Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Andrea Mitchell Struggles To Respond To Claim Obama Outsourced Jobs Via Stimulus

Andrea Mitchell Struggles To Respond To Claim Obama Outsourced Jobs Via Stimulus | RealClearPolitics
Sununu: [laughing] You're struggling, Andrea. You're struggling.

Mitchell: First of all, these are competing claims and we will get back to you with all of the numbers.

CBO: Top earners pay 68 percent of tax burden

CBO: Top earners pay 68 percent of tax burden | The Daily Caller
The top 20 percent of earners — the top quintile — bore 67.9 percent of the federal tax burden in 2009. The middle quintile paid 9.4 percent, while the lowest paid .03 percent of the federal tax burden.

Report: Thousands fled Canada for health care in 2011

Report: Thousands fled Canada for health care in 2011 | The Daily Caller
The nonpartisan Fraser Institute reported that 46,159 Canadians sought medical treatment outside of Canada in 2011, as wait times increased 104 percent — more than double — compared with statistics from 1993.
Specialist physicians surveyed across 12 specialties and 10 provinces reported an average total wait time of 19 weeks between the time a general practitioner refers a patient and the time a specialist provides elective treatment — the longest they have ever recorded.

Strategic Shopping: A Month-by-Month Analysis

Strategic Shopping: A Month-by-Month Analysis

6 charts that show the Welfare State run amok

6 charts that show the Welfare State run amok | AEIdeas

San Bernardino seeks bankruptcy protection

San Bernardino seeks bankruptcy protection - latimes.com
San Bernardino on Tuesday became the third California city in less than a month to seek bankruptcy protection, with officials saying the financial situation had become so dire that it could not cover payroll through the summer.

2012 7 10 Courts Public safety

Don't panic yet: The Detroit Free Press isn't closing, but a major change is afoot

Don't panic yet: The Detroit Free Press isn't closing, but a major change is afoot | Crain's Detroit Business
The company will have to tell the U.S. Department of Justice, though, before it can do anything radical.

The Free Press and Detroit News are linked at the hip via a 25-year joint operating agreement signed in 2005 to handle as one business unit the advertising, printing and distribution of the papers.
Under a federal law from the 1970s aimed to preserving newspapers, owners have to inform the feds when significantly changing or terminating a Justice Department-approved JOA.
The Detroit JOA, according to its terms (I have a copy) can be dissolved starting in August 2015 if the newspapers are both unprofitable – what the document calls "newspaper operating losses" sustained by the partnership.

The Eternal Stupidity of Liberalism

The Eternal Stupidity of Liberalism
Consider along these lines the spectacular failures of the USSR, Cuba, China’s communist regime, North Korea, etc.
In fact, there is no country which committed itself to a major socialist or communist makeover that did not thereafter implode.
Further, when Liberalism is applied to other areas of inquiry, the outcome is equally bad—such as so called “family planning,” etc.
So if liberalism is failure incarnate, why the perpetual slavering supplication of its blind, deaf and dumb followers?
Therein lies the mystery.

Microsoft’s Downfall: Inside the Executive E-mails and Cannibalistic Culture That Felled a Tech Giant

Microsoft’s Downfall: Inside the Executive E-mails and Cannibalistic Culture That Felled a Tech Giant
Today, a single Apple product—the iPhone—generates more revenue than all of Microsoft’s wares combined.

Conservatives Are Happier, and Extremists Are Happiest of All

Conservatives Are Happier, and Extremists Are Happiest of All - NYTimes.com
WHO is happier about life — liberals or conservatives?
The answer might seem straightforward. After all, there is an entire academic literature in the social sciences dedicated to showing conservatives as naturally authoritarian, dogmatic, intolerant of ambiguity, fearful of threat and loss, low in self-esteem and uncomfortable with complex modes of thinking.
And it was the candidate Barack Obama in 2008 who infamously labeled blue-collar voters “bitter,” as they “cling to guns or religion.”

Obviously, liberals must be happier, right?
Wrong.

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: U.S. pushes for more scientists, but the jobs aren’t there.

Instapundit » Blog Archive » HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: U.S. pushes for more scientists, but the jobs aren’t there.
 As noted here earlier, we don’t need more scientists, we need better ones.
“I was talking with someone the other day who advanced the proposition that there are probably only 50 really first-rate scientific minds produced in the United States every year.
And then came the question:
Does the current system of training and funding scientists encourage those 50 to stay in the game, or to find something else to do?”

Pennsylvania city workers to take mayor to court over across-the-board minimum wage salaries

Pennsylvania city workers to take mayor to court over across-the-board minimum wage salaries | Fox News
Employees of a Pennsylvania city, who have all seen their salaries cut to minimum wage as the mayor grapples with budget problems, are hoping a judge restores their paychecks in full.

