July 2009

Need surgery in Canada?    Hopefully you can live with the pain for a few months. I came across this fascinating website from the government of the Province of British Columbia. It outlines various procedures, how many people are currently waiting for them and what the average wait time is for each operation. Some staggering figures here as of May 31st for these procedures, ... read more

Can one midsize company be too big to fail?    If it's CIT Group, maybe. On the heels of AIG, GM and taxpayer billions dumped into banks one thing is clear: America is sick of bailouts.   It's also clear there is little public support for any taxpayer-funded bailout of struggling CIT Group.    But a closer look reveals that the once little-known lender may be more important to the ... read more

In a brief meeting with reporters today on Capitol Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a few interesting comments about the proposed health care plan and the "surtax" on the rich to pay for it. Pelosi indicated she may be willing to negotiate on the tax, saying it is on the "high end" and perhaps could change. More interesting though are the follow up comments to a reporter who asked why, ... read more

On a totally different topic ... here is a video of a few clips from my recent race at Watkins Glen.   We placed 2nd out of 42 cars.    Many of you have asked about the racing, so this gives some perspective. read more

For decades the middleman has gone the way of the dinosaur in American business.    Companies used to make stuff, sell it to another company, who would often sell to yet another company before the product reached the store shelves.    Logistical improvements, just-in-time manufacturing, software and other productivity tools have largely slayed this outdated model, sending products directly ... read more

High income Americans face the prospect of much higher total taxes (Federal, state and now health care tax increases).   Many of these big earners (I don't call them 'rich' because wealth isn't always analogous with income.   Many of the super-wealthy are actually living off of family fortunes and paying the much lower tax rate on capital gains) are probably a bit shell shocked and wondering who ... read more

As we continue to discuss the high cost of health care and $26 billion dollar budget gap in California, a new report again brings the two issues together though the national problem of obesity. The Center for Public Health Advocacy ties together the high cost of health care and its impact on California The study found that the cost of overweight, obesity and physical inactivity had ... read more

Good chart of retail sales per segment ... read more

Stories I'm reading this Tuesday: Goldman hits a homer in Q2 and helps stocks Raising taxes on many small businesses in a recession makes no sense Did probe force auto czar Rattner to step down? Morgan Stanley intern says teenagers don't use Twitter BusinessWeek may sell for only $1 Geithner says he will defend the U.S. dollar Is the right wrong on Obama's health care ... read more

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/briansull Source: Education Week Stories I'm reading this Monday: Hello 50% tax rates! Will that mean that this chart will show college costs start to fall? Not sure how I missed this but it is a must read Goldman Sachs ready to make some cash Administration learning to spend money more quickly CIT may face ... read more