Link
FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Jan. 27-28, 2009. N=900 registered
voters nationwide. MoE ± 3.
"Many different ideas are being considered for how best to stimulate
the economy. Do you think the economic stimulus plan should focus
mainly on using taxpayer dollars to increase government spending on
new programs and infrastructure projects or mainly on cutting taxes
for businesses and individuals?"
Government
Spending.....................Tax Cuts................Both (vol.)...............Unsure
.......%.................................%............................%.............................%
1/27-28/09
.......29...............................50..........................14...............................6
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Calif Nurses Sued to Prevent Insulin Shots given
by anyone except a registered nurse...and a judge agrees. A Government which is supposed to serve all citizens being used to protect the monopoly of a few...and this kind of idiocy goes on all the time with all sorts of licensing laws.
Link
Link
Many doctors and diabetes advocates are outraged. Scores of lay people — babysitters, siblings, grandparents — regularly administer insulin, and they see no reason why trained, nonmedical school staff, like teachers or clerks, should not be allowed to help students. They fear the massive shortage of school nurses means children are not getting insulin shots in a timely manner. And they say diabetes is being used as a political tool to force school districts to hire more nurses — an unlikely scenario given the state's $42 billion budget deficit.
[...]
But several nursing associations sued to overturn the agreement, arguing that California's Nurse Practice Act states that only licensed nurses can administer insulin. In November, a judge agreed.
The California School Nurses Organization said the ruling allowed parents peace of mind knowing that only "trained and highly skilled nurses" will be administering "a dangerous medication such as insulin."
Daschle and Rangel and Geithner, Oh MY
Even MORE tax problems for Daschle.
Link
Link
ABC News has obtained the Senate Finance Committee Report on Tom Daschle's nomination to be Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, which indicates that Daschle's tax problems were even more substantial than earlier reported.
The report indicates that Daschle's failure to pay more than $101,000 taxes on the car and driver a wealthy friend let him use from 2005 through 2007 is not the only tax issue the former Senate Majority Leader has been dealing with since his December nomination prompted a more thorough examination of his income tax returns.
Mr. Daschle also didn't report $83,333 in consulting income in 2007.
TN Woman's account of Hudson River Ditching
Link from Seymour Herald
At that point, Ramsey said, the pilot spoke over the intercom and told the passengers to brace for impact. The man next to her told Ramsey to lean over, put her head down and hold on really tight because it would get rough.
“I held on to my seat and opened my phone to the picture of my 2-year-old grandson, Jack, in a Santa outfit and said ‘Dear God, please don’t take me today. Get me home’,” Ramsey said. “I heard a lot of other people praying. When we landed, it was wonderful.”
Ramsey said she unclipped her seat belt and noticed the man and woman in her row had already left. She said people were pushing and the walkway was packed, so she turned around, grabbed her seat cushion and climbed over two rows of seats to get to the exit, where a man let her out in front of him.
“I was on the wing,” Ramsey continued. “There was an inflatable boat, but it was twisted. I slid into the water and it was waist-high, and a man grabbed me, pulled me back up and said ‘I won’t let you fall.’ I called my husband on my cell phone and told him what happened and that I was OK.”
Ramsey said the water was scary at that point, because she was cold from sliding in earlier and couldn’t feel her legs. She held on to the pants waist of the man in front of her and they baby-stepped to the end of the wing so they could get on an approaching ferry.
As the boat came toward them, Ramsey said, she feared it would knock them off the wing. The man pulled her to him so she wouldn’t fall off, and Ramsey reached up and grabbed a net hanging from the boat, climbing up with her arms because she couldn’t fit her shoes into the net.
Finally, she stuck her shoes in the holes, but they got stuck and she had to leave them there. Ramsey said a lady in the water grabbed her leg and almost made her lose her grip on the net, but she felt two hands push her up from behind while someone grabbed her from above and pulled her into the boat.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Dashcle had tax problems too...GEEEZ
And President Obama is complaining about CEOs living opulent lifestyles?
Daschle "told committee staff he had grown used to having a car and driver as majority leader and did not think to report the perk on his taxes, according to staff members."
Link
Daschle "told committee staff he had grown used to having a car and driver as majority leader and did not think to report the perk on his taxes, according to staff members."
Link
Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, President Barack Obama’s nominee for the secretary of Health and Human Services, paid around $100,000 in back taxes after his nomination to pay for a car and driver he was supplied but didn’t report as income, according to documents being prepared by the Senate Finance Committee.
Daschle also took two vacation trips aboard a $30 million corporate jet belonging to nonprofit lender EduCap, which faces a separate probe by the Finance Committee into its tax status.
Corker/Alexander voted with Obama 4 out of 7 times
LinkWhich Senate Republicans have voted the most often with the Obama Administration so far?
Yes, the Senate is actually voting on stuff. Not a lot of stuff, but there are perhaps seven nontrivial votes for us to chew over. These include confirmation votes for Tim Geithner and Hillary Clinton, the bailout extension, both a cloture vote and an up-and-down vote the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and both a cloture vote and an up-and-down vote on the Omnibus Public Land Management Act.
One Republican, Olympia Snowe of Maine, has taken the administration's position on all seven votes, as indicated by a blue square in chart below. Two, David Vitter of Louisiana and Jim DeMint of South Carolina, have gone 7-for-7 in opposing the administration (as denoted in red). A couple more thoughts follow after the graphic.
School funding goes UP and UP and UP and yet
all we hear about school funding is how its not enough, never ever enough. This is getting VERY tiresome.
Link
Link
StimulusWatch.org-New website showing Stimulus Projects
Here are the projects for Tennessee
Here is the Home Page
Thanks to Shaka Mitchell at TCPR for the heads up. This is an interesting collaboration of friends unaffiliated with any organization.
Here is the Home Page
Thanks to Shaka Mitchell at TCPR for the heads up. This is an interesting collaboration of friends unaffiliated with any organization.
TN 3rd most Religious State, Vermont the least
Link
PRINCETON, NJ -- An analysis of more than 350,000 interviews conducted by Gallup in 2008 finds Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Arkansas to be the most religious states in the nation. Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts are the least religious states.
Guy in Vermont woods building Giant Robot
Its just that simple and he is, very self-consciously, documenting his progress and the press coverage of same such as the video below where he talks about newspaper coverage. Link
NO ONE showed up for Jackson School Board meeting
meant for public input.
Who is to blame? The School Board will, of course, self-righteously wag their fingers at the parents and "the public." However, the school board will refuse to give up their power so PARENTS can make the decisions about which school their children attend. Will the school board advocate more charter schools or true school choice via tax credits or vouchers? Of course not.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama and Phil Bredesen and Karl Dean happily deny most parents the educational choices which they demand for their own children.
Parents are indifferent about a system that offers them no real power or control? Yup.
Link
Who is to blame? The School Board will, of course, self-righteously wag their fingers at the parents and "the public." However, the school board will refuse to give up their power so PARENTS can make the decisions about which school their children attend. Will the school board advocate more charter schools or true school choice via tax credits or vouchers? Of course not.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama and Phil Bredesen and Karl Dean happily deny most parents the educational choices which they demand for their own children.
Parents are indifferent about a system that offers them no real power or control? Yup.
Link
Mays said getting more community, parent involvement and interest in the schools is a challenge, but more people should make an effort to keep current of school issues.
"People need to be in attendance of not just board meetings, but committee meetings as well," Mays said. "Jackson-Madison County Schools has the potential of being tops in the state. It's just a matter of more people getting involved."
Thursday, January 29, 2009
DELL to destroy 300 TN Jobs: Phil, Matt, what say you?
I am quite sure Phil Bredesen and Matt Kisber will hold a press conference tomorrow and take credit for destroying jobs. Why not?
They are happy to show up for photo ops and take credit for "job creation" when they bribe companies with millions of taxpayer funded corporate welfare...so surely they will be happy to acknowledge when these jobs go away.
Link
They are happy to show up for photo ops and take credit for "job creation" when they bribe companies with millions of taxpayer funded corporate welfare...so surely they will be happy to acknowledge when these jobs go away.
Link
“What we announced to our employees is we are closing production of new PCs,” says Dell spokesman Ken Bissell. “We’re ceasing new-build in Nashville altogether.”
Obama: What? That Transparency thing?
The Pres said we the people would have 5 days, minimum, to review legislation BEFORE it was voted on?????
Link
Link
As we noted before [2], one of Obama’s pledges on change.gov, his transition Web site, was to "not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House Web site for five days."
But that didn’t happen with the Ledbetter bill. Obama’s had his hands on it for two days, but the first chance Americans got to comment on it on the White House Web site was today, after the president had already signed it into law [3]. We’ve put in calls to the White House and are waiting to hear back for an explanation.
The bill, which was first introduced in the House and Senate three weeks ago, was mentioned in a blog post [4] on the White House Web site on Jan. 25, but it simply pointed out that, hey, here’s a bill coming up, and directed readers to check it out on THOMAS [5], the government’s legislation-tracking Web site. There wasn’t an opportunity for the public to make comments there either.
Ellen Miller, the executive director of transparency watchdog Sunlight Foundation [6] told ProPublica, "This is a very specific promise that the campaign made that hasn’t been fulfilled." Noting that she was willing to cut a new administration some slack, she added, "This just strikes me as a day one promise, and they knew this bill was coming down the pipe and that it would be the first one he signed. To not have some system for posting the legislation online is shocking."
NBC Wash: Marion Barry fails to pay his taxes...again
LinkThis news comes after Barry pleaded guilty in 2005 to two misdemeanor tax charges and admitted to not filing his taxes from 1999 to 2004. So he didn't pay most of the taxes he owed on more than $500,000 in income. Big whoop, right? If the nation's treasury secretary can't figure out this whole taxes thing, who can?
Barry, who now makes more than $92,000 per year as a council member, had no comment for the Post and didn't let on to when he might file his taxes.
