Yearly Archives: 2013

Another Reason Obamacare Costs Are Headed Through the Roof

"The Obama administration now says a special system of exchanges designed to make it easier for small businesses to provide insurance will be delayed an entire year -- to 2015. The exchanges were designed to give workers a range of choices supported by dollars from their employers. But now they will have only one choice until 2015, which could mean they can't shop for insurance that includes their current providers. Since insurance is more expensive for small businesses, many of which have no obligation under the law to provide coverage, analysts now fear many might just stop trying and let workers go on the soon-to-be-launched state exchanges." Continue reading →

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‘Don’t Email Me; Call Me, or I Won’t Do My Job’, Says Lawmaker

"Meet Tick Segerblom, a state senator in Nevada. Tick boldly advertises that he has no principles, no respect for the rule of law or the Constitution, and no cojones: not only is he 'blocking Nevada’s Anti-NDAA legislation,' but when 'PANDA [People against the NDAA] Nevada’s State Team Leader, Chris Corbett, met with Senator Segerblom last week,' Tick flippantly announced: 'If people really care about this bill, they’ll call me.' Tick dislikes emails and will not accept them, despite the good folk of Nevada handsomely paying this slug to communicate with them." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Don’t Email Me; Call Me, or I Won’t Do My Job’, Says Lawmaker

What Can We Learn by Comparing the Employment Situation in Texas vs. California?

"One of the great things about federalism, above and beyond the fact that it both constrains the power of governments and is faithful to the Constitution, is that is turns every state into an experiment. We can learn what works best (though the President seems incapable of learning the right lesson). We know, for instance, that people are leaving high-tax states and migrating to low-tax states. We also know that low-tax states grow faster and create more jobs. I particularly enjoy comparisons between Texas and California. The Lone Star State is kicking the you-know-what out of the Golden State in terms of overall economic performance." Continue reading →

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Retroactive California tax terrifies tech

"Entrepreneurs and investors in California can expect to receive a rude shock in the mail if they sold their company in the last four years. Not only did the state's Franchise Tax Board (FTB) eliminate a tax break on capital gains for small business owners and investors, it announced the tax would be reinstated retroactively. This means those who benefitted from the break can expect a bill for unpaid taxes, plus interest, stretching all the way back to 2008. Now, not only will stockholders have to pay the full tax rate on capital gains, which has risen to about 13%, but they'll also be billed retroactively for 50% of the taxes they excluded." Continue reading →

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Obamacare Cost Me Full-Time Work

"I work in television production as a freelance worker. While freelance, I do work for one major media company that uses me quite a lot and accounts for probably 85% of my work. I regularly work 3-4 days per week with them and often more depending on the time of year.Today we were told that freelancers would soon have to work under 30 hours per week. Since shifts are 8 hours, this means nobody will be able to work here as a freelancer for more than 3 days per week (24 hours total). I've calculated that the maximum I can make in a year with them is now about 30% less than I have made with this company in each of the past 2 years." Continue reading →

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Feds Offering $48/hr To Obamacare ‘Navigators’ Who Can Actually Explain Obamacare

"As part of new regulations to assist Americans choose the right Obamacare options for their families and needs, officials are scouring the country for what they call 'navigators.' In some cases, these navigators can earn up to $48 an hour – a far cry from the standard minimum wage of $7.25 — all to assist consumers in getting a better understanding of the benefits they are signing up for. From translating in their preferred language to breaking down jargon, navigators will basically navigate you through the so-called ‘Obamacare experience.’" Continue reading →

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McDonald’s want ad demands bachelor’s degree, two years experience for cashier

"With colleges producing more graduates, and youth unemployment at a sky-high 11.5 percent, even landing a job selling Big Macs is getting competitive. Consider: A job opening at a Massachusetts McDonald's restaurant for a full-time cashier requires one to two years experience and a bachelor's degree. 'Get a weekly paycheck with a side order of food, folks and fun,' offered McDonalds. It is not clear if the fast-food restaurant really wants that kind of experience or is fishing for the highest-qualified applicants. The website for the Winchedon, Mass., McDonald's also lists jobs in Spanish." Continue reading →

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Fastest-Growing Jobs Pay Under $10/Hour

"This weekend, I had a discussion with a businessman, who sits on the board of a publicly traded staffing firm. He tells me that the middle class is disappearing. The country is being split into those savvy enough to survive in the overly regulated economy and everyone else. The crony capitalists have built a moat around their businesses, eliminating the kind of competition that would hire high skilled labor. Obamacare, simply adds to the difficulties in hiring anything but very cheap labor. Outside of a tiny sliver of opportunity for software engineers and lawyers in Silicon Valley, you either launch something on your own or you will end up part a low paid tool for the crony machine." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFastest-Growing Jobs Pay Under $10/Hour

State-Wrecked: The Corruption of Capitalism in America – David Stockman

"As the federal government and its central-bank sidekick, the Fed, have groped for one goal after another — smoothing out the business cycle, minimizing inflation and unemployment at the same time, rolling out a giant social insurance blanket, promoting homeownership, subsidizing medical care, propping up old industries (agriculture, automobiles) and fostering new ones ('clean' energy, biotechnology) and, above all, bailing out Wall Street — they have now succumbed to overload, overreach and outside capture by powerful interests. The modern Keynesian state is broke, paralyzed and mired in empty ritual incantations about stimulating 'demand.'" Continue reading →

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Isaac Newton’s Nightmare — Charted By Marc Faber

"The parabolic move in Bitcoin prices has us thinking about some of the most notorious asset bubbles in history. We were thumbing through some of Jeremy Grantham's old research and saw this great chart from Marc Faber. 'I can calculate the movement of stars, but not the madness of men,' Newton apparently said after he lost his fortune." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIsaac Newton’s Nightmare — Charted By Marc Faber