As the prescription drugs bill heads into a conference between House and Senate, it is already clear that it will add hugely to the Federal deficit, worsen drugs coverage for many senior citizens already adequately covered, and further socialize U.S. medicine. So it’s worth asking: is there an economically superior way to cover medical costs?

All good things must come to an end, even the 20 year boom in the bond market.

As legend has it, the song “Happy days are here again” became the theme tune of Franklin Roosevelt’s 1932 Presidential campaign, and then inspired the American people to regain their confidence and slough off the Great Depression.

The United States and Chile signed a free trade agreement Friday; a similar agreement was recently signed with Singapore. I therefore thought it worthwhile to look at the issue of bilateral versus multilateral free trade agreements and, more broadly, to what extent free trade is what it’s cracked up to be.

My four Bear Food portfolios, from January 2001, December 2001, and June and December 2002 had a bad six months from a Bear point of view, rising more than the market. The question must now be: Is their Bear Food value going to get any better in the next six months?