Help The Middle ClassNews and Information For The Heart Of America
New Report – Consumer Confidence Slips, Stocks Take A Hit (CNN Money)
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Stocks tumbled Tuesday after a key measure of consumer confidence plunged, reflecting investors’ growing pessimism about the strength of the economic recovery.
The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) lost 100 points, or 1%. The 30-share Dow had lost as much as 115 points earlier.
The S&P 500 index (SPX) lost 13 points, or 1.2%. [...]
WAR UPDATE: U.S. Death Toll in Afghanistan Hits 1,000 (Yahoo! News & AFP)
KABUL (AFP) – A bomb strapped to a bicycle exploded near a busy bus terminal in Afghanistan, killing eight people Tuesday as the death toll of US troops in the Afghan war surpassed the grim milestone of 1,000.
The attack took place in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province where a massive US-led military offensive [...]
Senator Scott Brown Breaks Ranks With GOP To Help Block Jobs Bill Filibuster (L. A. Times)
Reporting from Washington – Senate Democrats leaped a key hurdle toward passing a scaled-down jobs bill Monday, gaining support from several Republicans — including the newest GOP senator, Scott Brown of Massachusetts.
The 62-30 vote to block a filibuster represented a victory for beleaguered Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who gambled that a handful of [...]
THE TAXMAN UPDATE: Recognize These 6 ‘Red Flags’ And Avoid An Audit
If history is any indicator, less than 1% of Americans will be audited by the Internal Revenue Service in the coming year. And while some of these audits are totally random, and there’s nothing that the individual taxpayer can do about them, many audits are actually instigated by the taxpayers themselves.
To that end, below is [...]
Companionship: 10 Reasons Older People Need Pets (US News & World Report)
Loneliness can become an unwelcome companion as we get older and can lead to depression as well as physical problems. Dogs mold their schedule and personality to you. They are never unavailable or off duty. Smaller dogs, in particular, can easily travel with you wherever you go.
Having a dog is a responsibility but needn’t be [...]
MIDDLE CLASS UPDATE: Despite Signs Of Recovery, Millions Face Years Of Unemployment (New York Times)
BUENA PARK, Calif. — Even as the American economy shows tentative signs of a rebound, the human toll of the recession continues to mount, with millions of Americans remaining out of work, out of savings and nearing the end of their unemployment benefits.
Economists fear that the nascent recovery will leave more people behind than in [...]
MUST READ: Watch Out For The New Credit Card Traps (CNN.com)
If you haven’t heard, big changes are here for the credit card industry. On Monday the CARD act goes into effect and consumers finally get some relief from such practices as “double-cycle billing” and arbitrary rate increases.
The new act, which was signed into law last May, promises consumers more transparency about their credit card bill. [...]
Opinion USA TODAY: New Credit Card Law ‘Full Of Holes” – Issuers Up To Their Old Tricks
Starting today, a slew of credit card abuses that should have been banned years ago will finally be prohibited by federal law.
No longer will banks be able to raise rates on existing balances “at any time, for any reason.” Or impose sky-high interest rates because a customer is an hour late paying. Or slap a [...]
Obama Finally Unveils His Rx For The Uninsured (The New York Times)
WASHINGTON — President Obama on Monday laid out for the first time a detailed legislative proposal for overhauling health care, largely sticking with the approach passed by the Senate with unified Democratic support in December but making concessions to the House version as well.
Mr. Obama’s proposal is the opening act to a week of high [...]
Mike Rose/Opinion: Race to the Top of What? Education Is About More Than Jobs (Truthdig)
The race is on. Forty-one states have just finished the mad dash to submit proposals for the Obama education initiative, Race to the Top. Now that the first round of competition is over we should be asking the basic questions that got lost in the flurry: What is the true purpose of all this reform? [...]
