Author Topic: Obama: Corruption, Deception, Dishonesty, Deceit and Promises Broken  (Read 218652 times)

Soul Crusher

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REVIEW & OUTLOOK
OCTOBER 10, 2010.
Shutting Up Business - Democrats unleash the IRS and Justice on donors to their political opponents.
www.wsj.com


________________________ _____________


If at first you don't succeed, get some friends in high places to shut your opponents up. That's the latest Washington power play, as Democrats and liberals attack the Chamber of Commerce and independent spending groups in an attempt to stop businesses from participating in politics.

Since the Supreme Court's January decision in Citizens United v. FEC, Democrats in Congress have been trying to pass legislation to repeal the First Amendment for business, though not for unions. Having failed on that score, they're now turning to legal and political threats. Funny how all of this outrage never surfaced when the likes of Peter Lewis of Progressive insurance and George Soros helped to make Democrats financially dominant in 2006 and 2008.

Chairman Max Baucus of the powerful Senate Finance Committee got the threats going last month when he asked Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Douglas Shulman to investigate if certain tax exempt 501(c) groups had violated the law by engaging in too much political campaign activity. Lest there be any confusion about his targets, the Montana Democrat flagged articles focused on GOP-leaning groups, including Americans for Job Security and American Crossroads.

 
Associated Press
 
Max Baucus
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Mr. Baucus was seconded last week by the ostensibly nonpartisan campaign reform groups Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center, which asked the IRS to investigate whether Crossroads is spending too much money on campaigns. Those two outfits swallowed their referee whistle in the last two campaign cycles, but they're all worked up now that Republicans might win more seats. Crossroads GPS, a 501(c)(4) affiliate of American Crossroads supported by Karl Rove, is a target because it has spent millions already in this election cycle.

Last Tuesday, the liberal blog ThinkProgress, run by the Center for American Progress Action Fund, reported that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce had collected some $300,000 in annual dues from foreign companies. Since the money went into the Chamber's general fund, the allegation is that it could have been used to pay for political ads, which would violate a ban on foreign companies participating in American elections. The Chamber says it uses no foreign money for its political activities and goes to great lengths to raise separate funds for political purposes.

That didn't stop President Obama from raising the issue in a Maryland speech last week, saying that "groups that receive foreign money are spending huge sums to influence American elections." Within hours of the ThinkProgress report, the bully boys at MoveOn.org asked the Department of Justice to launch a criminal investigation of the Chamber. In a letter to the Federal Election Commission, Minnesota Senator Al Franken expressed his profound concern that "foreign corporations are indirectly spending significant sums to influence American elections through third-party groups." From the man who stole his Senate election in a dubious recount, this is rich.

Even Mr. Franken admits in his letter that the Chamber's commingling of funds in its general accounts is not "per se illegal," but apparently he thinks it's fine to unleash federal investigators because the Chamber cash might contribute to the defeat of fellow Democrats.

The outrage over the Chamber is especially amusing considering the role of foreigners in U.S. labor unions. According to the Center for Competitive Politics, close to half of the unions that are members of the AFL-CIO are international. One man's corporate commingling is another's union dues.

Unions and liberal groups are hardly cash poor this year in any case. The Campaign Media Analysis Group looked at the combined spending of candidates, their parties and outside groups and found that Democrats outspent Republicans $47.3 million to $40.8 million in a recent 60-day period.

Democrats claim only to favor "disclosure" of donors, but their legal intimidation attempts are the best argument against disclosure. Liberals want the names of business donors made public so they can become targets of vilification with the goal of intimidating them into silence. A CEO or corporate board is likely to think twice about contributing to a campaign fund if the IRS or prosecutors might come calling. If Democrats can reduce business donations in the next three weeks, they can limit the number of GOP challengers with a chance to win and reduce Democratic Congressional losses.

The strategy got a test drive in Minnesota earlier this year after Target Corporation donated $100,000 cash and $50,000 of in-kind contributions to an independent group that ran ads supporting the primary candidacy of Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer. MoveOn.org accused the company of being anti-gay, organized a petition, and crafted a TV ad urging shoppers to boycott Target stores. Target made no further donations, and other companies that once showed an interest have since declined to contribute.

***
Then there's the curious reference to the tax status of Koch Industries by White House chief economist Austan Goolsbee. In a late August conference call with reporters, Mr. Goolsbee cited the closely-held Koch as an example of "really giant firms" that pay no corporate income tax because they file under other tax rules. But how in the world would Mr. Goolsbee know Koch's tax status? Could his knowledge be related to the White House-liberal campaign against Koch for contributing to Americans for Prosperity, a group that is supporting free-market candidates for Congress this year?

In an August 9 speech, Mr. Obama personally trashed Americans for Prosperity, hinting that it was funded by "a big oil company." He had to mean Koch, which makes no secret of its support for Americans for Prosperity.

