US tyre boss mocks ‘crazy’ French unions

US tyre boss mocks ‘crazy’ French unions - FRANCE - FRANCE 24
"The head of US tyre manufacturer Titan International told the French government Wednesday that his firm will not take over a loss-making Goodyear factory because the unions there are “crazy” and its employees “only work three hours a day”.

“How stupid do you think we are?” Titan Chief Executive Maurice Taylor asked French Minister for Industrial Renewal Arnaud Montebourg in a letter published by French business daily Les Echos [in French and English].

“I have visited that factory a couple of times. T

he French workforce gets paid high wages but only works for three hours.

EMILY MILLER ON OBAMA AND GUN CONTROL

Instapundit » Blog Archive » EMILY MILLER ON OBAMA AND GUN CONTROL

Chicago is a dangerous town, but gun control hasn’t made it better. The city forbids the law-abiding from having guns, leaving the bad guys to rule the streets. The result is one of the highest murder rates in the country. President Obama’s plan isn’t to reverse from a failed course, but to apply federal gun registration and confiscation of certain weapons nationwide.
Addressing students at Hyde Park Academy last week, Mr. Obama recalled the recent murder of Hadiya Pendleton, a teenager. “It’s not unique to Chicago,” he said. “It’s not unique to this country. Too many of our children are being taken away from us.”
The rising homicide rate actually is unique to the president’s hometown. The 506 murders last year reflected a 16 percent increase over the previous year. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, this happened while the rest of the country saw a 2 percent decrease in homicides; the national rate is at its lowest point since 1963.

Doubling down on failure while pointing fingers at others has become a hallmark. Posted by Glenn Reynolds at 8:47 am

Al Sharpton's National Action Network to rally over no-black-nurses lawsuit claims at Hurley Medical Center today

Al Sharpton's National Action Network to rally over no-black-nurses lawsuit claims at Hurley Medical Center today | MLive.com:
"FLINT, MI -- The state director of the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network plans to speak outside Hurley Medical Center today, Feb. 19, demanding hospital officials answer charges that they granted a father's request that only white nurses care for his infant child."

Fraternity suspends University of Michigan chapter over semi-nude photos

Fraternity suspends University of Michigan chapter over semi-nude photos:
"The national Pi Kappa Alpha office has indefinitely suspended its University of Michigan chapter after semi-nude photos of fraternity members were leaked online, gaining national attention."

Government admits misplacing more money than the sequester will cut

Ken Braun: Government admits misplacing more money than the sequester will cut | MLive.com:
"But perhaps the best comparison is against the pile of cash that the Federal government ADMITS to squandering every year.
According to the Office of Management and Budget’s “Payment Accuracy” website, more than $100 billion in “improper payments” are now being misdirected EVERY YEAR.
How does this happen, you might ask the “Payment Accuracy” people?"

Michigan farmers may face migrant worker shortage after last year's devastating weather

Michigan farmers may face migrant worker shortage after last year's devastating weather | MLive.com
"Even with thousands of Michiganders looking for work, Clover Adams doesn't see them taking the jobs.
"That's an issue.
It's why we have migrant labor to begin with," she said.
"They're not willing to take the work and I don't know that anything's changed."

Pot tourism in Colo.? Marijuana regulators OK idea

The Associated Press: Pot tourism in Colo.? Marijuana regulators OK idea
"Marijuana purchased in Colorado must stay in Colorado," Pabon warned.
"We could attract greater federal scrutiny and displeasure of our neighbors," if marijuana flows across state lines, he said."

World Day of Social Justice, 20 February

World Day of Social Justice, 20 February
"For the United Nations, the pursuit of social justice for all is at the core of our global mission to promote development and human dignity.
The adoption by the International Labour Organization of the Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization is just one recent example of the UN system’s commitment to social justice.
The Declaration focuses on guaranteeing fair outcomes for all through employment, social protection, social dialogue, and fundamental principles and rights at work."

Ohio Officials: Poll Worker May Have Voted Six Times

Ohio Officials: Poll Worker May Have Voted Six Times - By Eliana Johnson - The Corner - National Review Online
"Richardson is currently facing charges of voter fraud but maintains her innocence.
“I can’t understand these charges against me of voter fraud,” she told Cincinnati’s Channel 9 News.
“Have they never heard of . . . overlooking mailing in a ballot or registering to vote at a precinct after you’ve forgotten that you’ve mailed in a ballot or you’ve been told that the ballot may be too late?”"

ANOTHER EPA OFFICIAL RESIGNS over use of improper “secret” email accounts.

Instapundit » Blog Archive » ANOTHER EPA OFFICIAL RESIGNS over use of improper “secret” email accounts.

