Andreas Wacker has a very nice site that continuously updates the most popular links in the blogosphere:
Blogsnow
He has updated the site recently to include most linked to YouTube videos and Google Maps among others.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Helplessness can be learned...and unlearned
A big DUH!! Scientific American article says hard work and persistence count for much more than superior intelligence.
Link
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Teaching children such information is not just a ploy to get them to study. People do differ in intelligence, talent and ability. And yet research is converging on the conclusion that great accomplishment, and even what we call genius, is typically the result of years of passion and dedication and not something that flows naturally from a gift. Mozart, Edison, Curie, Darwin and Cézanne were not simply born with talent; they cultivated it through tremendous and sustained effort. Similarly, hard work and discipline contribute much more to school achievement than IQ does.
Such lessons apply to almost every human endeavor. For instance, many young athletes value talent more than hard work and have consequently become unteachable. Similarly, many people accomplish little in their jobs without constant praise and encouragement to maintain their motivation. If we foster a growth mind-set in our homes and schools, however, we will give our children the tools to succeed in their pursuits and to become responsible employees and citizens.
Taxpayers want to play the Extortion Game
The City of Bristol is giving way several millions of the taxpayer's money to three local business to "entice" them to expand . I thought making a profit was enough incentive for businesses to expand and they didn't have to extort more money from the taxpayers? It is, of course, but hey these business people are not stupid...as long as our elected officials want to give away our money they are quite ready to accept it.
The real problem.....Politicians actually believe they can convince us that THEY are responsible for all things good and wonderful. They stand there at the grand opening photo/op and tell us how THEY created jobs.........NOPE, the only thing they did was to take money from us taxpayers and hand it over to these companies.
Its time for us ordinary taxpayers to get a piece of this extortion action....I therefore repeat my proposal that some enterprising member of the General Assembly propose a law authorizing local governments to give tax abatements to anyone who builds a new home. THEN....anybody wanting to build a new home can shop their proposal around to several county mayors....get them to start bidding against each other and HEY, you may be able to build a new house tax free......let everyone in on this extortion game.
The real problem.....Politicians actually believe they can convince us that THEY are responsible for all things good and wonderful. They stand there at the grand opening photo/op and tell us how THEY created jobs.........NOPE, the only thing they did was to take money from us taxpayers and hand it over to these companies.
Its time for us ordinary taxpayers to get a piece of this extortion action....I therefore repeat my proposal that some enterprising member of the General Assembly propose a law authorizing local governments to give tax abatements to anyone who builds a new home. THEN....anybody wanting to build a new home can shop their proposal around to several county mayors....get them to start bidding against each other and HEY, you may be able to build a new house tax free......let everyone in on this extortion game.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Hastert draws 67k/year pension
Link
Three pensions from the three different acts of Dennis Hastert's career will yield roughly $100,000 per year in retirement income for the Plano Republican.
Three pensions from the three different acts of Dennis Hastert's career will yield roughly $100,000 per year in retirement income for the Plano Republican.
Bredesen can shove it down their throats
The State AG says Oak Hill has no authority to stop the Governor's plan to build a huge entertainment bunker (aka political fund raiser dungeon....they won't let the lobbyists out until they empty their bank accounts).
This whole project is a huge boondoggle that nobody wants. We have plenty of existing venues where the Governor can milk the lobbyist cows.
Link
The state attorney general's office says plans to build an entertainment hall at the governor's mansion do not have to be approved by the city of Oak Hill.
The state replied to a letter by Oak Hill City Attorney Robert Notestine III asking that the Tennessee Residence Foundation Board present its plans to the Oak Hill City Commission for approval.
This whole project is a huge boondoggle that nobody wants. We have plenty of existing venues where the Governor can milk the lobbyist cows.
Link
The state attorney general's office says plans to build an entertainment hall at the governor's mansion do not have to be approved by the city of Oak Hill.
The state replied to a letter by Oak Hill City Attorney Robert Notestine III asking that the Tennessee Residence Foundation Board present its plans to the Oak Hill City Commission for approval.
Let me get this straight:
Karl Dean and many members of the Metro Council want to use my Davidson County tax dollars to
1- support fans, 50-60% of whom don't even live in Davidson County
2- subsidize millionaires who stand to make millions from owning a hockey team but, like the former owner, will not share any of the profits from the sale of the team with taxpayers if they ever sell it.
3- subsidize fans who won't even attend in numbers large enough to keep the team here
1- support fans, 50-60% of whom don't even live in Davidson County
2- subsidize millionaires who stand to make millions from owning a hockey team but, like the former owner, will not share any of the profits from the sale of the team with taxpayers if they ever sell it.
3- subsidize fans who won't even attend in numbers large enough to keep the team here
Property Tax ALERT for Spring Hill
The Late Spring Hill Mayor Ray Williams fought very hard for Spring Hill Taxpayers. Because of his leadership, Spring Hill became the first City in Tennessee to pass a Taxpayer Bill of Rights specifying that tax increases would have to be approved by the voters. One of the main opponents of the Spring Hill TABOR was Alderman Elliott Mitchell. Apparently he is still promoting higher taxes as the solution to what he says is a "crisis." The only crisis is a spending crisis.
Alderman Mitchell doesn't want to cut the growth of government spending so he is proposing to force Spring Hill families to cut their family budgets by raising their taxes. This is a Pandora's box that taxpayers DO NOT want to open.
HERE is contact information for the Mayor and Board of Aldermen.
Link
Alderman Eliot Mitchell, also a member of the Finance Committee, said if the city's finances continue to decline, city officials may begin discussing reinstating a property tax.
"If we're in this position in March and we start looking at our budget, I think we're going to have to be reasonable and talk about looking at a property tax," he said.
Alderman Mitchell doesn't want to cut the growth of government spending so he is proposing to force Spring Hill families to cut their family budgets by raising their taxes. This is a Pandora's box that taxpayers DO NOT want to open.
HERE is contact information for the Mayor and Board of Aldermen.
Link
Alderman Eliot Mitchell, also a member of the Finance Committee, said if the city's finances continue to decline, city officials may begin discussing reinstating a property tax.
"If we're in this position in March and we start looking at our budget, I think we're going to have to be reasonable and talk about looking at a property tax," he said.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Don't have time to visit a doctor's office?
Ring her or him up anytime, 24 hrs/day. Mark Perry has the info on TeleDoc:
Mass Troopers caused 500 crashes
Link
(WBZ) BOSTON The men and women who monitor the state's roadways, issuing hundreds of thousands of tickets to motorists annually, have caused nearly 500 crashes in their own cruisers in the past seven years, internal state police data show.
And despite their advanced roadway training, scores of troopers are repeat crashers demonstrating the same poor driving habits they are citing the ordinary motorist for - like inattention, speeding and following cars too closely, an I-Team analysis of over 2600 cruiser accidents shows.
Nearly 120 troopers have had four or more crashes in the past seven years, the data indicates.
"It's certainly a problem we need to address," said State Police Col. Mark F. Delaney of the I-Team's findings.
Delaney did not defend the number of crashes, but pointed out that state police log 54 million miles a year in hazardous weather and driving conditions.
But the agency's own data indicates the overwhelming majority of crashes occur on dry roadways with clear skies and while state police are either commuting from home, working a detail or on a regular police patrol. In only 16 percent of the accidents was a trooper in pursuit of a suspect or responding to an emergency, the data indicates.
(WBZ) BOSTON The men and women who monitor the state's roadways, issuing hundreds of thousands of tickets to motorists annually, have caused nearly 500 crashes in their own cruisers in the past seven years, internal state police data show.
And despite their advanced roadway training, scores of troopers are repeat crashers demonstrating the same poor driving habits they are citing the ordinary motorist for - like inattention, speeding and following cars too closely, an I-Team analysis of over 2600 cruiser accidents shows.
Nearly 120 troopers have had four or more crashes in the past seven years, the data indicates.
"It's certainly a problem we need to address," said State Police Col. Mark F. Delaney of the I-Team's findings.
Delaney did not defend the number of crashes, but pointed out that state police log 54 million miles a year in hazardous weather and driving conditions.
But the agency's own data indicates the overwhelming majority of crashes occur on dry roadways with clear skies and while state police are either commuting from home, working a detail or on a regular police patrol. In only 16 percent of the accidents was a trooper in pursuit of a suspect or responding to an emergency, the data indicates.
Two worlds collide on Open Records
An interesting and revealing excerpt from the 11-27-07 Joint Committee on Open Govt. Ms. Martin who works for State Govt just doesn't believe that government officials would willfully withhold public records. Mr. Fletcher a citizen, on the other hand, has actually been denied records. The discussion is about requiring courts to compensate citizens for attorney's fees when they have to go to court to otain public records. The motion failed.
What could have been: Nixon and Deepthroat
Link
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Deep in Richard Nixon's White House files sit letters from a long-forgotten lobbying campaign to make Mark Felt head of the FBI. Instead, Felt became Deep Throat.
The National Archives released more than 10,000 pages of documents from the Nixon presidency on Wednesday and among them are the urgings of past and present FBI agents and other interested citizens to appoint Felt, then the No. 2 FBI official, as director. Associates described his "outstanding loyalty."
Nixon did not take the advice.
Holiday Shopping Trends
from Gearlog
SortPrice.com, a shopping search engine that compares product prices from thousands of online retailers, released its list of 2007 Holiday Shopping Trends. So what's everyone searching the Web for this holiday? Here's the list and my opinions of each product search:
SortPrice.com, a shopping search engine that compares product prices from thousands of online retailers, released its list of 2007 Holiday Shopping Trends. So what's everyone searching the Web for this holiday? Here's the list and my opinions of each product search:
1. Canon PowerShot SD1000 - This doesn't surprise me. This model is a PCMag Editors' Choice, with a rating of 4.5 out of 5. A handful of our staff already bought or plans to buy this camera (including me).
2. Xbox 360 - It's cheaper than PS3 and is the only console that offers Halo.
3. iPod touch - My teenage cousin hopes to get this for Christmas. It's definitely one of the most sought after MP3 players of the season.
4. LG Prada Cell Phone - Either people have a lot of money to spend this holiday for this high-priced, fashionable phone, or they just want to read about it and drool.
5. Transformers - The movie may have tanked, but kids still love anything Transformers-related.
6. Women's Handbags - I'm sure this is searched for on the Web all year round!
7. Men's Watches - With so many options these days, including LED and solar, watches are definitely hot this year.
8. Digital Picture Frame - Digital frames have been popular for the last year or so, but only recently have they come down in price. They're still pretty expensive for the extras such as Wi-Fi, and I have yet to review a photo frame that offers all the features that it should. Still, Pandigital and Kodak come the closest for me.
9. Coffee makers - Now that coffee makers do more than just make coffee ( they can forecast the weather!), it's a popular gift every year.
No Cell while driving laws not working
Link
But is this a surprise? When New York City first instituted a similar ban, cell-phone use by drivers dropped by 50 percent. But the numbers steadily increased after that, even as the number of citations increased as well. Same thing apparently happened in D.C. -- an initial falloff, but then a return to pre-ban levels of cell usage.
A quick look around the Interwebs shows similar experiences in Connecticut, New Jersey, and elsewhere. Should cities and states drop these laws that aren't being enforced or followed? Or should they, for example, increase fines to make this a more serious offense?
But is this a surprise? When New York City first instituted a similar ban, cell-phone use by drivers dropped by 50 percent. But the numbers steadily increased after that, even as the number of citations increased as well. Same thing apparently happened in D.C. -- an initial falloff, but then a return to pre-ban levels of cell usage.
A quick look around the Interwebs shows similar experiences in Connecticut, New Jersey, and elsewhere. Should cities and states drop these laws that aren't being enforced or followed? Or should they, for example, increase fines to make this a more serious offense?
Gutting of TN open meeting law continues
The study committee continues down the path of watering down a perfectly good law that has served us for 20 plus years. There is NO good reason for these changes.
Link
The panel agreed to drop the cap down to three, then attempted to hash out language clarifying just what those groups may do. It set out to bar serial meetings, in which one group of three, then another, and so on meet privately until a majority have essentially deliberated together behind closed doors. And it debated what types of communication should be allowed. The committee finished for the day without reaching a decision on those matters or voting at all on open meetings recommendations. It will gather again tomorrow morning to continue its deliberations.
Link
The panel agreed to drop the cap down to three, then attempted to hash out language clarifying just what those groups may do. It set out to bar serial meetings, in which one group of three, then another, and so on meet privately until a majority have essentially deliberated together behind closed doors. And it debated what types of communication should be allowed. The committee finished for the day without reaching a decision on those matters or voting at all on open meetings recommendations. It will gather again tomorrow morning to continue its deliberations.
Qualifications for Free/reduced price school lunches
Link
Students may receive free meals if their families receive food stamps or Families First benefits; the household income is at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level; or they are in foster care.
Students may receive reduced-price meals if their household income is at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level.
Any child meeting the guidelines, regardless of United States citizenship, is eligible for the USDA's meals program. Families with multiple children need only submit one application.
Students may receive free meals if their families receive food stamps or Families First benefits; the household income is at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level; or they are in foster care.
Students may receive reduced-price meals if their household income is at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level.
Any child meeting the guidelines, regardless of United States citizenship, is eligible for the USDA's meals program. Families with multiple children need only submit one application.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Joe Saino's quest for transparency in Memphis
Joe Saino is doing extraordinary investigative work in Memphis worthy of the best journalist. The linked article is an excerpt from his piece in the Main Street Journal. If we had just a dozen more Joe Sainos around Tennessee we could all rest easier about our tax dollars. It just takes a little time, dogged persistence, and a willingness to look powerful politicians right straight in the eye and say, "you are spending MY money and exercising the power I have delegated to you and I expect you to be accountable to ME."
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November is a very significant month for me as it was three years ago in November 2004 when I started on my journey of enforcing the Tennessee open records laws on a reluctant group of local government institutions and quasi government bodies. I started with the City of Memphis by requesting from Sara Hall the information about how much had Allan Wade and his law firm been paid by the City and by the City Council during the years 2003 and 2004.
Sara acknowledged my open records request promptly and then never responded further until I filed suit in Chancery Court in February of 2005. Only then did I get the information.
Allan Wade has the best of both worlds. He is a part time employee of the City Council as their part time attorney and received at that time a salary of $58,000 per year plus of course the roll-up cost that all city employees receive. Also he is on the City pension system and has health insurance with the City paying 70% of the cost. His salary then was increased from $58,000 to $80,000 per year and in addition to that, he was paid $250,913.75 for legal fees in 2004 and had received $165,446.93 in 2005 up to March of that year.
Former IRS Commish ousted from Red Cross
Link
NEW YORK (AP) — The American Red Cross ousted its president, Mark Everson, on Tuesday after learning that he had engaged in a "personal relationship" with a subordinate employee.
Everson, the former commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, took the Red Cross job last May as the charity sought to restructure itself after sharp criticism of its response to Hurricane Katrina.
NEW YORK (AP) — The American Red Cross ousted its president, Mark Everson, on Tuesday after learning that he had engaged in a "personal relationship" with a subordinate employee.
Everson, the former commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, took the Red Cross job last May as the charity sought to restructure itself after sharp criticism of its response to Hurricane Katrina.
In a statement, the Red Cross said asked for and received Everson's resignation, effective immediately, after learning of the relationship.
"It concluded that the situation reflected poor judgment on Mr. Everson's part and diminished his ability to lead the organization in the future," the statement said. It did not identify the other employee.
"Crotch durability problems"
Link
WASHINGTON — The Army is retrofitting 1 million uniforms to bolster pants that have been tearing during the rigors of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Soldiers in Iraq began reporting "crotch durability problems" with their combat uniforms in July 2005, according to the Army. Jumping into Humvees, hopping from helicopters and scrambling after insurgents have popped inseams on the baggy pants.
Rougher terrain in Afghanistan prompted complaints this past August from soldiers who said their uniforms gave out quickly.
"This is a result of soldiers working in steep and harsh terrain and literally sliding down steep hills and mountains," Army spokesman Sheldon Smith said in an e-mail.
Single-stitching has caused most of the blown-out inseams, said Erin Thomas, an Army spokeswoman. The new trousers are more durable, she said.
What if candidates trusted the people
to live their lives in freedom?
