2012 Washington Nationals Pitching Preview

Ever since moving to the capital city in 2005, the Washington Nationals haven't had a lot to get excited about. But there are a lot of people who think that the Nationals are finally primed to become a serious contender in the NL East after finishing third in its division with an 80-81 record. Washington is expecting their ace, Stephen Strasburg, to come out and play for them for a full season. Aside from that, they went and acquired Gio Gonzalez to give them another young and potent arm in the top of their rotation. Here is the projected starting rotation and closer situation for the Nationals in 2012.

Projected Rotation

Stephen Strasburg (RHP) - Strasburg suffered an injury to his elbow that limited him to five starts at the end of the season. He went 1-1 in the stretch, but had a 1.50 ERA and 0.71 WHIP. What was impressive was that he had just two walks in those five starts. When healthy, Strasburg has the talent and the drive to be one of the best starters the NL has to offer.

Gio Gonzalez (LHP) - Washington traded away four players in order to land Gonzalez, and he was worth it so long as he pitches like he has in his last two seasons in Oakland. The 26-year-old went 16-12 with a 3.12 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 32 starts last year, following up his strong 2010 season where he went 15-9 with a 3.23 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. He is still relatively young and his best years are still ahead of him.

Jordan Zimmerman (RHP) - Don't discount Zimmerman just yet, even with the addition of Gonzalez and the return of Strasburg, Zimmerman still has what it takes to produce at a high level. The 23-year-old righty produced solid numbers of 3.18 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 26 starts, despite returning from Tommy John Surgery.

John Lannan (LHP) - After a sub-par 2010, Lannan bounced back to perform in arguably his best season to date, when he posted a career-low 3.70 ERA and a career-high with 10 wins.

Chien-Ming Wang (RHP) - After signing with the Nationals prior to the 2010 season, Wang finally made his Nationals debut last year. He went 4-3 with a 4.04 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 11 starts. Provided that he is healthy, he has the potential to win 10+ games and really make the Nationals' staff one of the best the NL has to offer.

Projected Closer

Drew Storen (RHP) - Storen really surprised a lot of people when he saved 43 games in his first season as the Nationals' closer. The expectations for him going forward are off-the-charts as the 24-year-old also posted a 2.75 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 74 strikeouts in just over 75 innings of work.

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More Alphabet Soup in Washington

The Treasury Department has released its "Summary of Regulatory Proposal," which is far-reaching in its scope and implications. While it has been released in the shadow of recent adverse developments in the financial industry, it is incorrect to consider the entire Summary as a reaction to those events, because it actually has been under consideration and development for a long time. Even so, current events have been so dramatic that the Treasury no doubt felt that to issue the Summary without dealing with them would have left too many urgent matters hanging in the air, and the work product would have been incomplete and negatively received.

Historically in the United States, regulation of the insurance industry has been left to the individual States rather than being made subject to federal oversight. The result has been a hodgepodge of insurance regulation, requiring an insurance company to comply with the individual requirements of each State in which it wishes to do business. For the first time, a system of national registration is proposed, whereby insurance companies would have the option of joining a uniform federal regulatory system which would pre-empt State regulation. By itself, this proposal holds the promise of increased efficiency and cost savings.

Another element in the proposal is that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission be absorbed into the Securities Exchange Commission. It has been felt for a long time that expansion of the number of commodities which are subject to the CFTC has tended toward duplication of regulation, and that in the light of changing times and practices certain efficiencies can be realized if the two regulatory bodies were to be consolidated.

Many of the Treasury's longer-term recommendations involve the creation of new regulatory offices, thereby adding to the "alphabet soup" of agencies and offices which are the staff of life in governmental Washington. Undoubtedly, they will be considered and reviewed by Congress, which will likely be bombarded with special pleading by particular interests, each with its own ax to grind. The approval process may take years, and the outcome may be quite different from the Treasury's proposals, which admittedly are just starting points for discussion.

Congress and the general public will be most interested in those parts of the proposals which obviously were added in response to recent developments (such as the collapse of Bear Stearns). In its "Short-Term Recommendations," Treasury makes reference to an existing Executive Order which created the "President's Working Group on Financial Markets" (the "PWG"). The Treasury's Summary proposes that the PWG "should continue to serve as an ongoing inter-agency body to promote coordination and communication for financial policy," but that its functions should be broadened to include the entire financial sector rather than the financial markets alone.

