Thursday, September 08, 2011
State launches $2.4 million Pure Michigan fall campaign
State launches $2.4 million Pure Michigan fall campaign MLive.com#comments
This week, the state's nearly $2.4 million Pure Michigan fall campaign will hit the airwaves.
The television and radio ads, including seven partner ads, will air regionally and statewide through early October.
The tall ad budget includes $295,000 in funding committed by private sector partners as part of the Travel Michigan Ad Partnership Program
I love the ads and I hear they are effective.
But why is the state funding ads for private businesses?
If the ads are so effective, why wouldn't the private companies run own?
And save the state the money of producing them?
This week, the state's nearly $2.4 million Pure Michigan fall campaign will hit the airwaves.
The television and radio ads, including seven partner ads, will air regionally and statewide through early October.
The tall ad budget includes $295,000 in funding committed by private sector partners as part of the Travel Michigan Ad Partnership Program
I love the ads and I hear they are effective.
But why is the state funding ads for private businesses?
If the ads are so effective, why wouldn't the private companies run own?
And save the state the money of producing them?
Longshoremen storm Wash. state port, damage RR
Longshoremen storm Wash. state port, damage RR - Yahoo! News
LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) —
Hundreds of Longshoremen stormed the Port of Longview early Thursday, overpowered and held security guards, damaged railroad cars, and dumped grain that is the center of a labor dispute, said Longview Police Chief Jim Duscha.
Six guards were held hostage for a couple of hours after 500 or more Longshoremen broke down gates about 4:30 a.m. and smashed windows in the guard shack, he said.
No one was hurt, and nobody has been arrested.
Most of the protesters returned to their union hall after cutting brake lines and spilling grain from car at the EGT terminal, Duscha said.
LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) —
Hundreds of Longshoremen stormed the Port of Longview early Thursday, overpowered and held security guards, damaged railroad cars, and dumped grain that is the center of a labor dispute, said Longview Police Chief Jim Duscha.
Six guards were held hostage for a couple of hours after 500 or more Longshoremen broke down gates about 4:30 a.m. and smashed windows in the guard shack, he said.
No one was hurt, and nobody has been arrested.
Most of the protesters returned to their union hall after cutting brake lines and spilling grain from car at the EGT terminal, Duscha said.
Anne Jolis: The Other Climate Theory - WSJ.com
Anne Jolis: The Other Climate Theory - WSJ.com: This seems wise: In July, CERN Director General Rolf-Dieter Heuer told Die Welt that he was asking his researchers to make the forthcoming cloud-chamber results "clear, however, not to interpret them. This would go immediately into the highly political arena of the climate-change debate."
But while the cosmic-ray theory has been ridiculed from the start by those who subscribe to the anthropogenic-warming theory, both Mr. Kirkby and Mr. Svensmark hold that human activity is contributing to climate change. All they question is its importance relative to other, natural factors.
But while the cosmic-ray theory has been ridiculed from the start by those who subscribe to the anthropogenic-warming theory, both Mr. Kirkby and Mr. Svensmark hold that human activity is contributing to climate change. All they question is its importance relative to other, natural factors.
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
No Paper Or Plastic? LA Shoppers Wary Of Proposed ‘Nightmare’ Ban
No Paper Or Plastic? LA Shoppers Wary Of Proposed ‘Nightmare’ Ban « CBS Los Angeles
An effort to allow only reusable bags at Los Angeles grocery stores may sound like a political long-shot, but one city councilman thinks the public will eventually warm up to the initiative
An effort to allow only reusable bags at Los Angeles grocery stores may sound like a political long-shot, but one city councilman thinks the public will eventually warm up to the initiative
Single molecule is tiniest electric motor ever
Single molecule is tiniest electric motor ever - tech - 05 September 2011 - New Scientist
For the first time, an electric motor has been made from a single molecule.
At 1 nanometre long, that makes the organic compound the smallest electric motor ever.
Its creators plan to submit their design to Guinness World Records, but the teeny motor could also have practical applications, such as pushing fluid through narrow pipes in "lab-on-a-chip" devices.
For the first time, an electric motor has been made from a single molecule.
At 1 nanometre long, that makes the organic compound the smallest electric motor ever.
Its creators plan to submit their design to Guinness World Records, but the teeny motor could also have practical applications, such as pushing fluid through narrow pipes in "lab-on-a-chip" devices.
