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Chief Justice Roberts and the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on the Obama healthcare law
06/28/2012
Linked Articles
Roberts Straddles Ideological Divide
Wall Street Journal 06/29/2012
Supreme Court upholds health-care law, individual mandate - The Washington PostWashington Post 06/28/2012
Obama and election advisor Plouffe- responsible governance, Simpson-Bowles and an election imprint on "everything"
05/26/2012
A White House aide says election advisor David Plouffe's influence affected "everything" in the Obama White House. Tom Friedman points to the influence of campaign consultants on the White House as overreaching and pervasive, going so far a to describe the campaign being developed in test tube fashion. Karl Rove pointed to president Obama keeping an eye on reelection 18 months before Nov. 6, 2012, as not a positive development. Friedman specifically mentions president Obama's failure to endorse the Simpson-Bowles commssion on deficit reductions as part of the imprint of election advisors because reducing tax expenditures or deductions might prove politically unpopular. Yet this was part of responsible governance to take on unpopular positions- something other presidents, including Democratic president Truman, did not fail to do choosing instead to educate pubic opiion on difficult steps needing to be taken. Truman took the decisions head on such as confronting the soviets in Greece and other parts of Europe and in Korea after the fall of the Iron Curtain, so soon after a major war when the public was weary of conflict.
Linked Articles
Obama Adviser's Strategy Is High Risk, High Reward
Wall Street Journal 10/31/2012
President Obama Should Seize the High GroundNew York Times 05/26/2012
Spain's effort to fix regional finances, austerity measures and risks of high unemployment
04/27/2012
Efforts to fix regional finances with spending cuts have pushed unemployment to about 27% in one of Spain's largest regions, Castilla-La Mancha. As banks consolidate and reduce lending this depresses small and medium sized businesses, the public sector layoff increase unemployment, part time unemployment and the growing underground economy depress tax revenues, creating risks of a downward spiral.
Linked Articles
A Spanish Leader Emerges as a Crusader for Austerity
Wall Street Journal 06/25/2012
Spain, Pursuing Austerity, Still Waits for the PayoffNew York Times 04/27/2012
How a law from the 1980's requiring use of jute bags for storage creates problems for food storage in India (1)
04/13/2012
Linked Articles
India's Grain Storage Comes Up Short
Wall Street Journal 04/13/2012
Indian Fiber Weaves a CrisisWall Street Journal 06/23/2012
Public opinion polls in June 2012 on the Obama U.S. health care law and the expected ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court
03/29/2012
Linked Articles
44 Percent of Americans Approve of Supreme Court in New Poll
New York Times 06/07/2012
Justices Question Extent of Federal PowerWall Street Journal 03/29/2012
Eliminating all Bush tax cuts to generate the revenue base to support spending programs for the middle class down the road
03/29/2012
Jared Berstein of the Economic Policy Institute, Peter Orszag, former director of the Congressional Budget Office, and Mayor Bloomberg of New York, say eliminating all Bush tax cuts would provide the revenue base needed to support middle class programs for future years. Orszag says making the tax code more progressive is desirable especially considering the inequality but this does not do much good if the revenue base to support middle class programs down the road is insufficient.
Linked Articles
Middle Class Malaise Complicates Democratsâ Fiscal Stance
New York Times 12/12/2012
Federal Budgets and Class WarfareWall Street Journal 03/29/2012
Deutsche Bank's hit to its image in Germany with legal settlements and ongoing investigations 2009-2013
03/21/2012
The criminal investigation into alleged tax fraud in trading of carbon emissions certificates, the raid at Deutsche Bank's Frankfurt headquarters in Dec. 2012, and arrest of some senior executives, continues problems with the bank's image in Germany since the 2008 financial crisis. Deutsche Bank's was highly leveraged during the 2008 financial crisis and is perceived as contributing to the crisis. Changing the culture at the bank is likely to take more than the introduction of the new co-CEO arrangement in mid 2012 with Anshu Jain and Jurgen Fitschen, say experts. Germany's judiciary was critical of Fitschen for not respecting the independence of the judiciary and understanding the separation of powers for a call he made protesting the raid in the investigation.
