Friday, April 13, 2018
Detroit People Mover workers tripled salaries with overtime
Detroit People Mover workers tripled salaries with overtime:
Michigan Capitol Confidential, the news site of the conservative Mackinac Center for Public Policy think tank, received the salary information through a public records request filed with the Detroit Public Transportation Corp., the agency that runs the People Mover...
"The highest-paid employee of the Detroit People Mover last year was a maintenance worker who earned $174,602 — more than triple base salary — thanks to substantial overtime, according to records obtained by a conservative newsletter.
Michigan Capitol Confidential, the news site of the conservative Mackinac Center for Public Policy think tank, received the salary information through a public records request filed with the Detroit Public Transportation Corp., the agency that runs the People Mover...
Here's what the newsletter found:
- The highest-earning employee, an "electronic technician II," made $174,602 — $117,382 more than the employee's base salary of $57,220.
- Three of the four maintenance shift supervisors took home six figures while having an annual base salary of $61,131: one made $105,456; another, $135,395; the third, $161,368.
- Four people with the title "mechanical technician" also made significantly more than their base salary of $46,404, with two earning six-figure amounts — $111,182 and the other $105,109 — and two just shy of 100,000, making $94,322 and $95,184.
- Two "system control operators" earned $102,729 and $100,962, while having base salaries of $53,144.
By comparison, the People Mover's general manager made $119,565.
...Alexander said that the agency did not overspend its budget but did spend 16 times more than it earned in revenue from user fares.
...The People Mover costs $25.4 million to operate, according to National Transit Database.
• Chart: Where Home Buyers Need Deep Pockets | Statista
• Chart: Where Home Buyers Need Deep Pockets | Statista
"For many young people across the United States, the prospect of home ownership is becoming an increasingly distant dream.
A recent Unison report found that it's more costly than ever to purchase a new home with coastal cities worst affected.
...It found that prospective buyers would need highest salary in New York where an average home would require a salary of $418,000 today, the least affordable city nationwide.
...It isn't all negative, however, and it will certainly come as a relief to know that some cities are bucking the trend of high property prices.
Chicago is a good example with the salary required to purchase a home there just $64,948.
...At the very opposite end of the scale, Detroit is one of the cheapest major U.S. cities for home-buyers.
Someone searching for a house or an apartment there would only need a salary of $8,328.
Read all.
"For many young people across the United States, the prospect of home ownership is becoming an increasingly distant dream.
A recent Unison report found that it's more costly than ever to purchase a new home with coastal cities worst affected.
...It found that prospective buyers would need highest salary in New York where an average home would require a salary of $418,000 today, the least affordable city nationwide.
...It isn't all negative, however, and it will certainly come as a relief to know that some cities are bucking the trend of high property prices.
Chicago is a good example with the salary required to purchase a home there just $64,948.
...At the very opposite end of the scale, Detroit is one of the cheapest major U.S. cities for home-buyers.
Someone searching for a house or an apartment there would only need a salary of $8,328.
Read all.
Jerry Brown, Andrew Cuomo use pardons to circumvent immigration laws, prevent deportations - Washington Times
Jerry Brown, Andrew Cuomo use pardons to circumvent immigration laws, prevent deportations - Washington Times:
"Dan Cadman, a fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, said veteran cases are tricky, and leniency might be appropriate in some instances, but an honorable discharge shouldn’t be the only bar to cross.
“I have a lot of unanswered questions in this particular case,” he said.
In general, he said, granting pardons to help people escape immigration consequences “seems to me an egregious misuse of the pardon authority.”"
“I have a lot of unanswered questions in this particular case,” he said.
In general, he said, granting pardons to help people escape immigration consequences “seems to me an egregious misuse of the pardon authority.”"
