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20 May 2009 10:25

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Biz, Politics: A quickie defense of credit card companies facing regulation

  • After everything is taken into account, a rigorous, highly tested credit recommendation pops out of their risk management engine. They literally have math and statistics PhDs who are in charge of this stuff. Congress seeks to prevent such complex analysis.
  • The Atlantic columnist Daniel Indiviglio • On the reasons credit card companies policies often lean towards predatory practices, and why Congress’ plan to kill those practices is no good. Indiviglio says that the unintended consequence of the the legislation currently going through Congress is that it will leave fewer people with credit. May we make the argument that this might actually be a good thing? • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 May 2009 08:51

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Politics, U.S.: Congressional Dems are worried about Obama’s foreign strategy

  • With respect to Afghanistan and Pakistan, I am extremely dubious that the administration will be able to accomplish what it wants to accomplish.
  • Rep. David R. Obey, D-Wisconsin • On the war on terror and the perceived lack of progress inherited from the Bush administration by the Obama administration. Obey, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, compares the situation to Nixon and the Vietnam War, and says Obama has a year to show progress. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 May 2009 11:06

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Biz, U.S.: The Boston Globe reaches a deal with its last union

  • Crisis averted. Cuts made. Hands shaken. The Boston Globe, which nearly faced a death march this week, narrowly avoided it by getting six of its seven unions to agree to price cuts and a relaxing of a job guarantee policy which was the sticking point. The largest union, the Boston Newspaper Guild, which represents the newsroom, wouldn’t budge on the job security front. An agreement was met last night, but no word – yet – on whether they got to keep job security. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Mar 2009 11:10

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U.S.: Repealing “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” not on the top burner right now

  • Defense Secretary Robert Gates says it’s further down the list. Gates says that while he and President Obama have started talking about it, they have “a lot on our plates right now” and are early in the discussion phase. The policy against gays in the military has been in place since 1993 and has long been controversial. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Mar 2009 00:35

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U.S.: How many soldiers were affected by the stop-loss policy?

  • 120,000+ solders have been affected by stop-loss since 2001 source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Mar 2009 00:32

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U.S.: The military’s stop-loss policy is ending in 2011 (finally)

  • If we had to point to one policy that has placed the most strain on our troops and their families, and adversely affected the morale and readiness of our forces, it would be stop-loss.
  • Jon Soltz • An Iraq war veteran and the chairman of VoteVets.org, on the news that the stop-loss policy would end in 2011. The hugely unpopular policy has kept soldiers from being able to exit the military on time. It was put in place in part because the military struggled with keeping troop counts up in the wake of two large-scale wars. It also inspired a well-known film. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Mar 2009 21:23

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U.S.: Obama’s making teachers unions all angry with this “merit pay” talk

  • What he wants to do

    Barack Obama suggested these changes to the country’s educational system today:

    1. He wants to tie teachers’ pay to their performance; if their students rock it in the classroom, they get paid more.

    2. He wants to increase the length of the school year. But what about summer camp, dude?! Summer camp rules!

    3. He wants more nontraditional charter schools. Why not, right?

    source
  • What he wants to do

    Barack Obama suggested these changes to the country’s educational system today:

    1. He wants to tie teachers’ pay to their performance; if their students rock it in the classroom, they get paid more.

    2. He wants to increase the length of the school year. But what about summer camp, dude?! Summer camp rules!

    3. He wants more nontraditional charter schools. Why not, right?

  • Ruffling feathers respectfully Obama doesn’t seem afraid to take on those who disagree with him. “Too many supporters of my party have resisted the idea of rewarding excellence in teaching with extra pay,” he said, “even though we know it can make a difference in the classroom.” Despite the anger over the message, teachers unions liked the fact that he appears to be willing to compromise on the issue, unlike Bush. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

06 Mar 2009 13:52

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U.S.: Yo Republicans: Obama ain’t backing down from his policies

  • This country has never responded to a crisis by sitting on the sidelines and hoping for the best. We have a responsibility to act, and that’s what I intend to do.
  • President Barack Obama • At an Ohio graduation ceremony for police recruits, whose jobs were saved by his stimulus plan. Obama’s been facing tough criticism from Republicans lately over the stimulus package. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Mar 2009 21:22

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U.S.: Obama flips the Bush endangered species policy like THAT!

  • He just let the experts back into the room. Barack Obama, while celebrating the 160th anniversary of the Interior Department, announced that he was changing a Bush environmental policy finalized in December. The policy allowed federal agencies to decide if projects would endanger species – a major tenet of the Environmental Protection Act – without consulting the experts. Obama, in an announcement, gracefully reversed that policy. This is why Michelle is taken, Jack Cafferty! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Feb 2009 10:36

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U.S.: Backin’ off the pot: Obama yields marijuana policy to states

  • What the president said during the campaign, you’ll be surprised to know, will be consistent with what we’ll be doing here in law enforcement. What he said during the campaign is now American policy.
  • Attorney General Eric Holder • on the policy the government will take with regards to pot, specifically medical marijuana. Advocates say the policy change is encouraging. No word yet from Cheech and Chong, but considering Chong was put in jail due to the Bush administration’s drug policy, we can assume he’s a fan. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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