The truth about Keystone
click link for full
snip from article
When President Obama announced his support for the southern half of TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline last week in Cushing, Okla., it was a blow to the environmental groups that had worked to stop the pipeline from going forward and succeeded in delaying approval of its northern half. In particular, Obama’s statement that his administration had already approved “enough new oil and gas pipelines to encircle the earth” seemed intended to remind anti-pipeline campaigners that Keystone XL is just one of many pipelines with the potential to transport Canadian tar sands oil to the United States, and TransCanada just one of many players in the energy game.
Cushing was a particularly appropriate setting to convey that message: It’s the crossroads for much of the nation’s oil and gas infrastructure, and inadequate pipeline capacity has made the town a bottleneck for fossil fuels, particularly with the recent influx of oil coming from Alberta. At any given time, between 30 and 40 million gallons of oil sit there, awaiting transport to Midwestern or Gulf Coast refineries. This means that the chunk of the pipeline that connects Cushing’s surplus to refineries along the Gulf Coast — the chunk of the project that’s moving forward — is the one that TransCanada really cares about in the short term.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
George Zimmerman Didn't Say 'Coons' - Friend's Absurd Explanation
finally an objective voice--hardly
The Story of the Affordable Care Act: From an Unmet Promise to the Law o...
obamacare is lame. we need single payer like HR 676
Monday, March 26, 2012
When Rick Santorum gets ANGRY!
I use that term all the time. of course, I am not running to be leader of the free world nor am I running for pontif
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Hoodie At Fault For Trayvon Martin Shooting - Geraldo Rivera
how stupid can folks get. clothing is the fault of a violent crime?
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Missouri’s self-defense law differs from Florida’s
Missouri’s self-defense law differs from Florida’s
click link above some stuff folks should know in this state. Illinois law varies from Missouri
snip from article
The controversial killing of an unarmed teenager last month, and the self-defense claim used to justify it, has made headlines nationwide.
George Zimmerman’s enactment of Florida’s “Stand Your Ground Law” in the shooting of Trayvon Martin has been dissected by newsmakers across the country, which begs the question, what self-defense claims protect Missouri residents?Missouri has a broad self-defense law, which protects citizens who use reasonable force against a threat. But, in order to use deadly force, there has to be a reasonable belief that their life or their family’s lives are in danger, said Capt. Kevin Castle with the St. Joseph Police Department.“Clearly we’re never going to prohibit people from keeping themselves safe,” he said. “But it’s got to be a clear situation that their life is in danger, especially when using deadly force.”Dwight Scroggins, Buchanan County prosecuting attorney, said self-defense claims are taken under advisement on a case-by-case basis. But the main concept is that the amount of force used by a victim claiming self-defense has to be proportionate to what is being used against them.“The underlying idea of self-defense is, I can use whatever force I reasonably perceive to be necessary to protect myself,” he said. “So if a guy jumps out demanding money and has no weapons, and I pull my gun out and shoot him, it’s probably not self-defense.”The state also has a more refined and well-known Castle Doctrine, which protects residents in their homes or vehicles. Under that law, homeowners do have a legal right to kill someone who enters their home unlawfully.
click link above some stuff folks should know in this state. Illinois law varies from Missouri
snip from article
The controversial killing of an unarmed teenager last month, and the self-defense claim used to justify it, has made headlines nationwide.
George Zimmerman’s enactment of Florida’s “Stand Your Ground Law” in the shooting of Trayvon Martin has been dissected by newsmakers across the country, which begs the question, what self-defense claims protect Missouri residents?Missouri has a broad self-defense law, which protects citizens who use reasonable force against a threat. But, in order to use deadly force, there has to be a reasonable belief that their life or their family’s lives are in danger, said Capt. Kevin Castle with the St. Joseph Police Department.“Clearly we’re never going to prohibit people from keeping themselves safe,” he said. “But it’s got to be a clear situation that their life is in danger, especially when using deadly force.”Dwight Scroggins, Buchanan County prosecuting attorney, said self-defense claims are taken under advisement on a case-by-case basis. But the main concept is that the amount of force used by a victim claiming self-defense has to be proportionate to what is being used against them.“The underlying idea of self-defense is, I can use whatever force I reasonably perceive to be necessary to protect myself,” he said. “So if a guy jumps out demanding money and has no weapons, and I pull my gun out and shoot him, it’s probably not self-defense.”The state also has a more refined and well-known Castle Doctrine, which protects residents in their homes or vehicles. Under that law, homeowners do have a legal right to kill someone who enters their home unlawfully.
Paul Ryan's Budget-most extreme corporate welfare
some of the gop folks promoting this plan sound like Bagdad Bob
Cenk takes on Ryan's budget fail and Zimmerman defenders & other stories...
sorry for ad.
just a series of cenk short clip
Friday, March 23, 2012
GOP efforts to muddy the water only makes them look dirty
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Women may not forget GOP’s fight vs. contraceptives
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Editorial: The Ryan budget won't pass, but it will have blood
Editorial: The Ryan budget won't pass, but it will have blood
click link above for full
snip
Republican candidates, particularly those in tight races, must know that by voting for the Ryan budget, they are signing on to a document that could bloody them. It would:
• Repeal health care reform and again make it legal for insurance companies to deny coverage to children with preexisting conditions, rescind coverage when people get sick and place absurdly low limits of how much lifetime coverage people can get. Women again would face higher insurance premiums than men.
• Renege on the promise of secure insurance coverage for America's elderly; Medicare coverage would get more expensive and all but the wealthiest recipients almost certainly would find themselves priced out of the private market — at the time of their lives when they need coverage the most.
• Cut spending for children's health insurance in half.
• Cut funds for Pell grants, putting higher education farther out of reach for middle- and lower-income students.
