Detroit EM axes council head, union pacts, agency | Lansing State Journal | lansingstatejournal.com:
"Contracts for the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees Council 25 and the Detroit Police Lieutenants & Sergeants Association will end when they expire in the coming weeks, said Bill Nowling, spokesman for state-appointed emergency manager Kevyn Orr"
Monday, July 01, 2013
Newest foot soldiers for ObamaCare: Librarians
Newest foot soldiers for ObamaCare: Librarians « Hot Air:
"Libraries will be particularly important in conservative states that are not making much effort to promote the health law’s opportunities."
Don’t think of it as conscription, think of it as … repurposing. The more ubiquitous the Internet and e-readers get, the less use people have for libraries and thus the further away from their core function libraries will drift. In theory they’re still about book-lending but credit the feds for recognizing their growing role as places lower-income people can get online for free. Per Gallup’s latest, fully 43 percent of the uninsured have no idea that they’re now stautorily required by Hopenchange to seek coverage. If you’re trying to reach the poor to let them know that they qualify for health insurance subsidies — or, rather, that they don’t qualify — then this is a no-brainer. Coming soon, presumably: Deputizing the postal service, another institution that’s being laid to waste by technology, to start selling policies door to door. Ever heard the expression that the federal government is now really just “an insurance company with an army”? Well, the insurance part of that equation needs an army too.
What's Really 'Immoral' About Student Loans
Glenn Harlan Reynolds: What's Really 'Immoral' About Student Loans - WSJ.com:
"If we want to solve the very real problem of excessive student-loan debt, college costs need to be brought under control.
A 2010 study by the Goldwater Institute identified "administrative bloat" as a leading reason for higher costs. The study found that many American universities now have more salaried administrators than teaching faculty"
"If we want to solve the very real problem of excessive student-loan debt, college costs need to be brought under control.
A 2010 study by the Goldwater Institute identified "administrative bloat" as a leading reason for higher costs. The study found that many American universities now have more salaried administrators than teaching faculty"
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Gettysburg reenactment is a campaign in itself
Gettysburg reenactment is a campaign in itself:
"It's extremely accurate and feels real - the noise, conditions, and spectacle - but you're not confronting the likelihood of you or your friends being killed," said Jon Sirlin, a Philadelphia lawyer who portays a Union officer and chief of staff, one of an expected 15,000 reenactors"
"It's extremely accurate and feels real - the noise, conditions, and spectacle - but you're not confronting the likelihood of you or your friends being killed," said Jon Sirlin, a Philadelphia lawyer who portays a Union officer and chief of staff, one of an expected 15,000 reenactors"
Obama’s Energy Plan: Impoverish America
Obama’s Energy Plan: Impoverish America | National Review Online:
This is harmful and absurd for many reasons.
First, by shutting down existing coal-fired power plants, it will effectively destroy trillions of dollars of private property.
Second, since those plants supply about 40 percent of America’s electric power, they will need to be replaced at great cost, which will be borne by ratepayers.
Third, all proposed replacements for coal are significantly more expensive, so using them will drive rates up further.
Fourth, increasing the cost of electric power is one of the most regressive forms of taxation possible, since, for example, stockbrokers making $30 million per year will pay nearly the same additional amount as families making $30,000 per year, despite a thousand fold difference in income.
Fifth, as a form of business taxation, increasing electric rates preferentially targets companies that produce real goods over those that profit through speculation or the collection of legal costs.
Sixth, by increasing the costs of American goods, the inflation of electricity prices will make U.S. industry less competitive, causing factories to shut down and throwing millions of Americans out of work.
And seventh, by depressing the American economy, the plan will cause the loss of massive amounts of federal and state income-tax revenues, thereby accelerating the nation’s descent into bankruptcy.
This is harmful and absurd for many reasons.
First, by shutting down existing coal-fired power plants, it will effectively destroy trillions of dollars of private property.
Second, since those plants supply about 40 percent of America’s electric power, they will need to be replaced at great cost, which will be borne by ratepayers.
Third, all proposed replacements for coal are significantly more expensive, so using them will drive rates up further.
