Democratic primary voters

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The legal industry has been remarkably buoyant in a tumultuous world. It has weathered 9/11, the global financial crisis, economic downturns , automation, digital transformation , domestic and international instability, and the Pandemic. Through it all, the legal sector has prospered financially , even as its resistance to change has misaligned it with business and distanced it from society . Law’s financial success has come at a steep price—the health and well-being of its workforce, an obscured purpose, and high profits but low customer satisfaction. Public trust in lawyers , legal institutions , and the vitality of the rule have law are historically low. Most Americans believe the legal system is accessible only to the wealthy and the data confirms this. The legal system is widely perceived as lacking accessibility impartiality, transparency, diversity reflective of the society it purports to serve, … [Read more...] about Democratic Degradation Is Law’s Ultimate Disruptor

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin With fewer than 100 days until the midterms and President Biden's approval rating underwater, Democrats are desperate for a political win they can trumpet on the campaign trail. They're hoping the deceptively named Inflation Reduction Act is it. At the center of the bill is $64 billion in subsidies for health insurance purchased through Obamacare's exchanges. They're an extension of the subsidies created as part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act. They were supposed to expire at the end of this year—temporary measures to help households weather the economic impact of the pandemic. But if that happened, people would've received notices of massive premium hikes just before they headed to the polls. Hence, the Inflation Reduction Act's move to extend them for three more years, through 2025. It's a transparent ploy for votes. And it obscures just how much the Affordable Care Act has failed to live up to its name. … [Read more...] about Dems’ Reconciliation Package Obscures Obamacare’s Failures With Taxpayer Cash

Qin Gang - A + A WASHINGTON/HONG KONG (Aug 17): China called on the US to refrain from sailing naval vessels through the Taiwan Strait, saying Beijing would take further action in the wake of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei. China’s ambassador to Washington, Qin Gang, said on Tuesday that China viewed such Taiwan transits as an escalation by the US and an effort to support the “separatist” government in Taipei. He delivered the warning after Senator Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, wrapped up the second trip to the island in less than two weeks by a US congressional delegation. “The US side has done too much and going too far in this region,” Qin said in response to a question about potential naval patrols. “I do call on our American colleagues to refrain, to exercise restraint, not to do anything to escalate the tension. So if there’s any moves damaging China’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, so China will respond. China will … [Read more...] about China warns US against sailing warships through Taiwan strait

PRO Only Highlights - Quarterly performance largely backed by improved realisations - Medium-term triggers China plus and protectionist measures for tyre industry - Valuations not inexpensive; but improved medium-term outlook The initial public offer (IPO) of Syrma SGS Technology, an EMS (Electronic manufacturing services) business player, is opening on Friday (August 12). Syrma intends to raise Rs 840 crore through a primary issue of Rs 766 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of 3.37 million shares. The company has already raised Rs 110 crore through pre-IPO placements at Rs 290 per share. (image) (image) Industry (image) (image) (image) (image) Key Positives Syrma is one the leading players in the... … [Read more...] about Syrma SGS Technology IPO: Attractive business at an undemanding valuation

The National Assembly’s regular audit of the Blue House was botched after the Blue House refused to send seven presidential aides to the session Thursday. The presidential office cited several reasons, including the need to quarantine an official after a trip overseas. However, its abrupt refusal constitutes a brazen disrespect for the legislature. The almighty Blue House of President Moon Jae-in’s administration has left another bad precedent in the National Assembly’s history. We wonder if the Blue House really regards the legislature as being an equal to the presidency. The seven presidential aides who refused to appear at the audit session included Suh Hoon, director of the National Security Office; Kim Jong-ho, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs; and Ryoo Yeon-sang, presidential security service chief. First of all, Suh should have explained the government’s timid reaction to the brutal murder last month of a South Korean fisheries official by the North Korean … [Read more...] about Arrogance on display (KOR)