The White House didn't respond to queries about Mr. Goolsbee's remark for weeks until GOP Senators requested an investigation. The Treasury's inspector general for tax matters has since announced such a probe, and last week White House spokesman Robert Gibbs finally got around to explaining that Mr. Goolsbee's statement "was not in any way based on any review of tax filings" and that he won't use the example again.

We're glad to hear it, but pardon our skepticism given the ferocity of this White House-led campaign against businesses that donate to political campaigns. Faced with electoral repudiation as the public turns against their agenda, Democrats are unleashing government power to silence their political opponents. Instead of piling on, the press corps ought to blow the whistle on this attempt to stifle political speech. This is one more liberal abuse of power that voters should consider as they head to the polls.

Soul Crusher

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Shootout at the EPA Corral: Texas takes aim at the White House's illegal carbon rules
Wall Street Journal ^ | OCTOBER 10, 2010


________________________ ________________________ _


If Democrats take a drubbing in November, the Obama Administration is likely to turn to regulation to achieve its "transformational" agenda. Which is all the more reason to cheer on Texas as it pushes back against the EPA's illegal attempt to rewrite the nation's clean air laws.

To wit, the Lone Star State is resisting the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to regulate carbon under the clean air laws of the 1970s. These regulations will be damaging enough on their own. But the EPA and chief Lisa Jackson are also threatening to punish Texas and other green dissenters with a de facto moratorium on any major energy or construction projects. Just what the economy needs.

Under the Clear Air Act, the EPA's national office chooses priorities, but state regulators run the relevant programs and issue the necessary permits. When orders from HQ change, as with carbon over the last year, states get three years to revise their "implementation plans." But in August, Ms. Jackson decided that the law posed too long a climate wait and decreed that if these plans aren't updated by an arbitrary January 2011 deadline, her office will override the states and run the carbon permitting process itself.

Put bluntly, this coercion is illegal. As badly as Ms. Jackson has abused clean air laws to go after CO2, she can't by regulatory fiat usurp the law's statutory language about the federalist balance of power between Washington and the states. Texas filed an unusual lawsuit last week with the D.C. appeals circuit calling it an "ultra vires" act—literally, "beyond the powers"—and requesting an emergency stay of the EPA's regulations because of the imminence of irreparable harm.

No major construction project in America can go forward without EPA air quality and pollution permits


(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...

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Bump 

Soul Crusher

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Obama's Huge New Tax
 By Lurita Doan
 10/11/2010
www.townhall.com

________________________ ________________________ __________________

 
Pity the poor entrepreneur and small business owner in America now getting socked, with the mother of all taxes, by a government that has become either hostile, or indifferent, to understanding what it takes to build a business, grow a company and hire more workers. I'm not talking about new fees, but about a much greater confiscatory tax, imposed without any real debate or consideration--the confiscation of time.

Nearly every Obama administration initiative demands new, more complicated reporting and compliance filings on small businesses and entrepreneurs that are already overburdened with a mish-mash of reporting requirements that suck away an entrepreneur's time and energy. 2008 compliance costs for a small business, according to a recent SBA Report, was approximately $10,000 per employee. But, the Obama Administration has added new, and far more onerous, reporting demands that are likely to treble those costs to $30,000 per employee. Facing such huge, and hidden, costs of compliance, is there any wonder small businesses are not hiring as they have in the past?

Consider, for example, one of the new reporting requirements contained in Section 9006 of the disastrous Obama healthcare bill which requires all small companies to file 1099s for any purchase over $600, to include anything from office supplies to electricity to independent contractors. As a result, small businesses may need to hire a full-time compliance officer that does nothing but file these new forms and reports.

But that is just the start. For example, Section 1512 of the Recovery Act (ARRA) requires that a report with a minimum of 12 data points be submitted quarterly for each Recovery Act project over $25,000. A separate report has to be submitted if the business worked as a subcontractor on any ARRA project. This report is separate from and in addition to the mandatory, contractual reports submitted monthly to the government contracting officer on each project and, separate from and in addition to, the quarterly program reviews provided for agency leaders. Of course, if the business performs ARRA work at the State level, many of those states have additional reporting requirements for businesses who are working on federally funded stimulus projects within the state.

Small business already struggles because the federal government’s reporting requirements are a moving target. Businesses must track the unusually frequent changes in government-issued guidance regarding reporting requirements. For example, since issuing the first reporting requirements for ARRA in February 2009, these requirements have changed nine times in the past 19 months, in March 2009, April 2009, June 2009, September 2009, November 2009, December 2009, April 2010, May 2010 and most recently in September 2010.

Each “update” to the reporting requirements issued by OMB is followed by an ancillary memo issued within each federal agency by each agency’s Chief Acquisition Officer.