Less Than 0.001 Percent of Tenured Teachers Fired Over Past Five Years
Less Than 0.001 Percent of Tenured Teachers Fired Over Past Five Years [Michigan Capitol Confidential]: Harbor Beach Community Schools paid one teacher tens of thousands of dollars to leave, despite the teacher getting caught kissing some students and head-locking one after being confronted for his behavior.
Dearborn Public Schools paid four teachers a total of $197,353 to get rid of them after charges of sexual misconduct and possession of illegal substances on school grounds.
Gladwin Community Schools has dished out about $40,000 thus far in a legal case against a kindergarten teacher arraigned on charges of furnishing alcohol for minors
Dearborn Public Schools paid four teachers a total of $197,353 to get rid of them after charges of sexual misconduct and possession of illegal substances on school grounds.
Gladwin Community Schools has dished out about $40,000 thus far in a legal case against a kindergarten teacher arraigned on charges of furnishing alcohol for minors
Local Government Employee Union Contracts for Every Michigan County and 28 Largest Municipalities
Local Government Employee Union Contracts for Every Michigan County and 28 Largest Municipalities ... [Mackinac Center]
Collective bargaining agreements for all 83 Michigan counties and the state’s 28 largest municipalities (cities and townships) are now compiled and available online, Mackinac Center Director of Labor Policy Paul Kersey announced today.
The database contains contracts for nearly every collective bargaining unit in these locales.
“Union contracts are one of the biggest drivers of the cost of government in Michigan,” said Kersey.
“But the public is rarely — if ever — told what all the terms are, or what the contracts are like for nearby communities.
This new database will allow residents to see the compensation and work rules for their local government employees and compare those with neighboring or similar communities.
It will be a great tool for taxpayers who want to hold their local elected officials accountable.”
Collective bargaining agreements for all 83 Michigan counties and the state’s 28 largest municipalities (cities and townships) are now compiled and available online, Mackinac Center Director of Labor Policy Paul Kersey announced today.
The database contains contracts for nearly every collective bargaining unit in these locales.
“Union contracts are one of the biggest drivers of the cost of government in Michigan,” said Kersey.
“But the public is rarely — if ever — told what all the terms are, or what the contracts are like for nearby communities.
This new database will allow residents to see the compensation and work rules for their local government employees and compare those with neighboring or similar communities.
It will be a great tool for taxpayers who want to hold their local elected officials accountable.”
Wasserman Schultz: "Republicans Who Think The Recovery Act Didn't Work Are Wrong"
Wasserman Schultz: "Republicans Who Think The Recovery Act Didn't Work Are Wrong" | RealClearPolitics http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/09/06/wasserman_schultz_republicans_who_think_the_recovery_act_didnt_work_are_wrong.html
Alcoholic truck drivers are now a protected class!
TigerHawk:
Catch-22 watch: Alcoholic truck drivers are now a protected class!
In more good news for employers worried about liability, the Obama administration has set up yet another Catch-22 for business:
The federal government has sued a major trucking company for its firing of driver with an admitted alcohol abuse problem.
Alcoholism is classified as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the suit maintains, and therefore employees cannot be prohibited even from driving 18 wheelers due to their histories of abuse.
Presumably this rationale equally applies to oil tanker captains, bus drivers, airline pilots, and neurosurgeons.
Yet again, business has to choose between managing tort liability and navigating federal regulation that makes it much harder to... manage tort liability.
Not to mention actually, you know, doing business.
Catch-22 watch: Alcoholic truck drivers are now a protected class!
In more good news for employers worried about liability, the Obama administration has set up yet another Catch-22 for business:
The federal government has sued a major trucking company for its firing of driver with an admitted alcohol abuse problem.
Alcoholism is classified as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the suit maintains, and therefore employees cannot be prohibited even from driving 18 wheelers due to their histories of abuse.
Presumably this rationale equally applies to oil tanker captains, bus drivers, airline pilots, and neurosurgeons.
Yet again, business has to choose between managing tort liability and navigating federal regulation that makes it much harder to... manage tort liability.
Not to mention actually, you know, doing business.
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Wither American Working Man?
Pension Pulse: Wither American Working Man?
It's absolutely scandalous that the richest country in the world has 46 million people collecting food stamps.
And behind the 9.1% headline unemployment there is the real unemployment scandal that nobody wants to talk about.
Black unemployment surged to 16.7% in August, its highest level since 1984, while the unemployment rate for whites fell slightly to 8%.
And if you think that's scandalous, the unemployment rate for disabled people, including disabled veterans, remains outrageously high -- multiples of the black unemployment rate.
