Salisbury News: 09/13/12

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Lost Cat

Lost cat found on Pembroke Ct. Delmar, MD
Made his way to our yard two nights ago.
Has black collar with gemstones and a bell, no tag.
Pretty please post and have owner email me at cgphillips83@yahoo.com or 443-736-8583

BREAKING NEWS: House Approves Stopgap $1.047 Trillion Spending Bill

In a 329-91 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives approves a stopgap $1.047 spending bill, which will fund the government for six months.

From Fox News

Missing Woman Found Alive In Freezer After 5 Days

TULSA, Okla. - A Tulsa woman missing since Saturday was found alive inside a freezer in her home Wednesday, CBS Tulsa affiliate KOTV-TV reports .

Police said the 59-year-old woman got into the freezer and got stuck.

The family said the woman had a small chest-type freezer in a closet, and even though they had searched the house once, they didn't look in there.

They believe she was worried about a possible storm, and once she got in, she couldn't get out.

A police officer in Garland, Texas, is under investigation after he he shot a man 41 times. But as if that wasn’t controversial enough, a witness who took images and video with a cellphone is angry after police confiscated the memory card containing the possibly damaging evidence.

The Dallas Morning News reports that the incident occurred after midnight on Aug. 31 when Officer Patrick Tuter spotted a white GMC pickup truck driven by Michael Allen who was involved in a police chase . Allen turned into a dead end, and trapped by Garland police was first reported to have hit a squad car as officers were trying to prevent his escape. It was this that lead Tuter, fearing for his life, to open fire.

Reporters Plan ‘Gotcha’ Questions for Mitt Romney?

While Mitt Romney spoke in Jacksonville, Fla., yesterday, NPR reporter Ari Shapiro and CBS reporter Jan Crawford were apparently caught on tape coordinating questions to ask the GOP presidential candidate regarding his criticism of President Obama’s handling of the US embassy attacks in Egypt and Libya.

Michelle Malkin responded, “If it looks, sounds, talks like journo-tools for Obama, it is what it is.”

She continued, “Finally the mainstream media is being confronted with something so obvious to those of us who have worked on both sides of the aisle — I’ve worked in new media, old media, I’ve worked in dead tree newspaper journalism for 20 years and seen it, seen how the sausage is made in these sausage factories. And of course they think they could get away with it.”

SCIENTISTS: BUSH, NOT OBAMA WAS RIGHT ON MISSILE DEFENSE

Just whom do you trust more with defending America, Mitt Romney or Barack Obama?

Okay, that was too easy. Let’s put it another way: which candidate railed about George W. Bush’s missile system, which strengthened long-range defenses (calling his own system “stronger, smarter, and swifter”), while opting instead for defenses in Europe against shorter-range Iranian missiles, but now may have to backtrack because Iran is likely developing long-range missiles?

An Elephant Never Forgets

Not a new story but worth watching again and again! So amazingly touching - the story of Shirley and Jenny, two crippled elephants reunited at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee after a 22-year separation. The bonding was immediate, intense and unforgettable between the two former circus elephants. But long after the cameras were turned off, the wondrous moments would continue...

Pick Up Your Toys

Orioles Defeat Rays 3-2 In 14 Innings

The Baltimore Orioles have too much else going on to be overly excited about ending their miserable run of 14 consecutive losing seasons.

Manny Machado blooped an RBI single that eluded left fielder Matt Joyce's desperate drive with two outs in the 14th inning, and Baltimore beat Tampa Bay 3-2 Thursday to complete a three-game sweep and remain atop the AL East.

With their 81st victory _ and 13th in a row in extra innings _ the Orioles are assured no worse than a .500 record for the first time since 1997.

VIDEO: OBAMA CALLED KENYA HIS 'HOME'

A Reuters television news clip that captures Barack Obama calling Kenya his “home” has added to the mystery surrounding the president’s place of birth.

The clip – archived by the British-based news and content provider ITN – shows Obama with then-Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga at an Aug. 26, 2006, rally against AIDS.

“I’m so proud to come back home and see all you people are here,” Obama says.

