Michelle Obama's Anti-Obesity Push Turns 2

Continue »

Obama Administration Unveils Requirements For Consumer Insurance Labels

The Obama administration Thursday unveiled final regulations detailing the new health insurance summaries that the federal health law requires plans to give to consumers to help them make informed coverage choices.

"For too many Americans today, choosing a health plan means reading through a human resources book usually the size of a small phone book and important information about eligibility and benefits is often buried in the fine print," said Marilyn Tavenner, the acting head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency within the Department of Health and Human Services overseeing the effort. "With these new rules we're making it easier for consumers to find the plan that is right for them."

Continue »

"The Lilly Ledbetter bill is just the beginning for what the President has done for women"

Continue »

'We Can't Go Back'

Continue »

Solar Power to Pay Nevada City’s Debt, Government Costs for Decades

A solar power building boom is happening in Boulder City, Nevada, located about 25 miles south of Las Vegas. This boom will soon generate enough revenue to eliminate Boulder City’s municipal debt and stabilize its financial needs for years to come, according to Mayor Roger Tobler.
The city is already home to Copper Mountain Solar 1, the largest solar photovoltaic power plant in the U.S. at 58 megawatts (MW), and Nevada Solar 1, a 65-MW concentrated solar power facility. But local officials, sensing a unique opportunity to expand renewable energy in their community, set aside 8,000 acres to develop an “energy zone.”

Continue »

Air Force To Cut Troop Levels By 10,000

The Air Force on Friday detailed plans to cut the service by nearly 10,000 active, National Guard and Reserve troops next year, as part of a broad move to downsize and shift capabilities around the country to be better prepared for wars of the future.

More than half of the personnel cuts, and much of the aircraft and other equipment moves, will be borne by the Air Guard, triggering criticism from the National Guard Association.

The Air Force said the service cannot absorb any further cuts in active duty forces because that would limit their ability to respond to multiple crises.

Continue »

DOE Loan Guarantee Program will cost $2 billion less than expected

Take a deep breath, because what I’m about to tell you may be shocking: Loan guarantees for energy have been successful, cost-effective investments. That’s the message from Herb Allison, former national finance chairman for John McCain, who led a team of accountants and auditors in conducting an independent analysis of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program. Allison and his team found that, despite the hysteria around Solyndra, this program will cost $2 billion less than initially expected.

The Allison review confirms what we already know, thanks to the Congressional Research Service (CRS) and Bloomberg Government. Instead of looking at individual investments, CRS examined the entire DOE portfolio, and concluded that the overwhelming majority of the portfolio was in electrical generation projects, which DOE structured to have very low risk. Bloomberg Government took that a step forward, and concluded that the media’s incessant focus on Solyndra was “not proportional to its impact.”

Continue »