On Government Spending, Cost Inefficiencies, and Jobs

I was reading through a bunch of articles on the economy and what might happen if the automatic deficit cuts are applied (that was agreed upon by Congress if they couldn't reach a deal on how to make specified cuts). The focus was on defense spending where a 10% automatic across-the-board cut would be applied. So, for a submarine construction program, they'd have to cut 10% funding. That has the

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Yet Another Mixed Unemployment Data Report

The unemployment figures are out for June, and it's a mixed bag. ADP says private payrolls grew 176,000, well above the consensus estimate of 100,000. That was bolstered by an upwards revision of May to 133,000. However, the Labor Department's job figures were worse than expected. Only 80,000 nonfarm jobs were created.

The unemployment rate has remained at 8.2%. The U-6 rate is up to 15.1%,

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Will States Drag Feet On Imposing Health Exchanges, and Other Thoughts

If the states don't have health care exchanges in place by 2014, when the individual mandate kicks in, they'll be cut out of the loop and the federal government will impose its own version of the exchanges, with the funding structures intact (the state will have to kick in its set percentage, regardless of whether it acts to impose its own exchange or not).

Some states are going to drag their

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Heavy Dose of Irony With Supreme Court's Decision on Health Care Act

Yesterday's historic decision upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (HCR/Obamacare) was not without a heavy dose of irony.

Where can one start? How about with the person who was the swing vote: Chief Justice John Roberts.

Roberts had been nominated by President George W. Bush and many on the left castigated his conservative views. Indeed, the confirmation vote split

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Health Care Reform Act Survives the Supreme Court

In a huge surprise to many on the right, the US Supreme Court upheld the individual mandate provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (HCR/Obamacare). The Court ruled that it was a constitutionally permissible tax imposed by Congress.

The bottom line of the Court's decision, where Chief Justice John Roberts broke with the conservative group (Scalia, Thomas and

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Ron Paul SuperPAC Operated By Conspiracy Kook

Last week, Revolution PAC filed a notice with the FEC that it couldn't file required reports to identify donors due to a bank error.

This week, reporters have finally noticed that the PAC is operated by a Gary Franchi, a kook who sees conspiracies everywhere from 9/11 coverups to FEMA concentration camps and the New World Order. Oh, and it wouldn't be a conspiracy theorist without claiming that

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Spiteful Newt Gingrich Complains New Yorkers are Elites

Newt Gingrich is a spiteful and hateful politician whose antics were sufficient that his fellow Republicans all but kicked him to the curb as House Speaker and helped impose a $300,000 fine against Gingrich for his ethics violations.

His latest utterances have got New Yorkers shaking their heads in befuddlement:Many New Yorkers aren’t happy with Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich

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