Memo to Hollywood: Guard Your Traditions

OK, we know that the business of moviemaking has always skewed more to the business side than to the movie side when big money is involved — the history of cinema has always revolved around a balancing act between art and commerce — but the folks over at The Grauman Chinese Theatre in Hollywood seem [...]

Rock ‘n’ Roll Greed — The Saga of The Malibu Edge

OK, time to put on our angry hat. Despite the fact that the boys of U2 are noted as being politically active, socially conscious and incredibly philanthropic (Bono, for one, has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize), at heart they’re super-rich rock businessmen. In the past they’ve been criticised for trying to skip out on [...]

Capitalist Shibboleth #39: Land Is the Basis of All Wealth

While rummaging through some old file folders I found this advertisement; it appeared in the Los Angeles Times on February 24, 1970 –  while the Cold War was still raging.

File Under: The Rich Get Richer

Under the headline “Big companies are awash in cash as economy picks up,” The Los Angeles Times reported (March 24) that although many individuals, small businesses and even states have been devastated by the recession, many of the country’s biggest companies are “loaded with cash, thanks to deep cost-cutting that helped drive unemployment into double [...]

WellPoint: Profit at the Expense of Consumers

Under the headline “Lawmakers accuse WellPoint, parent company of Anthem Blue Cross, of profiteering”  in the Thursday, Feb. 25 Los Angeles Times, Richard Simon and Duke Helfand report that “Congressional Democrats on Wednesday accused the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross of putting profits ahead of policyholders, saying the giant insurer padded its proposed rates [...]

More About Anthem Blue Cross Greed

Earlier this month we wrote a post about the despicable actions of Anthem Blue Cross in raising their rates for health coverage. See Healthcare Costs on the Rise. Why? The Los Angeles Times has been vigilant in their coverage of the healthcare giant, and two articles in the Feb. 23 Business Section hit the nail [...]

Healthcare Costs on the Rise. Why?

OK, everyone leery of government intervention in our health care system. Take a look at what the L.A. Times reported today under the headline: Anthem Blue Cross dramatically raising rates for Californians with individual health policies. Policyholders are incensed over rate hikes of as much as 39%, which they say come on top of similar [...]