Viking Pundit

• The industry of green - Via Don ...

  Number of comments: 10
  The industry of green - Via Don Surber: "Climategate prof raked in $22.6 million in grants" Powerful incentive to find the "right" conclusions, I'd say. (H/T Maggie's Farm).Extra - Opinion Journal: "Climategate - follow the money"' [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 9:55pm EST
  by Eric

• Debt forever with government-run healthcareGallup: "Americans still ...

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  Debt forever with government-run healthcareGallup: "Americans still leaning against healthcare legislation"Americans currently tilt against Congress' passing healthcare legislation, with 49% saying they would advise their member to vote against a bill (or they lean that way) and 44% saying they would advocate a vote in favor of the bill (or' [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 8:49pm EST
  by Eric

• Officers gunned down in Washington State - ...

  Number of comments: 8
  Officers gunned down in Washington State - Four officers ambushed and murdered in cold blood. What can you say about a senseless tragedy like this? Police are combing the area for a suspect and they have not ruled out a possible accomplice.Update - Person of interest: Maurice ClemmonsMore - Unbelievable: [...]
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  Posted: November 29, 2009, 5:09pm EST
  by Eric

• I shall not apologize for the following ...

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  I shall not apologize for the following YouTube embedThe one-hit wonder "Pilot of the Airwaves" by Charlie Dore has always been a favorite of mine. Deal with it. [...]
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  Posted: November 29, 2009, 12:57am EST
  by Eric

• The write stuff - Opinion Journal: "Five ...

  Number of comments: 1
  The write stuff - Opinion Journal: "Five best books: historical fiction"The first book that came to mind (before seeing the list) was Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff" about the Mercury astronauts although Wolfe's style is considered "new journalism" instead of historical fiction. Maybe a more apt choice would be Neal [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 10:47pm EST
  by Eric

• Something to be thankful for - CNN: ...

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  Something to be thankful for - CNN: "Godfather of spam going to prison" [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 7:46pm EST
  by Eric

• Who's closest to the actual retail price ...

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  Who's closest to the actual retail price without going over? - If you believe Obama, then health care reform will be deficit-neutral. But Michael Cannon at Cato estimates that once you strip away all the budget gimmicks, Obamacare will cost $6 trillion. Somebody is closer to the truth. [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 3:34pm EST
  by Eric

• When we get around to it, maybeI ...

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  When we get around to it, maybeI just found this gem of unintentional humor from the White House blog responding to Krauthammer’s article, insisting that tort reform is on the table when it comes to health care reform:President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum directing the Secretary of HHS to move [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 9:24pm EST
  by Eric

• Worst legislation ever - Charles Krauthammer (Harvard ...

  Number of comments: 7
  Worst legislation ever - Charles Krauthammer (Harvard Medical School 1975) declares the health care legislation working through Congress “irredeemable” and urges “Kill the bills and do health reform right.” [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 9:08pm EST
  by Eric

• Nancy Pelosi, laugh riotWho’s writing her material ...

  Number of comments: 3
  Nancy Pelosi, laugh riotWho’s writing her material nowadays?Despite the $787 billion stimulus package passed in February, unemployment climbed to 10.2 percent in October. While critics cite the jobless rate as a sign that the stimulus has failed, Pelosi argues that the federal government is just not trying hard enough."We have" [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 8:54pm EST
  by Eric

• Happy Thanksgiving, ...

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  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 10:49pm EST
  by Eric

• Stream of consciousness on a slow news ...

  Number of comments: 2
  Stream of consciousness on a slow news dayThere doesn't seem to be much going on today as everybody winds down for Thanksgiving. The top story on Fox News right now is "Are Vampires real?" I hear there's a vampire movie out, so there may be a tie-in.My weekend started out' [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 8:49pm EST
  by Eric

• Kentucky. Fox News. You know what I'm ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Kentucky. Fox News. You know what I'm getting' at.Two months ago, Andrew Sullivan knew there was a lynching in Kentucky and engaged in a little casual stereotyping, possibly while listening to "YMCA"But the most worrying possibility - that this is Southern populist terrorism, whipped up by the GOP and its [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 8:49pm EST
  by Eric

• If only we had some warning!Stuff like ...

  Number of comments: 1
  If only we had some warning!Stuff like this drives me nuts. From the NY Times: "Wave of debt payments facing U.S. government"The problem, many analysts say, is that record government deficits have arrived just as the long-feared explosion begins in spending on benefits under Medicare and Social Security. The nation’s [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 9:09pm EST
  by Eric

• Some "funny" stuff I found in my ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Some "funny" stuff I found in my latest issue of Wired - The "blog" of "unnecessary" quotation marks. [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 10:54pm EST
  by Eric

• You can't fool all the people - ...

