Sunday, January 06, 2013
Stark Evidence of US, British Naval Decline
Blog: Stark Evidence of US, British Naval Decline
"The re-emergence of what used to called "privateers" (Sir Francis Drake is the most famous example from history) is the latest sign of outsourcing or abandonment of traditional military functions by Western nations whose militaries have contracted to pinpoint-size in the wake of the growth of the modern welfare state.
Private security and private armies -- again, once known to history as "mercenaries," are another aspect of this trend."
"The re-emergence of what used to called "privateers" (Sir Francis Drake is the most famous example from history) is the latest sign of outsourcing or abandonment of traditional military functions by Western nations whose militaries have contracted to pinpoint-size in the wake of the growth of the modern welfare state.
Private security and private armies -- again, once known to history as "mercenaries," are another aspect of this trend."
MichiganVotes.org Weekly Roll Call
December 27, 2012, MichiganVotes.org Weekly Roll Call [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
Individual legislators missed 2,234 votes in 2012, according to MichiganVotes.org 'Missed Votes Report'
Individual legislators missed 2,234 votes in 2012, according to MichiganVotes.org 'Missed Votes Report'
Peg West: Our reader panel is a special Muskegon-area sounding board
Peg West: Our reader panel is a special Muskegon-area sounding board | MLive.com
One way we are doing that is through a local reader panel.
We started it last year, and like to switch it up about every six months.
Weplan to start with a new group in coming weeks.
The brainchild of our community engagement specialist, PaulaHolmes-Greeley, this panel of citizens agrees to be a sounding board for theissues of our day, and to react quickly when necessary to whatever may crop up.
They also are asked to make a special effort to participatein our comments section, and will do so by name.
One way we are doing that is through a local reader panel.
We started it last year, and like to switch it up about every six months.
Weplan to start with a new group in coming weeks.
The brainchild of our community engagement specialist, PaulaHolmes-Greeley, this panel of citizens agrees to be a sounding board for theissues of our day, and to react quickly when necessary to whatever may crop up.
They also are asked to make a special effort to participatein our comments section, and will do so by name.
County Prevailing Wage Law Could Add Millions To Taxpayer Costs
County Prevailing Wage Law Could Add Millions To Taxpayer Costs [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
On Dec. 13, Muskegon County Administrator Bonnie Hammersley told Michigan Capitol Confidential that she'd prefer the prevailing wage ordinance not apply to the jail project.
"My understanding is that if we don't have federal dollars in it, we don't need to use prevailing wage," Hammersley said.
"We won't use it unless we have to, because it’s an administrative burden. It adds to the cost."
Heath Kaplan, Muskegon County finance and management services director said the county’s prevailing wage ordinance would apply to the jail project.
Kaplan was asked if the ordinance would add $2 million or more to the project.
"That seems somewhat high to me," Kaplan said.
However, he said he wasn't certain of a better estimate.
Saturday, January 05, 2013
New Year, New Nannies: Concord, MA Bans Water Bottles
Cost of Government Center :: New Year, New Nannies: Concord, MA Bans Water Bottles
"Concord, MA, has set a new record for pointless government overreach after a ban on sales of plastic water bottles went into effect with the onset of the new year.
After three years of attempts to prevent Concord residents from choosing to hydrate themselves with fresh, filtered, unflavored, uncarbonated water - unless it’s sold in container larger than one liter – the bylaw was passed on April 26 last year and came into effect January 1, 2013. "
"Concord, MA, has set a new record for pointless government overreach after a ban on sales of plastic water bottles went into effect with the onset of the new year.
After three years of attempts to prevent Concord residents from choosing to hydrate themselves with fresh, filtered, unflavored, uncarbonated water - unless it’s sold in container larger than one liter – the bylaw was passed on April 26 last year and came into effect January 1, 2013. "
Self-Destruct Mode
LIBERTY REVIEW
Obama doesn’t have a problem shipping guns and war planes to the enemies of the United States.
He does however want the American people to give up their right to bear arms.
Obama is arming our enemies while trying his very best to disarm American citizens.
Obama doesn’t have a problem shipping guns and war planes to the enemies of the United States.
He does however want the American people to give up their right to bear arms.
Obama is arming our enemies while trying his very best to disarm American citizens.
