Why Lobbyists Dodge Calls From Congressmen
This story is part of our series on money in politics. We imagine the lobbyist stalking the halls of Congress trying to use cash to influence important people. But it doesn’t always work that way. Often, the Congressman is stalking the lobbyist, asking for money. Lawmakers of both parties need to raise millions of dollars [...]
Most Small Businesses Don’t Quite Fit The Political Picture
The House is scheduled to vote Thursday on a GOP measure to cut taxes on small businesses. Now, the mental image most of us have of a small business is probably something like this: a handful of employees, a shop, maybe a restaurant or a little tech firm. It turns out the reality of the [...]
What We Can Learn From Warren Buffett’s Prostate Cancer
Benjamin Davies, a urologic cancer specialist, doesn’t mince words. On Twitter today, the good doctor said he would fire on the spot any medical resident who biopsied the prostate of an 81-year-old man. And that would include Warren Buffett, the 81-year-old CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, who disclosed Tuesday that he had been diagnosed with prostate [...]
Small Businesses Get Big Political Hype. What’s The Reality?
The House is scheduled to vote this week on a small-business tax cut bill offered up by Republicans. It’s just the latest piece of legislation to focus on small businesses, which are widely praised in the political discourse as engines of job creation. The adoration is nearly universal — and it reflects something beyond economic [...]
Family Matters: Meet The Families
Even as the recovery gains steam, record numbers of people are living under a roof where adult children, middle-aged parents and elderly grandparents must learn to live together. In a series called “Family Matters,” NPR’s Morning Edition explores the lives of three multigenerational households struggling with issues of money, duty and love. The Shamone-Gilmore Family [...]
Another Tech Bubble? Maybe Not
It’s beginning to feel frothy in Silicon Valley. Here are a few numbers: On the first day of its initial public offering — LinkedIn was valued at nearly $9 billion; today the social networking site is worth more than $10 billion. Instagram, a company with no profits, no revenue and no plan to make money [...]
Hearing In Megaupload Case To Determine Fate Of Users’ Data
On Friday morning a hearing scheduled in the criminal copyright case of Megaupload may have implications for all kinds of companies that sell storage space in the cloud — storage space used for anything from music files to family photos, research data to movie collections. The hearing will focus on what happens when the federal [...]
We Stand At The Doorstep Of A Foreclosed House. Then We Go In
In Florida, the foreclosure process takes 861 days, on average. That means houses often sit in limbo for more than two years after the owner stops paying the mortgage. Maybe the homeowner is still living in the house. Maybe he’s renting it out. Maybe squatters are living there, or maybe it’s empty and falling down. [...]
Tax-Time Procrastination, An American Tradition
The April deadline comes around at about the same time every year. Still, with just a few days left before taxes are due, many people continue to put off filing. The boxes of receipts, stacks of W-2s and 1099s are daunting enough. Add in row after row of fill-in boxes on the 1040, and it’s [...]
Huckabee Pledges More Civil Alternative To Limbaugh
Mike Huckabee fell short four years ago in his quest to become the Republican presidential nominee. As of this week, the former Arkansas governor has a new job: national radio talk show host. The Mike Huckabee Show started Monday with an anticipatory flourish. “Welcome to the community of conversation. You’ve just made a right turn, [...]
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