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  You can't fool all the people - David Broder discusses health care reform in "A budget-buster in the making." He notes that less than one-fifth of Americans believe Obama's promise that the plan will not add to the federal deficit. That's change you can't believe in. [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 4:10pm EST
  by Eric

• Deep in the red - Here's former ...

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  Deep in the red - Here's former CBO director Douglas Holtz-Eikin with "The coming deficit disaster." [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 11:27pm EST
  by Eric

• Bah, humbug on taxes - Business Week: ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Bah, humbug on taxes - Business Week: "Best e-commerce sites for the holidays." Take a guess how much spending I'll be doing in Massachusetts and the state's new 6.25% sales tax.' [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 9:48pm EST
  by Eric

• Bold new blog. Hooray. Now I can ...

  Number of comments: 4
  Bold new blog. Hooray. Now I can bore u from my phone. [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 9:45pm EST
  by Eric

• Testing 123. Mobile blog post.Update - Wow, ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Testing 123. Mobile blog post.Update - Wow, that's cool. Now I have to figure out formatting. [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 9:39pm EST
  by Eric

• Like a boring straw, there is no ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Like a boring straw, there is no bend - Megan McArdle has a detailed review of the likely funding (and underfunding) scenarios for the health care bill in "Preliminary thoughts on the CBO report." "I think it's pretty clear at this point that no bill from our Congress is going" [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 9:22pm EST
  by Eric

• Smoke and mirrors on steroidsThe Senate's health ...

  Number of comments: 2
  Smoke and mirrors on steroidsThe Senate's health care reform bill is deficit neutral only if you believe Congress will cut payments to doctors for reimbursements, raise taxes to unprecedented levels, and slash a half-trillion dollars from Medicare. James Capretta details the "$4.9 trillion spending increase"For starters, the Reid plan assumes [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 10:44pm EST
  by Eric

• Government intervention: is there anything it can't ...

  Number of comments: 1
  Government intervention: is there anything it can't fix make worse?If you liked the stimulus bill that brought us double-digit unemployment, "Cash for Clunkers" that cost $24,000 a vehicle and the AIG bailout, then you'll love Kiribati's plan to save the fish. NPR: "Reef Conservation Strategy Backfires"Kiribati (pronounced KIR-a-bahs) has a [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 10:06pm EST
  by Eric

• And now, your moment of ZenA parable ...

  Number of comments: 2
  And now, your moment of ZenA parable for your consideration:Tanzan and Ekido were once traveling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was still falling. Coming around the bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection."Come on girl," said Tanzan [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 8:12pm EST
  by Eric

• Gettin' right to the pointWasting no time, ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Gettin' right to the pointWasting no time, here's Jeffrey Flier in his opening sentences:As the dean of Harvard Medical School I am frequently asked to comment on the health-care reform debate. I'd give it a failing grade.Just like the Massachusetts plan, Dr. Flier writes that the health care bill moving [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 7:54pm EST
  by Eric

• Like I've been saying - Opinion Journal: ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Like I've been saying - Opinion Journal: "Where are the doctors to implement Obamacare? - A University of California chancellor warns that America could soon look like Massachusetts." Aaaahh!' [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 10:25pm EST
  by Eric

• Anybody laughing yet? - General Motors is ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Anybody laughing yet? - General Motors is bankrupt, just posted another loss, but they swear they're going to pay back the American taxpayers. This is a joke right? The Truth About Cars writes: "GM's first post-bankruptcy financial data has arrived, underscoring in red ink the folly of the government 'investment''" [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 9:15pm EST
  by Eric

• Ken Ober checks out - NY Times: ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Ken Ober checks out - NY Times: "Ken Ober, "Remote Control" host, is dead." Geez, he was only 52; cause of death "not immediately known.""Remote Control" was MTV's first foray away from videos and into TV shows. It was a super-cheap game show where Ober would ask trivia questions, sometimes [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 8:37pm EST
  by Eric

• Not cutting costs, part 2 - Robert ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Not cutting costs, part 2 - Robert Samuelson looks at health care reform and declares that costs will skyrocket: "Their sweeping overhaul of the health care system - which Congress is halfway towards enacting - would almost certainly make matters worse." He echoes one of my points in that the [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 7:46pm EST
  by Eric

• MassCare eats away at the economy in ...

