Ben Swann Reality Check on Piers Morgan vs. Alex Jones
http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/01/must-view-ben-swann-reality-check-on.html
California: Benefit of Longer Yellow Light Proves Lasting
"Municipalities that use red light cameras for the most part are highly reluctant to increase the amount of yellow warning time at an intersection, citing the theory that motorists 'adapt' to the longer yellow, encouraging even more red light running. New data from Fremont, California suggests the reduction in red light running violations from longer yellows is lasting. After nearly two years with the enhanced timing, violations remained down by 71 percent. While a 0.7 second difference in the duration of the yellow warning at an intersection might appear insignificant, the extra margin of safety is critical." Continue reading →
Paula Was Not the Only One in Bed With Petraeus
"Petraeus got what he wanted from the relationship with the Kagans as well. Each time Petraeus descended on Capitol Hill he was treated like a god by lawmakers. That was the Kagans' doing. They rushed home from their extended stints 'running' the war in Afghanistan to pen saccharine pieces on the glories of Patraeus, just the kind of hero the pro-war faction in Congress (as in the entire Congress minus a handful) needed. This, in a nutshell, is why the desperate race to solve the 'fiscal cliff' is in reality a desperate race by Congress and the president to avoid any cuts in the military budget. Otherwise the Fred Kagans of the world will sic their think tank brigades on you." Continue reading →
The Forever Wars of Frederick & Kimberly Kagan
"Kimberly is currently president for the oddly named Institute for the Study of War while Fred is the director of the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute. Fred’s brother Robert is at the Brookings Institution and has also been a foreign policy adviser to both John McCain and Mitt Romney. The Kagans are classic neocon entrepreneurs who rely on nepotism and cronyism to work their way through the system. Kimberly studied ancient history at Yale under Donald Kagan and then married his son. She is now billed as a 'military expert' by the neocon media in spite of her lack of any actual military experience." Continue reading →
Understanding the Budget Cuts in the Current Fiscal Crisis Talks
"Even someone following the budget negotiations closely might be surprised to learn that there are no real cuts on the table in the way normal people think of them. That goes for Republican proposals, too. For example, households may decide to reduce their holiday spending this year from $750 to $500 and forgo the summer family vacation because times are tough. Those are spending cuts. Washington is the only place where a cut isn’t a cut. Instead, so-called spending cuts are reductions in the growth rate of outlays as prescribed under current law. Nothing is cut." Continue reading →
FBI is investigating former Utah trooper Lisa Steed
"The FBI is investigating former Utah Highway Patrol Cpl. Lisa Steed for civil rights violations, an attorney said Sunday. Michael Studebaker said 10 of his clients recently spoke to FBI agents. He said his clients have not been asked to speak to a grand jury. Steed has been accused of arresting people for DUI who were sober. Two judges have found Steed lied on the witness stand." Continue reading →
Jane Marquardt: “Progressive” Prison Profiteer
"Last Saturday, members of the Salt Lake City Prison Divestment Campaign told Utah’s Democratic Party the truth about Jane Marquardt, who sought a position as vice chair of the Utah Democratic Party’s Central Committee. You see, Jane holds another vice chair position: Vice chair of the board at Management and Training Corporation (MTC), America’s third largest operator of for-profit prisons. Yet the Democratic Party claims to stand for immigrants, the poor, people of color, and the LGBT community, all of which are groups that Jane Marquardt’s company cages and abuses for profit." Continue reading →
French officials furious at Economist “time-bomb” taunt
"French officials angrily rejected a charge by Britain's The Economist weekly on Friday that France was the 'time-bomb at the heart of Europe' and a danger to the euro single currency, accusing the magazine of sensationalism. French public spending accounts for 56 percent of gross domestic product, the highest level in the euro zone, and public debt reached 90 percent of GDP this year. Hollande's deficit-reduction strategy is based two-thirds on tax increases, much of it on businesses, and one-third on spending cuts." Continue reading →
FL Highway Patrol Trooper arrested for fabricating arrest reports
"Following an investigation by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, it was determined Kunstmann not only fabricated arrest records, but also was untruthful during deposition. He was arrested for perjury, and subsequently relieved of duty. Kunstmann had been on paid administrative leave while the investigation was ongoing. As a result, Culbertson and his attorney Andrea Mogensen, may file a lawsuit against the department." Continue reading →
Francois Hollande lurches Right in historic U-Turn to save French economy
"French president François Hollande has bowed to massive pressure for business tax cuts to pull France’s economy out of slump and stave off industrial decline, ditching a core element of his socialist platform. Company taxes will fall by €20bn a year equal to 1pc of GDP, to be phased in gradually by 2015 under a convoluted system of rebates. Spending cuts will plug the revenue gap in order to meet the EU’s 3pc deficit target. Critics call it the most humiliating U-turn in French politics since François Mitterrand abandoned his disastrous experiment of 'Socialism in one country' under a D-Mark currency peg in 1983." Continue reading →