THE COMING CATASTROPHE: STATE GOVERNMENTS
By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN
Published on DickMorris.com on August 5, 2010
As Congress reconvenes next week to pass a $26 billion bailout of state and local governments entombed in their own deficits, we witness a foretaste of the crisis that will be the central event of the first half of next year: the collapse of state governments.
As long as the Democrats control Congress, they will continue to rubber-stamp Obama's requests for bailouts of profligate states. But when the Republicans take control, they will be less than forthcoming. Republicans will ask the central question: Why should taxpayers from states that have cut their budgets and observed spending restraint, pay for the extravagances of the other states? Why should forty-seven states have to pay for California, New York, and Michigan?
State government employment has risen by 16 percent since 1995 and overly generous Medicaid and other spending has climbed alongside it. Pension obligations, initially incurred as a cheap alternative to pay raises for public workers, are increasingly driving state budgets over the brink.
State and local governments and school boards are hostages to the public employee labor unions that control their finances through their contracts and their politics with their donations and votes. These nominally democratic government bodies are as much under the sway of their union captors as the auto companies are of the UAW.
When a Republican Congress turns off the spigot of federal bailouts, the municipal and state bond markets are going to take the hint and stop buying state paper at any interest rate. California will find its debt has become unmarketable and will come begging Congress for relief. First it will seek federal money and then its demands will escalate into a federal guarantee of its state debt.
The Greek financial crisis will come to our shores in the form of state bankruptcies.
Hopefully, Republicans will not be so weak-kneed as they are in the face of the current shortfall and next week's demand for aid. With two Senators caving in, the Democrats were able to pass their aid bill and send it to the House next week.
The Republican solution to state financial distress should be simple: The Party should insist on a change in the federal bankruptcy law providing for a procedure for state bankruptcy (none now exists). This process must call for abrogation of all state and local public employee union contracts as is usually done in private sector bankruptcies. By freeing states and local governments (including school boards) of their union obligations on wages, work rules, staffing, and pensions, they have a chance to survive and, indeed, to prosper. But merely subsidizing these massive expenditures just prolongs the misery of the states in question.
The collapse of overspending state governments must trigger the diminution of the power unions hold over their budgets and their politics. Their coming bankruptcies offer an opportunity for reform and the Republican Congress - backed by newly elected Republican state governments - give us precisely the opportunity we need to effectuate it.
Go to DickMorris.com to read all of Dick's columns!__
Thursday, August 05, 2010
GM to Build New Vehicle at Plant in Ramos Arispe Mexico
GM to Build New Vehicle at Plant in Mexico
yout tax dollars at work ?
Will invest $500 million at plant in Ramos Arispe
General Motors will invest $500 million to produce a new vehicle and eight-cylinder engines in a plant in northeastern Mexico, a company spokesman said on August 4.
The decision was announced at a meeting on August 3 between GM management and Mexican officials, the spokesman said, without giving details of the new vehicle.
The investment in the GM plant in Ramos Arispe, Coahuila state, would generate 390 jobs, he added.
General Motors has been present in Mexico since 1935, where it has some 11,000 workers, four factories, an engineering center and a test circuit.
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
By Agence France-Presse
this new items appeared on the glenn beck show 8/5/10
www.glennbeck.com
yout tax dollars at work ?
Will invest $500 million at plant in Ramos Arispe
General Motors will invest $500 million to produce a new vehicle and eight-cylinder engines in a plant in northeastern Mexico, a company spokesman said on August 4.
The decision was announced at a meeting on August 3 between GM management and Mexican officials, the spokesman said, without giving details of the new vehicle.
The investment in the GM plant in Ramos Arispe, Coahuila state, would generate 390 jobs, he added.
General Motors has been present in Mexico since 1935, where it has some 11,000 workers, four factories, an engineering center and a test circuit.
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
By Agence France-Presse
this new items appeared on the glenn beck show 8/5/10
www.glennbeck.com
$10K Powerball lotto winner in Kennewick Washington
$10K Powerball lotto winner in Kennewick
08/03/10 Lynn Shook won a $10,000 Powerball jackpot.
The Yoke's Fresh Market 1410 W 27TH AVE in Kennewick sold this Powerball winning ticket.
click to see more Washington lotto info data and stats
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
see that confused California Rep Pete Stark only atheist in Congress
see that confused California Rep Pete Stark
http://www.goldengateminutemen.org/
is Rep Pete Stark the only atheist in Congress ?
Citizenship is for you, me, our children and selected immigrants from other Nations. Our mission is to STOP the illegal immigration epidemic
by holding politicians accountable to Federal immigration laws, and educating our fellow citizens to do the same.
http://www.goldengateminutemen.org/
is Rep Pete Stark the only atheist in Congress ?
Citizenship is for you, me, our children and selected immigrants from other Nations. Our mission is to STOP the illegal immigration epidemic
by holding politicians accountable to Federal immigration laws, and educating our fellow citizens to do the same.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Illegal immigrant crashes DUI, killing Va. Catholic nun plus injures 2 others
Police: Illegal immigrant crashes, killing Va. nun
WASHINGTON – An illegal immigrant awaiting a deportation ruling has been charged with killing a nun and critically injuring two others in a drunken driving crash that has sparked criticism of how immigration enforcement is handled.
A local official in the Virginia suburb where the crash happened and a congressman from another state have criticized federal officials for not removing the suspect from the country after previous arrests, and even U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano questioned why his deportation was taking so long. A spokeswoman for the nuns' order, meanwhile, said they're upset that the tragedy is being politicized.
Twenty-three-year-old Carlos Martinelly Montano, who police say is illegally in the country, is charged with drunken driving, involuntary manslaughter and felony driving on a revoked license after the accident on Sunday in Virginia's Prince William County. Montano was arrested two times before and charged with drunken driving, according to county police, and has also been arrested in separate incidents for other traffic-related offenses. Police say Montano, who is from Bolivia, was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement after at least one arrest, and a prosecutor said he knew of at least one other occasion he'd been referred to immigration officials.
The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that Montano was released in 2008, pending an immigration judge's review of his case. As of August 2010, a judge had not ruled on his deportation.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano called the crash a "terrible thing" when asked about the incident during an unrelated news conference at D.C. police headquarters Tuesday. Napolitano said she immediately asked officials to look into the situation.
"This is a horrible case," said Napolitano, whose department includes ICE. "Why is it that this individual was still out driving? He was in removal proceedings. Why were the removal proceedings taking so long?"
Prince William County's top elected leader and a Kentucky congressman, both Republicans, criticized federal immigration officials for not deporting Montano.
"As the facts surrounding this tragic case continue to come to light, I think it demonstrates the need for ICE to be more efficient and effective in their deportation duties," Kentucky Congressman Hal Rogers said in an e-mailed statement.
Corey Stewart, the chairman of Prince William County's Board of Supervisors, says the accident highlights the need for federal immigration reform. Stewart championed and implemented one of the nation's strictest county-level anti-illegal immigration policies. The local law requires that police inquire about the immigration status of all people arrested on suspicion of violating a state or local law. He says it's "extremely frustrating" that even with the county's policy, not all those turned over to ICE are removed from the country.
"We handed him over to the feds assuming he would be deported, but instead federal authorities released him back into the neighborhood and he killed a nun," Stewart said. "We feel like we are beating our heads against the wall."
A Catholic nun and spokeswoman for the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia says sisters of the three nuns involved in the accident have always stayed out of the debate over immigration. Sister Glenna Smith says the Catholic nuns have always provided social services — including adult literacy courses and counseling — regardless of immigration status, and they are upset the tragedy has become fodder for policy debate.
"The Benedictine Sisters are dismayed and saddened that this tragedy has been politicized and become an apparent forum for the illegal immigration agenda," Smith said. "It is not optional for us to choose mercy and forgiveness. We know this young man will be brought to justice, that's appropriate, and we hope he will learn to make better choices."