  Number of comments: 1
  MassCare eats away at the economy in the Bay StateThere were two articles in the Boston Globe of special interest for those who want to see how the Massachusetts health care reform will play out when extended nationwide. First, small businesses are getting socked with double-digit increases in insurance rates: [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 9:48pm EST
  by Eric

• Not cutting costs - The Hill: "House ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Not cutting costs - The Hill: "House health bill will hike costs $289B" That's what the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) says.Plus, there's this from the WashPost: "Nonpartisan agency says House bill will reduce senior care." No wonder Nancy Pelosi pushed through that quick Saturday vote. [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 9:50pm EST
  by Eric

• The amateur-in-chiefForgetting that he's the President of ...

  Number of comments: 11
  The amateur-in-chiefForgetting that he's the President of the United States of America, Obama committed a breach of protocol and bowed deeply to Japan's emperor Akihito. The LA Times asked "How low will he go?" and Powerline queried "Why is this man bowing?" I think the answer can be found in [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 2:34pm EST
  by Eric

• Americans aren't buyin' it - Megan McArdle ...

  Number of comments: 1
  Americans aren't buyin' it - Megan McArdle reveals that "the more we talk about health care reform, the less popular it gets." [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 11:35pm EST
  by Eric

• Everything's bigger in Texas - Including the ...

  Number of comments: 1
  Everything's bigger in Texas - Including the job market. According to Business Week, Texas is home to four out the the top five cities in America for job creation. The fifth is in Utah. [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 11:30pm EST
  by Eric

• Wanna get into Princeton? Move out of ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Wanna get into Princeton? Move out of New Jersey - As you know, this move came too late for me, but colleges across the nation are giving special consideration to out-of-state students because they normally need to pay a higher tuition, which then subsidizes the in-state students. [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 11:27pm EST
  by Eric

• Freestyle - Just got back from my ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Freestyle - Just got back from my son's swim meet where he shaved three seconds off his 50m freestyle time, and a first place finish to boot. Nice. [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 11:14pm EST
  by Eric

• Constitution schmonstitution - Congress plans to mandate ...

  Number of comments: 1
  Constitution schmonstitution - Congress plans to mandate that Americans purchase health insurance and jail 'em if they don't. Any basis in law? Well there's that "general welfare" part of the Constitution which implies that the government can force you to eat spinach too. [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 9:41pm EST
  by Eric

• Holi-day wi-fi - PC World: "Thanks Google, ...

  Number of comments: 1
  Holi-day wi-fi - PC World: "Thanks Google, but airport wi-fi should always be free." It should, since it's so critical to business, but airports can't resist sources of revenue.' [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 9:27pm EST
  by Eric

• Veterans DayI miss my dog. When I ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Veterans DayI miss my dog. When I picked her up from the kennel, she would cry and slobber all over my car on the ride home. And that was after only a week or so. [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 10:31pm EST
  by Eric

• Obama chooses not to decide - Fox ...

  Number of comments: 3
  Obama chooses not to decide - Fox News "Obama won't take any current war options": "President Barack Obama does not plan to accept any of the Afghanistan war options presented by his national security team, pushing instead for revisions to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility'" [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 9:37pm EST
  by Eric

• Millions for Botox, but not one cent ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Millions for Botox, but not one cent for flu shots - Real Clear Markets: "Health reform's moral hazard" [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 8:54pm EST
  by Eric

• Best news today - CNN: "Police officer ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Best news today - CNN: "Police officer who shot Fort Hood suspect says she's 'doing well'" I had heard Officer Munley had lost a lot of blood after the shootout but now it looks like she's on the mend. [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 8:24pm EST
  by Eric

• Just makin' stuff up, Boston-style - Remember ...

  Number of comments: 1
  Just makin' stuff up, Boston-style - Remember that stimulus package that was supposed to "create or save" jobs? Not so much. Boston Globe "Stimulus job boost in state exaggerated, review finds": "While Massachusetts recipients of federal stimulus money collectively report 12,374 jobs saved or created, a Globe review shows that'" [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 9:23am EST
  by Eric

• The conspiracy to keep you poor and ...

  Number of comments: 4
  The conspiracy to keep you poor and dependent - Government-run health care is an opportunity to make Americans more dependent on the government...and that helps the statist Democrats. At least one guy let the cat out of the bag: "Confessions of an ObamaCare backer."More - From Q&O. [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 10:51pm EST
  by Eric

• Twenty years ago - BBC News asks: ...

