personal finance blog

What recession? Members of Congress collectively made 16 percent more money in 2009 than 2008. And this week's PolitiQuizz asks you to delve into the personal finances of the nation's lawmakers.

According to a new study by the Center for Responsive Politics, 261 federal lawmakers are millionaires, and members of Congress are making their money on everything from real estate to entertainment to financial investments. So, we want to know�

Who is the single wealthiest member of Congress, and how much is he or she worth?

The first person to leave the correct answers in this blog post's comments section will win a free copy of The Blue Pages: Second Edition, the new money-in-politics book for which the Center for Responsive Politics provides data and analysis.

Answers will be accepted until 5 p.m. Friday. Results will be posted as part of next Monday's PolitiQuizz. (Make sure to provide your e-mail address so we may contact you if you win!)

In last week's PolitiQuizz, we asked you to track down the biggest of big-spending political action committees this election cycle. We asked:

Which PAC contributed the most to political candidates during the 2010 election cycle?

From major players like AT&T and Democratic heavyweight ActBlue to Tea Party-funder Koch Industries, there was no shortage of reader suggestions. However, one PAC out-spent them all.

The answer is� Honeywell International.

Manufacturing titan Honeywell International's PAC doled out about $3.5 million in campaign contributions during the 2010 election cycle, while giving 55 percent of their funds to Democrats, according to the Center's analysis of federal filings. The company edged out PACs for AT&T, which gave $2.7 million, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which donated $2.6 million.

Congrats, Keith Orchard -- you're this week's winner! Since you were the first to guess the correct answer, you will receive a free copy of The Blue Pages: Second Edition. To everyone else, better luck next time!

Don't Blame 'Piracy' For Your Own Failures To Engage

from the Swing-And-A-Miss dept

I kind of don't know where to begin with this blog post from comic artist Colleen Doran at The Hill -- the place where "law makers blog" -- about how awful "piracy" is? Anyway, she seems extremely angry, mixing in vitriolic and pedantic scorn with flashes that she actually understands what's happening... and then ignores it for more scorn. It's really kind of weird. For instance, a few quotes from the article:

"For more than 20 years, I've written and drawn comics for a variety of major publishers: Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image and Disney. Like many artists, I've seen my sales figures chipped away as the print market shrinks due, in no small part, to rampant online piracy."

No evidence to back that up, of course. Just a statement of fact, that isn't a fact. Oh well....

"I made my comic series, A Distant Soil, available as a free webcomic less than two years ago. Despite assurances that the many sites pirating my work were doing me a favor with their �free advertising� I never saw a single incoming link from them, saw no increase in traffic, and made virtually no money."

Hold on, let me get this straight. You offered it for free, the "pirate" sites offered it for free... and you STILL lost traffic to those sites? Methinks perhaps that if you, the creator of the comic, can't differentiate yourself from filesharing sites that offer fans no connection with you, no insight into the work, no expertise in the offering, and no personal involvement with the creator, then that is YOUR problem, not the "pirates." For God's sake, people want your stuff! And you were smart enough to price the content the same as the unauthorized places! All you had left to do was offer them something the pirate sites couldn't, and you'd be home free!



Instead, she expected money to just show up at her doorstep. Which is strange, because money doesn't tend to do that....

"Frequent original content (often pirated the day I post it,) increased my traffic, not pirate "advertising." Pirates draw traffic from my site, and cost me millions of hits annually, which cuts my advertising revenue."

Again, in the first sentence she gets it! Keep creating and releasing! If your goal is to draw readers to YOUR site, one way to do that is to ALWAYS have the most up to date offerings of your creative work, and you do that by continuing to create. And pirate SITES don't draw traffic from yours, they draw traffic from the great pool of web surfers. You're both drawing against each other, and YOU have the advantage!

"Readers assume they are only nickel and diming rich corporations with their bit torrent naughtiness, but I am a middle class artist and farmer for whom a few thousand dollars a year in lost income means I can't afford health insurance."

Come on now. You're a 47 year old cartoonist/artist that's been pumping out works, both for publishing companies and some self-published, since you were 12 years old. You're a GOOD artist. There's no need to make plays on our sympathies by mentioning the other things you choose to do, like "farming". That isn't what we're talking about. That kind of transparent attempt to play the victim does not move the discussion forward. Oh, and bit torrent naughtiness is a great name for a forward-looking cyberpunk porn thriller....

"Creators and publishers can�t compete with free and the frightening reality is that even free isn�t good enough. Pirates aggregate content in ways creators and legit publishers can�t. Why go to dozens of web pages for entertainment when you can go to a pirate and get everything you want? There�s no connection to creators as human beings who work hard and make money from that work, and who need income from past work to finance future work."

Sigh. Can't compete with free? Then you can't compete period. Because if all you have to offer is what others can manage to offer for free, then you don't actually have anything to offer to start with. Thing is, you DO have something to offer... you just don't seem to want to offer it. Oh, and that last part, about there being no connection between fans and creators? That's YOUR job, not the fans'. You have to make that connection. We're not mindless moths, fluttering about the heat of your light, desperate to slam our bodies against the fixture. You connect with us, since you're doing the selling, not the other way around....



Case in point? Just a few weeks ago, Techdirt had a couple of posts about someone in the IDENTICAL position to you. Comic artist Steve Lieber. Just like you, he had his works "pirated" on these sites. What did he do? He went and engaged with them and realized they were some of his biggest fans and saw his sales jump by a MASSIVE amount.



And that proves the point, doesn't it? It's not the people copying who are the problem. If you actually worked at engaging with the audience and giving them a reason to buy, they will.

"Everyone gets paid -- manufacturers of computers, iPads, electricity, bandwidth -- everyone except the creators of content."

Ah, so no content creators are getting paid? Funny, there seems to be an awful lot of stuff out there -- including those in the same position as you. Oh, and the internet isn't NEW anymore, okay? And it has yet to create a barren wasteland devoid of downloadable content. With all the evil piraters out there, how could that be?

"It costs big bucks to finance these pirate sites. Major advertisers and open source ad providers like Google pay them."

Google bad? Then why does it feel so good? I assume, since Google is evil, that you have gone directly to your robots.txt and made sure you aren't indexed? Also, it's not Google who's "paying them," which sounds like Google has them on the payroll. They're putting ads on their sites and competing. You can do that too -- and, if you engage with your fans, they'll focus on going to where you want them to go.



The best part is the tagline at the end of the story:

"Colleen Doran is a cartoonist and illustrator with more than 500 credits for companies as diverse as Lucasfilm, Disney, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Random House, Houghton Mifflin, Harper Collins, and Image Comics. Her work includes illustrations for Captain America, Sandman, Wonder Woman, Amazing Spider-man and many others."

Again, Colleen, you're just so far ahead of the game here that it almost feels strange to see what you've written. That's quite a list of paid work, some which I imagine you could build upon to solidify your reputation and garner even more paid work. Through your own talent and hard work, you're set up to really be able to work with new media and emerging business models. Why not really dig down and embrace them?

148 Comments | Leave a Comment..

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Google&#39;s New Smartphone is Not the Big <b>News</b> (GOOG, BBY, AAPL, RIMM <b>...</b>

It's probably an overstatement to say that we have now gotten our first look at the long-awaited Nexus S smartphone from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). The new phone, introduced a mobile device conference in San Francisco, uses version 2.3 ...

Carnahan Camp To Fox <b>News</b>: Why Single Us Out? | TPMMuckraker

Lawyers for former Senate Candidate Robin Carnahan are arguing that the Fox News network is singling the Missouri Democrat out in its lawsuit alleging her campaign violated the network's copyrights.

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

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Google&#39;s New Smartphone is Not the Big <b>News</b> (GOOG, BBY, AAPL, RIMM <b>...</b>

It's probably an overstatement to say that we have now gotten our first look at the long-awaited Nexus S smartphone from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). The new phone, introduced a mobile device conference in San Francisco, uses version 2.3 ...

Carnahan Camp To Fox <b>News</b>: Why Single Us Out? | TPMMuckraker

Lawyers for former Senate Candidate Robin Carnahan are arguing that the Fox News network is singling the Missouri Democrat out in its lawsuit alleging her campaign violated the network's copyrights.

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

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Google&#39;s New Smartphone is Not the Big <b>News</b> (GOOG, BBY, AAPL, RIMM <b>...</b>

It's probably an overstatement to say that we have now gotten our first look at the long-awaited Nexus S smartphone from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). The new phone, introduced a mobile device conference in San Francisco, uses version 2.3 ...

Carnahan Camp To Fox <b>News</b>: Why Single Us Out? | TPMMuckraker

Lawyers for former Senate Candidate Robin Carnahan are arguing that the Fox News network is singling the Missouri Democrat out in its lawsuit alleging her campaign violated the network's copyrights.

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

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Google&#39;s New Smartphone is Not the Big <b>News</b> (GOOG, BBY, AAPL, RIMM <b>...</b>

It's probably an overstatement to say that we have now gotten our first look at the long-awaited Nexus S smartphone from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). The new phone, introduced a mobile device conference in San Francisco, uses version 2.3 ...

Carnahan Camp To Fox <b>News</b>: Why Single Us Out? | TPMMuckraker

Lawyers for former Senate Candidate Robin Carnahan are arguing that the Fox News network is singling the Missouri Democrat out in its lawsuit alleging her campaign violated the network's copyrights.

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

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Google&#39;s New Smartphone is Not the Big <b>News</b> (GOOG, BBY, AAPL, RIMM <b>...</b>

It's probably an overstatement to say that we have now gotten our first look at the long-awaited Nexus S smartphone from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). The new phone, introduced a mobile device conference in San Francisco, uses version 2.3 ...

