crony capitalism

Maryland: Another City Forced To Refund Illegal Photo Tickets

"Hagerstown, Maryland announced Wednesday that it would refund 808 illegally issued speed camera tickets. Brekford Corporation mailed the citations between the end of December and January using three automated ticketing machines that failed to meet the certification requirements of state law. A motorist who intended to fight a photo ticket requested the calibration certificate for use at trial in January, but the city responded with a March 5 letter denying the request, despite the law's requiring calibration documents be kept on file." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMaryland: Another City Forced To Refund Illegal Photo Tickets

Donations, lobbying by high-speed traders on the rise

"High-frequency trading firms increased their campaign contributions to federal lawmakers by 673 percent from the 2008 to the 2012 election cycle, according to a report that sheds light on their political connections in Washington and efforts to impact policymaking. It compiles the campaign and lobbying records for 48 different firms like Citadel Investments, Getco, Knight Capital (KCG.N), Virtu Financial LLC and Tradeworx which engage in high-speed trading, a strategy that uses lightning-fast computers to search for ways to take advantage of tiny price moves in the marketplace." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDonations, lobbying by high-speed traders on the rise

Cables reveal American diplomats lobbied aggressively overseas for genetically modified food crops

"The review of more than 900 diplomatic cables by the campaign group Food and Water Watch showed a carefully crafted campaign to break down resistance to GM products in Europe and other countries, and so help promote the bottom line of big American agricultural businesses. The cables, which first surfaced with the Wikileaks disclosures two years ago, described a series of separate public relations strategies, unrolled at dozens of press junkets and biotech conferences, aimed at convincing scientists, media, industry, farmers, elected officials and others of the safety and benefits of GM products." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCables reveal American diplomats lobbied aggressively overseas for genetically modified food crops

Florida quietly shortened yellow lights, resulting in millions in additional red light camera fines

"A subtle, but significant tweak to Florida's rules regarding traffic signals has allowed local cities and counties to shorten yellow light intervals, resulting in millions of dollars in additional red light camera fines. The 10 News Investigators discovered the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) quietly changed the state's policy on yellow intervals in 2011, reducing the minimum below federal recommendations. The rule change was followed by engineers, both from FDOT and local municipalities, collaborating to shorten the length of yellow lights at key intersections, specifically those with red light cameras (RLCs)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFlorida quietly shortened yellow lights, resulting in millions in additional red light camera fines

Ohio Appeals Court Forbids Traffic Stop Over Unpaid Parking Tickets

"Since April last year, Dayton, Ohio has been trying to generate millions in additional revenue by towing vehicles said to have unpaid photo enforcement or parking tickets. The city's policy instructed police to pull over motorists and take their car away until the alleged debt was paid. To keep a steady stream of $85 citations, Redflex Traffic Systems of Australia operates ten red light cameras and ten speed cameras in Dayton. In a decision late last month, the state Court of Appeals said Chief Biehl and the city have been flouting the Constitution." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOhio Appeals Court Forbids Traffic Stop Over Unpaid Parking Tickets

USPS to raise stamp prices again, blames shrinking delivery volume

"The U.S. Postal Service board will look into hiking postage prices on all types of mail, as losses continue to plague the agency, the chief of the board said Friday. It would affect those sending first-class mail, the most common type of mail consumers use, as well as businesses that mail periodicals, newspapers, magazines and marketing material. In the three months ended March 30, the agency lost $1.9 billion. The service was hurt as the volume of first-class mail decreased by 4.3%, said USPS chief financial officer Joseph Corbett. 'It's extremely difficult to compete with free,' Corbett said, referring to electronic bill paying." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUSPS to raise stamp prices again, blames shrinking delivery volume

Monsanto: Big Guy on the Block When it Comes to Friends in Washington

"Justice Clarence Thomas was on the bench, hearing the case with the other justices. Thomas worked as a corporate lawyer for Monsanto in the 1970s. Thomas has participated in at least one other case involving the company, Monsanto v. Geertson, which resulted in a favorable decision for Monsanto. Clarence Thomas aside, Monsanto has plenty of other ties to Washington. Eight lawmakers own stock in Monsanto, including Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) and Reps. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.), Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Jim Renacci (R-Ohio), Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMonsanto: Big Guy on the Block When it Comes to Friends in Washington

Monsanto wins patent lawsuit against farmer who bought grain from elevator

"A long-lasting court fight over patented soybeans is over, and agribusiness giant Monsanto has won. In a decision issued today, the US Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that Monsanto must be allowed to patent its seeds—and it must be able to punish farmers who try to dodge the patents. Monsanto sued, saying that even though the farmer didn't sign a contract, by reproducing its patented seeds he had committed patent infringement. Bowman lost in the lower courts and was ordered by pay $30,000, which has now grown to more than $80,000 with interest. Last year, the Supreme Court agreed to take the case; oral arguments were held in February." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMonsanto wins patent lawsuit against farmer who bought grain from elevator

Affordable Care Act Summary for Self-Employed, Unemployed, and Early Retirees

"Much of the discussion around The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) aka Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare has been about politics. For most full-time workers that wish to keep their employer-provided health insurance, little will change. However, things will be very different for the self-employed, unemployed, uninsured, and those seeking semi-retirement or early retirement. You can use it even if you already have employer-provided insurance, although you may become ineligible for certain tax credits. There’s way too much information to cover everything, but here’s my summary of the developments." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAffordable Care Act Summary for Self-Employed, Unemployed, and Early Retirees

Australia: Another Toll Road Goes Bankrupt

"The same phenomenon is common in Europe. In Spain last year, ten toll concessions, including the Madrid-Toledo highway, became insolvent. The Spanish government provided more than a billion euros in bailout money to the tolling firms Abertis, Acciona, ACS, Bankia, Cintra, OHL and Sacyr Vallehermoso. Failures are equally common in the United States, beginning with the toll lanes on the 91 freeway in Orange County, California which had to be bought out by county taxpayers in 2003 for more than the original cost of construction. San Diego's South Bay Expressway went bankrupt in 2010 and was also bought out by county government." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAustralia: Another Toll Road Goes Bankrupt