Most people intuitively understand that wealth is created by private businesses competing for customers — not by the government. Could a presidential candidate win in 2008 by demonstrating a genuine commitment to competition and consumer choice?
That candidate could explain how economic progress is the result of firms responding to or creating new customer needs by combining resources and talent in innovative ways. The companies that do this best have figured out how to adapt to the global competitive environment. The long-term track records of companies provide ample evidence that customers, employees, and shareholders alike have mutual, long-term interests. And those interests are served by continually redirecting resources to their best use.
Warantless searches of welfare recipients
in California have been upheld by the State Supreme Court.
Link
The San Diego district attorney adopted a policy in 1997 under which applicants for welfare benefits must agree to a "walk through" of their residence while they are present. The inspectors check on whether the applicant has an eligible dependent child and has the amount of assets claimed. They also check on whether a supposedly "absent" parent lives at the residence. If residents refuse to permit a home visit, they can lose their benefits.
Link
The San Diego district attorney adopted a policy in 1997 under which applicants for welfare benefits must agree to a "walk through" of their residence while they are present. The inspectors check on whether the applicant has an eligible dependent child and has the amount of assets claimed. They also check on whether a supposedly "absent" parent lives at the residence. If residents refuse to permit a home visit, they can lose their benefits.
County employees should NOT be commissioners
A County Commissioner in Knox county is pushing an ordinance to prohibit county employees from serving on the County Commission. Davidson County already has such a prohibition and I hope the General Assembly will consider a State wide prohibition. A bill was introduced last year but was killed in committee.
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Knox County Commissioner Mike Hammond is proposing a ban prohibiting county employees from serving on the County Commission.
The plan is now before the county Ethics Committee and will be reworked at the committee's December meeting. It should come before the full commission for approval in January.
"I just feel like the citizens want an opportunity to vote as to whether county employees can serve on County Commission," Hammond said. "This is an opportunity for them to vote."
Monday, November 26, 2007
Open Govt in Fla - Nice!!!!!
Link
Nov. 26, 2007 · In less than a year, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) appears to be fulfilling his campaign promises to champion the cause of open government throughout state agencies.
Immediately after taking office he established a state office for training state agencies and ensuring agency compliance with public records laws. Then in June, Crist created a nine-member commission made up of media representatives, open government advocates, state legislators and law enforcement agents to review and evaluate Florida's public records and open meetings laws.
Now Crist has taken recommendations put forward by the open government commission and signed into law a first-of-its kind "Open Government Bill of Rights."
The declaration of rights directs state agencies to treat the public with respect and professionalism; obviates written records requests unless specifically required by law; assures requests receive prompt attention; enumerates the public's right to itemized records fees; and, reiterates state constitutional rights to public records and open meetings.
Should fireplaces be banned?
Link
So what is the question? Are the fires in our homes bad because they add to global warming? Release carbon dioxide into the air? Pollute the atmosphere with soot and particulate matter? All of the above?
Where is the research? The Chronicle reported that "government studies" indicate that 33 percent of all "particulate matter" comes from your fireplace and mine. With all the industry and all the cars in the Bay Area, does anyone actually believe that?
Shouldn't we be given more quantitative information such has, "How many fireplaces are there in the nine counties? How many are used each night? How many hours is each fireplace used? How much "particulate matter" is expelled from each fire? How many parts per million are in the air? How much dissipates into the atmosphere?"
Is this decision truly about air quality or global warming?
So what is the question? Are the fires in our homes bad because they add to global warming? Release carbon dioxide into the air? Pollute the atmosphere with soot and particulate matter? All of the above?
Where is the research? The Chronicle reported that "government studies" indicate that 33 percent of all "particulate matter" comes from your fireplace and mine. With all the industry and all the cars in the Bay Area, does anyone actually believe that?
Shouldn't we be given more quantitative information such has, "How many fireplaces are there in the nine counties? How many are used each night? How many hours is each fireplace used? How much "particulate matter" is expelled from each fire? How many parts per million are in the air? How much dissipates into the atmosphere?"
Is this decision truly about air quality or global warming?
Chinese automaker outsources to Mexico
Link
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Construction began Friday on an auto assembly plant in central Mexico that will create thousands of jobs and be the country's first to produce Chinese cars.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon led groundbreaking ceremonies for the factory, which will be financed by an arm of Mexican conglomerate Grupo Salinas and China's state-owned FAW Group Corp., one of the nation's largest automakers.
"Most of the world's investments used to go to China, and today China has come to invest in our country because it recognizes an enormous opportunity in Mexico thanks to its domestic market" and proximity to the U.S. and Latin America, Calderon said.
Due to open by 2010 in Michoacan state, the plant is expected to churn out 100,000 cars a year for sale in Mexico and Central America, according to a statement from Grupo Elektra, Grupo Salinas's electronic goods and consumer financing unit.
A State Income Tax in our future?
Link
Inside those budget numbers, Tennessee's tobacco tax collections burned Farr and the governor again. For the third straight month, tobacco taxes did not meet projections. In August, tobacco taxes were $14.1 million under budget. In September, smokin', chewin' and dippin' produced $9.6 million less in taxes than Bredesen hoped. For October, citizens sinned with tobacco $6.1 million less than the state anticipated.
Though the deficit has improved each month and Nashville may someday make its tobacco numbers, Tennessee has taken in only $61.5 million from tobacco taxes against a budget of $91.3 million. The $29.8 million shortfall is almost 33 percent below projections.
[...]
What happens if the economy and F&E collections continue to droop? What if too many people quit smoking and tobacco taxes never cough up enough to pay for Bredesen's school plan? There's always casinos. Or a state income tax.
Whoa! Anybody got a light?
Inside those budget numbers, Tennessee's tobacco tax collections burned Farr and the governor again. For the third straight month, tobacco taxes did not meet projections. In August, tobacco taxes were $14.1 million under budget. In September, smokin', chewin' and dippin' produced $9.6 million less in taxes than Bredesen hoped. For October, citizens sinned with tobacco $6.1 million less than the state anticipated.
Though the deficit has improved each month and Nashville may someday make its tobacco numbers, Tennessee has taken in only $61.5 million from tobacco taxes against a budget of $91.3 million. The $29.8 million shortfall is almost 33 percent below projections.
[...]
What happens if the economy and F&E collections continue to droop? What if too many people quit smoking and tobacco taxes never cough up enough to pay for Bredesen's school plan? There's always casinos. Or a state income tax.
Whoa! Anybody got a light?
Should government determine who is married?
Interesting op/ed from NYT: "Taking Marriage Private"
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Not until the 16th century did European states begin to require that marriages be performed under legal auspices. In part, this was an attempt to prevent unions between young adults whose parents opposed their match.
The American colonies officially required marriages to be registered, but until the mid-19th century, state supreme courts routinely ruled that public cohabitation was sufficient evidence of a valid marriage. By the later part of that century, however, the United States began to nullify common-law marriages and exert more control over who was allowed to marry.
NYT: And speaking of worker exploitation...
Link
The shift from a tenured faculty results from financial pressures, administrators' desire for more flexibility in hiring, firing and changing course offerings, and the growth of community colleges and regional public universities focused on teaching basics and preparing students for jobs.
It has become so extreme, however, that some universities are pulling back, concerned about the effect on educational quality. Rutgers University agreed in a labor settlement in August to add 100 tenure or tenure-track positions. Across the country, faculty unions are organizing part-timers. And the American Federation of Teachers is pushing legislation in 11 states to mandate that 75 percent of classes be taught by tenured or tenure-track teachers.
6,000 apply for 300 Walmart jobs in Cleveland
Don't these people know that Walmart is a corporate pirate bent on exploiting both employees and customers? We need a law making it illegal to work for or buy from Walmart!! Yeah, thats the ticket!!
Link
Link
As the world's largest private employer, Wal-Mart is used to being greeted by large numbers of applicants almost every time it opens a new store.
But the 6,000-plus people who applied for jobs at the new Supercenter in Cleveland's Steelyard Commons took everyone, even Wal-Mart, by surprise.
"We had to recount [the applications] three times," said Mia Masten, Wal-Mart's director of corporate affairs, Midwest division.
[...]
Those 6,000 people were competing for some 300 positions. That means for every one person hired, 19 people walked away empty-handed.
Mail in ballots changing Calif campaign strategy
Link
While the 2008 presidential candidates are camped out almost full time in the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, their campaign strategists are quietly zeroing in on a huge treasure trove of votes: the ever-growing roster of Californians who cast their ballots by mail.
By the November 2006 election, nearly 4 million California voters had signed up to be "permanent absentee voters" – meaning they automatically receive a ballot in the mail.
While the 2008 presidential candidates are camped out almost full time in the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, their campaign strategists are quietly zeroing in on a huge treasure trove of votes: the ever-growing roster of Californians who cast their ballots by mail.
By the November 2006 election, nearly 4 million California voters had signed up to be "permanent absentee voters" – meaning they automatically receive a ballot in the mail.
That exceeds all the voters in Iowa and New Hampshire combined by more than 1 million.
"It's not lost on us how many of these people are going to cast ballots before these other elections even happen," said Mike DuHaime, national campaign manager for Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, a former mayor of New York.
Can we reduce federal spending?
Fred Barnes says not to despair and that yes, we can reduce federal spending. Interesting read.
Link
Two other points. Divided government--Congress controlled by one party, the White House by the other--is a boon to limiting spending. Going back a half century, a study by William Niskanen of the Cato Institute found that "the only two long periods of fiscal restraint were the Eisenhower and Clinton administration, during both of which the opposition party controlled Congress."
Link
Two other points. Divided government--Congress controlled by one party, the White House by the other--is a boon to limiting spending. Going back a half century, a study by William Niskanen of the Cato Institute found that "the only two long periods of fiscal restraint were the Eisenhower and Clinton administration, during both of which the opposition party controlled Congress."
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Why big government does NOT work
A very interesting post at Overcoming Bias explains in yet another way why, as government gets bigger, it involves more and more people who don't share the goals of the citizens it supposedly serves or even the do-gooders who want to use government to impose their moral orthodoxy on everyone else.
But consider the No Child Left Behind Act. The politicians want to look like they're doing something about educational difficulties; the politicians have to look busy to voters this year, not fifteen years later when the kids are looking for jobs. The politicians are not the consumers of education. The bureaucrats have to show progress, which means that they're only interested in progress that can be measured this year. They aren't the ones who'll end up ignorant of science. The publishers who commission textbooks, and the committees that purchase textbooks, don't sit in the classrooms bored out of their skulls.
The actual consumers of knowledge are the children - who can't pay, can't vote, can't sit on the committees. Their parents care for them, but don't sit in the classes themselves; they can only hold politicians responsible according to surface images of "tough on education". Politicians are too busy being re-elected to study all the data themselves; they have to rely on surface images of bureaucrats being busy and commissioning studies - it may not work to help any children, but it works to let politicians appear caring. Bureaucrats don't expect to use textbooks themselves, so they don't care if the textbooks are hideous to read, so long as the process by which they are purchased looks good on the surface. The textbook publishers have no motive to produce bad textbooks, but they know that the textbook purchasing committee will be comparing textbooks based on how many different subjects they cover, and that the fourth-grade purchasing committee isn't coordinated with the third-grade purchasing committee, so they cram as many subjects into one textbook as possible. Teachers won't get through a fourth of the textbook before the end of the year, and then the next year's teacher will start over. Teachers might complain, but they aren't the decision-makers, and ultimately, it's not their future on the line, which puts sharp bounds on how much effort they'll spend on unpaid altruism...
It's amazing, when you look at it that way - consider at all the lost information and lost incentives - that anything at all remains of the original purpose, the gain of knowledge. Though many educational systems seem to be currently in the process of collapsing into a state not much better than nothing.
Want to see the problem really solved? Make the politicians go to school.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Price controls and socialism and Hugo, OH MY
The title says it all, "Venezuelans struggle to find food"
Link
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The lines for basic foods at subsidized prices are paradoxical for an oil-rich nation that in many ways is a land of plenty. Shopping malls are bustling, new car sales are booming and privately owned supermarkets are stocked with American potato chips, French wines and Swiss Gruyere cheese.
Yet other foods covered by price controls — eggs, chicken — periodically are hard to find in supermarkets. Fresh milk has become a luxury, and even baby formula is scarcer nowadays.
Amen to Marsha's push for sales tax deductibility
Link
"It is not Congress's money; it is the money of the individuals that go out and work every day and earn it," Blackburn said.
"It is not Congress's money; it is the money of the individuals that go out and work every day and earn it," Blackburn said.
Fastest Growing are GOP, Fastest shrinking are Dem
The fastest-growing Congressional Districts between 2000 and 2005, with change percentage:
1. Arizona 06 -- Flake (+36.3%)
2. Arizona 02 -- Franks (+34%)
3. Nevada 03 -- Porter (+32.1%)
4. Florida 05 -- Brown-Waite (+26.9%)
5. California 44 -- Calvert (+23.8%)
6. Texas 10 -- McCaul (+23.4%)
7. Texas 22 -- Lampson (+22.6%)
8. Texas 03 -- Sam Johnson (+22.4%)
9. Florida 14 -- Mack (+21.6%)
10. California 45 -- Bono (+21.6%)
The ten fastest-shrinking districts, with percentage of population lost between 2000 and 2005:
1. Ohio 11 -- Jones (-9.1%)
2. Michigan 13 -- Kilpatrick (-7.9%)
3. Illinois 09 -- Schakowsky (-7.9%)
4. Pennsylvania 02 -- Fattah (-7.4%)
5. Pennsylvania 14 -- Doyle (-7.4%)
6. New York 28 -- Slaughter (-7.1%)
7. Michigan 14 -- Conyers (-6.7%)
8. Illinois 05 -- Emanuel (-5.1%)
9. California 08 -- Pelosi (-5.1%)
10. Indiana 07 -- Carson (-5.0%)
Retirement is sweeeeeet, work hard young'uns
All you young folks will take great solace in the fact that us old folks are looking forward to retirement and healthcare funded by your payroll taxes. Work hard because we have lots of shuffle board to play. Oh, and yes, Social Security will be broke by the time you retire because Congress has spent all the surplus money that would have funded your retirement. The next time a politicians says, "I want to help you"....well, you know.
Link
Link
Toronto, ON – According to a recent poll conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of RBC, while a slim majority (56%) of individuals approaching retirement believe that their quality of life will get better once they retire, eight in ten (79%) current retirees indicate their quality of life was improved once they retired. These findings suggest that retired life is even better than individuals might have originally predicted.
One of the many perks of being retired is, in many cases, freedom from the alarm clock. Fully two thirds (66%) of retired Canadians say that they have freed themselves from the shackles of the morning buzzer, indicating that they never use an alarm clock to wake up. But this doesn't mean that these individuals are slowing down in retirement; rather, two thirds (67%) of retired Canadians indicate that they are continuing to live their lives at the same pace as they were before retiring.
As boomers begin to approach the golden years of retirement, it appears that they are starting to appreciate the health and wellness of their own bodies and minds. In fact, almost all (90%) boomers in the retirement window say that they are becoming more aware of the need for wellness and personal care. Furthermore, two thirds (67%) of retirees suggest that they spend more time looking after themselves than they used to, which contrasts with just six in ten (59%) pre-retired boomers who indicate that they are able to do the same thing.
NY's Spitzer Mulls Tax Hike on the Rich
Support for a tax increase is coming from one of Mr. Spitzer's firmest backers, the Working Families Party, a grassroots operation financed by a coalition of labor unions and community groups. Mr. Spitzer, whom the party cross-endorsed, received 155,000 votes on its ballot line in the general election.
The party, which Mr. Spitzer has hailed as a "major force in state politics," is preparing to roll out a lobbying campaign to urge Mr. Spitzer and lawmakers to close the gap by drawing more revenue from wealthier residents rather than squeezing the budgets of Medicaid and public education.
The plan is likely to call for using a portion of the new revenue to pay for additional property tax cuts for middle-class residents, a shift party activists say would insulate the governor from criticism by allowing him to label the move as a tax shift.
Can the Govt protect your privacy?
Not in the UK
Link
Every parent in the country (Britain) has been put at risk of fraud and identity theft after the Government lost 25 million personal records in Britain's worst ever data protection breach.
Two compact discs containing bank details and addresses of 9.5 million parents and the names, dates of birth and National Insurance numbers of all 15.5 million children in the country went missing after a junior employee of HM Revenue and Customs put them in the post, unrecorded and unregistered.
