NewsTrust - Most Recent Stories

How to change too-big-to-fail ethic?

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Harold Brubaker - Oct. 26 (News Report) - Thirty years ago, the biggest bank in Philadelphia was in deep trouble because of a bad bet on interest rates. First Pennsylvania, then the oldest bank in the nation, had invested heavily in long-term government securities paying fixed rates of interest. When Paul Volcker, then the chairman of the Federal Reserve, raised interest rates in 1978 to fight inflation, the bank was crushed; it had to pay more to borrow than it earned on the bonds.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.4 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Walter's choice -- Cronkite's lesson for today's journalists

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Will Bunch - Jul. 20 (Opinion) - In the two days since we learned of Cronkite's death, so much has been written about the man, about his rare tone of authority, about the avuncularity and comfort offered to couch potatoes by their "Uncle Walter," about the incredible events that he reported from moon walks to the Kennedy assassination. All those things are true, but they also tend to miss how he was willing to risk all of that because he felt his responsibility to his country and to the truth was more important than his career. That he could make such a choice was the true meaning of Walter Cronkite.`

NewsTrust Rating: 4.2 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Universal health care could boost economy

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Jeff Gelles - Jun. 28 (News Analysis) - Imagine living in a society where reliable police and fire protection were available only to those who worked for the largest employers. In this fictional country, people with enough money might be able to buy personal protection - but perhaps not if they'd suffered a burglary five years ago, or once called 911 for a kitchen fire. Would people with good ideas and a little bit of money be willing to give up personal security for the chance to start their own businesses? Or would they cling to the safety promised by a job at a big company or institution? Substitute health insurance for police and fire protection, and you have one of the best - and least-heralded - arguments for universal health care, according to a small but growing number of economists.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Cap-and-Trade Does More Harm than Good

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Laurie Williams & Allan Zabel - Jun. 24 (Opinion) - Unfortunately, despite the best intentions of its proponents, the bill known as Waxman-Markey would disable our ability to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions for at least a decade, hugely increasing the risk of irreversible climate calamity.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.4 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Inquirer defends the indefensible: A monthly column by torture architect John Yoo

Tue, 12 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Will Bunch - May. 12 (Opinion) - It was Yoo's immoral guidance that aided the United States in sanctioning the torture practice known as waterboarding -- used in the Spanish Inquisition, by despots such as Pol Pot and by Chinese Communists in the Korean War to obtain false confessions from Americans -- as well as slamming detainees into walls, part of a harsh interrogation regime that has been linked to the deaths of at least a dozen U.S, detainees and possibly more.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.5 average - 6 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Don't abandon public schools

Mon, 11 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Philadelphia Inquirer - May. 11 (Editorial) - Vouchers are not the answer to what's wrong with America's public schools. But a pilot program for District of Columbia children deserved better than the shoddy treatment it received from Congress. The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program was created by Congress in 2004 for families who wanted to escape abysmal, unsafe schools. But last month, when it came time to reauthorize the voucher program in the federal omnibus spending bill, Congress left out the $14 million program.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.5 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

This party's over

Sun, 03 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Dick Polman - May. 03 (Opinion) - Once upon a time, long before the GOP plummeted to its current status as the Southern and Rural Older White Guy Party, it actually was home to a healthy subspecies known as the Republican moderate. These moderates roamed the land, cutting deals with Democrats, winning statewide elections, and broadening the GOP's appeal. Pennsylvania alone was fertile turf for people like William Scranton, Richard Schweiker, John Heinz, Hugh Scott, and Arlen Specter. But now, of course, that era is over. Specter has quit the party one step ahead of his own extinction - yet another sign that the Republicans, in their self-defeating quest for ideological purity, have ceased to be a national party.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.2 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Gen. David Petraeus makes the case for Obama's war.

