Blogs: Curbing Wall Street

When this issue of the 47% not paying any federal income taxes (who also, apparently are the only ones voting for Barack Obama) came up in the GOP primary, Romney complained that "everyone needs to pay their fair share." Coming from a man who refuses to tell the American people whether he's paid his fair share is pretty rich.

Here's a good chart that explains how this breaks down:

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• On the menu this morning
• MORNING MESSAGE: So Who Is It That Cares About The Deficit Anyway?
• Fed's Economic Booster Shot
• The Middle-Class Struggle For Survival
• Chicago Teacher Strike Update
• Breakfast Sides

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Few individuals or organizations have been as influential as Mitt Romney and Bain Capital in worsening our runaway healthcare costs, causing unnecessary suffering, or accelerating our government's long-term deficit problem. Their highly leveraged investment strategy puts healthcare companies under enormous pressure to increase revenue. They often respond by overbilling -- or worse, by encouraging unnecessary medical treatments that can include anything from non-invasive tests to heart surgery.

I spent many years working in healthcare economics: running health service companies, projecting health plan costs for governments and employers, and analyzing healthcare investments. I've reviewed hospital bills in detail and seen shocking things: Thousands of dollars for bandages and gauze during a surgery; a 12,000-percent markup on ointments; a $250 charge for the lightbulb in a projector the hospital claimed was used during surgery.

I've seen hucksters put red filters over an ordinary flashlight, call it an "infrared" healing device, and charge insurance companies or hapless patients for their use. And I've seen hundreds of cases of human tragedy brought on by unnecessary surgeries performed solely for money. I can't say I was always on the side of the angels, but I can say this: Before Bain, I had never seen behavior that was as consistently bad as we're seeing today.

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This week a lot of Democrats and "liberals" are attacking Chicago teachers for what they tell us are their extravagant and "unreasonable" demands. It's funny: If they think teaching's such a gravy train, why have they all become bankers instead? more »

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MORNING MESSAGE: When It Comes to the DoJ and Wall Street, Don't Call It "Justice"

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If a recent report is true, the Justice Department will need a new name – and some of us will have to step up and admit we were wrong. more »

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On the menu this morning

MORNING MESSAGE: Obama's Claim For A New Mandate

The Message And The Movement

Unemployment Report Signals

Reclaim The Solar Power Investment Mandate

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President Obama and Vice President Biden both gave powerful speeches this evening, summoning the ideal of an inclusive nation and effectively distinguishing their mainstream American views from their opponents' radical right-wing vision. The only real false notes were the passages in which they both embraced a right-wing set of proposals known as "Simpson Bowles." more »

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Here's a new Zen riddle: What is the sound of money not talking? more »

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Here's a new Zen riddle: What is the sound of money not talking? more »

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