Tips, books and education loans

If you want to get a broad political, economic and international view on issues, I recommend (among others) the Drudge report, Huffington Post, realclearpolitics.com, lucianne.com and johncombest.com.

It is interesting the different angles of news coverage on the same subject.

For reading, I suggest the Southeast Missourian, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today -- and for the most consistent conservative editorial coverage, the Investor's Business Daily (IBD).

The IBD five-day daily prints its "10 Secrets to Success" every issue. I'd like to share a recent list.

IBD'S 10 Secrets to Success

Investor's Business Daily has spent years analyzing leaders and successful people in all walks of life. Most have 10 traits that, when combined, can turn dreams into reality. Each day, we highlight one.

1. How you think is everything: Always be positive. Think success, not failure. Beware of a negative environment.

2. Decide upon your true dreams and goals: Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them.

3. Take action: Goals are nothing without action. Don't be afraid to get started Just do it.

4. Never stop learning: Go back to school or read books. Get training and acquire skills.

5. Be persistent and work hard: Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.

6. Learn to analyze details: Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.

7. Focus your time and money: Don't let other people or things distract you.

8. Don't be afraid to innovate; be different: Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity.

9. Deal and communicate with people effectively: No person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others.

10. Be honest and dependable; take responsibility: Otherwise, Nos. 1-9 won't matter.

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Former Missouri U.S. Senator Jim Talent (R) has joined Scott Walker's presidential campaign as a leading adviser on foreign policy and defense, according to CNN. This is big, as a number of Republican candidates would love to have Talent committed to them. There's a full slate of attractive Republican Presidential candidates worth listening to and/or reading their books like Walker, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Rick Perry, etc., along with the experienced Jeb Bush.

Though the leading Democratic candidate is Hillary Clinton, her book bombed. It must be hard to get enthusiastic about her.

Some of the hardest, most direct and accurate criticisms of Clinton are coming from former Hewlett Parker executive Carly Fiorino.

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Remember when the Obama administration bragged about getting local banks out of the middle on loans to college students?

Well, delinquencies are lower, but according to recent federal data, some 41 million Americans collectively carry more than $1.1 trillion in education loans. Loans owned or guaranteed by the Education Department, a total that surpasses every form of consumer credit in the U.S. except home mortgages. Recent figures reflect more than two-thirds of the $1.1 trillion total. The remainder is owned by the private sector as part of bank-based federal loan program that has since been discontinued.

Gary Rust is chairman of the board of Rust Communications, which owns the Southeast Missourian.