Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

My take on the NSA, Privacy and Protection

Let me just say, I’m no lawyer and what follows is not legal scholarship. Of all the reading and listening I have done regarding the spying by our government via electronic data collection and storage, I have found nothing that specifically gets at the issue for me as to why it’s not a good thing.  […]

The Fundamental Principle That States Are People, My Friend

OH. WOW.  I actually called this exactly right in my post yesterday—this being, well, this.  [Inadvertently-omitted link to court opinion inserted.  H/T Dan Crawford.]  Specifically: Roberts’ 5-4 opinion today in Shelby County, Ala. v. Holder, the Voting Rights Act case that I discussed, and predicted the outcome of, in that post yesterday. Regular AB readers […]

UK Territories to sign OECD Tax Info-Sharing Agreement, Reveal Beneficial Owners

by Linda Beale UK Territories to sign OECD Tax Info-Sharing Agreement, Reveal Beneficial Owners The UK’s David Cameron announced  that Britain’s 10 crown dependencies and overseas territories–Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Jersey, Gilbraltar, Anguilla, Turks and Caicos Islands, Guernsey, Isle of Man, and the British Virgin Islands–would sign on to the OECD’s multilateral convention on Mutual Administrative […]

Health Care Thoughts: Tenet Buys Vanguard, Wave of the Future?

by Tom aka Rusty Rustbelt Health Care Thoughts: Tenet Buys Vanguard, Wave of the Future? The three most frequently used words in health care strategy today are: Integration – more providers employed by hospitals, networks and corporate providers Consolidation – networks and corporate providers getting larger Alignment – trying to develop business models that make […]

Wages falling

Real wages decline by Kenneth Thomas Speaking of inequality by Kenneth Thomas Wage stickiness coming unglued. And an op ed by David Cay Johnston this last week: Breaking news alert! Wages fell at the fastest rate ever recorded during the first quarter of this year, the government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Hourly wages fell 3.8 […]

Obamacare – Fear – Mongers Poison Minds; Hatred Blinds

Maggie Mahar at Health Beat Blog Obamacare – Fear – Mongers Poison Minds; Hatred Blinds” writes about the confusion about, the anger at, and the mischaracterization of the PPACA by every day people, medical workers, and politicians. Having myself presented the facts to rebut assumptions and fallacies, I find her comments interesting and on the […]

Justice Kennedy Reads Angry Bear! Yup. There’s No Other Plausible Explanation for His Affirmative Action Opinion Today.

A longer-than-planned post on today’s Supreme Court opinion on state-college-admissions affirmative action programs.  (I’m up in Michigan’s Thumb region, sans cable and regular web service, and using my phone as a Wi Fi hotspot via the PdaNet app. I can attest that PdaNet is awesome.)  Here it is: The headline on Politico reads, “SCOTUS passes […]

Market Power, Minimum Wages, and the Sins of Friedmania

by Linda beale Market Power, Minimum Wages, and the Sins of Friedmania Two items caught my attention in today’s (June 22) newspapers and they represent diametrically opposed positions on what matters in society.  One, by Paul Krugman, deals with the problems of monopoly rents–especially in industries in which there is very little production in this […]