Report: Many state pension systems have huge funding gaps
Report: Many state pension systems have huge funding gaps
CHERRY HILL, N.J. (AP) — A public employee pension crisis for state governments has deepened to a record level even after nearly nine years of economic recovery for the nation, according to a study released Thursday, leaving many states vulnerable if the economy hits a downturn.
The massive unfunded pension liabilities are becoming a real problem not just for public-sector retirees and workers concerned about their future but also for everyone else.
As states try to prop up their pension funds, it means less money is available for core government services such as education, public safety and parks.
The annual report from the Pew Charitable Trusts finds that public worker pension funds with heavy state government involvement owed retirees and current workers $4 trillion as of 2016.
They had about $2.6 trillion in assets, creating a gap of about one-third, or a record $1.4 trillion.
While the study looks only at pension funds with major state-government involvement, systems run by cities, counties, school districts and other local entities have had similar problems..."
Read all!
CHERRY HILL, N.J. (AP) — A public employee pension crisis for state governments has deepened to a record level even after nearly nine years of economic recovery for the nation, according to a study released Thursday, leaving many states vulnerable if the economy hits a downturn.The massive unfunded pension liabilities are becoming a real problem not just for public-sector retirees and workers concerned about their future but also for everyone else.
As states try to prop up their pension funds, it means less money is available for core government services such as education, public safety and parks.
The annual report from the Pew Charitable Trusts finds that public worker pension funds with heavy state government involvement owed retirees and current workers $4 trillion as of 2016.
They had about $2.6 trillion in assets, creating a gap of about one-third, or a record $1.4 trillion.
While the study looks only at pension funds with major state-government involvement, systems run by cities, counties, school districts and other local entities have had similar problems..."
Read all!
For Each Gallon Of Water Michigan’s People Use, 288 Gallons Fall From The Sky [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
For Each Gallon Of Water Michigan’s People Use, 288 Gallons Fall From The Sky [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:
"For every gallon of water consumed by Michigan’s residents and businesses, 288 gallons fall upon the state as rain, in an average year.
Since almost all of Michigan lies within the Great Lakes watershed, much of that rainfall makes its way into the lakes.
From there it will eventually flow down the St. Lawrence River and into the Atlantic Ocean, or else evaporate into the atmosphere, to be replenished by new rainfalls.
According to the state, in 2015 about 187.7 billion gallons of water was used by Michigan’s people in their homes, farms, factories, businesses and electric power plants.
That seems like a tremendous amount of water, but it appears much less so when compared to the amount of precipitation that falls on Michigan in an average year: 54.2 trillion gallons.
Here’s how those numbers look together:
187,700,000,000
54,200,000,000,000
...Nestle is now permitted to use up to 73 million gallons a year at its facility in Evart Township in Osceola County.
The township gets an average 32.73 inches of annual rainfall, which drops a total of 20.5 billion gallons of water upon it in a typical year."
"For every gallon of water consumed by Michigan’s residents and businesses, 288 gallons fall upon the state as rain, in an average year.
From there it will eventually flow down the St. Lawrence River and into the Atlantic Ocean, or else evaporate into the atmosphere, to be replenished by new rainfalls.
According to the state, in 2015 about 187.7 billion gallons of water was used by Michigan’s people in their homes, farms, factories, businesses and electric power plants.
That seems like a tremendous amount of water, but it appears much less so when compared to the amount of precipitation that falls on Michigan in an average year: 54.2 trillion gallons.
Here’s how those numbers look together:
187,700,000,000
54,200,000,000,000
...Nestle is now permitted to use up to 73 million gallons a year at its facility in Evart Township in Osceola County.
The township gets an average 32.73 inches of annual rainfall, which drops a total of 20.5 billion gallons of water upon it in a typical year."
The Census and Immigration: Ask the Question | The Heritage Foundation
The Census and Immigration: Ask the Question | The Heritage Foundation:
"“Galling,” pronounced The New York Times in an editorial titled “The Trump Administration Sabotages The Census.” Along with many other critics, the Times insists that the question will lead to a vast undercounting of the immigrant population.
