Poisoned Pistachios, Cheney AIG Moles, April Virus, Employment Depression Bound, Blue Dogs, News Print Failing Rush Ramblins And Assassins.
I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashion.
Lillian Hellman
Poisoned Pistachios or Confounded Conficker And April Is Off And Running!
http://i.gizmodo.com/5192951/reminder-how-to-fix-conficker
Cheney May Have Mole In Obama Government: Sy Hersh
By The Huffington Post News Editors
They wouldn't have ever gotten enough votes to impeach Bush, and with the election coming up in the following year, there was no point in getting the country off track and distracted from the elections. The Republicans looked bad enough ...
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/raw_feed_index.rdf
Congress Wants AIG Mole's Documents
By The Huffington Post News Team
If Bush is ever charged or officially associated with a crime that would give US since 1962 a dead President, one who resigned under threat of impeachment and one who survived impeachment - what would that say about the state of the US ...
The Huffington Post | Full News Feed - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/
AMERICAN PUBLIC DOESN'T BUY MEDIA'S CHARACTERIZATION OF "OBAMA RECESSION"
Summary: Despite attempts by media figures to pin the blame for the current economic situation on President Obama, a recent ABC poll found that "[e]ight in 10 Americans blame the situation on banks and other financial institutions. ... Just 26 percent, though, blame the Obama administration."
Since the 2008 presidential election, media figures have tried to pin the blame for the current economic situation on President Obama by disappearing the Bush administration's role in their reporting of economic issues and repeatedly referencing the "Obama recession" and the "Obama bear market." Nonetheless, a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll indicates that, as ABCNews.com reported: "Part of Obama's advantage in dealing with the economy is that, while blame and anger are in great supply, he escapes both. Eight in 10 Americans blame the situation on banks and other financial institutions for taking on too much risk; as many blame large business corporations for poor management decisions. Seventy-two percent blame consumers for taking on too much debt; 70 percent blame the Bush administration for lack of needed regulation. Just 26 percent, though, blame the Obama administration."
From ABC News' poll memo:
As Media Matters for America has documented, beginning in early November 2008, conservative media figures like Fox News contributor and syndicated columnist Dick Morris, Fox News host Sean Hannity, and nationally syndicated radio hosts Rush Limbaugh and Hugh Hewitt have asserted that Obama is to blame for the decline of the stock market since the November 4, 2008, presidential election by promoting the myth of an "Obama recession." In fact, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the recession began in December 2007.
Additionally, numerous media outlets declared the existence of an "Obama bear market," disregarding the Bush administration's role in the decline in the stock market. This follows a pattern Media Mattershas identified in which the media have left out relevant information on a range of issues about the role of Bush-era policies or have suggested that Obama has greater responsibility for policies or events than he does. For instance, MSNBC used misleading charts in numerous reports to suggest that the Dow Jones industrial average began dropping only after Obama's election or inauguration, despite the fact that the Dow was on a downward trajectory months before the election, dropping 3,738 points from May 2, 2008, to November 3, 2008.
I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashion.
Lillian Hellman
After almost a 5 year battle, one of the key speakers and supporters of Recreate 68 and oppressed communities everywhere, Ward Churchill, is ready to wrap up his case and put our collective right to free speech and academic freedom in the hands of the jury. Closing arguments in the Ward Churchill -vs- the University of Colorado trial should be tomorrow morning, Wednesday, April 1 (you can make your own jokes about the date). Come out and support Ward if you can.
Location: Denver City and County Building, Court Room 6
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Court start time: 9:00 am
Rush Limbaugh to NY: Drop Dead
Angered by a New York state plan to tax residents earning over $500,000 per year, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh vowed Monday to sell all of his property and shut down his operations there and move them to Texas, a state with no income tax.
The new plan, which is expected to be voted on Tuesday, would raise about $4 billion a year, said Dan Weiller, spokesman for New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Lawmakers are calling it a temporary tax increase but Rush was having none of that.
