Pushing businesses out of Michigan-----Michigan commission authorizes natural gas rate hike for Consumers Energy

Michigan commission authorizes natural gas rate hike for Consumers Energy - Crain's Detroit Business:
"The MPSC said Consumers' residential customers will see a 1.6 percent rate increase from the last such increase.
General service customers would see an average increase of 4 percent, records show.
Yet Consumers will refund customers a portion of a rate increase it implemented on its own in January, which was $20 million more than what the commission approved Thursday, according to the MPSC. The refund amount will be decided later."

How the ‘New Math’ is Ruining Education

How the ‘New Math’ is Ruining Education | Intellectual Takeout
"By now, you’ve probably seen some of the complaints on the internet about the “new math” being promoted by the Common Core Standards.
Many grade-school children—including, for instance, comedian Louis CK’s children—have come home with math homework that is virtually indecipherable to their parents.
The goal behind the new math, it seems, is to encourage children to not just solve their basic arithmetic problems, but to understand the concepts underlying them.
But according to a fascinating article by educator Martin Cothran titled “Why Johnny Can’t Add,” this approach is wrong-headed, and may even be causing America’s students to regress. 
As Cothran points out, the “old math” worked just fine, and was the basis for many innovations in the past two centuries.
...And where was Cothran’s father taught the math that paved the way for his career in aerospace engineering?
At a poor, one-room schoolhouse in the hills of South Carolina.
There, the students did not spend time learning why 10 + 5 = 15 or 9 – 7 = 2, and they had no fancy textbooks. 
According to Cothran’s father, “We just learned how to figure,” and left it at that. 
As was the experience of many of us, Cothran explains, “They memorized their addition and subtraction facts and their multiplication tables, and mastered long division through repeated drill and practice.” 
They simply memorized these things so that they would have a solid basis for the more conceptual math in later years.
...Now, with the new math, young students are being made to philosophize about 1+1 rather than simply memorizing that it equals 2. 
But as Cothran reminds us, the “new math” isn’t that new. 
He includes this other anecdote of his father:
“I told my dad once about the kind of math they were doing in the early 1990s in schools in Kentucky where I lived. ‘
That sounds like what they were doing in California in the 1950s,’ he said. 
‘In fact, if you give me a report from one of my engineers and told me he was educated in California, I’ll tell you how old he is.’ 
These engineers, he said, would use computers to compute complex calculations, but would make basic mistakes that no good mathematician should make.”
[Current proficiency levels in math for the nation and selected cities as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress.]

Corrupt Feedback Loops: Public Employee Unions

Corrupt Feedback Loops: Public Employee Unions | Jeb Kinnison
"Civil Service rules insulated government employees from political demands, but also made firing the incompetent more difficult.
The final barrier to accountability was the addition of another layer of employee empowerment, the public employee union.
Private-sector unions are not the enormous political force they once were, but public-sector unions have continued to grow until they now control one of the two US political parties and have driven many state and local governments to near-bankruptcy, with underfunded pension and medical coverage for retirees taking a larger and larger share of local government revenues.
How did we get here?..."

Table 1: Public Sector Unions: Top Contributors to Federal Candidates, Parties, and Outside Groups, 2014 Election Cycle. Source: Open Secrets.org Center for Responsive Politics

			To Candidates and Parties			To Outside Spending Groups
Rank	Contributor	Total Contribs	Total	Dem%	Repub%	Total
1	National Education Assn	$24,961,199	$2,183,752	91.1%	8.8%	$22,787,447
2	American Fedn of St/Cnty/Munic Employees	$10,002,495	$2,288,816	99.2%	0.3%	$7,717,155
3	American Federation of Teachers	$4,797,032	$2,484,870	98.8%	0.8%	$2,312,162
4	American Federation of Govt Employees	$4,072,005	$1,019,250	94.3%	5.6%	$3,052,755
5	International Assn of Fire Fighters	$2,184,303	$1,948,946	84.4%	15.6%	$235,357
6	National Assn of Letter Carriers	$2,113,796	$1,688,360	94.9%	4.9%	$425,436
7	American Postal Workers Union	$1,007,341	$988,950	98.8%	1.2%	$18,391
8	National Rural Letter Carriers Assn	$735,500	$735,500	76.8%	23.0%	$0
9	National Treasury Employees Union	$681,550	$631,550	96.1%	3.9%	$50,000

Read on!

