The Pentagon threatens 800,000 layoffs/ furloughs if the sequester goes through.
Look, we are the world's policeman, or we aren't. The country needs to decide and budget accordingly, but when our military budget is bigger than something like the next four contenders combined, I think we can stand a little downsizing.
In fact, the only way we can reduce our problem government is through draconian (if they really are all that bad) cuts like this. The sooner we get started, the better.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
An American CEO tells the socialist French a little truth. Look, guys, we love your cheese and wine, but reality is reality. Live in the real world.
"The French industry minister is not amused. The CEO of US tire-maker Titan International has explained to the French unions (who think he belongs in an asylum) why his company is not interested in any deal - noting "you can keep your so-called workers," adding that he would have to be stupid to take over a factory whose staff only put in three hours work a day. Maurice 'Grizz' Taylor went 'postal' at the suggestion his company invest in France: "Titan is going to buy a Chinese tire company or an Indian one, pay less than one Euro per hour wage and ship all the tires France needs." His truth-filled reality letter concluded: How stupid do you think we are? Titan is the one with the money and the talent to produce tires. What does the crazy union have? It has the French government." The flustered Frenchman refrained from immediate reply but gallicly noted, "Don’t worry, there will be a response; it's better written down." "
Yeah, write it down after three or four stiff ones. It's a red letter day when you can leave the talkative French speechless.
"The French industry minister is not amused. The CEO of US tire-maker Titan International has explained to the French unions (who think he belongs in an asylum) why his company is not interested in any deal - noting "you can keep your so-called workers," adding that he would have to be stupid to take over a factory whose staff only put in three hours work a day. Maurice 'Grizz' Taylor went 'postal' at the suggestion his company invest in France: "Titan is going to buy a Chinese tire company or an Indian one, pay less than one Euro per hour wage and ship all the tires France needs." His truth-filled reality letter concluded: How stupid do you think we are? Titan is the one with the money and the talent to produce tires. What does the crazy union have? It has the French government." The flustered Frenchman refrained from immediate reply but gallicly noted, "Don’t worry, there will be a response; it's better written down." "
Yeah, write it down after three or four stiff ones. It's a red letter day when you can leave the talkative French speechless.
This needs more publicity, although it is in fact just one more brick in the wall of the destruction of our country.
"Two out of every three people reading this could have your electronic devices searched, without there being any reasonable suspicion, because the Department of Homeland Security has decided that such search and seizures do not violate your Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure. Border agents don’t need probable cause and they don’t need a stinking warrant since they don’t need to prove any reasonable suspicion first. Nor, sadly, do two out of three people have First Amendment protection; it is as if DHS has voided those Constitutional amendments and protections they provide to nearly 200 million Americans."
I was just talking with another very conservative friend yesterday, and during the course of that conversation, he commented that he disagreed with the ACLU on almost every issue, yet he was glad that they were out there. Looky who has published this map!
"Two out of every three people reading this could have your electronic devices searched, without there being any reasonable suspicion, because the Department of Homeland Security has decided that such search and seizures do not violate your Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure. Border agents don’t need probable cause and they don’t need a stinking warrant since they don’t need to prove any reasonable suspicion first. Nor, sadly, do two out of three people have First Amendment protection; it is as if DHS has voided those Constitutional amendments and protections they provide to nearly 200 million Americans."
I was just talking with another very conservative friend yesterday, and during the course of that conversation, he commented that he disagreed with the ACLU on almost every issue, yet he was glad that they were out there. Looky who has published this map!
Detroit circles the drain:
Wait, you think the city shouldn't go to bankruptcy??
That is in fact the only plan that has any chance of quick success. There is no other realistic financial option, short of making the rest of the state foot the bill for the financial stupidity of those who are running Detroit.
They should pull no punches in their negotiations. They need to tell the city to agree to everything demanded, or they will let the city solve it's own problems, which everyone knows full well they cannot. The city should be told to cooperate unconditionally, or the final solution will be dis incorporation, and the unions and their unfunded pension plans can sink or swim on whatever money they have now. Negotiate from there, and do it as fast as possible. The sooner the city's finances can be taken out of the control of the incompetents, the sooner healing can take place.