Link
Every parent in the country (Britain) has been put at risk of fraud and identity theft after the Government lost 25 million personal records in Britain's worst ever data protection breach.
Two compact discs containing bank details and addresses of 9.5 million parents and the names, dates of birth and National Insurance numbers of all 15.5 million children in the country went missing after a junior employee of HM Revenue and Customs put them in the post, unrecorded and unregistered.
Unbelievable corporate welfare in Kingsport
Where is my blood pressure medicine? Kingsport is giving away multiple millions of taxpayer dollars to Eastman. A company that is ALREADY located in Kingsport. They SHOULD NOT get the taxpayers money under any circumstances.
Link
KINGSPORT — Eastman Chemical Co. will receive a multimillion dollar tax break for its $1.3 billion reinvestment project the company plans to undertake over the next five years. The tax break, however, did not come with the full support of the Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
Link
KINGSPORT — Eastman Chemical Co. will receive a multimillion dollar tax break for its $1.3 billion reinvestment project the company plans to undertake over the next five years. The tax break, however, did not come with the full support of the Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
Over the next five years, Eastman plans to invest more than $1.3 billion in its Kingsport headquarters operation. The company plans to modernize the plant, investing about $265 million every year at the Kingsport site through 2012.
Eastman requested an in-lieu-of-tax agreement with Kingsport where the company would pay the city $6.6 million over 14 years instead of an estimated $28 million in property taxes. The $6.6 million is money Eastman would pay to Kingsport instead of the taxes assessed on the increased value of property.
Sundquist: Gov has earned his free ride
First we find out about a new luxury jet for Congress and now we find that ex TN Governors get free chauffeured rides from the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
And Gov Sundquist thinks former Governors have "earned" their free ride...what a CROCK!!!!.
Link
"Whatever he needs, I'm for him. I think he's earned it," Sundquist said of McWherter, his immediate predecessor as the state's chief executive. "When I was in office, if he needed a car … I had no problem sending a car for him."
And Gov Sundquist thinks former Governors have "earned" their free ride...what a CROCK!!!!.
Link
"Whatever he needs, I'm for him. I think he's earned it," Sundquist said of McWherter, his immediate predecessor as the state's chief executive. "When I was in office, if he needed a car … I had no problem sending a car for him."
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Mayor uses Visual aid to promote tax hike
Link
Morristown Mayor Sami Barile held up a jar she said contained $100 in quarters.
"If you spend this $100, this is how much more you'll pay with the sales tax increase," she told Hamblen County commissioners. "One quarter more."
The commission voted unanimously to hold a countywide referendum on raising the sales tax one-fourth of 1 cent. The tax increase will be on the ballot for the presidential primary Feb. 5.
Interesting Stats on Poverty
Link
More data from the American Housing Survey. In the last 20 years, the proportion of households with income below the poverty line with the following amenities has increased as follows:
1985 2005
Dishwasher 16% 37%
Washing Machine 56% 64%
Dryer 35% 57%
Husband wants Govt emails of cheating wife
Link
Franklin Circuit Court Judge Phillip J. Shepherd ordered the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet to give Stephen Malmer e-mails written between his wife, Bobbie Malmer, and former state employee David Moss from Nov. 1, 2005, to June 1, 2006.
Stephen Malmer of Frankfort requested the e-mails in June 2006, saying they were public records covered by the Open Records Act.
Malmer said last night he wanted the e-mails because he suspected his wife was having an affair. Although his wife has since confessed to the affair, Stephen Malmer said, he still has questions and wants to see the case through for closure.
"It's been such a nightmare," Stephen Malmer said. "I was horrified by the amount of opposition I ran up against."
Malmer said his wife has been supportive in his fight for the e-mails. He said she no longer has access to the e-mails and can't provide them herself.
States clammed up after 9-11
Tennessee along with every other State (except South Dakota) moved to restrict information regarded as potentially useful to terrorists.
Link
Link
Wary of terrorists, state lawmakers closed government meetings previously open to the public, denied residents access to disaster-response plans and concealed documents on mass-transit systems, energy companies and research laboratories, according to the findings.
Nationwide, states have enacted scores of restrictions since Sept. 11, 2001, according to the congressionally funded study, "State Open Government Law and Practice in a Post 9/11 World," formally released Thursday (Nov. 15) by the Center for Terrorism Law based at St. Mary's University in Texas.
Most of the restrictions cover information on critical infrastructure and cyber security, while as few as half the states have restricted access to documents relating to public health and terror investigations.
Classic skit on govt bureaucratic madness
The classic Monty Python silly walk skit making fun of British Government bureaucratic self-aggrandizement and silliness and waste.
Did wages stagnate between 2000-05? NO
LinkI charted the BLS numbers, and calculated the change in real compensation for the six years from Q4 1999 to Q4 2005. A pleasant surprise: real compensation per hour has been the opposite of "stagnant"; in fact, it grew by 6.7% in the 2000-2005 interval. That's better growth than any six-year period in the last twenty years, including 1995-2000.
Lobbying money bonanza-Xmas in Jan-May
1- Cable companies don't want competition from ATT
2- City and county officials don't want to lose "their" franchise fees.
3- ATT wants access to new customers
4- Lobbyists want more money
5- Politicians want more contributions
$11 million was spent last year on lobbying for the cable vs ATT bill last year.
Link
2- City and county officials don't want to lose "their" franchise fees.
3- ATT wants access to new customers
4- Lobbyists want more money
5- Politicians want more contributions
$11 million was spent last year on lobbying for the cable vs ATT bill last year.
Link
Prediction Markets Search Engine
Prediction Markets Search Engine
This is a great resource for finding when and where people are willing to put their money where their mouth is, like stock markets for predictions.
HERE is a search for Rudy Giuliani for example.
HT: Zillman
This is a great resource for finding when and where people are willing to put their money where their mouth is, like stock markets for predictions.
HERE is a search for Rudy Giuliani for example.
HT: Zillman
How to fatten Thanksgiving turkeys? BEER!
Link"The turkeys, as well as other animals, like beer," says owner Joe Morette. "I'm one of them."
He goes through between 50 to 60 cans a day for the nearly 300 birds on his farm.
"It slows them down a little. They're enjoying their life," says Morette.
At least until Thanksgiving.
Who gets Your Gas bucks?
Who gets the Gas Money
Pump profits
Pump profits
| Crude oil | 54.0% |
| Refiners | 13.0% |
| Marketing | 9.0% |
| Distributors | 6.4% |
| Retailers | 9.0% |
| Taxes | 19.0% |
Monday, November 19, 2007
A building boom at L.A.'s private schools
Link
From Chatsworth to El Segundo, private schools are spending an estimated $600 million in a building boom that reflects the strong demand for their services and the intense competition among their ranks.
Brentwood School is building an aquatics center that looks like a modern equivalent of the Greco-Roman baths of ancient Alexandria. Windward School, also on the Westside, is completing a new library with digital media studios and an indoor-outdoor reading area with a fireplace. Loyola High School near downtown recently opened a new science hall equipped with the most advanced instruments, and, across the new commons, it is restoring its historic brick Jesuit residence hall.
The building frenzy is being driven by aging facilities, new teaching models that call for informal classroom settings, space for group projects and hands-on activities, and the need for new technology. It also is aimed, of course, at keeping these schools competitive.
From Chatsworth to El Segundo, private schools are spending an estimated $600 million in a building boom that reflects the strong demand for their services and the intense competition among their ranks.
Brentwood School is building an aquatics center that looks like a modern equivalent of the Greco-Roman baths of ancient Alexandria. Windward School, also on the Westside, is completing a new library with digital media studios and an indoor-outdoor reading area with a fireplace. Loyola High School near downtown recently opened a new science hall equipped with the most advanced instruments, and, across the new commons, it is restoring its historic brick Jesuit residence hall.
The building frenzy is being driven by aging facilities, new teaching models that call for informal classroom settings, space for group projects and hands-on activities, and the need for new technology. It also is aimed, of course, at keeping these schools competitive.
NYT on TN Lottery's Rebecca Paul Hargrove
LinkAs lottery executives go, few can claim her knack for seizing the spotlight. No matter the occasion, Ms. Hargrove, a former Indiana beauty queen turned Powerball potentate, has proved especially gifted at navigating — some say plowing — her way onto center stage. Often, there is a Salem Menthol 100 or a Diet Coke in her hand. Always, issued in her trademark husky voice, is a less-than-subtle play for a few of your hard-earned dollars.
“Anytime you buy gas, I want you to spend the change on a lottery ticket,” says Ms. Hargrove, the president and chief executive of the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation. “That’s what I do. I raise the money, and the state spends it.”
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Republicans try to revive Limited Govt Label
House Republicans John Boehner, Roy Blunt, Adam Putnam, and Eric Cantor put together this glossy PDF to convince Republicans they are still concerned about limiting the size of Government. Actions and passion and hard work and VOTES will speak much louder than brochures.
Link
For some time, Republicans have been criticized for losing their way on core, defining values of limited government and fiscal restraint. Public opinion polls reinforce this criticism – indicating that Republicans have lost their historical advantage on the issue of whom you trust to control wasteful spending and limit government.
While our record as a majority on these issues could have been better, Republicans were able to achieve some marked successes. A GOP Congress enacted legislation in 2005 to reduce mandatory spending by $40 billion, the first such bill in almost a decade – and also successfully froze non-security
discretionary spending. Over time, however, our efforts to rein in government failed to produce the results we and our supporters wanted to see.
This is in part a function of the fact that, as a whole, Republicans stopped making the case about the need to eliminate wasteful spending and reduce the size and reach of the federal government. We no longer spoke up about why limited government is important to the long-term well being of America. As a result, we left the impression that we were no longer committed to pursuing smaller government.
Link
For some time, Republicans have been criticized for losing their way on core, defining values of limited government and fiscal restraint. Public opinion polls reinforce this criticism – indicating that Republicans have lost their historical advantage on the issue of whom you trust to control wasteful spending and limit government.
While our record as a majority on these issues could have been better, Republicans were able to achieve some marked successes. A GOP Congress enacted legislation in 2005 to reduce mandatory spending by $40 billion, the first such bill in almost a decade – and also successfully froze non-security
discretionary spending. Over time, however, our efforts to rein in government failed to produce the results we and our supporters wanted to see.
This is in part a function of the fact that, as a whole, Republicans stopped making the case about the need to eliminate wasteful spending and reduce the size and reach of the federal government. We no longer spoke up about why limited government is important to the long-term well being of America. As a result, we left the impression that we were no longer committed to pursuing smaller government.
Taxes WIN elections-when you oppose them
Link
Today, he's the mayor-elect of the nation's 13th-largest city, a tax opponent held up for admiration by President Bush, and a lesson to political incumbents everywhere of what can happen if they don't mind the mood of the voters.
Ballard overcame little name recognition, a sizable mid-September polling deficit and a more than 12-1 fundraising disadvantage to pull off one of the biggest upsets in modern Indiana election history. He beat Democrat Bart Peterson 51 percent to 47 percent to become the first challenger in 40 years to unseat an Indianapolis mayor.
The 52-year-old retired Marine Corps officer never doubted himself.
Today, he's the mayor-elect of the nation's 13th-largest city, a tax opponent held up for admiration by President Bush, and a lesson to political incumbents everywhere of what can happen if they don't mind the mood of the voters.
Ballard overcame little name recognition, a sizable mid-September polling deficit and a more than 12-1 fundraising disadvantage to pull off one of the biggest upsets in modern Indiana election history. He beat Democrat Bart Peterson 51 percent to 47 percent to become the first challenger in 40 years to unseat an Indianapolis mayor.
The 52-year-old retired Marine Corps officer never doubted himself.
Who really holds the power in TN-Lobbyists!!
An extraordinarily insightful investigative piece by Jessica Fender about who really wields the POWER at the Tennessee General Assembly. When a bureaucrat wants to protect their turf and their job and their power they don't go to legislators, that would be silly and counter productive. They go to the lobbyists to get things done.
A couple years ago, the state's top alcohol regulator was in a tough spot. A proposed bill in the legislature would have clipped one of her agency's key duties, regulating liquor and wine commercials.
But Alcoholic Beverage Commission Director Danielle Elks didn't turn for help to her local representative, or even the sponsor of the bill, Sen. Joe Haynes, D-Goodlettsville. She handled it with the state's restaurant lobby.
In a May 2005 letter, she proposed dropping enforcement of certain rules if the lobby would withdraw the bill. Six days later, Haynes dropped the bill, which was written in the first place by a restaurant lobbyist.
The deal between regulator and regulated — the second uncovered at the commission in two weeks — offers a glimpse of the give-and-take involved in policing a highly influential industry.
And it shows a Capitol culture that puts legislative pens and power in the hands of lobbyists, who outnumber lawmakers' staffs more than two to one.
Korean Boot Camp for Web Addicts
LinkBut these young people are not battling alcohol or drugs. Rather, they have severe cases of what many in this country believe is a new and potentially deadly addiction: cyberspace.
They come here, to the Jump Up Internet Rescue School, the first camp of its kind in South Korea and possibly the world, to be cured.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Dave, could you elaborate?
The quote below from Finance Commissioner Dave Goetz begs for clarification. He is talking about the shortfall in revenue between budgeted and actual. I hope that members of the media will follow up. I am sincerely confused by this statement.
Link
"We knew this day was coming; it's here," Mr. Goetz said. "We've been preparing for this for the better part of five years. We're ready to manage our way through it."
Link
"We knew this day was coming; it's here," Mr. Goetz said. "We've been preparing for this for the better part of five years. We're ready to manage our way through it."
Friday, November 16, 2007
Big Brother watches Big Brother
Link
ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) - GPS tracking devices installed on government-issue vehicles are helping communities around the country reduce waste and abuse, in part by catching employees shopping, working out at the gym or otherwise loafing while on the clock.
The use of GPS has led to firings, stoking complaints from employees and unions that the devices are intrusive, Big Brother technology. But city officials say that monitoring employees' movements has deterred abuses, saving the taxpayers money in gasoline and lost productivity.
"We can't have public resources being used on private activities. That's Management 101," Phil Nolan, supervisor of the Long Island town of Islip.
Islip saved nearly 14,000 gallons of gas over a three-month period from the previous year after GPS devices were installed. Nolan said that shows that employees know they are being watched and are no longer using Islip's 614 official vehicles for personal business.
Federal election statistics, 1920-2006
An extraordinary historical vote archive.
Link
Since 1920, the Clerk of the House has collected and published the official vote counts for federal elections from the official sources among the various states and territories. These documents, out of print for many years, have been collected and scanned in a format to make them once again available to researchers and students.
Via Depth Reporting
Link
Since 1920, the Clerk of the House has collected and published the official vote counts for federal elections from the official sources among the various states and territories. These documents, out of print for many years, have been collected and scanned in a format to make them once again available to researchers and students.
Via Depth Reporting
UK Teachers Union wants protection from web ratings
Link
Nearly a million teachers at 7,500 schools are listed on the site, with staff given an "overall quality" rating based on their popularity, clarity and helpfulness.
While most comments are positive, some random negative views include: "An irritating harlot"; "She should be locked up in Belmarsh (prison)" and "Nice bloke, can't teach."
The site's founder Michael Husey said 70 percent of the comments were positive and teachers find the feedback useful.
All postings are read before being published. Any that break the site's rules, which include restrictions on bad language, appearance or sexuality, are deleted.
"I know it helps teachers," he said. "We get emails back all the time from teachers ... who are using the Web site to bring them closer to their students and create mutual respect.
"They (unions) are attacking things that undermine their power structure. They aren't adjusting too well to the information age."
Derek Jeter claims to live in NO INCOME TAX Fla
Link
New York City's quintessential A-list superstar, Yankees captain Derek Jeter, is in trouble with the taxman for claiming he resided in Florida during some of the biggest years of his Big Apple career.
New York state tax officials want Jeter to fork over what could be hundreds of thousands — even millions of dollars— in back taxes and interest for the years 2001 to 2003, when the baseball shortstop claimed residency in Florida, despite his high-profile presence in New York's sports and gossip pages during that time.
Lawyers for Jeter, who has an off-season home in Tampa, Fla., dispute the claims that Jeter "immersed himself in the New York community" and made "numerous statements professing his love for New York" during the disputed period, according to documents published this week on a state Web site monitored by FOXNews.com. The posting came in the form of an administrative judge's rulings on a number of seemingly mundane issues related to the ongoing case.