Montano's car crossed a median Sunday morning when it hit the car carrying three nuns, police said. Sixty-six-year-old Sister Denise Mosier was pronounced dead on the scene, and two other nuns — Sister Charlotte Lange and Sister Connie Ruth Lupton — were critically injured and remained in a hospital on respirators Tuesday, according to Smith.
It wasn't clear from jail records if Montano had an attorney.
By KATHLEEN MILLER, Associated Press Writer Kathleen Miller, Associated Press Writer
Tue Aug 3, 6:54 pm ET
WASHINGTON – An illegal immigrant awaiting a deportation ruling has been charged with killing a nun and critically injuring two others in a drunken driving crash that has sparked criticism of how immigration enforcement is handled.
A local official in the Virginia suburb where the crash happened and a congressman from another state have criticized federal officials for not removing the suspect from the country after previous arrests, and even U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano questioned why his deportation was taking so long. A spokeswoman for the nuns' order, meanwhile, said they're upset that the tragedy is being politicized.
Twenty-three-year-old Carlos Martinelly Montano, who police say is illegally in the country, is charged with drunken driving, involuntary manslaughter and felony driving on a revoked license after the accident on Sunday in Virginia's Prince William County. Montano was arrested two times before and charged with drunken driving, according to county police, and has also been arrested in separate incidents for other traffic-related offenses. Police say Montano, who is from Bolivia, was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement after at least one arrest, and a prosecutor said he knew of at least one other occasion he'd been referred to immigration officials.
The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that Montano was released in 2008, pending an immigration judge's review of his case. As of August 2010, a judge had not ruled on his deportation.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano called the crash a "terrible thing" when asked about the incident during an unrelated news conference at D.C. police headquarters Tuesday. Napolitano said she immediately asked officials to look into the situation.
"This is a horrible case," said Napolitano, whose department includes ICE. "Why is it that this individual was still out driving? He was in removal proceedings. Why were the removal proceedings taking so long?"
Prince William County's top elected leader and a Kentucky congressman, both Republicans, criticized federal immigration officials for not deporting Montano.
"As the facts surrounding this tragic case continue to come to light, I think it demonstrates the need for ICE to be more efficient and effective in their deportation duties," Kentucky Congressman Hal Rogers said in an e-mailed statement.
Corey Stewart, the chairman of Prince William County's Board of Supervisors, says the accident highlights the need for federal immigration reform. Stewart championed and implemented one of the nation's strictest county-level anti-illegal immigration policies. The local law requires that police inquire about the immigration status of all people arrested on suspicion of violating a state or local law. He says it's "extremely frustrating" that even with the county's policy, not all those turned over to ICE are removed from the country.
"We handed him over to the feds assuming he would be deported, but instead federal authorities released him back into the neighborhood and he killed a nun," Stewart said. "We feel like we are beating our heads against the wall."
A Catholic nun and spokeswoman for the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia says sisters of the three nuns involved in the accident have always stayed out of the debate over immigration. Sister Glenna Smith says the Catholic nuns have always provided social services — including adult literacy courses and counseling — regardless of immigration status, and they are upset the tragedy has become fodder for policy debate.
"The Benedictine Sisters are dismayed and saddened that this tragedy has been politicized and become an apparent forum for the illegal immigration agenda," Smith said. "It is not optional for us to choose mercy and forgiveness. We know this young man will be brought to justice, that's appropriate, and we hope he will learn to make better choices."
Montano's car crossed a median Sunday morning when it hit the car carrying three nuns, police said. Sixty-six-year-old Sister Denise Mosier was pronounced dead on the scene, and two other nuns — Sister Charlotte Lange and Sister Connie Ruth Lupton — were critically injured and remained in a hospital on respirators Tuesday, according to Smith.
It wasn't clear from jail records if Montano had an attorney.
By KATHLEEN MILLER, Associated Press Writer Kathleen Miller, Associated Press Writer
Tue Aug 3, 6:54 pm ET
is Rep Pete Stark the only atheist in Congress ?
is Rep Pete Stark the only atheist in Congress ?
Pete Stark, Jr is a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives,
representing California's 13th congressional district in southwestern Alameda County. The 13th district includes Alameda, Union City, Hayward, Newark, San Leandro and Fremont, as well as parts of Oakland and Pleasanton.
Stark said................
"[I am a] Unitarian who does not believe in a Supreme Being. I look forward
to working with the Secular Coalition to stop the promotion of narrow religious beliefs in science, marriage contracts, the military and the provision of social service." Statement from Stark, January 2007
Pete Stark, Jr is a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives,
representing California's 13th congressional district in southwestern Alameda County. The 13th district includes Alameda, Union City, Hayward, Newark, San Leandro and Fremont, as well as parts of Oakland and Pleasanton.
Stark said................
"[I am a] Unitarian who does not believe in a Supreme Being. I look forward
to working with the Secular Coalition to stop the promotion of narrow religious beliefs in science, marriage contracts, the military and the provision of social service." Statement from Stark, January 2007
Summertime Blues by Senator John Mccain Senator Tom Coburn
There They Go Again: Two Senators Continue False and Misleading Attacks on Recovery Act
This morning two senators—John McCain and Tom Coburn—released their third report critiquing 100 Recovery Act projects. And just like the last two, this one was an inaccurate and misleading attack on programs that are putting Americans to work across the nation. I’ll present some details in a moment, but it’s very unfortunate that, once again, instead of trying to help create the conditions for stronger growth, to help build on the momentum of the Recovery Act, McCain and Coburn spend their valuable time cooking up phony critiques and, with their Republican colleagues, blocking votes of even bipartisan measures to help small businesses.
Let’s start with the bigger picture. Just last week two prominent, independent economists released a rigorous study on how actions by the government (and the Federal Reserve), including the Recovery Act, helped to end the Great Recession. One of the authors—Mark Zandi—was one of McCain’s top advisers during his presidential bid. He and Alan Blinder (a former vice-chairman of the Federal Reserve) found that the Recovery Act has created or saved about 2.7 million jobs so far, and shaved about a point and a half off of the unemployment rate.
These jobs are the result of over 70,000 projects in action around the country, of grants to states supporting jobs of teachers, police, and firefighters, of tax cuts for working households, loans to small businesses, and investments in innovative new industries producing advanced batteries, clean energy, and much more. They’ve helped reverse a situation where last year, we were losing millions of private sector jobs; in the first half of this year, we’ve added 593,000 private sector jobs.
Now, we’re always glad to take a second look at projects when concerns are raised. In fact, there’s never been a stimulus program of this magnitude with anywhere near the amount of oversight that’s been brought to bear on the Recovery Act. And when we find a problem, we fix it. We’ve shut down hundreds of projects that weren’t delivering the goods.
But the inaccuracy of McCain/Coburn in this regard renders this report just as unreliable as the last two. We followed up the projects in those reports, and found half of their claims to be flat-out false or misleading. Many of the others criticized worthwhile, job-creating projects. Check out this link and you’ll see that news outlets like CNN have debunked their claims in the past, often by simply going to the folks who were working on the project and learning about it:
In the current report, our review so far finds that five of the 100 projects are not even Recovery Act projects. And others are just blatantly wrong on the facts. Take for example an award that McCain and Coburn describe as “funding a WNBA Practice Facility,” when in fact the award is building a tribal government center that will create education and health facilities while also creating hundreds of jobs. Moreover, the tribe has agreed to disallow any commercial use of the facility.
One of their top critiques in the new report is a clean energy program in California that’s put about 50 people to work so far, expects to create 1,500 construction jobs, and then 500 permanent green jobs after that. Gov. Schwarzenegger praised the program, as did the Chamber of Commerce. What would McCain and Coburn say to these workers? That they shouldn’t have this opportunity? That they should go back to the jobless roles? That building a clean energy future is the wrong way to go?
What ideas does Senator Coburn have to offer to the 35,000 people working in Oklahoma who wouldn’t be there without the Recovery Act? What about the 64,000 Arizonans at work because of the Act?