Carnahan Camp To Fox <b>News</b>: Why Single Us Out? | TPMMuckraker

Lawyers for former Senate Candidate Robin Carnahan are arguing that the Fox News network is singling the Missouri Democrat out in its lawsuit alleging her campaign violated the network's copyrights.

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

http://ddfghhdfxd.com/

What recession? Members of Congress collectively made 16 percent more money in 2009 than 2008. And this week's PolitiQuizz asks you to delve into the personal finances of the nation's lawmakers.

According to a new study by the Center for Responsive Politics, 261 federal lawmakers are millionaires, and members of Congress are making their money on everything from real estate to entertainment to financial investments. So, we want to know�

Who is the single wealthiest member of Congress, and how much is he or she worth?

The first person to leave the correct answers in this blog post's comments section will win a free copy of The Blue Pages: Second Edition, the new money-in-politics book for which the Center for Responsive Politics provides data and analysis.

Answers will be accepted until 5 p.m. Friday. Results will be posted as part of next Monday's PolitiQuizz. (Make sure to provide your e-mail address so we may contact you if you win!)

In last week's PolitiQuizz, we asked you to track down the biggest of big-spending political action committees this election cycle. We asked:

Which PAC contributed the most to political candidates during the 2010 election cycle?

From major players like AT&T and Democratic heavyweight ActBlue to Tea Party-funder Koch Industries, there was no shortage of reader suggestions. However, one PAC out-spent them all.

The answer is� Honeywell International.

Manufacturing titan Honeywell International's PAC doled out about $3.5 million in campaign contributions during the 2010 election cycle, while giving 55 percent of their funds to Democrats, according to the Center's analysis of federal filings. The company edged out PACs for AT&T, which gave $2.7 million, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which donated $2.6 million.

Congrats, Keith Orchard -- you're this week's winner! Since you were the first to guess the correct answer, you will receive a free copy of The Blue Pages: Second Edition. To everyone else, better luck next time!

Don't Blame 'Piracy' For Your Own Failures To Engage

from the Swing-And-A-Miss dept

I kind of don't know where to begin with this blog post from comic artist Colleen Doran at The Hill -- the place where "law makers blog" -- about how awful "piracy" is? Anyway, she seems extremely angry, mixing in vitriolic and pedantic scorn with flashes that she actually understands what's happening... and then ignores it for more scorn. It's really kind of weird. For instance, a few quotes from the article:

"For more than 20 years, I've written and drawn comics for a variety of major publishers: Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image and Disney. Like many artists, I've seen my sales figures chipped away as the print market shrinks due, in no small part, to rampant online piracy."

No evidence to back that up, of course. Just a statement of fact, that isn't a fact. Oh well....

"I made my comic series, A Distant Soil, available as a free webcomic less than two years ago. Despite assurances that the many sites pirating my work were doing me a favor with their �free advertising� I never saw a single incoming link from them, saw no increase in traffic, and made virtually no money."

Hold on, let me get this straight. You offered it for free, the "pirate" sites offered it for free... and you STILL lost traffic to those sites? Methinks perhaps that if you, the creator of the comic, can't differentiate yourself from filesharing sites that offer fans no connection with you, no insight into the work, no expertise in the offering, and no personal involvement with the creator, then that is YOUR problem, not the "pirates." For God's sake, people want your stuff! And you were smart enough to price the content the same as the unauthorized places! All you had left to do was offer them something the pirate sites couldn't, and you'd be home free!



Instead, she expected money to just show up at her doorstep. Which is strange, because money doesn't tend to do that....

"Frequent original content (often pirated the day I post it,) increased my traffic, not pirate "advertising." Pirates draw traffic from my site, and cost me millions of hits annually, which cuts my advertising revenue."

Again, in the first sentence she gets it! Keep creating and releasing! If your goal is to draw readers to YOUR site, one way to do that is to ALWAYS have the most up to date offerings of your creative work, and you do that by continuing to create. And pirate SITES don't draw traffic from yours, they draw traffic from the great pool of web surfers. You're both drawing against each other, and YOU have the advantage!

"Readers assume they are only nickel and diming rich corporations with their bit torrent naughtiness, but I am a middle class artist and farmer for whom a few thousand dollars a year in lost income means I can't afford health insurance."

Come on now. You're a 47 year old cartoonist/artist that's been pumping out works, both for publishing companies and some self-published, since you were 12 years old. You're a GOOD artist. There's no need to make plays on our sympathies by mentioning the other things you choose to do, like "farming". That isn't what we're talking about. That kind of transparent attempt to play the victim does not move the discussion forward. Oh, and bit torrent naughtiness is a great name for a forward-looking cyberpunk porn thriller....

"Creators and publishers can�t compete with free and the frightening reality is that even free isn�t good enough. Pirates aggregate content in ways creators and legit publishers can�t. Why go to dozens of web pages for entertainment when you can go to a pirate and get everything you want? There�s no connection to creators as human beings who work hard and make money from that work, and who need income from past work to finance future work."

Sigh. Can't compete with free? Then you can't compete period. Because if all you have to offer is what others can manage to offer for free, then you don't actually have anything to offer to start with. Thing is, you DO have something to offer... you just don't seem to want to offer it. Oh, and that last part, about there being no connection between fans and creators? That's YOUR job, not the fans'. You have to make that connection. We're not mindless moths, fluttering about the heat of your light, desperate to slam our bodies against the fixture. You connect with us, since you're doing the selling, not the other way around....



Case in point? Just a few weeks ago, Techdirt had a couple of posts about someone in the IDENTICAL position to you. Comic artist Steve Lieber. Just like you, he had his works "pirated" on these sites. What did he do? He went and engaged with them and realized they were some of his biggest fans and saw his sales jump by a MASSIVE amount.



And that proves the point, doesn't it? It's not the people copying who are the problem. If you actually worked at engaging with the audience and giving them a reason to buy, they will.

"Everyone gets paid -- manufacturers of computers, iPads, electricity, bandwidth -- everyone except the creators of content."

Ah, so no content creators are getting paid? Funny, there seems to be an awful lot of stuff out there -- including those in the same position as you. Oh, and the internet isn't NEW anymore, okay? And it has yet to create a barren wasteland devoid of downloadable content. With all the evil piraters out there, how could that be?

"It costs big bucks to finance these pirate sites. Major advertisers and open source ad providers like Google pay them."

Google bad? Then why does it feel so good? I assume, since Google is evil, that you have gone directly to your robots.txt and made sure you aren't indexed? Also, it's not Google who's "paying them," which sounds like Google has them on the payroll. They're putting ads on their sites and competing. You can do that too -- and, if you engage with your fans, they'll focus on going to where you want them to go.



The best part is the tagline at the end of the story:

"Colleen Doran is a cartoonist and illustrator with more than 500 credits for companies as diverse as Lucasfilm, Disney, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Random House, Houghton Mifflin, Harper Collins, and Image Comics. Her work includes illustrations for Captain America, Sandman, Wonder Woman, Amazing Spider-man and many others."

Again, Colleen, you're just so far ahead of the game here that it almost feels strange to see what you've written. That's quite a list of paid work, some which I imagine you could build upon to solidify your reputation and garner even more paid work. Through your own talent and hard work, you're set up to really be able to work with new media and emerging business models. Why not really dig down and embrace them?

148 Comments | Leave a Comment..

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Google&#39;s New Smartphone is Not the Big <b>News</b> (GOOG, BBY, AAPL, RIMM <b>...</b>

It's probably an overstatement to say that we have now gotten our first look at the long-awaited Nexus S smartphone from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). The new phone, introduced a mobile device conference in San Francisco, uses version 2.3 ...

Carnahan Camp To Fox <b>News</b>: Why Single Us Out? | TPMMuckraker

Lawyers for former Senate Candidate Robin Carnahan are arguing that the Fox News network is singling the Missouri Democrat out in its lawsuit alleging her campaign violated the network's copyrights.

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

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Google&#39;s New Smartphone is Not the Big <b>News</b> (GOOG, BBY, AAPL, RIMM <b>...</b>

It's probably an overstatement to say that we have now gotten our first look at the long-awaited Nexus S smartphone from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). The new phone, introduced a mobile device conference in San Francisco, uses version 2.3 ...

Carnahan Camp To Fox <b>News</b>: Why Single Us Out? | TPMMuckraker

Lawyers for former Senate Candidate Robin Carnahan are arguing that the Fox News network is singling the Missouri Democrat out in its lawsuit alleging her campaign violated the network's copyrights.

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

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Google&#39;s New Smartphone is Not the Big <b>News</b> (GOOG, BBY, AAPL, RIMM <b>...</b>

It's probably an overstatement to say that we have now gotten our first look at the long-awaited Nexus S smartphone from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). The new phone, introduced a mobile device conference in San Francisco, uses version 2.3 ...

Carnahan Camp To Fox <b>News</b>: Why Single Us Out? | TPMMuckraker

Lawyers for former Senate Candidate Robin Carnahan are arguing that the Fox News network is singling the Missouri Democrat out in its lawsuit alleging her campaign violated the network's copyrights.

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

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Google&#39;s New Smartphone is Not the Big <b>News</b> (GOOG, BBY, AAPL, RIMM <b>...</b>

It's probably an overstatement to say that we have now gotten our first look at the long-awaited Nexus S smartphone from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). The new phone, introduced a mobile device conference in San Francisco, uses version 2.3 ...

Carnahan Camp To Fox <b>News</b>: Why Single Us Out? | TPMMuckraker

Lawyers for former Senate Candidate Robin Carnahan are arguing that the Fox News network is singling the Missouri Democrat out in its lawsuit alleging her campaign violated the network's copyrights.

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

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Google&#39;s New Smartphone is Not the Big <b>News</b> (GOOG, BBY, AAPL, RIMM <b>...</b>

It's probably an overstatement to say that we have now gotten our first look at the long-awaited Nexus S smartphone from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). The new phone, introduced a mobile device conference in San Francisco, uses version 2.3 ...

