I wrote about the problems the Postal Service faced back in January, and today we get word that their financial woes are even more severe than previously thought.
From NBC…

Back to the January post, which was about cutting back on delivery days, I saw two advantages to that model…
First, the fewer the days the mail is [...]

Some sobering stats when thinking about the fallout from last year. Now entire families, like the one pictured above, are living out of a single hotel. And those are the lucky ones.
From Wash Post:
Although the number of homeless individuals remained relatively stable between 2007 and 2008, the number of homeless families rose 9 percent, and [...]

I think we can all agree that the die is cast on social safety nets. That’s why it’s more important than ever to find the most cost effective ways to implement them.
So when I read the following story in the NY Times about states slashing money for these programs, I just shook my head…especially since [...]

Two words: entitlement reform.
First orders of business: Medicare and Medicaid…
Now, [Director of Obama’s Office of Management and Budget, Peter] Orszag is preparing for the biggest week of his career, with a “fiscal responsibility” summit Monday and the release of Obama’s first budget Thursday. He’s signaling that the moves in the stimulus package are just a [...]

Apparently everybody is tightening their belts.
From Wash Post:
In testimony before a Senate subcommittee yesterday, Postmaster General John E. Potter said the post office may be forced to cut back to five-day delivery for the first time in the agency’s history, citing rising costs and an ongoing decline in mail made worse by the global recession. [...]

During the campaign season he said he’d go through the federal budget line by line, and this sends a pretty clear message that he intends to make some tough cuts.
From Wash Post:
President-elect Barack Obama will convene a “fiscal responsibility summit” in February designed to bring together a variety of voices on solving the long term [...]

Looks like the first part of Obama’s plan will be making sure that most Americans just stay afloat.
From NY Times:
One proposal, as described by Democratic advisers, would extend unemployment compensation to part-time workers, an idea that Congressional Republicans have blocked in the past.
Other policy changes would subsidize employers’ expenses for temporarily continuing health insurance coverage [...]

I wrote about this plan recently, but today I find out that it may not happen.
Why?
Because it’s not “free market” enough.
Good times…
The FCC has been considering auctioning 25 megahertz of spectrum in the 2155MHz to 2180MHz band. As part of the rules for using the spectrum, the FCC plans to require license holders to [...]

I hate to be so gloom and doom about our current economic health, but the numbers are the numbers and I feel the need to talk about some of the more striking indicators so we all understand the gravity of the situation we’re in…especially since the following numbers are just from September.
From Reuters:
Food stamps, the [...]

“We’re set up, unlike other states in the union, where it’s collectively Alaskans own the resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs.”
- Sarah Palin quoted in the latest New Yorker
Now, I don’t know about you, but “share in the wealth” certainly sounds exactly like “spreading the wealth.”
Do you [...]

Ben Smith recently got an email from Republican consultant who was focus grouping an attack spot on Obama with mod Repubs and Indys.
Obviously I’m for Obama, but the following ignorance makes me incredibly queasy…
54 year-old white male, voted Kerry ‘04, Bush ‘00, Dole ‘96, hunter, NASCAR fan…hard for Obama said: “I’m gonna hate him the [...]

First, his opening shot (emphasis mine)…
What worries me is the complete lack of accountability by Fannie’s and Freddie’s executives, as well as Wall Street investment bankers also now being insured by taxpayers. We’ve created the worst form of socialized capitalism—private gains combined with public losses.
These executives and bankers are among the best paid in all [...]

“If you bail out every investment bank that gets in trouble, that’s not capitalism, that’s socialism for the rich.”
- Jim Rogers, CEO of Rogers Holdings on CNBC today
Here’s some background:
Last week, it was a $200 billion cash-for-bond swap for the banks.
This week, it was a $200 billion bond-for-bond swap for the big investment houses.
If they [...]

An oldie but a goodie.

What’s sad is that following seems to be yet another example of China being China. They make no apologies for the crazy stuff that they do, and we keep buying their crap because they can make things for us cheaply.
So where’s it gonna stop?
From Press Esc:
The Chinese authorities are forcibly evicting 1.5 million people from [...]

I’ve yet to comment on the recent immigration debate, though I have previously shared my thoughts on the topic at Thought Theater. Having recently spent some time ruminating on the relevant issues, along with today’s reading of George Will’s latest commentary, I’m ready to take another swipe at the subject.
There seems to be a [...]

First, Sully points out that the recent Republican debates signal a return to true fiscal conservatism and the death throes of anything else…
From Daily Dish:
It’s also clear that compassionate conservatism is dead. Every single candidate favors reduced taxes and big spending cuts. None, however, is prepared to say that Medicare and Social Security must be [...]

He was on his bus answering a question about whether our government should spend money to provide condoms in Africa. And then the reporter asked him an excruciatingly simple question.
You will be amazed…
Q: Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?�
Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.�
Q: “I mean, I think you’d probably [...]

It’s become fashionable to put down Barack Obama, just to compensate for the embarrassing fervor of his fans. But that too can go too far, and today I read something that reminded me what it is about him that genuinely appealed to me before he was a superstar. From an excellent Seattle Times [...]