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Monday, April 08, 2013

Progressive Insurance... Who Are They?

Progressive Insurance... Who are they? You've seen and probably smiled at the clever Progressive Insurance TV commercials.Well, as Paul Harvey would say, "You're about to learn the rest of the story".

PROGRESSIVE AUTO INSURANCE
You know their TV commercials, the ones featuring the ditsy actress all dressed in white. What you might not know is that the Chairman of Progressive is Peter Lewis, one of the major funders of leftist causes in America . Between 2001 and 2003, Lewis funneled $15 million to the ACLU, the group most responsible for destroying what's left of Americas Judeo-Christian heritage.

Lewis also gave $12.5 million to MoveOn.org <http://moveon.org/> " href="http://moveon.org/%3e" target="_blank"<http://moveon.org/> and America Coming Together, two key propaganda arms of the socialist left.

His funding for these groups was conditional on matching contributions from George Soros, the America-hating socialist who is the chief financier of the Obama political machine. Lewis made a fortune as a result of capitalism, but now finances a progressive movement that threatens to destroy the American free enterprise system that is targeting television shows on Fox News. Peter Lewis is making a fortune off of conservative Americans (who buy his auto insurance) that he then applies to dismantle the very system that made him wealthy. He's banking on no one finding out who he is, so STOP buying Progressive Insurance and pass this information on to all your friends.

Chairman Lewis' gift helps the ACLU promote their anti-Christmas agenda such as:
§ Removing nativity scenes from public property
§ Banning songs such as Silent Night from schools
§ Refusing to allow students to write about the Christian aspect of Christmas in school projects
§ Renaming Christmas break Winter break
§ Refusing to allow a city sponsored Christmas parade to be called a Christmas parade
§ Not allowing a Christmas tree in a public school
§ Renaming a Christmas tree displayed on public property a Holiday tree

In addition to their war on Christmas, the ACLU uses gifts like that from Chairman Lewis to:
§ Sue states to force them to legalize homosexual marriage
§ Force libraries to remove porn filters from their computers
§ Sue the Boy Scouts to force them to accept homosexuals as scout leaders
§ Help legalize child pornography
§ Legalize live sex acts in bars in Oregon
§ Protect the North American Man Boy Love Association whose motto is "sex by eight or it is too late"
§ Censor student led prayer at graduation
§ Remove "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance
§ Remove "In God We Trust" on our currency

Verify at: http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/peterlewis.asp <http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/peterlewis.asp>

or: http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/a/aclu-lewis.htm#.UQWYf2fHDjI
All of a sudden I don't care for their "funny commercials".

2013 Delaware Turkey Season To Open April 13


DOVER (April 5, 2013) – The 2013 Delaware spring turkey hunting season opens Saturday, April 13, and runs through Saturday, May 11, the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife announced today. Hunting hours are a half-hour before sunrise until 1 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Hunters are reminded that all birds taken must be checked at an authorized turkey check station by 2:30 p.m. on the day of the hunt.

Delaware hunters are reminded that they must have successfully completed a mandatory one-day turkey hunter education class before they can legally hunt wild turkeys in Delaware. Turkey hunters also are required to carry their Hunter Education Card certifying successful completion of the course. 
Hunting on public lands is by preseason lottery permit only. Hunters must carry their public lands permit while hunting and may only hunt the designated area and season segment/dates specified in the permit.

Hunter Education Coordinator Mark Ostroski offered some tips for a safe and successful hunt. “A successful turkey hunt depends on many factors including skill, careful preparation and attention to safety details. Hunters should be sure to pattern their gun, because knowing where and how your gun shoots can make all the difference between failure and success at bagging that big gobbler,” he said.
Ostroski added that hunters also should remember these important safety practices:
  • Take time to identify your target and what lies beyond;
  • Avoid wearing clothing that includes the colors red, blue, black and white;
  • Never stalk a wild turkey; and
  • Do not imitate the male gobbling call trying to attract another gobbler.

The wild turkey remains one of Delaware’s top restoration successes after being on the verge of extinction by the early 20th century. In the early 1980s, the Division of Fish and Wildlife partnered with the Delaware chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation to reestablish a wild turkey population in the state. By 1991, the population had grown large enough to permit opening a wild turkey hunting season, and the big birds continue to thrive and multiply.

Last year’s turkey season was marked by several new achievements, including a record harvest of 615 birds. “For the first time we had a turkey harvested north of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, which is a good indicator of how abundant and widespread our turkey population has become,” said Wildlife Biologist Matt DiBona. It was also the first year a bird was harvested by a crossbow, which was made a legal method of harvest just prior to last year’s season.

Authorized turkey check stations for 2013 will be available at the following locations:
New Castle County Ommelanden Hunter Education Center Route 9, River Road, just north of Federal Lane, New Castle 302-3235333
Kent CountyWoodland Beach Wildlife Check Station Route 9, 4876 Hay Point Landing Road, just north of intersection with Route 6 302-6534802
Little Creek Wildlife Area Check StationRoute 9, Bayside Drive just south of the town of Little Creek 302-7394610
Williamsville Store 3544 Williamsville Road, at intersection of Deep Grass Lane, Houston 302-4224455
Miller’s Butcher Shop577 Morgan’s Choice Road, Wyoming302-697-8278
LP Sports Center 1 East Street, Spartan Plaza, Harrington 302-3986373
Sussex County Wildlife Recreations 9641 Tharp Road, Seaford 302-629-4524
Bucks & Ducks Sports Center/Messick Supply14882 Hardscrabble Road, Seaford302-875-5600
Hook’em & Cook’em 3 York Beach Mall, Route 1, South Bethany Beach302-5396243
Whitetail Taxidermy and Outdoor Supplies 32369 Long Neck Road, Suite 15, Millsboro302-945-2117
That Place30618 Millsboro Highway, Millsboro302-934-9260
Taylored Tackle 27147 Seaford Road, Seaford302-629-9017

Check station hours may vary, so hunters are advised to call the station where they are likely to check a bird to confirm the hours of operation. Hunters who want to have their bird scored and entered into the National Wild Turkey Federation records are reminded to have their bird’s live weight recorded on a certified scale. If the check station does not have a certified scale, hunters will have to go to another shop to have the turkey re-weighed.   

For more information, please call Matt DiBona, Wildlife Section, at 302-735-3600, or visit www.fw.delaware.gov.

Legislators Strengthen Distracted Driving Law

Maryland lawmakers have strengthened distracted driving laws.

The General Assembly passed a measure on Monday to make talking on a handheld cellphone while driving a vehicle a primary offense. Under the bill, a police officer could pull over a driver for talking on a handheld while the vehicle is in motion.

A driver who is talking on a handheld cellphone at a red light when the vehicle isn't moving could not be ticketed.

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Caption This Photo 4-8-13


Beyonce, Jay Z Trip to Cuba 'Fully Licensed' by Treasury Department

The Treasury Department "fully licensed" Beyonce and Jay Z's trip to Cuba, according to Reuters.

"American pop star Beyonce and rapper husband Jay Z visited Havana last week on a cultural trip that was fully licensed by the United States Treasury Department, according to a source familiar with the trip," Reuters reports.

"Beyonce and Jay Z celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary in the Cuban capital, where big crowds greeted them as they strolled hand in hand through the city and posed for pictures with admiring Cubans.

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Unbelievable

'Fetuses and blood all over the place': Medic's graphic account of 'be-heading live babies' at abortion 'House of Horrors' in Philadelphia

Steven Massof, 50, of Pittsburgh, pictured, testified at the trial of his former boss Kermit Gosnell on Thursday. He revealed how he saw 100 babies born alive and snipped at the back of the neck so they would die. Gosnell is charged with killing seven babies and a woman administered too much anesthesia at the clinic.

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Think Before You Donate


Doom And Gloom

Marts drop on jobs report, but bigger issues loom
Two very bad and extremely dangerous economic developments happened yesterday — and Wall Street appeared to miss both of them.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 40.86 points to 14565.25 after the Labor Department announced that the seasonally adjusted number of new jobs created in March was just 88,000 — far below the 190,000 or so Wall Street expected.

The March figure was also less than one-third the number of jobs created during February.

This led to the misperception that the job market tanked in March.

It didn’t.

Remember that April is the month when the market often begins major selloffs as professional investors get a jump on the “sell in May and go away” lesson that has served them well in recent years.
And in early April the market isn’t artificially propped up by the end-of-the-month manipulation, led by money managers who want their clients to think they are doing a good job — or by options-expiration week shenanigans.

So why weren’t March’s job figures as bad as Wall Street thought they were?

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Crabs, Supersized By Carbon Pollution, May Upset Chesapeake’s Balance

 
It is the dawn of the super crab.

Crabs are bulking up on carbon pollution that pours out of power plants, factories and vehicles and settles in the oceans, turning the tough crustaceans into even more fearsome predators.

That presents a major problem for the Chesapeake Bay, where crabs eat oysters. In a life-isn’t-fair twist, the same carbon that crabs absorb to grow bigger stymies the development of oysters.

“Higher levels of carbon in the ocean are causing oysters to grow slower, and their predators — such as blue crabs — to grow faster,” Justin Baker Ries, a marine geologist at the University of North Carolina’s Aquarium Research Center, said in an recent interview.

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Touching Story?

Teenage boy raising money for ski trip hands over savings to unemployed neighbor when she explains why she's too poor to donate

Artem Smao, 14, of Lodi, California, was going door to door selling newspaper subscriptions last month in a bid to save money for a trip to Lake Tahoe. However, when he came across neighbor Robynn Fried who explained how she was made unemployed and facing homelessness he simply handed over the cash to her.

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“Gay Infertility” Is The New Mandatory Health Insurance Frontier

It’s interesting sometimes to read about the last days of past civilizations. It’s hard not to notice during these readings that those last days were filled with completely irrational ideas and behaviors that could not be explained in any way outside of a mass collapse of reason.

In entirely unrelated news, there’s a new proposal to mandate coverage for Gay Infertility. The problem is that Gay Infertility is just biology. Two men and two women are not infertile. They’re just not capable of impregnating each other. This isn’t a medical problem. It’s a mental problem.

Infertility is meant to cover natural couples who would be capable of conceiving a child if not for medical problems. Gay rights activists will predictably argue that couples in which one partner has deeper medical problems may also be covered, but that is only as part of a larger set of natural couples. Unnatural couples cannot ever have children without medical intervention. They’re not infertile. They’re biologically incompatible.
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Police Militarization, Abuses Of Power, And The Road To Impeachment

These are trying times. Never in the history of this country have we been so weakened and polarized by what many view as deliberate government policy. Now anti-gunners in the U.S. Congress, the Obama administration, and legislatures across the country are seeking to exploit the Newtown tragedy to promote their “gun control” agenda that envisions federal, universal background checks on gun purchases, and that could lead to gun registration and confiscation.

At the same time, the increasing militarization of law enforcement, most visibly demonstrated by the growing use of massive, SWAT-type raids on businesses and individuals, sometimes with federal involvement or authorization, is heightening concerns that this country is moving toward a police state.

Mountain Pure SWAT Raid: The Movie

Mountain Pure Water, LLC is headquartered on Interstate 30 just outside the town of Little Rock, Arkansas. The company manufactures and distributes beverage containers, spring water, fruit drinks, and teas. In January 2012, about 50 federal agents, led by Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) Special Agent Cynthia Roberts and IRS Special Agent Bobbi Spradlin, swooped in, guns drawn. Without explanation they shut down plant operations, herded employees into the cafeteria, and confined them to the room for hours. They could not so much as use the bathroom without police escort. Cell phones were confiscated and all Internet and company phones were disabled.

Plant Manager Court Stacks was at his desk when police burst through his office door, guns drawn and pointed at him—a thoroughly unprofessional violation ofbasic firearms discipline in this circumstance, and the cause of numerous accidental SWAT killings.

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Broadcasters Worry About 'Zero TV' Homes

Some people have had it with TV. They've had enough of the 100-plus channel universe. They don't like timing their lives around network show schedules. They're tired of $100-plus monthly bills.

A growing number of them have stopped paying for cable and satellite TV service, and don't even use an antenna to get free signals over the air. These people are watching shows and movies on the Internet, sometimes via cellphone connections. Last month, the Nielsen Co. started labeling people in this group "Zero TV" households, because they fall outside the traditional definition of a TV home. There are 5 million of these residences in the U.S., up from 2 million in 2007.

Winning back the Zero TV crowd will be one of the many issues broadcasters discuss at their national meeting, called the NAB Show, taking place this week in Las Vegas.

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Trayvon Martin's Family Settles Civil Case Against Housing Complex For $1 Million

Benjamin Crump, the lawyer representing Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon’s parents says that while this ends litigation with the Retreat at Twin Lakes, plans for a civil suit against Zimmerman continue.
Sometimes justice is meted out in stages.

Trayvon Martin’s parents have settled a wrongful death claim with the homeowners association of the Retreat at Twin Lakes, the Florida housing complex where their son was shot and killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman....

WCSO Press Release 4-8-13

STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR MARTIN O'MALLEY ON VOTING EXPANSION BILL PASSAGE

ANNAPOLIS, MD (April 8, 2013) – Governor Martin O’Malley today applauded final passage of SB 279, the Administration's voting expansion bill:

“Every citizen deserves the opportunity to cast their vote and be heard. In 2010, Maryland allowed early voting for the first time. Since then, we’ve seen a large increase - more than 16 percent of registered Maryland voters in 2012 - in the number of citizens taking advantage of the opportunity to vote early. Thanks to Senator Dyson, Delegate Cardin, Delegate Resnik, and all of the members of the General Assembly who believe that every Marylander should have the right to cast their vote, we've successfully expanded this process in our State.

"Together, we can continue to improve access to voting and encourage more Marylanders to exercise their most fundamental right."

PUBLIC NOTICE

During tonight’s Legislative Session, the Salisbury

City Council will consider two ordinances amending

Section 8.04 of the City Code (False Alarm Fee

Schedule and Violations and Penalties).

The regularly scheduled meeting begins at 6:00 p.m.

Dixmoor Illinois Municipality Has Fire Truck Repossessed - Municipality Missed Payroll Not Once But Twice

Mother & Son run against each other for Mayor of Dixmoor, Ill.  The municipality by all accounts is a pathetically poor south suburban community that could use some help.  The local newspaper reports that the community is plagued with abandoned buildings that stand like rotting trees citywide.  The elder Mayoral candidate - Casey says a fire engine was recently repossessed and that the community missed payroll for its city employees not once, but twice.  Remember SBYnews repeated warnings - 'The Debtor is the Servant Unto The Lender' - the same axiom is applicable today as it was over a 1000 years ago. 

READ MORE:  http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/mother-son-casey-dixmoor-illinois-mayor-race-201563451.html
Posted by Beezer - SBYnews Contributor

MEDIA ADVISORY - STATE POLICE TO HOLD BRIEFING RE: MURDER OF UMES STUDENT

(PRINCESS ANNE, MD) -- Maryland State Police will conduct a media briefing to unveil a key piece of evidence in the ongoing investigation of the February murder of a University of Maryland Eastern Shore student. The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit will release a photo of recovered evidence in an attempt to enlist the assistance of anyone who may have information about the murder or about who may have had this item in their possession.

Edmond A. St. Clair, 21, was stabbed to death at about 9:00 p.m. on February 16, 2013, on the university campus in Princess Anne. St. Clair was a passenger in a vehicle crossing campus when he and two others in the car encountered several people walking in the street. Some type of altercation ensued and the victim was stabbed.

A reward of $10,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the murder. Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Solvers at 410-548-1776, or the Maryland State Police Princess Anne Barrack at 443-260-3700. Callers may remain anonymous.

WHAT: RELEASE OF MURDER EVIDENCE INFORMATION

WHEN: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, AT 1:00 P.M.

WHERE: UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE
STUDENT SERVICES CENTER - ROTUNDA
COLLEGE BACKBONE ROAD, OFF UMES BLVD (RT. 822)
PRINCESS ANNE, MD

Transgender Student Wins Right To Wear Dress At Prom

Transgender high school student wins right to wear dress to Houston senior prom after being told it isn't in the dress code

George 'Tony' Zamazal, 19, of Spring, Texas, pictured, has won the right to wear a dress to prom on May 11. The transgender student won permission after initially being refused by teachers and told to wear a tuxedo.
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Crews Find Bodies Of 2 North Carolina Children Trapped In Dirt

Authorities have recovered the bodies of two young cousins who were trapped when a wall of dirt fell on them while playing in a hole at a home construction site in North Carolina.

Lincoln County Emergency Services spokesman Dion Burleson said the bodies of a 6-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy were pulled early Monday from a 24-foot-deep pit in the town of Stanley, outside of Charlotte.

"These are horrific circumstances," Burleson told reporters gathered near the rural site on a two-lane road.

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ACLU: Gun Control Bill Threatens Privacy Rights And Civil Liberties

I have to admit, I have a really hard time understanding the perspective of liberty minded folks that lean toward the “progressive” or “liberal” side of the traditional political spectrum when it comes to gun control. Here is why.

I can understand where their visceral dislike of guns comes from. Many of them are urbanities and cannot possible conceive the reason anyone would need or want a gun, let alone an “assault rifle.” I grew up in Manhattan, believe me I get the mentality. It is very much a cultural phenomenon more than anything else. That said, many of these people fully understand how criminal our corporate government has become and how these oligarchs are systematically attempting to remove the civil rights of the citizenry. While this may not be a “right” you agree with, it is a right nonetheless. I think at a time when we are dealing with such fascist tendencies at the top, we should not advocate for the removal of any rights whatsoever from the citizenry. This has been my position all along and continues to be.

Yet there is more. As we see from the ACLU, Harry Reid’s gun control bill is about far more than gun control. It is about government databases, as well as various other blatant threats to privacy and civil liberties. From the Daily Caller:

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DEMOCRATIC PARTY LYING ABOUT RACIST ROOTS

Democrats are lying about their past and overwhelmingly winning minority voters, and a prominent black conservative says they will keep winning until conservatives learn how to win the propaganda war and champion the story of slave-turned-abolitionist Frederick Douglass as an outreach to black voters.

K. Carl Smith is a rising star among black conservatives. He recently addressed the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference and is author of “Frederick Douglass Republicans: The Movement to Re-Ignite America’s Passion for Liberty.” He told WND conservatives have the right message, but their approach to voters is deeply lacking.

“The Republican Party has done a horrendous job of talking about a message that unites people. They don’t talk about liberty enough, and that’s the all-encompassing message that you want to put out there. That’s not happening. It’s not being done in a very effective way,” Smith said.

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Former ‘Mouseketeer’ Annette Funicello Dead at 70

Her family confirmed to “Extra” that Funicello died from complications of multiple sclerosis. They were by her side at a Bakersfield hospital when she was taken off life support. Funicello had been in an MS coma for years.

Funicello's only daughter, Gina Gilardi, said in a statement, "She's on her toes dancing in heaven... no more MS. My brothers and I were there, holding her sweet hands when she left us."

The perky star got her start at 12 years old as an original Mouseketeer. As a teenager, she transitioned to a successful career as a singer with his like "Tall Paul" and "Pineapple Princess.”

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Available

Six months ago I wrote an article called Are You Seeing What I’m Seeing?, describing my observations while traveling along Ridge Pike in Montgomery County, PA and motoring to my local Lowes store on a Saturday. My observations were in conflict with the storyline portrayed by the mainstream media pundits, Ivy League PhD economists, Washington politicians, and Wall Street shills. It is clear now that I must have been wrong. No more proof is needed than the fact the Dow has gone up 1,500 points, or 11%, since I wrote the article. Everyone knows the stock market reflects the true health of the nation – multi-millionaire Jim Cramer and his millionaire CNBC talking head cohorts tell me so. Ignore the fact that the bottom 80% only own 5% of the financial assets in this country and are not benefitted by the stock market in any way.

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SPD Press Releases 4-8-13

 

Md. Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- The Maryland Senate has passed a measure to allow academic medical research centers to have medical marijuana programs.

The Senate voted 42-4 on Monday for the bill already approved by the House of Delegates, sending the legislation to Gov. Martin O'Malley.

O'Malley has not personally said whether he will sign the bill. However, the state health secretary, who is a member of O'Malley's cabinet, has expressed support for the measure.

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The Stockman Backlash

This week, while economists should have been closely considering the implications of the actual bankruptcy of Stockton, California, they instead heaped scorn on the perceived ideological bankruptcy of David Stockman. In other words, Stockman trumped Stockton.

Ronald Reagan's former Budget Director contributed "Sundown in America" a multi-page opinion piece to the Sunday New York Times which loudly and eloquently described the illusions of our current economic system. While I don't agree with everything Stockman believes, I think he is showing great wisdom and courage in making dire predictions and calling for extreme changes in our policy and politics.

What was perhaps more surprising than the Times' uncharacteristic decision to run the piece in the first place was the vitriolic and largely ad hominem backlash against Stockman that quickly emerged from across the political spectrum. The attacks have focused primarily on his history and personality, and not on his arguments. One would be hard pressed to find any journalistic reaction that did not use the words "screed" "rant" or "unhinged." I believe these responses reveal an acute sensitivity from mainstream economists that arises from defending contorted Keynesian logic.

It can't be easy to take the position that debt doesn't matter and that spending creates economic growth. To do so with any hope of success requires team unity, and Stockman has never really been a team player. His reputation as an apostate and a naysayer has made him an easy target.

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$529 Million In Federal Funding And All Jobs Destroyed Or Lost

Pop quiz:

Q. What is the fiscal multiplier on $529 in government stimulus?

A. If you are Fisker Automotive, zero.

While the terminal fate of the federally-subdizied car company was no secret to anyone, there were some questions when this latest example of idiotic government "capital allocation" would get Solyndraed. The answer is now.

GigaOm reports:
According to several sources, electric car maker Fisker Automotive is planning to lay off many of its employees today. Sources tell me that there is a company meeting at 8AM today where the company will announce this to the employees.

I’ve also heard that law firm Outten & Golden has been looking into initiating a class action law suit to represent Fisker’s employees should Fisker fall into bankruptcy. The firm is looking into whether Fisker (like Solyndra) will or already has violated the WARN act.

The news follows reports that Fisker has hired a law firm to advise it on bankruptcy options. It owes a loan repayment to the Department of Energy this month, and has been cutting costs and furloughed its employees last month. The company hasn’t made a car since the summer of 2012.

Fisker was founded in 2007 and has raised over a billion dollars from venture capitalists like Kleiner Perkins, NEA and others, as well as wealthy individuals organized by now defunct broke Advanced Equities. Fisker also received part of a loan from the Department of Energy.

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Crossing The Delaware For Tax Reasons - You're Not Alone!

We all know that George Washington crossed the Delaware River from the west to the east to launch a surprise attack on Trenton, New Jersey. It was one of the early pivotal blows in America’s Revolution to fight British taxation.

Today, more and more people, especially retirees, are moving from New Jersey and New York to Delaware for the tax benefits that living here can offer. Here of some of the major tax advantages that you will find living in the First State:

Delaware Tax Benefits:
  • According to 2010 Census data report property taxes on a 2,000 square foot home in Delaware will run in the range of $125/month (less than 10% of the tax on an equivalent home in New Jersey).
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The Obamas Live The 1 Percent Life

Being president of the U.S., the most powerful man in the world, is often most about perception. The man (or, one day, woman) in the job takes actions large and small every day, but it is the perception of the man that seeps into the everyday lives of working Americans.

That’s why presidential candidates always hit Philadelphia for a cheesesteak during campaigns (Democrats to Pat’s, Republicans to Geno’s). Sure, they’re running billion-dollar operations trying to win the White House, but one picture of them wolfing down a Cheez Whiz-covered glob of meat on a Philly street hits home with millions of voters: “Hey, that guy’s just like me! He loves him a Pat’s [or Geno’s] cheesesteak, too!” (Unless you’re John F. Kerry and order Swiss cheese — then everyone hates you.)

Sometimes, that perception cuts to the core. Like when President George W. Bush stopped playing golf in 2003, at the height of the Iraq War.

“I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal,” he said years later. “I don’t want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf. I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them.”

RNC Declares War On Conservative Grassroots

At a meeting of the Ripon Society held in Washington, D.C.'s exclusive Capitol Hill Club on Tuesday, new Republican National Committee Chief of Staff Mike Shields effectively declared war on the conservative grassroots. In a strong attack, Shields coined a new derogatory term, "the professional right," to refer to groups that have publicly criticized the recent RNC "Autopsy" report.
"It's a term I'll be using often in the coming months," he told the crowd of about 40 Ripon Society members, RNC insiders, and Capitol Hill staffers. But Reagan biographer Craig Shirley, who was not one of those in attendance at the meeting, was quick to note that Shields's new term had already backfired. “As opposed to what, unprofessional Republicans?" he shot back.

"These attacks on conservatism by the Establishment GOP are reminiscent of those made against Reagan all through the 1960’s and 70’s and even into his presidency,” Shirley added.

Shields, five weeks into his new job as RNC Chief of Staff, applauded the RNC on its "courage" in publicizing its own "Autopsy" report. According to the source, Shields "gloated that not even the Democratic National Committee was critical of the report, while only the 'professional right' pounced on it."

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Crews Extract Driver From Dangling Tractor Trailer

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) - Fire crews have saved a woman trapped inside the cab of a tractor trailer dangling off the side of the Monitor Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel Monday.

The Virginia Department of Transportation said all north and southbound lanes of Interstate 664 at the bridge-tunnel are closed.

Sgt. Michelle Anaya with the Virginia State Police said the driver of the tractor trailer lost control and struck the bridge heading southbound just before 9 a.m. The cab caught fire and is currently hanging off the side of the bridge.

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Group Looks At Challenging Maryland Gun Control Bill

ANNAPOLIS -- Gun rights advocates are already looking to shoot down firearms legislation that would make Maryland one of the most restrictive states in the nation.

Del. Neil Parrott, R-Washington County, heads MDPetitions.com, a website that collects signatures to put controversial legislation on the ballot to be decided by voters. He said his group was polling its members on their interest in putting the gun control bill, with a number of other measures, to referendum.

"Certainly, interest in that one is very high," Parrott said. "I suspect that would be one of them [we try to get on the 2014 ballot]."

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Breakthrough In Hydrogen Fuel Production Could Revolutionize Alternative Energy Market

BLACKSBURG, Va., – A team of Virginia Tech researchers has discovered a way to extract large quantities of hydrogen from any plant, a breakthrough that has the potential to bring a low-cost, environmentally friendly fuel source to the world.

“Our new process could help end our dependence on fossil fuels,” said Y.H. Percival Zhang, an associate professor of biological systems engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Engineering. “Hydrogen is one of the most important biofuels of the future.”

Zhang and his team have succeeded in using xylose, the most abundant simple plant sugar, to produce a large quantity of hydrogen that previously was attainable only in theory. Zhang’s method can be performed using any source of biomass.

The discovery is a featured editor’s choice in an online version of the chemistry journalAngewandte Chemie, International Edition.

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Wisconsin Public Sector Unions Report Drastic Membership Declines

More than two years after Scott Walker’s showdown with organized labor in Wisconsin, the official numbers for the state’s public sector union membership are in — and they are down. Way down.

According a Labor Department filing made last week, membership at Wisconsin’s American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 40 — one of AFSCME’s four branches in the state — has gone from the 31,730 it reported in 2011, to 29,777 in 2012, to just 20,488 now. That’s a drop of more than 11,000 — about a third — in just two years. The council represents city and county employees outside of Milwaukee County and child care workers across Wisconsin.

Labor Department filings also show that Wisconsin’s AFSCME Council 48, which represents city and county workers in Milwaukee County, went from 9,043 members in 2011, to 6,046 in 2012, to just 3,498 now.

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People Not In Labor Force Soar By 663,000 To 90 Million, Labor Force Participation Rate At 1979 Levels

Things just keep getting worse for the American worker, and by implication US economy, where as we have shown many times before, it pays just as well to sit back and collect disability and various welfare and entitlement checks [5], than to work .The best manifestation of this: the number of people not in the labor force which in March soared by a massive 663,000 to a record 90 million Americans who are no longer even looking for work. This was the biggest monthly increase in people dropping out of the labor force since January 2012, when the BLS did its census recast of the labor numbers. And even worse, the labor force participation rate plunged from an already abysmal 63.5% to 63.3% - the lowest since 1979! But at least it helped with the now painfully grotesque propaganda that the US unemployment rate is "improving."
GO HERE to see charts.

We're Committed To Victims' Families

In Maryland, we focus on the policies that work to drive down crime, and together with the men and women of law enforcement, we’ve driven down violent crime to three-decade lows. We did this by focusing on things that work, and by identifying things that don’t work and eliminating them. The death penalty doesn’t reduce violent crime, and it’s expensive. That’s why, this session, we came together to eliminate the death penalty and replace it with life without parole.

Governor O’Malley is committed to providing assistance to victims’ families. Our original bill called to appropriate savings starting in FY2015 to that purpose. Unfortunately, the provision didn’t make it through the legislative process. However, the Governor remains committed to providing this funding for victims’ families in FY2015.
In the interim, the Governor’s Office of Crime and Criminal Prevention, has been working with advocates to identify gaps in service needs to get families the help they need before FY2015.

Together with the advocates, GOCCP developed a survey to find those gaps. We need everyone’s input on this important initiative. Here’s a link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GOCCPMSBVSSurvey

Maryland Girl Is Armed With Arguments Against Gun Control

A three-minute video of Sarah Merkle’s testimony about Maryland’s new gun legislation has drawn more than 2 million views on YouTube, won her praise from gun rights advocates across the country and even scored her an interview on national television last week.

But the 15-year-old from Baltimore said she cares more about her message.

“The biggest part of this is that the pro-gun, Second Amendment argument is getting publicity,” she said. “I like that it actually got out there, and not just because it’s me, but because it’s the argument.”

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PUBLIC NOTICE

The Work Session on April 15, 2013 was mistakenly listed on the 2013 Salisbury City Council Meeting Dates. Due to the Reorganization Meeting scheduled for April 15, 2013, a work session was not planned for that day.

Ocean City Police Warning Residents And Business Owners Of Counterfeit Currency

The Ocean City Police Department is warning residents, business owners and employees to be on the lookout for counterfeit currency being circulated in Ocean City. Since April 3, 2013, the OCPD has received 5 reports of counterfeit bills in $10 and $20 denominations that are being passed as payments to local businesses.

Ocean City Police are encouraging citizens to closely examine currency by looking carefully at the money you receive. Citizens should be aware of the security features located on currency. The three main security features located on bills are:
Shifting inks on the dollar amount located on the face side in the bottom right corner.
Security threads, which display the denomination of the currency imbedded in the bill.
The watermark located on the face of the bill on the right side.

In addition, the Ocean City Police Department is offering these tips to detect suspicious or counterfeit currency:
The genuine portrait appears lifelike and stands out distinctly from the background. The counterfeit portrait is usually lifeless and flat. Details merge into the background, which is often too dark or mottled.
On a genuine bill, the saw-tooth points of the Federal Reserve and Treasury seals are clear, distinct and sharp. The counterfeit seals may have uneven, blunt or broken saw-tooth points.
Genuine serial numbers have a distinctive style and are evenly spaced. The serial numbers are printed in the same ink color as the Treasury Seal. On a counterfeit, the serial numbers may differ in color or shade of ink from the Treasury seal. The numbers may not be uniformly spaced or aligned.

Ocean City Police are asking that residents and businesses if you locate suspicious currency to please report the incident to police. Anyone with any additional information regarding the recent incidents of counterfeit currency occurring in Ocean City is asked to contact the OCPD Criminal Investigation Division Detective David Whitmer at: 410-520-5390. In addition, the OCPD reminds businesses and community groups that a crime prevention officer is available to conduct counterfeit awareness presentations upon appointment through the Public Affairs Office.

For further information on detecting counterfeit U. S. currency, citizens are encouraged to visit the United States Secret Service Web site at:http://www.secretservice.gov/know_your_money.shtml.

FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER MARGARET THATCHER HAS DIED

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has died after suffering a stroke at the age of 87. Known as 'The Iron Lady,' Thatcher was Britain's only female prime minister and led the Conservatives to three election victories, governing from 1979 to 1990.

Two Gay GWU Students Want Priest Removed From Campus

Students and parishioners are rallying behind a Catholic priest at George Washington University after two gay students said they wanted him removed for supporting the church’s stance on homosexuality.

Seniors Damian Legacy and Blake Bergen want the Rev. Gregory Shaffer booted off campus because he taught that homosexual behavior is immoral. The pair has filed a formal complaint with the school’s administration and are holding a vigil outside the Newman Center, where Father Shaffer serves as a chaplain, until he is removed, Catholic News Agency reports.

“I have never seen Fr. Greg be less than compassionate to any student on an issue of sexuality,” Dawn Eden, who is a parishioner at St. Stephen Martyr Parish, where Father Shaffer is based, told CNA. “He’s been instrumental in helping them to find healing in Christ.”

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By Delegate Mike McDermott

Tax Dollars: Bail Outs and Monuments
Or
“Where the libs go to get their dough”

Here’s a newsflash for those Marylanders concerned about government spending. This morning I arrived at my desk on the floor of the House to find an amendment to the Capital Budget Bill (HB-101) which calls for an appropriation of $900,000.00 to “…design, construct, renovate, and equip a facility for the relocation of Delmarva Public Radio…”.

This comes on the heals of an investment of $135 Million of increased Maryland debt to provide for a “library” facility at Salisbury University with over $100 Million of this money in this year’s proposed Capital Budget.

So it goes with Progressives and Liberals, all those who enjoy feeding at the public trough of everyone elses tax dollars. Here we have a radio station that needs public support from its audience and, having failed to receive it (even with a free massive media blitz) they are able to get Del. Norm Conway to pay the tab with taxpayer dollars.

I cannot help but wonder…are there other projects on the lower shore where we could have spent $136 Million this year? We have roads that are crumbling and local governments coming up millions short. We have US Route 113 that could be completed along with overpasses for $105 million…and then what would we do with the other $31 Million? We have school security issues and a plethora of local public projects where this amount of revenue could have been parceled out to the satisfaction of many.

Much of this type of capital shifting in Annapolis remains unknown on the lower shore. No doubt most taxpayers have no idea how much money is “appropriated” for these types of projects. In the day and age of digital electronics and advancing communications technology, we will spend $135 Million for a brick and mortar library on a college campus…after we pay for tearing down the current building that occupies the space. We will appropriate $49 Million for “planning and design” and $52 Million for actual construction…and, of course, we will call it a “jobs project” where we will pay “prevailing wages” to contractors (most not from the shore or Maryland for that matter) as a payoff to the unions who control the Democratic Supermajority in the General Assembly. So to add insult to injury, we will pay 30% more to build these monuments than we would in the private sector.

So it continues in Annapolis with no end in sight.

Cut Salt, Add Potassium, Live Longer, Researchers Say

If people cut their salt intake and increased their intake of potassium by eating more fruits and vegetables, millions of lives around the world could be saved every year, says research out today.

These dietary changes would lower people's blood pressure, which would reduce their risk of having a stroke or heart attack, according to the findings published on bmj.com.

To take an in-depth look at the topic, British researchers and other experts from around the world analyzed dozens of international studies on salt and potassium and high blood pressure. High blood pressure is defined as a reading greater than or equal to 140/90.

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