I found this cool video explaining the background of the differences in economic theory between Republicans and Democrats. Yes, yes, if you know exactly what this video is about (and understand all the theory), you are a geek:
Monthly Archives: April 2011
5 Ways to Deal With Rising Gas Prices
Yesterday, Exxon Mobil released its quarterly earnings report, which stated that the oil giant had earned more than $10 billion in the first quarter of 2011. Predictably, this caused Democrats to come out and say that the government should end subsidies of the oil industry (to make us more fiscally responsible, of course), as gasoline prices rise around the country.
Unequal Doesn’t Mean Unfair
I’ve been thinking about this whole debate about income inequality for a little bit. The whole debate over whether or not to tax the rich more to slow the rate of growth of the income gap seems a little bit unnecessary to me. The basic question of the debate should be: Is it bad to have a gap between the rich and the middle class, and between the middle class and the poor?
A Call to be Weird
I just finished reading the book, “Weird: Because normal isn’t working,” and I fairly inhaled it (in the same way my 1-year-old son inhales a cracker: in a manner that my wife describes as a cross between a vacuum cleaner and a buzz saw). Thanks to Michael Hyatt for introducing me to this book.
Too Big to Bail?
This week, S&P downgraded the United States’ sovereign debt credit rating outlook from “Stable” to “Negative.” This means that, while the current credit rating remains at “AAA” (as it’s been forever), S&P expects that the United States will be unable to deal with its debt crisis, and the rating is likely to go down in the next two years.
2012 Update: Mitch Daniels
There’s been more and more buzz in political circles about Mitch Daniels recently, as Republicans try to find someone that can offer a solid alternative to President Obama in the 2012 election. I think this is primarily due to the fact that Republicans in general have soured to the candidates already assumed to be frontrunners in the race (Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, etc.). It seems like these candidates have been disqualified by Republican voters (or at least the media) for one thing or another:
No Holiness, All Love
I read an interesting article in TIME Magazine (online) today entitled “Is Hell Dead?” It’s ostensibly about a book written by author Rob Bell, who is also the pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan. His book, “Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived,” posits that evangelical Christianity is too theologically rigid, and we really don’t know what happens after death.
National Equal Pay Day
Today is “National Equal Pay Day,” as advocated by the National Committee on Pay Equity, and proclaimed by President Obama. The idea is to highlight the difference in pay between women and men. On average, women make $0.77 for every $1.00 men make. April 12, 2011, is the day that the average woman would have to work to earn the same amount that the average man earned in 2010.
5 Reasons to Become Debt-Free
Last week, I wrote a post called, “The Consequences of Debt,” which dealt with the outcomes of having a burdensome national debt, using the examples of Greece, Ireland, and now Portugal. Today, I want to trumpet several reasons to be debt-free, both personally, and as a nation. I’ll give five reasons for both (and they look eerily similar):
Turnabout in Wisconsin
I don’t know if anyone was paying attention to Wisconsin this past Tuesday. I had some mild interest in the election going on in Wisconsin. There was a Supreme Court election that was supposed to be close. Ever since the Wisconsin legislature passed the controversial collective bargaining bill last month, there was a push to oust one of the members of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, before which challenges to the law would be heard.
