Power Balance Loses Balance, Files For Bankruptcy
November 23, 2011
By Terry Smiljanich:
Power Balance, the company that promises increased strength, flexibility and balance by wearing cheap plastic holograms on cheap rubber bracelets, has apparently lost its own balance, and has filed for Chapter 11 protections under bankruptcy law. Despite endorsements by famous professional athletes like Drew Brees and Shaquille O’Neal, claiming that the product really works for them, and despite entire sports arenas being named after the product, it seems there was always a bit of a problem with presenting any scientific evidence for any of these suspicious claims.
Shedding Some Light On Congress
September 6, 2011
This past summer we witnessed a true exercise in nonsense by our hard working members of Congress. While our nation drifted toward potential default on the federal debt, the House of Representatives struggled to overturn a Republican sponsored, bipartisan law enacted in 2007 and signed by President Bush, which mandated increased energy saving standards for the common light bulb. In four short years, the energy conservation law went from being a good idea Republicans and Democrats could embrace to becoming a Tea Party example of unwarranted government intrusion into our lives.
Thus, Representative Joe Barton (R., Texas) this year introduced the Better Use of Light Bulbs (BULB, get it?) Act, repealing any such energy efficiency standards, on the grounds that the former Act “bans” normal light bulbs and requires use of CFL’s (Compact Fluorescent Lights), those spiral shaped bulbs we’re seeing more and more often.
“None of the Above” – Getting America Out of a Two Party Stalemate
August 31, 2011
By Terry Smiljanich:
It comes as no surprise that the latest polls show Congress’s approval rating at an all time low of 14%. If we disapprove of the job Congress is doing, why do we keep voting incumbents back into office, as we do year in and year out?
Our Two Party System
A big part of the problem with our system is the two party politics that have infected this country from almost its beginning. Come national election day, no matter what the issues are or what we think about them, we are always faced with the same three choices: vote for the Republican nominee, vote for the Democratic nominee, or stay home. This is the case despite the fact that the Constitution makes no mention of political parties, two or otherwise. Only our first President George Washington, however, was elected without an affiliation with one of two major parties.
America’s Health Care System at the Bottom of the Heap
August 15, 2011
By Terry Smiljanich:
We all know health care expenses have risen dramatically, not just in America but around the world, as more sophisticated and expensive medical procedures become available. America has, however, the most effective health care system in the world – right? Wrong. Compared to eighteen other major economies around the world, the United States comes in almost dead last! We spend the most by far for what almost ends up being the least effective health care.
Legalized Corruption – The Comcast Merger and the FCC
May 31, 2011
By Terry Smiljanich:
In one of the most blatant examples of just how corrupt politics has become in Washington, D.C., the head of the Federal Communications Commission, just a few months after voting to allow one of the largest corporate mergers in history, has accepted a high paying job at the new giant NBC/Comcast media company. This raises an interesting question: can we call it corruption, if it’s all perfectly legal under current rules?
When Did the Consumer Become the Enemy?
May 24, 2011
By Angie Moreschi:
Why is it that every time you turn around these days, you find a lawmaker up on Capitol Hill trying to stick it to the consumer? Of course, it’s very important to protect multi-million dollar corporations from those pesky people who buy stuff from them; we all know that. But gosh, isn’t this going a bit far. First, we must ensure our oil companies continue to get their tax breaks, and now Republican Congressman from North Carolina Patrick McHenry is taking cheap shots at the person trying to set up a Consumer Protection Bureau.
Consumer Advocate and Harvard Professor Elizabeth Warren came up with the crazy idea that there should be someone looking out for consumers these days, since they’re getting ripped off so much.
How To Cancel Xbox LIVE Gold Automatic Renewals
April 1, 2011
By Terry Smiljanich:
The Deceptive Game of Automatic Renewal
Are your children playing too much Xbox LIVE and ignoring their homework? Are they on an automatic renewal program through your credit card? Have you tried to cancel the automatic renewal of the yearly charges by Microsoft and run into a problem? Join the crowd.
How To Balance The Budget In One “Easy” Step
March 7, 2011
By Terry Smiljanich:
Even though former Vice President Dick Cheney used to say that “deficits don’t matter,” back when the Republicans were running up huge budgetary imbalances, deficit reduction is the new mantra for Republicans, Tea-Partiers, and increasing numbers of Democrats, including the President. On the chopping block are billions of dollars in cuts in domestic discretionary spending, including home heating oil subsidies for the poor, Public Broadcasting, Pell Grants, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Accepting for a moment that such draconian cuts in the federal budget are prudent, especially when the country is trying to recover from a serious recession, isn’t there a better way to achieve this goal?
Power Balance Wristbands – Back in the News With More Nonsense
January 17, 2011
By Terry Smiljanich:
Power Balance, the company that promotes its product line of bracelets with holograms, was forced by the Australian consumer protection agency to admit the following in a disclaimer:
In our advertising we stated that Power Balance wristbands improved your strength, balance and flexibility. We admit that there is no credible scientific evidence that supports our claims and therefore we engaged in misleading conduct . . . [under Australian law].
Less Government! No Deficit Spending! OK, How?
November 11, 2010
By Terry Smiljanich:
Common themes ran through most of the successful campaigns during this 2010 midterm election: less government, lower taxes, no deficits. Voters spoke loudly and clearly – we want chocolate fudge sundaes with no calories!
Now a bipartisan deficit reduction commission is also chiming in making some controversial proposals on how to reduce the deficit. Let’s take a look at what’s on the table.
The federal 2010 budget is $3.54 trillion. The deficit this year is $1.42 trillion. Thus, to bring the deficit down to zero, we would have to cut the budget by 40%. No politician could get elected on that impossible platform. There are certain sacred cows in the federal budget.
Banding Together and Fighting Back!
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