Category: government

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Snow costs money

The recent snow storms that have visited the northeast section of our nation are costing those folks a lot of money. State officials are struggling to keep up with the costs associated with digging out. With the economic downturn, these added costs are a real burden for the states involved.

Several cities have received record snowfalls this past month and more snow is expected. Road crews and the power companies are working hard to complete their jobs before the next blizzard hits. It will sure be nice when spring arrives!

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There is no con census

The news today reads that the Census Bureau will fork over $2.5 million dollars to take out an ad during the Super Bowl. The ad is aiming to increase awareness and excitement about filling out and sending in the questionnaire that helps the government count the people. Other useful information is gleaned from these forms as well. The problem is that not everyone agrees with the spending of so much money for just a few ads.

Many citizens as well as congressman and senators are fuming over the fact that the Census Bureau is spending so much money in these budget crunching times. Their advertising budget is about $133 million this year. I believe that the debate will continue to rage until an answer is found.

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A Union Win

The Machinists local union in Hartford Connecticut has scored a great victory for the U.S. in U.S. Federal court. The union sued the company of Pratt & Whitney in order to keep jobs from being shipped over seas. Their contract with the union requires that the company do everything possible to keep jobs in their state.

A federal judge issued an injunction against the company saying that they must comply with the contract. I am glad to hear that a judge has finally ruled for the people!

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Revision

I was reading a report by Chris Isidore from CNNMoney.com that stated that job losses over the past year were even more than originally reported. The Labor Departments annual report listed that nearly 7 million jobs were lost in the U.S. the truth seems to be closer to around 8 million. I wonder how they could be so far off the mark.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is revising their annual report to include 824,000 additional lost jobs in April 2008-March 2009. This will have a dramatic impact on the stock market as well as consumer confidence. They explain the large difference in numbers by saying their estimates were wrong. I believe that is self evident!

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Censorship??

It seems there is trouble with our neighbor to the north. Canada has jumped into the internet tangle and has gotten fouled up. It seems that two websites supported by the activist group “Yes Men” released fake press releases that resembled those of the official Canadian Government. The government acted quickly to shut down the sites citing that the information was false. This is all well and good.

The problem was that during the shut down, hundreds of innocent sites were shut down as well. This caused a pouring of outrage from many website owners. It seems that the crisis is nearly over now and the sites have been restored. I hope the Canadian Government will remember their lesson well.

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Too Sensitive

The news today is all about a remark that President Barack Obama made about Las Vegas. He said that people shouldn’t blow their money on vacationing in Las Vegas if they are saving for college, the mayor of Las Vegas has taken offence to this remark and another remark the president made in February. The president defends himself saying he was just making a point.

The president pointed out that he loves Las Vegas and has vacationed there before. I surely think that the folks in Vegas have far too thin skin. I believe the president’s point was correct and people in Vegas should just live with the truth.

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State of the Union

I guess there was no way you could miss it if you had your TV on last night. President Barack Obama gave his first State of the Union speech to the nation. While I listened attentively for any thing new, I heard nothing of the sort. It seemed to me to be the same tired old speech that I have heard every president give. I hope he can do more with his politics than he did with his speech!

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Military Bases

I was a little concerned when I read today that most of the nations military bases will be forced to cut back on the services that they normally supplied. Due to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the military is looking for ways to cut back on their budgets. Military bases are a prime target as they are not directly related to the war effort.

Some of the services that will be reduced include trash pickup and lawn maintenance. They are also looking into other services to cut as the need to reduce spending hits home. I hope that some other ways are found to stretch the budget while continuing to provide the much needed services that our soldiers need!

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Fast trains in China

I was not surprised to learn today that China now has the fastest train in the world. It appears that they have been working hard to expand their train system and have taken advantage of new technologies to do so. Their newest train can reach a peak speed of 217 miles per hour and links the cities of Guangzhou and Wuhan. This means that travelers can make the journey in about three hours.

I am glad to hear that China is becoming a more modern nation. While they may not be perfect in every way we would like, they are fast becoming a modernized nation. I am glad to welcome them to the modern world and wish them continued success in their endeavors.

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Energy and Money

One thing that I like about the current administration is their concern for the environment. I am all for the fact that they will soon be offering a tax rebate for people who make their homes more energy efficient. There are a number of ways to do so and they are not that difficult. Even though they are small things, they can add up to significant energy savings.

When you go through your house, make sure that your windows and doors are weather-stripped. You can also use caulk to seal up any areas that need it. Another easy way to save money is to replace your light bulbs with CFLs. I certainly hope that every homeowner will take some time to ensure that their house is energy efficient.