statism

The Anti-Default Pomposity of U.S. Officials

"White House Press Secretary Jay Carney dropped a doozie yesterday: 'We are the United States. We do not default. It is unthinkable for the greatest country on Earth to default for the first time in its history. And I believe that Republican leaders share that conviction, and the President believes that Republican leaders share that conviction.' A denial of truth, sprinkled with a dash of 'American Exceptionalism.' Hire this man! The truth is that default is not something new for the U.S. It has already been done in the past. Prior to 1971, foreign central banks, that were holding dollars, were able to turn them into the U.S. Treasury in exchange for gold." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Anti-Default Pomposity of U.S. Officials

The Nightmare Ahead: 19 US Cities Have More Public Workers per Resident than Detroit

"Detroit declared bankruptcy due in no small part to $3 billion in unfunded public employee pensions as a result of a massive city workforce that kept growing even as the city’s population shriveled, but a Washington Examiner analysis found that 19 major American cities have even bigger ratios of such workers to residents. Here's the report from WE showing the number of residents per municipal employee." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Nightmare Ahead: 19 US Cities Have More Public Workers per Resident than Detroit

Small government promoter Rick Perry sends Texas $2.6 million bill for promotional travel

"Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) likes to talk tough about his small government credentials, but the numbers he’s been racking up lately tell a different tale: according to The Houston Chronicle, the arch conservative’s out-of-state security detail has cost Texas taxpayers a whopping $2.6 million since he was reelected in 2010. All that money has gone to pay for Perry’s security details as he tours the country trying to poach jobs from other states, and from his ill-fated bid for the Republican nomination to the presidency, according to data released by the Texas Department of Public Safety (TXDPS)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSmall government promoter Rick Perry sends Texas $2.6 million bill for promotional travel

Federal appeals court overturns Texas ordinance blocking undocumented tenants from renting

"The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled that an ordinance adopted in Farmers Branch in 2008 requiring renters to show legal residence in the country before becoming tenants conflicted with federal immigration law. The Dallas Morning News reported that Farmers Branch officials are unsure whether to continue their fight to uphold the measure. The Dallas County suburb has spent $6 million over the past seven years on legal fees connected to the ordinance." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal appeals court overturns Texas ordinance blocking undocumented tenants from renting

Federal report: E-Verify errors could wrongly exclude Americans from jobs

"Reports published by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reveal that the so-called E-Verify programme, which allows employers to check whether new workers are properly documented, is so inaccurate that if replicated across the country it could wrongfully exclude more than 200,000 people from the workforce. With more than one in 10 employers using E-Verify to weed out applicants before making a job offer, the potential for abuse is greatly increased. It is possible for applicants to be turned away from a post without ever finding out that they have been wrongly flagged as unauthorised on the database." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal report: E-Verify errors could wrongly exclude Americans from jobs

Cop Fired for Speaking Out Against Ticket and Arrest Quotas

"Hanners blew the whistle on the department's tactics and was eventually fired for refusing to comply and keep quiet. He says that each officer was required to make 100 contacts each month, which included tickets, arrests, field interviews, and warnings. This equates to 72,000 contacts a year in a 50,000 person town. His claims are backed up by audio recordings of his superiors he made. The Auburn police department declined requests to be interviewed for this story. The police chief singled out by Hanners retired this July, citing medical reasons." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCop Fired for Speaking Out Against Ticket and Arrest Quotas

Ohio Lawsuit Seeks To Use Court Precedent To Shut Down Speed Cameras

"Earlier this month a Hamilton County, Ohio judge declared Elmwood Place in contempt of court for ignoring a ruling that found speed cameras to be an unlawful 'scam.' A group of lawyers is seeking to replicate that legal success by shutting down the automated ticketing machines in New Miami, a village of 2000 residents located twenty miles to the north, with a class action lawsuit filed on Friday, citing the March decision in the hope that a Butler County Court of Common Pleas judge would agree that the automated ticketing ordinance fails to provide adequate due process to vehicle owners that receive a ticket from Optotraffic demanding payment of up to $180." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOhio Lawsuit Seeks To Use Court Precedent To Shut Down Speed Cameras

Pennsylvania police chief: ‘F*ck all you libtards out there, you take it in the a**’

"The mayor of Gilberton, Pennsylvania is standing by her city’s police chief despite a series of profanity-laced and threatening videos. In a video that has received wide attention, police chief Mark Kessler repeatedly tells those upset by his use of profanity to 'go f*ck yourself' as he fires various automatic weapons. Mayor Mary Lou Hannon told The Morning Call that Kessler had the right to express himself. The city would 'not take action to quash free speech, whether or not each member of council or any member of council agrees with it.' In one video, Kessler berates 'libtards' and warns of an armed rebellion against the government." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPennsylvania police chief: ‘F*ck all you libtards out there, you take it in the a**’

NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly defends stop-and-frisk in appeal to public

"With his law enforcement legacy hanging in the balance, New York City’s police chief has turned to the media to defend his most controversial initiatives. Kelly has come under intense criticism for the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk practices – which disproportionately impact communities of color – and surveillance of Muslims both in and out of the department’s geographic jurisdiction, resulting in multiple lawsuits. With Bloomberg’s tenure coming to an end, Kelly’s future is uncertain. President Barack Obama said Kelly would be 'very well qualified' to head the Department of Homeland Security. Others have disagreed." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNYPD commissioner Ray Kelly defends stop-and-frisk in appeal to public

US tech firms say they are losing business over NSA surveillance

"Revelations about the US government’s vast data collection programs have already started hurting American technology firms, according to an industry survey released this week. The Cloud Security Alliance said 10 percent of its non-US members have cancelled a contract with a US-based cloud provider, and 56 percent said they were less likely to use an American company. In the survey, 36 percent of US firms polled said the revelations would make it more difficult for their company to do business outside the United States, while 64 percent said it would not." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS tech firms say they are losing business over NSA surveillance