Depends on the source. Both the candidates are probably right depending on their staff research. All I know is I am tired of ALWAYS finding the worst news about heroin in Buffalo, New York !!!!!!!!

In 2013, (click here) New York had the third lowest number of gun deaths per capita among the states.  Guns originally purchased in New York are recovered after being used in crimes in other states at the second lowest rate per capita among the states, according to data published by Mayors Against Illegal Guns. In fact, New York exports crime guns at a rate less than one-sixth the national average. New York imports crime guns from other states at seven times the rate it exports such guns.  This means that, unlike states with weaker gun laws, New York is not a common source of crime guns used in other states.

This article below is about NYC only. It seems like the New Jersey and New England are able to control their guns. 

July 31, 2013
By Tina Moore

90% of all guns (click here) used in city crimes in 2011 came from out-of-state, which was a 4% increase from the previous year. Mayor Bloomberg pushing for tougher laws across the country.

There is also this. I know Buffalo, New York has had some of the worst heroin issues in the country.

July 13, 2015
By Terry J. Allen
Shooting up in Vermont, shooting up New York (click here)
Pssst. Want an unregistered semi-automatic handgun, some heroin and a way to make a 1,400 percent profit?

First, the gun. In Vermont, you can legally buy it through a “private” sale at a gun show, yard sale, online or from a dealer. Doesn’t matter if you’re a convicted murderer with a history of mental illness and a restraining order for domestic abuse. Anyone 16 or older with $600 can, for example, go to Armslist.com and arrange with a “private party” in Arlington, Vt., to pick up a “Zastava M92 PV 7.62 x 39 cal. semi auto pistol that has a 10 inch barrel, comes with 2 each 30 round clips.” The Serbian assault weapon is, the ad notes, the “very cool … pistol version of the AK-47.”

Then, if you are willing to break the law, you can drive the weapon to New York, where semi-automatic handguns are banned, and sell it for triple the Vermont price. You can invest the $1,800 in heroin. Back in Vermont, where heroin is in relatively short supply, you can resell it for five times the New York cost and garner $9,000—a quick 1,400 percent profit....

The worst of heroin is always Buffalo. The New York State SBI and federal FBI should really concentrate on the sales to Buffalo. Shut down these dam dealers. I am sure it is dangerous, but, people die on a right regular basis from heroin in that city.

February 9, 2016
By Lou Michel

A young couple drove (click here) from Seneca County last week to buy some supercharged heroin that was making the rounds in Buffalo.

Soon after smoking it, the 21-year-old Waterloo woman lost consciousness. Her 26-year-old boyfriend managed to call 911. It took three doses of Narcan, an opiate antidote, before Amherst Police Officer Sean D. Shaver revived the woman.

She was lucky. These days, heroin being widely sold in the Buffalo area is really fentanyl or heroin heavily laced with the laboratory-produced opioid that is 30 to 50 times stronger than ordinary heroin.

Nearly two dozen other addicts were not so fortunate over the last two weeks. Twenty-three people have died as a result of opiate overdoses in Erie County during an 11-day period that started Jan. 29. Twelve of the deaths occurred in Buffalo, and the others were in the county’s suburbs and rural areas. The ages of the deceased range from 20 to 61....

The anti-LGBT bill in North Carolina.

There is a major military base for every branch of the USA military in North Carolina. How does the Governor square the National Guard?

Fort Bragg (click here)

Pope Air Force Base (click here)

Spouses do live off the base and have careers, too.

Camp LeJeune (click here)

There are several National Guard (click here) facilities in North Carolina. The headquarters are in Raleigh, the state capital.

Camp Mackall Army Base (click here)

Marine Corp Air Station Cherry Point (click here)

These military bases add to the NC economy. North Carolina does not want to continue their wayward hate of LGBTQ community. The spouses and children of these military men and women will not put up with it.

It is about morale. Our military cannot believe or feel they are not welcome anywhere except on their base.

Any governor of any state in the country would love to absorb at least one of these military bases.