With the U.S. Farm Bill of 2008 about to expire Sept. 30, advocates from Maryland and across the nation are pressuring Congress to quickly pass the 2012 bill that would end the subsidies for big corporate farms before Congress breaks for the election. But Maryland lawmakers are not confident it will make that deadline.

Both the Senate and the House bills spell the end for Direct Payment subsidies in favor of crop insurance programs. The gridlock stems from disagreement over cuts to the food stamp program, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). After the Senate proposed $4.5 billion in cuts to SNAP, the House Agriculture Committee proposed cutting $16.5 billion that would leave an estimated two to three million Americans without food assistance, according to the progressive Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.

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Man Pays $137 Traffic Ticket With 137 Origami Pigs In Donut Boxes

Here's a guy who really wanted to stick it to the man.

A video uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday shows a man paying for a $137 traffic ticket with 137 painstakingly folded origami pigs.

The man, who goes by the apt YouTube moniker "Bacon Moose," explains his actions in the video description:

Baltimore City Gets More Money Than Expected From Speed Cameras

Looks like the city took in lots more money in speed camera fines than was expected.

Something like $4 million more, in fact.

In the last fiscal year the city took in almost $20 million in fines that are mailed in following a citation that comes after a speed camera takes a picture of vehicles exceeding the posted limit by more than 12 miles an hour.

AL QAEDA RELEASES NEW VIDEO OF AMERICAN HOSTAGE

Al Qaeda has released a new video of an American hostage delivering a desperate plea to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asking him to intervene on his behalf, ABC News first reported .

“Message from the Prisoner Warren Weinstein To the Zionist Netanyahu,” the caption in the video reads.

Warren Weinstein, 71, a former Peace Corps and USAID official, was kidnapped from his home in an upper-class neighborhood in Lahore, Pakistan in August 2011 after a number of armed men tricked his security guard into letting them onto his property. Officials believe Weinstein is being held in the tribal regions along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan.

BREAKING NEWS: Second Ex-SEAL Identified As Consulate Attack Victim

Fox News confirms Tyrone Woods, 41, a former Navy SEAL, was one of four Americans killed -- including US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and ex-SEAL Glen Doherty -- when protesters attacked the US consulate Tuesday in Benghazi, Libya.

From Fox News

Mike McDermott: The Allegations Against Wendy Rosen Make Her The Poster Child For Voter Fraud

(Annapolis) -- Delegate Mike McDermott (R), representing Maryland's Eastern Shore, is calling upon Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations of fraud committed by former 1st District Congressional Candidate Wendy Rosen. The former Democratic candidate was a challenger in the race against incumbent Congressman Andy Harris (R).

"At a time when many declare we should not be concerned about 'voter fraud,’ the disqualified 1st Congressional District Candidate, Wendy Rosen, makes the perfect poster child " stated Delegate Mike McDermott. "These allegations must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law as a vigilant reminder that our elections are precious and must be protected” continued Delegate McDermott.

Delegate McDermott has requested an investigation of the allegations that Ms. Rosen voted in the states of Maryland and Florida during the same election cycle. The delegate went on to say, "Her [Rosen's] outrageous conduct has resulted in an attack on our strong two-party election process that should not go unpunished. We expect more from our electorate and we must demand our candidates lead by example."

Formal requests were filed with both Offices of the Attorney Generals Gansler (Maryland) and Bondi (Florida) requesting the investigation of alleged fraud committed by Rosen in their respective jurisdictions.

CONGRESS TOLD: U.S. LIFE 'UNSUSTAINABLE' AFTER EMP

WASHINGTON – Congress today was told that the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t identified an electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, event as a serious national security threat to the nation’s grid system even though testimony revealed it could making living in the United States “unsustainable” for 70 to 90 percent of the population.

And the few billion dollars it would cost to harden systems against such an occurrence is hardly the tens of billions or hundreds of billions it could cost to repair the damage.

Brandon Wales, director of the DHS Homeland Infrastructure Threat and Risk Analysis Center, was unable to give a cost breakdown so that Congress would know how much money needs to be provided by the federal government in view of the tremendous costs of such hardening defenses that the private utilities would incur.

