, go to the bathroom, get a drink, maybe sit at a picnic table and have something to eat. It’s free, it’s open to everyone to use as they like. It’s the American roadside rest stop and it is pure socialism. America’s network of

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