Key Findings (click here) 
Overall, the economic impact model estimates that the military supports roughly 10 percent of North Carolina’s employment

The military supports 578,000 jobs in North Carolina, nearly $34 billion in state personal income, and $66 billion in gross state product

386,000 of the total military-supported jobs occur in the private sector

Professional, Scientific and Technical Services, Administrative and Waste Management Services, and Construction are the top three military-supported private industry sectors

102,000 active duty military personnel were assigned to units in North Carolina as of June 2015, and more than 78,000 individuals are projected to leave the military over the next four years

The North Carolina National Guard has a strength of nearly 12,000, with more than 20,000 in the Reserves

More than 20,000 civilian contractors are employed by the Department of Defense and the North Carolina National Guard in North Carolina

Department of Defense prime contracting in FY 2014 totaled $2.5 billion, with 81 percent of that being performed in the South Central and Southeast prosperity zones

79 of 100 counties had prime contracting activity in FY 2014

North Carolina’s active military personnel have in-demand occupational skills which could contribute to private industries in the state as personnel separate from the military in the future

North Carolina has a total of 775,000 veterans that reside in every county across the state

Military veterans in North Carolina received more than $8.2 billion in pensions, medical care and other support from the Department of Defense and the Department of Veteran Affairs in FY 2014

It is time the USA's political party belong to the people.

Isn't it obvious yet how corrupt the Republican Party is? It is as obvious as a wart on the end of the end of a witch's nose.

The rules committee writes those rules to insure the nomination of the stalwart establishment. That is why the baton is passed predictably to the next in the hierarchy. 

If that isn't corruption, then what is?

The Democrats should be so organized. Example: 1988, first Governor Mario Cuomo declined. Then Gary Hart's sexual affair defeated him. Bill Clinton was tossed around, but, he remained in Arkansas when Hillary Clinton said no to the potential of becoming the Governor of Arkansas. Talk about insensitive. Nothing like breaking up a married couple by about a 1000 miles. Finally, Governor Michael Dukakis was nominated.

Then came 1992:

William Jefferson Clinton, (click here) the first Democratic president in six decades to be elected twice, led the U.S. to the longest economic expansion in American history, including the creation of more than 22 million jobs.

And then the world couldn't get enough of "Clinton."

After leaving the White House, President Clinton established the William J. Clinton Foundation, and today, the renamed Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, works to improve global health and wellness,...

Not every Democrat is an angel, but, there isn't that level of control at the DNC. Debbie has dreams of control, but, she knows better.

Isn't it time the Republican Party actually try to become the party of Lincoln again? Lincoln would roll over in his grave. Wait. Aren't they redoing the Lincoln Memorial in DC?

What is Donald Trump's position on Social Security and Medicare? Wall Street wants the trust fund. That is a fact. "W" tried to hand it to them at the beginning of his second term. Fact.

Ryan wants the presidency. He came out as Speaker stating he was going to write his own budget and President Obama would have to live with it. The President writes the budget. Ryan has no clue about governance. He is simply a megaphone for dysfunction.

The corruption of Wall Street isn't completed yet. There are wives of very powerful Republicans employed by Wall Street firms. Paul Ryan's wife and he is Speaker of the House. He stated, "I don't want to be Speaker of the House." 

Ted Cruz is running for President of the United States of America and his wife is employed by a Wall Street firm. Cruz lied, oh excuse me FORGOT, to include income on disclosure statements when he entered the race.

The idea there is a majority Republican party in the US House and Senate is not a mistake. Was it Citibank that called in an amendment to a bill that would remove protections from Dodd-Frank. That is how much the Republicans are losers in actually understanding law and the best interests of the American people. They personally accept calls from Wall Street to write a bill and appear to be smart. 

2016 is a precipice in the USA. All hands on deck.

General Jones states the USA does not have to do this alone, he stated there are 28 countries today that could join the effort.

April 12, 2016
By Bono

I’ve recently returned (click here) from the Middle East and East Africa, where I visited a number of refugee camps — car parks of humanity. I went as an activist and as a European. Because Europeans have come to realize — quite painfully in the past year or two — that the mass exodus from collapsed countries like Syria is not just a Middle Eastern or African problem, it’s a European problem. It’s an American one, too. It affects us all.

