The administration’s 2010 prediction of forthcoming insurance policy cancelations for employers undermines President Obama’s defense that they did not foresee so many people losing their insurance policies, Charles Krauthammer said Monday night.
“[Obama] said ‘well, we didn’t really know this was going to happen, but it was a result of poor crafting of the law.’ Now, in fact, what it was is a result of the fundamental principle of the law,” Krauthammer said.
The principle of Obamacare, Krauthammer said, is to subsidize the uninsured by kicking people off of their plans and making them pay “excessively” for things they don’t need.
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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
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
How To Talk To Your Children About Thanksgiving's Ugly History
But while this heartwarming story may be historically accurate, what happens next to these 17th century Native Americans and their descendants is usually left out of the classroom. Strikingly, Thanksgiving is often the only time of the year when Americans think about the history, however partial, of Native Americans. But aren’t we missing an opportunity to use this holiday as a springboard to really talk to our children about Native American history and cultures?
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RON GEORGE CALLS FOR HEARINGS INTO THE NATIONAL EDUCATION RANKING SCANDAL
Annapolis, Md. – Ron George, the ranking Republican on the Education Subcommittee in the House Ways and Means committee and candidate for Governor, has released the following statement regarding the reading test cheating scandal.
“It has been uncovered that the O’Malley/Brown administration has been intentionally excluding a majority of learning-disabled and English learning students from national standardized testing in order to cheat their way to a #1 public education ranking. I am demanding answers about who in the administration was involved in this cheating scandal, what exactly they knew and when they knew it. I am calling on the leaders in the General Assembly to convene hearings to get to the bottom of this matter.
“The Democratic leadership wanted so badly to legitimize their huge Thornton tax increases that they cheated their way to the top. We tell our students cheating is wrong and hold them accountable when they make a mistake. What message are we sending them now when corrupt politicians abuse the education system to advance their own political agendas?”
“It has been uncovered that the O’Malley/Brown administration has been intentionally excluding a majority of learning-disabled and English learning students from national standardized testing in order to cheat their way to a #1 public education ranking. I am demanding answers about who in the administration was involved in this cheating scandal, what exactly they knew and when they knew it. I am calling on the leaders in the General Assembly to convene hearings to get to the bottom of this matter.
“The Democratic leadership wanted so badly to legitimize their huge Thornton tax increases that they cheated their way to the top. We tell our students cheating is wrong and hold them accountable when they make a mistake. What message are we sending them now when corrupt politicians abuse the education system to advance their own political agendas?”
'2016': Obama Plans To 'Take America Down'
D’Souza explains, “One of the predictions is that Obama would spend money promiscuously to raise the debt in virtual indifference to the impact of the debt on American citizens. In fact, Obama has been racking up the debt at the rate of $1 trillion a year. The debt has doubled in Obama’s term in office.”
Obama’s plot to “drag the economy down” and redistribute American wealth to the rest of the world – and financially cripple the nation – he explains, “is a transfer of hundreds of billions, in fact trillions of dollars, out of the United States and into other countries.”
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Prof Corrects Minority Students’ Capitalization, Is Accused Of Racism
Racial tensions are inflamed at the University of California at Los Angeles following several incidents — most notably, one where a professor corrected the grammar, punctuation and capitalization in minority students’ assignments.
The act of correcting a black student was “micro-aggression,” according to the members of the student group “Call 2 Action: Graduate Students of Color,” which launched a sit-in during a subsequent meeting of the class.
“A hostile campus climate has been the norm for Students of Color in this class throughout the quarter as our epistemological and methodological commitments have been repeatedly questioned by our classmates and our instructor,” wrote the group in a statement to the college. “[The] barrage of questions by white colleagues and the grammar ‘lessons’ by the professor have contributed to a hostile class climate.”
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The act of correcting a black student was “micro-aggression,” according to the members of the student group “Call 2 Action: Graduate Students of Color,” which launched a sit-in during a subsequent meeting of the class.
“A hostile campus climate has been the norm for Students of Color in this class throughout the quarter as our epistemological and methodological commitments have been repeatedly questioned by our classmates and our instructor,” wrote the group in a statement to the college. “[The] barrage of questions by white colleagues and the grammar ‘lessons’ by the professor have contributed to a hostile class climate.”
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WAITRESS WHO LIKELY LIED ABOUT ANTI-GAY NOTE IN LIEU OF A TIP IS ACCUSED OF A BIGGER LIE – THIS ONE WILL REALLY TICK OFF MILITARY VETS
In addition to likely lying about getting anti-gay insults on a recent receipt, Dayna Morales, 22, is also accused of lying about her military service and falsely telling friends that she had brain cancer and that her home was severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy.
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‘THAT’S MY JOB’: OUTRAGED MOTHER SAYS HER DAUGHTER’S SCHOOL CROSSED THE LINE WITH PRIVACY INFRINGEMENT
Now, Summers’ mother said she feels her daughter’s rights were violated.
According to KATU-TV, R.A. Brown Middle School administrators took Summers’ phone, on which she had filmed a confrontation between a student and staff member Friday. When she got her phone back the video was gone. She also reviewed her recently opened apps and found they had gone through her messages and photos as well, presumably to see if information about the confrontation had been sent elsewhere.
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Paris Unadorned: Black And White Portraits Of The City Of Light, 1946
In early 1946, photographer Ed Clark journeyed to Paris (“the grand courtesan of all cities,” LIFE called the ancient town) to record the look and the feel of the French capital less than a year after the end of the Second World War. The pictures he made there chronicle not the cheerful, bawdy Paris of the popular imagination, but a place that, as LIFE told its readers, was a “grim and depressing disappointment” for any visitors expecting the Paris of Maxim’s, the Ritz, The Folies Bergère, the Moulin Rouge and the city’s other legendary, libidinous diversions.
The Parisians themselves, meanwhile, were “cold, hungry, confused and tired — above all, tired — too busy keeping themselves alive to bother much about entertaining. . . . [The typical American GI in Paris at the time] felt cheated. Where was the Paris he had heard about? Where were the naked women?”
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The Parisians themselves, meanwhile, were “cold, hungry, confused and tired — above all, tired — too busy keeping themselves alive to bother much about entertaining. . . . [The typical American GI in Paris at the time] felt cheated. Where was the Paris he had heard about? Where were the naked women?”
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A TASTE OF THANKSGIVING AT A JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER
This is the third year in a row that the teenage girl has been in a juvenile center during the holiday. Years ago, although she is a vegetarian, Jeannie used to cook a turkey, mashed potatoes, corn and pumpkin pie — all her daughter’s favorites.
But now, the two eat on paper plates and sit on mismatched chairs at a small round table decked with orange and tan balloons in the multipurpose room at the Alfred D. Noyes Children’s Center.
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The War On Human Nature
For nations as for individuals, pretending self-interest doesn’t exist is perilous.
At some critical point, everyone makes choices based on incentives and his own perception of self-interest. Somehow the Obama administration has forgotten that natural law.