Carnahan Camp To Fox <b>News</b>: Why Single Us Out? | TPMMuckraker

Lawyers for former Senate Candidate Robin Carnahan are arguing that the Fox News network is singling the Missouri Democrat out in its lawsuit alleging her campaign violated the network's copyrights.

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

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Google&#39;s New Smartphone is Not the Big <b>News</b> (GOOG, BBY, AAPL, RIMM <b>...</b>

It's probably an overstatement to say that we have now gotten our first look at the long-awaited Nexus S smartphone from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). The new phone, introduced a mobile device conference in San Francisco, uses version 2.3 ...

Carnahan Camp To Fox <b>News</b>: Why Single Us Out? | TPMMuckraker

Lawyers for former Senate Candidate Robin Carnahan are arguing that the Fox News network is singling the Missouri Democrat out in its lawsuit alleging her campaign violated the network's copyrights.

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

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What recession? Members of Congress collectively made 16 percent more money in 2009 than 2008. And this week's PolitiQuizz asks you to delve into the personal finances of the nation's lawmakers.

According to a new study by the Center for Responsive Politics, 261 federal lawmakers are millionaires, and members of Congress are making their money on everything from real estate to entertainment to financial investments. So, we want to know�

Who is the single wealthiest member of Congress, and how much is he or she worth?

The first person to leave the correct answers in this blog post's comments section will win a free copy of The Blue Pages: Second Edition, the new money-in-politics book for which the Center for Responsive Politics provides data and analysis.

Answers will be accepted until 5 p.m. Friday. Results will be posted as part of next Monday's PolitiQuizz. (Make sure to provide your e-mail address so we may contact you if you win!)

In last week's PolitiQuizz, we asked you to track down the biggest of big-spending political action committees this election cycle. We asked:

Which PAC contributed the most to political candidates during the 2010 election cycle?

From major players like AT&T and Democratic heavyweight ActBlue to Tea Party-funder Koch Industries, there was no shortage of reader suggestions. However, one PAC out-spent them all.

The answer is� Honeywell International.

Manufacturing titan Honeywell International's PAC doled out about $3.5 million in campaign contributions during the 2010 election cycle, while giving 55 percent of their funds to Democrats, according to the Center's analysis of federal filings. The company edged out PACs for AT&T, which gave $2.7 million, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which donated $2.6 million.

Congrats, Keith Orchard -- you're this week's winner! Since you were the first to guess the correct answer, you will receive a free copy of The Blue Pages: Second Edition. To everyone else, better luck next time!

Don't Blame 'Piracy' For Your Own Failures To Engage

from the Swing-And-A-Miss dept

I kind of don't know where to begin with this blog post from comic artist Colleen Doran at The Hill -- the place where "law makers blog" -- about how awful "piracy" is? Anyway, she seems extremely angry, mixing in vitriolic and pedantic scorn with flashes that she actually understands what's happening... and then ignores it for more scorn. It's really kind of weird. For instance, a few quotes from the article:

"For more than 20 years, I've written and drawn comics for a variety of major publishers: Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image and Disney. Like many artists, I've seen my sales figures chipped away as the print market shrinks due, in no small part, to rampant online piracy."

No evidence to back that up, of course. Just a statement of fact, that isn't a fact. Oh well....

"I made my comic series, A Distant Soil, available as a free webcomic less than two years ago. Despite assurances that the many sites pirating my work were doing me a favor with their �free advertising� I never saw a single incoming link from them, saw no increase in traffic, and made virtually no money."

Hold on, let me get this straight. You offered it for free, the "pirate" sites offered it for free... and you STILL lost traffic to those sites? Methinks perhaps that if you, the creator of the comic, can't differentiate yourself from filesharing sites that offer fans no connection with you, no insight into the work, no expertise in the offering, and no personal involvement with the creator, then that is YOUR problem, not the "pirates." For God's sake, people want your stuff! And you were smart enough to price the content the same as the unauthorized places! All you had left to do was offer them something the pirate sites couldn't, and you'd be home free!



Instead, she expected money to just show up at her doorstep. Which is strange, because money doesn't tend to do that....

"Frequent original content (often pirated the day I post it,) increased my traffic, not pirate "advertising." Pirates draw traffic from my site, and cost me millions of hits annually, which cuts my advertising revenue."

Again, in the first sentence she gets it! Keep creating and releasing! If your goal is to draw readers to YOUR site, one way to do that is to ALWAYS have the most up to date offerings of your creative work, and you do that by continuing to create. And pirate SITES don't draw traffic from yours, they draw traffic from the great pool of web surfers. You're both drawing against each other, and YOU have the advantage!

"Readers assume they are only nickel and diming rich corporations with their bit torrent naughtiness, but I am a middle class artist and farmer for whom a few thousand dollars a year in lost income means I can't afford health insurance."

Come on now. You're a 47 year old cartoonist/artist that's been pumping out works, both for publishing companies and some self-published, since you were 12 years old. You're a GOOD artist. There's no need to make plays on our sympathies by mentioning the other things you choose to do, like "farming". That isn't what we're talking about. That kind of transparent attempt to play the victim does not move the discussion forward. Oh, and bit torrent naughtiness is a great name for a forward-looking cyberpunk porn thriller....

"Creators and publishers can�t compete with free and the frightening reality is that even free isn�t good enough. Pirates aggregate content in ways creators and legit publishers can�t. Why go to dozens of web pages for entertainment when you can go to a pirate and get everything you want? There�s no connection to creators as human beings who work hard and make money from that work, and who need income from past work to finance future work."

Sigh. Can't compete with free? Then you can't compete period. Because if all you have to offer is what others can manage to offer for free, then you don't actually have anything to offer to start with. Thing is, you DO have something to offer... you just don't seem to want to offer it. Oh, and that last part, about there being no connection between fans and creators? That's YOUR job, not the fans'. You have to make that connection. We're not mindless moths, fluttering about the heat of your light, desperate to slam our bodies against the fixture. You connect with us, since you're doing the selling, not the other way around....



Case in point? Just a few weeks ago, Techdirt had a couple of posts about someone in the IDENTICAL position to you. Comic artist Steve Lieber. Just like you, he had his works "pirated" on these sites. What did he do? He went and engaged with them and realized they were some of his biggest fans and saw his sales jump by a MASSIVE amount.



And that proves the point, doesn't it? It's not the people copying who are the problem. If you actually worked at engaging with the audience and giving them a reason to buy, they will.

"Everyone gets paid -- manufacturers of computers, iPads, electricity, bandwidth -- everyone except the creators of content."

Ah, so no content creators are getting paid? Funny, there seems to be an awful lot of stuff out there -- including those in the same position as you. Oh, and the internet isn't NEW anymore, okay? And it has yet to create a barren wasteland devoid of downloadable content. With all the evil piraters out there, how could that be?

"It costs big bucks to finance these pirate sites. Major advertisers and open source ad providers like Google pay them."

Google bad? Then why does it feel so good? I assume, since Google is evil, that you have gone directly to your robots.txt and made sure you aren't indexed? Also, it's not Google who's "paying them," which sounds like Google has them on the payroll. They're putting ads on their sites and competing. You can do that too -- and, if you engage with your fans, they'll focus on going to where you want them to go.



The best part is the tagline at the end of the story:

"Colleen Doran is a cartoonist and illustrator with more than 500 credits for companies as diverse as Lucasfilm, Disney, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Random House, Houghton Mifflin, Harper Collins, and Image Comics. Her work includes illustrations for Captain America, Sandman, Wonder Woman, Amazing Spider-man and many others."

Again, Colleen, you're just so far ahead of the game here that it almost feels strange to see what you've written. That's quite a list of paid work, some which I imagine you could build upon to solidify your reputation and garner even more paid work. Through your own talent and hard work, you're set up to really be able to work with new media and emerging business models. Why not really dig down and embrace them?

148 Comments | Leave a Comment..

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Google&#39;s New Smartphone is Not the Big <b>News</b> (GOOG, BBY, AAPL, RIMM <b>...</b>

It's probably an overstatement to say that we have now gotten our first look at the long-awaited Nexus S smartphone from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). The new phone, introduced a mobile device conference in San Francisco, uses version 2.3 ...

Carnahan Camp To Fox <b>News</b>: Why Single Us Out? | TPMMuckraker

Lawyers for former Senate Candidate Robin Carnahan are arguing that the Fox News network is singling the Missouri Democrat out in its lawsuit alleging her campaign violated the network's copyrights.

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

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Google&#39;s New Smartphone is Not the Big <b>News</b> (GOOG, BBY, AAPL, RIMM <b>...</b>

It's probably an overstatement to say that we have now gotten our first look at the long-awaited Nexus S smartphone from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). The new phone, introduced a mobile device conference in San Francisco, uses version 2.3 ...

Carnahan Camp To Fox <b>News</b>: Why Single Us Out? | TPMMuckraker

Lawyers for former Senate Candidate Robin Carnahan are arguing that the Fox News network is singling the Missouri Democrat out in its lawsuit alleging her campaign violated the network's copyrights.

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

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Google&#39;s New Smartphone is Not the Big <b>News</b> (GOOG, BBY, AAPL, RIMM <b>...</b>

It's probably an overstatement to say that we have now gotten our first look at the long-awaited Nexus S smartphone from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). The new phone, introduced a mobile device conference in San Francisco, uses version 2.3 ...

Carnahan Camp To Fox <b>News</b>: Why Single Us Out? | TPMMuckraker

Lawyers for former Senate Candidate Robin Carnahan are arguing that the Fox News network is singling the Missouri Democrat out in its lawsuit alleging her campaign violated the network's copyrights.

Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

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Making Money Ideas

Once again, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and the Obama administration are attempting to negate the United States Constitution and the will of the American people in a cynical attempt to satisfy yet another of their multiple special interest groups.  If they can get their lame (soon-to-be-dead) ducks in a row, they would saddle the country with the so-called DREAM (Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors) Act before the Congressional term ends and sanity can be restored.  Simply stated, the DREAM Act, which was introduced first in 2001, provides a path to citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.  This would be done either by qualifying for and completing a term of military service, or acquiring a degree or completing at least two years toward a bachelor's degree within a six-year period.  Like most liberal ideas, the DREAM Act is not what it appears to be and leaves open numerous avenues for waste, fraud, and government expansion at the expense of the American taxpayer.

President Obama is meeting with the Republican congressional leadership today, but it's hard to imagine much progress being made at the powwow: Obama has already embraced the federal-pay freeze that the GOP was hoping to pass, congressional Democrats are not particularly close to consensus on the Bush tax cuts, and the air is thick with bad feeling after Republicans previously delayed the sit-down for "scheduling reasons." Someone in that room is going to have to be pretty charming to break through all that. I'm looking at you, Pete "Party Time" Rouse.

Perhaps more consequential at the moment are the Democrats' intra-party negotiations over the Bush tax cuts. House leadership is still looking to hold a standalone vote on the tax cuts for income under $250,000. But some in the Senate -- including Chuck Schumer, Bob Menendez, and Claire McCaskill -- are pushing a compromise that would extend $400 billion of the $700 billion in tax cuts for income above $250,000 by extending them for everyone making less than $1,000,000. So those struggling members of the middle class making between $250,001 and $999,999 will get their tax cuts, too, and Democrats will have extended about $3.6 trillion of the $4 trillion in Bush tax cuts, or 90 percent of the total.

If that's the ultimate agreement we see on the Bush tax cuts, it'll be worth taking a moment to appreciate how far Democrats have backslid on this issue since BIll Clinton. Clinton, of course, raised taxes in the face of large deficits. The Obama campaign, by contrast, swore not to raise taxes on any family making less than $250,000, and Democrats might now effectively raise that to $1,000,000. In setting up the expectation that taxes can't go up for anyone but millionaires, Democrats take most of them off the table. And given that Republicans have no interest in taxes, either, that basically removes them as a tool of fiscal policy going forward.

Top Stories

A group of Democratic Senators are calling on Obama to extend the Bush tax cuts for all income below $1,000,000, reports Lori Montgomery: "Over the past few days, a growing number of lawmakers has publicly embraced the idea of extending expiring tax cuts for families making as much as $1 million a year. They include newly elected Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who argued on 'Fox News Sunday' that 'we should draw the line in the sand for millionaires.' The idea's chief proponent, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), said that raising the income threshold from $250,000, as Obama has proposed, has the potential to unite fractious Democrats behind a single strategy on the tax cuts, which are set to expire Dec. 31 unless Congress acts."

The $1 million earner tax cut compromise would add $400 billion to the deficit, writes Jonathan Cohn: "When this idea first surfaced a few weeks ago, I put that question to researchers at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Using very rough, preliminary numbers, they concluded that the ten-year cost of extending tax cuts for incomes below $250,000 was $3.2 trillion and that the cost of extending cuts for incomes less than $1 million was $3.6 trillion. In other words, the higher threshold would cost an additional $400 billion over ten years. That's a lot of money, particularly at a time when, in theory, we're trying to come up with ways of improving the government's long-term finances."

Obama has proposed a two-year pay freeze for federal workers, report Lisa Rein and Perry Bacon: "The freeze, which must be approved by Congress, would be the first two-year halt to federal raises in modern history. With health insurance premiums for civil servants set to jump 7.2 percent on average next year and a federal transit subsidy to be cut by half Dec. 31, the plan will amount to a pay cut for many workers. But the freeze is a largely symbolic move to address a federal deficit that will top $1 trillion next year. It is estimated to save just $2 billion over the next year...The last freeze to federal pay came in 1986, and it was for one year. President Bill Clinton proposed skipping the 1994 raise but was rebuffed by Congress."

Is Obama getting out in front of worse cuts to the federal work force? Or just negotiating with himself? http://wapo.st/hDZ90E

House Republicans praised Obama's pay freeze while liberal groups attacked it: http://bit.ly/hAeOes

The Senate will vote on food safety legislation today, reports Lyndsey Layton: "The Senate is expected to vote Tuesday on legislation that would revamp food safety, give significant new authority to the Food and Drug Administration and place new responsibilities on farmers and processors to keep food free from contamination. The Senate began debate on the measure Monday. A version of the bill easily passed in the House more than a year ago but has languished in the Senate. Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) is pushing to get the bill passed before the lame-duck session ends in December. House leaders have indicated that the House would accept the Senate version, avoiding the need to reconcile the bills."

Got tips, additions, or comments? E-mail me.

Want Wonkbook delivered to your inbox or mobile device? Subscribe!

Mashup interlude: Destiny's Child's "Independent Woman, Part I" vs. Fugazi's "Waiting Room".

Still to come: The House is still planning a tax cut vote this week; the Senate failed to change a provision of health care reform affecting small businesses; the Supreme Court will rule on the constitutionality of public campaign financing; climate negotiations are considering emissions other than carbon dioxide; and a motion sensor that lets you play Super Mario Bros. just by walking.

Economy

The House will likely still vote on extending some of the Bush tax cuts this week, reports Brian Beutler: "House Democrats are likely to hold a vote later this week on a tax plan that would allow the Bush tax cuts for high-income earners to expire at the end of the year, according to multiple aides...Through last week's congressional recess, neither House nor Senate Dem leaders had the votes to pass a plan like this, and leaders in both chambers were signaling pretty clearly that the coming vote will be both a symbolic political statement about GOP priorities, and a starting point for a negotiated compromise with Republicans and conservative members of their own party."

The Club for Growth has started intervening in committee chairmanship races, reports Simmi Aujla: "Another conservative group is jumping into committee chairmen races, backing Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) for chair of the Appropriations panel. The Club for Growth endorsed Kingston on Monday, backing him over appropriations veterans Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) and Hal Rogers (R-Ky.). Rogers’ said last week he would work more closely with Club for Growth and other conservative groups to look for places to cut spending. The announcement comes the day before Kingston, Lewis and Rogers will pitch themselves to the steering committee."

The White House is considering a new think tank report on corporate tax reform, reports James Politi: "The Hamilton Project and Center for American Progress (Cap) will argue US companies should no longer be taxed on foreign earnings. At the same time, however, they would no longer be able to take tax deductions on the costs of doing business overseas and interest payments on money borrowed from banks located outside the US...The proposal, which is being examined by White House officials, seeks to marry two seemingly conflicting aims of corporate tax reform: to encourage investment in the US and discourage 'offshoring', while bolstering the competitiveness of US companies with large international operations."

Gaming interlude: A motion sensor that lets you move Mario in Super Mario Bros. by moving in real life.

Health Care

The Senate failed to pass a fix to health care reform's small business tax provision, reports Carl Hulse: "The Senate on Monday failed to repeal an unpopular element of the health care overhaul even though Democrats and Republicans agreed it needed to be jettisoned to prevent businesses from being saddled with undue tax paperwork. Caught in a partisan dispute over how to proceed with eliminating new tax reporting rules, the Senate twice was unable to reach an agreed-upon threshold of 67 votes to eliminate a provision that critics have seized on to illustrate the failings of the health care legislation championed by Democrats."

Congress has passed a doc fix lasting until the January 1: http://on.wsj.com/eA07Th

Health care reform's cuts to Medicare Advantage are being implemented without controversy, reports Amy Goldstein: "One of the most significant savings envisioned in the new health- care law - limiting payments to the private health plans that cover 11 million older Americans under Medicare - is, so far, bringing little of the turbulence that the insurance industry and many Republicans predicted. The law, which sets in motion the broadest changes to the U.S. health-care system in decades, will hold down the amount of money the government gives to Medicare Advantage plans, which are available to patients who prefer a managed-care version of the program. The savings is forecast to amount to $145 billion by the end of the decade."

Medicaid' long term care coverage is in need of reform, writes Howard Gleckman: http://bit.ly/eMakJA

The Senate is expanding an investigation of minimal health insurance plans, reports Janet Adamy: "What started as a probe into McDonald's Corp.'s insurance plan for store workers is expanding into broad scrutiny of 'mini-med' policies that could ensnare large mini-med carriers including Aetna Inc. and Cigna Corp...In a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, Senate Democrats plan to detail how restaurants, pet-store outlets and hair salons are offering workers health-insurance policies with low caps on annual benefit payouts that leave workers footing the bill for care, according to the Senate aide."

Domestic Policy

The Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of public financing of campaigns, reports Robert Barnes: "The Supreme Court will again review government efforts to regulate campaign spending, agreeing to consider an Arizona law that distributes subsidies to publicly funded candidates who face big-spending opponents. The decision was not a surprise, as justices in June had blocked a portion of the state's 12-year-old Clean Elections program, which authorizes public money for state candidates who bypass most private fundraising. The court stopped the state from providing 'matching funds' to those candidates, which become available when political opponents or outside groups spend in excess of state limits."

Michael Bloomberg's pick to run NYC schools has been approved: http://on.wsj.com/gPJYSO

Rep. Luis Gutierrez has positioned himself as immigrants' top advocate in Congress, writes Arian Campo-Flores: "Gutierrez, 56, is the most passionate, tireless, and nettlesome voice in Congress on immigration matters. He’s a constant presence at rallies and on TV, defending the undocumented and railing against xenophobia. It’s no surprise that a recent Pew Hispanic Center survey ranked him the second-most-important Latino leader in the country, after Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor...While many admire his tenacity and credit him with keeping immigration reform alive, others, including members of the Obama administration, believe his confrontational style can be counterproductive."