Linked Articles
Image Remake Suffers Hit at Deutsche Bank
Wall Street Journal 12/20/2012
Deutsche Bank Lists Litany of Legal RisksWall Street Journal 03/21/2012
Tax increases on the wealthy in Japan by the Shinzo Abe government to go with an increase in the sales tax to 10%
03/04/2012
Linked Articles
Tokyo Set to Raise Levy on Wealthiest
Wall Street Journal 01/11/2013
Prime Minister Noda says tax hike essential for Japan's sustainability - The Washington PostWashington Post 03/04/2012
Failure to tackle tax evasion in Greece estimated at one third of the deficit for 2009
02/19/2012
The implementation of austerity measures in Greece including cuts to the minimum wage hit people with lower wages the hardest. This takes place even as Greece fails to tackle tax evasion by higher income groups such as doctors and engineers. This is estimated by a group of economists who looked at Greek bank records at 11.2 billion euros in 2009.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 07/09/2012
Greek leaders’ priorities questioned - The Washington PostWashington Post 02/19/2012
Changes to labor laws in Italy and Spain to increase competitiveness and accompanying culture change (1)
02/10/2012
The significant changes underway in labor laws that should increase productivity and competitiveness of Spain and Italy. The need for the culture change that goes with this.
Linked Articles
Italy Official Seeks Culture Shift in New Law
Wall Street Journal 06/27/2012
Spain Approves Changes to Labor PolicyNew York Times 02/10/2012
The passage of the unpopular sales tax hike and political uncertainty in Japan
12/27/2011
Critics say the Democratic Party of Japan should have invested efforts in its election promises to cut wasteful spending. Polls show a majority of Japanese oppose the doubling of the sales tax to 10%.
Linked Articles
Vote Ensures Japan Will Double Sales Tax to 10%
Wall Street Journal 06/27/2012
Tokyo's Move to Raise Tax Hits SnagWall Street Journal 12/27/2011
The approach to the budget crisis of Republicans in the U.S. state of Kansas- 2010-2013
12/22/2011
Linked Articles
Cut Taxes or Restore Services? Maryland and Kansas Differ on Path
New York Times 07/10/2012
In Kansas, Gov. Sam Brownback puts tea party tenets into action with sharp cuts - The Washington PostWashington Post 12/22/2011
Tax evasion in Italy and Greece and Germany's insistence on good governance and financial practices for a sound euro currency
11/25/2011
One estimate of tax evasion in Italy cited by Faiola in the Post is $340 billon a year. Greece has a similiar problem. This is one area in which the culture and practices of individual countries have to converge to acceptable norms to make a common currrency viable, something the founders of the euro currency did not take as seriously as needed and account for in a disciplined framework. The political enthusiasm for a union of European countries of EU founders led to ignoring the dangers of not having controls and convergence in place.
Linked Articles
New York Times 12/01/2011
Amid crisis, Italy confronts a culture of tax evasion - The Washington PostWashington Post 11/25/2011
The July 2012 Report by an independent parliamentary panel on the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster and prime minister Naoto Kan's testimony
05/28/2012
The report calls the disaster "a profoundly man-made event," and "a disaster 'Made in Japan,' " citing cultural factors that contributed to the accident. It is sharply critical of TEPCO and the Japanese government's response. Both the report and the testimony of the prime minister at the time of the accident, Naoto Kan, refer to the 'nuclear bloc' or 'nuclear village' in Japan that promotes nuclear energy. Some of its actions are dangerous to safety, such as locating the nuclear safety agency NISA inside the same ministry that promotes nuclear power, a critical flaw. Ironically Germany made the decision to make a gradual shift out of nuclear power after looking at the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster and near collapse in Japan, while Japan is reactivating its nuclear plants to meet energy needs without having obtained public confidence in the system of nuclear energy including the essential safety actions. The result is a profound credibility gap about the nuclear plant industry, and public opposition in Japan.
Linked Articles
Report blasts Japan’s preparation for, response to Fukushima disaster - The Washington Post
Washington Post 07/06/2012
Japan's Ex-Premier, Naoto Kan, Condemns Nuclear PowerNew York Times 05/28/2012
De Anza College in Cupertino, California where a Apple co-founder got his start and the implications of tax avoidance strategies
04/28/2012
A U.S. Senate Report in May 2013 points to tax avoidance strategies by Apple, and Apple CEO Tim Cook appears before a Senate hearing. EU leaders meet in Brussels to address the problems of tax avoidance by digital companies which aggravate the budget deficits of EU countries, especially at a time of cutbacks in infrastructure spending and education that supports the digital companies access to to human resources. De Anza College in Cupertino is where on of the Apple cofounders went to school. The head of the college describes the effects of cutbacks in funding on the college. On the other side of the Atlantic Fredrik Reinfeldt, Sweden's prime minister makes a similiar case saying the digital companies need access to infrastructure and educational centres which makes the payment of taxes used to fund this necessary for the whole system not to fall into dysfunction.
Linked Articles
Apple's Tax Strategy Aims at Low-Tax States and Nations
New York Times 04/28/2012
Europe Tackles Tax EvasionWall Street Journal 05/22/2013
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision on the Arizona immigration law
04/26/2012
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 06/26/2012
Justices Weigh Arizona LawWall Street Journal 04/26/2012
Prime minister Mario Monti's efforts to change Italy's labor laws that discourage hiring
04/07/2012
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 06/26/2012
Italy's Labor Reforms Are Serious and Will Be EffectiveWall Street Journal 04/07/2012
The U.S. Supreme Court hearings on the Obama 2010 U.S. health care law and the Medicaid issue
03/29/2012
Linked Articles
Justices Question Extent of Federal Power
Wall Street Journal 03/29/2012
A Constitutional AwakeningWall Street Journal 03/29/2012
Parts of the healthcare law popular with insurers and the public that are likely to be retained if the Supreme Court overturns it
03/23/2012
Linked Articles
Largest health insurer to keep key parts of law regardless of court ruling - The Washington Post
Washington Post 06/11/2012
- The Washington PostWashington Post 03/23/2012
John Cochrane on how to build a truly open competitive system of healthcare the day after Obama healthcare
03/05/2012
Cochrane points to regulations and laws that support high prices of medical carein the U.S., by reducing competition and restricting supply of doctors and suppliers of medical care. He says the mandate most likely would not even be necessary under such a system because the costs of healthcare in the U.S. would be so much lower.
Linked Articles
What to Do on the Day After ObamaCare
Wall Street Journal 04/03/2012
Why an MRI costs $1,080 in America and $280 in France - The Washington PostWashington Post 03/05/2012
Italy's labor laws and competitiveness- the views and actions of Mario Draghi and Elsa Fornero
02/24/2012
Draghi tells WSJ interviewers what economist Dornbusch once told him- the Europeans were so rich they did not have to work anymore. Draghi and Fornero emphasize the large culture change needed in Italy. Fornero says too often labor, business, and govenment tweaked the rules to benefit one special group, and Italy lost its sense of being a rule bound society.
Linked Articles
Italy Official Seeks Culture Shift in New Law
Wall Street Journal 06/27/2012
Europe's Banker Talks ToughWall Street Journal 02/24/2012
Greece and EU in 2015- (4) How are the structural issues such as tax evasion in Greece being tackled, after Monti's effort to tackle this in Italy in 2012?
02/18/2012
Surprisingly the Syriza government in 6 months in office did not come up with a plan to implement for tax evasion. This was a major issue for the IMF and in Greece's interest, even though it was going contrary to long standing practice in Greece as it was in Italy. Estimates of lost revenue are about $11 billion each year for tax evasion. By comparison the IMF payment due was less than $2 billion on June 30, 2015. Sustainable long term finances make this a major issue in Greece's own interest. Greece has an aging population and the number of retirees are growing in relation to young working people making this an important issue for stable finances under any administration, and regardless of the euro.
Linked Articles
How Greek tax evasion sunk the global economy
Washington Post 07/10/2012
A Hollow Target for Greek DebtWall Street Journal 02/18/2012
Spain's high jobless rate of 23% in 2011 and new labor laws to make it easier to hire workers
01/28/2012
Linked Articles
In New High, Spain's Jobless Rate Nears 23%
Wall Street Journal 01/28/2012
Spain Approves Changes to Labor PolicyNew York Times 02/10/2012
Tax increases on the wealthy in Japan by the Shinzo Abe government to promote a sense of fairness in tax policies
12/27/2011
Linked Articles
Tokyo Set to Raise Levy on Wealthiest
Wall Street Journal 01/11/2013
Tokyo's Move to Raise Tax Hits SnagWall Street Journal 12/27/2011
The flawed transition framework to democratic government in Egypt set by the military and the Muslim Brotherhood
11/26/2011
Linked Articles
Where Is the Muslim Brotherhood?
Wall Street Journal 11/26/2011
A Coup, but Backed by the PeopleNew York Times 07/04/2013
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