This is attempt by the Catholic Church to force their beliefs on those employees of theirs who are not Catholic.  The federal government by requiring that the insurance plans be  applied consistently across the board to all employees it is maintaining its secular obligation of not… Read full post »

My conservative friends and relatives continue to forward on emails intending to create panic among the faithful that soon we will be in the throes of Stalinism or at the very least some form of egregious socialism. (Medicare to them is certainly not socialism, of course.)  Normally, I just let… Read full post »

I was at a Tea Party meeting last night (actually pretty interesting except for the excessive religious paranoia) and the Libertarian candidate for the Senate, Mike Lapno, discussed the Laffer Curve as a tax policy.  Aside from the validity of the theory, I have the following questions:

1… Read full post »

Another article in the Times detailing the difficulty banks are now having because of problems with ownership documents just touches on what I believe to be another scam in the housing  market: title insurance.  The purpose of title insurance is to guarantee that the purchaser has a clear t… Read full post »

For some reason the debate over tax cuts focuses on income rather than productivity, i.e., if you make more than $250,000 you don't get one, or shouldn't, and if you make less, you will.

Why the seemingly arbitrary distinctions. I would give tax cuts to those who start a new business,… Read full post »

1. A house should not be thought of as an investment except over a long period of time, perhaps 20 or 30 years, and then more as a hedge against inflation.

2. Most people should not own homes.  We are too mobil.

3. Home equity loans should be prohibited;  they require… Read full post »

Here was my ethical dilemma.  I have posted what I did after the spoiler line.  Would you have done the same?  Did I act in the most ethically responsible manner?  Did I prevent a riot? :)  Would the presence/absence of a video camera have made a difference in your… Read full post »

I posted this elsewhere as a comment after reading once again something from an anonymous source.  I'm whining again.

1.  I find the constant use of anonymous sources to be unsettling, especially when they are uniformly preceded by a disclaimer such as "who must remain anonymous because he/… Read full post »

I would suggest that the same-sex marriage issue is not a liberal/conservative issue witness the political leanings of Boise and Olson.  One could make a very good case that's it's very conservative in its celebration of conservative values such as commitment and family.  It's really a sema… Read full post »

It’s time we reformed the budgeting process. Public --I have no experience with private, but I suspect it’s the same -- budget managers scramble at the end of the budget year to spend all the money they had been allotted during the budget process. If they don’t spend it all the… Read full post »

What makes the Gates/Crowley scenario so interesting is that both of them were right. Crowley was right, technically, in his response, and Gates had every reason to be angry given the fact that he was in his own home and shouldn;t be hassled. Obama was absolutely right that the police handling… Read full post »

When Lindesy Graham, who certainly would never be confused with a leftist, starts calling for the nationalization of the banks, one has to wonder if perhaps we've slipped down the rabbit hole.  I suspect the problem is with the word "nationalization."  This has nothing to do with Venezuela.… Read full post »

I haven't been on for a while - obviously - too busy reading and enjoying the outcome of the election and now fascinated by the Republican circular firing squad.  Economists seem to agree that the Obama kind of stimulus package retrns $1.50 for every dollar spent, while tax cuts return $.75… Read full post »

I was watching Lisa Madigan, the Attorney General of Illinois, sanctimoniously discussing why Governor Blagojevich should resign, etc., etc. The moderator asked about her gubernatorial aspirations.  She replied she just hadn't had the time to think about that nor the Senate seat.  Man, my c… Read full post »

Thanks Joan, for putting the tenous Blogojevich/Transition Team link into perspective on Hardball (truly a misnomer) the other night. The 24/7 cable media have unfortunately succumbed (actually not the right word since that implies giving in to a superior force) to speculation at the expense of repor… Read full post »

If I were Lt. Gov Patrick Quinn, assuming Blagojevich resigns, these are the qualifications I'd want for someone to replace Obama:

1. A guarantee not to run again in 2 years when the seat comes up for reelction.  This would make the person completely immune to lobbying because he wouldn't need… Read full post »

Let's see if I have this straight.  If you make $40 or a little more per hour (or whatever other fictitious number the Republicans are using for the UAW) you make way too much and by golly you need to cut back and sacrifice. On the other hand if you make… Read full post »

I just got through listening to a discussion of the recent governors' conference with president -elect Obama.  Many of the states are in serious financial difficulty.  Now, it seems to me that, with all the emphasis on benefits of scale, that perhaps some of these states need to consider me… Read full post »

I have been quite favorably impressed with what Obama has done so far and the team he has chosen.  I was beginning to despair of Hank Paulson who really didn't seem to know what he was doing and his flip-flopping was not helping the general spirit of things. I suspect he… Read full post »

Recent pirate attacks have again reenforced the superiority of low-tech over high-tech weaponry, a lesson we should have learned in Vietnam and one the Russians learned to their chagrin in Afghanistan.   Those who suggest that tankers should carry defensive weapons are being negligent of th… Read full post »

The main concerns regarding the auto bailout seem to be:

1.  workers will be thrown out of work;

2. they will lose health insurance - both present and legacy workers;

3. the companies are too big to fail.

All of these concerns would be addressed, if:

1. The Democrats instituted universal… Read full post »

I just finished reading the comments at the New York Times article regarding the "new and improved" Paulson plan for saving the economy.  The level of vitriole is astonishing.  And this morning I got a call from my 86 year old mother who was absolutely furious at the apparent bailout of… Read full post »

(AP) James Dobson today admitted he was a covert operative for the government of Iran and dedicated to the overthrow of the United States. He made the admission after being water boarded. He had agreed to subject himself to this interrogation technique to show how harmless it was, but ended up… Read full post »