Businesses, especially small businesses, may spend large segments of the workday tracking reporting requirement changes. Businesses must do this because a clerical error, which could be interpreted by the oversight community as fraud, carries severe penalties, and the burden of proof of innocence falls on the business.

Taxes take many forms. More damaging, than canceling the Bush tax cuts, more damaging than the changing definition of who is considered “rich”, more disturbing than Obama Administration's complete lack of understand of what it takes to grow a business and an economy, is the fact that time is money, so the new, burdensome and intrusive reporting requirements demanded by Obama's flawed policies puts a tax burden of time on all businesses.

Under the guise of “accountability” and the lure of “transparency”, the Obama Administration continues to bombard businesses with additional, ill-thought reporting requirements. Few legislators and few members of the Obama Administration have ever experienced first-hand, the struggles of entrepreneurship--what Jerry McGuire calls "an up-at-dawn, pride-swallowing siege," of trying to win a customer's business, be competitive and succeed. The Administration, clearly, does not understand or does not care about the true cost to business of their self-serving actions.

Peter Drucker, the management guru once said: “if you’re meeting, you’re not working”. Perhaps the corollary is that when a business is “reporting”, then they aren’t really working either.

Make no mistake: well-reasoned reports aid in accountability and transparency and are essential to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely by the government. But this is not happening in the Obama Administration. The President Obama once promised he would not raise taxes on the middle class. Yet, fees, fines and mandatory purchases are “onerous, rigorous demands” which, according to Webster, qualify as taxes.

Obama has demanded the one commodity which is in limited supply, and which can never be reproduced once spent—time. Obama wastes our time--and that tax is the greatest of all.
Lurita Doan
Lurita Alexis Doan is an African American conservative commentator who writes about issues affecting the federal government.


225for70

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The CFTC has finally come through with its new rules on retail foreign exchange, which come into effect on October 18th, 2010 (Q&A about the new rules can be found here). Despite fears to the contrary, the CFTC will not be cutting permissible leverage in retail forex trading down to 10:1. The people have been heard! There was so much contrary opinion against that move from traders and brokers that the regulators were forced to rethink the plan.
That said, the CFTC will, however, be restricting leverage to no more than 50:1 (2% margin requirement) on the major currencies (5% on regional currencies). This is basically taking the NFA restriction put in place last year for 100:1 max leverage and tightening it up. I’m sure that’s going to have some folks up in arms, but the reality is that most of your better traders never go much beyond 10:1 actual leverage.

The proposed Ruling will hurt the US retail foreign exchange industry big time, as the new Rules hurt traders significantly and make Other global Foreign Exchange dealers move completive. Many traders are already trading with firms in the united kingdom and Australia as a result.  

The new changes will likely hurt the growth of the industry and Jobs will be lost, as a result...and headed overseas like most jobs..

225for70

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Dear Getbigger,

As you may know, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the National Futures Association (NFA), which determine leverage (and the resulting margin) requirements for futures and forex trading, have established new forex leverage and maintenance requirements. We want to be sure you are aware of these changes.

What you need to know:
These new requirements, which will take effect Sunday October 17, 2010, at 5 p.m. EDT (4 p.m. CDT), will impact all of your current open forex positions, as well as any new forex positions you open on or after October 17.
The maximum leverage requirements on all major currency pairs will decrease due to the rule revisions. Major currency pairs will change from 100:1 to 50:1 maximum leverage (from 1% to 2%). Exotic or minor pairs will change from 25:1 to 20:1 maximum leverage (from 4% to 5%).
Major pairs consist of any pair with two of the following currencies: Australian dollar (AUD), British pound (GBP), Canadian dollar (CAD), Danish krone (DKK), Euro (EUR), Japanese yen (JPY), New Zealand dollar (NZD), Norwegian krone (NOK), Swedish krona (SEK), Swiss franc (CHF), or US dollar (USD). All other pairs are considered by the NFA to be exotic and are subject to the higher margin requirement.
For a listing of all currency pairs that thinkorswim by TD Ameritrade offers, please go to thinkorswim.com and choose "Rates, Commissions & Fees" (under the "Why thinkorswim" tab).
You will also need to maintain a 100% equity-to-margin ratio (risk level) at all times.
Liquidation of positions will occur once daily, at 5 a.m. EDT (4 a.m. CDT), if the risk level in your account falls to less than 100%, and intraday if the equity-to-margin ratio in your account falls to 25% or below, whichever comes first.
What you need to do:
To avoid the liquidation of any forex position due to insufficient funds, please be sure that your forex account has the necessary funds at the close of trading on Thursday, October 14, 2010.
This is necessary to ensure funds will be credited to your account by October 17, 2010, at 5 p.m. EDT (4 p.m. CDT).
For more information, visit thinkorswim.com and choose "Rates, Commissions & Fees" (under the "Why thinkorswim" tab).

