Emergency Manager Information (click here) | |
| Public Act 4 of 2011, the Local Government and School District Financial Accountability Act, was signed into law by Governor Rick Snyder on March 16th, 2011. PA 4 is currently suspended, pending the outcome of a referendum placed on the November 2012 ballot. The Attorney General issued an official opinion on August 6, 2012, stating that during the suspension of PA 4, PA 72 of 1990 is reinstated. There are currently five local governmental units and three school district that are in receivership and have an appointed Emergency Manager (EM). Public Act 4 of 2011 replaced the original bill PA (Public Act) 72 of 1990. PA72 was then replaced with PA 436 of 2012. Got that? Three separate bills. The one of most interest to me is PA72. There is an interesting aspect to the other two bills, PA4 and PA436 which defies democracy as well as application to the current economic conditions. To begin, would an Emergency Manager be the prudent thing to do in the middle of the greatest recession since the Great Depression? No. There would be widespread application for Emergency Managers (EMS)with a huge economic downturn such as that. So, to apply EMS to a city when the economics are already altered by outside forces is opportunistic. Opportunistic has been the case across the board with Republicans in relation to the Great Recession. They pounced on the opportunity to destroy public programs they oppose ideologically. The best example is the current attack on SSI and Medicare. Had the Clinton Surplus been applied to the gap in SSI and Medicare funding; the USA would not even be having the dialogue about these Earned Benefits today. But, rebate checks, tax cuts and two wars later the Earned Benefits of the American people are being toyed with and justified by 'economic conditions.' Not improving economic conditions, simply economic conditions and the national debt and deficit. Opportunistic. Plain and simple. Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012 (click here)
LANSING, Mich. - Gov. Rick Snyder has signed several bills that strengthen communities and protect taxpayers.
"These new laws recognize the vital importance of financially stable, economically vibrant communities to Michigan's future," Snyder said. "They also respect the needs of citizens and taxpayers by delivering greater oversight and efficiency. Our reinvention of government is delivering meaningful reforms that will keep Michigan on the path to prosperity."
Senate Bill 865, sponsored by state Sen. Phil Pavlov, creates the tools needed to effectively address financial emergencies in local governments and school districts. If an independent review team finds a situation of financial emergency and the governor concurs, local units have four choices: a consent agreement, an emergency manager, a neutral evaluation process or Chapter 9 bankruptcy proceedings. This strengthens the current financial manager law to handle severe financial stress in some municipalities, but also takes into account voters' concerns regarding the previous emergency manager law expressed during the November election. The bill is now Public Act 436 of 2012.
What really intrigues me about this mess Snyder has created. Michigan has a lot of corruption. I could into it, but, there is not enough time. Snyder is corrupt. He robbed the brain trust of Michigan for his personal vulture capitalist requirements. That aside.
What really intrigues me about this assault on democracy by Snyder is not either of his bills, but, the original one from 1990. Sec. 2. The legislature hereby determines that the public health and welfare of the citizens of this state would be adversely affected by the insolvency of units of local government, including certain school districts, and that the survival of units of local government is vitally necessary to the interests of the people of this state to provide necessary governmental services. All that is true. If there are 'units' of government in any city that are insolvent or causing insolvency that has to corrected. But, the original law is shunned by Snyder. He wants control of the entire city. It is most troubling there are so many minorities in these cities. We know in the USA, the African American communities are the hardest hit by economic downturns. They have their unemployment rates increase and their wealth plummet. In all honesty, how can a city dependent on property taxes ever stabilize and rebuild when they are the most PREDICTABLY effected cities in the country due to their high minority residency? So, the appropriate nature of all this reeks of corruption. Not compassion. Not any kind of emergency, but, lacking sincere leadership and intervention. 141.1212 Preliminary review by state treasurer; conditions; notice; meeting with local government; informing governor of serious financial problem. (click here) This page of the PA 72 lists all the reasons an emergency manager could be applied to UNITS of a government. It is a fairly straight forward and understandably this was not a draconian law intended to destroy democracy or remove a city from the map. It really wasn't designed that way. The intent throughout every reason to apply an EMS is EARLY intervention. All the dynamics of each and every provision when realized how early it can be applied is to prevent tragedy. All these provisions can be applied to a UNIT of government in the early stages of financial instability. When applied at an early stage the entire government is not effected, but, only whatever UNIT of that government was causing the threat to the entire city's financial balance. We all know the economics of Michigan have been very bad for a long time. And it is only reasonable to believe cities with larger minority populations were hit the worst in Michigan. It is a standard throughout the country. Michigan is no different. So, therefore, if the entire state is experiencing financial turmoil and ruin does PA 72 apply? No. It would not apply and it is why previous to Snyder it was not in application. PA 72 is a UNIT law. It is not intended for a city with overwhelming financial problems. So, to assault a democratically elected City Council and Mayor and the authority they would have to correct the course of their city over time as the entire state recovered, or in the case of 2008 the entire nation, is unconstitutional. The law doesn't apply. PA 72, if still in force and used out of context, would be racism. The root of the problem does not belong to the city or UNITS of the city alone, it is a greater problem the entire of the USA faces. Even today. That is why previous to Snyder's EMS Dreamscape this law was not being used. In application of an entire city it removes sovereign authority of local government to respond to their own recovery. It places FAUX priorities on the city's assets. I propose that is what PA 436 does. It removes the sovereign authority of the local government to respond to changing economic conditions AND INSTEAD places the city assets (which are necessary to build on in a recovery) on the auction block. Instead of stopping the financial failure of the city, it guarantees it. PA 72 was intended to be benevolent as a necessary measure to prevent the financial failure of the entire of a city. It was early intervention and it could be said it was an early intervention law because cities with larger minority populations lose their financial footing easier and quicker than other cities. They lose their footing on a nation wide basis. That is a fact, so the Michigan PA 72 law was a way of identifying a slippery slope and stopped it. PA 436 removes sovereign authority of cities struggling to recover but unable to at the same rate as other cities in the State of Michigan and since 2008 the nation of the USA. Sovereign local authorities are the best places to decide what will enhance a city's economic recovery. LOCAL ECONOMIES, PEOPLE. So, to completely disarm a city from authority and sell off its' assets to simply pay bills when it has suffered the same dynamic as the entire country is unconstitutional. A law that destroys the ability of a city to recover is unconstitutional. A State cannot pass laws that destroys cities. it can't do that and get away with it. PA 436 needs to be challenged in a court of law ASAP and another referendum to end the law immediately drawn up to suspend this one as well. All this needs to be done and the EMS from Atlanta can go home without a paycheck. PA 72 will be reinstated as soon as the new referendum is drawn up and on the ballot. PA 72 cannot be applied to an entire city because it is a unit law. Therefore, Detroit and all the other cities can have their sovereign local governments back to do what every other city in the nation is doing. Every other city in the nation is sending lobbyists to DC to find money and make it work. |
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Michigan needs a new referendum to suspend PA 436.
Shame on you, Bill O'Reilly
You embarked on an egotistic trip with the change in schedule by Ed Schultz. He is not fired, sir. He is moving his time slot to the weekend. Did you know Ed's wife recently was declared cancer free after a rigorous fight for her life? That sort of reality provides a reassessment of one's time and now much time a couple might have together. I think Ed Schultz was very insulted tonight by Bill O'Reilly.
There is NO comparison between the two 8 o'clock shows. The audiences are completely different so there is not reason to believe the Bill O'Reilly ego has a reason for elevating his status. The people that watch Ed, don't watch Bill O'Reilly.
This is a lie, Mr. O'Reilly. A lie. Ed Shultz is not fired. That speaks to the difference in the audience between the two shows. Those that watch the No Spin Zone are either delusional by age or by choice. If by choice, it is that 'feel good feeling' that reigns supreme in their lives. Facts in their lives have absolutely nothing to do with it.
The No Spin Zone is a lie. This proves it.
There is NO comparison between the two 8 o'clock shows. The audiences are completely different so there is not reason to believe the Bill O'Reilly ego has a reason for elevating his status. The people that watch Ed, don't watch Bill O'Reilly.
This is a lie, Mr. O'Reilly. A lie. Ed Shultz is not fired. That speaks to the difference in the audience between the two shows. Those that watch the No Spin Zone are either delusional by age or by choice. If by choice, it is that 'feel good feeling' that reigns supreme in their lives. Facts in their lives have absolutely nothing to do with it.
The No Spin Zone is a lie. This proves it.
Is there something wrong with this picture? I don't think so.
No more cuts and the US Post Office needs to be re-established to deliver mail.
Republicans are as wrong as they can be if they don't listen to the recommendations of President Obama. They are as wrong as they can be if they shut down the government to accumulate some kind of savings in a demonstration of power. There is nothing like a government that causes pay losses to the very citizens the government relies on to do it's business. Every hour an employee does not earn income they lose retirement funds in their 401 Retirement Accounts.
That is about as underhanded and a dirty trick as it comes from a Republican Party that wants to promote private investment accounts for retirement.
If the Republicans don't like the results of the cuts so far, they need to deal it and stop bellyaching.
President Obama and the Democrats are getting it done. Today is the third bill regarding gun control that was voted out of committee in the Senate. The Democrats are conducting the country's business. The Republicans can't get past their own lack of moral content to satisfy their money donors. The Republican Party serves very few citizens in the USA.
Posted: 03/14/2013 4:22 pm EDT
Updated: 03/14/2013 4:25 pm EDT
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama (click here) made a plea to Republican senators in their private meeting Thursday to ease up on their filibusters of his nominees, but he appears to have gotten a cool reception.
"The president made the pitch that it would be useful to his administration if nominees were more quickly confirmed," said Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) after the president spent more than an hour chatting with the GOP caucus as part of his "charm offensive."
But it seems that Republicans will not relent on bogging down nominees, and also do not agree they are obstructing Obama's picks....
This is the answer to governing by the Senate Republicans. In three months there has been 28 legislative days in the USA Congress.113th Congress 1st Session (click here)
People are dropping like flies in gun violence in the USA and there are only 28 legislative days in the last two and a half months. That is both houses.
This is the House Schedule.
This is the House Schedule.
There is a fundamental difference between the models used by Democrats and Republicans in regard to National Defense of the USA.
The Republican model of The Department of War is unattainable and destroys the promise of America to it's own citizens. It is PROVEN it cannot deliver freedom to other nations. PROVEN. Vietnam. Iraq. Afghanistan and the list is long. Japan was a success because of FDR and economic revitalization in war retribution.
The Bush/Cheney Administration tried to harness the image of the alliances of WWII and it's demonstration of that greatness, but, at the same time disregarded the fact it was developed and lead by FDR. That was FDR. So, if the Republicans are going to seek to epitomize the glory of WWII, they have to also embrace FDR and his leadership of this nation. They can't simply isolate the glory of war in WWII as propaganda without realizing what made the victory so sweet and the man that lead it.
That picture is of FDR, Churchill and Stalin. That is Joseph Stalin. The Allies could not have been victorious without Joseph Stalin and the greatness of the Russian military.
Got that?
We didn't park missiles at the borders of Russia even when Joseph Stalin lead the nation.
Hello?
Joseph Stalin was a revolutionary in Russia. If the USA could accept him as an ally realizing he was a Bolshevik revolutionary and took part in the Russian Revolution of 1917 then I think the USA STILL has a long way to go to reverse the idiocy of the Military Industrial Complex and the Atoms for Peace propaganda instilled in the USA Mind Speak by General - President Eisenhower.
It is non-proliferation and 'leading from behind.' The major problem with the military industrial complex is that it defines it's purpose by killing and destruction. It has it's own life.
What has incurred in Libya, Mali and Algeria is CORRECT. The leadership of France to maintain sovereign nations in North Africa to prevent the development and domination of networks of criminals that seek to destroy Europe IS THE PLACE for the USA.
The USA is an ally and NOT an invader. Nor should the USA seek to occupy and nation build. That is not where our military does the greatest good to bring about peace.
The war into Afghanistan was grossly mismanaged and allowed the criminals of al Qaeda to escape. Afghanistan was never stabilized after al Qaeda was driven from the country, after the Taliban disappeared and the nation was returned to it's old leadership. Afghanistan was abandoned for Cheney's oil dreams and the Cabal of Rumsfeld.
The USA military industrial complex has become a huge economic burden with returns that provide out of balance power to the USA to simply march into a country and kill without conscience.
And that was conscience and not conscious. Conscious is the state of mind of alertness that allows the awareness of conscience.
The people of the USA have a hideous and disastrous military that breeds nuclear proliferation, suspicion of it's intent and overwhelming force FOR WHAT EXACTLY?
We can no longer be the world's Superpower in a way that destabilizes world peace and endangers the very lives of our children as a HUMAN RESOURCE for wars to secure natural resources of other nations. Heck, even the countries of NATO have to be worried if another "W" were ever to sit in the Oval Office again.
The favorite complaint about Russia and China is their prisons. I am sure no one wants to go there, but, the USA is no beacon of compassion within it's prison populations and the revolving door of recidivism either. Can foreign prisons be better in their human rights directives? Sure. But, don't preach when the USA uses rendition and foreign prisons for it's own methods. The use of foreign prisons sanctions the very practices that exist there. So, don't. Don't even go there.
I am happy for everyone.
Pope Francis comes from a more than interesting heritage in South America. He has a sincere understanding of the poverty so many Catholics live in. He embraces democracy.
I look forward to his work within the faith.
5:30a.m. EDT March 14, 2013
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis (click here) opened his first morning as pontiff by praying Thursday at Rome's main basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary, a day after cardinals elected him the first pope from the Americas in a bid to revive a Catholic Church in crisis and give it a preacher with a humble touch.
The former archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, entered the St. Mary Major basilica through a side entrance just after 8 a.m. (0700 GMT) and left about 30 minutes later. He had told a crowd of some 100,000 people packed in rain-soaked St. Peter's Square just after his election that he intended to pray Friday to the Madonna "that she may watch over all of Rome."
He told cardinals he would also call on retired Pope Benedict XVI on Friday and celebrate an inaugural Mass in the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals on Wednesday elected him leader of the 1.2 million-strong church in an unusually quick conclave....
Feastday: October 4
Patron and Animals, Merchants & Ecology (click here)
1181 - 1226
Founder of the Franciscan Order, born at Assisi in Umbria, in 1181.
In 1182, Pietro Bernardone returned from a trip to France to find out his wife had given birth to a son. Far from being excited or apologetic because he'd been gone, Pietro was furious because she'd had his new son baptized Giovanni after John the Baptist. The last thing Pietro wanted in his son was aman of God -- he wanted a man of business, a cloth merchant like he was, and he especially wanted a son who would reflect his infatuation with France. So he renamed his son Francesco -- which is the equivalent of calling him Frenchman.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
It isn't easy being a real patriot, is it? It is hard to do. A person has to put himself in the breach and then act against your own best interest. That is corruption Mr. Pouty was facing.
The SPEECH, of course, has a dual meaning. On one hand Mr. Romney states it was unfortunately worded. Convenient verbiage. A Harvard man can't find the correct words.
You know what is more scary than any other reality about that tape? He was among friends. Disarmed. At his leisure. Friends. I don't think those words were 'unfortunate' at all. I think those words were spoken to some of those people more than one time before that fund raiser dinner.
Let's grant Romney the apology of 'unfortunate words.' They were unfortunate to us, not the people the room. If he found those words to be unfortunate he should have apologized and returned the money. That didn't happen, did it?
No, Mr. Prouty, those words if unfortunate were spoken to benefit the people writing a very important check. That says a lot about Mr. Romney and how far he will go to make sure those checks are not written in vain and it says a lot about the people in the room longing to hear those words. No one objected. No one stated, "Aren't you making your case a little offensively?" Those words unfortunately were not spoken.
Mr. Prouty is from Massachusetts. He knew the Governor as a governor. I can understand why he would want to tape him. There was a familiarity he felt, a kinship even. Right?
Then, the betrayal. The Governor changed colors right before Mr. Pouty's eyes. Mr. Romney changed from red, white and blue to the devil wears Prada. This was not the man he thought he knew. That is my take.
It is really stunning to realize a wealthy man could be so very, very ruthless. Romney lives in denial of his ruthlessness. He masks it by stating he is doing the best 'thing' for everyone. No one really knows what that 'thing' is because what he is doing is lining his own pockets.
I listened to an interview with Mr. and Mrs. Romney. She stated she is almost over it. She has no clue how she is in profound denial of her own reality. I would prefer my reputation over her's any day of the week. The money ain't worth it. I couldn't be married to the guy. No lie.
At any rate, you are not alone, Mr. Prouty. There are many distinguished persons that walk this country that will never know what a six figure salary looks like, yet alone a double digit million US $ income PER YEAR.
You are among the people that put morality ahead of self when faced with a stark reality they never expected. Whistleblowers. You are welcome to be among the rest of us. We love this country. We love it more than most people we meet.
I wish Mr. Prouty well and hope his future is as rich as his past.
"Save the Children" calls for ending the Syrian Civil War.
Last updated at 21:45 ET
Increasing numbers of children in Syria are being recruited by armed groups on both sides of the conflict, Save the Children says in a report.
Children are being used as porters, guards, informers and fighters and, in some cases, as human shields, the charity said in Childhood Under Fire.
Some two million children are in need of assistance in Syria, Save the Children estimates. It says the two-year conflict has affected all aspect of their lives....
...Risk of disease
...Risk of disease
Researchers from Turkey found that three in every four Syrian children they interviewed had lost a loved one because of the fighting, the report says....
We know that GENERATIONAL WARS are some of the most entrenched reasons for centuries of violence. This is a reason for the children of Syria to go up hating others. It is the task of the global economy to stop this hideous wars, nearly before they start and to bring about peace and well being to children as soon as possible. Otherwise, the danger of a population entering into generational wars is very high.
...Lost generation
...Lost generation
The report said it had found a growing pattern of children under the age of 18 being used by armed groups on both sides in the conflict.
For many children and their families, it is seen as a source of pride, the report says, but some children are being forcibly recruited into military activities.
Source of pride is the beginnings of generational warfare. Pride of war and violence is not a reason for living in the year 2013.
In some cases, children as young as eight have been used as human shields, the report says.
One group affiliated to the opposition has documented the deaths of at least 17 children associated with armed groups since the start of the conflict; many others have been severely injured and in some cases permanently disabled, the report also says....
Save the Children is an authority. They are in Iraq doing the hard work and have monitored their circumstances. If they state the children in Syria are at high risk, then they are.
Challenges for Children (click here)
Although the violence that followed the invasion of Iraq by multi-national forces in 2003 has ebbed and flowed, Iraq remains within the top five humanitarian emergencies in the world. Children continue to suffer from the psychological trauma of war and conflict, and access to education and development opportunities has been severely constrained....
Ya, think? Oh, what the hell, let's do this again!This is the "Save the Children" report on Afghanistan's Children from a special session of September 19th thru 21st, 2001. The session occurred immediately after September 11, 2001. It occurred quite by chance at the same time of the attacks. It is a baseline understanding of the children of Afghanistan before the USA launched their war against al Qaeda.
"Afghanistan's Children Speak to the UN Special Session 19th - 21st, 2001" (click here)
The reason this special session was called is because the Afghan children were already faced with huge problems extending back 30 years. The Taliban came into control of Afghanistan after Russia pulled out in 1989. The reason the Taliban were ever viewed as a form of government in Afghanistan is because they provided structure. The Taliban are not ethnically based, it is a group of warlords, basically. But, having control by the Taliban provided some degree of predictability in Afghanistan after 1.5 million deaths during the decade long occupation by the Soviet Union and refugees into Iran and Pakistan. The problems before the USA invasion in 2001 were profound. The Taliban were some kind of an answer, but, they weren't a benevolent answer.
Can a peoples as shattered as the nation of Afghanistan ever achieve a peaceful sovereign state?
Buoy. That is a really difficult question. We are looking at a culture of uncertain stability today and for the next generation. Will that shattered peoples actually have the ability to return to their historical cultural origins? Not if the Taliban continue to deny them their heritage.
War of Pre-emption is not a possibility in a world seeking a stable peace. It causes more problems on a generational level than not. If Americans want to have peace for their children and grandchildren it has to stop warring throughout the world.
The air attacks and the no fly zones of former President Clinton was a way of protecting USA National Security with minimal damage to the peoples of a country. ie: The Kurds of northern Iraq flourished under the no fly zone. That is a fact. Minimalist wars with superior air capability works.
The learned ability by terrorist networks 'can be handled' with early detection of problems and countries able to stop the growth of the presence of these networks. ie: Mali and Algeria
There is a path to peace for the global community and it is not pre-emptive war by any nation or nuclear proliferation for some stupid balance of power.
The balance of power mess was 'created' along with 'the domino effect.' Nations just need to stop and disarm. They need to stop the generational fear of each other based in differences in governmental identity. If Communist nations are not as capitalistic in the year 2013 than the USA ever was, then I don't understand reality. If capitalism is the basis of global commerce and the Evil USA Money Empire is viewed as a reason for economic growth, then what the hell goes on?
"The Young Guns" circle the wagons with tag team wresting standards.
To believe for one minute that Paul Ryan can actually 'engineer' in favor of Wall Street while leveraging against the populous of the USA is nothing but word soup.
The fact of the matter is that Wall Street kills people when it serves their best bottom line. The big beverages after the research is known is a prime example. We are suppose to believe that Paul Ryan has the answer for protecting the lives of Americans. I don't think so.
When an American needs a physician, surgeon or emergency room it is available regardless of their ability to carry a 'high risk' pool designation. This is ridiculous. A person in poor health will remain there with quality of life trashed if they cannot access health care in an effective way. To play Wall Street's game is out of the question. We want a healthy nation and not just one of the wealthy.
We know for a fact. A FACT. That when health care is left in the hands of Wall Street they consciously and willfully kill people to benefit their profits. Paul Ryan is willing to buy into the death watch of Wall Street and call it necessary to make health care real for the nation.
That is word soup.
NO. Plain and simple. It is out of the question.
I congratulate President Obama for limiting the Republican attack on his positions and policies. He is correct to provide a focus for the country.
Kevin McCarthy was attempting to make a greater circus of the nation's problems and concerns.
Paul Ryan ran for Vice President, he maintained his seat in Congress and continues to be Budget Chairman in the House and he isn't qualified ENOUGH to speak to "The Party's" focus? Who is, McCarthy? Or a Tea Party group?
Is McCarthy saying Paul Ryan is not a leader capable of representing the House Republicans on the Budget? Why not, Kevin? Why did you solicit President Obama at a public social event to state hearing from Paul Ryan was not enough to prove the flexibility of the Republican House? What was the purpose? A free meal with a popular President? Well, that is more than half the nation, what give Kevin McCarthy the right to be treated to a special status over the rest of us?
Kevin McCarthy is playing politics and not seeking influence to bring about a resolve to the problems of the nation. The nation is tired of the politics over problem solving that Kevin McCarthy practices. If the nation wants a circus they can go to "Cirque to Soleil," where real artists perform to delight and satisfy. For the most part, even Republicans when they vote don't do so to provide entertainment on USA Treasury monies.
Her killer knew where she was all the time.
Whether or not it is motive is another question. Calling a girlfriend while she lunches with another is not a crime, but, murder is. Did he commit murder? He didn't know she was or was not in the same bed with him as he put on his prostheses?
7:24 AM Wednesday Mar 13, 2013
A BBC documentary claims (click here) Oscar Pistorius' murdered girlfriend met her former long-term boyfriend in the days before her death.
A BBC Three documentary titled Oscar Pistorius ... What Really Happened? to screen in Britain today accuses the Olympian of twice calling to interrupt an "innocent" conversation between Reeva Steenkamp and her ex-boyfriend Warren Lahoud....
While taxes are a constitutional way of moving against exploitative marketing, it won't work.
Published: March 12, 2013
...But there are better ways (click here) for Mr. Bloomberg to use his time and resources to combat obesity. One is to push Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the State Legislature to impose a penny-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks. Just as taxes helped cut the use of cigarettes, taxes could help cut the public’s indulgence in high-calorie, giant drinks....
The cost of these drinks are already more than others. Adding another twenty cents won't make them less attractive. Before New York State legislates something like that, they need to test market to know with market research it is worth the paper it is printed on.
New York City is not unhappy with the mayor. He needs to continue to speak out for the better health for New Yorkers.
February 15, 2013 by Marist Poll
Half of registered voters in New York City (click here) — 50% — approve of the job Mayor Bloomberg is doing in office. Included here are 13% who believe Mayor Mike is doing an excellent job and 37% who say he is doing a good one. 32% give Bloomberg fair grades while 16% rate his performance as poor. Two percent are unsure....
Seeking a tax is admitting defeat. This action by the Mayor and Council in New York City is not a minor issue. It is backed by solid research.
Going the way of a tax is like saying the USA is not capable of legislating for the health of Americans. Do we want arsenic in our water? Because that was a real life scenario as the first stroke of the pen of George W. Bush. So, this is larger than soda. Seriously. The people of this country have a right to be protected when their government discovers a reason to be concerned.
...But there are better ways (click here) for Mr. Bloomberg to use his time and resources to combat obesity. One is to push Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the State Legislature to impose a penny-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks. Just as taxes helped cut the use of cigarettes, taxes could help cut the public’s indulgence in high-calorie, giant drinks....
The cost of these drinks are already more than others. Adding another twenty cents won't make them less attractive. Before New York State legislates something like that, they need to test market to know with market research it is worth the paper it is printed on.
New York City is not unhappy with the mayor. He needs to continue to speak out for the better health for New Yorkers.
February 15, 2013 by Marist Poll
Half of registered voters in New York City (click here) — 50% — approve of the job Mayor Bloomberg is doing in office. Included here are 13% who believe Mayor Mike is doing an excellent job and 37% who say he is doing a good one. 32% give Bloomberg fair grades while 16% rate his performance as poor. Two percent are unsure....
Seeking a tax is admitting defeat. This action by the Mayor and Council in New York City is not a minor issue. It is backed by solid research.
Going the way of a tax is like saying the USA is not capable of legislating for the health of Americans. Do we want arsenic in our water? Because that was a real life scenario as the first stroke of the pen of George W. Bush. So, this is larger than soda. Seriously. The people of this country have a right to be protected when their government discovers a reason to be concerned.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Can we please have confirmation of this?
I don't want to hear how these people died.
Who left Gitmo open while defense workers were put on furlough?
U.S. denies report of mass Gitmo hunger strike (click here)
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Mar 4, 2013 19:43:57 EST
Posted : Monday Mar 4, 2013 19:43:57 EST
...The lawyers said the protest was prompted by a series of searches that began on Feb. 6 in which a number of personal items, including religious CDs, blankets and legal mail, were confiscated, and included what they felt were overly intrusive searches of their Qurans by Arabic translators that amounted to desecration.
“As their health has deteriorated, we have received reports of men coughing up blood, being hospitalized, losing consciousness, becoming weak and fatigued, and being moved to Camp V for observation,” the lawyers wrote, referring to a camp that is used in part to hold men who violate prison rules.
A prison spokesman, Navy Capt. Robert Durand, said the Department of Justice would respond to the attorney’s letter, but added that there were only about six prisoners who have missed enough meals to be classified under the military’s rules as being on hunger strike. He said that number has remained constant for about a year.
“There is not a mass hunger strike among the detainees,” Durand said. “Some detainees have attempted to coordinate a hunger strike and have refused meal deliveries. Most detainees are not participating.”
He said detainees “have chosen one routine search in early February as the rallying point for their grievances.” He also said Qurans are treated with respect.
I don't consider drone warfare or cyberwarrior a need for a medal. This is ridiculous. How does the military measure a medal for drone warfare, number of kills? That is insane. It is not a reasonable form of warfare when the majority of our soldiers put their lives on the line.
I demand the military hold public comment periods at all bases and in public requests before making a decision in 30 days. This is outrageous. I suppose we want to be able to match China's cyber invasion with impetus for decorations and pay differentials. Computer specialists have been engaged in the military for a long time. All of a sudden there has to be combat pay? They sit at home and see their families without interruption. Excuse me?
I don't consider drone warfare or cyberwarrior a need for a medal. This is ridiculous. How does the military measure a medal for drone warfare, number of kills? That is insane. It is not a reasonable form of warfare when the majority of our soldiers put their lives on the line.
I demand the military hold public comment periods at all bases and in public requests before making a decision in 30 days. This is outrageous. I suppose we want to be able to match China's cyber invasion with impetus for decorations and pay differentials. Computer specialists have been engaged in the military for a long time. All of a sudden there has to be combat pay? They sit at home and see their families without interruption. Excuse me?
Hagel orders halt to production of drone pilot, cyberwarrior medal (click here)
By ,
...A letter from committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and James M. Inhofe (Okla.), the panel’s ranking Republican, asking for reconsideration of the warfare medal was on Hagel’s desk when he returned Monday from a trip to Afghanistan.
While they were “supportive of the new medal,” the senators wrote that they were concerned “that it is given precedence above awards earned by service members for actions on the battlefield.” Drone pilots and cyberwarriors generally operate in the United States.
Little said that Hagel has placed Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in charge of that review, to be completed within 30 days.
“The fact of the matter is that production of the medal has stopped,” Little said. “No one has been nominated for this medal. No one is in training for this medal. So we do have time to make a final decision.”
The USA needs defense cuts. I mean, hello?
The USA needs defense cuts. I mean, hello?
That is pure ignorance talking. She does not and never has care to understand obesity.
She does not care. There isn't anything else to understand. She is getting 'out there' to sell a Christmas book she is writing.
It is and has always been about money for Sarah.
Drinking unhealthy sodas is not liberty. It doesn't even come close. Either our leaders care about Americans and seek to serve the citizen or they view our citizens as consumers and seek to serve the Plutocracy.
If a leader cares about the citizen, then liberty is about being healthy and not victimized.
If nothing else, we ought to have warning labels with nutritional content on cups.
Sarah Palin basically has the attitude that if one laughs long enough and hard enough at the fat kid, the child will change. That is pure, unadulterated ignorance. It is also bullying.
If Sarah Palin can't contribute to the HEALTH DIALOGUE of the country, then she doesn't need to be telling children to eat their candy canes, either.
Government is not about allowing citizens to deteriorate in their lives, it is about improving citizens' lives through investigation of what causes their problems. That is across the board. There is a reason for government regulation and it always benefits the citizen.
C. Edward Koop recently passed away. He was the one that ended the debate about the ills of cigarette smoking. Now, the Republicans that have no ideas for an economy want to place citizens back in the void of knowledge and protections.
This is not America. This is Plutocratica. People are a commodity, not a citizen.
BY MARY ELIZABETH WILLIAMS
WEDNESDAY, FEB 13, 2013 01:08 PM EST
There can be little doubt that John Alleman died (click here) in the manner he’d been preparing for all his life. The 52-year-old unofficial patron saint of the Las Vegas restaurant called Heart Attack Grill was taken off life support Monday after suffering a heart attack a few days earlier....
Liberty:
- the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges
- permission especially to go freely within specified limits
- Understanding liberty involves how we imagine the individual's roles and responsibilities in society in relation to concepts of free will.
Free will is the definition of liberty in the USA. That free will does not preclude acting responsibly within the society we live.
Sarah Palin defines liberty outside the societal norms of the USA. She does it recklessly and in threat of citizen's well being.
The only way Congress is going to break out of it's deadlock is for Democrats to change the national dialogue.
The Democrats are NOT going to like this, but, they abandoned their base in the Red State 'areas' in the country and as a result the extremists in the GOP have developed a strong hold on the electorate and the political dialogue in these districts.
Ryan's budget is nonsense and everyone knows it. But, the problem is that he gets away with it politically. The RNC Chairman has a small donor base concentrated in ideology. The handwriting is on the wall, but, if the Democrats want to stop the loggerheads in the Congress among Republicans they have to put candidates in districts of the Republican leadership in the Congress.
The First District in Wisconsin needs a Democratic candidate willing to take on Ryan and win. It is the only WAY the political dialogue will change. The extremist political dialogue has to change within the electorate. Ryan won because he was running for Vice President. I stated that when he was nominated with Romney.
Ryan is a bit of AN Icon to the Super-rich in the GOP base. So, they will dump a lot of money into his candidacy, but, it was buoyed by the national ticket IN 2012. Now, if others believe that the way I do, that means Ryan is vulnerable. We have witnessed him at town hall meetings and know he is dogmatic and refuses OR CAN'T relate to people that speak up. It is those tapes a Democratic candidate has to listen to and find the voice of those Ryan ignores. It is important. If the dialogue of those that oppose him can actually be heard on the campaign trail it will change and the Democrats will begin to build their base back again.
That will be true throughout the Republican leadership. They need to have serious opposition with the desire to win. The Democrats will win. If not in 2014 then in 2016. It will happen, but, the base needs to be re-established and the extremism seen for what it is. The country is in the balance. If anyone believes the Republicans are just another name for the Plutocrats then they will understand the danger that lies ahead for the country.
I'll look at Ryan's budget, but, I promised to read the military budget, too. I think Secretary Hagel is the best man right now to review the military budget. He will put the soldier first and to that end his focus will bring spending back into alignment to where it needs to be while removing hideous technology such as the F35.
But, all this needs to be a part of DISTRICT dialogues to bring about awareness. Americans will take up the challenge to understand their government if they are given the chance. They have time consuming lives these days. It is difficult for them to set aside time to study government spending. In that is the reality of where the Paul Ryan Budget lives. If is sounds right then it is right regardless of the reality otherwise.
The Republicans are dragging out the dialogue on MONEY for the very reason they have nothing else. The Democrats have to push for movement on Immigration reform (the clock is running for our Dreamers) and on gun control. The MONEY problems of the country are not all that, but, it is all the Republicans want to dialogue about.
Why hasn't Ryan taken a strong position on Immigration Reform? What is he afraid of? So long as Republicans dictate the political dialogue surrounding money they keep their extremist funding. If they lose that funding they will be floundering in the elections, too.
There is plenty of moral dialogue lost because of extremist money. It is time to reclaim it and make the Democrats the party with answers.
We know what the gun problem is. Mark Kelly and Former Congresswoman Giffords have dedicated their lives to this issue. We know what is ahead of us.
We know what the economic problem is. President Obama has been pushing back against it for the past four years. We can't lose ground on this.
We know what the banking problem is. Senator Warren is a testament to that reality.
We know what the immigration problem is. We need to move forward to change the problem into an asset. President Obama started that with an Executive Order.
We know we have a national debt. We know how to address it and the untimely idea of cutting spending in the face of success for four years. We know we have to address these issues and pass them on to our children.
We know how to privatize government when the time is right and it is not a threat to the pride in our country or the sovereignty of our nation. We have witnessed privatization in the past that works for both the country and the people. Our local economies are leading the way.
We know that victimizing women takes away their rights and does not empower them. Women are still trailing in their achievements in the USA. If we can't provide that path to success for women in this country it will be a disgrace.
We know what a healthy nation looks like. We know obesity victimizes our youngest people and sends them into disease processes that will shorten their lives.
We know what education looks like and our students are achieving, but, this is the first generation that graduated into unemployment. How do we change that paradigm? And it has to be how and not maybe when. We have to build sustainable economies and the sustainable energies to power it. The more we postpone building the country we need the longer there will be poverty and the increase in it. The only way to fight poverty is to provide opportunity. Until the country has turned the corner on that reality, there is no looking back to building a new world view. The old world view nearly destroyed us. We can't' have that back.
We know what morality is and it is far more than church going and quoting our spiritual books. Morality is about security for our people and knowing they have purpose in their lives.
We know the problems we face as a nation. We know the solutions. We can't let extremist views mar what we know is the truth and the way forward.
Ryan's budget is nonsense and everyone knows it. But, the problem is that he gets away with it politically. The RNC Chairman has a small donor base concentrated in ideology. The handwriting is on the wall, but, if the Democrats want to stop the loggerheads in the Congress among Republicans they have to put candidates in districts of the Republican leadership in the Congress.
The First District in Wisconsin needs a Democratic candidate willing to take on Ryan and win. It is the only WAY the political dialogue will change. The extremist political dialogue has to change within the electorate. Ryan won because he was running for Vice President. I stated that when he was nominated with Romney.
Ryan is a bit of AN Icon to the Super-rich in the GOP base. So, they will dump a lot of money into his candidacy, but, it was buoyed by the national ticket IN 2012. Now, if others believe that the way I do, that means Ryan is vulnerable. We have witnessed him at town hall meetings and know he is dogmatic and refuses OR CAN'T relate to people that speak up. It is those tapes a Democratic candidate has to listen to and find the voice of those Ryan ignores. It is important. If the dialogue of those that oppose him can actually be heard on the campaign trail it will change and the Democrats will begin to build their base back again.
That will be true throughout the Republican leadership. They need to have serious opposition with the desire to win. The Democrats will win. If not in 2014 then in 2016. It will happen, but, the base needs to be re-established and the extremism seen for what it is. The country is in the balance. If anyone believes the Republicans are just another name for the Plutocrats then they will understand the danger that lies ahead for the country.
I'll look at Ryan's budget, but, I promised to read the military budget, too. I think Secretary Hagel is the best man right now to review the military budget. He will put the soldier first and to that end his focus will bring spending back into alignment to where it needs to be while removing hideous technology such as the F35.
But, all this needs to be a part of DISTRICT dialogues to bring about awareness. Americans will take up the challenge to understand their government if they are given the chance. They have time consuming lives these days. It is difficult for them to set aside time to study government spending. In that is the reality of where the Paul Ryan Budget lives. If is sounds right then it is right regardless of the reality otherwise.
The Republicans are dragging out the dialogue on MONEY for the very reason they have nothing else. The Democrats have to push for movement on Immigration reform (the clock is running for our Dreamers) and on gun control. The MONEY problems of the country are not all that, but, it is all the Republicans want to dialogue about.
Why hasn't Ryan taken a strong position on Immigration Reform? What is he afraid of? So long as Republicans dictate the political dialogue surrounding money they keep their extremist funding. If they lose that funding they will be floundering in the elections, too.
There is plenty of moral dialogue lost because of extremist money. It is time to reclaim it and make the Democrats the party with answers.
We know what the gun problem is. Mark Kelly and Former Congresswoman Giffords have dedicated their lives to this issue. We know what is ahead of us.
We know what the economic problem is. President Obama has been pushing back against it for the past four years. We can't lose ground on this.
We know what the banking problem is. Senator Warren is a testament to that reality.
We know what the immigration problem is. We need to move forward to change the problem into an asset. President Obama started that with an Executive Order.
We know we have a national debt. We know how to address it and the untimely idea of cutting spending in the face of success for four years. We know we have to address these issues and pass them on to our children.
We know how to privatize government when the time is right and it is not a threat to the pride in our country or the sovereignty of our nation. We have witnessed privatization in the past that works for both the country and the people. Our local economies are leading the way.
We know that victimizing women takes away their rights and does not empower them. Women are still trailing in their achievements in the USA. If we can't provide that path to success for women in this country it will be a disgrace.
We know what a healthy nation looks like. We know obesity victimizes our youngest people and sends them into disease processes that will shorten their lives.
We know what education looks like and our students are achieving, but, this is the first generation that graduated into unemployment. How do we change that paradigm? And it has to be how and not maybe when. We have to build sustainable economies and the sustainable energies to power it. The more we postpone building the country we need the longer there will be poverty and the increase in it. The only way to fight poverty is to provide opportunity. Until the country has turned the corner on that reality, there is no looking back to building a new world view. The old world view nearly destroyed us. We can't' have that back.
We know what morality is and it is far more than church going and quoting our spiritual books. Morality is about security for our people and knowing they have purpose in their lives.
We know the problems we face as a nation. We know the solutions. We can't let extremist views mar what we know is the truth and the way forward.
I am quite certain a lot of thought went into any of "The Sequester" cuts.
I am somewhat sure the Secret Service closing the White House Tours also reflects cuts to the First and Second Lady's budget, too. These lovely ladies were always hosting the young children of our military families at the White House. Considering the Secret Service is closing down public exposure to White House it may impact all the activities as well. I am curious as to the Easter Egg Roll, too.
What next in the way of privatizing the White House, one armed bandits?
..."This is about trade-offs," (click here) said White House spokesman Jay Carney. "Because when you have the kind of severe cuts that the sequester represents, you have to reduce your budget accordingly, and then you have to make choices about what you do and what you don't."
The tours affect the budget of the Secret Service, which sent out this statement:...
President Obama had nothing to do with the choices in where to cut the budget of the Secret Service.The electorate of the USA needs to differentiate themselves from rhetoric and what is important to them. Privatizing government is not in the best interest of the country. Have Americans no pride when it comes to their priorities and what they will seek as give aways from Wall Street?
Posted: Mar. 12, 2013 | 2:08 a.m.
Two years have passed since Seth Meyers (click here) ridiculed Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents Dinner. But Trump still wants to kill Meyers.
Last month, Howard Stern asked Trump to play a game: What would Trump's choices be if he had to marry, sex or kill three guys - Meyers, Bill Maher and President Barack Obama?
Trump said he would marry Obama, have sex with Maher and kill Meyers.
"I'm very honored he would still kill me," Meyers says, laughing. (He performs stand-up Saturday at The Mirage for $52.94-$74.94 per ticket.)
Meyers became a Trump nemesis after the comedian made jokes such as this one at the 2011 political roast:
"Donald Trump often appears on Fox, which is ironic because a fox often appears on Donald Trump's head."
Just this past December, Trump grumped on Twitter that the "Saturday Night Live" star "bombed" during a "dismal" comedy gig in Texas....
There will be no end to how laughable the White House Tours become if privatization begins to take over the White House. We don't need an Apprentice challenge to whom can provide the best White House Tour.
The country does not need it, but, Mr. Trump is welcome to contribute all he wants to the USA Treasury.
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