In anticipation of upcoming hearing on the government owned housing finance corporations Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, McClatchy’s Kevin Hall reported on February 6th:

Beginning in 1992, Fannie and Freddie were directed to foster more lending to minorities by purchasing and securitizing these loans — when the loans met guidelines.

At the high-water mark, Fannie and Freddie did securitize 52 percent of the loans made to low and moderate income borrowers. But during the boom from 2001 to 2007, bank lending standards weakened dramatically and in 2006, the height of the housing boom, Fannie and Freddie purchased just 24 percent of the

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In an otherwise fine effort to explain why the U.S. economy is not creating new jobs as fast as it used to, National Journal’s Jim Tankersley reports in the January 21st edition:

Some free-market economists say that we could encourage more domestic investment by cutting corporate tax rates, although it’s fair to note that the jobs breakdown of the 2000s coincided with hefty tax cuts under President Bush. Still, liberal and free-market analysts alike have argued for a sweeping reform of America’s corporate tax code—one that would reduce rates while eliminating many deductions and provisions that give companies incentives to

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Reporting on health care in the December 15th Sacramento Bee Bobby Caina Calvan writes:

But the vast majority of small businesses would benefit from the proposals, according to health advocates.

Most small businesses would be exempt from new payroll taxes and other potential penalties levied against larger firms that choose not to offer health coverage to their employees. At the same time, these small businesses could benefit from subsidies and the new exchange by allowing their uninsured workers to buy insurance from the exchange.

But as Heritage scholar John Ligon details, the subsidies and credits in the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s … Continue Reading

An October 20th The Washington Post headline blares: Public Option Gains Support: Clear Majority Now Backs Plan. The first para of the Dan Balz and Jon Cohen article reports: “A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that support for a government-run health-care plan to compete with private insurers has rebounded from its summertime lows and wins clear majority support from the public.”

So the public option has “rebounded” from “summertime lows” in the minds of the America public. How “low” did it go? How big is this rebound. It must be a huge swing to justify this headline.

But you have … Continue Reading