The administration's college graduation plan can be made bipartisan, writes Tom Kean: http://politi.co/foPXBg

Sisyphean struggle interlude: A car tries and fails to stay in a driveway.

Energy

The Cancun climate conference is focusing on reducing non-CO2 emissions, reports Juliet Eilperin: "Many policymakers and business leaders have come to see the most basic method of slowing global warming- cutting carbon dioxide emissions through a binding treaty - as elusive for now. They are turning their attention instead toward a more achievable goal: curbing other greenhouse gases that are warming the planet. As the annual meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change kicked off Monday in Cancun, Mexico, with the aim of laying the groundwork for a future pact, many experts focused on more immediate cuts in industrial chemicals, soot and methane, all of which contribute to short-term warming."

Three Obama administration officials will attend the Cancun conference, reports Darren Samuelsohn: "Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chairman Nancy Sutley will be going to the Mexico summit as the U.N.-led talks draw to their close, according to a State Department spokesman. The three Obama administration officials are expected to be in Mexico for one day each, appearing at events underscoring their department’s work, the spokesman said. For Chu, that means low-carbon energy technologies. Vilsack will cover efforts to reduce greenhouse gasses via avoided deforestation. And Sutley is scheduled to discuss adaptation."

Energy secretary Steven Chu has launched a defense of federal energy research spending: http://bit.ly/fehP9Q

The EPA is increasing the required amount of ethanol in the gasoline supply, report Robin Bravender and Darren Samuelsohn: "Responding to a congressional mandate, the Environmental Protection Agency will require that 13.95 billion gallons of transportation fuel comes from renewable sources in 2011, or about 8 percent of domestic gasoline and diesel supplies...EPA is facing a congressional requirement to raise the volume of renewable fuel each year with the aim of reaching 36 billion gallons in 2022. Meanwhile, Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Monday said that the future of transportation fuels shouldn't involve ethanol, the gasoline additive that historically has received billions of dollars in federal subsidies."

Closing credits: Wonkbook is compiled and produced with help from Dylan Matthews, Mike Shepard, and Michelle Williams. Photo credit: White House.

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Consumer Reports: AT&amp;T ranked last among U.S. carriers | iLounge <b>News</b>

iLounge news discussing the Consumer Reports: AT&T ranked last among US carriers. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

Movie <b>News</b> Quick Hits: Emma Stone&#39;s &#39;Spider-Man&#39; Look, Annie Nods <b>...</b>

Posted Dec 6th 2010 3:05PM. Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Movie News, Sundance Film Festival, Cinematical. Email This. -- Emma Stone debuted her Spider-Man look for the first time at Trevor Live in Hollywood over the weekend. ...

Exclusive: Gen. Petraeus Not &#39;Sure&#39; Victory in Afghanistan by 2014 <b>...</b>

In my exclusive interview with General David Petraeus he was encouraged by the progress made since President Obama's surge of forces into Afghanistan, but is he confident that the Afghan army can take the lead from US forces by NATO's.

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Consumer Reports: AT&amp;T ranked last among U.S. carriers | iLounge <b>News</b>

iLounge news discussing the Consumer Reports: AT&T ranked last among US carriers. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

Movie <b>News</b> Quick Hits: Emma Stone&#39;s &#39;Spider-Man&#39; Look, Annie Nods <b>...</b>

Posted Dec 6th 2010 3:05PM. Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Movie News, Sundance Film Festival, Cinematical. Email This. -- Emma Stone debuted her Spider-Man look for the first time at Trevor Live in Hollywood over the weekend. ...

Exclusive: Gen. Petraeus Not &#39;Sure&#39; Victory in Afghanistan by 2014 <b>...</b>

In my exclusive interview with General David Petraeus he was encouraged by the progress made since President Obama's surge of forces into Afghanistan, but is he confident that the Afghan army can take the lead from US forces by NATO's.

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Consumer Reports: AT&amp;T ranked last among U.S. carriers | iLounge <b>News</b>

iLounge news discussing the Consumer Reports: AT&T ranked last among US carriers. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

Movie <b>News</b> Quick Hits: Emma Stone&#39;s &#39;Spider-Man&#39; Look, Annie Nods <b>...</b>

Posted Dec 6th 2010 3:05PM. Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Movie News, Sundance Film Festival, Cinematical. Email This. -- Emma Stone debuted her Spider-Man look for the first time at Trevor Live in Hollywood over the weekend. ...

Exclusive: Gen. Petraeus Not &#39;Sure&#39; Victory in Afghanistan by 2014 <b>...</b>

In my exclusive interview with General David Petraeus he was encouraged by the progress made since President Obama's surge of forces into Afghanistan, but is he confident that the Afghan army can take the lead from US forces by NATO's.

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Consumer Reports: AT &amp; T ocupó el último lugar entre las compañías aéreas EE.UU. | iLounge <b> Noticias </ b> de noticias iLounge discutir de Consumer Reports: AT & T ocupó el último lugar entre las compañías aéreas EE.UU.. Buscar más noticias de los principales iPhone iPod independiente, el iPhone, y el sitio de IPAD.

<b> Película Noticias </ b> Quick Hits: &#39; &#39; s Emma Stone Spider-Man Mira &#39;, Annie Asiente <b> ...</ b> Publicado el 06 de diciembre 2010 15:05. Filed under: Trailers y clips, películas Noticias, Festival de Cine Sundance, Cinematical. Este correo electrónico. - Emma Stone estrenó su look de Spider-Man por primera vez a Trevor vivo en Hollywood el fin de semana. ...

Exclusiva: el general Petraeus no &#39; &#39; Claro victoria en Afganistán en 2014 <b> ...</ b> En mi entrevista exclusiva con el general David Petraeus se sentía alentado por los progresos realizados desde el aumento del Presidente Obama de las fuerzas en Afganistán, pero que confía en que el ejército afgano puede asumir el liderazgo de las fuerzas de EE.UU. en la OTAN.


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Consumer Reports: AT&amp;T ranked last among U.S. carriers | iLounge <b>News</b>

iLounge news discussing the Consumer Reports: AT&T ranked last among US carriers. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

Movie <b>News</b> Quick Hits: Emma Stone&#39;s &#39;Spider-Man&#39; Look, Annie Nods <b>...</b>

Posted Dec 6th 2010 3:05PM. Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Movie News, Sundance Film Festival, Cinematical. Email This. -- Emma Stone debuted her Spider-Man look for the first time at Trevor Live in Hollywood over the weekend. ...

Exclusive: Gen. Petraeus Not &#39;Sure&#39; Victory in Afghanistan by 2014 <b>...</b>

In my exclusive interview with General David Petraeus he was encouraged by the progress made since President Obama's surge of forces into Afghanistan, but is he confident that the Afghan army can take the lead from US forces by NATO's.

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Once again, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and the Obama administration are attempting to negate the United States Constitution and the will of the American people in a cynical attempt to satisfy yet another of their multiple special interest groups.  If they can get their lame (soon-to-be-dead) ducks in a row, they would saddle the country with the so-called DREAM (Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors) Act before the Congressional term ends and sanity can be restored.  Simply stated, the DREAM Act, which was introduced first in 2001, provides a path to citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.  This would be done either by qualifying for and completing a term of military service, or acquiring a degree or completing at least two years toward a bachelor's degree within a six-year period.  Like most liberal ideas, the DREAM Act is not what it appears to be and leaves open numerous avenues for waste, fraud, and government expansion at the expense of the American taxpayer.

President Obama is meeting with the Republican congressional leadership today, but it's hard to imagine much progress being made at the powwow: Obama has already embraced the federal-pay freeze that the GOP was hoping to pass, congressional Democrats are not particularly close to consensus on the Bush tax cuts, and the air is thick with bad feeling after Republicans previously delayed the sit-down for "scheduling reasons." Someone in that room is going to have to be pretty charming to break through all that. I'm looking at you, Pete "Party Time" Rouse.

Perhaps more consequential at the moment are the Democrats' intra-party negotiations over the Bush tax cuts. House leadership is still looking to hold a standalone vote on the tax cuts for income under $250,000. But some in the Senate -- including Chuck Schumer, Bob Menendez, and Claire McCaskill -- are pushing a compromise that would extend $400 billion of the $700 billion in tax cuts for income above $250,000 by extending them for everyone making less than $1,000,000. So those struggling members of the middle class making between $250,001 and $999,999 will get their tax cuts, too, and Democrats will have extended about $3.6 trillion of the $4 trillion in Bush tax cuts, or 90 percent of the total.

If that's the ultimate agreement we see on the Bush tax cuts, it'll be worth taking a moment to appreciate how far Democrats have backslid on this issue since BIll Clinton. Clinton, of course, raised taxes in the face of large deficits. The Obama campaign, by contrast, swore not to raise taxes on any family making less than $250,000, and Democrats might now effectively raise that to $1,000,000. In setting up the expectation that taxes can't go up for anyone but millionaires, Democrats take most of them off the table. And given that Republicans have no interest in taxes, either, that basically removes them as a tool of fiscal policy going forward.

Top Stories

A group of Democratic Senators are calling on Obama to extend the Bush tax cuts for all income below $1,000,000, reports Lori Montgomery: "Over the past few days, a growing number of lawmakers has publicly embraced the idea of extending expiring tax cuts for families making as much as $1 million a year. They include newly elected Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who argued on 'Fox News Sunday' that 'we should draw the line in the sand for millionaires.' The idea's chief proponent, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), said that raising the income threshold from $250,000, as Obama has proposed, has the potential to unite fractious Democrats behind a single strategy on the tax cuts, which are set to expire Dec. 31 unless Congress acts."

