Should teen sexting — the sending and receiving of nude photos — be considered criminal behavior or youthful indiscretion along the lines of spin the bottle and playing doctor?
Nearly 1 in 3 teens has sent a nude picture of him or herself to someone else, and more than half have been asked to do so, according to new research on nearly 1,000 Texas teens. The study, published Monday in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, also found that teen “sexting” is strongly linked to actual sexual behavior.
About 77% of girls aged 14 to 19 who had sent a sext reported having had intercourse, compared with 42% of those who hadn’t sexted. For boys, 82% of those who had sexted had had sex, while 46% of non-sexters had done so. The study included teens in the 10th and 11th grades, with an average age of about 16 (the overall age range spanned 14 to 19).
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
The Obama Campaign Should Be Worried About The ISM
Just when it looked like the tides were turning for President Barack Obama, a fresh set of grim economic data is threatening to derail his re-election bid once again.
A new report released Monday by the Institute for Supply shows that the U.S. manufacturing sector contracted last month for the first time in nearly three years, with the trade group's factory index falling from to 49.7, down from 53.5 in May:
Gun Control: Second Amendment Under Fire at UN Conference
One of the most important periods for the Second Amendment in recent
history is upon us, as the opening meeting of the UN Arms Trade Treaty
conference began this morning in New York. During the 26-day conference,
world leaders are convening to finalize the terms of the ATT, which
seeks to regulate the international arms trade and seriously threatens
Second Amendment freedoms.
In a press kit that was released in June, the UN was obviously cognizant of the backlash surrounding Second Amendment rights, going so far as to include a "Myths & Facts" section, which states:
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In a press kit that was released in June, the UN was obviously cognizant of the backlash surrounding Second Amendment rights, going so far as to include a "Myths & Facts" section, which states:
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ACORN Housing Finally in Foreclosure
The largest branch of ACORN – ACORN Housing Corp.— has finally kicked
the bucket despite cash injections from the Obama administration.
Like a con artist trying to escape his past, ACORN Housing legally changed its name to Affordable Housing Centers of America (AHCOA) two years ago after the devastating “pimp and pro” videos surfaced in 2009.
In those undercover videos created by conservative activists James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles ACORN and ACORN Housing employees were shown offering helpful advice on setting up a brothel for pedophiles and breaking other laws. A year later the controlling entity in the ACORN network, ACORN Inc., filed for bankruptcy after Congress cut off its taxpayer funding and left-leaning foundations ran away from it.
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Like a con artist trying to escape his past, ACORN Housing legally changed its name to Affordable Housing Centers of America (AHCOA) two years ago after the devastating “pimp and pro” videos surfaced in 2009.
In those undercover videos created by conservative activists James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles ACORN and ACORN Housing employees were shown offering helpful advice on setting up a brothel for pedophiles and breaking other laws. A year later the controlling entity in the ACORN network, ACORN Inc., filed for bankruptcy after Congress cut off its taxpayer funding and left-leaning foundations ran away from it.
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Ireton Plans ANOTHER Press Conference
Mayor James Ireton, Jr. will be joined by downtown supporters and business owners today at 1:00 pm on the plaza outside the City Center building to make a statement about the City Council’s rejection of his entire downtown revitalization initiative.
Oh, wait till he hears of my plans for Downtown.
Then you'll understand why!
Let's Just Sell It ALL
Mayor Jim Ireton will hold a Press Conference at 1:00 PM to go on the attack against the reasonable members of the Salisbury City Council for not agreeing to his Downtown Revitalization Plan.
Ladies & Gentlemen, why not sell ALL of the City owned parking lots then? THINK about this for a minute. Would you sell the parking lots to a FREE Zoo or even place parking meters there? Would you sell the lots in the City Park and or add parking meters there?
NO, you would not! Yet the Downtown brings in millions of dollars in revenue in sales tax, business tax, property tax, meter income, permit income and yet this Mayor wants to take valuable property and give it away for a song and a dance to special interests to build entitlement affordable housing and section 8 housing.
IF it makes no sense to sell the Zoo and Park parking lots, then it makes NO sense to sell off what will become much needed parking that is already bringing in income. Once I revitalize Downtown Salisbury as your next Mayor we will NEED all that parking.
This Mayor needs to go and I'm very serious Ladies & Gentlemen. In his radio interview he showed how scared he was that I might get him off track and screw up. Heck Jim, your doing that on your own without any of my help. Go back to teaching because your proposal was the most amateur attempt at a business plan that I've ever seen.
Come to my Office Ladies and Gentlemen and listen to a REAL revitalization plan. Even Jim's liberal friends have come here and couldn't believe what they were hearing. One Radio Host came back for a second time to do another interview with me because he was so impressed and wanted more details. He flat out told me they were the best ideas he had ever heard of for Salisbury.
"This isn't Joe Albero's election to lose, it's the citizens election to lose".
Yeah Jim, let's hurt the business people who ARE paying taxes and bringing people Downtown even more. This guy is just a joke, hence the clown face.
EPA Head Lisa Jackson: EPA Has Never Been Blamed for Loss of Jobs
If there is one indisputable and troubling fact to be gleaned from
the Obama administration, it is that their idea of reasonable regulation
extends far beyond what most people consider even sensible. The
administration has been accused, with some justice, of trying to price
oil, coal and now natural gas out of existence, a stance that has cost
them inordinate amounts of support in energy producing states such as
West Virginia, and which has cost thousands of blue collar workers their jobs. In fact, even high ranking officials within the EPA admit that driving entire industries out of business in those very states is their goal to begin with.
But perhaps most infuriatingly of all, even in the face of all this evidence, the Obama administration has retained an absurdly oblivious stance on its behavior. “What do you mean, we’re hurting people,” their response usually goes, “don’t you want us to have clean air and water? Think of the children!”
And today, this condescending refusal to acknowledge that their agenda could hurt people has reached its peak. In an interview with Roland Martin on TV One’s “Washington Watch,” the head of the EPA herself, Lisa Jackson, made the jaw-dropping claim that the EPA has never been blamed for a loss of jobs.
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But perhaps most infuriatingly of all, even in the face of all this evidence, the Obama administration has retained an absurdly oblivious stance on its behavior. “What do you mean, we’re hurting people,” their response usually goes, “don’t you want us to have clean air and water? Think of the children!”
And today, this condescending refusal to acknowledge that their agenda could hurt people has reached its peak. In an interview with Roland Martin on TV One’s “Washington Watch,” the head of the EPA herself, Lisa Jackson, made the jaw-dropping claim that the EPA has never been blamed for a loss of jobs.
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8,733,461: Workers on Federal 'Disability' Exceed Population of New York City
A record of 8,733,461 workers took federal disability insurance payments in June 2012, according to the Social Security Administration. That was up from 8,707,185 in May.
It also exceeds the entire population of New York City, which according to the Census Bureau's latest estimate hit 8,244,910 in July 2011.
There has been a dramatic shrinkage in the United States over the past 20 years in the number of workers actually employed and earning paychecks per worker who is not employed and is taking federal disability insurance payments.
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It also exceeds the entire population of New York City, which according to the Census Bureau's latest estimate hit 8,244,910 in July 2011.
There has been a dramatic shrinkage in the United States over the past 20 years in the number of workers actually employed and earning paychecks per worker who is not employed and is taking federal disability insurance payments.
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73-Year-Old Cancer Survivor Hits Two-Holes-in-One in Same Round
Not only can Erroll Cook, 73, boast that he beat cancer, but he can
also boast of doing something very few golfers have ever seen, let alone
accomplish: hitting two holes-in-one on the same nine holes.
“It happened last weekend when Cook was playing with friends on the manicured Donald Ross Course in West Caldwell. The first shot was on the 14th hole, a straight 150-yard Par 3 that looked good leaving the tee but rolled out of sight after landing on the green,” CBS New York reports.
“Cook, his partners, and the caddy all searched the area without luck until they found his ball where they least expected: in the cup. He’d aced it,” the report adds.
About a half hour later, Cook jokingly asked what the odds were of hitting another hole-in-one (about 1-in-67 million). Everyone had a good laugh but then, according to eyewitness accounts, Cook did it again.
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“It happened last weekend when Cook was playing with friends on the manicured Donald Ross Course in West Caldwell. The first shot was on the 14th hole, a straight 150-yard Par 3 that looked good leaving the tee but rolled out of sight after landing on the green,” CBS New York reports.
“Cook, his partners, and the caddy all searched the area without luck until they found his ball where they least expected: in the cup. He’d aced it,” the report adds.
About a half hour later, Cook jokingly asked what the odds were of hitting another hole-in-one (about 1-in-67 million). Everyone had a good laugh but then, according to eyewitness accounts, Cook did it again.
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70% of Total U.S. Military Fatalities in Afghan War Occurred Under Obama’s Watch
There have been 1,343 U.S. military deaths in the decade-old
Afghanistan war since Obama was inaugurated approximately three years
ago, according to CNSNews.com’s detailed count.
The 1,343 U.S. fatalities since Obama’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2009 that have been reported up through the month of June 2012 account for 70 percent of the total 1,912 deaths that have taken place in and around Afghanistan since the war was started on Oct. 7, 2001.
So far this year, there have been 155 deaths, which is about 22 percent less than the 198 fatalities that took place during the same period last year (January thru June). May is the deadliest month so far in 2012 with 40 deaths. It is also deadlier than any other May of the war.
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The 1,343 U.S. fatalities since Obama’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2009 that have been reported up through the month of June 2012 account for 70 percent of the total 1,912 deaths that have taken place in and around Afghanistan since the war was started on Oct. 7, 2001.
So far this year, there have been 155 deaths, which is about 22 percent less than the 198 fatalities that took place during the same period last year (January thru June). May is the deadliest month so far in 2012 with 40 deaths. It is also deadlier than any other May of the war.
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Manufacturing Shrinks For First Time in 3 Years
U.S. manufacturing shrank in June for the first time in nearly three years, adding to signs that economic growth is weakening.
Production declined, and the number of new orders plunged, according to a monthly report released Monday by the Institute for Supply Management.
The slowdown comes as U.S. employers have scaled back hiring, consumers have turned more cautious, Europe faces a recession and manufacturing has slowed in big countries like China.
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Production declined, and the number of new orders plunged, according to a monthly report released Monday by the Institute for Supply Management.
The slowdown comes as U.S. employers have scaled back hiring, consumers have turned more cautious, Europe faces a recession and manufacturing has slowed in big countries like China.
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Michigan Deploys Talking Urinal Cakes in DUI Fight
Michigan hopes to keep drunks off the road with the help from a
special message in men's bathrooms featuring an attention-getting
woman's voice.
Talking urinal-deodorizer cakes have been distributed to Michigan Licensed Beverage Association members in Wayne County, including Detroit, state officials announced. A recorded message will play reminding men who step up to the urinals to call a cab or a friend, if needed, to get home safely.
"Not only do we want to turn some heads and get people talking, we hope everyone takes the message to heart," Michael L. Prince, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, said in a statement.
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Talking urinal-deodorizer cakes have been distributed to Michigan Licensed Beverage Association members in Wayne County, including Detroit, state officials announced. A recorded message will play reminding men who step up to the urinals to call a cab or a friend, if needed, to get home safely.
"Not only do we want to turn some heads and get people talking, we hope everyone takes the message to heart," Michael L. Prince, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, said in a statement.
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Philippine Crocodile Declared Largest in Captivity
Guinness World Records declared the giant, blamed for deadly attacks before it was captured last September, is the largest saltwater crocodile in captivity in the world.
The news sparked celebrations in Bunawan, a farming town of 37,000 in Agusan del Sur province, but Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said it also fostered concerns that more giant crocodiles might lurk in a marshland and creek where villagers fish.
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Conservatives to Mitt: Quit Now If You Won't Fight Obamatax!
The Obama campaign has seized on remarks made by Romney adviser Eric "Etch-A-Sketch" Fehrnstrom this morning on MSNBC, to the effect that the individual mandate in Obamacare (and Romneycare) is not a tax. Fehrnstrom allowed Chuck Todd to push him off message--and re-ignited the fears that conservatives have long had about Romney's will and ability to fight. In response, conservatives--who had just coalesced around opposition to what many now call "Obamatax"--exhort: Mitt, start fighting, or give up and let someone else do it.
