Category: business ethics

NYT: Debt Limit Deal “A Nearly Complete Capitulation to Hostage-Taking Demands of GOP Extremists” – 8/1/11 (via Tarpon’s Swamp)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

This is an accurate description of the situation. I am hoping for much more savage denigration of the current holder of the Oval Office. I am going to do some of it myself.

James Pilant

The liberals at the New York Times don’t like the Debt Limit Deal President Obama and Leaders of Congress have agreed to. That’s always a good sign. Here’s some of their bluster in an editorial published this morning: NEW YORK TIMES: There is little to like about the tentative agreement between Congressional leaders and the White House except that it happened at all. The deal would avert a catastrophic government default, immediately and probably … Read More

via Tarpon's Swamp

Campaign for America’s Future: Extremists Won (via Beaver County Blue)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

The author explains why the budget deal is a disaster. I agree with everything in the article.

The biggest disaster is to our chances of rational government. The President has handed the House or Representatives a sledgehammer to pound him to mulch anytime they want something.

James Pilant

Campaign for America's Future: Extremists Won Capitulation By Robert Borosage The raw deal on the budget ceiling has been cut. The Tea Party terrorists – the extremist faction willing to hold the economy hostage to get their way – have won. The Republic, common sense and decency have been trampled. With the economy deeply depressed, 25 million people in need of full time work, the raw deal will impede any recovery. It precludes any serious action on jobs from the federal government. It will … Read More

via Beaver County Blue

The world’s greatest newspaper on the debt deal (via An und für sich)

On By southwerkIn business ethics2 Comments

The coverage in the mainstream press is as usual focused on the winners and losers in Washington, the “horse” race. This, of course, leaves out any real consideration of the agreement’s victims because after all, if there is anything more totally devoid of interest among the beltway elites, it is the middle class American. After all, they are not “job creators.” So, the actual terms of the agreement (blackmail) are not that big a deal unless you are a victim.

James Pilant

Last night, I arrived home to find that Obama and Congress had apparently reached a deal on the debt ceiling. As you all know, I've been following this story obsessively, so naturally I wanted to know what the deal was. So I clicked on the story and started reading. Markets were watching, Obama had a tough job selling it to his more liberal colleagues, Boehner would have a balancing act trying to draw in enough Democrats while not losing Repulica … Read More

via An und für sich

Professional politicians made up of mostly lawyers con men (via str8media)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Yeah. Pretty much.

We have a brand new national catastrophe. There is no way to sugar coat it, no way to improve the sound of it. Middle class Americans are going to suffer a further decline in benefits, job security and educational potential while the “bond” market is protected (although it was doing just fine).

James Pilant

Professional politicians made up of mostly lawyers con men WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and Republican congressional leaders reached historic agreement Sunday night on a compromise to permit vital U.S. borrowing by the Treasury in exchange for more than $2 trillion in long-term spending cuts. Most of you don't get it but are too blind to see even if it was laid out in front of you, their plan is to bankrupt this country, this vote fixes nothing.  Please ignore your party loyalty and think about ou … Read More

via str8media

Battling Plagiarism and Student Evaluations (via Diary of a Mad Professor)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

A college professor battles plagiarism. Good story – good read.

In my classes, I have 100% opinion papers. The students have to explain their thinking about an important issue. I don’t think it makes plagiarism impossible but it does make it more difficult.

James Pilant

There was an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education recently about a professor would was diligent about dealing with plagiarism, only to find that it affected his course evaluations and eventually his reappointment. I knew it was only a matter of time, when I would be kicked in the behind with the same problem. Yesterday, my Department Head contacted me about my fall schedule and he said he noticed my evaluations were not as strong as in th … Read More

via Diary of a Mad Professor

Small Boats Sunset wallpaper – The Attack of The Serious People (via The Long Goodbye)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

This is a thorough analysis of the debt ceiling crisis. I enjoyed it. I hope you do too.