Fourth, increasing the cost of electric power is one of the most regressive forms of taxation possible, since, for example, stockbrokers making $30 million per year will pay nearly the same additional amount as families making $30,000 per year, despite a thousand fold difference in income.
Fifth, as a form of business taxation, increasing electric rates preferentially targets companies that produce real goods over those that profit through speculation or the collection of legal costs.
Sixth, by increasing the costs of American goods, the inflation of electricity prices will make U.S. industry less competitive, causing factories to shut down and throwing millions of Americans out of work.
And seventh, by depressing the American economy, the plan will cause the loss of massive amounts of federal and state income-tax revenues, thereby accelerating the nation’s descent into bankruptcy.
150 Years of Misunderstanding the Civil War
150 Years of Misunderstanding the Civil War - Tony Horwitz - The Atlantic:
"As the anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg approaches, it's time for America to question the popular account of a war that tore apart the nation."
"As the anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg approaches, it's time for America to question the popular account of a war that tore apart the nation."
Bloomberg: Statistically Speaking, NYPD Should Stop More Blacks
Bloomberg: Statistically Speaking, NYPD Should Stop More Blacks | National Review Online:
“I think we disproportionately stop whites too much and minorities too little. It’s exactly the reverse of what they say,” he said. "
“I think we disproportionately stop whites too much and minorities too little. It’s exactly the reverse of what they say,” he said. "
Hare-Brained: USDA Reportedly Orders Children’s Magician to Produce ‘Disaster Plan’ for His…Rabbit
Hare-Brained: USDA Reportedly Orders Children’s Magician to Produce ‘Disaster Plan’ for His…Rabbit | Video | TheBlaze.com
Now the Ozark, Mo.-based illusionist is saying the trick’s allegedly on him, as he notes in an email to blogger, Bob McCarty (emphasisadded):
My USDA rabbit license requirement has taken another ridiculous twist. I just received an 8 page letter from the USDA, telling me that by July 29 I need to have in place a written disaster plan, detailing all the steps I would take to help get my rabbit through a disaster, such as a tornado, fire, flood, etc. They not only want to know how I will protect my rabbit during a disaster, but alsowhat I will do after the disaster, to make sure my rabbit gets cared for properly. I am not kidding–before the end of July I need to have this written rabbit disaster plan in place, or I am breaking the law.
In his email message to McCarty, Hahne also detailed the timeline the USDA reportedly gave him to comply with its order:
- The new regulation became effective Jan. 30, 2012;
- The written plan must be completed by July 29, 2013;
- Hahne and his wife, Brenda, must be trained to implement the plan as written; and
- The written plan must be available for review by USDA inspectors by Sept. 28, 2013.
Michael Jackson 'spent $35 million to silence at least two dozen boys he abused'
Michael Jackson 'spent $35 million to silence at least two dozen boys he abused' | Mail Online:
"Michael Jackson paid $35 million in hush money to at least two dozen young boys he sexually abused over 15 years, it has been alleged.
Sunday People has published explosive ‘secret FBI files’ suggesting the King of Pop groomed and molested children from at least 1989, despite his insistence he was just spending time with them.
The damning files claim the deceased popstar was a 'pedophile' who watched porn while assaulting a boy, molested a famous child star, fondled a child’s genitals in his private cinema and groped another child whose mother wasn’t ‘bothered’ by it."
"Michael Jackson paid $35 million in hush money to at least two dozen young boys he sexually abused over 15 years, it has been alleged.
Sunday People has published explosive ‘secret FBI files’ suggesting the King of Pop groomed and molested children from at least 1989, despite his insistence he was just spending time with them.
The damning files claim the deceased popstar was a 'pedophile' who watched porn while assaulting a boy, molested a famous child star, fondled a child’s genitals in his private cinema and groped another child whose mother wasn’t ‘bothered’ by it."
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Letters: Sen. Goeff Hansen could be the deciding vote to expand Medicaid in Michigan
Letters: Sen. Goeff Hansen could be the deciding vote to expand Medicaid in Michigan | MLive.com:
"Gov. Rick Snyder supports Medicaid expansion and the House Republican majority already have worked in a bipartisan fashion to pass it.