In a sobering report to Snyder, the review team found Detroit has:
A cash-flow deficit of more than $100 million without "significant spending cuts" by June 30, on top of an accumulated deficit of $327 million.
$14.9 billion, including unfunded pension and employee retirement liabilities. The city also needs $1.9 billion during the next five years to make payments for the liabilities, but city officials have no debt payment plan.
Accumulated deficits in the general fund of $155.4 million to $331.9 million annually since the 2005 fiscal year.
Dillon said the city has been "masking over" annual deficits with long-term borrowing. The report said that without the borrowing, the deficits would total $937 million in fiscal year 2012.
"We believe there's a financial emergency in the city and that there's no plan in place to correct the situation," Dillon said.
Chapter 9 bankruptcy is "always a possibility but I don't think the city should go through (Chapter) 9 to cure its ailments," he added.
That is in fact the only plan that has any chance of quick success. There is no other realistic financial option, short of making the rest of the state foot the bill for the financial stupidity of those who are running Detroit.
They should pull no punches in their negotiations. They need to tell the city to agree to everything demanded, or they will let the city solve it's own problems, which everyone knows full well they cannot. The city should be told to cooperate unconditionally, or the final solution will be dis incorporation, and the unions and their unfunded pension plans can sink or swim on whatever money they have now. Negotiate from there, and do it as fast as possible. The sooner the city's finances can be taken out of the control of the incompetents, the sooner healing can take place.
After Walmart's horrible February, which pundits think was caused by measly 2% increase in the Social Security taxes, imagine the impact of the new cost of Obamacare!
Progressives are already starting to sweat the cost. I'll be happy when the cost of all this is Democrats swinging from telephone poles, given what they are aggressively doing to damage or even destroy this country.
Wait, the cost of premiums won't be known? I thought it was clear as gin that the Obamacare monstrosity would be saving everyone stacks of money? Did the Democrats lie?
Progressives are already starting to sweat the cost. I'll be happy when the cost of all this is Democrats swinging from telephone poles, given what they are aggressively doing to damage or even destroy this country.
The L.A. Times warns that even in states where politicians have enthusiastically embraced President Obama’s health care law, many officials — especially the young — are bracing for unexpectedly high health insurance premiums when the law’s major coverage provisions kick in next year:
Exactly how high the premiums may go won't be known until later this year. But already, officials in states that support the law have sounded warnings that some people — mostly those who are young and do not receive coverage through their work — may see considerably higher prices than expected.That is because of new requirements in the law aimed at making insurance more comprehensive and more affordable for older, sicker consumers.Insurance regulators in California, which has enthusiastically embraced the law, cautioned the Obama administration in a recent letter about "rate and market disruption."
Wait, the cost of premiums won't be known? I thought it was clear as gin that the Obamacare monstrosity would be saving everyone stacks of money? Did the Democrats lie?
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The press beclowns itself publicly once again (is this becoming a daily occurrence?). After whining about no access to the Prez uh Dent during his golf vacation, the first thing they shout at him on his return to Washington is a question about golf with Tiger.
From Breitbart:
From Breitbart:
"Yet it is difficult to take reporters seriously when their first question is not about Obama's stalled Cabinet appointees, not about the emerging details of the Benghazi scandal, not about the economy and not about the murder spree that continued in the wake of Obama's visit to Chicago on Friday--but about a golf game.
What good is access, if all that the nation's leading journalists care about is trivia, frivolity and celebrity buzz?
For the record, the president did not answer the question, whose answer should have been quite obvious."
Your tocsin of economic warning for this morning.
1. The CBO now says that Obamacare subsidies will cost 29% more than previously estimated, or a whopping 244 billion over ten years.
2. California's 5 billion dollar budget windfall is an accounting anomaly, a mirage. The money received earlier in the year was tax money people would have otherwise paid in April, which they sent in early to avoid possibly higher taxes this year. Surprise, Jerry Brown and idiot voters, your tax increase won't solve your spending problems.
3. European car registrations suffer their worst year on record! Down 8.7% year over year, but I'm ok with that as long as I still get to watch new Top Gear episodes.
