By Douglas Holtz-Eakin
The young drop coverage to avoid higher premiums
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Newspapers that fail to adapt to the 21st century won’t be around for the 22nd. Some newspaper publishers want to abandon printed newspapers to survive in the digital free-for-all.
Resolved: No American citizen shall be required to pay federal income taxes at a rate higher than the country's millionaire president pays.
Today's reigning king of corporate greed is Heinz CEO William Johnson, who stands to reap a staggering $212.7 million payout if he leaves the company when it is taken private by multibillionaire Warren Buffett ("Heinz deal under FBI, SEC fire for insider trading suspicions," Web, Feb. 20). I have always supported the capitalist, free-enterprise system, which enables individuals to parlay their skills into great deals of wealth. The Johnson package, however, like so many others in this era of unrestrained money-grabbing, goes beyond reason. It is legal, but not ethical or honorable.
Mexico's Carlos Slim remains the world's richest man for the fourth year in a row, according to Forbes, while Warren Buffett dropped out of the top three for the first time since 2000.
I have long contended that public policy issues are as complicated as they appear because the giants of Capitol Hill like it that way, particularly the giants of the left. Bills can be written more simply. Decisions can be phrased with a certain lucidity.
Billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway said Monday that it is buying the Tulsa World, bringing its newspaper unit to 28 small- or medium-sized dailies.
Sir Richard Branson is the latest in high-profile billionaires to pledge half of his Virgin Group fortune to charity. Mr. Branson has added his name to the Giving Pledge campaign set up by U.S. investor Warren Buffett and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, The Daily Mail reports.
First the SEC, now the FBI. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway fund, which bought Heinz last week for $23 billion, is under a cloud of investigation for suspicious trade deals that were tracked in the lead-up to the purchase.
With the automatic cuts looming March 1, the Obama administration is offering more specifics on what lower spending would mean, pointing to everything from fewer agents on the U.S.-Mexico border to cutting funding for special education in school districts around the country.
Not long ago, Warren Buffett promised raising taxes on the rich would boost the morale of the middle class. Thanks to the New Year's "fiscal cliff" deal, the rich's taxes have gone up, but consumer sentiment isn't showing any signs of improvement.
It's "Auld Lang Syne" time again. Robert Burns is credited with "collecting" the lyrics for the old Scottish drinking and dancing ballad that's become a traditional part of New Year's festivities.
During the present "fiscal cliff" negotiations, President Obama and congressional Democrats have repeatedly claimed an electoral mandate to increase taxes on all of the wealthy, defined as the top 2 percent, or those earning more than $250,000 per year.
Three weeks ago, your columnist noted some of the "good" that came along in the tech world in 2012. With very little to lose — you don't think I'm wagering actual cash money here, do you? — here are some more-or-less fearless predictions for 2013:
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he is donating nearly $500 million in stock to a Silicon Valley charity with the aim of funding health and education issues.
Did you see the story about Costco borrowing $3.5 billion to pay a special $7 a share dividend to its stockholders before year's end to avoid being hit by President Obama's higher capital gains tax?
While Mr. Buffett dropped in the rankings, he added $9.5 billion to his net worth — making him the second-biggest gainer of the year.
Forbes: Mexico's Carlos Slim is world's richest person for 4th year in a row →
Mr. Slim remains the world's richest man for the fourth year in a row, Forbes says, while Warren Buffett dropped out of the top three for the first time since 2000.
