Average Marginal Labor Income Tax Rates under the Affordable Care Act:

Average Marginal Labor Income Tax Rates under the Affordable Care Act

by Tyler Cowen on September 3, 2013 at 2:57 am in Economics, Medicine | Permalink

That is a new paper by Casey Mulligan, here is the abstract:

The Affordable Care Act includes four significant, permanent, implicit unemployment assistance programs, plus various implicit subsidies for underemployment. Every sector of the economy, and about half of nonelderly adults, is directly affected by at least one of those provisions. This paper calculates the ACA’s impact on the average reward to working among nonelderly household heads and spouses. The law increases marginal tax rates by an average of five percentage points (of employee compensation), on top of the marginal tax rates that were already present before the it went into effect. The ACA’s addition to labor tax wedges is roughly equivalent to doubling both employer and employee payroll tax rates for half of the population.

Mulligan summarizes the paper here, with further detail.  In another new paper, Mulligan compares ACA with Romneycare.

AP Reporter to State Department: Did Everyone At The White House Have A 'Spine-Removal Procedure This Weekend?'

AP Reporter to State Department: Did Everyone At The White House Have A 'Spine-Removal Procedure This Weekend?' - Fox Nation:
"Associated Press reporter Matt Lee grilled State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Thursday, repeatedly asking her how Secretary of State John Kerry found it "courageous" for President Barack Obama to seek Congressional authorization of military force in Syria.

Lee's argument came from this premise: How is it "courageous" for Obama to ask for Congress to approve something that he believes he has the right to do, anyway?"

5 Reasons Congress Should Press Obama on Syria

5 Reasons Congress Should Press Obama on Syria:

Student: Michigan State professor's rant went beyond Republicans to Christians, athletes

Student: Michigan State professor's rant went beyond Republicans to Christians, athletes | MLive.com

EAST LANSING -- Sophomore Caroline Freeman was in disbelief as she sat in the front row of MSU professor William Penn's lecture last Thursday.

The 19-year-old kinesiology major from Macomb County was somewhat incredulous at her Michigan State University prof's disparaging remarks about Republicans. But she grew upset when his commentary veered onto other topics she's passionate about.

"He was talking about how Christians are dumb and don't know what what they're talking about and that they're all blind followers," said Freeman, a Christian high school graduate who was raised Lutheran. "He was just tearing down a whole institution of belief, and it had nothing to do with class."

Penn next took on athletes, Freeman said, which also offended her.

"He said athletes were wasting their time trying to throw a ball in a hoop and how we glorify them for no reason," said Freeman, herself a four-sport athlete in high school and a student liaison to MSU's women's basketball team. "He was calling people bad for playing football."

John Edwards, a cad to the end

John Edwards, a cad to the end |:
"Now, the Enquirer reports that 19 months after her death at age 61 from breast cancer, John Edwards still has not placed a proper headstone on Elizabeth’s grave, with the grave marked “with only a 5-by-7 card that could hardly be seen,” according to “an angry family insider.”

Another 1.8M People Just Ditched Cable TV

HARDOCP - Another 1.8M People Just Ditched Cable TV:
"Another 1.8M People Just Ditched Cable TV
When are cable companies going to get with the program?
Personally, I think lower prices and a la carte channels would go along way towards customer retention.

Another quarter, another dismal set of numbers for the TV business.
About 1.8 million people ended their cable TV subscriptions in Q2 2013, according to analysts at SNL Kagan:
There were 366,000 total net losses across all TV/broadband subs in Q2
Cable TV suppliers lost 1.8 millions subs."

Midlake, Ontario Eliminates Soccer Ball From Youth Soccer Programs

Midlake, Ontario Eliminates Soccer Ball From Youth Soccer Programs:
“The ball-less soccer this year as a challenge from a coaching perspective,” said Keith Schultz, head coach of a Midlake team called the Thundercats, a ball-less team for children under the age of 11.
“I have to do a lot of imagining.”

