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POPSTrying to muster sympathy for the billionaires' shrinking assets More: Lawrence Katz, a labor economist at Harvard, sensibly points out that one could generate incentives to excel for less: “I don’t think the added incentive of earning $100 million over $50 million is very different than the incentive of making $10 million over $5 million,” he told me once.
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POPS The Alinsky Administration Some liberals have been stunned by the serial about-faces on extraordinary rendition, indefinite detention without trial, military-tribunal trials, the state-secrets doctrine, and other policies they associate with the Bush administration. Former supporters of Obama, including David Brooks, Christopher Buckley, Jim Cramer, and Warren Buffett, have expressed varying degrees of criticism of his early moves, surprised that he is more hostile to the free market than they had thought. One of Alinsky’s first lessons is: “Radicals must have a degree of control over the flow of events.” Setting aside the Right’s habitual complaint about the pliant liberal media, Obama has dominated the news by unveiling a new initiative or giving a major speech on almost every weekday of his presidency. The constant parade of events large and small ensures that whenever unpleasant news arises and overtakes the desired message —
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POPSBuffett Says Debt Could Devolve U.S. Into A "Banana Republic Economy" 
Last month, in a newspaper column of his own, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, said the huge amounts of money the U.S. central bank has pumped into the economy will not undercut its ability to push borrowing costs higher when the time is ripe. Stressing that the weak U.S. economy will likely warrant exceptionally easy monetary policies for a long time to come, Bernanke outlined in a Wall Street Journal opinion article how the Fed could raise interest rates even with cash flooding the financial system. "At some point, however, as economic recovery takes hold, we will need to tighten monetary policy to prevent the emergence of an inflation problem down the road," Bernanke wrote. The outline of the Fed's "exit strategy" from the extraordinary monetary policy easing it has undertaken in the past two years to deal with the global financial crisis was the subject of testimony to Congress by Bernanke in his twice-a-year economic report on July 21.
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POPSStop The Energy Tax Call Your Congressman at the main U.S. House of Representatives Switchboard at 202-224-3121 Main Switchboard at 202-224-3121 U.S. House of Representatives Warren Buffett Opposes the Energy Tax Billionaire investor Warren Buffett supported Barack Obama's Presidential bid last year, and has never been a proponent of major tax cuts. But in an interview today with CNBC, Buffet slammed the new Energy Tax being voted on in Congress this week saying it is a "huge tax" that will "harm an awful lot of people". Warren Buffett Slams Speaker Pelosi's Huge National Energy Tax While Buffett's opposition to this legislation underscores the damage the Energy Tax will do to our economy, you don't have to be a financial wizard to know that a massive tax increase isn't the cure to our ailing economy. In fact, it could turn this recession into the next Great Depression. The U.S. House of Representatives will vote Friday on the new Energy Tax legislation that will cost working families thousands of additional dollars
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POPS Thug Ed Markey (D-MA) Tried to Launch Investigation on Climate Bill Opponent! … Our witnesses… have every right to expect that in exchange for their honesty with us, they will not be subjected to sanction, retribution and vengeance simply because the facts and opinions they offer do not square with those of the Committee’s members. Exercising the power of the Majority requires a special responsibility to protect witnesses. … As the hearing was still under way, however, Mr. Sokol and his company became the focus of apparent intimidation when Chairman Markey by letter dated the day of the hearing, asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to answer specific questions about investment and transmission-related activities of MidAmerican Energy and its parent, investor Warren Buffett… … An after-the-fact rationalization, however, does not change the appearance that Chairman Markey’s June 9 letter to FERC was intended to badger and harass a witness whose offense was merely daring to disagree with Mr. Markey
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POPSBecoming great at what you do
Many of these scientists are now saying that “targeted” natural gifts do not exist at all. You are not born a CEO or chess grandmaster. Rather, greatness is achieved by hard, focused work over many years. Charlie Parker, widely considered one of the most influential of Jazz musicians, showed no sign of musical talent as a child. He started playing saxophone at age 11, and was thrown out of his high school band because he was so bad. But this drove him to practice intensively for many years, for four years up to 15 hours a day. It was many years after that before he was noticed. Tiger Woods started practicing golf at 18 months, and was encouraged to practice by his father. He had been practicing intensively for 15 years before winning the U.S. Amateur Championship at age 18. But you and I both know people who work very hard. Many work for decades at a job or hobby without approaching greatness. Why don’t they become “world class”, then? It turns out that it’s not just hard w
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POPSMedical bills prompt more than 60% of U.S. bankruptcies So . . . what good is health insurance? Everyone I know who can actually afford it (only those lucky enough to be full time employed at the right place) get regular check-ups, rush to emergency for things most of us without insurance would not, and still complain about the high cost. Insurance companies are all set up to make money off of your fears, not to pay out when you need it. Corporate lawyers, well-written contracts, and fear are insurance companies best friends. This study was conducted one year before the current financial situation, which means the numbers are likely worse. Frankly, I have no faith that health care reform is going to change anything for the better.
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POPSBillionaires Agree On Plan To Rid Earth Of A Billion People At a conference in Long Beach, California, last February, he had made similar points. “Official projections say the world’s population will peak at 9.3 billion but with charitable initiatives, such as better reproductive healthcare, we think we can cap that at 8.3 billion,” Gates said then.
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POPSNewspapers the outlook is not brilliant! This echo's my sentiment fully, but we need journalists, investigators and quality reporting. We are slowly changing a lot of high quality blogs are appearing online daily .It is not hard to set up your own private news gathering using rss feeds. Unless Newspapers can reinvent them selfs it is difficult to see them surviving.
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POPSGet them outta there... All these economic advisors: they are the ones who got it WRONG 8-10 years ago ... We need a new perspective on the financial markets and how to get out of this mess...
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