David Bahnsen

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1 year 50 weeks

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BIOGRAPHY

David L. Bahnsen, CFP®, works as a Senior Vice President in the private client group of one of the premier Wall Street firms in the country, where he provides financial planning and investment management services to individuals and families. He and his wife of eight years (Joleen) reside in Newport Beach, CA with their four-year old son, Mitchell, and two-year old daughter, Sadie. He is an active board member of the Lincoln Club of Orange County, where he serves on the Executive Committee and chairs the Issues Committee. He is a contributing writer to, and investing partner in, Red County.com. He serves on the Blackstone Faculty of the Alliance Defense Fund, and is a Cooperating Board member of the Center for Cultural Leadership, where he is the Senior Fellow of Economics and Finance.

David is a disciple of Milton Friedman, a lover of Ronald Reagan, and a "National Review kind of conservative". His writings strive to reflect an ideology of freedom principles integrated with transcendent truths. His hero is his late father, Dr. Greg Bahnsen, but he is pretty fond of John Calvin, Abraham Kuyper, F.A. Hayek, Winston Churchill, C.S. Lewis, William Buckley, Margaret Thatcher, George Gilder, Steve Forbes, and Larry Kudlow as well. When he is not being so serious, he also admires Tiger Woods and Pete Carroll.

Hobbies include travel, fine dining, golfing, and sports. His true passions in life include anything pertaining to USC football, the financial markets, politics, his vacation condo in the desert, his gorgeous and brilliant children, and his lovely wife, Joleen.

COMMENTARIES

Obama's Economics Has China Talking

By David Bahnsen | 05/24/09

Yu Qiao of Tsinghua University: “Most of Mr. Obama’s stimulus spending is devoted to social programs rather than growth promotion, which may exacerbate America’s over-consumption problem and delay sustainable recovery.” As Dr. Woody Brock pointed out recently, why are we not reading this from Larry Summers or Christina Romer? “Have the best and brightest once again lost their moral integrity? Seriously believe... read more »

1 Comment | Related Topics »National |

TARP, No TARP, Doesn't Matter: Barack's Your Boss Now

By David Bahnsen | 05/14/09

This article should be read in its entirety so that no one thinks I am being hyperbolic in the way I describe what is going on in our country. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/13/executive-compensation-ov_n_202733.html To summarize the above, however, I have cut and pasted the following line: WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration has begun serious talks about how it can change compensation practices across the financial-services... read more »

0 Comments | Related Topics »National |

Few Surprises from First 100 Days

By David Bahnsen | 05/01/09

There is no point in screaming and moaning about the pain and horror that the first 100 days of the Obama administration have produced. America voted for this individual, and there has been very, very little he has done that ought to be a surprise. I am disappointed that he was elected, and disappointed that he lacks a Clintonian pragmatism, but not in the slightest bit surprised at anything he has done. President Obama is a... read more »

0 Comments | Related Topics »Orange County (CA) |

Changes With a Purpose at Club for Growth

By David Bahnsen | 04/14/09

Chris Chocola began yesterday as the new president of the Club for Growth. I met Chris many years ago where I spent several hours with him wondering why he was interested in Congress despite the fact that he had an extremely above-average IQ, as well as a moral compass, two things that at the time struck me as a disqualifier for Congress (today, I feel more strongly about this point, but am just happy that there are 8-10 exceptions at... read more »

3 Comments | Related Topics »National |

On My Time with Mike Pence and the FRC

By David Bahnsen | 04/03/09

I am in Washington D.C. for a handful of meetings over the next few days, including the Faith, Family, and Freedom Summit of the Family Research Council. I was blessed to sit with Congressman Mike Pence tonight for dinner where he was our keynote speaker. A few comments are desperately in order: I think it is entirely possible that Mike Pence is the single finest Congressman we have in the entire House of Representatives.... read more »

0 Comments | Related Topics »National |

To Republicans Who Voted for the "AIG Tax"

By David Bahnsen | 03/30/09

I really ought to preface this open letter by saying that it is not actually intended for every single one of you. Let’s face it: some of you cannot spell out your names without using R-I-N-O. In fact, I give you permission, Don Young of Alaska, to quit reading right now. Your Republicanism has never been in question, because no one has believed for a generation that you are a Republican. Your vote on the subject of... read more »

5 Comments | Related Topics »National |

The Turning Point of Our Country

By David Bahnsen | 02/09/09

I am not the type of person to mope around very long. I believe I have a pretty resilient spirit, and I am a deep believer that the only long term realism is optimism. I can not recall a time that very bad news personally, professionally, or ideologically has kept me down for more than a short while. I confess that since the inauguration of this new President, a tidal wave of reality has hit me that has tested my long-term optimistic... read more »

0 Comments | Related Topics »National | SPOTLIGHT (Editorial Staff Only) |

A Post-Game Analysis of George W. Bush

By David Bahnsen | 01/26/09

To say that President Bush's Presidency was a wild success for those in the conservative movement is, of course, patently absurd. But to say that his time in office was a universal failure is equally ignorant. The truth is that few Presidencies in American history are going to be remembered with as much mixed feeling as that of the Presidency which came to an end last Tuesday. The good and bad of it deserve... read more »

0 Comments | Related Topics »National | SPOTLIGHT (Editorial Staff Only) |

By David Bahnsen | 01/04/09

Below is a brief overview of my top 10 books read in 2008, and the books sitting on my pile to start off 2009 with. I am committed to 50 books for 2009 (one per week, give or take), and hope to review each and every one of them. In the meantime, Happy New Year, and happy reading! Your recommendations for additions to the list are always appreciated. Note: I don't do novels, and I don't do theology (any more). 10.)... read more »

0 Comments | Related Topics »Red County Book Club | FEATURE |

Panic: The Story of Modern Financial Insanity

By David Bahnsen | 12/26/08

I want as badly as the next guy to find someone to blame for the economic mess we find ourselves in. I have spent more hours this year studying the present economic malaise than you would believe if I told you, and I am sad to report that any attempt to narrow the blame game down to one politician, or one Wall Street firm, or even to one general category, is not only too simplistic, it is stupid. Many of us are excited to say... read more »