Brrr! China's coldest winter in decades at new low
News from The Associated Press
China Meteorological Administration on Friday said the national average was -3.8 degrees Celsius (25 degrees Fahrenheit) since late November, the coldest in nearly three decades.
China Meteorological Administration on Friday said the national average was -3.8 degrees Celsius (25 degrees Fahrenheit) since late November, the coldest in nearly three decades.
Longer expiration date, no inactivity fees add to gift card boom
Longer expiration date, no inactivity fees add to gift card boom | Business | Detroit City And Press
Prior to 2008, if a gift card went unclaimed past its expiration date, the retailer was required to report it as abandoned and the money
went to the state as unclaimed property, Hallan said.
After 2008, laws said the gift cards no longer can have expiration dates of less than five years.
In addition, the retailers can't change the terms and conditions during that time period and can't charge inactivity fees or service fees, although Hallan said there can still be an activation fee.
In addition, retailers — not the state — retains the money if cards go unused for longer than five years.
"It's kind of a win-win for consumers and retailers," Hallan said.
From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130105/BIZ/301050328#ixzz2H8rRMhrW
Prior to 2008, if a gift card went unclaimed past its expiration date, the retailer was required to report it as abandoned and the money
went to the state as unclaimed property, Hallan said.After 2008, laws said the gift cards no longer can have expiration dates of less than five years.
In addition, the retailers can't change the terms and conditions during that time period and can't charge inactivity fees or service fees, although Hallan said there can still be an activation fee.
In addition, retailers — not the state — retains the money if cards go unused for longer than five years.
"It's kind of a win-win for consumers and retailers," Hallan said.
From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130105/BIZ/301050328#ixzz2H8rRMhrW
At 27, David Flynn is youngest chair of Macomb County Board of Commissioners
At 27, David Flynn is youngest chair of Macomb County Board of Commissioners | Crain's Detroit Business
Flynn, a member of Crain's 2010 class of 20 in their 20s, was the executive director of "Charter = County Executive," which collected 35,000 signatures to establish a county executive form of government with a reduced number of commissioners.
The charter form of government, approved in 2009 by voters, cut the number of commissioners from 26 to 13.
Flynn, a member of Crain's 2010 class of 20 in their 20s, was the executive director of "Charter = County Executive," which collected 35,000 signatures to establish a county executive form of government with a reduced number of commissioners.
The charter form of government, approved in 2009 by voters, cut the number of commissioners from 26 to 13.
12 Detroit homes accidentally demolished
12 Detroit homes accidentally demolished | Crain's Detroit Business
The Detroit News reported that the structure had been demolished by the state's Land Bank Fast Track Authority as part of a program to eliminate blight near three schools.
City official Karla Henderson said at least 11 other properties also were demolished by mistake. They were purchased by a local investor.
City and state officials said mistakes like these are rare.
The Detroit News reported that the structure had been demolished by the state's Land Bank Fast Track Authority as part of a program to eliminate blight near three schools.
City official Karla Henderson said at least 11 other properties also were demolished by mistake. They were purchased by a local investor.
City and state officials said mistakes like these are rare.
Migration study: Despite population gain, Michigan still losing more residents in moves to other states
Migration study: Despite population gain, Michigan still losing more residents in moves to other states | MLive.com
The estimates, released last month, indicate that Michigan's population grew in 2012 for the first time since 2004, inching upwards from 9,876,801 in 2011 to 9,883,360.
Most of that growth was natural, as births outnumbered deaths.
But state demographer Ken Darga attributed some of the gains to shifting migration patterns, noting that increased international immigration is offsetting continued domestic losses.
Michigan was the only state to lose population between the 2000 and 2010 Census.
The estimates, released last month, indicate that Michigan's population grew in 2012 for the first time since 2004, inching upwards from 9,876,801 in 2011 to 9,883,360.
Most of that growth was natural, as births outnumbered deaths.
But state demographer Ken Darga attributed some of the gains to shifting migration patterns, noting that increased international immigration is offsetting continued domestic losses.
Michigan was the only state to lose population between the 2000 and 2010 Census.
Desperate Spain Raids Pension Fund
Desperate Spain Raids Pension Fund | Via Meadia
“Most of the [Spanish] fund is an accounting trick,” said Javier DÃaz-Giménez, an economics professor in Spain’s IESE business school.