NAACP Requires Photo I.D. to See Holder Speak in State Being Sued Over Voter ID

NAACP Requires Photo I.D. to See Holder Speak in State Being Sued Over Voter ID - Katie Pavlich
Earlier today, Attorney General Eric Holder addressed the NAACP Nation Convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.
What did media need in order to attend? That's right, government issued photo identification (and a second form of identification too!), something both Holder and the NAACP stand firmly against when it comes to voting.
Holder's DOJ is currently suing Texas for "discriminatory" voter ID laws. From the press release:
All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) as well as valid media credentials. Members of the media must RSVP to receive press credentials at http://action.naacp.org/page/s/registration.
For security purposes, media check-in and equipment set up must be completed by 7:45 a.m. CDT for an 8:00 a.m. CDT security sweep.
Once the security sweep is completed, additional media equipment will NOT be permitted to enter and swept equipment will NOT be permitted to exit.

Ironically, NAACP President Ben Jealous railed against voter ID just before Holder took the stage.

2012-7-10 Human Resources

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Muskegon County Board of Commissioners

Muskegon County Board of Commissioners:
MEETING NOTICE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE MUSKEGON COUNTY BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS ON THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2012, 3:30 P.M., BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ROOM, 4TH FLOOR, MICHAEL E. KOBZA HALL OF JUSTICE, 990 TERRACE STREET, MUSKEGON, MI 49442.
MARVIN ENGLE, CHAIRMAN
BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS
POSTED: 7-9-12, 10:00 A.M.

Steps in the double-talk direction

Steps in the double-talk direction - NYPOST.com
Our president has a funny way with words when it comes to describing the lousy economy.
Even for an election year, some of his whoppers would be laughable — if they weren’t coming from a man who wants to remain in charge of the country and its floundering economy for another four years

EyeOnMuskegon 7-8-2012 Primary election review

EyeOnMuskegon 7-8-2012

With Andy Fink and Sean Mullalley!

Santelli: 'Euro Titanic' Hits the Iceberg

Santelli: 'Euro Titanic' Hits the Iceberg
Nigel Farage, UK Independence Party leader, discusses Europe's looming fiscal crisis, and the problems with bailouts, with CNBC's Rick Santelli.

Monday, July 09, 2012

UN Report Pushes Global Taxes to Fight Poverty

UN Report Pushes Global Taxes to Fight Poverty
The United Nations continues to reveal itself as the main advocate and vehicle for global government, this time by pushing for a global tax on the wealthy to finance development and other needs worldwide, including so-called climate change.
The “billionaires' tax,” as its been dubbed, has been proposed by the UN's World Economic Social Survey (WESS), which asserts that it will raise nearly $400 billion a year. UN officials claim that such a tax is necessary to push the global body’s agenda “in the midst of difficult financial times.” Survey author Rob Vos, director of the UN's Development Policy and Analysis Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, declared in a statement,
Donor countries have fallen well short of their aid commitments and development assistance declined last year because of budget cuts, increasing the shortfall to $167 billion.
Although donors must meet their commitments, it is time to look for other ways to find resources to finance development needs and address growing global challenges, such as combating climate change.
We are suggesting various ways to tap resources through international mechanisms, such as coordinated taxes on carbon emissions, air traffic, and financial and currency transactions.
This year’s WESS includes provisions for a currency transaction tax of .005 percent, to be imposed on all trading of the U.S. dollar, the euro, the yen, and the pound sterling.
CNS News provides some background:
The European Union’s executive Commission has proposed the introduction of such a tax — 0.1 percent for shares and bonds and 0.01 percent for derivatives — in the 27-member union with effect from January 1, 2014, an initiative expected to raise just over $70 billion a year. The WESS says a portion of that could be earmarked for international cooperation.

Don't panic yet: The Detroit Free Press isn't closing, but a major change is afoot

Don't panic yet: The Detroit Free Press isn't closing, but a major change is afoot | Crain's Detroit Business

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Scott Walker Prepares To Reform Higher Education

Instapundit » Blog Archive » HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE
Scott Walker Prepares To Reform Higher Education. Walter Russell Mead comments:
Change has to come.
After World War Two the United States built its modern university system by extending a model that was originally intended to groom the sons of a social elite to succeed their fathers as government and business leaders to manage the preparation of tens of millions of people for the business of life.
The template doesn’t work in many cases, and the result increasingly is that training and job preparation takes too long and costs too much.
The problem isn’t that America has “too much” education.
The problem is that a 21st century society needs to be able to teach more skills to more people at a much lower cost and in much less time than our 20th century institutions can manage.
It’s really that simple.

The most urgent business of a state university system at this point must be to reform and improve the kind of education (in many cases, training) that can enable the state’s citizens of any and every age to acquire skills and prepare themselves to flourish in a rapidly changing economy.

Sunday, July 08, 2012

Michigan State Students React To New Bridge Card Regulations

Unemployment Rate Dropped In Every State That Elected A Republican Gov. In 2010

Unemployment Rate Dropped In Every State That Elected A Republican Gov. In 2010

In 2010, influenced by the Tea Party and its focus on fiscal issues, 17 states elected Republican governors. And, according to an Examiner.com analysis, every one of those states saw a drop in their unemployment rates since January of 2011. Furthermore, the average drop in the unemployment rate in these states was 1.35%, compared to the national decline of .9%, which means, according to the analysis, that the job market in these Republican states is improving 50% faster than the national rate.