Instead of answers, we’re left with a partisan attack contradicted by one of the author’s own former advisers. But that’s not all. We’re also left with a choice.
The President has shown he is willing to work with anyone who will join us to figure out new ways to create more jobs. The Vice-President spends each week making sure we’re squeezing job out of every Recovery Act dollar. Meanwhile, Republicans are blocking an up or down vote on a package of bipartisan proposals that would cut taxes for small businesses and allow them access to capital through community banks. It’s incredible, when you think about it: last week as they were working to turn out this hit-job of a report, these same two senators were voting against helping small businesses expand and create jobs.
Yes, we must carefully evaluate our progress, but we must do so without partisan thumbs on the scale. In that regard, the report these two senators are touting today is not a road map forward. To the contrary, it is one back to the failed policies that got us into this mess. We’ve tried that route. We cannot afford to go back there again.
Jared Bernstein is Chief Economic Advisor to the Vice President
Posted by Jared Bernstein on August 03, 2010 at 09:53 AM EDT
This morning two senators—John McCain and Tom Coburn—released their third report critiquing 100 Recovery Act projects. And just like the last two, this one was an inaccurate and misleading attack on programs that are putting Americans to work across the nation. I’ll present some details in a moment, but it’s very unfortunate that, once again, instead of trying to help create the conditions for stronger growth, to help build on the momentum of the Recovery Act, McCain and Coburn spend their valuable time cooking up phony critiques and, with their Republican colleagues, blocking votes of even bipartisan measures to help small businesses.
Let’s start with the bigger picture. Just last week two prominent, independent economists released a rigorous study on how actions by the government (and the Federal Reserve), including the Recovery Act, helped to end the Great Recession. One of the authors—Mark Zandi—was one of McCain’s top advisers during his presidential bid. He and Alan Blinder (a former vice-chairman of the Federal Reserve) found that the Recovery Act has created or saved about 2.7 million jobs so far, and shaved about a point and a half off of the unemployment rate.
These jobs are the result of over 70,000 projects in action around the country, of grants to states supporting jobs of teachers, police, and firefighters, of tax cuts for working households, loans to small businesses, and investments in innovative new industries producing advanced batteries, clean energy, and much more. They’ve helped reverse a situation where last year, we were losing millions of private sector jobs; in the first half of this year, we’ve added 593,000 private sector jobs.
Now, we’re always glad to take a second look at projects when concerns are raised. In fact, there’s never been a stimulus program of this magnitude with anywhere near the amount of oversight that’s been brought to bear on the Recovery Act. And when we find a problem, we fix it. We’ve shut down hundreds of projects that weren’t delivering the goods.
But the inaccuracy of McCain/Coburn in this regard renders this report just as unreliable as the last two. We followed up the projects in those reports, and found half of their claims to be flat-out false or misleading. Many of the others criticized worthwhile, job-creating projects. Check out this link and you’ll see that news outlets like CNN have debunked their claims in the past, often by simply going to the folks who were working on the project and learning about it:
In the current report, our review so far finds that five of the 100 projects are not even Recovery Act projects. And others are just blatantly wrong on the facts. Take for example an award that McCain and Coburn describe as “funding a WNBA Practice Facility,” when in fact the award is building a tribal government center that will create education and health facilities while also creating hundreds of jobs. Moreover, the tribe has agreed to disallow any commercial use of the facility.
One of their top critiques in the new report is a clean energy program in California that’s put about 50 people to work so far, expects to create 1,500 construction jobs, and then 500 permanent green jobs after that. Gov. Schwarzenegger praised the program, as did the Chamber of Commerce. What would McCain and Coburn say to these workers? That they shouldn’t have this opportunity? That they should go back to the jobless roles? That building a clean energy future is the wrong way to go?
What ideas does Senator Coburn have to offer to the 35,000 people working in Oklahoma who wouldn’t be there without the Recovery Act? What about the 64,000 Arizonans at work because of the Act?
Instead of answers, we’re left with a partisan attack contradicted by one of the author’s own former advisers. But that’s not all. We’re also left with a choice.
The President has shown he is willing to work with anyone who will join us to figure out new ways to create more jobs. The Vice-President spends each week making sure we’re squeezing job out of every Recovery Act dollar. Meanwhile, Republicans are blocking an up or down vote on a package of bipartisan proposals that would cut taxes for small businesses and allow them access to capital through community banks. It’s incredible, when you think about it: last week as they were working to turn out this hit-job of a report, these same two senators were voting against helping small businesses expand and create jobs.
Yes, we must carefully evaluate our progress, but we must do so without partisan thumbs on the scale. In that regard, the report these two senators are touting today is not a road map forward. To the contrary, it is one back to the failed policies that got us into this mess. We’ve tried that route. We cannot afford to go back there again.
Jared Bernstein is Chief Economic Advisor to the Vice President
Posted by Jared Bernstein on August 03, 2010 at 09:53 AM EDT
Monday, August 02, 2010
The American Patriot's Bible: The Word of God and the Shaping of America
The American Patriot's Bible: The Word of God and the Shaping of America
Description of the The American Patriot's Bible
THE ONE BIBLE THAT SHOWS HOW 'A LIGHT FROM ABOVE' SHAPED OUR NATION. Never has a version of the Bible targeted the spiritual needs of those who love our country more than The American Patriot's Bible. This extremely unique Bible shows how the history of the United States connects the people and events of the Bible to our lives in a modern world. The story of the United States is wonderfully woven into the teachings of the Bible and includes a beautiful full-color family record section, memorable images from our nation's history and hundreds of enlightening articles which complement the New King James Version Bible text.
as mentioned on the glennbeck.com tv show n fox
The American Patriot's Bible: The Word of God and the Shaping of America
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Troops need you web site
Troops Need You
Q. Can I contribute to a specific unit or troop?
A. Of course, Troops Need You personalizes the support relationship. Just go to the profile of the unit or troop you want to support and become their Battle Buddy by contributing there. Or, go to the donate page and contribute to the general fund.
Q. I already send care packages to troops. How is this different?
A. Troops Need You enables Americans to go beyond the care package and the bumper sticker, by delivering supplies that make a difference in their mission and their lives.
What is your question? Send to TroopsNeedYou (at) gmail.com
visit the Troops need you web site
http://troopsneedyou.com/
Q. Can I contribute to a specific unit or troop?
A. Of course, Troops Need You personalizes the support relationship. Just go to the profile of the unit or troop you want to support and become their Battle Buddy by contributing there. Or, go to the donate page and contribute to the general fund.
Q. I already send care packages to troops. How is this different?
A. Troops Need You enables Americans to go beyond the care package and the bumper sticker, by delivering supplies that make a difference in their mission and their lives.
What is your question? Send to TroopsNeedYou (at) gmail.com
visit the Troops need you web site
http://troopsneedyou.com/
Saturday, July 31, 2010
will Rep. Maxine Waters go to the shithouse ?
Meeting Between OneUnited and Treasury Officials
In September 2008, Rep. Waters asked then-Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson to hold a meeting for minority-owned banks that had suffered from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac losses. The Treasury Department complied and held a session with approximately a dozen senior banking regulators, representatives from minority-owned banks and their trade association.
Officials of OneUnited Bank, one of the largest black-owned banks in the country, which also has close ties to Rep. Waters, attended the meeting along with Rep. Waters’ chief of staff. Kevin Cohee, chief executive officer of OneUnited, used the meeting as an opportunity to ask for bailout funds. Former Bush White House officials stated they were surprised when OneUnited officials asked for bailout funds because they understood the meeting had been arranged to discuss the losses minority-owned banks endured when the federal government took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
In December 2008, Rep. Waters intervened again, asking Treasury to host another meeting to ensure minority-owned banks received part of the $700 billion allocated under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Within two weeks, on December 19, 2008, OneUnited secured $12.1 million in bailout funds.
