I'm slowly rebuilding/rewriting my blog.  My host shut down and I was not able to get everything transferred.  Here is one of the last articles I posted.

10 Headlines We're Likely to Read in 2012

10. Seniors Living Longer

Due to better access to health care, seniors in the US are expected to live into their 90s. Additionally, children born in 2012 are expected to live to an average age of 118.

9. Shortage of Doctors is “Dangerously Low”

Raymond Baxter, President and CEO of Kaiser Permanente, says that doctors are retiring at a much higher rate than their replacements can be trained. The AMA blames significant cuts in payouts from the government’s insurance plan, unrestricted nuisance lawsuits against doctors, and government price controls.

8. Number of New Drug Patents at its Lowest in 100 Years

Surgeon General Johnson Haynes, Jr. expressed his concern today that patents for new drugs fell to its lowest point in over 100 years. “This is very concerning. Diseases are always adapting – the drugs we are using today won’t be effective 10 years from now.” A spokesperson for the newly formed American Association of Drug and Health Developers says that the widespread price controls instituted by the Obama administration removed the financial incentive to develop new drugs. “When only 1 out of 12 new drugs ever gets approved by the FDA… those kinds of odds just aren’t in our favor. The risk is no longer worth reward because there is no reward.”


7. Teachers say More Students “Alert” in Class

The NEA reported today that more students appear “alert” and “ready to learn” when showing up for class. Experts say President Obama’s expansion of subsidizing programs like school breakfast, school lunch, and food stamps gives more children access to food – which is the energy-giving lifeblood of learning.

6. More Jobs Moving to Eastern Europe

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics another 837,000 jobs have moved to Eastern Europe. For those keeping score that means more than 2 million jobs have moved to the former Soviet Bloc countries since 2009. Jeffery Immelt, CEO of General Electric says, “We have a legal obligation to our shareholders to be profitable as possible. When we’re faced with a corporate tax rate north of 40% it only makes sense to move our operations to places like Hungary or Serbia.” The corporate tax rate in Hungary is 16% and 10% in Serbia.

5. Social Security Set for a 50% Increase

With a last-minute push from the Obama administration, the 112th Congress pushed through a huge tax package which included a 50% increase on Social Security Taxes. “During my campaign I promised that I wouldn’t raise the retirement age or cut benefits and I plan to keep that promise. This raise in the Social Security tax is so we can give our seniors what they deserve, what they’ve earned.” Individuals and businesses will see their Social Security taxes rise from 6.4% to 10%. Independent contractors, sole proprietors, and LLC owners will see their Social Security taxes rise from 12.8% to 20%.

4. Unemployment Continues to Dance Around Double-Digits

Jobs are still scarce today’s unemployment numbers proved. At 9.2% nearly 1 in 10 Americans are looking for jobs. The Small Business Administration continues to lobby for lower corporate taxes, lower capital gains taxes, and lower income taxes to help stimulate growth. However, with so many people now dependent on the government any lowering of taxes seems unlikely. The only bright spot was the 73,000 jobs created in the green sector. However, this is off-set by the 110,000 jobs lost in coal and coal-related industries.

3. Dow Jones Remains Below 11,000

The Dow Jones Industrial Average remains stagnant and has failed to top 11,000 since falling below in August 2008. Since reaching a high of 14,164 on October 9, 2007, the country has seen a dramatic drop in the Dow. Growth is expected to be less than 1% in the next 12 months.

2. Large Republican Gains Expected

Republicans are expecting tremendous gains come the November elections. “We could see greater gains than we did in 1994 when we had a net-gain of 54 seats in the House,” said Republican strategist Newt Gingrich. “People are so fed up there is serious talk in the Democratic party that California could vote Red.”

1. Palin/Jindal Expected to Win with Ease

Sarah Palin, once the butt of many late-night jokes, has turned into a serious contender for the White House. Palin beefed up her foreign policy credentials over the last four years leading several trade missions and chairing, among others, the National Governor’s Association, Board of Governors of the African Trade Policy Center, the Moroccan-American Business Council, and the US-Eastern Europe Trade Association. Palin and her Vice President pick, Indian-American Bobby Jindal are the first all non-white male ticket in US history.