White House Got Some Say Over Journalist's Obama Story

Vanity Fair writer Michael Lewis agreed to allow the White House to approve the quotations he used from President Barack Obama in his story about the president in this month's magazine.

"Like other journalists who write about Washington and presidential politics, Mr. Lewis said that he had to submit to the widespread but rarely disclosed practice of quote approval," reports the New York Times.

During a discussion at Lincoln Center on Monday night with Graydon Carter, the editor of Vanity Fair, Mr. Lewis volunteered to the audience that as a condition of cooperating with his story, the White House insisted on signing off on the quotes that would appear.

Mr. Lewis said that ultimately the White House disallowed very little of what he asked to use. And he described having access to the president that was unusually unfettered. About 95 percent of what he witnessed was on the record, he said.

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Canadian Auto Strike Would Quickly Affect U.S.

DETROIT — If Canadian Auto Workers go on strike against Detroit’s three automakers next week, the impact will be felt quickly in the U.S.

Negotiations between the CAW and Chrysler, General Motors and Ford have hit a rough patch with less than a week to go before contracts expire on Monday night. The companies are trying to cut costs and the union is refusing their demands for concessions. On Wednesday, the union told workers to prepare for a strike and said negotiations haven’t been going well.

GM, Chrysler and Ford manufacture popular models at Canadian plants that would soon be in short supply. CAW workers also make key engine parts and other components for U.S.-built cars.

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De-Industrialisation And Male Jobs

And there has been a huge outgrowth of men who aren’t in the labour force. In 1954, 96 percent of American men between the ages of 25 and 54 worked. Today, that number is down to 80 percent. That’s a humungous decrease.

The question is why.

Mainstream media pundits [11] are suggesting that men are unsuited to the present economic landscape. The suggestion is that men have been bad at adapting to change, and that women have been good at adapting to change:

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Sisters Running Illegal Va. Daycare Arrested For Keeping Babies In Car Seats In Bathrooms, Closets

Child Protective Services in Prince William County got a tip about a home-based daycare in the 14900 block of Abilene Way with very little supervision and they moved in.

When they arrived, they found 21 children, ages ranging from three months to four years old, with just two people watching them.

"They had 21 kids in there, and they were unlicensed," Neighbor Sonya Powell-Davis says. "I'm surprised."

Fatal Accident In Fruitland

We're told there was a fatal accident on Cedar Lane in Fruitland involving a Shore Transit Bus. More to come.

Bus driver stopped, let one woman off the bus, let another woman on the bus, took her money and failed to notice that the woman that had gotten off the bus was right in front of the bus and ran her over.

This is what we're being told.

The Pauperization Of America

It’s been an unrelenting process. Survey after survey—most recently “The Lost Decade of the Middle Class [7]“—has shown that wages haven’t kept up with inflation since the wage peak in 2000. Periods when real wages rose, for example during the deflationary stretch between March and October 2009, a godsend for struggling workers, were stepped out by the Fed, like nasty brushfires. So, families ended up making less at the end of the decade than at the beginning, a phenomenon not seen in the US since World War II. And the middle-income tier actually shrank in size—the process of hollowing out the American middle class.

But there is a new phenomenon: a ballooning lower class. It now engulfs 32% of all adults. In America! Where lower class is the unmentionable class, the class that doesn’t exist, just like the upper class doesn’t exist, but for different reasons.

Political candidates trip all over each other to promise debt-funded goodies and tax cuts—real or imaginary—to the “middle class.” They all claim that a thriving middle class is the foundation of the American economy. The middle class rules! “Everyone is in the middle class,” I was told in high school by the dad of the chick I was dating. That was in the seventies. Now 32% of all American adults find themselves in the unmentionable lower class, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center [8]. Up from 25% in 2008. And none of the presidential candidates has even mentioned them.

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More Americans Opting Out Of Banking System

In the aftermath of one of the worst recessions in history, more Americans have limited or no interaction with banks, instead relying on check cashers and payday lenders to manage their finances, according to a new federal report.

Not only are these Americans more vulnerable to high fees and interest rates, but they are also cut off from credit to buy a car or a home or pay for college, the report from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said.