“The government is lending money to another branch of government.” .
[S]ome analysts say Spain will have trouble finding buyers for the estimated €207 billion in debt it plans to issue in 2013, up from €186 billion in 2012, to cover central-government operations, debt maturities of 17 regional administrations, and overdue energy bills.
“Most of the [Spanish] fund is an accounting trick,” said Javier DÃaz-Giménez, an economics professor in Spain’s IESE business school.
“The government is lending money to another branch of government.” .
[S]ome analysts say Spain will have trouble finding buyers for the estimated €207 billion in debt it plans to issue in 2013, up from €186 billion in 2012, to cover central-government operations, debt maturities of 17 regional administrations, and overdue energy bills.
GUNS: Woman hiding with kids shoots intruder.
Instapundit » Blog Archive » GUNS: Woman hiding with kids shoots intruder.
A woman hiding in her attic with children shot an intruder multiple times before fleeing to safety Friday.
The incident happened at a home on Henderson Ridge Lane in Loganville around 1 p.m.
The woman was working in an upstairs office when she spotted a strange man outside a window, according to Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman.
He said she took her 9-year-old twins to a crawlspace before the man broke in using a crowbar.
But the man eventually found the family.
“The perpetrator opens that door.
Of course, at that time he’s staring at her, her two children and a .38 revolver,” Chapman told Channel 2’s Kerry Kavanaugh.
The woman then shot him five times, but he survived, Chapman said.
He said the woman ran out of bullets but threatened to shoot the intruder if he moved.
“She’s standing over him, and she realizes she’s fired all six rounds.
And the guy’s telling her to quit shooting,” Chapman said.
The woman ran to a neighbor’s home with her children.
The intruder attempted to flee in his car but crashed into a wooded area and collapsed in a nearby driveway, Chapman said.
See, this is where one of those “assault weapons” might have come in handy.
UPDATE: A reader emails: “When some politician starts pontificating that no one needs more than a 10 round clip capacity (or 5, or 3) this is the story that should be shoved in their faces.
She fired 6 shots, put 5 in the attacker and he was still kicking.
What if there had been multiple attackers.
Then that 30 round clip suddenly seems appropriate.”
A woman hiding in her attic with children shot an intruder multiple times before fleeing to safety Friday.
The incident happened at a home on Henderson Ridge Lane in Loganville around 1 p.m.
The woman was working in an upstairs office when she spotted a strange man outside a window, according to Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman.
He said she took her 9-year-old twins to a crawlspace before the man broke in using a crowbar.
But the man eventually found the family.
“The perpetrator opens that door.
Of course, at that time he’s staring at her, her two children and a .38 revolver,” Chapman told Channel 2’s Kerry Kavanaugh.
The woman then shot him five times, but he survived, Chapman said.
He said the woman ran out of bullets but threatened to shoot the intruder if he moved.
“She’s standing over him, and she realizes she’s fired all six rounds.
And the guy’s telling her to quit shooting,” Chapman said.
The woman ran to a neighbor’s home with her children.
The intruder attempted to flee in his car but crashed into a wooded area and collapsed in a nearby driveway, Chapman said.
See, this is where one of those “assault weapons” might have come in handy.
UPDATE: A reader emails: “When some politician starts pontificating that no one needs more than a 10 round clip capacity (or 5, or 3) this is the story that should be shoved in their faces.
She fired 6 shots, put 5 in the attacker and he was still kicking.
What if there had been multiple attackers.
Then that 30 round clip suddenly seems appropriate.”
Reality Comes To Low-Information Voters
SILVER LININGS: Reality Comes To Low-Information Voters
If you go on Twitter you’ll find lots of stuff like this.
The clueless-cool set who voted overwhelmingly for Obama are now wondering how come he said taxes weren’t going to go up on 98 percent of the American people when here’s their first paycheck and taxes went up.
If you go on Twitter you’ll find lots of stuff like this.
The clueless-cool set who voted overwhelmingly for Obama are now wondering how come he said taxes weren’t going to go up on 98 percent of the American people when here’s their first paycheck and taxes went up.
GOP's Camp: Obama's 'spending problem is getting worse, not better'
GOP's Camp: Obama's 'spending problem is getting worse, not better' by Andrew Malcolm - Investors.com
Unfortunately, the spending problem is getting worse, not better.
