Almost all evidence points to the simple conclusion that the new health insurance market places in the Senate bill called “exchanges” will not slow the out-of-control increase in health care costs. Similar exchanges have been tried in this country and have failed to slow the growth rate in health care. The two best examples are [...]

After working very hard to kill many progressive idea about how best to control health care costs, Mary Landrieu has found one she likes. Too bad it is the one that will most benefit millionaires: I can only support a bill if the Cadillac plans are taxed at the level they are in the Senate [...]

The elite who created this mess are rewarded for their continued failure, because any solution to the foreclosure crisis apparently has to make the banks rich in the process. Just as it is with the insurance companies, the banks expect to be paid handsomely in any government program that addresses the problems they created.

There needs to be an investigation.

Despite this evidence, there is an orchestrated, active full-court press to discredit and silence anyone who tries to point out the responsibility the President bears for this crafting bill. I’m surprised that the editor of the Nation would take part in it.

The so called “fiscal conservatives” in the Senate have insisted that we use only extremely wasteful private insurance companies to expand coverage to roughly 15 million Americans. Private health insurance companies have a terrible track record compared to public health insurance programs. Public programs, like Medicare, are able to provide high-quality care much more cost effectively. [...]

I would like to tip my hat to Ezra Klein for using the weekend to put out a whole series of articles addressing just how broken and dysfunctional our Congress has become. It is an issue that never seems to get enough attention but underlines almost every problem with our current government. He does interviews [...]

We couldn’t have this conversation during the primary battles — there was no context for it in the love/hate him/her prism that politics was exclusively viewed through (and which so many simply cannot extricate themselves from).

It’s time we have it now.

Good luck getting through EFCA, immigration reform, climate change or any other “epic, polarized” legislation that displeaseth the Lord of the 60th Vote, who hath also declared that the House no longer exists.

Unless of course you’re a bank, and then the White House just tells Congress to get stuffed and writes you a fatcat check.

But you want health care reform?

Ha! 60 votes.

The Treasury had originally given both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac a $200 billion line of credit. Even though neither company had come close reaching their current credit limit, the Obama administration had been thinking of doubling that line of credit to $800 billion total ($400 billion each). Instead of doubling the limit, the Obama [...]