Fehrnstrom's point--in defense of Romneycare--was that the Supreme Court was wrong to uphold Obamacare under the taxing power. The individual mandate was never intended to be a tax, Congress never called it a tax, and it wasn't a tax in Massachusetts, either. Fine--but now that Obama's lawyers went to court and called it a tax, and Chief Justice John Roberts called it a tax (and spare us the non-distinction between "tax" and the "taxing power") Obamacare is, undeniably, a massive tax on the middle class. Obama lied. It's that simple.More
Bagged Lettuce Recalled by Dole
Dole Fresh Vegetables has recalled 2,598 cases of bagged salads due
to a possible risk of Listeria, the Food and Drug Administration
announced Sunday.
Dole Hearts of Romaine salads are being voluntarily recalled after one bag tested positive for listeria monocytogenes during a random check by the FDA.
The salads were distributed in nine states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Recalled bags have a product code of 0540N165112A or B, with Use-by date of June 26 and a UPC code of UPC 7143000956. Consumers can find the product code and Use-by date in the upper right-hand corner of the package. The UPC code is on the back of the package, below the barcode.
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Dole Hearts of Romaine salads are being voluntarily recalled after one bag tested positive for listeria monocytogenes during a random check by the FDA.
The salads were distributed in nine states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Recalled bags have a product code of 0540N165112A or B, with Use-by date of June 26 and a UPC code of UPC 7143000956. Consumers can find the product code and Use-by date in the upper right-hand corner of the package. The UPC code is on the back of the package, below the barcode.
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We're Off To Celebrate
The Staff of Salisbury News will be leaving momentarily to head to Willard for the fireworks tonight.
Comments will not be moderated for several hours, just so you know. Hope to see all of you there.
Breaking News
As of 3:50PM Route 50 East bound is shut down at the Royal Farms in Hebron. Two vehicle accident one suv has flipped over. Jaws of life are being used to extract patients now. There is only one West bound lane open at this point. Pictures to follow.
Welfare Loophole: Sisters Make $540,000 Babysitting Their Kids
A four-month investigation of the $340 million taxpayer-funded "Wisconsin Shares" welfare childcare program found the program rife with abuse and loopholes.
In one instance, research conducted by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel found that four sisters with 17 children bagged $540,000.00 in taxpayer monies since 2006 by simply staying home and babysitting for each other. The most shocking part: it's perfectly legal."It's a loophole," said Laurice Lincoln, administrative coordinator for child care with the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services. "Do we have concerns about it? Yes, it can be a problem. But if it's allowed, it's allowed. We really can't dispute it."There's more.
The Wisconsin Shares program also allows parents to work at childcare facilities where their kids attend. In one instance, the newspaper found an employer and parent team accused of bilking taxpayers for over $360,000.
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Mayor Ireton Draws In Small Crowd For Press Conference
If you were to take away all of the City employees you'd find a very small crowd leftover to listen to the Mayor spew his hate towards the majority of the City Council.
The Mayor stated he listened to the tape from last nights meeting where he said the only reason the Council President turned the plan down was because of trash. Well Jim, let's be specific here for a moment. The Council President, (since you said you listened two times) actually said the RESIDENTS on the Plaza have a trash issue. Yet you stood there without ONE single resident and impressed upon the crowd Mrs. Cohen was talking about the business owners. So get your facts straight and quit lying to people.
It doesn't matter to Jim Ireton though Folks because the rest of the BS Press, (not MSM, now called BS Press) will simply produce whatever this guy says. In fact Mayor Ireton stood there and actually BEGGED the Press to go to the Council Members homes and demand an interview on this matter. Jim, I really hope they do because the public will actually get the truth, unless they edit out what the Council Members say.
The Mayor went on to beg people to come to his Office or come find Laura Mitchell to sign a new petition they will be starting against the Council majority. STOP acting like a little girl Jim, seriously. Just because you don't get your way doesn't mean you stomp your feet and go running home to Mommy. He stated that they have worked very hard on this plan for the past two years. NO JIM< you have even admitted that you STOLE the plan from as far back as 30 years ago, YOU did NO hard work on it at all. You just wanted something to throw in the Council's face once again. If it WASN'T good enough 30 years ago it certainly isn't worth a crap today.
The biggest thing that bothered me was when the Mayor turned to Public Works and Planning and Zoning and demanded their staff come into his Office and sign the petition. THAT is abuse of power! Beside the fact that the majority of people there were City Employees, (once again) and the FACT that we taxpayers are PAYING out of our pocket every single time you don't get your way and or want to make it look like people like you, you bring in as much of the City staff as humanly possible.
You have to wonder Jim, did your parents stick a pork chop around your neck just to get the family dog to play with you?
A good Mayor, a true professional would have said, Ladies & Gentlemen, I must not have worked hard enough to impress this Council that this is a good idea. I will not give up and with your support together we can perhaps dig a little deeper, listen to both sides and make this thing work. TRY IT SOME TIME JIMMY, YOU MIGHT JUST LIKE IT.
Repeat After Me: THE OBAMACARE ‘MANDATE’ WAS ACTUALLY A TAX.
And that affects profoundly the question of how to get rid of it. Mickey Kaus is correct, and Ryan Lizza & David Frum are wrong on this: the only reason that Obamacare was not cast down was because the US Supreme Court decided 5-4 that the so-called ‘individual mandate’ was constitutional if it was considered to be a tax. The US Supreme Court also decided, 5-4, that the so-called ‘individual mandate’ was not Constitutional if done under the Commerce Clause. So anyone who wants to argue that the Obamacare health tax is not actually a tax must also admit that Obamacare is unconstitutional. Supporters of Obamacare do not get to have it both ways. The Supreme Court has ruled that Obamacare’s centerpiece is a half trillion dollar tax hike on the middle class. This is a thing that has happened. And it means, among other things, that the Democrats’ threat of a filibuster is an empty one when it comes to repealing it next January. We have a Senate majority, we can remove the health tax. Simple as that.
DO NOT LET THE OTHER SIDE GET AWAY WITH PRETENDING OTHERWISE. I understand fully why the Democrats don’t want to campaign on the position that their ‘signature’ accomplishment is a horrific, promise-breaking middle class tax hike; it’s only slightly better than campaigning on a promise to give kittens leprosy. But that’s the Democrats’ problem, not ours. All we have to do is figure out new ways to keep the gloating albatross around their collective neck until the election. And one way to do that is to never, ever, ever let any apologist for the Democrats and/or Barack Obama get away with pretending that Obamacare [can be constitutional without being] a tax. If they get upset about that… good. That means that what you’re doing is working.
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DO NOT LET THE OTHER SIDE GET AWAY WITH PRETENDING OTHERWISE. I understand fully why the Democrats don’t want to campaign on the position that their ‘signature’ accomplishment is a horrific, promise-breaking middle class tax hike; it’s only slightly better than campaigning on a promise to give kittens leprosy. But that’s the Democrats’ problem, not ours. All we have to do is figure out new ways to keep the gloating albatross around their collective neck until the election. And one way to do that is to never, ever, ever let any apologist for the Democrats and/or Barack Obama get away with pretending that Obamacare [can be constitutional without being] a tax. If they get upset about that… good. That means that what you’re doing is working.
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Violent Attacks Strike Pro-Lifer's House
Within two days of being profiled on Newsweek’s website The Daily
Beast, a “personhood” advocate was startled by a rock thrown though his
front door and vandals painting vulgarities on his family’s home.
Keith and Jennifer Mason of Denver, Colo., lead PersonhoodUSA, a Christian ministry seeking to establish human rights under the law for all children from the beginning of their biological development, a controversial stance that would effectively ban all abortions.
But after a profile of the Masons and their work around the country appeared on The Daily Beast last week, the comments section below the article became so “vicious and personal,” the website confirms, the section had to be shut down.
Reportedly, someone even posted the Mason’s home address.
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Keith and Jennifer Mason of Denver, Colo., lead PersonhoodUSA, a Christian ministry seeking to establish human rights under the law for all children from the beginning of their biological development, a controversial stance that would effectively ban all abortions.
But after a profile of the Masons and their work around the country appeared on The Daily Beast last week, the comments section below the article became so “vicious and personal,” the website confirms, the section had to be shut down.
Reportedly, someone even posted the Mason’s home address.
More
Food Stamps, Handouts, And The Ever-Expanding Welfare State
In their never-ending efforts to buy votes with other people’s money (see the first cartoon in this post), politicians have been expanding the welfare state and creating more dependency.
This is bad for the overall economy because it means a larger burden of government spending and it’s bad for poor people because it undermines their self reliance and self respect.
It also has very worrisome long-run effects on the stability and viability of a culture, as shown by these two cartoons.
A stark example can be seen in the food stamp program, which has morphed from a handout for the genuinely poor to a widespread entitlement for everyone from college students to the Octo-mom, and for products ranging from luxury coffee to lobster.
Here are some of the unpleasant details about the fiscal costs from Veronique de Rugy’s column in the Washington Examiner.
When the food stamp program was first expanded nationally in the 1970s, just 1 in 50 Americans participated. Today, 1 in 7 Americans receive $134 each month… With the bipartisan Farm Bill going through Congress right now, these high levels of dependency may become permanent. Some 70 percent of the nearly $1 trillion Farm Bill recently passed by the Senate will be spent on food stamps — that’s $770 billion over ten years. …An estimated 45 million Americans received food stamps in 2011, at a cost of $78 billion. That’s a twofold increase from just five years ago when 26 million people received benefits at a cost of $33 billion. …food stamp enrollment increased and spending doubled, even as unemployment and the poverty level dropped modestly between 2007 and 2011. The more important part of the story comes from the eligibility changes implemented by the Bush and Obama administrations.
The last sentence is the key. Eligibility has been expanded dramatically. Food stamps are slowly but surely becoming mainstream and that should worry all of us.
But food stamps are just one form of income redistribution. Welfare spending also is a problem.
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This is bad for the overall economy because it means a larger burden of government spending and it’s bad for poor people because it undermines their self reliance and self respect.
It also has very worrisome long-run effects on the stability and viability of a culture, as shown by these two cartoons.
A stark example can be seen in the food stamp program, which has morphed from a handout for the genuinely poor to a widespread entitlement for everyone from college students to the Octo-mom, and for products ranging from luxury coffee to lobster.
Here are some of the unpleasant details about the fiscal costs from Veronique de Rugy’s column in the Washington Examiner.
When the food stamp program was first expanded nationally in the 1970s, just 1 in 50 Americans participated. Today, 1 in 7 Americans receive $134 each month… With the bipartisan Farm Bill going through Congress right now, these high levels of dependency may become permanent. Some 70 percent of the nearly $1 trillion Farm Bill recently passed by the Senate will be spent on food stamps — that’s $770 billion over ten years. …An estimated 45 million Americans received food stamps in 2011, at a cost of $78 billion. That’s a twofold increase from just five years ago when 26 million people received benefits at a cost of $33 billion. …food stamp enrollment increased and spending doubled, even as unemployment and the poverty level dropped modestly between 2007 and 2011. The more important part of the story comes from the eligibility changes implemented by the Bush and Obama administrations.
The last sentence is the key. Eligibility has been expanded dramatically. Food stamps are slowly but surely becoming mainstream and that should worry all of us.
But food stamps are just one form of income redistribution. Welfare spending also is a problem.
More
‘Simply Un-American’: CAIR-Led Lawsuit Claims Cop Was Fired After Converting to Islam
A former
police officer in Norton, Ohio, is alleging discrimination and claiming
that he was fired from his job soon after converting to Islam. Nicholas
A. Matheny has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of
Norton, numerous staffers with the local police department and City
Administrator Richard Ryland.
The lawsuit claims that officials violated federal and state discrimination law, citing retaliation, a hostile work environment and conspiracy, according to a press release published by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Matheny’s representation is hinging its argument upon the fact that it is illegal, concerning both state and federal laws, to make employment decisions based on religion or as retribution for an employee’s complaints about alleged discrimination.