OBAMA TO BRITAIN On His Legacy: I Saved The World Economy, Made Deal With Iran, Stopped Ebola » 100percentfedUp.com

OBAMA TO BRITAIN On His Legacy: I Saved The World Economy, Made Deal With Iran, Stopped Ebola » 100percentfedUp.com:

"Hey Barry…you forgot to mention that time you parted the seas…oh wait, that wasn’t you. Why not tell Britain the truth? Tell them how you created the most hostile atmosphere towards law enforcement that this nation has ever seen. How your real legacy will be that of the worst racial division since the civil rights era. You also neglected to mention that you destroyed our relationship with Israel (our only true ally in the Middle East), while making “friends” with communist regimes and cutting lopsided deals with radical Islamic nations who openly advertise their hate for America for all the world to see. Don’t kid yourself Barry. Your legacy will be that of the worst President to ever occupy the White House.  

President Barack Obama boasted of his legacy during a town hall in Britain, asserting that he single- handedly saved the world during his presidency."

Senate votes to restore full taxpayer subsidies for windmills

Senate votes to restore full taxpayer subsidies for windmills - Washington Times:
"Hot air still rules on Capitol Hill, where senators voted Tuesday to restore millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies for windmills, in a signal that Congress is still eager to pick winners in the emerging renewable energy sector.
A sizable number of Republicans joined most Democrats in backing the subsidy for research on wind energy which, while small in terms of dollars, is considered a major symbolic test of Congress’s commitment having alternative energy sources be part of the mix, even if they aren’t economically viable on their own yet..."

Long-term federal healthcare spending

Long-term federal healthcare spending | pgpf.org:

AM Fruitcake

History for April 26

History for April 26 - On-This-Day.com
John James Audubon 1785 - Ornithologist, naturalist, painter, Rudolf Hess 1895 - Adolf Hitler's Deputy in the Nazi Party, Carol Burnett 1933 - Actress, comedian


Bobby Rydell 1942 - Singer, Jet Li 1963 - Actor ("Lethal Weapon 4," "War", "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor"), Jessica Lynch 1983 - U.S. Army soldier, she was the first successfully rescued POW since the Vietnam War and the first ever of a woman


1514 - Copernicus made his first observations of Saturn.


1865 - John Wilkes Booth was killed by the U.S. Federal Cavalry.


1931 - New York Yankee Lou Gehrig hit a home run but was called out for passing a runner.


1941 - An organ was played at a baseball stadium for the first time in Chicago, IL.


1954 - Grace Kelly was on the cover of "LIFE" magazine.


1964 - The African nations of Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form Tanzania.


1983 - Dow Jones Industrial Average broke 1,200 for first time.


1986 - The world’s worst nuclear disaster to date occurred at Chernobyl, in Kiev. Thirty-one people died in the incident and thousands more were exposed to radioactive material.

DEVELOPING: Obama Set to Sign Deal Allowing Foreign Takeover of America's Land and Resources

DEVELOPING: Obama Set to Sign Deal Allowing Foreign Takeover of America's Land and Resources:

"Once shrouded in secrecy, President Barack Obama’s Trans-Pacific Partnership is now becoming public, and what we’re discovering is absolutely frightening.

Apparently the deal reverses policies in place to protect national security.

Chapter 11 of the deal allows foreign investors the rights to acquire American land, businesses, ports, natural resources, infrastructure and other property."

What could possibly go wrong?-----Detroit medical marijuana shops sprout like weeds near the suburbs

Detroit medical marijuana shops sprout like weeds near the suburbs - Crain's Detroit Business
A new zoning law and suburban customer base are pushing medical marijuana dispensaries to the fringes of Detroit.
About 250 dispensaries have applied to operate under the new zoning law in Detroit, and an analysis shows clusters of retail medical marijuana shops operating along Eight Mile Road and the east side of Detroit, bordering Ferndale, Hazel Park, Eastpointe, Harper Woods and the Grosse Pointes.
"If you're looking for honey, where are all the bees?" said Grosse Pointe Park attorney Tim Dinan of Dinan and Associates PC, who represents both medical marijuana caregivers and patients.
"The bees are in the suburbs..."

