Sunday, July 31, 2011

You know what you're getting with Jon Huntsman

Unlike the current GOP frontrunner who has twisted and turned his political positions so much that you might think he is a yoga master (or gumby) you know exactly what you are getting with Jon Huntsman because he is willing to be honest, even if that means saying things some people don't like. You can see Jon Huntsman in his own words in a collection of youtube videos here.

FBI moves forward with News Corp Investigation

The FBI is moving forward with its probe into the News Corp. hacking scandal.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Cut Red Tape: increase jobs

Governor Brown in California is pushing for solar panels. He could get more solar panels and more jobs by cutting through the red tape

Tax the Fat

Why not tax fat people in America if they drive up health costs?

Reform Entitlements or go home

You can't have a legitimate discussion about our nation's long term debt problem without discussing entitlement reform.

Fareed Zakaria on the US and its debt ceiling debate

Fareed Zakaria's take on the US and the debt ceiling debate

Ann Coulter you can pray away the gay

Ann Coulter 'you can pray away the gay'

McCain sounds off

McCain slams the tea-party, Bachman, the President and several others in a Senate floor speech outlining how many people are being unreasonable in regards to demands over the debt ceiling.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Should Kagan recuse herself from Obamacare cases?

Should Elena Kagan recuse herself from Obamacare cases?

Blame it on the Muslims

The shooting in Norway is not being blamed on Christianity, even though the shooter was a christian but when an attack of terror is committed by a Muslim people don't hesitate to blame it on Islam.

Obama blames Republicans on Debt Ceiling

Will Congress take aim at 401(k) to close debt ceiling?

Will congress take aim at 401(k) to close debt ceiling?

United States of check writing

Geithner warns that default would have terrible consequence because "we write 80 million checks a month"

Obama wants a partner on Immigration reform

President Obama wants a partner on Immigration reform

Lawsuits and warning labels

Because of frivolous lawsuits companies find it best to just warn us for everything in an attempt to try and protect themselves from being sued. My personal favorite is for the ipod shuffle : Do Not Eat.

Obama on Marijuana

In 2004 Obama stated Marijuana laws should be reviewed and decriminalizing marijuana was a good idea. But he said more recently in a town hall meeting he was not interested in legalizing and taxing marijuana. We'll see where this debate goes as Barney Frank and Ron Paul have introduced legislation to end the federal prohibition on Marijuana.

One Trillion Dollar Drug War

The US has spent $1,000,000,000 on law enforcement fighting the drug war the last 40 years and to what effect? Narcotics still flow across the border and into every US city. E.D. Kain argues that we should give the drug war back to the states.

Mass murder in Norway should cause reflection in SWAT readiness

The mass murder in Norway should cause reflection about the readiness of tactical SWAT teams there and throughout Europe

Doctors by pay

A look at the best paying andand the worst paying specialities for doctors. Money is often a motivating factor for future doctors because the average medical school debt is $160,000 with 25% of students owing over $200,000 at the time of graduation. It is no wonder the doctor with the least pay, is the one that we have the greatest shortage of.

Tale of Heroism amidst Norway's tragedy

Stories of Heroism are surfacing from the horrible tragedy that occured in Norway

More than 1,000 arrested in Mexican Crackdown

More than 1,000 arrests have been made to crack down on human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Mexico

US gay couple denied divorce

Because of varying laws on same sex marriage, some unhappy gay couples are unable to get a divorce

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Avoiding being overcharged by Real Estate Taxes

Forbes Magazine guides you through some of the basics about how to avoid having your house being over appraised in value and saving yourself money on real estate taxes.

Ten Green Companies

Ten companies that are green

First Same Sex Marriage takes place in NY

First Same Sex Marriage takes place in NY

Extreme Ideology that motivated someone to murder 91

The extreme ideology that motivated the murders in Norway

Coburn's Comprimise

Senator Coburn from Oklahoma is as bona fide a fiscal conservative as they come. Some have gone as far to say that he was the tea party before the tea party came into existence. Now that he and the "gang of six" are trying to broker a debt limit deficit reduction compromise many conservatives are hailing him as being a RINO (republican in name only).
Reagan said of compromise "When I began entering into the give and take of legislative bargaining in Sacramento, a lot of the most radical conservatives who had supported me during the election didn't like it."Compromise" was a dirty word to them and they wouldn't face the fact that we couldn't get all of what we wanted today. They wanted all or nothing and they wanted it all at once. If you don't get it all, some said, don't take anything"."I'd learned while negotiating union contracts that you seldom got everything you asked for. And I agreed with FDR, who said in 1933: 'I have no expectations of making a hit every time I come to bat. What I seek is the highest possible batting average.'"If you got seventy-five or eighty percent of what you were asking for, I say, you take it and fight for the rest later, and that's what I told these radical conservatives who never got used to it.