Rep. Waters did not disclose her financial ties to OneUnited Bank to Treasury officials in her letters requesting meetings between regulators and bank officials. Treasury officials claimed that although OneUnited also requested a meeting with regulators regarding Fannie and Freddie Mac losses, it wasn’t until Rep. Waters intervened that the Treasury approved a meeting.
In September 2008, Rep. Waters asked then-Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson to hold a meeting for minority-owned banks that had suffered from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac losses. The Treasury Department complied and held a session with approximately a dozen senior banking regulators, representatives from minority-owned banks and their trade association.
Officials of OneUnited Bank, one of the largest black-owned banks in the country, which also has close ties to Rep. Waters, attended the meeting along with Rep. Waters’ chief of staff. Kevin Cohee, chief executive officer of OneUnited, used the meeting as an opportunity to ask for bailout funds. Former Bush White House officials stated they were surprised when OneUnited officials asked for bailout funds because they understood the meeting had been arranged to discuss the losses minority-owned banks endured when the federal government took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
In December 2008, Rep. Waters intervened again, asking Treasury to host another meeting to ensure minority-owned banks received part of the $700 billion allocated under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Within two weeks, on December 19, 2008, OneUnited secured $12.1 million in bailout funds.
Rep. Waters did not disclose her financial ties to OneUnited Bank to Treasury officials in her letters requesting meetings between regulators and bank officials. Treasury officials claimed that although OneUnited also requested a meeting with regulators regarding Fannie and Freddie Mac losses, it wasn’t until Rep. Waters intervened that the Treasury approved a meeting.
what / who is freedomworks ?
what / who is freedomworks ?
Founded in 1984, FreedomWorks is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has hundreds of thousands of grassroots volunteers nationwide. The organization is chaired by former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey and the President is Matt Kibbe.
FreedomWorks members know that government goes to those who show up, and are leading the fight for lower taxes, less government, and more freedom. Join us!
What We Do
FreedomWorks recruits, educates, trains and mobilizes hundreds of thousands of volunteer activists to fight for less government, lower taxes, and more freedom.
Why We Do It
FreedomWorks believes individual liberty and the freedom to compete increases consumer choices and provides individuals with the greatest control over what they own and earn.
How We Do It
FreedomWorks' aggressive, real-time campaigns activate a growing and permanent volunteer grassroots army to show up and demand policy change.
www.freedomworks.org
Founded in 1984, FreedomWorks is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has hundreds of thousands of grassroots volunteers nationwide. The organization is chaired by former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey and the President is Matt Kibbe.
FreedomWorks members know that government goes to those who show up, and are leading the fight for lower taxes, less government, and more freedom. Join us!
What We Do
FreedomWorks recruits, educates, trains and mobilizes hundreds of thousands of volunteer activists to fight for less government, lower taxes, and more freedom.
Why We Do It
FreedomWorks believes individual liberty and the freedom to compete increases consumer choices and provides individuals with the greatest control over what they own and earn.
How We Do It
FreedomWorks' aggressive, real-time campaigns activate a growing and permanent volunteer grassroots army to show up and demand policy change.
www.freedomworks.org
Friday, July 30, 2010
73% say government too powerful, who is Cass Sunstein
73% say government too powerful
Glenn Beck: POLL -- 73% say gov too powerful
GLENN: There is a new poll that is out. 62% of Americans think that the United States as a civilization is in decline. Does the government have too much power? 73% say yes. And yet, more power is coming their way. Listen to this: According to an internal U.S. citizenship and immigration service memo, it was obtained by the national review, the agency is considering ways in which it could enact meaningful immigration reform absent of legislative action. Translation? How do we give amnesty to people without having to go through congress?
What did I say a year and a half ago? Congress is going to become irrelevant. We are there. This memorandum offers administrative relief options to reduce the threat of removal for certain individuals present in the United States without authorization. Also in the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, U.S. CIS can extend benefits and/or protections to many individuals and groups by issuing new guidelines and regulations. Eastbound regulations, who oversees the regulations? Who is the one that has a ‑‑ I'm trying to remember his name, the most dangerous man in America that I've been called insane by Republicans for saying it. The most dangerous man in America is... Cass Sunstein. Why? Because he is the regulatory czar. He's the guy that will set all the regulations. What is this memo? Don't worry. You have levers. You can just turn the knob here, turn the knob here and turn the knob here and then you can, in effect, grant amnesty to people.
Now, there is a statement that has been released by the Department of Homeland Security, and here it is. Internal draft memos do not and should not be equated with any official action or policy of the government.
Hey, can I ask you a question? Is it just me, Stu? Help me out on this. Do we generate a lot of memos that are very complex that show how to do things that we would be diametrically opposed to?
STU: Not typically. It would not be a main goal of ours.
GLENN: Do you know of anybody in any business that does that? Pat, do you know anybody?
PAT: I don't think so.
GLENN: You know what? Our ‑‑ here, let me give our lawyer friend, the biggest pain in the neck, Joe Kerry, who of course ‑‑
PAT: You know what he's going to ‑‑ well, look...
GLENN: Well, I'll tell you what this means, I tell you ‑‑
PAT: It's just that...
GLENN: Chief of staff, our attorney, Joe Kerry. This is ‑‑ can you hold this conversation in confidence, Joe?
JOE: Absolutely.
GLENN: Okay, good. Joe, do you know, do you know businesses that draft complex memos on ways to do things that they are diametrically opposed to? Here it comes. Watch. Here's the attorney. He's thinking.
JOE: Well, I do think that businesses do look at things and say, okay, what are the options that we have. Who was the one that said, you know, I really didn't believe in all this stuff I wrote but we were just looking at it from an educational debate, we were just trying to look at all the angles and the sides on these issues.
GLENN: Goebbels?
STU: No.
GLENN: Who was it? I don't know. Who was it?
STU: Didn't Holdren say something like that?
JOE: Yeah, in the book that he came out in the Seventies.
GLENN: Do you believe that?
STU: Yeah, no.
GLENN: I don't believe that for a second.
STU: But, like, if you said, for example, what can we do to increase this business line and we had some sort of memo that went out that had a bunch of options, that doesn't mean you are agreeing with our options that we're supplying you.
GLENN: You wouldn't do this, you wouldn't do this: Hey, guys, we're struggling in our web business and what can we do in our web business. You would not produce a memo that says, "Porn: We should do Glenn Beck porn sites." You'd never do that.
STU: (Laughing).
GLENN: I'd fire you! I'd look at my business partner and I'd say, this guy does not get it.
STU: Right, yes.
GLENN: That's the point here. You don't issue memos and, you know, long complex memos that say, this one would be like, "And here are the pictures that we would post online and here's another link of the kind of stuff I'm thinking ‑‑ you wouldn't do that.
STU: Here are twelve resumes for the girls.
GLENN: And I've got a few of them chained in my basement right now. I'm taking photos just in case we decide to do that.
STU: They are clearly not diametrically opposed from going around the normal processes to get what they want done.
GLENN: Okay.
STU: There's certainly no ‑‑ there's no argument on that, is there? This is what they do.
GLENN: Internal memoranda: Help us do the thinking that leads to important changes. Yes. That's why you don't have, "We should do porn sites." They help us do the thinking that leads to important changes. Some of them are adopted and others are rejected. Our goal is to implement policies wisely and well to strengthen all aspects of our mission. The choices we have made so far have strengthened both the enforcement and services side of USCIS. Nobody should mistake deliberation and exchange of ideas for final decisions. To be clear, the Department of Homeland Security ‑‑ you ready? ‑‑ will not grant deferred action or humanitarian parole to the nation's entire illegal immigrant population.