• Reduce 2 million slots in Head Start programs over the next decade.
• Cut programs for clean energy by 19 percent while continuing $40 billion worth of tax breaks for big oil companies in the next decade.
• Cut $1.2 trillion over 10 years from non-health mandatory programs. What's that mean? Fewer food stamps. Fewer Medicaid payments for the disabled and elderly poor. Cuts in the school lunch program. Cuts in unemployment insurance.
click link above for full
snip
Republican candidates, particularly those in tight races, must know that by voting for the Ryan budget, they are signing on to a document that could bloody them. It would:
• Repeal health care reform and again make it legal for insurance companies to deny coverage to children with preexisting conditions, rescind coverage when people get sick and place absurdly low limits of how much lifetime coverage people can get. Women again would face higher insurance premiums than men.
• Renege on the promise of secure insurance coverage for America's elderly; Medicare coverage would get more expensive and all but the wealthiest recipients almost certainly would find themselves priced out of the private market — at the time of their lives when they need coverage the most.
• Cut spending for children's health insurance in half.
• Cut funds for Pell grants, putting higher education farther out of reach for middle- and lower-income students.
• Reduce 2 million slots in Head Start programs over the next decade.
• Cut programs for clean energy by 19 percent while continuing $40 billion worth of tax breaks for big oil companies in the next decade.
• Cut $1.2 trillion over 10 years from non-health mandatory programs. What's that mean? Fewer food stamps. Fewer Medicaid payments for the disabled and elderly poor. Cuts in the school lunch program. Cuts in unemployment insurance.
The Lobotomist, your republican healthcare alternative
I suspect gop would support lobotomy treatment over universal healthcare or even obamacare
1929 : The Great Crash.
this could have happened again. Obama's policies did prevent great depression two
if the banks would have failed, I fear your pension and or iras/401s would have been worthless paper
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Obama economic adviser: Ryan plan 'extremely disappointing'
Check out this great MSN video: Obama economic adviser: Ryan plan 'extremely disappointing'
click link above
click link above
Season 2012 : Episode 0320
March 20: Director of the National Economic Council, Gene Sperling, joins Morning Joe to share his thoughts on the GOP budget plan and Medicare.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
ryan plan smoke and mirrors?
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Tuesday, March 20, 2012
2 year anniversary of affordable care act
Celebrate the 2 Year Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act!
Public Meeting to Tell Our Legislators:
We Need Health Reform in Missouri
Congregation Shaare Emeth
11645 Ladue Rd
St. Louis, MO 63141
Sunday, March 25
3p - 5p
Here are 3 ways you can celebrate the Affordable Care Act's 2nd Anniversary and do your part to ensure its success.
1. Come to the Public Meeting this Sunday
2. Write a Letter-to-the-Editor to your local newspaper about your favorite part of the Affordable Care Act. See this website for resources.
3. Donate to Missouri Jobs with Justice so we can keep up this important work.
The Affordable Care Act, when implemented, will help Missourians get, keep and afford quality health insurance. Unfortunately, partisan politics are keeping Missouri from fully implementing the new law.
St. Louis Metro-area State Representatives and Senators from both parties have been invited to this meeting to hear members of our community share their stories about why Missouri must implement health reform immediately.
Please be present to display a strong, community-wide commitment to health care for all in Missouri and make your voice heard. Come and tell your Legislators: We Need Health Reform in Missouri! Join us Sunday, March 25, 3pm - 5pm at Congregation Shaare Emeth: 11645 Ladue Rd, 63141.
For more information or to RSVP, please contact Amy Smoucha at Amy@mojwj.org or 314-644-0466.
This event is co-sponsored by over a dozen organizations, including Missouri Jobs with Justice, Women's Voices Raised for Social Justice, Missouri Health Care for All, Missouri Interfaith IMPACT, Central Reform Congregation, and more.
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note: soar 11-3 a supporter of hr 676
Public Meeting to Tell Our Legislators:
We Need Health Reform in Missouri
Congregation Shaare Emeth
11645 Ladue Rd
St. Louis, MO 63141
Sunday, March 25
3p - 5p
Here are 3 ways you can celebrate the Affordable Care Act's 2nd Anniversary and do your part to ensure its success.
1. Come to the Public Meeting this Sunday
2. Write a Letter-to-the-Editor to your local newspaper about your favorite part of the Affordable Care Act. See this website for resources.
3. Donate to Missouri Jobs with Justice so we can keep up this important work.
The Affordable Care Act, when implemented, will help Missourians get, keep and afford quality health insurance. Unfortunately, partisan politics are keeping Missouri from fully implementing the new law.
St. Louis Metro-area State Representatives and Senators from both parties have been invited to this meeting to hear members of our community share their stories about why Missouri must implement health reform immediately.
Please be present to display a strong, community-wide commitment to health care for all in Missouri and make your voice heard. Come and tell your Legislators: We Need Health Reform in Missouri! Join us Sunday, March 25, 3pm - 5pm at Congregation Shaare Emeth: 11645 Ladue Rd, 63141.
For more information or to RSVP, please contact Amy Smoucha at Amy@mojwj.org or 314-644-0466.
This event is co-sponsored by over a dozen organizations, including Missouri Jobs with Justice, Women's Voices Raised for Social Justice, Missouri Health Care for All, Missouri Interfaith IMPACT, Central Reform Congregation, and more.
-------
note: soar 11-3 a supporter of hr 676
Paul Krugman: Hurray for health care reform
Paul Krugman: Hurray for health care reform
click link for full
snip from article
It's said that you can judge a man by the quality of his enemies. If the same principle applies to legislation, the Affordable Care Act — which was signed into law two years ago, but for the most part has yet to take effect — sits in a place of high honor.