Michigan State investigates professor who tells students Republicans 'raped this country'

Michigan State investigates professor who tells students Republicans 'raped this country' | MLive.com:
"In 2003, Penn received MSU's Distinguished Faculty Award.
......In the video, Penn tells his class Republicans have a racist agenda and aim to disenfranchise African American voters."

from my "friends" at MoveOn.org

Dear MoveOn member, 

Yesterday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee began debating whether to authorize the use of military force in Syria in response to reports of chemical weapons use by the Syrian government.¹
Because this is such a big decision, we asked every MoveOn member to weigh in on whether MoveOn should support or oppose the congressional authorization to use military force in Syria.
The results are in, and they are unequivocal: 

73% said MoveOn should oppose the congressional Authorization to Use Military Force in Syria.

History has shown again and again that even a "limited" military engagement can quickly become a slippery slope to seemingly endless war. But stopping this war is within reach.

Consistent polling shows that the majority of Americans are opposed to this military intervention, and more than 147 members of Congress are on record as firmly opposed to or leaning against it.² But mainstream media outlets and many elected officials are trying hard to make us think that strikes are inevitable.³

So we need to unleash the power of our more than 8 million member community right away to make it clear to Congress that we oppose military action in Syria. Congress will vote on the authorization to use military force as soon as next week, and members of Congress are making up their minds right now, so we need to act fact.

Can you call your Senators and Representative right now and tell them to 'Vote No' on the use of military force in Syria? Here are the numbers to call: 

Is The United States Going To Go To War With Syria Over A Natural Gas Pipeline?

Is The United States Going To Go To War With Syria Over A Natural Gas Pipeline?

Why has the little nation of Qatar spent 3 billion dollars to support the rebels in Syria?

Could it be because Qatar is the largest exporter of liquid natural gas in the world and Assad won’t let them build a natural gas pipeline through Syria?

Of course.

Qatar wants to install a puppet regime in Syria that will allow them to build a pipeline which will enable them to sell lots and lots of natural gas to Europe.

Why is Saudi Arabiaspending huge amounts of money to help the rebels and why has Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan been “jetting from covert commandcenters near the Syrian front lines to the Élysée Palace in Paris and the Kremlin in Moscow, seeking to undermine the Assad regime”?

Well, it turns out that Saudi Arabia intends to install their own puppetgovernment in Syria which will allow the Saudis to control the flow of energy through the region.

On the other side, Russia very much prefers the Assad regime for a whole bunch of reasons. One of those reasons is that Assad is helping to block the flow of natural gas out of the Persian Gulf into Europe, thus ensuring higher profits for Gazprom.

Now the United States is getting directly involved in the conflict.

If the U.S. is successful in getting rid of the Assad regime, it will be good for either the Saudis or Qatar (and possibly for both), and it will be really bad for Russia.

This is a strategic geopolitical conflict about natural resources, religion and money, and it really has nothing to do with chemical weapons at all.

Portland bar owner must pay $400,000 for kicking transgender patrons out of bar

Portland bar owner must pay $400,000 for kicking transgender patrons out of bar | LifeSiteNews.com:
"PORTLAND, OR, September 4, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Portland bar owner will have to pay a $400,000 fine for kicking out a group of cross-dressers whom he says were ruining his business.
Chris Penner, the owner of the Twilight Room Annex, has to pay 11 transgender patrons the hefty sum after asking them to stop coming to his bar."

Is This the Funniest Photo in Baseball History?

Is This the Funniest Photo in Baseball History? [PIC]:
"There are plenty of great foul ball shots out there, but this may just be best. In fact, it may well be the funniest baseball pic we've ever seen. It was shot by Jim Davis of The Boston Globe during a Red Sox-Orioles game in Boston last week. A moderate amount of Internet sleuthing yielded no results as to who came up with baseball in question, but we'll keep looking and let you know if anything turns up.

Meanwhile, tell us whose action face you like best in the comments."