The $1 million earner tax cut compromise would add $400 billion to the deficit, writes Jonathan Cohn: "When this idea first surfaced a few weeks ago, I put that question to researchers at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Using very rough, preliminary numbers, they concluded that the ten-year cost of extending tax cuts for incomes below $250,000 was $3.2 trillion and that the cost of extending cuts for incomes less than $1 million was $3.6 trillion. In other words, the higher threshold would cost an additional $400 billion over ten years. That's a lot of money, particularly at a time when, in theory, we're trying to come up with ways of improving the government's long-term finances."

Obama has proposed a two-year pay freeze for federal workers, report Lisa Rein and Perry Bacon: "The freeze, which must be approved by Congress, would be the first two-year halt to federal raises in modern history. With health insurance premiums for civil servants set to jump 7.2 percent on average next year and a federal transit subsidy to be cut by half Dec. 31, the plan will amount to a pay cut for many workers. But the freeze is a largely symbolic move to address a federal deficit that will top $1 trillion next year. It is estimated to save just $2 billion over the next year...The last freeze to federal pay came in 1986, and it was for one year. President Bill Clinton proposed skipping the 1994 raise but was rebuffed by Congress."

Is Obama getting out in front of worse cuts to the federal work force? Or just negotiating with himself? http://wapo.st/hDZ90E

House Republicans praised Obama's pay freeze while liberal groups attacked it: http://bit.ly/hAeOes

The Senate will vote on food safety legislation today, reports Lyndsey Layton: "The Senate is expected to vote Tuesday on legislation that would revamp food safety, give significant new authority to the Food and Drug Administration and place new responsibilities on farmers and processors to keep food free from contamination. The Senate began debate on the measure Monday. A version of the bill easily passed in the House more than a year ago but has languished in the Senate. Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) is pushing to get the bill passed before the lame-duck session ends in December. House leaders have indicated that the House would accept the Senate version, avoiding the need to reconcile the bills."

Got tips, additions, or comments? E-mail me.

Want Wonkbook delivered to your inbox or mobile device? Subscribe!

Mashup interlude: Destiny's Child's "Independent Woman, Part I" vs. Fugazi's "Waiting Room".

Still to come: The House is still planning a tax cut vote this week; the Senate failed to change a provision of health care reform affecting small businesses; the Supreme Court will rule on the constitutionality of public campaign financing; climate negotiations are considering emissions other than carbon dioxide; and a motion sensor that lets you play Super Mario Bros. just by walking.

Economy

The House will likely still vote on extending some of the Bush tax cuts this week, reports Brian Beutler: "House Democrats are likely to hold a vote later this week on a tax plan that would allow the Bush tax cuts for high-income earners to expire at the end of the year, according to multiple aides...Through last week's congressional recess, neither House nor Senate Dem leaders had the votes to pass a plan like this, and leaders in both chambers were signaling pretty clearly that the coming vote will be both a symbolic political statement about GOP priorities, and a starting point for a negotiated compromise with Republicans and conservative members of their own party."

The Club for Growth has started intervening in committee chairmanship races, reports Simmi Aujla: "Another conservative group is jumping into committee chairmen races, backing Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) for chair of the Appropriations panel. The Club for Growth endorsed Kingston on Monday, backing him over appropriations veterans Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) and Hal Rogers (R-Ky.). Rogers’ said last week he would work more closely with Club for Growth and other conservative groups to look for places to cut spending. The announcement comes the day before Kingston, Lewis and Rogers will pitch themselves to the steering committee."

The White House is considering a new think tank report on corporate tax reform, reports James Politi: "The Hamilton Project and Center for American Progress (Cap) will argue US companies should no longer be taxed on foreign earnings. At the same time, however, they would no longer be able to take tax deductions on the costs of doing business overseas and interest payments on money borrowed from banks located outside the US...The proposal, which is being examined by White House officials, seeks to marry two seemingly conflicting aims of corporate tax reform: to encourage investment in the US and discourage 'offshoring', while bolstering the competitiveness of US companies with large international operations."

Gaming interlude: A motion sensor that lets you move Mario in Super Mario Bros. by moving in real life.

Health Care

The Senate failed to pass a fix to health care reform's small business tax provision, reports Carl Hulse: "The Senate on Monday failed to repeal an unpopular element of the health care overhaul even though Democrats and Republicans agreed it needed to be jettisoned to prevent businesses from being saddled with undue tax paperwork. Caught in a partisan dispute over how to proceed with eliminating new tax reporting rules, the Senate twice was unable to reach an agreed-upon threshold of 67 votes to eliminate a provision that critics have seized on to illustrate the failings of the health care legislation championed by Democrats."

Congress has passed a doc fix lasting until the January 1: http://on.wsj.com/eA07Th

Health care reform's cuts to Medicare Advantage are being implemented without controversy, reports Amy Goldstein: "One of the most significant savings envisioned in the new health- care law - limiting payments to the private health plans that cover 11 million older Americans under Medicare - is, so far, bringing little of the turbulence that the insurance industry and many Republicans predicted. The law, which sets in motion the broadest changes to the U.S. health-care system in decades, will hold down the amount of money the government gives to Medicare Advantage plans, which are available to patients who prefer a managed-care version of the program. The savings is forecast to amount to $145 billion by the end of the decade."

Medicaid' long term care coverage is in need of reform, writes Howard Gleckman: http://bit.ly/eMakJA

The Senate is expanding an investigation of minimal health insurance plans, reports Janet Adamy: "What started as a probe into McDonald's Corp.'s insurance plan for store workers is expanding into broad scrutiny of 'mini-med' policies that could ensnare large mini-med carriers including Aetna Inc. and Cigna Corp...In a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, Senate Democrats plan to detail how restaurants, pet-store outlets and hair salons are offering workers health-insurance policies with low caps on annual benefit payouts that leave workers footing the bill for care, according to the Senate aide."

Domestic Policy

The Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of public financing of campaigns, reports Robert Barnes: "The Supreme Court will again review government efforts to regulate campaign spending, agreeing to consider an Arizona law that distributes subsidies to publicly funded candidates who face big-spending opponents. The decision was not a surprise, as justices in June had blocked a portion of the state's 12-year-old Clean Elections program, which authorizes public money for state candidates who bypass most private fundraising. The court stopped the state from providing 'matching funds' to those candidates, which become available when political opponents or outside groups spend in excess of state limits."

Michael Bloomberg's pick to run NYC schools has been approved: http://on.wsj.com/gPJYSO

Rep. Luis Gutierrez has positioned himself as immigrants' top advocate in Congress, writes Arian Campo-Flores: "Gutierrez, 56, is the most passionate, tireless, and nettlesome voice in Congress on immigration matters. He’s a constant presence at rallies and on TV, defending the undocumented and railing against xenophobia. It’s no surprise that a recent Pew Hispanic Center survey ranked him the second-most-important Latino leader in the country, after Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor...While many admire his tenacity and credit him with keeping immigration reform alive, others, including members of the Obama administration, believe his confrontational style can be counterproductive."

The administration's college graduation plan can be made bipartisan, writes Tom Kean: http://politi.co/foPXBg

Sisyphean struggle interlude: A car tries and fails to stay in a driveway.

Energy

The Cancun climate conference is focusing on reducing non-CO2 emissions, reports Juliet Eilperin: "Many policymakers and business leaders have come to see the most basic method of slowing global warming- cutting carbon dioxide emissions through a binding treaty - as elusive for now. They are turning their attention instead toward a more achievable goal: curbing other greenhouse gases that are warming the planet. As the annual meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change kicked off Monday in Cancun, Mexico, with the aim of laying the groundwork for a future pact, many experts focused on more immediate cuts in industrial chemicals, soot and methane, all of which contribute to short-term warming."

Three Obama administration officials will attend the Cancun conference, reports Darren Samuelsohn: "Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chairman Nancy Sutley will be going to the Mexico summit as the U.N.-led talks draw to their close, according to a State Department spokesman. The three Obama administration officials are expected to be in Mexico for one day each, appearing at events underscoring their department’s work, the spokesman said. For Chu, that means low-carbon energy technologies. Vilsack will cover efforts to reduce greenhouse gasses via avoided deforestation. And Sutley is scheduled to discuss adaptation."

Energy secretary Steven Chu has launched a defense of federal energy research spending: http://bit.ly/fehP9Q

The EPA is increasing the required amount of ethanol in the gasoline supply, report Robin Bravender and Darren Samuelsohn: "Responding to a congressional mandate, the Environmental Protection Agency will require that 13.95 billion gallons of transportation fuel comes from renewable sources in 2011, or about 8 percent of domestic gasoline and diesel supplies...EPA is facing a congressional requirement to raise the volume of renewable fuel each year with the aim of reaching 36 billion gallons in 2022. Meanwhile, Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Monday said that the future of transportation fuels shouldn't involve ethanol, the gasoline additive that historically has received billions of dollars in federal subsidies."

Closing credits: Wonkbook is compiled and produced with help from Dylan Matthews, Mike Shepard, and Michelle Williams. Photo credit: White House.

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Consumer Reports: AT&amp;T ranked last among U.S. carriers | iLounge <b>News</b>

iLounge news discussing the Consumer Reports: AT&T ranked last among US carriers. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

Movie <b>News</b> Quick Hits: Emma Stone&#39;s &#39;Spider-Man&#39; Look, Annie Nods <b>...</b>

Posted Dec 6th 2010 3:05PM. Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Movie News, Sundance Film Festival, Cinematical. Email This. -- Emma Stone debuted her Spider-Man look for the first time at Trevor Live in Hollywood over the weekend. ...

Exclusive: Gen. Petraeus Not &#39;Sure&#39; Victory in Afghanistan by 2014 <b>...</b>

In my exclusive interview with General David Petraeus he was encouraged by the progress made since President Obama's surge of forces into Afghanistan, but is he confident that the Afghan army can take the lead from US forces by NATO's.