“EPA Region 8 administrator James Martin is resigning this week, according to a press release from Sen. David Vitter (R., La.). Martin faces a congressional probe for allegedly using a private email account to circumvent disclosure requirements.
Bob Perciasepe, the current acting EPA administrator, also used a private account to send emails to other EPA officials, Vitter said his office has discovered.”
Transparency!
Posted by Glenn Reynolds at 3:55 pm"

House Rep Wants To Force Homeschool Parents to Report Attendance to The State

House Rep Wants To Force Homeschool Parents to Report Attendance to The State [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:
"With no evidence of a problem, Rep. Woodrow Stanley,D-Flint, wants to track homeschooled students for truancy"

Gedney Foods agrees to drop 'midget' from small pickle label

Gedney Foods agrees to drop 'midget' from small pickle label - UPI.com:
"Little People of America, which represents people who are under 4 feet, 10 inches, in height, considers the word midget offensive."

Review team: Detroit is in financial emergency

Review team: Detroit is in financial emergency - Houston Chronicle:
"The team released its findings Tuesday, saying in a report to Snyder that "no satisfactory plan exists to resolve a serious financial problem."

Former Tholstrup Cheese plant in Norton Shores closes, eliminating 20 jobs

Former Tholstrup Cheese plant in Norton Shores closes, eliminating 20 jobs | MLive.com

Arts-Focused Colleges Rack Up Most Student Debt

Arts-Focused Colleges Rack Up Most Student Debt - WSJ.com
"Graduates of Arts-Focused Schools Are Shown to Rack Up the Most Student Debt"

Excellent interactive chart-go there!

Happy 4 Year Tea Party Anniversary – Courtesy Of The Rick Santelli Rant |

Happy 4 Year Tea Party Anniversary – Courtesy Of The Rick Santelli Rant

Chuck Todd: It's 'Mythology' That MSM Hostile To Conservatives

Chuck Todd: It's 'Mythology' That MSM Hostile To Conservatives | NewsBusters:
"TODD: I think that it's, I think that the mythology of the big, bad non-conservative media has gotten into some offices, and so that there's this fear of, oh we can't do, we can't do anything that's not--it's sort of this--and I feel like it's a mythology that now younger staffers believe and then it infuses, and then these guys, they actually believe the spin that's out there, oh, my God, that's what the mainstream media does, they do anything to disrupt the conservative agenda.
And so literally, you only--Lindsey, John McCain, you know, that's been my, I just fear that it's sort of like this whole, there's this whole sort of this, the mythology of this, the media's out to get conservatives is believed among more and more actual staffers."

Electric Lemon Aid

The American Spectator : Electric Lemon Aid
"One of the biggest functional/engineering obstacles to electric car viability is that batteries lose power in the cold — while gasoline doesn’t. 
If you leave your car parked in the garage with half a tank, it’ll still have a half-tank tomorrow morning.
And range isn’t affected greatly by weather.
An electric car’s range is.
The colder it is, the shorter your range will be.
Not just because batteries are less efficient in the cold, but also because in the cold, you’ll be using electricity for other things besides moving the car.
Things like the heater — which in an electric car is powered by electricity — and if it’s dark out, you’ll be burning headlights longer — which also means burning juice.
Which you have a finite amount of."

Press finally gets question to Obama after golf weekend: ‘Did you beat Tiger?’

Press finally gets question to Obama after golf weekend: ‘Did you beat Tiger?’ | The Daily Caller
"The probing question followed a weekend in which reporters “expressed extreme frustration,” in the words of White House Correspondents Association president and Fox News correspondent Ed Henry, over their lack of access to Obama during his golfing sojourn. (RELATED: Why didn’t Obama allow press to cover golf weekend?)
“Speaking on behalf of the White House Correspondents Association, I can say a broad cross section of our members from print, radio, online and TV have today expressed extreme frustration to me about having absolutely no access to the President of the United States this entire weekend,”
Henry said in a statement Sunday.
 “There is a very simple but important principle we will continue to fight for today and in the days ahead: transparency.”"

Michelle Obama and daughters take on Aspen ski slopes with top instructors

Michelle Obama and daughters take on Aspen ski slopes with top instructors - NYPOST.com
"We’re told some wealthy Aspen visitors were annoyed when “air space was blocked because of [the Obamas’] plane, so others couldn’t get their private jets in.
Many people nearly didn’t land or had to be diverted.” "

Brave New World

Works and Days » Brave New World
"We shrug at all this.
A president who thunders to the nation that we must be on guard against the “well-off and well-connected” heads south to Palm Beach to meet his $1,000-an-hour golf pro, while Michelle and the family go west to hit the slopes at “downright mean” Aspen, where no one accepts that they’ve reached a point where they’ve made enough money, or that there was any time when it was not good to profit.
Something strange has insidiously happened to the old notion of hypocrisy. 
Does it even exist any longer?
Or do we shrug and just accept it as rebranded medieval penance?
Obama gets to golf with zillionaires because in soaring cadences he attacks them — and all for us?"

