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Charges of fraud and manipulation in the sign-up drive are unfounded and farfetched. |
Instead of continuing the destructive politicking on the issue of people’s initiative, we suggest that our politicians let the process roll on to its natural course and let the people decide if indeed there is popular support for substantive changes in our Constitution. Our democratic system allows such a process to co... |
An investigation is ongoing and let us not speculate on the NAIA 3 incident, which is a temporary setback to our plans. We want to open the facility to serve the public at the soonest possible time, on the condition that all structures and facilities are secure and devoid of any hazards to the public. The Department of... |
The President is committed to an honorable and peaceable settlement of the decades-long separatist problem in Mindanao in line with the constitutional provisions of territorial integrity and respect for cultural diversity. |
In Washington, dry economic tracts seldom do more than gather dust. Theoretical economics is usually lost on politicians and policymakers since so little of it seems relevant to the tough real-life decisions they have to make. |
But there will be no quiet spot on a back shelf for the Boskin Report, nor should there be. The newly released report on the consumer price index by a blue-ribbon panel of five economists--headed up by Michael Boskin, chief economic advisor in the Bush White House and now a Stanford professor--has shaken official Washi... |
That's because the report has come up with a simple but stunning fact, one that could change almost everything about the way the government runs. Boskin concluded that the CPI overstates inflation by as much as 1.1% a year and that it has been doing so for at least the last 25 years. |
That's a stunner in Washington because the CPI is not just another number; it is the bedrock formula on which virtually all federal spending is calculated. If it is not only inaccurate but has been horribly skewed on the high side for a generation, then the entire federal budget--not to mention the recorded history of ... |
Official Washington instantly recognized the significance of Boskin's findings, and it took special-interest lobbyists all over town about five nanoseconds to figure out whether their ox would be gored by the report. Many concluded that a lower inflation rate would actually be bad. And so they have responded like a con... |
Boskin's findings could put virtually every federal program on the chopping block, and Washington lobbyists of all stripes are outraged. |
Already the report is being attacked by critics who see it as a thinly veiled attempt to cut inflation-adjusted entitlements such as Medicare, Medicaid, veterans benefits and federal pensions. If the CPI is reduced to reflect Boskin's findings, then senior citizens and other entitlement recipients will see a sharp redu... |
Just changing the inflation numbers in the federal budget would lead to enormous savings: Lowering the CPI by 1.1% a year to reflect Boskin's calculations would save the federal government about $1 trillion over the next dozen years. Using the Boskin numbers would mean that the crisis in Medicare and Medicaid could be ... |
But Boskin's findings should be argued on their merits, not on how they will affect policy. Conservative politicians who want to cut the budget shouldn't use statistics to avoid making hard policy decisions themselves. At the same time, liberals who want to protect federal funding programs shouldn't try to defend bad s... |
On theoretical grounds, Boskin seems to have a strong case. His basic premise is that over time, the American standard of living has improved, often in intangible ways, through technological advances and qualitative changes in goods and services--which haven't been detected by the raw numbers collected and crunched int... |
Simply measuring prices in a typical market basket of goods and services, as is done by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the CPI, misses just how dramatically those goods and services change over time. |
In 1973, American consumers couldn't spend their money on personal computers, VCRs, cellular telephones, fax machines or satellite television. Cars built in Detroit in 1973 were much worse than the 1997 models rolling off assembly lines today, and the average American lacked the broad access to the nation's financial m... |
So shouldn't the CPI--as well as other economic data--reflect such dramatic changes in technology and quality? |
One argument in favor of adjusting the numbers comes from the former Soviet Union. Western economists badly overestimated the strength of the Soviet economy for decades because they only measured the raw volume of Russian output without considering whether the cars or refrigerators being produced by Russian factories w... |
I f all America's economic numbers have to be rewritten, doesn't that mean we have to rethink the history of the last 25 years? |
In overstating inflation, the CPI has, after all, tended to understate the economy's growth rate, and thus its underlying level of productivity. The central tenet of American economic thought is that productivity began to decline in the United States around 1973. According to the conventional wisdom, America has never ... |
Ultimately, the debate will boil down to an argument over technology--and the computer. After Boskin's report was issued, Princeton economist Alan Blinder, a former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, told Washington Post that the current CPI only makes sense if one accepts the idea that technological progress ... |
