In the 112th Congress, areas of bipartisan interest have been hard to come by. But overhauling the nation’s central bank looks to be a subject where politicians of all different stripes have developed an interest — if not necessarily an agreement on how it should be done. Criticism of the Fed has struck a rare bipartisan tone since the financial crisis, as it has become a target of both Tea Party groups and the Occupy Wall Street movement. Following that [...]
Daily Archives: May 18, 2012
May
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May
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Failed online gaming bill likely to return
When it comes to so-called sin taxes, Mississippi has a long track record of contradictory political and public policy behavior. Despite Mississippis status as the gold buckle of the Bible Belt and a politically active evangelical clergy with clout at the state Capitol, state taxpayers enjoy fruits of the wages of sin to the tune of some $536 million annually in various taxes collected on gambling, drinking and smoking. The sale of sin tax items also generates additional sales taxes [...]
May
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Crimes of passion on upward curve
Murders arising out of love affairs and suspicion of infidelity are on the rise in Tamil Nadu. Police statistics reveal that the number of murders owing to love affairs/sexual causes, increased from 155 in 2008 to 347 in 2011, recording an increase of more than 100 per cent, surpassing conventional offences. While the police say they can hardly prevent these types of crimes, psychologists opine that lack of value-based education is contributing to the erosion in moral and cultural values. [...]
May
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IMF applauds Australia’s surplus plans
May 6, 2012 SYDNEY — The International Monetary Fund Monday applauded Australia’s plan for a budget surplus, saying it will help “rebuild fiscal buffers”, in comments the government seized on as “a ringing endorsement”. Treasurer Wayne Swan is set to unveil one of the toughest budgets in years for the mining-powered economy on Tuesday, with deep spending cuts expected to meet a targeted modest surplus next financial year. Writing in The Australian Financial Review, IMF chief Asian economist Anoop Singh [...]