Madoff offered better return than taxpayer TARP
Link
But do the math, and you can begin to understand how really botched this bailout has been. Since October, the government has deposited $165 billion into the accounts of the nation's eight largest banks. Yet those same financial firms are now worth $418 billion less than they were four months ago. And the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the government's preferred shares are worth at least $20 billion less. In Wall Street terms, that's throwing good money after bad. All told, the government's annualized rate of return on its investment in the nation's largest banks is -1,096%. That's well beyond Bernie Madoff territory; he topped out at a mere -100%.
Tax Hiking Michigan Republican get payoff
This is criminal corruption as surely as a TN Waltz was corruption.
Link
Link
In October 2007, Governor Granholm shoved over $3 billion in new taxes down the throats of Michiganders telling them it would solve the state’s budget crises and turn Michigan around. However, in order to pass her tax hike, she needed bipartisan support - and she found it in former republican State Representative Ed Gaffney. Well, last week the term-limited legislator finally received his thank you note from the governor – attached to a big, fat $82,000 a year appointment to the state Liquor Control Commission.
After a private meeting with Governor Granholm in 2007, former Representative Gaffney was one of only two republicans to vote for her “temporary” 12% increase in the Michigan personal income tax, which brought over $750 million into state coffers last year.
Good News for Personal Privacy-Hard Drive Encryption
Link
January 27, 2009 (Computerworld) The world's six largest computer drive makers today published the final specifications(download PDF) for a single, full-disk encryption standard that can be used across all hard disk drives, solid state drives (SSD) and encryption key management applications. Once enabled, any disk that uses the specification will be locked without a password -- and the password will be needed even before a computer boots.
The three The Trusted Computing Group (TCG) specifications cover storage devices in consumer laptops and desktop computers as well as enterprise-class drives used in servers and disk storage arrays.
NYTimes: Banker's Girlfriend not an easy gig
LinkThey shared their sad stories the other night at an informal gathering of Dating a Banker Anonymous, a support group founded in November to help women cope with the inevitable relationship fallout from, say, the collapse of Lehman Brothers or the Dow’s shedding 777 points in a single day, as it did on Sept. 29.
In addition to meeting once or twice weekly for brunch or drinks at a bar or restaurant, the group has a blog, billed as “free from the scrutiny of feminists,” that invites women to join “if your monthly Bergdorf’s allowance has been halved and bottle service has all but disappeared from your life.”
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
AcademicEarth.org - 1,000 of Free College Courses
Link
We are building a user-friendly educational ecosystem that will give internet users around the world the ability to easily find, interact with, and learn from full video courses and lectures from the world’s leading scholars. Our goal is to bring the best content together in one place and create an environment that in which that content is remarkably easy to use and in which user contributions make existing content increasingly valuable.We invite those who share our passion to explore our website, participate in our online community, and help us continue to find new ways to make learning easier for everyone.
I am down for a TAXPAYER March on DC
Count me in for the 10 million Taxpayer March!!
Link HT: Insty
Link HT: Insty
People…. Get mad,,,,,, get angry,,,, get involved!!! They survival of this country may depend on citizen action to regain control of our out-of-control government!!!! I'm not counting on President Obama to solve our problems. He was the third highest recipient of campaign contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the last 10 years behind Chris Dodd(D) and John Kerry(D), and he was only in the senate for 4 years. Fannie and Freddie have received many billions of dollars of "bail-out" money and are wanting/needing more.
Anybody want to join me for a taxpayer march on Washington???
Cheerleader can't sue teammate who dropped her
Link
The court ruled Tuesday the teammate can’t be sued because Wisconsin law prevents participants in contact sports, including cheerleading, from suing each other for unintentional injuries. That overturns a lower court’s decision.
The court also upheld a decision that the district can’t be sued for the coach’s lack of supervision.
This is just about as ABSURD as it gets
The LA Teacher's union wants to stop testing students so the district can "save money" and hire more teachers. Really!Link
The Los Angeles teachers union and the city's school district are battling over a district practice that, a Times' analysis suggests, contributes to higher scores on state tests.
The practice is "periodic assessments," a bureaucratic name for exams administered by the Los Angeles Unified School District. The goal is to give teachers insight into what students need to learn while there remains time in the current school year to adjust instruction.The union Tuesday directed teachers to refuse to give them to students on the grounds that the tests are costly and counterproductive.
"Who is going to Bailout the Government?"
That is the REAL question that MUST be answered...sooner or later.
Tennessee Snow Watch Web Cams
City of Murfreesboro Traffic Cameras
Smoky Mtns WebCam
Adventure Science Museum WebCam Nashville
AutoZone Park in Memphis WebCam
Sparta TN WebCam (between Nashville and Knoxville)
Graceland WebCam in Memphis
Sewanee University WebCam
Vanderbilt WebCams
City of Oak Ridge WebCams
Smoky Mtns WebCam
Adventure Science Museum WebCam Nashville
AutoZone Park in Memphis WebCam
Sparta TN WebCam (between Nashville and Knoxville)
Graceland WebCam in Memphis
Sewanee University WebCam
Vanderbilt WebCams
City of Oak Ridge WebCams
Video: Save our Community Schools in Hardin Cnty
The video below is from The Courier website. A petition drive is under way to repeal the local sales tax increase that was supposed to fund improvements to local schools.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
If Shakespeare had Twittered
Link
"2 be, or nt 2 be: tht's the q:
Whether 'tis nblr in the mnd 2 sffr
The slngs & rrws of trgs frtn,
Or 2 tk rms gnst a sea of trbls,
by ppsng end thm? 2 die: 2 zzz;
No mr & by a zzz 2 say we end
The hrt-ache & the thsnd ntrl shcks
That flsh is hr 2, 'tis a cnsmmtn
Devoutly 2 be wsh'd. 2 die, 2 zzz;"
"2 be, or nt 2 be: tht's the q:
Whether 'tis nblr in the mnd 2 sffr
The slngs & rrws of trgs frtn,
Or 2 tk rms gnst a sea of trbls,
by ppsng end thm? 2 die: 2 zzz;
No mr & by a zzz 2 say we end
The hrt-ache & the thsnd ntrl shcks
That flsh is hr 2, 'tis a cnsmmtn
Devoutly 2 be wsh'd. 2 die, 2 zzz;"
TN Counties that are members of NACO
Most Counties with significant population in Tennessee are members of NACO. This means that most Tennessee taxpayers are being FORCED to fund a group which is hostile to taxpayers who care about low taxes. This is insane. (see previous post)
Link
Link
See thru Walls...really
LinkIt works using ultrawide-band radar. It can only see objects that are moving, but that includes the movement from breathing or even a beating heart.
Politicians as Pimps, making the Case
Link
The customers, in this case, are the farmers and agribusinesses. The suppliers of the services performed for these customers are taxpayers, for it's the taxpayers who possess the ultimate asset -- money -- that farmers and agribusinesses lust after. And the intermediaries who oblige the suppliers to satisfy the base lusts of the customers are politicians. Just as pimps facilitate their customers' access to prostitutes' assets, politicians facilitate their customers' access to taxpayers' assets.
Top 10 Newspaper sites see 16% Traffic Growth
LinkNewspapers may be struggling these days but it's not for lack of web traffic, at least for the top ten newspaper sites. According to Nielsen Online, web traffic to the top 10 sites grew by an average of 16% in December 2008. Only one of the top 10 properties, Boston.com, saw a decline in web traffic:
Laser shoots down UAVs
LinkSo, it sounds like this laser, which is probably a couple kilowatts, isn’t exactly vaporizing the UAVs on contact. But the big advantage is that the laser beam is invisible, so there’s no way to track the destruction of a UAV back to the Avenger platform.
Boeing says that UAVs are posing an increasing threat (whether direct or indirect) to US troops, which will make the Laser Avenger relevant in the near future.
Should Judges be chosen by the lawyers or the people?
The Tennessee Constitution says VERY clearly that judges should be elected by the people.
Sooo...the General Assembly, under pressure from lawyers, decided NOT to elect the judges. They decided, instead, to have lawyers create a commission to be the gatekeeper. This commission decides who can be considered to be a judge.
The Commission procedure for choosing judges is COMPLETELY unconstitutional and should be eliminated IMMEDIATELY in favor of the procedure explicitly set out in the Tennessee Constitution.
Link
Sooo...the General Assembly, under pressure from lawyers, decided NOT to elect the judges. They decided, instead, to have lawyers create a commission to be the gatekeeper. This commission decides who can be considered to be a judge.
The Commission procedure for choosing judges is COMPLETELY unconstitutional and should be eliminated IMMEDIATELY in favor of the procedure explicitly set out in the Tennessee Constitution.
Link
“Who are we to say that what we now have is ‘merit selection’ or ‘merit-based?” Norris said. “The ultimate arbiters of the merit of anyone to administer justice in Tennessee are the people of Tennessee; not those appointed to commissions; not those elected to preside over the commissions others appoint.
If ever there was a doubt, this should erase them...
The taxpayer-funded National Association of Counties is advertising for a new position. One of the responsibilities for this position is:
"developing a national strategy for combating anti-government/anti-tax efforts"
We, the taxpayers, are funding our own opposition. Those in NACO believe you, the taxpayers, should NOT be the final judge of the size and scope and burden of government.
"developing a national strategy for combating anti-government/anti-tax efforts"
We, the taxpayers, are funding our own opposition. Those in NACO believe you, the taxpayers, should NOT be the final judge of the size and scope and burden of government.
Monday, January 26, 2009
We are ALL Bailout Beggars Now
New Twitter account: Bailout Beggars
Here are just a few of the tweets. Our politicians have turned us all into beggars. This is sad.
Link
Here are just a few of the tweets. Our politicians have turned us all into beggars. This is sad.
Link
Wind energy industry wants a bailout -- http://bit.ly/HCj0 #tcot |
Public radio and public TV want a bailout -- http://bit.ly/3XwMT @michellemalkin |
Student Assistance Foundation of Montana wants a bailout -- http://bit.ly/kTSB |
The city of Detroit wants a bailout -- http://bit.ly/5E9W #beggars |
Healthcare groups in Massachusetts want a bailout -- http://bit.ly/bqru |
The owners of some building in Flint, MI, want a bailout -- http://bit.ly/x4o8 |
The blog "Halfway to Concord" wants a bailout -- http://bit.ly/2aXFJT |
Home builders want a bailout -- http://bit.ly/u3Fx |
Atlanta's rail system - MARTA - wants a bailout -- http://bit.ly/3NEnz3 |
The town of Ware, MA wants a bailout -- http://bit.ly/3G9ZW5 |
UTenn Students want Bailout, State Income Tax
The message of these "Just University" students seems to boil down to this: If you got it, we want it.