Coincidentally, that was just before the advent of the personal computer, which has arguably more than any other single mechanical instrument transformed life in the last generation. |
In other words, to argue that Boskin is wrong, you have to believe that the computer hasn't had much of an effect on the American economy. |
There are plenty of critics who argue just that; they say it is too early to tell whether the computer has really enriched America. |
I suggest they go to Seattle. And ask a guy named Bill Gates. |
He said this team can be a championship-caliber team. |
Miami Heat's James Johnson talks to the media about feeling at home in Miami but as an older player he still needs to consider money and the "ring". |
• Spoelstra said locker stalls would not be deconstructed, even for free agents. Their jerseys and gear will remain in place, with the hope they will come to the arena to work out. |
• Spoelstra captured the season eloquently: “It’s one of those great tragedies that you watch or read, the ones that are the classics, you remember them, they imprint some kind of emotion out of you. A ton of adversity, against all odds, and don’t end the way you want it to. But the imprint is still there. A lot of the... |
• On these players: “A group that came together as strangers really came together and developed a sense of community, of team. It became a season that we’ll remember. There are some seasons that don’t necessarily imprint on your mind.... We’ll see each other years from now along the NBA road in NBA circles and be able ... |
• On Justise Winslow, who was limited to 18 games because of shoulder surgery: “Justise coming off the summer that he had. If was able able to play a full season, not just the shoulder injury but the wrist injury coming out of preseason, would have had a major impact on this team. I thought he had a terrific summer, al... |
Spoelstra said Winslow is “way ahead of schedule” in his recovery from January shoulder surgery, though he is not yet cleared for contact work. |
• But can Winslow be a three and D player? “Yes and he can create that game. People get caught up in so much of the wrong narrative. We are not trying to develop Justise Winslow to become Chris Mullin. Totally different basketball player. If you want to talk about three-and-D, one thing he can do is impact defensively ... |
“He can generate threes for you offensively because he puts a lot of pressure in the paint, off the dribble, in transition. He’s an aggressive, bruising, physical type of player and he sees the floor. That helps create your three-point game. |
I don’t want the focus on how many threes he makes. He will make enough. He is dedicated enough to work on them. It will be about getting into world class shape, getting healthy so he can make all the plays he needs that impact and help your team win. It will be my job to put him in spots where he can be efficient and ... |
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra revels in his team's buzzer-beating victory over the host Detroit Pistons on Tues., March 28, 2017. |
• On James Johnson: “It’s one of the most gratifying things I’ve seen in my coaching tenure, see somebody that had been kicked around and had dreams and didn’t necessarily know the path to become the player he always envisioned he wanted to become and had the potential to become. The timing was right. It was a great fi... |
• Has Hassan Whiteside become the franchise player? |
“He has an opportunity to be one of the greats in this league. That’s what our franchise needs from him. The growth he has made the last three years has been staggering..... It really is staggering, his improvement. Why should we put a ceiling on him? He’s such a lightning rod for attention. He impacted winning more th... |
• On Goran Dragic, and how he meshed with Dion Waiters: “It was a beautiful thing to see. We didn’t necessarily know where that backcourt would evolve to, but to see the music they made together, which is better than what either one of them could do by themselves, was really cool to see. Goran, seeing his growth. He ha... |
“He was our most consistent driving force throughout each month. His leadership really grew out of necessity this year. He was so uncomfortable doing it but he saw this group needed it. He became more vocal, not only led by example but with his voice, held guys accountable, did things he didn’t ever imagine he would be... |
• On Dion: “I put him in the same category as James. The timing was again right for a player that had been kicked around, never felt he was maximized to where he could be. An environment we felt could bring something different. I am not saying we do it better than anybody. It was a great fit. If we are able to build on... |
• On Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson: “That might be one of the most disappointing things of this season was not to be able to see J-Rich and Justise healthy in training camp. They were both ready with earned confidence from those hours in our building. You will see great improvement again. Tyler [Johnson] same thing... |
JAKARTA • Indonesia's presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto faltered during a televised debate ahead of upcoming elections when his opponent, incumbent President Joko Widodo, used tech jargon in a question. |
Mr Joko had asked Mr Prabowo what he would do to support unicorns, a term for start-ups valued at more than US$1 billion (S$1.35 billion), in the second presidential debate on Sunday night. |
"What do you mean by unicorns? Those online things?" Mr Prabowo, a US-educated former general, asked before engaging in nationalist rhetoric about capital flight. "If we're not careful, the enthusiasm for Internet things, e-commerce and other e-things, will speed up the flight of domestic money to other countries." |