US invites North Korea to talks on nuclear impasse

US invites North Koreas to talk on nuclear impasse

Political Polarization has gone wild

Political polarization has gone crazy in the US

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Common Good: establish health courts to eliminate defensive medicine

The Common Good is an organization that is trying to get the government to stop pandering to special interests and work for the common good (hence the name) they argue that to save between $45 and $200 billion a year in defensive medicine costs we need to establish health courts to review medical liability cases based on merit.

Reforming Health Care: focus on quality, not quantity

Some private corporations are already taking baby steps at reforming American Health Care.

Why one good teacher is leaving the profession.

One teacher finds it too hard to live on $38,000 a year, is leaving the field of teaching.

Heat Wave stresses the Nation's Power Grid

The Heat wave sweeping the nation is stressing the power grid.

Taxpayers lose $1.3 Billion on Chrysler

Chrysler bail out costs the taxpayer $1.3 Billion.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

How the free market can drive up the cost of health care

One way the free market drives up the cost of health care.

Health Care: Romneycare has a long way to go

The economist explains that the Massachussets health care reform, which President Obama modeled the national reform after, still has a long way to go to prove its worth.

Liberals see opportunity for defense budget cuts

With our nation dripping in red ink, some liberals think that now is a good time to trim our incredibly large defense budget. Some wonder whether or not it is wise to spend as much on defense as the rest of the world combined.

Cut, Cap and Balance Passes House

House Republicans pass a bill that would cut $6 Trillion from future spending in what they are calling: Cut, Cap and Balance

Elizabeth Warren "I really don't get why I'm controversial"

Elizabeth Warren doesn't understand why trying to make mortgages and credit card agreements easy to understand has made her such a controversial figure.

The Difference between the top 1% and the top 0.1%

Business insider explains the difference between the top 1% and the top 0.1%

Steve Doocy on the News of the World Scandal

Steve Doocy sits down with a PR guy who may or may not work for Rupert Murdoch and wonders why there is such a media scandal over News Corp and hacking when there wasn't the same scandal when Citi got hacked. Stephen Colbert points out that both Citi and News Corp got caught in the same sentence with the word hacked.

The Debt Ceiling and the Welfare state

NY Post columnist Michael Posts asks when did it become the government's primary job to send people checks?

Bank of America posts $8.8 Billion Loss

Bank of America had a record $8.8 quarterly loss

Merkel dampens expectations over the issue of Greece Debt

Merkel dampens expectations over the Greek debt issue.

Coburn offers $9 Trillion reduction plan

Senator Tom Coburn offers $9 Trillion reduction plan over the next ten years. The plan includes a $1 Trillion cut in defense and incrementally raising the retirement age for social security.

Borders to Close, Forced to liquidate

Borders Forced to close all doors, liquidate

Monday, July 18, 2011

Scoring political points on the backs of Muslims

Herman Cain grabbed headlines months ago for stating that he would not appoint a Muslim to be in his cabinet or to be a federal judge if he were elected president. He has recently stated that communities have a right to ban mosques from being built because of the threat of Islam and terrorism. Reason magazine had a a good piece titled Fear of a Muslim America where they delve into the issue of Islam and Islam-aphobia.

Atlanta dealing with cheating scandal

Atlanta is dealing with cheating scandal. New superintendent has issued an ultimatum to those implicated: quit or be fired.

Fox News and its parent company

Some people may be surprised that Fox News is under reporting the News Corp hacking scandal, but it is far from the first time Fox has looked the other way at what its parent company was doing. While Fox News was scaring everyone about the "ground zero" mosque and its mysterious funding from a Saudi. They failed to point out that the 'dangerous Saudi' was the second largest owner of News Corp behind only Rupert Murdoch. It left the Daily Show wondering how Fox News could have missed that given that he's been on Neil Cavuto's show before and Cavuto spoke highly of the kingdom foundation then.

How News of the World scandal is being covered

Media Matters reports that Fox News is giving much less coverage to the scandal that is rocking its parent company than are MSNBC or CNN. CNN found a clip where FOX contributors discussed how they are avoiding mentioning the story. Stephen Colbert weighed in on the story and the clip of Fox News contributors stating that they weren't going to "touch it" in reference to the scandal. Which left Colbert to conclude that Fox News slogan is "we don't touch it, you decide".

