“I’m not going to get into the numbers today, but it’ll — I think if you’re not impressed, you should be.”
Harry Reid is pretty proud of his healthcare bill. The next few weeks will be intense and immensely important to him and his party. The ramifications of this bill will be seen and discussed for [...]
Entries Tagged as 'The Great Recession'
Don’t expect 2010 to be 1994. Part 2: Healthcare
November 23rd, 2009 No Comments
Tags: 1994 · democrats · gop · healthcare · The Great Recession · unemployment
What is your local Broad Unemployment Rate?
July 15th, 2009 No Comments
The New York Times (those ingenious devils) have created an interactive map that helps you find out your state’s “broad” unemployment rate. The term “broad” in no way indicates this is any sort of fuzzier rate at all. It’s only broad because it includes people who are working part-time but want to work full time [...]
Tags: The Great Recession · unemployment
GM, Back in Black
July 11th, 2009 No Comments
All it took was fixing the notoriously faulty electrical system in Chevy Blazers.
After 41 days, GM shed $48b in debt, kicked some top execs to the bread line, and “restructured” their management style. They are now out of bankruptcy protection and ready to be mildly viable once more. Yipee.
Not bad for a company that is [...]
Tags: bankruptcy · GM · The Great Recession
Bernanke, GOP’s Persona Non Grata
June 25th, 2009 No Comments
It used to be that the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, the Fed, was the guy all the Republicans would invite to their BBQs and country club birthday parties. Not anymore. Ben Bernanke, the former academic and current savior of the American economy, is not liked that much by the GOP. He will be grilled [...]
Tags: ben bernanke · gop · The Great Recession
States forced to be unpopular
June 22nd, 2009 No Comments
In tough times, toughness is expected. When it comes to state budgets, toughness is never really a popular thing to do politically. Steep cuts or tax increases are the only to get some of these budgets out of the red for the time being, even if it means an unhappy voting bloc. As Chris Kattan [...]
Tags: state budget · The Great Recession
California leaves the WH with tail between its legs
June 16th, 2009 No Comments
So much for playing the “too big to fail” card. Gov. Schwarzenegger and his crew reportedly left the White House with empty hands, after asking Obama for emergency aid for its bankrupt state.
As I mentioned before here, this response by the White House was highly unlikely. The world’s 8th largest economy is now on the [...]
Tags: california · schwarzenegger · The Great Recession
The Final Countdown: 50 Days for California
June 11th, 2009 No Comments
It’s either boom, bailout, or bust.
John Chiang, the State Controller for California, told Gov. Schwarzenegger that the state has 50 days to figure out how to avoid financial failure. From Reuters:
Underscoring the severity of California’s cash crisis, Controller John Chiang, who has previously warned the state’s government risks running out of cash without a budget [...]
Tags: california · The Great Recession
Who made the Economy Red?
June 11th, 2009 No Comments
photocredit: lrargerich
Ask Congress and they will say the President (former or current, depending which Congressperson you ask) is to blame.
Ask the American people and they will say big banks and businesses are killing the economy.
Ask Obama and he will say the deficit was there when he got in.
So which one is it?
Essentially, all of them–but [...]
Tags: george bush · obama · The Great Recession
poliPicks
June 5th, 2009 No Comments
A sign that the recession is hitting your area hard: your commute to work keeps getting shorter and shorter. Less people heading to work equals less cars going to work equals you realizing you are both delighted and unnerved by the brisk drive.
On to sunnier topics: poliPicks! This week I have an intriguing piece on [...]
Tags: gender politics · harry reid · immigration · pixar · poliPicks · speech · The Great Recession · Up
poliPicks
May 29th, 2009 No Comments
You know summer is creeping up on you when you have a couple of weddings in your schedule for the months ahead. Must be the warm weather that makes people feel extra comitted. Anywho, my weekend will begin a tad early for that reason (not my own, don’t worry). But I still have some good [...]
Tags: cory booker · gay rights · ralph nader · silvio berlusconi · terry mcauliffe · The Great Recession · torture · unemployment · waterboarding
Hmm Graph of the Day: Unemployed Moms
May 28th, 2009 No Comments
The results of a recent Burau of Labor Statistics report posted by The Economix blog:
What’s the deal here?