Whereas the PWG now consists of the heads of the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve, the SEC, and the CFTC, it would now be expanded to include the heads of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of Thrift Supervision. The PWG would continue as the coordinator for financial regulatory policy.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of Thrift Supervision would be combined into a single new agency.

By way of paying due attention to the present mortgage crisis, Treasury proposes the immediate creation of a new federal commission, the Mortgage Origination Commission, which will be charged with producing uniform minimum licensing qualification standards for state mortgage market participants. Quite obviously, Treasury wants fly-by-night mortgage originators to be brought under control by way of qualification, testing, and licensure, in an effort to prevent some of the abuses which led to the present crisis.

Heretofore, and presently, the Federal Reserve's "discount window" has been available only to depository institutions (i.e., banks) for short-term emergency loans. This effectively precluded Bear Stearns, which is not a bank, from seeking help directly from that source when, in effect, it faced a "run on the bank." Treasury proposes that the discount window be available to non-depository institutions as well as to banks. Had that been the case recently, the Fed would not have needed to resort to a device such as bringing in JPMorgan Chase as an intermediary. Fiction would be replaced by reality.

These two proposed short-term changes - licensing of mortgage originators and opening the discount window to non-banks - will receive great attention by Congress right away. Both would seem to be badly-needed improvements, the first of which might have substantially prevented the formation of the mortgage crisis in the first place, and the second of which could have helped to smooth it out after it came to light.

The author publishes an investment newsletter focusing on Japanese Candlesticks at http://candlewave.com/

Affordable Health Insurance in Washington

Difficult economic times that are producing an increase in the cost of living, an increase in unemployment and a substantial increase in the cost of health care, make shopping for affordable health insurance in Washington a necessity. Health care insurance is a must. The inability to pay for medical expenses is the leading cause of bankruptcy in the state of Washington. You need a safety net, but it must be affordable. Hopefully, the information below will help you as you shop for Washington health insurance.

The Cost of Affordable Health Insurance in Washington

The average cost of an individual health insurance plan in Washington in 2009 was $4,923. For a family plan, you can expect to spend nearly $13,000 over the course of a year. These numbers represent some of the highest insurance costs in the nation, rivaling those in the northeast section of the U.S. More bad news is that the cost of health insurance in Washington has risen nearly 40 percent over the past 6 years and is expected to continue. Facing these odds, it is now more important than ever to take some time to shop around for the best rates.

Affordable Health Insurance in Washington: Your Rights

You have rights and protections as a consumer and resident of the state of Washington. The Washington Patient's Bill of Rights ensures that you receive timely and sufficient health care; that you have adequate choice of health care providers, and that you have recourse in the form of appealing decisions regarding your health care plan. In addition, there are additional rights for women. Washington's Direct Access Law provides special rights for women which require health insurance companies to provide an adequate list of health care providers, inform you of available women's medical services, and remove all barriers that may prevent you from getting the medical care you require.

State-Sponsored Options for Affordable Health Insurance in Washington

The state of Washington offers a variety of options for low income families and individuals to acquire affordable health care insurance. Washington Basic Health is one such option. Your income must fall between 0 and 200 percent of the Federal income guidelines as well as meet a few other requirements to be eligible. The Washington Health Program is another option for those having trouble finding health care coverage. The goal of the program is to provide affordable health care to Washington residents and has been in action since 1993. Finally, there is a Washington state high risk pool for residents who cannot qualify for private health insurance due to pre-existing medical conditions. To learn more about these options you can visit the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

Tips for Affordable Health Insurance in Washington

There are, of course, a few tips you can implement to help lower your Washington health insurance premiums. Taking good care of yourself is the first order of business. Washingtonians are among the healthiest residents in the U.S. as the state was ranked as the 11 healthiest state in 2009. If you are currently not among the group of healthy residents, then take the initiative to change your daily habits. Cut out smoking, reduce alcohol consumption, eat more healthy and make a continuous effort to exercise regularly. Other steps you can take to reduce costs are to increase your deductibles and co-pays on your health care plan and try to stay with the same insurance provider as many reward loyalty. Finally, take the time to get rate quotes to compare prices. You will never know if you have the most affordable health insurance in Washington if you don't compare rates.

The more information you can gain the better for your eventual purchase. Because of the importance of health care coverage to your health and finances, taking the time to learn as much as possible is a very good use of your time. For more information that will help you find affordable health insurance in Washington, take a look at this article http://www.affordablehealthinsuranceinwashington.com.