• You Thought the MMAC Was Supposed to Help Businesses? Wrong!

    I used to be a member of the MMAC (Metro Milwaukee Association of Commerce). It’s our chamber of commerce, just with a funny name. I quit paying the toll a few years ago because the organization is worthless. By virtue […]

  • Tomatoes and Cheap Labor: A Commentary on Immigration Reform

    CHEAP TOMATOES?  This should make everyone think, be you Democrat, Republican or Independent  The following is from a Southern California, LA area school teacher… As you listen to the news about the student protests over illegal immigration, there are some […]

  • Fixed Fees: I’m Not a Fast Food Joint

    Recently I’ve had a bunch of conversations about fixed fees (also called flat fees) in the context of providing professional services: lawyers, auditors, accountants, fraud investigators… And I get a lot of pushback on the idea. Professional service providers have […]

  • Perspectives on the SEC’s No Action Letter to Overstock.com (NASDAQ:OSTK)

    The discussion of the Securities & Exchange Commission’s “no action” letter to Overstock.com (NASDAQ:OSTK) continues around the blogosphere. On the one side we have the supporters of the company and wacky CEO Patrick Byrne (whos says “yipikaye” in response to […]

  • From Whistleblower to Charges of Financial Fraud

    The New York Times published a very interesting story about Joseph Ripp, the former AOL CFO who went from being a whistleblower, to finding himself with civil charges of financial fraud. Ripp became a whistleblower in May 2001 when he […]

  • State Stopping Payments to 3 Voucher Schools

    Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction is indefinitely suspending payments to three voucher schools that are not in compliance with regulations: Bessie M. Gray Preparatory Academy (211 voucher students), Agape Center of Academic Excellence (115 voucher students), Victory Preparatory Academy (48 […]

  • Securities & Exchange Commission Closes Inquiry Into Overstock.com

    Overstock.com (NASDAQ:OSTK) announced today that the Salt Lake City office of the SEC notified them that it is not recommending any enforcement action against the company. The following was reported: “I know that the SEC has an obligation to look […]

  • Note to executives prone to spin and deflect

    Ethisphere has published its 2008 list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. One of the guiding principles in putting this list together: The World’s Most Ethical Companies are the businesses that respond not with a PR campaign, but with real […]

  • Milwaukee Public Schools Budget Time: Fun to Be Had By All

    If you live in the Milwaukee area, you’re well aware that the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is easily one of the worst school systems in the country. The answer always seems to be MONEY. But the money isn’t really “for […]

  • Antoin “Tony” Rezko convicted of 16 corruption charges

    This afternoon, Tony Rezko was convicted on 16 counts of corruption. He was convicted of working with Stuart Levine to extort millions of dollars from companies that wanted to do business with the state or that needed regulatory approval. The […]