NC House bill would give insurance companies and other special interests control over healthcare reform implementation The NC House Insurance Committee has taken up a controversial bill (H-115) that gives insurance companies a large role in overseeing how consumers will be able to buy "affordable" insurance coverage through a state-level “health benefits exchange” to be [...]
A year after the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, Congress has not passed any major law to prevent another disaster. Why? “The opposition to new legislation that requires stricter oversight largely stems from the anti-regulatory zeal of conservative lawmakers and from the influence of the oil industry, say congressional staffers from both [...]
Blue Cross of NC is the main backer of a bill to create the health insurance exchange in North Carolina that will help implement the national health reform law. The intent of an independent exchange is to give more people access to insurance coverage, boost competition and lower premium costs, somewhat akin to Travelocity for [...]
E. J. Dionne reminds the wealthy elite that it is in their long-term interest, and a well-established American tradition, to temper greed with civic responsibility. “The influence of the ruling class comes from its position in the economy and its ability to pay for the politicians’ campaigns. . . . I am not using the [...]
With Tax Day 2011 almost here, Public Campaign has released a report called “The Artful Dodgers” about 12 well-known corporations that have spent $1 billion on lobbying and campaign donations to reduce their tax bills to nearly nothing. In several case (e.g., Exxon, Bank of America, Boeing and CitiGroup), the corporations paid ZERO taxes and [...]
Sweethearts of the Tea Party elected to Congress last November have quickly become water carriers for heavy duty lobbyists and special interests. And they are cashing in like the veterans. So much for their promises of integrity or changing the system; if anything, these guys are even deeper in the pocket of Wall Street and [...]
The Center for Public Integrity has just released an in-depth investigative report on the sprawling, worldwide business operations of the Koch family, patrons of far-right groups descending from the John Birch Society. Ironically, brothers David and Charles Koch are happy to take government subsidies and spend millions to lobby for special tax breaks and protection [...]
The federal Fair Elections Now Act was introduced in Congress on Wednesday, followed by a press conference featuring actor Alec Baldwin calling for an alternative to politics dominated by special-interest fundraising. The bill provides a path for ordinary community leaders to become viable candidates and national policy makers, thanks to a program that matches small [...]
Duke Energy is feeling heat from both sides of the political spectrum. The company wants to become the largest electric utility in the US, through a merger with Progress Energy, but conservatives want Duke CEO Jim Rogers fired. They don't like his support for regulating carbon emissions, his executive team's multiple ethical violations, and (probably [...]
If you're doing your taxes this weekend (or later), don't forget to check the $3 question on the NC income tax form about the NC Public Campaign Fund. Checking YES does not change your tax or refund; it just transfers $3 to the Fund from what you're paying anyway. The Fund pays for the judicial voter guide [...]