Unsustainable! -- April 19, 2016; Hillary Goes From "Gun Control" To "Gun Safety"

Updates

Later, 1:44 p.m. Central Time: Nordstrom cutting 100's of jobs. 

Nordstrom said Monday it was slashing 400 jobs at its corporate headquarters.

The move comes two months after the department store chain reported a 3% drop in comparable sales for its fourth quarter, and forecast that profit per share would fall 30% in the first half of this year.

The cuts confirm a terrifying new reality for high-end retailers: Wealthy shoppers are reining in spending and — along with the rest of American consumers — refusing to pay full price for anything.

Nordstrom inventory increased 12% in the most recent quarter — a sign that the chain is having a hard time clearing its shelves, and will likely have to rely on promotions to sell the merchandise.

That can be a risky strategy, particularly for a high-end retailer, because too many promotions can cheapen the brand.

We probably need to define "wealthy." 

Later, 10:51 a.m. Central Time: speaking of "too big to fail," is ObamaCare the 21st century's Titanic?
 

Original Post 

The saga continues. The AP reports that United Health, the nation's largest insurer, will "drop out" of ObamaCare except in a handful of states:

UnitedHealth, the nation's biggest health insurer, will cut its participation in public health insurance exchanges to only a handful of states next year after expanding to nearly three dozen for this year.

CEO Stephen Hemsley said Tuesday that the company expects losses from its exchange business to total more than $1 billion for this year and last. He added that the company cannot continue to broadly serve the market created by the Affordable Care Act's coverage expansion due partly to the higher risk that comes with its customers.

The state-based exchanges are a key element behind the Affordable Care Act's push to expand insurance coverage. But insurers have struggled with higher than expected claims from that business.

Hey, by the way, did you all hear the subtle change in how Hillary Clinton now talks about guns? This is amazing. In the past, it was always about "gun control." Today, at some event where she mentioned Gabby Giffords, Hillary did not say "gun control." She may have said that phrase in her speech, but on the soundbite on radio -- which will be the new meme -- Hillary said that the Giffords shooting means that she will focus on "gun safety."

Gun safety. Huge, huge, huge change from "gun control." Interesting. I haven't found the link yet to the "gun safety" sound bite, but trust me, it's out there.  

I'm betting that Hillary knows the margin in the 2016 Presidential election is going to hang on hanging chads. She will need every NRA vote she can get. Switching from "gun control" to "gun safety" is her attempt to sway a few NRA votes. In fact, correct me if I'm wrong, but the NRA mission statement is all about "gun safety." With more Americans owning guns than ever before (thank you, Mr Obama), it's no longer about gun control; it's about gun safety, marksmanship, and size. Like the iPhone, most women prefer thinner and lighter handguns.

When seconds count, the police will be there in minutes.