Daily Read - 1/28/10

Thoughts on the State of the Union are here, and here.

Prior to the speech, Paul Begala said the President needs to "blast the opposition party," calling this "the Republican Recession." Ok - so some Republicans are to blame for the crisis, but so were a whole bunch of other people. Does a call to increase the partisanship really help anyone? (other than partisan advisors)

Elizabeth McDonald, writing on Fox Business, "found $900 billion to $1.5 trillion worth of ways to trim the fat marbled throughout government. And these are items that government officials say should be cut." Instead of creating a commission that would take a year to study ways to cut spending, can we just pick a few ideas that are already out there? For example, "The government owns and leases 3.87 billion square feet of property, and 55.7 million acres of land—meaning, one out of every forty acres." Do they need it all?

Ever heard of "cohesive capitalism"? At the World Economic Forum in Davos, they are discussing this "system that would try to ensure benefits of growth are shared more widely but that is led by the business world." The discussion "won't produce a firm blueprint for a shiny new economic model but it does aim to get the debate moving." I thought the debate, like this one, has been going on for quite a while?

"Ford Motor reported its first full-year profit since 2005 and said it expects to be profitable again in 2010." And without a government bailout! Does this mean they will be punished for their success? (CNN Money)

Meanwhile, "Toyota says it is adding another 1.1 million vehicles to an an earlier 4.2 million vehicle recall originally announced in November, and extending a second recall to Europe." This slip-up will likely help the US auto industry far more than cash-for-clunkers and all the other government assistance combined. (CNN Money)

Is it ironic that "Las Vegas had the largest number of foreclosure filings of any city last year"? (CNN Money) I wonder about the effects of the government's decision to create a "blacklist of banned destinations" and stay away from trips to Vegas, even if they cost less, for purposes of perception. (WSJ)