The Choice

The Choice for voters in November:
Effective bank regulation or a repeat of what happened in 2008.
We can allow the richest people more cuts in taxes or invest in things that bring future prosperity to everyone.

The Small Business Tax Canard

Higher taxes on the rich does little harm to small businesses.  Here's a short list of what higher taxes really do:
1. Only 2.5 percent of small businesses will be affected by dropping the Bush tax cuts.
2. There's no historical evidence that lower tax rates for rich people help small business.
3. Lower tax rates have little to do with small business hiring.  Demand is what drives hiring.
4. The real job creators are young firms, not small firms.  It's just a coincidence that young firms tend to be also small.

Lowering taxes for the rich just makes buying Congress and elections more affordable for them.

Leading the Way

While other states try to purify voting rolls, Washington will the first state to expand voter registration by using Facebook.  For those who may find that disturbing, remember, making a false registration is still a crime no matter how you do it.  Our present laws do a fine job of preventing registration shenanigans.

Small government, bad public health

Cutbacks in a single state's public health budget can threaten the health of the whole country.  This is what small government looks like.  Doesn't sound like progress to me.

Fukushima increases risk of cancer

Theoretically, anyway.  Three billion living today will get cancer sometime in their lifetimes.  Fukushima radiation may add as many as 100 to that.  That's one in 30 million. This in what one can characterize as an infinitesimal risk.

How about a state income tax?

Dick Nelson points out that many of the main arguments against a state income tax are specious.  Besides, Oregon does quite well with an income tax and better in many ways than Washington.  Perhaps it's worth talking about.

Profiting on fish

Here's a way that an ecological view could actually make money.

 By reducing the size of the global fishing fleet, eliminating harmful government subsidies, and putting in place effective management systems, global fisheries would be worth US$54 billion each year, rather than losing US$13 billion per year.

Exxon CEO accepts climate change

The Exxon CEO admits that fossil fuels warm the planet.  But that's OK because humans can adapt to it.  Somehow I doubt that he will let his company pay for all that adaptation.

How to bend it like Beckham

Applied physics in soccer.

Japanese nuclear reactor restarts

The hard fact is that Japan can't do without nuclear power.  Ideally they should move ahead and address the long-standing known weaknesses in their nuclear industry and get on with it.  Protests notwithstanding, it's time to git-er-done and get it done right.

NFIB is Wrong on Obamacare

The NFIB, the outfit that brought the case against the ACA to the Supreme court, isn't really representing small business.  Actually small businesses benefit greatly from the health care reform.  Those who oppose it are more interested in politics than actually business growth and well-being.

Medicaid stimulation

It seem crazy to refuse Medicaid money.  This article points out how Medicaid money actually stimulates more economic activity that the initial dollar value.  For a state to refuse it is the same as refusing to do something to help that state's economy.  And that's appears to be the Republican agenda, to do nothing to improve the economy and weirdly try to blame it on the Democrats.  In my opinion, this lack of effective governance deserves being swept out of office.