When President Obama asked a group of senior executives for suggestions on streamlining government, it’s unlikely that any of them suggested layers of new bureaucracy, vague marching orders, or management […]

Eighteen former members of the Federal Reserve’s Consumer Advisory Council (CAC) strongly endorsed the idea of an independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency in a letter released last week . Draft […]

Democracy requires vigorous public debate in an open forum, conducted by leaders willing to take a public stand and face the consequences. Today’s proposal on banking reform from Sen. Dodd […]

There’s a lot of buzz in health care circles about an editorial in today’s Washington Post entitled “If Democrats ignore health-care polls, midterms will be costly.” That could be dangerous: […]

After more than a year of closed-door negotiations, the President and other Democrats have finally appropriated a Republican phrase by calling for “an up or down vote” on the resulting […]

Almost everyone knows that to “pull a Kanye” means to steal the limelight when it rightfully belongs elsewhere. With Sen. Dodd’s suggestion that the Consumer Financial Protection Agency be housed […]

Two noted shills for the banking industry – Republican Lamar Alexander and Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal – just trotted out the “socialism” boogeyman, so here we go again: another […]

Nobel Prize-winner Joseph Stiglitz said the Fed was “corrupt,” Elizabeth Warren said she wanted to fight for the CFPA until there were “blood and teeth” on the floor, and Robert […]

Robert Byrd just came out in favor of using reconciliation in health reform. Since reconciliation’s also known as the “Byrd rule,” that’s a definitive a confirmation of its legitimacy as […]

At what point does “bipartisanship” begin to erode the democratic process? Here’s my answer: When it’s used to take decision-making power away from voters and place it in the hands […]

The pheremonic scent of compromise is inducing euphoria in the nation’s capitol once again. Not that there’s anything wrong with compromise, if it results in policies that work. But we’ve […]

Steven Pearlstein of the Washington Post waxed lyrical today about the compromise deal on financial regulations proposed Sens. Dodd and Corker, calling it a “creative bipartisan proposal.” It’s certainly “bipartisan,” […]

Before we get to the specifics, here’s what you need to know about the credit card companies: They’re out to shaft you. They’ll shaft you every chance they get. They’ll […]

The White House has just released “The President’s Proposal” on health reform. It must be considered in context, and the context is this: The House and Senate have each passed […]

Since the nation’s capital is enamored of bipartisanship in all its forms, it’s surprising that today’s letter from five former Treasury Secretaries – both Democratic and Republican – isn’t front […]

It’s been a fascinating anthropological exercise to watch the health excise tax concept (the so-called “Cadillac tax”) keep its popularity among Democratic and liberals, even as one study after another […]

Mattel makes a little toy called the “Magic 8-Ball.” It looks like a pool ball with a little window in it. You shake it and a little answer pops up […]

Like an cat burglar, Goldman Sachs leaves its fingerprints in the most unusual places. The news of Goldman’s role in the Greek financial crisis isn’t just a black eye for […]

Never underestimate Sarah Palin. She did a better job articulating anti-banker sentiment at last week’s Tea Party Convention than Obama’s done. Its followers don’t realize it, but the Tea Party […]

It should be, as the President once called it, a “no-brainer”: Overhaul our broken system for distributing federal student loans. Stop giving banks undeserved profits for administering these loans (an […]

Let’s be realistic about our expectations for the State of the Union. We’re unlikely to see a newly-energized President trailing clouds of progressive glory, ascending the podium while the PA […]

What a week. Call it the Shock Doctrine in reverse: The Massachusetts election and yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling may force the Democrats to move to the left to ensure their […]

It hurts to lose a Senate seat but, hey – setbacks happen in politics. What’s really discouraging is the sight of Democrats, from the White House on down, refusing to […]

Labor leaders met with the White House last week to hammer out a deal on the health excise tax.  Depending on the outcome of today’s Senate race in Massachusetts, that […]

The Washington Post has an uncanny knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, pushing the wrong policies and making the wrong moves. That’s four wrongs in […]

The AFL-CIO has announced that it is coordinating a “National Call-In Blitz” today.. If you call this toll free number – 1-877-3-AFLCIO (1-877-323-5246) – you can “urge your representative to […]

The New Republic’s Jonathan Chait has penned an ode to the excise tax on health benefits. He says his “faith in the Cadillac tax remains ardent,” even after being led […]

People are saying that the so-called Cadillac tax “might fall flat” and “has real problems.”  And those are its defenders.  I can’t remember any new policy in recent history whose […]

A blogger contact has told me of a new argument in favor of the health excise tax: Since the tax will be imposed on insurers, the Senate’s limit of 15% […]

The theory behind the “Cadillac tax” on health plans is little more than wishful thinking based on dubious research. Advocates believe that forcing employers to cut benefits will lead to […]

The beat goes on: David Leonhardt, the Times economics blogger and tax supporter, had this exchange regarding the Senate’s health excise tax on NPR’s “Marketplace” program: Leonhardt: (It’s) a tax […]

Blogger and video producer Lee Stranahan has produced a video that includes footage of Barack Obama denouncing the so-called ‘Cadillac tax’ during last year’s Presidential campaign. Stranahan, who is an […]

Amid indications from President Obama that he wants the House to adopt the Senate’s health tax, we learn that he will meet with labor to discuss their concerns about the […]

Respected health writer Maggie Mahar (“Money-Driven Medicine”) got curious and decided to fact-check the excise tax. Wisely, she follows the money – which in the world of health care follows […]

In a new piece at The Huffington Post, your humble correspondent begins the New Year in a time-honored fashion: with an act of confession for past sins. The piece is […]

A Washington Post poll taken in mid-October showed that 61% of people surveyed opposed the excise tax, with only 35% supporting it. A USA Today/Gallup poll taken at the same […]

Conventional wisdom has it that print journalism (and its editorial columns) are dead. Tell it to Bob Herbert. His column lambasting the excise tax went viral today on both the […]

The President came close to endorsing the so-called “Cadillac tax” when he was interviewed about health reform on NPR. Here’s what the President said when the subject came up: “I’m […]