Link
Link
A group of University of Tennessee students will ask UT President John Petersen to support lobbying efforts for a slice of a proposed federal stimulus package to offset state funding cuts.
Members of the Students for a Just University student government party at the school will ask Petersen Tuesday to sign a petition to Gov. Phil Bredesen, asking that he promote the federal stimulus package and support a state income tax.
Pelosi: "Some people call that nationalization."
NY Times says Obama admin is likely to stop dancing around the issue and simply come out for complete and full nationalization of banks.
Senators Alexander and Corker will, I am sure, be warriors for freedom and oppose such a plan...Yea, Right.
Link
Senators Alexander and Corker will, I am sure, be warriors for freedom and oppose such a plan...Yea, Right.
Link
“The case for full nationalization is far stronger now than it was a few months ago,” said Adam S. Posen, the deputy director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. “If you don’t own the majority, you don’t get to fire the management, to wipe out the shareholders, to declare that you are just going to take the losses and start over. It’s the mistake the Japanese made in the ’90s.”
“I would guess that sometime in the next few weeks, President Obama and Tim Geithner,” he said, referring to the nominee for Treasury secretary, “will have to come out and say, ‘It’s much worse than we thought,’ and just bite the bullet.”
AP does a duh: Lobbyists skirt Obama's earmark ban
Link
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama's ban on earmarks in the $825 billion economic stimulus bill doesn't mean interest groups, lobbyists and lawmakers won't be able to funnel money to pet projects.
They're just working around it — and perhaps inadvertently making the process more secretive.
The projects run the gamut: a Metrolink station that needs building in Placentia, Calif.; a stretch of beach in Sandy Hook, N.J., that could really use some more sand; a water park in Miami.
There are thousands of projects like those that once would have been gotten money upfront but now are left to scramble for dollars at the back end of the process as "ready to go" jobs eligible for the stimulus plan.
The result, as The Associated Press learned in interviews with more than a dozen lawmakers, lobbyists and state and local officials, is a shadowy lobbying effort that may make it difficult to discern how hundreds of billions in federal money will be parceled out.
Brothels in Nevada say Tax Me, Please
The brothel owners know politicians well, they understand that once the politicians get tax money from an industry they will never, ever outlaw the activity which produces money for them to spend.
Link HT: TaxProf
Link HT: TaxProf
And even brothel owners who support the idea of being taxed by the state are not as worried as Mr. Flint is that the Legislature might ban the business. James Davis, owner of the Shady Lady Ranch in Scotty’s Junction, said legislators from the smaller counties would never allow the state to eliminate one of their few reliable sources of local tax revenue.
Ms. Buckley said she suspected that Mr. Flint’s motive was to first have the industry taxed by the state and then build a case for legalizing it in the larger counties. And Mr. Flint acknowledged that he hoped he could show the Legislature how much money the state is losing by not regulating and taxing the booming illegal prostitution industry in Las Vegas. (The closest legal brothels to the Strip are more than 60 miles away in Nye County.)
Sunday, January 25, 2009
One man doing the work of...just watch the video
I think this is what you call a productivity enhancer.
Young Jeezy can write a check anytime
Rapper Young Jeezy says his 50% is ready....meaning he will pay up whenever Barack gives the word that taxes are going up. Here is a flash for YJ, he can write that check anytime he wants, the US Treasury takes donations.
Link
Link
Hmmm...how else can we destroy the Economy?
Oh Yea, we will levy a huge tax on productive activities of all kinds. We will call it cap and trade and it will reduce productivity and put us at a huge competitive disadvantage with the rest of the world.
Yea, that's the ticket...and then the politicians will claim we need to bailout even more companies, etc etc etc.
Link
Yea, that's the ticket...and then the politicians will claim we need to bailout even more companies, etc etc etc.
Link
But cap-and-trade would amount to a tax, raising energy costs. And several independent studies have suggested that emissions limits could be a drag on economic growth, a concern raised frequently by opponents of climate change legislation.
"The whole economic issue will be front and center in the debate on this . . . on both sides," said Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, who has discussed Obama's global warming plans with senior administration officials.
Polls show voters increasingly losing interest in global warming. By pressing ahead, Obama would be sticking with a program that he said during the campaign would be a high priority of his presidency.
Even those on the Left see "Lemon Socialism"
for what it is. Robert Reich states the obvious....the taxpayers will own the companies that are losers (or corrupt enough to buy a bailout.) In other words taxpayers will bailout companies for ALL the wrong reasons.
Thank you Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker...hey, at least you "did something."
Link
Thank you Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker...hey, at least you "did something."
Link
What's left? Most of high-tech, entertainment, hospitality, retail, and commodities. So far, at least, we taxpayers are not propping them up. And when the economy turns up -- perhaps as soon as next year, most likely later -- these sectors have a good chance of rebounding.
But the others -- the ones the government is coming to own or manage -- are less likely to rebound as quickly, if ever. If anyone has a good argument for why the shareholders of these losers should not be cleaned out first, and their creditors and executives and directors second -- before taxpayers get stuck with the astonishingly-large bill -- I would like to hear it.
It's called Lemon Socialism. Taxpayers support the lemons. Capitalism is reserved for the winners.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
It is ABSOLUTELY preposterous to assert that
Bob Corker or Lamar Alexander or Barack Obama or the TN Congressional delegation have the knowledge and expertise to direct how $1 Trillion of OUR property should be distributed. Even if you accept that their good intentions should trump those of citizens (which, of course, I do NOT), it is INSANITY to think they know HOW it should be done. Are they this unbelievably arrogant? Do they really believe they have the god-like moral and intellectual superiority required for such a feat? Are they so blindly driven to "do something?"
These are just people with huge egos. Other than that particular behavioral tendency, they have NO special qualifications for this task. NONE!
The abysmal failure of centrally planned economies is evidence enough to avoid this fiasco. WHY do we stride so blindly into this abyss?
These are just people with huge egos. Other than that particular behavioral tendency, they have NO special qualifications for this task. NONE!
The abysmal failure of centrally planned economies is evidence enough to avoid this fiasco. WHY do we stride so blindly into this abyss?
Being a Politician means never having to say you
made a mistake.
If you do something, anything, to "solve" a problem and,
1-Things get better, then you can claim credit no matter how irrelevant and unrelated your "solution."
or if,
2-Things get worse, then you simply push to spend more taxpayer money because, clearly, you didn't spend "enough" the first time.
If you do something, anything, to "solve" a problem and,
1-Things get better, then you can claim credit no matter how irrelevant and unrelated your "solution."
or if,
2-Things get worse, then you simply push to spend more taxpayer money because, clearly, you didn't spend "enough" the first time.
Obama is destroying the Job Creators, Thanks Barack
As the Census Bureau clearly documents, small firms are the ONLY net creators of new jobs. Large firms simply shift them around, ONLY new start-ups actually create new, viable, productive employment.
Link via Insty
Link via Insty
As the Ford Motor Company prepares to cash its first multi-billion dollar corporate welfare check and hand part of it over to the union, it’s easy to forget that almost exactly a century ago, this multi-billion dollar behemoth with 240,000 employees was just another young small business with big dreams about to launch its next product.
While many small businesses fail, including Henry Ford’s first two attempts, a precious few survive, thrive, and then change the world, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process. Just about all of the great American companies were once mere dreams in the mind of an entrepreneur. Microsoft, Apple, Intel, McDonald’s, and WalMart are but a few examples.
The Bailout Xmas Tree fills with Ornaments
Link
WASHINGTON – Senior citizens receiving Social Security would get a bonus payment of $300 under the Senate version of President Barack Obama's economic recovery plan.
The $820 billion Senate measure includes tax cuts and spending proposals totaling $455 billion under the plan released Friday by Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., in anticipation of a panel vote on Tuesday. That $455 billion measure will be paired on the Senate floor with about $365 billion in further spending proposed by the Appropriations Committee.
Taxpayers have identified the Problem
Link
Polling Data
Who will Congress listen to the most as they work on an economic recovery plan—taxpayers, lobbyists, or Barack Obama?
Lobbyists
47%
Barack Obama
21%
Taxpayers
17%
Not sure
14%
Source: Rasmussen Reports
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 American adults, conducted on Jan. 10 and Jan. 11, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
Californians now indentured servants to State Govt
Along with taxpayers in New Jersey, New York and Illinois.
Link
Link
I think a threshold or tipping point exists in the ratio between the political power of those who pay taxes and those who consume taxes directly. After that tipping point is reached, those who pay taxes become the economic slaves of those who consume taxes.
I think California has passed that point. [h/t Instapundit] Tax consumers now control the state government and can vote themselves almost any level of personal income and benefits they wish while taxpayers cannot muster the political capital to defend themselves.
Friday, January 23, 2009
DC insiders at Whorunsgov.com and Littlesis.com
Two new sites to help you keep up with those obsessed with their own importance and your complete lack of same. Most of them are quite sure they are both morally and intellectually superior to us puny average citizens.
Link
Link
The Washington Post has just launched a new politics site with a focus on profiling powerful players in D.C. politics – WhoRunsGov.com. From the About page:
Our site will feature profiles of a select group of government officials, including members of the new presidential administration, legislators, senior Congressional aides and committee staff, and experts at think tanks and interest groups who influence how policy is made. Each profile focuses on an individual’s policy experience and involvement with specific areas of government decision-making, from health care to telecommunications to financial services to national security.