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin With prices for gasoline still elevated, U.S. exports of refined petroleum products should smash the 2013 record-setting total easily this year. The category, which includes jet fuel, diesel fuel, refined lubricating oils and kerosene as well as various types of gasoline, is also almost certain to repeat as the nation’s top-ranked export for the second consecutive year but only the third time since that record-setting 2013 total. In the intervening years, the primary aviation category had ranked first but two fatal Boeing BA jet crashes and a travel-halting global pandemic seriously curtailed the Chicago-based company’s exports in recent years. So far this year, the aircraft category ranks fourth, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, which is through May and the basis for this column. This is the third in a series of columns about the nation’s exports. It follows similar series I did for the … [Read more...] about ‘Gasoline’ Exports Likely To Smash 2013 Record Easily

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Inflation is up 8.5% since this time last year according to this morning’s CPI report . Economists expected the CPI to increase by 8.7% . Continued high inflation is lowering real earnings and undermining consumer confidence . The Federal Reserve has the biggest role to play in combatting high inflation, but better economic policies from President Biden and Congress would help. Inflation is fundamentally a problem of too much money chasing too few goods. The Federal Reserve controls the money supply, so it is ultimately responsible for the long-term path of inflation. Right now the economy is sending the Fed mixed signals: The latest jobs report shows the economy created 528,000 new jobs in July, but real GDP declined the last two quarters, which typically signals a recession. Labor productivity also fell each of the past two quarters, which is another sign of slower economic growth. The declines in real GDP … [Read more...] about Inflation Still High And Biden’s Policies Are Not Helping

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin While Congress is getting ready to raise federal taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars as part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), it hasn’t gone unnoticed that lawmakers in many state capitals are doing the opposite, enacting tax relief. “Widespread tax breaks in the nation’s statehouses stands in contrast to what’s happening in Washington,” Bloomberg reported on August 9, adding that nearly “two dozen states slashed personal or corporate income-tax rates in the past two years and more than a dozen enacted temporary relief in 2022.” In addition to cutting income tax burdens, there has been a recent trend of states moving from progressive to flat personal income tax rates. Georgia was among the states where legislation was enacted in 2022 to go to a flat tax. The income tax cut signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp (R-Ga.) in April, which will move Georgia from a progressive income tax code with a top rate of 5.75% … [Read more...] about Georgia Shows Contrasting Direction Of Federal & State Tax Burdens

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin For the first time in seven years, the leading U.S. export is not the broad aviation category that includes jets made by Boeing BA . In fact, even though U.S. exports are up from the record pace of 2021 by more than $100 billion, the main aviation category has fallen to a No. 4 rank for the first time in at least two decades. This is the first in a series of columns about the nation’s top 10 exports. It follows similar series I did for the countries that are the nation’s top 10 trade partners and one for the airports, seaports and border crossings that are the nation’s top 10 “ports.” Last year, the value of refined petroleum exports topped the civilian aircraft category for the first time since 2012 and only the third time in at least two decades. But the aviation category — there are also other, smaller aviation-related categories related to, for example, engines and avionics — still finished second. … [Read more...] about Aviation Hits New Low, Ranks As 4th-Leading U.S. Export In 2022

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Federal statutes in the U.S. Code and agency rules in the Code of Federal Regulations are easy to locate online. This is not the case , however, for the thousands of sub-regulatory guidance documents and “interpretative rules,” notices, bulletins, circulars, memoranda and so forth . But then again, these were never easy to locate offline either. Guidance documents are ostensibly non-binding, meant to inform or provide clarity, but guidance can be inapprorpriately leveraged to influence policy and public behavior, according to the Administrative Conference of the United States . This is a concern especially in presidential administrations inclined to deploy the “pen and phone,” as Obama did; or to “act without Congress,” as Biden’s spokespeople often declare he can do. So it was a good thing back in 2019 when Donald Trump issued “ Promoting the Rule of Law through Improved Agency Guidance Documents ” … [Read more...] about Good News On Red Tape? Some Trump-Era Federal Agency Guidance Document Portals Remain Intact