by Dale Coberly CHUCK BLAHOUS FINDS THE ANSWER FOR SOCIAL SECURITY AND LOSES IT. Charles Blahous is one of the politically appointed Trustees for Social Security. He has written “A Guide To The 2013 Social Security Trustees Report” at e21 Economic Policies for the 21st Century http://www.economics21.org/commentary/guide-2013-social-security-trustees-report . Blahous tells us “Social Security faces a […]

by Linda Beale Apple’s Tax Rates–just what does Cook’s “way I look at this” mean??? There’s been a good bit in the news lately about the way multinational enterprises like Apple, Google, and many others especially in Big Pharm and Big IP actively reduce their US taxes through offshoring that is offshoring-on-paper-only to a large […]

The NYT offers an editorial on what is becoming mainstream thinking on What’s Next for Social Security? Of course the writing is still short on pointing to the thoroughly researched possibilities for adjusting the program for changing circumstances. The trustees of Social Security recently reported that the retirement system can pay full benefits until 2035, […]

by Tom aka Rusty Rustbelt Health Care Thoughts: On the Road Again The rest of the week is taken up with a conference, at which I will spend time with health professionals from all 50 states, the professionals including physicians and nurses, executives and managers, lawyers and CPAs, financiers, government regulators, consultants and media. Anyone […]

While Rusty touched on this aspect of the role of employers in enforcing some notion of promoting reducing cost for premiums through wellness programs using ‘carrot or stick’ incentives comes further discussion via Truthout on the changing role of health insurance in America: Numerous companies have redefined their health care incentive programs, focusing on punishment […]

Andrew Bacevich writes: Twelve and a half years after Congress didn’t declare war on an organization of hundreds or, at most, thousands of jihadis scattered mainly across the backlands of the planet, and instead let President George W. Bush and his cohort loose to do whatever they wanted; twelve and a half years after the […]

Via Naked Capitalism comes this question about comparing economic data for a successful area in the aggregate with contrasting signs of things being not so good for some. Puzzling Economic Sightings Now and again I ask readers for input on what they are seeing locally, a sort of regional check on the statistics and media […]

by Linda beale The ‘ignorance is bliss’/’ride’em cowboy’ mentality of today’s GOP Today’s GOP is dominated by the Tea Party types that are a cross between an ostrich with its head stuck in the sand– the “ignorance is bliss” philosophy– and a 1860s cowboy as depicted in the 1960s western-mania TV shows– the “hell bent […]