For now, the profiles on WhoRunsGov are all compiled and edited by in-house staff, but they plan on moving to a “moderated wiki” in the future, meaning that the public will be able to submit suggestions for profile revisions which will be subject to staff review. Check out a few of the profiles to get a sense of the kind of information that’s on the site – Kirsten Gillibrand, Timothy Geithner, Peter Orszag, Gen. James L. Jones, Richard C. Holbrooke...
Accompanying the launch of the site is a new blog – The Plum Line – written by former Talking Points Memo blogger Greg Sargent. The goal of the blog, so says Sargent, is to “chronicle the new D.C order – as perceived and experienced by the people building it, as well as by the people who are resisting or at least coming to terms with it.” It should be an excellent blog for getting an insider view into the messy world of policy creation in D.C. I recommend grabbing the RSS feed.
Overall, it looks like a good site with some unique information, though I agree with Marshall Kirkpatrick at ReadWriteWeb that there is some room for improvement in areas of data integration and interactivity. Check out Marshall’s review of WhoRunsGov and his list of five similar projects that he thinks are doing it better (thanks for the mention, Marshall!).
And don’t forget to check out the awesome new LittleSis.org – an involuntary facebook of powerful Americans.
Was the Bush Admin more secretive? Yes, a bit
Link
FISCAL 2007: BUSH
AGENCY FOIA PROCESSED DENIED GRANTED FULLY
Defense 78,392 3% 48%
Interior 5,437 3% 47%
Justice 53,889 3% 41%
State 4,792 4% 9%
Treasury 28,785 1.6% 52%
FISCAL 1998: CLINTON
AGENCY FOIA PROCESSED DENIED GRANTED FULLY
Defense 106,191 2% 61%
Interior 5,002 5% 64%
Justice 195,105 1.6% 33%
State 2,317 4% 28%
Treasury 1,775 2% 59%
WOW!! New AZ Gov: a REAL Freedom Fighter
LinkShe used the term "free" or "freedom" 17 times in the 14-minute speech.
To Brewer, that freedom means low taxes, less government regulation, more school choice and the ability to attend college "at a cost that will not leave (students) in a crushing debt."
She mocked President Barack Obama's major economic-stimulus plan, saying, "My transition team and I are not sitting idle while the new government in Washington plans another trillion dollars in deficit spending." She said her aim in Arizona will be to "call forth the creativity, determination and entrepreneurial spirit that made these United States the most prosperous great power in the history of the world."
Brewer's address was well-received by a mostly conservative crowd. Her observation that "government is going to get smaller" drew some of the day's biggest applause.
Arnold about to terminate California Wine Industry
Arnold is doing his best to destroy the California economy. The obvious solution is to reduce the size of State government but government has become so powerfully self protective there is no way to prevent government from parasitically killing its host, the taxpayer.
Link
Link
The proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would raise the tax on wine from 4 cents for a 750-milliliter bottle to 29.6 cents.
“It’s like shooting Charles Shaw in the eye. The profit margin is already so low we will have to raise the price,” said Franzia, chief executive of Bronco Wine Co., which owns the brand.
The excise tax, a levy on a specific good, often at the producer or supplier level and folded into the retail price, differs from a sales tax, which is paid directly by consumers.
But Franzia and the rest of California’s wine industry are fighting to derail the tax increase, which is part of Schwarzenegger’s plan to close California’s $41.6 billion budget gap. The wine industry’s main trade organization and other business groups have suggested any tax increases should not single out industries.
IRS Joins Investigation of Memphis Mayor Herenton
Mayor Herenton is alledged to have made a $90,000 profit on land to be used for the new bus terminal.Link
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Object of Murtha's Earmarks Raided by FBI
A prelude to the storm of corruption that will result from the trillions of bailout money.
Link
Link
Federal agents raided the offices of a Western Pennsylvania defense contractor that has received millions in federal earmarks at the request of Rep. John Murtha, according to local media reports.
The offices of Kuchera Industries and Kuchera Defense Systems were shuttered for the day following the raids, the chief financial officer told the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat. The companies' phone system says they will open again Friday morning, and e-mails sent to top company officials went unanswered.
Bailout begins descent into corruption: Barney Frank
sought and got special favors for his home state bank.
Link
Link
Troubled OneUnited Bank in Boston didn't look much like a candidate for aid from the Treasury Department's bank bailout fund last fall.
The Treasury had said it would give money only to healthy banks, to jump-start lending. But OneUnited had seen most of its capital evaporate. Moreover, it was under attack from its regulators for allegations of poor lending practices and executive-pay abuses, including owning a Porsche for its executives' use.
Nonetheless, in December OneUnited got a $12 million injection from the Treasury's Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. One apparent factor: the intercession of Rep. Barney Frank, the powerful head of the House Financial Services Committee.
Mr. Frank, by his own account, wrote into the TARP bill a provision specifically aimed at helping this particular home-state bank. And later, he acknowledges, he spoke to regulators urging that OneUnited be considered for a cash injection.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
What a Concept!! Hold Students Accountable!!
Now if we can just get the rest of government to embrace the principle.
BRAVO!! to Principle Danny Hill.
Link
BRAVO!! to Principle Danny Hill.
Link
Here's how the three-prong program works: higher expectation of students, active engagement of students and extra help opportunities.
"When you first look at it, it appears that giving an incomplete instead of zero is a lower standard when in reality it's a much higher standard. Everything we do is driven by 'we will not let you off the hook.' Every decision we make is based on higher expectations," Hill said.
Hill gave the program a name, the Intensive Care Unit. The backbone of the program is the ICU list that is maintained and posted for all eyes to see from teachers and coaches to parents. That list contains the names of students and corresponding incomplete or missing assignments.
"I pledge to be a servant to our President..."
I know Everything is now going to be OK because self-aggrandizing Hollywood celebrities took enough time away from preening to tell me so. And I can be great too, just like them, if only, "I pledge to be a servant to our President..."
Speculation on New TN House Committee Chairs
This is idle speculation. I have no special insight or inside knowledge.
Here are the House Committee Chairs for 105th Session
My Guess is these Committees will remain Democratic
Finance, Ways and Means - Craig Fitzhugh - D
State and Local Government - Ulysses Jones - D
Judiciary - Janis Sontany - D
My guess is these committees will have Republican Chairs
Education -
Transportation -
Commerce -
Thoughts? Email me
Here are the House Committee Chairs for 105th Session
My Guess is these Committees will remain Democratic
Finance, Ways and Means - Craig Fitzhugh - D
State and Local Government - Ulysses Jones - D
Judiciary - Janis Sontany - D
My guess is these committees will have Republican Chairs
Education -
Transportation -
Commerce -
Thoughts? Email me
What's Hot on the Web - Popurls.com
Link
Popurls is the dashboard for the latest web-buzz, a single page that encapsulates up-to-the-minute headlines from the most popular sites on the internet.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Minimum Wage Law destroyed 1 mil teen jobs
Politicians with good intentions and labor unions with ulterior motives combined to push up the min wage and push 1 million teens and low skill workers out of a job. Gee, thanks.
Link
Link
And that's when the Economic Detective was startled by a final gruesome discovery. Having focused so much on the mysterious disappearance of jobs for teens in an otherwise good year for the U.S. economy, he hadn't looked beyond those numbers except in passing, but here they were now staring him right in the face. Looking at the estimated data again for 2006, there should be around 2,681,439 individuals earning an hourly wage of $5.85 or less. But in 2007, there were just 1,729,000 individuals counted as doing so.
That would put the Public Policy Gang's total job kill for their first minimum wage hiking spree in 2007 at least at 952,439, almost within spitting distance of 1 million jobs. That becomes well within spitting distance if you factor in population growth. No wonder the Paymaster was so concerned.
But for teens, the mystery had been solved. Now there was only one thing left to do in that case, so the Economic Detective did it. He closed the file.
Monday, January 19, 2009
There is a difference in coverage: Search for "ash"
in the three Google Custom searches that I created today and it shows clear differences (as you would expect) in coverage in the 3 grand divisions. Of course as time elapses the count will change but as of now:
East TN Newspaper search for "ash" lists 79 articles
Middle TN Newspaper search for "ash" lists 47 articles.
West TN Newspaper search for "ash" lists 17 articles.
East TN Newspaper search for "ash" lists 79 articles
Middle TN Newspaper search for "ash" lists 47 articles.
West TN Newspaper search for "ash" lists 17 articles.
TDOT Tweets
Actually, this report from Fox17 says that TDOT is now on Facebook and is "considering" joining Twitter but I just couldn't resist typing "TDOT Tweets."
Link
Link
Forget brochures or pamphlets.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation is using the internet to reach young drivers.
With social networking sites becoming more of a source for instant information, TDOT is hoping becoming a "friend"-- or a "link"-- will catch the attention of those harder to reach.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Delightful T-Mobile Ad: 350 dancers in Liverpool Station
"Delightful" is not an adjective I would normally use for commercials but this is an extraordinarily delightful TV commercial.
DC Police put up "Prostitution Free Zone" signs
during inauguration. Does this include the politicians?This reminds me of Professor Perry's proposal to outlaw low temperatures. Politicians trying to deny reality.
Link
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Hope and Change and Lobbyist Money
There is simply no way that 99% of US Citizens can pierce the circle of money and influence surrounding DC and Barack Obama. The President and Congress are like pampered fish, swimming in a sea of special interest money while most US citizens are like visitors to an aquarium with their noses pressed up against the glass.
This is not change and it is certainly not hope, it is MUCH, MUCH more of the same ole crap.
Link
This is not change and it is certainly not hope, it is MUCH, MUCH more of the same ole crap.
Link
President-elect Barack Obama was a vocal champion of rules enacted last year that prohibit companies and lobbyists from buying anything worth more than $10 for lawmakers. But well-heeled interests have found a way to circumvent the ban by partnering with "state societies" that are throwing parties to celebrate Mr. Obama's inauguration.
These Washington-based nonprofits, whose members include lawmakers, congressional aides, lobbyists and executives from a given state, aren't subject to the ethics law -- even though their social and charitable activities are paid for with corporate money.