Now, the act — known to its foes as Obamacare, and to the cognoscenti as ObamaRomneycare — isn't easy to love, since it's very much a compromise, dictated by the perceived political need to change existing coverage and challenge entrenched interests as little as possible. But the perfect is the enemy of the good; for all its imperfections, this reform would do an enormous amount of good. And one indicator of just how good it is comes from the apparent inability of its opponents to make an honest case against it.
To understand the lies, you first have to understand the truth. How would ObamaRomneycare change American health care?
click link for full
snip from article
It's said that you can judge a man by the quality of his enemies. If the same principle applies to legislation, the Affordable Care Act — which was signed into law two years ago, but for the most part has yet to take effect — sits in a place of high honor.
Now, the act — known to its foes as Obamacare, and to the cognoscenti as ObamaRomneycare — isn't easy to love, since it's very much a compromise, dictated by the perceived political need to change existing coverage and challenge entrenched interests as little as possible. But the perfect is the enemy of the good; for all its imperfections, this reform would do an enormous amount of good. And one indicator of just how good it is comes from the apparent inability of its opponents to make an honest case against it.
To understand the lies, you first have to understand the truth. How would ObamaRomneycare change American health care?
Top 10 Vulnerable: Targets on Their Backs : Roll Call Special Features Election Preview
Top 10 Vulnerable: Targets on Their Backs : Roll Call Special Features Election Preview
click link for full article
from article
In our November Election Preview, we wrote that we expected several Members on this list wouldn’t make the next one because of retirements. Sure enough, Reps. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), Dan Burton (R-Ind.) and David Dreier (R-Calif.) all decided to call it quits.
Redistricting is still the biggest common denominator for the vulnerable lawmakers who made our cut. But it’s not what put all of them here. New Hampshire is one of just a handful of states that hasn’t completed a redraw. Yet Rep. Charles Bass (R) is among the most imperiled Members regardless of the new lines.
click link for full article
from article
Top 10 Vulnerable: Targets on Their Backs
Redistricting Puts Many Members at Risk of Not Seeing 113th
Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo
Rep. John Barrow Redistricting is still the biggest common denominator for the vulnerable lawmakers who made our cut. But it’s not what put all of them here. New Hampshire is one of just a handful of states that hasn’t completed a redraw. Yet Rep. Charles Bass (R) is among the most imperiled Members regardless of the new lines.
Vice President Joe Biden Gets Booed at St. Patrick's Day Parade in Pitts...
comes with the territory. one cannot make everyone happy is an old saying and very true today
Rick Santorum: The Unemployment Rate Doesn't Matter To Me
sorry Rick, most of us do care what the rate is and if is it is growing or shrinking.
historically speaking, big factor in elections because many feel it a better indicator of the health of the economy than the DOW averages.
The cost of free speech: Proposed law creates fines for protests
looks like good anti-union and protester proposal--for the companies
Severance for the 1%: Gannett’s CEO lost $1.7 billion, gets $32 million buyout and lifetime financial advice
nice golden parachute for all. workers get food stamps/unemployment. ceo and top brass gets a little different package
Monday, March 19, 2012
jo ann emmerson on hardball energy
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
sorry for ad
sorry Jo ann, you are very wrong on your stats.
St. Charles County Republicans embarrassed by caucus shutdown
St. Charles County Republicans embarrassed by caucus shutdown
click link for full
snip
ST. PETERS;• St. Charles County Republicans were working to salvage their role in the primary process a day after a frustrating caucus meltdown that many said could have been avoided.
St. Charles County was to have been the biggest prize on what was the most important day for Missouri Republicans hoping to help select their party's nominee for president.
Instead, Saturday's St. Charles County caucus was shut down when tension flared between members of the crowd and the local GOP activists who were running the meeting.
The meeting adjourned without awarding delegates — leaving county Republicans with unwelcomed scrutiny, and an uncertain role in the nominating process.
Most likely, the caucus will be rescheduled, but when and in what form is unclear.
"I don't know what's going to happen, because I don't think this has ever happened before," said St. Charles County Council member Joe Brazil.
Brazil, like other local Republicans, blamed the organizers for acting hastily in shutting the meeting down.
Tense meetings, Brazil said, may be difficult, but they are also not an uncommon occurrence in politics.
click link for full
snip
ST. PETERS;• St. Charles County Republicans were working to salvage their role in the primary process a day after a frustrating caucus meltdown that many said could have been avoided.
St. Charles County was to have been the biggest prize on what was the most important day for Missouri Republicans hoping to help select their party's nominee for president.
Instead, Saturday's St. Charles County caucus was shut down when tension flared between members of the crowd and the local GOP activists who were running the meeting.
The meeting adjourned without awarding delegates — leaving county Republicans with unwelcomed scrutiny, and an uncertain role in the nominating process.
Most likely, the caucus will be rescheduled, but when and in what form is unclear.
"I don't know what's going to happen, because I don't think this has ever happened before," said St. Charles County Council member Joe Brazil.
Brazil, like other local Republicans, blamed the organizers for acting hastily in shutting the meeting down.
Tense meetings, Brazil said, may be difficult, but they are also not an uncommon occurrence in politics.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Cheering the end of Social Security and Medicare
Cheering the end of Social Security and Medicare
click link for full
from article
wonder if the senior citizens who were cheering Ron Paul at Lindenwood University understand that, when he says he wants to get rid of "entitlements," he means Social Security and Medicare too. Rep. Paul is a strong believer in "free market" economics which means every man for himself and don't ask your fellow citizens for help. Maybe his supporters agree with him and would give up Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Pell Grants, farm subsidies, and disaster aid (as Gov. Kasich of Ohio did recently.)
Here is what President Dwight Eisenhower said about such things in a letter to his brother, Edgar, in 1954: "Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H.L. Hunt (you probably know his background,) a few other Texas oil millionaires and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."
