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.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Buddy Roemer for President
Former Governor Buddy Roemer is a long shot for President. He isn't taking special interest PAC money because he refuses to be bought. In fact he has set a limit of $100 as the maximum amount people can contribute to his campaign. Roemer says that he needs just one million Americans to stand up with him to reclaim America for the people from the special interests. For more information about Roemer you can visit his website.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Reform Entitlements or go home
You can't have a legitimate discussion about our nation's long term debt problem without discussing entitlement reform.
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.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Don Lemon on CNN
Jon Stewart explores the idea that CNN anchor Don Lemon appears that he doesn't care for many of the silly antics employed by CNN.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
USA Today: Some Federal workers more likely to die than be fired
With the national unemployment rate stuck at 9% many people worry about their jobs. One group of people that need not to worry is public employees. The USA today reports on the ridiculous job security many public workers enjoy. For example in a couple of fields workers are more likely to die than be fired.
Milwaukee teachers oppose pension contributions
Milwaukee teachers are opposing contributing to their pensions arguing"We teachers did not create the economic mess we are in" .
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.
Heat Wave stresses the Nation's Power Grid
The Heat wave sweeping the nation is stressing the power grid.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Fox News won't take on Murdoch, News Corp
Fox News has decided not to cover the hacking scandal at News of the World and has accused the rest of the media of 'piling on'. Jon Stewart ridicules Fox for not covering a legitimate scandal that includes bribery of top police officials in England when they decided to make hay over Common visiting the white house.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
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.
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.
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?
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.
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".
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.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
TSA takes first steps toward 'trusted traveler' program
TSA takes first steps toward 'trusted traveler' program. It would lower the amount of screenings for people who are willing to give additional personal information about themselves.
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Guilty until proven otherwise
Women's Rights Groups want Wisconsin Supreme court Justice to take a leave of absence amid allegations of assault on a fellow Supreme Court Justice. Prosser has rejected calls for stepping down and sources close to him are stating that he acted in self defense.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
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?
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Fox and Friends
One more reason Fox and Friends is a laughing stock. Them playing football with lingerie models after publicly declaring that what they saw on MTV was "crossing the line"
Nancy Grace smearing people
Before Nancy Grace was getting great ratings over the Casey Anthony trial she was also smearing the innocent Duke Lacrosse players a couple of times, refusing refusing to take science for an answer when it came to nuclear waste from japan.
Former Gov. Gary Johnson: Legalize Pot
Former New Mexico Governor and GOP presidential candidate Gary Johnson argues that for the sake of individual liberty and fiscal responsibility we should legalized marijuana.
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".
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
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.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
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.
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.
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.