Four years after the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and the near-total paralysis of capitalism’s central nervous system – the moment fear completely overwhelmed greed on Wall Street – we are starting to see a few glimmers of hope. more

Recently, two reports underscored the potential for improving the value of health care in the United States. more

More than 2 million U.S. college students this fall will be spending a good bit of their time reviewing what they were supposed to learn in high school or even earlier. They are taking “remedial” education courses. more

Despite economic challenges that persist in many countries around the world, Rhode Island continues to be actively engaged in the global economy. more

Calls by former Citigroup Inc. CEO Sanford Weill and others to break up the big banks reflect lingering public fear and anger toward financial institutions that seem too big to fail. more

To the Editor: more

I have always been somewhat apolitical, never registering with either major party, spreading votes among both, and even others occasionally. And I realize that many people feel strongly about their political positions these days. Still, it seems to me that life goes on regardless of who gets elected. I am more comfortable focused on pragmatism, what will actually work, than any political ideology. more

Texas Gov. Rick Perry says he doesn’t want his state to be “an appendage of the federal government when it comes to health care.” more

To best fix our economy, Rhode Island needs tax and fiscal stability. In far too many cases, Rhode Island shoots itself in the economic foot due to poorly considered lawmaking and posturing regarding tax policy within our General Assembly. more

Just getting back from South Korea has made me realize how amazing it is that we live in a world sustained by global trade. The stark difference between North and South Korea prompts a lot of reflection about the benefits of global trade. America’s longest-serving Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, reportedly said, “If goods cannot cross borders, armies will.” But business faces its own struggles in its own trenches trying to make goods cross borders, whether these are company, state or international borders. Here is a list of 10 challenges businesses face today in trying to make trade work better. more