Daily Archives: July 26, 2013

Read more about the article Municipal Bonds are failing, Merideth Whitney has been right all along. Unions, Civil Service Salaries – Pensions are destroying Cities, Counties, and States, not to mention the federal government.
The Arizona Sentinel

Municipal Bonds are failing, Merideth Whitney has been right all along. Unions, Civil Service Salaries – Pensions are destroying Cities, Counties, and States, not to mention the federal government.

UPDATED: July 18, 2013

Many local governments across the U.S. face steep budget deficits as they struggle to pay off debts accumulated over a number of years. As a last resort, some filed for bankruptcy.

Governing is tracking the issue, and will update this page as more municipalities seek bankruptcy protection.

Most recently, Detroit became the largest municipality in U.S. history to file for bankruptcy. The state had already appointed an emergency financial manager for the city, saddled with debts totaling an estimated $18 billion.

Overall, though, bankrupt municipalities remain extremely rare. A Governing analysis estimated only one of every 1,668 eligible general-purpose local governments (0.06 percent) filed for bankruptcy protection over the past five years. Excluding filings later dismissed, only one of every 2,710 eligible localities filed since 2008.

The majority of filings have not been submitted by bankrupt cities, but rather lesser-known utility authorities and other narrowly-defined special districts throughout the country.

Continue ReadingMunicipal Bonds are failing, Merideth Whitney has been right all along. Unions, Civil Service Salaries – Pensions are destroying Cities, Counties, and States, not to mention the federal government.

David Galland: “Trained-Monkey Collaborators of Death”

"Acting under political pressure, the government brought a case that clearly had no merit, with no supporting evidence, then proceeded in an underhanded way that clearly demonstrated bias… but when the jury votes unanimously to acquit, somehow the verdict is 'surprising'? Also choosing to ignore the verdict, certain leading lights in the black community have organized protests and even threatened Zimmerman with death. And just to add a little comedy to the proceedings, this week the Detroit City Council took time out from their busy schedule of lording it over their bankrupt domain to unanimously pass a resolution calling for a civil rights investigation into Zimmerman." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDavid Galland: “Trained-Monkey Collaborators of Death”

Half of Affordable Care Act call center jobs will be part-time

"Earlier this year, Contra Costa County won the right to run a health care call center, where workers will answer questions to help implement the president's Affordable Care Act. Now, with two months to go before the Concord operation opens to serve the public, information has surfaced that about half the jobs are part-time, with no health benefits -- a stinging disappointment to workers and local politicians who believed the positions would be full-time. The Contra Costa County supervisor whose district includes the call center called the whole hiring process -- which attracted about 7,000 applicants -- a 'comedy of errors.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHalf of Affordable Care Act call center jobs will be part-time

Should We Be Optimistic or Pessimistic about the Future of the Second Amendment?

"It’s difficult to be optimistic when a local government imposes a $1,000 fine on a man who uses an unregistered gun (gasp!) to save a child’s life. On the other hand, I’m somewhat optimistic because gun owners and defenders of the Constitution have done a remarkable job in expanding and extending our Second Amendment rights at the state level. For instance, check out this map of concealed-carry laws in the United States. The first thing to notice is that every single state allows citizens to carry, with the only real difference being whether the law is 'shall issue' or 'may issue.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingShould We Be Optimistic or Pessimistic about the Future of the Second Amendment?

Iowa law enforcement agent fired after reporting Republican governor’s car for speeding

"Hedlund’s problems at the department began on April 26, when he radioed dispatchers about a vehicle traveling 'a hard 90' miles per hour. Troopers, who clocked the car at 84 m.p.h., pulled over the SUV and discovered that it was a being driven my a fellow trooper, who was transporting Gov. Branstad. They waved the vehicle on, but shortly after, Hedlund filed a complaint with his supervisor, DCI Dir. Paulson. His superiors in turn filed a formal complaint against Hedlund and on April 30 and he was suspended from duty at the behest of Public Safety Commissioner K. Brian London." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIowa law enforcement agent fired after reporting Republican governor’s car for speeding

Iowa Judge Rescues Sioux City Speed Camera Program

"The state of Iowa wants speed cameras off its freeways, but a local magistrate has other ideas. Woodbury County District Court Judge Jeffrey L. Poulson intervened and ordered Redflex Traffic Systems of Australia to continue issuing tickets until further notice. An expedited hearing is scheduled for Friday to decide whether the ticketing will be allowed permanently. IDOT District Engineer Tony G. Lazarowicz ordered the city to remove the cameras from a construction zone on Interstate 29 after city staff rejected more polite requests during the year. City officials are terrified of losing the revenue generated by the 29,697 tickets Redflex was able to issue last year." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIowa Judge Rescues Sioux City Speed Camera Program

Former Tiffany & Co. exec pleads guilty to stealing $2.1 million in jewelry

"Ingrid Lederhaas-Okun, 46, a former vice president of product development, pleaded guilty to a count of interstate transportation of stolen property less than a month after she was arrested in connection with the theft. Under a plea agreement, Lederhaas-Okun has agreed to forfeit more than $2.11 million and pay $2.24 million in restitution. Prosecutors said she had been allowed to check out jewelry from Tiffany for reasons that included showing items to potential manufacturers for cost production estimates. Rather than bringing the jewelry back, Lederhaas-Okun allegedly would report the items missing or damaged, subsequently selling the items to a jewelry reseller." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFormer Tiffany & Co. exec pleads guilty to stealing $2.1 million in jewelry

Researcher’s paper banned for containing luxury car security codes

"A British-based computer scientist has been banned from publishing an academic paper revealing the secret codes used to start luxury cars including Porsches, Audis, Bentleys and Lamborghinis as it could lead to the theft of millions of vehicles. The high court imposed an injunction on the University of Birmingham’s Flavio Garcia, who has cracked the security system by discovering the unique algorithm that allows the car to verify the identity of the ignition key. They argued that 'the public have a right to see weaknesses in security on which they rely exposed'. Otherwise, the 'industry and criminals know security is weak but the public do not'. Continue reading →

Continue ReadingResearcher’s paper banned for containing luxury car security codes

29 arrested for singing anti-Walker lyrics in Wisconsin state capitol

"Dozens of protesters were arrested Thursday night for singing in Wisconsin capitol, in the second round of arrests triggered by a judge’s ruling that all groups over 20 people must obtain a permit before demonstrating. At least 29 people with 'Solidarity Sing-Along' were cuffed and taken away on Thursday night, according to local media. The arrests came a day after police took 24 singers into custody, making good on their oft’ repeated threats to enforce the permit rule. The group has maintained a daily presence in the capitol for over two years, singing well-known songs every afternoon featuring anti-Republican lyrics, according to The Associated Press." Continue reading →

Continue Reading29 arrested for singing anti-Walker lyrics in Wisconsin state capitol

Kokesh Charged With Openly Carrying Shotgun in D.C.

"Adam Kokesh, seen loading a gun in D.C.'s Freedom Plaza in a video posted to YouTube July 4, has been transferred from Fairfax County and charged in D.C. with openly carrying a shotgun in violation of D.C. laws, reports WTOP. The maximum penalty for those who have not previously been convicted of a felony is a fine of $5,000 and/or up to five years in prison. Those who have been convicted of a felony could face a fine of up to $10,000 and/or up to 10 years in prison. Kokesh had been arrested and charged with drug offenses in Fairfax County earlier in July." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKokesh Charged With Openly Carrying Shotgun in D.C.