This will explain in a nutshell what all the 'hoopy doo' is all about in wisconsin....
AVERAGE WAGE AND BENEFITS (remember this is for about 9 months of work) TEACHERS: Milwaukee $86,297Elmbrook $91,065Germantown $83,818Hartland Arrwhd $90,285 (highest teacher was $122,952-lowest was $64,942)Men Falls $81,099West Bend $82,153Waukesha $92,902Sussex $82,956Mequon $95,297Kettle Mor $87,676Muskego $91,341 STAFF: Arrowhead - Bus Mng - Kopecky - $169,525Arrowhead - Principal - Wieczorek - $152,519Grmtwn - Asst Princ - Dave Towers - $123,222Elmbrk - Burliegh Elemetary - Principal Zahn- $142,315 (for a primary school!!)Madison - Asst Principal - McGrath - $127,835
UNIVERSITY of WISCONSIN STAFF (2009) (salary alone): Michael Knetter - Prof of Bus - $327,828Carolyn Martin -Chancellor Mad- $437,000Hector Deluca - Prof of Nutritional Science - $254,877 (really??) (source:Madison.com " target=_blank<http://madison.com/> -as the UW removed salaries from being posted online in 2007- why if they are so low?)
How about some other "public servant job" ??? What do they make?
Madison Garbage men (2009) (salary only): Garbageman, Mr. Nelson earned $159,258 in 2009, including $109,892 in overtime and other pay. Garbageman, Greg Tatman, who earned $125,598 7 Madison garbage men made over $100,000 30 Madison garbage men made over $70,000
MILWAUKEE CITY BUS DRIVERS (salary only):
136 Drivers made more than $70,000 54 Drivers made more than $80,000 18 Drivers made more than $90,000 8 Drivers made more than $100,000 Top Driver made $117,000(Source WTMJ) (The average private bus driver makes $9-13 an hour (about 20,000 yr) with no pension, or healthcare.)
AND WE ARE SUPPOSED TO CONTINUE PAYING 100% OF THEIR GENEROUS RETIREMENT ? THEY HAVE SHUT DOWN SCHOOLS AS THEY DON'T WANT TO PAY 5.8% OF IT THEMSELVES ....REALLY?
A large explosion occurred at the Fukushima-Daiichi - or Fukushima I - nuclear power plant in north-eastern Japan, close to the epicenter of Friday's earthquake. Officials fear a meltdown at one of the plant's reactors. Tens of thousands of people in the surrounding area have been urged to evacuate.
Government spokesman Yukio Edano says the pressure as well as the radiation at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant has now fallen following this explosion.
It seems clear now from Mr Edano's comments that the nuclear plant building that was blown apart earlier did house a reactor, but the reactor was protected by its metal casing.
Noriyuki Shikata, deputy cabinet secretary for public relations for the Japanese prime minister tweets: "Blast was caused by accumulated hydrogen combined with oxygen in the space between container and outer structure. No damage to container."
"TEPCO's [Tokyo Electric Power Company] efforts to de-pressurize the container were successful. Additional measures are now being taken using sea water and boric acid. "
As a precaution, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says Japanese authorities are making preparations to distribute iodine to residents in the area of both the Fukushima nuclear plants. The IAEA has reiterated its offer of technical assistance to Japan, should the government request this.
Worcester County Bureau of Investigation
13070 St. Martins Neck Road Post Office Box 199 Bishopville,
Maryland 21813
Office: 410-352-3476 Fax: 410-352-3053 Out of Area
Toll Free: 1-800-811-8396
NEWS RELEASE
Date & Time: Numerous Dates in 2010 CASE #: 10-0072
Location Occurred: 1924 Unionville Rd, Pocomoke, Worcester County, Maryland
Crime or Violation: First Degree Burglary/Fourth Degree Burglary/ Theft Less
1,000/Theft $1,000 to $10,000
Victim: Numerous victim's located in Worcester Co. MD.
Accused: Brad David Donaway 12/17/1979 8738 Gumboro Rd, Pittsville MD
Charges: 30 Counts Various Burglary and Theft Charges
Narrative:
The Worcester County Bureau of Investigation handled approximately eight separate burglary investigations during the early year of 2010. These burglaries were linked together during the investigation and revealed that the suspect, Donaway, had been involved. Donaway was later detained on an unrelated burglary in the state of Delaware and has been incarcerated since. On 03/11/2011, Donaway was extradited back to the State of Maryland and taken to the court commissioner, where Donaway was held on on $250,000 bond.
Contrary to publicly expressed opinions of some present and past members of the Ocean Pines Board of Directors, most notably current OPA Treasurer Pete Gomsak, regarding the Local Development Council (LDC) created under the slots legislation, the LDC's role is purely advisory. In other words, the LDC has no regulatory authority to tell Worcester County, Ocean City, Berlin or OPA how it must spend any slots impact funds.
This information comes directly from County Attorney and LDC attorney Sonny Bloxom. More importantly, in a telephone conversation today, Bloxom also said the LDC has no purview over OPA under the slots legislation and OPA does not have to submit a spending plan to the LDC for review as do Worcester County, Ocean City and Berlin. "The law regarding the LDC's review role mentions only municipalities and governments, and OPA is neither."
While Ocean City, Worcester County, and Berlin must submit spending plans to the LDC, the LDC lacks any regulatory authority, according to Bloxom. "It is purely an advisory body, " he said.
The long and short of this is OPA is only obligated to spend the slots impact money on "public infrastructure," per the language in the legislation. Bloxom also indicated the definition of "public infrastructure" under the legislation is probably much broader than the average layman might believe, and certainly much broader than many OPA board members believed.
OPA's public roads and bridges would certainly be public infrastructure. However, under a broader definition those funds could be spent on things like fire and police protection, not to mention OPA facilities open to the general public. Such facilities might include parks and pools.
Beyond the "more good news" aspect, this is yet another example of why the Board of Directors should have counsel present at OPA Board meetings.
OPA's slots impact funds are currently about $17,000 per month, and the monthly income could easily be $50,000 or more during the area's busy tourist season. Yearly income could top $400,000.
Keep track of the income via a link on the OceanPinesForum.com home page to Maryland's reporting site. OPA receives 10% of the local impact funds shown for the Casino Ocean Downs operation.
Discuss all this and add your own comments via the link below:
Slots - More Good News
Aside from the amount of money coming to OPA, there is more good news
Finally, don't forget our weekly Forum Coffee Klatch – social get-together at Java Bay Café 9 A.M. every Thursday. Everyone welcome.
Delmar Girls Basketball presented a check for $555.00 to to Women Supporting Women in Salisbury. The girls raised the money during their Hoops for A Cure Week in February. Great to see athletes giving back. Go Wildcats!
Legislation would restrict polluting septic systems on new, major subdivisions in Maryland
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Just days after wading into a polluted lake in Goldsboro to demonstrate the damage that pollution from failing septic systems can have on our ecosystem, Governor Martin O'Malley today testified before the House Environmental Matters Committee and the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee in support of restricting septic systems on new, major subdivisions in Maryland.
“By turning a blind eye to the proliferation of septic McMansions, as a State we are in essence feeding donuts to a patient with a heart condition,” said Governor O’Malley. “Septic systems, by their very design, are intended to leak sewage into our Bay and into our water tables. Because they require large lots, their proliferation has the effect of carving up our agricultural and rural land.”
He added, “With the reforms we are proposing, we don’t seek to ban these systems or force homeowners to convert their existing systems. Rather, we aim to rationally curtail their expansion.”
In Governor O’Malley’s presentation before each committee today, he urged committee members not to jeopardize the progress we’ve made together on restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
Currently, approximately 411,000 Maryland households are on septic systems. If nothing is done, total nitrogen load from septic systems will increase by 36 percent over the next 25 years. Nitrogen is the most damaging pollutant in the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland's waterways. To comply with the EPA’s Bay “pollution diet” Maryland must reduce nitrogen 21 percent by 2020.
The Sustainable Growth and Agricultural Preservation Act of 2011 (HB 1107/SB 846), as amended, does the following:
Allow new residential minor subdivisions (development on four or fewer new lots, five lots total) to use individual on-site septic systems if they use nitrogen removal technology;
Prohibit new residential major subdivisions (five or more new lots) from using on-site septic systems - but has options: new residential major subdivisions (five or more new lots) can use shared or multi-use sewerage systems (above ground discharge) or connect to existing sewer; and
As a proposed amendment to the bill, allow a farm family to create the individual four lots over time so they wouldn't have to subdivide all four at once.
Failing septic systems can present an imminent threat to public health and to safe drinking water. There is potential for human contact with sewage through a system that directly discharges to the ground or to surface water, backs up into a building, or contaminates drinking water supplies, such as a home drinking well.
BALTIMORE, MD – Governor Martin O'Malley today announced that HBO will shoot the film Game Change in Maryland this spring. The film is estimated to create jobs for approximately 160 local production crew and 1,800 local actors and extras.
Game Change follows John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, from his selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate to their ultimate defeat in the general election. Based on the bestselling book of the same name by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, the film is directed and executive produced by Jay Roach and written and co-executive produced by Danny Strong, whose previous collaboration was HBO’s Emmy Award winning film, Recount. The 2008 film also earned an Emmy and DGA Award for Roach and an Emmy nomination and WGA Award for Strong.
Game Change will star Academy Award nominated actress Julianne Moore as Alaska Governor and Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
HBO and Maryland have had a long and successful relationship. HBO recently wrapped shooting the pilot episode for the series VEEP in Maryland. Previous award-winning HBO productions that were filmed in Maryland include Shot in the Heart, Something the Lord Made, The Corner and The Wire.
“HBO produces the highest quality and most-acclaimed films and series on television. The talent involved in Game Change once again proves their commitment to entertainment excellence. We are very pleased to welcome HBO back,” said Governor O'Malley.
“We’ve had great experiences filming in Maryland,” said HBO Films president Len Amato. “The state offers a strong local base of talented crew and actors, and we are very grateful for the generous cooperation of the Governor and the Film Office.”
The Maryland Film Office, located in Baltimore and part of the Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts, is an agency of the state's Department of Business and Economic Development. It provides location scouting and pre-production research, in addition to acting as a government and community liaison throughout film production. For more information, visit www.marylandfilm.org.
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Martin O’Malley issued this statement today following the vote in the Maryland House of Delegates on SB 116 – the Civil Marriage Protection Act:
“It is my firm belief that equality under the law means equality for everyone, and our laws should reflect that fundamental principle. Together, we’ve worked hard to protect and expand these rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered citizens in our state. It was my hope to sign a marriage equality act consistent with these progressive reforms, while protecting religious freedom in our state.
“As One Maryland we must work together to respect the dignity of every individual. I remain committed to working with all Marylanders to ensure that rights are protected for equally for everyone.”
Governor to convene “Maryland Forward” forum on job creation with Western Maryland stakeholders
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Martin O’Malley will travel to Western Maryland Monday to convene discussions on job creation and economic development in the mountain region of our state. The Governor will hold a discussion on tourism and State Parks at New Germany State Park in the morning, and later convene a “Maryland Forward” forward on job creation at Allegany College in Cumberland.
Garrett and Allegany Counties combine for over $288 million in annual visitor expenditures, making tourism the region’s largest industry. The Governor will discuss continued opportunities for state and local partnerships to strengthen the region’s ability to create and save jobs in Western Maryland.
Following the State of the State address, Governor O’Malley announced a series of “Maryland Forward” local policy forums to advance many of those initiatives, serving as a continuation of the “Maryland Forward” forum series before the 2011 Inauguration. Tomorrow’s afternoon forum is the fourth in a series of smaller groups of local stakeholders throughout the 2011 legislative session focused on specific policy areas that will help Maryland be a winner in the new economy, protect our neighborhoods, and create jobs.
Hi Joe! I am writing everybody and any body that can help us keep our Navy JROTC Program at Stephen Decatur High School in Berlin Maryland. Listed below are the names of officials that we are emailing to hopefully get a reversal of the decision to cancel our program.
U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin
U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski
U.S. Congressman Andy Harris
You probably have seen it on the news or read about it in the paper recently we are desperately trying to keep our program going. The NJROTC has helped so many kids and you can see the pride that they wear on their faces and when they are in uniform. It would be a total shame to lose the program because we were 6 students short this year. Next years numbers are about 125 students. We need 100 minimum.
If you have a moment to read the letter on the Stephen Decatur HS Website and put in a good word for us it would be greatly appreciate. http://www.stephendecatur.org/
Stephen Decatur HS also hosts Drill Meets and Competitions that JROTC Schools attend from all over the state, so this would not just be a loss for Stephen Decatur it would also be a loss to the Maryland State Community.
A massive explosion has rocked a Japanese nuclear power plant after Friday's devastating earthquake.
A huge pall of smoke was seen coming from the plant at Fukushima and several workers were injured.
Japanese officials fear a meltdown at one of the plant's reactors but say the container housing it was not damaged.
A huge relief operation is under way after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and the tsunami it triggered, which is thought to have killed at least 1,000.
Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan declared a state of emergency at the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini (also known as Fukushima 1 and 2) power plants as engineers try to confirm whether a reactor at one of the stations has gone into meltdown.
Television pictures showed a massive blast at one of the buildings of the Fukushima-Daiichi plant, about 250km (160 miles) north-east of Tokyo.
A huge cloud of smoke billows out and large bits of debris are flung far from the building.
Japan's NHK TV showed before and after pictures of the plant. They appeared to show that the outer structure of one of four buildings at the plant had collapsed after the explosion.
The Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), the plant's operator, said four workers had been injured.
It is not yet clear in exactly what part of the plant the explosion occurred or what caused it.
The government of Fukushima prefecture said radiation levels at the plant over one hour were equivalent to the annual allowable exposure.
Officials ordered the evacuation zone around the plant expanded from a 10km radius to 20km. BBC correspondent Nick Ravenscroft said police stopped him 60km from the Fukushima-Daiichi plant.
Japan's nuclear agency said on Saturday that radioactive caesium and iodine had been detected near the number one reactor of the power station.
The agency said this may indicate that containers of uranium fuel inside the reactor may have begun melting.
Nuclear reactors at four power plants in the earthquake-struck zone automatically shut down on Friday.
In several of the reactors at the two Fukushima plants the cooling systems, which should keep operating on emergency power supplies, failed.
Without cooling, the temperature in the reactor core builds, with the risk that it could melt through its container into the building housing the system.
Pressure also builds in the containers housing the reactor.
Tepco said it was pumping water into the Fukushima-Daiichi's number one reactor in a bid to cool it down.
Analysts say a meltdown would not necessarily lead to a major disaster because light-water reactors would not explode even if they overheated.
But Walt Patterson, of the London research institute Chatham House, said "this is starting to look a lot like Chernobyl".
He said it was too early to tell if the explosion's aftermath would result in the same extreme level of radioactive contamination that occurred at Chernobyl.
The explosion was most likely caused by melting fuel coming into contact with water, he told the BBC.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company has said the cooling systems of three reactors at a second nuclear power plant, Fukushima-Daini, are malfunctioning, according to the Kyodo news agency.
The plant is 11km (7 miles) to the south of Fukushima-Daiichi, where the cooling system in one of its reactors is not working and pressure is rising.
It says the ability to control pressure in some of the reactors at Fukushima-Daini has been lost. Pressure is stable inside the reactors, but rising in the containment vessels, a company spokesman says.
Japan is “on the path of a core-melt accident,” a nuclear expert tells Newsmax in an exclusive interview.
The news Friday afternoon that the only nation that ever has endured a nuclear-weapons attack is venting contaminated vapor from a nuclear power plant’s containment core could indicate that the coolant loss is quite serious, says Mark Hibbs, a Berlin-based senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a nonprofit think tank. Hibbs, who works in Carnegie's Nuclear Policy Program, has spent 20 years reporting for nuclear-energy journals and has spoken with Japanese officials in the aftermath of the nuclear plant mishap resulting from the earthquake there.
Japanese officials have evacuated 3,000 residents who live near the damaged reactors as a precautionary measure, according to Fox News. The pressure inside the reactor containment domes is 50 percent higher than normal, the officials say, although they contend that a last-ditch emergency cooling system is intact.
“The Japanese public is generally very alarmed about things like radioactive emissions,” says Hibbs, who served for two decades as an editor and correspondent for the nuclear energy publications “Nucleonics Week” and “Nuclear Fuel.” “They have an extreme high standard of safety protection, and they don’t like to see risks like this taken even if the risk is small.
“It’s a very, very risk-averse culture in this regard. So if the authorities are willing to do this, that might be a sign of how serious they perceive the threat to the reactor.”
Although coolant interruptions to nuclear power plants are not all that unusual, says Hibbs, who adds that the surprising aspect of this incident is that Japan’s redundant systems apparently have been unable to counteract reactor core heating.
“What happened in Japan is very alarming because it would appear . . . that about 2:30 this afternoon Japan time, when the earthquake struck . . . three of the reactors that were operating were disenabled because of a loss of offsite power that was caused by the earthquake.”
The Japanese situation appears to be roughly analogous to the Three Mile Island incident in the United States, where authorities struggled for days to contain an improperly cooled reactor core but were able to avert a widespread release of nuclear material.
“We were in a situation as I recall then very similar to where we are now, where we were told by news media in 1979 that there was a core melt accident unfolding, we didn’t know how serious it would become, and what would happen,” Hibbs tells Newsmax.
At least one of the reactors in Japan, and perhaps more, “ are on the path of a core-melt accident. It’s called a loss of coolant accident. . . . And it’s up to the Japanese authorities, together with the industries in that country, to find a way to stem this problem,” he said.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirmed that the United States is trying to help alleviate the situation. "We just had our Air Force assets in Japan transport some really important coolant to one of the nuclear plants," Clinton said, according to the Associated Press.
The Japanese reactors are designed to drop neutron-blocking control rods into the core as soon as the plants detect a seismic disturbance. These controls apparently functioned normally. But even after the procedure, scientists say a base level of heat continues to flow, and coolant is needed to constrain those temperatures.
Asked how long Japanese scientists have to correct the problem to avoid a core meltdown, Hibbs tells Newsmax that it depends on system design, adding, “it could be a day, plus or minus 10 hours.”
“After a while, with the heat building up in there, and lack of coolant, you’re going to see damage in your fuel, the cladding, the metal container around the nuclear material, begins to buckle or balloon or break, and after a little while you’ll get a situation where the fuel falls apart, melts, and falls into the core, and then you’ve got a classical core melt accident like you had in Three Mile Island that you had in the United States in '79.”
Hibbs spoke with Japanese government officials who told him the force of the tsunami was so severe that the water may have flooded the reactors, power generators, and cooling mechanisms, disabling the equipment. "Which means they have to resort to basically a military-type exercise, to rush in to the devastated site equipment that they can quickly hook up to the reactor to get power in there and start this emergency equipment, to get cooling water into that core and prevent that fuel from overheating.
“And if they can’t do that,” he told Newsmax, “then you’re going to have this meltdown.”
They have 24 hours or so to avoid a core meltdown, he says. But if one occurs, two scenarios could follow: The good outcome would mirror what happened at Three Mile Island, while the bad one could involve what he called a “Chernobyl scenario, where the damage to the reactor was such that the integrity of the structures were damaged.
The pressure inside one of the six Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) at the Fukushima-Daiichi plant has built up because the cooling system was damaged by the earthquake. The heat produced by the nuclear reaction inside the core still needs to be dissipated even after a shutdown. If the outage in the cooling system persists, eventually radiation could leak out into the environment, and, in the worst case, could cause a reactor meltdown, experts say.
The Associated Press is also now citing Japanese nuclear safety agency officials as saying that radiation levels inside one of the reactors at the Fukushima-Daini nuclear power plant have surged to 1,000 times their normal levels after the cooling system failed. Pressure inside the reactor has risen to 1.5 times the level considered normal.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company has said radiation may already have been released at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant.
Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan has announced that residents living within 10km (6.2 miles) of the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear station must evacuate their homes, according to the Kyodo news agency. Engineers are trying to fix the cooling system of one of the plant's reactors, which was damaged by the earthquake. The authorities had earlier told some 3,000 residents living within 3km (1.9 miles) to leave.
Officials in Washington have said the US military has not provided any coolant to the nuclear plant in Japan. Earlier, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said US Air Force "assets" had been used to do so.
I know, I know … you never thought that you would read something written by me AND that was critical of freshman Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD). I’m a little surprised myself. However, I never would have thought that Harris would have voted for a measure that actually expanded ObamaCare. Unfortunately, he did.
The bill itself is not of major concern. It’s actually good for the Eastern Shore and the poultry industry. The problem is that the affected program is part of ObamaCare.
It has been a not-so-well-kept secret that part of the left’s strategy for ObamaCare has been to allow portions of the electorate to begin receiving benefit from the bill and voila! we have a new entitlement that is extremely difficult to alter without the risk of electoral consequences. This is precisely why conservatives have been adamant that a piecemeal approach cannot be taken to this measure. It must be repealed. If it can’t be repealed, if must be de-funded. The last thing we can do is EXPAND programs within the bill.
According to Congressman Harris’ press secretary Ryan Nawrocki, Harris was torn on this vote. However, poultry producers and the Maryland Farm Bureau were firmly behind the measure:
Congressman Harris has voted for full repeal. He has supported repeal of the onerous 1099 provisions within ObamaCare. But in the end, this bill is good for the Eastern Shore and the District. It means jobs and the Congressman felt that he needed to look at the entire picture.
Andy is wrong on this one! To date Harris has done a great job. He helped lead the revolt for greater cuts in the budget and should be commended. He voted to keep the GOP’s pledge of cutting $100 billion from the current budget (or lack thereof). That doesn’t excuse voting to expand a program that is part of ObamaCare.
I understand that jobs are important. Unfortunately, we can’t create enough jobs to keep America from going broke IF we allow ObamaCare to move forward. Even without ObamaCare, we must have meaningful entitlement reform if we are to ever get our debt back down to a manageable level.
Conservatives should view this vote as a “mulligan”. We should give it to Andy; BUT we should also let him know that we expect the man we elected to represent us. That doesn’t mean making “easy” votes that have dangerous long term consequences.
A week ago the look of fear on this couples faces was clear and evident. Today, Chuck and Vicki Campbell have a new outlook on life as Chuck is beating all odds with a successful double lung transplant just a few days ago.
Chuck and Vicki were kind enough to send me this updated photo just for everyone following Salisbury News. I put in the request early this morning because I wanted everyone to see the difference, so thank you Vicki & Chuck.
To the many of you who participated in raising the funds to help save Chuck's life, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!
While Vicki may be looking hot, Chuck, you're looking absolutely fantastic yourself. The two of you make a fantastic couple who have truly been blessed in so many ways.
Keep us posted as many are asking for updates several times a day.
Walker says bill will save $30M in budget year; union leaders plan to launch counterattack
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has officially taken away nearly all collective bargaining rights from the vast majority of the state's public employees.
Walker signed the bill to do so privately Friday morning. He planned an afternoon news conference in the Capitol.
The explosive measure passed the Assembly on Thursday following more than three weeks of protests that drew tens of thousands of people to the Capitol in opposition. The Senate cleared the way for passage with a surprise move Wednesday that allowed them to vote on the bill without 14 Democratic senators present.
That ends — for now — a three-week battle that saw all Democratic state senators flee to a neighboring state and as many as 80,000 protest at the Capitol building.
The Food Lion on Tilgman Road has been closed all morning. The HAZMAT team has made entries on an unknown oder that evacuated the building. Delmar had to bring their DECON for them.
UPDATE: Truck 2 with the ladder to the roof and the hazmat team. Chesapeake
Utilities truck just pulled up.
Awhile back, when the initial campaign funding reports were submitted by the candidates in Salisbury’s city council election, we asked for information about Mr. Hopkins, who has made very substantial (for Salisbury) donations to Boda, Dryden and Dixon – the SAPOA slate. Because his address was listed as Fairfax Station, VA, we wondered about the basis of his largess. Now, our readers have responded, and we have double-checked.
Mr. Hopkins is heavily engaged in residential rental, mostly to students, in and around Salisbury as the manager of the LLC firm that in 2010 purchased much of the housing stock then owned and operated by Donnie Williams and his enterprise. The price was nearly $4 Million, which may well explain why Mr. Hopkins has so generously supported the SAPOA backed candidates, one of whom (Dixon) did not make it through the primary. Rental of the units is apparently being handled by Fairfax Station Enterprises, another LLC firm in which Mr. Hopkins may have an interest.
It seems that residential rental in Salisbury is so rewarding, financially, that it is attracting investors from far and wide who want to have a handle on the City’s government. Can you say “ca-ching”?
On March 11, 2011 at approximately 1:52 am, Officers of the Salisbury Police were on routine patrol and heard a single gunshot that originated in the area of Roland Street in Salisbury. As the officers responded to the area of Roland Street, the officers observed a vehicle driving away from the area at a high rate of speed. Officers stopped the vehicle and found that the vehicle had sustained damage as a result of a gunshot. The vehicle had been struck in the rear trunk area and a portion of the rear glass had been broken out. The occupants of the vehicle were unable to provide any information regarding the incident, to include suspect information. The occupants of the vehicle indicated that the vehicle had been shot while in the parking lot of Gully’s Nightclub, on Roland Street. Detectives of the Salisbury Police received information indicating that there were a number of witnesses to the event that were in the parking lot at the time the shot was fired.
The Salisbury Police are asking anyone that may have witnessed the incident, or has any information pertaining to the incident, to contact the Salisbury Police Department at 410-548-3165 or to contact Crime Solvers at 410-548-1776. Information may be left at both locations anonymously.
CC # 201100008859
On March 10, 2011 at approximately 3:16 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to the Superfresh Food Store on East College Avenue for the report of a shoplifter. Upon arrival the officers met with store security who advised that store employees had observed the below listed suspect take cosmetics from the store without making any attempts at payment before leaving the store. Officers, with the assistance of store security, located the suspect at a nearby residence. The suspect was positively identified and taken into custody. The cosmetics were not recovered.
ARRESTED: Tishea Lashay Green, 18 years of age Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Theft (under $ 100)
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking CC # 201100008790
On March 10, 2011 at approximately 4:00 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to the PNC Bank on W. Isabella Street for the report of a check fraud. Upon arrival the officers met with bank officials who advised that the below listed suspect was attempted to cash a forged check. Salisbury detectives responded and learned that the suspect had forged and was attempting to cash a check stolen from the victim’s residence. The investigation is continuing as to additional thefts from the victim.
ARRESTED: Sheila Jean Jones, 44 years of age Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES:
Forgery
Possession of a forged document
Issuing a forged document
Theft (under $ 100)
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking CC # 201100008794
On March 10, 2011 at approximately 8:33 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police arrested the below listed suspect on an outstanding arrest warrant for a fraud and theft that was reported on February 23 of 2011. On that date, Salisbury officers met with a victim who advised that the below listed suspect, who was a family member, had fraudulently opened up a cellular telephone account with her information and without her consent. Salisbury detectives investigated the incident and obtained the arrest warrant.
ARRESTED: Brooke Nathaniel Allison, 34 years of age Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES:
Fraud – Identity theft
Fraudulent use of a signature
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking CC # 201100006019
On March 10, 2011 at approximately 11:11 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to a residence on the three hundred (300) block of Prince Street for the report of a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival the officers met with an adult female victim who advised that she had been assaulted by the below listed suspect during an argument. The victim advised that while arguing with the suspect, the suspect threw her to the ground and kicked her. The suspect was located a short distance from the residence and taken into custody. The female victim refused medical treatment.
ARRESTED: Maurice Clayton Brown, Jr., 33 years of age Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Second degree assault
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking CC # 201100008840
'Pro-choice' comes up as Republicans attack energy efficiency standards
WASHINGTON — The humble light bulb became a lightning rod for philosophical differences in the Senate on Thursday — a debate so vitriolic that while the focus was supposed to be on more efficient bulbs the talk went as far off-topic as abortion.
"You favor a woman's right to abortion but not a woman or man's right to a light bulb," Sen. Rand Paul, R-N.Y., told an Obama administration official from the Energy Department testifying about the savings to consumers and the environment of energy standards.
"You're really anti-choice," he added, saying he supported a bill to repeal those standards.
"I find it insulting," Paul said, calling federal officials "busybodies" trying to tell Americans what to do.
After hours of lengthy debate and wrangling over amendments, the Senate gave tentative approval Wednesday night to a bill that would grant young illegal immigrants who have graduated from state high schools in-state tuition for community colleges and state universities. The estimated cost of the tuition is about $800,000 in fiscal 2014, rising to $3.5 million in 2016.
At a United Seniors rally in Annapolis Wednesday morning, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown made an unusual revelation in response to a question about in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. Turns out his Jamaican grandmother illegally immigrated to the United States sometime in the 1930s after the Cuban government had thrown out migrant Jamaican workers during the Depression.
Several tax watchdogs and policy analysts concerned about the state of Maryland’s economy and buoyed by a new report urged delegates to revisit a just-expired method of raising more money — extending the tax surcharge on millionaires. Enacted in 2008, the “millionaires’ tax” taxes all net income above $1 million at [...]
More than a third of the nation’s $9.3 trillion in pension assets belong to state and local government employees, even though they make up only 15 percent of the U.S. work force, a study shows.
Research by the Spectrum investment group found that public-sector employees, primarily through powerful unions, have accumulated by far the most generous retirement programs in the country. Meanwhile, many private-sector workers have had their retirement plans cut back and have had to delay retirement.
Even with $3.4 trillion set aside to pay public pensions, dozens of strapped state and local governments are struggling to make payments. Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida are calling on state employees for the first time to contribute to their retirement plans the way workers do in the private sector.
These efforts have met sharp opposition from public-sector unions and are at the center of battles over whether unions should have the right to collectively bargain with the government over pension and health care benefits.
The $3.4 trillion total set aside for public pensions understates the burden for states and taxpayers since the plans collectively are underfunded by as much as $2.5 trillion, said Milton Ezrati, senior economist at Lord Abbott & Co.
“The undeniable fact is that most states and municipalities offer more generous pensions than they can afford,” he said, noting that the plans typically allow employees full retirement benefits after 20 or 30 years of employment and include generous cost-of-living increases, health care benefits and other perks that are not common in the private sector.
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) said he stood-by a proposal he made last week that could result in the federal government providing an Ipad for every student in the nation, despite a barrage of criticism he has suffered from the media in recent days.
"Let me be clear about a few things," Jackson said, brandishing both an Apple Ipad and an Amazon Kindle on the House floor. "These devices are revolutionizing our country-- and they will fundamentally alter how we will educate our children."
Jackson said he had been skewered on conservative radio and in the blogosphere and was called "misleading" and “malicious” names.
"Now, because I've suggested this idea, I've been called a communist and a socialist and any number of another things,” Jackson said.
Jackson is promoting his idea to amend the Constitution so that it guarantees every American the right to an equal education. Under that amendment Congress would be given discretion to implement the educational reforms which, Jackson said, may lead to an Ipad, Kindle, or Nook for every schoolchild.
Tempers flared and tears flowed Thursday at a tense hearing on the radicalization of the American Muslim community.
Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) rejected calls from nearly 100 Democratic members to cancel the highly controversial hearing as he carried out his attempt to explore whether the U.S. Muslim community is being radicalized.
King, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said the four-hour hearing was “successful” and announced plans to hold another in the next several months on the radicalization of Muslim Americans in the U.S. prison system.
“This was an extremely productive, worthwhile hearing,” King told reporters after it ended. “I am more convinced than ever that it was the appropriate hearing to hold. We broke down a wall of political correctness on an issue which has to be addressed.”
While members spent much of the hearing itself talking about whether it was proper to hold such a forum, lawmakers did launch a series of questions at four witnesses who have all dealt personally with the issue of Muslim radicalization.
Labor unions at the heart of a burning national disagreement over the cost of public employees want to frame the debate as a civil rights issue, an effort that may draw more sympathy to public workers being blamed for busting state budgets with generous pensions.
As part of that strategy, unions are planning rallies across the country on April 4 — the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. Union officials want the observances in dozens of cities to remind Americans that King was supporting striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn., the night he was shot.
By portraying collective bargaining as a human rights issue, union officials hope the rallies can help fuel a backlash against Republicans in Wisconsin and other states trying to curb collective bargaining rights for public employees.
Sen. Jim DeMint said Wednesday that the resignations of National Public Radio's chief executive and a top fundraiser weren't enough as the South Carolina Republican led his party's drive in Congress to defund public broadcasting.
DeMint dismissed as a side issue NPR chief executive Vivian Schiller's resignation over a sting video in which fundraiser Ron Schiller (no relation) derides conservatives, tea party activists and "uneducated Americans" who back them.
"The issue about taxpayers funding public broadcasting isn't about who gets hired or fired," DeMint said. "It's about two simple facts: We can't afford it, and they don't need it."
DeMint said "Sesame Street" and other popular children's programs make tens of millions of dollars from the sale of puppets and other toys depicting Big Bird, Elmo and the Cookie Monster.
DeMint said mainly liberal donors provide huge additional funds to public broadcasting, led by billionaire financier George Soros' $1.8 million gift to NPR last year to hire 100 reporters.
A Republican-led U.S. House subcommittee voted Thursday to block the Obama administration from regulating greenhouse-gas emissions, advancing a measure that symbolizes a broader partisan battle over energy and environmental policy.
It's never been on a billboard, but the proof copy of a sign is still getting plenty of attention.
It quotes Planned Parenthood's Founder Margaret Sanger saying, "We do not want word to get out that we want to exterminate the Negro population."
The group behind the sign is the Flint Area Right to Life and Black Americans for Life.
They wanted to put it up south of downtown Flint on Saginaw Street near I-475 during Black History Month.
"That's a direct quote of hers," says Judy Climer, director of Flint Area Right to Life.
She says it's a historical quote and perfectly acceptable for the public.
"It's deception by keeping her quote quiet because no one really wants to know that Planned Parenthood is behind this," says Climer.
Prolife advocates say the words speak for themselves, however Planned Parenthood says they are taken out of context.
Desiree Cooper, director of communications and media relations for Planned Parenthood Mid and South Michigan says, "She did not want the organization to be characterized in that way."
Cooper says Sanger was saying there was misinformation about birth control in that day, that it would wipe out entire races, and that she did not want that information spread.
"It is not black history to put up something that says that people don't want the black race to be on the planet. It's the opposite and it's insulting," says Cooper.
"If you read her biography, she was very much tied to the Ku Klux Klan, to the Nazis, to Hitler. She very much wanted thoroughbreds. That's the word she used, thoroughbreds, and the way to make that happen was to eliminate minorities. She called them weeds in the garden of life," says Judy Climer, director of Flint Area Right to Life.
Planned Parenthood says these criticisms are from groups twisting Sanger's words and taking them out of context.
The group admits Sanger was a product of her time and embraced some ideas that are not considered popular today.
Faulty counterfeit electronic parts are ending up in the Defense Department's weapons systems, and the problem poses a critical risk to national security, according to the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI), who chairs the panel, and John McCain (R-AZ), its ranking member, on Wednesday called the presence of counterfeit electronic parts in the DoD supply chain a "growing problem" and announced an investigation into just how they are ending up there.
"Counterfeit electronic parts pose a risk to our national security, the reliability of our weapons systems and the safety of our military men and women," the senators said in the release. "The proliferation of counterfeit goods also damages our economy and costs American jobs."
Roughly 150 various advocates — lobbyists for gays and lesbians, legislators, White House officials, at least one cabinet secretary and the first lady — gathered around President’s Obama’s bully pulpit in the White House Thursday to cheer for increased government monitoring and intervention in Facebook conversations, in playgrounds and in schoolrooms around the country.
No officials at the televised East Room roll-out of the White House’s anti-bullying initiative suggested any limits to government intervention against juvenile physical violence, social exclusion or unwanted speech. None mentioned the usefulness to children of unsupervised play. None suggested there were any risks created by a government program to enforce children’s approval of other children who are unpopular, overweight, or who declare themselves to be gay, lesbians or transgender.
“It breaks our hearts to think that any child feels afraid every day in the classroom, on the playground, or even online,” first lady Michelle Obama said.
“We’re going to prevent bullying and create an environment where every single one of our children can thrive,” the president said, as he announced a series of government actions intended to fund, guide and pressure state and local officials to adopt regulations and programs that would shield children from insults or social-exclusion as well as from physical harm.
Four years ago, Congress in its infinite wisdom extended daylight saving time (DST) by a month, with the goal of saving energy. Lots of energy.
The bill’s champion, Rep. Edward J. Markey, Massachusetts Democrat, said it would save consumers a generous $4.4 billion over 15 years.
Of course, Mr. Markey was just repeating what has long been an established truism among policymakers: Setting the clocks forward in the spring saves energy because people don’t have to turn their lights on as much as at night.
Just one problem. While daylight saving time might “save” daylight, it doesn’t appear to save energy. In fact, it very well might do the opposite.
A study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that daylight saving time actually ended up increasing energy consumption.
That study looked at Indiana, where until 2006, only 15 of the state’s 92 counties abided by DST. That year, a state law required all Hoosiers to “spring forward,” which let researchers compare the energy consumption of millions of homes before and after the change.
What did they find? Daylight saving added about 1 percent - or $9 million - to Indiana homeowners’ electricity bills, owing mainly to increased heating and cooling bills.
Another study looked at California before and after DST was extended in 2007 and found no statistically significant effect on energy consumption, nor did a study in Australia.
There have likewise been oft-repeated claims that DST saves lives by cutting traffic accidents. After all, we all know that driving in the dark is more dangerous, so it stands to reason that pushing sunset back an hour should cut crashes.
But while some studies found no meaningful overall effect, and some slight benefit, at least a few studies found that traffic accidents climbed as much as 7 percent in the days immediately after switching to DST - because drivers are more tired from losing the hour of sleep. And these studies found that accidents didn’t go down nearly as much after the clocks fall back.
Saudi police officers opened fire on a protest march in one of its eastern provinces on Thursday, wounding three according to witnesses and a Saudi official, the New York Times reported. The crackdown came on the eve of a planned "day of rage" throughout the oil-rich kingdom that Saudi officials say they will not tolerate.
Witnesses described the small protest march in the largely Shiite town of Qatif as peaceful, but an Interior Ministry spokesman alleged demonstrators attacked police before officers took the decision to fire, Reuters reported. The spokesman said police fired over the protesters’ heads, but that three people were injured in the melee, including an officer.
The clashed underscored growing tensions between Saudi Arabia's Shiite minority, which is demanding greater enfranchisement from a government that officially sanctions Wahabi Islam, a zealous form of Sunni orthodoxy. Mohammad Zaki Al-Khabbaz, a human rights activist in Qatif, said that security forces fired tear gas and shot in the air trying to disperse the crowd.
Abdulwahab Al-Oraid, a Qatif resident who watched the march, said it was unclear why the police opened fire. “We think this is a message: ‘Don’t protest in any Shiite areas on Friday,'" Al-Oraid said. Witnesses could not say whether police fired rubber bullets intended for crowd control or other kinds of ammunition.
Residents across Saudi Arabia report beefed up security on the streets and closed access to major squares in big cities where protesters are expected to gather Friday. “Streets are packed with police vehicles,” said Mohamad Al-Qahtani, a human rights activist in Riyadh, the capital. “I have never seen anything like this. It says that the regime fears its people.”
Rattled by the protests that have wrought chaos in the Middle East and Africa, brought down regimes in Egypt and Tunisia, led to civil war, and led the monarchs of Jordan and Morocco to scramble for reform, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah previously announced a $37 billion domestic aid package upon his return to the Kingdom.
But aid dollars do not appear to have impressed the protest movement in Saudi Arabia and the winds of malcontent continue to blow in Gulf states.
A man's eyes popped out his head and went "Awoooga!" when they saw his receipt for pumping 13 gallons of gas: $2297.84! Since he paid with his debit card, that meant real money was immediately drained from his bank account, causing a $1,300 overdraft. At first the gas station manager just shrugged his shoulders and blamed the bank, but he changed his tune after news reporters walked in asking questions about the receipts.
The latest report from RealtyTrac on foreclosures shows a precipitous drop in the number of foreclosure filings between January and February, and that the total number of foreclosures in February was the lowest since February 2008. If you only want to hear the good news, stop reading now.
If your laptop is saddled with a battery so poor that you have to constantly be plugged into an outlet, you're missing out on all the benefits a portable computer can offer. There are steps you can take to make sure your batter lasts as long as possible before you need to replace it.
As you probably know by now, Japan was hit by a 8.9-magnitude earthquake earlier today that sent devastating waves crashing into the island nation and has triggered tsunami warnings in Hawaii and along the Pacific coastline of North and South America.
The Senate failed to pass either of two budget plans for fiscal 2011. Two odd twists marked the votes. Three Republicans joined Democrats against the GOP bill because they didn't think proposed cuts went deep enough. And 10 Democrats vote with Republicans against the Democratic bill, believing cuts were too deep. The current continuing resolution expires March 18. Congress goes a week-long recess March 19. Anticipating the lack of a deal, House Republicans are preparing another two-week continuing resolution with two billion dollars in cuts.
You might be able to let Uncle Sam or your employer pick up the tab
If unemployment rates and budget cuts have you down, there are still options for students who need someone else to foot their college bills.
Students can work their way through college, obtain a waiver or choose an in-demand field. Find out more about these and other ways to attend college without paying.
Grants and scholarships
The perennial way of eliminating college costs is still available. To up your odds, Doug Hewitt, co-author of "Free College Resource Book," advises students to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, and then focus on local prizes.
"There are more scholarships you'll qualify for in your home state than nationally," says Hewitt. "Look at local organizations and talk to your high school (guidance) counselor." Start early, too. While students usually don't start scholarship hunting until senior year, awards are available for all high school grade levels.
Redundancy, the budget and your pay are all connected: They all need to be viewed in the long term, said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, in an interview with Federal News Radio.
Washington - In a sharp break from his predecessor's approach, President Barack Obama has decided to wait for European and Arab support before intervening in Libya, a stance that critics say will give dictator Moammar Gadhafi more time to launch brutal assaults on his opponents.
With Gadhafi's forces now in control of most of the rebellious city of Zawiya in west Libya and stepping up strikes on opposition-held eastern Libya, the White House is under growing pressure to make good on its call for Gadhafi to leave power after 42 years.
The administration insists that it has moved with unprecedented speed since the crisis erupted in mid-February. It has backed United Nations sanctions, frozen $30 billion in Gadhafi family assets, launched humanitarian operations and round-the-clock surveillance flights and held tentative talks with rebel leaders.
"It is very important for people to understand the kind of dramatic action that has been taken with the leadership of this president and will continue to be taken," White House spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday. "There has never been a situation where the international community, with leadership by the United States, has acted as quickly as it has."
That's what Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said in a statement about why Wisconsin Senate Republicans on Wednesday evening carved the anti-union provisions out of the state's now-infamous Budget Repair Bill and quickly passed them, 18-1. There was no debate and not a single Senate Democrat was present; some observers say less than the legally required notice was given. The bill is widely expected to pass the Assembly on Thursday, then be signed into law by Governor Scott Walker.
"Enough is enough" also describes the sentiment on the other side of the debate. Following the vote, protesters streamed by the thousands into the capitol building they've been largely excluded from over the past several days, many of them chanting "This is not democracy."
'Silent witness rule' allowed sparingly, experts say
Federal prosecutors in the espionage case against a former National Security Agency employee, who allegedly gave classified information to a Baltimore Sun reporter, want to invoke a little-used rule that allows them to use code words in the courtroom — making portions of a public trial private.
The "silent witness rule," is meant to minimize the disclosure of classified information by allowing only those directly involved in a case — the judge, jury, witnesses, lawyers and defendants — to see it. Any public discussion of the secret details must be done in code.
"They literally have a key, a glossary, that the jury would have that the public would not," said Abbe D. Lowell, a Washington, D.C., defense attorney. He argued against the rule's use in an espionage case that was filed (and later dropped) against two pro-Israel lobbyists. More
Mayor says he will create an advisory board to look at options
by Tripp Laino | Staff Writer
Frederick Mayor Randy McClement is putting together an advisory board to evaluate the city's pension plan and look at ways it can be reformed.
McClement (R) and the Board of Aldermen held a special pension workshop March 3, spending just short of two hours discussing ways to alter the city's pension plans to save money.
The aldermen discussed adjustments that could be made, such as freezing the city's 30-year plan for new hires or asking employees to contribute more to their pensions.
The pension plans make up a significant portion of the city's budget. The city spends slightly more than $10 million on pensions, or about 9 percent of the city's $114 million overall budget.
The board is trying to lower that percentage, but a target number hasn't been set, according to Gerry Kolbfleisch, the city's director of finance. He said the process of pension review is still early, and he wasn't sure what changes might come.
The city offers a 22-year, 25-year and 30-year pension to employees, according to the city's website. The 22-year plan is for sworn officers only, and requires an 8 percent salary contribution, allowing employees to retire after 22 years with 60 percent of their final average pay.
The 25-year plan requires a 7 percent salary contribution, and allows employees to retire at 25 years of service with 50 percent of their final average pay. The 30-year plan requires no contribution from employees, unless they make more than the Social Security wage base, which was $106,800 in 2011, and allows them to retire with 36 percent of their final average pay after 30 years.
Alderman Karen Young (D) said the city need to quickly effect changes, as the plans are "hemorrhaging" money.
"When you have an $80 million unfunded obligation, and you have 16 percent of your general fund budget going toward pensions ... that is my definition of hemorrhaging," she said.
Alderman Shelley Aloi (R) agreed with Young's assessment, saying the city's pension plans will destroy the budget if not taken care of.
"It's not possibly to continue things the way they are unless you want the city of Frederick to go bankrupt," she said.
There were several suggestions about freezing either one or both plans available to employees other than sworn officers, though no decisions were made on the issue.
Alderman Michael O'Connor (D) said the city's 30-year plan, which does not require employee contribution, doesn't make financial sense, noting that other places nationwide are phasing out similar non-contributory plans.
But he said the city needs to provide an alternate source of retirement benefits if it closes the plans.
"There's broad agreement that pension plans without employee contribution are outdated," he said. "I think closing the 30-year plan makes sense. I think closing the 25-year plan may make sense, if we have somewhere for them to go."
Alderman Kelly Russell (D) agreed with O'Connor's assessment, and said the city's pension plans give them a boost in attracting new hires, since salaries can't compete with the private sector.
"If we decimate our benefits package to the point we can't be competitive, that's not good for the City of Frederick," she said.
One concrete change came at the suggestion of Alderman Carol Krimm (D), who proposed creating a pension board she said would allow the city to get outside input on pensions from residents with knowledge of the process.
"I think that would give us some expertise from the private sector," she said. "...I think if we had this board in place that would give us some guidance in the future."
McClement agreed, and also said he would work toward creating the board in time for it to provide input on fiscal 2012, which begins July 1.
The board will vote on two aspects of pension review — the 1,000-hour threshold for part-time employees becoming eligible for pensions and employees contributing to their pension from the first day they are hired — during their public meeting on March 17.
Other aspects of reform that were discussed, such as freezing the 30- or 25-year plans, will not be voted on until the board has further workshop time.
This is a fun quiz. Listed below are 10 direct quotes. You have to guess which American politician said it. Your four choices are:
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
Former VP Dan Quayle
President Barack Obama
Former President George W. Bush
Ready? Here we go!
1) "Let me be absolutely clear. Israel is a strong friend of Israel's."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
2) "I've now been in 57 states I think I have one left to go."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
3) "On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes, and I see many of them in the audience here today."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
4) "What they'll say is, 'Well it costs too much money,' but you know what? It would cost, about. It it it would cost about the same as what we would spend. It. Over the course of 10 years it would cost what it would costs us. (nervous laugh) All right. Okay. We're going to. It. It would cost us about the same as it would cost for about hold on one second. I can't hear myself. But I'm glad you're fired up, though. I'm glad."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
5) "The reforms we seek would bring greater competition, choice, savings and inefficiencies to our health care system."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
6) "I bowled a 129. It's like - it was like the Special Olympics, or something."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
7) "Of the many responsibilities granted to a president by our Constitution, few are more serious or more consequential than selecting a Supreme Court justice. The members of our highest court are granted life tenure, often serving long after the presidents who appointed them. And they are charged with the vital task of applying principles put to paper more than 20 centuries ago to some of the most difficult questions of our time."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
8) "Everybody knows that it makes no sense that you send a kid to the emergency room for a treatable illness like asthma, they end up taking up a hospital bed, it costs, when, if you, they just gave, you gave them treatment early and they got some treatment, and a, a breathalyzer, or inhalator, not a breathalyzer. I haven't had much sleep in the last 48 hours."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
9) "It was. interesting to see that political interaction in Europe is not that different from the United States Senate. There's a lot of I don't know what the term is in Austrian, wheeling and dealing."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
10) "I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
Sorry. This was a trick quiz. All of the correct answers are the same person. Each of these quotes are directly from President Barack Obama. And now you know why he brings his teleprompter with him everywhere he goes ... even when talking to a 6th grade class!!! Clueless.
As 
