Dan J. Harkey

Master Educator | Business & Finance Consultant | Mentor

California Economy

"Onerous Laws & Regulations” and “Unintended Consequences” are the State’s Most Reliable Output.

A reality-based look at housing, lending, regulations, and the consequences nobody expected, nor budgeted for.

California isn’t just an economy—it’s a live experiment in what happens when ambition meets regulation, and regulation meets… more regulation. I break down what’s really driving outcomes in housing, insurance, construction, and credit—tracking the intended and unintended consequences all the way to NOI, DSCR, and deal viability. Humor included, because if you don’t laugh at policy irrational logic, you’ll end up crying into your escrow impound account.

Search Results

Sports Betting Arrest: What’s Happening Around All the Professional Athlete Sports Betting Arrests?

This is a Very Big Deal in the World of Sports Betting: Investigations are underway, and many other participants will be arrested.

Dealing with Sociopaths in the Business World

A sociopath is generally understood as someone with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), a condition characterized by persistent patterns of disregard for others and social norms.

Regulatory and Law Overreach Enslavement: When Rules Become Shackles-Technical Read

Regulatory and Law overreach enslavement occurs when legal frameworks and administrative rules expand beyond their intended scope, imposing excessive restrictions on individual or business autonomy. This form of captivity is systemically rooted in bureaucracy and compliance mandates rather than brute force.

SB-254: Its Impact on California Utilities- Financial Stability Meets Regulatory Oversight

California’s Senate Bill 254 (SB-254) is a significant piece of legislation that not only strengthens wildfire liability protections and accelerates the development of clean energy infrastructure but also has profound financial implications for utilities. For investor-owned utilities (IOUs) like PG&E, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric, this bill presents both a lifeline and a challenge.

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.

Income Diversification Strategies for Mortgage Brokers

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

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

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 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.

Government as Racket: How Power, Policy, Access, and Paydays Converge

When people say “the system is rigged,” they may be closer to a macro truth than a slogan. Here’s the evidence-driven anatomy of how public authority routinely converts into private gain—and what it would take to unwind the racket.

War Is a Racket: Smedley Butler’s Timeless Warning About Profiteering and Power

In 1935, Major General Smedley D. Butler—one of the most decorated Marines in U.S. History—published a short but explosive book: War Is a Racket. At fewer than 50 pages, it remains one of the most searing indictments of the economic motives behind war. Butler’s thesis was radical yet straightforward: wars are rarely fought for freedom or defense—they are fought for profit.