See, now, this is something I've got a problem with. Something in that sentence sticks out to me: We will not grant deferred action or humanitarian parole to the nation's entire illegal immigration population. Oh, well, I feel better. Then dismiss it. They are looking for ways with Cass Sunstein to grant amnesty, and they will do it one piece at a time. What are they doing with cap and trade? It's coming, one piece at a time. What are they doing with ‑‑ we didn't just turn into a dictatorship. We didn't ‑‑ we're not turning into a communist country. Nobody's voting on, "Hey, should we take all of the wealth and give it to somebody else?" We didn't even vote on that! And if we would have voted on redistribution of wealth, we would have said no. That's why they kept it under the table. That's why when I said healthcare is nothing more than redistribution of wealth, because that's what the president said, and then he denied it. Well, as soon as he starts to appoint somebody to redistribute healthcare, they talk about openly that it, of course, must, must be redistribution of wealth. Healthcare. He wouldn't have voted for it. They do it one piece at a time. That's why Cass Sunstein is so dangerous.
http://media.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/43671/
Glenn Beck: POLL -- 73% say gov too powerful
GLENN: There is a new poll that is out. 62% of Americans think that the United States as a civilization is in decline. Does the government have too much power? 73% say yes. And yet, more power is coming their way. Listen to this: According to an internal U.S. citizenship and immigration service memo, it was obtained by the national review, the agency is considering ways in which it could enact meaningful immigration reform absent of legislative action. Translation? How do we give amnesty to people without having to go through congress?
What did I say a year and a half ago? Congress is going to become irrelevant. We are there. This memorandum offers administrative relief options to reduce the threat of removal for certain individuals present in the United States without authorization. Also in the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, U.S. CIS can extend benefits and/or protections to many individuals and groups by issuing new guidelines and regulations. Eastbound regulations, who oversees the regulations? Who is the one that has a ‑‑ I'm trying to remember his name, the most dangerous man in America that I've been called insane by Republicans for saying it. The most dangerous man in America is... Cass Sunstein. Why? Because he is the regulatory czar. He's the guy that will set all the regulations. What is this memo? Don't worry. You have levers. You can just turn the knob here, turn the knob here and turn the knob here and then you can, in effect, grant amnesty to people.
Now, there is a statement that has been released by the Department of Homeland Security, and here it is. Internal draft memos do not and should not be equated with any official action or policy of the government.
Hey, can I ask you a question? Is it just me, Stu? Help me out on this. Do we generate a lot of memos that are very complex that show how to do things that we would be diametrically opposed to?
STU: Not typically. It would not be a main goal of ours.
GLENN: Do you know of anybody in any business that does that? Pat, do you know anybody?
PAT: I don't think so.
GLENN: You know what? Our ‑‑ here, let me give our lawyer friend, the biggest pain in the neck, Joe Kerry, who of course ‑‑
PAT: You know what he's going to ‑‑ well, look...
GLENN: Well, I'll tell you what this means, I tell you ‑‑
PAT: It's just that...
GLENN: Chief of staff, our attorney, Joe Kerry. This is ‑‑ can you hold this conversation in confidence, Joe?
JOE: Absolutely.
GLENN: Okay, good. Joe, do you know, do you know businesses that draft complex memos on ways to do things that they are diametrically opposed to? Here it comes. Watch. Here's the attorney. He's thinking.
JOE: Well, I do think that businesses do look at things and say, okay, what are the options that we have. Who was the one that said, you know, I really didn't believe in all this stuff I wrote but we were just looking at it from an educational debate, we were just trying to look at all the angles and the sides on these issues.
GLENN: Goebbels?
STU: No.
GLENN: Who was it? I don't know. Who was it?
STU: Didn't Holdren say something like that?
JOE: Yeah, in the book that he came out in the Seventies.
GLENN: Do you believe that?
STU: Yeah, no.
GLENN: I don't believe that for a second.
STU: But, like, if you said, for example, what can we do to increase this business line and we had some sort of memo that went out that had a bunch of options, that doesn't mean you are agreeing with our options that we're supplying you.
GLENN: You wouldn't do this, you wouldn't do this: Hey, guys, we're struggling in our web business and what can we do in our web business. You would not produce a memo that says, "Porn: We should do Glenn Beck porn sites." You'd never do that.
STU: (Laughing).
GLENN: I'd fire you! I'd look at my business partner and I'd say, this guy does not get it.
STU: Right, yes.
GLENN: That's the point here. You don't issue memos and, you know, long complex memos that say, this one would be like, "And here are the pictures that we would post online and here's another link of the kind of stuff I'm thinking ‑‑ you wouldn't do that.
STU: Here are twelve resumes for the girls.
GLENN: And I've got a few of them chained in my basement right now. I'm taking photos just in case we decide to do that.
STU: They are clearly not diametrically opposed from going around the normal processes to get what they want done.
GLENN: Okay.
STU: There's certainly no ‑‑ there's no argument on that, is there? This is what they do.
GLENN: Internal memoranda: Help us do the thinking that leads to important changes. Yes. That's why you don't have, "We should do porn sites." They help us do the thinking that leads to important changes. Some of them are adopted and others are rejected. Our goal is to implement policies wisely and well to strengthen all aspects of our mission. The choices we have made so far have strengthened both the enforcement and services side of USCIS. Nobody should mistake deliberation and exchange of ideas for final decisions. To be clear, the Department of Homeland Security ‑‑ you ready? ‑‑ will not grant deferred action or humanitarian parole to the nation's entire illegal immigrant population.
See, now, this is something I've got a problem with. Something in that sentence sticks out to me: We will not grant deferred action or humanitarian parole to the nation's entire illegal immigration population. Oh, well, I feel better. Then dismiss it. They are looking for ways with Cass Sunstein to grant amnesty, and they will do it one piece at a time. What are they doing with cap and trade? It's coming, one piece at a time. What are they doing with ‑‑ we didn't just turn into a dictatorship. We didn't ‑‑ we're not turning into a communist country. Nobody's voting on, "Hey, should we take all of the wealth and give it to somebody else?" We didn't even vote on that! And if we would have voted on redistribution of wealth, we would have said no. That's why they kept it under the table. That's why when I said healthcare is nothing more than redistribution of wealth, because that's what the president said, and then he denied it. Well, as soon as he starts to appoint somebody to redistribute healthcare, they talk about openly that it, of course, must, must be redistribution of wealth. Healthcare. He wouldn't have voted for it. They do it one piece at a time. That's why Cass Sunstein is so dangerous.
http://media.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/43671/
Give Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto
Give Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto
Product Description
This groundbreaking manifesto is essential reading for tea party activists—or any American seeking to understand what the Tea Party is fighting for and what's next for the movement
Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey and Matt Kibbe have been on the front lines of one of the fastest-growing and most influential political phenomena in recent memory: the Tea Party movement. As the leaders of the advocacy organization FreedomWorks, they have helped guide and give voice to hundreds of thousands of activists from across the country and have a strong vision for the future of this powerful grassroots uprising.
United by a strong belief in limited government and individual liberty, Tea Party members are changing the American political landscape. Unlike mainstream media accounts that observe the Tea Party movement from the outside looking in, Give Us Liberty chronicles the roots and rise of a new breed of taxpayer activism in the voices of those who were there. Discover the personalities that drove the first meetings, the unknown candidates whose principled stand earned them unlikely victories, the march that gathered more than a million activists, and the bedrock beliefs that brought them together.
In this national call to action, Armey and Kibbe provide an intimate history of the movement, explain how citizens can join the cause, and chart the future of the Tea Party—and America. Give Us Liberty also contains a battle-tested, step-by-step guide to organizing and effecting change in any community.
Give Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto
Product Description
This groundbreaking manifesto is essential reading for tea party activists—or any American seeking to understand what the Tea Party is fighting for and what's next for the movement
Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey and Matt Kibbe have been on the front lines of one of the fastest-growing and most influential political phenomena in recent memory: the Tea Party movement. As the leaders of the advocacy organization FreedomWorks, they have helped guide and give voice to hundreds of thousands of activists from across the country and have a strong vision for the future of this powerful grassroots uprising.
United by a strong belief in limited government and individual liberty, Tea Party members are changing the American political landscape. Unlike mainstream media accounts that observe the Tea Party movement from the outside looking in, Give Us Liberty chronicles the roots and rise of a new breed of taxpayer activism in the voices of those who were there. Discover the personalities that drove the first meetings, the unknown candidates whose principled stand earned them unlikely victories, the march that gathered more than a million activists, and the bedrock beliefs that brought them together.
