MedWorm Tags: increase

Living in a Snow Globe: Why It’s Important To Expand Your Mind

PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 06:36:53 +0100

This study had three other important findings about the pursuit of happiness. Firstly, if you pursue a life goal to do with autonomy, competence or relatedness and fail, it’s likely to bring you down more than failing at a life-circumstances goal. Presumably this is because it means more. You’ve got more to gain, but you also have more to lose. So make sure you pick a realistic goal. Secondly, to continue at a higher level of happiness, you need to continue to work at success in those life-need-related goals. It’s the flow of new challenges, successfully met, that seems to be producing the happiness. So pick a goal that allows you to continue to challenge yourself. Finally, people who went in believing more strongly that they could increase their happiness (and that this ...

The Gang of Six Is Back from the Dead: Contemplating the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in Their Budget Plan

Cato-at-liberty — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:36:45 +0100

The on-again, off-again “Gang of Six” has come back on the scene and is offering a “Bipartisan Plan to Reduce Our Nation’s Deficits.” The proposal is quite similar to the one put forth by the President’s Simpson-Bowles Commission, which isn’t too surprising since some of the same people are involved. At this stage, all I’ve seen is this summary (A BIPARTISAN PLAN TO REDUCE OUR NATIONS DEFICITS v7), so I reserve the right to modify my analysis as more details emerge (and since I fully expect the plan to look worse when additional information is available, the following is an optimistic assessment. The Good Unlike President Obama, the Gang of Six is not consumed by class-warfare resentment. The plan envisions that the top personal income tax rate will fall to no higher than ...

The “Tax Expenditure” Con Job

Cato-at-liberty — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 02:12:15 +0100

By Daniel J. MitchellFor both political and policy reasons, the left is desperately trying to maneuver Republicans into going along with a tax increase. And they are smart to make this their top goal. After all, it will be very difficult – if not impossible – to increase the burden of government spending without more revenue coming to Washington. But how to make this happen? President Obama is mostly arguing in favor of class-warfare tax increases, but that’s a non-serious gambit driven by 2012 political considerations. Moreover, there’s presumably zero chance that Republicans would surrender to higher tax rates on work, saving, and investment. The real threat is back-door hikes resulting from the elimination and/or reduction of so-called tax breaks. The big spenders on the left a...

Exercise Improves the Cognition of Overweight Children

SharpBrains — Mon, 16 May 2011 17:59:30 +0100

Conclusions Aerobic exercise seems to benefit overweight children not only physically but also mentally. These findings mirror the ones observed in the aging population. Aerobic exercise influences cognition through the increase of growth factors such as brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which leads to increased capillary blood supply to the brain and growth of both new neurons and synapses. With childhood obesity on the rise, these are very timely findings. In addition, exercise is a simple solution to increase physical health and mental performance. Something to tell to your school board, over and over! Related posts: Fitter bodies = fitter brains. True at all ages? Exercise as a Treatment for ADHD (Source: SharpBrains)

Cardiac Rehab: CMS Increases Per-Patient Payment by $1,100

MD Buyline — Thu, 05 May 2011 13:54:13 +0100

We have great news for cardiology service lines: the 2011 payment level for outpatient cardiac rehabilitation will see an increase from $38 to $69 (APC 0095). This may not seem like it will make a significant impact, but considering that CMS covers up to 36 one-hour sessions per patient, this translates to over $1,100 in additional revenue (per patient) for hospitals and $200 for physicians. Rehab programs are intended to limit patients’ chances of a new heart attack and to help them return to society as quickly as possible. Clinical trials show that attending all 36 sessions reimbursed by Medicare lowers the risk of death (47%) and heart attack (32%) when compared to attending fewer sessions or no rehab at all. Each year, approximately 4.7 million patients with congestive heart ...

Should You Tell Your Boss that You Have ADHD?

World of Psychology — Thu, 05 May 2011 12:13:11 +0100

When you have any mental health condition, it can be hard to know if you should disclose your diagnosis at work, particularly to your boss. It’s a thorny topic. For instance, you might be worried that others will judge you negatively because of the pervasive stigma in our society. Yet, you might need certain accommodations that you’d like to ask for. Also, many people are relieved to get their diagnosis — finally having a name for their disruptive symptoms — and want to share it with others. So what can you do? ADDitude Magazine has an excellent article on this topic by Wilma Fellman. I interviewed Fellman a few years ago for an article about succeeding in the workplace when you have ADHD. Her take? She advised readers against telling supervisors about their ADHD. ...

Senator Corker’s CAP Act: A Better Version of Gramm-Rudman to Reduce the Burden of Government

Cato-at-liberty — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:37:10 +0100

By Daniel J. MitchellThis Thursday, April 7, Senator Corker of Tennessee will be the opening speaker at the Cato Institute's conference on "The Economic Impact of Government Spending" (an event that is free and open to the public, so register here if you want to attend). The Senator will be discussing his proposal to cap and then gradually reduce the burden of government spending, measured as a share of gross domestic product. With federal outlays currently consuming about 25 percent of economic output, excessive federal spending is America's main fiscal problem. Corker's proposal would put federal spending on a 10-year glide path so that it eventually shrinks to 20.6 percent of GDP. This chart, from the Senator's upcoming presentation, shows that government will grow at a much slower pace...