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Trudy Rubin - Apr. 12 (Opinion) - When Gen. David Petraeus testified on Capitol Hill 11 days ago about the new U.S. policy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, the story was relegated to the inside pages of major papers. What a contrast to the media circus when Petraeus testified on the Iraq war. Shell-shocked by the financial crisis, the American public hasn't focused on Obama's war, which calls for 17,000 more combat troops this year, as well as 4,000 new military trainers. Polls show the public is wary about the AfPak conflict, but opposition is more muted than to the war in Iraq. That could change should casualties increase, as is likely over the next year.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average - 4 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Rendell opens door to energy stimulus money

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Diane Mastrull - Mar. 24 (News Report) - For a Bensalem producer of energy-efficient windows and doors, yesterday's visit from Gov. Rendell meant a publicity surge.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.2 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Don't let outrage at bonuses make a bad economy worse

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Trudy Rubin - Mar. 22 (Opinion) - These days, as public anger soars over AIG bonuses, fanned by cable television and Congress and indulged by President Obama, it seems we have arrived at a Gallic moment - or something more scary. When an Iowa Republican, Sen. Charles E. Grassley, actually suggests that AIG executives follow "the Japanese example," come before the American people, bow, and "commit suicide," you know we're reaching hysteria levels.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.1 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

U.S. turning into Europe untrue, but wouldn't be all bad

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Dick Polman - Mar. 22 (Opinion) - I can't fathom the new GOP hue and cry about how President Obama is supposedly trying to "Europeanize" the U.S.A. Think about it: If they couldn't successfully discredit his '08 candidacy by linking him to our terrorist enemies, how can they possibly discredit his '09 domestic agenda by linking him to our friends? But apparently that's their message du jour. Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell warns of "the Europeanization of America," Newt Gingrich warns of "European-style socialism," 2012 hopeful Mitt Romney warns that America might morph into "government-dominated Europe," and a top conservative Web site has sounded the alarm by posting a photo of the Swedish flag, which perhaps is intended to warn us that, failing vigilance, we, too, will be saddled with onerous un-American concepts such as cradle-to-grave health care.

NewsTrust Rating: 2.9 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Incentives create 'golden moment' for buying green

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Sandy Bauers - Mar. 03 (Special Report) - pennsylvania's solar-incentive program- part of a $650 million alternative energy investment fund the legislature passed in the summer - is still being worker out. but insiders say consumers could see rebates of $6000 to $7500 for a typical house. adding in the federal credit, they could get back $12000 to $13.500 for a $20000 system.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.0 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Inquirer owner files for bankruptcy

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Harold Brubaker - Feb. 23 (News Report) - Philadelphia Newspapers L.L.C., which owns The Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly.com, filed for bankruptcy protection yesterday in a bid to restructure its $390 million in debt load. The company, bought by a group of Philadelphia-area investors for $562 million in 2006, said the voluntary Chapter 11 filing would not interrupt its daily operations.

NewsTrust Rating: 2.9 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Beyond the Spin: How the GOP lost blacks

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Philadelphia Inquirer - By George Curry - Feb. 21 (News Analysis) - Michael Steele's election as the first black chairman of the Republican Party and Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday have created a lot of discussion about the relationship - or lack of one - between African Americans and the party of Lincoln.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.5 average - 9 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Tackling illiteracy in Phila.

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Melissa Dribben - Feb. 02 (Special Report) - Rebecca Wagner can't forget the most recent student she lost to humiliation. He was about 50 and had been brave enough to make his way to the Community Learning Center in Kensington. That alone was huge, says Wagner, director of the nonprofit literacy school for adults. For those crippled by the inability to complete a job application or read a text message, asking for help requires courage. The man was given 12 reading comprehension questions to help place him in an appropriate class. He tried to work on them, but then stopped. "He watched everyone else filling out their forms," Wagner says. "Then he walked out and never came back." Wagner's heart sank, knowing he would be swallowed back into the flood of struggling Americans who lack the rudimentary skills to survive.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.0 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

The American Debate: He damaged party in two fundamental ways

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Dick Polman - Jan. 11 (Opinion) - We already know that George W. Bush will walk away from his wreckage nine days hence, having bequeathed us record budget deficits, a tanking economy, a needless war costing half a trillion dollars and thousands of lives, a sullied global image, and so much more. But one other facet of his legacy is widely overlooked: He wrecked his own Republican Party. Don't take my word for it. Various Republicans rendered their verdicts on Bush long before the November election. For instance, Peggy Noonan, the commentator and former Reagan speechwriter, argued a year ago that "Bush destroyed the Republican Party, by which I mean he sundered it, broke its constituent pieces apart."

