Blog Archives
Why Energy Matters?
The American Petroleum Institute (API) recently launched a new initiative, Vote 4 Energy, which will focus on why energy issues should concern many voters during the 2012 elections. According to API, this is not a partisan issue, rather energy is an issue that should concern many Americans, as it impacts the economy and job development for the future.
Below is a video featuring Tom of Virginia Right:
Energy is an important issue. With the potential rise in fuel prices, there is no doubt that something needs to be done to utilize our own resources to help curb our reliance on foreign oil.
The Occupy Crowd Wants to Shut Down Wall Street
Reuters reports that the Occupy crowd wants to shut down Wall Street. Didn’t they try to do this already? I know things have been busy with the election, and maybe, I have neglected a few things when it came to the Occupy crowd. Oh well, I wonder if it will be as successful as it has been in cities like Oakland and Portland, where they have been booted out.
They are probably not succeeding in Springfield.
Protect our Community Pharmacies
Business mergers are not uncommon in today’s society. Sometimes they are for the best, and other times they negatively impact consumers and businesses. A proposed merger is likely to devastate community pharmacies and those who benefit from their services. Recently, two pharmacy benefit companies, Express Scripts, Inc. and Medco Health Solutions, Inc., announced that they will be merging in July, with a final transaction closing in the first half of 2012. This would create a company that would have excessive market power that would have the ability to squeeze the already burdened health care system for its own profits at the expense of patient choice.
Additionally, this merger would leave fewer choices for employers seeking cost savings for their health care plans. It would also mean fewer choices for those who rely on local pharmacies to fill their prescriptions, as they would have to travel further to fill their prescriptions or be denied the opportunity to have face-to-face access with their pharmacists. Patient choice would be severely limited under this merger, as those who relied on going to a community pharmacy to fill their prescriptions would be forced to have them filled by Express Scripts/Medco.
The Express Scripts/Medco merger will also have a significant impact on those receiving Medicare Part D benefits, as this would limit competition between pharmacies and the mail order company. This would increase pharmaceutical prices, which would drive up the costs for those receive state aid.
Why should consumers have to pay for an increase in bad service? Express Scripts is a mail order company, and it does not value the relationship between consumers and pharmacists. Congress and the Federal Trade Commission should stop this merger that will be unfair to local pharmacies and health care providers. This merger will further dilute the quality of patient care, while restricting their access to receiving medicines from the pharmacy of their choice. You can learn more about this and sign a petition against this merger by clicking here.
Starbucks CEO: America is 'Drifting Towards Mediocrity'
I have a confession to make: Starbucks rocks! Despite the fact that Starbucks is a liberal bastion for the most part, there are times when Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz actually makes sense. Recently, in an ABC News interview, Schultz urged people to boycott campaign contributions through his campaign, UpwardSpiral2011, and for business leaders to help get the country out of its “crisis of confidence” by creating jobs, as well as increasing consumer confidence. Schultz wants the national deficit reduced and said that businesses will not invest in America due to the debt ceiling.
Click here to watch the video.
I agree with Schultz. It’s time for business leaders to take the initiative to create jobs and not rely on the government to do this for them. In fact, Schultz made another point worth considering that both the Obama Administration and Congress doesn’t understand the urgency of addressing the debt and are forgetting that we are still in a crisis situation, especially when it comes to unemployment.
Cross posted at Bearing Drift
Remy says, "Raise the Debt Ceiling"
This is a pretty awesome rap, and a great way to sum up this debt ceiling bs.
U.S. Economy Grows Despite the Debt Ceiling Debate
While the debt ceiling debate continues in Washington, the U.S. Economy continued to grow at a slow rate. We should be celebrating, right? Things are looking up. Before you break out the champagne and fireworks, you might want to consider that the GDP (gross domestic product) only grew by 1.3 percent. While 1.3 percent is better than a decline, there are some factors to consider. According to The Wall Street Journal, the meager increase was caused due to a lack of consumer spending, and the reduced expenditures are only going to continue due to the rising rates of inflation and the increased prices for basic commodities, such as food and energy. The GDP will continue to experience these hardships, as many consumers have to prioritize their expenditures.
Another reason why the GDP is experiencing slow growth is due to the rise in unemployment numbers. Currently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that unemployment is at 9.2 percent. This number is expected to increase, as many companies are cutting back their workforce to stay afloat in this economy.
In light of the meager economic growth, one has to wonder if this trend will continue. I would guess that the economic growth will tank before real growth occurs.
Cross posted at Bearing Drift
Virginia is better than Maryland…just in case, you didn't know
For the full disclosure, I was born and raised in Maryland. In fact, there are times I miss the place due to family and friends. However, in terms of the taxes and excessive regulations brought on by years of Democratic leadership, I am glad to be a Virginian.
Recently, The Washington Times had an editorial, which cited a recent American Legislative Exchange Council study that shows Virginia ranking as one of top ten states in terms of economic outlook. Maryland ranked 21st in terms of economic outlook.
Maryland is a very expensive state to live in, as property and income tax rates are higher than some of the surrounding areas. However, Virginia has been placing more focus on bringing business into the state, thus boosting the economy. Recently, CNBC ranked Virginia as the top state for business, and the state government has been placing focus on providing more tax incentives for companies looking to relocate to the Commonwealth. Maryland was ranked 29th, as the cost of living and cost of business were higher in the rankings.
Will this news serve as a wake-up call for Maryland? Probably not. It will not change until new leadership takes over the state government.
Your So-Called Economic Recovery at work
Where’s the hope and change that was promised to Americans in 2008, when then candidate Barack Obama was campaigning for the Presidency? Now, the hope has dissolved, along with your change. Over the course of Obama’s term as President, we have seen unemployment numbers at an all time high, and the government continues to spend above and beyond its limits.
Despite unemployment and government spending, there are two additional factors that will prove the economy is in a downslide. Take for example, yesterday, an independent ratings agency, Weiss Ratings, indicated that the U.S. rating should be a ‘C’. According to Martin Weiss, President of Weiss Ratings, a ‘C’ Rating is comparable to a triple-B S&P rating. These ratings are justified by the massive debt burden and economic volatility.
The other factor that does not bode well for economic recovery is the decline of the dollar. According to a Reuters report, the dollar fell to a three-year low due to the unemployment numbers.
The question remains: When will the federal government wake up and actually address the debt burden and unemployment? This is not recovery by any stretch of the imagination.
Where's Obama? Brackets or Being an Effective Leader
With the recent events in Japan and Libya, one has to ask where is President Obama’s response in the midst of these events. No need to ask, all you have to do is look at the headlines. Obama has shown that he is more focused on predicting bracket winners for the NCAA Basketball tournaments (both men and women), rather than the global affairs. It is no wonder why Secretary of State Hillary Clinton looks more Presidential than Obama, as she is pulling overtime work to address these issues. Meanwhile, Obama, who favors Kansas and Connecticut to win NCAA tournaments, is traveling on global missions to focus on economic development. I guess this is what you would call a “vacation,” in Obama terms.
Well, it’s obvious that Obama has shown that effective leadership revolves around vacations. In fact, he has traveled on more “vacations,” when troubled times have come about. The Washington Times wrote an editorial recently chiding Obama for his golf outings, basketball bracket selections, and his trip to Brazil, rather than handling the potential of a government shutdown and the crisis situations in both Libya and Japan.
The Mideast crisis is continuing, and Hillary Rodham Clinton has been the one taking the 3 a.m. phone calls. The secretary of state has been dealing with political reform in Egypt, a military crackdown in Bahrain and the continuing civil war in Libya. However, she is hampered by a chief executive who can’t make up his mind which course of action would best secure his place in history. It’s no wonder she took the opportunity to tell CNN she had no interest in continuing in the job in a theoretical Obama second term.
It’s 4 a.m., Mr. President, and you have obviously been hitting the “snooze” button since 3 a.m.
Side note: Since Obama has a penchant for bracket picks, let’s analyze what has happened to his bracket. Of course, everyone is feeling his pain, as the following picks have gone down to defeat: Michigan State, Louisville, and Georgetown. Basically, his bracket is the same as my bracket…not too shabby. This is coming from a hardcore NCAA basketball fan, but being an effective leader is more important than predicting winners in a sports tournament…don’t you think?
Where the Candidates Stand: George Allen on Earmarks
This is the first part in a series that CCC will be running for the 2012 Republican U.S. Senate Primary. Yes, I know 2012 is some time away, but it never hurts to use this as a reference throughout the year to ponder. The first part in this series focuses on earmarks, and it does not count as an endorsement of any candidate featured.
When George Allen was serving in the U.S. Senate, he was voted against legislation that included government waste and would abuse the taxpayer dollars. When it came to the Senate voting on funding the “Bridge to Nowhere,” Allen was one of fifteen Senators at the time who voted in favor of shifting funding to help New Orleans and surrounding region recover from the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina.
Allen has been criticized in the past for supporting earmarks. However, Allen voted in favor of earmark reform in the Senate, as he supported legislation that would create a 60-vote point of order against earmarks added in conference to appropriations or authorization bill (the earmark would be killed if point of order was upheld). Allen also voted in favor of expanding the definition of earmarks and to increase transparency. In terms of transparency, Allen was co-sponsor of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, which passed the Senate. Additionally, Allen has spoken out in support of the work that Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) has been doing in terms of eliminating earmarks. In his blog entry, Allen said:
“The people have spoken. Travelling around Virginia the past few months, one thing is clear
to me: Virginians and Americans are tired of wasteful Bridges to Nowhere, orchid gardens
in Pittsburgh, and indoor rainforests in Iowa. These wasteful projects have tainted their view
of all earmarks. And, the Republicans should forego earmarks and cut much more spending
than just earmarks. I am proud of the leadership that Eric Cantor, Jim DeMint and others
showed on this issue.”
During the 2012 elections, there will be no doubt that the economy will still be one of the most important issues in the U.S. Senate race in Virginia. Government spending reforms need to be addressed by every candidate.
