Thursday, January 31, 2013

IRS: Cheapest Obamacare Plan Will Be $20,000 Per Family

IRS: Cheapest Obamacare Plan Will Be $20,000 Per Family | CNS News
"In a final regulation issued Wednesday, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) assumed that under Obamacare the cheapest health insurance plan available in 2016 for a family will cost $20,000 for the year.
Under Obamacare, Americans will be required to buy health insurance or pay a penalty to the IRS"

Caleb Moore, Snowmobiler, Dies After Winter X Games Crash

Dominican prostitute: Senator Bob Menendez 'likes the youngest and newest girls'

Dominican prostitute: Senator Bob Menendez 'likes the youngest and newest girls' | The Daily Caller
"In a little-noticed email published online Wednesday by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a young Dominican woman wrote nine months ago that she slept with 59-year-old New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez at a series of sex parties organized by Dr. Salomon Melgen, a longtime Menendez campaign donor."

School District Reaches Five-Year Contract Preventing Teacher From Leaving the Union

School District Reaches Five-Year Contract Preventing Teacher From Leaving the Union [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
"The Taylor School District reached a five-year tentative agreement with the Taylor Federation of Teachers that would prevent its union employees from having the option of leaving the teacher’s union, the superintendent confirmed."

Rezoning proponents asking Muskegon County judge for permission to enter Sappi lawsuit to defend Nov. 6 vote

Rezoning proponents asking Muskegon County judge for permission to enter Sappi lawsuit to defend Nov. 6 vote | MLive.com
"Page, Douglas and other citizens want the property redeveloped with non-industrial uses, such as restaurants, hotels or marinas allowed under the waterfront marine zoning. Page has argued that the city’s master plan called for a non-industrial use of the Sappi property if the paper mill ended operations."

Bills offer two options for Michigan road funding: 8% sales tax, or higher registration and gas taxes

Bills offer two options for Michigan road funding: 8% sales tax, or higher registration and gas taxes | MLive.com

Plan B: Muskegon County to look at alternative to locating new juvenile center in empty schools

Plan B: Muskegon County to look at alternative to locating new juvenile center in empty schools | MLive.com: "The possible change in approach for finding a location for a new juvenile center will discussed at a public meeting, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, according to Sheriff Dean Roesler and County Administrator Bonnie Hammersley.
"The consultants will be presenting to the committee alternative options to the previous options," Hammersley said. "

Study: New E15 gas can ruin auto engines

Study: New E15 gas can ruin auto engines | WashingtonExaminer.com
"Failure of these components could result in breakdowns that leave consumers stranded on busy roads and highways," said the industry report.
Worse: API said the fuel problems--not found in E5 or E10 blends--aren't always covered by auto warranties."

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Union bosses clinging to power, revenue in wake of Right to Work

Guest column: Union bosses clinging to power, revenue in wake of Right to Work | MLive.com

Unfortunately, some union bosses are seeking to wage war on their own members, as another leaked memo from Michigan Education Association’s (MEA), Steven Cook, proves.
Cook’s memo outlines a series of tactics to challenge the new law and remove his members’ newfound choice by locking as many school employees as possible into long-term, dues- mandatory contracts before the freedom to work law takes effect on March 23.
He also details how the MEA plans to threaten teachers and other members if they try to opt out of their previously mandatory memberships at any time other than August, which is the only month applications permit resigning from the union.
Way to “represent” and “advocate” for your members, right?
In fact, his memo goes to great lengths to discuss MEA’s strategy for clinging to power, spending member dollars on continuing the ‘right to work’ legal battle while continuing to drain our educators’ paychecks, whether they want to be in the union or not.
It’s no surprise that Cook never discusses how to improve union representation, add value for its members or, heaven forbid, trim the fat. It’s all about the revenue.

Climate-Change Misdirection

Bjorn Lomborg: Climate-Change Misdirection - WSJ.com
"This does not mean that climate change isn't an issue.
It means that exaggerating the threat concentrates resources in the wrong areas.
Consider hurricanes (though similar points hold for wildfire and drought).
If the aim is to reduce storm damage, then first focus on resilience—better building codes and better enforcement of those codes.
Ending subsidies for hurricane insurance to discourage building in vulnerable zones would also help, as would investing in better infrastructure (from stronger levees to higher-capacity sewers).
These solutions are quick and comparatively cheap.
Most important, they would diminish future hurricane damage, whether climate-induced or not.
Had New York and New Jersey focused resources on building sea walls and adding storm doors to the subway system and making simple fixes like porous pavements, Hurricane Sandy would have caused much less damage."

The 25 Best Quotes From Thomas Sowell

The 25 Best Quotes From Thomas Sowell - John Hawkins 
 [page]:
"3) "Weighing benefits against costs is the way most people make decisions — and the way most businesses make decisions, if they want to stay in business.
Only in government is any benefit, however small, considered to be worth any cost, however large."

2) "In short, killing the goose that lays the golden egg is a viable political strategy, so long as the goose does not die before the next election and no one traces the politicians’ fingerprints on the murder weapon."

3) "There are no solutions; there are only trade-offs.""

Davos divided on tackling the scourge of obesity

Davos divided on tackling the scourge of obesity | Reuters
"business leaders meeting in Davos can't agree on what they can or should do to address it."

It's time we stood up to the vicious bullies of the 'caring' liberal Left

It's time we stood up to the vicious bullies of the 'caring' liberal Left – Telegraph Blogs

Garrett McNamara 100 Foot Wave

Garrett McNamara 100 Foot Wave - Business Insider:

Big Government 101: Federal Subsidies Create Glut Of College Grads

Big Government 101: Federal Subsidies Create Glut Of College Grads - Investors.com
"A new study finds almost half of Americans with college degrees are working at jobs that don't require one.
It's the latest example of how federal subsidies are creating a massive higher-education bubble.
The study, by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, found that an incredible 48% of college graduates — about 13 million of them — hold jobs that don't require a bachelor's degree.
About 5 million have jobs that don't even require a high school diploma."

Prosecution of Swartz Typical for the "Sick Culture" Pervading the DOJ

Prosecution of Swartz Typical for the "Sick Culture" Pervading the DOJ - Slashdot

Stuck in Reverse, Detroit Edges Closer to Bankruptcy

Stuck in Reverse, Detroit Edges Closer to Bankruptcy
"Signs of decline are everywhere - in a rising crime rate, streets without lights and block after block of abandoned buildings.
The murder rate of one per 1,719 people last year was more than 11 times the rate in New York City.
The jobless rate is above 18 percent, more than twice rate for the country as a whole."

The politics of Fitch’s credit downgrade threat

The politics of Fitch’s credit downgrade threat | NetRight Daily
"Except it has nothing to do with any sort of fiscal brinksmanship by congressional Republicans, but because the deficit is not being significantly reduced.
In its statement, Fitch wrote, “In the absence of an agreed and credible medium-term deficit reduction plan that would be consistent with sustaining the economic recovery and restoring confidence in the long-run sustainability of U.S. public finances, the current negative outlook on the ‘AAA’ rating is likely to be resolved with a downgrade later this year even if another debt ceiling crisis is averted.”"