New York City's quintessential A-list superstar, Yankees captain Derek Jeter, is in trouble with the taxman for claiming he resided in Florida during some of the biggest years of his Big Apple career.
New York state tax officials want Jeter to fork over what could be hundreds of thousands — even millions of dollars— in back taxes and interest for the years 2001 to 2003, when the baseball shortstop claimed residency in Florida, despite his high-profile presence in New York's sports and gossip pages during that time.
Lawyers for Jeter, who has an off-season home in Tampa, Fla., dispute the claims that Jeter "immersed himself in the New York community" and made "numerous statements professing his love for New York" during the disputed period, according to documents published this week on a state Web site monitored by FOXNews.com. The posting came in the form of an administrative judge's rulings on a number of seemingly mundane issues related to the ongoing case.
Medicare's biggest little secret - MSAs
Medicare Medical Savings Accounts.
Link
One of the great ironies of public policy in the past few years was that the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003, that created the "Part D" prescription drug benefit, also created Health Savings Accounts for everyone in the United States – except those on Medicare. The law did, however, reauthorize the old "Medical Savings Accounts" (MSA) provision that was passed as part of the Balanced Budget Act in 1997 but never implemented.
There were many reasons the original MSAs in Medicare never came about. The plan was time limited and restricted to no more than 300,000 beneficiaries. It was unlikely that any private insurer would invest significant Research and Development funds in a program that was so tentative – and none did.
Today conditions have changed. The idea of consumer driven health care is now widely accepted as a major addition to the offerings in the private benefits market. Over ten million people are currently covered by some sort of "account-based" health plan (HSA or HRA), and virtually every insurance company is offering a version of the approach. Banks and information services companies see consumer driven care as an unprecedented opportunity to reform the health care system and open up new markets. And the MMA law removed most of the restrictions that made Medicare MSAs unattractive to vendors.
So, now we have a world in which the vendors are adept at marketing and managing account-based plans, citizens are increasingly accustomed to the approach, and Congress removed the most onerous restrictions to providing MSAs in the Medicare program.
Link
One of the great ironies of public policy in the past few years was that the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003, that created the "Part D" prescription drug benefit, also created Health Savings Accounts for everyone in the United States – except those on Medicare. The law did, however, reauthorize the old "Medical Savings Accounts" (MSA) provision that was passed as part of the Balanced Budget Act in 1997 but never implemented.
There were many reasons the original MSAs in Medicare never came about. The plan was time limited and restricted to no more than 300,000 beneficiaries. It was unlikely that any private insurer would invest significant Research and Development funds in a program that was so tentative – and none did.
Today conditions have changed. The idea of consumer driven health care is now widely accepted as a major addition to the offerings in the private benefits market. Over ten million people are currently covered by some sort of "account-based" health plan (HSA or HRA), and virtually every insurance company is offering a version of the approach. Banks and information services companies see consumer driven care as an unprecedented opportunity to reform the health care system and open up new markets. And the MMA law removed most of the restrictions that made Medicare MSAs unattractive to vendors.
So, now we have a world in which the vendors are adept at marketing and managing account-based plans, citizens are increasingly accustomed to the approach, and Congress removed the most onerous restrictions to providing MSAs in the Medicare program.
We don't need MORE govt control, we need LESS
Government solutions for Government problems which create more Government problems which call for more Government solutions etc etc etc. There seems to be a pattern here!!
While I ( and Martin Kennedy) applaud my Representative Mike Turner for his desire to return to neighborhood schools in Davidson County, I seriously doubt that simply passing a State law with a mandate for the local school board will fix anything. Mike will probably not like this analogy but President Bush's No Child Left Behind was a result of his (and Senator Kennedy at the time) effort to force a mandate on local schools. While NCLB has resulted in some amount of positive movement. It too does not address the REAL underlying problem:
Parents have far too little power.
The school board has power, the teachers' union has power, the Congress and the State legislature have power and all of these entities have seized power from the one group that should be in charge, THE PARENTS....and the result of taking power away from parents is a mediocre at best, bureaucratic laden, school system with which that NO one is happy.
HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The solution is less government power over education and more power in the hands of parents. Mike is a parent of Metro school students. HE should have the power to determine where his children attend...NOT Pedro Garcia or the School Board or Karl Dean or the TN Dept of Education or the TN General Assembly or President Bush or the US Congress. The parents should have the POWER.
While I ( and Martin Kennedy) applaud my Representative Mike Turner for his desire to return to neighborhood schools in Davidson County, I seriously doubt that simply passing a State law with a mandate for the local school board will fix anything. Mike will probably not like this analogy but President Bush's No Child Left Behind was a result of his (and Senator Kennedy at the time) effort to force a mandate on local schools. While NCLB has resulted in some amount of positive movement. It too does not address the REAL underlying problem:
Parents have far too little power.
The school board has power, the teachers' union has power, the Congress and the State legislature have power and all of these entities have seized power from the one group that should be in charge, THE PARENTS....and the result of taking power away from parents is a mediocre at best, bureaucratic laden, school system with which that NO one is happy.
HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The solution is less government power over education and more power in the hands of parents. Mike is a parent of Metro school students. HE should have the power to determine where his children attend...NOT Pedro Garcia or the School Board or Karl Dean or the TN Dept of Education or the TN General Assembly or President Bush or the US Congress. The parents should have the POWER.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Is Congress irretrievably CORRUPT?
Have we passed the point of no return?
Link
"Airdropping" is a way of adding earmarks to a bill during the conference report process at the last possible minute, effectively shielding the earmarks from reproach due to the lack of time for review before a vote on the floor. Many times, these reports are hundreds of pages in length and Members simply cannot thoroughly examine every page in less than 24 hours. This is a deliberate tactic to spend millions of dollars of taxpayer money with complete anonymity and zero accountability. I have vocally opposed this practice as have many of my colleagues on both the House and Senate side.
However, despite the outcry from House Members and Senators, 54 earmarks worth $85 million have been added to conference reports for the three spending bills I listed above. Out of those 54 earmarks, 12 were sponsored by Freshman House Members or Senators in their first terms and 9 were requested and signed off by Senators up for re-election this year.
Link
"Airdropping" is a way of adding earmarks to a bill during the conference report process at the last possible minute, effectively shielding the earmarks from reproach due to the lack of time for review before a vote on the floor. Many times, these reports are hundreds of pages in length and Members simply cannot thoroughly examine every page in less than 24 hours. This is a deliberate tactic to spend millions of dollars of taxpayer money with complete anonymity and zero accountability. I have vocally opposed this practice as have many of my colleagues on both the House and Senate side.
However, despite the outcry from House Members and Senators, 54 earmarks worth $85 million have been added to conference reports for the three spending bills I listed above. Out of those 54 earmarks, 12 were sponsored by Freshman House Members or Senators in their first terms and 9 were requested and signed off by Senators up for re-election this year.
Chicago transit union doomsday demo
Chicago may be the next Paris if transit union bosses have their way.
Link
Transit officials turned up the heat on feuding lawmakers today with the threat of union walkouts that would shut down buses and trains next year if taxes aren't raised.
"We are about at wits' end," said Rick Harris, head of the CTA's rail union, at a morning press conference in Chicago. "Maybe we have to show you exactly what a doomsday looks like. Maybe that is the signal that needs to be sent."
Link
Transit officials turned up the heat on feuding lawmakers today with the threat of union walkouts that would shut down buses and trains next year if taxes aren't raised.
"We are about at wits' end," said Rick Harris, head of the CTA's rail union, at a morning press conference in Chicago. "Maybe we have to show you exactly what a doomsday looks like. Maybe that is the signal that needs to be sent."
Jimmy Duncan AND Jim Cooper support this-Great
A proposal to amend the Rules of the House to REQUIRE all legislation and conference reports be available on the Internet for 72 hours before consideration by the House, and for other purposes.
- The purpose of this resolution is to:
- (1) Modernize the operations of the House of Representatives using information technology that has transformed and increased the efficiency of many aspects of American society such as financial services and markets, transportation, manufacturing, agriculture, and commerce with consumers and businesses.
- (2) Slow the explosive growth of the $8,000,000,000,000 national debt of the United States, reduce excessive annual budget deficits, and control the size and scope of government by ensuring that there is adequate scrutiny of proposals for new and amended laws, taxes, and expenditures.
- (3) Enhance public participation in American democracy and improve the quality of proposed legislation by allowing the opportunity for its review by State and local government officials, small business owners, large business leaders, journalists, scientists, academics, labor leaders, nonprofit organization leaders, authors of weblogs, and interested citizens.
- (4) Help restore public trust in government and enhance respect for the House of Representatives and the Congress by ensuring that their operations are conducted with the openness, order, and dignity befitting the world's oldest democracy.
Ron Paul Campaign contribution transparency
I doubt that any campaign has ever been as openly transparent about their contribution amounts and numbers. And when I say "campaign" I mean BOTH the campaign organized by the official campaign staff and all the independent efforts that result in contributions.
According to this web site: www.RonPaulGraphs.com,
Approx 150 people per hour contribute
Average contribution size is below $100.
Today they will raise approx 40k or more
According to this web site: www.RonPaulGraphs.com,
Approx 150 people per hour contribute
Average contribution size is below $100.
Today they will raise approx 40k or more
Ditto on Drew Johnson and TCPR
Like Terry Frank I am extremely proud of Drew Johnson and the Tennessee Center for Policy Research for having the courage to pursue the campaign law violations by Senator Jerry Cooper. No one else was willing to step forward and put their name on the complaint against a powerful State Senator for very obvious violations. We all owe Drew a debt of gratitude.
More info about Shelby Commissioner indictment
Link
He ran for the Shelby County Board of Commissioners five years ago on the slogan "It's time for government to mean business." And Bruce Thompson's campaign literature pledged, "I believe public officials should use their position to save money for the taxpayers, not make money for themselves."
It was a not-so-subtle reminder that the Democratic nominee he was running against, former County Commissioner Joe Cooper, had gone to prison in the 1970s on a federal bank fraud charge.
Thompson, the Republican nominee, won the 2002 general election for County Commission District 5 and served one four-year term.
The indictment alleges that Thompson used his position on the commission to extort a total of $270,750 from H&M Construction Co. Inc. and Salton-Fox Construction Co. LLC Joint Venture.
The companies had joined together starting in late 2004 seeking the contract to build three new Memphis city schools. They hired Thompson as a consultant for that effort. They got the contract worth nearly $47 million.
The indictment alleges that Thompson "would falsely represent to representatives of the joint venture ... that by reason of his position as a Shelby County commissioner, he had the ability to control the votes of members of the Memphis City School Board, in connection with the awarding of" the contract for the three schools. Thompson also, according to the indictment, "would falsely represent ... that he had made commitments to give campaign contributions to certain members of the Memphis City School Board."
The alleged use of Thompson's public office is critical in the charge, which means it is a violation of the federal Hobbs Act.
OJ had better approval than Congress
Link
So what's going on today? We have a president with a near record-low job performance rating – 24 percent. (The record lows were Harry Truman after he fired Douglas MacArthur, and Richard Nixon the day before he resigned. Both were at 23 percent.)
But the Democrats who run Congress have an 11 percent job approval rating. Let's just note that in my polling in 1995, O.J. Simpson was at 16 percent.
Too many poor students reported by Metro
Metro Schools receive more federal taxpayer money for students whose parents are unable to pay $40-60 per month for school lunches. So they have a huge incentive to report a very high number of parents who are unable to provide their children lunch. They are not sure why the reported number is so much higher than it should have been.
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A dramatic reporting mistake in the number of Metro Nashville students receiving free and reduced-price lunches is forcing the school district to repay the federal government money it shouldn't have received, state officials said Wednesday.
Districts report that figure and other statistics to the state, and the data is used to allocate federal funds and compile the state report card. Metro reported 81.4 percent in the lunch program last school year — an unprecedented jump — when the correct number was 71.8 percent, up from 69.6 percent the year before.
[...]Connie Smith, executive director of accountability for the state Department of Education, called the amount paid to Metro in error "pretty big money."
"This is very, very high-risk because funds are attached to those numbers," she said. "… The numbers don't come from the state, they come from the system. Internal communication issues, this goes directly to that."
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Johnson Cnty Firefighters to ask for fire tax
Link
According to Kevin Colson, President of the Johnson County (Mountain City, TN) Firefighter's Association, their organization plans to request the county commissioners to enact the Tennessee fire tax that the state already has in place.
According to Kevin Colson, President of the Johnson County (Mountain City, TN) Firefighter's Association, their organization plans to request the county commissioners to enact the Tennessee fire tax that the state already has in place.
Currently, the eight volunteer fire departments receive $16,250 annually from the county's general fund. With each department's operating budget running approximately $30,000 to $45,000, they are drastically under funded. Aging equipment, including fire trucks, needs repair, and in many cases, outright replacement. "Sending our firefighters out with faulty gear and equipment is a safety hazard," says Colson. "We're facing increased training requirements, which are necessary but time consuming, leaving us very little time for fund-raising." The county fire department members logged over 5,000 training hours in 2006.
Legislative Panel offers sunglasses to citizens
The study committee on open meetings laws retreated a bit from their drive to weaken sunshine laws, but only a bit. This is totally unacceptable and is simply the result of the public outcry. There was no change of heart or genuine concern for the public's right to know. They still value their convenience and political power more than the need to conduct public business in public.
Link
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On Tuesday, the panel decided to rescind the change. Instead, it voted 5-4 to recommend that up to four members of a panel could meet in private as long as they did not make up a majority of their panel.
It's a compromise of sorts, but it may not satisfy some.
Paris Hilton's cause celeb: drunken elephants
Link
Then opportunity for Hilton's "global elephant campaign" knocked last month when six parched pachyderms broke into a farm in the state of Meghalaya and guzzled farmers' homemade rice beer. The elephants went on a rampage, then uprooted an electricity pole and were jolted to death.
"There would have been more casualties if the villagers hadn't chased them away. And four elephants died in a similar way three years ago. It is just so sad," Hilton was quoted as saying in last week in Tokyo, where she was judging a beauty contest.
Sangeeta Goswami, head of animal rights group People for Animals, told The Associated Press: "I am indeed happy Hilton has taken note of recent incidents of wild elephants in northeast India going berserk."
59% oppose pet taxes and licensing
in Clarksville.
Link
Another tax imposed by the government. Questionable enforcement and fee collection techniques. Penalizes responsible pet owners. It would cause some residents not to renew their pets' rabies vaccines.
Link
Of those 39 people opposing pet licensing fees, 25 of them were in favor of licensing breeders and kennels.
Reasons for opposition to the pet licenses included:
Dick Armey, Hillary Clinton, and Ron Paul
Dick Armey says Hillary Clinton will win because Republicans offer nothing but Democrat-lite. "Limited Government" is a throw away line for all Republican candidates except Ron Paul. He has shortcomings, no doubt, but on the issue of limiting government no one doubts his word. No one doubts his willingness to actually take action to reduce government's size and scope. For all other Republican candidates "limited government" is empty campaign rhetoric.
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First and foremost, the Republican brand as effective stewards of the taxpayer dollar is in tatters, and the shredding doesn't look to stop any time soon. Just last week, 138 House Republicans joined the Democrats in voting to override the president's veto of a wasteful and pork-ridden Water Resources bill. That vote was a shameful display of personal politics over the national interest, and it contains the seeds of destruction of whatever conservative principles remain in the Republican party.
The callow accommodation to big-spending Democrats in Congress is one of the ways the Republican party will return itself to the days of serving as a compliant, permanent minority. Happy for table scraps, elected Republicans will simply abandon the ideas of their party in order to "get along".
No wonder Americans prefer Democrats on the economy, taxes, and spending issues, according to recent polling data. When the choice is between Democrats, and the Democrat-lite ideas the GOP has become so comfortable offering, the Democrats will win every time.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Writers strike could accelerate media changes
Link
"In the name of winning a bigger share of revenue from the sale of TV shows over the Internet, TV writers could wind up driving viewers to the Web in search of original online video."
"In the name of winning a bigger share of revenue from the sale of TV shows over the Internet, TV writers could wind up driving viewers to the Web in search of original online video."
