FreedomTalks

For anyone looking for a concise summary of some of the issues facing Social Security, Rossputin has this post, which includes a discussion he had with Roy Dent, the author of FOOL’S GOLD, Social Security/Medicare Trust Funds: How Politicians Have Deceived America.

Brian Riedl of the Heritage Foundation looks a little closer at the falling budget deficit and finds:
Overall, tax revenues are growing at the fastest pace in forty years.  At the same time, this year’s 9% spending increase is the largest since 1990.  Lawmakers should not congratulate themselves for deficit reduction that resulted from higher tax [...]

Those interested in the minimum wage debate again happening in Congress should read this article by Kevin Sohr and Walter Block from the journal Freeman:Ideas in Liberty.  In sum, they find:
The impact [of the minimum wage] will continue to be to hurt poor, young, black, and unskilled workers…the economic evidence overwhelmingly indicates that the minimum wage destroys jobs.

The Canada Free Press has some interesting comments from scientists raining on Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth” movie parade.

Wondering how much energy and oil we’re going to need over the next few decades?  A lot.  Incorporating the views of organizations such as the International Energy Agency, the US Department of Energy, energy experts and economists, ExxonMobile has published The Outlook for Energy: A View to 2030

Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) continues to fight against unnecessary federal spending. Call your congressman today and ask him to support Rep. Flake’s efforts to save taxpayer dollars by stopping these deficit increasing projects:
trails and parks

Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail, Monterey, CA. $500,000  
Fairfax County, Virginia Park Authority for field improvements in Annandale, VA. $50,000 

museums, theaters, etc.

Strand Theater [...]

Larry Kudlow lets loose on supporters of the death tax here. 
Earlier today on NPR, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) celebrated the defeat of death tax repeal, saying it is needed to make the rich pay their fair share.  He must have missed the Tax Foundation study that points out that the richest 25 percent of Americans [...]

The Senate just voted down 56-41 the Akaka Bill which would have allowed for a race-based state to be created in Hawaii. More info on the bill here and here and here.

This morning the Senate, needing 60 votes, voted 57-41 on proceeding to the Death Tax repeal bill. Failing to get the 60 votes needed, current law maintains, and the Death Tax will go from zero in 2010 but come back in 2011 as a 55 percent tax. The official tally hasn’t been posted yet, but Andy Roth [...]

Jerry Taylor of the Cato Institute lays out the facts about oil company profits in this TV interview and goes into more detail in this paper with Peter Van Doren.
Turns out, oil company profit margins–what they make on each dollar sold–were just about average at 8.8% in 2005 as compared to 8.5% for [...]