One student calls mural of gun shooting flowers 'emotionally triggering' - artist paints over it

One student calls mural of gun shooting flowers 'emotionally triggering' - artist paints over it - The College Fix:
"Artistic self-censorship — over one complaint
Move over comedy — art may be the new offense on college campuses.
Case in point: A mural of a gun shooting flowers was largely covered over after it was accused by one student of being an “emotionally triggering” image that threatens black students at Pitzer College.
“My Black Mental and Emotional Health Matters.
I shouldn’t be reminded every time I leave my dorm room of how easy my life can be taken away, or how many Black lives have been taken away because of police brutality. 
This is emotionally triggering for very obvious reasons,” student senator Gregory Ochiagha had said in a mass email to students recently.
Original intent for the mural was to comment on peace movements during the Vietnam era with no intention to weigh in on police brutality.

...But student artist Selena Spier agreed to re-conceptualize her masterpiece over the one complaint.
“I spoke with Gregory earlier and we agreed on a modification that preserves the integrity of the original piece while avoiding any potentially triggering content—it’s a change I was absolutely happy to make in the interest of creating a safe and inclusive environment for everyone in my community,” Spier told the Claremont Independent.
Not everyone agreed with the decision."

Sheriff Joe FORCES King Obama to Face a Federal Judge! Joe Is Standing UP for America - The Political Insider

Sheriff Joe FORCES King Obama to Face a Federal Judge! Joe Is Standing UP for America - The Political Insider:

"Joe Arpaio is one of America’s most important defenders of America’s Southern border. But he is helpless against a President who refuses to follow the Constitution and court orders. That’s why it’s time to force Obama before the court to answer for his illegal activities."

How Democrats Win Debates by Corrupting English

How Democrats Win Debates by Corrupting English - Reason.com:
"Humans have been using euphemisms ever since Adam first "knew" Eve.
In politics especially, obfuscating and twisting the meaning of words has been going on forever.
But today's debates aren't only littered with rhetorical distortions; in some ways, many of Democrats' most potent arguments are built on corrupt language.
One word that's really getting a workout this cycle is "loophole." 
Basically, all of life is a giant loophole until Democrats come up with a way to regulate or tax it.
In its economic usage, "loophole"—probably more of a dysphemism—creates the false impression that people are getting away with breaking the law. 
It's a way to skip the entire debate portion of the conversation and get right to the accusation.
So when Hillary Clinton promises to close the loophole of corporate inversion, what she means to say is that Democrats disapprove of this completely legal thing that corporations do to shield their money from the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world.
Loopholes are like giveaways, monies that D.C. has yet to double and triple tax.
It's one thing for Democrats to try and set the parameters of a debate before the debate is even had, but it's quite another to watch the press participate.

• Here's CNN: "Clinton to push closing corporate tax loopholes." 
• Here's The Hill: "Obama calls for Congress to close corporate tax loopholes." 
• Here's how Halimah Abdullah and the Associated Press reported the issue on NBC: "President Obama on Tuesday criticized loopholes that help protect offshore tax havens and U.S. companies that move abroad for lower tax rates."
• ...Bernie Sanders..."The offshore tax haven network isn't something that we need to reform or refine. It's a form of legalized tax fraud that must end."

"Legalized tax fraud" is a revealing statement about the progressive belief system.
For progressives, taxation is moral.
So when you fail to pay an imaginary tax that doesn't exist but Democrats think should, you are by default engaged in fraud. 
The law has just to catch up with sin..."

Pandering to felons?!!-----The Voting Effect of Virginia’s Move on Felons? Small but Potentially Decisive

The Voting Effect of Virginia’s Move on Felons? Small but Potentially Decisive - The New York Times:
"There was considerable fretting — or satisfaction — over Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s decision Friday to re-enfranchise 200,000 ex-felons in Virginia.
The state will be one of the central battlegrounds this November, and it’s widely believed that ex-felons will vote heavily for Democrats. (More than half are African-Americans, a big voting bloc for the party.)
And the big number of newly enfranchised voters — 200,000 — is actually larger than Mr. Obama’s 149,298-vote margin of victory there in 2012.
But the electoral effect of felon re-enfranchisement is likely to be modest.
The best-case scenario for Democrats might be that they improve their popular vote margin by a half-point.
That’s a big deal, but only in a close election..."

Lunch video-----Americans Petition to Ban Cash and Issue New Digital Dollar for a Cashless economy...

Noon-toon

On The Prowl: Russian Attack Submarines Patrolling Near Cold-War Levels

On The Prowl: Russian Attack Submarines Patrolling Near Cold-War Levels:

"Even more worrying was this nugget buried in the piece:

Russia is also building an undersea unmanned drone capable of carrying a small, tactical nuclear weapon to use against harbors or coastal areas, American military and intelligence analysts said.

Charming. An enemy that was defeated by Ronald Reagan’s military buildup in the 1980s is posing an entirely new threat to the United States. Meanwhile, the current American president prattles about the liberal dream of a nuclear free world, and makes war policy based on the exaggerated threat of “climate change” as the very real threat of foreign countries flexing their military muscles grows right under his nose.

Putin’s Russia is changing the rules of the game, while Obama sits on the sidelines."

Follow the money------Top Global Corporations Urge Leaders To Sign Paris Climate Accord on Earth Day

Top Global Corporations Urge Leaders To Sign Paris Climate Accord on Earth Day - Technocracy News: "
TN Note: And, why not? 
The money is flowing like never before and profits are piling up, but will their profits be sustainable? The alternative energy market is already imploding and trillions are being wiped out.
Global firms responsible for tens of trillions of dollars in investments on Tuesday (April 19) urged the world’s leading economies to sign the landmark Paris accord to limit global warming adopted at a UN summit in December.
Seven organisations that represent over 400 investment funds sent a letter to the leaders of G20 nations calling on them “to sign the Paris Agreement on April 22nd at the United Nations in New York.”
...Most large banks and financial services companies are represented in the letter, including American giants like Blackrock, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as well as Britain’s Aviva, HSBC and RBS..."

Heavy teen marijuana use may cut life short by 60

Heavy teen marijuana use may cut life short by 60 - CBS News:
"Heavy marijuana use in the late teen years puts men at a higher risk for death by age 60, a new long-term study suggests.
Swedish researchers analyzed the records of more than 45,000 men beginning in 1969 and 1970.
The scientists from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm reported that 4,000 died during the 42-year follow-up period, and men who'd used marijuana heavily at ages 18 and 19 were 40 percent more likely to die by age 60 compared to guys who hadn't used the drug.
The authors of the new study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, said the findings contradict previous research involving the same group of men.
But this study was longer and participants might have reached an age where the long-term effects of cannabis were taking a toll on health, said addiction expert...
"Cannabis users have poorer health in general.
You'd expect there to be increased mortality risk," Krakower told CBS News.
He pointed to another long-term study linking early heavy marijuana use with lung cancer, and a second study that associates the drug with increased heart problems..."

Democrat culture of corruption-----The mayor is going down!

The mayor is going down! | New York Post:
"Less than a week ago, Mayor de Blasio was offering aid to Ecuadorians after the earthquake there. Now a political earthquake is rocking City Hall and the mayor is the one who needs help.
The report from the state Board of Elections that accuses him and his team of “willful and flagrant” violations of campaign-finance laws immediately changes everything.
The veneer of business as usual is shredded.
Never again can de Blasio wave off questions about the mushrooming investigations of his administration.
As revelations pile up day after day, allies will desert him and the Putz will find himself a very lonely man.
There is no way to sugarcoat the facts: de Blasio is in trouble. 
Maybe very big trouble.
His City Hall is being depicted as the seat of a criminal enterprise. 
And so far, he offers nothing resembling a convincing ­denial.
As bad as it is, the election report covering the 2014 state Senate races is just the start.
The endgame involves the more ­lethal issue of whether de Blasio sold government favors to donors. 
That is what federal prosecutors are looking for, and I believe they will find a mother lode..."
Read on.
It gets worse!