“When I am there working I pay whatever, you know, my rate is based on income for that day in New York,” Limbaugh said. “And I try to go as little as possible. If it weren't for hurricanes down here (his regular studio in Florida), I would never go up there.
“So I'll tell you what I'm going to do,” Limbaugh continued. “I'm going to look for an alternative studio somewhere outside New York, perhaps Texas -- another no-income-tax state -- and I'm going to get the hell over there, when a hurricane starts coming our way, 'cause I told Mayor Bloomberg: I'll be the first to lead the way. “
He plans to sell all of his property in New York City, he told listeners.
“I'll sell my apartment. I'll sell my condominium. I'm going to get out of there totally, 'cause this is just absurd, and it's ridiculous -- and it isn't going to work,” Limbaugh said. “It's punishing the achievers for the mistakes and the lack of discipline on the part of a bunch of corrupt politicians that have run that city and state into the ground for I don't know how many years -- and I, for one, am not going to take the blame for it. “
Limbaugh, who usually broadcasts from his home in Florida, another state with no income tax, said the new tax is likely not only to drive other high earners like himself from New York, but prompt those remaining to work less. Pointing out that the state already collects taxes on cigarettes and liquor, in addition to billions in lottery proceeds – oh, and don’t forget billions more in federal stimulus dollars – Limbaugh asked Gov. David Paterson when would it ever be enough.
He even suggested a new state slogan: “New York: It’s Never Enough.”
“When you raise taxes on an activity, you reduce that activity,” Limbaugh explained to his listeners. “People start doing that activity less. In this case: working. When you reduce taxes on an activity, then that activity increases. When you reduce taxes on income, people start working harder to earn more.
Governor Paterson needs to cut taxes on people. He needs to spur investment. He needs to get people going and working. It's just the exact opposite. Governor Paterson is like most other liberal Democrats: zero-sum game.
The economy is a pie. It never grows. Somebody gets their slice; somebody gets their slice.”
Emptywheel » John Hannah: Unitary Executives Can Assassinate Enemy ...
By emptywheel
“Impeachment is off the table — and swept under the rug”. Reply. MadDog March 30th, 2009 at 6:05 pm. 4. Hannah: It is extremely hard for me to believe, I, I, don’t know exactly what the consultations are with the Congress but it’s hard for me to believe ... In what alternate universe does Hannah live that he can believe the Bush/Cheney Administration he himself conspired with would ever voluntarily supply such information to those hated interfering busybodies in Congress? ...
Emptywheel - http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/
Open Left:: We Must Stop Raising Money For Blue Dogs
By Chris Bowers
There is a special election in the 20th congressional district of New York tonight. I hope the Democrat, Scott Murphy, wins. However, I am also frustrated that Murphy has received nearly $360000 on Act Blue from around 2000 donors. ..... It will allows them not just to win narrow elections to actually realign voters over time. BTW,both Kucinich and Sanders have done this with once narrowly-divided electorates--which we tend to forget because they've been so overwhelmingly ...
Open Left - Quick Hits's RSS Feed - http://www.openleft.com/
ADP Says US Companies Reduced Payrolls by 742000
April 1 (Bloomberg) -- Companies in the U.S. cut an estimated 742,000 workers in March, pointing to no relief in sight for the labor market amid the longestrecession in seven decades, a private report based on payroll data showed today.
The drop in the ADP Employer Services gauge was larger than economists forecast and the most since records began in 2001. February’s reading was revised to show cut of 706,000 workers, up from a previous estimate of 697,000.
Companies are slashing staff as tight credit conditions and shrinking household wealth cause sales to shrink. The Labor Department may report in two days that employers cut payrolls in March for a 15th consecutive month, putting jobs losses in the current downturn at more than 5 million, according to a Bloomberg survey.
“The weakness is distributed across all components of the economy,” Joel Prakken, chairman of Macroeconomic Advisers LLC in St. Louis, said in a conference call. “We are going to see several more months of serious bleeding before we see lesser job losses.”