It's absolutely scandalous that the richest country in the world has 46 million people collecting food stamps.
And behind the 9.1% headline unemployment there is the real unemployment scandal that nobody wants to talk about.
Black unemployment surged to 16.7% in August, its highest level since 1984, while the unemployment rate for whites fell slightly to 8%.
And if you think that's scandalous, the unemployment rate for disabled people, including disabled veterans, remains outrageously high -- multiples of the black unemployment rate.
Have public unions failed the public?
telegraphjournal.com - Have public unions failed the public? Bill tufts and Lee Fairbanks - Breaking News, New Brunswick, Canada
In this century, however, the labour movement has morphed into a protection group focused on extracting more money from taxpayers.
In this century, however, the labour movement has morphed into a protection group focused on extracting more money from taxpayers.
The President's (Latest) Hypocrisy
The President's (Latest) Hypocrisy - 620 WTMJ
It’s an old story by now:
the president speaks out in favor of civility in public discourse when it advances his aims and ambitions.
But he’s quite comfortable with violent rhetoric when it serves his political interests and when it’s used by his political allies.
There are many ways to describe the character and integrity of a man who follows such an approach — and none of them are terribly impressive or particularly honorable.
It’s an old story by now:
the president speaks out in favor of civility in public discourse when it advances his aims and ambitions.
But he’s quite comfortable with violent rhetoric when it serves his political interests and when it’s used by his political allies.
There are many ways to describe the character and integrity of a man who follows such an approach — and none of them are terribly impressive or particularly honorable.
The Unsustainable Cost of Local Pensions
The American Spectator : The Unsustainable Cost of Local Pensions
In the county seat of Erie, taxpayers have seen the city's pension deficit increase by a 12-fold between 2003 and 2007 to $22 million.
In the county seat of Erie, taxpayers have seen the city's pension deficit increase by a 12-fold between 2003 and 2007 to $22 million.
A State of Total Insanity
Articles: A State of Total Insanity
It turns out that the chief psychologist for the state's prison system earned $838,706 -- last year alone!
To be precise, the shrink earned somewhere between $261,408 and $308,640 in salary, with the remainder coming from bonuses or cashing in unused sick leave.
This is not an anomalous case
It turns out that the chief psychologist for the state's prison system earned $838,706 -- last year alone!
To be precise, the shrink earned somewhere between $261,408 and $308,640 in salary, with the remainder coming from bonuses or cashing in unused sick leave.
This is not an anomalous case
Central Falls Set to File Bankruptcy Exit Plan; 50% Pension Reductions, 40% Slash in Police and Fire Budgets Coming Up
Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis: Central Falls Set to File Bankruptcy Exit Plan; 50% Pension Reductions, 40% Slash in Police and Fire Budgets Coming Up
Flanders has already ordered reductions of up to 50% in Central Falls retirees’ pensions and suggested he will need to slash the police and fire budgets by 40%.
Flanders has already ordered reductions of up to 50% in Central Falls retirees’ pensions and suggested he will need to slash the police and fire budgets by 40%.
Entitlements strangling U.S. economy
Columnists Entitlements strangling U.S. economy The Detroit News
Often you can't get a good thing without paying a bad price.
A prime example is Social Security.
It has been completely successful in wiping out poverty among the elderly.
Old ladies no longer have to eat cat food to survive.
But we pay some prices for this.
One is a lower savings rate.
China has a humongous savings rate in part because it has no reliable old-age pension system.
People have to save if they don't want to starve.
In the United States, we got out of the habit of saving.
Often you can't get a good thing without paying a bad price.
A prime example is Social Security.
It has been completely successful in wiping out poverty among the elderly.
Old ladies no longer have to eat cat food to survive.
But we pay some prices for this.
One is a lower savings rate.
China has a humongous savings rate in part because it has no reliable old-age pension system.
People have to save if they don't want to starve.
In the United States, we got out of the habit of saving.
Smaller millage for Egelston Township fire station will be before voters in November
Smaller millage for Egelston Township fire station will be before voters in November MLive.com
Often millage rates drop as overall taxable value of property in a municipality increases over time.
Often millage rates drop as overall taxable value of property in a municipality increases over time.
Larry J. Sabato: The 2012 Election Will Come Down to Seven States
Larry J. Sabato: The 2012 Election Will Come Down to Seven States - WSJ.com
That's why seven super-swing states with 85 electors will determine which party gets to the magic number of 270 electoral votes:
Colorado (9), Florida (29), Iowa (6), Nevada (6), New Hampshire (4), Ohio (18) and Virginia (13).