Such a prospect alarms opponents such as the editors at The Washington Post, who at least admit their concern is more about political power: “Whether by design or incompetence, the Trump administration is threatening to rig the count against Democrats.”
Or maybe — just maybe — the administration is trying to get a better handle on how many non-citizens we have in our country. "
Such a prospect alarms opponents such as the editors at The Washington Post, who at least admit their concern is more about political power: “Whether by design or incompetence, the Trump administration is threatening to rig the count against Democrats.”
Or maybe — just maybe — the administration is trying to get a better handle on how many non-citizens we have in our country. "
Amazon's Alexa could soon be eavesdropping on your conversations - ITV News
Amazon's Alexa could soon be eavesdropping on your conversations - ITV News:"Soon, your Amazon Echo device could be listening in on your conversations in a bid to personalise advertising to your needs.
Amazon are currently chasing a patent that will allow them to bank the things you say even when you're not speaking directly to your device.
These so-called "sniffer algorithms" could learn all of your likes and dislikes, and use them to target adverts with products Amazon thinks you would like.
...Amazon insists it is committed to user privacy, adding that the patent request in the US does not represent their current development plans.
"We take privacy seriously and have built multiple layers of privacy into our Echo devices," an Amazon spokesman said.
4 in 10 millennials don't know 6 million Jews were killed in Holocaust, study shows - CBS News
4 in 10 millennials don't know 6 million Jews were killed in Holocaust, study shows - CBS News
NEW YORK -- More than one-fifth of millennials in the U.S. -- 22 percent -- haven't heard of, or aren't sure if they've heard of, the Holocaust, according to a study published Thursday, on Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The study, which was commissioned by The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and conducted by Schoen Consulting, also found that 11 percent of U.S. adults overall haven't heard of the Holocaust or aren't sure if they did.
Read all!
NEW YORK -- More than one-fifth of millennials in the U.S. -- 22 percent -- haven't heard of, or aren't sure if they've heard of, the Holocaust, according to a study published Thursday, on Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day. The study, which was commissioned by The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and conducted by Schoen Consulting, also found that 11 percent of U.S. adults overall haven't heard of the Holocaust or aren't sure if they did.
Additionally, 41 percent of millennials believe two million Jews or fewer were killed during the Holocaust, the study found.
Six million Jews were killed in World War II by Nazi Germany and its accomplices. Two-thirds of millennials could not identify in the survey what Auschwitz was..."Read all!
The Mass Shooting You'll Never Hear About - Bearing Arms
The Mass Shooting You'll Never Hear About - Bearing Arms
"Imagine, if you will, what the news would have looked like if all the authorities who had seen the red flags had acted prior to the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
What would the political landscape look like today?
"Imagine, if you will, what the news would have looked like if all the authorities who had seen the red flags had acted prior to the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. What would the political landscape look like today?
Gardena police found several guns and a cache of ammunition at the home of a high school student who threatened campus violence in two social media posts this week, authorities said.The investigation began Thursday when police received a call regarding a threat to Serra High School, according to the Gardena Police Department. Investigators identified a student who posted a threatening message earlier this week.The teen posted a more specific threat Thursday, saying that violence would take place on campus. Detectives arrested the teen, who was not named, on suspicion of making criminal threats and possessing a firearm as a juvenile.
In other words, the teen made a threat, the police acted, and no one is dead.
That’s what should have happened in Parkland, but didn’t.
In Gardena — a mass shooting no one will ever hear about because it was prevented — the efficiency of the local authorities saved countless lives.
Why?
Because they acted.
While the anti-gun left is focused like a laser on guns, there were numerous failures that led to Parkland.
By now, most of us have heard about them.
At every level, it seems, the shooter was given a pass by supposed adults who didn’t do their jobs.
...Use the system in place.
Use it correctly.
Use it correctly.
Making threats is a crime.
