WashingtonWatch.com Digest – November 3, 2008
Posted by Jim Harper
Here’s a special WashingtonWatch.com email newsletter for this week. Subscribe here.
email newsletter | tell a friend | wiki | about | home | log in
On Voting
The long, somewhat exhausting presidential campaign wraps up tomorrow. Pundits are treating the election as fairly well decided, and many Americans may pass up their chance to vote because of [...]
Read the rest of this entry »
Presidential Candidates Who Didn’t Create the Financial Crisis
Posted by Jim Harper
There were a lot of good reactions to yesterday’s post about candidates for federal office with responsibility for at least part of the financial crisis.
We listed House members and Senators who either voted for, or didn’t object to, a law freeing up financial services firms to offer these wagers known as “financial derivatives” [...]
Read the rest of this entry »
Did Your Representative Cause the Financial Crisis?
Posted by Jim Harper
In 2000, Congress passed a law barring states from regulating credit default swaps under their gambling and “bucket shop” laws. This set the stage for the market in “financial derivatives” that are a big part of what is causing the economic meltdown today.
One hundred fifty-five of the Members of Congress who voted for [...]
Read the rest of this entry »
Paying Federal Workers to Do Their Civic Duty?
Posted by Jim Harper
Last week, I wrote here about how well federal civilian workers are doing compared to the private sector worker. Well, it might soon get a little better.
H.R. 6339 is called the “Federal Employees Deserve to Volunteer on the Elections Act of 2008.” In addition to giving money to states for recruiting and training [...]
Read the rest of this entry »