Today's Republican leaders and presidential hopefuls have perverted the kind of common sense conservatism that I championed as a loyal Republican until 1980. I knew President Reagan's free market folks would begin dismantling all parts of the social safety net. I could see the ship of state was headed for dangerous waters and the life boats were being jettisoned to cut costs and raise profits.
Now corporations control our government at all levels, and we need to look no further than our own Missouri state legislature for proof. For someone who wore an "I like Ike" button as a teenager, this is all very sad. The "G" in GOP no longer stands for "Grand." It stands for "Greedy."
click link for full
from article
wonder if the senior citizens who were cheering Ron Paul at Lindenwood University understand that, when he says he wants to get rid of "entitlements," he means Social Security and Medicare too. Rep. Paul is a strong believer in "free market" economics which means every man for himself and don't ask your fellow citizens for help. Maybe his supporters agree with him and would give up Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Pell Grants, farm subsidies, and disaster aid (as Gov. Kasich of Ohio did recently.)
Here is what President Dwight Eisenhower said about such things in a letter to his brother, Edgar, in 1954: "Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H.L. Hunt (you probably know his background,) a few other Texas oil millionaires and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."
Today's Republican leaders and presidential hopefuls have perverted the kind of common sense conservatism that I championed as a loyal Republican until 1980. I knew President Reagan's free market folks would begin dismantling all parts of the social safety net. I could see the ship of state was headed for dangerous waters and the life boats were being jettisoned to cut costs and raise profits.
Now corporations control our government at all levels, and we need to look no further than our own Missouri state legislature for proof. For someone who wore an "I like Ike" button as a teenager, this is all very sad. The "G" in GOP no longer stands for "Grand." It stands for "Greedy."
Conflict, strategy mark Missouri GOP caucuses
Conflict, strategy mark Missouri GOP caucuses
click link for full story
snip
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/conflict-strategy-mark-missouri-gop-caucuses/article_ff77be29-d5d9-54c1-b21b-4ca64a9c8b11.html#ixzz1pUMCT92l
click link for full story
snip
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Crowds and chaos rattled Missouri's GOP caucuses on Saturday, threatening to put further scrutiny on a process that was already a national anomaly.
In St. Charles County, which was to have been the biggest single prize of the day, the caucus was shut down before delegates were chosen after a boisterous crowd objected to how the meeting was being run, including an attempted ban on videotaping. Two supporters of presidential hopeful Ron Paul were arrested.
At other caucuses, participants gathered outdoors as the appointed locations turned out to be too small to accommodate crowds or waited for hours as organizers worked through procedural questions.
Even before the day's events took a rancorous turn, state Republican officials said the winner of the caucus would not be officially known until next month. But with the confusion surrounding St. Charles, and many more delegates available in a pair of caucuses next weekend, the primary picture for Missouri may have only become murkier Saturday.
"It was a joke. It was a complete joke," said David Nelson of St. Peters, who participated in the St. Charles County caucus.
In St. Charles County, which was to have been the biggest single prize of the day, the caucus was shut down before delegates were chosen after a boisterous crowd objected to how the meeting was being run, including an attempted ban on videotaping. Two supporters of presidential hopeful Ron Paul were arrested.
At other caucuses, participants gathered outdoors as the appointed locations turned out to be too small to accommodate crowds or waited for hours as organizers worked through procedural questions.
Even before the day's events took a rancorous turn, state Republican officials said the winner of the caucus would not be officially known until next month. But with the confusion surrounding St. Charles, and many more delegates available in a pair of caucuses next weekend, the primary picture for Missouri may have only become murkier Saturday.
"It was a joke. It was a complete joke," said David Nelson of St. Peters, who participated in the St. Charles County caucus.
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/conflict-strategy-mark-missouri-gop-caucuses/article_ff77be29-d5d9-54c1-b21b-4ca64a9c8b11.html#ixzz1pUMCT92l
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Surprise: Bush backs Keystone pipeline
Surprise: Bush backs Keystone pipeline
click link
snip
Unemployment is down, consumer confidence is up, the GOP is waging a crazy, unpopular jihad against contraception, and its presidential candidates get less popular as the primary season continues. So blaming President Obama for rising gas prices has become the party’s new strategy.
The problem is, there’s nothing any president can do to make gas prices go down, and Mitt Romney, at least, admitted as much on Fox today. That won’t stop him and his rivals from dishonestly insisting the president is to blame. They continue to insist that the president’s refusal to drill for oil on every square inch of land or sea that may harbor it, and to green light the environmentally disastrous and economically questionable Keystone XL pipeline, is to blame for the pain at the pump.
click link
snip
2012 Elections
Friday, Mar 16, 2012 6:09 PM Central Daylight TimeSurprise: Bush backs Keystone pipeline
As the GOP gets desperate to blame higher gas prices on Obama, their role as the Gas and Oil Party becomes clearer
VIDEO Former president George W. Bush (Credit: AP/Tony Gutierrez)
The problem is, there’s nothing any president can do to make gas prices go down, and Mitt Romney, at least, admitted as much on Fox today. That won’t stop him and his rivals from dishonestly insisting the president is to blame. They continue to insist that the president’s refusal to drill for oil on every square inch of land or sea that may harbor it, and to green light the environmentally disastrous and economically questionable Keystone XL pipeline, is to blame for the pain at the pump.
St Patricks Day Parade 2011 St Louis, Missouri (Mystic Knights Krewe)
am on way to the 2012 St. Louis green celebrations. have good green day
Kevin Horrigan: Why not Jesse James?