It’s grounds for investigating further and, if necessary, arresting someone for more than making a threat.
Use that to end these horrible tragedies.
Don’t punish people who had nothing to do with it."
Read it all!
Nation’s "Report Card" Shows Federal Intervention Has Not Helped Students | The Heritage Foundation
Nation’s "Report Card" Shows Federal Intervention Has Not Helped Students | The Heritage Foundation:
"Yet more than half a century after Johnson signed Elementary and Secondary Education Act into law, and 38 years after the Department of Education became operational, it has become clear that federal intervention in K-12 education has failed to achieve its primary goal: reducing gaps in academic outcomes between disadvantaged students and their more advantaged peers.
On Tuesday, the National Center for Education Statistics at the Department of Education released the highly anticipated results of the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress, often referred to as the nation’s “report card,” underscoring that point"
On Tuesday, the National Center for Education Statistics at the Department of Education released the highly anticipated results of the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress, often referred to as the nation’s “report card,” underscoring that point"
Marathon Pundit: Harvey pension debacle could be first of many in Illinois
"Later this week Harvey, Illinois will lay off half of its police officers and firefighters because the corrupt south suburb of Chicago has been shorting its pension funds for years.
More may be coming.
From WTTW Chicago:
This could just be the first shoe to drop.Read all!
The city of North Chicago is being penalized as well. And according to an analysis by Amanda Kass, a researcher at the University of Chicago, there are 74 police or fire pension funds in towns across the state that are as similarly underfunded as Harvey (you can download that list of funds here). ..
History for April 13
History for April 13 - On-This-Day.com:
Thomas Jefferson 1743 - 3rd U.S. President, Frank W. Woolworth 1852 - Merchant, created the five and ten cent store, head of F.W. Woolworth & Co., Butch Cassidy (Robert LeRoy Parker) 1866 - American train robber, bank robber and leader of the Wild Bunch Gang
Paul Sorvino 1939 - Actor ("Law and Order", "Dick Tracy"), Tony Dow 1945 - Actor ("Leave it to Beaver"), Rick Schroder 1970 - Actor ("Silver Spoons", "NYPD Blue")
1861 - After 34 hours of bombardment, the Union-held Fort Sumter surrenders to Confederates.
1916 - The first hybrid, seed corn was purchased for 15-cents a bushel by Samuel Ramsay.
1949 - Philip S. Hench and associates announced that cortizone was an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.
1959 - A Vatican edict prohibited Roman Catholics from voting for Communists.
1964 - Sidney Poitier became the first black to win an Oscar for best actor. It was for his role in the movie "Lilies of the Field."
1976 - The U.S. Federal Reserve introduced $2 bicentennial notes.
1981 - Washington Post reporter Janet Cooke received a Pulitzer Prize for her feature about an 8-year-old heroin addict named "Jimmy." Cooke relinquished the prize two days later after admitting she had fabricated the story.
1997 - Tiger Woods became the youngest person to win the Masters Tournament at the age of 21. He also set a record when he finished at 18 under par.
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Clinton, Comey, Uranium One: Who Is John W. Huber? - Judicial Watch
Clinton, Comey, Uranium One: Who Is John W. Huber? - Judicial Watch:
"In a July 27, 2017 letter, GOP leaders had called on Mr. Sessions to “appoint a second special counsel to investigate a plethora of matters connected to the 2016 election and its aftermath.” These included actions by Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Loretta Lynch and others, email controversies, mishandling of classified information, Fusion GPS and the Steele Dossier, FISA warrants, wire taps, leaks, grand juries, the Clinton Foundation and the Uranium One deal.
Mr. Sessions instead appointed Mr. Huber, “an experienced federal prosecutor,” and left the door open to a special counsel. Mr. Sessions noted that Mr. Huber “will make recommendations as to whether any matters not currently under investigation should be opened, whether any matters currently under investigation require further resources, or whether any matters merit the appointment of a Special Counsel.”