4. Freight shipment volumes plunge to their lowest level in two years.
Freight shipment volumes are rather obviously seasonal, but as Bloomberg Brief notes, the Cass Freight index shows shipment volumes have slumped for four consecutive months and are back to their worst levels in two years. This is the first year-over-year contraction since the 2007-2009 Great Recession - and places the reality of the dismal Q4 GDP print in context. If that wasn't enough good news about the real economy, the cyclicality of the shipments are losing momentum (i.e. each seasonal rebound in the last three years has been weaker - just as we saw in the lead up to 2008) and freight expenditures fell in January leading to a 1.6% drop over the last year - compared to a 27.2% rise in January 2011, and 22.2% rise in January 2012. As Cass noted, these volumes will not be enough to "have a significant impact on the unemployment numbers."
5. Gas prices surge at the fastest pace in four years. Now that the election is over, there is no need for the Democrats and their leader to hold back any longer. Don't hold your breath on loosening up on drilling permits or the pipeline either.
6. Walmart says February sales a total disaster. If Walmart is getting killed, then who else is as well?
1. The CBO now says that Obamacare subsidies will cost 29% more than previously estimated, or a whopping 244 billion over ten years.
2. California's 5 billion dollar budget windfall is an accounting anomaly, a mirage. The money received earlier in the year was tax money people would have otherwise paid in April, which they sent in early to avoid possibly higher taxes this year. Surprise, Jerry Brown and idiot voters, your tax increase won't solve your spending problems.
3. European car registrations suffer their worst year on record! Down 8.7% year over year, but I'm ok with that as long as I still get to watch new Top Gear episodes.
4. Freight shipment volumes plunge to their lowest level in two years.
Freight shipment volumes are rather obviously seasonal, but as Bloomberg Brief notes, the Cass Freight index shows shipment volumes have slumped for four consecutive months and are back to their worst levels in two years. This is the first year-over-year contraction since the 2007-2009 Great Recession - and places the reality of the dismal Q4 GDP print in context. If that wasn't enough good news about the real economy, the cyclicality of the shipments are losing momentum (i.e. each seasonal rebound in the last three years has been weaker - just as we saw in the lead up to 2008) and freight expenditures fell in January leading to a 1.6% drop over the last year - compared to a 27.2% rise in January 2011, and 22.2% rise in January 2012. As Cass noted, these volumes will not be enough to "have a significant impact on the unemployment numbers."
5. Gas prices surge at the fastest pace in four years. Now that the election is over, there is no need for the Democrats and their leader to hold back any longer. Don't hold your breath on loosening up on drilling permits or the pipeline either.
6. Walmart says February sales a total disaster. If Walmart is getting killed, then who else is as well?
Cool story:
On 16 February this year, Bridgeman went to the theatre with his wife to see Martin Scorsese’s 3D family adventure. Like everyone else, he paid a surcharge for a pair of glasses, despite thinking they would be a complete waste of money. Bridgeman, a 67-year-old neuroscientist at the University of California in Santa Cruz, grew up nearly stereoblind, that is, without true perception of depth. “When we’d go out and people would look up and start discussing some bird in the tree, I would still be looking for the bird when they were finished,” he says. “For everybody else, the bird jumped out. But to me, it was just part of the background.”
All that changed when the lights went down and the previews finished. Almost as soon as he began to watch the film, the characters leapt from the screen in a way he had never experienced. “It was just literally like a whole new dimension of sight. Exciting,” says Bridgeman.
But this wasn’t just movie magic. When he stepped out of the cinema, the world looked different. For the first time, Bridgeman saw a lamppost standing out from the background. Trees, cars and people looked more alive and more vivid than ever. And, remarkably, he’s seen the world in 3D ever since that day. “Riding to work on my bike, I look into a forest beside the road and see a riot of depth, every tree standing out from all the others,” he says. Something had happened. Some part of his brain had awakened.
From the press pool:
AF1 wheels down Andrews at 7:45pm. POTUS came back to have a 10-minute off the record talk with pool at the end of the flight
.
Reggie Love departed AF1 soon after POTUS, apparently a guest for the weekend.
Marine One wheels up 7:55 pm
The comments in that article are hilarious.
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