Sunday's debate focused on infrastructure, the environment and natural resources, but neither candidate talked about climate change. |
The April 17 presidential election will be a repeat of the 2014 vote, when Mr Joko narrowly defeated Mr Prabowo after a divisive campaign period. |
During the debate, Mr Joko touted his government's success in overcoming forest fires, which produce smog that often affects neighbouring countries Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. |
"We don't want forest fires to happen again," he said. "Over the past three years, there have been no forest and peat fires," he added. |
But environmental campaigner Greenpeace disputed the Indonesian leader's claim. |
"The fact is since the tragic forest fires of 2015, forest and agricultural fires have happened every year," Greenpeace said on Twitter. |
Dancing the night away is an activity that attracts many folks, regardless of age. San Diego has a number of dance clubs that allow patrons to enter if they are at least 18 years of age. These clubs feature different types of music and other attractions. |
Located near the beaches of San Diego, Café 976 is a popular venue for visitors 18 years and older. By day, Café 976 is a coffeehouse. After hours, the location becomes a night lounge area. Local artists frequent Café 976 to play their music while their fans dance on the patio and surrounding deck. Every weekend, Café ... |
Club Fusion is a multi-level dance club and patrons must at least be 17 years old to enter the club. Different types of music are played on the various levels of Club Fusion. Dance cages are stationed throughout the club to house the venue dancers and club guests. A VIP section is available to reserve for parties or ot... |
Fluxx NightClub in downtown San Diego caters to the upscale and sophisticated. Flux was created with a number of high-end amenities to match the changing nightlife themes. Such attractions include the lighting and speaker system that keeps the music playing throughout the club. VIP sections can be reserved with special... |
Want to live the Country Life? Here it is! Lovely 3 bedroom, 2 full bath home with approximately 10+/- acres featuring updated kitchen with granite and stainless appliances, new laminate flooring throughout and fresh paint. Large greatroom with fireplace and built ins, Formal Dining Room, spacious spare bedrooms and a ... |
The Whale Toyota Bees make the short trip to Oxford tonight thirsting for some early-season revenge. |
Bees lost both at Cowley and at home to Oxford in the first 48 hours of the season - but both fixtures were Challenge meetings. |
Tonight's rematch is for the real business of Elite League points and Bees, who face Poole at Brandon tomorrow night, travel to Cowley with their tails up after ending Wolverhampton's unbeaten start to the season last weekend. |
With away wins at Belle Vue and Eastbourne already safely tucked under their belt, Bees should be capable of adding to that this evening against a Cheetahs outfit who are having an up-and-down start to their defence of the league trophy. |
They are without injured ex-Bees skipper Brian Andersen tonight, and have changed their riding-order around to try and halt an indifferent run that has already yielded home defeats by Peterborough and Eastbourne. |
They move skipper Steve Johnston to No. 2, and pair the Dryml brothers together at Nos. 3 and 4. |
Oxford came from 10 points down with four races left to salvage a draw at Belle Vue on Monday night to complete an upand-down sequence that saw them crushed 55-35 at King's Lynn last Wednesday, win 51-40 at Ipswich 24 hours later but then lose at home to Eastbourne the following night. |
Andersen crashed in heat one at King's Lynn and has returned home to Sweden after sustaining severe concussion. He could be missing for a month. |
*INJURED Exeter rider Lawrence Hare is still awaiting an operation in the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport. |
Hare, 32, has broken a vertebra in his neck and has no feeling from the middle of his chest down. He has the use of his arms, but cannot function his fingers at the moment. |
Hare, who scored a 15-point maximum for Oxford at Brandon in 1999, crashed riding in Sunday's match between Newport and Exeter. |
Turns out I might be able to make my feature film debut after all! Remember a little over a year ago, when Joaquin Phoenix grew out a beard, claimed to be starting a rap career and completely pissed off David Letterman? I was part of a roundtable interview with Phoenix for his film Two Lovers, and was filmed by Casey A... |
And of course, I was wrong. Deadline Hollywood reports that Affleck has screened the film for potential buyers, one of whom was Harvey Weinstein, and a deal may be made in a couple of days. There's no word on what the film is, whether or not it reveals that Phoenix's whole stunt was just for publicity and shits and gig... |
Health insurance companies that increase premiums by more than 10 percent would be required to justify those higher rates publicly, according to new rules proposed Tuesday by the Obama administration. |
Under the proposal, premium increases of more than 10 percent in 2011 for individuals and small businesses would set off a review by states or the federal government to determine whether those rates are unreasonable. |
While federal health officials said the new policy would help curb unjust increases, there is nothing in the law that allows the federal government to stop the rate increases even if they are deemed unreasonable. |
"California consumers have been suffering under these staggering health rate increases for years," said Betsy Imholz, special projects director for Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports. She said the new regulations would help lift "the veil of secrecy" around what goes into rate increases. |
