Content by CBanks
Posted at 4:38pm on Mar. 12, 2008 Kudos to Chris Cannon
By CBanks
My hat's off to Rep. Chris Cannon. He introduced a bill last week called the Credit Card Fair Fee Act.
It's a necessary bill, that will help merchants and small businesses by giving them the ability to negotiate with Visa and MasterCard over the fees charged whenever they process a credit card. There's a PDF version of the Credit Card Fair Fee Act, and like all legislation it's a little dry. But if you're interested in this debate, it's worth checking out.
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Posted at 12:56pm on Feb. 28, 2008 Are Visa and MasterCard hurting capitalism?
By CBanks
What happens when a company's (or industry's) activities exerta negative effect on the market?
It's a subject I broach lightly, because I know that criticizing a particular company's practices when they are not outright illegal can be seen as criticizing the market itself. I'm a firm believer in capitalism. The dog-eared copy of Rand's "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal" on my shelf is testament to that (and it's much better than her turgid, unreadable novels).
Posted in Economy — Comments (4) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 3:17pm on Feb. 25, 2008 Wal-Mart's Marriage to Communist China is as Strong as Ever
By CBanks
Via the AP:
BEIJING -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc., a major buyer of Chinese-made shoes, toys and other goods, expects procurement in China to hold steady this year at about $9 billion despite a rising exchange rate and product safety concerns, the retailing giant's vice chairman Michael Duke said Monday.
"I wouldn't see any major variation" in procurement from the 2007 total of $9 billion, Duke told reporters. "China will continue to be a major production portion of direct purchases by Wal-Mart for a long time."
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Posted at 1:34pm on Feb. 8, 2008 McCain on Day One
By CBanks
For any of you who have problems with McCain, check out this diary on that new social networking site On Day One. The point the person makes is pretty simple but is the heart of why McCain is the best choice for president: He would develop and revamp our national security policy on day one, so that we have victory in Iraq and security at home.
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Posted at 1:07pm on Jan. 11, 2008 MSNBC's "left-tilt"
By CBanks
MSNBC isn't even trying to mask its liberal tendencies anymore. An MSNBC exec recently told Men's Health magainze: "Keith runs MSNBC.... Because of his success, he's in charge. Chris Matthews is infuriated by it." (Via TV Newser)
MSNBC is proclaiming liberal loony favorite "Meltdown" as its flagship program. Wow.
Of course, MSNBC's "left-tilt" isn't a surprise to anyone, and this isn't the first time they've openly declared the liberal politics.
A couple of months ago, the New York Times gave MSNBC an atta-boy with the headline "Cable Channel Nods to Ratings and Leans Left."
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Posted at 3:05pm on Dec. 19, 2007 Pastors Blast Wal-Mart
By CBanks
I stumbled upon this on YouTube ad today of pastors criticizing Wal-Mart for their reliance on communist Chinese goods and undercutting local American economies.
I've never had a problem with Wal-Mart and I think they save consumers money, but lately I've been thinking about them in a different light.
I'm sick of relying on communist China for all of our goods. It's bad in the sense that they sell toxic products but also unnerving when you look at the size of their growing economy.
Posted in Archived — Comments (30) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 3:56pm on Nov. 3, 2006 Why Mike DeWine Will Lose?
By CBanks
I came across this interesting comment at a site I have been reading a lot lately, Blue Crab Boulevard. I haven't followed the Ohio Senate race much, since I don't really care for Mike DeWine, but I thought this is interesting. The commenter doesn't like DeWine either, but is upset that DeWine will lose:
The biggest problem IMO is Voinovich, who is more popular and could and should have spent some time these past couple weeks campaigning for Mike DeWine. Instead he’s spent all his time opposing a ballot measure that would allow some form of gambling.