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Consumer Reports: AT&amp;T ranked last among U.S. carriers | iLounge <b>News</b>

iLounge news discussing the Consumer Reports: AT&T ranked last among US carriers. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

Movie <b>News</b> Quick Hits: Emma Stone&#39;s &#39;Spider-Man&#39; Look, Annie Nods <b>...</b>

Posted Dec 6th 2010 3:05PM. Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Movie News, Sundance Film Festival, Cinematical. Email This. -- Emma Stone debuted her Spider-Man look for the first time at Trevor Live in Hollywood over the weekend. ...

Exclusive: Gen. Petraeus Not &#39;Sure&#39; Victory in Afghanistan by 2014 <b>...</b>

In my exclusive interview with General David Petraeus he was encouraged by the progress made since President Obama's surge of forces into Afghanistan, but is he confident that the Afghan army can take the lead from US forces by NATO's.

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Consumer Reports: AT&amp;T ranked last among U.S. carriers | iLounge <b>News</b>

iLounge news discussing the Consumer Reports: AT&T ranked last among US carriers. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

Movie <b>News</b> Quick Hits: Emma Stone&#39;s &#39;Spider-Man&#39; Look, Annie Nods <b>...</b>

Posted Dec 6th 2010 3:05PM. Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Movie News, Sundance Film Festival, Cinematical. Email This. -- Emma Stone debuted her Spider-Man look for the first time at Trevor Live in Hollywood over the weekend. ...

Exclusive: Gen. Petraeus Not &#39;Sure&#39; Victory in Afghanistan by 2014 <b>...</b>

In my exclusive interview with General David Petraeus he was encouraged by the progress made since President Obama's surge of forces into Afghanistan, but is he confident that the Afghan army can take the lead from US forces by NATO's.

bench craft company rip off

Consumer Reports: AT&amp;T ranked last among U.S. carriers | iLounge <b>News</b>

iLounge news discussing the Consumer Reports: AT&T ranked last among US carriers. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

Movie <b>News</b> Quick Hits: Emma Stone&#39;s &#39;Spider-Man&#39; Look, Annie Nods <b>...</b>

Posted Dec 6th 2010 3:05PM. Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Movie News, Sundance Film Festival, Cinematical. Email This. -- Emma Stone debuted her Spider-Man look for the first time at Trevor Live in Hollywood over the weekend. ...

Exclusive: Gen. Petraeus Not &#39;Sure&#39; Victory in Afghanistan by 2014 <b>...</b>

In my exclusive interview with General David Petraeus he was encouraged by the progress made since President Obama's surge of forces into Afghanistan, but is he confident that the Afghan army can take the lead from US forces by NATO's.

bench craft company rip off

Consumer Reports: AT&amp;T ranked last among U.S. carriers | iLounge <b>News</b>

iLounge news discussing the Consumer Reports: AT&T ranked last among US carriers. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

Movie <b>News</b> Quick Hits: Emma Stone&#39;s &#39;Spider-Man&#39; Look, Annie Nods <b>...</b>

Posted Dec 6th 2010 3:05PM. Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Movie News, Sundance Film Festival, Cinematical. Email This. -- Emma Stone debuted her Spider-Man look for the first time at Trevor Live in Hollywood over the weekend. ...

Exclusive: Gen. Petraeus Not &#39;Sure&#39; Victory in Afghanistan by 2014 <b>...</b>

In my exclusive interview with General David Petraeus he was encouraged by the progress made since President Obama's surge of forces into Afghanistan, but is he confident that the Afghan army can take the lead from US forces by NATO's.

bench craft company rip off

Consumer Reports: AT&amp;T ranked last among U.S. carriers | iLounge <b>News</b>

iLounge news discussing the Consumer Reports: AT&T ranked last among US carriers. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

Movie <b>News</b> Quick Hits: Emma Stone&#39;s &#39;Spider-Man&#39; Look, Annie Nods <b>...</b>

Posted Dec 6th 2010 3:05PM. Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Movie News, Sundance Film Festival, Cinematical. Email This. -- Emma Stone debuted her Spider-Man look for the first time at Trevor Live in Hollywood over the weekend. ...

Exclusive: Gen. Petraeus Not &#39;Sure&#39; Victory in Afghanistan by 2014 <b>...</b>

In my exclusive interview with General David Petraeus he was encouraged by the progress made since President Obama's surge of forces into Afghanistan, but is he confident that the Afghan army can take the lead from US forces by NATO's.

bench craft company rip off

Once again, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and the Obama administration are attempting to negate the United States Constitution and the will of the American people in a cynical attempt to satisfy yet another of their multiple special interest groups.  If they can get their lame (soon-to-be-dead) ducks in a row, they would saddle the country with the so-called DREAM (Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors) Act before the Congressional term ends and sanity can be restored.  Simply stated, the DREAM Act, which was introduced first in 2001, provides a path to citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.  This would be done either by qualifying for and completing a term of military service, or acquiring a degree or completing at least two years toward a bachelor's degree within a six-year period.  Like most liberal ideas, the DREAM Act is not what it appears to be and leaves open numerous avenues for waste, fraud, and government expansion at the expense of the American taxpayer.

President Obama is meeting with the Republican congressional leadership today, but it's hard to imagine much progress being made at the powwow: Obama has already embraced the federal-pay freeze that the GOP was hoping to pass, congressional Democrats are not particularly close to consensus on the Bush tax cuts, and the air is thick with bad feeling after Republicans previously delayed the sit-down for "scheduling reasons." Someone in that room is going to have to be pretty charming to break through all that. I'm looking at you, Pete "Party Time" Rouse.

Perhaps more consequential at the moment are the Democrats' intra-party negotiations over the Bush tax cuts. House leadership is still looking to hold a standalone vote on the tax cuts for income under $250,000. But some in the Senate -- including Chuck Schumer, Bob Menendez, and Claire McCaskill -- are pushing a compromise that would extend $400 billion of the $700 billion in tax cuts for income above $250,000 by extending them for everyone making less than $1,000,000. So those struggling members of the middle class making between $250,001 and $999,999 will get their tax cuts, too, and Democrats will have extended about $3.6 trillion of the $4 trillion in Bush tax cuts, or 90 percent of the total.

If that's the ultimate agreement we see on the Bush tax cuts, it'll be worth taking a moment to appreciate how far Democrats have backslid on this issue since BIll Clinton. Clinton, of course, raised taxes in the face of large deficits. The Obama campaign, by contrast, swore not to raise taxes on any family making less than $250,000, and Democrats might now effectively raise that to $1,000,000. In setting up the expectation that taxes can't go up for anyone but millionaires, Democrats take most of them off the table. And given that Republicans have no interest in taxes, either, that basically removes them as a tool of fiscal policy going forward.

Top Stories

A group of Democratic Senators are calling on Obama to extend the Bush tax cuts for all income below $1,000,000, reports Lori Montgomery: "Over the past few days, a growing number of lawmakers has publicly embraced the idea of extending expiring tax cuts for families making as much as $1 million a year. They include newly elected Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who argued on 'Fox News Sunday' that 'we should draw the line in the sand for millionaires.' The idea's chief proponent, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), said that raising the income threshold from $250,000, as Obama has proposed, has the potential to unite fractious Democrats behind a single strategy on the tax cuts, which are set to expire Dec. 31 unless Congress acts."

The $1 million earner tax cut compromise would add $400 billion to the deficit, writes Jonathan Cohn: "When this idea first surfaced a few weeks ago, I put that question to researchers at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Using very rough, preliminary numbers, they concluded that the ten-year cost of extending tax cuts for incomes below $250,000 was $3.2 trillion and that the cost of extending cuts for incomes less than $1 million was $3.6 trillion. In other words, the higher threshold would cost an additional $400 billion over ten years. That's a lot of money, particularly at a time when, in theory, we're trying to come up with ways of improving the government's long-term finances."

Obama has proposed a two-year pay freeze for federal workers, report Lisa Rein and Perry Bacon: "The freeze, which must be approved by Congress, would be the first two-year halt to federal raises in modern history. With health insurance premiums for civil servants set to jump 7.2 percent on average next year and a federal transit subsidy to be cut by half Dec. 31, the plan will amount to a pay cut for many workers. But the freeze is a largely symbolic move to address a federal deficit that will top $1 trillion next year. It is estimated to save just $2 billion over the next year...The last freeze to federal pay came in 1986, and it was for one year. President Bill Clinton proposed skipping the 1994 raise but was rebuffed by Congress."

Is Obama getting out in front of worse cuts to the federal work force? Or just negotiating with himself? http://wapo.st/hDZ90E

House Republicans praised Obama's pay freeze while liberal groups attacked it: http://bit.ly/hAeOes

The Senate will vote on food safety legislation today, reports Lyndsey Layton: "The Senate is expected to vote Tuesday on legislation that would revamp food safety, give significant new authority to the Food and Drug Administration and place new responsibilities on farmers and processors to keep food free from contamination. The Senate began debate on the measure Monday. A version of the bill easily passed in the House more than a year ago but has languished in the Senate. Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) is pushing to get the bill passed before the lame-duck session ends in December. House leaders have indicated that the House would accept the Senate version, avoiding the need to reconcile the bills."

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Mashup interlude: Destiny's Child's "Independent Woman, Part I" vs. Fugazi's "Waiting Room".

Still to come: The House is still planning a tax cut vote this week; the Senate failed to change a provision of health care reform affecting small businesses; the Supreme Court will rule on the constitutionality of public campaign financing; climate negotiations are considering emissions other than carbon dioxide; and a motion sensor that lets you play Super Mario Bros. just by walking.

Economy

The House will likely still vote on extending some of the Bush tax cuts this week, reports Brian Beutler: "House Democrats are likely to hold a vote later this week on a tax plan that would allow the Bush tax cuts for high-income earners to expire at the end of the year, according to multiple aides...Through last week's congressional recess, neither House nor Senate Dem leaders had the votes to pass a plan like this, and leaders in both chambers were signaling pretty clearly that the coming vote will be both a symbolic political statement about GOP priorities, and a starting point for a negotiated compromise with Republicans and conservative members of their own party."