California drew national attention this year when Anthem Blue Cross tried to raise rates as much as 39 percent for its 700,000 policyholders in the state who buy coverage as individuals. |
The proposed increases helped jump-start the debate over national health legislation and prompted the state to conduct an independent actuarial review of the rate increase filing. After the review found that Anthem Blue Cross had erred in its rate calculations, the company reduced its increases to an average of 13.5 pe... |
The Legislature responded by passing a measure, which was signed by the governor and will go into effect Jan. 1, that goes further than the federal law. It makes insurers ensure the accuracy of all rate increases for small business and individuals, as well as those imposed on large businesses that exceed 10 percent. Th... |
The state Senate failed to pass a bill this year that would have given California regulators the authority to reject unreasonable increases. |
The 10 percent threshold announced by the Department of Health and Human Services is a reasonable level to prompt a review, Imholz said. The regulations still need to go through a public comment period before taking effect. |
Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, agreed, but with a caveat. "This scrutiny can have an impact on rates, but it is not full-blown authority to reject or deny rates," he said. |
Another consumer group, Consumer Watchdog of Santa Monica, criticized the federal government for not requiring justification for all rate increases. |
"The new rules rely on public disclosure to shame insurance companies into charging consumers fairer prices, and this symbolic stoning may work to hold down increases in some cases," said Carmen Balber, director of the group's Washington, D.C., office. "However, regulators must ultimately have the power to modify and d... |
Some policyholders also remain skeptical about the new federal regulations, because many of them have received notice their rates will go up Jan. 1, in part because of changes required by the federal health law. |
Joanne Cannell, an independent kitchen and bath designer in San Francisco, is facing rate increases of 30 percent in January. |
Cannell, 60, said her insurer, Blue Shield of California, offered plenty of reasons the rates were going up, and she isn't convinced the proposed federal guidelines would make a difference. "I'll believe it when I see it," she said. "I think they'll be able to justify them, and it won't do any good." |
Debbie Karel of San Francisco also is looking at rate increases well above 10 percent. |
"My basic feeling is that it's a step in the right direction, but it doesn't sound like it will help me if there's nothing that will make them stop doing it," said Karel, 60, who also is a Blue Shield customer. |
States retain the primary responsibility for regulating the health insurance industry, which the California Association of Health Plans, a trade group representing health insurers, said was appropriate. |
Under the proposed regulations, each state would conduct its own reviews, unless the federal government determines the state doesn't have an effective system to protect consumers. |
For a few minutes on Sunday afternoon it looked like Bubba Watson might contend for a third green jacket. Instead he’ll have to settle for the privilege of being low Bulldog at the Masters. |
Watson eagled the 15th hole, which dropped him to 10-under and within a shot of the leaders. But the two-time champion produced a disappointing finish with bogeys on the final two holes. That left the University of Georgia product with a 69 on Sunday and in a tie for 12th place. |
“Two bogeys to finish, a little upsetting, but all in all a good week,” Watson said. |
Watson opened with a pair of 72s and his third-round 67 matched his career best at Augusta National. |
Watson did hang around until the end of the tournament and was one of a half-dozen players who congratulated Tiger Woods as he entered the scoring area. |
Matt Kuchar, the only Georgia Tech player competing on the weekend, was never able to gain any traction. Kuchar had three birdies and three bogeys on his card on Sunday to shoot 72 and tied for 12th at 8-under 280. It was the fifth time in 13 appearances at the Masters that Kuchar has finished among the top 12, which e... |
Kevin Kisner, a member of Georgia’s national championship team in 2005, started his final round on the back nine and was 7-under after a birdie at No. 3. But Kisner’s round came undone on the seventh hole, where he took a double-bogey. He wound up with a 69 and tied for 21st at 5-under 283. It was his best finish in fo... |
Kisner has learned he really enjoys the closing nine. This week, he had 13 birdies, three bogeys and one double-bogey on the back. He made three birdies at the difficult par-4 11th hole. |
Kevin Mitchell, who finished at Georgia in 2014, completed his first Masters with a 69 – his best round of the week - and finished tied for 43rd at 1-under 287. Mitchell, who started on the back nine, shot 33 on his final nine, the highlight being a birdie at the difficult ninth hole. |
Today Shawn puts together two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 4GB video cards worth around $1100 in SLI mode to see how they compete against AMD's top offerings. |
To say that we're impressed with what the new GTX 900 series from NVIDIA would be an understatement. While the GTX 980 4GB did a fantastic job of impressing us with some fantastic performance at an aggressive price point, it was the MSI GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Gaming OC that really stood out, due to its performance at... |
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