Detroit-ization=Financial SUICIDE------Muskegon city officials fight to keep on top of 'legacy costs'

And they underfund on purpose!
Muskegon city officials fight to keep on top of 'legacy costs' | MLive.com:
"As a city with a $24 million general fund, Muskegon only has total unfunded legacy costs of $10.3 million for projected retiree pensions and health care coverage.
That is $269 in financial liability for every one of the city’s 38,401 residents.

Compared to other Muskegon County municipalities, Muskegon is in pretty good shape.
Fruitport Township with a $1.7 million liability equaling $143 for each of its residents leads the county local units of government and the city of Norton Shores has the biggest legacy hurdle with $51 million in costs equaling $2,141 per resident, according to the MSU study as reported by Bridge."

Detroit's new race war? Will downtown Detroit be a white enclave?

Finley: Will downtown Detroit be a white enclave? | The Detroit News

The divide around here once was between Detroit and the suburbs.
Now, in the words of race warrior Shirley Stancato, it’s becoming between “downtown and those other people.”

The other people the New Detroit head is talking about live in Detroit’s rapidly disintegrating neighborhoods.
They’re largely African-American, and a high percentage are poor.
Downtown, meanwhile, is a magnet for creative and upwardly mobile young people of both races, but the tilt is heavily toward whites.

“It’s an issue,” says Stancato, whose organization is dedicated to closing the racial divide.

“It’s a symptom of concerns that are just underneath the surface.”

The resentment broke through during the recent Detroit mayoral campaign.
The downtown vs. neighborhoods conflict became a sub-theme that both candidates had to address on the campaign trail.

How could it not?
Downtown seems immune to Detroit’s broken finances.
It’s booming thanks to private investments and its sudden emergence as a cool city for young people to live and work in.

Private dollars take care of everything from street clean-up to security within the downtown and Midtown zones.

Turning our schools into eco-madrassas-----Man-Made Global Warming Discussions Heating Up in Michigan

Man-Made Global Warming Discussions Heating Up in Michigan [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:
"The Michigan Department of Education is considering discussing in the "near future" a state standard for science that some say would teach that climate change is man-made and factual.
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are being promoted as a new, nationwide curriculum for how science should be taught in grades K-12, and have been met with plenty of controversy."

"Climate change" confab not going well in Warsaw| Human Events

"Climate change" confab not going well in Warsaw | Human Events:
"Japan’s target is shifting from a 25 percent reduction to a 3 percent increase over the 1990 baseline?
That’s pretty dramatic.
Responses range from “disappointment” in the European Union, to “regret” by the United Nations, to “dismay” from China.
”Climate activists” conducted themselves in accordance with the usual rituals of their primitive, nonsensical religion, by eating sushi over the simulated dead bodies of Typhoon Haiyan victims, who the cult believes were actually killed by the Angry Sky Gods of global warming.  
Remember, global warming causes all bad weather, and also causes the absence of bad weather.
The Angry Sky Gods are fearsome even when you catch them in rare good humor."

Guy Builds Ten Weapons With Products Purchased After Getting Through Airport Security

Guy Builds Ten Weapons With Products Purchased After Getting Through Airport Security | Techdirt
So, who's behind this? Apparently, it's a security researcher named Evan Booth who explains that he sent all of these examples to the TSA. He also explains his response to the obvious question: "but what if the terrorists see these videos?"

That’s a great question. An even better question is: What if they already know all this? All of these findings have been reported to the Department of Homeland Security (TSA) to help them better detect these types of threats. Furthermore, the next time you fly, you’ll be flying as a more informed consumer (and taxpayer, possibly) — one who is more equipped to demand better, more appropriate airport security.

Which, of course, is really the point. Pretending that keeping this info secret makes people safer means believing that if you don't know about a security hole it goes away.

