Senate committee to vote on Medicaid expansion Wednesday | Crain's Detroit Business:
"A Senate committee vote on a bill to expand Medicaid in Michigan will come Wednesday afternoon, but not before debate on two other bills that do not expand Medicaid."
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Memorable quotes from the Detroit mayoral debate
Memorable quotes from the Detroit mayoral debate | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:
“If sending people to prison was the answer, we’d have the safest city in the country.” — Willie Lipscomb
“I have a 167 IQ, at least I did the last time they tested me.” — John Telford
“The focus has to be on making sure the people who live here want to stay here. You can’t go to the grocery store. You don’t have confidence in the education system. You have to make sure the people who live here want to stay here.” — Herman Griffin
“There was a concert on Belle Isle on that drew 40,000 people. Where did that revenue go?” — Jean Vortkamp
“What is more important? Where did you live or what did you do?” — Mike Duggan, on why hadn’t moved in Detroit before 2012."
“If sending people to prison was the answer, we’d have the safest city in the country.” — Willie Lipscomb
“I have a 167 IQ, at least I did the last time they tested me.” — John Telford
“The focus has to be on making sure the people who live here want to stay here. You can’t go to the grocery store. You don’t have confidence in the education system. You have to make sure the people who live here want to stay here.” — Herman Griffin
“There was a concert on Belle Isle on that drew 40,000 people. Where did that revenue go?” — Jean Vortkamp
“What is more important? Where did you live or what did you do?” — Mike Duggan, on why hadn’t moved in Detroit before 2012."
North Pole refreezes, scientist says global warming not a factor
North Pole refreezes, scientist says global warming not a factor | Rare:
"The water the buoy was bobbing in last week was not a lake, but a melt pond, a common occurrence in the Arctic summer when the sun shines 24 hours a day, said Morison, principal oceanographer for the North Pole Environmental Observatory, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation.
While the air temperature hovers right around the freezing point, solar radiation works to melt snow and the upper layer of sea ice.
Some of the water drains through cracks down into the Arctic Ocean and the rest forms fresh-water ponds on top of the sea ice with their surfaces slightly above sea level.
“That’s just part of summer ice conditions, and as far as we know it always has been,” Morison said."
"The water the buoy was bobbing in last week was not a lake, but a melt pond, a common occurrence in the Arctic summer when the sun shines 24 hours a day, said Morison, principal oceanographer for the North Pole Environmental Observatory, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation.
While the air temperature hovers right around the freezing point, solar radiation works to melt snow and the upper layer of sea ice.
Some of the water drains through cracks down into the Arctic Ocean and the rest forms fresh-water ponds on top of the sea ice with their surfaces slightly above sea level.
“That’s just part of summer ice conditions, and as far as we know it always has been,” Morison said."
Sheriff: Muskegon County's new 'high-speed' boats will be 'regional assets'
Sheriff: Muskegon County's new 'high-speed' boats will be 'regional assets' | MLive.com:
"The cost of the Firehawk is $269,000.
That also is being covered by grant money."
"The cost of the Firehawk is $269,000.
That also is being covered by grant money."
Fast-food workers' strike in Flint, Detroit put on hold; other plans in place for future demonstrations
Fast-food workers' strike in Flint, Detroit put on hold; other plans in place for future demonstrations | MLive.com:
"The protests are backed by a network of community, clergy and labor groups across the country, including the SEIU.
“SEIU members, like all service-sector workers, are worse off when large fast-food and retail companies are able to hold down wages and push down benefit standards for working people,” Mary Kay Henry, SEIU president, said in a release."
"The protests are backed by a network of community, clergy and labor groups across the country, including the SEIU.
“SEIU members, like all service-sector workers, are worse off when large fast-food and retail companies are able to hold down wages and push down benefit standards for working people,” Mary Kay Henry, SEIU president, said in a release."
DETROIT IS NOT AN ANOMALY, JUST AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Chicago Is In Big Trouble.
Instapundit » Blog Archive » DETROIT IS NOT AN ANOMALY, JUST AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Chicago Is In Big Trouble.
“In addition to the pension, law enforcement, and emergency response concerns that remind us of a certain bankrupt city across the lake, the report notes that three of Chicago’s four largest private employers (JP Morgan, Accenture LLP, and Northern Trust) are in finance.