Senate Democrats have made it clear that they're ready to vote on Medicaid expansion.
In fact, they will be in session on Wednesday, July 3, in order to do so."
"Gov. Rick Snyder supports Medicaid expansion and the House Republican majority already have worked in a bipartisan fashion to pass it.
Senate Democrats have made it clear that they're ready to vote on Medicaid expansion.
In fact, they will be in session on Wednesday, July 3, in order to do so."
Ratings Service Moody's Finds Pension Shortfall
Ratings Service Moody's Finds Pension Shortfall - NYTimes.com:
"Moody’s Investors Service, dissatisfied with the way states measure what they owe their retirees, released its own numbers on Thursday, showing that the 50 states have, in aggregate, just 48 cents for every dollar in pensions they have promised.
That is much less than the 74 cents on the dollar that the states now report, "
"Moody’s Investors Service, dissatisfied with the way states measure what they owe their retirees, released its own numbers on Thursday, showing that the 50 states have, in aggregate, just 48 cents for every dollar in pensions they have promised.
That is much less than the 74 cents on the dollar that the states now report, "
Why Healthy Eaters Fall for Fries
Why Healthy Eaters Fall for Fries - NYTimes.com:
"LAST Tuesday, Connor Moran, a limit-the-red-meat, increase-the-greens, eat-salad-for-lunch kind of guy, stopped into a Bronx Dunkin’ Donuts for his usual black coffee, no sugar, no cream.
He walked out with a sandwich of egg and bacon between two halves of a glazed doughnut."
"LAST Tuesday, Connor Moran, a limit-the-red-meat, increase-the-greens, eat-salad-for-lunch kind of guy, stopped into a Bronx Dunkin’ Donuts for his usual black coffee, no sugar, no cream.
He walked out with a sandwich of egg and bacon between two halves of a glazed doughnut."
The Weekend Interview With Jennifer Gratz: The Woman Who Fought Racial Preference
The Weekend Interview With Jennifer Gratz: The Woman Who Fought Racial Preference - WSJ.com:
"Michigan also allows citizen initiatives, and Ms. Gratz saw an opportunity. I
n July 2003 she told her husband of six months, with whom she was living in San Diego: '' '
I'm quitting my job, and I'm moving back to Michigan.
And I know you can't move to Michigan, so we're going to have to figure out how we can make this work.' . . . He looks at me like:
'We're married.
You can't do this!'
He knows me well enough to know that I was doing this."
In January 2004 "he drove me across the country with a bunch of my belongings, and I moved back to Michigan.""
HERO!
"Michigan also allows citizen initiatives, and Ms. Gratz saw an opportunity. I
n July 2003 she told her husband of six months, with whom she was living in San Diego: '' '
I'm quitting my job, and I'm moving back to Michigan.
And I know you can't move to Michigan, so we're going to have to figure out how we can make this work.' . . . He looks at me like:
'We're married.
You can't do this!'
He knows me well enough to know that I was doing this."
In January 2004 "he drove me across the country with a bunch of my belongings, and I moved back to Michigan.""
HERO!
Public pension costs swamp revenues of 10 U.S. states
Public pension costs swamp revenues of 10 U.S. states -Moody's | Reuters:
"Ten U.S. states have public pension liabilities that are at least as big as their annual revenues, according to a Moody's Investors Service report released on Thursday that found the Illinois pension bill was equal to 241 percent of its revenues"
"Ten U.S. states have public pension liabilities that are at least as big as their annual revenues, according to a Moody's Investors Service report released on Thursday that found the Illinois pension bill was equal to 241 percent of its revenues"
Republican U.S. Rep. Upton Joins Dems to Uphold Mandatory Union-Scale Wages
Republican U.S. Rep. Upton Joins Dems to Uphold Mandatory Union-Scale Wages [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:
"Just one Michigan Congressional Republican — U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph — joined the Democrats in voting to uphold union prevailing wages on federal construction projects."
