And now, from David Sirota, the only primer you need on Detroit's bankruptcy filing. Long story short: "free" trade and "bold" corporate action, not "unsustainable" pensions or "thuggish" unions or "high" taxes, broke Detroit. And note the difference between the annual $333 million in state and local pension shortfalls and the annual $80 billion in state and local corporate welfare handouts -- and that taxpayers are still buying the Red Wings a new $283 million hockey rink.

In rather better news, Fred Glass tells the story about how California voters managed to impose a new "Millionaire's Tax," though California may be the hardest state in which to raise taxes, and Governor Jerry Brown (the force behind Proposition 13 in his first go-round as California Governor, remember?) has never been a friend to progressive taxation. The story could work for you, if your state's constitution permits ballot initiatives -- but only 15 states (plus Washington, D.C.) allow that. (A few more states allow referendums that repeal legislation.)

Surprise, surprise: a Center on Economic Policy and Research study concludes that the Affordable Care Act isn't "forcing" employers to slash jobs. Long story short: employers expected their mandate to start in 2014, yet their hiring in advance of that mandate (now moved to 2015 by President Obama) doesn't seem to be affected very much, despite Mitch McConnell telling us that "there are so many stories" of employers not hiring -- "it's hard to even count," he says, which is what they all say when they know they're losing the argument.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy signed a rather problematic GMO-labeling bill late in June. I bring this up because I came across this quotation from the Governor: "This bill strikes an important balance by ensuring the consumers’ right to know what is in their food while shielding our small businesses from liability that could leave them at a competitive disadvantage." "Small" businesses like Monsanto, Governor? Dannel Malloy is just like the rest of them -- does things for big corporations, then claims he's doing them for small businesses.

Finally, Anthony Weiner, now running for Mayor of New York City, continued "sexting" after he resigned from Congress over a sexting scandal. I said before that the single-payer-health-care guy doesn't also get to be the send-pictures-of-your-cock-to-strangers guy; hopefully, he doesn't get to be Mayor, either.