It seems like blue cities have a codependent relationship with the one percenters progressives claim to hate.
It hasn’t all hit the fan quite yet, but Chicago seems perilously close to real trouble.
The city is all out of money, and with an imploding public education system and harrowing levels of violence, it is losing residents fast.”
“In addition to the pension, law enforcement, and emergency response concerns that remind us of a certain bankrupt city across the lake, the report notes that three of Chicago’s four largest private employers (JP Morgan, Accenture LLP, and Northern Trust) are in finance.
It seems like blue cities have a codependent relationship with the one percenters progressives claim to hate.
It hasn’t all hit the fan quite yet, but Chicago seems perilously close to real trouble.
The city is all out of money, and with an imploding public education system and harrowing levels of violence, it is losing residents fast.”
Julia Merfeld sentenced in Muskegon fake hit man case; husband calls her 'wonderful'
Julia Merfeld sentenced in Muskegon fake hit man case; husband calls her 'wonderful' | MLive.com:
"Julia Charlene Merfeld is “wonderful” and “godly,” said the husband she tried to have murdered less than four months ago.
For the first time publicly, intended murder victim Jacob “Jake” Merfeld, 27, of Muskegon spoke out Tuesday, July 30, about his 21-year-old wife. In court at her sentencing for solicitation to murder him, he asked for a light sentence.
“I know that my wife is a wonderful person,” Jake Merfeld said to the sentencing judge. “She is a godly woman.”"
"Julia Charlene Merfeld is “wonderful” and “godly,” said the husband she tried to have murdered less than four months ago.
For the first time publicly, intended murder victim Jacob “Jake” Merfeld, 27, of Muskegon spoke out Tuesday, July 30, about his 21-year-old wife. In court at her sentencing for solicitation to murder him, he asked for a light sentence.
“I know that my wife is a wonderful person,” Jake Merfeld said to the sentencing judge. “She is a godly woman.”"
Buena Vista School District is no more; students to attend Saginaw, Bridgeport-Spaulding, Frankenmuth schools
Buena Vista School District is no more; students to attend Saginaw, Bridgeport-Spaulding, Frankenmuth schools | MLive.com:
"Buena Vista had 433 students during the February student count day."
"Buena Vista had 433 students during the February student count day."
Oakland to Ban Hammers & Wrenches
Oakland to Ban Hammers & Wrenches - | Intellihub.com:
"So the Oakland City Council is considering a proposed ordinance that would criminalize the possession of everyday objects, including objects of professional tradesmen such as hammers, large screwdrivers, walking canes and mechanic’s tools.
The city claims these objects will be illegal to possess during a “protest,” but a protest can be defined as any two people standing around, or walking down a street, or even just talking loudly.
There is no official definition of a “protest,” meaning the police can invoke the ordinance any time they wish. That’s how these laws always go: they get interpreted and deployed far beyond their original intent."
"So the Oakland City Council is considering a proposed ordinance that would criminalize the possession of everyday objects, including objects of professional tradesmen such as hammers, large screwdrivers, walking canes and mechanic’s tools.
The city claims these objects will be illegal to possess during a “protest,” but a protest can be defined as any two people standing around, or walking down a street, or even just talking loudly.
There is no official definition of a “protest,” meaning the police can invoke the ordinance any time they wish. That’s how these laws always go: they get interpreted and deployed far beyond their original intent."
“GET DA F*CK OUT!” HAWAII OFFERS HOMELESS ONE-WAY TICKET OUT
“GET DA F*CK OUT!” HAWAII OFFERS HOMELESS ONE-WAY TICKET OUT | Black Media Scoop
"Or you could take the route lawmakers in Hawaii did: offer homeless residents a one-way ticket out of the state.
State legislators passed funding this year for a new program to offer one-way flights to any of the state’s estimated 17,000 homeless persons.
Lawmakers appropriated $100,000 over the next two years for the “return-to-home” program, but that funding could increase if the initiative is viewed as a success."
"Or you could take the route lawmakers in Hawaii did: offer homeless residents a one-way ticket out of the state.
State legislators passed funding this year for a new program to offer one-way flights to any of the state’s estimated 17,000 homeless persons.
