statism

Why S&P is in the Crosshairs of the Department of Justice

"It was S&P that took the heat in August of 2011, being first to actually cut the nation's rating to AA+. At the time the Obama administration lashed out at S&P, launching an unprecedented attack, specifically accusing the agency of 'misleading calculations.' Some now speculate that the Obama administration is merely getting revenge on S&P's downgrade by taking legal action against the rating agency. But it is also plausible that the Obama administration made a shrewd political calculation in taking this action. The Obama Justice Department's suit puts Moody's and Fitch on notice that they had better behave." Continue reading →

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Women delivering newspapers in Torrance shot in manhunt for ex-cop

"Two women who were shot by Los Angeles police in Torrance early Thursday during a massive manhunt for an ex-LAPD officer were delivering newspapers, sources said. The women, shot in the 19500 block of Redbeam Avenue, were taken to area hospitals, Torrance police Lt. Devin Chase said. They were not identified. One was shot in the hand and the other in the back, according to Jesse Escochea, who captured video of the victims being treated. It was not immediately known what newspapers the women were delivering. After the shooting, the blue pickup was riddled with bullet holes and what appeared to be newspapers lay in the street alongside." Continue reading →

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Police, Looking for 6 Foot 270 lb Black Man, Shoot 2 Asian Women Delivering Newspapers

"TV news stations in LA are warning people not to drive pick up trucks in LA and to obey all traffic laws or risk being shot by police who are 'all stressed out and tense,' as a result of a cop killer on the loose. The killer is ex-cop Christopher Jordan Dorner, he is a 6 foot black man weighing 270 pounds. As a result of the manhunt, Southern California cops have shot two Asian women, delivering newspapers, who happened to be driving a vehicle similar to the one Doner is believed to be driving." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice, Looking for 6 Foot 270 lb Black Man, Shoot 2 Asian Women Delivering Newspapers

Americans Collecting Disability Increased 1,385,418—Now 1 for Each 13 Full-Time Workers

"During President Barack Obama’s first term, the number of Americans collecting federal disability insurance increased by 1,385,418 to a record 8,827,795. As a result, there is now one person collecting disability in this county for every 13 people working full-time. Forty-two years ago, in December 1968, there were 51 people working full-time in this country for each person collecting disability. Back in January 2001, there was one person collecting disability for every 23 full-time workers; by December 2004 there was one person collecting disability for every 19 full-time workers; and by December 2008, there was one person collecting disability for every 16 full-time workers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmericans Collecting Disability Increased 1,385,418—Now 1 for Each 13 Full-Time Workers

Bad Economy Has Young Europeans at Home

"In 2011, more that 50 percent of the 25- to 34-year-olds in Greece, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Malta still lived in their parents' homes. In Portugal, Italy, Hungary and Romania more than 40 percent of those in this age group remain in the nest (see graphic). These numbers are in stark contrast to those in the EU's most northerly member nations, with less than 5 percent of 24- to 34-year-olds in Finland, Sweden and Denmark. A similar phenomenon, dubbed the 'boomerang generation,' has been identified in the United States, where some 29 percent of Americans in the same age have had to return to their parents' home in recent years." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBad Economy Has Young Europeans at Home

Florida growers leery of cost of FDA’s new food safety rules

"It remains to be seen how the new rules — 1,200 pages total to be published in the Federal Register — will affect Florida growers and shippers. The act, signed into law by President Barack Obama two years ago, represents a major shift in the agency's approach to food safety — from reaction to foodborne illnesses to a focus on prevention of microbial contamination. The rules to put the law into effect have been stalled in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for more than a year." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFlorida growers leery of cost of FDA’s new food safety rules

Jail Time For Obamacare Supermarket Food Labeling

"The proposed regulation would require store owners to label prepared, unpackaged foods found in salad bars and food bars, soups and bakery items. Erik Lieberman, regulatory counsel at the Food Marketing Institute, said testing foods for nutritional data will require either expensive software or even more costly off-site laboratory assessments. Failure to get it right comes with stiff penalties: 'If you get it wrong, it's a federal crime, and you could face jail time and thousands of dollars worth of fines.' The FDA says much of ObamaCare is aimed at helping Americans live healthier lives, and these proposed labeling requirements would help them do just that." Continue reading →

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‘Hotel Hell’ manager now a Guantanamo prison supervisor

"The man in charge of the Pentagon office that runs the military tribunal at the Guantanamo Bay prison was once featured on a Fox reality show that highlighted his mismanagement of an upstate New York hotel. According to The Huffington Post, John Imhof, current head of the Office of Military Commissions, was the subject of a 2012 episode of 'Hotel Hell' in which he revealed that he had run his hotel, the Cambridge Inn, into $750,000 worth of debt since buying it in 2007. Imhof was also called out by the show’s host, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, for a slew of errors, including botching the recipe for the hotel’s famous apple pie." Continue reading →

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Minnesota’s Snowbird Tax

"Income earned in the state is already taxed regardless of residence status, but many retirees or vacationers own a home in the state and live there only for the summer. The new tax would hit income not earned in Minnesota by those who don't currently spend the requisite six months and a day in the state to qualify as a taxable resident. So, for example, if you returned to the land of 10,000 taxes only for July and August, you'd suddenly have to pay the taxman in St. Paul on dividend checks sent to your main residence in St. Pete. The state Revenue Department predicts the tax would raise $30 million over two years." Continue reading →

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Obama’s Tax Crackdown to Target Foreigners’ Accounts in US Banks

"The Obama administration may soon ask Congress for the power to require more disclosure by U.S. banks of information about foreign clients' accounts to those clients' home governments, as part of a crackdown on tax evasion, sources said. The information-sharing effort stems from a fight by the Treasury Department against offshore tax evasion under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, adopted in 2010 and set to begin taking effect at the end of 2013. At the heart of FATCA is a law requiring more disclosure by non-U.S. banks of information about Americans' accounts to the Internal Revenue Service." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama’s Tax Crackdown to Target Foreigners’ Accounts in US Banks