Released Wednesday, the study found that 821,000 households opted out of the banking system from 2009 to 2011 and that the so-called unbanked population grew to 8.2 percent of U.S. households.

Wicomico County Health Department Offers Grant Funds

Wicomico County, MD – The Wicomico County Health Department is soliciting grant proposals from county organizations interested in conducting tobacco use prevention projects within their communities. Consideration will be given to all local community groups, including civic organizations, churches and non-profit agencies.

Proposal applications can be obtained at the Wicomico County Health Department, Room 209, 108 East Main Street, Salisbury, Maryland. Completed proposals are due by Friday, October 12, 2012 at 3:00 p.m., E.S.T.

Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to attend a pre-proposal meeting to address questions about the grant proposal submission process. The meeting will be held Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 3:00 p.m., at the Wicomico County Health Department, second floor Administration Conference Room, 108 East Main Street, Salisbury, Maryland.

Interested applicants may also attend a free grant writing workshop on Friday, September 28, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Wicomico County Health Department.

Funds are made available through the Wicomico County Cigarette Restitution Fund. For more information or to register for the grant writing workshop, please call (410) 334-3480 extension 17487.

Judging Of Disability Claims Flawed, Senate Study Finds

More than one out of every 20 Americans of working age was collecting Social Security disability payments as of March, but the system designed to judge claims is overloaded and bungles more than a quarter of the cases, according to a new report by a Senate investigative subcommittee.

Investigators looked at 300 cases in which disability was approved and found adjudicators regularly ignoring red flags in applications, such as incomplete or inconsistent information.

That finding is consistent with the Social Security Administration’s own internal reviews and signals a system in need of an overhaul, said Sen. Tom Coburn, the ranking Republican on the subcommittee, who led the study and said some of the decisions coming from administrative law judges (ALJs) — one level of the process — are so bad they make the final judgments seem almost arbitrary.

Both Sides Gear Up For Same-Sex Marriage Fight

Gay rights activists, religious leaders and politicians are gearing up for two months of campaigning on the Maryland referendum to strike down same-sex marriage legislation that passed in March. Hot off the political conventions in Tampa and Charlotte, volunteers will be staffing nightly phone banks, canvassing door-to-door and finding ways to make same-sex marriage a personal issue for voters.

Continue Reading...

Region Not Ready For Impact Of Federal Budget Cuts

The National Capital Region could face a major economic hit in the next few months unless Congress acts to halt looming across-the-board cuts to the federal budget, according to a Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments report.

To combat that grim economic picture, COG, which provides planning for the region, recommends that the area promote its economic diversity and go beyond the image of being simply a "government town."

The impending cuts, known as sequestration, would trim $1.2 trillion from the federal budget. The cuts take affect January 1 if Congress does not act and could lead to the loss of an estimated 240,000 local jobs.

Another ATF Settlement

The government has settled with two whistleblowers at the center of an infamous gun tracking operation. Larry Alt and Olindo "Lee" Casa blew the whistle on Operation Fast and Furious at the Justice Department. They claimed retaliation by their home agency — the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Office of Special Counsel won't say what the settlement involves. Another whistleblower settled with ATF last month.

Showdown in Chicago: Educators Aim To Teach Their ‘Bully’ Mayor A Lesson

CHICAGO — Rahm Emanuel is not big on ambiguity. He was thrilled, a few days before he took office last year, when the Illinois House voted 112 to 1 for a school improvement package that, among other things, made it harder for teachers unions to call strikes.

A “historic day of opportunity for kids in the city of Chicago,” he said after the vote. Rank-and-file teachers were less pleased, particularly when an Emanuel ally boasted, “The unions cannot strike in Chicago.”

Teachers are now on strike in Chicago— loudly and enthusiastically — and Emanuel (D) finds himself in a far more pointed and public battle than he had bargained for. Under a national spotlight, his famous dealmaking skills are being severely tested by an increasingly familiar set of schoolhouse issues seen in communities across the country as contentious and often personal.