Mr. Obama's home state of Illinois, for example, is holding its own inaugural ball on Monday, the night before Mr. Obama is sworn in. It is offering executives of Motorola Inc., Exelon Corp., and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association a chance to pay big money to dine and pose for photos with Illinois lawmakers and incoming Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who recently retired as congressman from the state. The price: $5,000 to $55,000, event organizers said.
Hawaii, Mr. Obama's birthplace, has invited companies and lobbyists who pay as much as $25,000 into a roped-off VIP lounge at its Tuesday night affair, where they can mingle with influential policy makers. Among the drawing cards: Hawaii Sen. Dan Inouye, the new chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Gen. Eric Shinseki, a Hawaiian tapped to lead the Veterans Affairs Department.
Gary Odom on the timeline of the Kent Williams
election. Pat Nolan's Inside Politics on NewsChannel5 is a must-watch this weekend if you are interested in TN politics. Pat interviews Gary Odom and Glen Casada about the election of Kent Williams as Speaker and all the behind the scenes maneuvering. As always, Pat delivers an information rich program. Here are a couple of audio teasers:
Were any deals cut between Odom and Williams?
What was timeline of communication between Odom and Williams?
Were any deals cut between Odom and Williams?
What was timeline of communication between Odom and Williams?
Prof Perry says its time for a Min Temperature Law!!
Professor Perry comes up with a beautiful idea to deal with the harsh winter temperatures. Fairness and compassion dictate that the government mandate that no thermometer may show a temperature below 0. All temparatures below 0 will be outlawed. This is a politicians dream (and an absolutely brilliant way to show the stupidity of any kind of price fixing laws such as minimum wage laws.)
Link
Link
To counteract this inherent injustice in cold winter weather, the possible trend towards Global Cooling, and Mother Nature’s ongoing lack of concern for cold Americans, our collective sense of fairness and justice requires legislation that will force all thermostats and thermometers sold in the United States to have a minimum, reasonable and fair temperature reading of 0 degrees Fahrenheit, effective immediately. As part of the new Minimum Temperature legislation, all existing thermometers and thermostats should be immediately replaced with new temperature-reading equipment with a minimum reading of 0 degrees.
Any temperatures below that minimum (e.g. -10 degrees F. or -20 degrees F.) are considered to be unfair and unconscionably low, and will be illegal and outlawed by the Minimum Temperature Law, with violations subject to penalties, fines and possible jail time for thermostat manufacturers continuing to sell thermostats with temperature readings below the government-mandated minimum temperature. Further, all news and weather reports, all TV and radio stations, and all newspapers and websites are immediately prohibited from quoting any temperatures below the federally-mandated minimum of 0 degrees F, with violations punishable by fines, penalties and jail time.
Kent Williams: "I never said that" on Fox17
Kent Williams is denying he promised to support Jason Mumpower on this Fox 17 report. Short audio clip below.
Keynesian Crapola: recession caused the recession
Link
To say the recession was caused by diminished demand is to say that the recession was caused by the recession. The fact is, people are holding on to their cash because the economy is in recession and they are uncertain about the future. As we’ll see, it is exactly under these circumstances that people should be saving.
The idea that consumption needs to be stimulated is ridiculous on its face. Consumption is fun. It’s saving that takes effort. Not long ago the American people were scolded for consuming too much and saving too little. Now it’s the opposite. Will the scolds please make up their minds!
As noted, falling consumption is not the cause but rather the effect of recessions. So government-boosted demand, made possible by deficit spending and expansion of money and credit, can’t be the solution. Recessions follow ill-advised government policies that channel investment into unsustainable projects, that is, projects that conflict with economic reality, such as the government-created housing boom, which misdirected billions of dollars into finance and construction. The recession is the process of correcting the errors that government policy encouraged. This correction involves the liquidation of inappropriate projects and therefore unemployment. Resources have to be redirected to projects consistent with economic reality. But resources are not malleable Play-Doh. They are specific machines, tools, and materials in particular places whose adaptation to new projects (when possible) is not costless. Workers may need to be trained for new jobs.
Friday, January 16, 2009
4.5% use Mass Transit and 3.4% work at Home
Data from the Journey to Work data from the just released 2007 American Housing Survey.
And yet Obama is recommending many tens of billions in stimulus spending for a mode of transportation 95.5% of us avoid???
And yet Obama is recommending many tens of billions in stimulus spending for a mode of transportation 95.5% of us avoid???
GovTwit - A Directory of Govt Agencies on Twitter
Hundreds of them, domestic and international.
Link
and to be even more redundant, GovtTwit the directory, has its own tweets.
Link
and to be even more redundant, GovtTwit the directory, has its own tweets.
Foodzie.com - a Farmer's Market for the Web
Link HT: Bits
Welcome to Foodzie, a marketplace to discover and buy food from small artisan producers and growers.
WJCW Jan. 6 Kent Williams Interview
Below is a small clip from the WJCW Tri-Cities Talk Radio interview where Kent Williams says he will support Jason Mumpower for Speaker. HERE is the entire interview. The Radio hosts are Dave Hogan and Carl Swann on the morning 6-9 show "Thinking Out Loud."
HT: Kingsport TN Govt Blog
HT: Kingsport TN Govt Blog
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Alexander votes for $350 bil more bailout money
Corker votes NO on second $350 billion. (they were voting to DIS-approve it, which failed, so yes means no...very appropriate) Alexander joined mostly Dems to push $350 billion of OUR money to whatever fate awaits it...taxpayers will never know because the Treasury Dept ain't saying.
Thank you Senator Corker!!
Link
Thank you Senator Corker!!
Link
Obama's team lobbied senators hard for the funding. He and Vice President-elect Joe Biden, with economic adviser Lawrence Summers and incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, have burned up the phones and the roads with calls and visits to members of Congress to ask for every possible vote.
A letter to congressional leadership also promised more stringent assurances of accountability and transparency in the use of taxpayer funds moving forward. The letter states that $50 billion to $100 billion will be committed to a sweeping effort aimed at stemming the tide of foreclosures, with a requirement that banks getting TARP funds must participate.
Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., said Obama had called him and guaranteed him that oversight would be strong and executive compensation would be limited. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., a staunch Obama ally, said the letter and a personal call from her friend helped.
She's giving the incoming administration "the benefit of the doubt," for now, because, "If they don't do what they say they are going to do, then they know that will be a boat load of political capital out the window."
Homeless used to save hearing seats for Union Bosses
Link HT: Intercepts
At first, I didn’t think my Education Sector colleagues and I were going to get into Arne Duncan’s Senate confirmation hearing yesterday. Arriving at 8:00 for the 10:00 event, we were surprised to find a line of 50 people already camped out in the hallway. They were a pretty disheveled crew, and they weren’t exactly jazzed about the Duncan event. A couple were dozing off. But as 10:00 approached and the line grew to several hundred people, these early birds at the front began to disappear, replaced by well-heeled lobbyists for major education organizations, including a half dozen from the National Education Association. It turns out that the organizations hired a company to have homeless people arrive at 4 am to hold places in line for them (a thriving business on Capitol Hill, I discovered). At a rate of what one of the company’s representatives said was $30 an hour, the NEA spent over $1,000 to get its team in the room. The homeless seat-savers, of course, only saw a fraction of the fees. Perhaps they should unionize.
First Look at Details of Stimulus Package fm Charlie
This from the House Ways and Means...to use a phrase being tossed about a lot lately, the proposal looks "shovel ready."
100 Free DIY Legal Resources on the Web
First 10 below, click link for all 100.
Link
Link
Search Tools
Use these search engines and search tools to get connected to legal materials faster, without having to sort through a bunch of junk you don’t need.
- FindLaw Cases and Codes: Look up case summaries, jurisdictions, historical documents and more with this tool.
- LawGuru: This legal research tool is totally free and searches more than 535 engines.
- ‘Lectric Law Library: This irreverent law search tool is powered by Google.
- Public Legal: Learn about the law and legal profession when you start your search here.
- Meta-Index for U.S. Legal Research: The GSU College of Law operates this search resource for DIY lawyers and students.
- Law.com Quest: Here, you can "search the legal web" to find legal blogs, law firm websites and more.
- MegaLaw: Look up everything from federal cases to legal forms to family law on this site.
- FindForms: Locate legal forms, from confidentiality agreements to bankruptcy forms, by using this tool.
- Law Forum: Find lawyers and locate legal resources by state or by category.
- The Virtual Chase: Browse categories like foreign law, legal reference, state law and more here.
Dentists to Outlaw Teeth Whitening Toothpastes?
Now that Tennessee dentists have outlawed teeth whitening by anyone except DENTISTS I am sure they will come after our tooth whitening toothpastes next. They certainly can't allow consumers the freedom to choose products which deprive them of business.
OUR government is being used to restrict our economic freedom everyday and OUR legislators are doing NOTHING about it.
$221,429 for each new job created by "stimulus"
Link
Let's put these numbers in context:
- The $221,429 figure is roughly four times the average total compensation cost of employing workers in private industry, $56,305 or $27.07 per hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For the sake of argument, if the entire $775 billion were going to "create" jobs, it could pay for more than 13.7 million workers in the private sector.
- The $221,429 figure is nearly 10 percent higher than the median cost of an existing single family home ($200,000 according to the National Association of Realtors). This means that for the same amount of money the government could buy outright more than 3.8 million homes. This is nearly four times the 1 million homes that were actually foreclosed on in 2008.
Why Govt Run Healthcare is and will be a complete
disaster. And when I say "complete" I mean lacking none of the attributes of a major boondoggle.
Link
Link
For every (Govt Healthcare) proposal, you should make sure you understand 1) Who is choosing the amount and quality of the care and 2) who is paying the bills and is therefore trying to pay attention to the cost of care.
What the hell does that have to do with anything, Coyote? What are you getting at? Well, perhaps I can begin my explanation by talking about something, practically anything, other than health care.
Take purchasing a car. When I need a new car, who determines what car I end up with? Why, I do. And who pays for the car and shops around for a price that makes sense in the context of the perceived value of the car? Why, I do again. The person who uses the car, the person who chooses the type and quality of the car, and the person who pays for the car are all the same person.