Under President Obama we've had four straight years of trillion dollar deficits.
Our national debt is now over $16 trillion.
We're crushing today's small businesses and the next generation of Americans under a mountain of debt. We're selling their future, and our country's financial independence, to China.
Unfortunately, the spending problem is getting worse, not better.
Under President Obama we've had four straight years of trillion dollar deficits.
Our national debt is now over $16 trillion.
We're crushing today's small businesses and the next generation of Americans under a mountain of debt. We're selling their future, and our country's financial independence, to China.
Nearly half of Kalamazoo-area public schools students participating in subsidized lunch program
Nearly half of Kalamazoo-area public schools students participating in subsidized lunch program | MLive.com
About 44 percent of the Kalamazoo County public school students are enrolled in the federal subsidized lunch program this year, according to data collected by MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette.
About 44 percent of the Kalamazoo County public school students are enrolled in the federal subsidized lunch program this year, according to data collected by MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette.
Cooling Down the Fears of Climate Change
Matt Ridley: Cooling Down the Fears of Climate Change - WSJ.com
Mr. Lewis tells me that the latest observational estimates of the effect of aerosols (such as sulfurous particles from coal smoke) find that they have much less cooling effect than thought when the last IPCC report was written.
The rate at which the ocean is absorbing greenhouse-gas-induced warming is also now known to be fairly modest.
In other words, the two excuses used to explain away the slow, mild warming we have actually experienced—culminating in a standstill in which global temperatures are no higher than they were 16 years ago—no longer work.
In short: We can now estimate, based on observations, how sensitive the temperature is to carbon dioxide.
We do not need to rely heavily on unproven models.
Comparing the trend in global temperature over the past 100-150 years with the change in "radiative forcing" (heating or cooling power) from carbon dioxide, aerosols and other sources, minus ocean heat uptake, can now give a good estimate of climate sensitivity.
The conclusion—taking the best observational estimates of the change in decadal-average global temperature between 1871-80 and 2002-11, and of the corresponding changes in forcing and ocean heat uptake—is this: A doubling of CO2 will lead to a warming of 1.6°-1.7°C (2.9°-3.1°F).
This is much lower than the IPCC's current best estimate, 3°C (5.4°F).
Mr. Lewis is an expert reviewer of the recently leaked draft of the IPCC's WG1 Scientific Report. The IPCC forbids him to quote from it, but he is privy to all the observational best estimates and uncertainty ranges the draft report gives.
What he has told me is dynamite.
Given what we know now, there is almost no way that the feared large temperature rise is going to happen.
Mr. Lewis tells me that the latest observational estimates of the effect of aerosols (such as sulfurous particles from coal smoke) find that they have much less cooling effect than thought when the last IPCC report was written.
The rate at which the ocean is absorbing greenhouse-gas-induced warming is also now known to be fairly modest.
In other words, the two excuses used to explain away the slow, mild warming we have actually experienced—culminating in a standstill in which global temperatures are no higher than they were 16 years ago—no longer work.
In short: We can now estimate, based on observations, how sensitive the temperature is to carbon dioxide.
We do not need to rely heavily on unproven models.
Comparing the trend in global temperature over the past 100-150 years with the change in "radiative forcing" (heating or cooling power) from carbon dioxide, aerosols and other sources, minus ocean heat uptake, can now give a good estimate of climate sensitivity.
The conclusion—taking the best observational estimates of the change in decadal-average global temperature between 1871-80 and 2002-11, and of the corresponding changes in forcing and ocean heat uptake—is this: A doubling of CO2 will lead to a warming of 1.6°-1.7°C (2.9°-3.1°F).
This is much lower than the IPCC's current best estimate, 3°C (5.4°F).
Mr. Lewis is an expert reviewer of the recently leaked draft of the IPCC's WG1 Scientific Report. The IPCC forbids him to quote from it, but he is privy to all the observational best estimates and uncertainty ranges the draft report gives.
What he has told me is dynamite.
Given what we know now, there is almost no way that the feared large temperature rise is going to happen.
