In February Michigan Governor Snyder, in his budget, proposed to raise much needed revenue through increases (called “adjustments”) in personal income taxes amounting to $1.7 billion dollars. This “adjustment” to personal income taxes (tax increase) is necessary, says the Governor, because Michigan is in a financial crisis and faces a significant budget deficit, and we must make “shared sacrifices,” which…
A New Sin?
Major News and Bible-Revision Flash: Recently, Reverend/Pastor/Church Leader Joel Osteen determined that homosexuality is a sin. For coverage of this pronouncement, go to this link related to the recent interview with Piers Morgan, during which he announced his major decision. You can also simply type "Osteen sin homosexuality" into the search engine of your choice and come up with many links on the topic, from large national…
Loving Ruth Reichl
I love Ruth Reichl. There, I said it. If you don’t know Ruth, she was the editor in chief of Gourmet magazine, one of the best food magazines in the print world, until it was shut down by its publisher, the Conde Nast, in October of 2009. Under her guidance, Gourmet went from being a food/lifestyle/travel magazine to being one of the best examples…
Being Forced to Buy Insurance Is Like Being Forced to Buy Broccoli
On Jan. 19, I heard a politician on NPR compare the individual mandate to purchase insurance coverage to being "forced to buy broccoli or join a gym." This "individual mandate" is an important provision of the Affordable Care and Patient Protection Act, which all Republicans in the U.S. House voted to repeal this week. I pondered this. Yes, buying and…