Welfare To Work Law

Senior Republicans are trying to stop the Department of Health and Human Services from waiving provisions of the welfare-to-work law. House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp and Utah Senator Orrin Hatch say they will use a special manuever to get around Democrats. They plan to call for a simple majority vote in the Senate, rather than try to get the 60 votes needed for most legislation. HHS wants to amend the rules to encourage states to try new ways of getting welfare recipients to work. But the Government Accountability Office says that amounts to a new regulation, which is subject to Congressional approval.

Anti-Islam Film Called Flimsy Pretext For Mob Violence

There have been numerous examples in recent years of Muslims reacting violently to perceived slights from the West against their faith, but some analysts doubt that the attacks on U.S. diplomats in Libya and Egypt on the anniversary of 9/11 fit neatly into this history of extremists defending the honor of Islam.

The mobs that killed U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans at a consulate in Libya and stormed the U.S. Embassy in Cairo supposedly were incited to violence by a YouTube trailer of a movie, produced by an Israeli American, that depicts the Prophet Muhammad as a pedophile and a fraud.

But Ebrahim Moosa, a professor of Islamic studies at Duke University, is skeptical.

Stronger Protections For Abused Children Signed Into Law

Governor Markell signed legislation spearheaded by Attorney General Beau Biden and child advocates that enacts tougher penalties against child abusers.

[more]

WICOMICO COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO HOLD RABIES CLINIC

Who: Wicomico County Health Department

Hebron Volunteer Fire Department

What: Rabies Clinic for Dogs and Cats

When:

Thursday, September 13, 2012

5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Where: Hebron Volunteer Fire Department Hebron, Maryland

Cost: $10.00 per animal, CASH ONLY – NO CHECKS ACCEPTED

Bring a previous rabies vaccination certificate in order to obtain three year shots. Otherwise, one year shots will be given.

Pets must be brought by a responsible adult.

Dogs must be secured on a leash.

Cats must be in a carrier or box with air holes.

Only dogs and cats will be vaccinated.

Why:

Maryland Law requires all dogs and cats four months of age or older be adequately vaccinated against rabies. For more information call: (410) 546-4446.

Cuba Says Its Ready To Negotiate Gross Fate

A senior Cuban diplomat said Wednesday her country is prepared to negotiate a solution in the case of a jailed American contractor, but is awaiting a U.S. response.

Foreign Ministry official Josefina Vidal also rejected allegations by the wife of 63-year-old Maryland native Alan Gross that her husband's health is failing after more than 2 1/2 years in custody.

Hiring Back Retirees

Hiring back retirees to help out on critical business may seem like a great idea. Afterall, they've got the expertise. But few agencies are taking advantage of a recent law that lets them rehire retirees and pay them both their full pensions and full salaries. The Government Accountability Office looked closely at six agencies. It found even the Office of Personnel Management barely used the so-called "dual compensation" waiver. The Treasury Department made the most use of the tool to rehire IRS agents.

The Democrats’ GM Fiction

The Democrats have decided to run in 2012 as the bailout party. It is an odd choice — the 2008–09 bailouts were deeply unpopular among the general public, and even their backers were notably conflicted about the precedent being set and the ensuing moral hazard. But Democrats have nonetheless made one of the most abusive episodes in the entire bailout era their economic cornerstone: the government takeover of General Motors.

The GM bailout was always an odd duck: The Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) was created in order to preserve liquidity in the financial markets by heading off the collapse of key financial institutions that had made catastrophically bad bets on real-estate securities — nothing at all to do with cars, really. GM’s financial arm, today known as Ally Financial, was in trouble, but GM’s fundamental problem was that its products were not profitable enough to support its work-force expenses. A single dominant factor — the United Auto Workers union’s extortionate contracts with GM — prevented the carmaker from either reducing its work-force costs or making its products more efficiently. And its hidebound management didn’t help.

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Rosen Investigation Press Release

DELEGATE MIKE MCDERMOTT

(Annapolis) Delegate Mike McDermott (R), representing Maryland's Eastern Shore, is calling upon Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations of fraud committed by former 1st District Congressional Candidate Wendy Rosen. The former Democratic candidate was a challenger in the race against incumbant Congressman Andy Harris (R).