"Just one Michigan Congressional Republican — U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph — joined the Democrats in voting to uphold union prevailing wages on federal construction projects."
Thousands at Gettysburg for 150th anniversary
Thousands at Gettysburg for 150th anniversary - CNN.com:
""For every Southern boy fourteen years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when it's still not yet two o'clock on that July afternoon in 1863.""
""For every Southern boy fourteen years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when it's still not yet two o'clock on that July afternoon in 1863.""
Friday, June 28, 2013
Those wanting to opt out of Consumers Energy smart meter program can but it will be costly
Those wanting to opt out of Consumers Energy smart meter program can but it will be costly | MLive.com:
"For those requesting to opt out prior to installation, there will be a one-time charge of $69.39 and for those already with a new smart meter but want it removed the one-time cost will be $123.91.
For all of those in the opt-out program using traditional meters that need monthly reading by Consumers Energy employees, the additional charge will be $9.72 a month, according to the MPSC order."
"For those requesting to opt out prior to installation, there will be a one-time charge of $69.39 and for those already with a new smart meter but want it removed the one-time cost will be $123.91.
For all of those in the opt-out program using traditional meters that need monthly reading by Consumers Energy employees, the additional charge will be $9.72 a month, according to the MPSC order."
On the 'enemies list': My ordeal with the IRS
On the 'enemies list': My ordeal with the IRS | The Detroit News:
Union officials demonize corporations for not paying their “fair share,” yet they aren’t paying any share at all."
Union officials demonize corporations for not paying their “fair share,” yet they aren’t paying any share at all."
How the Mighty Fall
How the Mighty Fall
The Roman empire eventually lost its economic vitality thanks to price controls, heavy taxes and state-sponsored debt relief.
Book Review: Balance - WSJ.com
By Matthew Rees
One of the underappreciated realities of history is that most of it has been lived in relative misery. From the Paleolithic era 2.5 million years ago up to the early 19th century, average life expectancy topped out at about 35. And for much of this period, there was no such thing as economic growth—humans subsisted on what they could kill or scratch from the ground or on the proceeds of a minimal barter economy. While some civilizations outperformed others, sooner or later the standouts fell into decline. The reasons why, and the lessons for the United States, are the subject of "Balance: The Economics of Great Powers From Ancient Rome to Modern America," by Glenn Hubbard and Tim Kane.
The great powers in their story are a mix of empires (Roman, British, Spanish, Ottoman), dynasties (Ming China), countries (post-1868 Japan), regions (the European Union) and even a U.S. state (California). According to Messrs. Hubbard and Kane (dean of Columbia's business school and chief economist of the Hudson Institute, respectively), the decline of these polities has tended to follow a template or sequence of error: "denying the internal nature of stagnation, centralizing power, and shortchanging the future to overspend on the present." When the inability to corral fiscal profligacy coincides with a breakdown of political institutions, a toxic imbalance ensues and decline follows.
Before the great powers could decline, of course, they had to rise. How and why they did has been the source of a long and lively debate. An abundance of labor, land and capital was once thought to be fundamental, only to be upstaged more recently by a focus on an abundance of people, ideas and things. Messrs. Hubbard and Kane argue, as do others, that certain policies and core principles are the key: property rights, flexible work rules, open markets. For the authors, such matters explain economic growth entirely.
To those who would cite the primacy of technological breakthroughs, Messrs. Hubbard and Kane assert that inventions only spark growth if there are systems in place (such as intellectual-property rights) that enable inventions to flourish and their value to spread. "The wheel and the windmill were invented many times," they write, "then forgotten, until finally one society had the institutional framework to implement them widely and pass them on permanently." In short, "institutions explain innovation."
The flip side is true as well. The failure of institutions to adapt to evolving realities brings about decline. The prosperity of Rome, the authors say, was a byproduct of material innovation (they highlight the development of concrete) and also the political kind: a professional army, federalist governance, property rights and a hostility to hereditary rule. Over time, however, Rome's rulers imposed measures that sapped the empire's vitality: price controls, heavy taxes and a ban on the free movement of rural Romans. Of no great help was the first recorded example of state-sponsored debt relief: Hadrian, as emperor, canceled the outstanding liabilities that individuals owed to the central government, going back 15 years, and had the loan records burned in a public ceremony.
