Blair warns of 'catastrophe' if euro collapses
Cameron said on Friday there was still "a big question mark" over the future of the eurozone and stressed it was not in Britain's interests for the single currency to break up but the government is "preparing for every eventuality".
Sunday, November 13, 2011
State near top in number of public pension systems
Metro and State State near top in number of public pension systems The Detroit News
"Michigan has more public retirement systems than just about any other state," said Keith Brainard, research director for the National Association of State Retirement Administrators, noting the bureau lists only Pennsylvania, Illinois and Florida as having more.
"Michigan has more public retirement systems than just about any other state," said Keith Brainard, research director for the National Association of State Retirement Administrators, noting the bureau lists only Pennsylvania, Illinois and Florida as having more.
Strained By Its Debts, EU Is Breaking Up
Strained By Its Debts, EU Is Breaking Up - Latest Headlines - Investors.com
It's been clear for some time that the European Union is in deep trouble.
But now even its own leaders admit something shocking: The EU, and its currency the euro, may soon be a thing of the past
It's been clear for some time that the European Union is in deep trouble.
But now even its own leaders admit something shocking: The EU, and its currency the euro, may soon be a thing of the past
» “That clip was so satisfying that I need a cigarette!”
» “That clip was so satisfying that I need a cigarette!” - Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion
That’s what commenter and blogger Joan of Argghh said last night after watching the clip of Newt taking on Scott Pelley over killing enemy combatants.
That’s what commenter and blogger Joan of Argghh said last night after watching the clip of Newt taking on Scott Pelley over killing enemy combatants.
WaPo Gave Bush’s 1976 DUI Front Page! But Fast and Furious Isn’t a Scandal
WaPo Gave Bush’s 1976 DUI Front Page! But Fast and Furious Isn’t a Scandal - Big Journalism
Interesting! Let me see if I have this right.
A DUI arrest from 1976 deserves the front page.
A federal funded operation that has resulted in the death of hundreds, including federal agents, does not deserve the front page.
Interesting! Let me see if I have this right.
A DUI arrest from 1976 deserves the front page.
A federal funded operation that has resulted in the death of hundreds, including federal agents, does not deserve the front page.
Acropolis now: Greece may be just the start
Acropolis now: Greece may be just the start - World - Macleans.ca
Now, facing more taxes and cuts to public expenditures, the family expects to have a net monthly income of less than 500 euros.
Marko and Aleka are investing whatever money they can toward English lessons for their twin eight-year-old boys in the hope that they might have a better future somewhere else
Now, facing more taxes and cuts to public expenditures, the family expects to have a net monthly income of less than 500 euros.
Marko and Aleka are investing whatever money they can toward English lessons for their twin eight-year-old boys in the hope that they might have a better future somewhere else
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Out Of The Ashes Of The Collapse Of The Eurozone Will A “United States Of Europe” Arise?
Out Of The Ashes Of The Collapse Of The Eurozone Will A “United States Of Europe” Arise?
All over Europe, headlines are declaring that the eurozone is on the verge of collapse.
Many people falsely assume that this will mean the end of the euro and a return to national currencies.
Unfortunately, that is not going to be the case at all.
Instead, this is going to be yet another example of how the elite attempt to bring order out of chaos.
All over Europe, headlines are declaring that the eurozone is on the verge of collapse.
Many people falsely assume that this will mean the end of the euro and a return to national currencies.
Unfortunately, that is not going to be the case at all.
Instead, this is going to be yet another example of how the elite attempt to bring order out of chaos.
Sticking Our Head In Tar Sands
Sticking Our Head In Tar Sands - Latest Headlines - Investors.com
The Keystone XL pipeline would carry as much as 700,000 barrels of oil a day, doubling the capacity of an existing pipeline operated by TransCanada in the upper Midwest.
The 36-inch pipeline carrying oil derived from tar sands in Alberta, Canada, to Gulf Coast refineries would create about 20,000 construction and manufacturing jobs, union jobs, that will increase the personal income of American workers by $6.5 billion.
The Keystone XL pipeline would carry as much as 700,000 barrels of oil a day, doubling the capacity of an existing pipeline operated by TransCanada in the upper Midwest.
The 36-inch pipeline carrying oil derived from tar sands in Alberta, Canada, to Gulf Coast refineries would create about 20,000 construction and manufacturing jobs, union jobs, that will increase the personal income of American workers by $6.5 billion.
An empty victory for Ohio unions
EDITORIAL: An empty victory for Ohio unions - Washington Times
Cutting spending is the way out of the trap. Public-sector unions make that difficult when they insist on benefits that far exceed what taxpayers can afford to pay.
The fundamental problem with collective bargaining for the public sector is that the people who actually pay the bills - the taxpayers - never get a seat at the table.