Kevin Horrigan: Why not Jesse James?
click link for full
snip
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/kevin-horrigan/kevin-horrigan-why-not-jesse-james/article_eb01dc0e-2fb6-5958-a8c8-5aa1b0a7e686.html#ixzz1pO5GUXP6
click link for full
snip
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The furor over Missouri House Speaker Steve Tilley's decision to honor Rush Limbaugh with a place in the state Capitol's "Hall of Famous Missourians," has done one good thing: It's gotten many people who normally ignore the weird things that go in the Legislature to sit up and take notice.
Worse things go on there every day. The Limbaugh thing isn't a big deal. This is not Cooperstown, for crying out loud. This is a low-rent honor bestowed since 1982 by whoever happens to be speaker of the Missouri House. This one is only 10 grand, paid for by the politicians and lobbyists who show up at the speaker's annual golf tournament. It usually costs way more than 10 grand to get a favor from the speaker.
Can we have a show of hands from those who'd heard of the Hall of Famous Missourians before last week? Thank you both.
Worse things go on there every day. The Limbaugh thing isn't a big deal. This is not Cooperstown, for crying out loud. This is a low-rent honor bestowed since 1982 by whoever happens to be speaker of the Missouri House. This one is only 10 grand, paid for by the politicians and lobbyists who show up at the speaker's annual golf tournament. It usually costs way more than 10 grand to get a favor from the speaker.
Can we have a show of hands from those who'd heard of the Hall of Famous Missourians before last week? Thank you both.
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/kevin-horrigan/kevin-horrigan-why-not-jesse-james/article_eb01dc0e-2fb6-5958-a8c8-5aa1b0a7e686.html#ixzz1pO5GUXP6
George Will: End taxpayer funding of union salaries
George Will: End taxpayer funding of union salaries
click link for full
snip
Mark Flatten of the Goldwater Institute, a conservative think tank, says all six of the top PLEA officers derive full pay and benefits from the city, although each is assigned full time to the union — and each is also entitled to 160 hours of annual extra-pay overtime. Officials of the six other public employees unions also have full-time city jobs. All told, the annual bill for 73,000 hours of release time is $3.7 million.
In 2007, Phoenix voters endorsed a sales tax increase to pay for more police and firefighters. DiCiccio, who is working for better contracts, knows that few voters knew about the existence, let alone the costs, of release time.
Other states and local governments have release time provisions in contracts with public employees, as do some federal contracts. The unions, and their partners and enablers in government, insist that release time activities improve government employees' morale and efficiency and they receive the release time benefit in lieu of higher wages and benefits. But how could that be demonstrated?
If release time really involves no increase in aggregate compensation to union members, why do unions favor this roundabout route to compensation? One reason, perhaps, is to punish police officers who do not join the union: They see some of their potential wages go instead to union officials. Also, if union activities were paid for by union dues rather than tax dollars, there would be less dues money available for campaign contributions to the grateful politicians who negotiate release time benefits for the contributing unions.
This is a crucial difference between release time provisions negotiated by private companies: In the private sector, unions are not effectively on both sides of the negotiation table. Collusion between the employer and the employees' union is inherent in public-sector unionization, particularly because public-sector employers and employees have congruent interests in increasing government budgets.
click link for full
snip
Mark Flatten of the Goldwater Institute, a conservative think tank, says all six of the top PLEA officers derive full pay and benefits from the city, although each is assigned full time to the union — and each is also entitled to 160 hours of annual extra-pay overtime. Officials of the six other public employees unions also have full-time city jobs. All told, the annual bill for 73,000 hours of release time is $3.7 million.
In 2007, Phoenix voters endorsed a sales tax increase to pay for more police and firefighters. DiCiccio, who is working for better contracts, knows that few voters knew about the existence, let alone the costs, of release time.
Other states and local governments have release time provisions in contracts with public employees, as do some federal contracts. The unions, and their partners and enablers in government, insist that release time activities improve government employees' morale and efficiency and they receive the release time benefit in lieu of higher wages and benefits. But how could that be demonstrated?
If release time really involves no increase in aggregate compensation to union members, why do unions favor this roundabout route to compensation? One reason, perhaps, is to punish police officers who do not join the union: They see some of their potential wages go instead to union officials. Also, if union activities were paid for by union dues rather than tax dollars, there would be less dues money available for campaign contributions to the grateful politicians who negotiate release time benefits for the contributing unions.
This is a crucial difference between release time provisions negotiated by private companies: In the private sector, unions are not effectively on both sides of the negotiation table. Collusion between the employer and the employees' union is inherent in public-sector unionization, particularly because public-sector employers and employees have congruent interests in increasing government budgets.
03-16-12 4 - Total Recall, with Graeme Zielinski - Countdown with Keith ...
maybe all the recall gopers will resign.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
CBO Update Shows Lower Costs for the New Health Care Law | The White House
CBO Update Shows Lower Costs for the New Health Care Law | The White House
click link for full
snip
Yesterday, the Congressional Budget Office released updated cost estimates for some parts of the Affordable Care Act. In this update, CBO projects that net spending on several parts of the health care law are about $50 billion less than it projected last year. That partly reflects CBO’s confirmation of a trend we’ve been following – slower growth in health insurance premiums. CBO said:
It is also important to be clear about what the CBO report does not say.
The CBO update does not provide new estimates of the entire cost of the Affordable Care Act. That’s because the new report looks at how much the government will spend on discrete elements of the new law, but not how much the government will save due to other parts of the law such as efforts to slow Medicare cost growth and reduce fraud.
The last time the Congressional Budget Office looked at the whole law was when the House of Representatives tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act. And that report found that the Affordable Care Act reduces the deficit by over $100 billion in the next ten years and even more in the subsequent decade. Here’s what CBO had to say then:
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this is not what fox is saying
obamacare is far short of HR676
click link for full
snip
Yesterday, the Congressional Budget Office released updated cost estimates for some parts of the Affordable Care Act. In this update, CBO projects that net spending on several parts of the health care law are about $50 billion less than it projected last year. That partly reflects CBO’s confirmation of a trend we’ve been following – slower growth in health insurance premiums. CBO said:
“By 2021, premiums are now estimated to be about 8 percent lower than CBO estimated in March 2011. That change reduces the estimated costs of the coverage provisions of the ACA.”