The EPA's Tainted Fracking Tests
Keith Mauck: The EPA's Tainted Fracking Tests - WSJ.com
Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," uses water and trace amounts of chemicals to create tiny fissures in deep-rock formations and coax energy-laden molecules to flow toward the surface. Fracking technology is driving America's oil and shale-gas boom, yet a White House executive order from April directs no fewer than 13 federal agencies to consider new regulations on fracking—even as it is already regulated by the states.
In recent years the federal Environmental Protection Agency has investigated fracking in three locations. In Texas and Pennsylvania, the EPA was unable to establish a link between fracking and groundwater contamination, the main ill effect that critics warn against. (Fracking contamination is the theme of "Promised Land," a movie starring Matt Damon that opened last week.)
But the agency claims to have found a smoking gun at its third test site, in Pavillion, Wyo. There, according to draft findings, EPA investigators found "compounds likely associated with gas production practices, including hydraulic fracturing" appearing at levels "below established health and safety standards."
The Pavillion study involves two water wells drilled by the agency in 2010 to test groundwater quality. Experts from the Wyoming Water Development Commission and elsewhere sharply criticized the EPA's results on several grounds, including that EPA investigators didn't follow their own guidelines on the timeliness of the testing and the purity of the water samples. The federal Bureau of Land Management said that "much more robust" testing would be needed to properly draw conclusions.
So the EPA agreed to test the wells again, in April and May of last year 2012. In October, it claimed again to have found contaminated water. But this time there was a new wrinkle: The U.S. Geological Survey had conducted tests alongside the EPA, and its investigators reported different results. Unlike the EPA, the USGS failed to find any traces of glycols or 2-butoxyethanol, fracking-related chemicals that could cause serious health issues if they entered the water supply at levels the EPA considers contamination.
Meanwhile, the USGS found significantly lower concentrations of other materials identified by the EPA—including phenol, potassium and diesel-range organics—which might not have resulted from the fracking at all. The phenols were likely introduced accidentally in the laboratory, for example, and potassium might be naturally occurring or the result of potash contained in the cement used to build the EPA wells.
The USGS also noted that in constructing the monitoring wells, the EPA used a "black painted/coated carbon steel casing," and EPA photographs show that investigators used a painted device to catch sand from the wells. The problem is that paint can contain a variety of compounds that distort test results—so it is poor scientific practice to use painted or coated materials in well-monitoring tests.
After initially neglecting to disclose this information, the EPA eventually acknowledged it, but only while attempting to deflect criticism by releasing more test results and claiming that its data are "generally consistent" with the USGS findings. These actions only muddied the matter and postponed the peer-review process until after Jan. 15.
As the Tulsa-based energy and water-management firm ALL Consulting concluded: "Close review of the EPA draft report and associated documents reveals a number of concerns about the methodology, sampling results, and study findings and conclusions. These concerns stem from apparent errors in sampling and laboratory analysis, incomplete information that makes it difficult to assess the validity of the results, and EPA's failure to seriously consider alternative explanations for the results of its investigation. . . . Taken together, these concerns call into question the validity of EPA's analytical results and their conclusions regarding the sources of the reported contamination."
With no clear connection between fracking and groundwater contamination, it is premature and counterproductive to propose new federal regulations on the practice. Shoddy science should not form the basis of federal policy.
The fracking-facilitated development of shale gas and oil could create two million new jobs and billions in tax revenue over the next two decades, according to the research firm IHS Global Insight. Rather than look for reasons to stand in its way, the federal government should embrace hydraulic fracturing and take full advantage of its economic and security benefits.
Mr. Mauck is publisher of GoMarcellusShale.com.
By KEITH MAUCK
It has been four decades since Richard Nixon launched "Project Independence" with the goal of making the United States energy independent. All presidents since then have said they shared that goal, yet never has it been within reach as it is today—thanks to domestic natural gas and especially to the extraction method known as hydraulic fracturing. The International Energy Agency estimates that such technologies could allow the U.S. to supplant Saudi Arabia as the world's largest oil producer by 2020. But, as ever, government regulation may stand in the way.Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," uses water and trace amounts of chemicals to create tiny fissures in deep-rock formations and coax energy-laden molecules to flow toward the surface. Fracking technology is driving America's oil and shale-gas boom, yet a White House executive order from April directs no fewer than 13 federal agencies to consider new regulations on fracking—even as it is already regulated by the states.
