Here’s how you shave some money off the $1.1 trillion budget: penis pumps

Don’t worry; the video is safe for work. Between 2006 and 2011, the U.S. covered 474,000 claims for penis pumps. The total bill was $172 million (yes, that’s not a typo). If the government had simply paid the price that… Continue Reading

3

One in four Americans think the country is headed in the right direction (1 in 8 Republicans), and … somehow that’s an increase

Here’s some odd news: 23 percent — i.e. 1 in 4 — of Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction, per Gallup. The weird thing? That’s an increase — the last time Gallup did this poll, it was about… Continue Reading

1

Did Comcast partner with Khan Academy just to get new, low-income customers — and then drop the ball? (Perhaps.)

By now, you’ve probably heard of Khan Academy — hell, it got a 14-minute profile on 60 Minutes a while back (embedded above). It’s an online education community that strives to create a new model for how people are educated around the… Continue Reading

1

How big a deal are the Koch Brothers and their dark money?

A couple of days ago in The Washington Post, they ran an article about the Koch Brothers’ impact on the 2012 elections. In short, it was about $400 million through various “dark money” groups that they work with (one of the… Continue Reading

3

2016 Alert: As Chris Christie struggles with bridges, Marco Rubio turns to poverty as an issue

Two interesting things as relate to the 2016 Republican side of the Presidential equation are in play right now. Today, Chris Christie will address this whole bridge-gate controversy. Meanwhile, yesterday — in the LBJ Room on Capitol Hill, 50 years after… Continue Reading

How can we help the homeless when temperatures get this low?

This is kind of a complicated question in the broadest sense, so I won’t post very long on this — because I’m ill-equipped to give an answer. New York, for example, has a cold-weather shelter guarantee, as do many other… Continue Reading

Is Chicago safer, or is it a mirage?

Chicago has been almost the one-word association for U.S. violence over the past 30 months, but their 2013 data seems promising: crime’s down 16 percent and homicides are down 18 percent. New York, Houston, and Los Angeles also saw pretty significant… Continue Reading

6

This one paragraph essentially summarizes one of America’s biggest challenges today

More than a third of American colleges and universities have deteriorating finances, according to a 2012 report. While more Americans find that a college degree is their only ticket to the middle class, fewer institutions are able to provide it at… Continue Reading