This clever procurement model of integrating the payer, the shopper, and the user all into a single individual is one we use for, well, just about every product and service we buy. Milk, Internet service, DVD’s, house painting, airline tickets — all the same model.
OK, lets consider a model that does not work this way. Let’s say someone just rear-ended your car and, miracle of miracles, they actually have a good, solid insurance policy that owes you for your car repairs. In this case, you will be consuming the repair services, and have the incentive to find the absolute best, cost-no-object body shop you can find to do the best, most fabulous job fixing your car, because someone else (ie the insurance company) is paying. The insurance company has a different incentive. They want to get off with as small a loss as possible, to protect their profitability as well as keeping prices low for future policy-holders. They are going to want you car fixed cheap, particularly since you are probably not even their customer. They are going to try to deliver the minimum.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Kent Williams: "Thank Goodness that's Over"
Here is a short highlight reel from today's TN House Speaker election. The last clip is from an open mic at the very end of the session. You can hear Kent Williams say, "Thank Goodness that's Over."
Voting with their feet, money-TN is 8th for in-migration
Biggest gainers from internal migration? States that have 1-Outlawed forced union membership and 2-Lower taxes.Link
Criminal behavior by OUR Government?
HOPEFULLY, Mr. Obama will CHANGE this behavior by the Treasury?
Link
Link
A month after suing the U.S. Treasury Department for failing to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests for data regarding the financial bailout, Fox Business Network filed another suit today against the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
The latest suit is aimed at getting the Fed to comply with separate FOIA requests the network made for information about what institutions have received money as part of the bailout and what collateral they put up.
So far, the Fed has denied those requests, saying “multiple harms might result from disclosure,” the network said.
Monday, January 12, 2009
50% of Fed Employees at NASA are "engaged"
and that is tops for all federal agencies. The least number of "engaged" employees at a Federal Agency are in the Home Land Security Dept. where only 20% say they were "engaged."Pretty expensive lack of engagement at an average cost of $68,000/year.
Study HERE, article HERE
"Food Police" to visit homes in UK
Link
Home cooks will also be told what size portions to prepare, taught to understand "best before" dates and urged to make more use of their freezers.
The door-to-door campaign, which starts tomorrow, will be funded by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), a Government agency charged with reducing household waste.
The officials will be called "food champions". However, they were dismissed last night as "food police" by critics who called the scheme an example of "excessive government nannying".
In an initial seven-week trial, eight officials will call at 24,500 homes, dishing out advice and recipes. The officials, each of whom has received a day's training, will paid up to £8.49 an hour, with a bonus for working on Saturdays.
The pilot scheme, which will cost £30,000, could be extended nationwide if it is seen as a success. If all 25 million households in the UK were visited in the same way, 8,000 officials would be required at a cost of tens of millions of pounds.
Yes, this guy is obnoxious and Yes, the agents
are just doing their jobs but the question remains; do they have the right to detain him without probable cause? Its nice to know we have some obnoxious citizens willing to challenge the use of police powers, right or wrong.
Oh YEA, let the "experts" tell us how the economy
should recover from a set of problems they didn't prevent or predict.
Link HT: Mark Perry
Link HT: Mark Perry
Fact 1: Our entire 21st-century banking sector, managed as it is by graduates of the nation’s top business schools, supported by highly trained financial engineers, and monitored around the clock by thousands of allegedly bright financial analysts, immolated itself with highly toxic assets, purchased with borrowed money, and in the process infected the entire world economy.
Fact 2: The economics profession slept comfortably as Wall Street was imploding. Fewer than a dozen prominent economists saw this economic train wreck coming — and the Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, an economist famous for his academic research on the Great Depression, was notably not among them.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Why does anyone expect that 535 mostly white old people
, working in Washington DC, can make better decisions about our lives and property and families than we can????
They can NOT!! A million times, THEY CAN'T. THEY CAN'T, THEY CAN"T!!!
Why would we allow Bob Corker, Lamar Alexander, Steve Cohen, Marsha Blackburn, John Tanner, Jim Cooper, Lincoln Davis, Bart Gordon, Zach Wamp, John Duncan and Phil Rowe to make god-like, sweeping decisions about our lives and property and family?
WHY?? Sure, they are nice people, probably above average in intelligence and personal hygiene but WHY!!! in the name of all that's reasonable does anyone think they should make decisions that ONLY Sovereign US citizens should make for themselves??
I don't get it!!
They can NOT!! A million times, THEY CAN'T. THEY CAN'T, THEY CAN"T!!!
Why would we allow Bob Corker, Lamar Alexander, Steve Cohen, Marsha Blackburn, John Tanner, Jim Cooper, Lincoln Davis, Bart Gordon, Zach Wamp, John Duncan and Phil Rowe to make god-like, sweeping decisions about our lives and property and family?
WHY?? Sure, they are nice people, probably above average in intelligence and personal hygiene but WHY!!! in the name of all that's reasonable does anyone think they should make decisions that ONLY Sovereign US citizens should make for themselves??
I don't get it!!
Universal Healthcare="Nanny State on Steroids"
Link
Imagine a country where the government regularly checks the waistlines of citizens over age 40. Anyone deemed too fat would be required to undergo diet counseling. Those who fail to lose sufficient weight could face further "reeducation" and their communities subject to stiff fines.
Is this some nightmarish dystopia? No, this is contemporary Japan. The Japanese government argues that it must regulate citizens' lifestyles because it is paying their health costs.
This highlights one of the greatly underappreciated dangers of "universal healthcare." Any government that attempts to guarantee healthcare must also control its costs. The inevitable next step will be to seek to control citizens' health and their behavior. Hence, Americans should beware that if we adopt universal healthcare, we also risk creating a "nanny state on steroids" antithetical to core American principles.
Minimum wage UP, Jobs DOWN-Compassion backfires
The minimum wage destroys the jobs that are the greatest source of income for low skilled workers, the very workers who are the object of this misdirected "compassion."Link HT: Mark Perry
Yes, it's a perfect example of starting a business from nothing, and "living the American Dream," except thatin October, the company told workers they were closing the plant in Missouri and contracting the work out to a factory in Mexico. One of the main reasons?
High and rising labor costs, primarily from the 37% increase in Missouri's minimum wage from $5.15 per hour in 2006 to $7.05 starting January 1, 2009 (see chart above), which contributed significantly to losses for the company over the last few years. The market for their products is so competitive that the company couldn't increase the price of the bows to offset the higher labor costs without losing sales, so the company was forced to move production to Mexico, and now more than 200 Missouri jobs have evaporated - largely thanks to the minimum wage.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Ask Your Government-Google Moderator feature
This is a crowd sourcing type application in Google Labs
Link
Link
Ask Your GovernmentMy name is Ed O'Keefe and I write The Federal Eye blog for The Washington Post:
www.washingtonpost.com/federaleye
What do YOU want to know about what's happening in Washington?
As the President Bush departs and Barack Obama gets started, there will be plenty of questions about the operations, missions and priorities of the Federal government's various departments, agencies and offices.
Submit your questions and every so often I'll pick take the top question and go ask the department, agency or office in question. Then I'll post the answer on my blog, The Federal Eye.
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon indicted
LinkBaltimore Mayor Sheila A. Dixon was charged today with 12 counts of felony theft, perjury, fraud and misconduct in office, becoming the city's first sitting mayor to be criminally indicted.
The case stems in part from at least $15,348 in gifts Dixon allegedly received from her former boyfriend, prominent city developer Ronald H. Lipscomb, while she was City Council president. She also is accused of using as much as $3,400 in gift cards, some donated to her office for distribution to "needy families," to purchase Best Buy electronics and other items for herself and her staff.
Lipscomb was not indicted in the Dixon case, but he and City Councilwoman Helen L. Holton were charged this week in a separate $12,500 bribery scheme. Both cases grew out of a nearly three-year probe by the state prosecutor into City Hall corruption.
Bailout fever predicted 52 years ago-Atlas Shrugged
Link
For the uninitiated, the moral of the story (Atlas Shrugged) is simply this: Politicians invariably respond to crises -- that in most cases they themselves created -- by spawning new government programs, laws and regulations. These, in turn, generate more havoc and poverty, which inspires the politicians to create more programs . . . and the downward spiral repeats itself until the productive sectors of the economy collapse under the collective weight of taxes and other burdens imposed in the name of fairness, equality and do-goodism.
In the book, these relentless wealth redistributionists and their programs are disparaged as "the looters and their laws." Every new act of government futility and stupidity carries with it a benevolent-sounding title. These include the "Anti-Greed Act" to redistribute income (sounds like Charlie Rangel's promises soak-the-rich tax bill) and the "Equalization of Opportunity Act" to prevent people from starting more than one business (to give other people a chance). My personal favorite, the "Anti Dog-Eat-Dog Act," aims to restrict cut-throat competition between firms and thus slow the wave of business bankruptcies. Why didn't Hank Paulson think of that?
TV Crew arrested while filming at Atlanta City Hall
LinkThe officer who let them in then told them to stop.They asked why they could not shoot video in a public area.
“I need you to leave,” said Officer E.R. Murray.They made a few phone calls demanding to know why police were throwing them out.Thorn and Starzyk moved out of the water department area and began shooting video in the lobby, also a public area.
“You're in a secure area. You need to go outside,” said Murray.Officer Murray then grabbed the camera.“Renee, grab my camera or he's going to break it,” said Thorn.
“What have we done wrong officer,” asked Starzyk.
Friday, January 09, 2009
British ISPs must log all emails for 12 months
Where is the British spirit? Where is the thirst for Freedom? This is so wrong and ridiculous and crazy on so many levels. Where is the outrage?
Link
Link
Under the European Commission rules, which become effecting March 15, any public agency that makes a lawful request will be able to access ISP data. Ironically, the EC’s conference on Computers, Privacy and Data Protection takes place March 16.
That should be an interesting conference.
New Blog on Pre-screening Employees
Link HT: BRB
An informational, fact-based blog dedicated to pre-employment screening topics. A valued resource for employers, business owners, HR Professionals, hiring managers, security professionals, screening firms - anyone with hiring and/or screening responsibilities.