Translation: Mr. Huber is investigating the investigations, not the underlying allegations."
Mr. Sessions instead appointed Mr. Huber, “an experienced federal prosecutor,” and left the door open to a special counsel. Mr. Sessions noted that Mr. Huber “will make recommendations as to whether any matters not currently under investigation should be opened, whether any matters currently under investigation require further resources, or whether any matters merit the appointment of a Special Counsel.”
Translation: Mr. Huber is investigating the investigations, not the underlying allegations."
London Closes 500 Churches; Opens 423 New Mosques
London Closes 500 Churches; Opens 423 New Mosques
"The creeping Islamization of London is almost complete, with hundreds of official sharia courts operating in the capital, and mosques opening where famous Christian churches have stood for many hundreds of years.
“London is more Islamic than many Muslim countries put together“, according to Maulana Syed Raza Rizvi, one of the Islamic preachers who now lead “Londonistan“, as the journalist Melanie Phillips has called the English capital.
No, Rizvi is not a right-wing extremist.
Nobel Laureate for Literature,Wole Soyinka, was less generous.
He called the UK “a cesspit for Islamists“.
“Terrorists can not stand London multiculturalism“, London’s mayor Sadiq Khan said after the deadly terror attack at Westminster last year.
The opposite is true: British multiculturalists are feeding Islamic fundamentalism.
Above all, Londonistan, with its 423 new mosques, is being built on the sad ruins of English Christianity.
Many iconic Christian churches in London have been converted into mosques..."
Read on!
"The creeping Islamization of London is almost complete, with hundreds of official sharia courts operating in the capital, and mosques opening where famous Christian churches have stood for many hundreds of years.
“London is more Islamic than many Muslim countries put together“, according to Maulana Syed Raza Rizvi, one of the Islamic preachers who now lead “Londonistan“, as the journalist Melanie Phillips has called the English capital.
No, Rizvi is not a right-wing extremist.
Nobel Laureate for Literature,Wole Soyinka, was less generous.
He called the UK “a cesspit for Islamists“.
“Terrorists can not stand London multiculturalism“, London’s mayor Sadiq Khan said after the deadly terror attack at Westminster last year.
The opposite is true: British multiculturalists are feeding Islamic fundamentalism.
Above all, Londonistan, with its 423 new mosques, is being built on the sad ruins of English Christianity.
Many iconic Christian churches in London have been converted into mosques..."
Read on!
Pro-gun event provokes hysterics from liberal students
Pro-gun event provokes hysterics from liberal students
The chapter, one of about 900 nationwide, invited Pratt to give a lecture Wednesday entitled “Eliminate Gun Free Zones” as a way to provide balance to the debate on gun control in the wake of the Parkland, Florida school shooting that left 17 dead.
- Liberal students turned to vandalism and accusations of white supremacy this week to express their displeasure with a pro-gun event featuring Larry Pratt.
- A few days prior to Pratt's lecture, the opinions editor of the school newspaper was caught on camera tearing down posters advertising the event, leading to her prompt dismissal from the paper.
The chapter, one of about 900 nationwide, invited Pratt to give a lecture Wednesday entitled “Eliminate Gun Free Zones” as a way to provide balance to the debate on gun control in the wake of the Parkland, Florida school shooting that left 17 dead.
“Good afternoon. Just a reminder that @ToledoYAL is bringing white supremacist @larrypratt to speak on @UToledo 's campus today,” Connor Kelley, a member of the school’s College Democrats chapter, tweeted the day of the event..."
Read all!
A Broken FBI Promise - WSJ
A Broken FBI Promise - WSJ:
"Just last week, FBI Director Christopher Wray released a statement saying he was unhappy with how the bureau was responding to “legitimate congressional requests” for information—and promised a “transparent and responsive” FBI. But already both the FBI and the Justice Department are back to their old tricks."
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