This suggests that taxpayers will save $50 billion more, on net, through 2021 and Americans will pay even less for private insurance than CBO previously projected – which is good news.It is also important to be clear about what the CBO report does not say.
The CBO update does not provide new estimates of the entire cost of the Affordable Care Act. That’s because the new report looks at how much the government will spend on discrete elements of the new law, but not how much the government will save due to other parts of the law such as efforts to slow Medicare cost growth and reduce fraud.
The last time the Congressional Budget Office looked at the whole law was when the House of Representatives tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act. And that report found that the Affordable Care Act reduces the deficit by over $100 billion in the next ten years and even more in the subsequent decade. Here’s what CBO had to say then:
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this is not what fox is saying
obamacare is far short of HR676
beginnings of capitalism western civilization mesopotamia segment
St. Petersburg College - Western Civilization I - Lesson 03: Mesopotamia
27:48 - 3 years ago
Lesson 03: Mesopotamia For more educational videos, please visit www.cosmolearning.com EUH 1000 DEVELOPMENT OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION I This course covers the origins of development of western civilization beginning with the ancient world and classical civilizations, the Middle Ages, the transition to modern states and politics of power, the Protestant and Catholic Reformations, and the Commercial Revolution of the 16th Century. Emphases are on the relevance of the political, social, economic and cultural trends of each period on out present world society. WESTERN TRADITION 1, LESSONS 1 to 26.
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most excellent short segment about business, money and law.
Texas’ outsourced border
Texas’ outsourced border
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Tuesday, Mar 13, 2012 12:00 PM Central Daylight Time
Since 2006 many of the key figures in state-led border security operations and information campaigns have identified themselves as DPS employees or part of the Texas Rangers to the public, policy community and the media, disguising their true identities.
The business card he handed me during the sheriffs meeting identified Sikes as the director of the Border Security Operations Center (BSOC) – which is a type of fusion center for border-security operations in Texas. It’s a project of the Texas Rangers Division, which in turn is a branch of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).
However, Mac Sikes is neither a Texas Ranger nor a DPS employee. Like most of the other key figures behind the Lone Star State’s border security campaign, Sikes is a contract employee.
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Tuesday, Mar 13, 2012 12:00 PM Central Daylight Time Texas’ outsourced border
Rick Perry's private contractors are militarizing border security and misleading taxpayers
In this Sept. 27, 2010 photo, contractors reinforce a section of damaged border fence as seen from Sonora, Mexico (Credit: AP/Matt York)
This article originally appeared on AlterNet.
Roy “Mac” Sikes wasn’t wearing a white 10-gallon like the other top Texas Rangers attending the 2010 Texas Border Sheriffs Coalition meeting in El Paso. Mac, as the Texas Rangers and sheriffs call him, was going hatless. But that may have been because it’s not entirely clear which hat Mac should have been wearing – ranger, cop or consultant?Since 2006 many of the key figures in state-led border security operations and information campaigns have identified themselves as DPS employees or part of the Texas Rangers to the public, policy community and the media, disguising their true identities.The business card he handed me during the sheriffs meeting identified Sikes as the director of the Border Security Operations Center (BSOC) – which is a type of fusion center for border-security operations in Texas. It’s a project of the Texas Rangers Division, which in turn is a branch of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).
However, Mac Sikes is neither a Texas Ranger nor a DPS employee. Like most of the other key figures behind the Lone Star State’s border security campaign, Sikes is a contract employee.
The new oil reality
The new oil reality
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from article
Oil prices are now higher than they have ever been — except for a few frenzied moments before the global economic meltdown of 2008. Many immediate factors are contributing to this surge, including Iran’s threats to block oil shipping in the Persian Gulf, fears of a new Middle Eastern war and turmoil in energy-rich Nigeria. Some of these pressures could ease in the months ahead, providing temporary relief at the gas pump. But the principal cause of higher prices — a fundamental shift in the structure of the oil industry — cannot be reversed, and so oil prices are destined to remain high for a long time to come.
In energy terms, we are now entering a world whose grim nature has yet to be fully grasped. This pivotal shift has been brought about by the disappearance of relatively accessible and inexpensive petroleum — “easy oil,” in the parlance of industry analysts; in other words, the kind of oil that powered a staggering expansion of global wealth over the past 65 years and the creation of endless car-oriented suburban communities. This oil is now nearly gone.
click link for full
from article
Oil prices are now higher than they have ever been — except for a few frenzied moments before the global economic meltdown of 2008. Many immediate factors are contributing to this surge, including Iran’s threats to block oil shipping in the Persian Gulf, fears of a new Middle Eastern war and turmoil in energy-rich Nigeria. Some of these pressures could ease in the months ahead, providing temporary relief at the gas pump. But the principal cause of higher prices — a fundamental shift in the structure of the oil industry — cannot be reversed, and so oil prices are destined to remain high for a long time to come.
