McChrystal’s sudden fame
If you’re not a political or military junkie, you probably never heard of the name General Stanley McChrystal a few days ago, but now you’ve likely stumbled upon it numberous times on the TV or radio. McChrystal is in the news right now because he was interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine and made some disparaging [...]
Basics of derivatives
The big news in Washington this week is the financial overhaul bill attempting to be debated in the Senate. Many Republicans still oppose some items of the bill, but a majority of the public and politicians are in favor of additional controls in the financial markets one way or another; the difficulty is in balancing control [...]
Explaining the current health care bill status
Ok, so everyone is talking about it. Democrats are rallying in the streets and Republicans are crying bloody murder. You know that a health care bill got passed (you think), but you really don’t know what’s going on. You need to know this, so here are the basics updated one more time: The health care [...]
Another health care vote? Maybe, maybe not!
Debate about an upcoming health care vote is dominating headlines, so you need to know why this issue isn’t settled yet despite reading stories about continued passing of health care proposals. This quote most eloquently explains the previous votes and why there is a final vote in the near future: “Sweeping legislation seemed to be [...]
Obama’s State of the Union – Family Feud
If you didn’t watch last night’s State of the Union address, you didn’t miss anything revolutionary, but it’s still something you should be aware of. One of President Obama’s main stances was to provide help for small businesses, through tax incentives and extended credit thanks to a reported $30 billion in recovered TARP money. Currently, Obama’s government [...]
Gitmo to Thomson??
The story is about a week old, but there’s a good chance if you live in the Midwest, people will still be talking about this topic at your next get together – the prisoners from Gitmo are scheduled to be transported to the Thomson Correctional Center in Thomson, Illinois. President Obama’s plan is to close the [...]
The Surge, Part II?
Almost a year ago to the day, Dinner Topics gave you the basics on “The Surge,” George Bush’s deployment of 30,000 additional troops to Iraq. This time around, the president is Barack Obama and the surge is in Afghanistan1. During last night’s televised presidential address, President Obama announced the need for an additional 30,000 American [...]
What’s a State Dinner?
Yesterday evening, President Obama (with the help of Michelle Obama) hosted his first state dinner at the White House. You might think it’s just another term for a fancy Washington party, but there are specifics that make it a state dinner – specifics you should know since you helped foot the bill for the 300-guest shindig. [...]