Personal Productivity: Evernote for iPad 2

Success Begins Today — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 14:14:36 +0100

This is Big! The new iPad has been my constant companion for the last few weeks. It is a great machine for blogging, taking notes, and wonderful as a media consumption device. But with the addition of cameras, the iPad 2 is also a personal productivity bonanza. With the free download of the productivity software Evernote, this little powerhouse can now be a capture device. Evernote allows you to take notes and store them in the “cloud” and also store pictures. This is where the productivity increase comes from. I can now take pictures of meeting agendas, business cards, and a whole collection of sticky notes and save them online. Since Evernote can be installed on my regular PC, I can quickly access my saved notes and photos right on my desk. This not only improves productivit...

How To Triple Your Productivity by Homer Simson

PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 06:43:17 +0100

“Hey Miss ‘Doesn’t Find Me Sexually Attractive Anymore’, I Just Tripled My Productivity!” The sub-title of this post is taken from a classic episode of The Simpsons where Homer turns (more) obese and starts working from home. He soon realises that he doesn’t have to enter Y-E-S into his computer to confirm a repetitive command, but instead he can just hit ‘Y’ and get the same result, thus tripling his productivity. Whilst the sketch was obviously created for comedic value, there is a surprising amount of truth to be found in Homer’s discover and an important message we can take away about saving large amounts of time by making small changes. If you think about it, if Homer’s only job was to confirm computer commands all day, what would have taken him...

Deconstructing the Revenue Side of Obama’s Budget

Cato-at-liberty — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:52:28 +0100

By Daniel J. MitchellI looked yesterday at the spending side of Obama's budget and found some good news and bad news. The good news was the absence of any big new initiative to expand the burden of government. That's a welcome relief since the past couple of years have featured budget busting proposals such as the so-called stimulus scheme and a government-run healthcare plan. The bad news is that the budget does nothing to undo any of the damage of the past two years. Nor does it undo any of the damage of the previous eight years. And because the President's budget refuses to address entitlement spending, it certainly doesn't do anything to avert the damage of rapidly expanding budgets over the next several decades. Now let's look at the tax side of the fiscal equation. In large part, the...

The 1993 Clinton Tax Increase Did Not Lead to the Budget Surpluses of the Late 1990s

Cato-at-liberty — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:49:13 +0100

By Daniel J. MitchellProponents of higher taxes are fond of claiming that Bill Clinton's 1993 tax increase was a big success because of budget surpluses that began in 1998. That's certainly a plausible hypothesis, and I'm already on record arguing that Clinton's economic record was much better than Bush's performance. But this specific assertion it is not supported by the data. In February of 1995, 18 months after the tax increase was signed into law, President Clinton's Office of Management and Budget issued projections of deficits for the next five years if existing policy was maintained (a "baseline" forecast). As the chart illustrates, OMB estimated that future deficits would be about $200 billion and would slightly increase over the five-year period. In other words, even the Clinton A...

New CBO Numbers Re-Confirm that Balancing the Budget Is Simple with Modest Fiscal Restraint

Cato-at-liberty — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 17:00:32 +0100

By Daniel J. MitchellMany of the politicians in Washington, including President Obama during his State of the Union address, piously tell us that there is no way to balance the budget without tax increases. Trying to get rid of red ink without higher taxes, they tell us, would require “savage” and “draconian” budget cuts. I would like to slash the budget and free up resources for private-sector growth, so that sounds good to me. But what’s the truth? The Congressional Budget Office has just released its 10-year projections for the budget, so I crunched the numbers to determine what it would take to balance the budget without tax hikes. Much to nobody’s surprise, the politicians are not telling the truth. The chart below shows that revenues are expected t...

Spending Restraint and Red Ink

Cato-at-liberty — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:37:43 +0100

By Daniel J. MitchellI’m not a big fan of central banks, and I definitely don’t like multilateral bureaucracies, so I almost feel guilty about publicizing two recent studies published by the European Central Bank. But when such an institution puts out research that unambiguously makes the case for smaller government, it’s time to sit up and take notice. And since these studies largely echo the findings of recent research by the International Monetary Fund, we may have reached a point where even the establishment finally understands that government is too big. The first study looks at real-world examples of debt reduction in 15 European nations and investigates the fiscal policies that worked and didn’t work. Entitled “Major Public Debt Reductions: Lessons From...

Will the Last Person to Leave Illinois Please Turn Off the Lights?

Cato-at-liberty — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:15:04 +0100

By Daniel J. MitchellThere is a very bizarre race happening in Illinois. The Governor and the leaders of the State Senate and General Assembly are trying to figure out how to ram through a massive tax increase, but they’re trying to make it happen before new state lawmakers take office tomorrow. The Democrats will still control the state legislature, but their scheme to fleece taxpayers would face much steeper odds because of GOP gains in last November’s elections. As a result, the Illinois version of a lame-duck session has become a nightmare, sort of a feeding frenzy of tax-crazed politicians. Here’s the Chicago Tribune‘s description of the massive tax hike being sought by the Democrats. The 3 percent rate now paid by individuals and families would rise to 5 perce...