My countryman Peter Sutherland, a senior United Nations official for international migration, has made clear that we’re living through the worst crisis of forced displacement since World War II. In 2010, some 10,000 people worldwide fled their homes every day, on average. Which sounds like a lot — until you consider that four years later, that number had quadrupled. And when people are driven out of their homes by violence, poverty and instability, they take themselves and their despair elsewhere. And “elsewhere” can be anywhere.

But with their despair some of them also have hope. It seems insane or naïve to speak of hope in this context, and I may be both of these things. But in most of the places where refugees live, hope has not left the building: hope to go home someday, hope to find work and a better life. I left Kenya, Jordan and Turkey feeling a little hopeful myself. For as hard as it is to truly imagine what life as a refugee is like, we have a chance to reimagine that reality — and reinvent our relationship with the people and countries consumed now by conflict, or hosting those who have fled it....

The domestic and compassion programs of the USA are grossly underfunded. A lot of this is happening due to the climate crisis. I do mean crisis.

Senator Graham states he feels like chopped liver compared to the press attention to Bono. That is a very interesting impression, he should work on that.

Senator Graham is going to make the argument that refugee status would be better mediated by USA military intervention. I suppose that is like Iraq where hundreds of thousands of people died. I have a feeling if Refugees were given a choice they would prefer refugee status.

Senator Graham states any lack of action is not reasonable and wants to fund a long term strategy to help the refugees.

Radical ideology is not spreading like wild fire. The Arab nations are finally looking to each other to bring about regional stability.

12 April 2016
Jeddah:: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman (click here) was received by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential palace in Ankara on Tuesday in an official welcoming ceremony as the king begins a state visit to the country.
President Erdogan said that King Salman is a loyal friend and described the Saudi leadership as a wise safety valve in the region.
The Turkish president honored the king with the Order of the State of Republic of Turkey, the highest state order in the country.
The king received a 21-gun salute and was welcomed by the prime minister as well as senior officials of the Turkish republic.
Saudi Arabia’s monarch is due to attend the OIC meeting in Istanbul later this week...

On this same page of reporting on King Salman and the meeting with President Erdogan is an advertisement of the Universal Studios Harry Potter experience. That means the people of Saudi Arabia like the British and the Americans and love to come to such fun as offered by Universal Studios. That is important. No one is looking forward to the next vacation with Daesh and fighting the countries currently engaged with Daesh's containment and destruction.

Why is it the Republicans can't understand the entire world has united regarding this genocidal regime and the world is winning. Harry Potter lives!

WATER SECURITY. Now, that makes sense since Syria's civil war is linked directly to drought LEADING TO FOOD INSECURITY for an entire country.

Anthony Blinken Deputy Secretary of State notes the hardship many families in Europe carry with the loss of dearly loved children/young people. These parents are reaching outside of their pain and finding purpose to end radical Islamism. They are very brave parents unafraid to being the voice of their lost children. Their bravery cannot go unrecognized. 

"The One Campaign" - no filibuster promised as the Irish discovered the filibuster. Bono states aid is not charity, it is national security. When it is managed without corruption and to the benefit of those that are suppose to receive it, it is the best tool the world has to end such violence. Five of the countries hosting refugees are African. 

African countries cannot afford to support refugees.

Bono states the stability of Europe is at stake and they need to be valued as allies in the fight against violent extremism.

African young people cannot be marginalized because their outcomes could be into violent extremism. Bono is advocating to effective support to the refugees. The UN is having many meetings and press coverage, but, the checks are not forthcoming. The agencies involved cannot plan.

Bono wants the global community to appreciate the countries that are not available to extremists YET. 

That is important. What good is the stability of Yemen if Saudi Arabia or Egypt is becoming unstable. We all know how the extremists migrated in Iraq from town to town only to return to the place they left a month before. The same type of fluid circumstances can occur on a larger scale. The countries marginalizing extremism today need to be stable and consistent in their efforts. With that established the opportunity for greater violence minimizes as they are defeated. 

Bono wants the USA to support the refugee efforts. First, I think Samantha Powers needs to ask for an accounting of monies promised to the agencies waiting to move into the refugee camps with new ideas that improve their quality of life. 

Second, she also needs to give an accounting of the USA membership fees and other promised donations in regard to refugee efforts.

Then, a Democratic Senator needs to expose the amounts CUT FROM THE BUDGET of the US State Department for the USAID PROGRAMS. 

Is Patty Murphy still working with the US House to guarantee that USAID is fully funded?

There are issues in the USA that need to be addressed equally as important. That means there needs to be taxation to meet these demands. The cuts to the USA budget over the years by Gover Norquist NEEDS TO END!

I am sure the European Union has their hands full in funding their own needed improvements in their communities, the refugees already in Europe and it's needed added security. There should be a report to the American people from the EU that compels them to understand the stress the EU monies are under to protect their security, hence, ours as well. The American people have to come to understand how great an ally they are and how their compassion brings about such differences to the world in general.

Current cuts planned by the US House and Senate will impale the efforts required today.

If he can, Bono should make the rounds in the USA to bring reality to the American people. It has to become a viable political issue. This comes down to taxation and the intent of the right wing Republicans to continue to cut funding to very delicate issues. Politics is the only thing that will end this draconian agenda of the USA Republicans. Bono wants to end the spread. It sounds right. 

Africa’s Sahel region (click here) faces many complex and interconnected challenges. Here are some of the major ones, and how the United Nations is assisting the region in finding solutions. 

Senator Leahy states it is the experience of the USA government when these governments are given more funding there is greater problems with civil rights like imprisoning people speaking out against the extremists. It has to be looked at.

Senator Mikulski believes the focus has to be on the children.

If there is oppression of people speaking out about Daesh, there has to be some kind of pressure on the government to bring about that result. Where is the holy man?

East Africa (click here) is currently experiencing the worst drought to hit the region in 60 years. The UN has officially declared famine in parts of southern Somalia—regions of Lower Shabelle and southern Bakool. It is predicted that the entire south of Somalia will face famine within the next two months. Operation USA is working to assess unmet needs on the ground, with its initial response focusing on water resource needs in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camps. The Dadaab camps–the largest in the world–are reported to receive as many as 1,300 refugees a day, the majority fleeing war-torn Somalia. These camps house almost 400,000 displaced people in three camps originally designated for 90,000....

General James Jones states the USA doesn't get credit for doing great things such as building schools, etc,, where investors such as the Chinese in Africa are not. The Chinese companies bring their own workers. 

America is not looking out unless it is sending it's military because of budget cuts to humanitarian programs while it continues to seek more and more funding for the military. Perhaps the USA military needs a change in MISSION being to end hunger and thirst in Africa.

This is the current right wing nonsense circulating in the political realm in the USA. The people who are environmentally conscience are being encouraged to seek the mentoring of possibly a counselor 'to let go' of the values they hold dear. It is silly by those that want to end the climate crisis, but, it is extremism meeting up with extremism.

It is the political mess of the right wing in the USA that brings about tax cuts that bring about a diluted reality and the USA's responsibility in the world. Then we have Wall Street Banks pouring over China's potential for profits without realizing China's profitability is not to be shared in the first place. Tell Wall Street to realize China's profitability relies on NO INVOLVEMENT in global issues. 

I watched the treasury Secretary Paulson work his craft during the early years before 2008. It was amazing. His working office was not in Washington, DC; it was in China. Then September 2008 hit and there was a $700 billion bailout. Shortly thereafter, Paulson was in China with his own investment firm. These are the people supported by the political right wing in the USA. Try ending that and we all might get somewhere.

I don't lie:

May 27, 2014
By Imogen Rose-Smith (click here)

Support Josh Fox (click here), he is doing his level best. He has been 'in the fight' since the fight was necessary.

If the USA military was ever assigned a new mission based in humanitarian efforts, it would not last long before the extremists would be moving to where the American soldiers could be found!

Senator Markey wants cities to change reporting of water quality electronically with the option of receiving their water bill via email.

A water agency representative believes not all citizen have online ability. I thought that was covered in opting for paper documents with a paper invoice.

Senator Barrrasso doesn't like EPA webinars. I find them exceptionally helpful and the average citizen can become an active member of their community because of those webinars.

That average citizen can bring information to their community and the mayor and council to even funding available through application to the federal authority. The cost for US EPA to conduct these webinars are minimal to the meetings they are holding for shareholders anyway. It is not an issue regardless of Mr. Barrasso to attempt to cripple the citizen.

Integrated planning needs to be at the city or town level and not the federal level. That enters into the federal government simply by submitting information about the integrated planning at the time of federal authority inspection. 

Is a community block grant funding at the state level in monies received from the federal government simply a different name for INTEGRATED PLANNING?

There is nothing saying community block grant planning or funding will be addressed to water quality, ie: Flint, Michigan was removed from any application for emergency water funding. State regulations, policy and/or funding varies from state to state. How the states helps their mayors is more the focus than removing federal inspections.

There is an interesting suggestion in promoting conservation to help low income citizens.

ie: Governor Brownback of Kansas and his agenda of anarchy.

Senator Boxer is correct when commenting on 'use of more costs less.' That idea is not outrageous to just California; is not realistic for today's world. Honestly.

The statement was made by a US Senator that the tone of the USA EPA was more prosecutorial than partner. Senator Boxer's office will be taking written comment on any of those issues because the relationship between US EPA and the State of Michigan was far too soft.

C-Span TV Schedule C at 2:00 PM today!

C-Span 3 (click here)

2 hours, 30 minutes

U2 lead singer and activist Bono and U.N. and military officials testify at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on the role of foreign assistance in combating violent extremism worldwide.

C Span is available on most cable services. There are mostly three channels dedicated to C-Span based on these schedules. There can be some access through cyber services as well.

Bono is headed to the Hill. (click here)

The U2 front man and co-founder of the ONE campaign, an anti-poverty organization, is poised to testify Tuesday afternoon at a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on violent extremism and the role of foreign assistance.

A ONE spokesman tells ITK the politically active singer visited refugee camps in Kenya, Jordan and Turkey earlier this month. The sunglasses-sporting entertainer will “discuss the connection between immediate humanitarian response and long-term development efforts” at the Dirksen Senate Office Building hearing.

Bono, 55, is no stranger to Capitol Hill — the Irish-born entertainer has made several visits over the years to meet with lawmakers and testify before Congress.

Every American should realize how their water infrastructure is insufficient.

April 7, 2016
Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Affordability and Safety (click here) Local leaders and utility officials from around the nation testified at a hearing on the federal government’s role in maintaining and improving water and wastewater infrastructure. They talked about the challenges of modernizing deteriorating water systems, and the financing challenges of unfunded mandates by the federal government. They also talked about the Flint, Michigan, water crisis, the challenges of increasing water resources to rural communities, and the role of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in providing training and technical assistance to help communities comply with federal mandates.

Republicans at all level of government are obsessed with their personal goals and not that of the people.

The Republican US Senators are complaining about corruption by the US Education Secretary, John B. King (click here).

Richard Burr is making broad brushing statements about a time frame that begins in October 1, 2017 of Title 2. He is most concerned that public monies follow private students to their new schools. I think we can identify cronies within those statements.

None of his accusations has happened yet. He is simply using his time at the panel for a future political commercial. His corruption is obvious.

In contrast, Senator Bob Casey is noting improvements of educational statistics and asks questions about continued goals going forward to maintain that progress and insure more of it in the future.

Title 1 schools are sending poor schools less money.

HELLO?

Americans for years if not a decade or more have stated with the outsourcing of education to private schools/charter schools there would be less funding for public schools. Now, the Republicans are stating it is happening and it is the problem with the Education Secretary. Same old Republican corruption; cause the problem and then make hay when it has infected Democratic policies and administrtions.

It is a long term strategy called, "Sabotage the Democrats."

How innovative, Alaska actually got rid of the testing of students through an ineffective cyber network. Alaska has a lot of distant learning, too. Odd, it should fail for the testing.

One Simple Wish & Traveler’s Choice (click here) – the trusted choice in travelware – are teaming up to make sure that no child ever has to carry their belongings in a trash bag.

Foster CHILDREN need to be provided the opportunity to stay in a school to complete the year. I would think if there were issues with drugs or alcohol there are services for them RATHER THAN juvenile delinquency and higher risk of not completing a school year.

Victims of child maltreatment (click here) are more likely than other children to be arrested as juveniles (27% vs. 17%) (CWLA, 2002).

A far better strategy is to actually find the parents and bring them up to snuff to make a difference in their children's lives. FAMILIES should come first with a diligent effort to achieve an intact, working and substance free foundation.

Haven't we worked long enough on breaking down the family while attempting to achieve dignity and hope for these children? No American is THAT bad an individual, especially when they have been provided hope as children themselves.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) (click here) requires that school districts provide services to higher-poverty, Title I schools, from state and local funds, that are at least comparable to services in lower-poverty, non-Title I schools. The current Title I comparability requirement allows school districts to demonstrate compliance in various ways and does not require comparability of actual school-level expenditures. New data collected in response to a requirement in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) make it possible, for the first time, to conduct a nation-wide analysis comparing school-level expenditures in Title I and non-Title I schools and to examine the potential impact of revising the Title I comparability requirement to focus on school-level expenditures. This policy brief examines the projected number of school districts that would be out of compliance with an expenditures-based comparability requirement under various possible specifications, the amount of funds that such districts might need to add to Title I schools and higher-poverty schools in order to come into compliance, and the amount of additional funds that could flow to low-expenditure schools....

How many US Senators have been teachers at any level?

There is a controversy about this provision in USA law as it applies to education.

Advanced Placement is being argued. It is a place where more students can be placed to increase their ability to find scholarships for advanced education. Senator Lamar Alexander wants the legislature to set the standard and NOT the US Education Secretary. Setting regulations are part of the responsibility of the President's Cabinet.

Dr. King is stated to have a new requirement that would expand the opportunity to more students. 

The comparability provision in Title I of ESEA requires school districts to provide services in Title I schools from state and local funds that are at least comparable to services in non-Title I schools. Federal assistance provided through Title I is intended to provide additional resources to Title I schools—rather than to compensate for an inequitable distribution of state and local funds that benefits more affluent schools....

There should be a trial of maintaining families with the same structure as outlined in reimbursement schedules for foster care.

The Family Foster Care Provider Classifications and Rates survey (click here) (an add‐on component to the 2008/2010 Casey Child Welfare Financing Survey) was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Casey Family Programs. The views in this report do not necessarily reflect the positions of the sponsoring organizations, but rather are those of the authors....

The rise of Ted Cruz is MEASURABLE to when the Republican Establishment declared war on Donald Trump.

The GOP creeps closer to a contested convention with each primary. And in that scenario, all bets are off (click here)

Preparing for the TPP. The extremism of the Republican Party provides for only anarchy.

April 12, 2016

By Marcel Harmon

The ultraconservatives take control, with an assist to ALEC and no concern for the people (click here)

It’s not uncommon to see developments named after what they displace or sometimes destroy. Subdivisions with names like Wild Creek Place likely contain neither a trace of the “wild” nor the remains of a creek. I guess more descriptive names such as Flat Asphalt Junction simply lack the same level of appeal.

I’ve come to see the names of Kansas legislative committees in the same manner. Under the legislature’s ultraconservative leadership, committees such as Education (House and Senate), Education Budget (House), Commerce, Labor and Economic Development (House) and Local Government (Senate), to name but a few, seem cruelly named after what the ultraconservatives have marked for displacement or destruction.

Gov. Sam Brownback’s march to zero income taxes, combined with legislation designed to weaken public services and wrest control away from local government, are hollowing out the very aspects of government these committees focus on. Public education certainly seems targeted to be greatly supplemented by, if not outright replaced by, private education....

"...wrest control away from local government..." is a Wall Street corruption that removes freedom from people and places it at Wall Street's disposable. If anyone believes differently because that is not possible in the USA, take a look at Flint, Michigan. Wall Street robs the USA of good paying jobs and irretrievable poverty manifests with people disempowered to provide for their own well being.

Brownback has been a parasite for a long time, including his time in the federal government. There are entries on this blog, too.

...We see this in other states as well. For some time now, model legislation from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), Americans For Prosperity (AFP) and other libertarian / ultraconservative organizations has been used as the template for bills in states with varying levels of ultraconservative control. Such templates have been developed on everything from taxation and fiscal policy, to energy and the environment, to health and human services....

How convenient to have a organization backed by Wall Street actually writing state legislation.

Corporations identified (click here) as being involved with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) since CMD's ALEC Exposed project launched in 2011 -- reliant upon the most recently available documentation or communication -- appear in BOLD below. All connections are footnoted.

Note that for corporations not in bold, either the corporation has stated that it is no longer involved or documentation on involvement with ALEC is less recent....

The Plutocracy is complete now. DO NOT BELIEVE THEIR RHETORIC AT TIME OF ELECTIONS!!!

Snyder cannot argue that he didn't know about the water poisoning. He was changing the water state employees were drinking to bottled water.

One of Snyder's defenses in the early days of PUBLIC AWARENESS was that he was not aware of these problems. And he INSISTS now all these dire problems come directly to his desk. 

That is a lie. The USA EPA was sending notices to the State of Michigan about the Flint River water for some time without any reply at all. No one is going to tell me the Governor didn't know about a water emergency brought about by switching the Flint River as a source when the US EPA was writing letters.

I find it very odd that there was little to know acknowledgement by the Governor's office during the time the US EPA was sending letters and now he is stating statutory time limits to legal proceedings. Very odd indeed. How many states in the USA simply ignore the federal government then they get a letter that effects their citizens? That shows negligence of the public trust and reason for impeachment.

His legal defense was premeditated. 

Public awareness to the extent of the poisoning started with this:

January 14, 2016
By Sarah Kaplan
More disturbing news (click here) has come for residents of Flint, Mich., who are already reeling from an escalating health crisis tied to their city’s lead-contaminated water supply.
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services officials announced Wednesday that the city and the surrounding area have seen a spike in cases of Legionnaires’ disease — a bacterial infection that can be deadly for between 5 to 30 percent of those who contract it.
So far, 87 cases have been diagnosed since June, two months after Flint changed its water source to the Flint River, the Detroit Free Press reported. Ten of those cases were fatal....

One of the questions that should be asked and never is; "Why did Michigan legislators change the Emergency Manager law under Snyder?"

April 12, 2016
By Jonathan Oosting

Lansing – The top Republican and Democrat (click here) on Gov. Rick Snyder’s Flint Water Task Force will testify before Michigan legislators Tuesday and discuss their report that placed primary blame for the city’s ongoing water crisis on the shoulders of state government.
Co-chairs Ken Sikkema and Chris Kolb are scheduled to appear before the Joint Select Committee on the Flint Water Public Health Emergency at 8 a.m.
Sikkema, a senior policy fellow at Public Sector Consultants, is a Republican and former state Senate majority leader. Kolb, who now heads the Michigan Environmental Council, is a Democrat who previously served in the state House....

Even "The Washington Times" is addressing the drinking water issue. That, in my opinion is a real step forward. I found the first paragraph as startling, insightful and prophetic as it needed to be. Thank you.

April 11, 2016

ANALYSIS/OPINION: (click here)

In the present political climate liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, don’t often agree on much, but they can agree that one of the government’s first obligations is keep the drinking water safe. That’s why it’s nothing short of shocking that one of the richest and most sophisticated states not only failed to do that, but was aware that irresponsible cost-cutting was the source of the failure. It’s the kind of scandal expected in impoverished and corrupt Third World governments, not a scandal of both an American state and the national government. One good thing to come from the scandal in Michigan is that the issue of proper drinking water is beginning to pop up across the country....

Governor Snyder needs to be handed a legal fee invoice. There is no incentive for him to resign from office.

April 11, 2016
By Allie Gross

If you were upset that Michigan tax dollars (click here) were going towards Gov. Rick Snyder's Flint-related legal fees, at least you can gain some solace in the fact that we're paying for skilled lawyers.  
The MI taxpayer-funded lawyers filed a complaint last Monday stating that a suit filed against the governor should be dismissed because the ten plaintiffs failed to meet a six month deadline following the "cause of action."...

Statutory limitations begins on the day of discovery. The issue with poisoned water in Flint did not come into focus until a pediatrician and professional hydrologist began to study the water. During the time there was concern and US EPA was involved, it can be said Snyder was running the time clock by not responding to the USA EPA and it's demands for mitigation regarding the Flint River Water.

Running the clock while allowing the poisoned water to exist in the water supply of Flint, is criminal and adds to the dynamic of the legal complaints against the current Governor.

Lawsuits can be filed from date of discovery to the end of two years. This dynamic is questionable to it's date of discovery to EVERY citizen of Flint, Michigan.

There was a great deal of confusion among the people of Flint regarding drinking water quality because they were getting conflicting information from the state, etc. The date of discovery for most of the citizens of Flint only occurred within the last few months.

Janet Yellen addresses the improved economy.

She stated people that want full time employment rather than part time employment are doing so with part time employed to current nine percent.

"Decision Making at the Federal Reserve" (click here)

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and former Chairs Ben Bernanke, Alan Greenspan, and Paul Volcker talked about their approach to decision making during their time at the central bank. Mr. Greenspan appeared via satellite from Washington, D.C. The discussion was moderated by Fareed Zakaria and included questions from members of the audience, including Ms. Yellen discussing the current health of the U.S. economy. 

This was the inaugural Paul A. Volcker Distinguished Speaker Program at International House New York. 

The Illinois Board of Elections is not the Supreme Court and with the 4/4 decision the Iowa ruling might stand.

February 2, 2016

By Anna Giaritelli

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (click here) secured two major victories Monday, winning the Republican Iowa caucuses and also receiving a favorable decision from the Illinois Board of Elections, which confirmed his U.S. citizenship met the state's primary ballot requirements.

The Illinois news got lost in the caucus coverage, which lagged into Tuesday morning and absorbed much of the media's attention.

The GOP senator has had his presidential bid challenged in recent months by Iowa GOP runner-up Donald Trump, who claimed Cruz's Canadian birthplace disqualifies him from being president. Two Illinois objectors, Lawrence Joyce and Williams Graham, also agreed that Cruz's citizenship did not meet guidelines in the Article II of the Constitution. But the board of elections disagreed and cleared Cruz's name for the March 15 primary....

Curtains can be bought and/or made to use similar as sheers on windows.

White Noseeum Mosquito Netting Fabric (click here)

$2.95 per yard

Ready To Hang Outdoor Curtains for Porch or Patio (click here)

Are you sick of nasty mosquitoes hunting you and your family? Any area around your house with an overhead frame can be converted into safe outdoor living space with custom Mosquito Netting Curtains.

"Insect Shield for Everyday" (click here)
Yes, clothing and these articles have an EPA certification/rating.

There is no sense in wearing clothing to prevent mosquito bites without head coverings.

Mosquito Season: It’s Longer Than You Think (click here)

Sorry if this seems urgent, but, there really is no time to waste. A hot planet has really changed the places and seasonal times for OPPORTUNISTIC breeding grounds.

WHEN DOES MOSQUITO SEASON START?

Depending on the species, some mosquitoes hibernate during the winter and re-emerge when the weather begins to get warmer, while others hatch from previously laid eggs in the spring. The temperature plays a key factor in determining the actual start of the mosquito season.

Generally, mosquito activity will begin when the temperature reaches the 50° F level. Mosquitoes thrive on hot weather. Thus, as the temperature begins to rise, the mosquito volume increases accordingly. The mosquito season reaches its peak during the hot summer months.

Mosquito treatment lasts for 70 days. That should be enough time to get the average person through any mosquito season.