Ron Paul ad in USAToday
Especially for someone like me who spends considerable time supporting and/or helping to organize grassroots taxpayer efforts, the Ron Paul phenomenon is fascinating. Most of what the press reports is not official campaign activity, they are completely spontaneous efforts by enthusiastic supporters.
HERE is an ad that will run in USAToday paid for by a single wealthy supporter unrelated to the campaign.
Love him or dismiss him, you have to admit that what we are seeing is extraordinary and very probably a model for future campaigns.
HERE is an ad that will run in USAToday paid for by a single wealthy supporter unrelated to the campaign.
Love him or dismiss him, you have to admit that what we are seeing is extraordinary and very probably a model for future campaigns.
Eminent Domain abuse alert for Putnam Cnty
Land owners should NOT be forced to sell for a business park.
Link
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The effort to acquire that property officially began last summer when the city council and the Putnam County Commission jointly agreed to purchase more than 350 acres west of Cookeville for approximately $4.8 million for the purpose of developing a business park.
But commissioners and city council members later became aware that one of the five heirs to part of that property, Faye Lynch of Nashville, had declined to sell, leaving the county and the city holding an 80-percent interest in the property, while Lynch continued to hold a 20-percent interest in the property.
An effort was made to condemn that property earlier this year, but a majority of Putnam County commissioners declined to do so after pleas from Lynch's daughter, Linda Owens, that Lynch never agreed to sell the property or to have another heir negotiate on her behalf.
Owens told commissioners that neither she nor her mother had knowledge of the property sale.
Shelby Cnty Commissioner indicted
Link
The indictments allege Thompson extorted money from H&M and a minority partner company by saying he had the ability to control votes of Members of the Memphis City School Board in connection to awarding the contract.
H&M paid Thompson over $270,000 for help with landing a contract to build three city schools.
"By reason of his position as a Shelby County Commissioner, he had the capacity to control the votes of the members of the Memphis City Schools Board of Education," Kustoff said.
Middle Class Brits abandon State Schools
LinkThe scale of the exodus is shown for the first time in statistics indicating that many families outside the traditional fee-paying heartland of the South East are shunning comprehensives in favour of private schools.
In almost a third of towns and cities - including Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol, Newcastle, Reading, Blackburn and Brighton, which have some of the most deprived neighbourhoods - more than one child in 10 attends a private school.
In parts of inner London the figures are even more stark, fuelling fears of an emerging educational "apartheid" in the biggest cities.
Merle Hazzard and Art Laffer at the Frist
Merle Hazard says he is the first country singer to sing about mortgage backed securities and derivatives. Art Laffer now lives in Nashville.
Brilliant Op/ed by Jonah Goldberg-Govt as extortionist
The overriding and singular characteristic of government is force and coercion. There is NOTHING benevolent about government. When you see government as a way to cut you in for a "share of the loot" you are no better and probably much worse than a common thief.
Link
Meanwhile, Democrats keep telling the bottom 95% of taxpayers that all of America's problems will be solved if only the rich people would pay "their fair share" of income taxes. Not only is this patently untrue and a siren song toward a welfare state, it amounts to covetousness as fiscal policy.
I don't know what the best tax rates are, for rich or poor.
But I'm pretty sure that it's unhealthy for a democracy when the majority of citizens don't see government as a service they're reluctantly paying for but as an extortionist that cuts them in for a share of the loot.
Link
Meanwhile, Democrats keep telling the bottom 95% of taxpayers that all of America's problems will be solved if only the rich people would pay "their fair share" of income taxes. Not only is this patently untrue and a siren song toward a welfare state, it amounts to covetousness as fiscal policy.
I don't know what the best tax rates are, for rich or poor.
But I'm pretty sure that it's unhealthy for a democracy when the majority of citizens don't see government as a service they're reluctantly paying for but as an extortionist that cuts them in for a share of the loot.
Black market in School Sugar very profitable
LinkThe Austin American Statesman in Texas reported that a candy ban in public schools turned Austin High School into an underground candy market that resembles "Willy-Wonka-meets-Casablanca."
"Soon after candy was removed from vending machines, enterprising students armed with gym bags full of M&Ms, Skittles, Snickers and Twix became roving vendors, serving classmates in need of an in-school sugar fix," the newspaper reported. "Regular-size candy bars like the ones sold in vending machines routinely sold in the halls for $1.50."
As students gathered around a car in the parking lot outside of Fairview High School last week, one boy asked the dealer: "Do you have Red Vines?"
"Nope. Twizzlers," the dealer said.
"Sweet," said the customer, pulling out his wallet.
WHAT??? No outrageous tuition increase?
Tennessee Higher Ed has priced themselves out of the market in community and technical colleges so they decided NOT to raise the tuition.
Why don't they do this with 4 year colleges? Probably has something to do with the gusher of lottery money.
Link
Why don't they do this with 4 year colleges? Probably has something to do with the gusher of lottery money.
Link
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission is recommending a tuition freeze for the state's community colleges and technology centers for the 2008-09 academic year.
The zero tuition increase is necessary because tuition at Tennessee's two-year colleges is above the regional average among the 16 states tracked by the Southern Regional Education Board, according to THEC's proposal.
"In order to encourage enrollment growth at this sector, to increase access, and to reduce the tuition burden for students at community colleges, it is the staff recommendation that there be no tuition increases at community colleges for 2008-09," the proposal states.
THEC is recommending a 7 percent to 9 percent tuition increase for the University of Tennessee and the University of Memphis. A 5 percent to 7 percent increase is recommended for all other state universities.
Study: If you choose to prosper in US, you can
LinkIf you've been listening to Mike Huckabee or John Edwards on the Presidential trail, you may have heard that the U.S. is becoming a nation of rising inequality and shrinking opportunity. We'd refer those campaigns to a new study of income mobility by the Treasury Department that exposes those claims as so much populist hokum.
OK, "hokum" is our word. The study, to be released today, is a careful, detailed piece of research by professional economists that avoids political judgments. But what it does do is show beyond doubt that the U.S. remains a dynamic society marked by rapid and mostly upward income mobility. Much as they always have, Americans on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder continue to climb into the middle and sometimes upper classes in remarkably short periods of time.
Musharraf too hot for lobbyists
You know things are bleak when lobbyists turn down money.
Link
So it was noteworthy last week that Cassidy & Associates, one of D.C.'s biggest lobbying firms, resigned from its just-signed $1.2 million-a-year lobbying contract with the government of Pakistan.
Cassidy dropped the engagement, it said, because the military crackdown by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf had rendered its efforts to generate good will useless. "We thought it best to withdraw from the account as the dramatic changes in Pakistan impeded our effectiveness on their behalf," said Tom Alexander, Cassidy's spokesman.
A statement by the Pakistani Embassy, however, raises the prospect that the decision was more mutual. "The contract for one year was still at the trial phase when, during the course of the first month of association, both the Embassy of Pakistan and Cassidy & Associates came to the conclusion that the latter could not effectively implement the contract as lobbyist," an embassy spokesman said in a statement. "As a result, Cassidy & Associates asked for withdrawal from the contract that the Embassy has accepted."
Link
So it was noteworthy last week that Cassidy & Associates, one of D.C.'s biggest lobbying firms, resigned from its just-signed $1.2 million-a-year lobbying contract with the government of Pakistan.
Cassidy dropped the engagement, it said, because the military crackdown by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf had rendered its efforts to generate good will useless. "We thought it best to withdraw from the account as the dramatic changes in Pakistan impeded our effectiveness on their behalf," said Tom Alexander, Cassidy's spokesman.
A statement by the Pakistani Embassy, however, raises the prospect that the decision was more mutual. "The contract for one year was still at the trial phase when, during the course of the first month of association, both the Embassy of Pakistan and Cassidy & Associates came to the conclusion that the latter could not effectively implement the contract as lobbyist," an embassy spokesman said in a statement. "As a result, Cassidy & Associates asked for withdrawal from the contract that the Embassy has accepted."
Vote by mail increases turnout?
Link
Turnout dynamics are different in every state, of course, which is why Montana's experience last week is telling. Some jurisdictions in Montana, such as Helena, voted by mail for the first time, while others, such as Great Falls, stuck with traditional polling places. In Helena, 61.5 percent of registered voters cast ballots, compared to only 28 percent in Great Falls.
Turnout dynamics are different in every state, of course, which is why Montana's experience last week is telling. Some jurisdictions in Montana, such as Helena, voted by mail for the first time, while others, such as Great Falls, stuck with traditional polling places. In Helena, 61.5 percent of registered voters cast ballots, compared to only 28 percent in Great Falls.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Memphis rushes to preserve Stripper Revenue
If more restrictions on strippers mean less revenue, the City of Memphis comes down clearly on the side of more beer revenue. Keep those strippers working!!
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Shelby County officials spent months developing tougher regulations for sexually oriented businesses.
But the city of Memphis is trying to fast-track its own, less-restrictive, regulations that would supersede the county's work.
City Council Chairman Tom Marshall said the city's law might allow beer sales, outlawed by the county law that is set to go into effect on January 1.
Marshall said several council members expressed concerns about the loss of city tax revenues if the clubs were to go dry, because alcohol sales generate about $2 million each year.
Emissions testing should be ended NOW
Emissions testing is a complete waste of time and money. It is a ridiculous imposition on citizens and does NOT clean the air. Here is a great report from Jeremy Finley at WSMV demonstrating that many cars fail the test for reasons completely unrelated to emissions.
Our elected representatives should be doing something about this but they DO NOTHING.
Link
City records show that this year, the number of cars failing emissions tests jumped from 1 percent to 8 percent by the time the company Systech was hired in July. Systech brought in new testing software and the failure rate came down, but it is still higher than before at 4 percent.
The figure means that about 20,000 cars in Davidson County are failing the tests, according to I-Team calculations.
Metro Councilman Charlie Tygard said he got a surprise failure because of his gas cap."I think it's really strange to go from 1 percent to 8 percent to 4 percent within the space of four months. I think we need to get a handle on that,” said Tygard.
Our elected representatives should be doing something about this but they DO NOTHING.
Link
City records show that this year, the number of cars failing emissions tests jumped from 1 percent to 8 percent by the time the company Systech was hired in July. Systech brought in new testing software and the failure rate came down, but it is still higher than before at 4 percent.
The figure means that about 20,000 cars in Davidson County are failing the tests, according to I-Team calculations.
Metro Councilman Charlie Tygard said he got a surprise failure because of his gas cap."I think it's really strange to go from 1 percent to 8 percent to 4 percent within the space of four months. I think we need to get a handle on that,” said Tygard.
Bill Clinton made $31 mil giving speeches 01-05
Link
Just wondering... if the Clintons are so concerned about excessive CEO pay, why is Bill Clinton charging $174,000 per hour to give speeches, in addition to receiving an annual pension of $186,000 from the government? Or if Clinton is just charging "whatever the market will bear" for his speaking services, how is that different than highly-skilled managers charging "whatever the market will bear" for their managerial services?
Just wondering... if the Clintons are so concerned about excessive CEO pay, why is Bill Clinton charging $174,000 per hour to give speeches, in addition to receiving an annual pension of $186,000 from the government? Or if Clinton is just charging "whatever the market will bear" for his speaking services, how is that different than highly-skilled managers charging "whatever the market will bear" for their managerial services?
George HW Bush skydives at 83 for 6th time
LinkBush celebrated the grand reopening of his presidential museum yesterday with a surprise jump.
It was his sixth and the first since he celebrated his 80th birthday with a jump in 2004. As in that one, Bush was strapped to an expert from the Army Golden Knights parachute team.
His first parachute jump was in 1944 when his plane was shot down over the Pacific island of Chi Chi Jima.
Study: ADHD Drugs have 'no benefit'
Link
Drugs given to thousands of hyperactive children have no long-term benefits and could in fact be stunting their development, a major study has said.
The study of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) found that, while powerful drugs such as Ritalin and Concerta resulted in short-term behavioural improvements, after three years those benefits had disappeared.
Children who took the drugs for the full three years were also found to have stunted growth, according to the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA).
Alaska legislature sting produces indictments
Link
It did not, of course. Since breaking into public view a year ago when federal agents raided lawmakers' offices and homes -- finding $32,200 neatly stacked in a closet of Kott's condo -- the federal probe has produced four indictments, three convictions, three guilty pleas and a rapt audience keen to see how high into Alaska's political hierarchy the rot reaches.
Officially, the scandal has remained confined to Juneau, where Alaska lawmakers had grown so accustomed to operating under the presumption of impropriety that several of them embroidered ball caps with the letters CBC, for "Corrupt Bastards Club." (An Anchorage coffeehouse now offers Corrupt Bastards Brew.) But with signs that the investigation is brushing against Alaska's lone congressman, Don Young (R), and its longtime and venerated senator Ted Stevens (R), residents of the Last Frontier are experiencing a rare spasm of soul-searching.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Privacy no longer means private
Link
WASHINGTON (AP) - A top intelligence official says it is time people in the United States changed their definition of privacy.
Privacy no longer can mean anonymity, says Donald Kerr, the principal deputy director of national intelligence. Instead, it should mean that government and businesses properly safeguards people's private communications and financial information.
Kerr's comments come as Congress is taking a second look at the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Act.
Lawmakers hastily changed the 1978 law last summer to allow the government to eavesdrop inside the United States without court permission, so long as one end of the conversation was reasonably believed to be located outside the U.S.
Is nothing scared? No more "ho ho ho"?
LinkRecruitment firm Westaff, which supplies hundreds of Santas around the country, yesterday confirmed the edict.
Westaff national operations manager Glen Jansz said the company's Santas had been urged to tone down their use of the "ho, ho, ho" phrase.
"The reason behind that is we find that in some cases the little kids can get a little bit scared of the deep 'ho, ho, hos' and we ask them to be mindful of keeping their voices to a lower level," he said.
"And kids are probably more inclined to understand 'ha, ha, ha', than 'ho, ho, ho'."
Memphis busing costs 3 times greater
Link
At its core is the huge premium Memphis City Schools is paying to bus schoolchildren. A recent study found the district pays two and three times more per pupil than is paid by school systems in Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville -- the costly byproduct of a series of lucrative, no-bid busing contracts.
In the past 21 years, records show, busing contracts valued at millions of dollars have been bid only once.
| Spent | to bus | per student | |
| Memphis | $22.2 million | 18,945 pupils | $1,171 |
| Nashville | $22 million | 45,000 pupils | $489 |
| Chattanooga | $11 million | 32,954 pupils | $334 |
| Knoxville | $11.8 million | 35,250 pupils | $336 |
Mayor Bragg is just plain WRONG
Speaking about proposals to weaken open meetings laws Tommy Bragg, Mayor of Murfreesboro and President of TML, says that under current open meetings laws unelected bureaucrats make too many decisions and local elected officials are too timid and impotent to challenge the decisions of their staffs? This is another red herring and a weak one at that. If our elected officials allow their staffs to make decisions which they should be making themselves then we need new elected officials.
Mayor Brag is basically saying 'the public just doesn't understand what hardships we elected officials face.' Mayor Bragg has it backwards.
Link
"Any time you impose limits on elected officials, you make non-elected staff more powerful," he said. "If the public prefers that (elected) public officials not meet, they must understand that staffs and employees will make most decisions long before public officials get to consider them."
Mayor Brag is basically saying 'the public just doesn't understand what hardships we elected officials face.' Mayor Bragg has it backwards.
Link
"Any time you impose limits on elected officials, you make non-elected staff more powerful," he said. "If the public prefers that (elected) public officials not meet, they must understand that staffs and employees will make most decisions long before public officials get to consider them."
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Liberal Google minimizing taxes?? YES
Link
Google Norway does its best to avoid paying Norwegian taxes, but is this illegal?
The Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv reports today that Google does its best to avoid paying taxes to the Norwegian government.
Google Norway had an official turnover of NOK 33.6 million last year (US$ 6.2 mill). However, as Dagens Næringsliv points out, that is only a fraction of the unit's real revenue. Unnamed media companies estimate that Google sold pay per click text ads in Norway for NOK 200 million last year (approximately US$ 37 mill), and is expected to generate twice as much this year. Still, last year Google Norway paid only NOK 1.5 mill in taxes.
How does Google do this? According to Dagens Næringsliv the income is turned over to Google Ireland. It is Google Ireland that bills the Norwegian AdWords customers. ...