  Number of comments: 1
  Twenty years ago - BBC News asks: "Where were you when the Berlin Wall came down?" Golly, since I was just starting my senior year at Rutgers, I was probably at the Ale & Wich with my roommates, sharing a $4 pitcher of Budweiser. If my usual jukebox selections were [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 7:33pm EST
  by Eric

• Once the foot is in the door, ...

  Number of comments: 1
  Once the foot is in the door, expansion foreverI’m back kinda late from New York, so I'll just borrow this thought from Mark Steyn on the passage of the health care bill:If "health care" were about health care, the devil would be in the details. But it's not about health' [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2009, 10:37pm EST
  by Eric

• See you soon - Goin' to see ...

  Number of comments: 0
  See you soon - Goin' to see Ma this weekend.' [...]
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  Posted: November 07, 2009, 12:04am EST
  by Eric

• Stuff you didn't know - Slate has ...

  Number of comments: 2
  Stuff you didn't know - Slate has some background in a Fort Hood FAQ.' [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 11:14pm EST
  by Eric

• $3.8 billion in sales, $5 at a ...

  Number of comments: 0
  $3.8 billion in sales, $5 at a time - Business Week has a great article about the genius of Subway's Five-dollar Footlong, both from a product and a marketing viewpoint. C'mon, admit it, you love that jingle.' [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 11:07pm EST
  by Eric

• Fort Hood tragedy - Fox News: "Suspected ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Fort Hood tragedy - Fox News: "Suspected gunman in custody after deadly shooting rampage at Fort Hood." The news conference from Texas was delayed almost three hours before the shocking news, contradicting previous reports, that the shooter was alive and in custody. The female police officer who cut him down [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 10:07pm EST
  by Eric

• Yeah...we know - Real Clear Markets: "Why ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Yeah...we know - Real Clear Markets: "Why middle class tax hikes are coming" [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 8:00pm EST
  by Eric

• I'm saved!Don Surber: "Obama saved 935 jobs ...

  Number of comments: 0
  I'm saved!Don Surber: "Obama saved 935 jobs at a place that employs 508 people"Take it away, Elvis:' [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 7:56pm EST
  by Eric

• Welcome back, old chap - I was ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Welcome back, old chap - I was going to write about last night's results but by the time I get home from work it's old news. So let's just welcome Atlantic Crossings to the blogroll, the rejuvenated site that used to be called Expat Yank. [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 7:41pm EST
  by Eric

• Chris Christie gets the checkmark - New ...

  Number of comments: 13
  Chris Christie gets the checkmark - New Jersey's largest newspaper, the Star-Ledger, declares a Republican win in the Garden State. Wow, and it wasn't even close: with 81% of the vote in, Christie still holds onto a 5% lead. Everybody thought this was going until morning.' [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 10:22pm EST
  by Eric

• Watching New Jersey - With almost half ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Watching New Jersey - With almost half the vote counted (48% at 9:30pm EST) Christie is up 49-44% over Corzine.Update - 53% of the vote in, Christie up by 4%. Tight, tight, tight.More - Here's a good NJ map from the NY Times. With 58% in, it's a 6% lead [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 9:19pm EST
  by Eric

• Beware this guyBoston Globe: "Don't get fooled ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Beware this guyBoston Globe: "Don't get fooled again - freecreditreport.com aims to make you spend money."' [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 8:11pm EST
  by Eric

• It's expensive - Even before the inevitable ...

  Number of comments: 0
  It's expensive - Even before the inevitable cost overruns, the health care bill moving through the House has climbed to a $1.2 trillion price tag. [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 7:51pm EST
  by Eric

• New Jersey predictionTomorrow there are some off-year ...

  Number of comments: 4
  New Jersey predictionTomorrow there are some off-year elections and it looks like the Virginia governor's race and NY-23 are in the bag. The only contest left is New Jersey and the fight between incumbent governor Jon Corzine and Republican challenger Chris Christie. This campaign has been deadlocked for weeks. However, [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 10:31pm EST
  by Eric

• Worst bill ever - That's how the ...

  Number of comments: 10
  Worst bill ever - That's how the Wall Street Journal describes the Pelosicare bill in the House. This is a masterpiece of unminced words: "The healthcare bill that [Pelosi] unwrapped last Thursday, which President Obama hailed as a "critical milestone," may well be the worst piece of post-New Deal legislation" [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 9:59pm EST
  by Eric

• Perspective on profits - In today's Boston ...

  Number of comments: 0
  Perspective on profits - In today's Boston Globe, Jeff Jacoby compares the "immoral" profits of the health insurance companies versus, say, Tupperware: "Hyperbole in the health debate." [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 9:35pm EST
  by Eric