Three Cheers for Switzerland as Voters Reject Class-Warfare Tax Hike in National Referendum

Cato-at-liberty — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:47:01 +0100

By Daniel J. MitchellI’ve always had a soft spot for Switzerland. The nation’s decentralized structure shows the value of federalism, both as a means of limiting the size of government and as a way of promoting tranquility in a nation with several languages, religions, and ethnic groups. I also admire Switzerland’s valiant attempt to preserve financial privacy in a world dominated by greedy, high-tax governments. I now have another reason to admire the Swiss. Voters yesterday overwhelmingly rejected a class-warfare proposal to impose higher tax rates on the income and wealth of rich residents. The Social Democrats did their best to make the hate-and-envy scheme palatable. Only the very richest taxpayers would have been affected. But Swiss voters, like voters in Washington...

Tax Loopholes Are Corrupt and Inefficient, but They Should only Be Eliminated if Every Penny of New Revenue Is Used to Lower Tax Rates

Cato-at-liberty — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 13:28:15 +0100

By Daniel J. MitchellThere’s been a lot of heated discussion about various preferences, deductions, credits, shelters, and other loopholes in the tax code. Some of this debate has revolved around whether it is legitimate to refer to these provisions as “tax expenditures” or “subsidies.” Michael Cannon vociferously argues that subsidies and expenditures only occur when the government takes money from person A and gives it to person B. On the other side of the debate are people like Josh Barro of the Manhattan Institute, who argues that tax preferences are akin to subsidies or expenditures since they can be just as damaging as government spending programs when looking at whether resources are efficiently allocated. Since I’m a can’t-we-all-get-along,...

Another Tax-Hike Scheme from Another ‘Bipartisan’ Group of Washington Insiders

Cato-at-liberty — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 21:51:16 +0100

By Daniel J. MitchellI’ve already commented on the proposal from the Chairmen of President Obama’s Fiscal Commission (including a very clever cartoon, if it’s okay to pat myself on the back). Now we have a similar proposal from the so-called Debt Reduction Task Force. Chaired by former Senator Pete Domenici and Clinton Administration Budget Director Alice Rivlin, the Task Force proposed a series of big tax increases to finance bigger government. I have five observations. 1. Notwithstanding a claim of $2.68 trillion of “spending cuts” during the 2012-2020 period, government gets a lot bigger during the decade. All of the supposed “cuts” are measured against an artificial baseline that assumes bigger government. In other words, the report is compl...

The Ups And Downs Of Tubal Ligation Reversal

Tubal Reversal Blog — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 01:57:43 +0100

Comparison is made between tubal ligation reversal surgery and an exhilarating ride on a roller coaster. Important advice is given on how to become pregnant after sterilization reversal surgery: relax, meditate, and enjoy what can otherwise be a stressful experience full of ups and downs. (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog)

Debunking White House Pro-Tax Increase Propaganda

Cato-at-liberty — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:41:45 +0100

By Daniel J. MitchellThe White House recently released a video, narrated by Austan Goolsbee of the Council of Economic Advisers, asserting that higher tax rates on the so-called rich would be a good idea. Since Goolsbee’s video made so many unsubstantiated assertions and was guilty of so many sins of omission, here’s a rebuttal video, narrated by yours truly. This new Center for Freedom and Prosperity video includes the full footage of the White House production, so viewers can decide for themselves which side is correct. Debunking White House Pro-Tax Increase Propaganda is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty)

What Happens When Politicians Get a New Source of Revenue?

Cato-at-liberty — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 17:31:59 +0100

By Daniel J. MitchellWe’ve been spending too much time on elections, so let’s get back to pointing out inane, foolish, and destructive government policies. Our latest example comes from the United Kingdom, where politicians are pushing airline ticket taxes to punitive levels and harming the tourism industry. But the real lesson from this story is that it is very dangerous to give politicians a new revenue source. The airline ticket tax was first imposed by a (supposedly) Conservative Party government in 1994 at a maximum rate of 10 pounds. During the Blair/Brown Labor Party reign, the tax was boosted to a maximum rate of 50 pounds. Now, the new government, led by ostensible Conservative David Cameron, is pushing the maximum tax up to 75 pounds (more than $120) per ticket. Here...

Why You Need to Pick Up Your Tortoise (and Run With It)

PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 18:25:33 +0100

Most of us live complicated lives and are constantly juggling several tasks at once. You might have a number of work or business projects on the go at any one time, and you might also have a number of personal goals. And that’s on top of all the other commitments that make up our lives; household chores, family and social events, and those essential 12 hour sessions watching Battlestar Galactica. Okay, that last one isn’t entirely essential, but we all need some downtime too or we’d burn out pretty quickly. Overwhelmed? Sometimes the sheer number of different tasks can be overwhelming and lead to feelings of despair as you wonder whether you’ll ever achieve anything. I know from experience that it isn’t a pleasant feeling. One day when I returned home from work I complained to m...

Would You Trade Higher Taxes for Much Lower Spending and Less Red Tape?

Cato-at-liberty — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:24:43 +0100

By Daniel J. MitchellI dislike taxes as much as the next person (and probably a lot more), but other policies matter as well, so if I had the choice of replacing current government policies with the ones that existed at the end of the Clinton years, I would gladly make that trade. Yes, it would mean higher tax rates, but it also would mean slashing government spending from 24 percent of GDP down to 18 percent of GDP. It would mean no sleazy TARP bailout, no Sarbanes-Oxley red tape, no expansion of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and no added power and authority for the federal government. This is the argument that I made in this interview on CNBC, though my opponent tried to do his version of the Brezhnev Doctrine (what’s mine is mine, what’s yours is negotiable), so I concluded th...

