Monthly Archives: May 2009

The state of the states

THIS is bad news for a functioning capitalist economy: federal aid has “supplanted sales, property and income taxes as the biggest source of revenue for state and local governments”. The Heritage Foundation, no surprise, flips out at the news … … Continue reading

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Crimes suspected in 20 bailout cases — for starters

In the first major disclosure of corruption in the $750-billion financial bailout program, federal investigators said Monday they have opened 20 criminal probes into possible securities fraud, tax violations, insider trading and other crimes. The cases represent only the first … Continue reading

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Is All Spending Created Equal?

So when DeLong, among others, says that government spending is as good as private in restoring employment, he is speaking against the whole thrust of the principle of efficient resource allocation. The essence of our recessionary problem is not the … Continue reading

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Don’t Romaniticize Social Security; Overhaul It

It is tempting to romanticise the creation of Social Security, but it was not the result of a kind nation coming together and sacrificing to help the poor aged. The Depression-era government set up a Ponzi scheme that would not … Continue reading

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America passes a milestone!

We now have more poeple employed in government than manufacturing and construction. via America passes a milestone! « Fabius Maximus. Graph at the link; it’s from January of this year. Yay for progress.

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Cheerios Makes Drug Claims?

The FDA warned General Mills that it was, in effect, marketing its Cheerios breakfast cereal as a drug, because the cereal’s familiar yellow boxes carry unapproved claims about lowering cholesterol and reducing the risks of heart disease. In a warning … Continue reading

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Medicare Too Expensive, Let’s Try Universal Coverage

Perhaps predictibly, someone showed up in the comments to my post on Medicare and Social Security to argue that liberal analysts have very serious plans to cut Medicare's costs, which is why we need universal coverage, so that we can … Continue reading

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Indefinite Detention in the USA — Not Guantanamo Bay

In late April, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced during a Senate briefing that there are between 50 and 100 detainees at Guantanamo Bay whom the government would not transfer to other countries or prosecute in civilian or military tribunals. … Continue reading

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Obama To Block Photos

The Washington Post leads with President Obama's decision to try to block the release of photographs showing the abuse of detainees by U.S. soldiers. Last month, the administration said it wouldn't fight a court order to release 44 photos by … Continue reading

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Dead People Get Stimulus Checks

They must be registered voters. This week, thousands of people are getting stimulus checks in the mail. The problem is that a lot of them are dead. A Long Island woman was shocked when she checked the mail and received … Continue reading

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