Jim de Bree: Heeding Robert E. Lee’s advice
September 7, 2017 11:48 pm
When I was 8 years old in 1961, our nation began a five-year celebration of the Civil War centennial. For two years, I was obsessed with the Civil War. I
Author: James de Bree
This author has written 82 articles
James de Bree
Jim de Bree: Finding the best minimum wage
August 19, 2017 12:33 am
A couple of weeks ago my friend and fellow columnist, Ron Bischoff, sent me a Washington Post editorial titled “Sobering news for $15-minimum-wage boosters.” The editorial can be seen at
Jim De Bree: His not a winning presidency
August 7, 2017 9:53 am
By Jim de Bree SCV Voices In its July 28 edition The Signal published a letter to the editor from Betty Arenson entitled “No way to win if you’re president.”
Jim de Bree: Revisiting Harry Truman
July 20, 2017 10:00 pm
Last month I drove across country. When I was in Missouri I drove near the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library. Although I did not have time to stop and visit,
Jim De Bree: On the failed health care legislation
June 30, 2017 10:30 pm
I teach, as an adjunct professor, in the Masters of Taxation program at Cal State Northridge. Last Saturday’s class covered the 3.8 percent tax on investment income also called the
Jim de Bree: Making history personal
June 8, 2017 10:48 pm
I am somewhat tired of writing about politics, so in this column I thought I would write about something less controversial. When I retired two years ago, I decided to
Jim de Bree: Preexisting conditions confusion
May 17, 2017 10:34 pm
Since the House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act (“AHCA”) on May 4, it has been the subject of significant commentary. One of the most controversial aspects of
Jim de Bree: Trump’s tax reform not like Reagan’s
May 3, 2017 10:15 pm
Over the past 40 years, I have spent a considerable amount of time studying tax policy. Therefore, I may have a different perspective than most on President Trump’s recent tax
Jim de Bree: Long road to fixing Obamacare
March 10, 2017 10:18 pm
This is the sixth column in my series about health care. Hopefully it will be my last — for a while, at least. I hope that the previous columns have
Jim de Bree: Voodoo economics of HSAs
March 9, 2017 10:30 pm
One of the ideas touted by the Republicans to fix Obamacare is the expansion of Health Savings Accounts, commonly referred to as “HSAs.” In case you have not heard of
Jim de Bree: My family’s flight to freedom
March 1, 2017 10:45 pm
Like many other World War II-era refugees, my family fled the war front with little but the clothes on their backs. They later became American citizens. Today marks the 75th
Jim de Bree: Health care’s three-legged stool
February 22, 2017 10:24 pm
Have you ever sat on a three-legged stool? If one of the legs is too long or too short, you slide off the stool and end up sitting on the
Jim de Bree: Thoughts on Measure H
February 10, 2017 10:50 pm
Last June I attended a meeting where county homeless initiatives were discussed. At that meeting, one of the speakers said that we know how to eradicate homelessness in Los Angeles
Jim de Bree: Single-payer care stagnates
February 1, 2017 10:04 pm
This column discusses another controversial national health care question: Whether a single-payer health care system makes sense. A single-payer system involves the government controlling and financing the delivery of health-care
Jim de Bree: Obamacare doomed from the outset
January 23, 2017 10:51 pm
Was Obamacare designed to fail? The question asked in this article is one of the most politically charged questions of the health-care debate. Republicans frequently say the Affordable Care Act
Jim de Bree: Falling through the cracks
January 12, 2017 10:27 pm
The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is one of the hottest topics inside the Beltway. Nearly everyone has an opinion on the matter, but relatively few have an informed opinion. Since
Jim de Bree: The Russians are coming
January 3, 2017 10:00 pm
In 1966 a comedy film was released called “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians are Coming.” The premise of the film was that a Russian spy submarine inadvertently ran aground
James de Bree: Politics and year-end tax planning
December 30, 2016 10:30 pm
I am glad that I am a retired CPA because year-end tax planning this year is especially tricky. Taxpayers won’t know if they employed the optimal tax planning strategies until
Jim de Bree: Joy in the house this holiday
December 14, 2016 10:00 pm
Are you sick of talking about the election and post-election commentary? Are you ready to celebrate the holidays with something special? Me, too. I want to share with you an
Jim de Bree: Should Obamacare go Dutch?
December 7, 2016 10:00 pm
From an economic perspective, health care is a dysfunctional industry. Health care is a unique industry in several respects. The preponderance of costs is concentrated in a small portion of