naked capitalism

BDBlue says:

From that NYT link on small business owners facing sharp increases in health insurance costs:

“The higher premiums at least partly reflect the inexorable rise of medical costs, which is forcing Medicare to raise premiums, too. Health insurance bills are also rising for big employers, but because they have more negotiating clout, their increases are generally not as steep.

Higher medical costs aside, some experts say they think the insurance industry, under pressure from Wall Street, is raising premiums to get ahead of any legislative changes that might reduce their profits.”

AND

“There’s no one out there who hasn’t had to do a mea culpa to Wall Street,” said Sheryl Skolnick, an analyst for Pali Capital who follows the companies. While the industry is particularly vulnerable now in Washington, she said, “it seems like they’re more afraid of Wall Street.”

Gee, I’m so happy that the bloodsuckers on Wall Street also get to run America’s healthcare system. And that, whatever “reform” comes out of Congress, that isn’t going to change for most of us.

eh says:

The Midway link…just another reason why I will never understand anyone who says ‘I love people’.

Nice work if you can get it:

Goldman Sachs Still Paid for Swaps on Redeemed Bonds

Oct. 23 (Bloomberg) — New Jersey taxpayers are sending almost $1 million a month to a partnership run by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. for protection against rising interest costs on bonds that the state redeemed more than a year ago…While New Jersey replaced the debt with fixed-rate securities in 2008 after the $330 billion auction-rate bond market froze, the swap — in which two parties typically exchange fixed payments for ones based on floating interest rates — isn’t scheduled to expire until 2019.

halbhh says:

I clicked through. The cat survives this particular moment. A fierce house cat in it’s prime could chase off a fox temporarily, sure, if the fox wasn’t accustomed to cats, and…most important, if the cat is nearby to a greater danger the fox is afraid of, as in this case.
Viva.

leeAnne says:

you mean Einstein could have included a variable for ‘war not’ or ‘peace only’ in m=E/c2 and/or E=mc2?

Francois T says:

About this Alternet link, where the Army occupied an Alabama town;

I’m still struggling to wrap my head around that affair. This should’ve been national news big time.

How come the national media never covered that?

I mean, are they so bought and paid for by the oligarchy that they won’t cover a clear violation of the Constitution by the US Army within the country?