Thursday, June 10, 2010

8 Reasons College Tuition Is the Next Bubble to Burst

8 Reasons College Tuition Is the Next Bubble to Burst Naked Law by Avvo.com
"Here are 8 reasons to believe we’re in the middle of a college tuition bubble (that’s about to burst).
1) Tuition is, and has been, increasing at double the rate of inflation"

American Thinker: America's Predicament

American Thinker: America's Predicament
"America's public debt recently exceeded 13 trillion. This is more than 90 percent of the country's GDP.

Public debts of more than 60 percent of GDP are considered unhealthy. Public debts above 90 percent of GDP cause severe disruptions in the country's financial framework and the economy at large.

According to the Obama administration America's public debt will exceed 100 percent of GDP in the next fiscal year.

History shows that most countries whose debt exceeds this mark are rarely able to control it.

This level of indebtedness usually leads to currency debasement."

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Headline of the Day: Public Sector Union Edition

Headline of the Day: Public Sector Union Edition - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine
"'Metrobus driver that punched McGruff the crime dog rehired'

That headline from today's Washington Examiner says a lot about the sorry state of public sector unionism in America.
From the story:
A Metrobus driver fired after a deadly crash into a taxi and another canned for slugging a cop dressed as McGruff the Crime Dog are back at Metro, The Washington Examiner has learned.

Both men won their jobs back plus months of retroactive pay, the result of an arbitration decision between the bus drivers union and the transit agency.

One driver is getting paid to sit at home while the agency determines where to place him.
The other is expected to return to driving a Metrobus later this month.

'Neither of these incidents should have ever happened,' Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said.
The agency stands behind its decisions to fire the drivers, but Farbstein said Metro does not believe it has legal grounds to overturn the arbitrators' rulings.

Steven Greenhut explained how public servants became our masters in Reason's February issue."

Stop the Federal Spending Spree

Stop the Federal Spending Spree Tad DeHaven Cato Institute: Commentary
"In 2000, the federal government spent $1.8 trillion while debt held by the public stood at $3.4 trillion.

A mere decade later, the federal government is on pace to spend $3.7 trillion while publicly held debt is approaching $10 trillion."

This is during a decade of very low inflation and huge tax revenue increases to the government!

US to unveil Palestinian aid package: Obama

US to unveil Palestinian aid package: Obama
"President Barack Obama said Wednesday the United States was to unveil a 400-million-dollar civilian aid package for the Palestinians, as he called the situation in the Gaza Strip 'unsustainable.'"

No problems dude.
The Obama stash in bottomless!

Administration Advances Plan to Federalize Private Pension System

Administration Advances Plan to Federalize Private Pension System

"More evidence that it's unions vs. everyone else

"More evidence that it's unions vs. everyone else -- everywhere else" by America's Finest
"Last week, the consistently liberal/Democratic-leaning editorial page of the Washington Post explained and then lamented how public employee union power had brought ruin to wealthy Montgomery County, Maryland.

Now the influential Politico web site is saying bipartisan fear of these unions has become a national trend.

...pitched battles over wages and pensions are being waged from Sacramento to Springfield to New York City and the conflict is marked by its bipartisan tone, with public employee unions emerging as an intransigent public enemy number one in cities and state capitals across the country.
The article features Arnold talking tough. California ...
... remains ground zero for pension fights,"

Hitler loses his public pension!

A humorous look at the growing problem of underfunded public employee pensions

This is hilarious!

http://www.californiapensionreform.com/?p=946

The Underfunded Schools Myth

Hello Michigan: Analysis: The Underfunded Schools Myth
"A common claim by Michigan's public school establishment and its political allies is that, despite spending $20 billion annually on education, our schools are 'underfunded.'

Comparisons to other states and to historical funding levels show that the claim is unsubstantiated and misleading."

New post at Muskegon Tazpayers Alliance

Democrat county clerk Nancy Waters instantly ignores a citizen request.

http://muskegontaxpayers.blogspot.com/2010/06/county-clerk-ignores-plea-for-more.html

FTC floats Drudge tax

EDITORIAL: FTC floats Drudge tax - Washington Times
"In other words, government policy would encourage a tax on websites like the Drudge Report, a must-read source for the news links of the day, so that the agency can redistribute the funds collected to various newspapers."

Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene

RealClearPolitics - Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene
"Even though some people say we are living in a 'knowledge economy,' we are living in a political atmosphere in which ignorance has more power than ever.
Washington politicians who have never run any business are telling all kinds of businesses - from automobile companies and banks to hospitals and insurance companies - how they have to run their businesses.

This is the golden age of ignorance in power."

The More We Learn, The Worse It Gets

The More We Learn, The Worse It Gets ObamaCare Watch
"This week, we learned that the Obama administration is orchestrating a $125 million propaganda campaign to sell the recently enacted health-care law to the public.
That effort will be funded by labor unions and other groups from the Democratic political orbit.

It comes on top of the misleading government mailer sent to the nation’s seniors, at the expense of taxpayers, touting the supposed benefits of ObamaCare for the elderly.

On Tuesday, the president himself will join the fray again to make the sales pitch, this time promoting the colossal waste of taxpayer money associated with $250 per senior bribes to be issued this summer and fall."

The EPA’s reckless endangerment | NetRight Daily

The EPA’s reckless endangerment NetRight Daily: "This week, the Senate is expected to vote on S.J. Res. 26, Senator Lisa Murkowski’s resolution that would overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) carbon dioxide endangerment finding that was infamously issued on December 7th, 2009."

What's the matter with Michigan?

What's the matter with Michigan? Washington Examiner
"Tentative conclusion: rich liberals may be able to afford Obamastimulus and Obamacare, but voters with modest incomes don’t think they can."

US Financial Crisis: Ambac Warns of Default as Bondholders Organize

US Financial Crisis: Ambac Warns of Default as Bondholders Organize - CNBC
"Ambac Financial Group, the bond insurer whose toxic assets were seized by Wisconsin state regulators in March, said it could default on its loan obligations and was still considering filing a prepackaged bankruptcy."

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Taxpayers can't sustain generous benefits for education employees

Editorial: Taxpayers can't sustain generous benefits for education employees The Detroit News
"A Detroit News survey of Metro Detroit school districts reveals that many have contracts in which teachers pay absolutely nothing for their health care -- in contrast with private sector workers who have faced increasing co-pays and deductibles.

Teachers union officials have responded that teachers have traded pay hikes for benefits.
But Michigan teachers remain relatively highly paid compared to their peers in other states while residents' income has been declining."

Gulf Oil Spill Makes Alberta Tar Sands Look Good

FuturePundit: Gulf Oil Spill Makes Alberta Tar Sands Look Good
"For example, BP is going to develop an Alberta oil sands (really tar sands) project that has 10 times the reserves as BP was drilling for with the Deepwater Horizon.

No worry a blow-out."

SpotCrime - Know Your Neighborhood

SpotCrime - Know Your Neighborhood

I can't say if this is accurate but it sure is interesting.

I've followed it for a month and it seems to be accurate.

A Tale of Two Counties

A Tale of Two Counties [Mackinac Center]
"The Post calls attention to the association between collective bargaining and spendthrift public officials."

QUIZ: Who said it — Democratic leaders or Communist Party USA?

QUIZ: Who said it — Democratic leaders or Communist Party USA? The Daily Caller
"TAKE THE QUIZ — Which quotes come from Democrats, and which from CPUSA?"

YouTube - Tea Party Member Stuns Crowd!

YouTube - Tea Party Member Stuns Crowd!

This is good!

Fact-Checking Gov. Granholm's Economic Diversity Claims about Michigan's economy

Mackinac Policy Conference: Fact-Checking Gov. Granholm's Economic Diversity Claims About Michigan's ... [Mackinac Center]
"The 919 MEDC projects over the eight years of the governor's tenure represents only a fraction one year's worth of business creation."

Arthur Laffer: Tax Hikes and the 2011 Economic Collapse

Arthur Laffer: Tax Hikes and the 2011 Economic Collapse - WSJ.com
"It shouldn't surprise anyone that the nine states without an income tax are growing far faster and attracting more people than are the nine states with the highest income tax rates.

People and businesses change the location of income based on incentives."

Spill reveals Obama's lack of executive experience

Spill reveals Obama's lack of executive experience Washington Examiner
"Seven months later, after receiving the Democratic presidential nomination, Obama talked with CNN's Anderson Cooper.
At the time, the news was dominated by Hurricane Gustav, which was headed toward New Orleans and threatening to become a Katrina-like disaster.
'Some of your Republican critics have said you don't have the experience to handle a situation like this,' Cooper said to Obama.
'They in fact have said that Governor Palin has more executive experience. ...'

'Governor Palin's town of Wasilla has, I think, 50 employees,' Obama answered.
'We have got 2,500 in this campaign.
I think their budget is maybe $12 million a year.
You know, we have a budget of about three times that just for the month.
So, I think that our ability to manage large systems and to execute, I think, has been made clear over the last couple of years.'"

The man is a fool!

DIY Projects for Soon-to-Be Banned Plastic Bags

DIY Projects for Soon-to-Be Banned Plastic Bags - Popularmechanics.com
"In its latest environmentally friendly legislative move, California is planning on banning single-use plastic bags from its grocery stores."

The nanny state will take away EVERYTHING we use.......it's to save the earth.......right?

Cal Thomas column on Helen Thomas spiked

Cal Thomas column on Helen Thomas spiked No Silence Here knoxnews.com
"Cal Thomas column on Helen Thomas spiked

Below is the original Thomas column moved yesterday for release today.
About an hour later, the column was pulled with only this explanation from Tribune Media Services: This story has been deleted by the news provider.

The column, nonetheless, made it into at least one newspaper.
UPDATE: And the Washington Examiner.
And here are some others."

British Defense Researchers Create Invisible Tank

British Defense Researchers Create Invisible Tank - Science News
"London's Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and Sun all report on tests conducted by the Ministry of Defence last week in which a tank rolled across a field, completely invisible to observers standing at a certain point.

'This technology is incredible,' an unnamed soldier was quoted by the Daily Mail and Sun.
'If I hadn't been present I wouldn't have believed it. I looked across the fields and just saw grass and trees — but in reality I was staring down the barrel of a tank gun.'"

Monday, June 07, 2010

Auctions for Overbooking

Auctions for Overbooking - WSJ.com
"The Department of Transportation, in its infinite wisdom, has announced new rules for airlines to compensate passengers who are involuntarily bumped from an oversold flight.

We have a better idea—or, more precisely, the late economist Julian Simon had one 30 years ago."

Bloody-Minded Union

Bloody-Minded Union - IBD - Investors.com
"Big Labor: Is there any low to which the SEIU won't stoop?

Now it's interrupting blood donations in a strike against the American Red Cross.

The Boy Scouts and Baptist churches are also on unions' enemies list."