In recent years the federal Environmental Protection Agency has investigated fracking in three locations. In Texas and Pennsylvania, the EPA was unable to establish a link between fracking and groundwater contamination, the main ill effect that critics warn against. (Fracking contamination is the theme of "Promised Land," a movie starring Matt Damon that opened last week.)
But the agency claims to have found a smoking gun at its third test site, in Pavillion, Wyo. There, according to draft findings, EPA investigators found "compounds likely associated with gas production practices, including hydraulic fracturing" appearing at levels "below established health and safety standards."
The Pavillion study involves two water wells drilled by the agency in 2010 to test groundwater quality. Experts from the Wyoming Water Development Commission and elsewhere sharply criticized the EPA's results on several grounds, including that EPA investigators didn't follow their own guidelines on the timeliness of the testing and the purity of the water samples. The federal Bureau of Land Management said that "much more robust" testing would be needed to properly draw conclusions.
So the EPA agreed to test the wells again, in April and May of last year 2012. In October, it claimed again to have found contaminated water. But this time there was a new wrinkle: The U.S. Geological Survey had conducted tests alongside the EPA, and its investigators reported different results. Unlike the EPA, the USGS failed to find any traces of glycols or 2-butoxyethanol, fracking-related chemicals that could cause serious health issues if they entered the water supply at levels the EPA considers contamination.
Meanwhile, the USGS found significantly lower concentrations of other materials identified by the EPA—including phenol, potassium and diesel-range organics—which might not have resulted from the fracking at all. The phenols were likely introduced accidentally in the laboratory, for example, and potassium might be naturally occurring or the result of potash contained in the cement used to build the EPA wells.
The USGS also noted that in constructing the monitoring wells, the EPA used a "black painted/coated carbon steel casing," and EPA photographs show that investigators used a painted device to catch sand from the wells. The problem is that paint can contain a variety of compounds that distort test results—so it is poor scientific practice to use painted or coated materials in well-monitoring tests.
After initially neglecting to disclose this information, the EPA eventually acknowledged it, but only while attempting to deflect criticism by releasing more test results and claiming that its data are "generally consistent" with the USGS findings. These actions only muddied the matter and postponed the peer-review process until after Jan. 15.
As the Tulsa-based energy and water-management firm ALL Consulting concluded: "Close review of the EPA draft report and associated documents reveals a number of concerns about the methodology, sampling results, and study findings and conclusions. These concerns stem from apparent errors in sampling and laboratory analysis, incomplete information that makes it difficult to assess the validity of the results, and EPA's failure to seriously consider alternative explanations for the results of its investigation. . . . Taken together, these concerns call into question the validity of EPA's analytical results and their conclusions regarding the sources of the reported contamination."
With no clear connection between fracking and groundwater contamination, it is premature and counterproductive to propose new federal regulations on the practice. Shoddy science should not form the basis of federal policy.
The fracking-facilitated development of shale gas and oil could create two million new jobs and billions in tax revenue over the next two decades, according to the research firm IHS Global Insight. Rather than look for reasons to stand in its way, the federal government should embrace hydraulic fracturing and take full advantage of its economic and security benefits.
Mr. Mauck is publisher of GoMarcellusShale.com.
Study: Eco-Friendly Light Bulbs May Put Health At Risk
Study: Eco-Friendly Light Bulbs May Put Health At Risk « CBS Miami
"Money saving, compact fluorescent light bulbs emit high levels of ultra violet radiation, according to a new study. Research at Long Island’s Stony Brook found that the bulbs emit rays so strong that they can actually burn skin and skin cells.
“The results were that you could actually initiate cell death,” said Marcia Simon, a Professor of Dermatology."
"Money saving, compact fluorescent light bulbs emit high levels of ultra violet radiation, according to a new study. Research at Long Island’s Stony Brook found that the bulbs emit rays so strong that they can actually burn skin and skin cells.
“The results were that you could actually initiate cell death,” said Marcia Simon, a Professor of Dermatology."
Crony Capitalist Blowout
Review & Outlook: Crony Capitalist Blowout - WSJ.com
"In praising Congress's huge new tax increase, President Obama said Tuesday that "millionaires and billionaires" will finally "pay their fair share."