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Amid Misery Of Storm Damage, D.C. Firefighters Fill Private Pool
With D.C. firefighters crisscrossing the city on emergency calls related to power outages, downed trees and heat-induced illnesses, one crew went out of service for about an hour Saturday afternoon on an unusual assignment: to fill a swimming pool for a private resident at a Northeast home.
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7 Firefighting Planes Grounded
1 person killed when National Guard C-130 crashes in South Dakota
COLORADO SPRINGS — The deadly crash of a military cargo plane fighting a South Dakota wildfire forced officials to ground seven other Air Force air tankers, removing critical firefighting aircraft from the skies during one of the busiest and most destructive wildfire seasons ever to hit the West.The C-130 from an Air National Guard wing based in Charlotte, N.C., was carrying a crew of six and fighting a 6.5-square-mile blaze in the Black Hills of South Dakota when it crashed Sunday, killing at least one crew member and injuring others.
President Obama offered thoughts and prayers to the crew and their families. “The men and women battling these terrible fires across the West put their lives on the line every day for their fellow Americans,” he said.
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WCSO Press Releases 7-3-12
Incident: Theft
Date of Incident: April 2012
Location: 32000 block of Mt. Olive Road, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: 1. Kristin Marie Joudrey, 23, Salisbury, MD
2. Joseph Charles Capone, 25, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 31 May 2012 a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into the location of a missing Federal Tax Refund. During the investigation, the victim identified a known suspect, Kristin Joudrey, who had assisted in completing the return utilizing Turbo Tax. The victim was unaware that Joudrey arranged to have the refund sent to her instead. Upon further
inquiry with the IRS and Turbo Tax, the deputy identified the checking account where the refund had been deposited. The listed owner of that account was the boyfriend, Joseph Capone, of Joudrey. Both Capone and Joudrey admitted to the theft and squandering of the tax refund.
The deputy obtained a warrant for the arrest of both Joudrey and Capone and arrested both on 23 June 2012 at 6:19 PM. Post arrest, both were transported to the Central Booking Unit where they were processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After their initial appearance, the Commissioner released both on Personal recognizance.
Charges: Theft $1,000 to $10,000
Conspiracy
Incident: Fugitive Arrest / Extradition
Date of Incident: 25 June 2012
Location: Newport News, Virginia
Suspect: Tawaka Ranessa Taylor, 34, Newport News, VA
Narrative: On 25 June 2012 at 12:15 PM, deputies from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office travelled to Newport News, VA where authorities had detained Tawaka Taylor who was wanted in Wicomico County after she failed to appear in the Circuit Court. The case Taylor failed to appear for was related to a charge of CDS Possession with the Intent to Distribute.
Taylor was transported to the Central Booking Unit where she was processed and detained in the Detention Center pending an appearance in front of a Circuit Court Judge.
Charges: Failure to Appear
Incident: Violation of a Protective Order
Date of Incident: 27 June 2012
Location: Us. Rt. 50 at Naylor Mill Rd., Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Pete Edward Truitt III, 41, Delmar, MD
Narrative: On 27 June 2012 at 7:48 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office arrested Pete Truitt in connection with an on-going domestic issue. Truitt is accused of violating a protective order and making repeated and annoying phone calls. A warrant for was obtained in this case which led to the arrest.
Upon arrest, the deputy transported Truitt to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Truitt in the Detention Center without bond.
Charges: Violation of a Protective Order
Incident: Assault
Date of Incident: 27 June 2012
Location: 26000 block of Nanticoke Road, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Rachel Nicole Demoss, 20, Delmar, MD
Narrative: On 27 June 2012 at 5:39 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported assault in the 26000 block of Nanticoke Road. During the investigation, the deputy learned that Rachel Demoss asked her ex-boyfriend for a ride to work. When Demoss declined to give her ex-boyfriend gas money, he told her to find another way to work. At that point Demoss allegedly punched the victim in the face.
At the conclusion of the investigation, the deputy obtained a warrant for the arrest of Demoss and that warrant was served the next day. Upon arrest, the deputy transported Demoss to the Central Booking Unit where she was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Demoss on Personal Recognizance.
Charges: Assault 2nd Degree
Incident: Motor Vehicle Theft
Date of Incident: 1 July 2012
Location: Hebron, MD
Suspect: Steven J. Brill, 46, Mardela Springs, MD
Narrative: On 1 July 2012 at 1:46 AM a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office observed a Ford Ranger pick-up truck that had recently been the subject of a “be on the lookout for” as a stolen vehicle. The deputy stopped the truck on Rt. 50 in the Hebron area and identified the driver as Steven Brill of Mardela Springs. When the deputy advised him the reason for the stop, Brill stated he was sorry for taking it.
The truck had been originally reported stolen in Talbot County.
The deputy arrested Brill and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Brill in the Detention Center in lieu of $15,000.00 bond.
Charges: Theft of Motor Vehicle
Incident: Assault on a Deputy / Resisting Arrest
Date of Incident: 29 June 2012
Location: 1200 block of Johnson Road, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Brian Noel Greever, 55, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 29 June 2012 at 9:15 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office arrived at a residence in the 1200 block of Johnson Road for the purpose of serving a protective order on Brian Greever. One of the stipulations of the order required Greever to vacate the residence. Instead of complying, Greever stated he was not leaving and then shoved the deputy in an attempt to flee out the
door. The deputy managed to stop Greever’s forward motion but had to engage in a physical altercation in order to subdue Greever.
Greever was taken into custody and transported to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Greever on $35,000.00 bond.
Charges: Assault 2nd Degree
Resisting Arrest
Date of Incident: April 2012
Location: 32000 block of Mt. Olive Road, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: 1. Kristin Marie Joudrey, 23, Salisbury, MD
2. Joseph Charles Capone, 25, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 31 May 2012 a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into the location of a missing Federal Tax Refund. During the investigation, the victim identified a known suspect, Kristin Joudrey, who had assisted in completing the return utilizing Turbo Tax. The victim was unaware that Joudrey arranged to have the refund sent to her instead. Upon further
inquiry with the IRS and Turbo Tax, the deputy identified the checking account where the refund had been deposited. The listed owner of that account was the boyfriend, Joseph Capone, of Joudrey. Both Capone and Joudrey admitted to the theft and squandering of the tax refund.
The deputy obtained a warrant for the arrest of both Joudrey and Capone and arrested both on 23 June 2012 at 6:19 PM. Post arrest, both were transported to the Central Booking Unit where they were processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After their initial appearance, the Commissioner released both on Personal recognizance.
Charges: Theft $1,000 to $10,000
Conspiracy
Incident: Fugitive Arrest / Extradition
Date of Incident: 25 June 2012
Location: Newport News, Virginia
Suspect: Tawaka Ranessa Taylor, 34, Newport News, VA
Narrative: On 25 June 2012 at 12:15 PM, deputies from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office travelled to Newport News, VA where authorities had detained Tawaka Taylor who was wanted in Wicomico County after she failed to appear in the Circuit Court. The case Taylor failed to appear for was related to a charge of CDS Possession with the Intent to Distribute.
Taylor was transported to the Central Booking Unit where she was processed and detained in the Detention Center pending an appearance in front of a Circuit Court Judge.
Charges: Failure to Appear
Incident: Violation of a Protective Order
Date of Incident: 27 June 2012
Location: Us. Rt. 50 at Naylor Mill Rd., Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Pete Edward Truitt III, 41, Delmar, MD
Narrative: On 27 June 2012 at 7:48 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office arrested Pete Truitt in connection with an on-going domestic issue. Truitt is accused of violating a protective order and making repeated and annoying phone calls. A warrant for was obtained in this case which led to the arrest.
Upon arrest, the deputy transported Truitt to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Truitt in the Detention Center without bond.
Charges: Violation of a Protective Order
Incident: Assault
Date of Incident: 27 June 2012
Location: 26000 block of Nanticoke Road, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Rachel Nicole Demoss, 20, Delmar, MD
Narrative: On 27 June 2012 at 5:39 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported assault in the 26000 block of Nanticoke Road. During the investigation, the deputy learned that Rachel Demoss asked her ex-boyfriend for a ride to work. When Demoss declined to give her ex-boyfriend gas money, he told her to find another way to work. At that point Demoss allegedly punched the victim in the face.
At the conclusion of the investigation, the deputy obtained a warrant for the arrest of Demoss and that warrant was served the next day. Upon arrest, the deputy transported Demoss to the Central Booking Unit where she was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Demoss on Personal Recognizance.
Charges: Assault 2nd Degree
Incident: Motor Vehicle Theft
Date of Incident: 1 July 2012
Location: Hebron, MD
Suspect: Steven J. Brill, 46, Mardela Springs, MD
Narrative: On 1 July 2012 at 1:46 AM a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office observed a Ford Ranger pick-up truck that had recently been the subject of a “be on the lookout for” as a stolen vehicle. The deputy stopped the truck on Rt. 50 in the Hebron area and identified the driver as Steven Brill of Mardela Springs. When the deputy advised him the reason for the stop, Brill stated he was sorry for taking it.
The truck had been originally reported stolen in Talbot County.
The deputy arrested Brill and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Brill in the Detention Center in lieu of $15,000.00 bond.
Charges: Theft of Motor Vehicle
Incident: Assault on a Deputy / Resisting Arrest
Date of Incident: 29 June 2012
Location: 1200 block of Johnson Road, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Brian Noel Greever, 55, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 29 June 2012 at 9:15 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office arrived at a residence in the 1200 block of Johnson Road for the purpose of serving a protective order on Brian Greever. One of the stipulations of the order required Greever to vacate the residence. Instead of complying, Greever stated he was not leaving and then shoved the deputy in an attempt to flee out the
door. The deputy managed to stop Greever’s forward motion but had to engage in a physical altercation in order to subdue Greever.
Greever was taken into custody and transported to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Greever on $35,000.00 bond.
Charges: Assault 2nd Degree
Resisting Arrest
Feds Label Liberty Lovers 'Terrorists' ... Again!
The government is once again promoting the idea of “those who are
reverent of individual liberty” being terrorists with a new study funded
by the Department of Homeland Security.
The study and related data were recently produced by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, or START, at the University of Maryland. START was launched with a $12 million grant from DHS and is recognized by the organization as one of its “Centers for Excellence.” In December, DHS announced it was renewing START’s funding with another $3.6 million.
START recently released a study titled, “Hot Spots of Terrorism and Other Crimes in the United States, 1970-2008.”
The report noted that nearly one-third of all terrorist attacks from 1970 to 2008 occurred in five metropolitan counties run by Democrats.
More
The study and related data were recently produced by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, or START, at the University of Maryland. START was launched with a $12 million grant from DHS and is recognized by the organization as one of its “Centers for Excellence.” In December, DHS announced it was renewing START’s funding with another $3.6 million.
START recently released a study titled, “Hot Spots of Terrorism and Other Crimes in the United States, 1970-2008.”
The report noted that nearly one-third of all terrorist attacks from 1970 to 2008 occurred in five metropolitan counties run by Democrats.
More
Wicomico Schools’ Food Services Feeds Children In Summer Food Service Program
The Food Service Department of Wicomico County Public Schools is once again participating in the Summer Food Service Program, with funding support from the Maryland State Department of Education.
When schools are not in session, many children do not have access to the good nutrition that we provide during the normal school year. The Summer Food Service Program is designed specifically to fill the nutrition gap for children of low-income families, when schools are not in session.
Meals will be provided from June 18-Aug. 3 on all weekdays except July 4. Meals are available to all children without charge. Acceptance and participation requirements for the program and all activities are the same for all regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service.
Wicomico Schools has expanded the Summer Food Service Program to include lunch service at three playgrounds and parks, and one new location, New Dimensions Ministries, where children can enjoy both breakfast and lunch. Breakfast and lunch are also served at The Christian Shelter and Wicomico County Housing Authority.
Meals will be served at the sites and times as follows:
The Christian Shelter, 334 Barclay St., Salisbury
Breakfast: 8:30 a.m.
Lunch: 12:30 p.m.
New Dimensions Ministries, 1907 Jersey Road, Salisbury
Breakfast: 8:30 a.m.
Lunch: 12:30 p.m.
Wicomico County Housing Authority, 911 Booth St., Salisbury
Breakfast: 8:30 a.m.
