Latest Analysis, Commentary and Opinion*
(The title of each article is linked to the complete article)

Monday, June 1, 2009

Barack Obama’s health plan takes shape
   Health Care piece by Offsite (6/1/09)

If Congress were to take a vote on a health reform bill today, Democrats and Republicans would find a surprising level of agreement - so much so that the broad outlines of a consensus plan already are taking shape.

Congressional Spending Includes High-End Laptops, TVs
   Congress piece by Offsite (6/1/09)

Once again The Wall Street Journal is taking to task a spendthrift U.S. Congress that has members dipping deeply into expense accounts to lease luxury cars, purchase state of the art digital cameras or stock up on pricy new flat screen TVs.

Obama Should Respect Role of Bankruptcy Court, Judge Should Put Brakes on Government Motors
   Economics piece by Press Release: Christine Hall (6/1/09)

Last week, in nominating Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, President Obama praised judicial qualities that are directly relevant to the courts that will now oversee the bankruptcy of General Motors. The president said that the qualities he most respected in judges were, “a commitment to impartial justice, a respect for precedent, and a determination to faithfully apply the law to the facts at hand,“ as well as “an understanding of how the world works and how ordinary people live.“

Strategic Aid in Pakistan
   Middle East piece by Guest: Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir (6/1/09)

Depending on how and for what international aid is administered in Pakistan, the hearts and minds of its people, and which of the opposing forces they collaborate with, hang in the balance.  Recent polls indicate that the majority of Pakistanis consider economic and political conditions of greater priority than terrorism, suggesting a real opportunity to gain control over the global threat that the Pakistani situation poses.

Someone Else’s Problem
   Economics piece by Robert R. Owens (6/1/09)

I’m thinking about changing my economic strategy.  My parents were raised in the Roosevelt Depression and they taught me to work hard, save money, and pay for what I wanted.  I was a deficit hawk when being a deficit hawk wasn’t cool’  Now that it isn’t even an option why should I stay at the party when there’s no one left to dance with? In our new Omerica I think I’ll join the winning side and try spending more than I make every day for the rest of my life and see how that works out.  If I can just manage to get where I owe so much that I’m too big to fail I can start really living large on federal handouts, excuse me bailouts, excuse me stimulus.  Won’t that be sweet?  I’ll hold seminars on “How to Borrow Your Way to Wealth,“ or “If You’ll Take a Check I’ll Take Two Please.“  What a great racket, excuse me scheme, excuse me program. And technically it’s not a shell game if you don’t use shells.

RiNOs Driving Elephants To Extinction
   Republicrats piece by Jayme Evans (6/1/09)

R.I.P - G.O.P - 1856 - 2009—The Republican Party isn’t quite dead yet, but it lay there in the ICU on life-support; in a persistent vegetative state, with one foot in the grave and the other on the proverbial banana peel.

‘Has the Time Come to Say RIP, GOP?‘
   Republicrats piece by Doug Patton (6/1/09)

Many Americans have little idea of the true history of the Republican Party. If they get their news from the “mainstream media,“ they probably believe that every Republican from time immemorial has opposed equal rights, preservation of the environment and anything that smacks of fun. For those who understand the formation of America, believe in the U.S. Constitution, and know the history of the Grand Old Party, please bear with me as I provide others with a much-needed history lesson.