Deals are hammered out between politicians and unions, who are not necessarily adversarial toward one another.
This results in deals that are fiscally unsustainable, and we end up with Greece at a national scale or municipal bankruptcies at the local level.
Cutting spending is the way out of the trap. Public-sector unions make that difficult when they insist on benefits that far exceed what taxpayers can afford to pay.
The fundamental problem with collective bargaining for the public sector is that the people who actually pay the bills - the taxpayers - never get a seat at the table.
Deals are hammered out between politicians and unions, who are not necessarily adversarial toward one another.
This results in deals that are fiscally unsustainable, and we end up with Greece at a national scale or municipal bankruptcies at the local level.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Penn State riots: sick campus culture
Penn State riots: sick campus culture--Jonah Goldberg - NYPOST.com
It is also why idiotic protests have come to be seen as “part of the college experience,” as if chanting inane slogans and spouting weepy canned platitudes is essential to a well-rounded education.
Most of the time, I find campus protest culture to be shallow and predictable.
But I would have cheered it this time around, if only someone rioted for the alleged victims of Jerry Sandusky.
It is also why idiotic protests have come to be seen as “part of the college experience,” as if chanting inane slogans and spouting weepy canned platitudes is essential to a well-rounded education.
Most of the time, I find campus protest culture to be shallow and predictable.
But I would have cheered it this time around, if only someone rioted for the alleged victims of Jerry Sandusky.
Democrats Offer $1-Trillion Tax Increase in Super Committee Deal
Democrats Offer $1-Trillion Tax Increase in Super Committee Deal CNSnews.com
Democrats have offered a deal -- after rejecting a GOP offer earlier this week -- that would cut $1 trillion in projected spending over the next 10 years and raise taxes by $1 trillion over 10 years, according to documents leaked to Talking Points Memo.
Democrats have offered a deal -- after rejecting a GOP offer earlier this week -- that would cut $1 trillion in projected spending over the next 10 years and raise taxes by $1 trillion over 10 years, according to documents leaked to Talking Points Memo.
MSM Doesn’t Report That ‘Occupy Rose Parade’ Organizer Is Former Corporate Lawyer Busted For Theft
MSM Doesn’t Report That ‘Occupy Rose Parade’ Organizer Is Former Corporate Lawyer Busted For Theft - Big Journalism
Once discovered, Thottam suffered the disgrace of having his law license suspended by the California State Bar in 2008.
Thottam is a self-described “progressive attorney, and community activist and organizer” and a failed Democrat political candidate in 2010 for state assembly in California’s 53rd district.
Now returned as a lawyer “seeking employment” whose “salary is negotiable,“ my guess is Thottam hopes to capitalize on the Occupy fad to deftly segue himself into politics.
Hey, it worked for Obama.
Once discovered, Thottam suffered the disgrace of having his law license suspended by the California State Bar in 2008.
Thottam is a self-described “progressive attorney, and community activist and organizer” and a failed Democrat political candidate in 2010 for state assembly in California’s 53rd district.
Now returned as a lawyer “seeking employment” whose “salary is negotiable,“ my guess is Thottam hopes to capitalize on the Occupy fad to deftly segue himself into politics.
Hey, it worked for Obama.
World War II: After the War
World War II: After the War - Alan Taylor - In Focus - The Atlantic
(This entry is Part 20 of a weekly 20-part retrospective of World War II) [45 photos]
AMAZING photos from WW2.
Hug a Veteran today!
(This entry is Part 20 of a weekly 20-part retrospective of World War II) [45 photos]
AMAZING photos from WW2.
Hug a Veteran today!
Public School Teachers Far From Underpaid
Public School Teachers Far From Underpaid [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
It’s a commonly accepted belief that public school teachers are underpaid.
Last month in a visit to Ann Arbor, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan even called for schools to figure out how to double teacher salaries in order to attract and keep top-tier talent.
But a report issued last week by the Heritage Center for Data Analysis questions the conventional wisdom and finds that, instead of being underpaid, people entering the teaching profession actually make one and a half times what they would have in other lines of work.
It’s a commonly accepted belief that public school teachers are underpaid.
Last month in a visit to Ann Arbor, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan even called for schools to figure out how to double teacher salaries in order to attract and keep top-tier talent.
But a report issued last week by the Heritage Center for Data Analysis questions the conventional wisdom and finds that, instead of being underpaid, people entering the teaching profession actually make one and a half times what they would have in other lines of work.
Detroit is not Oakland: City and protesters preparing for peaceful end to Occupy Detroit's Grand Circus Park campground
Detroit is not Oakland: City and protesters preparing for peaceful end to Occupy Detroit's Grand Circus Park campground MLive.com
The city of Detroit expects the Occupy Detroit protest to vacate their campground at Grand Circus Park when their permit expires on Monday. However, despite rumors of pending police action, Detroit Parks Department director Alicia Minter says the city is not planning to forcibly remove Occupy Detroit.
