by Richard Eskow | Jan 10, 2010 | Blog
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% for insurance company profit and overhead will prevent the cost from being passed on to consumers. There are a...
by Sam Pizzigati | Jan 10, 2010 | Blog
Congress may be gridlocked, but the Obama administration has the power, even without congressional action, to take on the CEO set — and the windfalls that are so enraging average Americans. A year ago, movers and shakers at the upper echelons of the Democratic Party...
by Dave Johnson | Jan 9, 2010 | Blog
The Supreme Court could say as soon as Monday that corporate executives are free to use huge amounts of corporate resources to directly influence elections. The vote will probably be 5-4 and we know which 5 and which 4 and why. If this happens it will fundamentally...
by Brian Dockstader | Jan 8, 2010 | Blog, Economy
I generally try to avoid watching political talk shows on TV because the lack of journalism is, much more often than not, infuriating. That wasn't exactly the case the other night on Hardball, however. During a segment with Todd Harris, a Republican strategist, and...
by Richard Eskow | Jan 8, 2010 | Blog
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 cheaper, better care. That's like preventing rain by outlawing umbrellas. Yet the...
by Richard Eskow | Jan 7, 2010 | Blog
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 on the costliest health-insurance plan. It's an idea health economists...