A therapeutic sense of self-sacrifice is fine in the abstract, but in the concrete such magnanimity causes far more harm to the innocent than does a realistic appraisal of self-interest and a tragic acceptance of the flawed nature of man. The theme of the present administration is that it possesses the wisdom and resources to know better what people should do than they do themselves. From that premise arose most of catastrophes that have befallen this administration.
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At some critical point, everyone makes choices based on incentives and his own perception of self-interest. Somehow the Obama administration has forgotten that natural law.
A therapeutic sense of self-sacrifice is fine in the abstract, but in the concrete such magnanimity causes far more harm to the innocent than does a realistic appraisal of self-interest and a tragic acceptance of the flawed nature of man. The theme of the present administration is that it possesses the wisdom and resources to know better what people should do than they do themselves. From that premise arose most of catastrophes that have befallen this administration.
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Md.’s Only Ski Resort Opening Friday
MCHENRY, Md. — The Wisp ski resort in far western Maryland says it will open Friday, thanks to an early snowstorm.
The resort announced the unusually early opening Tuesday after the National Weather Service forecast up to 9 inches of snow in the region by Thursday morning.
Last year, Wisp opened Dec. 15.
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The resort announced the unusually early opening Tuesday after the National Weather Service forecast up to 9 inches of snow in the region by Thursday morning.
Last year, Wisp opened Dec. 15.
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Investigators Still Not Contacting Groups Targeted By IRS
More than half a year after the IRS targeting scandal broke in May, federal investigators have still not contacted any of the 41 conservative groups represented in the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) lawsuit against the IRS.
Though the FBI and IRS both launched investigations into the wrongdoing, and Eric Holder’s Justice Department vowed to cooperate with the FBI probe, none of these agencies has contacted the ACLJ’s clients to figure out what happened.
“It’s now been more than six months since the public revelation of the IRS targeting scheme. The Obama Administration — including the White House — has repeatedly promised that an investigation would ensue and that we would get to the bottom of this unlawful and unconstitutional scheme. Unfortunately, that does not appear to be happening. To date, not one of our 41 clients has been contacted by the FBI, the Justice Department or any other federal investigative agency,” ACLJ chief counsel Jay Sekulow told The Daily Caller.
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Though the FBI and IRS both launched investigations into the wrongdoing, and Eric Holder’s Justice Department vowed to cooperate with the FBI probe, none of these agencies has contacted the ACLJ’s clients to figure out what happened.
“It’s now been more than six months since the public revelation of the IRS targeting scheme. The Obama Administration — including the White House — has repeatedly promised that an investigation would ensue and that we would get to the bottom of this unlawful and unconstitutional scheme. Unfortunately, that does not appear to be happening. To date, not one of our 41 clients has been contacted by the FBI, the Justice Department or any other federal investigative agency,” ACLJ chief counsel Jay Sekulow told The Daily Caller.
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Supreme Court To Decide Obamacare Birth Control Mandate
Hobby Lobby stores and Conestoga Wood Specialties are among dozens of large firms with religious devout owners who say the “contraception mandate” tied to the Affordable Care Act infringes on their right to religious freedom.
The Obama administration asked the high court to review the issue after a federal appeals court in Colorado found in favor of Hobby Lobby Oklahoma-based crafts franchise, setting up a closely watched face-off that will decide if for-profit company may, in effect, practice religion in line with its owners’ deeply held beliefs — even if it thwarts rules from Washington.
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Rare 800-Pound 'Dinosaur' Stingray Caught Off The Florida Coast
A monster sea creature caught off Miami Beach over the weekend had its captor confused.
Mark Quartiano, also known as Mark the Shark, is a famous Florida captain who has caught thousands of sharks. But the 800-pound rare catch he reeled in over the weekend was something he had never seen before, ABC News reports.
“When we first saw it, we didn’t know what it was. It looked really odd … like some kind of dinosaur,” Quartiano told GrindTV, adding that the creature was out of the water for three or four minutes for a photo before being set free.
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Mark Quartiano, also known as Mark the Shark, is a famous Florida captain who has caught thousands of sharks. But the 800-pound rare catch he reeled in over the weekend was something he had never seen before, ABC News reports.
“When we first saw it, we didn’t know what it was. It looked really odd … like some kind of dinosaur,” Quartiano told GrindTV, adding that the creature was out of the water for three or four minutes for a photo before being set free.
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Scientist Complains Of Federal Copyright Infringement
A local scientist believes the federal government has infringed on his intellectual property.
John Hnatio says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration got ahold of his trade secrets and used them to create a tool that the FDA released on its website free of charge. Hnatio, chief science officer and founder of Frederick-based FoodQuestTQ, had been developing a product to sell to industry, he said.
The government's actions have caused blacklisting of his company, he said.
The Small Business Administration is referring Hnatio's complaints to the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General.
John Hnatio says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration got ahold of his trade secrets and used them to create a tool that the FDA released on its website free of charge. Hnatio, chief science officer and founder of Frederick-based FoodQuestTQ, had been developing a product to sell to industry, he said.
The government's actions have caused blacklisting of his company, he said.
The Small Business Administration is referring Hnatio's complaints to the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General.
‘A’ For Effort! Wild Grade Inflation At Most Colleges
The average college student’s GPA rose from 2.52 in the 1950s to 3.11 in 2006. At many universities, the most common grade is an ‘A.’
These and other statistics show that American four-year educational institutions have massively shifted their grading systems to award ‘A’ and ‘B’ grades to most students, according to USA Today.
Is it a problem if the average college student receives above average grades? Stuart Rojstaczer, a former Duke University professor who studies grade inflation, thinks so.
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These and other statistics show that American four-year educational institutions have massively shifted their grading systems to award ‘A’ and ‘B’ grades to most students, according to USA Today.
Is it a problem if the average college student receives above average grades? Stuart Rojstaczer, a former Duke University professor who studies grade inflation, thinks so.
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LATEST UPDATE: Yesterday's Fatal Church Fire Officially Linked To Ocean City Man
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| Photo by Michael Lawson |
LATEST UPDATE: Yesterday's Fatal Church Fire Officially Linked To Ocean City Man
While the ongoing investigation continues into yesterday's fire, the latest news of relevance is that a 56-year-old Ocean City man, named John Raymond Sterner, has been linked to the blaze at the rectory of the St. Paul's by the Sea Episcopal Church. A press release from the Ocean City Fire Department reports, "The initial investigation determined that the fire originated in the area of the ground floor pantry and porch space of the Shepherd’s Crook facility, which is located in the rectory building. The exact cause of the fire is still actively under investigation, however; preliminary findings by investigators indicate that John Raymond Sterner, 56, of Ocean City, entered the structure with a significant amount of fire on and about his person, quickly spreading the fire to the structure.
Investigators suspect an accelerant was involved in the quick spread of the fire, which claimed the life of Sterner. Sterner was deceased inside of the building upon arrival of the Fire Department."