Lawmakers appropriated $100,000 over the next two years for the “return-to-home” program, but that funding could increase if the initiative is viewed as a success."
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Stein’s Law
Stein’s Law | National Review Online:
"If there’s an iron rule in economics, it is Stein’s Law (named after Herb, former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers): “If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.”"
"If there’s an iron rule in economics, it is Stein’s Law (named after Herb, former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers): “If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.”"
Life in the Twilight
Works and Days » Life in the Twilight:
"When I get hit by an errant motorist in my environs (and it has happened more than once), or have some one run off the road onto my property, the strange thing is not that I expect him to flee, leaving no ID, no registration, and no insurance behind — that is de rigueur.
The odd thing is that the officer on the scene nonchalantly assumes the same thing, too.
Yet his shrug does not hide the lie that if I were to do that, I would be charged with felony hit and run, while my victim that night would be contacted by a lawyer to sue me.
We all know this and we all know, like good Eastern Europeans circa 1970, never to say that aloud.
In Los Angeles, hit-and-run is kinda like jaywalking elsewhere."
"When I get hit by an errant motorist in my environs (and it has happened more than once), or have some one run off the road onto my property, the strange thing is not that I expect him to flee, leaving no ID, no registration, and no insurance behind — that is de rigueur.
The odd thing is that the officer on the scene nonchalantly assumes the same thing, too.
Yet his shrug does not hide the lie that if I were to do that, I would be charged with felony hit and run, while my victim that night would be contacted by a lawyer to sue me.
We all know this and we all know, like good Eastern Europeans circa 1970, never to say that aloud.
In Los Angeles, hit-and-run is kinda like jaywalking elsewhere."
FACT CHECK: Obama spins health insurance rebates
My Way News - FACT CHECK: Obama spins health insurance rebates:
" Another year, another round of exaggeration from President Barack Obama and his administration about health insurance rebates.
In his speech defending his health care law Thursday, Obama said rebates averaging $100 are coming from insurance companies to 8.5 million Americans. In fact, most of the money is going straight to employers who provide health insurance, not to their workers, who benefit indirectly.
Obama danced around that reality in remarks that also blamed problems in establishing affordable insurance markets on political opponents, glossing over complex obstacles also faced in states that support the law.
A look at some of his claims and how they compare with the facts:"
" Another year, another round of exaggeration from President Barack Obama and his administration about health insurance rebates.
In his speech defending his health care law Thursday, Obama said rebates averaging $100 are coming from insurance companies to 8.5 million Americans. In fact, most of the money is going straight to employers who provide health insurance, not to their workers, who benefit indirectly.
Obama danced around that reality in remarks that also blamed problems in establishing affordable insurance markets on political opponents, glossing over complex obstacles also faced in states that support the law.
A look at some of his claims and how they compare with the facts:"
Michigan's Financial Crisis Demands Major Healthcare Surgery
Michigan's Financial Crisis Demands Major Healthcare Surgery - Forbes:
"Let’s break down how it’s possible to provide such a high level of service at such an affordable price (i.e., less than a typical cable bill).
It’s simple: low overhead.
It’s not unusual for a primary care practice to have 3-5 administrative staff for every doctor.
This is necessary to deal with the myriad insurance billing schemes that can best be described as a Gordian Knot designed by Rube Goldberg. "
"Let’s break down how it’s possible to provide such a high level of service at such an affordable price (i.e., less than a typical cable bill).
It’s simple: low overhead.
It’s not unusual for a primary care practice to have 3-5 administrative staff for every doctor.
This is necessary to deal with the myriad insurance billing schemes that can best be described as a Gordian Knot designed by Rube Goldberg. "
NUGENT: I am not a racist, and I know why the heart and soul of America are angry
NUGENT: I am not a racist, and I know why the heart and soul of America are angry | Rare:
"We are stunned and amazed that any American could possibly allow an Anthony Weiner or an Elliot Spitzer to hold any public office anywhere, any time for any reason."
"We are stunned and amazed that any American could possibly allow an Anthony Weiner or an Elliot Spitzer to hold any public office anywhere, any time for any reason."