Here’s How to Balance the Budget

Cato-at-liberty — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 18:29:20 +0100

By Daniel J. MitchellOur fiscal policy goal should be smaller government, but here’s a video for folks who think that balancing the budget should be the main objective. The main message is that restraining the growth of government is the right way to get rid of red ink, so there is no conflict between advocates of limited government and serious supporters of fiscal balance. More specifically, the video shows that it is possible to quickly balance the budget while also making all the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent and protecting taxpayers from the alternative minimum tax. All these good things can happen if politicians simply limit annual spending growth to 2 percent each year. And they’ll happen even faster if spending grows at an even slower rate. This debunks the statist a...

Nutritional Supplements: Do They Really Help Prevent Disease?

Better Health — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 20:00:57 +0100

(Guest post submitted by MD Anderson Cancer Center) Aisles in grocery stores and pharmacies are stacked with vitamins, minerals, herbs or other plants that you take in pill, capsule, tablet or liquid form. And, many of us buy these supplements and take them regularly, hoping to lower our chances of getting cancer and other diseases. But do supplements really work wonders? Should you take them to help prevent cancer? Our experts say beware. “Don’t be fooled by the label on the bottle,” says Sally Scroggs, health education manager at MD Anderson’s Cancer Prevention Center. “Researchers are still unsure about whether or not supplements actually prevent cancer.” Some studies have suggested that supplements may actually increase cancer risk by tilting the balance of nutrients in the...

Top 10 Web & Facebook Games That Will Make You Smarter

PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 19:37:54 +0100

We hear quite frequently that it is possible to help maintain your memory by doing such things as work on crossword puzzles and fill in Sudoku grids. However, there are not a lot of college students doing the crossword in the paper. Instead, more and more, people are far more likely to be online, looking for amusement via the Internet. The good news is that online games do not necessarily mean brain decay. Indeed, you could actually get a little help boosting your brain power for your university assignments with a little help from the casual games you play online and via Facebook. Recent studies suggest that casual games can actually make you smarter. A recent study from East Carolina University suggests that casual games could actually enhance your cognitive ability. The study was prese...

More Arguments against a Value-Added Tax

Cato-at-liberty — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:38:58 +0100

This study jumps into a long-running chicken-or-egg debate in the academic literature about whether higher taxes lead to higher spending or whether higher spending leads to higher taxes. This causality debate is interesting, but I’m not sure it really matters. A VAT is a terrible idea if it triggers bigger government, and a VAT is a bad idea if it merely finances bigger government. But I suspect this study is correct. The key thing to remember is that Milton Friedman was right when he warned that “In the long run government will spend whatever the tax system will raise, plus as much more as it can get away with.” This means that a VAT will allow more government spending and no reduction in deficits and debt, which is exactly what we see in Europe (and as Jim Powell n...

Despite Medicare, Primary Care Doctors Were Paid More In 2009

Better Health — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:00:00 +0100

The Senate has further tweaked its doc fix legislation to restore the extension to six months (from June 1 through Nov. 30) and the pay raise to 2.2 percent, reports a Senate Finance Committee Republican advisor. In Northern Michigan, the doc fix can’t come soon enough, as yet more physicians contemplate not accepting any more Medicare patients. The legislation continues to see revisions in the Senate, following the U.S. House refusal to consider the doc fix as a stand-alone bill. (TwitDoc, WWTV/WWUP-TV News) But primary care physicians saw a 2.8 percent median compensation increase in 2009, according to a Medical Group Management Association survey. MGMA attributed the rise to employers’ and payers’ increased commitment to primary care, but noted threats to Medicare payments s...

In Last Minute Reprieve, Senate Passes Temporary Medicare “Doc Fix”

Inside Surgery — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 22:53:00 +0100

In a somewhat surprisingly turnaround from twenty-four hours ago, the US Senate passed a temporary, six-month delay in the scheduled 21% cut in Medicare reimbursement that was due to retroactively kick in on June 18, 2010. The measure also included a temporary 2.2% rate hike for the six month period. Senatorys Harry Reid and Jim Boehner worked together to craft the bill, which passed by unaminous consent today on the Senate Floor. (Source: Inside Surgery)

Conrad’s Budget Proposal

Cato-at-liberty — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:08:11 +0100

By Tad DeHavenSenate Budget Committee chairman Kent Conrad has released his budget plan for the next five years. The following are some thoughts on the proposal: Conrad proposes total federal spending for FY2011 equal to 25 percent of GDP, which would match the current fiscal year’s post-war record. Conrad says his proposal will cut spending as a share of the economy by 11 percent. This sounds okay until you realize that out-year spending would still be substantially above the norm at 22 percent of GDP. Conrad says his plan will cut the deficit as a share of the economy by 70 percent. But he’s starting from a Mount Everest-sized deficit of $1.4 trillion this year. Besides, his projected deficits for the next five years would add another $3.9 trillion to the debt. Conrad gets to ...

Brain Training @ BBC/ Nature: Fact, Hope, Hype?

SharpBrains — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:10:50 +0100

Tomorrow we’ll probably witness a lot of media coverage about a experiment run by the BBC in the UK, to be published in Nature, on whether “brain training” works. The paper is still embargoed, so we cannot comment on it, but what I can do is to share fragments of my email to a BBC reporter six months ago, discussing impressions on what they had announced as the ultimate test of whether “brain training” works. Again, these were purely my impressions based on limited public information. Once we can comment on the published paper we’ll be able to provide a more informed perspective. “Hello XYZ, Here go some of my thoughts based on my external perception of your test: I agree with many of the premises for the test But “Does brain training reall...