In energy terms, we are now entering a world whose grim nature has yet to be fully grasped. This pivotal shift has been brought about by the disappearance of relatively accessible and inexpensive petroleum — “easy oil,” in the parlance of industry analysts; in other words, the kind of oil that powered a staggering expansion of global wealth over the past 65 years and the creation of endless car-oriented suburban communities. This oil is now nearly gone.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Bush SCOTUS Finalist: Striking Down Health Reform ‘Is a Prescription For Economic Chaos’
Bush SCOTUS Finalist: Striking Down Health Reform ‘Is a Prescription For Economic Chaos’: pLast month, federal court of appeals Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson, an influential conservative who has one of President George W. Bush’s five finalists for the Supreme Court nomination that eventually went to Chief Justice Roberts, published a book calling the lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act a “heavy judicial lift.” In a rare op-ed by [...]/p
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CHART: How Public Sector Layoffs Are Holding Back The Recovery
CHART: How Public Sector Layoffs Are Holding Back The Recovery: pOur guest blogger is Heather Boushey, Senior Economist at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. The current economic recovery is going well if one looks at private sector job creation. The pace of private sector job creation is slower than in the recovery from the early 1990s recession, but it’s about the same as [...]/p
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Before Primary, GOP Rep. Spencer ‘Serve The Banks’ Bachus Gets Last Minute Fundraising Boost From Wall Street
Before Primary, GOP Rep. Spencer ‘Serve The Banks’ Bachus Gets Last Minute Fundraising Boost From Wall Street: pHouse Financial Services Chairman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) — who said in an interview that he believes Washington’s role is to “serve the banks” — is facing one of the stiffest primary challenges of his long career. State Sen. Scott Beason (R) has been chasing Bachus ahead of today’s Alabama elections, helped by some hefty spending [...]/p
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Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Labor unions rethinking role in politics
Labor unions rethinking role in politics
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snip
WASHINGTON — As top union leaders gather in Florida on Tuesday to determine labor’s political strategy this year, the influential AFL-CIO appears poised to endorse President Barack Obama’s re-election — despite some lingering dissatisfaction with his record.
But the way in which unions back him and other Democrats this year is likely to take a very different form than in past campaigns.
Concluding they need to be more independent of the Democratic Party, many unions are increasingly financing their own efforts instead of writing large checks to candidates and the party.
click link
snip
WASHINGTON — As top union leaders gather in Florida on Tuesday to determine labor’s political strategy this year, the influential AFL-CIO appears poised to endorse President Barack Obama’s re-election — despite some lingering dissatisfaction with his record.
But the way in which unions back him and other Democrats this year is likely to take a very different form than in past campaigns.
Concluding they need to be more independent of the Democratic Party, many unions are increasingly financing their own efforts instead of writing large checks to candidates and the party.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Qld wharfies stand with locked out Canadian workers | Green Left Weekly
Qld wharfies stand with locked out Canadian workers | Green Left Weekly
click link for full
snip from article
The Maritime Union of Australia and other unions organised an action outside Rio Tinto’s headquarters on March 5 in solidarity with Quebec workers who have been locked out by Rio Tinto since December 30.
Members of the United Steel Workers (USW) Local 9495 District 5 branch came to Australia to gain support for their campaign.
The dispute began over Rio Tinto’s decision to use more sub-contractors at the aluminium smelter in Alma, Quebec. Click here to see campaign actions.
The steel workers’ demands don't include a wage rise, but focus on ensuring more full-time jobs that are secure and have benefits.
A member told Green Left Weekly he had been working at the plant since he was 17 and has managed to obtain, through union action, a $35 an hour wage with health insurance and pensions. However, his son has been working as a contractor for only $14 an hour without any benefits.
click link for full
snip from article
Qld wharfies stand with locked out Canadian workers
Friday, March 9, 2012
Picket outside the Rio Tinto smelter in Alma, Quebec, where works have been locked out by management.
Members of the United Steel Workers (USW) Local 9495 District 5 branch came to Australia to gain support for their campaign.
The dispute began over Rio Tinto’s decision to use more sub-contractors at the aluminium smelter in Alma, Quebec. Click here to see campaign actions.
The steel workers’ demands don't include a wage rise, but focus on ensuring more full-time jobs that are secure and have benefits.
A member told Green Left Weekly he had been working at the plant since he was 17 and has managed to obtain, through union action, a $35 an hour wage with health insurance and pensions. However, his son has been working as a contractor for only $14 an hour without any benefits.
Canadians protest election 'robocall' scandal - Kelowna YouTube
we need ban on robocalls in America
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Tom Hanks narrates Obama campaign's 'documentary' The Ticket
upcoming movie that might be worth watching
Obama’s New Consumer Watchdog Reviewing Payday Lending | EQUAL VOICE
Obama’s New Consumer Watchdog Reviewing Payday Lending | EQUAL VOICE:
click link for full
from story
click link for full
from story
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The Obama administration’s new consumer protection agency held its first public hearing Thursday about payday lending, an industry that brings in some $7 billion a year in fees nationwide.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said testimony from the session in Birmingham — where City Council members recently passed a six-month moratorium on new payday lending businesses amid concern over their prevalence and high interest fees — would help guide the development of future regulations.
Richard Cordray (Photo: Whitehouse.gov)
Director Richard Cordray said the bureau recognizes the need for short-term loans, but the lending needs to help consumers, not harm them.
“Before this month, the federal government did not examine payday lenders,” Cordray said. “Some state regulators have been examining payday lenders for compliance with their state laws. We hope to use our combined resources as effectively as possible.”
About 19 million American households now have payday loans, officials said. With interest rates often in the teens and easy application procedures, lenders said they generate business through radio and television advertising, plus word-of-mouth and by locating offices in areas where other small-loan lenders are located.
Many in the standing-room crowd of more than 400 were lending company customers or employees who wore “I Choose Payday Advance” stickers provided by the industry.
Payday loan defenders try intimidating churches | Midwest Voices
Payday loan defenders try intimidating churches | Midwest Voices:
click link for full
snip from article
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snip from article
The payday loan industry is looking a bit desperate in its attempt to derail an initiative petition in Missouri seeking to more strictly regulate short-term lending.
This week, a law firm in Grapevine, Texas, of all places, sent a letter to some Kansas City area churches, issuing dark and dishonest warnings about the perils of getting involved in the movement to clamp down on businesses that can legally charge interest rates of up to 1,950 percent for a loan.