That is, unless you are a Nascar track owner, a wind-energy company or the owners of StarKist Tuna, among many others who managed to get their taxes reduced in Congress's New Year celebration."
"In praising Congress's huge new tax increase, President Obama said Tuesday that "millionaires and billionaires" will finally "pay their fair share."
That is, unless you are a Nascar track owner, a wind-energy company or the owners of StarKist Tuna, among many others who managed to get their taxes reduced in Congress's New Year celebration."
The astonishing Aeroscraft - a new type of rigid airship that's set to revolutionise haulage, tourism... and warfare
The astonishing Aeroscraft - a new type of rigid airship that's set to revolutionise haulage, tourism... and warfare | Mail Online
The Aeroscraft can carry three times more than the biggest military cargo planes over thousands of miles
Heavily backed by the U.S. military, it is now at the prototype stage and is set for its first test flight
It is capable of vertical take off and landing and doesn't even need a landing strip
The Aeroscraft can carry three times more than the biggest military cargo planes over thousands of miles
Heavily backed by the U.S. military, it is now at the prototype stage and is set for its first test flight
It is capable of vertical take off and landing and doesn't even need a landing strip
City of Muskegon raises several fees for municipal services in 2013 to reflect rising costs
City of Muskegon raises several fees for municipal services in 2013 to reflect rising costs | MLive.com
• A reduction in slip rentals at Hartshorn Marina of 13 percent for 30-foot slips to $1,740 a season, 21 percent for 40-foot slips to $2,400 a season and 27 percent for 60-foot slips to $3,900 a season. The reductions are in hopes of increasing the number of marina rentals, city officials said.
• Seasonal beach catamaran dry storage rentals will go up 20 percent a season to $161 for residents and $239 for nonresidents.
• The stormwater “cross connection” with sewer lines violation fee has gone from $6.05 a day to $7.69 a day with no charges if the correction is made within 90 days of discovery.
• A new fee has been imposed on large water main taps of $200 each, plus the cost of the city’s time and materials.
• Planned Unit Development requests for the special zoning designation have gone from $500 to $600. The charges now will be $300 for preliminary approvals and $300 for final approvals.
• Requests to vacate a city street have gone from $300 to $400.
• Flat sewer rate fees (for those without water meters) are now $29.70 a month for residential customers and $36.15 a month for commercial customers.
• Requests for a zoning change have gone from $300 to $400.
• A reduction in slip rentals at Hartshorn Marina of 13 percent for 30-foot slips to $1,740 a season, 21 percent for 40-foot slips to $2,400 a season and 27 percent for 60-foot slips to $3,900 a season. The reductions are in hopes of increasing the number of marina rentals, city officials said.
• Seasonal beach catamaran dry storage rentals will go up 20 percent a season to $161 for residents and $239 for nonresidents.
• The stormwater “cross connection” with sewer lines violation fee has gone from $6.05 a day to $7.69 a day with no charges if the correction is made within 90 days of discovery.
• A new fee has been imposed on large water main taps of $200 each, plus the cost of the city’s time and materials.
• Planned Unit Development requests for the special zoning designation have gone from $500 to $600. The charges now will be $300 for preliminary approvals and $300 for final approvals.
• Requests to vacate a city street have gone from $300 to $400.
• Flat sewer rate fees (for those without water meters) are now $29.70 a month for residential customers and $36.15 a month for commercial customers.
• Requests for a zoning change have gone from $300 to $400.
Obama's High Taxes And The Myths Of The 1950s Tax Rates
Obama's High Taxes And The Myths Of The 1950s Tax Rates - Investors.com
A final reason that the 1950s were different from today was American primacy.
In those years the U.S. might set its taxes, nominal or real, at whatever level it liked.
The only competition it confronted, after all, was from Europe, still recovering from World War II, or Britain, whose tax regime was even more confiscatory than our own.
Now, however, the U.S. must compete.
And this is where the U.S., with some of the world's highest corporate taxes, flunks.
A final reason that the 1950s were different from today was American primacy.
In those years the U.S. might set its taxes, nominal or real, at whatever level it liked.
The only competition it confronted, after all, was from Europe, still recovering from World War II, or Britain, whose tax regime was even more confiscatory than our own.
Now, however, the U.S. must compete.
And this is where the U.S., with some of the world's highest corporate taxes, flunks.
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