Today, Eastern Shore Delegate Mike McDermott joined with the Republican Freshman Class of the Maryland House of Delegates in releasing a recent Gonzales Poll. The results show that an astonishing 96% of Marylanders believe they pay too much or the right amount of taxes, while only 4% feel they pay too little in taxes.
56% of Maryland Democrats and 80% of our state’s Republicans clearly stated they paid too much in taxes. Among male and female respondents, the numbers were very similar with 64% of men and 61% of the women polled stating they paid too much. Even in Baltimore City, one of the most liberal areas of the state, over 45% of those polled said they paid too much in taxes.
As the 2012 session rolls on, Maryland’s middle class families are on the governor’s chopping block. New limits on itemized deductions (mortgage/charity) as well as reduced personal exemptions will cost families thousands of dollars and turn many of our struggling households into crisis mode.
The O’Malley administration and the Democratic leadership in the General Assembly will pursue taxes on all internet sales. This even includes a tax on all downloaded applications for your Smart phones.
Even those seeking to shelter their investment portfolio in Gold will face a new Sales Tax on precious metal coins and bullion. Couple all of this with gasoline taxes rising 66%, and a 100% increase in the Flush Tax, it becomes clear that all Maryland families are squarely in the cross hairs of this budget.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The Daily Times Is Just Plain Stupid
When you take such a picture as shown above and place it on the FRONT PAGE of today's newspaper and then QUOTE the Council President, perhaps it would be SMART to actually know WHO is the Council President and who is NOT.
You see Folks, the QUOTE actually came from MATT Holloway and NOT Joe Holloway. This is EXACTLY what I mean when you have new reporters who have NO CLUE who is who. However, remember now, this meeting was over by 2:00, plenty of time for Greg Bassett or Joe Carmean to review and edit the reporter.
If I was Gannett I'd fire the whole bunch of clowns now working for the Daily Times. Joe Holloway has been receiving calls all day long asking why in the hell he would make such a stupid statement.
Why do some of you people even buy that rag any more. By the way. I got a call about this and walked up the Plaza to buy the paper. Yeah, I know, it was killing me! Anyhow, I get all the way up there and I thought, what the hell is going on. I had walked to the GOB earlier today and saw the newspaper in their machine. However, this time, the thing was gone. That's right, the Daily Times came by and took it away. Do you think they knew I was going to catch on to it, buy a paper and rag on them? LOL Someone gave me their paper instead.
New Posts to fall below.
State Of The Union Address
GOD: Thy shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.
OBAMA: Fairness dictates that you should demand more of your neighbor’s earnings.
Which one will you honor?
OBAMA: Fairness dictates that you should demand more of your neighbor’s earnings.
Which one will you honor?
Spirit Airlines Says Posting Full Airfares Is Government's Way Of Hiding Taxes
In recent years, the Dept. of Transportation has been cracking down on airlines, especially discount carriers, for advertising airfares that don't actually represent what consumers will end up paying. With the latest round of rule changes having just kicked in, low-budget airline Spirit is fighting back, telling its customers that this is all about the government trying to hide higher taxes in airfares.
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Schools: A Breeding Ground For Bullies?
Ask any child of any age where they are most likely to get bullied and the answer is almost always the school bus. Think about it: It's the perfect venue for that form of torture. Kids of varying ages are virtually unsupervised except for a bus driver who is trying to focus on driving the kids home safely. The role of the bus driver is to deliver our kids to and from school safely not to mediate conflicts and create harmony.
I've worked with hundreds of adolescents and they list the following as the most likely places where bullying occurs:
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Homeland Security Wants More Authority
The chairman and ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee say their panel needs more authority over the Homeland Security Department. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) call scattered oversight an unfinished piece of business from 9/11.They've asked Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to consider a rule that would consolidate DHS oversight under their committee. They cite a White House statement claiming that DHS reports to 100 congressional panels.
Poor Teens Lack Access To Emergency Contraception
Low-income communities have the highest teen pregnancy rates in the U.S., yet emergency contraception may be hardest for girls in those areas to get their hands on, according to a new study.
While pharmacies in underserved communities are just as likely to stock the morning-after pill as pharmacies in more affluent ones, researchers from Boston Medical Center found that pharmacists in poorer areas were more often misinformed about the law and mistakenly were denying 17-year-old girls access to Plan-B.
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While pharmacies in underserved communities are just as likely to stock the morning-after pill as pharmacies in more affluent ones, researchers from Boston Medical Center found that pharmacists in poorer areas were more often misinformed about the law and mistakenly were denying 17-year-old girls access to Plan-B.
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Two Men Plead Guilts To Gun Smuggling
Two men have pleaded guilty to buying guns that were destined to be smuggled into Mexico, the Associated Press reported. They are the first convictions in the federal government's botched Operation Fast and Furious. The goal of the investigations was to catch weapons-trafficking kingpins, but firearms agents lost track of many weapons they were trying to trace to smuggling ringleaders, and some guns ended up at crime scenes in Mexico and the U.S. Jacob Wayne Chambers and Jacob Anthony Montelongo each pleaded guilty in federal court to a conspiracy charge.
Hate Nickelback? Watch What You Tweet
If you thought you were quite the jokester making fun of Canadian band Nickelback on your Twitter feed (and really, couldn’t you come up with something more original?), the marketing person manning the band’s own Twitter feed has some jokes on the ready too.
As non-fans from throughout the world have piled on the now-popular act of making fun of the band, Nickelback is doing just fine still, thank you. Detroit Lions football fans made the make-fun-of-Nickelback-at-no-cost attitude popular in November when the band was announced as the halftime entertainment for the team’s nationally televised Thanksgiving Day game. Football fans took to social media—and a petition signed by 50,000—to lay into the band as not good enough and not Detroit enough. Nickelback played the halftime show anyway and is now having a few words to say to haters.
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Government Printing Office Lowest Staff In A Century
Buyouts help to push staffing levels at the Government Printing Office to their lowest in a century. GPO says more than 300 people left in the second half of 2011, most of them because of a buyout program for about 15 percent of its workforce. The agency expects to save $42 million through the end of fiscal 2013. GPO is dealing with a $9 million budget cut.
Revealed: Wife Of Pro-Life Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum Had Love Affair With Abortion Doctor 40 Years Her Senior... Who Delivered Her As Baby
The wife of fiercely pro-life presidential hopeful Rick Santorum had a six-year love affair with an abortion doctor, 40 years her senior - who, incredibly, delivered her as a baby - it has emerged.
Karen Santorum, 51, who, like her husband, opposes abortion even in cases of rape and doesn't believe in using birth control, lived with Pittsburgh abortion pioneer Dr Thomas E. Allen for most of her 20s in the 1980s.
When she met Dr Allen, Mrs Santorum, who then went by the name Karen Garver, was a 22-year-old nursing student who shared his liberal views on abortion and enjoyed life as the younger lover of the 63-year-old divorcee and man-about-town, according to friends.
The image of Mrs Santorum living with her progressive playboy boyfriend stands in sharp contrast to the matronly devout Catholic mother of seven that she plays on the campaign trail.
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The Army Might Cancel The Multimillion Dollar Program To Upgrade Its Humvees
Military sources tell AOL Defense. The Army says it wants to redirect the money to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. The Humvee program has already been waning. Army leaders have been cutting the program from as many as 100,000 vehicles to 6,000. Each one has a price tag of about $350,000.
Gingrich: ‘Most Of The Asians,’ Some Latinos, But Not Many African Americans Understand Entrepreneurship
GOP contender Newt Gingrich has built up quite a record of making derogatory, racially-charged remarks on the campaign trail. He frequently derides President Obama as a “food stamp president” and said he would go to the NAACP and tell African Americans they should “demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps.” Last week he said work is a “strange, distant concept” to Fox anchor Juan Williams, who had the audacity to ask Gingrich at a recent debate if he understood why blacks might be offended by his remarks.
More than 40 Catholic leaders recently challenged Gingrich to “stop perpetuating ugly racial stereotypes” with his divisive rhetoric.
For Gingrich, perpetuating ugly racial stereotypes is nothing new. Today, the Huffington Post reports that at the height of Gingrich’s power in Congress, one of his major speeches had to be edited to remove a racist characterization of Asians, Latinos, and black Americans:
House Clears 23rd Extension For FAA
The House clears another temporary extension for the Federal Aviation Administration. It's the 23rd for that agency since 2007. Lawmakers have squabbled over how airline workers can form unions. But this time, House and Senate negotiators say they're close to a final bill to end the extensions. The new deadline is Feb. 17, and a deal is expected by then.
Pardoned Miss. Murderers To Remain Free For Now
(CBS/AP) JACKSON, Miss - Four convicted murderers pardoned by outgoing Mississippi governor Haley Barbour will remain free at least until a hearing on February 3, reports CNN.
Mississippi judge Tomie Green announced Monday that he was delaying a decision on whether to invalidate some of Barbour's controversial pardons. The state attorney general's office says it needs more time to prepare.
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Mississippi judge Tomie Green announced Monday that he was delaying a decision on whether to invalidate some of Barbour's controversial pardons. The state attorney general's office says it needs more time to prepare.
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State Of The Union: What Was In It For Feds?
President Barack Obama hit on some issues important to federal employees during his State of the Union address Tuesday night - including his push for a reorganization of government agencies. But, he also called for the creation of two new "units" to help fight counterfeit goods and financial fraud.
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In State Of The Union, Obama Calls For Minimum 30 Percent Tax On Millionaires
During tonight’s State of the Union, President Obama — noting that one quarter of millionaires are able to pay less in taxes than millions of middle class families — called for a minimum 30 percent income tax rate for millionaires. Obama also took on the favorite Republican talking point that calling for millionaires to pay their fair share in taxes is “class warfare”:
MoreTax reform should follow the Buffett rule: If you make more than $1 million a year, you should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes…Now, you can call this class warfare all you want. But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense.
Bus Group Doesn't Mind If Priceline Kills Off William Shatner As Long As It's Not With One Of Their Vehicles
Priceline is reportedly offing their spokesman William Shatner in an ad, which is just fine with the American Bus Association — but they'd prefer it if his means of death is something other than a fiery bus explosion as seen in a new commercial. They're asking the travel booking site to pull the ad, which they feel is in poor taste.
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Yet Another Reminder That Democracy Is An Illusion
With over 150 million registered users, the file sharing site MegaUpload.com is one of the most popular on the Internet. At least, it was.
The site has now been seized by the US government and its homepage converted to an FBI anti-piracy warning. Its founder, a high tech entrepreneur named Kim Dotcom (yes, he had it legally changed), was arrested in New Zealand after his homes were raided and assets seized.
These actions were all at the behest of the US government. And it's just the latest example of Big Brother overextending its authority across the entire world.
Last week, we discussed the grassroots efforts to stop passage of the SOPA/PIPA legislation that would give the US government jurisdiction over the Internet. Wikipedia blacked out its English language pages to raise awareness of the issue, and people went completely nuts.
Congress subsequently withdrew the bills amid popular outcry, and the public rejoiced that their efforts successfully thwarted further encroachment on their liberty. Or so they thought.
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The site has now been seized by the US government and its homepage converted to an FBI anti-piracy warning. Its founder, a high tech entrepreneur named Kim Dotcom (yes, he had it legally changed), was arrested in New Zealand after his homes were raided and assets seized.
These actions were all at the behest of the US government. And it's just the latest example of Big Brother overextending its authority across the entire world.
Last week, we discussed the grassroots efforts to stop passage of the SOPA/PIPA legislation that would give the US government jurisdiction over the Internet. Wikipedia blacked out its English language pages to raise awareness of the issue, and people went completely nuts.
Congress subsequently withdrew the bills amid popular outcry, and the public rejoiced that their efforts successfully thwarted further encroachment on their liberty. Or so they thought.
More
2011 - 2012 Worldwide Press Freedom Index
The 2011 Arab Spring did not spill over into sub-Saharan Africa to the point of bringing down any governments, but some regimes had to face forceful political and social demands, and journalists covering demonstrations were often the victims of indiscriminate police repression or were targeted by police who did not want them covering the crackdown.
This was the case in Angola (132nd), where many journalists were arrested during protests in September, and in Uganda (139th), which fell 43 places in the index after a year that will not be forgotten by its media. They were the targets of violence and surveillance during the presidential election in February and were targeted again during the brutal crackdown on the “Walk to Work” protests later in the year, when dozens of journalists were arrested.
Stunning: Elitists Are Planning On Taking Down Capitalism
This is very serious. The elitist power grab is going right at the heart of capitalism. Of course, they have always been for central control, with them in control, but now they are calling out capitalism, directly. as an inferior product.
On Friday, I attacked Larry Summers for blaming the current crisis on capitalism. I thought he was a lone wolf attempting to see how far the anti-capitalist agenda could be pushed. I was wrong.
It appears Summers simply fired the first shot in a new aggressive move by elitists to discredit capitalism outright. The elitists are gathering in Davos, Switzerland right now for the 2012 World Economic Forum.
Check out this horrifying report from AFP on the Summit (my emphasis):
Economic and political elites meeting this week at the Swiss resort of Davos will be asked to urgently find ways to reform a capitalist system that has been described as "outdated and crumbling."
"We have a general morality gap, we are over-leveraged, we have neglected to invest in the future, we have undermined social coherence, and we are in danger of completely losing the confidence of future generations," said Klaus Schwab, host and founder of the annual World Economic Forum.
"Solving problems in the context of outdated and crumbling models will only dig us deeper into the hole.
"We are in an era of profound change that urgently requires new ways of thinking instead of more business-as-usual," the 73-year-old said, adding that "capitalism in its current form, has no place in the world around us."
Some 1,600 economic and political leaders, including 40 heads of states and governments, will be asked to come up with new ideas as they converge at eastern Switzerland's chic ski station for the 42nd edition of the five-day World Economic Forum which opens Wednesday.
From a press release on the Davos forum:
The Davos Open Forum celebrates its 10th anniversary with a programme including a top-level debate on the future of capitalism
As I pointed out in my comment on Summers, capitalism has nothing to do with the current crisis. It is the interventionist measures (especially central banking) that have caused the current crisis. These measure have distorted capitalism and yet these elitist schemers, who are largely to blame for the crisis, have the chutzpah to blame the crisis on capitalism and to call for more interventions that will benefit no one but the elitist themselves.
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On Friday, I attacked Larry Summers for blaming the current crisis on capitalism. I thought he was a lone wolf attempting to see how far the anti-capitalist agenda could be pushed. I was wrong.
It appears Summers simply fired the first shot in a new aggressive move by elitists to discredit capitalism outright. The elitists are gathering in Davos, Switzerland right now for the 2012 World Economic Forum.
Check out this horrifying report from AFP on the Summit (my emphasis):
Economic and political elites meeting this week at the Swiss resort of Davos will be asked to urgently find ways to reform a capitalist system that has been described as "outdated and crumbling."
"We have a general morality gap, we are over-leveraged, we have neglected to invest in the future, we have undermined social coherence, and we are in danger of completely losing the confidence of future generations," said Klaus Schwab, host and founder of the annual World Economic Forum.
"Solving problems in the context of outdated and crumbling models will only dig us deeper into the hole.
"We are in an era of profound change that urgently requires new ways of thinking instead of more business-as-usual," the 73-year-old said, adding that "capitalism in its current form, has no place in the world around us."
Some 1,600 economic and political leaders, including 40 heads of states and governments, will be asked to come up with new ideas as they converge at eastern Switzerland's chic ski station for the 42nd edition of the five-day World Economic Forum which opens Wednesday.
From a press release on the Davos forum:
The Davos Open Forum celebrates its 10th anniversary with a programme including a top-level debate on the future of capitalism
As I pointed out in my comment on Summers, capitalism has nothing to do with the current crisis. It is the interventionist measures (especially central banking) that have caused the current crisis. These measure have distorted capitalism and yet these elitist schemers, who are largely to blame for the crisis, have the chutzpah to blame the crisis on capitalism and to call for more interventions that will benefit no one but the elitist themselves.
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Obama Casts Election As Fight To Rescue Economy From Wealth Gap
President Barack Obama cast himself as the vessel of fairness in an age of anger, saying he would be the bulwark against a growing wealth gap and Republican policies that he said would widen the disparity.
Burdened by a slow recovery, Obama framed his re-election bid in last night’s State of the Union address by portraying his economic policies as a foundation for growth and opportunity.
“We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by,” Obama said. “Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.”
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Burdened by a slow recovery, Obama framed his re-election bid in last night’s State of the Union address by portraying his economic policies as a foundation for growth and opportunity.
“We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by,” Obama said. “Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.”
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MITT ROMNEY'S MEXICAN POLYGAMIST PAST
Rick Santorum fared incredibly well in the Iowa caucus Tuesday night.It ended in an almost virtual tie with Romney pulling ahead by a handful of votes. In Santorum’s “victory speech” he discussed his family’s working class roots. We rarely hear anything much about Mitt Romney’s family even though his father ran American Motors and was Governor of Michigan. What about Romney’s roots?
I decided to research Mitt Romney’s father. George Romney was a powerful industrial and political figure of his day.
Romney’s family came from England, converted to Mormonism, came to America and quickly turned to plural marriage which led them to an unexpected exile and exodus to Mexico and then just as abruptly, they fled back to the USA to avoid a revolution.
It’s an unexpected backstory to the “next in line” probable GOP nominee.
In this post I’ll use information I found from the book by Tom Mahoney published in 1960 called ‘The Story Of George Romney.”
Mitt comes from a long line of Romney’s that resided in England for generations and when an early Mormon missionary from America named Orson Hyde came to England to spread their word, Gaskell Romney and his wife Elizabeth converted in 1839. Soon after they boarded a boat to America. (pg 50)
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I decided to research Mitt Romney’s father. George Romney was a powerful industrial and political figure of his day.
Romney’s family came from England, converted to Mormonism, came to America and quickly turned to plural marriage which led them to an unexpected exile and exodus to Mexico and then just as abruptly, they fled back to the USA to avoid a revolution.
It’s an unexpected backstory to the “next in line” probable GOP nominee.
In this post I’ll use information I found from the book by Tom Mahoney published in 1960 called ‘The Story Of George Romney.”
Mitt comes from a long line of Romney’s that resided in England for generations and when an early Mormon missionary from America named Orson Hyde came to England to spread their word, Gaskell Romney and his wife Elizabeth converted in 1839. Soon after they boarded a boat to America. (pg 50)
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San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi Faces New Domestic Violence Claim
(CBS/AP) SAN FRANCISCO - An ex-girlfriend of San Francisco's new sheriff, Ross Mirkarimi, who will stand trial next month on misdemeanor domestic violence charges stemming from a New Year's Eve dispute with his wife, has told police Mirkarimi was also abusive toward her when they were dating.
Mirkarimi's ex-girlfriend, Christina Flores, told police Sunday that the recently elected sheriff shoved her against a wall and bruised her arm when the couple was dating several years ago, CBS San Francisco reports. Flores and Mirkarimi dated before the sheriff met his wife, Venezuelan former telenovela star Eliana Lopez, in 2008.
The Fed Should Hire A Mechanic
As the Fed debates what form of QE to launch on the world and whatever new communication strategies they are going to employ, maybe they should sit back and figure out why their policies seem to be doing so little.
The Fed is clearly trying to stimulate the economy. As much as I disagree with many of their policies, I do believe their intentions were to boost the economy and not just help banks make easy money. In spite of their intentions, they have failed and I think it is because they are clinging to two flawed assumptions.
The Wealth Effect
The Fed seems to have an unwavering belief in the wealth effect. They believe that if they can just increase stock prices, people will feel better and spend more. This may have been the case at one time, but there are several reasons why it isn’t working. The most obvious flaw (which has been reported on www.zerohedge.com [8]) is that the wealth is now far too concentrated to benefit the economy as a whole. Relatively few people own most of the shares. The benefit of an increasing stock market just goes to too few people. We are just off record highs of food stamp recipients, but the number is shocking. Somewhere around 45 million people are getting food stamps. It doesn’t take a PhD in economics to figure out that people using food stamps to survive are unlikely to get too excited about stocks being up 15% or even 30%.
So the poor don’t care about the wealth effect.
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The Fed is clearly trying to stimulate the economy. As much as I disagree with many of their policies, I do believe their intentions were to boost the economy and not just help banks make easy money. In spite of their intentions, they have failed and I think it is because they are clinging to two flawed assumptions.
The Wealth Effect
The Fed seems to have an unwavering belief in the wealth effect. They believe that if they can just increase stock prices, people will feel better and spend more. This may have been the case at one time, but there are several reasons why it isn’t working. The most obvious flaw (which has been reported on www.zerohedge.com [8]) is that the wealth is now far too concentrated to benefit the economy as a whole. Relatively few people own most of the shares. The benefit of an increasing stock market just goes to too few people. We are just off record highs of food stamp recipients, but the number is shocking. Somewhere around 45 million people are getting food stamps. It doesn’t take a PhD in economics to figure out that people using food stamps to survive are unlikely to get too excited about stocks being up 15% or even 30%.
So the poor don’t care about the wealth effect.
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Online Vendors, Meet The 1099-K
Online sellers, we warned you about this in 2010. The Internal Revenue Service created the new 1099-K form as a way to keep closer tabs on those who sell items online, and the 2011 tax year is the first in which the form will apply.
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Soros Threatens Blood On The Streets?
George Soros on the Coming U.S. Class War ... Has the great short seller gone soft? Well, yes.
Sitting in his 33rd-floor corner office high above Seventh Avenue in New York, preparing for his trip to Davos, he is more concerned with surviving than staying rich. "At times like these, survival is the most important thing," he says, peering through his owlish glasses and brushing wisps of gray hair off his forehead. He doesn't just mean it's time to protect your assets. He means it's time to stave off disaster. As he sees it, the world faces one of the most dangerous periods of modern history—a period of "evil." Europe is confronting a descent into chaos and conflict. In America he predicts riots on the streets that will lead to a brutal clampdown that will dramatically curtail civil liberties. The global economic system could even collapse altogether. – Daily Beast
Dominant Social Theme: Soros is very worried about the state of the world, and we should be, too. Maybe Davos will save us! Or the Bilderbergs?
Free-Market Analysis: The Daily Beast is out with an article that ticks many of the boxes of dominant social themes of the elite. As we have often explained, the power elite works via fear-based promotions that frighten the middle classes into giving up power and wealth to globalist institutions.
George Soros has the fear-based stuff down to a science. The article (see excerpt above) is one fear-based meme after another. "Survival is the most important thing" ... "a period of evil" ... "a descent into chaos and conflict."
More
Sitting in his 33rd-floor corner office high above Seventh Avenue in New York, preparing for his trip to Davos, he is more concerned with surviving than staying rich. "At times like these, survival is the most important thing," he says, peering through his owlish glasses and brushing wisps of gray hair off his forehead. He doesn't just mean it's time to protect your assets. He means it's time to stave off disaster. As he sees it, the world faces one of the most dangerous periods of modern history—a period of "evil." Europe is confronting a descent into chaos and conflict. In America he predicts riots on the streets that will lead to a brutal clampdown that will dramatically curtail civil liberties. The global economic system could even collapse altogether. – Daily Beast
Dominant Social Theme: Soros is very worried about the state of the world, and we should be, too. Maybe Davos will save us! Or the Bilderbergs?
Free-Market Analysis: The Daily Beast is out with an article that ticks many of the boxes of dominant social themes of the elite. As we have often explained, the power elite works via fear-based promotions that frighten the middle classes into giving up power and wealth to globalist institutions.
George Soros has the fear-based stuff down to a science. The article (see excerpt above) is one fear-based meme after another. "Survival is the most important thing" ... "a period of evil" ... "a descent into chaos and conflict."
More
Congress Urged To Return ‘Dirty Money’ From The MPAA
The media reform group Free Press has called on Members of Congress to return all campaign donations they have received from the Motion Picture Association of America, the film industry’s largest lobby.
“The MPAA is so brazen in its efforts to buy legislation with campaign cash that its leader, himself a former senator, sees nothing wrong with threatening legislators on national TV,” Free Press Action Fund President and CEO Craig Aaron said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We think it’s time that Congress showed that its votes are no longer for sale,” Aaron added. “The first thing Congress must do is give back the MPAA’s tainted campaign cash or give it to charity. Congress must make it clear to the world that it won’t be bullied into supporting censorship.”
How To Avoid Voting For A Globalist Puppet
Only a few days ago I attended a community meeting here in the Flathead Valley of Montana which revolved around the first of a series of gubernatorial debates covered by webcast across the state. The number of Republican candidates vying in the primaries of this election is a bit absurd, and after witnessing the half-hearted or outright fake performances by most of them, I can see quite clearly that the state of Montana is being targeted by Neo-Con interests posing as Constitutionalists in an attempt to neutralize the extraordinary advance of the Liberty Movement here. What struck me most sharply was the fact that almost every candidate vying for the governor’s slot had taken on elements of the Liberty Movement philosophy. The elections of 2012 and the immense success of the Ron Paul campaign have so far proven without a doubt that the anti-globalist, anti-totalitarian, anti-collectivist stance is now part of a growing majority in America. Just as we have forced Neo-Con candidates in the Presidential primaries to at least pretend that they care about freedom (quite a change from the Bush years), so too are Republican impostors forced to mimic us in the battle for state offices.
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City May Issue Fines If Your Dog Barks For Longer Than 10 Minutes
Barking dogs can be an annoyance. Ask anyone who has ever lived next to a chatty canine. But at what point does that annoyance cross the line and become a nuisance worthy of being issued a fine. For the folks in Fort Worth, TX, that threshold is ten minutes.
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O’Malley’s Same-Sex Marriage Bill Provides More Religious Protections
Gov. Martin O'Malley touted increased religious protections as he promoted a new same-sex marriage bill Tuesday that supporters hope can overcome the objections raised last year. Flanked by lawmakers, religious leaders and union members, the governor repeatedly invoked the values of equal rights and religious freedom, which, he said, the legislation protects.
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School Lunches To Have More Veggies
(WASHINGTON) — Schoolchildren's favorite lunch — the ubiquitous frozen pizza — is about to get healthier.
First lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack are expected to announce Wednesday that most school meals, including pizza, will have less sodium, more whole grains and more fruits and vegetables as sides. The popular pizzas will still be on school lunch lines but made with healthier ingredients.
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Drinking Water For 200,000 Marylanders Threatened By Nuclear Power Plants
BALTIMORE – The drinking water for 200,000 people in Maryland could be at risk of radioactive contamination from a leak or accident at a local nuclear power plant, says a new study released today by Maryland PIRG Foundation (Maryland PIRG) and Environment Maryland Research and Policy Center.
“The danger of nuclear power is too close to home. Here in Maryland, the drinking water for 200,000 people is too close to an active nuclear power plant,” said Jenny Levin, State Advocate with Maryland PIRG. “An accident like the one in Fukushima, Japan or a leak could spew cancer-causing radioactive waste into our drinking water.”
The nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, Japan last year drew a spotlight on the many risks associated with nuclear power. After the disaster, airborne radiation left areas around the plant uninhabitable, and even contaminated drinking water sources near Tokyo, 130 miles from the plant.
According to the new report, Too Close to Home: Nuclear Power and the Threat to Drinking Water, the drinking water for 208, 442 people in Maryland is within 50 miles of an active nuclear power plant – the distance the Nuclear Regulatory Commission uses to measure risk to food and water supplies.
“This report reminds us that nuclear power plants in the United States pose a risk to the safety of the water supply for tens of millions of Americans. There is no safe dose of radioactivity,” said Dr. Gwen Dubois with Physicians for Social Responsibility. “The greater then number of people exposed, the higher the incidence of cancer will result.”
Radiation from a disaster like the one in Fukushima can contaminate drinking water and food supplies, as well as harm our health. But disaster or no disaster, a common leak at a nuclear power plant can also threaten the drinking water for millions of people. As our nuclear facilities get older, leaks are more common. In fact, 75 percent of U.S. nuclear plants have leaked tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen that can cause cancer and genetic defects.
“Mothers across Japan were understandably outraged over contaminated drinking water after Fukushima—how could they safely feed their children? We must act to ensure no Maryland mother ever has to feel such anguish, and that means closing dangerous nuclear reactors as quickly as possible” said Michael Mariotte, executive director of Nuclear Information and Resource Service, which is leading a legal challenge against the proposed Calvert Cliffs-3 nuclear reactor on the Chesapeake Bay.
Local bodies of water also play a critical role in cooling nuclear reactors and are at risk of contamination. In the case of the Fukushima meltdown, large quantities of seawater were pumped into the plant to cool it, and contaminated seawater then leaked and was dumped back into the ocean, carrying radioactivity from the plant with it. The Chesapeake Bay provides cooling water for the Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant in Maryland and could be at risk.
“With nuclear power, there’s too much at risk and the dangers are too close to home. Marylanders shouldn’t have to worry about getting cancer from drinking a glass of water,” said Levin.
The report recommends that the United States moves to a future without nuclear power by retiring existing plants, abandoning plans for new plants, and expanding energy efficiency and the production clean, renewable energy such as wind and solar power.
In order to reduce the risks nuclear power poses to water supplies immediately, the report recommends completing a thorough safety review of U.S. nuclear power plants, requiring plant operators to implement recommended changes immediately and requiring nuclear plant operators to implement regular groundwater tests in order to catch tritium leaks, among other actions.
“There are far cleaner, cheaper, and less-risky ways to get our energy,” concluded Ewa Krason. “Maryland and the United States should move away from nuclear power immediately and invest in safer alternatives such as efficiency and wind and solar power.”
“The danger of nuclear power is too close to home. Here in Maryland, the drinking water for 200,000 people is too close to an active nuclear power plant,” said Jenny Levin, State Advocate with Maryland PIRG. “An accident like the one in Fukushima, Japan or a leak could spew cancer-causing radioactive waste into our drinking water.”
The nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, Japan last year drew a spotlight on the many risks associated with nuclear power. After the disaster, airborne radiation left areas around the plant uninhabitable, and even contaminated drinking water sources near Tokyo, 130 miles from the plant.
According to the new report, Too Close to Home: Nuclear Power and the Threat to Drinking Water, the drinking water for 208, 442 people in Maryland is within 50 miles of an active nuclear power plant – the distance the Nuclear Regulatory Commission uses to measure risk to food and water supplies.
“This report reminds us that nuclear power plants in the United States pose a risk to the safety of the water supply for tens of millions of Americans. There is no safe dose of radioactivity,” said Dr. Gwen Dubois with Physicians for Social Responsibility. “The greater then number of people exposed, the higher the incidence of cancer will result.”
Radiation from a disaster like the one in Fukushima can contaminate drinking water and food supplies, as well as harm our health. But disaster or no disaster, a common leak at a nuclear power plant can also threaten the drinking water for millions of people. As our nuclear facilities get older, leaks are more common. In fact, 75 percent of U.S. nuclear plants have leaked tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen that can cause cancer and genetic defects.
“Mothers across Japan were understandably outraged over contaminated drinking water after Fukushima—how could they safely feed their children? We must act to ensure no Maryland mother ever has to feel such anguish, and that means closing dangerous nuclear reactors as quickly as possible” said Michael Mariotte, executive director of Nuclear Information and Resource Service, which is leading a legal challenge against the proposed Calvert Cliffs-3 nuclear reactor on the Chesapeake Bay.
Local bodies of water also play a critical role in cooling nuclear reactors and are at risk of contamination. In the case of the Fukushima meltdown, large quantities of seawater were pumped into the plant to cool it, and contaminated seawater then leaked and was dumped back into the ocean, carrying radioactivity from the plant with it. The Chesapeake Bay provides cooling water for the Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant in Maryland and could be at risk.
“With nuclear power, there’s too much at risk and the dangers are too close to home. Marylanders shouldn’t have to worry about getting cancer from drinking a glass of water,” said Levin.
The report recommends that the United States moves to a future without nuclear power by retiring existing plants, abandoning plans for new plants, and expanding energy efficiency and the production clean, renewable energy such as wind and solar power.
In order to reduce the risks nuclear power poses to water supplies immediately, the report recommends completing a thorough safety review of U.S. nuclear power plants, requiring plant operators to implement recommended changes immediately and requiring nuclear plant operators to implement regular groundwater tests in order to catch tritium leaks, among other actions.
“There are far cleaner, cheaper, and less-risky ways to get our energy,” concluded Ewa Krason. “Maryland and the United States should move away from nuclear power immediately and invest in safer alternatives such as efficiency and wind and solar power.”
Unemployment Dropped In Most States In December, But Will It Last?
For everyone who so over these economic doldrums, the latest Labor Department jobs data for December 2011 may prove to be a bit of a belated holiday gift. Let's just hope that gift doesn't end up being returned in a couple months.
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PFAW Calls On Ocean City To Reject Bigotry
People for the American Way today called on the Mayor and City Council of Ocean City, Maryland to cancel the invitation to retired Lt. Gen. William “Jerry” Boykin to headline this week’s Ocean City Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast.
Michael Keegan, President of People For the American Way, issued the following statement :
“Lt. Gen. Boykin has made his name by being one of the most bigoted and offensive figures on the national stage. While a top official at the Pentagon, Boykin gave inflammatory speeches framing the war on terror as a holy war against Islam, which earned him public rebukes from many, including President Bush. Since his retirement, Boykin has devoted himself to spreading intolerance of Islam and promoting outlandish and harmful conspiracy theories about President Obama and others.
“By inviting Boykin to speak at a prominent community event, Ocean City officials have effectively endorsed Boykin’s hate-filled rhetoric. I hope that the invitation to Boykin was an oversight by city officials. Now that they have Boykin’s full record, they should reject bigotry and withdraw Boykin’s invitation to speak.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations called on Friday for Ocean City officials to disinvite Boykin – link
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Michael Keegan, President of People For the American Way, issued the following statement :
“Lt. Gen. Boykin has made his name by being one of the most bigoted and offensive figures on the national stage. While a top official at the Pentagon, Boykin gave inflammatory speeches framing the war on terror as a holy war against Islam, which earned him public rebukes from many, including President Bush. Since his retirement, Boykin has devoted himself to spreading intolerance of Islam and promoting outlandish and harmful conspiracy theories about President Obama and others.
“By inviting Boykin to speak at a prominent community event, Ocean City officials have effectively endorsed Boykin’s hate-filled rhetoric. I hope that the invitation to Boykin was an oversight by city officials. Now that they have Boykin’s full record, they should reject bigotry and withdraw Boykin’s invitation to speak.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations called on Friday for Ocean City officials to disinvite Boykin – link
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Transplant Of Dropped Heart Is Success — But Smiling Patient Doesn't Know What Happened
MEXICO CITY — A heart that was dropped on the ground while being transported to a hospital has been successfully transplanted into a 28-year-old hair stylist.
However Dr. Jaime Saldivar said Erika Hernandez doesn't yet know that her new heart made national news when a medic stumbled and the plastic-wrapped heart tumbled out of a cooler onto the street two weeks ago.
Saldivar said it would be up to the family to tell her.
Penn State's Glowing Tribute To Paterno
The lights at massive Beaver Stadium will remain on at night until the school holds a memorial service for the Hall of Fame coach later this week.The bright lights and massive video boards of Beaver Stadium illuminated the Happy Valley sky Sunday night. But the house that former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno built was empty.
Paterno, major college football's all-time wins leader, passed away earlier in the day following a battle with lung cancer. He was 85.
The lights at 106,572-seat Beaver Stadium will remain on at night -- and photos of Paterno will be shown on the facility's video boards -- until the university holds a special memorial service for the former coach later this week (expected to be Thursday at the nearby Bryce Jordan Center), according to a source in the athletic department.
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Paterno, major college football's all-time wins leader, passed away earlier in the day following a battle with lung cancer. He was 85.
The lights at 106,572-seat Beaver Stadium will remain on at night -- and photos of Paterno will be shown on the facility's video boards -- until the university holds a special memorial service for the former coach later this week (expected to be Thursday at the nearby Bryce Jordan Center), according to a source in the athletic department.
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An Army Officer, Years On, Still A Lightning Rod
It’s been nearly eight years since then-Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin was reprimanded after giving speeches that cast the war on terror as a crusade against Islam, even while serving as a senior official at the Defense Department.
Boykin has moved on from his long career in special operations and intelligence, but the controversial speeches continue, prompting new complaints from Islamic groups.
Boykin is scheduled to appear Thursday at the city of Ocean City’s annual prayer breakfast meeting. A story in the Ocean City Dispatch noted Boykin’s involvement in seminal special operations events from the failed attempt to rescue American hostages in Iran to the 1993 operation in Somalia that came to be known as Black Hawk Down.
The story also quotes the organizer of the mayoral event, Bruce Spangler, as saying that Boykin is not only a “soldier’s soldier,” but also “an expert on Islamic history.”
That’s not exactly how some Muslims see Boykin, to say the least.
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Boykin has moved on from his long career in special operations and intelligence, but the controversial speeches continue, prompting new complaints from Islamic groups.
Boykin is scheduled to appear Thursday at the city of Ocean City’s annual prayer breakfast meeting. A story in the Ocean City Dispatch noted Boykin’s involvement in seminal special operations events from the failed attempt to rescue American hostages in Iran to the 1993 operation in Somalia that came to be known as Black Hawk Down.
The story also quotes the organizer of the mayoral event, Bruce Spangler, as saying that Boykin is not only a “soldier’s soldier,” but also “an expert on Islamic history.”
That’s not exactly how some Muslims see Boykin, to say the least.
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Former PG County Cop & Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Civil Employee Arrested For Theft
A former PG County Police Officer and civil employee of the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Jim Nealon has been arrested and charged with the following in Worcester County.
Case Information
Court System: DISTRICT COURT FOR WORCESTER COUNTY - CRIMINAL SYSTEM
Case Number: 3I00086404Tracking No:111001775183
Case Type: CRIMINAL
District Code: 02Location Code:04
Document Type: SUMMONSIssued Date:01/17/2012
Case Status: ACTIVE
Defendant Information
Defendant Name: NEALON, JAMES JOSEPH
Race: WHITE, CAUCASIAN, ASIATIC INDIAN, ARAB
Sex: MHeight:602Weight:200DOB:05/22/1965
Address: 1705 SOUTH KAYWOOD DR
City: SALISBURYState:MDZip Code:21804 - 0000
Charge and Disposition Information
(Each Charge is listed separately. The disposition is listed below the Charge)
Charge No: 001Description:THEFT:$10,000 TO UND $100,000
Statute: CR.7.104Description:THEFT:$10,000 TO UND $100,000
Amended Date: CJIS Code:1 0623MO/PLL:Probable Cause:X
Incident Date From: 08/08/2011 To: 08/11/2011 Victim Age:
Related Person Information
(Each Person related to the case other than the Defendant is shown)
Name:MEYERS, M
Connection:COMPLAINANT/POLICE OFFICER
Agency Code: MSPAgency Sub-Code:9096Officer ID:2748
Event History Information
Event Date Comment
SUMI 01/17/2012 SUM ISSUED 120117 AGENCY:MSP 9096
SUMS 01/24/2012 SUM SERVED 120118; MSP; FILED IN CASE
Case Information
Court System: DISTRICT COURT FOR WORCESTER COUNTY - CRIMINAL SYSTEM
Case Number: 3I00086404Tracking No:111001775183
Case Type: CRIMINAL
District Code: 02Location Code:04
Document Type: SUMMONSIssued Date:01/17/2012
Case Status: ACTIVE
Defendant Information
Defendant Name: NEALON, JAMES JOSEPH
Race: WHITE, CAUCASIAN, ASIATIC INDIAN, ARAB
Sex: MHeight:602Weight:200DOB:05/22/1965
Address: 1705 SOUTH KAYWOOD DR
City: SALISBURYState:MDZip Code:21804 - 0000
Charge and Disposition Information
(Each Charge is listed separately. The disposition is listed below the Charge)
Charge No: 001Description:THEFT:$10,000 TO UND $100,000
Statute: CR.7.104Description:THEFT:$10,000 TO UND $100,000
Amended Date: CJIS Code:1 0623MO/PLL:Probable Cause:X
Incident Date From: 08/08/2011 To: 08/11/2011 Victim Age:
Related Person Information
(Each Person related to the case other than the Defendant is shown)
Name:MEYERS, M
Connection:COMPLAINANT/POLICE OFFICER
Agency Code: MSPAgency Sub-Code:9096Officer ID:2748
Event History Information
Event Date Comment
SUMI 01/17/2012 SUM ISSUED 120117 AGENCY:MSP 9096
SUMS 01/24/2012 SUM SERVED 120118; MSP; FILED IN CASE
Postal Employee Caught With 10 Years Of Stolen Bulk Mail Wants To Keep Job
For 10 years, a Postal Service employee in Texas has been stockpiling massive amounts of bulk mail in her office and home. And even though she's now under investigation by postal inspectors, the USPS worker says she wants to keep her job.
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State Turns To Leasing Slot Machines For More Flexibility And Maximum Return
Flexibility and cost savings are behind the state’s move to start leasing video slots for Maryland’s five casinos, Lottery Director Stephen Martino told the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday. The state lottery is responsible for procuring and providing the video lottery terminals, the technical name for the machines, for all five planned casinos.
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Citi Says Those Free Rewards Miles You Received Are Taxable
If you received a bunch of miles from Citi for signing up for one of the bank's credit cards or rewards-earning accounts, be on the lookout for a 1099-Misc tax form coming in the mail, as Citi has decided that these miles have a taxable value.
Citi has put a value of around $.025 on each mile, meaning that if you signed up for some program that rewarded you with 25,000 bonus miles, the bank says you owe taxes on $625 of miscellaneous income and it's telling the IRS about it.
"I've been practicing for 25 years and I've never had an instance where miles have been treated as taxable," one CPA tells the L.A. Times' David Lazarus about Citi's decision to send out the 1099 forms.
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Citi has put a value of around $.025 on each mile, meaning that if you signed up for some program that rewarded you with 25,000 bonus miles, the bank says you owe taxes on $625 of miscellaneous income and it's telling the IRS about it.
"I've been practicing for 25 years and I've never had an instance where miles have been treated as taxable," one CPA tells the L.A. Times' David Lazarus about Citi's decision to send out the 1099 forms.
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Men’s Slow Pitch League, Tournament Coming To The Complex This Spring
Registration Opens in February for Men’s Slow Pitch Softball Program and Pre-Season Tournament
(Salisbury, MD) The Men’s Slow Pitch Softball league is getting ready for another exciting season of action at the Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex in Salisbury, MD. Registration will begin in February for the 2012 season. The deadline to submit team fees and player contracts is Friday, March 16 at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center Box Office (500 Glen Ave. Salisbury, MD). Games are scheduled to begin in April with the season concluding in July.
The league will consist of four divisions based on level of play. Teams will play 21 regular season games which will take place on weeknights during the spring and summer at the Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex. Some games may also be played at the Mason Dixon Complex in Delmar.
In addition to the men’s league, the County is also running a pre-season men’s softball tournament at the Athletic Complex March 17-18. The Wicomico County Classic tournament is a three game guarantee. The tournament registration fee is only $50 per team (plus umpire fees) for teams that are registered in the 2012 men’s slow pitch league. Teams not registered in the league may also participate for a $130 team registration (plus umpire fees). The deadline to register for the tournament is Monday, March 12.
For more information contact program director Louie Richardson at 410-548-4900 ext. 105 or email lrichardson@wicomicocounty.org.
(Salisbury, MD) The Men’s Slow Pitch Softball league is getting ready for another exciting season of action at the Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex in Salisbury, MD. Registration will begin in February for the 2012 season. The deadline to submit team fees and player contracts is Friday, March 16 at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center Box Office (500 Glen Ave. Salisbury, MD). Games are scheduled to begin in April with the season concluding in July.
The league will consist of four divisions based on level of play. Teams will play 21 regular season games which will take place on weeknights during the spring and summer at the Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex. Some games may also be played at the Mason Dixon Complex in Delmar.
In addition to the men’s league, the County is also running a pre-season men’s softball tournament at the Athletic Complex March 17-18. The Wicomico County Classic tournament is a three game guarantee. The tournament registration fee is only $50 per team (plus umpire fees) for teams that are registered in the 2012 men’s slow pitch league. Teams not registered in the league may also participate for a $130 team registration (plus umpire fees). The deadline to register for the tournament is Monday, March 12.
For more information contact program director Louie Richardson at 410-548-4900 ext. 105 or email lrichardson@wicomicocounty.org.
Ready Or Not, Here It Comes: Facebook's Timeline Will Become Mandatory On Profiles Soon
You've seen it lurking on your friends' Facebook profiles, and felt the oppressive weight of the stress to eventually pick the perfect, horizontal cover image, and now the time is almost nigh — the Timeline feature will soon be the default interface on Facebook, and mandatory for all users.
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Stop Internet Censorship
Although Congress was back in session for scarcely more than a day last week, private citizens across the country managed to cause an uproar felt across Capitol Hill. The uproar took the form of hundreds of thousands of phone calls to both Senators and Representatives, urging them to oppose two draconian new bills that threaten the free and unbridled flow of information on the internet.
On Wednesday last week, dozens of prominent websites like Wikipedia, Reddit and Craigslist were blacked out in protest of two bills known in DC jargon as SOPA and PIPA. SOPA is the House bill; PIPA is its Senate companion. These bills ostensibly will combat internet piracy, and of course we also are told they will help us wage the never ending "war on terror."
What these bills actually do is force website owners to police the internet; create entry barriers to the only relatively free and open medium of communication; and threaten to break the technological structure of the internet itself. They also violate our 1st Amendment right to freedom of speech and our 4th Amendment freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures.
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On Wednesday last week, dozens of prominent websites like Wikipedia, Reddit and Craigslist were blacked out in protest of two bills known in DC jargon as SOPA and PIPA. SOPA is the House bill; PIPA is its Senate companion. These bills ostensibly will combat internet piracy, and of course we also are told they will help us wage the never ending "war on terror."
What these bills actually do is force website owners to police the internet; create entry barriers to the only relatively free and open medium of communication; and threaten to break the technological structure of the internet itself. They also violate our 1st Amendment right to freedom of speech and our 4th Amendment freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures.
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Cardin Vows To 'Fight' For The Poultry Industry
DELMAR, Del. U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., participated by conference call Monday in the Delmarva Poultry Summit in Delmar, Del., and called for a "level playing field for the poultry industry" helping them manage their energy and feed costs.
Closed to the media, the summit brought together leaders from Delaware's and Maryland's poultry industry, state governments and congressional delegations to discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by the poultry industry.
The summit's purpose was to provide a unique opportunity to openly discuss key topics facing the poultry industry, including: domestic and export sales, labor needs, operating costs, and environmental issues.
Kiss GE X-Ray Goodbye
If only our media would report on news like this! Unbelievable! General Electric is planning to move its 115-year-old X-ray division from Waukesha, Wis. to Beijing. In addition to moving the headquarters, the company will invest $2 billion in China and train more than 65 engineers and create six research centers. This is the same GE that made $5.1 billion in the United States last year, but paid no taxes - the same company that employs more people overseas than it does in the United States.
So let me get this straight. President Obama appointed GE Chairman Jeff Immelt to head his commission on job creation (job czar). Immelt is supposed to help create jobs. I guess the President forgot to tell him in which country he was supposed to be creating those jobs.
If this doesn't show you the total lack of leadership of this President, I don't know what does. Please pass this information to others and think about it before you buy a GE product.
This has been verified on Truth or Fiction:
So let me get this straight. President Obama appointed GE Chairman Jeff Immelt to head his commission on job creation (job czar). Immelt is supposed to help create jobs. I guess the President forgot to tell him in which country he was supposed to be creating those jobs.
If this doesn't show you the total lack of leadership of this President, I don't know what does. Please pass this information to others and think about it before you buy a GE product.
This has been verified on Truth or Fiction:
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/g/GE-X-RAY-China.htm%C2%A0%C2%A0; General Electric is Moving X-Ray Division to China-Truth!
Labor Department: Maryland Added 25,000 Jobs In 2011
Maryland employers added nearly 25,000 jobs last year, according to new estimates — the best performance since 2006, but one that still leaves the state with more than 80,000 jobs to make up, given the recession's losses.
At this rate of employment growth, it will take Maryland until 2015 to dig out of the job-loss hole. Getting back to a truly normal employment situation would take even longer because population growth calls for the constant creation of new jobs.
Economist Richard Clinch thinks Marylanders shouldn't count on faster job growth this year because efforts to rein in the federal budget are rippling through the state's sizable base of government contractors. Unmanned aircraft maker AAI said Tuesday that it was immediately laying off 184 of its 1,650 workers in the Hunt Valleyarea to prepare for leaner times.
Man Spends 2 Years In Solitary After DWI Arrest
A New Mexico man who said he was forced to pull his own tooth while in solitary confinement because he was denied access to a dentist has been awarded $22 million due to inhumane treatment by New Mexico's Dona Ana County Jail.
Stephen Slevin was arrested in August of 2005 for driving while intoxicated, then thrown in jail for two years, reported NBC station KOB.com Tuesday night. He was in solitary at Dona Ana County Jail for his entire sentence and basically forgotten about and never given a trial, he told KOB.com.
"'[Prison officials were] walking by me every day, watching me deteriorate," he said. "Day after day after day, they did nothing, nothing at all, to get me any help."
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Stephen Slevin was arrested in August of 2005 for driving while intoxicated, then thrown in jail for two years, reported NBC station KOB.com Tuesday night. He was in solitary at Dona Ana County Jail for his entire sentence and basically forgotten about and never given a trial, he told KOB.com.
"'[Prison officials were] walking by me every day, watching me deteriorate," he said. "Day after day after day, they did nothing, nothing at all, to get me any help."
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Governor O’Malley Asks Legislators, About To Hear His Same Sex Marriage Bill, To Contribute $500 Or More To “Marylanders For Equality”
The following message was sent out from the Governor’s Blackberry today to delegates in the Maryland Legislature who will be hearing his Same Sex Marriage Bill. It will interesting to see if any of the Main Stream Media even mention the fact that the Governor sent out this questionable solicitation for funds to support a group which will specifically benefit from the legislation being proposed by the Governor. What are you thoughts about this practice does it raise any concerns with you? (Please note I removed some identifying information about whom this was sent to.)
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Federal Reserve Says Interest Rate Hikes Unlikely Until At Least Late 2014
Central bank announces date even later than investors expected in an effort to support a sluggish recovery.
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A Tale Of Three Speeches About Separation Of Church And State
Separation of church and state, a defining issue in our history, is also a defining issue for Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. The emergence of Romney as the GOP frontrunner and the rallying of top religious right leaders to Santorum at a meeting in Texas over the Martin Luther King Day weekend casts the two politicians' views in sharp relief.
Both candidates have staged high-profile speeches to define themselves in relation to John F. Kennedy's famous 1960 campaign speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association - a speech that has served as the model for how politicians balance religion and public life for a generation. But when they stepped up to the podium to define themselves in the bright light of history, each pandered to the religious right.
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Both candidates have staged high-profile speeches to define themselves in relation to John F. Kennedy's famous 1960 campaign speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association - a speech that has served as the model for how politicians balance religion and public life for a generation. But when they stepped up to the podium to define themselves in the bright light of history, each pandered to the religious right.
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Airpax In Cambridge Closing
Sensata announced this morning that the Airpax plant in Cambridge will be closing. It's been reported they are looking at a 12 month or so time frame.
Why Spend Billions On An Unnecessary Nuclear Weapons Facility?
By all accounts, the cold war came to an end more than 20 years ago. Gorbachev rose to power, intermediate-range missiles were eliminated, the Berlin Wall toppled and the Iron Curtain lifted. Unfortunately, it looks like no one told the Department of Energy (DOE). The DOE is planning on spending billions of taxpayer dollars on a facility in New Mexico that would enable the US to increase production of nuclear weapons components.
The Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement-Nuclear Facility (CMRR-NF) is a multibillion-dollar money pit that lacks a clear mission, is fraught with design complications and faces ever-increasing costs. President Obama recently pointed to the nuclear arsenal as a target for budget cuts - now it's time to act. As outlined in a new report by my organization, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), CMRR-NF was first conceived a decade ago with the intention of replacing an existing Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) facility.
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Six Facts About Mitt Romney’s Tax Returns
After weeks of refusals and equivocation, Mitt Romney finally released his tax returns last night to a handful of media outlets, showing that he made $21.7 million in 2010 and $20.9 million last year. He only actually released one year of returns, 2010, and his estimated return for 2011, even though many have called on him to follow the precedent set by his father and release many more years of returns.
Nonetheless, there is much to learn from the astonishing 550 pages of returns Romney released:
1. Romney paid a lower tax rate than many middle-class Americans: Romney’s returns reveal that he paid an effective tax rate of 13.9 percent, lower even than the low rate of 15 percent he estimated he paid last week. While this is far less than what many middle-class Americans pay, it’s also well below what wealthy people pay. The average effective tax rate for someone in Romney’s income bracket is 25 percent.
2. Romney makes more in a day than the average American makes in a year, and becomes a 1 percenter every week: As Bloomberg News notes, “In 2008, according to the IRS, the median adjusted gross income was $33,048, which Romney made in less than a day. Reaching the top 1 percent of taxpayers required $380,354 in adjusted gross income, about Romney’s earnings in a week.”
3. Romney likely paid $0 in payroll taxes: Romney likely didn’t contribute a penny to Social Security or Medicare in 2010 via the payroll tax because the tax is only assessed on earned wages, but all of Romney’s income came from investments.
4. Romney has accounts in countries notorious for tax dodging: By now, it’s well known by now that Romney invests in funds based in the Cayman Islands, but Romney’s returns were “crammed with information about foreign holdings” and reveal that he held accounts in Switzerland and Luxembourg, countries famous for hiding money thanks their low taxes and strict banking secrecy laws. Aides said he closed his Swiss account in 2010 because it might have been “politically embarrassing.”
5. Romney and Gingrich’s tax plans would slash Romney’s taxes: Romney already pays less than many middle class Americans, but under his proposed tax plan, his rates would be slashed in half. Meanwhile, under challenger Newt Gingrich’s plan, Romney would pay almost nothing, since Gingrich has proposed cutting the capital gains tax rate to zero and Romney earns almost all of his money from investments.
6. Romney needs four lawyers, including the former IRS commissioner to defend his tax plan: Romney’s campaign held a conference call with reporters this morning to defend and explain his tax returns, and apparently felt the need to have former IRS Commissioner Fred Goldberg, along with three other top lawyers and his campaign communications director to explain the returns. At one point, the call had to be interrupted so officials could confer with mega accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
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Nonetheless, there is much to learn from the astonishing 550 pages of returns Romney released:
1. Romney paid a lower tax rate than many middle-class Americans: Romney’s returns reveal that he paid an effective tax rate of 13.9 percent, lower even than the low rate of 15 percent he estimated he paid last week. While this is far less than what many middle-class Americans pay, it’s also well below what wealthy people pay. The average effective tax rate for someone in Romney’s income bracket is 25 percent.
2. Romney makes more in a day than the average American makes in a year, and becomes a 1 percenter every week: As Bloomberg News notes, “In 2008, according to the IRS, the median adjusted gross income was $33,048, which Romney made in less than a day. Reaching the top 1 percent of taxpayers required $380,354 in adjusted gross income, about Romney’s earnings in a week.”
3. Romney likely paid $0 in payroll taxes: Romney likely didn’t contribute a penny to Social Security or Medicare in 2010 via the payroll tax because the tax is only assessed on earned wages, but all of Romney’s income came from investments.
4. Romney has accounts in countries notorious for tax dodging: By now, it’s well known by now that Romney invests in funds based in the Cayman Islands, but Romney’s returns were “crammed with information about foreign holdings” and reveal that he held accounts in Switzerland and Luxembourg, countries famous for hiding money thanks their low taxes and strict banking secrecy laws. Aides said he closed his Swiss account in 2010 because it might have been “politically embarrassing.”
5. Romney and Gingrich’s tax plans would slash Romney’s taxes: Romney already pays less than many middle class Americans, but under his proposed tax plan, his rates would be slashed in half. Meanwhile, under challenger Newt Gingrich’s plan, Romney would pay almost nothing, since Gingrich has proposed cutting the capital gains tax rate to zero and Romney earns almost all of his money from investments.
6. Romney needs four lawyers, including the former IRS commissioner to defend his tax plan: Romney’s campaign held a conference call with reporters this morning to defend and explain his tax returns, and apparently felt the need to have former IRS Commissioner Fred Goldberg, along with three other top lawyers and his campaign communications director to explain the returns. At one point, the call had to be interrupted so officials could confer with mega accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
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Okla. Hospital Must Pay $1M To Garth Brooks
CLAREMORE, Okla. (AP) - An Oklahoma hospital that failed to build a women's health center in honor of Garth Brooks' late mother must pay the country singer $1 million, a jury has ruled.
Jurors on Tuesday evening ruled that the hospital must return Brooks' $500,000 donation plus pay him $500,000 in punitive damages. The decision came in Brooks' breach-of-contract lawsuit against Integris Canadian Valley Regional Hospital in Yukon. Brooks said he thought he'd reached a deal in 2005 with the hospital's president, James Moore, but sued after learning the hospital wanted to use the money for other construction projects.
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Jurors on Tuesday evening ruled that the hospital must return Brooks' $500,000 donation plus pay him $500,000 in punitive damages. The decision came in Brooks' breach-of-contract lawsuit against Integris Canadian Valley Regional Hospital in Yukon. Brooks said he thought he'd reached a deal in 2005 with the hospital's president, James Moore, but sued after learning the hospital wanted to use the money for other construction projects.
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Man Pleads Not Guilty To Trying To Kill Obama
WASHINGTON - An Idaho man accused of firing shots at the White House pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he tried to assassinate President Barack Obama.
A lawyer for Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez entered the plea on his client's behalf during a brief appearance in U.S. District Court in Washington. Ortega did not say anything during the proceedings and will remain held without bond. He has another court date next month.
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A lawyer for Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez entered the plea on his client's behalf during a brief appearance in U.S. District Court in Washington. Ortega did not say anything during the proceedings and will remain held without bond. He has another court date next month.
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How Thick Should A Politicians Skin Be?
I hope Stevie Prettyman can forgive me for what I am about to say in this Post but yesterday brought to light some interesting information I feel is important to express.
Like the Daily Times, WBOC, WMDT, Salisbury News and or other Blogs or not, not every one is going to agree with politicians. Because of our First Amendment Right, every one of us deserves the opportunity to express information and opinion.
Yesterday Stevie went after some of the Blogs, the Grapevide and the Daily Times for expressing harsh, inaccurate information. I really wished she would have stated WHAT Blogs, because I know for a fact mine was not one of them. Nevertheless, if a politician wants to call out the Daily Times by name, why not certain Blogs/Bloggers? I personally do not appreciate her statement because when anyone on the Eastern Shore thinks of a Blog, they think of Salisbury News. Therefore her statement was not fair. Now, I'm not complaining. I'd just like an even playing field. If we get that respect, great. If not, we'll just move on.
So who will have thicker skin for next year. Well, Mike Lewis, Matt Maciarello and quite a few department heads who, because of Bennett Middle School will NOT see ANY increases for their budgets. Each one of you should know this as well. There will be a 7 cent tax increase coming up. HOWEVER, there will also be a 7 cent tax increase for the next 3 years on top of that. So what does this mean? It means, Mike Lewis, Matt Maciarello and others won't see jack for several years to come.
While people like Tony Sarbanes goes out and makes false statements about certain politicians in the hope of pressuring them into changing their mind, (all for the BOE cause) why not call these individuals out as well? Are they not as bad as some of those "Blogs" mentioned yesterday? Maybe one of those Blogs should hire Tony Sarbanes because obviously he carries a LOT more influence than any of those hate Blogs anyway. Heck, who am I kidding, he may be working for them already.
I do NOT believe the majority of the citizens in Wicomico County have ANY idea what they just did to other departments. I know, shift the title from the Board of Education to the Sheriff's Department or the States Attorneys Office, "The Laughing Stock Of Maryland" right Rick, right Stevie? You can't rob Peter to pay Paul, or haven't you learned that yet.
Rick Pollitt has already asked each department for level funding for the 2013 Budget. With a tax increase for the next 3+ years maxed out at 7 cents per year, level budget funding will be an absolute must for at least 3 years, I wonder, will the Sheriff's Department start asking for vehicle donations by the taxpayers because their cars have 400,000 miles on them by then? Will Rick Pollitt be crossing his fingers in the hope and prayer that the Sheriff's Department stops a tractor trailer full of coke and cash so they can afford to just keep up?
And God Forbid something happen to another child in Wicomico County, just how will Maciarello afford to take such cases to trial? Plea, Plea, Plea. Are these examples a reality, God, I hope not. However, are they strong possibilities, you better believe they are.
Your local and national liberals WANT you to spend, spend, spend. They WANT to convince you the local revenue cap is no good. Spend to the max until the Sheriff's Department can't afford this or that. Spend until Maciarello can't afford to try cases. THEN come back to your public and say, DO YOU SEE WHY THE REVENUE CAP IS NO GOOD!!!!!
In the mean time, you just continue buying the BS the Daily Times feeds you and some of those hateful Bloggers who are driven by former politicians, some of which now want to get back into the political ring.
Am I disappointed in Stevie Prettyman, absolutely, yes. Am I turning on Stevie Prettyman, absolutely not. With any hope we will continue to agree to disagree on matters. Stevie is not as black and white as other department heads who refuse to let people play in their sandbox unless you always play by their made up rules.
New Posts to fall below.
Gotta Love The Wicomico County Board Of Education
100 DAY CELEBRATION!!!!!
It doesn't get any better than this Ladies & Gentlemen. Do you know what the 100 day celebration is? Well, it's a brand new program YOUR BOE has recommended and is getting ready to implement.
It means, GET THIS, they have reached the 100th day of school and it's time to celebrate! It's been reported that each class in the title one system will be required to spend $500.00 to celebrate the 100th day. Oh, it gets better.
So where do you think the money is coming from? Well, it's again been reported its coming from the FEDS. Now, the BOE is requiring the Parents be involved in this celebration. The kids are being required to bring home a permission slip. However, this time it's for the Parents to sign to let the BOE know just how many Parents will be coming.
Oh, it gets even better. Because of the circumstances these Parents and children are in it was suggested in order to get the parents transportation to the schools that they ride the bus into school with the children. Nah, that won't work. Why, because the BOE feels it might embarrass the Parents too much so they scrapped that idea.
However, it gets even better. The BOE has allegedly informed the Parents that if they cannot get a ride to the school, the BOE will provide transportation.
Look, no matter what, these liberals are going too far. Oh, I'm sure you'll hear, it's not costing the taxpayers because the feds are paying for it. PLEASE! I have never in my life seen a bigger boat load of crap. I'm just going to stop here because quite frankly I'm getting too ticked off. I'll just let the comments fly in instead.
New Posts to fall below.
Help Wanted 01/25/12
Obama One Of Five Presidents To See Dow Jones Gain More Than 50 Percent Over First Three Years
President Obama just joined an exclusive club.
He is one of only five presidents to see the Dow Jones Industrial Average gain 50 percent or morethrough his first three years in office, according to a report from Bespoke Investment Group. Obama, who has overseen a 60 percent gain in the Dow since taking office, joins two Democrats, Bill Clinton and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and two Republicans, Calvin Coolidge and Dwight D. Eisenhower in the club.
Republican presidential candidates and other critics have derided Obama for not doing enough to help businesses during his tenure. But the evidence may prove otherwise. As of early November, Wall Street firms had earned more under Obama than during all eight years of George W. Bush's presidency, even as he's slammed bankers as "fat cats."
Not All Jobs Are Equal
A lower unemployment rate isn't enough. Americans need work that pays the bills.
Politicians bickering over private equity's impact on jobs and how to bring down the high unemployment rate are entirely missing the point about the crisis facing working Americans. The predicament we face isn't simply that there are too few jobs; it's also that an increasing number of workers don't have the kind of job that can pay the bills.
While productivity has grown by more than 80% over the last 30 years, wages have effectively been flat for 80% of Americans. So, although we're making stuff faster and more efficiently, the benefits of that hard work have not trickled into the pockets of the people who do it.
Occupy Supporter Arrested At SCOTUS Simply For Wearing An ‘Occupy Everything’ Jacket
This is disconcerting; inside the Supreme Court of the United States, police demanded Occupy supporter Scott Fitzgerald take off the jacket he was donning which had ‘Occupy Everything’ emblazoned on it. Fitzgerald was very polite — the mic check which has become ubiquitous with the new movement did not occur — the supporter’s voice was not raised, but he was wearing a jacket (gasp). Scott was not excercising his right to protest, again, just wearing an Occupy Everything jacket.
When the officers tried to explain the regulations to Mr. Fitzgerald which are supposedly posted, they failed miserably.