"Campground"?
The city of Detroit expects the Occupy Detroit protest to vacate their campground at Grand Circus Park when their permit expires on Monday. However, despite rumors of pending police action, Detroit Parks Department director Alicia Minter says the city is not planning to forcibly remove Occupy Detroit.
"Campground"?
David Axelrod's Pattern of Sexual Misbehavior
David Axelrod's Pattern of Sexual Misbehavior - HUMAN EVENTS
Herman Cain has spent his life living and working all over the country -- Indiana, Georgia, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Washington, D.C. -- but never in Chicago.
So it's curious that all the sexual harassment allegations against Cain emanate from Chicago: home of the Daley machine and Obama consigliere David Axelrod.
Herman Cain has spent his life living and working all over the country -- Indiana, Georgia, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Washington, D.C. -- but never in Chicago.
So it's curious that all the sexual harassment allegations against Cain emanate from Chicago: home of the Daley machine and Obama consigliere David Axelrod.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
ABC and NBC Spike Eric Holder’s 'Fast and Furious' Testimony
ABC and NBC Spike Eric Holder’s 'Fast and Furious' Testimony NewsBusters.org
NBC and ABC in their evening and morning newscasts completely ignored the grilling Eric Holder received on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, over his role in the Fast and Furious scandal.
NBC and ABC in their evening and morning newscasts completely ignored the grilling Eric Holder received on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, over his role in the Fast and Furious scandal.
THE HUNGER FOR “SOCIAL CERTAINTIES:”
Instapundit » Blog Archive » THE HUNGER FOR “SOCIAL CERTAINTIES:”
Ron Radosh on the continuing appeal of communism in the West.
I don’t really think that’s it.
I think it’s that communism/socialism promise good career paths for people whose skills are bureaucratic politics, conforming, sucking up, and punishing nonconformists, and that there are enough of those people — especially in influential professions like journalism and academia — to ensure a continuing constituency.
Posted by Glenn Reynolds at 8:19 am
Ron Radosh on the continuing appeal of communism in the West.
I don’t really think that’s it.
I think it’s that communism/socialism promise good career paths for people whose skills are bureaucratic politics, conforming, sucking up, and punishing nonconformists, and that there are enough of those people — especially in influential professions like journalism and academia — to ensure a continuing constituency.
Posted by Glenn Reynolds at 8:19 am
European debt crisis spiralling out of control
European debt crisis spiralling out of control Business The Guardian
Reports that Germany and France have begun talks to break up the eurozone amid fears that Italy will be too big to rescue
Reports that Germany and France have begun talks to break up the eurozone amid fears that Italy will be too big to rescue
Alabama county files biggest municipal bankruptcy
Alabama county files biggest municipal bankruptcy Reuters
Alabama's Jefferson County filed for bankruptcy court protection on Wednesday in the biggest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.
Alabama's Jefferson County filed for bankruptcy court protection on Wednesday in the biggest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
The Coming of Age Wars
The Coming of Age Wars - By Mark Steyn - The Corner - National Review Online
It’s asking a lot of a fraying societal fabric to expect young Hispanics to shoulder the ever greater entitlement costs of elderly whites and blacks (as in the American southwest) or young Muslims of elderly French and Germans (as in Europe).
In the face-off between a beleaguered private sector and the public unions whose lavish benefits they pay for, Big Labor’s muscle holds certain advantages.
That doesn’t apply in the looming showdown between youth and geezers.
It’s asking a lot of a fraying societal fabric to expect young Hispanics to shoulder the ever greater entitlement costs of elderly whites and blacks (as in the American southwest) or young Muslims of elderly French and Germans (as in Europe).
In the face-off between a beleaguered private sector and the public unions whose lavish benefits they pay for, Big Labor’s muscle holds certain advantages.
That doesn’t apply in the looming showdown between youth and geezers.
Dan Wetzel's Week 11 college football podcast
Dan Wetzel's Week 11 college football podcast - College Football - Rivals.com
The school’s civil liability, and that of individuals such as Spanier, Paterno, athletic director Tim Curley and others is also discussed.
They even cite actual laws.
Clay estimates the total liability will be more than $100 million and that’s if Penn State can avoid any punitive measures, which could drive things higher.
Paterno himself could pay out millions.
The school’s civil liability, and that of individuals such as Spanier, Paterno, athletic director Tim Curley and others is also discussed.
They even cite actual laws.
Clay estimates the total liability will be more than $100 million and that’s if Penn State can avoid any punitive measures, which could drive things higher.