70 Straight Days: Treasury Says Debt Stuck at Exactly $16,699,396,000,000.00
70 Straight Days: Treasury Says Debt Stuck at Exactly $16,699,396,000,000.00 | CNS News:
"How could the value of extant U.S. Treasury Securities increase by $53.267 billion during a 70-day period when the federal government’s debt subject to the legal limit has remained constant at $16,699,396,000,000.00—just $25 million below the legal limit?"
"How could the value of extant U.S. Treasury Securities increase by $53.267 billion during a 70-day period when the federal government’s debt subject to the legal limit has remained constant at $16,699,396,000,000.00—just $25 million below the legal limit?"
The latest action in the war on women
The latest action in the war on women: Column:
"Back during the 2012 election, Democrats were quick to seize on some Republican words -- like Todd Akin's remark about "legitimate rape" and late-term abortion, orRush Limbaugh's calling Sandra Fluke a "slut" for wanting free birth control -- to build the notion of a "war on women."
But if you look past words to actual deeds, most of the action in the war on women seems to be coming from the Democratic front lately.
Just consider these cases:
First, Democratic San Diego Mayor Bob Filner. So far seven women have accused him of sexual harassment. According to one report, Filner said, "You'll have to excuse me for what's about to happen. It's your fault," before pinning a woman in a restaurant booth. Other allegations include kissing, grabbing and assorted other inappropriate behavior"
"Back during the 2012 election, Democrats were quick to seize on some Republican words -- like Todd Akin's remark about "legitimate rape" and late-term abortion, orRush Limbaugh's calling Sandra Fluke a "slut" for wanting free birth control -- to build the notion of a "war on women."
But if you look past words to actual deeds, most of the action in the war on women seems to be coming from the Democratic front lately.
Just consider these cases:
First, Democratic San Diego Mayor Bob Filner. So far seven women have accused him of sexual harassment. According to one report, Filner said, "You'll have to excuse me for what's about to happen. It's your fault," before pinning a woman in a restaurant booth. Other allegations include kissing, grabbing and assorted other inappropriate behavior"
Bill Nojay: Lessons From a Front-Row Seat for Detroit's Dysfunction
Bill Nojay: Lessons From a Front-Row Seat for Detroit's Dysfunction - WSJ.com
A major expense for Detroit is the cost of lawsuits filed against the city for various alleged injuries on municipal property. At the transportation department, there were hundreds of claims arising from bus accidents alone. How many of those claims were fraudulent? How many were settled (with the cost of settlement and legal fees posted against DDOT's budget) at unnecessarily high cost?
It was impossible to know, since the city's law department handled all litigation and settled cases without consulting the DDOT staff. It was the law department's policy to settle virtually all claims—which meant that the transportation department became easy prey for personal-injury lawyers bringing cases with little or no merit, costing the city millions.
In the DDOT we tried to hire our own lawyers to fight these claims. But we were blocked by city charter provisions prohibiting any city department from hiring outside counsel without the approval of the Detroit City Council. When we inquired with the mayor's office we were told that the union representing the law department—in Detroit, even the lawyers are unionized—would block any such approval.
Disability and workers' comp claims were routinely paid with no investigation into their validity. More than 80% of the transportation department's 1,400 employees were certified for family medical-leave absences—meaning they could call in for a day off without prior notice, often leaving buses without drivers or mechanics. Management's only recourse to get the work done was to pay the remaining employees overtime, at time-and-a-half rates. DDOT's overtime costs were running over $20 million a year.
Kent County Land Bank Circumvents Market To Fund Operations
Kent County Land Bank Circumvents Market To Fund Operations [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:
"The Kent County Land Bank is acquiring tax delinquent and abandoned property before it is made available to the public and in doing so, the quasi-governmental entity is casting a big shadow on what had been an open and successful real estate market.
Under Michigan statute, land banks aren't supposed to buy tax delinquent and abandoned property until after buyers get their chance at tax auctions."
"The Kent County Land Bank is acquiring tax delinquent and abandoned property before it is made available to the public and in doing so, the quasi-governmental entity is casting a big shadow on what had been an open and successful real estate market.
Under Michigan statute, land banks aren't supposed to buy tax delinquent and abandoned property until after buyers get their chance at tax auctions."
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