Tuesday's Daily Brief

2009-04-14

The Daily Brief

Arianna Huffington: Here's a Switch: Some Good News About Banking

AP/San Francisco Chronicle, Lacy Atkins

Arianna Huffington: An upcoming analysis by the IMF reportedly says that when all is said and done toxic debts on the balance sheets of banks and insurers could go as high as $4 trillion. But it's not all doom and gloom -- there are actually many things going right in the banking industry. Before I lay them out, though, it's important that we clarify our terminology. When it comes to the current crisis, all banks are definitely not created equal -- or equally culpable. As the head of the American Bankers Association recently put it: "Wall Street and Main Street banking are very different." So when we rightly castigate "bankers" for the toxic economic swamp we are struggling to drag ourselves out of, we are really talking about the high-flying financial gluttons of Wall Street, not the vast majority of much smaller "traditional" banks. Click here to read more.

Hale "Bonddad" Stewart: Why Our Tax Code is So Complicated

There are plenty of reasons why the tax code is so complicated -- the length of time tax law have existed, special interest giveaways, and the implementation of anti-avoidance laws.

Robert Creamer: Why Countries Like Haiti Matter to the Well-Being of Everyday Americans

The world economy is not a zero sum game. For us to be richer, someone else doesn't have to be poorer. In fact just the opposite is true.

Stuart Whatley: Teabagging: Redux Anti-Intellectualism

Why the hell is this populist, boastful ignorance being actively encouraged, and indeed exploited, by conservative corporate lobbyists, Fox News and, indeed, the Republican Party?

Michael Shapiro: Ebbets Field, Redux

Last night, in an arena where Shea's name fittingly joins the retired numbers of Seaver, Stengel, Hodges and Jackie Robinson, baseball witnessed a return to the past. We're back where we started.

Michael Shaw: Reading The Pictures: "Bo-bama"

In spite of the cheesy arrival of the Obama pooch, I have a feeling this photo might be one of the most significant taken in the White House given its "unbounded" quality.

HuffPost News

• Obama Economy Speech: Major Address At Georgetown University (VIDEO)
• Somali Pirates Hijack 4 More Ships
• Scarborough To Coleman: "You Lost... It Is Over" (VIDEO)
• GM RECALL: LIST OF 1.5M VEHICLES RECALLED OVER POTENTIAL FIRES
• Palin's AG Pick Defended KKK Statue, Mocked Offended Student

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