Since January of 2011, here is how much the unemployment rate declined in each of the 17 states that elected Republican governors in 2010, according to the Examiner:
Kansas - 6.9% to 6.1% = a decline of 0.8%
Maine - 8.0% to 7.4% = a decline of 0.6%
Michigan - 10.9% to 8.5% = a decline of 2.4%
New Mexico - 7.7% to 6.7% = a decline of 1.0%
Oklahoma - 6.2% to 4.8% = a decline of 1.4%
Pennsylvania - 8.0% to 7.4% = a decline of 0.6%
Tennessee - 9.5% to 7.9% = a decline of 1.6%
Wisconsin - 7.7% to 6.8% = a decline of 0.9%
Wyoming - 6.3% to 5.2% = a decline of 1.1%
Alabama - 9.3% to 7.4% = a decline of 1.9%
Georgia - 10.1% to 8.9% = a decline of 1.2%
South Carolina - 10.6% to 9.1% = a decline of 1.5%
South Dakota - 5.0% to 4.3% = a decline of 0.7%
Florida - 10.9% to 8.6% = a decline of 2.3%
Nevada - 13.8% to 11.6% = a decline of 2.2%
Iowa - 6.1% to 5.1% = a decline of 1.0%
Ohio - 9.0% to 7.3% = a decline of 1.7%
On the other hand, the unemployment rate in states that elected Democrats in 2010 dropped, on average, as much as the national rate decline and, in some states such as New York, the unemployment rate has risen since January of 2011.
This is yet another example of how the so-called “blue state” model is not working.

EyeOnMuskegon-Today 8:30-10:00am!

EyeOnMuskegon Sunday morning 8:30!
Learn or burn!
The Aug 7 primary election is already under way with absentee ballots being submitted every day.
If you want your vote to count for county sheriff, prosecutor or 3 of the 9 county commissioners, Aug 7 is it baby cuz the primary victors have no Nov. challengers.
Winner takes all in August!
And 6 fine folks want to become our next circuit court judge with only 2 going on after Aug. 7.
We'll have a round table discussion about these big elections with democrat up and comer Sean Mullally and Muskegon GOP vice-chairman Andy Fink.
And me Jim Riley.
So learn about which candidate deserves your important vote Sunday morning 8:30-10 at EyeOnMuskegon.
Listen on WKBZ 1090AM or check us out online at http://www.newstalk1090.com/main.html
Or catch us later in the day on the internet at EyeOnMuskegon.com

U.S. pushes for more scientists, but the jobs aren’t there

U.S. pushes for more scientists, but the jobs aren’t there - The Washington Post
That reality runs counter to messages sent by President Obama and the National Science Foundation and other influential groups, who in recent years have called for U.S. universities to churn out more scientists.

Montague to hold brainstorming session about the city's future

Montague to hold brainstorming session about the city's future | MLive.com
Think you know what would make Montague a better city?
The time to speak up is now.
A meeting to get public input on the city’s recreation and master plans is scheduled for 7 p.m. July 23, with a “meet and greet” starting at 6:30 p.m. at city hall, 8778 Ferry.
If there are enough participants, people will break into small groups to discuss their ideas for the city’s future, Montague Zoning Administrator Matt Miller said.
“Hopefully we’ll have a good attendance,” he said. “You never know, doing it at the end of July.”

Big upset at cherry-pit spitting contest in Michigan

Big upset at cherry-pit spitting contest in Michigan | MLive.com
There was a big upset at the annual International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship in southwestern Michigan.
For the first time in 20 years, the winner was not named Krause or Lessard.

Saturday, July 07, 2012

Summit set to address “Politics of Race”

Summit set to address “Politics of Race” - Holland, MI - The Holland Sentinel
Is the tea party racist?
That’s one of the questions a panel will explore at next week’s “Politics of Race” summit — hosted by the Ottawa County Patriots themselves.

The group’s founder, Jim Chiodo, was inspired to organize the event, in part, because of the “racial divide” caused by the Trayvon Martin case and its subsequent media coverage, he said.
“I’ve noticed when somebody’s political opinion is different than yours, and they don’t have a logical argument, they fall back on name-calling,” including using terms such as “racist,” Chiodo said.

The panel discussion will be 7-9 p.m. Wednesday (July 11) at the Howard Miller Library, 14 S. Church St., in Zeeland. Doors open at 6:15.

California high-speed rail gets green light

News from The Associated Press
Senate Republicans blasted the decision, citing the state's ongoing budget problems.
They said project would push California over a fiscal cliff. No GOP senators voted for the bill Friday.
The final cost of the completed project from Los Angeles to San Francisco is projected to be $68 billion.