The ADP report was forecast to show a decline of 663,000 jobs, according to the median estimate of 30 economists in a Bloomberg News survey. Projections were for decreases ranging from 525,000 to 750,000.
A government report April 3 may show payrolls at companies and government agencies shrank by 658,000 in March and unemployment rose to a 25-year high of 8.5 percent, according to a Bloomberg survey of economists.
Private Employment
The ADP figures comprise only private employment and do not take into account hiring by government agencies. Macroeconomic Advisers LLC in St. Louis produces the report jointly with ADP.
Another report today also reflected a weak labor market. Job cuts announced by U.S. employers nearly tripled in March from a year earlier, led by planned cutbacks at government agencies, pharmaceutical and aerospace and defense firms, Chicago-based placement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. said.
Firing announcements rose by 181 percent from March 2008, to 150,411. Compared with the prior month, announcements fell for a second consecutive time, the first two-month decrease in job cuts since February-March 2007.
Today’s ADP report showed a reduction of 327,000 workers in goods-producing industries including manufacturers and construction companies. Employment in manufacturing dropped by 206,000. Service providers cut 415,000 workers.
Broad-based Drop
Companies employing more than 499 workers shrank their workforces by 128,000 jobs. Medium-sized businesses, with 50 to 499 employees, cut 330,000 jobs and small companies decreased payrolls by 284,000.
Industries cutting jobs ranged from automakers and high- tech companies to materials makers and service companies.
International Business Machines Corp., the world’s biggest computer-services provider, reduced as many as 5,000 jobs last week, according to a person familiar with the matter. That added to 4,000 cuts already made since the beginning of the year.
“I don’t believe this is the end,” said Lee Conrad, coordinator for an employees’ group pushing for union recognition. “We’re losing jobs at a record rate inside IBM.”
Tyson Foods Inc., the largest U.S-based meat producer, said March 27 it will close a processed meats plant in Oklahoma and cut 580 jobs to move production to other locations.
The ADP report is based on data from 400,000 businesses with about 24 million workers on payrolls.
ADP began keeping records in January 2001 and started publishing its numbers in 2006.
To contact the reporter on this story: Bob Willis in Washington atbwillis@bloomberg.net
Honda offering local workers incentives to quit
For the first time, Honda is offering Ohio employees incentives to resign.
The move, which continues the company's tradition of avoiding layoffs, is part of a wide-ranging set of cost-saving measures announced today.
"Regardless of job title or level within our organization, each Honda associate will share the responsibility of doing what we must to remain competitive," said spokesman Ron Lietzke.
Among the other moves:
• Honda will cut 13 production days from May to July, reducing the number of vehicles made in North America by about 62,000. This production cut is different from past cuts in that employees will need to take vacation time or receive no pay for at least some of 13 cancelled work days. Previously, employees had the option to report for non-production duties.
• Employees who are already eligible to retire will be offered incentives to do so.
• Employee bonuses will be sharply reduced and perhaps eliminated, leading to a reduction in income of up to several thousand dollars for production employees.
• Managers' salaries will be cut, with top managers facing the largest reductions.
At the same time, the company has decided not to cut hourly pay for production employees.
Honda declined to say how many employees it hopes will accept the buyout offer or how much money it hopes to save. The company also declined to give details about the incentives it will give to employees who wish to resign or retire.
"It's really yet another reflection of the real challenge the industry is facing," said Ed Kim, director of industry analysis for AutoPacific, a research firm based in Tustin, Calif. "The spotlight is obviously on GM and Chrysler, but everybody is struggling right now."
He said buyouts go against Honda's corporate culture, which views employees as long-term partners. He said the decision to reduce employees in this way probably "a last resort."
Honda previously cut production of 175,000 vehicles in North America for the fiscal year that ends this month, which is about 12 percent of output for those plants.
The company has assembly plants in Marysville and East Liberty, along with an engine plant in Anna and a transmission plant in Russells Point, with a total Ohio work force of about 14,000.
FOX News shooting star Glenn Beck “recently wondered aloud whether FEMA was setting up concentration camps, calling it a rumor that he was unable to debunk,” Brian Stelter and Bill Carter note in a New York Times profile. If DHS’s Janet Napolitano wants to say “man-caused disaster” instead of “terror attack,” could an “Islamo-fascist suicide bomber” be redubbed a “fatal disease carrier?” the Post’s Gene Weingarten blogs, asking readers to submit their ownNapolitanoisms. Saying there had been no directive from on high, top dip Hillary Clinton acknowledges to the Los Angeles Times’ Paul Richter that Obama officials have stopped referencing the “war on terror.”
Threat and response: Administration “policies on interrogation and detention reflect a careful effort to balance law and national security — and are a return to pre-Bush administration standards,” The Washington Post’s David Ignatius decides — while the Post’s Dan Froomkin describes Sunday’s scoop on the CIA’s interrogation of Abu Zubaida as “a blow to the last remaining torture apologists.” The core al Qaeda leadership plots new attacks against the United States and its allies from safe havens in Pakistan, The Times of India quotes U.S. officials — as USA Today’s Fredreka Schouten has Obama saying he’s prepared to go after terrorists hiding in Pakistan, but would not launch attacks without first Islamabad.
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Sun-Times Media Group Files for Chapter 11
The Sun-Times Media Group -- burning through cash at more than $5 million per month -- filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The parent of the Chicago Sun-Times and 59 Chicago-area newspapers said it would continue to operate its papers as usual while it focuses on further improving its operations.
Mark Fitzgerald, Editor and Publisher
Hartford Courant Replaces Publisher -- Combines Newsgathering with TV Stations
The Tribune Company will relocate the operations of its two Hartford, Conn., television stations into the building occupied by the Hartford Courant to form a new combined newsgathering entity, the company announced. In addition, it will replace theCourant publisher with the general manager of WTIC-TV and WTXX-TV.
Joe Strupp, Editor & Publisher
The New York Times Plans to Eliminate City Section
The New York Times plans to eliminate several weekly sections, including its City section. There are also discussions to eliminate regional weeklies in New Jersey, Long Island, Westchester and Connecticut, and the Friday Escapes section as well.
John Koblin, New York Observer
Detroit's Daily Papers Are Now Not So Daily
Maybe once a year, a city has a news day as heavy as the one that just hit Detroit. All of this news would have landed on hundreds of thousands of doorsteps and driveways in the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News. But that Monday was the first day of ending home delivery on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Richard Perez-Pena and Mary Chapman, New York Times
Media General Fires 53 in Tampa
Media General has laid off 53 more employees and eliminated 12 open positions at the Tampa Tribune. The company also has closed two local lifestyle publications and added three more unpaid furlough days to the 10 days employees must take before the end of September.
Associated Press
Lone Havana-Based U.S. Newspaper Reporter Is Coming Home
In yet another symbol of the fall of American newspapers, the man billed as the "only U.S. reporter based in Havana" is leaving Cuba. The Sun-Sentinel is shutting down its bureau in Havana.
Bob Norman, Broward Palm Beach
Decline of Newspapers Harming Civic Engagement, Study Finds
Political involvement among citizens is adversely affected by the decline of newspapers, according to a new study. The study compared voter turnout; the number of candidates running for office; and incumbency advantage in 48 municipalities before and after the closing of the Cincinnati Post.
Omar Carrillo, Daily Princetonian
As more newspapers close, the American people will have to rely on television and the Internet for their news. The idea that the majority of the populace will be forced to rely on television, or any other entity whose main goal is to add to their bottom-line profits for news, is both scary and dangerous.
Andre W. Stephens, Black Star News
The Demise of the Metropolitan and Local Newspaper
The decline of the print news medium has many wondering who will fill the void of the print media, reporting on what is happening in local communities, providing in-depth articles, investigative reports, and serving as a watchdog.
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