Dec. Dec. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Congress (click here) will vote this week on a $1.1 trillion spending plan that would avert a U.S. government shutdown as Democrats agreed to roll back rules affecting banks, clean water and rest for truckers.
The deal was announced late yesterday after Democrats accepted Republican demands to undo some regulations including the banking provision, a big victory for Wall Street. It lets JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc. and other lenders keep swaps trading in units with federal backstops...
...While most of the government would be funded through September 2015, the Department of Homeland Security would be financed only through Feb. 27. Republicans want to the use the agency's spending bill to defund President Barak Obama's decision to ease deportation rules for millions of undocumented immigrants....
Until the final bill is written and passed there is no way of knowing what in particular is said about any of these provisions. From what I see now, most of the provisions are anti-American.
...The Dodd-Frank Act (click here) divides regulatory authority over swap agreements between the CFTC and SEC (though the prudential regulators, such as the Federal Reserve Board, also have an important role in setting capital and margin for swap entities that are banks)....
Democratic votes will be needed to pass the bill and to that end they are stating many of the most damaging provisions have been averted. If these aren't the most damaging provisions, I'd hate to know what are.
...In addition to the Dodd-Frank measure on swaps trading, the new spending bill would allow exceptions to clean-water laws for agricultural refuse, and block funding for rules to tax and regulate marijuana in the District of Columbia....
...The provision would temporarily suspend rules that took effect last year while a study is conducted about the number of trucks driven on congested roads. Under the change, truckers would be able to work as many as 82 hours a week....
82 hours is insane. There are only 168 hours in a week, allowing for 8 hours rest per day, leaves 112 hours for living. If 82 hours of that is spent driving, there is 40 hours per week for commuting, shopping, being with the kids and some sort of family activities. It's crazy. They have taken a 40 hour work week into the personal time of truck drivers.
That doesn't even begin to address fatigue and safety on the road. One of the key factors Jeb Bush has in his crony bag of tricks for the election of 2016 is passing legislation to provide DRIVERLESS trucks on the road. We now see why, human beings actually have limited capacity to provide for truck operations 24-7.
According to "All Trucking. com, there are approximately 3.5 million professional truck drivers in the United States, according to estimates by the American Trucking Association. The total number of people employed in the industry, including those in positions that do not entail driving, exceeds 8.7 million.
If truck drivers were replaced by "Drive by wire" the USA economy would enter a recession for the impact of the loss of income to all those people.
It never surprises me how Republicans cater to cronies only to allow the economy of the country to deteriorate. If there are drive by wire trucks, there will drive by wire taxis. Only when the US economy tanks again and again and again will Republicans understand how completely this disrespect the working people of the USA. Republicans like to paint themselves as the party of the small business. Where!!!! Because independent truck drivers and taxi owners are small business people.
...The plan includes a proposal pushed by the National Rifle Association that lets gun manufacturers use lead to produce ammunition, and a labor provision exempting claim adjusters from overtime requirements during major disasters....
It is obvious now that the next two years will be nothing but an attempt to roll back all the gains Americans have made since President Obama took office. The Republicans are setting the chronometers to January 19, 2009.
...While most of the government would be funded through September 2015, the Department of Homeland Security would be financed only through Feb. 27. Republicans want to the use the agency's spending bill to defund President Barak Obama's decision to ease deportation rules for millions of undocumented immigrants....
Until the final bill is written and passed there is no way of knowing what in particular is said about any of these provisions. From what I see now, most of the provisions are anti-American.
...The Dodd-Frank Act (click here) divides regulatory authority over swap agreements between the CFTC and SEC (though the prudential regulators, such as the Federal Reserve Board, also have an important role in setting capital and margin for swap entities that are banks)....
Democratic votes will be needed to pass the bill and to that end they are stating many of the most damaging provisions have been averted. If these aren't the most damaging provisions, I'd hate to know what are.
...In addition to the Dodd-Frank measure on swaps trading, the new spending bill would allow exceptions to clean-water laws for agricultural refuse, and block funding for rules to tax and regulate marijuana in the District of Columbia....
...The provision would temporarily suspend rules that took effect last year while a study is conducted about the number of trucks driven on congested roads. Under the change, truckers would be able to work as many as 82 hours a week....
82 hours is insane. There are only 168 hours in a week, allowing for 8 hours rest per day, leaves 112 hours for living. If 82 hours of that is spent driving, there is 40 hours per week for commuting, shopping, being with the kids and some sort of family activities. It's crazy. They have taken a 40 hour work week into the personal time of truck drivers.
That doesn't even begin to address fatigue and safety on the road. One of the key factors Jeb Bush has in his crony bag of tricks for the election of 2016 is passing legislation to provide DRIVERLESS trucks on the road. We now see why, human beings actually have limited capacity to provide for truck operations 24-7.
According to "All Trucking. com, there are approximately 3.5 million professional truck drivers in the United States, according to estimates by the American Trucking Association. The total number of people employed in the industry, including those in positions that do not entail driving, exceeds 8.7 million.
If truck drivers were replaced by "Drive by wire" the USA economy would enter a recession for the impact of the loss of income to all those people.
It never surprises me how Republicans cater to cronies only to allow the economy of the country to deteriorate. If there are drive by wire trucks, there will drive by wire taxis. Only when the US economy tanks again and again and again will Republicans understand how completely this disrespect the working people of the USA. Republicans like to paint themselves as the party of the small business. Where!!!! Because independent truck drivers and taxi owners are small business people.
Cars and deer can be a lethal combination. (click here) An increase in urban sprawl and more roads being built through wildlife habitats have displaced deer from their natural habitat, leading to a rise in deer-vehicle collisions, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I)
Deer migration and mating season generally runs from October through December, and causes a dramatic increase in the movement of the deer population. As a result, more deer-vehicle collisions occur in this period than at any other time of year, so drivers need to be especially vigilant....
There are 200 deaths per year caused by deer and vehicle collisions. Deer won't be drive by wire savvy. The entire idea that driverless vehicles will solve all the problems on the road is sheer nonsense....The plan includes a proposal pushed by the National Rifle Association that lets gun manufacturers use lead to produce ammunition, and a labor provision exempting claim adjusters from overtime requirements during major disasters....
It is obvious now that the next two years will be nothing but an attempt to roll back all the gains Americans have made since President Obama took office. The Republicans are setting the chronometers to January 19, 2009.
