Archive for the 'Economy' Category
And Now… A Federal Sales Tax?
April 7th, 2010Via: Reuters: The United States should consider raising taxes to help bring deficits under control and may need to consider a European-style value-added tax, White House adviser Paul Volcker said on Tuesday. Volcker, answering a question from the audience at a New York Historical Society event, said the value-added tax “was not as toxic an […]
Not The Onion: More Job Seekers Opting for Cosmetic Procedures
April 6th, 2010Here’s one for your When Batshit Insanity Just Doesn’t Cut It file folder. Via: CBS News: In this troubled economy, you may be thinking about beefing up your resume or adding to your portfolio, but how about going under the knife? As CBS 2’s Mai Martinez found, hundreds of people in the Chicago area are […]
The Secret History of Silicon Valley
April 6th, 2010Via: Google Tech Talks / YouTube:
No Criminal Charges Likely in AIG Collapse
April 6th, 2010Don’t crack the seal on the AIG mess. Oh no. The smell alone would be too much to handle. Via: CBS News: CBS NEWS has learned that former AIG executive Joseph Cassano – the prime focus of the investigation into its collapse – will meet with Department of Justice attorneys next week in what will […]
Unknown Budget, Unknown Purpose: U.S. Air Force Plans to Launch X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle
April 4th, 2010Blank Spots on the Map: And then there was Dan Vanderhorst, who “has been the lead pilot on seven classified aircraft to date.” In fact, according to his biography, “Vanderhorst has made his career in the cockpit of so many classified aircraft, there is not much that we can say about him, on the record,” […]
Geithner Delays Chinese Currency Report
April 4th, 2010Via: Bloomberg: U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner delayed a scheduled April 15 report to Congress on exchange-rate policies, sidestepping a decision on whether to accuse China of manipulating the value of the yuan. Geithner in a statement urged China to move toward a more flexible currency and said a series of meetings over the […]
Wall Street Cabal Seen Derailing Serious Swap Reform
April 2nd, 2010Via: Reuters: A major crisis is building in the derivatives market yet a cabal on Wall Street is blocking the formation of a clearing house that could stop the next financial meltdown, a senior official with the Kauffman Foundation said on Tuesday. The need for disclosure in the swap markets is enormous, yet the will […]
Obama Gives Key Agriculture Post to Agribusiness Goon Who Lobbied for Monsanto, Syngenta, DuPont and Dow
April 2nd, 2010Via: Green Change: Today, President Obama announced that he will recess appoint Islam A. Siddiqui to the position of Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Siddiqui is a pesticide lobbyist and Vice President for Science and Regulatory Affairs at CropLife America, an agribusiness lobbying group that represents Monsanto. Following is a letter […]
Lovelock: Authoritarian System Needed to Deal with Global Warming
March 31st, 2010Imagine my shock. Via: Guardian: We need a more authoritative world. We’ve become a sort of cheeky, egalitarian world where everyone can have their say. It’s all very well, but there are certain circumstances – a war is a typical example – where you can’t do that. You’ve got to have a few people with […]
Drill Baby, Drill: Obama to Open Offshore Areas to Oil Drilling for First Time
March 31st, 2010Via: New York Times: The Obama administration is proposing to open vast expanses of water along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling, much of it for the first time, officials said Tuesday. The proposal — a compromise that will please oil […]