The initiative petition drive to change state law and set a cap of 36 percent on the annual percentage rate of a short-term loan is being led by faith-based and community groups in Missouri.
The letter from the Texas law firm, Anthony & Middlebrook, advised churches in bold letters that “strict statutes carrying criminal penalties apply to the collection of signatures for an initiative petition.”
That’s true, of course, if one distributes a false affidavit or signs someone else’s name to a petition. No one has accused the payday loan opponents of doing any of those things.
The letter also warns churches that their tax-exempt status could be threatened if they engage in lobbying or attempts to influence legislation. The letter interprets “influencing legislation” to include “supporting or encouraging action with respect to the (payday lending) petition.”
That is intimidation, pure and simple. Federal tax law does prohibit churches and charities from supporting or opposing candidates. It also says that those groups must limit advocacy activities on behalf of a particular cause so that they don’t constitute “a substantial part” of an organization’s total activities.
Worker ‘Occupations’ in 3 States Yield Successes, but Counterattack Begins - Working In These Times
Worker ‘Occupations’ in 3 States Yield Successes, but Counterattack Begins - Working In These Times
CLICK link above for full
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CLICK link above for full
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Wednesday Mar 7, 2012 10:41 am
Worker ‘Occupations’ in 3 States Yield Successes, but Counterattack Begins
In the last few months, workers in three different states—at the Serious Materials factory in Chicago, at a Century Aluminum factory in Ravenswood, West Va., and at AT&T’s regional headquarters in Atlanta—have engaged in "occupations" that quickly produced small results for those workers. These actions—one an actual factory occupation, the other two highly visible encampments outside company facilities—have underscored the enormous potential of direct action to give workers leverage in negotiating with employers.
But just as Congress quickly outlawed the type of auto industry sit-down strikes that were so effective during the 1930s, anti-union groups are now advocating measures to counteract the success of these recent protests. The backlash has begun: Last week, a Georgia State Senate Committee passed SB 469, which would ban picketing outside of the home of CEOs and give a company the right to ask a judge to force protesters—whether union or nonunion—to stop picketing outside of any business.
If these members do not stop picketing after a judge's order, the courts could fine individuals $1,000 a day. Any organization or union that sponsored the protests would be fined $10,000 a day. The bill could severely limit the ability of unions and other groups to bring aggressive anti-union employer actions to the public's attention.
But just as Congress quickly outlawed the type of auto industry sit-down strikes that were so effective during the 1930s, anti-union groups are now advocating measures to counteract the success of these recent protests. The backlash has begun: Last week, a Georgia State Senate Committee passed SB 469, which would ban picketing outside of the home of CEOs and give a company the right to ask a judge to force protesters—whether union or nonunion—to stop picketing outside of any business.
If these members do not stop picketing after a judge's order, the courts could fine individuals $1,000 a day. Any organization or union that sponsored the protests would be fined $10,000 a day. The bill could severely limit the ability of unions and other groups to bring aggressive anti-union employer actions to the public's attention.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Obama using the IRS to Silence TEA Party Groups
not for profit tax exemption is for nonpolitical organizations. dem and rep party do pay taxes
GOP CHAOS STILL, Pt. 1
romey ahead in Ohio by very small lead all votes not tabulated at this moment
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Oilsands economics 101
Oilsands economics 101
click link
snip
Alberta Premier Alison Redford and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty have kicked off a long-overdue debate about the role of Canada's petro-currency and its impact on manufacturing jobs across the country. It's about time.
With growing attention on the very real environmental impacts of the tarsands, there's been a concerted push by the oil industry and its allies in the Alberta and federal governments to talk up the economic benefits, not just for those in Alberta but across Canada. It doesn't ring true, however, anywhere in the country where the soaring Canadian dollar is squeezing jobs in manufacturing, tourism and other industries.
Back when oil and other commodity prices were lower and the loonie traded at 67 U.S. cents, Canadian manufacturing products could better compete against international rivals, leading to more jobs at home. Now that it's consistently at parity, or above, companies such as Caterpillar Inc. and Controlladora Mabe SA have more incentive to close up shop and move elsewhere.
The latest figures from Statistics Canada show a loss of 627,000 manufacturing jobs over the past nine years - many times higher than the number of jobs created by the oil boom.
The reason the two are connected is due to something called "Dutch Disease." The term was coined in the 1970s after the Netherlands discovered a large natural gas field, putting upward pressure on its currency and thereby hurting its manufacturing sector.
Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Oilsands+economics/6250226/story.html#ixzz1oM51G95I
click link
snip
Alberta Premier Alison Redford and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty have kicked off a long-overdue debate about the role of Canada's petro-currency and its impact on manufacturing jobs across the country. It's about time.
With growing attention on the very real environmental impacts of the tarsands, there's been a concerted push by the oil industry and its allies in the Alberta and federal governments to talk up the economic benefits, not just for those in Alberta but across Canada. It doesn't ring true, however, anywhere in the country where the soaring Canadian dollar is squeezing jobs in manufacturing, tourism and other industries.
Back when oil and other commodity prices were lower and the loonie traded at 67 U.S. cents, Canadian manufacturing products could better compete against international rivals, leading to more jobs at home. Now that it's consistently at parity, or above, companies such as Caterpillar Inc. and Controlladora Mabe SA have more incentive to close up shop and move elsewhere.
The latest figures from Statistics Canada show a loss of 627,000 manufacturing jobs over the past nine years - many times higher than the number of jobs created by the oil boom.
The reason the two are connected is due to something called "Dutch Disease." The term was coined in the 1970s after the Netherlands discovered a large natural gas field, putting upward pressure on its currency and thereby hurting its manufacturing sector.
Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Oilsands+economics/6250226/story.html#ixzz1oM51G95I