Treasury Forced to Issue $1T in New Debt in First 6 Weeks of FY14

Treasury Forced to Issue $1T in New Debt in First 6 Weeks of FY14 | CNS News:
"Between Oct. 1, 2013, the first day of fiscal 2014, and Nov. 14—which was less than a month after Congress agreed to temporarily suspend the legal limit on the federal debt—the Treasury was forced to issue more than $1 trillion in new debt.
During that time, according to the Daily Treasury Statement, the Treasury issued $1,014,215,000,000 in new bills, notes, bonds and other securities.
The government needed this $1,014,215,000,000 to cover government obligations and expenses that exceeded the $255,080,000,000 it raked in through tax revenues during the same six-week period."

Protect yourself. Or depend on Obama-----Survival Basics – Water | The Prepper Journal

Survival Basics – Water | The Prepper JournalThe Prepper Journal:
"Apartment dwellers have additional problems but you may already have a great storage space built-in and that is your bathtub.
As soon as you know you will need it, and hopefully not too late, fill your bathtub up with water.
Optionally, you could purchase a waterBOB (http://www.waterbob.com/Information.do;jsessionid=B60587CA7C7C9DE3E813F2FE90FBEE7D? forward=home) which can hold up to 100 gallons and eliminates having to screen your water for hair or tub grime."

School cancels Christmas toy drive for needy children after atheist group threatens to sue

Poor Richard's News - School cancels Christmas toy drive for needy children after atheist group threatens to sue:
 "Yet another spineless public school official is caving under pressure from atheist bullies.
East Point Academy, a public elementary charter school in Cayce, South Carolina, has participated in a Christmas toy drive for needy children for the past several years with no complaints from students or parents.  This year, an outside group is threatening to sue the school if it continues it’s Christmas charity. "

OMG! He's lost Gloria Borger AND Time magazine: Obama’s “No Drama” Credo Led to the ACA Website Disaster

Gloria Borger: Obama’s “No Drama” Credo Led to the ACA Website Disaster | TIME.com
And yet, as the dry-runs continued to produce red flags—over and over—the president remained in his steely cocoon.
If this were the presidency of George W. Bush or Ronald Reagan, the obvious theories would abound: the chief executive is disengaged.
Or incurious.
Or worse.
But since Obama is none of the above, what gives?

Folks, they'll NEVER quit unless we break 'em down! The best nanny state order ever?

The best nanny state order ever? « Hot Air:
"Sweden’s Ice Hotel has been ordered by the National Housing Board to install fire alarms, despite being made completely out of frozen water.
The Ice Hotel, which is rebuilt every year in northern Sweden out of enormous chunks of ice from the Torne River in Jukkasjärvi, Kiruna, will this year come equipped with fire alarms – and the irony isn’t lost on the staff."

""There’s really not much left to add, I suppose. 
Except to say that if you built one in New York, they’d probably need the same equipment plus about 500 union sign-offs before you could erect it. "

Why doesn't Obama take 'em over...ObamaGrub! ---Spartan Stores goes silent amid store closings, questions where headquarters will be located

Spartan Stores goes silent amid store closings, questions where headquarters will be located | MLive.com: "The company hasn’t responded to MLive or other media inquiries to answer those questions or inquiries about plans to close four Michigan stores: a Family Fare store in Grand Ledge and the VG’s Grocery stores in Burton, Flint Township and Shelby Township.
There’s good reason the public company hasn’t been talking, says James Carey, a business law professor at Cooley Law School.
Staying silent is the best way to stay clear of running afoul of federal regulations enforced by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and upsetting shareholders who need to approve the deal.
...News reports have confirmed the pending closures through employees and a WARN notice filed with the state."

They may be funny...but they're NOT our friends.

This smells BAD! ----Risk Calculator for Cholesterol Appears Flawed

Risk Calculator for Cholesterol Appears Flawed - NYTimes.com:
"Last week, the nation’s leading heart organizations released a sweeping new set of guidelines for lowering cholesterol, along with an online calculator meant to help doctors assess risks and treatment options.
But, in a major embarrassment to the health groups, the calculator appears to greatly overestimate risk, so much so that it could mistakenly suggest that millions more people are candidates for statin drugs.
The apparent problem prompted one leading cardiologist, a past president of the American College of Cardiology, to call on Sunday for a halt to the implementation of the new guidelines.