Lunch: 11:30 a.m.
Indian Village Playground (Wicomico County Recreation and Parks)
Lunch: Noon
Emerson Holloway Park (Wicomico County Recreation and Parks)
Lunch: Noon
Doverdale Park (Wicomico County Recreation and Parks)
Lunch: Noon
Please contact the Food Service Department of Wicomico County Public Schools at 410-677-4442 for more information.
When schools are not in session, many children do not have access to the good nutrition that we provide during the normal school year. The Summer Food Service Program is designed specifically to fill the nutrition gap for children of low-income families, when schools are not in session.
Meals will be provided from June 18-Aug. 3 on all weekdays except July 4. Meals are available to all children without charge. Acceptance and participation requirements for the program and all activities are the same for all regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service.
Wicomico Schools has expanded the Summer Food Service Program to include lunch service at three playgrounds and parks, and one new location, New Dimensions Ministries, where children can enjoy both breakfast and lunch. Breakfast and lunch are also served at The Christian Shelter and Wicomico County Housing Authority.
Meals will be served at the sites and times as follows:
The Christian Shelter, 334 Barclay St., Salisbury
Breakfast: 8:30 a.m.
Lunch: 12:30 p.m.
New Dimensions Ministries, 1907 Jersey Road, Salisbury
Breakfast: 8:30 a.m.
Lunch: 12:30 p.m.
Wicomico County Housing Authority, 911 Booth St., Salisbury
Breakfast: 8:30 a.m.
Lunch: 11:30 a.m.
Indian Village Playground (Wicomico County Recreation and Parks)
Lunch: Noon
Emerson Holloway Park (Wicomico County Recreation and Parks)
Lunch: Noon
Doverdale Park (Wicomico County Recreation and Parks)
Lunch: Noon
Please contact the Food Service Department of Wicomico County Public Schools at 410-677-4442 for more information.
SEIU Boots Join Democratic Super PAC Bucks
One of the nation’s largest unions has teamed with a Democratic super PAC to run $20 million in advertising aimed at keeping House seats out of Republican hands, according to plans announced Monday.
The partnership between the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the House Majority PAC, which most recently helped Democrats hang on to former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords‘ Arizona seat, marks the continuation of efforts to consolidate the work of multiple Democratic groups. In March, the House Majority PAC joined with the Majority PAC, its Senate-focused cousin, and Priorities USA Action, an Obama-blessed super PAC focused on the presidential race, to form an umbrella group called Unity 2012.
The advertising blitz will cover at least 47 competitive congressional districts nationwide and involve media buys in 38 markets.
More
The partnership between the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the House Majority PAC, which most recently helped Democrats hang on to former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords‘ Arizona seat, marks the continuation of efforts to consolidate the work of multiple Democratic groups. In March, the House Majority PAC joined with the Majority PAC, its Senate-focused cousin, and Priorities USA Action, an Obama-blessed super PAC focused on the presidential race, to form an umbrella group called Unity 2012.
The advertising blitz will cover at least 47 competitive congressional districts nationwide and involve media buys in 38 markets.
More
Wicomico Board Of Education Approves FY 2013 Consolidated Current Expense Budget
The Wicomico County Board of Education at a special meeting on Tuesday, June 26, approved the Fiscal Year 2013 Consolidated Current Expense Budget for the budget year beginning July 1.
The Board of Education approved the Consolidated Current Expense Budget of almost $175.5 million, an increase of nearly $6.9 million over the previous year’s budget. The increase is largely due to a $5.5 million boost in state aid.
The unrestricted portion of the school system’s budget is $162.5 million, a budget level that is 4.3% more than last year. The Board is appreciative of the County Executive and the Wicomico County Council for a 2.22% increase in county funding for FY 2013. This $803,108 increase (part of a total county allocation of $37 million) exceeds the Maintenance of Effort level for the first time since FY 2009 and will enable the school system to avoid cuts that could have affected direct face-to-face instruction and services for students. Included in this increase is the county’s additional allocation of $79,170 for Textbooks and Instructional Supplies, funding which will be put to good use in every classroom in Wicomico County.
Several other factors made this balanced budget possible:
• State funding for the Unrestricted Current Expense Budget at a level $5.3 million higher than the previous year, with growth in most state revenue line items including funding for Compensatory Education (based on Wicomico’s increasing percentage of students eligible for free and reduced meals), Foundation Programs, Limited English Proficiency, and Aging Schools.
• Utilization of $3.1 million in federal aid from the 2009 Education Jobs Fund, a one-time federal grant that must be used by September 30, 2012. These federal funds will not be available for the FY 2014 budget.
• A cut catalogue totaling nearly $2.5 million in reductions to existing budget areas, with cuts agreed on after months of discussion. The largest item is $1.16 million from the Voluntary Retirement Incentive Option (VRIO) to encourage staff members at the higher end of the salary scale to retire, resulting in salary savings due to employee turnover.
• Budget realignments totaling almost $5 million. Budget managers were required to evaluate their expenditures and their needs and explore realignments of existing funds before requesting any new funds.
More
The Board of Education approved the Consolidated Current Expense Budget of almost $175.5 million, an increase of nearly $6.9 million over the previous year’s budget. The increase is largely due to a $5.5 million boost in state aid.
The unrestricted portion of the school system’s budget is $162.5 million, a budget level that is 4.3% more than last year. The Board is appreciative of the County Executive and the Wicomico County Council for a 2.22% increase in county funding for FY 2013. This $803,108 increase (part of a total county allocation of $37 million) exceeds the Maintenance of Effort level for the first time since FY 2009 and will enable the school system to avoid cuts that could have affected direct face-to-face instruction and services for students. Included in this increase is the county’s additional allocation of $79,170 for Textbooks and Instructional Supplies, funding which will be put to good use in every classroom in Wicomico County.
Several other factors made this balanced budget possible:
• State funding for the Unrestricted Current Expense Budget at a level $5.3 million higher than the previous year, with growth in most state revenue line items including funding for Compensatory Education (based on Wicomico’s increasing percentage of students eligible for free and reduced meals), Foundation Programs, Limited English Proficiency, and Aging Schools.
• Utilization of $3.1 million in federal aid from the 2009 Education Jobs Fund, a one-time federal grant that must be used by September 30, 2012. These federal funds will not be available for the FY 2014 budget.
• A cut catalogue totaling nearly $2.5 million in reductions to existing budget areas, with cuts agreed on after months of discussion. The largest item is $1.16 million from the Voluntary Retirement Incentive Option (VRIO) to encourage staff members at the higher end of the salary scale to retire, resulting in salary savings due to employee turnover.
• Budget realignments totaling almost $5 million. Budget managers were required to evaluate their expenditures and their needs and explore realignments of existing funds before requesting any new funds.
More
California Considers Bill to Legalize More Than Two Parents
Did you ever wish you had been adopted? Wish you had any other parents but your own?
Wish no more. State Senator Mark Leno of California (D) is coming to your rescue.
Leno is sponsoring legislation to allow a child to have more than two legal parents. Why, if Dad and Mom weren’t good enough, now you can have Dad, Mom, and Mom’s good friend Uncle Charlie (who looks a lot like you) to all be your parents.
Remember when you found that wedding certificate of Mom and Dad’s and the date was only four months before you were born and they had once mentioned that they had only known each other for a month before they got married? But Uncle Charlie knew Mom even before Dad? Don’t you worry about it. Now you can call Uncle Charlie dad, too. It’ll make things much easier.
More
More Exciting News On The Downtown Plaza
Salisbury News has learned that a local investor has purchased the old Allfirst Bank on the Plaza and plans on opening an Auction House there.
Palmer Gillis bought the old Feldman's Building and plans on taking down everything with the exception of the three story building. I'm hearing they will open both ends on either side of the building all the way to the River and create an extension of the current River Walk.
Everyone's friend Phil from the Downtown Deli will be partnering up with Joey Gilkerson at the old Escape Restaurant. Phil will be serving Italian food and Joey will be running the Bar.
The Taylor's have been as aggressive as they can be trying to sell Parker Place and while it's been under contract a few times nothing has come through.
Believe it or not, I didn't realize there are TWO Bridal Shops across the street from each other on the Plaza. Did You?
As I sit in my Office every day and evening I get to see the new faces walking by. What I'm getting at is, there are new tenants filling up the apartments down here like there's no tomorrow.
You see Ladies & Gentlemen, all you have to do is TALK about doing something and people start getting excited. It has been a LOT of years since the Plaza has filled up to this kind of capacity. Downtown is NOT dead, it was just resting for a little while.
For what its worth, I have been considering moving Salisbury News to my 2nd and 3rd floor office space. Ever since I started considering it I have been aproached by two businessmen showing interest in renting the 1st floor of my building.
Downtown is alive and well. I still want to see a Bagel Shop & Coffee Shop down here.
Drug Maker Agrees to Largest-Ever Fraud Settlement
GlaxoSmithKline LLC,
a global health care company, agreed to plead guilty and pay $3
billion, the largest health care fraud settlement in U.S. history, after
illegally marketing certain prescription drugs, Department of Justice officials announced Monday.
GSK agreed to pay $3 billion to resolve criminal and civil charges for promoting the drugs Paxil and Wellbutrin for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration — such as treating children for depression and treating adult patients for obesity, anxiety, addiction and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
The company also failed to report clinical data about the drug Avandia to the FDA.
More
GSK agreed to pay $3 billion to resolve criminal and civil charges for promoting the drugs Paxil and Wellbutrin for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration — such as treating children for depression and treating adult patients for obesity, anxiety, addiction and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
The company also failed to report clinical data about the drug Avandia to the FDA.
More
Coastal Hospice News
A Message from Our President, Alane Capen
I'm happy to report that Coastal Hospice at the Ocean – our proposed hospice residence and outreach center - has received the support of the State of Maryland. Thanks to the efforts of Sen. James N. Mathias, Jr. (District 38) and Del. Norman H. Conway (District 38-B), we will receive $500,000 in the form of a bond. We have the matching funds in place and are ready to proceed with the project.
Both Sen. Mathias and Del. Conway expressed their appreciation for the work of Coastal Hospice & Palliative Care in their support of the bond bill, and we certainly appreciate their support as well. We're all looking forward to breaking ground soon on Coastal Hospice at the Ocean, but we have some work to do before that can happen. We'll keep you posted on our progress in future issues of this newsletter.
The people who care for our patients, the physicians, nurses, social workers, spiritual and bereavement counselors and volunteers, come together in remarkable team. Every day we learn more about the depth of their dedication and compassion. Almost as much as our legislators, I have our staff and volunteers to thank for this exciting investment in the future of Coastal Hospice.
On behalf of the staff of Coastal Hospice and Palliative Care, I wish you a safe and enjoyable summer!
Coastal Hospice & Palliative Care
2604 Old Ocean City Road Salisbury, MD 21804
PO Box 1733 Salisbury, MD 21802
I'm happy to report that Coastal Hospice at the Ocean – our proposed hospice residence and outreach center - has received the support of the State of Maryland. Thanks to the efforts of Sen. James N. Mathias, Jr. (District 38) and Del. Norman H. Conway (District 38-B), we will receive $500,000 in the form of a bond. We have the matching funds in place and are ready to proceed with the project.
Both Sen. Mathias and Del. Conway expressed their appreciation for the work of Coastal Hospice & Palliative Care in their support of the bond bill, and we certainly appreciate their support as well. We're all looking forward to breaking ground soon on Coastal Hospice at the Ocean, but we have some work to do before that can happen. We'll keep you posted on our progress in future issues of this newsletter.
The people who care for our patients, the physicians, nurses, social workers, spiritual and bereavement counselors and volunteers, come together in remarkable team. Every day we learn more about the depth of their dedication and compassion. Almost as much as our legislators, I have our staff and volunteers to thank for this exciting investment in the future of Coastal Hospice.
On behalf of the staff of Coastal Hospice and Palliative Care, I wish you a safe and enjoyable summer!
Coastal Hospice & Palliative Care
2604 Old Ocean City Road Salisbury, MD 21804
PO Box 1733 Salisbury, MD 21802
410-742-8732 Fax 410-548-5669
A Letter To The Editor 7-3-12
What’s The Real Problem With Salisbury’s Public Works Department?
