Hurt: It takes 150 times longer to start a business now than in 1987.

From Rep. Robert Hurt’s e-mail newsletter today: Last week I also visited with the owner of an auto repair shop in Appomattox. He told me that he first started his business back in 1987. Back then, he was able to get his business up and running in one day. One day was all it took …

Links for October 3rd

Bloomberg: Koch Brothers Flout Law With Secret Iran SalesThe Koch Brothers have secretly, criminally sold millions of dollars of petrochemical equipment to Iran, an enemy of the United States with whom it is unquestionably illegal to do business. This is no aberration for these bastards—they're out for a buck, and they don't care how they …

Links for September 23rd

FlowingData: Watch the Growth of Walmart and Sam’s Club Across AmericaThis is an interesting visualization, but the data that it shows is no less interesting. Slate Magazine: Rick Perry’s Christian Israel policy is a gift to Islamic extremistsQuoth Rick Perry: "Both as an American and as a Christian, I am going to stand with Israel." …

Links for September 6th

ThinkProgress: The Conservative Recovery Teeters Into Recession17,000 new jobs were created by the private sector last month. 17,000 jobs were eliminated by the public sector last month. Bummed by last month's flatlining of job growth? Thank a congressman. New York Times: Rep. Shelley Berkley’s Cause Is Often Her Husband’s GainShe's a strong supporter of (admittedly …

Links for September 1st

Wall Street Journal: Waffle House Index Measures Hurricane RecoveryTheir approach to disaster recovery is impressive. People have to eat, Waffle House wants to make money—everybody wins. Wikipedia: BunyipThere's a widespread Australian Aboriginal belief in the "bunyip," a terrifying, water-dwelling mythological creature. It's theorized that these stories arose from occasional discoveries of fossilized bones from any …

Links for July 28th

New York Times: Nutrition Label Gets a Design OverhaulSome of the ideas to overhaul food nutrition labels are pretty clever. New York Times: After Aiding Republicans, Business Groups Press Them on Debt CeilingThe Chamber of Commerce threw the full weight of their support behind getting Democrats replaced by Republicans in last year's congressional election. Now …

Links for May 16th

Discovery Channel: Mike Rowe Senate TestimonyThe host of "Dirty Jobs" provided an important argument to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation about why our education system needs to emphasize skilled trades. College is not for everybody. Way too many kids are going to college—it doesn't make economic sense, for them or for …

Links for May 13th

New York Times: Vitaly Borker of DecorMyEyes Pleads GuiltyYou'll remember this jackass as the guy who ran a series of scam businesses, physically threatened anybody who complained, and bragged to the Times that he loved web-based complaints because they helped his Google ranking. He received the Google death penalty a few days later, he was …

Links for May 8th

NPR: Florida Bill Could Muzzle Doctors On Gun SafetyAn NRA-written bill has passed the Florida legislature, and is likely to be signed by the governor, that will make it illegal for doctors to advise patients on gun safety. (Pediatricians frequently advise new parents on how to store firearms safely, and doctors concerned about teenagers' mental …

Links for May 5th

Snopes: Obama Lends $2 Billion to Brazilian Oil CompanyHeard the one about how the President Obama is spending billions on offshore drilling…in Brazil? Snopes rates it “mostly false.” This is another case of conservatives getting riled up about something that's not true and dates from President Bush's time in the White House. ThinkProgress: Exxon Makes …