Dan J. Harkey

Master Educator | Business & Finance Consultant | Mentor

Opinion & Prospective

Hear Dan’s viewpoints about how things work and the intended and unintended consequences, delivered with humor to keep you entertained and engaged.

They are delivered with humor, breaking down the barriers of reality, truths versus illusions, and manufactured narratives.

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The History and Meaning of Moral Hazards

Uncover the profound influence of a 17th-century insurance term, which has shaped the trajectory of modern economics and financial regulation.

The Value and Power of Metaphors

A metaphor, a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things by stating that one is the other, without using “like” or “as”, is a universal tool of human communication. This non-literal comparison, which we all use and understand, transfers the qualities of one object or idea to another, creating a more vivid or powerful image. For example, the statement, “The classroom was a zoo,” is a metaphor that suggests the classroom was chaotic and out of control, not that it literally contained animals.

Today Is the Best and Most Beautiful Day

Every sunrise is a silent call to action: an opportunity to start anew, to face the present with clear eyes, and to determine—consciously—what kind of day we’re going to create. This is not naivety; it’s practice. To declare today as the best and most beautiful day is not to ignore difficulties. It’s to affirm our power of choice: the small yet profound authority over attention, attitude, and action that we each bring into the coming hours.

Income Diversification Strategies for Mortgage Brokers

Knowledge and Power: An Academic Exploration of an Enduring Nexus- Complete Version

The maxim “knowledge is power”—often attributed to Francis Bacon—captures a durable intuition about the relationship between understanding and agency. However, the nexus between knowledge and power is neither unidirectional nor straightforward.

How Systemic and Institutional Pressures Kill Critical Thinking: Indoctrination Kills Inquiry, which Kills Critical Thinking

An uncomfortable truth sits beneath America’s education debates: we don’t have a brainwashing problem; we have a misalignment problem that urgently demands our collective action. We claim to want independent thinkers, yet we reward systems that optimize for speed, compliance, and short-cycle test gains. The results show up everywhere.

Why “Quagmire” Is the Perfect Word for Modern Business—and How to Avoid Getting Stuck at All Costs

California’s Punitive Bureaucracy: A System of Control and Economic Coercion

SB-748: Safe Parking Sites and Local Responsibility for the Unhoused

California Senate Bill 748 (SB-748), signed into Law in September 2025, marks a significant expansion of the state’s approach to homelessness—specifically addressing the needs of individuals living in vehicles. The bill modifies the existing Encampment Resolution Funding (ERF) program to include support for safe parking sites, offering local jurisdictions new tools to manage and assist vehicle-based homelessness.

Too Good to Be True: The Anatomy of High-Yield Investment Scams

America at the Crossroads: Are We Ready to Ask Hard Questions?

America is standing at a crossroads, and the time for action is now. For too long, we’ve skirted the most uncomfortable questions about what’s wrong in our country. Government leaders have evaded them because they’re politically costly. Mainstream media has sidestepped them because nuance doesn’t sell. But the cracks are widening, and the cost of silence is becoming unbearable.

Government Efficiency Isn’t a Dirty Word—It’s Stewardship

Government inefficiency is characteristic of entrenched bureaucracy.

The Importance of Resilience in Business

In today’s volatile business environment, resilience isn’t just a desirable trait—it’s a transformative survival skill that can inspire and motivate. Markets shift overnight, technology disrupts entire industries, and global crises can upend even the most carefully laid plans. Resilience empowers businesses and leaders not only to adapt but also to transform, recover, and thrive in the face of uncertainty.

“Crap Shoot” in Business: Origins and Applications

The phrase “crap shoot” originates from the gambling game craps, where players roll dice and outcomes depend entirely on chance. The term evolved into a metaphor for situations where results are unpredictable and largely outside one’s control. In business, this concept resonates deeply because many high-stakes decisions involve uncertainty despite careful planning.

How Pronounced is State-funded Chaos in the USA?

The concept of state-funded chaos in the United States can be interpreted in several ways; however, historically, it most often refers to instances where government actions—whether intentional or due to dysfunction—have led to widespread disruption, instability, or erosion of public trust. Government actions are directly to the benefit of the government apparatus and against the best interests of the people.

What Sparks Real Change? The Psychology Behind Life’s Turning Points

What is the Spark in One’s Life that Causes them to Make Significant Changes in their Life for the Better?

That pivotal moment or “spark” that causes someone to make significant life changes for the better often stems from a personal crisis, a profound realization, or a transformative experience. While the catalyst varies from person to person, here are some common types of events that tend to trigger such shifts:

How the Federal Reserve System Plunders the American Taxpayer

The Federal Reserve was established in 1913 under the Federal Reserve Act, following a series of banking panics, most notably the Panic of 1907. Its stated purpose was to stabilize the financial system, provide an elastic currency, and act as a lender of last resort. Over time, however, its policies have evolved into mechanisms that critics argue quietly transfer wealth from ordinary Americans to the government and financial elites. This “plunder” doesn’t happen through overt taxation—it occurs through monetary policy, inflation, and systemic favoritism.

The U.S. Electric Vehicle (EV) Market is hitting a Rough Patch, and the Reasons are Clear:

The expiration of federal tax credits, high upfront costs, and persistent infrastructure gaps have triggered a sharp slowdown in demand. The Impact of these factors is not to be underestimated, as they have significantly altered the market dynamics. Social engineering only works when it continues to manipulate the public into thinking they are gaining benefits and preferential treatment. Once reality sets in that the benefits were only temporary, then the business adjusts back to market-driven economics.

The EV Bust: How Policy Shifts and Consumer Fatigue Sparked a Market Correction

The Policy Whiplash Government incentives were the backbone of EV adoption in the U.S. For years, tax credits and state rebates have narrowed the price gap, signaling a long-term commitment to electrification. When those incentives expired in late 2025, the market lost its safety net overnight. Automakers had scaled production based on a demand curve that assumed continued policy support—only to face a sudden cliff.