Tennessee Liquor Lobby has us by the Corks
This Tennessean article says wine retailers are expanding their outreach to the less wine educated.
What the article doesn't say is that Tennessee wine buyers are treated like slaves by the liquor lobby and General Assembly in Tennessee. The liquor lobby has spent millions over the years lobbying the Tennessee General Assembly and with good result. Tennessee wine consumers are treated like criminals by their own government if they buy wine online or they try to ship their own wine to friends out of State. This is an absolutely ridiculous state of affairs and is another example of government robbing us of our economic freedoms. It has GOT TO STOP if we have any claim to being free people.
What the article doesn't say is that Tennessee wine buyers are treated like slaves by the liquor lobby and General Assembly in Tennessee. The liquor lobby has spent millions over the years lobbying the Tennessee General Assembly and with good result. Tennessee wine consumers are treated like criminals by their own government if they buy wine online or they try to ship their own wine to friends out of State. This is an absolutely ridiculous state of affairs and is another example of government robbing us of our economic freedoms. It has GOT TO STOP if we have any claim to being free people.
"Man-cession" Grows worse, 82% of job losses
were male. Professor Perry has the stats. Construction and manufacturing are male dominated and are hardest hit.Link
According to today's BLS report (Table A-1, Household Data), the U.S. economy lost 2.956 million jobs in the last year (Dec. 2007 to Dec. 2008). Further analysis shows that 82% of the job losses (2.413 million) were jobs held by males, and 18% of the jobs losses (460,000) were jobs held by females (see top chart above). Of the 806,000 decline in Decmember employment (household data), 91% of the job losses were male jobs (730,000), compared to a 76,000 job loss for females.
Further, the December unemployment rate for men is 7.9% vs. only 6.4% for women, and the gap in jobless rates between men and women has been increasing for the last eight months
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Congress is about to max out our credit card-CHINA
says they have just about enough US Govt debt.
When Congress borrows money to pay the government's bills they are using the only creditworthiness available to them. The are using OUR, the US taxpayers, creditworthiness.
People and companies and countries who lend to the US government depend NOT on the government to pay back the money, THEY DEPEND ON TAXPAYERS TO PAY BACK THE MONEY!!!
But even the extraordinary productivity of US Citizens has its limits and Barack Obama and the geniuses in Congress are just about to max out the credit card of every taxpayer under the guise of HELPING US!! What a load of horse hockey!!
When Congress borrows money to pay the government's bills they are using the only creditworthiness available to them. The are using OUR, the US taxpayers, creditworthiness.
People and companies and countries who lend to the US government depend NOT on the government to pay back the money, THEY DEPEND ON TAXPAYERS TO PAY BACK THE MONEY!!!
But even the extraordinary productivity of US Citizens has its limits and Barack Obama and the geniuses in Congress are just about to max out the credit card of every taxpayer under the guise of HELPING US!! What a load of horse hockey!!
First Amendment stretched to its limits
LinkAnthony Herman understands that you might not appreciate the way he fights City Hall.
He realizes that some people tend to look askance when they see 8-inch-tall letters calling city leaders names not generally popular with the chamber of commerce.
But Herman, a car salesman now embroiled in a three-year legal battle with Polk City officials, insists he doesn't have any choice.
"This isn't what I want to be," said the owner of Mighty Good Used Cars, as well as an adjoining lube shop and a car wash. "I don't want to be the crazy person with the crazy sign out front. ... What else am I supposed to do?"
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Price Competition in Healthcare-A Great Start
Link HT: Kleinheider
HERE is Coronary Bypass Surgery for example.
HERE is a simple office visit.
The Healthcare Blue Book is a free consumer guide to help you determine fair prices in your area for healthcare services. If you pay for your own healthcare, have a high deductible or need a service your insurance does not fully cover, we can help. The Blue Book will help you find fair prices for surgery, hospital stays, doctor visits, medical tests and much more.
Bio-engineering and nuclear fusion in your garage
Nice to know people are still doing science in their garages outside of the mainstream. These guys are trying to create nuclear fusion in their garage. And these guys are biohacking:
Link
Link
When Mac Cowell says he wants to help people "do biology as a hobby," he's not talking about pinning insects to foamcore. He's talking about splicing DNA and reprogramming bacteria to create genetically engineered machinery.
The pushing of complex scientific information beyond the doors of hallowed institutions has been tagged with several modifiers: citizen, amateur, DIY, hobbyist. Call it what you will, but the "democratization of science" is flourishing. Nowhere is this trend arguably more evident than within synthetic biology, a field that applies engineering principles to the study and construction of biological systems. Through collaboration and an open-sourcing of genomic databases, Cowell and others hope that biohacking (with its etymological nod to the self-trained computer-programming movement) will provide nonscientists the opportunity to tinker with living machines.
Military issues RFP for virtual parents
Holy Mackeral...I think they are actually serious about this.Link
The challenge is to design an application that would allow a child to receive comfort from being able to have simple, virtual conversations with a parent who is not available "in-person". We are looking for innovative applications that explore and harness the power of advanced interactive multimedia computer technologies to produce compelling interactive dialogue between a Service member and their families via a pc- or web-based application using video footage or high-resolution 3-D rendering. The child should be able to have a simulated conversation with a parent about generic, everyday topics. For instance, a child may get a response from saying "I love you", or "I miss you", or "Good night mommy/daddy."
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Super model called "skank" and "old hag" by blogger
She wants Google to release the blogger's name.
Link
Link
Liskula Cohen filed the defamation suit in a New York state court, and asked the judge to issue a court order requiring Google to identify the person she says defamed her on a blog operated by its Blogger.com service.
The Vogue cover model complains that the unidentified blogger called her the “#1 skanky superstar” and referred to her as a “forty-something” who “may have been hot 10 years ago,” according to the Daily News.
Can Congress be more corrupt and power hungry?
YES!! The Trillion dollar "stimulus" (government corruption) plan will turn Washington DC into a favor factory the likes we have never seen. Thousands more lobbyists, millions more in campaign contribution quid pro quo, and plain ole inefficiency and waste on a monumental scale will result.
And most of the Tennessee Congressional delegation will be quite comfortable with the idea that Congress can tax and borrow this money and make better decisions about how to spend it than the citizens who paid the taxes or provided the creditworthiness. Most of the Tennessee Congressional delegation is comfortable with the idea that they are morally and intellectually superior to their constituents.
Link
And most of the Tennessee Congressional delegation will be quite comfortable with the idea that Congress can tax and borrow this money and make better decisions about how to spend it than the citizens who paid the taxes or provided the creditworthiness. Most of the Tennessee Congressional delegation is comfortable with the idea that they are morally and intellectually superior to their constituents.
Link
Wind farms want permanent tax credits. The steel industry wants "Buy American" protection for infrastructure projects in the bill. Home builders want a national low mortgage rate, guaranteed by Uncle Sam. Universities want money for campus repairs, as well as $700 more per student in federal grants.
The spending requests total many times the likely size of the package. Environmentalists alone put together a wish list of 80 projects that add up to $405 billion.
With a fight likely over a pie that, however large, isn't big enough for all, industries are crafting creative pitches to show that assistance to them would provide the fastest, broadest or most comprehensive stimulus.
The U.S. Travel Association, which represents hotel, resort and theme-park operators, wants the stimulus package to include a measure they have pushed for years, establishing a government office to pitch American tourism to foreigners.
Monday, January 05, 2009
After all these years we are still willing to inflict pain
Link
Professor Burger’s results were nearly identical to Professor Milgram’s. Seventy percent of his participants administered the 150-volt shock and had to be stopped. That is less than in the original experiment, but not enough to be significant.
Much has changed since 1963. The civil rights and antiwar movements taught Americans to question authority. Institutions that were once accorded great deference — including the government and the military — are now eyed warily. Yet it appears that ordinary Americans are about as willing to blindly follow orders to inflict pain on an innocent stranger as they were four decades ago.
Professor Burger was not surprised. He believes that the mindset of the individual participant — including cultural influences — is less important than the “situational features” that Professor Milgram shrewdly built into his experiment. These include having the authority figure take responsibility for the decision to administer the shock, and having the participant increase the voltage gradually. It is hard to say no to administering a 195-volt shock when you have just given a 180-volt shock.
Georgia Spending Transparency Site goes Live
This is a great step for Georgia but Tennessee could provide even better, real time spending transparency information with the new State Govt Computer accounting system.
Link HT: CFA
Link HT: CFA
Open Georgia is a gateway for obtaining information and key documents about how the State of Georgia spends tax dollars and other revenues to provide services to Georgians. The information maintained on this site comes from various state agencies and is updated annually.
DC Transit Authority says Bloggers NOT news media
Link
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority denied D.C.-area blogger Michael Perkins’s request for a news media designation under the entity’s access-to-records policy in late December.
Perkins sought a fee waiver for the information he was requesting because he planned to use it in news stories on GreaterGreaterWashington.org and DCist.com. But WMATA concluded, “Because the appeal panel determined that the websites do not serve to provide information to the general public, we find that you are not a representative of the news media.”
Alternatively, Perkins asked for a fee waiver because the requested information was in the public interest, since he would disseminate the information in news articles on the two Web sites.
To that WMATA responded: “You also claim that prior articles written by you have been previously published by Greater Greater Washington.org and the Dcist, However, there is no direct evidence that in this case your articles will be selected.”
Probably Easier than Counterfeiting Paper Money
Very interesting Wired video about the technology used by credit card counterfeiters.
New Federal Tax Burden Share Numbers from CBO
The new numbers from the CBO include all federal taxes including Income, Social Security, Excise and Corporate.
These figures indicate the top 20% of earners make 55.1% of the income and pay 68.1% of Federal Taxes. The top 1% earn 18% of total income and pay 27.6% of federal taxes.
Link
These figures indicate the top 20% of earners make 55.1% of the income and pay 68.1% of Federal Taxes. The top 1% earn 18% of total income and pay 27.6% of federal taxes.
