Dr. Acula

U.S. Growth Probably Now at 4.5 Percent

Woah dude, I smoked some crack stimulants last night and feel 4.5% better too. But I am desperately craving more stimulants already. I hope my dealer Mr. Chan keeps accepting my IOU's. If he cuts me off I'm going to bust into his house.

Health Insurance Costs Gouging the U.S. Economy

"If the government can step in and stop gas stations from gouging, it’s time they crack open insurers’ books" - If you don't like the cost, don't buy it. Why is it the government's job to violate others' freedoms and force them to agree to your terms? I think that's morally wrong and it also suggests a lack of understanding of the price mechanism in markets.

"a letter from Blue Cross Blue Shield notifying me of a 24% rate increase" - Then drop them and find someone else. When I travelled to Mexico recently I received excellent, cheap dental care. And I could buy cheap meds from any pharmacy over the counter in literally seconds. I didn't need to go to a doctor for an hour to get a desired prescription, and then risk him not giving the one I want, and then waiting an hour while my pharmacist deals with all the red tape. Blame Congress for excessive regulations, which always result in inferior service and higher prices. Anyone who looks at the quality of Soviet era medicine will realize that more government is not the answer.

"When every hospital, Dr. and drug company is under unmitigated legal threat...there is no hope for a private system." Why not use waivers? I would gladly sign waivers - limiting my rights to sue or agreeing to use arbitration - in exchange for cheaper medical services.

"We got the notice from United Health about the increase of 10%... If this is not a monopoly, I don't know what is." - FYI, "mono" = one.

Fair-Value Accounting Instills Exactly the Wrong Mindset in Bankers

In Capitalism, things have value based on the subjective perceptions of market participants. A steaming turd is worth a few pennies as fertilizer.
In Marxism, things have value due to the labor imbued in them. Since I had to strain to produce the steaming turd, it has significant value.
In the USA banking system, I can claim my steaming turd is worth $1,000,000.

Apple: Weaker Dollar Will Benefit Revenue Growth and Margins

"I believe the next major tailwind will be increased revenue growth and higher margins arising from the falling U.S. Dollar." - So Apple is going to get more dollars, but each dollar it gets will be worth less?

Is Too Big to Fail Now Too Big to Exist?

"I can't imagine a simpler, more logical solution." - How about outlawing bailment fraud and criminal Ponzi schemes (so-called "fractional reserve banking")? "the answer is simple: impose higher capital requirements " - Oh, I see, the idea is to allow the fraud as long as it is not too large.