When signing up for an AdWords account anywhere in the world you may ask for your ads to appear in any territory, region, country or language. Hence you may select to have your ads presented at Google sites in Norway and Denmark and not — let's say — in the US or the UK.
Does this mean that Google in this case should be taxed by both Danish and Norwegian authorities? That would make this kind of trade extremely complicated.
If you on the other hand was selling cars in Norway and Denmark, you would definitely have to pay local taxes.
We are neither lawyers nor tax experts and are glad to leave this conundrum to the professionals.
Federal Taxes Not high enough?
If you feel the Federal Government should have more revenue there is absolutely NOTHING to stop you from voluntarily making a gift to Uncle Sam. HERE is the link for the Federal Government. Knock yourself out.
TN Narcotics Officer indicted for trafficking
Link
A Memphis police sergeant who was named Tennessee Narcotics Officer of the Year for 2006 was indicted Friday for trafficking in illegal anabolic steroids and tipping off drug dealers about surveillance and investigations.
A Memphis police sergeant who was named Tennessee Narcotics Officer of the Year for 2006 was indicted Friday for trafficking in illegal anabolic steroids and tipping off drug dealers about surveillance and investigations.
Sgt. Brady Valentine, 36, was assigned to the West Tennessee Violent Crimes and Drug Task Force, a multi-agency team that regularly lands some of the biggest drug busts in the state.
Valentine, a police officer since 1994, was arrested and relieved of duty after a federal complaint was unsealed.
Bureaucratic Cat Fight-TWRA vs TDEC
OBION COUNTY, Tenn. — The state's wildlife agency has built a levee to try to improve duck hunting in a northwest Tennessee swamp, without the approval or knowledge of the state environmental regulators who had once prohibited it.
The 845-acre Black Swamp, with its springs and cypress and tupelo forest, would be turned into a pond every winter by the levee that the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency built over the past several weeks.
The agency had attempted previously to dam up the area on a seasonal basis. Politically connected Nashville businessman J. Clark Akers III, an avid duck hunter, had pressured his friend, then-Gov. Don Sundquist, to allow it.
The skirmish pitted the TWRA and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation against each other, and the ground is laid for another such tug of war.
The earlier, almost identical plan was quashed in 2004 after two independent researchers said it would undermine trees and water quality and might do little to improve hunting.
Gender equality in burst bladders
Link
A report in the British Medical Journal said women are turning up in hospital after a night on the tiles suffering from burst bladders.
The problem has previously only been reported in men who drink excessive amounts of alcohol said surgeons at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield.
[...]Women have recently caught up with men in their alcohol consumption, with 86% admitting they drink regularly compared with 91% of men.
Figures also show the proportion of young girls drinking has reached the level of young boys.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Jim Cooper + All Repubs vote against AMT Tax Hike
This was Rangels so-called Temporary Tax Relief Act of 2007 which the President has threatened to veto. The stated purpose was to "fix" the AMT or alternative minimum tax. The VOTE this afternoon was almost pure party line except for Jim Cooper who voted against the bill and Lincoln Davis who did not vote. Tanner, Cohen and Gordon all voted in favor. The vote was 216 FOR - 193 AGAINST and 24 not voting.
Thank YOU to Marsha Blackburn, David Davis, Jimmy Duncan, Zach Wamp, and Jim Cooper
HERE is Heritage's analysis of the bill.
Thank YOU to Marsha Blackburn, David Davis, Jimmy Duncan, Zach Wamp, and Jim Cooper
HERE is Heritage's analysis of the bill.
$3 mil out of the Defense Budget for GOLF
Link
Late at night, a new earmark was snuck into the Defense Appropriations bill. It is $3 million for a golf school for minority children. That's right. $3 million of your tax money to teach kids to play golf......out of the DEFENSE budget. The earmark was put in there by James Clyburn (D-SC). Not coincidentally, the money will go to the James E. Clyburn Golf Center. I'm speechless.
Late at night, a new earmark was snuck into the Defense Appropriations bill. It is $3 million for a golf school for minority children. That's right. $3 million of your tax money to teach kids to play golf......out of the DEFENSE budget. The earmark was put in there by James Clyburn (D-SC). Not coincidentally, the money will go to the James E. Clyburn Golf Center. I'm speechless.
County Mayor Ramsey is just plain WRONG
Like too many public officials Hamilton County (Chattanooga) Mayor Claude Ramsey values his convenience more than open government.
Mike Killian is even worse:
Mr. Ramsey said he believed members of legislative bodies often meet by accident, and he explained instances in which he said the law has been an obstruction.
"It'd make it easier to do business," he said of the possible changes. "I don't think it hides anything. If people want to hide something, (the law) won't change it."So, we should not have laws against bribery and corruption? What poppycock. This law has served us just fine for 30 years. If Mayor Ramsey is not willing to accept the burden of conducting public business in public he should not have run for office.
Mike Killian is even worse:
It is supposed to be restrictive!! Protecting the public's right to know is a worth a few restrictions. Its not about their convenience.South Pittsburg, Tenn., Mayor Mike Killian said he would prefer to see the law change.
"I think it's a little restrictive," he said.
"I don't want to run your life" is up to 6%
Ron Paul, who says "I don't want to run your life, I don't want to run the economy and I don't want to run the world" is up to 6% of Republican voters according to Rasmussen. Not great but reassuring that at least 6% support a man who actually believes that individual citizens can make decisions about their lives better than the federal government.
Senators Alexander and Corker and most of the TN Congressional delegation are very comfortable and satisfied to have such an extraordinary amount of power over our lives. They wield it everyday as if they are capable of these deity like feats. Ron Paul is not comfortable with this power and he wants to return it to citizens. Other Republicans and Democrats express this sentiment to some extent but none with a clear, lifelong record.
So many on the right and left want to use Government like a big club to beat their opponents into submission and compliance. Ron Paul, I believe, truly wants each individual citizen to live their lives in dignity and sovereignty and independence.
Senators Alexander and Corker and most of the TN Congressional delegation are very comfortable and satisfied to have such an extraordinary amount of power over our lives. They wield it everyday as if they are capable of these deity like feats. Ron Paul is not comfortable with this power and he wants to return it to citizens. Other Republicans and Democrats express this sentiment to some extent but none with a clear, lifelong record.
So many on the right and left want to use Government like a big club to beat their opponents into submission and compliance. Ron Paul, I believe, truly wants each individual citizen to live their lives in dignity and sovereignty and independence.
Nashville taxpayers deserve better, this is ridiculous
Come ON!! What is the deal on the Preds deal?
Michael Cass is doing a good job of catching the few crumbs of information that fall off the negotiating table but we deserve better.
Why is this taking so long? What are the major issues? Why are taxpayers being kept in the dark?
Michael Cass is doing a good job of catching the few crumbs of information that fall off the negotiating table but we deserve better.
Why is this taking so long? What are the major issues? Why are taxpayers being kept in the dark?
Wow! $16 mil embezzled from DC property tax office
Link
The fraudulently obtained funds then allegedly were distributed through cash, cashier's checks, and wire transfers to the co-conspirators and family members, who used the funds to purchase homes, vehicles, jewelry, luxury clothing and houseware items, and other real and personal property, among other things. For example, it is alleged that between September 2000 and the present, Harriette Walters spent more than $1.4 million at Neiman Marcus. Additionally, the affidavits allege, some of the money stolen from the District of Columbia has been sent to a money exchange institution in the Dominican Republic that has no bank branches in the United States.
It actually happens..engine falls off plane
Link(CNN) -- Brendon Pelser said he saw pure terror in the faces of his fellow passengers after an engine fell from a wing as it took off from Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday.
Men were sweating profusely, women were crying.
"There was fear on their faces," Pelser said. "Everyone started panicking."
But the pilot of Nationwide Airlines' Boeing 737 Flight CE723 was able to fly long enough to dump fuel and make an emergency landing at Cape Town International Airport.
Including crew, 100 hundred people were on the plane that departed at 3:50 p.m. on an hourlong flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. No one was injured.
The jet had only been in the air about 10 minutes before the engine fell.
"We heard something crash and bang, the plane veering left and right. A person on the right side said the engine was missing -- had broken clean off," said Pelser.
"Queen Carbon" in a witch costume teaches
kids about the dangers of global warming in a California elementary school.
Link
Playing the villain in a school assembly Wednesday aimed at educating the students about global warming, Robles - dressed in a witch's black attire and prancing around the auditorium as "Queen Carbon" - drew the biggest response from more than 500 students who attended two "Curb Your Carbon" assemblies.
[...]
Link
Playing the villain in a school assembly Wednesday aimed at educating the students about global warming, Robles - dressed in a witch's black attire and prancing around the auditorium as "Queen Carbon" - drew the biggest response from more than 500 students who attended two "Curb Your Carbon" assemblies.
[...]
The program is being financed by a $200,00 donation from the Earth Day Every Day Fund of the Marin Community Foundation. Three nonprofits, the Marin Conservation Corps, Strategic Energy Innovations and Cool the Earth are implementing the program and hope to introduce it to 25 Marin schools by the end of the year.
Robles wasn't the only teacher making her acting debut. Principal Candee Adams played "Mother Earth," fifth-grade teacher Sue Spry played "The Sun" and Debbie Dees was "Mother Nature." Fourth-grade teacher Cathy Stanek played "Polar Bear."
The title of the skit was "Save Some for Me."
"Too much carbon makes me feel like I'm wearing a blanket," Adams said as Robles' character swirled around the stage.
Romeo goes online to find true love
LinkA tale of online love inspired usually cynical New Yorkers this week to help a young man find the girl of his dreams after he spotted her on a crowded subway train.
For Web designer Patrick Moberg, 21, from Brooklyn, it was love at first sight when he locked eyes with a rosy-cheeked woman while riding in Manhattan on on Sunday night. She was writing in her journal.
The train was so full that he lost her in the crowd when they both got off, so he set up a Web site dedicated to finding the mystery woman -- http://www.nygirlofmydreams.com.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Back Ground Research and People Finders
From the Tennessee Tax Revolt Taxpayer Information Center
Background Research
Pipl-Advanced People/Personal Info Search
Good Collection of People Finder Web Sites
ZabaSearch People Finder
Intelius People Finder
AnyWho Name and Address Search
KnowX Background Research
Docusearch Background Research
Verified Person
Social Security Number Validator
ZoomInfo Person and Company Search
Determine Location from Phone Number
Power Reporting-Compilation of Research Links
BlackBook Info-PI Investigator Links
Lexis/Nexis by Credit Card
PI Magazine Resource Links
Social Security Database of Deceased Persons
TN Business and Corporation Search
Tennessee AreaConnect Yellow Pages
Reverse Phone Number and Address Look-up
Edgar-Corporate Informational Filings
Corporate Annual Reports
Google Finance-Corporation Info
Background Research
Pipl-Advanced People/Personal Info Search
Good Collection of People Finder Web Sites
ZabaSearch People Finder
Intelius People Finder
AnyWho Name and Address Search
KnowX Background Research
Docusearch Background Research
Verified Person
Social Security Number Validator
ZoomInfo Person and Company Search
Determine Location from Phone Number
Power Reporting-Compilation of Research Links
BlackBook Info-PI Investigator Links
Lexis/Nexis by Credit Card
PI Magazine Resource Links
Social Security Database of Deceased Persons
TN Business and Corporation Search
Tennessee AreaConnect Yellow Pages
Reverse Phone Number and Address Look-up
Edgar-Corporate Informational Filings
Corporate Annual Reports
Google Finance-Corporation Info
Back AWAY from Grandma's garage sale
LinkA police officer and two city workers ordered a halt to the Oct. 24 event, telling everyone to get out, shoppers said.
"It was almost like they were breaking up an underage party," said Laurel Elhart, a Minnetonka resident who had attended the sales for at least a dozen years.
Now Soelberg, 72, could face criminal charges -- and if convicted, up to 90 days in jail, a $1,000 fine and a year of probation.
The city considers Soelberg's yard sales a zoning violation, in part because, while the Deephaven resident owns the house, she does not live in it.
Soelberg looks upon her twice-a-year sales as a tradition she started with her mother in the 1980s and merely continued at her mother's home after her mother's death in the late '90s.
"I don't understand. This is such a minor, little thing," she said. "Everyone likes a garage sale."
School officials vs so-called economic development
Corporate welfare is wrong but so is giving money to schools without demanding results. Andy Sher's article below says school officials don't like corporate give aways. They are right. So called "economic development" is just a silly excuse to , at best, grow the size of government and, at its worst, an invitation to corruption.
However, school officials should be focused on SHOWING results, and not whining because someone else is getting "their" money.
However, school officials should be focused on SHOWING results, and not whining because someone else is getting "their" money.
"The practice of giving away school revenue to attract new industry or expand existing industry has always seemed to defy common sense," said Dr. Webb, noting that attracting new jobs often generates large numbers of new students for schools.
Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber told the General Assembly's Joint Select Committee on Taxes that limiting in lieu of taxes programs "could have a chilling effect on certain projects."
The officials' comments came on the second day of a two-day hearing on tax-abatement issues.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Bill banning discrimination against Gays passes House
AP article
HERE is vote
Voting AGAINST
Blackburn, Marsha
Davis, David
Duncan, Jimmy
Wamp, Zach
Davis, Lincoln
Gordon, Bart
Tanner, John
Voting FOR
Cohen, Steve
Cooper, Jim
HERE is vote
Voting AGAINST
Blackburn, Marsha
Davis, David
Duncan, Jimmy
Wamp, Zach
Davis, Lincoln
Gordon, Bart
Tanner, John
Voting FOR
Cohen, Steve
Cooper, Jim
Jessica Fender polls pols about open meetings
and they say don't weaken open meetings laws, thats good news.
But....it brings us to the larger, more important point: If local officials are against these proposals, why do the lobbyists and staff at the taxpayer funded associations like TML, TN County Association, and County Mayors Association push so hard for changes that are not supported by the people they supposedly represent.
Part of the answer.....many times, if not most of the time, the staffs of these groups, over time, develop a detachment from the rank and file local officials and develop an agenda of their own. Much like the bureaucracies in government tend to have a set of priorities and interests separate from the legislative and executive branches, the staffs of these associations become autonomous and reflect the attitudes of the permanently employed administrative leadership rather than the members.
Hopefully the mayors that Jessica talked with will tell the staffs of their taxpayer funded associations to BACK OFF and stop trying to weaken these VERY IMPORTANT open meetings laws.
But....it brings us to the larger, more important point: If local officials are against these proposals, why do the lobbyists and staff at the taxpayer funded associations like TML, TN County Association, and County Mayors Association push so hard for changes that are not supported by the people they supposedly represent.
Part of the answer.....many times, if not most of the time, the staffs of these groups, over time, develop a detachment from the rank and file local officials and develop an agenda of their own. Much like the bureaucracies in government tend to have a set of priorities and interests separate from the legislative and executive branches, the staffs of these associations become autonomous and reflect the attitudes of the permanently employed administrative leadership rather than the members.
Hopefully the mayors that Jessica talked with will tell the staffs of their taxpayer funded associations to BACK OFF and stop trying to weaken these VERY IMPORTANT open meetings laws.
Bredesen ready to take on TEA? Maybe
Link
To attract strong teacher, the governor wants to allow more professionals from other fields to enter the classroom, which irks some teachers unions. But he says teachers unions across the state have to be involved in the discussion.
"I'm not looking at doing this over the dead bodies of anybody….things are going to change in education in this country and either the teachers can be part of the solution, or somebody's going to do it for them, and I'd ask any teacher, 'You want to be designing the new system or do you want the state legislature or the congress to design it.' I know the answer to that."
Bredesen has not met with the Tennessee Education Association yet. He says he'll follow up his push to have better teachers with some type of legislation or funding this year.
Judge Blocks Michigan Pres Primary
Link
LANSING -- An Ingham County Circuit Court judge today ruled that Michigan's Jan. 15 presidential primary cannot be held.
Judge William Collette, in an oral ruling delivered from the bench, said the contest is unconstitutional because while the state will spend millions of dollars to conduct the election, the lists of voters who request a Republican or Democratic ballot would be given solely to the two parties. Neither the state nor any other group or individual could obtain a copy.
That, the judge ruled, means public tax money would be used for a private purpose, and needs a two-thirds vote of the legislature. The bill setting up the primary didn't have a two-thirds Senate and House majority when it passed this summer.
Where is the Dell Dude now?