The Club for Growth has started intervening in committee chairmanship races, reports Simmi Aujla: "Another conservative group is jumping into committee chairmen races, backing Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) for chair of the Appropriations panel. The Club for Growth endorsed Kingston on Monday, backing him over appropriations veterans Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) and Hal Rogers (R-Ky.). Rogers’ said last week he would work more closely with Club for Growth and other conservative groups to look for places to cut spending. The announcement comes the day before Kingston, Lewis and Rogers will pitch themselves to the steering committee."

The White House is considering a new think tank report on corporate tax reform, reports James Politi: "The Hamilton Project and Center for American Progress (Cap) will argue US companies should no longer be taxed on foreign earnings. At the same time, however, they would no longer be able to take tax deductions on the costs of doing business overseas and interest payments on money borrowed from banks located outside the US...The proposal, which is being examined by White House officials, seeks to marry two seemingly conflicting aims of corporate tax reform: to encourage investment in the US and discourage 'offshoring', while bolstering the competitiveness of US companies with large international operations."

Gaming interlude: A motion sensor that lets you move Mario in Super Mario Bros. by moving in real life.

Health Care

The Senate failed to pass a fix to health care reform's small business tax provision, reports Carl Hulse: "The Senate on Monday failed to repeal an unpopular element of the health care overhaul even though Democrats and Republicans agreed it needed to be jettisoned to prevent businesses from being saddled with undue tax paperwork. Caught in a partisan dispute over how to proceed with eliminating new tax reporting rules, the Senate twice was unable to reach an agreed-upon threshold of 67 votes to eliminate a provision that critics have seized on to illustrate the failings of the health care legislation championed by Democrats."

Congress has passed a doc fix lasting until the January 1: http://on.wsj.com/eA07Th

Health care reform's cuts to Medicare Advantage are being implemented without controversy, reports Amy Goldstein: "One of the most significant savings envisioned in the new health- care law - limiting payments to the private health plans that cover 11 million older Americans under Medicare - is, so far, bringing little of the turbulence that the insurance industry and many Republicans predicted. The law, which sets in motion the broadest changes to the U.S. health-care system in decades, will hold down the amount of money the government gives to Medicare Advantage plans, which are available to patients who prefer a managed-care version of the program. The savings is forecast to amount to $145 billion by the end of the decade."

Medicaid' long term care coverage is in need of reform, writes Howard Gleckman: http://bit.ly/eMakJA

The Senate is expanding an investigation of minimal health insurance plans, reports Janet Adamy: "What started as a probe into McDonald's Corp.'s insurance plan for store workers is expanding into broad scrutiny of 'mini-med' policies that could ensnare large mini-med carriers including Aetna Inc. and Cigna Corp...In a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, Senate Democrats plan to detail how restaurants, pet-store outlets and hair salons are offering workers health-insurance policies with low caps on annual benefit payouts that leave workers footing the bill for care, according to the Senate aide."

Domestic Policy

The Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of public financing of campaigns, reports Robert Barnes: "The Supreme Court will again review government efforts to regulate campaign spending, agreeing to consider an Arizona law that distributes subsidies to publicly funded candidates who face big-spending opponents. The decision was not a surprise, as justices in June had blocked a portion of the state's 12-year-old Clean Elections program, which authorizes public money for state candidates who bypass most private fundraising. The court stopped the state from providing 'matching funds' to those candidates, which become available when political opponents or outside groups spend in excess of state limits."

Michael Bloomberg's pick to run NYC schools has been approved: http://on.wsj.com/gPJYSO

Rep. Luis Gutierrez has positioned himself as immigrants' top advocate in Congress, writes Arian Campo-Flores: "Gutierrez, 56, is the most passionate, tireless, and nettlesome voice in Congress on immigration matters. He’s a constant presence at rallies and on TV, defending the undocumented and railing against xenophobia. It’s no surprise that a recent Pew Hispanic Center survey ranked him the second-most-important Latino leader in the country, after Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor...While many admire his tenacity and credit him with keeping immigration reform alive, others, including members of the Obama administration, believe his confrontational style can be counterproductive."

The administration's college graduation plan can be made bipartisan, writes Tom Kean: http://politi.co/foPXBg

Sisyphean struggle interlude: A car tries and fails to stay in a driveway.

Energy

The Cancun climate conference is focusing on reducing non-CO2 emissions, reports Juliet Eilperin: "Many policymakers and business leaders have come to see the most basic method of slowing global warming- cutting carbon dioxide emissions through a binding treaty - as elusive for now. They are turning their attention instead toward a more achievable goal: curbing other greenhouse gases that are warming the planet. As the annual meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change kicked off Monday in Cancun, Mexico, with the aim of laying the groundwork for a future pact, many experts focused on more immediate cuts in industrial chemicals, soot and methane, all of which contribute to short-term warming."

Three Obama administration officials will attend the Cancun conference, reports Darren Samuelsohn: "Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chairman Nancy Sutley will be going to the Mexico summit as the U.N.-led talks draw to their close, according to a State Department spokesman. The three Obama administration officials are expected to be in Mexico for one day each, appearing at events underscoring their department’s work, the spokesman said. For Chu, that means low-carbon energy technologies. Vilsack will cover efforts to reduce greenhouse gasses via avoided deforestation. And Sutley is scheduled to discuss adaptation."

Energy secretary Steven Chu has launched a defense of federal energy research spending: http://bit.ly/fehP9Q

The EPA is increasing the required amount of ethanol in the gasoline supply, report Robin Bravender and Darren Samuelsohn: "Responding to a congressional mandate, the Environmental Protection Agency will require that 13.95 billion gallons of transportation fuel comes from renewable sources in 2011, or about 8 percent of domestic gasoline and diesel supplies...EPA is facing a congressional requirement to raise the volume of renewable fuel each year with the aim of reaching 36 billion gallons in 2022. Meanwhile, Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Monday said that the future of transportation fuels shouldn't involve ethanol, the gasoline additive that historically has received billions of dollars in federal subsidies."

Closing credits: Wonkbook is compiled and produced with help from Dylan Matthews, Mike Shepard, and Michelle Williams. Photo credit: White House.

bench craft company rip off

Consumer Reports: AT&amp;T ranked last among U.S. carriers | iLounge <b>News</b>

iLounge news discussing the Consumer Reports: AT&T ranked last among US carriers. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

Movie <b>News</b> Quick Hits: Emma Stone&#39;s &#39;Spider-Man&#39; Look, Annie Nods <b>...</b>

Posted Dec 6th 2010 3:05PM. Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Movie News, Sundance Film Festival, Cinematical. Email This. -- Emma Stone debuted her Spider-Man look for the first time at Trevor Live in Hollywood over the weekend. ...

Exclusive: Gen. Petraeus Not &#39;Sure&#39; Victory in Afghanistan by 2014 <b>...</b>

In my exclusive interview with General David Petraeus he was encouraged by the progress made since President Obama's surge of forces into Afghanistan, but is he confident that the Afghan army can take the lead from US forces by NATO's.

bench craft company rip off

Consumer Reports: AT&amp;T ranked last among U.S. carriers | iLounge <b>News</b>

iLounge news discussing the Consumer Reports: AT&T ranked last among US carriers. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

Movie <b>News</b> Quick Hits: Emma Stone&#39;s &#39;Spider-Man&#39; Look, Annie Nods <b>...</b>

Posted Dec 6th 2010 3:05PM. Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Movie News, Sundance Film Festival, Cinematical. Email This. -- Emma Stone debuted her Spider-Man look for the first time at Trevor Live in Hollywood over the weekend. ...

Exclusive: Gen. Petraeus Not &#39;Sure&#39; Victory in Afghanistan by 2014 <b>...</b>

In my exclusive interview with General David Petraeus he was encouraged by the progress made since President Obama's surge of forces into Afghanistan, but is he confident that the Afghan army can take the lead from US forces by NATO's.

bench craft company rip off

Consumer Reports: AT&amp;T ranked last among U.S. carriers | iLounge <b>News</b>

iLounge news discussing the Consumer Reports: AT&T ranked last among US carriers. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

Movie <b>News</b> Quick Hits: Emma Stone&#39;s &#39;Spider-Man&#39; Look, Annie Nods <b>...</b>

Posted Dec 6th 2010 3:05PM. Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Movie News, Sundance Film Festival, Cinematical. Email This. -- Emma Stone debuted her Spider-Man look for the first time at Trevor Live in Hollywood over the weekend. ...

Exclusive: Gen. Petraeus Not &#39;Sure&#39; Victory in Afghanistan by 2014 <b>...</b>

In my exclusive interview with General David Petraeus he was encouraged by the progress made since President Obama's surge of forces into Afghanistan, but is he confident that the Afghan army can take the lead from US forces by NATO's.

bench craft company rip off

Consumer Reports: AT&amp;T ranked last among U.S. carriers | iLounge <b>News</b>

iLounge news discussing the Consumer Reports: AT&T ranked last among US carriers. Find more iPhone news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

Movie <b>News</b> Quick Hits: Emma Stone&#39;s &#39;Spider-Man&#39; Look, Annie Nods <b>...</b>

Posted Dec 6th 2010 3:05PM. Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Movie News, Sundance Film Festival, Cinematical. Email This. -- Emma Stone debuted her Spider-Man look for the first time at Trevor Live in Hollywood over the weekend. ...

Exclusive: Gen. Petraeus Not &#39;Sure&#39; Victory in Afghanistan by 2014 <b>...</b>

In my exclusive interview with General David Petraeus he was encouraged by the progress made since President Obama's surge of forces into Afghanistan, but is he confident that the Afghan army can take the lead from US forces by NATO's.