Panic Disorder

Inside Surgery — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:16:30 +0100

Pathophysiology 1) episodic, unpredictable attacks of intense fear, agitation, and discomfort (especially agoraphobic) 2) onset must occur over a 10 minute period 3) attacks generally occur for < 1 hour 4) exact cause is unknown, but genetic predisposition occurs Signs and Symptoms presence of at least four of the following during attack – 1) tachycardia/palpitations 2) trembling/shaking 3) sweating 4) shortness of breath 5) dizziness 6) chest pain 7) choking sensation chills or hot flushes 9) abdominal pain or diarrhea 10) sense of impending doom or death 11) feelings of anxiety Biochemistry 1) altered autonomic functioning 2) increased noradrenergic discharge from locus ceruleus Inheritance/Epidemiology onset is usually in late adolescence to early adulthood Treatment 1) SSRIs (se...

Kent Conrad and Fiscal Federalism

Cato-at-liberty — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:17:42 +0100

By Tad DeHavenSenator Kent Conrad (D-ND) has a reputation for being a “deficit hawk.” But the bar is apparently so low in Washington that merely paying lip service to “fiscal responsibility” is enough to earn you the hawk title in the press. In reality, Conrad is a tax and spender as a story in today’s Wall Street Journal demonstrates. These examples illustrate Sen. Deficit Hawk’s commitment to deficit reduction and fiscal responsibility: “Like many in Congress, he is conflicted. He boasts a 23-year record of looking after North Dakota voters with ample farm subsidies, aid for drought-hit ranchers, defense spending and scores of pet projects. He has done little to help rein in Medicare and Social Security expenses—the U.S.’s biggest budget busters.” “He has bee...

Tax Hike Commission

Cato-at-liberty — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:06:01 +0100

By Chris EdwardsThe Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee is holding hearings today focused on Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Judd Gregg’s (R-NH) idea to set up a special Task Force to draft a deficit-reduction plan. The plan would get fast-tracked through Congress for a vote and “everything would be on the table.” For taxpayers, this idea creates the threat of large tax increases on top of all the other tax increases being discussed in Congress. While the senators supporting a Task Force express valid concerns about the government’s exploding debt, the plan could launch a drive to impose a European-style value-added tax in America. In theory, such a Task Force could come up with some meaty and long-overdue cuts to the federal budget. But nine of the se...

How to Fix County Budget Problems

Cato-at-liberty — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:31:48 +0100

By Adam SchaefferI’m wrapping up a paper on the real cost of public education, the total price tag per student, not just the stripped down version they typically trot out to show voters. One of the districts is Arlington, VA, which is the one I happen to live in. Though the district is an unusually big spender, their most recent budget, for fiscal year 2010, contains hand-wringing typical for school districts across the country. “FY 2010 will present unique challenges and hardships for staff, however as stated earlier, these reductions are taken so that there is minimal impact on classroom instruction.” Arlington is planning to spend over $23,000 per student this year according to the Washington Area Boards of Education (WABE). That’s a 33 percent increase in constant dollars sin...

Revenge of the Laffer Curve, Part II

Cato-at-liberty — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:39:23 +0100

An earlier post revealed that higher tax rates in Maryland were backfiring, leading to less revenue from upper-income taxpayers. It seems New York politicians are running into a similar problem. According to an AP report, the state’s 100 richest taxpayers have paid $1 billion less than expected following a big tax hike. The story notes that several rich people have left the state, and all three examples are about people who have redomiciled in Florida, which has no state income tax. For more background information on why higher taxes on the rich do not necessarily raise revenue, see this three-part Laffer Curve video series (here, here, and here): Early data from New York show the higher tax rates for the wealthy have yielded lower-than-expected state wealth. …[New York Govern...

Obama: ‘Nobody’ Considers Health Care Mandate a Tax Increase

Cato-at-liberty — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:43:26 +0100

President Obama argued on TV talk shows this weekend that his proposed mandate for everyone to buy health insurance – or face a large financial penalty – is not a tax increase: In a testy exchange on ABC’s “This Week,” broadcast Sunday, Obama rejected the assertion that forcing people to obtain coverage would violate his campaign pledge against raising taxes on middle-class Americans. “For us to say you have to take responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase,” Obama said in response to persistent questioning, later adding: “Nobody considers that a tax increase.” Well, I consider it a tax increase, so I guess that makes me nobody. The real question is whether this tax increase is a good idea. My answer is no....

Using Gasoline to Douse a Fire? OECD Thinks Higher Tax Rates Will Help Iceland’s Faltering Economy

Cato-at-liberty — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:25:47 +0100

Republicans made many big mistakes when they controlled Washington earlier this decade, so picking the most egregious error would be a challenge. But continued American involvement with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development would be high on the list. Instead of withdrawing from the OECD, Republicans actually increased the subsidy from American taxpayers to the Paris-based bureaucracy. So what do taxpayers get in return for shipping $100 million to the bureaucrats in Paris? Another international organization advocating for big government. The OECD, for example, is infamous for trying to undermine tax competition. It also has recommended higher taxes in America on countless occasions. And now it is suggesting that Iceland impose high tax increases – even thoug...

