Consider the following hypothetical situation. Let’s say it was the federal government that had mandated segregation and not the states. Do you believe for one second that Martin Luther King Jr. would have opposed states nullifying that particular federal law? Martin Luther King Jr. was trying to crush Jim Crow and I find it patently absurd that he would neglect a non-violent method of doing so if the situation had been as described. I would submit that it was racism that Martin Luther King Jr. opposed much more than any legal justification those racists put forth to maintain segregation. And for anyone who thinks such a scenario is unbelievable—because the federal government can be trusted on racial issues—allow me to enlighten you.

Here, The Real News Network debates whether increasing the number of people insured and eliminating the ability of insurance companies to not insure people with pre-existing condition is worth all the corporate welfare in the healthcare bill. Or in other words, is this a victory for progressives? Take a gander:

What is a bit surprising is how many IRS agents are going to be hired to enforce the new codes: 16,500! Now this is based on a release by Republican congressmen Kevin Brady, so that does make me skeptical. But the release bases the 16,500 number on an analysis by the Joint Economic Committee and the House Ways & Means Committee minority staff. So we’ll have to wait and see. But if Brady is anywhere close to accurate, it would seem to cast doubt on the idea that Obamacare will reduce the tax burden and amount of red tape.

What is going on is actually rather simple. Big corporations have done what they love to do with big government; get in bed together. Unfortunately, it’s us, as the common taxpayers, who will have to foot the bill for this love affair.

According to Bloomberg, Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve have pledged “to keep the main interest rate near zero for an “extended period” and confirmed that emergency measures to prop up the housing market will end as planned this month.”

“Up to 20,000 people have died needlessly early after being denied cancer drugs on the [British National Health Service], it was revealed yesterday,” according to Daniel Martin of The Daily Mail. These unnecessary or unnecessarily quick deaths had to do with patients being refused cancer medication for rare forms of cancer.

What’s disheartening is the American health care system desperately needs reform, but first we’d have to stop the wrong reforms being proposed before actually fixing the system. It’s a long road ahead.

Paul Krugman lets us all know that the so called “public option” is a bridge to single-payer. Well, thanks for the honesty Paul:

The carbon trading scheme that passed the House and is making its way to the Senate is a new derivatives market set up at the behest of Goldman Sachs and other major Wall Street financial firms. Out of curiosity, how did the last financial derivatives market turn out? And yes, it is also a regressive tax, (Who do you think is hurt most by higher energy bills?).

This summer, the IRS rewarded Nicolas Cage for his “efforts” with a $6 million tax lien on his New Orleans’ properties for unpaid taxes. So the IRS, lead by tax cheat Timothy Geithner, is cracking down on Nicolas Cage for unpaid taxes. How ironic. Or perhaps, “how fitting” would be a better way to put it. After all, I think Tim Geithner, our spend-happy congress, the Federal Reserve, George Bush and Barack Obama can give Nicolas Cage a run for his money (what little is left of it) when it comes to irresponsible spending. Honestly, look at what our government has been doing: