Dan J. Harkey

Master Educator | Business & Finance Consultant | Mentor

Opinion & Prospective

Dan’s Take on How Things Really Work. Truth, Consequences, and Comedy—Occasionally in that Order.

If you’ve ever felt like the official story doesn’t match what you’re seeing, you’re not alone.

Policies, markets, and institutions don’t just “happen”—they produce consequences. Some intended. Many not.

I break down what’s going on (and what’s really driving it) with sharp observations, plain-English logic, and a bit of humor- sifting through the lies, deceptions, and illusions to find the truth.

Search Results

Henry David Thoreau: Moral Force of Civil Disobedience- Quick Read

Henry David Thoreau’s 1849 essay Civil Disobedience remains one of the most influential statements on the duty of the individual to resist unjust government. Written after Thoreau spent a night in jail for refusing to pay a poll tax that supported slavery and the Mexican-American War, the essay argues that conscience must take precedence over Law whenever the two come into conflict.

Ralph Waldo Emerson: The Voice of American Individualism

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) remains one of America’s most influential philosophers, celebrated for his emphasis on self-trust and individuality, which can inspire audiences to believe in their inner strength and potential. As the leading voice of the Transcendentalist movement, he urged Americans to look inward for truth and outward to nature for inspiration.

Percy Faith, Bandleader, Orchestrator, Composer, and Conductor.

The Architect of “Mood Music” in the Billboard Era

Johnny Hartman, a jazz singer who specialized in ballads, was active from 1946 to 1983.

The Baritone Who Made Ballads Feel Like Conversation

Modern Anti-Fraud Policy: California is a Test Case

The Federal Government is intervening because the state does very little to change the culture of Fraud.

Is California a “Bastion of Tolerated Fraud”? California is a brand-new game.

This article explores the state’s unique challenges with public fund misuse and ongoing debates.

Burt Bacharach, composer, songwriter, producer, and pianist, composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950’s to the 1980s—one of the all-time greatest.

Burt Bacharach’s innovative approach to pop composition should inspire admiration and appreciation among music enthusiasts, highlighting his role as a pioneer in shaping the modern pop sound.

Shirley Bassey, Singer with an Expressive Voice and Recordings of Theme Songs.

Career from the mid-1950s to the present.

Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers.

Blues, jazz, and swing. Tours with an 8-piece “little Big band.”

“All Hat, No Cattle”:

The Phrase That Exposes Empty Swagger

Rodgers and Hammerstein II: Duo Composers from 1920 to the 1960s

Duo composers Richard Rodgers and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II. Careers from the 1920s until the 1960s and later.

Ennio Morricone: Italian Composer with 100 Scores in Cinema

Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpet player, composed more than 400 scores for cinema and television. Also has more than 100 classical works.

Maurice Jarre, Pioneering Film Composer

French composer and conductor, Active 1958 to 2001. Collaborations includes Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Train (1964), Doctor Zhivago (1965), Mohammad, Messenger of God (1976) Lion of the Desert (1981), A Passage to India (1984) Witness (1985), Fatal Attraction (1987) and Ghost (1990), A Walk in the Clouds, and many others.

Kay Kyser,

Band leader and radio personality between 1926 and 1950

Lionel Hampton,

jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bank leader, whose career spanned over 50 years. Active from 1927 to 2002.

Ayn Rand-Part VI of VI

Legacy, Influence, and Modern Debates

Russ Columbo,

Baritone, songwriter, violinist, actor, Active 1921-1934.

Jimmy Dorsey,

Clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, and prominent band leader. Brother Tommy. Active 1920-1957.

Show Your ID Please: Where Californians Are Commonly Required to Show ID

California is A Brand New Game- (Real World Checkpoints)

Ayn Rand’s Fiction: -Part V of VI

Philosophy in Storyform