Friday, August 19, 2011
Barker's Newsbites: Friday, August 19, 2011
Again, folks... apologies for slacking off on the volume of newsbites; when I'm in vacation planning mode pretty much everything else slips to the wayside.
In any case... in honor of booking "Leg #2" of the upcoming Oregon trip, allow me to offer you as today's newsbites theme song a very special ballad that brings tears of joy to my eyes as I remember all the wonderful coastline journeys I've made during my life while looking forward to experiencing the Oregon coast in just a few short weeks time!
It's good to be Bill...
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http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2011/08/19/michelles-separate-travel-costs-taxpayers-thousands/
Michelle Obama Thursday traveled separately from President Obama to Martha’s Vineyard, costing taxpayers thousands in additional expenses to get her a few hours of extra vacation time.
* FOLKS... IT'S NOT PETTY TO NOTE THAT THIS IS FRIGG'N RIDICULOUS! WHAT THE HELL IS THEIR PROBLEM?!
Mrs. Obama and her daughters arrived just before 2 pm Thursday on a U.S. government jet, according to the Martha’s Vineyard Times, which got its information from the local airport. The first lady’s office has been silent on her travel. President Obama arrived in the evening along with the family dog Bo.
The extra costs related to Mrs. Obama’s solo trip mainly include the flight on a specially designed military aircraft she took instead of Air Force One, as well as any extra staff and Secret Service that had to be enlisted to go with her. She would also have had her own motorcade from the airport to her vacation residence.
* HEY, FOLKS... BOTTOM LINE... THIS IS JUST IRRESPONSIBLE. IT'S WASTEFUL. THERE'S SIMPLY NO NEED FOR THERE TO BE SEPARATE PLANES TO TAKE THE PRESIDENT AND THE FIRST LADY TO THE SAME VACATION RETREAT ON THE SAME DAY SEPARATELY!
Mrs. Obama’s separate jet travel sends the wrong message on a host of issues, from global warming to the budget deficit to the economy – in which currently so many people can’t afford to take a vacation at all.
* I AGREE.
This is not the first time Michelle has gone on vacation ahead of the president on the taxpayers’ tab. Last December, she racked up what was likely more than $100,000 in expenses leaving early for their Hawaii vacation.
* EVEN IF IT WERE FAR LESS THAN $100,000... WHAT WAS THE POINT? WHY WASTE ANY TAXPAYER MONEY AT ALL?!
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/18/new-dhs-rules-cancel-deportations/
[T]he Obama administration said Thursday that it will halt deportation proceedings on a case-by-case basis against illegal immigrants who meet certain criteria, such as attending school, having family in the military or having primary responsible for other family members’ care.
* OBAMA MAY BE MANY THINGS, BUT "THE RULE OF LAW PRESIDENT" HE IS SURELY NOT!
The move marks a major step for President Obama, who for months has said he does not have broad categorical authority to halt deportations and said he must follow the laws as Congress has written them.
* FOLKS... AGAIN... TYRANNY ISN'T ALWAYS AS OBVIOUS AS THE GESTAPO OR THE KGB. PRESIDENTS HAVE THE CONSTITUTIONAL POWER TO ISSUE A VETO BEFORE A BILL BECOMES A LAW, BUT AFTER A BILL IS PASSED AND SIGNED INTO LAW... THEN THAT'S THAT. OBAMA IS DELIBERATELY USURPING CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORITY PLACED IN CONGRESS - AND CONGRESS ALONE - BY OUR CONSTITUTION!
“Today’s announcement shows that this president is willing to put muscle behind his words and to use his power to intervene when the lives of good people are being ruined by bad laws,” said Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, Illinois Democrat, who has taken a leadership role on the issue since the death of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy in 2009.
* AGAIN... THE QUESTION OF WHICH LAWS ARE "GOOD" VS. "BAD" IS BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE PRESIDENT'S AUTHORITY ASIDE FROM THE INDIVIDUAL PARDON POWER. IF THE PRESIDENT - OR MR. GUTIERREZ - WANT A LAW CHANGED, IT'S THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO CHANGE THE LAW - IF THEY CAN - ACCORDING TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL PROCESS WE CALL (OR USED TO CALL) "THE RULE OF LAW."
Administration officials made the announcement just before Mr. Obama left for a long vacation out of Washington, and as members of Congress are back in their home districts.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BACK_TO_SCHOOL_PRICES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-19-10-27-42
Retailers are raising prices on merchandise an average of 10% across-the-board this fall in an effort to offset their rising costs for materials and labor.
* AND...
[R]etailers are trying to raise prices without tipping off unsuspecting customers.
(*SMIRK*)
"Let the consumer trickery begin," said Brian Sozzi, Wall Street Strategies retail analyst.
Retailers have long tried to mask price hikes - for instance, jacking them up more than needed so that they can offer a "sale" on the higher price. But the new strategies come as merchants' production and labor costs are expected to rise 10% to 20% in the second half of the year...
(*SIGH*)
Costs can quickly add up: Raw materials account for 25% to 50% of the cost of producing a garment, while labor ranges from 20% to 40%, analysts estimate.
Stores are trying everything they can think of to disguise the fact that you're going to pay more for clothes this fall. Some are using less fabric and calling it the new look. Others are adding cheap stitching and trumpeting it as a redesign. And the buttons on that blouse? Chances are you're not going to think it's worth paying several dollars more for the shirt just to have them. Stores already have passed along their rising costs to customers by raising prices on select items.
* O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A!
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/19/markets-forex-idUSN1E77I0TO20110819
The U.S. dollar...plunged to a record low against the yen [today].
* O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904070604576516703053922830.html?mod=WSJ_hps_RIGHTTopCarousel_1
After two decades of bipartisan tax policy, nearly half of all American households don't pay federal income taxes. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center in July pegged that number at 46% of U.S. households for this year.
Of the poorest 20% of American households, those earning less than $16,812 a year, 93.4% pay no income tax.
* WAIT FOR IT... WAIT FOR IT...
But even 30% of the middle class earning between $33,542 and $59,386 are exempt.
(*TEARING MY FRIGG'N REMAINING HAIR OUT*)
[T]he tax code has become too dependent on too few people [with] 60% of the income tax is paid by 5% of U.S. households, said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former Congressional Budget Office director . . . "We're going to have to have tax reform," he said. "The system is broken."
* THANKS, SHERLOCK! (*CHUCKLE*)
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