The fire also claimed the life of beloved St. Paul's Rev. David Dingwall. A female, who Sterner came into physical contact with reportedly inside the rectory, is reportedly still being treated for her injuries at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
Administration Accused Of Giving Unions 'Special Treatment' With Exemption From ObamaCare Fee
The Obama administration is being accused of giving labor groups "special treatment under the law" after formally proposing a change that could exempt union health plans from a pesky ObamaCare fee.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., who flagged the obscure rule change after it was filed in the Federal Register (see page 70), blasted the exemption as "crony capitalism at its worst."
"Unions are now experiencing the ugly reality of this law, and they want out," he said in a statement.
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Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., who flagged the obscure rule change after it was filed in the Federal Register (see page 70), blasted the exemption as "crony capitalism at its worst."
"Unions are now experiencing the ugly reality of this law, and they want out," he said in a statement.
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Thanksgiving Shopping? Not In States That Ban It
Shoppers won't be lining up for Thanksgiving Day deals at stores in Rhode Island. They can't.
While in other parts of the country retailers will offer holiday deals starting Thursday, most big stores in Rhode Island, Maine and Massachusetts are barred by law from opening on the holiday. It's the legacy of so-called "blue laws," which prohibit large supermarkets, big box stores and department stores from opening on Thanksgiving.
Some business groups complain it's an unnecessary barrier during an era of 24-hour online shopping, and there have been some recent failed legislative attempts to change things. But many shoppers, workers and even retailers say they're satisfied with the status quo: a one-day reprieve from work and holiday shopping.
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While in other parts of the country retailers will offer holiday deals starting Thursday, most big stores in Rhode Island, Maine and Massachusetts are barred by law from opening on the holiday. It's the legacy of so-called "blue laws," which prohibit large supermarkets, big box stores and department stores from opening on Thanksgiving.
Some business groups complain it's an unnecessary barrier during an era of 24-hour online shopping, and there have been some recent failed legislative attempts to change things. But many shoppers, workers and even retailers say they're satisfied with the status quo: a one-day reprieve from work and holiday shopping.
More
Colorado Lawmaker Resigns To Avoid Recall
Anti-Gun Colorado Lawmaker Resigns Rather Than Face Recall
A third Democratic Colorado state senator facing possible recall after voting for gun-control measures says she will resign.
Sen. Evie Hudak of Denver's western suburbs announced her resignation Wednesday, less than a week before opponents planned to turn in petitions seeking her recall. The resignation means Democrats will appoint an interim successor and keep a one-seat majority in the Senate next session.
Two other Democratic senators were ousted from office in September, Sens. John Morse of Colorado Springs and Angela Giron of Pueblo.
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A third Democratic Colorado state senator facing possible recall after voting for gun-control measures says she will resign.
Sen. Evie Hudak of Denver's western suburbs announced her resignation Wednesday, less than a week before opponents planned to turn in petitions seeking her recall. The resignation means Democrats will appoint an interim successor and keep a one-seat majority in the Senate next session.
Two other Democratic senators were ousted from office in September, Sens. John Morse of Colorado Springs and Angela Giron of Pueblo.
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Ron Paul: Yellen Dangerous For The Economy
What does former U.S. congressman Dr. Ron Paul think about Janet Yellen as the Fed Chair? Kitco News caught up with Paul at the Metals & Minerals Conference in San Francisco, where he is a keynote speaker, to discuss monetary policy, gold and the US dollar. “It’s easy to be a critic if you don’t believe they should exist,” Paul says in response to his criticisms of the Fed. Having Yellen as the next chair, Paul says not much will change. “If anything, it’ll be slightly worse because she is a very aggressive inflator…I think she’ll be dangerous to the dollar and she will not revive the economy.” Paul thinks the Fed is temporarily holding markets in check by making Wall Street people richer and helping out the bankers but it has done nothing for the economy. “The market is so fragile,” he says. “[The Fed] should have never started [QE].” With regards to gold, Paul says gold will soon be up again. “[The Fed] cannot print this kind of money and think that it will never be discounted by the dollar price of gold,” he says. “I think we’re fast approaching the time where [gold] will turnaround.” Watch now to hear where Paul would invest and avoid putting his money in the coming year. Kitco News, November 26, 2013.
BREAKING NEWS: Administration Announces New ObamaCare Delay
Administration says it will not launch online enrollment for small businesses until November 2014, in another delay for the health care law. From Fox News
Investigation Into Ocean City Church Fire Continues
On Tuesday, November 26, 2013, at approximately 9:25 a.m., Ocean City Communications received a call for a fire at St. Paul’s by the Sea. Ocean City Fire Department personnel responded to the scene, which is located at 302 North Baltimore Avenue, and found fire coming from the rectory building upon their arrival.
The initial investigation determined that the fire originated in the area of the ground floor pantry and porch space of the Shepherd’s Crook facility, which is located in the rectory building. The exact cause of the fire is still actively under investigation, however; preliminary findings by investigators indicate that John Raymond Sterner, 56, of Ocean City, entered the structure with a significant amount of fire on and about his person, quickly spreading the fire to the structure.
Investigators suspect an accelerant was involved in the quick spread of the fire, which claimed the life of Sterner. Sterner was deceased inside of the building upon arrival of the Fire Department.
A female victim, whose name is not being released, sustained injuries attempting to exit the Shepherd’s Crook facility of the structure. She was treated on the scene by paramedics and ultimately transported to John’s Hopkins Bayview Medical Center where she is still being treated.
The fire also claimed the life of St. Paul’s by the Sea’s Reverend, David Dingwall. Fire Department personnel located Rev. Dingwall during a primary search of the second floor of the building, where they experienced heavy smoke and heat conditions. Reverend Dingwall, who was unconscious at the time, was quickly removed from the building, treated on the scene by paramedics and transported to Atlantic General Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
The remains of Rev. Dingwall and Sterner have been taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Maryland in Baltimore for autopsy to determine the manner and cause of death.
“Today was a very tragic day for our community,” said Ocean City Fire Chief Chris Larmore. “We are thankful for the numerous agencies that assisted us during our response and especially thankful for all of the public safety personnel who helped prevent this fire from claiming more lives.”
Initial damage assessments indicate significant fire damage of the first and second floor office, in addition to smoke and overhaul damage throughout the first floor of the rectory building. The worship center and Red Doors Community Center, which are located within St. Paul’s by the Sea, experienced minimal to no significant damage.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Ocean City Fire Department’s Fire Marshal’s Office and the Ocean City Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division. The Maryland State Fire Marshal and Worcester County Fire Marshal are also assisting in the investigation. Anyone with information regarding the fire, including photograph or video taken before the arrival of the Fire Department, is asked to contact the Ocean City Police Department at 410.723.6610.
The initial investigation determined that the fire originated in the area of the ground floor pantry and porch space of the Shepherd’s Crook facility, which is located in the rectory building. The exact cause of the fire is still actively under investigation, however; preliminary findings by investigators indicate that John Raymond Sterner, 56, of Ocean City, entered the structure with a significant amount of fire on and about his person, quickly spreading the fire to the structure.
Investigators suspect an accelerant was involved in the quick spread of the fire, which claimed the life of Sterner. Sterner was deceased inside of the building upon arrival of the Fire Department.
A female victim, whose name is not being released, sustained injuries attempting to exit the Shepherd’s Crook facility of the structure. She was treated on the scene by paramedics and ultimately transported to John’s Hopkins Bayview Medical Center where she is still being treated.
The fire also claimed the life of St. Paul’s by the Sea’s Reverend, David Dingwall. Fire Department personnel located Rev. Dingwall during a primary search of the second floor of the building, where they experienced heavy smoke and heat conditions. Reverend Dingwall, who was unconscious at the time, was quickly removed from the building, treated on the scene by paramedics and transported to Atlantic General Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
The remains of Rev. Dingwall and Sterner have been taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Maryland in Baltimore for autopsy to determine the manner and cause of death.
“Today was a very tragic day for our community,” said Ocean City Fire Chief Chris Larmore. “We are thankful for the numerous agencies that assisted us during our response and especially thankful for all of the public safety personnel who helped prevent this fire from claiming more lives.”
Initial damage assessments indicate significant fire damage of the first and second floor office, in addition to smoke and overhaul damage throughout the first floor of the rectory building. The worship center and Red Doors Community Center, which are located within St. Paul’s by the Sea, experienced minimal to no significant damage.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Ocean City Fire Department’s Fire Marshal’s Office and the Ocean City Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division. The Maryland State Fire Marshal and Worcester County Fire Marshal are also assisting in the investigation. Anyone with information regarding the fire, including photograph or video taken before the arrival of the Fire Department, is asked to contact the Ocean City Police Department at 410.723.6610.
Now This Is Funny
GOVERNOR O’MALLEY TO HOLD MEDIA AVAILABILITY
ANNAPOLIS, MD (November 27, 2013) -- In advance of the Thanksgiving holiday, Governor Martin O’Malley will hold a media availability today in Annapolis in the Governor’s Reception Room at 2:30 p.m. EST. The Governor will address the status of efforts to expand access to quality, affordable health care in Maryland.
WHAT: Governor O’Malley to hold media availability
WHERE: Governor’s Reception Room, 100 State Circle, Annapolis, Md. 21401
WHEN: TODAY, November 27, 2013, 2:30 p.m. EST
ANNAPOLIS, MD (November 27, 2013) -- In advance of the Thanksgiving holiday, Governor Martin O’Malley will hold a media availability today in Annapolis in the Governor’s Reception Room at 2:30 p.m. EST. The Governor will address the status of efforts to expand access to quality, affordable health care in Maryland.
WHAT: Governor O’Malley to hold media availability
WHERE: Governor’s Reception Room, 100 State Circle, Annapolis, Md. 21401
WHEN: TODAY, November 27, 2013, 2:30 p.m. EST
Masking Totalitarianism
One of the oldest notions in the history of mankind is that some people are to give orders and others are to obey. The powerful elite believe that they have wisdom superior to the masses and that they’ve been ordained to forcibly impose that wisdom on the rest of us. Their agenda calls for an attack on the free market and what it implies — voluntary exchange. Tyrants do not trust that people acting voluntarily will do what the tyrant thinks they should do. Therefore, free markets are replaced with economic planning and regulation that is nothing less than the forcible superseding of other people’s plans by the powerful elite.
Because Americans still retain a large measure of liberty, tyrants must mask their agenda. At the university level, some professors give tyranny an intellectual quality by preaching that negative freedom is not enough. There must be positive liberty or freedoms. This idea is widespread in academia, but its most recent incarnation was a discussion by Wake Forest University professor David Coates in a Huffington Post article, titled “Negative Freedom or Positive Freedom: Time to Choose?” (11/13/2013) (http://tinyurl.com/oemfzy6). Let’s examine negative versus positive freedom.
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Because Americans still retain a large measure of liberty, tyrants must mask their agenda. At the university level, some professors give tyranny an intellectual quality by preaching that negative freedom is not enough. There must be positive liberty or freedoms. This idea is widespread in academia, but its most recent incarnation was a discussion by Wake Forest University professor David Coates in a Huffington Post article, titled “Negative Freedom or Positive Freedom: Time to Choose?” (11/13/2013) (http://tinyurl.com/oemfzy6). Let’s examine negative versus positive freedom.
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WCSO Press Releases 11/27/2013
Incident: Theft
Date of Incident: 26 November 2013
Location: 100 block of Francis Drive, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Stephanie Louise Cornell, 30, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 26 Nov 2013 a deputy arrested Stephanie Cornell in connection with a theft. Back on 12 Nov the deputy began investigating the theft of a laptop, a digital camera and tools. Suspicion turned to a female subject, Cornell that had been staying with the victim. During the investigation,the deputy located the purloined items at a local pawns store for sale. It was revealed that Cornell was the individual who sold the items to the store. A warrant for the arrest of Cornell was obtained and she was brought to the Central Booking Unit for processing and an appearance in front of the Circuit Court Commissioner following her arrest. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Cornell in the Detention Center on a bond of $7,500.00.
Charges: Thef t$1,000.00 to $10,000.00
Cornell, Stephanie
Incident: First Degree Assault
Date of Incident: 26 November 2013
Location: 30900 block of E. Line Road, Delmar, MD
Suspect: William David Betts Jr., 37,Delmar, MD
Narrative: On 26 Nov 2013 at 12:37 PM a deputy responded to a report of an altercation at a residence in the 30900 block of E. Line Road in Delmar. Upon arrival, the deputy met a man who stated that he had just been threatened by his son, William Betts Jr., who was brandishing a loaded shotgun.During the argument, Betts Jr. allegedly pointed the loaded shotgun at his father. The deputy arrested Betts Jr. and retrieved the shotgun that was reportedly used. The deputy observed that Betts was visibly heavily intoxicated. Betts was processed at the Central Booking Unit and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner.After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Betts Jr. in the Detention Center in lieu of $75,000.00 bond.
Charges: Assault 1st Degree and Reckless Endangerment
Betts, William
Incident: Most Wanted Subject Apprehension
Date of Incident: 26 November 2013
Location: Laurel, DE
Suspect: Elizabeth Ann Keough, 37,Laurel, DE
Narrative: On 26 Nov 2013 at 7:35 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with Delaware law enforcement authorities, located Elizabeth Keough at a residence in Laurel, DE and took her into custody. Keough was wanted on two Circuit Court Bench Warrants that had been issued in CDS Possession with the Intent to Distribute cases after Keough failed to appear for them. Keough had recently been featured on “Wicomico’s Most Wanted’ on WMDT TV 47. Multiple tips from viewers to the Crime Solvers Tip line allowed law enforcement to locate Keough. Keough was transported to the Detention Center where she was detained without bond pending an appearance in front of a Circuit Court Judge.
Charges: Failure to Appear
Keough, Elizabeth
The Corn Lobby Loses One . . . Maybe
Every once in awhile, some good news.
Maybe.
The Environmental Protection Agency – usually strident, ideological and unreasonable – has suggested doing something reasonable: It has proposed reducing the total amount (and the percentage) of ethanol adulteration of gasoline.
Probably because it’s unavoidably necessary – to cover up a burgeoning debacle (think Obamacare and the delayed rollout of certain aspects of it).
Instead of 18.15 billion gallons of corn crap, just 15 or so billion gallons would be sloshed into our fuel tanks – and no more than 10 percent of the stuff per gallon of “gas,” which is the amount we currently have to accept. (See here for the news story).
As recently as last year, it seemed all-but-certain that EPA would mandate E15 – 15 percent ethanol. E85 (85 percent ethanol) was on deck.
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Maybe.
The Environmental Protection Agency – usually strident, ideological and unreasonable – has suggested doing something reasonable: It has proposed reducing the total amount (and the percentage) of ethanol adulteration of gasoline.
Probably because it’s unavoidably necessary – to cover up a burgeoning debacle (think Obamacare and the delayed rollout of certain aspects of it).
Instead of 18.15 billion gallons of corn crap, just 15 or so billion gallons would be sloshed into our fuel tanks – and no more than 10 percent of the stuff per gallon of “gas,” which is the amount we currently have to accept. (See here for the news story).
As recently as last year, it seemed all-but-certain that EPA would mandate E15 – 15 percent ethanol. E85 (85 percent ethanol) was on deck.
More
A New Wave Of U.S. Mortgage Trouble Threatens Banks
U.S. borrowers are increasingly missing payments on home equity lines of credit they took out during the housing bubble, a trend that could deal another blow to the country's biggest banks.
The loans are a problem now because an increasing number are hitting their 10-year anniversary, at which point borrowers usually must start paying down the principal on the loans as well as the interest they had been paying all along.
More than $221 billion of these loans at the largest banks will hit this mark over the next four years, about 40 percent of the home equity lines of credit now outstanding.
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The loans are a problem now because an increasing number are hitting their 10-year anniversary, at which point borrowers usually must start paying down the principal on the loans as well as the interest they had been paying all along.
More than $221 billion of these loans at the largest banks will hit this mark over the next four years, about 40 percent of the home equity lines of credit now outstanding.
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Obamacare Fast-Tracks Single Payer Via Medicaid Expansion
As I wrote earlier today, the expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare has come with all sorts of surprises and unintended (or perhaps intended) consequences. Medicaid expansion creates a two-tier medical delivery system that forces all but the most well-off into a single-payer system. Indeed, Obamacare's similarities to Great Britain's NHS are becoming more apparent. Another way this is being accomplished: the removal of asset limits for Medicaid qualification.
Much was made of the guest opinion in the Wall Street Journal earlier this week - "Nicole Hopkins: ObamaCare Forced Mom Into Medicaid" - and rightfully so. Ms. Hopkins writes of her mother's attempt to use the health care exchange system, with a surprising result:
[Her mother's post on facebook reads] "I just received a notice: 'In order to comply with the new healthcare law, your current health plan will be discontinued on December 31, 2013.' Currently my premium is $276 and it is a stretch for me to cover. The new plan . . . are you ready . . . projected new rate $415.20. Now I can't afford health insurance."
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Much was made of the guest opinion in the Wall Street Journal earlier this week - "Nicole Hopkins: ObamaCare Forced Mom Into Medicaid" - and rightfully so. Ms. Hopkins writes of her mother's attempt to use the health care exchange system, with a surprising result:
[Her mother's post on facebook reads] "I just received a notice: 'In order to comply with the new healthcare law, your current health plan will be discontinued on December 31, 2013.' Currently my premium is $276 and it is a stretch for me to cover. The new plan . . . are you ready . . . projected new rate $415.20. Now I can't afford health insurance."
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Court Upholds Constitutionality Of Death Penalty
Maryland's highest court has rejected a claim by a man on death row that his sentence is unconstitutional.
The Court of Appeals ruled on Monday against Jody Lee Miles' claim that the Maryland Constitution limits capital punishment to treason against the state government. The Daily Record reports that the court ruled 6-1.
Miles was sentenced to death for the 1997 robbery and murder of theater manager Edward Atkinson of Salisbury. He is one of five men on death row in Maryland.
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The Court of Appeals ruled on Monday against Jody Lee Miles' claim that the Maryland Constitution limits capital punishment to treason against the state government. The Daily Record reports that the court ruled 6-1.
Miles was sentenced to death for the 1997 robbery and murder of theater manager Edward Atkinson of Salisbury. He is one of five men on death row in Maryland.
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Religious Roots Of Buddha's Birthplace Traced Back 2,600 Years
Archaeologists in Nepal say they have found traces of a temple structure linked to Buddha's nativity going back to the sixth century B.C.
The remnants of a timber structure — unearthed at the Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini, Nepal, which has traditionally been venerated as the spiritual leader's birthplace — represent the first archaeological material linking the birth of Buddha and the religion he founded to a specific century.
"Very little is known about the life of the Buddha, except through textual sources and oral tradition," Durham University archaeologist Robin Coningham said in a news release. "We thought, 'Why not go back to archaeology to try to answer some of the questions about his birth?' Now, for the first time, we have an archaeological sequence at Lumbini that shows a building there as early as the sixth century B.C."
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The remnants of a timber structure — unearthed at the Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini, Nepal, which has traditionally been venerated as the spiritual leader's birthplace — represent the first archaeological material linking the birth of Buddha and the religion he founded to a specific century.
"Very little is known about the life of the Buddha, except through textual sources and oral tradition," Durham University archaeologist Robin Coningham said in a news release. "We thought, 'Why not go back to archaeology to try to answer some of the questions about his birth?' Now, for the first time, we have an archaeological sequence at Lumbini that shows a building there as early as the sixth century B.C."
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CDC: More Than 20% Of 14-Year-Old Boys Diagnosed With ADHD
The percentage of American children from 4 through 17 years of age who have ever been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increased 42 percent from 2003 to 2011, according to a newly released study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The study indicated that more than 20 percent of 11- and 14-year-old American boys had been diagnosed with ADHD at some point in their lives, that boys were 125 percent more likely than girls to be diagnosed with the disorder, and that boys were 127 percent more likely than girls to be medicated for it.
The study also found that children in public health programs (Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program) were 53 percent more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than children with private health insurance.
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The study indicated that more than 20 percent of 11- and 14-year-old American boys had been diagnosed with ADHD at some point in their lives, that boys were 125 percent more likely than girls to be diagnosed with the disorder, and that boys were 127 percent more likely than girls to be medicated for it.
The study also found that children in public health programs (Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program) were 53 percent more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than children with private health insurance.
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A Day That Will Live In Infamy - Gun Owners Of America
Last Thursday, November 21, is a day that will live in infamy.
Harry Reid pulled the trigger on the "nuclear option" -- a process whereby 52 Senate Democrats voted to change the Senate rules by brute force. (See the vote here, where “YEA” was the pro-gun vote.)
He did this for the ostensible purpose of packing the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals with three anti-gun judges -- one of which (Robert Wilkins) has held that the Second Amendment doesn't protect the right to purchase firearms, just the right to possess them.
But make no mistake about it: The Senate now effectively has no rules. This means that, if Supreme Court "swing vote" Anthony Kennedy were to die or resign tomorrow, Obama would shove through another virulently anti-gun nominee.
This would mean that Obama’s lasting legacy would be to reverse the Heller and McDonald Supreme Court decisions. And, as far as the Court is concerned, the Second Amendment would be nothing, other than the right of a state to raise a militia.
So a vote for the nuclear option on Thursday was a vote to begin the process of effectively repealing the Second Amendment.
Don't believe your lying anti-gun senator -- the one who also told you that you could "keep your insurance." In an effort to cover their rear ends, Thursday's rules change purports to exempt Supreme Court nominees from the 50-vote non-filibusterable procedure.
But one would have to be a fool to think that 52 Democrats who would blow up the Senate over an appeals court would not do the same if the balance on the Supreme Court were at stake.
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Harry Reid pulled the trigger on the "nuclear option" -- a process whereby 52 Senate Democrats voted to change the Senate rules by brute force. (See the vote here, where “YEA” was the pro-gun vote.)
He did this for the ostensible purpose of packing the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals with three anti-gun judges -- one of which (Robert Wilkins) has held that the Second Amendment doesn't protect the right to purchase firearms, just the right to possess them.
But make no mistake about it: The Senate now effectively has no rules. This means that, if Supreme Court "swing vote" Anthony Kennedy were to die or resign tomorrow, Obama would shove through another virulently anti-gun nominee.
This would mean that Obama’s lasting legacy would be to reverse the Heller and McDonald Supreme Court decisions. And, as far as the Court is concerned, the Second Amendment would be nothing, other than the right of a state to raise a militia.
So a vote for the nuclear option on Thursday was a vote to begin the process of effectively repealing the Second Amendment.
Don't believe your lying anti-gun senator -- the one who also told you that you could "keep your insurance." In an effort to cover their rear ends, Thursday's rules change purports to exempt Supreme Court nominees from the 50-vote non-filibusterable procedure.
But one would have to be a fool to think that 52 Democrats who would blow up the Senate over an appeals court would not do the same if the balance on the Supreme Court were at stake.
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Nurse w/Disabled Child Wants Plan Back After ObamaCare Doubles Her Premium
My plan does not qualify under the Affordable Care Act because it does not include maternity coverage. I am a 41-year-old woman with three children (one with moderate-severe autism and mental retardation). I am not having any more children.
This is ridiculous. However, it gets worse. Optima gave me my options. Now I have a $2,500 deductible with 100 percent coverage after the deductible is met. The family deductible is $5,000. The plan costs $209 per month. This is not a substandard plan.
I have a health savings account where I have saved more than $12,000, so if my family needs health care, I can provide for them.
The new Obamacare plans are worse in every regard. They are not better and I do not save $2,500, as President Obama promised so many times.
Here is the closest plan to mine: $3,250 deductible (worse), $6,500 family deductible (worse), and the premium is an outrageous $674 per month (far worse). Essentially, I will pay $465 a month or $5,580 a year more for insurance. Obama promised the average family (I’m a nurse; we’re average) $2,500, but I will pay $5,580 more?
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This is ridiculous. However, it gets worse. Optima gave me my options. Now I have a $2,500 deductible with 100 percent coverage after the deductible is met. The family deductible is $5,000. The plan costs $209 per month. This is not a substandard plan.
I have a health savings account where I have saved more than $12,000, so if my family needs health care, I can provide for them.
The new Obamacare plans are worse in every regard. They are not better and I do not save $2,500, as President Obama promised so many times.
Here is the closest plan to mine: $3,250 deductible (worse), $6,500 family deductible (worse), and the premium is an outrageous $674 per month (far worse). Essentially, I will pay $465 a month or $5,580 a year more for insurance. Obama promised the average family (I’m a nurse; we’re average) $2,500, but I will pay $5,580 more?
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The Democratic Party vs. Barack Obama
When Obama decided to turn his campaign into a permanent Super PAC, he was stabbing the Democratic Party in the back. But he was doing it to them before they did it to him.
Organizing for America gave him an independent source of power and influence at the expense of the Democratic Party. Obama was carelessly draining money and energy out of his own party because whatever common interests he had with a political party, that for all its leftward swing was still too conservative for his taste, were about to be fractured during his second term.
The Democratic Party might have been satisfied if he had retained his 2008 halo in 2015. But that was never going to happen. No matter how much the media slobbers over a politician, the voting public, at least those parts of it that don’t have Hope posters and Obama holograms hanging on their walls, eventually needs a break and someone to blame.
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Organizing for America gave him an independent source of power and influence at the expense of the Democratic Party. Obama was carelessly draining money and energy out of his own party because whatever common interests he had with a political party, that for all its leftward swing was still too conservative for his taste, were about to be fractured during his second term.
The Democratic Party might have been satisfied if he had retained his 2008 halo in 2015. But that was never going to happen. No matter how much the media slobbers over a politician, the voting public, at least those parts of it that don’t have Hope posters and Obama holograms hanging on their walls, eventually needs a break and someone to blame.
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FOOD ALLERGIES ON THE RISE FOR MARYLAND AND DC CHILDREN
Food allergies in children have risen 50 percent since the late 1990s, with Maryland and D.C. having some of the highest rates in the country. And no one knows why.
To combat the rise, the Centers for Disease Control, which reported the 50 percent increase in a 2013 study, recently released a 108-page comprehensive guide to assist schools. The “Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies in Schools and Early Care and Education Programs” meticulously documents procedures and policies regarding the disease.
The guidelines label symptoms of an allergy attack, including how a child would articulate such symptoms, like, “my mouth feels funny” or “my tongue feels like there is a hair on it.”
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To combat the rise, the Centers for Disease Control, which reported the 50 percent increase in a 2013 study, recently released a 108-page comprehensive guide to assist schools. The “Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies in Schools and Early Care and Education Programs” meticulously documents procedures and policies regarding the disease.
The guidelines label symptoms of an allergy attack, including how a child would articulate such symptoms, like, “my mouth feels funny” or “my tongue feels like there is a hair on it.”
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Why French Kids Don't Have ADHD
In the United States, at least 9% of school-aged children have been diagnosed with ADHD, and are taking pharmaceutical medications. In France, the percentage of kids diagnosed and medicated for ADHD is less than .5%. How come the epidemic of ADHD—which has become firmly established in the United States—has almost completely passed over children in France?
Is ADHD a biological-neurological disorder? Surprisingly, the answer to this question depends on whether you live in France or in the United States. In the United States, child psychiatrists consider ADHD to be a biological disorder with biological causes. The preferred treatment is also biological--psycho stimulant medications such as Ritalin and Adderall.
French child psychiatrists, on the other hand, view ADHD as a medical condition that has psycho-social and situational causes. Instead of treating children's focusing and behavioral problems withdrugs, French doctors prefer to look for the underlying issue that is causing the child distress—not in the child's brain but in the child's social context. They then choose to treat the underlying social context problem with psychotherapy or family counseling. This is a very different way of seeing things from the American tendency to attribute all symptoms to a biological dysfunction such as a chemical imbalance in the child's brain.
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Is ADHD a biological-neurological disorder? Surprisingly, the answer to this question depends on whether you live in France or in the United States. In the United States, child psychiatrists consider ADHD to be a biological disorder with biological causes. The preferred treatment is also biological--psycho stimulant medications such as Ritalin and Adderall.
French child psychiatrists, on the other hand, view ADHD as a medical condition that has psycho-social and situational causes. Instead of treating children's focusing and behavioral problems withdrugs, French doctors prefer to look for the underlying issue that is causing the child distress—not in the child's brain but in the child's social context. They then choose to treat the underlying social context problem with psychotherapy or family counseling. This is a very different way of seeing things from the American tendency to attribute all symptoms to a biological dysfunction such as a chemical imbalance in the child's brain.
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Salisbury Finally Discloses Calibration Records
Salisbury has finally released their calibration records in response to a media request by the Washington Times.... disclosing many of the same records we have been trying to acquire since June.
And guess what.... "Houston we have a problem" :
http://www.mddriversalliance.org/2013/11/salisbury-records-show-calibration.html
It's unclear to me at this time how many citations were issued when there were no daily logs and/or expired calibrations since citation counts were not included. It would take another request to determine that. Since access to the records was delayed for so long, some people may have now lost their ability to request hearings to dispute tickets, which they might have done had they know about these issues.
And guess what.... "Houston we have a problem" :
http://www.mddriversalliance.org/2013/11/salisbury-records-show-calibration.html
It's unclear to me at this time how many citations were issued when there were no daily logs and/or expired calibrations since citation counts were not included. It would take another request to determine that. Since access to the records was delayed for so long, some people may have now lost their ability to request hearings to dispute tickets, which they might have done had they know about these issues.
Bradley Abuse Victims Learn Settlement Amounts
Chase Brockstedt and his law firm represented about 100 of the victims, and he tells our sister station Delaware 105.9 about the possible timetable for payments.
"Once the appeal period and all appeals have been exhausted, then we will have a sort of final categorization of all 1,400 claimants and a corresponding dollar figure to go with that categorization, says Brockstedt.
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Montgomery Co. Council Approves Minimum Wage Hike
ROCKVILLE, Md. - Montgomery County Council has jumped ahead of its neighbors and has voted to raise the minimum wage by more than $4 by 2017.
After an hours-long debate that at times got deeply personal, the council voted 8-1 to approve the increase from the current $7.25 an hour to $11.50 an hour. The law would apply to county employees and private sector workers whose employers operate and do business in the county.
County Executive Ike Leggett is expected to sign the bill.
The minimum wage increase would be phased in so that workers would see an increase to $8.40 an hour by Oct. 1, 2014. The rate would increase again to $9.55 an hour by October 2015, then $10.75 an hour by October 2016 and finally hit the new $11.50 an hour mark by 2017.
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After an hours-long debate that at times got deeply personal, the council voted 8-1 to approve the increase from the current $7.25 an hour to $11.50 an hour. The law would apply to county employees and private sector workers whose employers operate and do business in the county.
County Executive Ike Leggett is expected to sign the bill.
The minimum wage increase would be phased in so that workers would see an increase to $8.40 an hour by Oct. 1, 2014. The rate would increase again to $9.55 an hour by October 2015, then $10.75 an hour by October 2016 and finally hit the new $11.50 an hour mark by 2017.
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Price Of Chicken Reaches All-Time High In U.S.
(CNSNews.com) - The price for fresh whole chickens hit its all-time high in the United States in October, according to data released last week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In January 1980, when BLS started tracking the price of this commodity, fresh whole chickens cost $0.69 per pound. By this October 2003, fresh whole chickens cost $1.54 per pound.
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In January 1980, when BLS started tracking the price of this commodity, fresh whole chickens cost $0.69 per pound. By this October 2003, fresh whole chickens cost $1.54 per pound.
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DEMS DESPERATE FOR OBAMACARE FIX AS PRESIDENT EMBARKS ON FUNDRAISING TOUR
As November 30th draws near, the target datefor Healthcare.gov to attain functionality, President Obama is heading to San Francisco and Los Angeles to fill the Democrat party coffers. Knowing the President is hobnobbing with the entertainment industry's elite isn’t consoling Democrat congressional hopefuls that would prefer he was focusing on fixing his broken health care system.
Democrat congressional contenders are panicking while suffering from the assault of Obamacare on their victory dreams for this coming midterm election. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debby Wasserman Schultz say the storm will blow over and everything will be alright by the time Americans make it to the polls in 2014. But some Democratic strategists think this is a serious act of denial shared by many of the party leaders, including the White House.
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Democrat congressional contenders are panicking while suffering from the assault of Obamacare on their victory dreams for this coming midterm election. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debby Wasserman Schultz say the storm will blow over and everything will be alright by the time Americans make it to the polls in 2014. But some Democratic strategists think this is a serious act of denial shared by many of the party leaders, including the White House.
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Obamacare 'Cadillac Tax' Causing Large Companies To Slash Health Benefits
Large companies that provide generous health insurance plans to their employees are slashing benefits to prepare themselves for a new Obamacare tax.
Under the new healthcare law, a 40 percent excise tax — referred to as the "Cadillac tax" — will be levied on the most expensive health plans from 2018. The tax kicks in if a company's annual healthy-insurance cost exceeds $10,200 for an individual and $27,500 for a family.
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Under the new healthcare law, a 40 percent excise tax — referred to as the "Cadillac tax" — will be levied on the most expensive health plans from 2018. The tax kicks in if a company's annual healthy-insurance cost exceeds $10,200 for an individual and $27,500 for a family.
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"I Fear For What’s Coming" – 68% Of Americans Believe The Country Is On The Wrong Track
Are you deeply concerned about the future of America? Is something in your gut telling you that our system is fundamentally broken and that the mainstream media is not telling you the truth about what is happening? If so, you are definitely not alone. Right now, there are millions upon millions of Americans that are absolutely horrified as they watch this nation deteriorate. In fact, according to an analysis of recent polling data conducted by Real Clear Politics, approximately 68 percent of all Americans believe that the country is on the wrong track and only 23.5 percent of all Americans believe that the country is on the right track.
And of course our problems did not appear just recently. In fact, many of them are the result of decades of very foolish decisions and they are not going to be fixed easily. Unfortunately, there is very little consensus among Americans about how to fix any of our problems. There is more anger, frustration, hatred and division in the United States today than there has been in decades, and there is very little hope that the great storms that are looming on the horizon will be averted. Those that are wise are preparing for what is coming. Those that are not are going to be absolutely blindsided by what is rapidly approaching.
Once upon a time, America was the wealthiest nation on the entire globe by a huge margin and it had the largest and most thriving middle class the world had ever seen. But now America is drowning in the biggest ocean of red ink in the history of the planet and the middle class is being systematically destroyed.
If you read my articles on a regular basis, you already know all of this. But now there are certain factors that are going to cause the problems of the middle class to greatly accelerate.
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And of course our problems did not appear just recently. In fact, many of them are the result of decades of very foolish decisions and they are not going to be fixed easily. Unfortunately, there is very little consensus among Americans about how to fix any of our problems. There is more anger, frustration, hatred and division in the United States today than there has been in decades, and there is very little hope that the great storms that are looming on the horizon will be averted. Those that are wise are preparing for what is coming. Those that are not are going to be absolutely blindsided by what is rapidly approaching.
Once upon a time, America was the wealthiest nation on the entire globe by a huge margin and it had the largest and most thriving middle class the world had ever seen. But now America is drowning in the biggest ocean of red ink in the history of the planet and the middle class is being systematically destroyed.
If you read my articles on a regular basis, you already know all of this. But now there are certain factors that are going to cause the problems of the middle class to greatly accelerate.
More
That Mega "Black Friday" Sale? It's Just The End Of The Mega"Pre-Black Friday" Mark Up
"The silliness of it all is that the original price from which the discount is computed is often specious to begin with," sums up the seemingly obvious "retail theater" that plays out every Black Friday in mall after mall across America. As the WSJ reports, the common assumption is that retailers stock up on goods and then mark down the ones that don't sell, taking a hit to their profits. But that isn't typically how it plays out. Instead, big retailers work backward with their suppliers to set starting prices that, after all the markdowns, will yield the profit margins they want. Buyers don't seem to mind. What they are after, especially in such a lackluster economy, is the feeling they got a deal, "I don't even get excited unless its 40% off." The manufactured nature of most discounts raises questions about the wisdom of standing in line for the promotional frenzy that kicks off the holiday shopping season. It also explains how retailers have been able to ramp up the bargains without giving away the store - until now.
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Maryland One Of 13 ‘Turkey States’ On Spending, Accounting Watchdog Says
This made Maryland one of 13 “turkey states” that had more expenses than revenues in fiscal 2012. The list includes all of Maryland’s neighbors except Virginia.
“They circumvent the balanced budget requirements” with accounting gimmicks, said Sheila Weinberg, founder and CEO of the Institute for Truth in Accounting. This watchdog group has long maintained that states do not accurately represents their expenses, revenues, assets and liabilities. The Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports require all states to follow the same accounting rules.
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Almost 80 Million With Employer Health Care Plans Could Have Coverage Canceled, Experts Predict
Almost 80 million people with employer health plans could find their coverage canceled because they are not compliant with ObamaCare, several experts predicted.
Their losses would be in addition to the millions who found their individual coverage cancelled for the same reason.
Stan Veuger of the American Enterprise Institute said that in addition to the individual cancellations, "at least half the people on employer plans would by 2014 start losing plans as well." There are approximately 157 million employer health care policy holders.
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Their losses would be in addition to the millions who found their individual coverage cancelled for the same reason.
Stan Veuger of the American Enterprise Institute said that in addition to the individual cancellations, "at least half the people on employer plans would by 2014 start losing plans as well." There are approximately 157 million employer health care policy holders.
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REMINDER! Sunday At The Public House
Please join me at the Public House this Sunday, December 1, 2013 from 1pm - 4pm and meet my running mate for Governor, David Craig. Tickets are available at the door, but we need a headcount so please rsvp by responding to this email address (jeannie_haddaway@hotmail.com) or by calling/texting 443-786-2137.
The Public House is located at 201 E. Vine Street in Salisbury, Maryland(http://evolutioncraftbrewing.com/PublicHouse.aspx).
Tickets are $40 each and include hors d'oeuvres, a dinner buffet, dessert and a beer tasting - and don't worry - we are serving pork tenderloin because we know everyone will have had their fill of turkey!
Happy Thanksgiving and I hope to see you Sunday!
Sincerely,
Jeannie Haddaway
Candidate, Lt. Governor
SFD Calls For Service 11-26-13
- Tuesday November, 26 2013 @ 23:53:13Nature: LacerationCity: Salisbury
- Tuesday November, 26 2013 @ 22:34:07Nature: Chest PainCity: Salisbury
- Tuesday November, 26 2013 @ 20:52:28Nature: Chest PainCity: Salisbury
- Tuesday November, 26 2013 @ 20:38:51Nature: Diabetic DifficultyCity: Salisbury
- Tuesday November, 26 2013 @ 17:09:22Nature: Medical AssistAddress: 1601 Mt Hermon Rd Salisbury, MD 21801
- Tuesday November, 26 2013 @ 17:06:31Nature: Unconscious SubjectCity: Salisbury
- Tuesday November, 26 2013 @ 15:29:43Nature: Structure FireAddress: 1604 S Salisbury Blvd Fruitland, MD 21826
- Tuesday November, 26 2013 @ 12:43:25Nature: Non BreathingCity: Salisbury
- Tuesday November, 26 2013 @ 11:45:34Nature: Chest PainCity: Salisbury
- Tuesday November, 26 2013 @ 09:43:02Nature: Non BreathingAddress: 414 Ethels Way Salisbury, MD 21801
- Tuesday November, 26 2013 @ 09:11:50Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
- Tuesday November, 26 2013 @ 08:42:10Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
- Tuesday November, 26 2013 @ 06:04:56Nature: Odor InvestigationAddress: 1023 Spring Ave Salisbury, MD 21801
- Tuesday November, 26 2013 @ 00:43:24Nature: Assault EmsCity: Salisbury
- Tuesday November, 26 2013 @ 00:28:30Nature: Structure FireAddress: 1815 N Salisbury Blvd Salisbury, MD 21801
- Tuesday November, 26 2013 @ 00:28:27Nature: Structure FireAddress: 1815 N Salisbury Blvd Salisbury, MD 21801
- Tuesday November, 26 2013 @ 00:28:27Nature: Structure FireAddress: 1815 N Salisbury Blvd Salisbury, MD 21801
IRS Approval For Many Conservative Groups Still Stalled
It's business as usual at the Internal Revenue Service, where officials tell USA Today
that little has changed since Congress investigated the agency for targeting tea party groups for unnecessary delays.
Forty percent of the conservative groups caught up in the backlog remain in limbo, and new applications pending since May 2012 have not been considered.
The Cincinnati office that handles tax-exempt status groups still faces a backlog, however some officials believe there has been a change in culture and the process improved since division director Lois Lerner and IRS Commissioner Steven Miller resigned.
"I'm quite sure they're not going to go after tea party groups again," said Paul Streckfus, editor of a trade journal focused on tax-exempt issues.
"The larger question is, is the system working better than it did? And the answer, as far as I can tell, is it's not," Streckfus said.
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that little has changed since Congress investigated the agency for targeting tea party groups for unnecessary delays.
Forty percent of the conservative groups caught up in the backlog remain in limbo, and new applications pending since May 2012 have not been considered.
The Cincinnati office that handles tax-exempt status groups still faces a backlog, however some officials believe there has been a change in culture and the process improved since division director Lois Lerner and IRS Commissioner Steven Miller resigned.
"I'm quite sure they're not going to go after tea party groups again," said Paul Streckfus, editor of a trade journal focused on tax-exempt issues.
"The larger question is, is the system working better than it did? And the answer, as far as I can tell, is it's not," Streckfus said.
More
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