Paterno himself could pay out millions.
Obama Couldn't Wait: His New Christmas Tree Tax
Obama Couldn't Wait: His New Christmas Tree Tax
President Obama’s Agriculture Department today announced that it will impose a new 15-cent charge on all fresh Christmas trees—the Christmas Tree Tax—to support a new Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.
In the Federal Register of November 8, 2011, Acting Administrator of Agricultural Marketing David R. Shipman announced that the Secretary of Agriculture will appoint a Christmas Tree Promotion Board.
The purpose of the Board is to run a “program of promotion, research, evaluation, and information designed to strengthen the Christmas tree industry’s position in the marketplace; maintain and expend existing markets for Christmas trees; and to carry out programs, plans, and projects designed to provide maximum benefits to the Christmas tree industry” (7 CFR 1214.46(n)).
And the program of “information” is to include efforts to “enhance the image of Christmas trees and the Christmas tree industry in the United States” (7 CFR 1214.10).
To pay for the new Federal Christmas tree image improvement and marketing program, the Department of Agriculture imposed a 15-cent fee on all sales of fresh Christmas trees by sellers of more than 500 trees per year (7 CFR 1214.52).
Merry Christmas!
Our government's pre-Black Friday gift to all of us.....paid by all of us....or is it only paid by Christians?
President Obama’s Agriculture Department today announced that it will impose a new 15-cent charge on all fresh Christmas trees—the Christmas Tree Tax—to support a new Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.
In the Federal Register of November 8, 2011, Acting Administrator of Agricultural Marketing David R. Shipman announced that the Secretary of Agriculture will appoint a Christmas Tree Promotion Board.
The purpose of the Board is to run a “program of promotion, research, evaluation, and information designed to strengthen the Christmas tree industry’s position in the marketplace; maintain and expend existing markets for Christmas trees; and to carry out programs, plans, and projects designed to provide maximum benefits to the Christmas tree industry” (7 CFR 1214.46(n)).
And the program of “information” is to include efforts to “enhance the image of Christmas trees and the Christmas tree industry in the United States” (7 CFR 1214.10).
To pay for the new Federal Christmas tree image improvement and marketing program, the Department of Agriculture imposed a 15-cent fee on all sales of fresh Christmas trees by sellers of more than 500 trees per year (7 CFR 1214.52).
Merry Christmas!
Our government's pre-Black Friday gift to all of us.....paid by all of us....or is it only paid by Christians?
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Joe Paterno, Penn State didn't do what was right in Sandusky case
Joe Paterno, Penn State didn't do what was right in Sandusky case - Michael Rosenberg - SI.com
A young man tells you he just witnessed an older man molesting a boy in a shower.
The boy appeared to be 10 years old.
What would you do?
There are a hundred other aspects to this Penn State story -- the legend and many good deeds of Joe Paterno, his tense relationship with his nominal "superiors," his longtime friendship with alleged child molester Jerry Sandusky, and the game of telephone that unfolded in State College after the incident.
But don't let that obscure the real issue here, the only one that matters.
There was an eyewitness to an unspeakable crime.
Penn State knew it.
And Penn State didn't do nearly enough about it.
A young man tells you he just witnessed an older man molesting a boy in a shower.
The boy appeared to be 10 years old.
What would you do?
There are a hundred other aspects to this Penn State story -- the legend and many good deeds of Joe Paterno, his tense relationship with his nominal "superiors," his longtime friendship with alleged child molester Jerry Sandusky, and the game of telephone that unfolded in State College after the incident.
But don't let that obscure the real issue here, the only one that matters.
There was an eyewitness to an unspeakable crime.
Penn State knew it.
And Penn State didn't do nearly enough about it.
Penn State must fire Joe Paterno amid Jerry Sandusky sex scandal
Penn State must fire Joe Paterno amid Jerry Sandusky sex scandal - Andy Staples - SI.com
With no explanation for inaction, Joe Paterno must go now
With no explanation for inaction, Joe Paterno must go now
Many Michigan Public Employees Among Country's Top Wage Earners
Many Michigan Public Employees Among Country's Top Wage Earners [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
Michigan transit entities also have people in the top 5 percent. Peter Varga, CEO of Grand Rapids’ transit authority The Rapid, made $192,153 in 2010.
Michael Ford, CEO of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, made $183,195 in 2010.
In 2009, Josie Parker made $154,675 as executive director of the Ann Arbor Public Library
Michigan transit entities also have people in the top 5 percent. Peter Varga, CEO of Grand Rapids’ transit authority The Rapid, made $192,153 in 2010.
Michael Ford, CEO of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, made $183,195 in 2010.
In 2009, Josie Parker made $154,675 as executive director of the Ann Arbor Public Library
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