"At a time when many declare we should not be concerned about 'voter fraud', we have a poster child in disqualified 1st Congressional District Candidate Wendy Rosen" stated Delegate Mike McDermott. "These allegations must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law as a vigilent reminder that our elections are precious and must be protected".

Delegate McDermott has formerly requested the investigation to look into the allegations that Ms. Rosen voted in the states of Maryland and Florida during the same elections. The delegate went on to say, "Her (Rosen's) outrageous conduct has resulted in an attack on our strong two-party election process that should not go unpunished. We expect more from our electorate and we must demand our candidates lead by example".

Formal requests were filed with both Offices of the Attorney Generals Gansler (Maryland) and Bondi (Florida) requesting the investigation of alleged fraud committed by Rosen in their respective jurisdictions.

Why Romney Will Win

Now that both conventions are over, the dimensions of the likely Romney triumph are becoming clear. Both through an analysis of the polling and an examination of the rhetoric, the parameters of the victory are emerging.

Start with the polling. It appears that the bulk of the Obama post-convention bounce has been in blue states where his left-oriented convention stirred up the enthusiasm of an already committed group of voters. Among likely voters identified in The Washington Post poll — taken after the conventions — Obama holds a slim one-point edge. And an analysis of Rasmussen’s state-by-state likely voter data indicates a tie in the the battleground states (according to Breitbart).

But it’s not really a tie at all. All pollsters are using 2008 models of voter turnout. Some are combining ’04 and ’08 but skewing their samples to ’08 numbers. African Americans cast 11 percent of the national vote in ’04, but their participation swelled to 13 percent in ’08. These 2 million new black voters backed Obama overwhelmingly. Will they come out in such numbers again? Will college and under 30 voters do so as well? Will Latino turnout be at historic highs? All these questions have to be answered “yes” for the polling samples so widely published to be accurate.

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BREAKING NEWS: Libyan Official Says Consulate Attack Timed To 9/11

Senior Libyan security official says attack on US Consulate in Benghazi that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and 3 other Americans was a precisely timed raid by militants who used civilian protests as cover.

From Fox News

Today's Fill In The Blank 9-13-12

I learned how to play the _____, (instrument).

Is It Really The End Of Men?

There are downsides to pitting the sexes in a constant, one-up, one-down battle for supremacy

It’s a story as old as Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, the trope of a gender reversal that puts “women on top,” but in a new book that’s getting lots of attention, a journalist is trying to prove that this fiction has become a reality. In The End of Men: And the Rise of Women, Hanna Rosin argues that changes in the world economy have dramatically shifted gender roles. Women have adapted more skillfully to the new socioeconomic landscape by doggedly pursuing self-improvement opportunities, rebranding as the economy requires it, and above all possessing the kind of 21st century work attributes — such as strong communication skills, collaborative leadership and flexibility — that are nudging out the brawny, stuck-in-amber guys. Rock steadiness, long a cherished masculine trait, is about as useful in our fleet-footed economy as a flint arrowhead. Life favors the adapters, and it turns out they’re more likely to be women.

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TRAFFIC ALERT

Ashland Covered Bridge Damaged by Oversized Vehicle Will Require Daytime Closure for Repairs

Yorklyn -- In order to perform emergency repairs to the Ashland Covered Bridge, the Department of Transportation (DelDOT) will close Barley Mill Road from Creek Road to Brackenville Road at the Ashland Covered Bridge from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., on Tuesday, September 18. The bridge beams were damaged by an oversized vehicle.

Traffic will be detoured as follows:

Northbound traffic on Barley Mill Road can turn left on Brackenville Road, right on Old Wilmington Road, right on Sharpless Road, and left on Creek Road.

Southbound traffic on Barley Mill Road can head south on Sharpless Road, turn left on Old Wilmington Road, left on Brackenville Road, and right on Barley Mill Road.

DelDOT will post signs to alert motorists of the closure and the accompanying detour routes.

IRS Adopting Tactics Of Ancient Rome?