If you have any questions, or if we can be of any assistance, please feel free to give us a call at 866-839-1100, option 7 or email us at support@thinkorswim.com.

Thank you for choosing thinkorswim by TD Ameritrade. Please rest assured that we value your business and will continue to do everything we can to make your trading experience a positive one.

Sincerely,

thinkorswim



Soul Crusher

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This is not even my area of expertise, but it sounds to me like the govt is sending trading desks and offices overseas, and essentially capital, to other more friendly places. 

Considering capital is the basis for future lending and investment, this seems like another job destroyer since banks will not have the capital of the these accounts to use as the reserves for lendning. 

225for70

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This is not even my area of expertise, but it sounds to me like the govt is sending trading desks and offices overseas, and essentially capital, to other more friendly places.  

Considering capital is the basis for future lending and investment, this seems like another job destroyer since banks will not have the capital of the these accounts to use as the reserves for lending.  

exactly..

Why make an entire industry less competitive? It's not only this recent capital requirement changes that are hurting this growing industry. Also US traders aren't allowed to hedge there positions, if they want to take some risk off the table. Foreign exchange dealers outside the US definitely have an unfair advantage over there us counterparts.

These changes are going to make many traders open up accounts overseas..Typically Forex is less volatile than other Financial instruments, so a large amount of capital is essentially a requirement.

This change in Capital requirements, can essentially cut earnings of some traders by 50%..

Soul Crusher

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exactly..

Why make an entire industry less competitive? It's not only this capital requirement changes, it's also hedging rules which aren't favorable as well.

This change is going to make many traders open up accounts overseas..Typically Forex is less volatile than other Financial instruments, so a large amount of capital is essentially a requirement.

This change in Capital requirements, can essentially cut earnings of some traders by 50%..


Just another idiotic move by the govt.  Unreal - what are they trying to send everything overseas at this point? 

225for70

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Just another idiotic move by the govt.  Unreal - what are they trying to send everything overseas at this point?  

There are roughly 3 trillion forex transactions daily..It's the largest market in the world..It was also growing leaps and bounds in the US. I would advice Forex traders to trade with an Australian, or UK based dealers at this point.  Or perhaps start trading Currency futures.

However, trading currency futures usually involves higher commissions that spot Foreign exchange..


Soul Crusher

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There are roughly 3 trillion forex transactions daily..It's the largest market in the world..It was also growing leaps and bounds in the US. I would advice Forex traders to trade with an Australian, or UK based dealers at this point.  Or perhaps start trading Currency futures.

However, trading currency futures usually involves higher commissions that spot Foreign exchange..



And guess what - all those capitals gains tax receipts are now going bye bye. 


what a farce. 

225for70

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And guess what - all those capitals gains tax receipts are now going bye bye. 


what a farce. 

Yes, if you hold over a year you will have to pay capital gains, Which looks like may be headed north. If your using Margin you may want to focus on shorter time frame..As you'll may have a Negative Roll...In example if you sell the Aud/USD currency pair, you have a negative roll..

In example the aussie dollar is yielding 3.75%.

While the USD/ the us dollar is yielding .25%...

So you'll have to pay the difference since you are selling the pair of 3.75%-.25%, so you'll have to pay a carried interest charge of 3.50%...

However, if you bought the AUd/USD...you would have a positive roll..And incur interst of 3.50%

225for70

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Yes, if you hold over a year you will have to pay capital gains, Which looks like may be headed north. If your using Margin you may want to focus on shorter time frame..As you'll may have a Negative Roll...In example if you sell the Aud/USD currency pair, you have a negative roll..

In example the aussie dollar is yielding 3.75%.

While the USD/ the us dollar is yielding .25%...

So you'll have to pay the difference since you are selling the pair of 3.75%-.25%, so you'll have to pay a carried interest charge of 3.50%...

However, if you bought the AUd/USD...you would have a positive roll..And incur interst of 3.50%


Everyone last year was using the USD dollar as a vehicle to finance the purchase of higher yielding currencies as the Aussie, New Zealand dollar..

They were pocketing the difference in interest rates..They call this a carry trade, and many Japanese people did this with the yen for years and years..


Soul Crusher

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Everyone last year was using the USD dollar as a vehicle to finance the purchase of higher yielding currencies as the Aussie, New Zealand dollar..

They were pocketing the difference in interest rates..They call this a carry trade, and many Japanese people did this with the yen for years and years..



What is funny is that the guy who just got the Nobel in economics obama picked for the Fed Reserve is a dove as far as money printing goes and is probably all in favor of the continued fall of the dollar to keep up this ponzi scheme economy we have gotten ourselves into.   

225for70

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What is funny is that the guy who just got the Nobel in economics obama picked for the Fed Reserve is a dove as far as money printing goes and is probably all in favor of the continued fall of the dollar to keep up this ponzi scheme economy we have gotten ourselves into.  

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Economist-Mom/2010/1011/Easier-to-win-a-Nobel-Prize-than-get-Senate-approval

He won the noble prize for that.... :D

Diamond wrote a paper in the early 1980s that found that unemployment compensation can lead to better job matches. Workers “become more selective in the jobs they accept” because of the employment aid. And, that makes for better matches and increases efficiency, he found.

Thank you captain Obvious. A nobal prize for that.

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Obama should be know as the anti-Midas, because everything he touches turns to shit
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

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Obama should be know as the anti-Midas, because everything he touches turns to shit

Notice how not one obama fan can challenge this thread. 

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What is CSA 2010 And How it Affects Truck Drivers.
What is CSA 2010 and how does it apply to truck drivers.
http://www.smart-trucking-jobs.com/csa2010.html

Tens of thousands of drivers will lose their Jobs when CSA rating system is implemented.
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Beginning July 2010, the FMCSA will implement Comprehensive Safety Analysis or CSA - an initiative aimed at improving large truck and bus safety, and ultimately reducing commercial motor vehicle related crashes, injuries and fatalities.
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Update

WASHINGTON-The federal government's new proposed Comprehensive Safety Analysis of how it rates trucking companies and drivers is being delayed, much to the relief of the trucking industry.

Dubbed CSA 2010, the new program is now going to be rolled out in phases, starting Nov. 1 and into next year. So the program effectively now becomes CSA 2011.



The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) originally planned to begin implementation of their new safety overhaul, CSA 2010, in July 2010 and to have all states fully functional by December. It now appears full implementation could be delayed until spring, or even summer, of 2011.




The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced that full implementation of CSA 2010 will be delayed to 2011. The agency’s original plan was to begin implementing the program in July 2010 and to have all states fully functional by December of this year. It now appears that although certain phases of CSA 2010 will begin this fall, full implementation will not be completed until spring or perhaps summer of 2011.


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As proposed in CSA 2010, the roadside performance of individual drivers will have a much greater impact on their own record, while at the same time critically affecting their carrier's safety rating as a whole.



CSA2010 will effect pay packages, hiring and firing, areas of employment screening and background checks, CDL certifications, in house training and more.




What do you think of CSA 2010. How do you think it will effect you and your trucking job? Please leave your comments here. Please feel free to leave any comments you have.




The United States Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) plans to implement a new safety initiative, known as Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA2010). The initiative is slated to launch its first phase next summer. Its goal is to achieve a greater reduction in large truck and bus crashes, injuries, and fatalities, while maximizing the resources of FMCSA and its State partners.




<<<<< Please subscribe to my free newsletter just fill in the block to the left.




The new CSA 2010 approach will:


*Directly monitor the safety and performance of individual drivers



*Address problem drivers based on their records across multiple employers



*Hold both motor carriers and drivers responsible for safety and performance




How Does CSA 2010 Driver Enforcement Process Work?



The driver enforcement process provides FMCSA with the tools to identify problem drivers and to verify and address the issues. the new Driver Safety Measurement System enables Safety Investigators (SI) to evaluate roadside performance of drivers across employers over a 3-year period. Using this system, SIs can identify "high profile" drivers with overall poor safety histories, who work for carriers that have been identified as requiring a CSA2010 investigation. If the investigation results verify the driver violation(s), FMCSA takes an enforcement action against that driver,such as a Notice of Violation or a Notice of Claim.




CSA 2010 Driver Safety Enforcement Approach



*Focuses on driver enforcement for serious rule violations,such as driving while disqualified,driving without a valid commerical driver's license,making a false entry on a medical certificate, committing numerous hours of service violations.


*Enforcement action will be taken directly against the driver for these violations. If the carrier is also determined to be a responsible party, it may also receive enforcement action.



* Looking ahead, FMCSA plans to identify and intervene with unsafe drivers beyond the pool of drivers that are addressed in conjunction with motor carrier interventions.




Don't be one of the thousands of drivers that lose their job. Your DAC Report(read more on dac) is your life make sure your driving record is correct and if not begin now to correct the errors.

Most motor carriers and drivers haven't heard of CSA 2010, yet it is quite massive in its scope, and represents a major change in the way the FMCSA audits companies.



Perhaps the most profound change, and how this affects individual drivers are going to be audited and each will be given a personal safety rating. This personal safety rating will determine weather or not the driver is considered eligible to continue driving or requires some sort of intervention.



CSA 2010 intends to use new data--such as information from police accident reports about driver-related factors contributing to a crash--and improve existing data sources--by, for example using its database of licensed commercial drivers to identify all drivers with convictions for unsafe driving practices, as well as the carriers they work for--to enable a more precise assessments of safety problems.



CSA 2010 will support evolving and new enforcement and compliance efforts. For example:



1. Carriers from Canada and Mexico that operate in the United States under open border agreements will be rated under CSA 2010 in the same way as U.S. carriers.



2. Violations found through audits of new entrants will be used in the CSA 2010 safety measurement system



3. Data sources related to 7 Core Behavioral Areas of CSA 2010 will be developed to focus attention on drivers qualifications, a key FMCSA policy area.




It is anticipated that full implementation of CSA 2010 by FMCSA will begin on or around July 1, 2010.




16 violations that FMCSA has determined will result in an automatic audit failure.






The list includes:



1) Failure to implement an alcohol and/or controlled substances testing program.


2) Using a driver known to have an alcohol content of 0.04 or greater to perform a safety-sensitive function.



3) Using a driver who refuses to submit to an alcohol orr controlled substance test required under part 382.



4) Using a driver known to have tested positive for a controlled substances.



5) Failing to implement a random controlled substances and/or alcohol testing program.



6) Knowingly using a driver who does not possess a valid commercial drivers license.



7) Knowingly allowing, requiring, permitting, or authorizing an employee with a commercial driver's license which is suspended revoked, or canceled by a state or who is disqualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle.



8) Knowingly allowing, requiring permitting, or authorizing a driver to drive who is disqualified to operate a motor vehicle.



9) Operating a motor vehicle without having in effect the required minimum levels of financial responsibility coverage.



10) Operating a passenger-carrying vehicle without having in effect the required minimum levels of financial responsibility coverage.



11) Knowingly using a disqualified driver.



12) Knowingly using a physically unqualified driver.



13) Failing to require a driver to make a record of duty status.



14) Requiring or permitting the operation of a commercial motor vehicle declared "out of service" before repairs are made.



15) Failing to correct out-of-service defects listed by truck drivers in a driver vehicle inspection report before the vehicle is operated again.


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16) Using a commercial motor vehicle not periodically inspected.


A carrier who fails an audit is notified within 45 days and given 60 days to correct the problem or lose its operational authority. Passenger carriers and HazMat haulers are given only 45 days to correct violations.



FMCSA will check compliance with requirements related to insurance, accidents reports, equipment and maintenance records, driver qualifications, CDL, license standards,truck drivers records of duty status,drug an alcohol testing, and hazardous materials, if applicable.




Under these new rules a carrier automatically fails if an auditor finds a single occurrence of these violations. The FMCSA looked back at audits conducted in a recent five year period and estimated that 47.9% would have been failures under the new rules.




So you can see that the CSA initiative represents a major change for carrier and drivers. It is important to note that the FMCSA is collecting data right now for the purpose of scoring its initial audits next year. That's right. Even though the initiative is one year away, what companies and drivers are doing right now will be factored into the CSA 2010 audit.




CSA 2010 will be looking at the last 36 months of your driving record including roadside inspections to determine your safety score. So what you do now will affect your safety rating when CSA 2010 is implemented.



Violations that occur in the last 12 months will have the point value tripled in the calculation of your safety score.



CSA 2010: The Point System




FMCSA officials have assigned point values for various violations that truckers may have noted on inspections or on crash reports. Here’s a list of some of the point values.




Violation(reg)


* Following too close – 392.2 ----------- 5 Points




* Violating OOS order – 392.5(c)(2)--------10 Points



* 60/70-hour rule – 395.1(o)---------------7 Points




* Failure to include driver signature or certification in duty status records – 395.8(d)(5)--------------------------2 Points




* Failure to list main office address in duty status records – 395.8(d)(7------2 Points




* Driver failing to retain previous * 7 days’ logs – 395.8(k)(2)---------------5 Points



* No medical certificate – 391.41(b)(3)----1 Points



* Inoperative tail lamp – 393.9(a)---------6 Points



* Failure to display current CVSA Decal: Permanent Authority – 365.511------------4 Points



* Periodic inspection – 396.21-------------4 Points



The full list of violations can be found Here starting on Page 36.







States now testing, Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey and Kansas.



Here are a few things you can do now to help start preparing you for what is coming this summer.

1) Operate your truck legally, pay special attention to your hours of service.

2) Don't speed, tailgate, weave in and out of traffic or do anything else that would cause you to be singled out for a roadside inspection.

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Obama Administration Gave General Electric—Parent Company of NBC--$24.9 Million in ‘Stimulus’ Grants
Monday, October 11, 2010
By Fred Lucas

www.cnsnews.com

________________________ ________________________ _________



President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden react to cheers as they arrive in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, March 23, 2010(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

(CNSNews.com) - The Obama administration gave corporate giant General Electric—the parent company of NBC--$24.9 million in grants from the $787-billion economic “stimulus” law President Barack Obama signed in February 2009, according to records posted by the administration at Recovery.gov.

Despite getting $24.9 million from U.S. taxpayers, GE decreased its U.S.-based employees by 18,000 in 2009, according to the company’s 2009 annual report.

According to Standard & Poor's, GE took in $156 billion in revenue in 2009.

GE was the primary recipient of 14 stimulus grants, a spokeswoman for Recovery.gov confirmed to CNSNews.com. These 14 grants provided GE with $24.9 million in tax dollars. On four additional stimulus grants, the primary recipient of the federal money hired GE as a contractor. Recovery.gov is the administration’s website that tracks stimulus expenditures.

At the end of 2008, GE employed 152,000 U.S. workers, according to its 2009 annual report. But at the end of 2009, according to the report, it employed only 134,000 U.S. workers, a decline of 18,000 workers.

The Energy Department provided GE with 9 stimulus grants, the Department of Health and Human Services provided the company with 3, and the Justice Department and the Commerce Department each gave the company 1 stimulus grant.

All of these federal stimulus grants went to GE’s Global Research Center.

The earliest of the stimulus grants went to GE in July 2009 and the latest in April 2010.

CNSNews.com asked a GE spokesperson if the company contested Recovery.gov’s representation that GE had received 14 stimulus grants worth $24.9 million, and also whether the company now employed more or fewer workers as a result of receiving the grants.

In an e-mail response, GE spokeswoman Anne Eisele said, “I’m afraid I must politely decline to comment.”

What did all the money to GE go for? Recovery.gov posts brief explanations of each grant. For example, the Department of Justice gave GE $999,955 in stimulus money. “The goal of this program,” said Recovery.gov, “is to develop a comprehensive reasoning system for event and scenario recognition for an intelligent video system.”

In addition to the $24.9 million it received in stimulus grants, GE was also awarded $5 million in federal contracts under the economic stimulus law. These contracts were payment for services provided by the company.


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10 Reasons Why Ordinary Hard-Working Americans Are About To Really Start Feeling The Squeeze
Economic Collapse ^ | 10/12/10



American families better get ready to tighten their belts again. There is every indication that we are all going to really start feeling the squeeze in the months ahead. The price of gas is starting to spike again. The price of food is moving north. Health insurance premium increases are being announced coast to coast and a whole slate of tax increases is scheduled to go into effect in 2011. Meanwhile, household incomes are down substantially all over the nation and the U.S. government is indicating that there will not be an increase in Social Security benefits for the upcoming year once again. So if the cost of most of the basic things in our monthly budgets is going up and our incomes are going down what does that mean? It means that average American families are about to be squeezed like nothing we have seen in decades.

The reality is that it is getting really hard to make it out there. Not only do most households have both parents working, but in many cases both parents are getting second or even third jobs. Things have gotten so bad that millions of Americans have felt forced to turn to the government for assistance just to survive.

It can be really disheartening to come to the end of the month and realize that despite your best efforts you have less money than you did at the beginning of the month. But that is where millions upon millions of American families now find themselves.

The economic despair in the air is almost palpable. Already hordes of Americans are truly and honestly hurting and things are only going to get worse.

The following are ten reasons why ordinary hard-working Americans are about to really start feeling the squeeze....

#1 Gas prices are going up again. AAA says that the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the United States was $2.80 on Sunday. That is 32.6 cents higher than it was during the same time period in 2009. As oil and gas prices continue to go up, that is also going to have a significant impact on utility bills for American families this winter.

#2 The price of food is poised to rise substantially. Bloomberg is reporting that the the cost of meat in the United States is going nowhere but up. But meat is not the only thing that you will soon be paying much more for at the supermarket. Wheat, corn, soybeans and almost every other major agricultural commodity is absolutely soaring this fall. As this continues, it is inevitable that ordinary Americans will see much higher food prices at their local grocery stores.

On a previous article, a reader named Erica left a comment in which see detailed the stunning food inflation that she is seeing where she lives....

Food inflation is real, and it is here. Just yesterday I compared my receipt from a grocery run to prices I have from the same exact store from September 15, 2009. Bacon? Up 52% to $13.69 from $8.99 for 4 lbs. Butter? Up 73% to $9.99 from $5.79 for 4 lbs. Pure vanilla extract up 14% to $6.79 from $5.95. Chopped dried onions up a mere 2% but minced garlic (wet) was up 32%.

#3 It looks like those receiving Social Security are not going to be seeing cost-of-living increases again. The Associated Press is reporting that the U.S. government is expected to announce some time this week that the tens of millions of Americans that receive Social Security will go through yet another year without an increase in their monthly benefit payments. You see, Social Security cost-of-living adjustments are tied to the official government inflation numbers, and according to the U.S. government there is basically very little inflation right now. Of course we all know that is a lie, but it is what it is.

#4 The cost of health care continues to soar into the stratosphere. Americans already pay more for health care than anyone else in the world, and yet costs continue to spiral out of control. The cost of health care increased a staggering 9.6% for all U.S. households from 2007 to 2009. Now, health insurance companies from coast to coast are announcing that they must raise health insurance premiums substantially due to the new health care law that Barack Obama and the Democrats have pushed through. So in 2011 it looks like the average American family is going to have to carve out an even bigger chunk of the budget for health care.

#5 American families could desperately use a recovery in the housing industry, but that is simply not going to happen. Foreclosure-Gate is getting worse by the day, and it threatens to bring the U.S. real estate industry to a complete and total standstill. If it is ultimately proven that the paperwork for millions of mortgages in the United States is seriously deficient, it could push hordes of mortgage lenders into bankruptcy and render mountains of mortgage-backed securities nearly worthless. Regardless, it is now going to be much more difficult to get a mortgage, much more difficult to buy a home and much more difficult to sell a home. We could very well be looking at the next stage of the housing crash. Ordinary Americans could end up losing trillions more in home equity.

#6 More Americans than ever find themselves unable to pay their bills, and an increasing number of frustrated creditors are actually resorting to wage garnishment. Yes, you read the correctly. Creditors are starting to ruthlessly go after the weekly paychecks of debtors.

The following is an excerpt from a recent New York Times article that discussed the rise of wage garnishment as a weapon against debtors....

After winning, creditors can secure a court order to seize part of the debtor’s paycheck or the funds in a bank account, a procedure called garnishment. No national statistics are kept, but the pay seizures are rising fast in some areas — up 121 percent in the Phoenix area since 2005, and 55 percent in the Atlanta area since 2004. In Cleveland, garnishments jumped 30 percent between 2008 and 2009 alone.

So if you are getting behind on your debt, you better watch out - your creditors may soon decide to garnish your wages.

#7 Americans now owe more on student loans than they do on credit cards. As hard as that is to believe, that is actually true. Americans now owe more than $849 billion on student loans, which is a new all-time record.

Student loan payments can be absolutely crippling to a household budget. This is especially true for young Americans that have just gotten out of school. Sadly, student loan debt is nearly impossible to get rid of. Once you are committed, it will follow you around for the rest of your life.

#8 Even as expenses rise, incomes are down from coast to coast. Median household income in the U.S. declined from $51,726 in 2008 to $50,221 in 2009. There are very few areas that have not been affected. In fact, of the 52 largest metro areas in the United States, only the city of San Antonio did not see a decline in median household income during 2009.

#9 If all of this was not bad enough, now there are rumblings that the U.S. Federal Reserve is actually thinking that we need more inflation. A number of top Federal Reserve officials have come out recently and have publicly supported the notion that the Fed needs to purposely create more inflation in order to stimulate the economy. Of course what they don't tell the American people is that inflation is a hidden tax on every single dollar in our wallets and in our bank accounts. More inflation would be really bad news for ordinary Americans, because they are already having a tough time getting their dollars to stretch far enough.

#10 Apparently the U.S. government (and many state and local governments) think that this is a great time to stick it to the American people by hitting them with a slew of new taxes. There are so many tax increases scheduled to go into effect in 2011 that it is hard to keep track of them all. In fact, there are many (myself included) that are calling 2011 "the year of the tax increase". But the Americans that are going to get it the worst of all are those that are going to get hit with the Alternative Minimum Tax. One out of every six American households is going to be hit with a tax increase averaging $3,900 (thanks to the AMT) and most of them don't even know that it is coming.

So did you think that 2010 was bad?

Well, you haven't seen anything yet.

2010 was a Sunday picnic compared to what is coming.

Get ready to get squeezed.

Get ready for higher food prices, higher gas prices, higher health insurance premiums and higher taxes.

Get ready to try to do a lot more with a lot less.

Inflation is already here, but it is going to get a whole lot worse. Meanwhile, the U.S. government (along with state and local governments) is going to continue to have a voracious appetite for more revenue.

Average Americans are going to be squeezed until they have nothing left to give. Then they are going to be squeezed just a little bit more.

Are you ready?


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KAZAN - did you see the article about GE? 

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GE is up to its eye's in CAP and TRADE, Obama rewarding his crony's
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GE is up to its eye's in CAP and TRADE, Obama rewarding his crony's

And yet the average dolt is still clueless.  That GE article is something no one on this board can spin. 

But hey - lets trash every GOP female nominee! 

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Barack Obama: "I don't understand why they think I'm anti-business."