He's serving drinks in NYC.
He used to do THIS:
Update: Just got an email from Unc who says DD is from Tennessee...didn't know that.
He used to do THIS:
Update: Just got an email from Unc who says DD is from Tennessee...didn't know that.
Mayor Ragsdale signs recall petition
Link
KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale signed a petition Tuesday asking commissioners to present a referendum for adding a recall amendment to the county's charter.
The petition will be presented to commissioners on November 19.
It asks county commission to bring the recall referendum to the ballot in August 2008.
Recall drive organizer Brian Paone says the group is "...optimistic that we won't have to collect signatures at all."
However, Paone adds, "We stand ready to collect signatures should we encounter any future difficulties."
Commissioners are scheduled to discuss the recall amendment on Wednesday.
WOW!-Re-elected even though he didn't run
Link
AUBURN, Maine - Auburn Mayor John Jenkins is getting another term in office even though he wasn't on the ballot.
AUBURN, Maine - Auburn Mayor John Jenkins is getting another term in office even though he wasn't on the ballot.
Jenkins made history Tuesday by becoming the first person in Auburn to win a citywide election as a write-in candidate.
Jenkins says he decided not to run for another term because the post was taking too much time from his day job. But he won the three-way race with 2,166 votes, followed by 1,305 for Eric Samson and 514 for Fred Sanborn.
Sanborn says he questions the legality of the vote. As for Jenkins, he has relented to pressure and plans to serve.
HERE is the re-elect page on MySpace.
Recall provision to be voted on in Memphis
Link
Specifically, the ordinance seeks to amend the city charter to allow for the recall of any council member upon the submission of a petition signed by qualified voters equal to 10 percent of the total number of votes cast in the last municipal election.
The petitions must be signed by voters living within each particular district. Council members would not be subject to recall during the first two years of the four-year term.
The council recall is modeled after the one for the mayor already provided for in the city charter.
Huge Victories for tax opponents
in liberal Washington and Oregon:
1- In Washington State: Tim Eyman's I-960 initiative passed.
2- Statewide Measure to reduce the vote required to raise school levies to a simple majority was defeated:
3- In a local Bremerton, Wash election:
5. In Seattle a huge transit tax hike was defeated.
1- In Washington State: Tim Eyman's I-960 initiative passed.
Key points of Initiative 960:
-Affirm, and somewhat expand, the two-thirds voting requirement for the Legislature to pass tax hikes. Taxes passed with only a simple majority would have to go to the ballot for ratification.
-Require a flood of information on all tax and fee legislation, including the 10-year cost.
-Require lawmakers to vote on every fee increase, rather than delegate authority to the agencies.
-Require a nonbinding public vote on taxes passed in Olympia with an emergency clause - a tactic that precludes a referendum campaign to overturn the tax.
Eyman said in a pre-election interview that I-960 would provide "adult supervision" of lawmakers.
2- Statewide Measure to reduce the vote required to raise school levies to a simple majority was defeated:
3- In a local Bremerton, Wash election:
Bremerton residents said "no" in massive numbers to a request for more money for parks, sidewalks and other neighborhood improvements.
4- In Oregon voters overwhelmingly defeated a cigarette tax increase.5. In Seattle a huge transit tax hike was defeated.
YouTube Phenom: Greek Music + Aboriginal Dance
In just one week of being released onto "You Tube" by the staff at TEABBA Media Services, the video has received rave reviews been given a 5 star rating and has now been viewed well over 15,000 times.
"The phones have not stopped ringing at the TEABBA offices, all from people who want to know more about the footage," a TEABBA staff member has said "even the honorable Kon Vatskalis with the Territory Labour party has commented on the video and suggested that they perform at the Greek Glenti next year."
The Chooky Dancers are a group of 10 energetic young men who had healthy living in mind when they choreographed the performance. Franks son Lionel is the lead dancer in the video footage at front and center. "They (the Chooky Dancers) begun working on this just after this years Garma Festival in Gukula and worked very hard on it, they also do a Bollywood style performance which is also fantastic" Frank said. It seems that talent runs in Frank's family, with Franks Daughter also in an all Indigenous Line Dance Group also who Frank actively plays a role in.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
This is weird, OMB wants secrecy
so other federal agencies can't find out how to circumvent their rules and spend more money?? Both the secrecy and the reason for the secrecy are sad and pathetic.
Link
What is intersting is that OMB is withholding documents pursuant to Exemption 2 so that other government agencies can't see them, not members of the public at large. According to OMB, it withheld internal OMB documents so that other federal agencies can see them and then learn ways to circumvent OMB in the budget process. Talk about your disfunctional government!
Link
What is intersting is that OMB is withholding documents pursuant to Exemption 2 so that other government agencies can't see them, not members of the public at large. According to OMB, it withheld internal OMB documents so that other federal agencies can see them and then learn ways to circumvent OMB in the budget process. Talk about your disfunctional government!
Marsha Blackburn the only TN Congressperson
voting to sustain the Presidents veto of the porkfest known as the Water Resources BIll. The veto was overridden with only 54 Republicans willing to vote against pork.
HERE is the vote..
HERE is the vote..
Bureaucrat in your kitchen? YEP
Link
Ruddock said that through food waste and excessive shopping, British citizens were paying a significant cost in both environmental and financial terms, The Independent reported Friday.
"At this rate we will not have a place to live which is habitable if we don't address climate change globally and the U.K. has to make its contribution," she said of such social problems.
The minister for climate change said that by eating leftovers and shopping more efficiently, British citizens could begin to help in the global fight against climate change.
Ruddock said that through food waste and excessive shopping, British citizens were paying a significant cost in both environmental and financial terms, The Independent reported Friday.
"At this rate we will not have a place to live which is habitable if we don't address climate change globally and the U.K. has to make its contribution," she said of such social problems.
The minister for climate change said that by eating leftovers and shopping more efficiently, British citizens could begin to help in the global fight against climate change.
Congressional "farmers" vote themselves bucks
Big bucks....$6 million.
Link
Subsidies to Congress members and their families
Link
Subsidies to Congress members and their families
Subsidies to members of Congress and their families from 1995 through 2005:
| Senators | ||
 | ||
| Total subsidies | Notes | |
| ||
| Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa | $878,854 | The payments went to Grassley and his son, who has a separate farming operation in addition to a partnership with his father. |
| ||
| Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark. | $715,000 | The payments went to a family partnership the senator co-owned until 2005, and to Lincoln's mother and brothers. Lincoln said she personally was getting $10,000 a year. |
| ||
| Sam Brownback, R-Kan. | $643,000 | The payments went to Brownback, his father and his brother. Brownback says he personally waives most subsidies because he thinks people with high non-farm income shouldn't get most types of federal assistance. |
| ||
| Jon Tester, D-Mont. | $232,311 | The payments went to him and his wife. |
| ||
| Max Baucus, D-Mont. | $230,237 | The payments went to a family ranch; the senator sold his interest in the ranch in 1995, though he still has reported receiving mineral royalty payments. |
| ||
| Richard Lugar, R-Ind. | $126,555 | The payments went to a family partnership. |
| ||
| Gordon Smith, R-Ore. | $45,400 | The payments went to the senator's frozen foods business, but are forwarded to growers who lease the land, a spokesman said. |
| ||
| Ken Salazar, D-Colo. | $770 | Subsidies received in 2002. Brother is Rep. John Salazar. |
| ||
| House members | ||
| ||
| Marion Berry, D-Ark. | $2,357,094 | The payments went to corporations co-owned by him or relatives, and one company that pays his wife as a director. |
| ||
| Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D. | $789,575 | The payments went to her father, a former South Dakota state legislator. |
| ||
| John Salazar, D-Colo. | $161,085 | Salazar no longer receives subsidies personally because the farm is now leased, a spokesman said. |
| ||
| Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. | $25,000 | The payments went to Hastert and his wife. |
| ||
| Grand total | $6,204,111 | |
NO open govt in Memphis City Schools
Link
(MEMPHIS, TN 11/05/2007) Superintendent Dan Ward says things are back on track at the Central Nutrition Center as well as inside MCS cafeterias. We'd like to show you that's the case, but our requests to take our cameras inside have repeatedly been denied.
"We normally don't allow anyone in," replied Ward. "What would be the purpose?"
News Channel 3 asked to see the $83,000 custom-made furniture purchased with your tax dollars. At first we were told media wasn't going to be allowed to see it because it was part of the investigation. Later, a spokesperson told us it had been ordered, but hadn't actually been delivered.
Dem wants Medicare expanded to 55 yr olds
If SCHIP is expanded to cover more adults and Medicare is expanded to cover younger "seniors", socialized medicine will become a defacto standard.
Ok, class, lets review...we are going to take a program that is already bankrupt and expand it. AND, the reason that healthcare is so expensive is BECAUSE of govt involvement so this will make healthcare more expensive for everyone....sounds like a "great" idea.
Link
That's the great advantage of Medicare: Unlike GM, Chrysler or even the UAW, its core competency is health care. As the expert in managing health care for the elderly, Medicare is ideally positioned to manage it for the near-elderly as well.
Ok, class, lets review...we are going to take a program that is already bankrupt and expand it. AND, the reason that healthcare is so expensive is BECAUSE of govt involvement so this will make healthcare more expensive for everyone....sounds like a "great" idea.
Link
That's the great advantage of Medicare: Unlike GM, Chrysler or even the UAW, its core competency is health care. As the expert in managing health care for the elderly, Medicare is ideally positioned to manage it for the near-elderly as well.
79% of US Adults now online, 11 hrs/wk
Link
According to the latest Harris Poll , the number of adults who are online at home, in the office, at school, library or other locations continues to grow at a steady rate. In the past year, the number of online users has reached an estimated 178 million, a ten percent increase.
In research among 2,062 U.S. adults surveyed by telephone in July and October, 2007, Harris Interactive® found that 79 percent of adults are now online. This is a steady rise over the past few years, from 77 percent in February/April 2006, 74 percent in February/April 2005, 66 percent in the spring of 2002, 64 percent in 2001 and 57 percent in Spring of 2000. When Harris Interactive first began to track Internet use in 1995, only nine percent of adults reported they went online.
The amount of time that people are spending online has also risen. The average number of hours per week that people are spending online is now at 11 hours, up from 9 hours last year and 8 hours in 2005.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Is this fair? NO, of course NOT
According to this link 442,394 people died in the US in 2004 in the age groups 45-54 and 55-64.
Many of those people worked at least 25 years and died without receiving ONE DIME of the money that was deducted from their paycheck for Social Security payroll taxes.
Many of those people worked at least 25 years and died without receiving ONE DIME of the money that was deducted from their paycheck for Social Security payroll taxes.
Fed lawmakers give Tax break to State Legislators
Link
It's nice to have friends in high places. Just ask the National Conference of State Legislatures.
At the lobby group's request, the House Ways and Means Committee voted last week to add a tax break to a long list of other breaks known as "extenders" -- so named because they have to be renewed each year or else they disappear. Only this particular break -- for state legislators -- was not an extender at all, because it's not in current law.
No matter. Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) was contacted by the leaders of his state's legislature -- as well as the national conference -- and decided to add the one-year, $4 million provision to his committee's latest tax bill. It's now pending before the full House.
The measure would allow state lawmakers to write off their state-provided per diem payments, even for days when their legislatures are in "pro forma session." The term refers to days when the legislature declares itself to be in session but is not doing any real work. That happens to be the case in New York for about half of every year.
It's nice to have friends in high places. Just ask the National Conference of State Legislatures.
At the lobby group's request, the House Ways and Means Committee voted last week to add a tax break to a long list of other breaks known as "extenders" -- so named because they have to be renewed each year or else they disappear. Only this particular break -- for state legislators -- was not an extender at all, because it's not in current law.
No matter. Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) was contacted by the leaders of his state's legislature -- as well as the national conference -- and decided to add the one-year, $4 million provision to his committee's latest tax bill. It's now pending before the full House.
The measure would allow state lawmakers to write off their state-provided per diem payments, even for days when their legislatures are in "pro forma session." The term refers to days when the legislature declares itself to be in session but is not doing any real work. That happens to be the case in New York for about half of every year.
Tax Revolt in Michigan expands
In addition to the recall campaign directed at legislators who voted for the tax hike, citizens are now taking aim at the taxes.
Link
He added, "They passed a similar tax in Florida and Massachusetts, it lasted 30 days. That's what's happening here, it won't even last 30 days because of the uproar about the unfairness of this tax will force the Legislature to repeal it."
Link
LANSING – A campaign to kill the new sales tax on services blasted off at the state Capitol today, with Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson leading a rally of 200 protesters – mostly from landcaping companies – that would be hit by the tax starting Dec. 1.
The petition drive, called Ax the Tax, will seek 304,000 valid signatures within 180 days to force the Legislature to repeal the tax or, if it doesn't, place the issue on the Nov. 2008 ballot. The campaign is driven by a coalition of about 40 business organizations.
It was an unfair tax, and I've never seen public outrcy as we've seen today, that this tax has to be repealed," said Patterson, a spokesman for the campaign, to roars of approval.He added, "They passed a similar tax in Florida and Massachusetts, it lasted 30 days. That's what's happening here, it won't even last 30 days because of the uproar about the unfairness of this tax will force the Legislature to repeal it."
The fine print is taxpayer funded also
This is ridiculous! I am surprised that John Arriola didn't hire a blimp for the "John Arriola" part. (Click on Link to see what I mean)
Link
John Arriola
County Clerk
Link
John Arriola
County Clerk
Are you "John Thompson" the terrorist?
Link
DENVER - John Thompson of Denver dreads flying. He has to leave hours earlier than most passengers, has to be cleared by airline agents and often gets secondary screening.
"I'm a terrorist, apparently," said Thompson, an ATM technician. "It's a little disconcerting."
He is just one of 20 passengers named John Thompson in Colorado interviewed by 9NEWS who say they have problems getting on airplanes.
They have the same name as a terrorist on the government's No-Fly List. They're false matches.
The actual John Thompson on the watch list is a Loyalist member of the Ulster Defense Regiment who was charged with possession of weapons with intent to commit a terrorist act in Belfast, Ireland in 2002.
"To detain every one of 100,000 or 300,000 John Thompsons in the United States every time we fly is just a bunch of bureaucratic red tape," said John Thompson, who works at an engineering consulting firm in Colorado Springs.
DENVER - John Thompson of Denver dreads flying. He has to leave hours earlier than most passengers, has to be cleared by airline agents and often gets secondary screening.
"I'm a terrorist, apparently," said Thompson, an ATM technician. "It's a little disconcerting."
He is just one of 20 passengers named John Thompson in Colorado interviewed by 9NEWS who say they have problems getting on airplanes.
They have the same name as a terrorist on the government's No-Fly List. They're false matches.
The actual John Thompson on the watch list is a Loyalist member of the Ulster Defense Regiment who was charged with possession of weapons with intent to commit a terrorist act in Belfast, Ireland in 2002.
"To detain every one of 100,000 or 300,000 John Thompsons in the United States every time we fly is just a bunch of bureaucratic red tape," said John Thompson, who works at an engineering consulting firm in Colorado Springs.
George Will: Congress' unused War Powers
Link
Americans are wondering, with the lassitude of uninvolved spectators, whether the president will initiate a war with Iran. Some Democratic presidential candidates worry, or purport to, that he might claim an authorization for war in a Senate resolution labeling an Iranian Revolutionary Guard unit a terrorist organization. Some Democratic representatives oppose the president's request for $88 million to equip B-2 stealth bombers to carry huge "bunker-buster" bombs, hoping to thereby impede a presidential decision to attack Iran's hardened nuclear facilities.
While legislators try to leash a president by tinkering with a weapon, they are ignoring a sufficient leash -- the Constitution. They are derelict in their sworn duty to uphold it. Regarding the most momentous thing government does, make war, the constitutional system of checks and balances is broken.
RePork Score for Senate from Club for Growth
Link
Corker score: 60%
Alexander Score: 33%
Washington – Today, the Club for Growth released its 2007 Senate RePORK Card, compiling a scorecard of all senators' votes on fifteen anti-pork amendments throughout 2007. These amendments were offered by taxpayer heroes Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Jim DeMint (R-SC).
Corker score: 60%
Alexander Score: 33%
Washington – Today, the Club for Growth released its 2007 Senate RePORK Card, compiling a scorecard of all senators' votes on fifteen anti-pork amendments throughout 2007. These amendments were offered by taxpayer heroes Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Jim DeMint (R-SC).