We are hearing increasingly frequent complaint by those who deal with the City’s “PWD” that something is seriously amiss in that department. Permits and plan approvals are taking an inordinately long period and becoming unreasonably difficult to obtain because of multiple punch lists and unrealistic conditions being imposed. The root of the problem some folks believe is the department head - a former DELDOT bureaucrat - and a mayor who is unprepared and unable to exercise appropriate oversight and control.
Anyone who has had a recent unpleasant episode with Salisbury public works personnel or has significant information about the department’s malaise is invited to comment and contact me to discuss details. Confidentiality will be protected.
We are hearing increasingly frequent complaint by those who deal with the City’s “PWD” that something is seriously amiss in that department. Permits and plan approvals are taking an inordinately long period and becoming unreasonably difficult to obtain because of multiple punch lists and unrealistic conditions being imposed. The root of the problem some folks believe is the department head - a former DELDOT bureaucrat - and a mayor who is unprepared and unable to exercise appropriate oversight and control.
Anyone who has had a recent unpleasant episode with Salisbury public works personnel or has significant information about the department’s malaise is invited to comment and contact me to discuss details. Confidentiality will be protected.
Beating Juveniles, Falsifying Reports, Hiding Drugs in His Squad Car, Stealing From Suspects: Meet the $60K-Per-Year Cop Who Can’t Be Fired
Despite multiple investigations and numerous attempts to dismiss him, it
seems like Sgt. German Bosque, 48, of the Opa-locka, Fla., Police
Department is the $60,000-a-year police officer who can’t be fired.
He has been accused of car theft, beating juveniles, falsifying reports, boarding a plane with a loaded gun, possession of narcotics, and stealing from suspects. He has been disciplined for driving with a suspended license, disobeying direct orders, and engaging in high-speed chases (one of which resulted in four deaths).
And then there’s this little gem [via the Miami Herald]:
In February 2008 … the state attorney’s office began noticing that key drug evidence in some of his cases was missing. [Bosque’s] police car was inspected, and investigators found an empty Smirnoff vodka bottle, a small bag of cocaine, crack pipes, Florida license plates, a pile of driver’s licenses he had seized, along with a stack of arrest reports he had never turned in
More
He has been accused of car theft, beating juveniles, falsifying reports, boarding a plane with a loaded gun, possession of narcotics, and stealing from suspects. He has been disciplined for driving with a suspended license, disobeying direct orders, and engaging in high-speed chases (one of which resulted in four deaths).
And then there’s this little gem [via the Miami Herald]:
In February 2008 … the state attorney’s office began noticing that key drug evidence in some of his cases was missing. [Bosque’s] police car was inspected, and investigators found an empty Smirnoff vodka bottle, a small bag of cocaine, crack pipes, Florida license plates, a pile of driver’s licenses he had seized, along with a stack of arrest reports he had never turned in
More
HOLLY CENTER AUXILIARY WINS STATE AWARD
Recently, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Council of Volunteer Auxiliaries, held their 56th Annual Awards Luncheon and meeting in Grasonville, Maryland.
The “Holly Center Auxiliary” won the award for the organization contributing the most outstanding service to clients/residents during Fiscal Year 2011! Through the Canteen Boutique Project, the Holly Center Auxiliary has been instrumental in helping to enhance the quality of life for Holly Center people. During the fiscal year of July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012, auxiliary members donated a total of 1,432 hours to Holly Center.
The Holly Center Auxiliary’s goal is to continue their efforts in focusing on projects that directly aid in the improvement of the lives of Holly Center people. The members of the auxiliary reside in Wicomico, Worcester and Sussex counties. Kudos to all!
SUMMER SALES
You and your friends are invited to the next opening of the “Holly Center Auxiliary Canteen Boutique” for great bargains on summer clothing and lots of beautiful jewelry! Our hours of operation are 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., the third Wednesday of each month. The shop offers a variety of men’s, women’s and children’s apparel. We are located on Snow Hill Road in Salisbury. We will open for business on:
WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2012
11:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.
CANTEEN BUILDING
In addition, we have women’s designer watches, bracelets, earrings, pocketbooks, scented botanical fragrance oils, home accents, and lots more! Proceeds are used by the Holly Center Auxiliary for the benefit of Holly Center people. We welcome support from individuals, community groups and organizations.
For more information on the Canteen Boutique, call Marlina Belote, Director of Volunteer Services & Community Relations, @ 410.572.6204.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2012
11:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.
CANTEEN BUILDING
In addition, we have women’s designer watches, bracelets, earrings, pocketbooks, scented botanical fragrance oils, home accents, and lots more! Proceeds are used by the Holly Center Auxiliary for the benefit of Holly Center people. We welcome support from individuals, community groups and organizations.
For more information on the Canteen Boutique, call Marlina Belote, Director of Volunteer Services & Community Relations, @ 410.572.6204.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteer opportunities are available at the Holly Center in area departments such as Recreation, Adult Day Program and the Holly Center Auxiliary. The benefits of volunteering are of enormous!
In addition, volunteers are needed to assist staff with special events that directly benefit Holly Center people. If you would like you to consider becoming a volunteer of Holly Center, please contact the Office of Volunteer Services at 410.572.6204. The next scheduled volunteer orientation will be held on:
MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012
CANTEEN BUILDING
2:00 PM
Pre-registration is required to attend the Volunteer Orientation. For more information, please call Marlina Belote, Director of Volunteer Services & Community Relations at 410.572.6204.
In addition, volunteers are needed to assist staff with special events that directly benefit Holly Center people. If you would like you to consider becoming a volunteer of Holly Center, please contact the Office of Volunteer Services at 410.572.6204. The next scheduled volunteer orientation will be held on:
MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012
CANTEEN BUILDING
2:00 PM
Pre-registration is required to attend the Volunteer Orientation. For more information, please call Marlina Belote, Director of Volunteer Services & Community Relations at 410.572.6204.
BREAKING NEWS: Clinton Apologizes For Airstrike, Says Pakistan Reopening Supply Routes
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apologizes for 24 Pakistani troops killed in NATO airstrike as she announces Pakistan has agreed to reopen supply routes to Afghanistan.
From Fox News
From Fox News
The 'Green' Premium: 620%
As the squeeze-fest from Friday's oil-spike wears off a little, it is perhaps worth noting just how astronomically insane the world gets when the terrible triumvirate of 'green' energy needs, defense spending, and government largesse come together. Why should we worry about 5c or 10c on a gallon of fuel down the local gas station when the US Navy (in all her glory) is willing to pay a staggering $26-a-gallon for 'green' synthetic biofuel (made we assume from the very same unicorn tears and leprechaun nipples that funded the ESM). As Reuters reports [4], the 'Great Green Fleet' will be the first carrier strike group powered largely by alternative fuels; as the Pentagon hopes it can prove the Navy looks just as impressive burning fuel squeezed from seeds, algae, and chicken fat (we did not make this up). The story gets better as it appears back in 2009, the Navy paid Solazyme (whose strategic advisors included TJ Gaulthier who served on Obama's White House Transition team) $8.5mm for 20,055 gallons on algae-based biofuel - a snip at just $424-a-gallon. While this is of course stirring all kinds of Republican rebuttal, Navy secretary Ray Mabus believes it vital to diversify as the Navy has been at the forefront of energy innovation for over 100 years (from sail, to coal, to oil, and then to nuclear from the 1850s to 1950s). Indeed, "Of course it costs more," he told the climate conference. "It's a new technology. If we didn't pay a little bit more for new technologies, we'd still be using typewriters instead of computers." Easy when it's other people's money eh?
Source
Source
Roberts Hands A Poisoned Chalice To The President
What in the world was Chief Justice Roberts trying to do by voting with the liberals on ObamaCare? Conservative opinion is all over the map, but conservative talk show hosts were clear, as I drove south from liberal Seattle to liberal Ashland, Oregon, on June 28, 2012, that the ball was in the voters' court.
Whatever you think of Roberts' decision, his message was unequivocal. If you don't like ObamaCare then you'd better vote it down in November. In this he gives conservatives real clarity.
If the Supreme Court conservatives had voted down ObamaCare by a vote of 5 to 4 the liberals would not have accepted it, any more than the pro-life movement accepts Roe v. Wade. There was only one way in 2012 to make a Supreme Court decision to invalidate ObamaCare stick, and that would have been for Justice Kagan to join the conservative majority in a 6-3 decision. Why Kagan? Look at the other three liberals: Ginsburg was a liberal ACLU lawyer; Breyer was a Kennedy staffer; Sotomayor an affirmative action pick -- liberal hacks every one. But Elena Kagan was dean of Harvard Law School and Solicitor General; she is the liberal educated elite. Her vote to overturn would have been an admission from the educated establishment that ObamaCare was unjust and wrong.
Good luck with that. So the only way to make liberals accept a repeal of ObamaCare is by the brute force of political power, the mandate of the voters expressed at the ballot box, just as Chief Justice wrote in the majority decision.
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Whatever you think of Roberts' decision, his message was unequivocal. If you don't like ObamaCare then you'd better vote it down in November. In this he gives conservatives real clarity.
If the Supreme Court conservatives had voted down ObamaCare by a vote of 5 to 4 the liberals would not have accepted it, any more than the pro-life movement accepts Roe v. Wade. There was only one way in 2012 to make a Supreme Court decision to invalidate ObamaCare stick, and that would have been for Justice Kagan to join the conservative majority in a 6-3 decision. Why Kagan? Look at the other three liberals: Ginsburg was a liberal ACLU lawyer; Breyer was a Kennedy staffer; Sotomayor an affirmative action pick -- liberal hacks every one. But Elena Kagan was dean of Harvard Law School and Solicitor General; she is the liberal educated elite. Her vote to overturn would have been an admission from the educated establishment that ObamaCare was unjust and wrong.
Good luck with that. So the only way to make liberals accept a repeal of ObamaCare is by the brute force of political power, the mandate of the voters expressed at the ballot box, just as Chief Justice wrote in the majority decision.
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Italian Mother
Mrs. Ravioli comes to visit her son, Anthony, for dinner. He lives with a female roommate, Maria.
During the course of the meal, his mother couldn't help but notice how pretty Anthony's roommate is.
During the course of the meal, his mother couldn't help but notice how pretty Anthony's roommate is.
Over the course of the evening, while watching the two interact, she started to wonder if there was more between Anthony and his roommate than met the eye.
Reading his mom's thoughts, Anthony volunteered, "I know what you must be thinking, but I assure you, Maria and I are just roommates.''
About a week later, Maria came to Anthony saying, "Ever since your mother came to dinner, I've been unable to find the silver sugar bowl. You don't suppose she took it, do you?"
"Well, I doubt it, but I'll email her, just to be sure." So he sat down and wrote an email:
Dear Mama,
I'm not saying that you "did" take the sugar bowl from my house; I'm not saying that you "did not" take it. But the fact remains that it has been missing ever since you were here for dinner.
Love, Anthony
Several days later, Anthony received a response email from his Mama which read:
Dear Son,
I'm not saying that you "do" sleep with Maria, and I'm not saying that you "do not" sleep with her. But the fact remains that if she was sleeping in her OWN bed, she would have found the sugar bowl by now.
Love, Mama
Moral: Never lie to your Mama
Stretch of Delaware Seashore State Park Beach Closed For Oystercatcher Nesting
CAPE HENLOPEN - Temporary fencing was erected today along a stretch of beach at Delaware Seashore State Park to protect an American Oystercatcher nest with eggs expected to hatch by the end of this week. The nest within the cordoned-off area is being incubated on the ocean side of the park, between Key Box and Conquest Roads crossover.
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How To Game Obamacare (And Eventually Collapse It)
It's clear that, under Obamacare, premiums will go through the roof, especially for the young. It will be cheaper for almost everyone to pay the penalty rather than buy insurance. And since, Obamacare requires that insurers take on those who already have pre-existing conditions, there is no risk for those who simply pay the penalty. If a penalty payer comes down with a catastrophic condition, he can simply buy "insurance" at that point.
This will eventually collapse the system, unless penalties are made higher than the cost of insurance (which would require congressional approval--imagine that circus).
As a commenter at WSJ put it:
Obamacare will collapse of it's own accord. Do the math. It will be cheaper to pay the penalty than to buy insurance. For any health insurance to work you need healthy people that use little to no health care to pay into the system so that there will be a large enough pool of money to pay for those who require expensive care.
I am opposed to Obamacare but I can not wait for it to be implemented. The achilles heal of the Obama Health Care Tax scheme is that people will just wait until they are sick to sign up for insurance. As a result, billions will be removed from the insurance pool. The faster the plan is put into place the faster this flaw will become apparent and the faster this Ponzi scheme will be repealed.
If you doubt what I am saying research the Mass. health care plan that was in effect before the so-called Romney care plan.
This commenter is correct. Let's get the Obamacare show on the road. Pay the penalty, collapse the healthcare insurance industry and lets see what these nutjobs try next.
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This will eventually collapse the system, unless penalties are made higher than the cost of insurance (which would require congressional approval--imagine that circus).
As a commenter at WSJ put it:
Obamacare will collapse of it's own accord. Do the math. It will be cheaper to pay the penalty than to buy insurance. For any health insurance to work you need healthy people that use little to no health care to pay into the system so that there will be a large enough pool of money to pay for those who require expensive care.
I am opposed to Obamacare but I can not wait for it to be implemented. The achilles heal of the Obama Health Care Tax scheme is that people will just wait until they are sick to sign up for insurance. As a result, billions will be removed from the insurance pool. The faster the plan is put into place the faster this flaw will become apparent and the faster this Ponzi scheme will be repealed.
If you doubt what I am saying research the Mass. health care plan that was in effect before the so-called Romney care plan.
This commenter is correct. Let's get the Obamacare show on the road. Pay the penalty, collapse the healthcare insurance industry and lets see what these nutjobs try next.
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Delaware’s 20 Wildland Firefighters Now Battling Colorado’s Pine Ridge Fire
Delaware’s crew of 20 wildland firefighters is now assigned to the Pine Ridge Fire, located 13 miles northeast of Grand Junction, Colorado along the Colorado River. The fire began on June 27 and is currently estimated at 13,360 acres with 35 percent containment.
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Forget Hot Dogs, Glut Means Cheap Lobster Prices
Retailers have been selling small soft-shell lobsters in the Portland area for an unusually low $3.79 to $4.99 a pound. At those prices, lobsters have been selling for less than the per-pound price of bologna at many supermarket deli counters.
Zain Nemazie, of Austin, Texas, was expecting low lobster prices _ but not this low _ while on vacation in Maine with his family.
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AutoZone Cashier Made Me Donate To Charity Against My Will
Stuart was shopping at Autozone, and stubbornly insisted on reading everything on the credit card reader screen before agreeing to it. The chain was doing a St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital fundraising push at the time, and when the screen asked whether he would like to donate a dollar, the cashier reached over and pressed "yes" for him. There was some confusion, but ultimately when Stuart complained, the store employees didn't see why he was being so stubborn. After all, it was for charity, and only a dollar: why did he care that the store was charging him money he specifically didn't give them permission to charge?
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Va. To Stagger Food-Stamp Payouts To Ease Crowding
The first of every month, about 440,000 households in the state get their monthly allotment of food stamps - now known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits - and many promptly head to their local grocery stores.
Checkout lines can be much longer. Items such as Cheerios and broccoli can disappear from shelves. Some stores bring in extra staff.
Only nine states do business this way.
Now, that's about to change in Virginia, as the state Department of Social Services will begin to alter the way it issues SNAP benefits in September. By October the benefits will be dispersed on the 1st, 4th, 7th and 9th of the month, based on the last digit of the recipient's case number.
The change was spurred by retailers who said they had difficulty keeping their shelves stocked at the beginning of the month, said Tom Steinhauser, director of division benefit programs for social services. He said recipients also will benefit.
"The idea is to make sure that retailers can keep their shelves stocked so everyone is not running to the grocery store at the first of the month," Steinhauser said.
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Checkout lines can be much longer. Items such as Cheerios and broccoli can disappear from shelves. Some stores bring in extra staff.
Only nine states do business this way.
Now, that's about to change in Virginia, as the state Department of Social Services will begin to alter the way it issues SNAP benefits in September. By October the benefits will be dispersed on the 1st, 4th, 7th and 9th of the month, based on the last digit of the recipient's case number.
The change was spurred by retailers who said they had difficulty keeping their shelves stocked at the beginning of the month, said Tom Steinhauser, director of division benefit programs for social services. He said recipients also will benefit.
"The idea is to make sure that retailers can keep their shelves stocked so everyone is not running to the grocery store at the first of the month," Steinhauser said.
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We Are Not Shocked That Most People Injured By Fireworks Get Hurt Around The 4th Of July
Obvious or not, when it comes to fiery objects it's always better to be extra safe than sorry, right? But in case you weren't sure when there would be a large surge in fireworks-related injuries, a survey from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found that most fireworks injuries happened during the month of the July 4th holiday.
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Florida, Other States Opting Out Of Medicaid Expansion Four Years Before They Are Expected To Pay A Dime
Even though the expansion of Medicaid to cover several million more low-income Americans isn't slated to begin until January 2014 -- and even though states aren't scheduled to begin contributing anything to the expansion until 2016 -- some states have already declared their intention to not take part in the program.
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Chief Justice Roberts, Economic Fascist
On July 2, 1776, Congress voted for the Declaration of Independence. Most of the members signed it on July 4, although more signed over the next month.
The problem was this: a declaration of independence from King George III (and from Parliament, which was really the source of bureaucratic meddling and taxation of a staggering 1% of GDP), was that it led within six years to massive debt, hyperinflation, and increased taxation. After 1788, it led to more of the same. It has finally led to Nanci Pelosi's ideological agent on the bench, John Roberts.
In upholding Obamacare, which is in fact Pelosicare, Chief Justice Roberts wrote the majority opinion. He indulged in some lawyer-like deception, as lawyers are paid to do. The law specifically says that the mandatory payment for not buying insurance is a penalty, not a tax. He determined that this penalty would be unconstitutional if it were a penalty (commerce clause), so, lo and behold, it's a tax!
This is all nonsense, of course. The government has regulated lots of things under the commerce clause, telling people what they must do, can do, and cannot do. If the Supreme Court gives any regulation a thumbs-up, the regulation continues. No single case is going to reverse the federal bureaucracy from pursuing its agenda under the commerce clause.
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The problem was this: a declaration of independence from King George III (and from Parliament, which was really the source of bureaucratic meddling and taxation of a staggering 1% of GDP), was that it led within six years to massive debt, hyperinflation, and increased taxation. After 1788, it led to more of the same. It has finally led to Nanci Pelosi's ideological agent on the bench, John Roberts.
In upholding Obamacare, which is in fact Pelosicare, Chief Justice Roberts wrote the majority opinion. He indulged in some lawyer-like deception, as lawyers are paid to do. The law specifically says that the mandatory payment for not buying insurance is a penalty, not a tax. He determined that this penalty would be unconstitutional if it were a penalty (commerce clause), so, lo and behold, it's a tax!
This is all nonsense, of course. The government has regulated lots of things under the commerce clause, telling people what they must do, can do, and cannot do. If the Supreme Court gives any regulation a thumbs-up, the regulation continues. No single case is going to reverse the federal bureaucracy from pursuing its agenda under the commerce clause.
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The IRS Just Can’t Keep Up With All These Potentially Fraudulent Tax Returns
If you're one of the two million people who filed a potentially fraudulent tax return last year, well, you're causing the Internal Revenue Service to have a really rough time. That number is a sharp increase, up 72% from the previous year, and it's giving the IRS a huge headache as it struggles to keep up.
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Don't Miss The Fireworks In Willards Tonight
Stop by and get your FREE bumper sticker at the SBYNEWS.COM Truck. We're not sure if Mayor Jim Ireton will be present but if he is he'll be handing out his own version of bumper stickers below.
Ga. Woman With Flesh-Eating Bug Leaves Hospital
Despite losing her left leg, right foot and both hands, the 24-year-old graduate student kept up her high spirits as she headed for an inpatient rehabilitation clinic in metro Atlanta.
Copeland's father, Andy, said she is ready for the next phase of recovery.
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Botched House Construction Forces Couple To Tear Down $150K Worth Of Building To Make Room For A Pool
What's a little thing like $150,000 when a pool is on the line? A couple in the Hamptons on Long Island, N.Y. went on vacation while their new house was being built, and weren't too happy when they came back to find it had been situated too far away from the curb. Not because they looove watching street traffic, but because that left no room in the back back the pool that was planned for the house. So they had it torn down to rebuild from scratch.
My Fourth Of July Reflections
For some people the Fourth of July is the most important holiday in America. Sadly, not for all, especially not just now when most of the leadership of the country has made it clear that principles do not matter. What matters is what is expedient or practical, which is something very unstable.
Sadly, there is an element to the Fourth that has always been a liability. It is that principles of politics, economics, ethics or any other practical field have been championed as if they were like principles of geometry, logic or mathematics, namely, timelessly true, certain beyond a shadow of a doubt. Like timeless laws of nature! And no practical principles can be like that since the future can always bring to light facts that could require modifying them. This was something the framers of the American system were well aware of, which is why they included the amendment provision in the constitution. This doesn't mean principles do not exist; only that they are always to be understood within the most up to date context of their subject matter.
Because the basic principles that are to be celebrated on the Fourth of July are derived from human nature, which remains stable over centuries on end, they are good guides to the way a human community should be framed or constituted. Human nature hasn't changed for a very long time and so it can serve as a stable basis for how human communities are to be conceived and governed. Many aspects of human life change but human nature has remained stable, unchanging for centuries and so it can serve as the basis of a legal order, just as the American founders believed, based on their study of some of the great moral and political thinkers in human history.
If, however, the possibility of having to make some changes, amendments, alterations or modifications on those principles is denied, their credibility suffers. No one can reasonably guarantee that those principles will never need some alteration and by promising that they won't, they become vulnerable to valid skeptical doubts. And those who have not liked the principles of the Declaration and the Bill of Rights, all the statists who live in the country, can take advantage of this and even ridicule the idea of our finding such stable basic principles. By making the mistake of claiming that the principles are everlasting they are put into jeopardy at the hands of their detractors and enemies.
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Sadly, there is an element to the Fourth that has always been a liability. It is that principles of politics, economics, ethics or any other practical field have been championed as if they were like principles of geometry, logic or mathematics, namely, timelessly true, certain beyond a shadow of a doubt. Like timeless laws of nature! And no practical principles can be like that since the future can always bring to light facts that could require modifying them. This was something the framers of the American system were well aware of, which is why they included the amendment provision in the constitution. This doesn't mean principles do not exist; only that they are always to be understood within the most up to date context of their subject matter.
Because the basic principles that are to be celebrated on the Fourth of July are derived from human nature, which remains stable over centuries on end, they are good guides to the way a human community should be framed or constituted. Human nature hasn't changed for a very long time and so it can serve as a stable basis for how human communities are to be conceived and governed. Many aspects of human life change but human nature has remained stable, unchanging for centuries and so it can serve as the basis of a legal order, just as the American founders believed, based on their study of some of the great moral and political thinkers in human history.
If, however, the possibility of having to make some changes, amendments, alterations or modifications on those principles is denied, their credibility suffers. No one can reasonably guarantee that those principles will never need some alteration and by promising that they won't, they become vulnerable to valid skeptical doubts. And those who have not liked the principles of the Declaration and the Bill of Rights, all the statists who live in the country, can take advantage of this and even ridicule the idea of our finding such stable basic principles. By making the mistake of claiming that the principles are everlasting they are put into jeopardy at the hands of their detractors and enemies.
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***AT 11 AM***GOVERNOR O’MALLEY TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE AT MARYLAND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
REISTERSTOWN, MD (July 3, 2012) – TODAY at 11:00 a.m., Governor O’Malley will hold a press conference at the Maryland Emergency Management Agency to provide an update on the State’s recovery following this weekend’s storms.
The press conference will be live streamed here.
After the storms hit this weekend, Maryland experienced hurricane-scale power losses. Utility companies are working around the clock to restore power. Please continue to stay away from downed wires and let emergency personnel take the necessary precautions to restore power. For a current list of power outages, click here.
With temperatures expected to remain high today, it is important for everyone to remain cool and hydrated. The Governor has declared liberal leave today for all non-essential state employees. Stay safe, and please continue to check on neighbors throughout this time. If you are without air conditioning and need a place to go, visit a local cooling center.
The press conference will be live streamed here.
After the storms hit this weekend, Maryland experienced hurricane-scale power losses. Utility companies are working around the clock to restore power. Please continue to stay away from downed wires and let emergency personnel take the necessary precautions to restore power. For a current list of power outages, click here.
With temperatures expected to remain high today, it is important for everyone to remain cool and hydrated. The Governor has declared liberal leave today for all non-essential state employees. Stay safe, and please continue to check on neighbors throughout this time. If you are without air conditioning and need a place to go, visit a local cooling center.
Hero General: Obama Following Castro's Plan
Earlier this year, a former senior Pentagon official who has battled
Marxism around the globe released a video warning that Barack Obama is
following in the footsteps of Fidel Castro, Joseph Stalin and others who
have led communist revolutions in their nations.
Retired Lt. Gen. William G. “Jerry” Boykin, a decorated former Delta Force commander, U.S. deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence and Purple Heart recipient, explained in the video a six-step plan used by revolutionaries to bring about Marxism elsewhere and drew parallels to Obama’s actions in the U.S.
Boykin’s warning resounds eerily today in particular, as the nation is reeling from the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a massive federal overhaul of health care and on the anniversary of Obama’s pledge to establish a “national civilian security force” – two events Boykin warned were markers of a “Marxist insurgency” in other nations.
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Retired Lt. Gen. William G. “Jerry” Boykin, a decorated former Delta Force commander, U.S. deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence and Purple Heart recipient, explained in the video a six-step plan used by revolutionaries to bring about Marxism elsewhere and drew parallels to Obama’s actions in the U.S.
Boykin’s warning resounds eerily today in particular, as the nation is reeling from the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a massive federal overhaul of health care and on the anniversary of Obama’s pledge to establish a “national civilian security force” – two events Boykin warned were markers of a “Marxist insurgency” in other nations.
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TRAFFIC ALERT 7-3-12
Norfolk Southern Railroad Will Close Crossing at Old Race Track Road for Repairs
Delmar -- As a public courtesy, the Department of Transportation (DelDOT) wants to inform area residents that Norfolk Southern Railroad will close the railroad crossing on Old Race Track Road between Saint George Road and Bi State Boulevard in Delmar for repairs to the crossing. The crossing will be closed at 7 a.m. on Monday, July 9. The crossing will reopen by 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 12, pending weather.
Detour routes:
Westbound: Bi State Boulevard to West Line Road onto Delmar Road and return to Old Race Track Road
Eastbound: Old Race Track Road to Saint George Road onto West Line Road to Bi State Boulevard and back to Old Race Track Road
DelDOT will post signs to alert motorists of the closure and the accompanying detour routes.
Delmar -- As a public courtesy, the Department of Transportation (DelDOT) wants to inform area residents that Norfolk Southern Railroad will close the railroad crossing on Old Race Track Road between Saint George Road and Bi State Boulevard in Delmar for repairs to the crossing. The crossing will be closed at 7 a.m. on Monday, July 9. The crossing will reopen by 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 12, pending weather.
Detour routes:
Westbound: Bi State Boulevard to West Line Road onto Delmar Road and return to Old Race Track Road
Eastbound: Old Race Track Road to Saint George Road onto West Line Road to Bi State Boulevard and back to Old Race Track Road
DelDOT will post signs to alert motorists of the closure and the accompanying detour routes.
Salisbury Police Seek Public Assistance
On July 2, 2012 at approximately 2:20pm, officers responded to 502 W Main St for a reported body floating in the river. On arrival it was learned from a witness that he discovered the body floating near the tugboat that was moored near the W Main
Street Bridge. Salisbury Fire and EMS responded to the scene.
The Salisbury Fire Boat was requested to assist in the recovery.
The subject has been identified as William Alfred Cole Jr, 72yo of Salisbury, MD.
Due to the circumstances surrounding his death, Mr Cole will be transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, MD for an autopsy to determine cause of death.
Anyone that may have seen Mr Cole prior to 2:20pm on July 2, 2012 is asked to contact the Salisbury Police Department at 410.548.3165.
77% Of JP Morgan's Net Income Comes From Government Subsidies
JP Morgan’s credit rating would be much lower without government backing.
As Bloomberg noted [9] last week:
JPMorgan benefited from the assumption that there’s a “very high likelihood” the U.S. government would back the bank’s bondholders and creditors if it defaulted on its debt, according to the statement. Without the implied federal backing, JPMorgan’s long-term deposit rating would have been three levels lower and its senior debt would have dropped two more steps, Moody’s said.
And as the editors of Bloomberg pointed out [10] a couple of weeks ago:
JPMorgan receives a government subsidy worth about $14 billion a year, according to research published by the International Monetary Fundand our own analysis of bank balance sheets. The money helps the bank pay big salaries and bonuses. More important, it distorts markets, fueling crises such as the recent subprime-lending disaster and the sovereign-debt debacle that is now threatening to destroy the euro and sink the global economy.
With each new banking crisis, the value of the implicit subsidy grows. In a recent paper, two economists — Kenichi Ueda of the IMF and Beatrice Weder Di Mauro of the University of Mainz — estimated that as of 2009 the expectation of government support was shaving about 0.8 percentage point off large banks’ borrowing costs. That’s up from 0.6 percentage point in 2007, before the financial crisis prompted a global round of bank bailouts.
To estimate the dollar value of the subsidy in the U.S., we multiplied it by the debt and deposits of 18 of the country’s largest banks, including JPMorgan, Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. The result: about $76 billion a year. The number is roughly equivalent to the banks’ total profits over the past 12 months, or more than the federal government spends every year on education.
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As Bloomberg noted [9] last week:
JPMorgan benefited from the assumption that there’s a “very high likelihood” the U.S. government would back the bank’s bondholders and creditors if it defaulted on its debt, according to the statement. Without the implied federal backing, JPMorgan’s long-term deposit rating would have been three levels lower and its senior debt would have dropped two more steps, Moody’s said.
And as the editors of Bloomberg pointed out [10] a couple of weeks ago:
JPMorgan receives a government subsidy worth about $14 billion a year, according to research published by the International Monetary Fundand our own analysis of bank balance sheets. The money helps the bank pay big salaries and bonuses. More important, it distorts markets, fueling crises such as the recent subprime-lending disaster and the sovereign-debt debacle that is now threatening to destroy the euro and sink the global economy.
With each new banking crisis, the value of the implicit subsidy grows. In a recent paper, two economists — Kenichi Ueda of the IMF and Beatrice Weder Di Mauro of the University of Mainz — estimated that as of 2009 the expectation of government support was shaving about 0.8 percentage point off large banks’ borrowing costs. That’s up from 0.6 percentage point in 2007, before the financial crisis prompted a global round of bank bailouts.
To estimate the dollar value of the subsidy in the U.S., we multiplied it by the debt and deposits of 18 of the country’s largest banks, including JPMorgan, Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. The result: about $76 billion a year. The number is roughly equivalent to the banks’ total profits over the past 12 months, or more than the federal government spends every year on education.
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July 5th Deadline For Parent/Guardian Responses On Public School Choice
Parents and guardians of students who participated in the Prince Street Title I School Choice program by attending another elementary school for the 2011-12 school year have until July 5 to commit to placement for the next school year, now that Title I School Choice is no longer in effect.
A student living in the Prince Street Elementary attendance area who attended another school last year under Title I School Choice can either return to Prince Street for 2012-13, or can continue to attend the Public School Choice school attended last year, with parent transportation. A student can continue to attend the choice school through the school’s highest grade, as long as the parents provide transportation.
The U.S. Department of Education granted Maryland a waiver from certain requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, including Public School Choice for students attending Title I schools that do not make Adequate Yearly Progress targets for two straight years.
The Title I School Assignment Request form must be filled out and returned by July 5 to Sandra Drummond, Title I Supervisor, Wicomico County Public Schools, 101 Long Ave., Salisbury, MD 21804. Forms not received by July 5 will result in students returning to Prince Street Elementary.
For information about the Public School Choice Program, please contact Sandra Drummond at 410-677-4518, or Susan Jones, Director of Elementary Education, at 410-677-4496.
A student living in the Prince Street Elementary attendance area who attended another school last year under Title I School Choice can either return to Prince Street for 2012-13, or can continue to attend the Public School Choice school attended last year, with parent transportation. A student can continue to attend the choice school through the school’s highest grade, as long as the parents provide transportation.
The U.S. Department of Education granted Maryland a waiver from certain requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, including Public School Choice for students attending Title I schools that do not make Adequate Yearly Progress targets for two straight years.
The Title I School Assignment Request form must be filled out and returned by July 5 to Sandra Drummond, Title I Supervisor, Wicomico County Public Schools, 101 Long Ave., Salisbury, MD 21804. Forms not received by July 5 will result in students returning to Prince Street Elementary.
For information about the Public School Choice Program, please contact Sandra Drummond at 410-677-4518, or Susan Jones, Director of Elementary Education, at 410-677-4496.
Friday's Storm Creates Need For Blood Donations
Summer is typically a slow time for Inova Health System's blood donation center in Sterling, which services 15 hospitals in the area.
In the aftermath of Friday's storm, area hospitals have issued an emergency call for blood donations."In particular right now, though, [donations] have dropped even further than normal," says A.J. Hughes, assistant director of blood donor services at Inova.
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Fred Admits: Is Worst Sort Of Racist
Yes, alas, it is true. Oh, I am a poor sinner, and have offended against the Lord, and lived in the dark night of racism, and it presses hard upon my soul. Oh, how it does. But now, having seen the light of goodness, I repent and will own like a man to my transgressions. Yes, I will say it here, before God and man:
I have believed that things should be done without regard to race, creed, color, sex, or national origin.
The shame, the shame.
I will make a clean breast of yet more. I have been against all discrimination by race or sex, against affirmative action, racial set-asides, special treatment for women, quotas, and favoritism by the government and the media. Oh the guilt I feel! I have been a beast, worse even than the Grand Flagon of the Invisible Umpire of the Ku Klux Klan.
There is still more. I have read, and believed, and steeped myself in the pernicious theories of known racists, such as Martin Luther King, who once said openly, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
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I have believed that things should be done without regard to race, creed, color, sex, or national origin.
The shame, the shame.
I will make a clean breast of yet more. I have been against all discrimination by race or sex, against affirmative action, racial set-asides, special treatment for women, quotas, and favoritism by the government and the media. Oh the guilt I feel! I have been a beast, worse even than the Grand Flagon of the Invisible Umpire of the Ku Klux Klan.
There is still more. I have read, and believed, and steeped myself in the pernicious theories of known racists, such as Martin Luther King, who once said openly, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
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What I Learned In My Political Campaign
Two weeks ago I lost an election. I had challenged the ten-term incumbent representing the 6th District of Virginia, "Boehnorite" Bob Goodlatte in a Republican primary. We ran a serious campaign, spent nearly $100,000 and deployed thousands of volunteer manhours. In this open primary held June 12th, with 8% turnout, we garnered over 34% of the vote, and gave the incumbent the most difficult and most expensive electoral challenge of his political life. We also ran the most significant and toughest challenge faced by any Republican in Virginia this year.
By launching and running a insurgent liberty-oriented campaign against an entrenched, big spending and big borrowing establishment hack, I believed we were doing something useful. Many agreed with me. Many helped and I thank everyone who gave us time, talent, money and best wishes.
There were costs, and I want to reflect on these, because many of these costs weren’t what I’d expected. Certainly, I spent my own money (and yours), wore out my transmission and my tires, and consumed a lot of time that otherwise would have been spent on work and family. That happens to every candidate.
But beyond that, my contributions to LewRockwell.com dropped off in the year I spent campaigning. Instead of writing what I loved to write, I wrote less rewarding short essays relating to liberty and paleo-conservatism aimed specifically at the 6th District audience. I missed my LRC readers. I missed their attention to detail, their deep grasp of history and economics, their insight and their ability to explore difference of opinion deftly and without alienation of affection. Writing for a generally uninformed public on the proper role of the state, on real liberty, and the true nature of the free markets and free exchange was not easy. The lack of a shared language of liberty and a shared contempt for the state was sharply evident.
More
By launching and running a insurgent liberty-oriented campaign against an entrenched, big spending and big borrowing establishment hack, I believed we were doing something useful. Many agreed with me. Many helped and I thank everyone who gave us time, talent, money and best wishes.
There were costs, and I want to reflect on these, because many of these costs weren’t what I’d expected. Certainly, I spent my own money (and yours), wore out my transmission and my tires, and consumed a lot of time that otherwise would have been spent on work and family. That happens to every candidate.
But beyond that, my contributions to LewRockwell.com dropped off in the year I spent campaigning. Instead of writing what I loved to write, I wrote less rewarding short essays relating to liberty and paleo-conservatism aimed specifically at the 6th District audience. I missed my LRC readers. I missed their attention to detail, their deep grasp of history and economics, their insight and their ability to explore difference of opinion deftly and without alienation of affection. Writing for a generally uninformed public on the proper role of the state, on real liberty, and the true nature of the free markets and free exchange was not easy. The lack of a shared language of liberty and a shared contempt for the state was sharply evident.
More
Peninsula Introduces Trash & Recycling Service In Sussex County
SEAFORD, DEL – The company that brings your oil and propane to your home now can take away your trash and recyclable items. Peninsula Oil & Propane, an established business in lower Delaware for more than 75 years, is offering trash collection and recycling services to residents of Sussex County, Delaware. After a successful trial run in the Seaford area – where the home offices of Peninsula are located – the company is expanding coverage countywide.
Owner John Willey II says collecting trash and recyclables is a natural extension of other services currently offered to area residents.
“We are already visiting homes delivering oil & propane, doing service work, and on the Construction side, dropping off storage pods, portable restrooms and roll off dumpsters,” says Willey. “Collecting trash is one more convenience we can offer our customers.”
Willey adds that discounts are offered for customers electing to use multiple services.
“If a homeowner gets oil or propane from us and has a monthly service plan, that’s two services,” says Willey. “They then qualify for a lower rate for trash/recycling collection – as low as $19.67 a month. So we can reward them with savings for being a great customer.”
To sign up for the once-a-week trash and recycling service, Sussex residents and businesses can call 302-629-3001 or visit PenOil.com and click the Contact Us link.
Owner John Willey II says collecting trash and recyclables is a natural extension of other services currently offered to area residents.
“We are already visiting homes delivering oil & propane, doing service work, and on the Construction side, dropping off storage pods, portable restrooms and roll off dumpsters,” says Willey. “Collecting trash is one more convenience we can offer our customers.”
Willey adds that discounts are offered for customers electing to use multiple services.
“If a homeowner gets oil or propane from us and has a monthly service plan, that’s two services,” says Willey. “They then qualify for a lower rate for trash/recycling collection – as low as $19.67 a month. So we can reward them with savings for being a great customer.”
To sign up for the once-a-week trash and recycling service, Sussex residents and businesses can call 302-629-3001 or visit PenOil.com and click the Contact Us link.
Pa. Passes Bill Requiring Public Contractors Verify the Legal Status of Employees
A bill that would require that public works contractors verify the
legal status of their employees has finally made its way to the desk of
Gov. Tom Corbett (R-PA), CBS Philly reports.
“This bill ensures that our workers aren‘t left on the unemployment lines because of workers who aren’t permitted to be here in the first place,” the bill’s author Sen. Kim Ward (R-PA) said during a Senate debate.
If signed by Gov. Corbett, public works contractors will be required by law to use the federal online “E-Verify” system. However, it’s important to note that the bill only affects publicly-funded programs. Private projects are exempt.
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“This bill ensures that our workers aren‘t left on the unemployment lines because of workers who aren’t permitted to be here in the first place,” the bill’s author Sen. Kim Ward (R-PA) said during a Senate debate.
If signed by Gov. Corbett, public works contractors will be required by law to use the federal online “E-Verify” system. However, it’s important to note that the bill only affects publicly-funded programs. Private projects are exempt.
More
The Origin Of Money
Aziz Economic History, Economics, Federal Reserve, Fixed Income, Inflation, What is Money? austrian economics, bank assets, charles ponzi, collapse, competing currencies, currency collapse, democracy, economy, fiat money, fiat monopoly, friedrich hayek, gold exchange sta, gold standard, Hayek, hyperinflation, keynesian economics, market mechanism, misallocation of capital, money, origin of money, oskar lange, politics, ponzi scheme, unsustainable, von mises, what is money 21 Comments
Markets are true democracies. The allocation of resources, capital and labour is achieved through the mechanism of spending, and so based on spending preferences. As money flows through the economy the popular grows and the unpopular shrinks. Producers receive a signal to produce more or less based on spending preferences. Markets distribute power according to demand and productivity; the more you earn, the more power you accumulate to allocate resources, capital and labour. As the power to allocate resources (i.e. money) is widely desired, markets encourage the development of skills, talents and ideas.
Planned economies have a track record of failure, in my view because they do not have this democratic dimension. The state may claim to be “scientific”, but as Hayek conclusively illustrated, the lack of any real feedback mechanism has always led planned economies into hideous misallocations of resources, the most egregious example being the collectivisation of agriculture in both Maoist China and Soviet Russia that led to mass starvation and millions of deaths. The market’s resource allocation system is a complex, multi-dimensional process that blends together the skills, knowledge, and ideas of society, and for which there is no substitute. Socialism might claim to represent the wider interests of society, but in adopting a system based on economic planning, the wider interests and desires of society and the democratic market process are ignored.
This complex process begins with the designation of money, which is why the choice of the monetary medium is critical.
Like all democracies, markets can be corrupted.
Whoever creates the money holds a position of great power — the choice of how to allocate resources is in their hands. They choose who gets the money, and for what, and when. And they do this again and again and again.
Who should create the monetary medium? Today, money is designated in the ivory towers of central banks and allocated through the banking system. Historically, in the days of commodity-money, money was initially allocated by digging it up out of the ground. Anyone with a shovel or a gold pan could create money. In the days of barter, a monetary medium was created even more simply, through producing things others were happy to swap or credit.
While central banks might claim that they have the nation’s best democratic interests at heart, evidence shows that since the world exited the gold exchange standard in 1971 (thus giving banks a monopoly over the allocation of money and credit), bank assets as a percentage of GDP have exploded (this data is from the United Kingdom, but there is a similar pattern around the world).
More
Markets are true democracies. The allocation of resources, capital and labour is achieved through the mechanism of spending, and so based on spending preferences. As money flows through the economy the popular grows and the unpopular shrinks. Producers receive a signal to produce more or less based on spending preferences. Markets distribute power according to demand and productivity; the more you earn, the more power you accumulate to allocate resources, capital and labour. As the power to allocate resources (i.e. money) is widely desired, markets encourage the development of skills, talents and ideas.
Planned economies have a track record of failure, in my view because they do not have this democratic dimension. The state may claim to be “scientific”, but as Hayek conclusively illustrated, the lack of any real feedback mechanism has always led planned economies into hideous misallocations of resources, the most egregious example being the collectivisation of agriculture in both Maoist China and Soviet Russia that led to mass starvation and millions of deaths. The market’s resource allocation system is a complex, multi-dimensional process that blends together the skills, knowledge, and ideas of society, and for which there is no substitute. Socialism might claim to represent the wider interests of society, but in adopting a system based on economic planning, the wider interests and desires of society and the democratic market process are ignored.
This complex process begins with the designation of money, which is why the choice of the monetary medium is critical.
Like all democracies, markets can be corrupted.
Whoever creates the money holds a position of great power — the choice of how to allocate resources is in their hands. They choose who gets the money, and for what, and when. And they do this again and again and again.
Who should create the monetary medium? Today, money is designated in the ivory towers of central banks and allocated through the banking system. Historically, in the days of commodity-money, money was initially allocated by digging it up out of the ground. Anyone with a shovel or a gold pan could create money. In the days of barter, a monetary medium was created even more simply, through producing things others were happy to swap or credit.
While central banks might claim that they have the nation’s best democratic interests at heart, evidence shows that since the world exited the gold exchange standard in 1971 (thus giving banks a monopoly over the allocation of money and credit), bank assets as a percentage of GDP have exploded (this data is from the United Kingdom, but there is a similar pattern around the world).
More
Man Cuts Himself In Fruitland
A lot of people are contacting me referencing so many Police Officer at WalMart in Fruitland.
First of all, nothing is going on at WalMart. A man cut himself in the woods behind WalMart.
First of all, nothing is going on at WalMart. A man cut himself in the woods behind WalMart.
Supervisor Chair Asks for Probe of 911 Failure
After Friday's violent storm rolled through the D.C. area, there was a
breakdown of the 911 emergency system that covers all of northern
Virginia.
"This is people's worst nightmare," Sharon Bulova, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, tells WTOP.
Bulova says she will ask the Washington Area Council of Governments to take action on the failure.
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"This is people's worst nightmare," Sharon Bulova, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, tells WTOP.
Bulova says she will ask the Washington Area Council of Governments to take action on the failure.
More
Did Justice Roberts Pull One Over On The Liberals?
To all my friends, particularly those conservatives who are despondent over the searing betrayal by Chief Justice John Roberts and the pending demise of our beloved country, I offer this perspective to convey some profound hope and evidence of the Almighty’s hand in the affairs of men in relation to the Supreme Court’s decision on Obamacare.
I initially thought we had cause for despondency when I only heard the results of the decision and not the reason or the make-up of the sides. I have now read a large portion of the decision and I believe that it was precisely the result that Scalia, Alito, Thomas, Roberts and even Kennedy wanted and not a defeat for conservatism or the rule of law. I believe the conservatives on the court have run circles around the liberals and demonstrated that the libs are patently unqualified to be on the Supreme Court. Let me explain.
First let me assure you that John Roberts is a conservative and he is not dumb, mentally unstable, diabolical, a turncoat, a Souter or even just trying to be too nice. He is a genius along with the members of the Court in the dissent. The more of the decision I read the more remarkable it became. It is not obvious and it requires a passable understanding of Constitutional law but if it is explained anyone can see the beauty of it.
The decision was going to be a 5–4 decision no matter what, so the allegation that the decision was a partisan political decision was going to be made by the losing side and their supporters. If the bill was struck down completely with Roberts on the other side there would have been a national and media backlash against conservatives and probably strong motivation for Obama supporters to come out and vote in November. With today’s decision that dynamic is reversed and there is a groundswell of support for Romney and Republicans, even for people who were formerly lukewarm toward Romney before today, additionally Romney raised more than 4 million dollars today.
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I initially thought we had cause for despondency when I only heard the results of the decision and not the reason or the make-up of the sides. I have now read a large portion of the decision and I believe that it was precisely the result that Scalia, Alito, Thomas, Roberts and even Kennedy wanted and not a defeat for conservatism or the rule of law. I believe the conservatives on the court have run circles around the liberals and demonstrated that the libs are patently unqualified to be on the Supreme Court. Let me explain.
First let me assure you that John Roberts is a conservative and he is not dumb, mentally unstable, diabolical, a turncoat, a Souter or even just trying to be too nice. He is a genius along with the members of the Court in the dissent. The more of the decision I read the more remarkable it became. It is not obvious and it requires a passable understanding of Constitutional law but if it is explained anyone can see the beauty of it.
The decision was going to be a 5–4 decision no matter what, so the allegation that the decision was a partisan political decision was going to be made by the losing side and their supporters. If the bill was struck down completely with Roberts on the other side there would have been a national and media backlash against conservatives and probably strong motivation for Obama supporters to come out and vote in November. With today’s decision that dynamic is reversed and there is a groundswell of support for Romney and Republicans, even for people who were formerly lukewarm toward Romney before today, additionally Romney raised more than 4 million dollars today.
More
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