Easy Ways to Boost Your Memory

A Hearty Life — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:45:09 +0100

Every time I read something about boosting memory skills, I just cringe. The suggestions I see usually have to do with things no one has time (or let’s face it, really wants) to do. But this article from CNN gave some great suggestions from the age of 30 and up. Each age group has some suggestions for making your memory strong, and they aren’t difficult. In some cases, they are even pretty fun. In the your 40s, for example, they recommend playing more. Just dragging out some games and even inviting someone over for conversation and game playing. In this economy, this suggestion not only helps the memory but your bottom line. In your 30s, they recommend working out and doing a crossword puzzle, or something else that uses both your body and mind together. In your 50s, something...

Higher Taxes for Health Care, Fewer Jobs

Cato-at-liberty — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:24:01 +0100

President Obama broke his pledge not to raise taxes on lower- and middle-income families with his large tobacco tax increase back in February. It appears that the increase is not just hurting tobacco consumers, but also hurting workers in the cigar industry. From Tampa Bay Online: Tampa will lose part of its cigar heritage in August when Hav-A-Tampa shuts its factory near Seffner and lays off about 495 employees, closing a factory that has been operating since 1902. Several things conspired to hurt Altadis’ sales, McKenzie said, including the recession and the growth of indoor smoking bans. The bans have especially hurt sales in cold-weather states, where it’s impractical to smoke a cigar outdoors in the winter, he said. However, the company attributed much of its trouble to...

New Video Explains Why Soak-the-Rich Tax Increases Are Misguided

Cato-at-liberty — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:46:53 +0100

The Obama Administration is proposing higher taxes on just about everyone and everything, but one common theme is that most of the tax increases are being portrayed as ways of fleecing the so-called rich. This new video, narrated by yours truly, provides five reasons why the economy will suffer if entrepreneurs and investors are hit with punitive taxes. As always, any feedback on message and style would be appreciated. (Source: Cato-at-liberty)

First 100 Days: More of the Same

Cato-at-liberty — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:45:48 +0100

President Obama campaigned on a promise of change. But the first 100 days of his administration have seen a continuation of the Bush administration’s irresponsible fiscal policies: more bailouts, higher spending, and mounting debt. The president has already signed a tax hike that disproportionately hurts lower-income people, and is seeking additional tax increases to fund a transition to a more centrally-planned, European-styled economy. Just as previous administrations have done, the president is using the current economic ‘crisis’ to justify further government encroachment upon the private sector. In doing so, dangerous precedents are being set that could have negative repercussions for future economic growth and individual liberty. (Source: Cato-at-liberty)

Robert H. Frank, A 200% Tax Even Socialists Will Hate

Cato-at-liberty — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:50:26 +0100

In the latest issue of Forbes, Cornell University economist Robert H. Frank is pushing “A Tax Even Libertarians Can Love.” I hope he wasn’t counting on this libertarian’s support. What he advocates is “replacing the income tax with a progressive tax on spending. …A family’s income minus its savings is its consumption, and that amount minus a large standard deduction — say, $30,000 a year for a family of four — would be its taxable consumption. …Rates would start low, perhaps 20%, then rise gradually with total consumption. …With savings tax-exempt, top marginal tax rates on consumption would have to be significantly higher than current top rates on income.” His concept of “significantly higher” includes tax rates of 100-200% on marginal i...

State Tax Increases on the Rise

Cato-at-liberty — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:49:09 +0100

The headline from Stateline.org’s top story today reads, “State budget gaps top $200 billion; fee, tax hikes in the works.” But as Chris Edwards noted back in February, these so-called “budget gaps” are mainly fiction. Put simply, previous revenue forecasts overstated the amount of money that would be coming into state coffers. Now that revenues are drying up because of the slow economy, state politicians can’t spend the amount of money they intended. For individuals and businesses, the economic downturn and resulting financial crimp means less spending and more prudence. For politicians and those living at the expense of taxpayers, it means raising taxes to keep the spending spigots turned on. As the table below shows, total state spending has i...

McAuliffe-nomics

Cato-at-liberty — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:31:10 +0100

Good news for Virginia taxpayers! Turns out that gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe, longtime Democratic fundraiser and former national chairman, understands the power of tax cuts. At a forum on Wednesday, he said that $1.25 million in tax cuts could generate $80 million in economic activity. I’m not sure even Art Laffer or Christina Romer would claim that much return on tax cuts. But here’s McAuliffe: At George Mason University yesterday, McAuliffe said Virginia’s appeal to Hollywood filmmakers could improve the state’s economic picture. McAuliffe said he became familiar with the potency of the film industry while serving as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. During a roundtable discussion with local filmmakers and producers at George Mason, he u...

Can Blogging Make You Happier?

World of Psychology — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:41:19 +0100

According to researchers in Taiwan, the answer is “Yes.” The researchers (Ko & Kuo, 2009) administered a 43-item self-report survey to 596 college students who were mostly between ages 16 and 22 and female (71 percent). The college students were young adults who had blogging experience, and specifically with blogging for the purpose of keeping a personal journal. The researchers found support for deeper self-disclosure from bloggers resulting in a range of better social connections. These included things such as a sense of greater social integration, which is how connected we feel to society and our own community of friends and others; an increase in social bonding (our tightly knit, intimate relationships); and social bridging — increasing our connectedness with peo...