On Labor Day 2013, Welfare Pays More Than Minimum-Wage Work In 35 States

On Labor Day 2013, Welfare Pays More Than Minimum-Wage Work In 35 States - Forbes:
"Since 2009, the Fair Labor Standards Act has dictated that the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.
Some people think that’s too low; others think it’s too high.
But it turns out that, in 35 states, it’s a better deal not to work—and instead, to take advantage of federal welfare programs—than to take a minimum-wage job.
That’s the takeaway from a new study "

Top 100 Inspirational Quotes

Top 100 Inspirational Quotes - Forbes: "

Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. –Napoleon Hill
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. –Steve Jobs"
Read 'em all!

George Will: Obama seeks an accomplice for Syria action

George Will: Obama seeks an accomplice for Syria action - The Washington Post:
"Because Syria’s convulsion has become as serious as Barack Obama has been careless in speaking about it, he is suddenly and uncharacteristically insisting that Congress participate in governance.
Regarding institutional derangements, he is the infection against which he pretends to be an immunization."

5 Reasons Congress Should Press Obama on Syria

5 Reasons Congress Should Press Obama on Syria:

Little Rock dress code requires teachers to wear bras and underwear – next year

Little Rock dress code requires teachers to wear bras and underwear – next year - EAGnews.org powered by Education Action Group Foundation, Inc.:
"LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – All those teachers who take pride in their “free swinging” ways can breathe a sigh of relief – Little Rock’s new “restrictive” dress code won’t go into effect until next school year.
The school district is the latest to formalize a staff dress code policy that bans the typical things: t-shirts with inappropriate slogans, mini-skirts and flip-flops.
But an interesting requirement is taking a breather for a year: “foundation garments.”
As in bras and underwear.
District superintendent Dexter Suggs co-authored a letter with teachers union president Cathy Koehler, laying out the new rules. But the Arkansas Times reported when Suggs imposed the new policy, “complaints arose” and Suggs delayed implementation “to give staff time to adjust.”
Teachers have to adjust to wearing “foundation garments” to work? Just what kind of “free spirited” attitude do they have in Little Rock?"

We leave our children with these people?

Professor: Republicans Are Dying White People Who Raped America

Professor: Republicans Are Dying White People Who Raped America:
"A recording released Tuesday of a Michigan State University professor captures the educator bashing Republicans in a variety of ways on the first day of school, Campus Reform reports.

On the recording, taken unbeknownst to the educator, creative writing Prof. William S. Penn says old Republicans raped the country, among other rants.

“If you go to the Republican convention in Florida, you see all of the old Republicans with the dead skin cells washing off them,” Penn was recorded as saying. “They are cheap. They don’t want to pay taxes because they have already raped this country and gotten everything out of it they possibly could.”

Your tax dollars at work in Michigan!

Labor Unions: Obamacare Will 'Shatter' Our Health Benefits, Cause 'Nightmare Scenarios'

Labor Unions: Obamacare Will 'Shatter' Our Health Benefits, Cause 'Nightmare Scenarios' - Forbes:
"Last Thursday, representatives of three of the nation’s largest unions fired off a letter to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, warning that Obamacare would “shatter not only our hard-earned health benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class.”

Michigan economic development contingent arrives in China; 'why Michigan' promotion begins

Michigan economic development contingent arrives in China; 'why Michigan' promotion begins | MLive.com
Ah, the political class.
Junkets and lies.
And adulation and lies from their comrades in the media.

Dave Bing blasts Boston mayor for comments on Detroit

Dave Bing blasts Boston mayor for comments on Detroit | MLive.com:
"Boston Mayor Thomas Menino in a New York Times article published last week said Detroit suffers from a lack of leadership.
He said he'd like to come to Detroit if he had to live somewhere other than Boston, but when asked what he would do here, Menino said:
"I’d blow up the place and start all over.
No, seriously, when it takes a police officer 90 minutes to answer a call, there’s something wrong with the system.
Forty percent of the streetlights are out, most of the buildings are boarded up.
Why?
Inaction, that’s the problem — leadership."

