U.S. gave up billions in tax money in deal for Citigroup's bailout repayment

U.S. gave up billions in tax money in deal for Citigroup's bailout repayment
"The federal government quietly agreed to forgo billions of dollars in potential tax payments from Citigroup as part of the deal announced this week to wean the company from the massive taxpayer bailout that helped it survive the financial crisis.....
"The government is consciously forfeiting future tax revenues.
It's another form of assistance, maybe not as obvious as direct assistance but certainly another form," said Robert Willens, an expert on tax accounting who runs a firm of the same name.
"I've been doing taxes for almost 40 years, and I've never seen anything like this, where the IRS and Treasury acted unilaterally on so many fronts."

College Basketball: Highlights and lowlights of the decade - SI.com

The Decade in Sports - SI.com

"BEST SCHOOL: Michigan State

It's hard to go against North Carolina, which went to four Final Fours and won two titles, or Florida, which in 2006-07 became college basketball's first repeat champion in 15 years.
But while the Spartans only won a single championship (in 2000), they also went to four Final Fours.
Moreover, unlike the other two candidates, the Spartans made the NCAA tournament every year this decade.
That is a remarkable achievement in an era when
the best teams so frequently lose young players to the pros."

How lucky we are to have Coach Izzo!

(HT Son-of-MO)

Rep. Valentine's "massacre" of responsibility

West Michigan Reform Review
"State Rep. Mary Valentine (D-
Norton Shores) was one of the few
members who didn’t bother to vote
on a key “Race to the Top”
proposal in the House Education
Committee
this week.
She was present for the
vote, but simply stated “present”
when her name was called out."

And this "bought-and-paid-for" politician wants to be our next state senator? (replacing Jerry Van Woerkom)

Do we really need another apparatchik from the big teacher's union making decisions for us little folks?

(HT OldBlevins)

Report: Nearly 50 percent of Detroit's working-age population is unemployed

Report: Nearly 50 percent of Detroit's working-age population is unemployed
"'Michigan's unemployment rate is 15 percent;
Detroit is 30 percent reported but in reality it's probably close to 50 percent,' Bing told a group as he pitched for aid."

A few observations:
* Imagine the unemployment rate if all those with the wherewithal to leave were still in Detroit...unemployed.
* Read the comments below the article. Not too much love for Detroit or Detroiters.
* Mayor Bing has a fabulous "new" idea to pull Detroit out of its misery.....more of our money. That'll work....right?

(HT Atlanta Lou)

Don’t Cry For Me, America

The Greenroom » Forum Archive » Don’t Cry For Me, America
"In the early 20th century, Argentina was one of the richest countries in the world.
While Great Britain’s maritime power and its far-flung empire had propelled it to a dominant position among the world’s industrialized nations, only the United States challenged Argentina for the position of the world’s second-most powerful economy.........

....In 1902 Argentina was one of the world’s richest countries.

Little more than a hundred years later, it is poverty-stricken, struggling to meet its debt obligations amidst a drought.."

You MUST read this!

(HT Grampa)

Ripping YOU off!

Champion News - Setting the Standard
"One More Reason Why Illinois Needs A 'Fairness In Compensation Act.'

I recently received, via a Freedom of Information Act request, a copy of the most recent teachers' contract with High School District 214 in Arlington Heights, Illinois (see contract here).
What I found was 67 pages of gifts for the teachers at the direct expense of the taxpayers.
This document represents the definition of 'special interests'."

Just some examples.
Read them all and pay up... or do something about now!

Contract Salaries: For 2009, $48,062 (no experience) to $113,907 (18 years or more).

Fringe benefits: Automatic salary increases of 6%/yr each of last 4 years before retirement.

Average compensation: $113,612 or $12,600/mo ($90,112+$15,000+$8500).

Probable Compensation at age 40 (18 years after college graduation): $129,977 or $14,441/mo.

