Space Coast Working News Headlines 11/29/2010 Monday

I'd vote for a dog before I'd vote for a Democat or a Repug

High-paying jobs scant outside KSC

www.floridatoday.com/article/20101128/NEWS01/11280317/1086/
That's hurt a lot of us. They are expecting twice as much as anyone on this side of the river is willing to pay," Mike Werner, vice president for special projects/program management at Titusville-based Knight's Armament Co., said. Werner is prepared to wait to hire former space industry workers until their bank accounts match the reality of the Brevard job market. He said he tells them to "come back in six or seven months" when they really need the job.
Taxpayers, local economy winners
www.floridatoday.com/article/20101128/COLUMNISTS0219/101126017/1004/OPINION/Taxp...
The short answer to this question is yes, for three reasons:
It does not increase project cost, ensures a quality project is built and it benefits the local community.
Blair Mountain Thanksgiving: Massey vs. Coal Miners
blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/11/24/blair-mountain-thanksgiving-massey-vs-co...
As New Zealand mourns the loss of 29 coal miners, every American coal miner–and every American who relies on coal-fired energy in 48 states–should be thankful for the Blair Mountain battlefield and the unending labor union struggles for basic human rights and workplace safety.
Irish Austerity Plan Stirs Dublin Protest
www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/world/europe/28dublin.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=a25
The protests centered on a mile long march along the banks of the River Liffey in central Dublin to the General Post Office building on O’Connell Street, the site of the battle between Irish republican rebels and British troops in the Easter Uprising in 1916 — an iconic event that many in Ireland regard as the tipping point in Ireland’s long struggle for independence.
Florida's medical loss rations
www.heraldtribune.com/article/20101128/OPINION/11281018/2198/OPINION?Title=Flori...
With one of every five Floridians lacking health insurance, the state government should welcome the opportunities presented by the federal health care reform law.
Jobless benefits may run out soon for many Floridians  
articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-11-26/business/os-jobless-benefits-20101126_1_...
For the more than 100,000 Floridians receiving extended unemployment benefits from the federal government, the next few weeks are going to seem familiar — stressful, but familiar.
Gov.-elect Rick Scott’s team embraces ‘free market’  
www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/nov/27/rick-scott-florida-governor-economic-adviser...
NAPLES — Promising to slash taxes, cut government and create 700,000 new jobs along the way, Florida Gov.-elect Rick Scott campaigned as an unapologetic economic conservative and champion of the free market.
Drawing the line on tax breaks - Sen. Bernie Sanders -
www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/45359.html
The billionaires are on the warpath. They want more, more, more. The top 1 percent now controls more wealth than the bottom 90 percent combined. Not enough!
Legislature has lots of millionaires - Florida -
www.miamiherald.com/2010/11/24/1942672/legislature-has-lots-of-millionaires.html
A News Service of Florida review of financial disclosure reports filed by lawmakers shows that almost half of the Florida Senate and more than one-third of state House members have a net worth topping $1 million.
Unions work to represent 43,000 TSA screeners
www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=165377888632&topic=14637
The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) on Nov. 12 granted requests from the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) to hold an election at TSA. AFGE expects the election to be held in early 2011.

Don't peddle so fast Mr. Butterball, you're on a one way trip!

