Captainess

Five Missing Pieces to the Stimulus Plan

Should also add in eliminating pork barrel spending and special interest projects. Supposedly $650 million more on digital tv conversion coupons?? Are we going to pay Oprah to star in more ads warning about the perils of not getting the right tv? Hey, how about giving that $650 mil to everyone to just buy a new tv for some direct stimulus...

Steering Clear of Stryker; Larger Medical Device Cos Are Better Positioned

Agree as well. The healthcare industry is not recession proof; couple a bad economy with spiraling medical costs and higher premiums and co-pays, people are more weary of what procedures they elect to undergo. Botox and LASIK are also dropping in demand, which further demonstrates that elective procedures are, as Brad writes, economically sensitive.

America's New Stimulus Package: Looks Good, But Is It Enough?

Nope, not enough. The promise of continued tax cuts and Washington pumping billions of dollars in "stimulus" reminds me of the "Drill, Baby, Drill" mantra - maybe works in the short run, hardly sustainable in the long run. Obviously, no one wants to say it but I don't see how an economic stimulus plan can exclude tax increases. In CA, where the budget is virtually in shambles, a sales tax increase is looking inevitable and some Republicans are silently acknowledging it. Simply injecting aid into state programs like Medi-Cal, while needed, is a negative loop - as the economy continues to worsen, more people turn to it. Healthcare, especially, will continue to eat up taxpayer money if we don't invest in prevention and efficiency.

Better yet for a long term solution, and Obama alluded to this in his inauguration speech, prepare our workforce and schools to compete globally.