The ability to play employers off bids from other companies seeking to snag the best in their fields is an important one. So much so, in fact, that workers in Silicon Valley have filed a lawsuit alleging that some of the industry’s biggest players were involved in a secret anti-poaching pact that kept salaries down and workers stuck where they were. [More]
Government Policy
Even Though Incomes Are Up, Americans Aren't Ready To Spend More
By 1.30.12
Although there are signs of hope for the economy as American incomes were up by the most they have been in nine months, the fact that we’re also keeping our spending exactly the same isn’t so great. [More]
TSA Can't Tell The Difference Between A Gun & An Insulin Pump
By 1.27.12
Travelers at Los Angeles International Airport this morning were held back from boarding this morning after the brain trust at the TSA security checkpoint not only managed to mistake a passenger’s insulin pump for a gun, but also waited until after she’d passed through the checkpoint to think it might be a good idea to check out the mysterious item. [More]
FTC Commissioner Puts Verbal Smackdown On Facebook & Google Over Privacy
By 1.27.12
Aww, snap! Federal Trade Commissioner Julie Brill doesn’t care that her speech opening a forum on Data Privacy Day was being streamed on Facebook and likely Googled by many — she still put the verbal smackdown on those two companies for their problems protecting user privacy. [More]
House Republicans Are In Favor Of Ads That Make Your Child Harass You Into Buying Junk Food
By 1.26.12
Tossing that box of Lucky Charms back on the shelf at the grocery store after your kid tried to sneak it into the cart is going to be a lot harder, if House Republicans have their way. They’re on the side of food companies that don’t want the White House telling them to stop marketing sugary cereal and junk foods to kids. [More]
FTC Finally Permanently Shuts Down Fake News Sites Shilling For Acai Berries
By 1.26.12
It was nine months ago that the Federal Trade Commission announced its crackdown on companies that created sites aimed to look like news reports that were really just advertisements for supplements and other weight loss products made from acai berries. Now, as part of a settlement agreement, six online marketers will permanently stop the deceptive practice. [More]
Should Wedding-Related Businesses Be Allowed To Refuse Service To Same-Sex Couples?
By 1.26.12
Same-sex marriage has been legalized in the state of New Hampshire for two years, but a bill before the state legislature could allow businesses, like caterers, florists, and dress shops, to refuse their services to these couples. [More]
Legislator Calls For Ban On Imaginary Practice Of Using Aborted Fetuses In Food Products
By 1.25.12
Because the lawmakers of this nation don’t have real-world issues that need to be resolved, a state senator in Oklahoma has introduced legislation that would finally put a stop to the abominable, completely nonexistent practice of using tissue from aborted fetuses in food. [More]
Public Citizen Calls For Breakup Of Bank Of America
By 1.25.12
Bank of America poses “a grave threat to U.S. financial stability,” according to watchdog group Public Citizen, which has called for the bank to be broken up. [More]
Ask Tax Cat: What The Heck Is Going On With The Business Mileage Rate For 2011?
By 1.25.12
Every year around this time, Tax Cat emerges from his basket to answer questions and offer advice to you, the fine people of the internet. [More]
City May Issue Fines If Your Dog Barks For Longer Than 10 Minutes
By 1.24.12
Barking dogs can be an annoyance. Ask anyone who has ever lived next to a chatty canine. But at what point does that annoyance cross the line and become a nuisance worthy of being issued a fine. For the folks in Fort Worth, TX, that threshold is ten minutes. [More]
Online Vendors, Meet The 1099-K
By 1.24.12
Online sellers, we warned you about this in 2010. The Internal Revenue Service created the new 1099-K form as a way to keep closer tabs on those who sell items online, and the 2011 tax year is the first in which the form will apply. [More]
Woman Claims Husband's Ashes Went Missing After TSA Made Her Move Them To Checked Baggage
By 1.23.12
A woman flying from Philadelphia to England to return her deceased husband’s ashes to his hometown says US Airways lost them somewhere along the way to her destination. That is what is called a major, major fail. [More]
NHTSA Says Don't Worry About Your Chevy Volt Erupting Into Flames More Than Other Cars
By 1.23.12
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is shutting the books on its recent safety investigation into Chevrolet Volt battery packs when a few erupted into flames after crash tests. The verdict: Chevy Volts are just as likely to explode as any other cars. [More]
Big Banks Pinky-Swear To Overhaul Lending & Foreclosure Practices
By 1.23.12
Nearly a half-decade after the U.S. housing market collapsed like something that collapses really badly, the country’s five biggest mortgage providers — Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi and Ally — are oh-so-close to reaching a settlement with the states that could include overhauls to how they operate when it comes to the whole lending/servicing/foreclosing process. [More]
Get The Government To Email You About Car Recalls
By 1.23.12
If your car manufacturer thinks your engine might catch on fire, it’s better to know sooner rather than later. You can streamline the process for discovering any car recalls by signing up with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Recall Notification by Email program. [More]
Ron Paul Says Senator Son Detained By TSA For Refusing Pat-Down
By 1.23.12
Presidential candidate Ron Paul and his son, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, have been very vocal critics of the Transportation Security Administration. And it doesn’t look like the two will be thinking any more highly of the TSA as, according to the elder Paul pol, Rand was detained by the TSA this morning after refusing to submit to a pat-down. [More]
Religious Employers Will Have To Provide Birth Control For Employees
By 1.23.12
Religious opposition to birth control won’t be a good enough reason for church-affiliated employers to get out of having to cover birth control for employees, according to an announcement from the Department of Secretary of Health and Human Services. Several types of companies will have an extra year to come into compliance with the edict, ushered in by the Obama administration’s health care reforms. [More]