That's why seven super-swing states with 85 electors will determine which party gets to the magic number of 270 electoral votes:
Colorado (9), Florida (29), Iowa (6), Nevada (6), New Hampshire (4), Ohio (18) and Virginia (13).
Monday, September 05, 2011
New radio show in Muskegon!
Muskegon Taxpayers Alliance: New radio show in Muskegon!
"I will be focusing on Michigan and Muskegon politics and how the decisions of our political leaders affects us here in Muskegon.
And the decisions they've made lately have gotten us in big trouble."
Eye On Muskegon
With your host
"The Mouth of Muskegon"
Jim Riley
Every Sunday morning 9-10
WKBZ-1090 AM
The Talk of Muskegon
"I will be focusing on Michigan and Muskegon politics and how the decisions of our political leaders affects us here in Muskegon.
And the decisions they've made lately have gotten us in big trouble."
Eye On Muskegon
With your host
"The Mouth of Muskegon"
Jim Riley
Every Sunday morning 9-10
WKBZ-1090 AM
The Talk of Muskegon
Support workers, not pushy unions on this Labor Day
Support workers, not pushy unions on this Labor Day BrainerdDispatch.com Brainerd, Minnesota
But let’s question the premise behind the push.
For although unions may be good for a worker, singular, they are not always good for workers, plural.
But let’s question the premise behind the push.
For although unions may be good for a worker, singular, they are not always good for workers, plural.
Marco Rubio's Courageous Speech
Marco Rubio's Courageous Speech - Star Parker - Townhall Conservative
He had the temerity to suggest that the huge growth in government’s role in American life over the last century “actually weakened us as a people.”
He had the temerity to suggest that the huge growth in government’s role in American life over the last century “actually weakened us as a people.”
Gurcharan Das on Anna Hazare's Anticorruption Campaign
Gurcharan Das on Anna Hazare's Anticorruption Campaign - WSJ.com
A series of corruption scandals has swept India over the past year.
These include graft-ridden purchases for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, for which rolls of toilet paper were purchased for $80 each; the government's sale to favored companies of licenses for the mobile-phone spectrum, at prices so low that they are estimated to have lost taxpayers somewhere between $10 billion and $40 billion; and the grabbing of expensive apartments in Mumbai by politicians, officials and generals on prime property that was meant for war widows
It happens here in the USA too.
Be ever vigilant!
A series of corruption scandals has swept India over the past year.
These include graft-ridden purchases for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, for which rolls of toilet paper were purchased for $80 each; the government's sale to favored companies of licenses for the mobile-phone spectrum, at prices so low that they are estimated to have lost taxpayers somewhere between $10 billion and $40 billion; and the grabbing of expensive apartments in Mumbai by politicians, officials and generals on prime property that was meant for war widows
It happens here in the USA too.
Be ever vigilant!
Command Cops in Sterling Heights: $119k Average Pay – Demand Labor Arbitration in Dispute with City
Command Cops in Sterling Heights: $119k Average Pay – Demand Labor Arbitration in Dispute with City [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
A Sterling Heights police union with 35 members averaged a gross salary of $119,000 this year and has refused to make any contract concessions – choosing instead to take the dispute to arbitration.
Ain't labor unions great?
A Sterling Heights police union with 35 members averaged a gross salary of $119,000 this year and has refused to make any contract concessions – choosing instead to take the dispute to arbitration.
Ain't labor unions great?
Gas Prices Rise Before Labor Day Weekend
Gas Prices Rise Before Labor Day Weekend « CBS Baltimore
It’s a dollar more a gallon compared to Labor Day 2010.
It’s a dollar more a gallon compared to Labor Day 2010.
From blight to habitat: U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow sees federal dollars pay for Saginaw neighborhood revitalization
From blight to habitat: U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow sees federal dollars pay for Saginaw neighborhood revitalization MLive.com
At 816 S. Park, for example, the first visit on the senator’s tour, the home cost $131,000 to renovate, according to city figures.
The home sold for $34,900, Collier said.
What a concept!
Spend $131,000 of other-people's-money and sell the home for $34,900!
How long can that "business plan" continue?
At 816 S. Park, for example, the first visit on the senator’s tour, the home cost $131,000 to renovate, according to city figures.
The home sold for $34,900, Collier said.
What a concept!
Spend $131,000 of other-people's-money and sell the home for $34,900!
How long can that "business plan" continue?
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