TODAY’S QUIZ
Q. Which presidential candidate is willing to use the strong-arm of government to control CEO and executive pay in the private sector…Democrat John Edwards or Republican Mike Huckabee?
A. Both
Think before you vote, Iowa.
ROMNEY-CARE PENALTIES GOING UP
“The cost of not having health insurance in Massachusetts is going up. When the new year begins Tuesday, most residents who remain uninsured will face monthly fines that could total as much as $912 for individuals and $1,824 for couples by the end of 2008, according to penalty guidelines unveiled by the Department of Revenue on Monday.
“Individuals who failed to sign up for health insurance by the end of 2007 faced only a one-time loss of their $219 personal income tax exemption. The fines are part of an increasingly aggressive approach written into the health care law designed to pressure Massachusetts residents into getting insurance. The law, intended to create near-universal coverage in the state, was approved by lawmakers and signed by former Gov. Mitt Romney in 2006.”
- Associated Press, 1/1/08
BOOM-BOOM, OUT GO THE LIGHTS
“Just like that–like flipping a switch–Congress and the president banned incandescent light bulbs last month. OK, they did not exactly ban them. But the energy bill passed by Congress and signed by President Bush sets energy-efficiency standards for light bulbs that traditional incandescent bulbs cannot meet.
“…What’s remarkable about this bit of market interference is that there is, basically, nothing wrong with the present-day, Edison-style lightbulb. It’s not a lawn dart or a lead-painted toy or a magnet that will perforate your kid’s intestines if he swallows it. It is what it is, and for most people in most applications, it was good enough. So the lightbulb makers and the environmentalists convinced Congress to ban them for no better reason than they believed everyone would be better off with something else.”
- Columnist Brian Carney
PROSECUTING MARINE FOR DOING HIS JOB
“A staff sergeant will face a court-martial on reduced charges stemming from the deaths of 24 Iraqis in the town of Haditha in 2005, the Marine Corps announced Monday. Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, 27, of Meriden, Conn., will stand trial on charges of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, dereliction of duty and obstruction of justice. No trial date was set.
“…The killings occurred after a roadside bomb hit a Marine convoy, killing the driver of a Humvee and wounding two other Marines. Wuterich’s squad allegedly shot five men at the scene. Wuterich then ordered his men into several nearby houses, where they cleared rooms with grenades and gunfire, killing unarmed civilians.”
- Associated Press, 1/1/08
Posted on January 2nd, 2008 by Chuck Muth
Filed under: National
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