HouseOfRepresentatives

It has been a long, confusing summer for the federal budget: The FAA shutdown, the debt ceiling crisis, the Deficit "Supercommittee." But all of that was just prelude to the battles ahead over the 12 major appropriations bills to fund the government's "discretionary" spending.

A study published this year found that stocks purchased by House of Representatives members from 1985 through 2001 "earn[ed] statistically significant positive abnormal returns," outperforming the market by more than six percentage points a year. And senators, it appears, have done even better.

Guess those mortgage bankers showed Congress who's the boss ... They are! Only a day after the Mortgage Bankers Association fired off a stern letter of warning to Congressional leaders about attempts to change foreclosure bankruptcy laws to ease the plight of those facing foreclosure and help end...

If you ask a progressive on the president's left flank, they'll probably tell you that the House health care reform bill that passed the House on Saturday is, in fact, a weak bill with a public option that's doomed to fail. I don't necessarily agree. The bill clamps down hard on insurance companies...

In the interests of full disclosure, I should begin by pointing out that I live in New York City, where I am a regular and enthusiastic patron of the city's amazing public transportation system. I approach the train in much the same way that a cocker spaniel approaches car rides. If I could open...

Let me begin by pointing out that I'm a big fan of train travel. I've ridden trains up and down the Eastern Seaboard and across half of Europe. I've hung out in old rail yards, searched out hidden rail tunnels, and once went to a wedding in the O. Winston Link museum. Like my Walletpop colleague...