Some interesting numbers to consider:
- Only three senators received a perfect score of 100% (and were present for a majority of the votes): Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK), Jim DeMint (R-SC), and Richard Burr (R-NC).
- The only senator receiving a 0% was Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) who voted against all 10 anti-pork amendments he was present for.
- The average Republican score was 59%; the average Democratic score was 12%.
- The best scoring Democrat was Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) with an impressive 80%, tying with or scoring better than thirty-nine Republican senators.
- Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) scored a 53%; Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) scored a 7%, voting for only one amendment.
- Only two amendments were successful. The most popular amendment was offered by Senator DeMint to bar the use of funds appropriated for spinach growers in the Iraq Supplemental Bill (Roll Call #123, 03/29/07); it passed 97-0. The other amendment was offered by Senator Coburn to eliminate $1 million for a museum dedicated to the Woodstock Festival (Roll Call #377, 10/18/07); it passed 52-42.
Great investigation of Liquor industry Lobbyist
Jessica Fender has a great investigative piece in the Tennessean on the close relationship between the liquor lobbyist and the liquor industry regulators.
Link
Link
But as agents in 2005 began compiling dossiers on 19 wholesalers, the head of the state Alcoholic Beverage Commission and the wholesalers' lawyer-lobbyist met and agreed that the agency would go lightly on those who cooperated and would not report violations to federal authorities.
The wholesalers will be fined $3,000 each, for a total of $57,000. The Tennessean's conservative count found 313 violations in case files, which could have cost $626,000 in fines if proved and prosecuted.
Also during the investigation, the ABC started working with the industry to loosen the laws this coming legislative session. A wholesalers' secretary is typing the proposed changes agreed on by the regulators and the industry.
Such cooperation raises questions about close ties between regulators and the industries they oversee, which are common among many Tennessee boards and commissions.
Property Tax ALERT for Spring Hill
When taxpayers have a downturn in their family revenue they tighten their belts and spend less.....lets hope Spring Hill officials will take a cue from the taxpayers and make the necessary spending adjustments. I seriously doubt Spring Hill taxpayers would expect any less from their city government.
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Spring Hill resident Megan Hawkes felt the repeal of the property tax was a temporary political play during an election year; now she's worried that, if a new property tax is enacted, it will be much higher to cover the city's new shortfall. She also worries that the city will start approving more dense developments because it's strapped for cash.
"When I'm running a business, if I'm going to have a shortfall, I'm darn sure going to know about it before the end of the fiscal year," she said.
"This (building) slowdown took no one by surprise. The entire country knew what was happening," Hawkes said. "This is all poor planning."
"You want to exhaust all other avenues first" before trying to bring the property tax back, Leverette said. The mayor recently formed a committee to examine ways the city could bring in more money. He said a property tax hasn't been part of that discussion.
Even if city fathers wanted to bring back the tax, they might not be able to. In 2003, the city passed a law that any property tax increase must be approved by public referendum.
"I would bet," Raines said, "that wouldn't pass in our city today."
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Hope the TN Dept of Rev doesn't read this
LInk
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- If cigarette smokers are planning to go to the Internet to get around the $1 cigarette tax increase that starts in January, Wisconsin officials say they are watching.
Even though the new state budget didn't give Wisconsin's Department of Revenue any more enforcement help to prevent tax evasion, department Secretary Roger Ervin said the agency is extending its reach to monitor cigarette sellers and to catch scofflaws.
"People can be assured that we are keeping a very good pulse on what's happening in the cigarette market," he said.
Ervin said his agency has been getting more information on Internet cigarette sales in Wisconsin from a number of sources, including other states, but Wisconsin doesn't get data on all Internet vendors.
A study in legal corruption
The Washington Post does a great job of documenting how the sugar industry has bought and paid for members of Congress. This is just plain sickening and maddening. Why aren't citizens livid over this type of corruption?? Why do we tolerate this perversion of government??
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When U.S. sugar farmers needed help this summer defending a $1 billion, 10-year subsidy plan in a new House farm bill, they found it in some surprising places.
Among the 282 lawmakers siding with Midwest and Gulf Coast growers on a key vote was Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney ( D-N.Y.), who represents Queens and Manhattan's East Side. The only sugar refinery in the New York area is well outside her district.
The House sugar vote illustrates the hold that agricultural interests maintain on farm policy even as the number of full-time commercial farmers has shrunk to a few hundred thousand. Sugar groups have used campaign cash and far-reaching alliances with labor unions and politicians to expand their influence far beyond the 15 states and few dozen congressional districts where sugar is grown by fewer than 6,000 farmers.
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When U.S. sugar farmers needed help this summer defending a $1 billion, 10-year subsidy plan in a new House farm bill, they found it in some surprising places.
Among the 282 lawmakers siding with Midwest and Gulf Coast growers on a key vote was Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney ( D-N.Y.), who represents Queens and Manhattan's East Side. The only sugar refinery in the New York area is well outside her district.
Four days after she voted against a measure that would have derailed the new subsidy plan, Maloney hosted a fundraising event at Bullfeathers restaurant on Capitol Hill that netted $9,500 in contributions from sugar growers and refiners, according to Federal Election Commission records and Maloney's election attorney, Andrew Tulloch. Tulloch called the timing of the July 31 fundraiser -- dubbed a "sugar breakfast" on the campaign finance report of one group -- a "pure coincidence."
The House sugar vote illustrates the hold that agricultural interests maintain on farm policy even as the number of full-time commercial farmers has shrunk to a few hundred thousand. Sugar groups have used campaign cash and far-reaching alliances with labor unions and politicians to expand their influence far beyond the 15 states and few dozen congressional districts where sugar is grown by fewer than 6,000 farmers.
Bill Hobbs exposes TACIR problems
Looking to TACIR to report on local government "needs" is like allowing road contractors to report on road building "needs." Their bias is to grow the size of government and overstate future "needs." They constantly churn out "studies" which are very thinly veiled tax hiking propaganda.
Bill Hobbs is doing a great job exposing problems in the TACIR report about so called infrastructure needs.
Bill Hobbs is doing a great job exposing problems in the TACIR report about so called infrastructure needs.
These damned entrepreneurs and their obsession
with customer satisfaction. Why can't they they just FORCE and COERCE us like government instead of asking politely for our business. They are a bunch of wimps!
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Congratulations to Blake and Kendra
We all knew something was going on when Blake stopped his regular blogging. Only one thing can keep a true blogger from blogging...his true love!! Blake at Nashville Files has proposed to Kendra and apparently she didn't know enough about bloggers to reject his proposal so they are getting hitched.
So raise a glass to Blake and Kendra!! Congratulations
So raise a glass to Blake and Kendra!! Congratulations
GPS tracks stolen refrig in Clarksville
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The appliances had been stolen from a construction site in the Apache Way subdivision, and members of the construction company, True Value Construction, were present last month for the first Clarksville Contractors Committee meeting. The meeting, held by the Clarksville Police Department, discussed ways to combat the recent rash of construction site burglaries, and one suggestion was to buy a GPS tracking unit and place it on an appliance.
Lt. Craig Gipson said Jeff Choate, owner of True Value Construction, soon went out and bought some units and placed them on the goods, and that same night they were stolen.
"You can't hide from satellites," Gipson said.
"You can't hide from latitude and longitude.
"If it's transmitted, we'll be able to track you."
Saturday, November 03, 2007
The fine line between donor and briber in Memphis
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He said his client is innocent of soliciting elected officials to support a proposal from H and M Construction, a company which paid Thompson $200,000 to lobby for a three school, $50 million contract with Memphis City Schools.
"For years, having been involved in the defense of a criminal case, there's a very fine line between a bribe and a political contribution, not to say any of this applies to Bruce's situation but, as a general concept, a politician walks a fine line," he said.
He said his client is innocent of soliciting elected officials to support a proposal from H and M Construction, a company which paid Thompson $200,000 to lobby for a three school, $50 million contract with Memphis City Schools.
"For years, having been involved in the defense of a criminal case, there's a very fine line between a bribe and a political contribution, not to say any of this applies to Bruce's situation but, as a general concept, a politician walks a fine line," he said.
Knox Cnty Commishes Return UTBBall Tickets
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"We have a number of contracts with the University of Tennessee, a number of working arrangements, and I just wanted them to be certainly cautious about receiving the tickets," Law Director John Owings said. "It is a gift."
In a memo released last Friday, Owings suggested commissioners pay for tickets or return them.
They're $20 each and almost $700 for the season.
"With Bruce Pearl as the coach, basketball tickets are worth something," Owings said.
A UT spokesperson says Knox County Commissioners were given free basketball tickets back in 1987, when Thompson-Boling Arena was a cooperative project between the University and Knox County.
"Normally, I just give them to constituents or anyone that says they want to go to a ball game or somebody up at the courthouse," Commissioner Paul Pinkston said.
But since a new ethics policy went into effect February 1st, Owings believes Commissioners should pay for the perk.
"We have a number of contracts with the University of Tennessee, a number of working arrangements, and I just wanted them to be certainly cautious about receiving the tickets," Law Director John Owings said. "It is a gift."
In a memo released last Friday, Owings suggested commissioners pay for tickets or return them.
They're $20 each and almost $700 for the season.
"With Bruce Pearl as the coach, basketball tickets are worth something," Owings said.
A UT spokesperson says Knox County Commissioners were given free basketball tickets back in 1987, when Thompson-Boling Arena was a cooperative project between the University and Knox County.
"Normally, I just give them to constituents or anyone that says they want to go to a ball game or somebody up at the courthouse," Commissioner Paul Pinkston said.
But since a new ethics policy went into effect February 1st, Owings believes Commissioners should pay for the perk.
State of TN makes criminals rich
so it is ok to tax the criminals.
Our Attorney General is reportedly claiming the State is responsible for all of our prosperity and wealth and therefore drug selling criminals depend on the State because the State is the only reason that people have enough money to buy drugs. So the crack tax is legal because that money resulted from activities of the State and is thus a privileged activity that the State can tax.....got that?
Hmmmm...if the AG prevails, this could open up all sorts of possibilities. Instead of legalizing formerly illegal activities, like the lottery, so they can be taxed, lets just tax all criminal activity!! Unfortunately, the politicians would probably eliminate all law enforcement activities since taxing crime would produce so much revenue.
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Our Attorney General is reportedly claiming the State is responsible for all of our prosperity and wealth and therefore drug selling criminals depend on the State because the State is the only reason that people have enough money to buy drugs. So the crack tax is legal because that money resulted from activities of the State and is thus a privileged activity that the State can tax.....got that?
Hmmmm...if the AG prevails, this could open up all sorts of possibilities. Instead of legalizing formerly illegal activities, like the lottery, so they can be taxed, lets just tax all criminal activity!! Unfortunately, the politicians would probably eliminate all law enforcement activities since taxing crime would produce so much revenue.
Link
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Attorney General Bob Cooper is arguing in a filing with the Supreme Court that the drug trade wouldn't be profitable in Tennessee if it weren't for the functions performed by the state.
Cooper makes that argument in his bid to get the court to hear an appeal of a September ruling that the state's levy on illegal drugs - known as the "crack tax" - is unconstitutional.
The lower court said legitimate businesses can be taxed because the state provides the basic conditions that allow trade to take place. Since the state is trying to destroy the drug trade, it shouldn't also be allowed to tax it.
But Cooper argues that if the state did not provide the infrastructure and economic environment that drives demand, the drug trade wouldn't be profitable.
The Bizarro world of Cigarette Tax Enforcement
Like all bureaucrats who have entirely too much power over the lives of the citizens they supposedly serve, Reagan Farr has developed a strange, condescending benevolence towards his subjects. He states that he believes, in his heart of hearts, that they are really good people who want to do the right thing, i.e., follow the dictums of the Dept. of Revenue. But, just in case they stray from his orthodoxy he is ready to come down on them like a ton of bricks.
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The AP records request was denied about three weeks into the new program.
"What we don't want to do when we have an ongoing enforcement program is have people calling daily, getting updates," Farr said.
If the department releases information too often, he said, "they'll figure out what days we're out there and what days we're not."
[...]Farr turned back complaints about the enforcement program, saying that the effort is also meant to educate taxpayers.
"I would tell the pundits and the critics of this program that I approach this from the complete opposite side of the spectrum from them," he said.
"I think they start from the premise that everybody wants to break the law and that they have a right to break it," he said. "But I start with the premise that the supermajority of Tennesseans want to know what the law is and they don't want to break it."
Assigning up to 10 Revenue agents to the cigarette detail does not detract from the department's other tax enforcement programs, Farr said.
"People forget the Department of Revenue is a significantly sized department — there's 1,200 employees, almost a $100 million budget," he said. "It's nothing for us to pull 10 agents and focus on something. We do it all the time."
Who is protecting the Taxpayer's Throat?
We are supposed to feel sorry for a bunch of multi-millionaires who will reap huge profits if they are successful? Give me a break!! Take the risk....or DON'T take the risk but stop whining about it as if taxpayers should feel sorry for you.
LInk
LInk
"We said, 'Sure, we'll do five years. Let's talk about at what point our losses get so astronomical that it's outrageous to ask us to lose anymore before the hand comes off the throat.' …
"What if it turns out that we're wrong and, given a second chance, Nashville will not support this hockey team? That's been the real guts behind that conversation. … If there's a deal to be made, it will be because the mayor and our group believe in the best of Nashville, and that overcomes our fears about the worst-case scenario."
Friday, November 02, 2007
Michael Silence leads bloggers in Opn Govt Push
Michael Silence, Joe Lance, and Newscoma are doing great work keeping the Open Govt issue on everyone's radar.
Its time for all of us to stand up for OUR RIGHT to have public business conducted in public!!
Its time for all of us to stand up for OUR RIGHT to have public business conducted in public!!
Greedy entrepreneur makes us all more wealthy
This is John Papandriopoulos. He will soon be very wealthy because he has discovered a way to dramatically increase speeds over DSL lines. He will become VERY wealthy because the rest of us will be quite happy to pay for this increased speed. He didn't steal from anybody, he didn't do anything illegal, he simply made all our lives a little better. Thank you John.Link
Belgium now 144 days without a govt
Flemish and French factions can't resolve their differences so no govt...the result? Everything is just fine.
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Belgium has now gone for 144 days without a government and you know what?… everything seems normal.
Eurocrats are booking their tables at Comme Chez Soi, Moroccan boys are breakdancing in the metro stations, civil servants (there are lots of these) are lingering over their Speculoos biscuits and coffee with gloopy vitamin-enhanced milk substitute.
Which prompts the thought: perhaps there should never be a Belgian government. Next week, Belgium will break its previous record for going unadministered, and no one – other than the armies of fonctionnaires who fret for their pensions – seems especially bothered.
Top 150 Marketing/Media Blogs
From Advertising Age
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Here are the Top 25
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Here are the Top 25
 |  |  |  | Score | Badge | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Seth's Blog |  |  | 7 | 20 | 30 | 13 | 70 |  |
| 2. | Online Marketing Blog | | | 6 | 20 | 29 | 13 | 68 | |
| 3. | ShoeMoney | | | 6 | 19 | 30 | 13 | 68 | |
| 4. | Micro Persuasion | | | 7 | 20 | 29 | 12 | 68 | |
| 5. | Search Engine Land | | | 7 | 20 | 30 | 11 | 68 | |
| 6. | Search Engine Watch | | | 8 | 20 | 29 | 11 | 68 | |
| 7. | Pronet Advertising | | | 7 | 18 | 29 | 13 | 67 | |
| 8. | Marketing Pilgrim | | | 7 | 19 | 29 | 12 | 67 | |
| 9. | Duct Tape Marketing | | | 6 | 19 | 28 | 13 | 66 | |
| 10. | Adrants | | | 6 | 20 | 27 | 13 | 66 | |
| 11. | Adverblog | |  | 6 | 20 | 25 | 14 | 65 | |
| 12. | PSFK | | | 6 | 20 | 27 | 12 | 65 | |
| 13. | tompeters! | | | 6 | 20 | 27 | 12 | 65 | |
| 14. | SEOmoz Blog | | | 6 | 20 | 28 | 11 | 65 | |
| 15. | What's Next Blog | | | 6 | 18 | 26 | 14 | 64 |