James Pilant

Small Boats Sunset wallpaper - The Attack of The Serious People Small Boats Sunset wallpaper   For better or worse the debt ceiling debate has turned into a horse race story. The closer any political event can be framed into a horse race context the better most of the media likes it … Boehner has a plan, talks break down, Reid has a compromise, tea toddler Republicans pull back. So ABC's report of a tentative debt ceiling compromise might mean something for the next few hours and then disappear into th … Read More

via The Long Goodbye

What is middle class? (via jumpstone)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

There is certainly a disconnect between what your average beltway expert (including congressmen) believe average incomes are and what the actual data says. One writer I enjoy argues that the average congressman doesn’t actually know anybody who makes less than 250,000 a year and they think those people are either average Americans or the ones that count.

Personally, I don’t get it. If I were a politician I would never let the basic income numbers depart from my regular reading, they are too important to policy making.

James Pilant

According to the 2010 Wall Street Journal, Gregory B. Maffei was the highest paid CEO at $87 million. If you take the highest paid person and the lowest paid (earning the $6.25 minimum wage) and average the two, "middle" would be roughly $43.5 million. But extremely few people earn that. Also according to 2010 statistics, the typical wage of the top 1% of earners is $380,354. In this case, "middle" should be $183,677. However, only the top 5% of … Read More

via jumpstone

House panel approves bill forcing ISPs to log users’ web history (via THE INTERNET POST)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Yes, it’s all true. I went and checked to make sure there was no exaggeration here because this is so scary. Well, there it is, a congressional attempt to clobber all privacy on the internet and create huge databases of personal information that can be used against American citizens.

James Pialnt

House panel approves bill forcing ISPs to log users’ web history This has actually precious little to do with finding pedophiles, and everything to do with spying on everyone using the net. Lawmakers are about to push the American people under a bus with this legislation, and into the dark abyss of Code Napoleon Law, where everyone was considered guilty until proven innocent. First and 4th Amendment to the Constitution, rest … Read More

via THE INTERNET POST

Middle Class And Poor To Feel The Pain After Deal Is Passed (via Sky’s Universal Predications)

On By southwerkIn business ethics2 Comments

Yes, as always, this is the case. The beltway bloviators, the “villagers,” the 24 hour news networks, the opinion makers, etc. long ago decided that the great mass of Americans were a bunch of lazy, unmotivated, whiny, and fat hogs who need the discipline of the market in their pointless lives. I am reminded of the condemnation in the Bible for those who load the poor with burdens while being unwilling to bear any burden of their own.

James Pilant

Middle Class And Poor To Feel The Pain After Deal Is Passed (As always, the middle class and the poor will feel the pain the most, while the wealthy get another tax break. And when we hit the debt ceiling again in a few years, they'll be asked to do it all over again–by taking it up the ass for the rich.) Debt hope: Obama praises 'Gang of Six' plan WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and a startling number of Republican senators lauded a bipartisan deficit-reduction plan Tuesday that includes $1 tri … Read More

via Sky's Universal Predications

PROOF that tax cuts do not create jobs: Bush’s decade was a lost decade for U.S. economy, workers (via Under the Mountain Bunker)

On By southwerkIn business ethics3 Comments

I always thought that once supply side economics failed in the 1980’s, the idea would be dead. That was a major miscalculation on my part. The idea that cutting taxes raises revenue is so much fun for some people, that facts do not inconvenience them.

James Pilant

PROOF that tax cuts do not create jobs: Bush's decade was a lost decade for U.S. economy, workers From the Washington Post: There has been zero net job creation since December 1999. No previous decade going back to the 1940s had job growth of less than 20 percent. Economic output rose at its slowest rate of any decade since the 1930s as well. Middle-income households made less in 2008, when adjusted for inflation, than they did in 1999 — and the number is sure to have declined further during a difficult 2009. The Aughts were the first decade … Read More

via Under the Mountain Bunker