This week the Supreme Court of the United States handed down an important decision in the McCutcheon v. FEC case. The decision will have an impact on campaign finance and the influence that voters, supporters, individuals and entities (companies and organizations) have on the political process. To help understand the role the decision will likely have, it may help to compare financial…
Restaurant Chain Adds Deceptive ACA Charge to Bills
Reuters has reported this news about a Florida restaurant chain with locations that have begun adding an “Affordable Care Act” surcharge to their customers’ bills: However, the restaurant chain has not in fact incurred any Obamacare-related health insurance expenses. What the restaurant chain is doing is no different than if it were charging a fee now because its rent expense…
Tea Party Nation President After Veto of SB 1062 in Arizona
Judson Phillips, president of Tea Party Nation, is a little upset about Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer’s decision last night to veto a bill that would have expanded the ability of business owners to discriminate against LGBT people and others,” according to Right Wing Watch. His comments appear to be a rant from someone infuriated by not being encouraged by law to discriminate…
Arizona Lawmakers Pass Bill to Allow Faith-based Refusal of Services
“Arizona lawmakers gave final approval on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014 to a bill that would allow businesses to refuse service to customers when such work would violate their religious beliefs, in a move critics describe as a license to discriminate against gays and others,” according to Reuters. First of all, I would never try to give my money to someone who…
Congressional Budget Office and the Minimum Wage
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently released a report regarding the possible impact of raising the minimum wage on employment. In its report, the CBO also concluded that job losses “could be higher or lower” than the 500,000 number cited in the headline. The keyword in the headline and sprinkled throughout the CBO report is “could.” Tomorrow 10 million people…
Congressional Inaction and Low Poll Ratings
With polls indicating that Congressional approval ratings were in the single digits in early December 2013, it would likely help Speaker Boehner to understand that preventing development of regulation and blocking the President’s agenda, which the majority of Americans support, are not accomplishments. Preventing things from happening is not action, it’s inaction. And inaction is not what the American people…
Congressional Inaction
With polls indicating that Congressional approval ratings are in the single digits, it would help Speaker Boehner to understand that preventing development of regulation and blocking the President’s agenda, which the majority of Americans support, are not accomplishments. Preventing things from happening is not action, it’s inaction. And inaction is not what the American people pay him and his colleagues…
“As Hospital Prices Soar, a Stitch Tops $500”
This New York Times article, part of a series, helps illustrate, in my humble opinion, why people need insurance, why the United States needs the ACA, and why people who insist, “We should repeal the ACA and not do anything differently in the United States healthcare industry because everything is great” are simply wrong.
A Republican Ransom Note
The New York Times, on Thursday, September 26, wrote an excellent editorial on the ridiculous Republican demands.
Unnecessary Anti-Abortion Law in Texas
It is too bad that the Texas legislature is implementing laws regulating abortion providers that are not necessary: “Rep. Jody Laubenberg, insisted the bill is intended “to protect the health and safety of every woman who undergoes an abortion.” Under questioning from Rep. Jessica Farrar, she refused to answer whether the state had data to show that women need the…