Don't Quit Your Day Job…

If you read this web site the odds that you are also living under a rock are pretty small. That probably means you already know that over the weekend the so-called Deficit Reduction Supercommittee failed to reach an agreement (and had to admit its failings on Monday). A little back-story: the Debt Panel was trying to find deficit savings in excess of $1.2 Trillion over the next 10 years. A little more back-story: the entire concept and execution of the debt panel was a disgusting farce. The entire $1.2 Trillion was to be cuts from ‘baseline spending’, also know to the rest of us as ‘planned future spending increases’.

A recent article reviewed the new debt agreement as follows: “It’s like a 400-pound man boasting that he plans to drop 20 pounds over a decade, while his doctors warn about the risks of losing weight so fast.” I found that analogy grossly misinformed. It’s much more like a 400-pound man who is gaining 50 [...]

We’re a week closer to a potential upset in the special Massachusetts senate race (scheduled for voting tomorrow). The last 4 polling companies that have weighed in (according to Real Clear Politics data) come in at +10, +5, +10 and +3 Brown, and were all conducted since 1/14. These polls generally estimate a larger than normal turnout for a special election; only two candidates are on the ballot and there aren’t any initiatives to vote on. They also suggest slightly positive ratings for President Obama among likely voters, although potentially under 50 percent.

Feeling lucky? The Wall Street Journal recently ran an article suggesting investors take a look at health care stocks. The article makes the argument that an aging population and potential congressional mandates for people to buy health insurance make the health care sector a decent place to look for some growth in the medium to longer term. Politically, it’s impossible to read the tea leaves. However, could the story be on to something?

It’s a quickly moving target, but as of August 04, 2009, the national debt is $11,653,350,207,790.34. With 307,212,123 people in the country (July Estimate), that works out to $37,932.59 per person. President Obama promised on the campaign trail to not raise taxes on people making under $250,000 annually. Is that promise now on shaky ground?

Where did the estimate of 46 million people in America without health insurance come from? You probably have health insurance through your employer or through some other means. However, there are people in this country without insurance. What does it mean, and why is the number’s background not nearly as scary as the number itself? Read on…

Can states default on their debt? The state of California has been in the news recently because of a $24.3 billion gap in funding. Is it possible that we may soon hear of a state actually going ‘bankrupt’? What are the economic and political ramifications if California takes such a step?