Less TV, a More Active Lifestyle

Diabetes Notes — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:49:21 +0100

var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(420,630,370562,"http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css")}catch(ex){}}() A new study suggests that “reducing time spent watching television and increasing time spent walking briskly or engaged in vigorous physical activity may reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes in African-American women.” I hate studies like this. Because the reality is that turning off the TV more and getting active is good for anyone. More than that, it suggests that television is bad. Any time scientists narrow research down to a point where information no longer seems helpful, it’s time to broaden the data. What they should say is African American Women are at an increased risk for diabetes, and as a result they should become ...

Diverticulosis: Nuts, corn, popcorn don’t increase risk

Dr. Z's Medical Report — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:03:49 +0100

Received wisdom has long held that people with diverticulosis (described below) should not eat nuts, corn or popcorn because these foods would increase the risk of their developing diverticulitis, a serious complication sometimes requiring surgery. In fact, most physicians specifically tell their patients with diverticulosis to avoid these foods even though there was never much evidence to support such a recommendation. But research just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has found that eating these foods does not increase the risk of either diverticulosis or its potential complications. Moreover, for men with the highest intake of nuts and popcorn, there was actually a reduced risk of developing diverticulitis (20 percent reduction with regard to nuts and 28 perc...

The Army’s Response to Rise in Suicides, PTSD

World of Psychology — Fri, 30 May 2008 01:35:07 +0100

Today I participated on a U.S. Army-sponsored conference call to discuss their reaction to data showing that 115 active soldiers took their own lives last year (nearly double the rate from 2005) and approximately 17 U.S. veterans commit suicide each and every day (significantly more than reported to Congress last year). Statistics also show a nearly 50 percent jump in new posttraumatic stress (PTSD) cases last year when 13,951 service members were diagnosed with combat stress, compared to 9,549 in 2006. The Army says it is working hard to improve access to mental health care among the troops, to reduce the stigma often attached to seeking counseling, and to train and educate soldiers to recognize signs of stress in themselves and their comrades. But senior officers also acknowledge there ...

Gum Disease May Increase Cancer Risk

Cancer Commentary — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:38:10 +0100

A new study in the UK revealed that gum disease may increase the risk of cancer. Though the link is still unclear, people with gum infections have increased amount of inflammatory markers in the blood — inflammation has previously been linked to cancer. According to lead researcher Dominique Michaud, a cancer epidemiologist at Imperial College London (UK): “Men with history of periodontal disease had a 14 percent higher risk of cancer than those who did not have periodontal disease, and the increase persisted among never smokers. This new finding needs to be examined in other populations and among women, but it at least suggests that oral health may have some impact on cancer risk. If other data can support this association, then it will have implications for prevention and may...

How to Get Completely Free Traffic with Blog Contests

Jammed: Full into Capacity — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:15:05 +0100

Contests are nothing new in the online world. Many people have been using contests to get free web traffic for years. However, there is a slightly new twist since the blog revolution that has made running a contest much more effective and fun. The concept is the same. You come up with a prize (or many prizes) that would be appealing to your blog readers. Of course, offering your own product as the prize would be preferable since you can mention it on your blog (so everyone who sees your contest will also see your product link). But, if you don’t have your own product, you can easily ask around and find people who will donate. Once you have your prizes, the fun starts. You have several options for your contest: If your goal is to get people to interact, ask your readers to post a comment...

5 things I learned from fellow bloggers on increasing my feed subscribers

Jammed: Full into Capacity — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:24:10 +0100

This blog has been online for over a year but I have not received enough number of feed subscribers to boast. I only got around 10 subscribers. Recently though, I saw how my feed subscriber count went as high as 51 (as of this moment). This wouldn’t have been possible without the help of articles I read from other bloggers. When it comes to increasing your feed subscribers, I found these great tips helpful: 1. Always provide good and helpful content. This has been overly emphasized in every blogging tips about increasing feed count. Of course, this is vital in attracting visitors, and potential subscribers as well. This has two benefits: getting new subscriptions and preventing unsubcriptions. 2. Adhering to frequent posting or not? There has been a debate going on in the blogosphere...

Preventive Medicine for Brain Health

SharpBrains — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:07:27 +0100

This article was co-written by Simon Evans and Paul Burghardt. Drs. Evans and Burghardt currently collaborate in the University of Michigan’s Department of Psychiatry, and the Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute to study the effects of nutrition and exercise on brain function. They host the Brain Fit for Life blog and are collaborating on an upcoming book on the subject. Alzheimer’s disease, anti depressants, behavior modification, brain, brain exercise, Brain games, brain wellness, diabetes, exercise and brain, healthcare, increase productivity, insurance companies, neuroscience, Nutrition, overweight, Paul Burghardt, Physical Exercise, Preventive Medicine, psychiatry, retirement, self enrichment, Simon Evans, sleep, stress management, University of Michigan (Source: Shar...

Growing Bureaucracies - Increasing Rules

BrainBasedBusiness — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 22:55:03 +0100

Recently I had my white out confiscated at an airport check-in, paid a double co-pay for my regular prescription, saw Google plummet my network’s blog score, and watched a major organization order extra invoices in four different methods – after these had already been submitted. Yeesh…. Ironically … somebody also reminded me today … that the US is headed downwards faster daily … while other nations build, dream, progress and leap forward financially. What’s the connection between national downward spirals and growing bureaucracies in this country? I am not sure of recent research on this question – but I do know a few studies have been done that show hidden dangers of growing bureaucracies: 1).Bureaucracy can create illusionary...

