Sweeping the Street

I haven't been following the financial reform debate as closely as health care and my opinion on that topic mostly consists of thinking that we need some. But even with the polarized political climate, Politico yesterday reported that there's a good chance for some kind of reform to pass the Senate with at least some bi-partisan support.

I do have one recommendation, not that anybody is sitting on the edge of his or her seat waiting to hear it. If and when a new agency to protect consumers is established, I hope the catbird seat goes to Elizabeth Warren, a former Harvard Law School professor who grew up in poverty and is now overseeing TARP. Here's an article about her from this week's NY Times.

Warren has long been an outstanding advocate for consumers, a leading expert on bankruptcy and a foe of predatory lending. I first became aware of her through her writings, starting with All Your Worth, a down to earth guide to personal finance and including The Two Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Mothers and Fathers Are Going Broke, both of which were co-written by her daughter, Amelia Warren Tyagi.

I was elated to see her take the position of overseeing TARP and think she'd be a natural to run the new agency. It's a safe bet that she wouldn't be anybody's lapdog.

ALL DONE. The final version of health care reform passed the US House yesterday.

WHAT'S IN THE BILL? Here's a fact sheet from the Georgetown Center for Children and Families about what health care reform will mean for low income and working families.

WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL IT MAKE? Here's a snapshot from the Economic Policy Institute about the expansion of health coverage that should be on the way.

MORE ON WHACKADOODLEISM here.

SUPERSIZING THE LAST SUPPER? The portions have gotten bigger (in art, anyhow) over the last 100 years.

SPEAKING OF FOOD, here's a local look at obesity and diet and such.

THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM for another hominid.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED