Showing posts with label Government Bureaucracy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Government Bureaucracy. Show all posts
Friday, August 03, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Budgetary Magic: Funding of Obamacare
From reading and listening to all the learned pundits it seems remarkable that no one has really ever tried to show in some concrete way how the 111 Congress and the Obama Administration were able to say with a straight face that they passed ObamaCare and balanced the budget all at the same time. Remember they wanted to give 43 million people health insurance and not increase the federal deficit... the problem was how to pay for it.
Here is how they were able to do it:
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Here is how they were able to do it:
- Make the drug companies reduce the prices of their drugs by $80 billion (coercision?)
- Take $500 million from Medicare and Indian health service (deception?)
- Force 300 million buy health insurance for $900 million (constitutional?) (tax)
- Increase payroll taxes
- Force 50 states to use Medicaid to subsidize the future regional health pools (constitutional?)
- Regulate the insurance industry to force them to reduce costs
- Force the insurance industry to accept more people
The CBO was able to certify that the budget would not be busted because ObamaCare was going to push all the costs to the states and citizens of this country which meant the cost to the federal government would not result in a deficit.. The only thing that the federal government will now pay is the cost of regulating the insurance industry and the enforcement efforts by the IRS.
The consequences of this White House and Congressional shell game was to shift the cost burden onto the shoulders of the citizens and the states. They did not reduce costs - they just rearranged the cost pools until the burden was off Uncle Sam. We will either pay for this legislation through payroll taxes, income taxes, or being forcibly required to pay for federally mandated health insurance's coverage which the consumer will have no choice except to write the check. The federal government will dictate everything - the cost of insurance, what will be covered by insurance policies, etc.
Eventually the insurance industry will no longer exist; we will be left with only the federal government selling us our insurance policies. I am not looking forward to the day that we have to stand in line to buy insurance policies like we have to purchase car tags.
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Even Democrats are not pleased with Obama
Dems join GOP criticism of budget - TheHill.com
Democrats joined Republicans on Tuesday in criticizing President Obama's budget request for doing too little to bring down the national debt. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) faulted Obama for not taking on entitlement reform, and during testimony by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Jack Lew, suggested the administration was not being serious enough about reducing the deficit.
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Saturday, February 12, 2011
Weather Changes Man-Made?
The Weather Isn't Getting Weirder - WSJ.com
We do know that carbon dioxide and other gases trap and re-radiate heat. We also know that humans have emitted ever-more of these gases since the Industrial Revolution. What we don't know is exactly how sensitive the climate is to increases in these gases versus other possible factors—solar variability, oceanic currents, Pacific heating and cooling cycles, planets' gravitational and magnetic oscillations, and so on. Given the unknowns, it's possible that even if we spend trillions of dollars, and forgo trillions more in future economic growth, to cut carbon emissions to pre-industrial levels, the climate will continue to change—as it always has.
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The Dollar is no longer King!
IMF discusses plan to replace dollar as reserve currency - Feb. 10, 2011
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The International Monetary Fund issued a report Thursday on a possible replacement for the dollar as the world's reserve currency.
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Tuesday, February 08, 2011
You have Got to Be Kidding!
Buzz Kill: LA County Wants You To Take Ecstasy Safely « CBS Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (CBS) —The glow-stick industry may be buzzing over the latest public service announcement from Los Angeles County, but some say it amounts to an backhanded endorsement of illicit drug use. Amid ongoing debate over safety and security measures at rave dance parties held at the Los Angeles Coliseum, county health officials have quietly launched a campaign to offer guidelines for safe use of MDMA, more popularly known as "ecstasy".
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Monday, January 31, 2011
Tawdry details of Obamacare - Washington Times
WOLF: Tawdry details of Obamacare - Washington Times
If you would like to know what the White House really thinks of Obamacare, there's an easy way. Look past its press releases. Ignore its promises. Forget its talking points. Instead, simply witness for yourself the outrageous way the White House protects its best friends from Obamacare. Last year, we learned that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had granted 111 waivers to protect a lucky few from the onerous regulations of the new national health care overhaul. That number quickly and quietly climbed to 222, and last week we learned that the number of Obamacare privileged escapes has skyrocketed to 733. Among the fortunate is a who's who list of unions, businesses and even several cities and four states (Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio and Tennessee) but none of the friends of Barack feature as prominently as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
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Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Consumers hit with higher food prices
Consumers will have to dust off creative cost-containing measures this year as food prices escalate after two years of very low inflation. The cost of food is expected to go up 2 percent to 3 percent, according to government economists. Some items, such as meats and dairy products, could see much steeper percentage increases — probably in double digits compared with late 2009.
To consumers, many of whom are still struggling financially, the increase could seem unbearable. Some foods have suddenly become more expensive, even as others have stayed the same or gotten a little cheaper.
A food basket survey by The Tennessean earlier this month found a 12.5 percent spike in prices for a typical grocery basket filled with staples compared with November 2009, when prices were at low ebb after world stock market turmoil.
Several factors are at work boosting today's food prices.
First, as the world's economy has started to recover, the demand for grains such as corn, wheat and soybeans has risen. Farmers are now exporting more grain internationally, while at the same time, demand in the United States has climbed, too.
Second, because there's more demand for grain, farmers who raise livestock — both for meat and dairy — are being forced to pay more to feed their herds.
And third, fuel prices are up, making it more expensive to deliver products.
To consumers, many of whom are still struggling financially, the increase could seem unbearable. Some foods have suddenly become more expensive, even as others have stayed the same or gotten a little cheaper.
A food basket survey by The Tennessean earlier this month found a 12.5 percent spike in prices for a typical grocery basket filled with staples compared with November 2009, when prices were at low ebb after world stock market turmoil.
Several factors are at work boosting today's food prices.
First, as the world's economy has started to recover, the demand for grains such as corn, wheat and soybeans has risen. Farmers are now exporting more grain internationally, while at the same time, demand in the United States has climbed, too.
Second, because there's more demand for grain, farmers who raise livestock — both for meat and dairy — are being forced to pay more to feed their herds.
And third, fuel prices are up, making it more expensive to deliver products.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Renewed Push to Give Obama an Internet "Kill Switch" - Tech Talk - CBS News
Renewed Push to Give Obama an Internet "Kill Switch" - Tech Talk - CBS News: "A controversial bill handing President Obama power over privately owned computer systems during a 'national cyberemergency,' and prohibiting any review by the court system, will return this year.
Internet companies should not be alarmed by the legislation, first introduced last summer by Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), a Senate aide said last week. Lieberman, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, is chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
'We're not trying to mandate any requirements for the entire Internet, the entire Internet backbone,' said Brandon Milhorn, Republican staff director and counsel for the committee.
Instead, Milhorn said at a conference in Washington, D.C., the point of the proposal is to assert governmental control only over those 'crucial components that form our nation's critical infrastructure.'
Portions of the Lieberman-Collins bill, which was not uniformly well-received when it became public in June 2010, became even more restrictive when a Senate committee approved a modified version on December 15. The full Senate did not act on the measure.
The revised version includes new language saying that the federal government's designation of vital Internet or other computer systems 'shall not be subject to judicial review.' Another addition expanded the definition of critical infrastructure to include 'provider of information technology,' and a third authorized the submission of 'classified' reports on security vulnerabilities.
The idea of creating what some critics have called an Internet 'kill switch' that the president could flip in an emergency is not exactly new.
A draft Senate proposal that CNET obtained in August 2009 authorized the White House to 'declare a cybersecurity emergency,' and another from Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) would have explicitly given the government the power to 'order the disconnection' of certain networks or Web sites. House Democrats have taken a similar approach in their own proposals.
Lieberman, who recently announced he would not seek re-election in 2012, said last year that enactment of his bill needed to be a top congressional priority. 'For all of its 'user-friendly' allure, the Internet can also be a dangerous place with electronic pipelines that run directly into everything from our personal bank accounts to key infrastructure to government and industrial secrets,' he said.
Civil libertarians and some industry representatives have repeatedly raised concerns about the various proposals to give the executive branch such broad emergency power. On the other hand, as Lieberman and Collins have highlighted before, some companies, including Microsoft, Verizon, and EMC Corporation, have said positive things about the initial version of the bill.
But last month's rewrite that bans courts from reviewing executive branch decrees has given companies new reason to worry. 'Judicial review is our main concern,' said Steve DelBianco, director of the NetChoice coalition, which includes eBay, Oracle, Verisign, and Yahoo as members. 'A designation of critical information infrastructure brings with it huge obligations for upgrades and compliance.'
In some cases, DelBianco said, a company may have a 'good-faith disagreement' with the government's ruling and would want to seek court review. 'The country we're seeking to protect is a country that respects the right of any individual to have their day in court,' he said. 'Yet this bill would deny that day in court to the owner of infrastructure.'
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Internet companies should not be alarmed by the legislation, first introduced last summer by Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), a Senate aide said last week. Lieberman, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, is chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
'We're not trying to mandate any requirements for the entire Internet, the entire Internet backbone,' said Brandon Milhorn, Republican staff director and counsel for the committee.
Instead, Milhorn said at a conference in Washington, D.C., the point of the proposal is to assert governmental control only over those 'crucial components that form our nation's critical infrastructure.'
Portions of the Lieberman-Collins bill, which was not uniformly well-received when it became public in June 2010, became even more restrictive when a Senate committee approved a modified version on December 15. The full Senate did not act on the measure.
The revised version includes new language saying that the federal government's designation of vital Internet or other computer systems 'shall not be subject to judicial review.' Another addition expanded the definition of critical infrastructure to include 'provider of information technology,' and a third authorized the submission of 'classified' reports on security vulnerabilities.
The idea of creating what some critics have called an Internet 'kill switch' that the president could flip in an emergency is not exactly new.
A draft Senate proposal that CNET obtained in August 2009 authorized the White House to 'declare a cybersecurity emergency,' and another from Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) would have explicitly given the government the power to 'order the disconnection' of certain networks or Web sites. House Democrats have taken a similar approach in their own proposals.
Lieberman, who recently announced he would not seek re-election in 2012, said last year that enactment of his bill needed to be a top congressional priority. 'For all of its 'user-friendly' allure, the Internet can also be a dangerous place with electronic pipelines that run directly into everything from our personal bank accounts to key infrastructure to government and industrial secrets,' he said.
Civil libertarians and some industry representatives have repeatedly raised concerns about the various proposals to give the executive branch such broad emergency power. On the other hand, as Lieberman and Collins have highlighted before, some companies, including Microsoft, Verizon, and EMC Corporation, have said positive things about the initial version of the bill.
But last month's rewrite that bans courts from reviewing executive branch decrees has given companies new reason to worry. 'Judicial review is our main concern,' said Steve DelBianco, director of the NetChoice coalition, which includes eBay, Oracle, Verisign, and Yahoo as members. 'A designation of critical information infrastructure brings with it huge obligations for upgrades and compliance.'
In some cases, DelBianco said, a company may have a 'good-faith disagreement' with the government's ruling and would want to seek court review. 'The country we're seeking to protect is a country that respects the right of any individual to have their day in court,' he said. 'Yet this bill would deny that day in court to the owner of infrastructure.'
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Obama to Push New Spending in State of the Union - WSJ.com
Obama to Push New Spending in State of the Union - WSJ.com: "President Barack Obama will call for new government spending on infrastructure, education and research in his State of the Union address Tuesday, sharpening his response to Republicans in Congress who are demanding deep budget cuts, people familiar with the speech said.
Mr. Obama will argue that the U.S., even while trying to reduce its budget deficit, must make targeted investments to foster job growth and boost U.S. competitiveness in the world economy. The new spending could include initiatives aimed at building the renewable-energy sector—which received billions of dollars in stimulus funding—and rebuilding roads to improve transportation, people familiar with the matter said. Money to restructure the No Child Left Behind law's testing mandates and institute more competitive grants also could be included.
While proposing new spending, Mr. Obama also will lay out significant budget cuts elsewhere, people familiar with the plans say, though they will likely fall short of what Republican lawmakers have requested.
In arguing that U.S. competitiveness is at stake, Mr. Obama plans to use his nationally televised speech to try to frame the spending debate with Republicans that is expected to dominate Congress in the coming months. 'We seek to do everything we can to spur hiring and ensure our nation can compete with anybody on the planet,' Mr. Obama said Friday after touring a General Electric Co. plant in Schenectady, N.Y. He cited clean-energy manufacturing, infrastructure and education as keys to competitiveness.
Previewing the expected theme of his speech, Mr. Obama on Friday appointed GE Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt to lead a new President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.
Commenting on the new advisory panel, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said that unless its 'first recommendations are to reverse the damage the policies of the last two years have done to the business climate, job creation and the exploding national debt, I fear it will do more to create good public relations for the White House than good jobs for struggling Americans.'
Republicans are casting the White House's pivot toward competitiveness as an excuse for bigger government and more spending. They say a surge in federal spending and a $1.3 trillion budget deficit are impeding job creation, and dramatic spending cuts are needed immediately.
In the House, Republicans are pushing to cut $100 billion from the annual budget as soon as this year. A coalition of House Republicans proposed Thursday cutting $2.5 trillion in spending over a decade, pushing nondefense discretionary spending down to 2006 levels for 10 years.
'Today's the day we finally stop kicking the can down the road,' Rep. Jeff Flake (R., Ariz.) said as the proposal was introduced Thursday.
White House officials have said that spending cuts of the magnitude proposed by Republicans could stall the economic recovery. Still, Mr. Obama is expected to pair his calls for investment with an admonition that the country must embark on targeted spending cuts. Late last year, he called for a two-year wage freeze for all federal civilian employees to save $5 billion. He's expected to push for spending cuts on Tuesday, particularly in duplicative or dysfunctional federal programs.
Details of those cuts couldn't be learned Friday evening. Programs he has gone after in the past include agricultural subsidies, defense programs such as C-17 military transport planes, and an alternate engine for the Pentagon's Joint Strike Fighter.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Mr. Obama will argue that the U.S., even while trying to reduce its budget deficit, must make targeted investments to foster job growth and boost U.S. competitiveness in the world economy. The new spending could include initiatives aimed at building the renewable-energy sector—which received billions of dollars in stimulus funding—and rebuilding roads to improve transportation, people familiar with the matter said. Money to restructure the No Child Left Behind law's testing mandates and institute more competitive grants also could be included.
While proposing new spending, Mr. Obama also will lay out significant budget cuts elsewhere, people familiar with the plans say, though they will likely fall short of what Republican lawmakers have requested.
In arguing that U.S. competitiveness is at stake, Mr. Obama plans to use his nationally televised speech to try to frame the spending debate with Republicans that is expected to dominate Congress in the coming months. 'We seek to do everything we can to spur hiring and ensure our nation can compete with anybody on the planet,' Mr. Obama said Friday after touring a General Electric Co. plant in Schenectady, N.Y. He cited clean-energy manufacturing, infrastructure and education as keys to competitiveness.
Previewing the expected theme of his speech, Mr. Obama on Friday appointed GE Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt to lead a new President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.
Commenting on the new advisory panel, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said that unless its 'first recommendations are to reverse the damage the policies of the last two years have done to the business climate, job creation and the exploding national debt, I fear it will do more to create good public relations for the White House than good jobs for struggling Americans.'
Republicans are casting the White House's pivot toward competitiveness as an excuse for bigger government and more spending. They say a surge in federal spending and a $1.3 trillion budget deficit are impeding job creation, and dramatic spending cuts are needed immediately.
In the House, Republicans are pushing to cut $100 billion from the annual budget as soon as this year. A coalition of House Republicans proposed Thursday cutting $2.5 trillion in spending over a decade, pushing nondefense discretionary spending down to 2006 levels for 10 years.
'Today's the day we finally stop kicking the can down the road,' Rep. Jeff Flake (R., Ariz.) said as the proposal was introduced Thursday.
White House officials have said that spending cuts of the magnitude proposed by Republicans could stall the economic recovery. Still, Mr. Obama is expected to pair his calls for investment with an admonition that the country must embark on targeted spending cuts. Late last year, he called for a two-year wage freeze for all federal civilian employees to save $5 billion. He's expected to push for spending cuts on Tuesday, particularly in duplicative or dysfunctional federal programs.
Details of those cuts couldn't be learned Friday evening. Programs he has gone after in the past include agricultural subsidies, defense programs such as C-17 military transport planes, and an alternate engine for the Pentagon's Joint Strike Fighter.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Thursday, January 20, 2011
How the Happy Meal ban explains San Francisco - Page 1 - News - San Francisco - SF Weekly
How the Happy Meal ban explains San Francisco - Page 1 - News - San Francisco - SF Weekly: "In August 2010, San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar decided that city intervention was needed to help him raise his daughter.
As Mar later told reporters, he was shocked to discover a trove of toys from McDonald's Happy Meals stashed in her room. Mar was the one taking his daughter to McDonald's and buying the food — but he said that the 'pester power' of a preteen was simply too much for him to withstand on his own. So he proposed that the city ban restaurants from including toys with meals of more than 600 calories that lack agreed-upon amounts of fruits and vegetables.
Mar's 'Healthy Meal Incentive Ordinance' subsequently passed in November by an 8-3 vote in the Board of Supervisors — a veto-proof majority. Barring legal action, the Happy Meal as we know it will be verboten in San Francisco come Dec. 1. Eric Mar's daughter has been saved.
Both conservative blowhard Bill O'Reilly and left-leaning comedian Lewis Black — and many, many people in-between — were left to wonder 'What the hell?' in the wake of San Francisco's ban. It's not the first time. In recent years, San Francisco government has passed numerous laws to make us healthier, greener, and — in the city's eyes — all-around better people. Whether we like it or not. This includes banning the sale of cigarettes in drugstores, and, later, supermarkets; banning plastic bags in large chain stores; banning bottled water in City Hall, and the sale of soft drinks on government property; banning the declawing of cats; making composting mandatory; and forbidding city departments from doing business with companies that were involved in the (pre–Civil War) slave trade, yet haven't publicly atoned.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
As Mar later told reporters, he was shocked to discover a trove of toys from McDonald's Happy Meals stashed in her room. Mar was the one taking his daughter to McDonald's and buying the food — but he said that the 'pester power' of a preteen was simply too much for him to withstand on his own. So he proposed that the city ban restaurants from including toys with meals of more than 600 calories that lack agreed-upon amounts of fruits and vegetables.
Mar's 'Healthy Meal Incentive Ordinance' subsequently passed in November by an 8-3 vote in the Board of Supervisors — a veto-proof majority. Barring legal action, the Happy Meal as we know it will be verboten in San Francisco come Dec. 1. Eric Mar's daughter has been saved.
Both conservative blowhard Bill O'Reilly and left-leaning comedian Lewis Black — and many, many people in-between — were left to wonder 'What the hell?' in the wake of San Francisco's ban. It's not the first time. In recent years, San Francisco government has passed numerous laws to make us healthier, greener, and — in the city's eyes — all-around better people. Whether we like it or not. This includes banning the sale of cigarettes in drugstores, and, later, supermarkets; banning plastic bags in large chain stores; banning bottled water in City Hall, and the sale of soft drinks on government property; banning the declawing of cats; making composting mandatory; and forbidding city departments from doing business with companies that were involved in the (pre–Civil War) slave trade, yet haven't publicly atoned.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Monday, January 17, 2011
Without aid, DPS may close half of its schools | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Without aid, DPS may close half of its schools | detnews.com | The Detroit News: "Detroit — Detroit Public Schools would close nearly half of its schools in the next two years, and increase high school class sizes to 62 by the following year, under a deficit-reduction plan filed with the state.
The plan, part of a monthly update Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb gives the Department of Education, was filed late Monday to provide insight into Bobb's progress in his attempt to slash a $327 million deficit in the district to zero over the next several years. Under it, the district would slim down from 142 schools now to 72 during 2012-13.
Bobb has said school closures, bigger classes and other measures would be needed if he cannot get help from lawmakers to restructure finances in the state's largest school district.
DPS considered but declined to file for bankruptcy in 2009. In the past year, debt in the district has increased by more than $100 million, brought on by a mix of revenue declines in property taxes, reduced state aid, declining enrollment and an unplanned staffing surge this past fall.
Starting this fall, the district plans to boost class sizes in grades 4-12 and at all grade levels by fiscal 2012, which begins July 1, to save $16.8 million. The plan would hike class sizes for: Grades K-3 from 17-25 students to 29 in 2012-13 and 31 in 2013-14.
Grades 4-5 from 30 students to 37 in 2012-13 and 39 in 2013-14.
Grades 6-8 from 35 students to 45 in 2012-13 and 47 in 2013-14.
Grades 9-12 from 35 students to 60 in 2012-13 and 62 in 2013-14.
Because the district's contract with the Detroit Federation of Teachers requires payments to teachers for class sizes that exceed specified maximums, the district estimates it would spend $10 million in oversize class pay over four years.
Keith Johnson, president of the teachers union, said the proposed class size increases won't work and will never happen.
'I will never agree to any class-size increases,' Johnson said. 'These increases are antithetical to learning. Secondly, our classrooms aren't even built to accommodate those numbers.
'Johnson said the teachers' contract does not let the district exceed contracted class sizes through 2012. DFT filed an unfair labor practice charge in July to restore class sizes for the upcoming school year.
Parent Petrina Johnson said swelling high school classrooms to 60 students or more will only leave them uneducated.
'There is one teacher and she can barely get to each of the 36 kids now. That makes no sense,' said Johnson, who has three children at Mumford High School.
School officials said the plan would create a 'lecture hall' model similar to a university.
Johnson said teenagers aren't ready for that.
'This gives more opportunity for them to slip through the cracks,' she said.
The proposal calls for closing 40 schools in fiscal 2012 and 30 schools in fiscal 2013. That would leave DPS with 72 schools for a projected 58,570 students, down from about 74,000 now. The district closed 30 schools this fiscal year, which is expected to save $23 million. The planned closings in fiscal 2012-14 would save more than $33 million.
Bobb said the district could save another $12.4 million from the school closures if it 'simply abandons' the closed buildings. Past policy has been to keep the closed schools clean and secure, officials said, but the district could cut costs by eliminating storage, board-up and security.
DPS spokesman Steve Wasko said the district has laid out the path it must take to eliminate the deficit, and Bobb remains focused on working with lawmakers to pass one of three plans to restructure DPS' finances.
Those plans include splitting the district in two to put its debt obligation with an 'old district,' covering about 9,000 students. State revenue would pay off the debt, allowing the 'new district' to move forward debt-free with undetermined start-up funds.
Such a plan would need approval by state lawmakers and Gov. Rick Snyder.
District officials said they are
pursuing 'renaissance' legislation to free up $400 million in future tobacco settlement funds that could help mend DPS' deficit and those of 40 other districts statewide. In return, the districts would make dramatic reforms based on the federal Race to the Top initiative, such as eliminating teacher seniority.
That proposal died last month in the state Legislature's lame duck session. A third plan would look at new systems and agencies used in New Orleans, which has converted more than half of its public schools into charter schools in the past several years.
Besides closing schools and increasing class sizes, Bobb's plan calls for the district to abolish its divisions of finance, legal services, human services and public safety and contract with either Wayne County or the city of Detroit for those services.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
The plan, part of a monthly update Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb gives the Department of Education, was filed late Monday to provide insight into Bobb's progress in his attempt to slash a $327 million deficit in the district to zero over the next several years. Under it, the district would slim down from 142 schools now to 72 during 2012-13.
Bobb has said school closures, bigger classes and other measures would be needed if he cannot get help from lawmakers to restructure finances in the state's largest school district.
DPS considered but declined to file for bankruptcy in 2009. In the past year, debt in the district has increased by more than $100 million, brought on by a mix of revenue declines in property taxes, reduced state aid, declining enrollment and an unplanned staffing surge this past fall.
Starting this fall, the district plans to boost class sizes in grades 4-12 and at all grade levels by fiscal 2012, which begins July 1, to save $16.8 million. The plan would hike class sizes for: Grades K-3 from 17-25 students to 29 in 2012-13 and 31 in 2013-14.
Grades 4-5 from 30 students to 37 in 2012-13 and 39 in 2013-14.
Grades 6-8 from 35 students to 45 in 2012-13 and 47 in 2013-14.
Grades 9-12 from 35 students to 60 in 2012-13 and 62 in 2013-14.
Because the district's contract with the Detroit Federation of Teachers requires payments to teachers for class sizes that exceed specified maximums, the district estimates it would spend $10 million in oversize class pay over four years.
Keith Johnson, president of the teachers union, said the proposed class size increases won't work and will never happen.
'I will never agree to any class-size increases,' Johnson said. 'These increases are antithetical to learning. Secondly, our classrooms aren't even built to accommodate those numbers.
'Johnson said the teachers' contract does not let the district exceed contracted class sizes through 2012. DFT filed an unfair labor practice charge in July to restore class sizes for the upcoming school year.
Parent Petrina Johnson said swelling high school classrooms to 60 students or more will only leave them uneducated.
'There is one teacher and she can barely get to each of the 36 kids now. That makes no sense,' said Johnson, who has three children at Mumford High School.
School officials said the plan would create a 'lecture hall' model similar to a university.
Johnson said teenagers aren't ready for that.
'This gives more opportunity for them to slip through the cracks,' she said.
The proposal calls for closing 40 schools in fiscal 2012 and 30 schools in fiscal 2013. That would leave DPS with 72 schools for a projected 58,570 students, down from about 74,000 now. The district closed 30 schools this fiscal year, which is expected to save $23 million. The planned closings in fiscal 2012-14 would save more than $33 million.
Bobb said the district could save another $12.4 million from the school closures if it 'simply abandons' the closed buildings. Past policy has been to keep the closed schools clean and secure, officials said, but the district could cut costs by eliminating storage, board-up and security.
DPS spokesman Steve Wasko said the district has laid out the path it must take to eliminate the deficit, and Bobb remains focused on working with lawmakers to pass one of three plans to restructure DPS' finances.
Those plans include splitting the district in two to put its debt obligation with an 'old district,' covering about 9,000 students. State revenue would pay off the debt, allowing the 'new district' to move forward debt-free with undetermined start-up funds.
Such a plan would need approval by state lawmakers and Gov. Rick Snyder.
District officials said they are
pursuing 'renaissance' legislation to free up $400 million in future tobacco settlement funds that could help mend DPS' deficit and those of 40 other districts statewide. In return, the districts would make dramatic reforms based on the federal Race to the Top initiative, such as eliminating teacher seniority.
That proposal died last month in the state Legislature's lame duck session. A third plan would look at new systems and agencies used in New Orleans, which has converted more than half of its public schools into charter schools in the past several years.
Besides closing schools and increasing class sizes, Bobb's plan calls for the district to abolish its divisions of finance, legal services, human services and public safety and contract with either Wayne County or the city of Detroit for those services.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
In House, new Republican majority plans to act fast to undo Obama's agenda
In House, new Republican majority plans to act fast to undo Obama's agenda: "Almost as soon as they take control of the House at noon Wednesday, Republicans will embark on a 20-day plan aimed at undoing major aspects of President Obama's agenda as they seek to take advantage of the weeks before the Senate's return and the president's State of the Union address.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Could Your Pension be seized?
European nations begin seizing private pensions - CSMonitor.com:
Could this ever happen in the USA?
"People’s retirement savings are a convenient source of revenue for governments that don’t want to reduce spending or make privatizations. As most pension schemes in Europe are organised by the state, European ministers of finance have a facilitated access to the savings accumulated there, and it is only logical that they try to get a hold of this money for their own ends. In recent weeks I have noted five such attempts: Three situations concern private personal savings; two others refer to national funds.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Could this ever happen in the USA?
"People’s retirement savings are a convenient source of revenue for governments that don’t want to reduce spending or make privatizations. As most pension schemes in Europe are organised by the state, European ministers of finance have a facilitated access to the savings accumulated there, and it is only logical that they try to get a hold of this money for their own ends. In recent weeks I have noted five such attempts: Three situations concern private personal savings; two others refer to national funds.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Monday, January 03, 2011
At Inaugurations, Governors Warn of Tough Times - WSJ.com
At Inaugurations, Governors Warn of Tough Times - WSJ.com: "Fresh Starts
26 new governors are taking the reins following November's elections, in which Republicans picked up 11 statehouses for a total of 29 governorships.
Inaugurated Dec. 6:
* Hawaii: Neil Abercrombie (D)
Jan. 1
* Michigan: Rick Snyder (R)
* N.M.: Susana Martinez (R)
* N.Y. : Andrew Cuomo (D)
Jan. 3
* California: Jerry Brown (D)
* Minnesota: Mark Dayton (D)
* Nevada: Brian Sandoval (R)
* Wisconsin: Scott Walker (R)
* Wyoming: Matt Mead (R)
Jan. 4
* Florida: Rick Scott (R)
* Rhode Island: Lincoln Chafee (I)
Jan. 5
* Connecticut: Dan Malloy (D)
* Maine: Paul LePage (R)
Jan. 6
* Vermont: Peter Shumlin (D)
Jan. 8
* S. Dakota: Dennis Daugaard (R)
Jan. 10
* Georgia: Nathan Deal (R)
* Kansas: Sam Brownback (R)
* Ohio: John Kasich (R)
* Oklahoma: Mary Fallin (R)
* Oregon: John Kitzhaber (D)
Jan. 11
* Colorado: John Hickenlooper (D)
Jan. 12
* S. Carolina: Nikki Haley (R)
Jan. 14
* Iowa: Terry Branstad (R)
Jan. 15
* Tennessee: Bill Haslam (R)
Jan. 17
* Alabama: Robert Bentley (R)
Jan. 18
* Pennsylvania: Tom Corbett (R)
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
26 new governors are taking the reins following November's elections, in which Republicans picked up 11 statehouses for a total of 29 governorships.
Inaugurated Dec. 6:
* Hawaii: Neil Abercrombie (D)
Jan. 1
* Michigan: Rick Snyder (R)
* N.M.: Susana Martinez (R)
* N.Y. : Andrew Cuomo (D)
Jan. 3
* California: Jerry Brown (D)
* Minnesota: Mark Dayton (D)
* Nevada: Brian Sandoval (R)
* Wisconsin: Scott Walker (R)
* Wyoming: Matt Mead (R)
Jan. 4
* Florida: Rick Scott (R)
* Rhode Island: Lincoln Chafee (I)
Jan. 5
* Connecticut: Dan Malloy (D)
* Maine: Paul LePage (R)
Jan. 6
* Vermont: Peter Shumlin (D)
Jan. 8
* S. Dakota: Dennis Daugaard (R)
Jan. 10
* Georgia: Nathan Deal (R)
* Kansas: Sam Brownback (R)
* Ohio: John Kasich (R)
* Oklahoma: Mary Fallin (R)
* Oregon: John Kitzhaber (D)
Jan. 11
* Colorado: John Hickenlooper (D)
Jan. 12
* S. Carolina: Nikki Haley (R)
Jan. 14
* Iowa: Terry Branstad (R)
Jan. 15
* Tennessee: Bill Haslam (R)
Jan. 17
* Alabama: Robert Bentley (R)
Jan. 18
* Pennsylvania: Tom Corbett (R)
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Kiss your 100-watt lightbulb goodbye - San Jose Mercury News
Kiss your 100-watt lightbulb goodbye - San Jose Mercury News: "Californians can start saying goodbye to traditional 100-watt incandescent light bulbs now that the state has become the first in the country to require a new standard for the screw-base bulbs.
Experts say the new rules, which took effect New Year's Day, will save residents money and energy. California is already the nation's leader in energy-efficiency standards.
As of Saturday, what used to be a 100-watt light bulb manufactured and sold in California will have to use 72 watts or less. The 72-watt replacement bulb, also called an energy-saving halogen light, will provide the same amount of light, called lumens, for lower energy cost.
Similar new standards for traditional 75-watt, 60-watt and 40-watt incandescent bulbs will go into effect in California over the next few years, with wattages reduced to 53, 43 and 29 respectively.
The new rule does not ban incandescent light bulbs; it just requires those bulbs to be 25 to 30 percent more efficient. And it only affects incandescent light bulbs manufactured in 2011 or later, not those already in use or on store shelves.
The new lights are comparably priced to the regular incandescent lights. A two-bulb package of 100-watt incandescent bulbs is about $4.32 at Lowe's, while a four-bulb package of new 72-watt halogen bulbs is $8.66, or $4.33 for two. By contrast, a two-bulb package of energy-saving compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) is $11.28.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Experts say the new rules, which took effect New Year's Day, will save residents money and energy. California is already the nation's leader in energy-efficiency standards.
As of Saturday, what used to be a 100-watt light bulb manufactured and sold in California will have to use 72 watts or less. The 72-watt replacement bulb, also called an energy-saving halogen light, will provide the same amount of light, called lumens, for lower energy cost.
Similar new standards for traditional 75-watt, 60-watt and 40-watt incandescent bulbs will go into effect in California over the next few years, with wattages reduced to 53, 43 and 29 respectively.
The new rule does not ban incandescent light bulbs; it just requires those bulbs to be 25 to 30 percent more efficient. And it only affects incandescent light bulbs manufactured in 2011 or later, not those already in use or on store shelves.
The new lights are comparably priced to the regular incandescent lights. A two-bulb package of 100-watt incandescent bulbs is about $4.32 at Lowe's, while a four-bulb package of new 72-watt halogen bulbs is $8.66, or $4.33 for two. By contrast, a two-bulb package of energy-saving compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) is $11.28.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Hey, Congress: Keep Your Day Jobs : NPR
Hey, Congress: Keep Your Day Jobs : NPR: "Next week, hordes of conservative Republican lawmakers will descend on Washington to take their seats in the freshman class of the 112th Congress. But some prominent conservatives suggest the best thing lawmakers can do to fix Capitol Hill is to stay the heck away from it.
'We used to pay farmers not to grow crops. Let's pay congressmen to stay out of Washington, D.C.,' Louisiana Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal recently told Human Events. In a new book, Jindal makes a serious case for a return to a part-time Congress, among other things. He argues that once elected, lawmakers who once promised to change Washington 'become part of the problem' and turn into a 'permanent governing political class.'
His solution? 'Make them part-time, give them term limits. Don't let them become lobbyists. When they have to live under the same rules and laws they pass for the rest of us, maybe you'd see some more common sense coming out of Washington, D.C.'
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
'We used to pay farmers not to grow crops. Let's pay congressmen to stay out of Washington, D.C.,' Louisiana Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal recently told Human Events. In a new book, Jindal makes a serious case for a return to a part-time Congress, among other things. He argues that once elected, lawmakers who once promised to change Washington 'become part of the problem' and turn into a 'permanent governing political class.'
His solution? 'Make them part-time, give them term limits. Don't let them become lobbyists. When they have to live under the same rules and laws they pass for the rest of us, maybe you'd see some more common sense coming out of Washington, D.C.'
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
Friday, December 24, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Metro begins random bag searches | Washington Examiner
Metro begins random bag searches | Washington Examiner: "Metro kicked off tighter security controls Tuesday, beginning randomized searches of riders' bags at two stations during the morning commute.
The first screenings, typically running well under a minute each, lasted for an hour at the Green Line's College Park station and Braddock Road stop on the Yellow/Blue lines in Alexandria.
No explosives were found, and no terrorist suspects were arrested, according to spokeswoman Cathy Asato. 'It went off as intended,' she said.
Metro started the searches five days after announcing the new policy -- and the same day a defective bomb was found in Rome's subway. But Metro officials said the timing was merely coincidental. They also have denied any connection to the recent arrests of two men accused of threatening Metro.
It is not clear when, where or how often more searches will occur as the transit agency does not plan to announce them. Metro officials had alerted media about Tuesday's screenings in advance on the condition the information not be published until they began.
Opposition to them is mounting. The local branches of the American Civil Liberties Union are questioning their constitutionality. The D.C. Bill of Rights Coalition and the Montgomery County Civil Rights Coalition posted an online petition, saying the searches attack riders' civil liberties. And Metro's Riders' Advisory Council, which opposed such searches two years ago, plans to host a Jan. 3 public forum.
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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
The first screenings, typically running well under a minute each, lasted for an hour at the Green Line's College Park station and Braddock Road stop on the Yellow/Blue lines in Alexandria.
No explosives were found, and no terrorist suspects were arrested, according to spokeswoman Cathy Asato. 'It went off as intended,' she said.
Metro started the searches five days after announcing the new policy -- and the same day a defective bomb was found in Rome's subway. But Metro officials said the timing was merely coincidental. They also have denied any connection to the recent arrests of two men accused of threatening Metro.
It is not clear when, where or how often more searches will occur as the transit agency does not plan to announce them. Metro officials had alerted media about Tuesday's screenings in advance on the condition the information not be published until they began.
Opposition to them is mounting. The local branches of the American Civil Liberties Union are questioning their constitutionality. The D.C. Bill of Rights Coalition and the Montgomery County Civil Rights Coalition posted an online petition, saying the searches attack riders' civil liberties. And Metro's Riders' Advisory Council, which opposed such searches two years ago, plans to host a Jan. 3 public forum.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness
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