The U.S. Chamber of Commerce denies that it uses foreign money in its independent expenditure campaign needs, but that needs examination in light of the Chamber's track record with campaign finance laws. The Chamber is trying to shift the burden to President Obama to prove what's in the Chamber's secret...

Scratch a health care expert -- find a single-payer advocate. Most of the health policy experts out there always secretly admit that in their heart of hearts a Canadian/French/Swiss government run health care system is the only option. For me, Medicare works already -- slowly drop the age of Medicare...

It's totally predictable. Late last week with the release of the CBO study supporting the cost and effect on the deficit of the Senate Finance Committee bill, the health care pendulum seemed to be swinging back toward consumers and even the "public option." Then bam -- the health insurance industry...

These guys never give up! You know -- the insurance guys. Today was a close call because word on the street was that this afternoon, insurance regulators were going to loosen financial oversight of the life insurance industry. To the surprise of many, it didn't happen.

Lately, the one...

Friday night in synagogue, in Seattle, for our annual Martin Luther King service, the congregation sang a spirited "We Shall Overcome." Everyone knew the words and we even sang one verse in Hebrew! Wow! What a difference 50 years makes! To this day I stand proud when we sing "We...

The AP reports that the bailout is now "the hottest lobbying game in town." Late last week a number of insurance companies, including MetLife, The Hartford and Prudential put on their poor clothes and went begging for a little spare change. The insurers, having heard that Hank Paulson at...

On Tuesday morning, Congressman Henry Waxman's committee staff (House Oversight and Government Reform Committee) released information that executives at AIG's life insurance subsidiary, AIG General, went on a week-long retreat in California at the luxurious St. Regis Monarch Bay Resort -- just down the road from Disneyland in Orange County....

We are just seeing the tip of the iceberg-- the direct consequences, the unintended consequences, the compounding consequences of the Wall Street meltdown and the era of lax regulation. On September 18, the day Lehman Bros. died, Conseco, the Indiana-based insurer lost its $100 million dollar investment in that investment...

AIG has several incredibly warm and cuddly commercials. One features a hysterically laughing baby (one has to ask the question this past week--is that baby still laughing?). The message--policyholders, you are safe, secure and happy being AIG customers. But after last week's takeover, are AIG insurance policyholders safe? With a...

While the ill winds of Wall Street and the government takeover of AIG has taken over the news, the victims of Hurricane Ike are receiving scant attention. But Ike's victims should be forewarned that like the victims of Hurricane Katrina, the prevailing legal winds seem to be blowing against the...