Friday Talking Points [195] -- SOTU Review
[ Posted Friday, January 27th, 2012 – 17:27 UTC ]
Well, that was an eventful week in politics, wasn't it?
Archive of Articles in the "Economics" Category
The Alternative Millionaires' Minimum Tax
[ Posted Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 – 17:01 UTC ]
President Obama last night unveiled a new twist on an old idea in his State Of The Union address to Congress -- limit the loopholes and tax giveaways that very wealthy people use to reduce their taxes far below the rate honest workers pay. Obama called for a minimum tax rate of 30 percent on income over one million dollars. To some, this sounds like a radical idea, but it really isn't. It is merely a refinement of a part of the tax code that has been with us for decades: the Alternative Minimum Tax.
The State Of The Union
[ Posted Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 – 22:43 UTC ]
I haven't written one of these snap-judgment reactions to a speech in a while, so forgive me if this is a bit choppy and disorganized. As always, I am writing this before looking at other opinions of President Obama's just-completed State Of The Union speech. I feel this keeps my opinion unsullied by any sort of "groupthink" effect. Sometimes I read other speech reviews the next day and find I agree with them, sometimes not, but this way at least you know I'm not just regurgitating others' thoughts.
Pure Newtonium
[ Posted Monday, January 23rd, 2012 – 16:32 UTC ]
What a difference a week makes, at least in the Republican primary contest.
Friday Talking Points [194] -- Out Of Touch
[ Posted Friday, January 20th, 2012 – 17:31 UTC ]
OK, to be completely honest, we just felt like beating up on some Republicans today.
Economic Optimism?
[ Posted Thursday, January 19th, 2012 – 17:19 UTC ]
It's still early days to even know if the economy is truly about to enter a strong recovery or not. A few data points on a graph do not always a trend line make, to put it another way. But from what I have personally seen in previous recessions, there always seems to be a real "tipping point" where American businesses collectively decide that things are going to be better soon -- and then they start hiring people and fulfilling their own prophecy. This could indeed be such a turning point.
Governor O'Malley Is Right
[ Posted Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 – 17:50 UTC ]
O'Malley makes a good point. President Obama's re-election team should heed it.
King's "Drum Major Instinct" Speech
[ Posted Monday, January 16th, 2012 – 18:07 UTC ]
[Program Note: I am taking the day off today. But I did want to post this link to a transcript of Martin Luther King Junior's "Drum Major Instinct" speech. This is the speech that was misquoted on his new memorial in Washington D.C., and you really have to read the speech itself to [...]
Friday Talking Points [193] -- Run It Up The Flagpole
[ Posted Friday, January 13th, 2012 – 16:50 UTC ]
Not a whole lot has been happening in Washington, due to Congress being out on one of their countless month-long vacations. Not a whole lot of Democrats have been in the news, either, since the Republican primary season is sucking all the oxygen out of the political arena right now.
Mitt's Tax Returns
[ Posted Thursday, January 12th, 2012 – 17:19 UTC ]
What is hiding in Mitt Romney's tax returns?