Study: Most states, including Michigan, lack disaster plans for kids

Study: Most states, including Michigan, lack disaster plans for kids | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:
"Eight years after Hurricane Katrina, most states still don't require four basic safety plans to protect children in school and child care from disasters, aid group Save the Children said in a report released today.

The group faulted 28 states and the District of Columbia for failing to require the emergency safety plans for schools and child care providers that were recommended by a national commission in the wake of Katrina. The lack of such plans could endanger children's lives and make it harder for them to be reunited with their families, the study said."

Who cares about cost?
It's about the CHILDRENNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!

and this:
"Every workday, 68 million children are separated from their parents," Carolyn Miles, Save the Children's president and CEO, said in a statement with the group's annual disaster report card. "We owe it to these children to protect them before the next disaster strikes."

Detroit was on verge of collapse without full access to casino revenue, depositions show

Detroit was on verge of collapse without full access to casino revenue, depositions show | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:
"It became clear to Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr by early May that the city’s finances were at risk of imminent collapse if the city couldn’t access all of its casino tax revenues, according to transcripts of depositions released Tuesday by the City of Detroit."

Detroit tunnel operator sheds $830 million in debt

Detroit tunnel operator sheds $830 million in debt | Crain's Detroit Business:
 "Under the plan, holders of $496 million in bonds due in 2026 will receive nothing, though their rights to insurance claims will remain intact.
Lifland ruled Aug. 28 that an ad-hoc group of the bondholders didn't have legal standing in the case and couldn't object to the reorganization."

Oakland County poised to delay $350 million bond sale

Oakland County poised to delay $350 million bond sale | Crain's Detroit Business:
"Oakland County may delay a $350 million debt sale that was set for next week because officials are behind schedule in assembling bond documents, Deputy Executive Robert Daddow said.

The offering would be the biggest from the eighth-most-populous state since Detroit filed a record municipal bankruptcy on July 18, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
The county is probably two weeks behind schedule and will determine tomorrow if issuing the general-obligation bonds next week is feasible, Daddow said."

Another one bites the dust?

Poll: One-In-Four Americans Have A “Very Unfavorable” View Of Unions, Only 14% Have A “Very Favorable” Opinion

Poll: One-In-Four Americans Have A “Very Unfavorable” View Of Unions, Only 14% Have A “Very Favorable” Opinion… | Weasel Zippers

Eight Dead and 25 Wounded in Holiday Weekend Shootings

Eight Dead and 25 Wounded in Holiday Weekend Shootings:
"Only the streets of Chicago seemed more like a warzone than a town bidding farewell to the sunny season because of gun violence that claimed eight lives and wounded at least 25 others."

Why Did Obama Choose Syria?

Why Did Obama Choose Syria? | Zero Hedge:
"The success of these interventions, difficult as they are to assess, is mixed at best with Korea and Kosovo as examples of where positive outcomes occurred (in Haiti, a descent into complete chaos was perhaps prevented). Some turned out worse, given what followed.
As JPMorgan's Michael Cembalest notes, on a purely humanitarian basis, Syria’s tragedy is exceeded by many conflicts that the US abstained from participating in. 
So when thinking about civil wars and how the US defines its national interest, one has to ask why Syria would qualify for direct intervention while others conflicts did not."

McCain: Shouting 'Allahu Akhbar!' Same as Christians Shouting 'Thank God!'

McCain: Shouting 'Allahu Akhbar!' Same as Christians Shouting 'Thank God!':
"McCain responded:
“Would you have a problem with an American or Christians saying ‘thank God? 
Thank God?’” 
He added, “That’s what they’re saying. Come on! Of course they’re Muslims, but they’re moderates and I guarantee you they are moderates.”

They're baaaack.......

Muskegon County
Ways & Means Committee
August 20, 2013
4:00 p.m.
Hall of Justice
990 Terrace
Muskegon, MI