How the Guardian Broke the Murdoch Scandal

How the Guardian Broke the Murdoch Scandal

Moody's suggests US eliminate debt ceiling

Moody's suggests US eliminate debt ceiling

News Corp has problems money can't solve

Time will tell how large this hacking scandal gets, but for now it appears that News Corp has  a scandal that money can't solve.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Hugh Grant helped exposed hacking

Hugh Grant: How I exposed the hacking scandal at news of the world.

Mayor Emanuel is taking on unions

Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel is is giving the public employees union a choice between trimming some of their lush benefits like a 35 hour work week, double pay for overtime and 12 holidays per year and instead have to work 40 hours, only get time and a half, and 9 paid holidays a year. The public employees union might just say that the work rules are too sweet to give up, and they'll just accept the layoffs to 600 of its members.

32 killed in Syria protests

32 Killed in Syrian protests

Friday, July 15, 2011

Call Obama's Bluff on Debt Talks

The President is saying he wants a long term deal or no deal call his bluff Charles Krauthammer argues.

US recognizes Libyan Rebels

US recognizes Libyan Rebels

Budget Reality

People need to own up to the budgetary realities.

Metoclopramide and the Supreme Court

As already mentioned on this blog the supreme court ruled that generic drug makers can't be held liable for failing to warn about drug side effects. At the heart of the case was the drug reglan or metoclopramide which has the rare side effect of tardive dyskinesia (or drug induced parkinsons). What is missed largely in the debate is that metoclopramide is not used in other western countries because its twin sister domperidone is available, has the same usage but it doesn't cause that terrible side effect. Due to some regulatory nonsense at the FDA domperidone is not available in the US, as a result a few thousand people have drug induced parkinsons.

Obama seeks end to debt ceiling debate

Obama wants a deal, seeks to end debt ceiling debate.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Don't Rush Reactionary Legislation in Response to Casey Anthony Trial

Some have proposed that states should adopt "caylee's law" that would make it a felony to not report a dead child within an hour of their death. We should reflect on how we could better protect children, but we should be careful not to rush bad legislation.

Medical Marijuana

The issue of Medical Marijuana is a slam dunk. There is no reason that a drug that has proven benefit shouldn't be prescribed to patients by their physicians. It is ludicrous to talk about the dangers of marijuana and the potential for abuse while doctors are capable of prescribing opiates (that derive from the same plant as heroin). Why is it that doctors can't prescribe a pain killer with little potential for addiction (marijuana) when they can prescribe several pain killers (morphine, codeine, oxycodon, oxycontin, etc) that have a moderate to high risk for addiction?

$1 Trillion in New Taxes

Obama wants $1 Trillion in New Taxes

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Sunscreen at camp

The state of Maryland issued warnings that summer camps should not provide or help in the application of sunscreen to children. The Washington Post got a hold of a copy of the the policy guidelines, then the state relented and issued what amounts to a "nevermind".

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Credit Default Swaps

Salman Khan, former hedge fund manager, explains what credit default swaps are in a two part video series. Each video is approximately 10 minutes long. Part 1 and part 2 can be found here.

Saudi Arabia: If Iran builds nukes, so will we

Saudi Arabia: If Iran builds nukes, so will we

Thailand opposition wins key election

Thailand opposition wins key election

Friday, July 1, 2011

Federal Judges strike down Michigan law prohibiting use of race as basis for hiring

Federal Judges struck down a michigan law that banned the use of race as a preference for hiring.

Collateralized Debt Obligation: explained

As part of the series explaining the housing crisis this video explains collateralized debt obligations are in about 10 minutes.

Stephen Colbert's Political action committee

Stephen Colbert has formed a political action committee, a superPAC actually. He has set up a website and is taking donations. The Christian Science Monitor explains what a superPAC is: a political action committee that can receive unlimited funds from corporations or private citizens. Colbert has been promoting his SuperPAC asking for donations, airing his journey filing his paperwork with the FEC and airing part of his meeting with a FEC committee.

And then they came for me: Maziar Bahari

Mahaziar Bahari has a new book out Then They Came for Me: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival about his imprisonment and torture at the hands of the Iranian government. A short excerpt can be found here from Newsweek and he has a nice chat with the Daily Show's Jon Stewart about the experience.

Military Schools Falling Down

Newsweek reports on the sad state of on base schools for the children of our men and women who serve.

Supreme Court on violent video games

Jeffery H. Anderson argues that the got it wrong when the supreme court struck down a California law banning the sale of violent video games to children. Jon Stewart offered this criticism of the decision where he demonstrates just how violent these video games can be. Stewart makes the point that it is ok to disembowel a women in a video game, but if she had a nipple slip during then it would be something that could prohibited from being sold to children.