Comcast and General Electric agreed to forge a joint venture that will give the No. 1 cable operator control of programming giant NBC Universal, creating the largest entertainment company in the United States.

 

Time Warner is polling cable customers about "price gouging" by content providers... a.k.a. networks and cable stations. It's the peak of irony and greed, and all that is wrong with business in this country that Time Warner, who gouges customers regularly, is taking the offensive on gouging. This looks like a pre-emptive shot across the "anti-trust" bow of their arch enemy Comcast. Hopefully the feds will require all of them to compete in all markets instead of controlling.

 

 

 

The unemployment rate fell to 10% last week. Well, if unemployment fell 0.2% and payrolls dropped by 11,000, simple math dictates that the labor force has shrunk due to lower participation. This is “not exactly” a sign of robust health for the economy, nor is it positive for consumer spending during the holiday season.

 

Not only that, more and more people are running out of unemployment benefits and are no longer being counted. I believe the number will go up after Christmas when all the temps are laid off. Don't forget all the census workers who will also eventually be let go ... smoke and mirrors as usual.

 

 

 

Notes:

 

§         A larger number of union executives who gave big donations to Obama’s 2008 campaign attended the jobs summit last week along with a number of corporate executives capable of creating jobs. I feel better.

 

§         In a speech on Afghanistan, Obama did not address how the U.S is going to grow the Afghan army. Presently there is no sign of growth of the Afghan army. Not sure if that 2011 return home will be realistic. Growing the Afghan army will be a key issue for us to get out of Afghanistan.

 

§         Obama’s science advisor urged action on the climate despite the uproar over e-mails in which scientists’ discarded important data that does not support climate change and human activity. The White House wants to curb emissions of greenhouse gas.

 

§         Obama is considering using left over TARP money for jobs programs. The idea of using federal bailout money to develop new programs for job creation so small businesses are still getting lending that would be appropriate in accelerating job growth. It’s estimated a possible $200 billion in TARP could be used for this program.

 

§         The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 51% oppose any climate restriction plan. Which has been the case for months, the emotions on the sign of the naysayers: 40% strongly oppose any plan, while just 23% strongly favor a plan. I favor a plan that reduces pollution but not some of these radical plans coming out of Copenhagen. What happens when they find out this is a natural cycle and we wasted billions trying to stop something we have no real control over?

 

 

 

 

Kool-aid?

Posted by an F&C contributor

 

I really tire of dumb-down, revisionist liberal Kool-Aid BS. 100% of our economic problems belong to the Democrats, with their 3 years of Democrat Congress and 1 year of POTUS.
The recession started in late 2007, nearly 12 months AFTER Democrats took control of Congress.


Congress allocates, budgets, and spends money and deficits, passes laws, oversees financial systems, not the POTUS.


The Republican Congress had 4 budget surplus years, and left in 2006, with the DOW at record high, unemployment at record low (<4%), deficits were moderate and trending down, and after 52 straight months of economic growth.

100% of the recession, 100% of the stock market drop, 100% of skyrocketing unemployment, 100% of the bailouts, and the crash of the Frank/Dodd financial system belongs to THIS DEMOCRAT CONGRESS.


This Pelosi/Reid/Obama Dem congress has accumulated TWICE THE DEFICIT in 3 years, than the Republican Congress accumulated IN TWELVE YEARS TOTAL!!!

Republican Congress: TWELVE LONG YEARS OF RECORD PROSPERITY and surpluses or manageable deficits.


Democrat Congress: THREE YEARS OF record deficits, FAILURE, MISERY, AND RUIN UNDER Pelosi/Reid/Obama...Those are the facts.

On day political science classes will study this Democrat Congress as a case study in incompetence, corruption, and ideological pandering.