Profiteers

How much is your insurance premium going up? Is your insurer on this list?

• WellPoint 2008 cash/cash equivalent assets: $ 2.18 billion
• Premera Blue Cross 2008 reserve: $840.1 million
• Regence Blue Shield 2008 surplus: $1.779 billion
• Aetna 2008 operating earnings: $3.93 billion
• United Health Group revenues: $81.186 billion

*Raise Hand* Question for Mr. Rossi?

Yes -- question at the back.

Thank you, Scott. Mr_Grant, Wiseline Institute Northwest. I wanted to ask Shadow Governor Rossi a question about economic policy.

Over the past months and weeks we've seen the American -- global, really -- financial crisis come to a head. IndyMac. Fannie Mae. Freddie Mac. Lehman Brothers. AIG. Huge swings in the Dow.

What's more, a growing number of commentators have traced the culpability of Republican neoconservative economic policy and corruption in this meltdown, as well as Enron and energy deregulation earlier in this decade. This linkage is typified by the roles of Phil "Mental Recession" Gramm.

The crisis is trickling down all right. At the state level, in Olympia a $3.2 billion deficit is being forecast.

Furthermore, this weekend sees announcements of a $500 billion federal bailout package, the biggest intervention since the Great Depression.

Do you have a question?

Yes. How can Shadow Governor Rossi keep running the "we're going to be fiscally conservative" campaign ad and identify himself as "GOP" with a straight face?

Will overvaluing appraisals be on the agenda?

I can't believe this commercial for a business conference is running on Seattle radio, without a hint of irony in the announcer's voice:

AM1090 proudly presents the WaMu Breakfast Series… Big Ideas For Small Businesses… How to be a Northwest Business Gone Big, Thu June 19th at the WaMu Theatre. Networking starts at 7am, the panel starts at 7:45am and it will be finished by 9am. Join us for a morning of networking and panel discussion and insight into how to take your Northwest Small Business and make it big...