IRS pays whistleblower $104 million ... The Internal Revenue Service has awarded an ex-banker $104 million for providing information about overseas tax cheats — the largest amount ever awarded by the agency, lawyers for the whistleblower announced Tuesday. Former Swiss banker Bradley Birkenfeld is credited with exposing widespread tax evasion at Swiss bank UBS AG. Birkenfeld himself served roughly two and-a-half years in prison for a fraud conspiracy conviction related to the case, which resulted in a $780 million fine against the bank and an unprecedented agreement requiring UBS to turn over thousands of names of suspected American tax dodgers to the IRS. − AP

Dominant Social Theme: Go get those tax cheats.

Free-Market Analysis: The famous author Charles Adams once observed that governments who overtax their citizens are nearly always "hoisted on their own petard."

Adams wrote an expansive book about government tax history entitled For Good and Evil: The Impact of Taxes on the Course of Civilization. His main thesis was that tax policy shaped the course of civilization for good or bad.

Today it begins to look as if US tax policy is tipping over into the bad. Of course, some would say that happened long ago, as far back as the Whiskey Rebellion that George Washington stamped out.

The kind of whistle blowing that the IRS is encouraging is verging on what ancient Roman tax authorities would do when they'd authorize civilian deputies to collect taxes for a percentage.

Adams explains that this was toward the end of the empire when citizens were increasingly refusing to cooperate with what was seen as a bloated, corrupt Leviathan. It can be said that the end of the Roman Empire came because its citizens simply didn't feel the civilization was worth fighting for. And thus, the barbarians arrived at the gates – and then overthrew them.

Grant that taxes are necessary – even in the modern central banking era. Still, US policies are not improving from a tax standpoint. Is a Roman dénouement on the way? Who can say? Trends are questionable at best.

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Open Mic Captures Press Coordinating Questions For Romney “No Matter Who He Calls On We’re Covered”

Before Romney issued his statement today, an open mic capture the press coordinating questions to ask Romney, with one saying “no matter who he calls on we’re covered on the one question”. I’ve transcribed it to the best of my ability but the audio is below for verification:

I’ve labeled one as the CBS News reporter as I believe it is Nancy Cordes who works for CBS News. If I’ve gotten that wrong I apologize and will correct.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: …pointing out that the Republicans… *unintelligible* …Obama….

CBS REPORTER: That’s the question.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: *unintelligible*

CBS REPORTER: Yeah that’s the question. I would just say do you regret your question.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Your question? Your statement?

CBS REPORTER: I mean your statement. Not even the tone, because then he can go off on…

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And then if he does, if we can just follow up and say ‘but this morning your answer is continuing to sound…’ – *becomes unintelligble*

CBS REPORTER: You can’t say that..

**Later**

CBS REPORTER: I’m just trying to make sure that we’re just talking about, no matter who he calls on we’re covered on the one question.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you stand by your statement or regret your statement?

GO HERE to watch video.

Today's Advertiser Of The Day 9-13-12

Obama's Health Secretary Breaks Law

An Obama cabinet secretary violated the federal law meant to restrict partisan political activity on the part of government officials, according to a federal investigative agency Wednesday.

Appearing in an official capacity, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius gave a speech in North Carolina in February in which she urged that President Barack Obama be re-elected. She also endorsed the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Walter Dalton.

At one point, she said, "It's hugely important to make sure that we re-elect the president and elect a Democratic governor here in North Carolina," according to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, an ...

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IS THERE STILL HOPE?

BROTHERHOOD CALLS FOR MORE PROTESTS AGAINST U.S.

Secretary General of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Mahmoud Hossein has called for protests across Egypt Friday, according to Fars News Agency, the Iranian media outlet run by the Revolutionary Guards.

“This Friday, Egyptian Muslims will conduct peaceful protests outside of the main mosques in every province condemning the insult to Prophet Muhammad,” said Hossein.

Fars News reports the possibility of a widespread protest in the region and said American officials are warning their citizens in the Middle East to remain vigilant and alert.

University spokesman Clint Coleman told The Baltimore Sun that the shooting was "not random," adding that the victim and suspect likely knew each other

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Thursday, September 13, 2012

Just whom do you trust more with defending America, Mitt Romney or Barack Obama?