Another example of a great power that rose and fell—and is now rising again—is China. From the years 400 to 1000, the authors say, it had an estimated per capita GDP of $450, a third higher than Western Europe's. It rose to $600 by 1300, thanks in part to a number of inventions, from paper making to shipbuilding. The ships, in turn, enabled an exchange of goods with people throughout Asia.
But such dynamism proved unsustainable. A version of civil war led to an erosion of China's fleet and a decline in trade voyages. That some coastal areas continued to profit from barter prompted the regime's leaders to criminalize large-boat construction in 1500 and eventually destroy all oceangoing ships. Such moves, the authors claim, were emblematic of China's turn inward and its failure to capitalize on its inventions. The result was stagnant living standards until 1800. An even more profound source of China's trouble was institutional: The Chinese emperorship "morphed into a zero-sum struggle for influence among interest groups."
"Balance" closes with an examination of the woes afflicting California—which, if a stand-alone country, would have the world's 10th largest GDP (down from fifth not long ago)—and of the woes afflicting the U.S. as a whole. Messrs. Hubbard and Kane note that California's tax climate is among the most hostile to business formation of any state in the country. And the dysfunctional political system has contributed to both crushing debt levels and an inability to do anything about them.
For America, Messrs. Hubbard and Kane see "the storm clouds of history" gathering on the horizon. The culprits are again internal: political inertia and, because of wayward policies, the erosion of economic vigor. The authors are particularly critical of the government's overspending and recommend a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. And yet they are optimistic. "American democracy," they write, "has proven itself more powerful than all of the skeptics' and cynics' concerns." Maybe so, but the history of economic folly that they skillfully recount in "Balance" is a timely reminder that societies that seem invincible are often anything but.
Mr. Rees, the head of the speechwriting firm Geonomica, is a senior fellow in the Center for Global Business and Government at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business.
The Roman empire eventually lost its economic vitality thanks to price controls, heavy taxes and state-sponsored debt relief.
Book Review: Balance - WSJ.com
By Matthew Rees
One of the underappreciated realities of history is that most of it has been lived in relative misery. From the Paleolithic era 2.5 million years ago up to the early 19th century, average life expectancy topped out at about 35. And for much of this period, there was no such thing as economic growth—humans subsisted on what they could kill or scratch from the ground or on the proceeds of a minimal barter economy. While some civilizations outperformed others, sooner or later the standouts fell into decline. The reasons why, and the lessons for the United States, are the subject of "Balance: The Economics of Great Powers From Ancient Rome to Modern America," by Glenn Hubbard and Tim Kane.
The great powers in their story are a mix of empires (Roman, British, Spanish, Ottoman), dynasties (Ming China), countries (post-1868 Japan), regions (the European Union) and even a U.S. state (California). According to Messrs. Hubbard and Kane (dean of Columbia's business school and chief economist of the Hudson Institute, respectively), the decline of these polities has tended to follow a template or sequence of error: "denying the internal nature of stagnation, centralizing power, and shortchanging the future to overspend on the present." When the inability to corral fiscal profligacy coincides with a breakdown of political institutions, a toxic imbalance ensues and decline follows.
Before the great powers could decline, of course, they had to rise. How and why they did has been the source of a long and lively debate. An abundance of labor, land and capital was once thought to be fundamental, only to be upstaged more recently by a focus on an abundance of people, ideas and things. Messrs. Hubbard and Kane argue, as do others, that certain policies and core principles are the key: property rights, flexible work rules, open markets. For the authors, such matters explain economic growth entirely.
To those who would cite the primacy of technological breakthroughs, Messrs. Hubbard and Kane assert that inventions only spark growth if there are systems in place (such as intellectual-property rights) that enable inventions to flourish and their value to spread. "The wheel and the windmill were invented many times," they write, "then forgotten, until finally one society had the institutional framework to implement them widely and pass them on permanently." In short, "institutions explain innovation."