Local Preferences in Public Contracting, Part 6

Local Preferences in Public Contracting, Part 6 | Coates' Canons: NC Local Government Law Blog
"“I’ll start by reminding you of the four goals of the proposed policy: reducing local unemployment, supporting local businesses, increasing the tax base, and reducing the city’s carbon footprint,” begins Scarecrow.
“As I said earlier, to reduce local unemployment, our policy would have to have the effect of creating more jobs for local workers in addition to retaining current jobs held by local workers. 
Similarly, to support local businesses financially, our policy would have to have the effect of directing more money to local businesses.” 
The Council members nod in agreement.
“But,” says Scarecrow, “as we’ve just heard from Mr. Apple, a local preference policy won’t necessarily achieve this goal because we don’t generate enough projects or purchases to keep our local workers employed.  They have to be able to work with other towns and counties as well, and if other towns and counties follow our lead, this could result in a disadvantage to our local workers and businesses.”"

Two of Illinois’ five pension systems lost money in 2012

Illinois Policy Institute - Blog - Two of Illinois’ five pension systems lost money in 2012
"Not a single one of the state’s five public pension systems earned more than 1 percent returns on their investments last year.
In fact, two of the five funds actually lost money.
Although pension trustees predicted Illinois’ five pension funds would earn more than $5.1 billion in fiscal year 2012, the funds actually earned less than $239 million. 
The systems posted a combined investment return of just 0.38 percent, far below the combined 8.18 percent expected."

Jobless mother of 11 Heather Frost to get 6-bed eco-house after moaning her TWO council homes are cramped

Jobless mother of 11 Heather Frost to get 6-bed eco-house after moaning her TWO council homes are cramped | Mail Online
"Heather Frost, 36, lives in two houses which have been knocked together
Has seven children in one house, while the rest live with her in the other
Now Tewkesbury council has agreed to build her five-bed eco-home
TaxPayers' Alliance brands move a 'scandalous' use of public money
First fell pregnant at 14 to a 23-year-old boyfriend who ended up in prison
Furious neighbour: 'It's a disgrace. She treats her womb like a clown car'"

Comcast pulls gun shop ads from cable network

Comcast pulls gun shop ads from cable network - ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MI
"Consistent with long standing NBC policies, Comcast Spotlight has decided it will not accept new advertising for firearms or weapons moving forward. "

Quotation of the day: Minimum wage law is compulsory unemployment; it provides no jobs, it only outlaws them

Quotation of the day: Minimum wage law is compulsory unemployment; it provides no jobs, it only outlaws them | AEIdeas
"“In truth, there is only one way to regard a minimum wage law: it is compulsory unemployment, period.
The law says: it is illegal, and therefore criminal, for anyone to hire anyone else below the level of X dollars an hour.
This means, plainly and simply, that a large number of free and voluntary wage contracts are now outlawed and hence that there will be a large amount of unemployment.
Remember that the minimum wage law provides no jobs; it only outlaws them; and outlawed jobs are the inevitable result."

Where is the Money Going? - Economy Recovers for Richest 1%; Income Flat for the other 99%

Where is the Money Going? - Economy Recovers for Richest 1%; Income Flat for the other 99% - AllGov - News
"Despite the old saying, it seems a rising tide does not necessarily lift all boats.
According to newly released data, since the end of the Great Recession in 2009 the richest 1% have increased their income by 11.2% while incomes for the bottom 99% actually shrank by 0.4%. "

Norton Shores city council moves meeting times to 5:30 p.m.

Norton Shores city council moves meeting times to 5:30 p.m. | MLive.com

A challenge to proponents of a minimum wage of $9 per hour – what theory or analysis justifies that specific wage?

A challenge to proponents of a minimum wage of $9 per hour – what theory or analysis justifies that specific wage? | AEIdeas
"Bottom Line: If there is no economic theory or logic or cost-benefit analysis that justifies $9.00 per hour as an optimal wage for unskilled, entry-level workers, which seems to be the case, then a $9.00 minimum wage is exposed as being totally arbitrary and random.
Unless and until Obama and other proponents of a $9 per hour minimum wage can provide some analysis to show that $9 is optimal and maximizes the net benefits to unskilled workers, then it’s a policy that really can’t be taken seriously.
Further, the minimum wage requires a costly regulatory mechanism that administers and enforces the government-mandated wage, which is a cost that needs to be considered."

OBAMOPOLY - THE LATEST BOARD GAME!

OBAMOPOLY - THE LATEST BOARD GAME!
"The object of the game is to destroy American capitalism by having the government take over everything!
Want to play? 
No?
Too bad, you're already playing and just don't know it!
By the way ... You're not winning!"