In this national call to action, Armey and Kibbe provide an intimate history of the movement, explain how citizens can join the cause, and chart the future of the Tea Party—and America. Give Us Liberty also contains a battle-tested, step-by-step guide to organizing and effecting change in any community.
Give Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto
Cass Sunstein’s Thought Police
Cass Sunstein’s Thought Police
January 27, 2010
A journalist I know who’s somewhat more receptive than I am to conspiracy theory told me about a high-ranking official in the Obama administration who advocates using federal agents–covert or overt, employees of the government or secretly remunerated independent experts–to “cognitively infiltrate” conspiracy groups in order to correct their “crippled epistemologies.”
The worst of it, she said, is that he defines conspiracists so loosely–as people who believe “that powerful people have worked together in order to withhold the truth about some important practice or some terrible event.” Practically any organization of political dissidents would qualify. Like, people who believe that the Vietcong didn’t really attack a US destroyer in the Tonkin Gulf, or that Nixon knew more about the Watergate break in than he admitted. Who believe that Cheney and Bush lied about Iraq’s non-existent weapons of mass destruction during the build-up to Desert Storm, that JFK’s assassination didn’t happen as the Warren Commission said it did, and that American officials sold missiles to Iran to raise funds for Nicaraguan contras. Who’s to say that Birthers and Teabaggers and Truthers aren’t being targeted already? “Cognitive infiltration” may just be a fancy word for chat room trolls–but it’s downright Orwellian too, summoning visions of disinformation campaigns, agents provocateurs, and domestic spies.
The official is Cass Sunstein, the long-time University of Chicago law professor (he has since moved on to Harvard), who is currently serving as director of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, a department of the Office of Management and Budget. No obscure wonk, Sunstein is the author of countless books and articles; in fact he is a kind of a rock star in the left-leaning intellectual/policy world. He has been the consort of a number of extravagantly glamorous and brainy women (English professor Lisa Ruddick and classicist Martha Nussbaum; he met Samantha Power during the Obama campaign and married her in the summer of 2008) and is frequently touted as a potential Obama nominee for the Supreme Court.
Though he is detested as a wild-eyed leftist by the likes of Glenn Beck, who ridiculed him for his advocacy of animal rights and his supposed hostility to the Second Amendment, and at one point dubbed him “the most dangerous man in America,” the conservative establishment has generally been well-disposed towards him. “Mr. Sunstein…is no conservative–far from it,” wrote The Wall Street Journal. “But his writings on regulation and the herd mentality deserve a voice in the incoming Administration. From his new post as Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs inside the White House, he would have an opportunity to put into practice some of the ideas he has written about as an academic.” (Click here to read the whole thing.) Sunstein has frequently come under fire from hard-line progressives, who are appalled by the same “minimialist” approach to regulation that won over the WSJ, not to mention his support for John Roberts’ appointment to the Supreme Court, his defense of John Yoo, his pragmatic opposition to prosecutions of members of the Bush administration, his support for FISA’s grant of retroactive immunity to telecoms, and his openness to Internet “censorship.”
Co-authored with Harvard Law School Professor Adrian Vermeule and published in The Journal of Political Philosophy in 2008 (it can be downloaded as a PDF file here), “Conspiracy Theory” is a 30-page-long academic paper that
1) Surveys scholarship on the etiology of conspiracy theories (it takes a social science approach, concluding that they are formulated within closed cognitive communities that have limited access to alternative sources of information, and whose beliefs are self-reinforced by peer pressure–in short, that they are a product of distorted thought systems rather than psychoses, hallucinations, or demagoguery alone) and
2) Contemplates whether or not governments should try to contain or neutralize such theories, if and when they are presumed to pose a genuine threat to public safety.
Islamic conspiracism abroad, for example, drives Al Qaeda recruitment and encourages suicide bombers. Domestically, a white supremacist who believes that the US government has been hijacked by Satanic Zionists might feel justified in, say, blowing up the Federal building in Oklahoma City. Haitians who believe that HAARP was the cause of their recent woes might threaten US aid workers. But Sunstein and Vermeule aren’t interested in law enforcement per se–rather, they are asking (and “Conspiracy Theory” is no White Paper; its tone is subjunctive throughout) whether governments can effectively neutralize false ideas (and their presumption is always that the conspiracy theories that need to be combated are objectively false) by injecting correct ones into the thought systems that sustain them; whether information can be an antidote for a thought contagion. Here’s how they put it:
see more at...........
http://arthurgoldwag.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/cass-sunsteins-thought-police/
January 27, 2010
A journalist I know who’s somewhat more receptive than I am to conspiracy theory told me about a high-ranking official in the Obama administration who advocates using federal agents–covert or overt, employees of the government or secretly remunerated independent experts–to “cognitively infiltrate” conspiracy groups in order to correct their “crippled epistemologies.”
The worst of it, she said, is that he defines conspiracists so loosely–as people who believe “that powerful people have worked together in order to withhold the truth about some important practice or some terrible event.” Practically any organization of political dissidents would qualify. Like, people who believe that the Vietcong didn’t really attack a US destroyer in the Tonkin Gulf, or that Nixon knew more about the Watergate break in than he admitted. Who believe that Cheney and Bush lied about Iraq’s non-existent weapons of mass destruction during the build-up to Desert Storm, that JFK’s assassination didn’t happen as the Warren Commission said it did, and that American officials sold missiles to Iran to raise funds for Nicaraguan contras. Who’s to say that Birthers and Teabaggers and Truthers aren’t being targeted already? “Cognitive infiltration” may just be a fancy word for chat room trolls–but it’s downright Orwellian too, summoning visions of disinformation campaigns, agents provocateurs, and domestic spies.
The official is Cass Sunstein, the long-time University of Chicago law professor (he has since moved on to Harvard), who is currently serving as director of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, a department of the Office of Management and Budget. No obscure wonk, Sunstein is the author of countless books and articles; in fact he is a kind of a rock star in the left-leaning intellectual/policy world. He has been the consort of a number of extravagantly glamorous and brainy women (English professor Lisa Ruddick and classicist Martha Nussbaum; he met Samantha Power during the Obama campaign and married her in the summer of 2008) and is frequently touted as a potential Obama nominee for the Supreme Court.
Though he is detested as a wild-eyed leftist by the likes of Glenn Beck, who ridiculed him for his advocacy of animal rights and his supposed hostility to the Second Amendment, and at one point dubbed him “the most dangerous man in America,” the conservative establishment has generally been well-disposed towards him. “Mr. Sunstein…is no conservative–far from it,” wrote The Wall Street Journal. “But his writings on regulation and the herd mentality deserve a voice in the incoming Administration. From his new post as Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs inside the White House, he would have an opportunity to put into practice some of the ideas he has written about as an academic.” (Click here to read the whole thing.) Sunstein has frequently come under fire from hard-line progressives, who are appalled by the same “minimialist” approach to regulation that won over the WSJ, not to mention his support for John Roberts’ appointment to the Supreme Court, his defense of John Yoo, his pragmatic opposition to prosecutions of members of the Bush administration, his support for FISA’s grant of retroactive immunity to telecoms, and his openness to Internet “censorship.”
Co-authored with Harvard Law School Professor Adrian Vermeule and published in The Journal of Political Philosophy in 2008 (it can be downloaded as a PDF file here), “Conspiracy Theory” is a 30-page-long academic paper that
1) Surveys scholarship on the etiology of conspiracy theories (it takes a social science approach, concluding that they are formulated within closed cognitive communities that have limited access to alternative sources of information, and whose beliefs are self-reinforced by peer pressure–in short, that they are a product of distorted thought systems rather than psychoses, hallucinations, or demagoguery alone) and
2) Contemplates whether or not governments should try to contain or neutralize such theories, if and when they are presumed to pose a genuine threat to public safety.
Islamic conspiracism abroad, for example, drives Al Qaeda recruitment and encourages suicide bombers. Domestically, a white supremacist who believes that the US government has been hijacked by Satanic Zionists might feel justified in, say, blowing up the Federal building in Oklahoma City. Haitians who believe that HAARP was the cause of their recent woes might threaten US aid workers. But Sunstein and Vermeule aren’t interested in law enforcement per se–rather, they are asking (and “Conspiracy Theory” is no White Paper; its tone is subjunctive throughout) whether governments can effectively neutralize false ideas (and their presumption is always that the conspiracy theories that need to be combated are objectively false) by injecting correct ones into the thought systems that sustain them; whether information can be an antidote for a thought contagion. Here’s how they put it:
see more at...........
http://arthurgoldwag.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/cass-sunsteins-thought-police/
oh no another bailout with taxpayers $$$ ?
Why Democrats are Pushing the $165 Billion Union Pension Bailout
by LaborUnionReport
Somewhere lurking in the hot, putrid halls of Congress this summer is a union bailout bill of epic proportions and long-term ramifications. Whether or not Democrats can ultimately push it (or something like it) into passage is yet to be determined. However, with rumors that Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) signed on as a co-sponsor on Thursday, it would appear that the union bailout is quietly creeping along. If it passes, though, its ramifications surpass the mere $165 billion-plus price tag, as it will influence the political landscape for decades to come. In sum, Democrats need the bailout desperately and Republicans should shun it like the plague.
Likely to surpass the touted $165 billion it is estimated to cost, Create Jobs and Save Benefits Act (S. 3157) was introduced on March 23rd by Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and is designed to bailout unions’ underfunded pension funds by transferring the liability of those funds onto the backs of the taxpayers.
Under these bills, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) would, at the request of the plans, have the authority to take over the pension obligations of employers who have withdrawn from the plans, and pay the benefits out of taxpayer dollars, says Furchtgott-Roth:
Once the PBGC shoulders that obligation, it would keep making payments until the last retiree or designated survivor dies.
Since many multiemployer plans are in financial difficulty, this legislation, if enacted, could dramatically increase the federal deficit, putting even more pressure on the American taxpayer and the economy.
Depending on events, it might add billions to government spending — current underfunding levels are estimated at $165 billion-bumping up future deficits. According to a June 24th article published in the Bureau of National Affairs Construction Labor Report (subscription required):
If enacted into law, the bill would convert a private funding shortfall for collectively bargained multi-employer plans into a public obligation, said Brett McMahon, vice president of Miller and Long Concrete Construction and an ABC member.
The legislation would transfer a portion of multiemployer pension funding obligations to a new insurance program that would be operated by the PBGC and paid for with taxpayer dollars instead of employer-paid premiums, F. Vincent Vernuccio, a spokesman for the trade group’s advocacy organization, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said during the call.
At the heart of the union pension problem are companies that, in many cases, agreed to put retirement money for union workers into “multi-employer plans” but have since gone out of business. As the unionized workers in multi-employer plans are still entitled to a pension, the remaining employers are left funding the pensions of workers who, in many cases, they never employed.
http://biggovernment.com/laborunionreport/2010/07/30/why-democrats-are-pushing-the-165-billion-union-pension-bailout/
by LaborUnionReport
Somewhere lurking in the hot, putrid halls of Congress this summer is a union bailout bill of epic proportions and long-term ramifications. Whether or not Democrats can ultimately push it (or something like it) into passage is yet to be determined. However, with rumors that Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) signed on as a co-sponsor on Thursday, it would appear that the union bailout is quietly creeping along. If it passes, though, its ramifications surpass the mere $165 billion-plus price tag, as it will influence the political landscape for decades to come. In sum, Democrats need the bailout desperately and Republicans should shun it like the plague.
Likely to surpass the touted $165 billion it is estimated to cost, Create Jobs and Save Benefits Act (S. 3157) was introduced on March 23rd by Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and is designed to bailout unions’ underfunded pension funds by transferring the liability of those funds onto the backs of the taxpayers.
Under these bills, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) would, at the request of the plans, have the authority to take over the pension obligations of employers who have withdrawn from the plans, and pay the benefits out of taxpayer dollars, says Furchtgott-Roth:
Once the PBGC shoulders that obligation, it would keep making payments until the last retiree or designated survivor dies.
Since many multiemployer plans are in financial difficulty, this legislation, if enacted, could dramatically increase the federal deficit, putting even more pressure on the American taxpayer and the economy.
Depending on events, it might add billions to government spending — current underfunding levels are estimated at $165 billion-bumping up future deficits. According to a June 24th article published in the Bureau of National Affairs Construction Labor Report (subscription required):
If enacted into law, the bill would convert a private funding shortfall for collectively bargained multi-employer plans into a public obligation, said Brett McMahon, vice president of Miller and Long Concrete Construction and an ABC member.
The legislation would transfer a portion of multiemployer pension funding obligations to a new insurance program that would be operated by the PBGC and paid for with taxpayer dollars instead of employer-paid premiums, F. Vincent Vernuccio, a spokesman for the trade group’s advocacy organization, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said during the call.
At the heart of the union pension problem are companies that, in many cases, agreed to put retirement money for union workers into “multi-employer plans” but have since gone out of business. As the unionized workers in multi-employer plans are still entitled to a pension, the remaining employers are left funding the pensions of workers who, in many cases, they never employed.
http://biggovernment.com/laborunionreport/2010/07/30/why-democrats-are-pushing-the-165-billion-union-pension-bailout/
Thursday, July 29, 2010
looks like Ellen DeGeneres voted off Idol show
looks like Ellen DeGeneres voted off American Idol show
she has little to no talent.
she has little to no talent.
what ever happen to Rep William Jefferson ?
what ever happen to Rep William Jefferson ?
is he in jail yet? or out on appeal ?
A former Louisiana congressman who famously stashed cash in his freezer was sentenced Friday to 13 years in prison for taking hundreds of thousands in bribes in exchange for using his influence to broker business deals in Africa.
The sentence handed down in suburban Washington was far less than the nearly 30 years prosecutors had sought for William Jefferson, a Democrat who represented parts of New Orleans for nearly 20 years.
Agents investigating the case found $90,000 wrapped in foil and hidden in boxes of frozen pie crusts in his freezer.
Prosecutors had asked a judge to follow federal guidelines and sentence him to at least 27 years. The defense asked for less than 10 years, arguing a stiffer sentence would be far longer than those imposed on congressmen convicted of similar crimes in recent years, none of whom was sentenced to more than a decade.
see more by MATTHEW BARAKAT Associated Press Writer
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=9074468
rep bill jefferson
is he in jail yet? or out on appeal ?
A former Louisiana congressman who famously stashed cash in his freezer was sentenced Friday to 13 years in prison for taking hundreds of thousands in bribes in exchange for using his influence to broker business deals in Africa.
The sentence handed down in suburban Washington was far less than the nearly 30 years prosecutors had sought for William Jefferson, a Democrat who represented parts of New Orleans for nearly 20 years.
Agents investigating the case found $90,000 wrapped in foil and hidden in boxes of frozen pie crusts in his freezer.
Prosecutors had asked a judge to follow federal guidelines and sentence him to at least 27 years. The defense asked for less than 10 years, arguing a stiffer sentence would be far longer than those imposed on congressmen convicted of similar crimes in recent years, none of whom was sentenced to more than a decade.
see more by MATTHEW BARAKAT Associated Press Writer
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=9074468
rep bill jefferson
most dangerous man in America ? Cass Sunstein
most dangerous man in America ? Cass Sunstein
I've told you before I think Cass Sunstein is the most dangerous man in America. And a lot of people will disagree with me because — well, maybe I'm wrong. Or they just dismiss him as — it's academic. Really?
He's Obama's regulatory "czar." He is the author of the book "Nudge." "Nudge" is basically a book that looks at Americans as a bunch of lab rats. And he knows all the tricks and all the levers to make them behave the way he wants them to. Just a little nudge here and little nudge there.
People still have a choice. Of course, they do. But they really don't. Here is an example. Do you remember when Sunstein tried to get all Americans to get out of their SUVs and stop doing that? Please, get rid of it. Go get a smaller one, an economical car. Save the planet from global warming.
Do you remember that? No?
Oh, yes — you're right. He never said that. Instead, we did "cash for clunkers." Just little cheese dangled in front of the cage. We started flocking, sending our SUVs to the scrap yard.
Now to make the Tea Parties look racist and radical, several sites are now popping up to actually advocate the infiltration of the Tea Parties, pretend to be one of them. Bring racist signs to
the rallies. Only a crazy loser whack-job will even think about doing this, but there are plenty of them out there. Crazy loser whack-jobs and Cass Sunstein.
Glenn Greenwald from Salon.com uncovered a paper Sunstein wrote way back in 2008, proposing,you know, hypothetically speaking, how to handle opposition groups. Now, keep in mind, Cass calls anything "anti- government" a conspiracy theory.
He proposed that, one, the government ban conspiracy theories. Ban them. Make them illegal. mean, that sounds like for conspiracy theory in itself.
see more at
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,591374,00.html
I've told you before I think Cass Sunstein is the most dangerous man in America. And a lot of people will disagree with me because — well, maybe I'm wrong. Or they just dismiss him as — it's academic. Really?
He's Obama's regulatory "czar." He is the author of the book "Nudge." "Nudge" is basically a book that looks at Americans as a bunch of lab rats. And he knows all the tricks and all the levers to make them behave the way he wants them to. Just a little nudge here and little nudge there.
People still have a choice. Of course, they do. But they really don't. Here is an example. Do you remember when Sunstein tried to get all Americans to get out of their SUVs and stop doing that? Please, get rid of it. Go get a smaller one, an economical car. Save the planet from global warming.
Do you remember that? No?
Oh, yes — you're right. He never said that. Instead, we did "cash for clunkers." Just little cheese dangled in front of the cage. We started flocking, sending our SUVs to the scrap yard.
Now to make the Tea Parties look racist and radical, several sites are now popping up to actually advocate the infiltration of the Tea Parties, pretend to be one of them. Bring racist signs to
the rallies. Only a crazy loser whack-job will even think about doing this, but there are plenty of them out there. Crazy loser whack-jobs and Cass Sunstein.
Glenn Greenwald from Salon.com uncovered a paper Sunstein wrote way back in 2008, proposing,you know, hypothetically speaking, how to handle opposition groups. Now, keep in mind, Cass calls anything "anti- government" a conspiracy theory.
He proposed that, one, the government ban conspiracy theories. Ban them. Make them illegal. mean, that sounds like for conspiracy theory in itself.
see more at
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,591374,00.html
Obama's SEC gets a free pass
Obama's SEC gets free pass
Audio Available: July 29, 2010
GLENN: Yesterday we found out that the SEC no longer has to take any Freedom of Information Act seriously. They don't have to, they don't have to respond to it. The SEC in the new financial regulation, the SEC does not have to respond to freedom information. So in other words, they can come
in and close down a business that they find dangerous, that they deem dangerous, they can close them down. These are the people that should have caught Bernie Madoff but did not. These are the people that should
have been looking into Freddie and Fannie but were not. These are the people that oversee all mergers, all acquisitions. These are the people for the antitrust. This is, this is the big agency that is supposed to
be the watchdog. They no longer have to respond to press inquiries.
Now, when we pushed them on this yesterday, their response was, well, but all the rules haven't been written yet.
This is just what the new financial regulation says, but the regulations haven't been imposed or put in yet. That's left to Cass Sunstein.
So now we have this from the SEC that we told you yesterday. Now here is even more disturbing news. They are trying to change four words in an existing law, and mark my words: This will happen.
They are trying to change now four words in the existing law that this existing law stops people from going in and seizing Internet records. Now, let me give you a scenario. Let's say my company, Mercury, where we have Internet records, you know, for all of our business. We also have all of our e-mails and everything else. Let's just say that the government
decides that I'm a threat to the United States and that there is some sort of, you know, "Well, Glenn Beck has been communicating with a gentleman in Canada and this gentleman in Canada has ties to a terrorist organization." Remember, they get to define a terrorist organization.
Here, let me use a better one. An NRA member uses their gun and shoots something. The United States government decides that they are going to make the NRA a terrorist organization. Don't think they wouldn't do it. They make the NRA a terrorist organization. Now, anybody who has contributed to the NRA could be in theory scooped up and held indefinitely without a
trial or a warrant. We already have that one going. They are already arguing for these things right now. It's how they define terrorist.
So let's say I'm -- because I write a letter to Wayne La Pierre and he writes me back, they say, you know what, Glenn Beck has been in communication with this terrorist organization. With this four-word change they now cannot only go into the NRA without a warrant, no judge involved,
on the president's word, they can go and take all Internet records and seize them, plus this new change in the law would force the NRA or me, my company, to not be able -- we would be bound by law,
we would not be able to disclose that the government had just done that. So they could come in
and take all of my e-mail, all of my Internet records, everything, seize it, and I couldn't come on the air the next day and say the government has taken everything. Four words changed in a law.
That's what they are trying to do today.
[NOTE: Transcript may have been edited to enhance readability - audio archive includes full
segment as it was originally aired]
http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/43615/
Audio Available: July 29, 2010
GLENN: Yesterday we found out that the SEC no longer has to take any Freedom of Information Act seriously. They don't have to, they don't have to respond to it. The SEC in the new financial regulation, the SEC does not have to respond to freedom information. So in other words, they can come
in and close down a business that they find dangerous, that they deem dangerous, they can close them down. These are the people that should have caught Bernie Madoff but did not. These are the people that should
have been looking into Freddie and Fannie but were not. These are the people that oversee all mergers, all acquisitions. These are the people for the antitrust. This is, this is the big agency that is supposed to
be the watchdog. They no longer have to respond to press inquiries.
Now, when we pushed them on this yesterday, their response was, well, but all the rules haven't been written yet.
This is just what the new financial regulation says, but the regulations haven't been imposed or put in yet. That's left to Cass Sunstein.
So now we have this from the SEC that we told you yesterday. Now here is even more disturbing news. They are trying to change four words in an existing law, and mark my words: This will happen.
They are trying to change now four words in the existing law that this existing law stops people from going in and seizing Internet records. Now, let me give you a scenario. Let's say my company, Mercury, where we have Internet records, you know, for all of our business. We also have all of our e-mails and everything else. Let's just say that the government
decides that I'm a threat to the United States and that there is some sort of, you know, "Well, Glenn Beck has been communicating with a gentleman in Canada and this gentleman in Canada has ties to a terrorist organization." Remember, they get to define a terrorist organization.
Here, let me use a better one. An NRA member uses their gun and shoots something. The United States government decides that they are going to make the NRA a terrorist organization. Don't think they wouldn't do it. They make the NRA a terrorist organization. Now, anybody who has contributed to the NRA could be in theory scooped up and held indefinitely without a
trial or a warrant. We already have that one going. They are already arguing for these things right now. It's how they define terrorist.
So let's say I'm -- because I write a letter to Wayne La Pierre and he writes me back, they say, you know what, Glenn Beck has been in communication with this terrorist organization. With this four-word change they now cannot only go into the NRA without a warrant, no judge involved,
on the president's word, they can go and take all Internet records and seize them, plus this new change in the law would force the NRA or me, my company, to not be able -- we would be bound by law,
we would not be able to disclose that the government had just done that. So they could come in
and take all of my e-mail, all of my Internet records, everything, seize it, and I couldn't come on the air the next day and say the government has taken everything. Four words changed in a law.
That's what they are trying to do today.
[NOTE: Transcript may have been edited to enhance readability - audio archive includes full
segment as it was originally aired]
http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/43615/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)