Link
| Share of Income | |||||
| ↓ | Share of Total Federal Tax Burden | ||||
| ↓ | Number of Households | ||||
| ↓ | Minimum Income | ||||
| ↓ | |||||
| Top 20% | 55.1% | 68.8% | 23,141,000 | 67,400 | |
| Top 10% | 40.9% | 54.7% | 11,721,000 | 92,400 | |
| Top 5% | 31.0% | 43.9% | 5,797,000 | 126,300 | |
| Top 1% | 18.0% | 27.6% | 1,125,000 | 307,500 | |
| Top 1/2 of 1% | 14.6% | 22.6% | 561,000 | 482,400 | |
| Top 1/10 of 1% | 9.0% | 14.0% | 110,000 | 1,532,400 | |
| Top 1/100 of 1% | 4.2% | 6.5% | 11,000 | 8,579,000 | |
Tougher accountability standards for private schools
and lower standards for public schools? Hmmm.....there seems to be a pattern here?
Wont have to go to High School to get a diploma
Wont have to go to High School to get a diploma
The State Board of Education is considering giving students who score a 525 on the GED a regular high school diploma. Currently, those who pass the GED are not counted as graduates. By counting GED test takers as regular graduates, the state’s rate would increase fairy quickly.Six years ago, federal education officials barred states from giving GED students a regular high school diploma because they believed the test was too easy.
Private Career Colleges must meet higher placement and dropout standards
“Their institutional average, they have to have a 75-percent placement rate. That means 75-percent of the people that graduated got a job. And their withdrawal rate cannot exceed 33-percent.”
Be Instantly Hip with these Cool New Terms for 2009
Here are just a few from the article.
Link
Link
Junior moment: Flip-side of a senior moment. Can be committed by adults, with a sudden lapse into immaturity; or by youth, displaying the lack of thoughtfulness, sense or self-preservation we oldies associate with them.
Extended financial families: Several generations of the same family living in one home. Love and devotion might be the glue that keeps them together, but it's more likely to be the need for care or child minding, with the added benefit of cash savings.
Instapreneur: Instant entrepreneurship, via online shops and selling services, allow anyone with something to sell – even a design or idea – to go into business right now. The online service takes a rake-off, but the instapreneur does not even have to invest the financial, or time, cost of making or buying stock. Via lightningsource.com, you can even submit a book manuscript to Amazon.com and start taking orders almost immediately. There are also sites for T-shirt designers (spreadshirt.com), and much more.
Eco-embedded: The idea that business and government adopts eco-friendly practices that leave the consumer no choice. A ban on plastic shopping bags, for instance, or other plastic-free zones (such as a shopping centre in Balgowlah, New South Wales), carbon emission laws, or 'green' credit cards where consumers pay a little extra to offset the carbon cost of their purchase.BlackBerry prayer: The hunched-over, self-absorbed pose adopted by those fingering their Blackberry, or texting on their mobile. Often accompanied by facial expressions to match tenor of the message being sent.
Digi-necker: Driver who, when passing a road accident, whips out their mobile and takes a picture.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
European Cops step up remote PC hacking
Link
THE Home Office has quietly adopted a new plan to allow police across Britain routinely to hack into people’s personal computers without a warrant.
The move, which follows a decision by the European Union’s council of ministers in Brussels, has angered civil liberties groups and opposition MPs. They described it as a sinister extension of the surveillance state which drives “a coach and horses” through privacy laws.
The hacking is known as “remote searching”. It allows police or MI5 officers who may be hundreds of miles away to examine covertly the hard drive of someone’s PC at his home, office or hotel room.
Material gathered in this way includes the content of all e-mails, web-browsing habits and instant messaging.
Jackson Airport Board Refuses to Release Records
Great Jackson Sun Editorial. This guy should be immediately dismissed from the airport board.
Link
Link
(Bill) Douglas and the airport board have twice refused to release public information about candidates to become the new director of McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport. Several months ago, airport officials refused to release the names of the first round of applicants for the airport job, which became open in July with the resignation of Rodney Hendrix. Two out-of-state finalists eventually turned down the job, and a new round of applicants was solicited by the board.
This time, all eight applicants are local people. Douglas says the board has narrowed the list to three finalists. But he has refused to disclose who they are, even in the face of an official public records request from a Jackson Sun reporter.
Douglas claimed he was unfamiliar with the open records law. We call that dereliction of duty, since it is his responsibility as a public official to know the law. When provided with a copy of section of the law that applies in this instance, Douglas said he would take up the matter with the board. That is just stonewalling.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Demographic Break-Down of the 111th Congress
Link
The average age of Members of both Houses of Congress at the convening of the 111th Congress is 58.2 years; of Members of the House, 57.0 years; and of Senators, 63.1 years. The overwhelming majority of Members have a college education. The dominant professions of Members are public service/politics, business, and law. Protestants collectively constitute the majority religious affiliation of Members. Roman Catholics account for the largest single religious denomination, and numerous other affiliations are represented.
The average length of service for Representatives at the beginning of the 111th Congress is 11.0 years (5.5 terms); for Senators 12.9 years ( 2.2 terms).
A record number of 95 women serve in the 111th Congress: 78 in the House, 17 in the Senate. There are 41 African American Members of the House and none in the Senate. This number includes two Delegates. There are 31 Hispanic or Latino Members serving: 28 in the House, including the Resident Commissioner, and three in the Senate. Eleven Members (seven Representatives, two Delegates, and two Senators) are Asian or Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander. The only American Indian (Native American) serves in the House.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Treasury has exceeded bailout limit and Congress
still doesn't know what they spent it for...taxpayers should be (a) confused, (b) mad as hell, or (c) more convinced than ever that Congress couldn't find its ass with both hands.
Link
Link
The scorecard: Congress gave Treasury $350 billion; Treasury has allocated $354.4 billion.
[...]
"Here's Congress's opportunity to do the right thing," said Danielle Brian, executive director of the nonprofit Project on Government Oversight. "Now the opportunity is before them to ensure that there is some level of scrutiny and reasonable limitations on how the money is spent."
[...]"Such opaqueness is unacceptable," wrote 12 representatives headed by Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio).
A spokesman said yesterday that Boehner had not yet received a satisfactory response from Treasury.
Hardin Cnty Group Petitions for Sales Tax Repeal
Many Tennessee Citizens are not aware they can petition to increase OR decrease the local portion of the sales tax, i.e., that part above the 7% State sales tax.
A Hardin County group is reportedly petitioning for the repeal of a 1 cent sales tax that was supposed to be used for building schools. The petitioners believe it was not used as it should have beeen and they are gathering signatures on a petition to have the tax placed on the ballot so citizens can vote on repealing the tax.
Link
A Hardin County group is reportedly petitioning for the repeal of a 1 cent sales tax that was supposed to be used for building schools. The petitioners believe it was not used as it should have beeen and they are gathering signatures on a petition to have the tax placed on the ballot so citizens can vote on repealing the tax.
Link
TN Retirement Report 2008: Record Costs to Taxpayers
The New Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System 2008 Annual Report is out, covering the period July 1, 2007 - June 30, 2008. (Most of the stock market losses for 2008 are not reflected,)The report shows the annual costs of the retirement system to taxpayers has grown to $593 million for the State Govt taxpayers and $244 million for Local Govt taxpayers. For the first time ever, the number of people on the retirement payroll exceeds 100,000. The proportion of retirement costs paid by employees continues to decline.
Link
"Open govt...is the right of the tax-paying public"
Wow!! Here is a public official who GETS IT!! Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum says it's not enough to simply respond to open records request. Making public records easily available on public websites is the new standard of service for government.Link
"Open government has always been a top priority in the Sunshine State, but we can do better. This week I called on local governments, sheriffs and school districts to make government transparency their New Year's Resolution.
"As we head into 2009, I'm asking our leaders to recognize that with advances in technology, government in the sunshine can be as easy as uploading information to public websites. Merely responding to requests is no longer sufficient in light of the technological advances which make it infinitely easier, cheaper and more efficient to do so.
"I am hopeful that government and school officials will respond to my request to immediately place on their websites the email address and phone number for their public records points of contact, and have their contracts and current budgets posted online in time for Sunshine Week, which starts on March 15. To assist sheriffs, county commissions and school boards in providing proper training on Florida's Sunshine Law, my office is working on an enhanced website and online training resources that will be easily accessible and free of charge in the next few months.
"Open government is not only good government; it is the right of the tax-paying public."
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Source of Job Creation: Small Start-up firms
More info from the new Business Dynamics Statistics division of the Census Bureau mentioned earlier in previous post.This graph shows Net Job Creation by firm size and age. New firms with less than 50 employees accounted for most job growth between 1987 and 2005.
Link
Saving jobs by reducing taxes...what a concept!!
Free-er trade and lower taxes (tariffs) and voila....businesses can thrive and hire more employees. Less Government interference and lower taxes means more jobs, it all seems so simple.Link
Now, a relatively simple move, years in the making, might just save an entire industry and about one thousand jobs.Normally furniture plants like Bauhaus, and Lane buzz with activity making furniture for homes around the world.
But the industry had begun declining in Northeast Mississippi and Lee county supervisors noticed it. "The furniture industry was becoming one that was becoming highly competitive, and losing jobs to other countries so we began looking for ways that we could make it more popular for the furniture business to stay in Lee County and NE Mississippi. Said Bobby Smith, President of the Lee County Board of Supervisors.
So, 5 years ago, supervisors and industry leaders began the process of getting a foreign trade zone manufacturing designation.
It would allow three local furniture companies to buy raw materials to be assembled here, without paying a form of tax called a tariff of 7 to 17 percent.
One Stop Disaster Assistance Shopping
Answer the anonymous pre-screening questionnaire to see if you qualify.
DisasterAssistance.gov is an easy to use website that consolidates disaster information in one place. Currently, 17 U.S. Government agencies, which sponsor more than 40 forms of disaster assistance, contribute to the website. You can apply for many forms of assistance with a single, online application. Your application information is shared only with those agencies that you identify and is protected by the highest levels of security. Ultimately, DisasterAssistance.gov will speed the application process and allow you to check the progress of your application online.
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