Teachers Work Schedule (see contract pages 17-19):
Contract year: 185 days.
Less 4 personal days and 14 sick days = 167 work days.
Work day: 8 hrs including lunch (7 hrs and 10 minutes if you subtract lunch period)
Work day = 480 minutes broken down as follows:
Five classes/student support = 300 minutes
Fifty (50) minute lunch or free period
Fifty (50) minutes "unassigned"
Eighty (80) minutes "other"

5. Total hours worked per year = 1,197 (167 days times 7hrs and 10 minutes per day).

Read the rest of the article.
It gets worse!

Tom Izzo to Mark Dantonio: 'Keep doing what you're doing'

Tom Izzo to Mark Dantonio: 'Keep doing what you're doing'
"As of Monday afternoon, Ashton Leggett was the only player who had turned himself in. He has a pretrial set for Jan. 13 in East Lansing's 54-B District Court. None of the other eight players charged with misdemeanor assault had turned themselves into East Lansing's 54-B District Court."

Say it ain't so.....

Copenhagen climate summit: Al Gore condemned over Arctic ice melting prediction

Copenhagen climate summit: Al Gore condemned over Arctic ice melting prediction
"However, he faced embarrassment last night after Dr Wieslav Maslowski, the climatologist whose work the prediction was based on, refuted his claims.

Dr Maslowski, of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, told The Times: “It’s unclear to me how this figure was arrived at.

“I would never try to estimate likelihood at anything as exact as this.”

No mention of this on the MSM today.

But lots of tiger!

Hmmm . . . Yet Another Dry Run?: United 227 Sounds Just Like AirTran 297

Hmmm . . . Yet Another Dry Run?: United 227 Sounds Just Like AirTran 297
"For those doubters who mocked me and chose to believe a lying AirTran over passenger Tedd J. Petruna regarding what happened on AirTran Flight 297 on November 17th, you might wanna start mocking the passengers of Wednesday’s United 227, too.
Oh, and maybe you might wanna start calling former NFL coach Mike Shanahan a nut, too.
He was on the flight."

I sort of remember that the airlines promised to protect us ...waay back in ...2001 too.

City quadruples fees for beer tents

City quadruples fees for beer tents
"Concerns over a proliferation of special liquor license events in Muskegon and the strain they cause city staff have led to a quadrupling of fees for 2010.

The Muskegon City Commission this week approved a recommendation of city staff and Mayor Steve Warmington to increase basic special event fees. A temporary liquor license will cost $250 per event, up from $50 this year.

That fee is for applications more than 90 days prior to the event. Applications less than 90 days before an event would cost $350.

The $250 charge is on top of all city special event permits that cost $50 — with or without alcohol."

So it costs the city $300+ to simply process a beer tent application?

And most are repeats from last year?

Meebee we ought to do a look see into what's goin' on at the city? Or not goin' on?

Too bad our newsless "newspaper" is just too busy celebrating color comics to ask any inconvenient questions.

And weddings too!
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2009/12/wedding_on_the_beach_reserve_a.html

World equity value = US medicare debt!

(read the comment!)

2009 Worldwide Bull Market Rally: Stock Markets Gain 60%, $17 Trillion in Value Since Early 2009:


"The value of world stock markets increased by $1.6 trillion in November (data here) to $45.4 trillion, the highest level for total world stock market capitalization since August 2008 (see chart)."


This ought to be great news.
Maybe it is, if true but something got me checking out a familiar number.

$45 trillion.

I did a little checking and voila! (as Sen. John Kerry would say to his foreign comrades)

Medicare Part A has $38-45 trillion in unfunded liabilities.

And that's as of today.

And that's just medicare.

Part A.

So our US government (that's you and me folks) owes almost as much for future medicare bills as the ENTIRE value of EVERY company listed on EVERY stock exchange in the WORLD!

And Obama, Pelosi, Reid and their ilk would spend even more.

Sen. Kerry Will Travel to Copenhagen Global Warming Summit by Commercial Airliner

Sen. Kerry Will Travel to Copenhagen Global Warming Summit by Commercial Airliner
"Kerry believes that global warming is man-made and he is an advocate of the United States participating in a global agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
He backs the idea of paying billions of dollars to help “developing” countries avoid the polluting path allegedly followed by the United States and other “developed” nations"

Same article as below but remember what Kerry and his green allies really want, our money!

Taken by our government tax collectors from each of us and every employer in our country and sent to his "friends" in foreign countries.

Do we really want this to happen?

Lt. Gov. John Cherry's plan to save Michigan Promise scholarships

Lt. Gov. John Cherry's plan to save Michigan Promise scholarships: Fee for water bottlers
"Lt. Gov. John Cherry is floating a plan to save the Michigan Promise scholarship by charging companies 10 cents for every bottle of water produced in the state.
Cherry is scheduled to announce his plan during stops at Grand Rapids Community College and Michigan State University on Monday.
Cherry, who is running for governor, was not available for questions Friday.
But a statement posted on his campaign Web site said the 10-cent fee would raise $118 million.
According to the site, restoring the scholarships for 96,000 students would require $100 million.
The rest would be spent on wetlands regulations and other conservation plans."

This is gonna be great!
Cherry won't charge people or "consumers", he'll get back at those greedy companies!

And it's gonna raise even more money than the children/students need so there's gonna be enough left over for wetlands and conservation!

Wow.....I'm sure glad our Lt Governor didn't mention increasing a "tax" on a company or "price elasticity" or the relationship between goods sold and employment or other spending/saving options for the "extra $16 million.

Imagine if the incurious media (which reported this story with glowing admiration) had asked if Michigan companies really need another $116 million tax right now.......naa, that would be mean to the children and wetlands.......

If you want a fatter, more anti-business/jobs, unionist Granholm, Cherry is da man!

Sen. Kerry Will Travel to Copenhagen Global Warming Summit by Commercial Airliner

Sen. Kerry Will Travel to Copenhagen Global Warming Summit by Commercial Airliner
"Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) will travel to the United Nations global warming conference in Copenhagen, Denmark on a commercial airliner, a senior Kerry aide told CNSNews.com.

“The senator expects to travel commercially as he has to past climate conferences,” the aide said, adding that the details of Kerry’s travel arrangement were contingent upon the Senate’s schedule."

The hypocrisy and phoniness of this man, and his "green" comrades, is stunning.

And the media.......willing enablers, as ever.

Incredibly, I find myself wishing the republicans were pushing the "Gorebal Warming" religion.

At least then the media might do some fact checking and exposing of rampant duplicity.

Richard Muller: Naked Copenhagen

Richard Muller: Naked Copenhagen
"Every 10% cut in the U.S. is negated by one year of China's growth.

By 2040 China could be the most economically dominant nation on earth.
The West might be able to cajole it, but won't be able to impose sanctions on China. Temperature will be at the mercy of the newly powerful economies.

Moreover, an expensive effort to reduce Western emissions sets a worthless example.
Only emissions cuts that provide measurable economic benefit to the developing nations will be adopted by them.
If the 80% U.S. emissions cut winds up hurting the U.S. economy, it guarantees China will never follow our example.

Cheap green energy is not going to be easy.
Coal is dirt cheap, and China has been installing a new gigawatt coal plant each week—enough to supply five completely new cities the size of New York every year."

From Awful to Worse

From Awful to Worse
"In most ways, the new proposal is as terrible as Reid's original bill.
It would spend hundreds of billions on a new entitlement even as our debt is mounting, inflict massive tax increases on a troubled economy, impose costly mandates on employers at a time of high unemployment, squeeze money out of Medicare without fixing the program, insert the government in countless new ways between doctors and patients, and cause millions of middle-class families to lose the employer-based insurance they have today and pay even higher premiums.

But in one crucial respect, the new proposal is far worse than the last one."

Sarah Palin and William Shatner do dueling dramatic readings on Conan.

VIDEO: Sarah Palin and William Shatner do dueling dramatic readings on Conan.
Interestingly, Palin gets lots of applause from the Tonight Show audience."

more:
http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com/2009/12/arctic-fox-delivers-nuclear-pimp-slap.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ReaganiteRepublicanResistance+%28The+Reaganite+Republican+%29

The 40 Biggest Stinkers of the Decade (10-1) - Inside Movies

The 40 Biggest Stinkers of the Decade

Oooeeee.....

The Ten Brands That Will Disappear In 2010

The Ten Brands That Will Disappear In 2010
"24/7 Wall St. has prepared its list of the ten brands that will disappear in 2010."

A lot of familiar names.

Can the GOP Win Back the House?

Can the GOP Win Back the House?:
"Michigan 7 (Schauer), Michigan 9 (Peters)"

Two democrat Michigan Reps. at risk!

Politically Incorrect Images

Politically Incorrect Images

These are funny!

State puts Muskegon Heights on notice to eliminate debt or go into receivership

State puts Muskegon Heights on notice to eliminate debt or go into receivership
"The Michigan Treasury Department has given the city of Muskegon Heights five years to eliminate a $620,000 budget deficit or risk going into state receivership."

Former BOE Official Buiter Says Greece May Be First EU Default

Former BOE Official Buiter Says Greece May Be First EU Default
"Former Bank of England policy maker Willem Buiter said Greece may be the first major country in the European Union to default on its debts since the aftermath of World War II.
“It’s five minutes to midnight for Greece,”"

Revenge of the Computer Nerds

Revenge of the Computer Nerds
"But the real action (and the evidence for chicanery) is in the computer code obtained from the CRU.
Our own computer guru Marc Sheppard, writing for American Thinker here and here, was one of the first to offer an accurate diagnosis of this fraudulent method of computer programming.
Analyzing the code, as Marc has indicated in his work, is a complex business.
As he pleads in one article, 'please bear with me while I get a tad techie on you.'


For the layman readers of American Thinker, I want to explain in a simple manner what went on in the construction of one piece of the controversial programming."
Read this and understand the criminal hoax that AlGore and his comrades have perpetrated on the entire world.

Moody's lowers Illinois bond rating

Moody's lowers Illinois bond rating
"In a shuddering preview of what's in store for the U.S., Moody's Investor Services lowered the state of Illinois' bond ratings on Tuesday reports Karen Pierog of Reuters.

Illinois's bond ratings are now the second lowest of all 50 states, trailing only the # 1 holder of this dubious honor--California."

TIME's Top 10 Scandals of 2009 - TIME

TIME's Top 10 Scandals of 2009 - TIME

No mention of CLIMATEGATE?!!!!!!!

The TSA makes another stupid move

The Wandering Aramean: The TSA makes another stupid move
"When the TSA make mistakes this egregious it really isn’t all that hard to pick on them."

99 US Senators voted to create this abomination.
Remember that, forever!
(HT AtlantaLou)

PLUNDER: NEW BOOK EXPOSES POWER OF UNIONS

PLUNDER: NEW BOOK EXPOSES POWER OF (public sector) UNIONS
"Steven Greenhut has just released his book, aptly titled Plunder!
How Public Employee Unions Are Raiding Treasuries Controlling Our Lives and Bankrupting the Nation.

Readers who have high blood pressure are advised to take a double dose of medication before opening this book.

For the vast majority of ordinary citizens who toil in the private sector, this book will produce more than outrage – it is likely to spur many to take up the cause of stopping these corrupting influences on our systems of governance."

Mind-Blowing Airplane Stunts - Photo Gallery, 44 Pictures - LIFE

Mind-Blowing Airplane Stunts

The Obama Recovery In Full Effect: Deficits Running 25% Higher Than Highest Estimates

The Obama Recovery In Full Effect: Deficits Running 25% Higher Than Highest Estimates
"Red ink: the government is drowning in it.
The first two months of fiscal 2010 set a new record.
Curiously, this report was issued late Friday -- the slowest news day -- and it has been completely ignored by state-run media."