About

About the Author

Arthur R. Kamm, PhD (Dr. Art Kamm) devoted his career to the study of patient populations and the research and development of treatments to alleviate pain, suffering, improve quality of life, and save lives.  He obtained his doctorate in Biochemistry at the Medical College, University of Arizona, in the field of cancer research – his research was accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  Art was a twenty year member of the American Academy of Dermatology and a 10 year contributing member of the Dermatology Foundation’s Leaders Society.  He served as Vice President Clinical Development (medical studies of therapeutic agents) at Glaxo, Inc.  He has served as a corporate officer for Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. holding the posts of Sr. Vice President Research and Development and Chief Development Officer.  He was founder and CEO of his own regionally-recognized drug development services company and served as Adjunct Professor Campbell University School of Pharmacy as course director and instructor for Leadership Development (2006-2008).  Art left his corporate pursuits in 2005 to support and devote time to his wife who was stricken with serious illness.  He is currently a student of social and political issues where he applies his skills to writing and speaking.  Art has engaged in humanitarian work including a hunger relief mission to Zambia and Zimbabwe, donating time to foster children in personal leadership practices to improve self-esteem and performance, and was invited to speak at the Duke University/UNC-Chapel Hill Rotary Center for International Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution.  He is a ‘Friend of the Center’ with the Southern Poverty Law Center through his regular financial contributions. His continuing education has included courses and/or seminars through Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Vital Learning’s Leadership curriculum, The Service Quality Institute’s Customer Service curriculum, and multiple executive training retreats.

About the Blog

Following his wife’s illness Art had the opportunity to engage in extensive reading about issues that are often clouded by special interests and media spin.  This blog is dedicated to his study of many topics including, but not limited to, debt, deficits, economy, leadership, healthcare, climate, politics, hunger, intolerance, etc.  The intent is to disseminate information and open dialogue based upon consideration of information rather than spin.  Some articles will use humor, some will be letters/e-mails submitted to various media, and others will be a condensation of information and opinion.  Some of the e-mail submissions sent to shows have undergone minimal editing for grammatical corrections and better clarification as they were produced quickly, but the communications are in very large part what was sent to the media. It should also be noted that the communications sent to these shows do not represent the views of the shows, their sponsors, affiliates or employees – they are simply the views of the writer.  Fully understanding that Mark Twain’s quote (used as the tag line for the blog) may well apply to his own opinion and information from time to time, the blog is intended to provide a learning experience for all parties and foster a climate of open communication and exchange.

Recent Posts


Gunfire Deaths in Children vs Pro-Life: A Political Double Standard

When it comes to the issue of protecting ‘children’, conservative politicians treat the gun lobby and the Pro-Life movement as legislative opposites.


Sacrificing Our Children in the Name of the Second Amendment

The US experiences a grossly disproportionate rate of firearm-related deaths in minors as compared to peer countries, and firearm deaths amongst the young account for more than 25% of the decreased life expectancy gap in America. The firearms industry, that is experiencing a long-term decline in American gun ownership, provides substantial financial support to the NRA and has had ties to that organization’s Board of Directors. The NRA has become a powerful lobbying force at both federal and state levels with a record of opposing legislation that would negatively affect firearms sales and advocating for legislation that expands firearm sales. That our elected representatives continue to enact firearm market expansion policies, without implementing tougher regulatory restraints on gun sales to curb firearm deaths in minors, represents the worst of special interest-driven politics and is nothing short of a dereliction of duty in governance.


Our Unrepresentative Representation

The Occupy Wall Street movement has reason to protest. Special interest-driven deregulation policy was at the heart of the recent economic collapse. It has been the “99%” that has paid the price for this policy failure with lost employment, devalued housing prices, retirement accounts being cut in half, and increased levels of poverty while the wealthiest in America continued to do well. A valid question is why our elected representatives are not working together to put a stop to failed policy that has been so damaging to the majority of Americans. This article will examine the disproportionate number of the wealthy who hold elected office in Washington and the conflict of interest they face in setting policy versus their own financial interests as well as the special interests that finance their campaigns. And it will explore an incentive that politicians have to stay in office where they can act on non-public information to their own financial benefit. It examines the issue of whether our Congress has become ‘Our Unrepresentative Representation’.

Featured Article


Job Creation and Our Diminished Economic Engine: The Middle Class

Over the past 30 years the vast majority of income gains have gone to the wealthiest in our country. In an economy that is 70% personal consumption, we will continue to experience slow recovery and anemic job growth until we more broadly share prosperity and rebuild the purchasing power of our economic engine, the middle class