NewsTrust Rating: 3.6 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

The Bush Years

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Philadelphia Inquirer - Jan. 04 (Editorial) - When the shoes start flying at a presidential news conference, it's time for the chief executive to duck - and then duck out the back door, hoping for a friendlier crowd at the next stop. For President Bush, though, there won't be many more press events. So it's no surprise that he is betting history will be kinder to him than any possible present-day assessment of his tenure.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.6 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Reasons for Hope

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Philadelphia Inquirer - Dec. 29 (Editorial) - Obama's choice of former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle to lead the charge for reform as secretary of Health and Human Services is a further indication the new administration plans to move boldly.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.2 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

A Bush Legacy: Fixing the EPA

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Philadelphia Inquirer - Dec. 10 (Editorial) - Among the many things on President-elect Barack Obama's growing to-do list is overhauling the emasculated Environmental Protection Agency. Under the Bush administration, the EPA became overly politicized, sided with corporate polluters, and often ignored findings and recommendations by its own scientists.

NewsTrust Rating: 2.9 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Licking wounds, GOP determined to heal

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Thomas Fitzgerald - Nov. 16 (News Report) - Looking at the ruby-red splotch showing shrunken Republican strength on county-level national maps of presidential returns, many party leaders are fretting over what went wrong. Debate is raging over how to position the party to begin a comeback, and several would-be saviors - and potential presidential candidates - were trying out their moves last week at a meeting of the Republican Governors Association in Miami.

NewsTrust Rating: 2.4 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Wharton professor analyzes the crisis

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Maria Panaritis - Oct. 20 (Interview) - Siegel said employees looking to boost revenue at their otherwise profitable global financial firms "took the house money" and acted like gamblers. "I'm going to place it on Number 14 on the roulette table. Almost that's what they did. . . . No one was in control and no one understood what was going on."

NewsTrust Rating: 3.1 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Palin hears plenty of boos

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Mari Schaefer, Amy Rosenberg - Oct. 12 (News Report) - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin came to town yesterday fully expecting to be booed by Philadelphia hockey fans. ... Outside on Broad Street, waiting for Palin to leave, one man was heard saying: "Let's stone her, old school." Another protester shouted at someone entering the hotel, "Wait till your daughter wants an abortion, you hypocrite."

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Economic turmoil is real, and it feeds fear among us

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Stacey Burling - Oct. 05 (News Report) - Uncertainty and lack of control stoke anxiety, so it is no wonder, psychologists said, that a lot of people are feeling edgy or angry. Here we have a potential economic disaster rooted in math so complex most of us cannot understand it. A lot of people do not trust the folks who are trying to fix this mess. And, given how we are feeling, it is not much comfort that the financial experts keep saying that our financial system is built on trust and consumer confidence.

NewsTrust Rating: 2.9 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Vote-scam fliers target black neighborhoods

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Caterine Lucey - Oct. 02 (News Report) - An anonymous flier circulating in African-American neighborhoods in North and West Philadelphia states that voters who are facing outstanding arrest warrants or who have unpaid traffic tickets may be arrested at the polls on Election Day. Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Everett Gillison, who learned of the flier last week, said that the message is completely false.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.5 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

President Bush committed political treason today

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Philadelphia Inquirer - By Will Bunch - May. 15 (Opinion) - President Bush went on foreign soil today, and committed what I consider an act of political treason: Comparing the candidate of the U.S. opposition party to appeasers of Nazi Germany -- in the very nation that was carved out from the horrific calamity of the Holocaust.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.4 average - 6 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer