Monday, May 30, 2011

Cash For Clunkers

Japan Cash For Clunkers:

Germany

U.S.

In Germany, incentives totaling 5 billion euros ($6.4 billion) for buyers of new vehicles who turned in old ones boosted sales 23 percent last year, according to the VDA auto industry association. Without further subsidies, new car registrations in the country slumped 29 percent in the first seven months of 2010, according to the association.

Toyota Prius May Lead Japan Car Sale Collapse as Subsidies End - Bloomberg

Toyota Prius May Lead Japan Car Sale Collapse as Subsidies End - Bloomberg: "Demand for the Prius surged after the third-generation model went on sale in May 2009 and the government introduced the incentive plan a month later. Under the program, consumers can apply for a 250,000 yen ($2,963) subsidy if they scrap a car more than 13 years old to buy a more fuel- efficient one, or 100,000 yen for a new car bought without scrapping the older one."

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Republican States Push Revisions to Voting Laws - NYTimes.com


Republican States Push Revisions to Voting Laws - NYTimes.com: "Less than 18 months before the next presidential election, Republican-controlled statehouses around the country are rewriting voting laws to require photo identification at the polls, reduce the number of days of early voting or tighten registration rules.

Republican legislators say the new rules, which have advanced in 13 states in the past two months, offer a practical way to weed out fraudulent votes and preserve the integrity of the ballot box. Democrats say the changes have little to do with fraud prevention and more to do with placing obstacles in the way of possible Democratic voters, including young people and minorities."

Friday, May 27, 2011

Japan considers national solar power to replace nuclear dependency


Japan considers national solar power to replace nuclear dependency: "Japan’s Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, is expected to announce the country’s energy plans at the upcoming G8 Summit in Deuville, France. Along with assurances about the current safety of Japan’s nuclear power plants which they will continue using for now, Kan is also expected to unveil a plan for nation-wide renewable energy."

Sunday, May 22, 2011

With Mitch Daniels out, GOP looking for new 2012 option - Jonathan Martin - POLITICO.com


With Mitch Daniels out, GOP looking for new 2012 option - Jonathan Martin - POLITICO.com: "Mitch Daniels’s overnight decision against a presidential bid will immediately raise the volume on the low-hum grumbling among Republican insiders that they’re gearing up to face President Obama with the weakest primary field in recent memory."

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Abdulrahman Ibrahim Ibn Sori - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Abdulrahman Ibrahim Ibn Sori - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Abdu-l-Rahman Ibrahim Ibn Sori (a.k.a. Abdul-Rahman) was a prince from West Africa who was made a slave in the United States. In 1828, he was freed after spending 40 years in slavery by the order of President John Quincy Adams and Secretary of State Henry Clay after the Sultan of Morocco requested his release."

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

In Rust Belt, manufacturers add jobs, but factory pay isn’t what it used to be - The Washington Post



In Rust Belt, manufacturers add jobs, but factory pay isn’t what it used to be - The Washington Post: "More than 1,000 applicants began lining up this week outside a former Hoover vacuum plant here in the hopes of joining a surprising trend in this part of the nation’s manufacturing heartland: new jobs.

Come June, the plant will be churning out EdenPure space heaters, vacuums, air purifiers and other small appliances once made in China. The turnabout for this factory and scores of others across the long-suffering Rust Belt offers vivid evidence of a budding revival in American manufacturing that has been a key driver of the economic recovery."

NationalJournal.com - Political Sex Scandals - Tuesday, May 17, 2011

NationalJournal.com - Political Sex Scandals - Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

U.S. Healthcare Costs Per Family More Than Doubled In Nine Years, Report Finds


U.S. Healthcare Costs Per Family More Than Doubled In Nine Years, Report Finds: "U.S. healthcare is so expensive that records are broken even when cost increases slow.

According to a new report by Milliman, a global consulting and actuarial firm, the total cost of healthcare for the average family of four, if covered by a preferred provider organization, is now a record $19,393."

Monday, May 16, 2011

Mississippi River Floods Take Toll On Poor -- How You Can Help (VIDEO)



Mississippi River Floods Take Toll On Poor -- How You Can Help (VIDEO): "On the banks of the river in Vicksburg, Miss., 12 people -- including infants and children -- live in one house.

As the Mississippi River continues to swell, floodwaters force them -- and other residents in the town -- to pack their things and head for higher ground, the Associated Press reports."

Cajuns told to leave home, but some hold out hope - CBS News



Cajuns told to leave home, but some hold out hope - CBS News: "HENDERSON, Louisiana - Army Corps of Engineers workers opened more floodgates at the Morganza Spillway in Louisiana Sunday, just upriver from New Orleans, bringing the total to four.
They're diverting millions of gallons per minute into the Atchafalaya Basin, sparing New Orleans while flooding thousands of square miles of Cajun country."

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Exports Hit A Record High

Exports rose to an all-time high.

Exports plunged during the recession, but they've been growing strongly for a couple years now, and are back above the pre-crash peak.

Growth is coming from a broad range of categories — everything from industrial machinery to corn to royalty payments. (When U.S. companies get royalty payments from overseas, it counts as part of exports.)

Exports are being helped along by a falling dollar. Rising exports allow for economic growth without relying too heavily on spending by U.S. consumers.

Exports for March were $173 billion .

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Florida GOP Passes Radical Overhaul Of Election Law, Jeopardizing Voting Rights Of Elderly, Military, Students

This is Florida. I’m embarrass again.

Florida a transient locale. We tend to get the people who decided to reset their lives and relocate to a state without the historical baggage of their former state. If the person is from Illinois they’re escaping Polish and Jews; if they’re from Boston it’s the poor Irish and Albanians; Wisconsin and their Scandinavian potentates also motivate people to leave.

In terms of voting, Florida is on the DOJ’s list for states with historical abuses of voter rights. So to true Floridians this is not new, it’s a continuation of voter disenfranchisement and Antebellum hate. As a Service Member in 2000 those same voter issues robbed me of my vote. source: http://www.civilrights.org/voting-rights/vra/map.html.

I’m still rubbed raw because of it.

Mission accomplished? League of Women Voters to halt voter registration in Florida due to restrictive new law

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Running in the red: How the U.S., on the road to surplus, detoured to massive debt

 

LEGACYgraphicstory

The nation’s unnerving descent into debt began a decade ago with a choice, not a crisis.

In January 2001, with the budget balanced and clear sailing ahead, the Congressional Budget Office forecast ever-larger annual surpluses indefinitely. The outlook was so rosy, the CBO said, that Washington would have enough money by the end of the decade to pay off everything it owed.

Monica Goodling Reprimanded By Virginia State Bar

 

"Monica Goodling, a key figure in the politicization of the Justice Department during the Bush administration, has received a public reprimand from the Virginia State Bar, Virginia Lawyers Weekly reports.

The state bar found that Goodling committed "a criminal or deliberately wrongful act" that reflected poorly on her "honesty, trustworthiness or fitness to practice law," the publication reports. The decision was reached in March but was made public Thursday.

Goodling, a former opposition researcher for the Republican National Committee and graduate of Regent University School of Law, arrived at the Justice Department at the start of the Bush administration. Former colleagues said she believed that part of her job was to bring people with conservative and Christian values to DOJ. She admitted to "crossing the line" by running afoul of civil service rules governing hiring decisions.

Conservative Historian David Barton

All about the numbers

U.S unemployment picture

A look at the unemployment rate and the number of jobs gained in the U.S. in April.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/us-unemployment-picture/2011/05/05/AFyzuY7F_graphic.html

Saturday, May 7, 2011

ThinkProgress » Rep. Allen West Falsely Claims China Controls The Panama Canal, Calls It A ‘Serious Threat’ To U.S.



ThinkProgress » Rep. Allen West Falsely Claims China Controls The Panama Canal, Calls It A ‘Serious Threat’ To U.S.: "During a Fort Lauderdale town hall last week, Rep. Allen West (R-FL) warned his constituents about “serious threats to our country,” including Iran and Hezbollah. However, one of the examples West used repeatedly, was not just overblown; it was demonstrably untrue."

History of U.S. Gov't Bailouts

With the flurry of recent government bailouts, we decided to try to put them in perspective. The circles below represent the size of U.S. government bailout, calculated in 2008 dollars. They are also in chronological order. Our chart focuses on U.S. government bailouts of U.S. corporations (and one city). We have not included instances where the U.S. government aided other nations

http://www.propublica.org/special/government-bailouts#tarp

Florida mosque bomber shot dead


Documents: Bomb suspect was paranoid about 'feds' - Florida Wires - MiamiHerald.com: "FBI documents say the man wanted in the bombing of a Florida mosque who was shot and killed when he pulled a gun on agents trying to arrest him in Oklahoma hated Muslims and had become increasingly erratic.

The FBI says Sandlin Smith of St. Johns County, Fla., was shot Wednesday in a field at Glass Mountain State Park near Orienta in northwest Oklahoma. FBI Agent Clayton Simmonds says agents opened fire when Smith pulled out an AK-47 assault rifle as agents approached him."

Friday, May 6, 2011

2012 Republican debate: Lesser-known GOP presidential hopefuls debate in South Carolina - latimes.com



2012 Republican debate: Lesser-known GOP presidential hopefuls debate in South Carolina - latimes.com: "Reporting from Greenville, S.C.— The 2012 presidential campaign lurched to an unconventional start Thursday night, as the Republican Party put several lesser-known candidates on display in the first debate of the season."

'Job Well Done,' Obama Tells Assault Team Responsible for Bin Laden Raid - NYTimes.com



'Job Well Done,' Obama Tells Assault Team Responsible for Bin Laden Raid - NYTimes.com: "“Job well done.”

That was the simple message President Obama said he communicated on Friday to the members of the Special Operations team who helped kill Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks and the target of a worldwide, decade-long manhunt."

April Job Data Is Strong

Jobs for April.  NICE!!

The United States economy added far more jobs than expected in April, but with more than 13 million people still out of work, analysts cautioned that it was too early to say whether the momentum could be sustained for a full recovery in the labor market.

The Labor Department said Friday that 244,000 jobs were added last month after a gain of a revised 221,000 in March. The unemployment rate rose to 9 percent in April from 8.8 percent in March.

Jobs_Apr_2011

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Obama Job-Performance Numbers Up After Bin Laden Killing - New York Times/CBS Poll - NYTimes.com

Don't get excited Dems.

Remember President Bush in the 90s??
Obama Job-Performance Numbers Up After Bin Laden Killing - New York Times/CBS Poll - NYTimes.com: "Support for President Obama has risen sharply following the killing of Osama bin Laden by American military forces in Pakistan, with a majority now approving of his overall job performance, as well as his handling of foreign policy, the war in Afghanistan and the threat of terrorism, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

The glow of national pride seemed to rise above partisan politics, as support for the president rose significantly among both Republicans and independents. In all, 57 percent said they now approved of the president’s job performance, up from 46 percent last month."

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Clues Gradually Led to the Location of Osama bin Laden - NYTimes.com


Clues Gradually Led to the Location of Osama bin Laden - NYTimes.com: "On a moonless night eight months later, 79 American commandos in four helicopters descended on the compound, the officials said. Shots rang out. A helicopter stalled and would not take off. Pakistani authorities, kept in the dark by their allies in Washington, scrambled forces as the American commandos rushed to finish their mission and leave before a confrontation. Of the five dead, one was a tall, bearded man with a bloodied face and a bullet in his head. A member of the Navy Seals snapped his picture with a camera and uploaded it to analysts who fed it into a facial recognition program."

And there you go!

Stars_Strips_03May11

Obama Succeeded Where Bush Failed: Osama Bin Laden Rhetoric And Reality

Obama Succeeded Where Bush Failed: Osama Bin Laden Rhetoric And Reality

Monday, May 2, 2011

BIN LADEN IS DEAD

It’s about time!!

 

KILLED IN PAKISTAN.. REPORTEDLY SHOT IN HEAD.. BURIED AT SEA
Obama: 'Justice Has Been Done'.. WATCH His Speech

The daring U.S. military operation that killed Osama Bin Laden early Sunday morning in Pakistan brought a decisive end to the chase that frustrated three American presidents and symbolized the inability of history’s greatest power to defeat small groups of extremists.

President Barack Obama’s announcement Sunday night touched off a wave of public elation, as chants from a raucous crowd outside the White House alternated between “U.S.A.” and “Hey, hey, hey, goodbye.” Family members of Bin Laden’s American victims wept with joy and relief. And the news produced something approaching national unity at a divided moment, as Republican presidential candidates put aside their criticism to praise the administration and the military for a daring strike inside Pakistan.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/54073.html#ixzz1LBRGibOj