30 Minutes A Day To Combat Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes Notes — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 19:49:49 +0100

Let’s see… 30 minutes. That is all it takes to lower your risk for heart disease, help combat type 2 diabetes, lower blood pressure, increase energy, lower cholesterol and help to beat cancer. You don’t need to spend hours at the Gym and spend thousands of dollars on equipment, just get yourself out there for a brisk after dinner walk and use some cheap sand dumbbells or soup cans. Heck, I even use my kids as a barbell sometimes and do sit ups with them on my legs. Studies have shown that simply walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes or more on most days can lead to significant health improvements. Add simple strengthening exercises two or three times a week and the benefits are even greater. My big thing is that the exercise not only lowers my blood sugar but gives me th...

Antioxidants + sun = skin cancer risk

The Cancer Blog — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Filed under: Skin Cancer, Research, Daily newsMixing antioxidants and sun exposure can be dangerous to your health. A new study, published in the September issue of The Journal of Nutrition, details a French study revealing that antioxidant supplements won't protect women against skin cancer -- and they may actually increase the risk of developing the disease.A team of French researchers assigned almost 7,900 women and more than 5,100 men to take either an oral daily capsule of antioxidant or a placebo that looked the same. The antioxidants included low levels of vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, selenium, and zinc. What they found: the incidence of all skin cancers was higher in the group of women who took the antioxidant.While there is one limitation to this study -- it did not take into ...

Liver cancer doubled in one decade

The Cancer Blog — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Filed under: Liver Cancer, Research, Obesity, SurgeryLiver cancer experts attribute the rise in HCC, a highly aggressive cancer sometimes called hepatoma, to an increase decades ago in chronic infection with hepititis C & B and also chronic alcohol consumption. Worldwide liver cancer affects 700,000 people with 18,000 Americans diagnosed in 2006 and over 19,000 estimated to be diagnosed in 2007. The increase of this disease in the United States has doubled in one decade and over 16,000 people are estimated to die from the disease this year.The rise in the United States is expected to increase. There are now 1.4 million people in the United States infected with HBV and 4 million are infected with HCV. Growing evidence suggests two other diseases now increasingly common in the United Sta...

Glaxo spins the Avandia RECORD study: Critics disagree

The Diabetes Blog — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Filed under: Type 2, Adult Onset, Drugs, ResearchGlaxo is turning up the volume. Thanks to this post yesterday, we are all aware Glaxo's media department has been busy spinning the news on Avandia. Now they are spinning the RECORD study -- quite differently from critics. Preliminary results of the study were released today via an editorial in the New England Medical Journal, one day before today's Congressional investigation of the FDA. Opponents contend the FDA ignored heart risks associated with Avandia. Interim analysis of RECORD reports an 2.15 increase in heart failure for Avandia-takers, but no increased risk in the death rate for heart attack or stroke. Glaxo's Chief Medical Officer, Ron Krall, claims the results are reassuring and compares Avandia's safety profile to other type 2 m...

Pop Quiz: How health savvy are you?

The Cancer Blog — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Filed under: All Cancers, Environment, Diets, Exercise, Vitamins and nutrients, MagazinesTime to test your smarts -- about sleep, sun, food, and alcohol. Just read the following questions, pick an option and then scroll down to determine if you really know what's best for your health. Is it healthier to sleep an extra hour or force yourself out of bed in the morning to exercise? Is it healthier to spend 15 minutes in the sun without sunscreen or two hours in the sun wearing SPF 30? Is it better to have a second glass of wine at dinner or a sinful dessert? Is it healthier to sleep an extra hour or force yourself out of bed in the morning to exercise?It's healthier to get out of bed and exercise. Research shows a full eight hours of sleep -- often touted as the necessary amount of...

High Blood Sugar Increases Cancer Risk

The Diabetes Blog — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Filed under: Type 2, Adult Onset, Lifestyle, ResearchA Swedish study has found that elevated blood sugar in women is linked with increased risk of developing cancer. Researchers identified 2,478 incident cases of cancer from records of 33,293 women and 31,304 men who participated in the study. Participants were recruited in the mid-1980s at age 40, 50 and 60 and the study covered a 13-year period. The records included levels of glucose in the blood when fasting and after receiving an infusion of glucose. Researchers calculated the cancer risk relative to blood glucose while adjusting for: age, year of enrollment, fasting time and smoking status. Women with blood sugar levels higher than normal have a total higher risk for cancer while for men the risk was unchanged at higher blood sugar le...

Thought for the Day: Headed for melanoma

The Cancer Blog — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Filed under: Skin Cancer, Research, Daily news, Thought for the DayOh no. I think I 'm headed for melanoma. At the very least, I seem to have a very high risk for developing the disease, thanks to my once-stubborn pursuit of a silly tan.Think about this:A review of seven different studies concludes that using a tanning bed under the age of 35 -- I'm so guilty -- can increase the risk of melanoma by 75 percent. Even those who have ever used indoor tanning were 15 percent more likely to develop the disease.We're talking the deadliest form of skin cancer here. So deadly some experts are recommending strong measures to restrict the use of tanning beds by young people. Adults should be discouraged from tanning, some say, but access should be limited for those under the age of 18. New Jersey alr...