Category Archives: Bidness

Almost Two-Thirds of Your 401(k) Will Wind Up in Wall Street’s Pockets

Posted on May 23, 2013 by

We’ve discussed many times before how the 401(k) retirement system is a scam, but, if you don’t believe me, how about some basic arithmetic for ya–it’s the ‘management fees’ that fleece you (boldface mine): Pull up a compounding calculator on … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Social Security | 3 Comments

Scientific Fraud: Same As It Ever Was

Posted on May 8, 2013 by

From our far-flung network of correspondents, we come across this NYT Magazine article about scientific fraud. While the whole article is worth a read, a couple sections are noteworthy: But while the system rewards priority of discovery, it penalizes with … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Ethics | 3 Comments

Another Stunning Success For Privatization

Posted on April 12, 2013 by

From Attleboro, MA (boldface mine): Five cents of debt was enough for cafeteria employees at the Coehlo Middle School to instruct kids at least one day this week to dump out the food they would have normally eaten, CNN affiliate … Continue reading →

Posted in Basic Human Decency, Bidness, Hunger | 8 Comments

Purchasing Pundits: The Ezra Klein Edition?

Posted on April 11, 2013 by

So this came across the Twitterz recently: How much is the insurance industry paying Ezra Klein? benefitssellingexpo.com/speakertypes/2… Probably $15,000-$25,000 washingtonspeakers.com/speakers/speak…— Jamison Foser (@jamisonfoser) April 09, 2013 If you don’t follow the links, Washington Post policy blogger Ezra Klein is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Ethics, Healthcare, News Media, Progressives, Public Speaking

Politics Really Is the Battle of the One Percent

Posted on April 2, 2013 by

Or more accurately, the 0.1 percent (boldface mine): With red state Democratic Senators remaining skittish about embracing Obama’s gun proposals, at least two top Democratic donors are stepping forward and vowing to withhold any and all future financial contributions from … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | 2 Comments

Yes, the Patent System Is Broken: The Human Genomics Edition

Posted on March 26, 2013 by

From Genome Medicine (boldface mine; open access): The scope and eligibility of patents for genetic sequences have been debated for decades, but a critical case regarding gene patents (Association of Molecular Pathologists v. Myriad Genetics) is now reaching the US … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Genomics | 5 Comments

The Writing on the Wall for the Estate Tax

Posted on March 24, 2013 by

In a vote late Friday evening, the Senate passed an amendment that called for the Senate “To repeal or reduce the estate tax, but only if done in a fiscally responsible way.” At this point, this is a largely symbolic … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Democrats, Economics, Fucking Morons | 4 Comments

My Irony Meter Just Exploded: The Wall Street Lobbyist Edition

Posted on March 11, 2013 by

From Bloomberg News (boldface mine): The main trade association for the securitization industry is in turmoil after most of the board resigned in a dispute with the group’s executive director over governance and bonuses, according to six people with knowledge … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | 2 Comments

The Con Isn’t Confined to Religious Zealotry

Posted on March 2, 2013 by

In an interesting post about the F-35 strike fighter $500 billion to $1 trillion boondoggle (yes, those figures are not typos), Gary Becher notes that one of the staunchest defenders of this program, Republican Congressman Mike McCaul, is a real … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Conservatives, Military

Open Access Advocates, Welcome to Liberalville

Posted on February 25, 2013 by

Because you too get to experience the awesomeness of sweeping incrementalism! By now, you might have heard about the White House’s new policy to make most federally funded research publications publicly available 12 months after publication. This is an improvement, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Conservatives, Democrats, Publishing | 1 Comment