There are more single mothers than single fathers out there (30% of mothers vis a vis 10% of fathers), and jobs that fit the needs of a single parent (taking time off or having a flexible schedule to [...]
Tags: gender politics · The Great Recession · unemployment
Dear John, Thanks for the Layoff
May 27th, 2009 2 Comments
From BusinessWeek, a Dear John letter to a former boss points out a good thing about being laid off: you get a life (and also spend way too much time with your family):
We thought this layoff would be a crushing financial blow and opted to hand-make all of our Christmas gifts. They were a huge [...]
Tags: The Great Recession
GM, Truly America’s Car Company
May 27th, 2009 1 Comment
GM’s World Headquarters, Detroit, MI. photocredit: mandj98
The rumors around GM’s impending bankruptcy are like rumors about Clay Aiken’s sexuality. Exactly. Now the suspense (if any) is over, and GM looks ready to sign on the dotted line. Chapter 11, meet America’s dinasour.
There is still hope, but it’s unlikely anything will change the course of this [...]
Tags: GM · gop · green energy · obama · The Great Recession
500 Words On: The Obama Economy
May 24th, 2009 1 Comment
photocredit: jurvetson
Consider the parallels between 1993 and 2009. A charismatic, fresh-faced Democrat steps up to the presidential role after eons of Republican rule. Faced with deepening deficits and a persistent recession, the Democrat treats the economy as an inherited debt, a sort of “It was broken when I got here” situation.
Bill Clinton decided to try [...]
Tags: gop · obama · The Great Recession
Congressman Grayson proposes mandatory vacation time
May 21st, 2009 No Comments
This freshman Congressman is proposing a bill that would make companies with more than 100 employees grant one week of paid vacation to each employee after a year of working with them. After three years, make it two weeks.
This kid is on to something (it of course has NOTHING to do with the fact that [...]
Tags: The Great Recession · vacation
Sachs Set to Payback Govt. Bailout
May 15th, 2009 No Comments
Goldman Sachs, one of the most reputable firms in Wall Street (that is saying a lot), is reportedly set to pay back the TARP loans they received from the government late last year. This is more than just being financially responsible; getting rid of their TARP debt frees them from any of the restrictions on [...]
Tags: banks · goldman sachs · jp morgan · The Great Recession
poliPicks
May 15th, 2009 No Comments
Time for the weekend, time for poliPicks. There is really nothing better than an interesting, long magazine article that is good enough to make into your weekend schedule of laziness. For those who weren’t able to pick up and save such an article for you weekend brunches, you will be pleasantly surprised below. Also, some good ol’ fashioned politickin’, with the usual drama, melodrama, and comedy (it’s funny ‘cuz it’s true). Enjoy!
Tags: david brooks · Food · happiness · healthcare · nancy pelosi · obama · Psychology · The Great Recession
The Recession and Dating
May 6th, 2009 No Comments
Your checking account is flat-lining. Your resume resides in more inboxes than the best of Viagra ads. That recent Budget Gourmet meal left a milky taste in your mouth–milk was not a listed ingredient. The Great Recession can wear anyone down, and people are tired of thinking solely about it.
Connecting with other people provides a [...]
Tags: dating · The Great Recession
poliPicks
May 1st, 2009 No Comments
The weekend is typically a time of minimal internet dwelling and more outdoor living (Vitamin D is good for you). Here a bunch of articles, tidbits, and videos that should hold your interest until, oh, let’s see happy hour.
Souter’s Replacement: Will it be a woman, a minority, or both?
“Do You Feel Safer?” ad: House Minority [...]
Tags: gop · john boehner · michelle obama · poliPicks · politics · supreme court · swine flu · The Great Recession · the rich · torture
Rich People Cry, Too
April 22nd, 2009 No Comments
Only they shed liquid gold rather than tears. The plight of the rich has been overlooked for too long! Or at least we should hear their thoughts on how tough it is to be wealthy and under a Democratic president.
The time has come, and the purveyor of this insight is none other than The New [...]
Tags: The Great Recession · the rich · wall street