“It’s stunning,” said the cardiologist, Dr. Steven Nissen, chief of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic.
“We need a pause to further evaluate this approach before it is implemented on a widespread basis.”

▶ Hitler's health insurance is cancelled - YouTube

▶ Hitler's health insurance is cancelled - YouTube: ""

'via Blog this'

Remember this next time they start the "only cops should have guns" ploy----City officials: Phone lines down at Muskegon City Hall

City officials: Phone lines down at Muskegon City Hall | MLive.com:
"MUSKEGON, MI -- For Muskegon residents attempting to reach officials at the city hall building this morning, including those at the department of public works office or police department, it may be awhile before that’s possible.
City officials said a “major fiber cut” on Apple Avenue this morning, Nov. 18, caused connectivity and phone line issues for Muskegon City Hall."

And the (dead) beat goes on in Detroit----Little work at theater, but fed aid still flows

Little work at theater, but fed aid still flows | The Detroit News
Detroit— The developer who promised to renovate the last remnant of downtown’s turn-of-the-century theater district a dozen years ago has done so little on the building the city is trying to seize the historic property.
Still, the Detroit City Council and the emergency manager have awarded the company $3.3 million in new federal tax dollars for more development.

So How Many Died At Watergate?

JustOneMinute: So How Many Died At Watergate?:
"And a third view - Bush was at least instrumental in leading the rebuilding effort after Katrina; the jury is out on ObamaCare.
And for those scoring at the Yglesias home, we have managerial scandals and debacles ranked by immediate bodycount:
Katrina
Benghazi
Fast and Furious (US dead only)
Chappaquiddick
Watergate/ObamaCare/Whitewater/Iran-Contra (tie).

 And do let's note - a standard lib talking point during the promotion of Obamacare was that access to health insurance saves lives. 
Dare we presume that failure to implement Obamacare thereby costs lives, eventually if not by this weekend?

Ezra Klein was talking about 15,000 to 20,000 lives per year, which dwarfs the 1,833 who died at Katrina."

Union fiscal thuggery-Bidnez as usual for ObamaCare's Union Favor

Review & Outlook: ObamaCare's Union Favor - WSJ.com:
"There's no conceivable rationale—other than politics—for releasing union-only plans from a tax that is defined as universal in the Affordable Care Act statute. 
Like so many other ObamaCare waivers, this labor dispensation will probably turn out to be illegal.
And by the way, this favor harms all other taxpayers.
The IRS assesses the reinsurance tax in annual tranches; it must collect $12 billion in 2014, $8 billion in 2015 and $5 billion 2016.
So the smaller pool of ordinary people without a union card will pay a larger individual share of the same overall amount."

"Detroit Disease" metastasizes to suburbs---To keep streetlights on, metro Detroit communities send the bill to residents

To keep streetlights on, metro Detroit communities send the bill to residents | Detroit Free Press | freep.com: "Lincoln Park City Manager Joseph Merucci said the council held public hearings before approving the measure, which will bring in about $590,00 a year, just shy of the $620,000 the service costs the city.
.......Merucci said Lincoln Park’s predicament — the city is undergoing a financial review by the state treasury and has seen its property tax valuations drop 44% in five years — requires drastic action."

Obama's america---Georgia restaurant told to remove flags honoring USA, troops

Georgia restaurant told to remove flags honoring USA, troops | Fox News:
"A Georgia restaurant owner has been ordered to remove the patriotic flags flying above his eatery, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
Darren Miller, owner of CJ’s Hot Dogs in McDonough, was cited on Friday by a code enforcement officer for flying flags above his restaurant that honor the military.
The restaurant, Fox 5 reports, is dedicated to police officers, firefighters and those serving in the military and Miller says it’s his right to pay tribute to each group -- both inside and outside his restaurant.

Folks we're not just broke. We pay morons like this $146,50/yr! We're stupid------Anti-GOP MSU Professor Will Be Back in the Classroom Next Semester

Video here:http://www.campusreform.org/Video/?ID=5035

Anti-GOP MSU Professor Will Be Back in the Classroom Next Semester [Michigan Capitol Confidential]

MSU Spokesman Kent Cassella said in an email this week that, "Professor William Penn will be assigned to teach two small courses next semester in creative writing. 

..........A state GOP spokesman said a one-semester, paid suspension wasn't enough and Penn should have been dismissed.

........Penn's $146,510 a year salary puts him ahead of some of the state's top officials for pay. Penn earns more per year than does Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, Attorney General Bill Schuette, and Secretary of State Ruth Johnson. 

Another moronic "idea" from the "Yes, we can" folks-------Snyder challenger Schauer calls for raising minimum wage to $9.25

Snyder challenger Schauer calls for raising minimum wage to $9.25 | Crain's Detroit Business:
"Democrat Mark Schauer is proposing to raise Michigan's minimum wage to $9.25 an hour over three years and automatically tie future increases to inflation, saying he would make hiking the $7.40 wage a top priority if elected governor next year."

The same crap happens here, but our media is more helpful to the crooks----Philippine corruption magnifies effects of typhoon

My Way News - Philippine corruption magnifies effects of typhoon:
"TACLOBAN, Philippines (AP) -
"I'm not going to mince words," said Mel Fernandez, the editorial adviser for the Filipino Migrant News.
"We would like every cent to reach those poor people there rather than getting waylaid."
Corruption is a concern after any major natural disaster, as millions of dollars in cash and goods rush in from around the world.
But those worries are especially acute in the Philippines, where graft has been a part of life for decades."

The end of the scam? Federal Judge: Michigan Renewable Energy Mandate Unconstitutional

Federal Judge: Michigan Renewable Energy Mandate Unconstitutional [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:
Court battles over the Colorado and Minnesota renewable energy mandates could potentially mark the beginning of the end for similar laws in other states, including Michigan.
In June, Judge Richard Posner of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit Court wrote that Michigan's in-state renewable energy mandate violates the Commerce Clause and is therefore unconstitutional."

Holi crapoli! She won't be happy until we're ALL dead------Oprah: Racists Have to Die for Racism to End

Oprah: Racists Have to Die for Racism to End | NewsBusters:
"Oprah Winfrey, one of the wealthiest people in the world, is throwing the race card again.
During an interview with the BBC Friday, she not only said that President Obama is treated with disrespect because he’s black, but also that entire generations of racists are going to have to die for racism to end (video follows with transcript and commentary):"

Highland Park mayor shot at Detroit night club

Highland Park mayor shot at Detroit night club | MLive.com:
"DETROIT, MI - Highland Park Mayor Deandre Windom was shot Sunday morning at a downtown Detroit night club, according to multiple reports.
WXYZ 7 Action News reports that Windom was shot at Key Club, located at 1440 Franklin St., just before 2 a.m. as bouncers were clearing people out of the bar."

Hmmm. Barry and his Russian friends vs the CIA and Pentagon-----A Russian GPS Using U.S. Soil Stirs Spy Fears - NYTimes.com

A Russian GPS Using U.S. Soil Stirs Spy Fears - NYTimes.com:
"In recent months, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Pentagon have been quietly waging a campaign to stop the State Department from allowing Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, to build about half a dozen of these structures, known as monitor stations, on United States soil"

Hypocrisy, thine name is Democrat------Democrat Wants Amnesty so Illegal Immigrants Can Enroll in Obamacare

Democrat Wants Amnesty so Illegal Immigrants Can Enroll in Obamacare:
"A Colorado Democrat who wanted Obamacare waivers for some of the country's wealthiest patrons of ski resorts wants the law's individual mandate to apply to today's illegal immigrants, which can only happen if they are given a pathway to citizenship."

OMG! He's lost the Detroit Free Press! Health care deductibles a shock to Michigan consumers

Health care deductibles a shock to Michigan consumers | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:
"Six weeks after the troubled rollout of the Michigan Health Insurance Marketplace, the Obama administration may be facing a new challenge: consumer anger at high deductibles in plans that were supposed to be the most affordable.
In southeast Michigan, deductibles in most of the 14 bronze plans listed on the marketplace — those with lower premiums — top $5,000 for a single person and $10,000-$12,000 for a family. Insurance won’t kick in until those out-of-pocket costs are met."