The flip side is true as well. The failure of institutions to adapt to evolving realities brings about decline. The prosperity of Rome, the authors say, was a byproduct of material innovation (they highlight the development of concrete) and also the political kind: a professional army, federalist governance, property rights and a hostility to hereditary rule. Over time, however, Rome's rulers imposed measures that sapped the empire's vitality: price controls, heavy taxes and a ban on the free movement of rural Romans. Of no great help was the first recorded example of state-sponsored debt relief: Hadrian, as emperor, canceled the outstanding liabilities that individuals owed to the central government, going back 15 years, and had the loan records burned in a public ceremony.
Another example of a great power that rose and fell—and is now rising again—is China. From the years 400 to 1000, the authors say, it had an estimated per capita GDP of $450, a third higher than Western Europe's. It rose to $600 by 1300, thanks in part to a number of inventions, from paper making to shipbuilding. The ships, in turn, enabled an exchange of goods with people throughout Asia.
But such dynamism proved unsustainable. A version of civil war led to an erosion of China's fleet and a decline in trade voyages. That some coastal areas continued to profit from barter prompted the regime's leaders to criminalize large-boat construction in 1500 and eventually destroy all oceangoing ships. Such moves, the authors claim, were emblematic of China's turn inward and its failure to capitalize on its inventions. The result was stagnant living standards until 1800. An even more profound source of China's trouble was institutional: The Chinese emperorship "morphed into a zero-sum struggle for influence among interest groups."
"Balance" closes with an examination of the woes afflicting California—which, if a stand-alone country, would have the world's 10th largest GDP (down from fifth not long ago)—and of the woes afflicting the U.S. as a whole. Messrs. Hubbard and Kane note that California's tax climate is among the most hostile to business formation of any state in the country. And the dysfunctional political system has contributed to both crushing debt levels and an inability to do anything about them.
For America, Messrs. Hubbard and Kane see "the storm clouds of history" gathering on the horizon. The culprits are again internal: political inertia and, because of wayward policies, the erosion of economic vigor. The authors are particularly critical of the government's overspending and recommend a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. And yet they are optimistic. "American democracy," they write, "has proven itself more powerful than all of the skeptics' and cynics' concerns." Maybe so, but the history of economic folly that they skillfully recount in "Balance" is a timely reminder that societies that seem invincible are often anything but.
Mr. Rees, the head of the speechwriting firm Geonomica, is a senior fellow in the Center for Global Business and Government at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business.
Street performer assaulted outside Summerfest
Street performer assaulted outside Summerfest | FOX6Now.com:
"MILWAUKEE (WITI) — A saxophone player was assaulted outside the Summerfest grounds near Chicago St. on Wednesday, June 26th around 11 p.m.
26-year-old street performer Cassandra Struve became a target on opening night while she was playing an old jazz song.
“I was playing Minnie the Moocher, classic Blues Brothers song,” said Struve.
”A lady with a child in her hand came up to me, smacked me in my face and said ‘don’t play that.’”
Struve says three African American women confronted her and shouted that a white girl could not play the song.
After being hit, Struve says she was shocked and pushed the woman away, but was hit again.
“Her daughter came out of nowhere and punched me twice in the side of the face,” said Struve.
“After she did that I was instantly upset.
You know, I mean, I cried.”"
"MILWAUKEE (WITI) — A saxophone player was assaulted outside the Summerfest grounds near Chicago St. on Wednesday, June 26th around 11 p.m.
26-year-old street performer Cassandra Struve became a target on opening night while she was playing an old jazz song.
“I was playing Minnie the Moocher, classic Blues Brothers song,” said Struve.
”A lady with a child in her hand came up to me, smacked me in my face and said ‘don’t play that.’”
Struve says three African American women confronted her and shouted that a white girl could not play the song.
After being hit, Struve says she was shocked and pushed the woman away, but was hit again.
“Her daughter came out of nowhere and punched me twice in the side of the face,” said Struve.
“After she did that I was instantly upset.
You know, I mean, I cried.”"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)