You know what they say: If you want to be president of the United States, you better decide by the time you’re five so that henceforth you will not make a single mistake.  No adolescent failures-to-inhale.  No flirtations with radical ...]]> It is impossible to escape stories of the impact of the Great Recession.  We've bailed out banks but foreclosures have not abated.  We've given billions to states in stimulus spending yet businesses continue to shed jobs.  Now comes new...]]> On Dec. 8 President Barack Obama laid out his prescriptions for job creation before the press and enthusiastic academics at The Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C. Obama's initiatives focused on much needed help for small business owners, infrastr...]]> The stock market may be rallying, and many politicians are claiming that the recession is over. However, with unemployment still rising, people and animals are still being hurt. For the people on "Main Street", and for their pets, the recession is con...]]> Last month, the U.S. unemployment rate surged to 9.8% as 260,000 people lost their jobs. Although the stock market and corporate profits appear to be recovering from last year’s financial catastrophe, work is harder to find. President Barack Oba...]]> The U.S. Department of Labor announced that unemployment rate for the month of August was 9.7 percent -- the highest it has been in 26 years. Job losses for the month reached 216,000. The statistics seem discouraging, but in reality, the news is mixed...]]> After Ben Bernanke allowed an $8 trillion housing bubble to ravage the global economy and nearly destroy the U.S. financial system, President Barack Obama has decided he deserves another term as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. (The UpTake has video o...]]> California government struggles.  Forced to match public spending with revenue (some monkey-business excluded), leaders have only two good options:  Cut spending or raise taxes.  You would think that this would be easy enough.  But...]]> California's animal shelter system is facing cutbacks because of the state's current budget crisis. California Governer Arnold Schwarzenegger has a proposal which could cause shelters to reduce the minimum hold time for strays. This means that euthani...]]> "OSHTEMO TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Copper would shake your hand, speak and even toss you a high-five. A note taped to the mixed-breed's collar attests to his talents, but these deeds are not verifiable by eyewitness account.Copper, you see, is dead.The 30-pou...]]>