All Things in Moderation

U.S. Lags Other Countries in Wellness and Medical Care. But, you know, it still looks to me like we’re pretty well off.

Americans smoke at a far lower rate than in other countries, but in addition to its level of obesity, the U.S. rate for diabetes is among the developed world’s highest. And though Americans are living an average nine years longer than 50 years ago, 26 other countries outpace the U.S. in life expectancy.

Why are US tax payers still handing out big money to already wealthy companies in the form of Ag subsidies?  This makes no sense to me. The government needs to get out of the business of handing out money to farmers. It’s a drop in the bucket, perhaps, but we still don’t need to be doing it.

Under America’s lavish subsidy system, farmers collected $260 billion in taxpayer money between 1995 and 2010. In theory, this money is supposed to help small farmers survive in a volatile and risky sector. In reality, most of this money goes to the biggest agrarian operations. Since 1995, the top 10 percent of farmers collected 75 percent of all farm-bill subsidies, according to analysis by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.

Employs of mortgage foreclosure firm that made fun of  people losing their houses are now losing their jobs. But is it fair?

On Oct. 28, published photos from the firm’s annual Halloween party showed employees wearing costumes mocking people who had lost their homes.Following the revelation of the crass photos, the national mortgage servicing giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae blacklisted the Baum firm and forbade servicers of their mortgages from using Baum and his colleagues, a move which essentially sounded the death knell for the firm.

Occupy Wallstreet, hell. Occupy Congress!

That’s because 250 members of Congress — or 47 percent — have a net worth of more than $1 million, according to a new study by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

The study, which analyzed data from legislators’ financial disclosure forms, found the average senator had a net worth of about $2.63 million last year. That’s up 11 percent from $2.38 million in 2009 and 16 percent from $2.27 million in 2008.

One of the way congresscritters get rich is by being able to legally trade on inside information, something no one except elected congresspersons can legally do. However, the STOCK Act looks to put a stop to that.

Such trades have proven remarkably lucrative. A newly released study by the Center for Responsive Politics found that members of Congress saw their net worth rise by over 25 percent since the financial crisis of 2008, while average Americans have seen their net worth plummet.

“It should be illegal for them to trade off of this kind of information,” Alan Ziobrowski, an associate professor of business at Georgia State University, told The Daily. “There’s no reason that Congress should be able to do what corporate executives can’t.”

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