This year’s debate is different from the efforts in the 1990s to reform health care. This time, the health insurance industry says they support health reform. But their actions don’t always match their public statements.
I met Bill a couple of weeks ago at a health care demonstration in South Bend, Indiana. I was waiting to cross the street when a rotund, older gentleman in khaki shorts and a tucked, striped polo sidled up to me. He asked me if I was in from Indianapolis. “No,” I said, “I live here in town.” “Are you in favor of reform?” he asked innocuously. “Yes, sir, I am” I replied. Without missing a beat, he fired back, “What are you, a communist, or a fascist?”
It doesn’t seem that the US banking industry has learned anything from last year financial meltdown. Do they care about the overall health of the US economy? No. Do they care about American consumers? Even less. Despite having received an astronomical amount of money from the tax payers in 2008 & 2009, a lot of [...]
President Obama asked Congress to pass new regulations to overhaul of the financial system by the end of the year. But Congress is facing a several barriers that could slow movement of the bill.
Paris is currently hosting international talks on Afghanistan with the participation of 25 countries and organizations, in the context of a contentious election aftermath. The meeting comes 2 days after General McChrystal presented a gloomy assessment, yet to be made public, of the situation after an 8 years war. McChrystal is calling for a shift [...]