Space Coast Working News 11/24/2010

Wall Street Dares to Indulge Itself Again

dealbook.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/signs-of-swagger-wallets-out-wall-st-dares-to-ce...
Exuberance made a comeback this year at Josh Koplewicz’s annual Halloween party. More than 1,000 people packed into a 6,000-square-foot space at the Good Units night club in Manhattan, a substantially larger crowd than in the last several years. The open bar was sponsored by Russian Standard vodka, and Mr. Koplewicz, an investment analyst at Goldman Sachs, was able to snag a big headliner: the hip-hop star Lil’ Kim, who performed dressed in a black cat costume.
Charities and unemployed brace for rough season with benefits set to expire |
www.heraldtribune.com/article/20101121/ARTICLE/11211071/2416/NEWS?Title=Charitie...
More than 11,000 jobless people in Sarasota and Manatee counties will have their unemployment benefits terminated or phased out beginning next month, further straining Southwest Florida charities that have been overwhelmed by the staggering economy
Dec. 7: Show Your Solidarity with Long-Term Jobless Work
blog.aflcio.org/2010/11/22/dec-7-show-your-solidarity-with-long-term-jobless-wor...
Congress left town for Thanksgiving break without taking any action to renew emergency unemployment insurance (UI) for 800,000 long-term job seekers. By the time Congress gets back to work, a million people could be without insurance to feed their families or pay their bills. Some 2 million people will lose their UI by the end of this year.
Barack Obama: Kokomo proves auto bailout worked
www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/45546.html
KOKOMO, Ind. — In what could be a preview of their 2012 reelection campaign, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden toured a revived auto plant here, tweaking their critics and claiming vindication for the administration’s controversial decision to bail out the financially strapped auto industry last year.
The tragedy of how the richer made us poorer
www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/the-tragedy-of-how-the-richer-made-us-poorer/11...
Why do you think John Boehner and Mitch McConnell are so intent on renewing the Bush tax cuts for the richest 2 percent of Americans when they know it will bust another $700 billion hole in our national treasury over 10 years and prove their hypocrisy on fiscal responsibility?
Economic History Shows Clearly That Tax Cuts for Rich Hurt the Economy
www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-creamer/economic-history-shows-cl_b_786643.html?ut...
Right-wing politicians and pundits carry on repeatedly about how wrong it would be to raise taxes on the rich in a time of economic downturn. Wrong.
There Will Be Blood
www.nytimes.com/2010/11/22/opinion/22krugman.html?_r=1
So here’s what the very serious Mr. Simpson said on Friday: “I can’t wait for the blood bath in April. ..
Maintenance worker killed during South Beach eviction
www.floridatoday.com/article/20101122/BREAKINGNEWS/101122021/1086/
A building maintenance worker helping police serve an eviction notice was shot and killed by the tenant at a South Beach waterfront complex this morning, Miami-Dade police have confirmed.
Garbage man injured as oxygen tanks explode
www.floridatoday.com/article/20101122/BREAKINGNEWS/101122020/1086/
ORLANDO — A Central Florida sanitation worker was injured when he threw discarded oxygen tanks into a trash compactor and they exploded.

How many Cats does it take to change a light bulb

Amy Siskind: How the GOP Blew it on the Paycheck Fairness Act -- and Who the Biggest Cowards Were

www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-siskind/how-the-gop-blew-it-on-th_b_785194.html?utm_s...
Well, it didn't take long. The Republican Party was handed a historic opportunity with women. For the first time since the advent of exit polling data in 1982, women voters favored the GOP in the 2010 election. A rather shocking occurrence given that just two short years ago, President Obama had a 14 point advantage with women. What does the GOP do with this historic opportunity? Blow it

Facebook | FIREFIGHTERS PARTNER WITH TOYS FOR TOTS AND SALVATION ARMY FOR HOLIDAY TOY COLLECTION

www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=165377888632&topic=14590
FIREFIGHTERS PARTNER WITH TOYS FOR TOTS AND SALVATION ARMY FOR HOLIDAY TOY COLLECTION
by Palm Bay Fire Rescue on Friday, November 19, 2010 at 10:04am

Palm Bay firefighters union files labor complaints | floridatoday.com | FLORIDA TODAY

www.floridatoday.com/article/20101119/NEWS01/11190324/1086/
The International Association of Firefighters Local 2446 sent four complaints Wednesday via overnight delivery to the Florida Public Employees Relations Committee, the state board that oversees disputes with public employees and the unions that represent them.

Wonk Room » Bankers Association Looking Forward To ‘Better Outcomes’ From The Incoming Republican House

wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/11/14/bankers-assoc-better/
“It is hard to believe, he told the crowd, that some in their industry were still giving more to Democrats than Republicans after, he said, Democrats hammered them with over-reaching Wall Street reform legislation,” Politico reported.

The day they set Jim Larkin Free- Black 47
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIJAcV7oDas
Look up at the stars, throw the light into dark places
You can’t see the heavens above
When you’re down there on your knees

Go on nail me for treason - arrest me for conspiracy
But i know it’s no crime to desire
That my people should be free

Pence Bill Would Strip Fed of "Maximum Employment" Mandate - Blog - OpenCongress

www.opencongress.org/articles/view/2109-Pence-Bill-Would-Strip-Fed-of-Maximum-Em...
On Tuesday, Republican Conference Chairman Rep. Mike Pence [R, IN-6] introduced H.R. 6406, a bill “to amend the Federal Reserve Act to remove the mandate on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Open Market Committee to focus on maximum employment.” Sen. Bob Corker [R, TN], an influential member of the Senate Banking Committee, quickly backed the idea.

Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com

www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/07/27/dougherty.illegal.irish.immigrants.cnn
The number of illegal Irish immigrants is increasing due to the economy and lack of visas

FIRE OF FREEDOM LYRICS by 47 Black

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWcylB0Fiyo
you can break down my door, you can even strip search me
never gonna take away my human dignity
beat me, shoot me, flame keep on burnin'
never gonna put out the fire of freedom

Phys Ed: The Workout Enigma - NYTimes.com

well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/phys-ed-the-workout-enigma/?ref=magazine
Recently, researchers in Finland made the discovery that some people’s bodies do not respond as expected to weight training, others don’t respond to endurance exercise and, in some lamentable cases, some don’t respond to either.

Put the cat nip down, now!

Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson: It's Party Time on Wall Street, But Americans Face the Hangover

www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-s-hacker-and-paul-pierson/its-party-time-on-wall-st...
The Congressional Oversight Panel set up to police the reckless financial institutions aided by the federal bailout of 2008 has just released an alarming report on the foreclosure mess. It concludes that "companies servicing $6.4 trillion in American mortgages may have bypassed legally required steps to foreclose on a home," with the possible consequence that "the housing market could experience even greater disruptions than have already occurred, resulting in significant harm to major financial institutions."

Alan Grayson: Five Things The Rich Can Do With Their Tax Cuts (VIDEO)

www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/18/alan-grayson-five-things-_n_785657.html
WASHINGTON -- Alan Grayson (D-Florida) wants everyone to know that he is not in favor of extending the Bush cuts for the wealthy, which would average out to about $83,347 a year for each person in the top 1 percent of the U.S. income bracket. To drive his point home, he made a list for lawmakers on the House floor Wednesday night of the many ways those "high and mighty" individuals making an average of $1.4 million a year will be able to use that extra cash.

The Lame Direction of the Lame Duck | OurFuture.org

www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2010114619/lame-direction-lame-duck
Nearly 2 million U.S. workers are facing premature elimination of federally-funded unemployment benefits if Congress doesn't act by November 30. Yet the talk dominating Washington, D.C. these days is about extending George Bush's tax giveaway to the rich. Really?

The Recession Is Not Over - NYTimes.com

www.nytimes.com/2010/11/19/opinion/19fri2.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=a211
The Times’s Sabrina Tavernise recently reported on new Census data showing that in 2010, the number of children living with a grandparent rose sharply for the second year in a row, to 7.5 million. That is 10 percent of children under 18, up from about 8 percent from the years before the recession

Capitol Hill wealth? No recession there | jacksonville.com

2
jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-11-19/story/capitol-hill-wealth-no-recession-there
The top five were Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., with holdings exceeding $303.5 million; Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., with $293.4 million; Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., at $238.8 million; Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., at $174.3 million; and Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., at $160.9 million.

GOP's Top Tax Guy: Republicans Will Block Permanent Middle-Class Tax Cut | TPMDC

tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/11/gops-top-tax-guy-republicans-will-block-perm...
The Republicans' top tax guy in the House threatened in the clearest possible terms today that he and the rest of the GOP would vote to block any tax cut for the middle class during the lame duck session unless tax cuts for the wealthy are extended for the same period of time.

Marian Wright Edelman: The Threat of Persistent Poverty

www.huffingtonpost.com/marian-wright-edelman/the-threat-of-persistent_b_784114.h...
As the economic downturn lingers, a striking characteristic is just how widespread its impact still is. Recent reports state that more Americans are now living in poverty in the suburbs than in cities -- a trend that has increased dramatically during the recession

Let's not worry about who killed who

AFL-CIO NOW BLOG | Nominate Your Choice for ‘Scrooge of the Year’

blog.aflcio.org/2010/11/15/nominate-your-choice-for-scrooge-of-the-year/
It’s the holiday season and time once again to say “bah humbug” to the most cold-hearted and greedy CEOs, corporations and politicians who exemplify the spirit of Ebenezer Scrooge.

New England firms face steep fines for hiring illegal workers - The Boston Globe

www.boston.com/yourtown/boston/fenway_kenmore/articles/2010/11/15/new_england_fi...
The fines rose from just $14,534 in fiscal year 2008 to $118,000 this year in New England alone.Those penalties are the result of a major shift last year in the Obama administration’s immigration strategy. Instead of the dramatic, large-scale raids that snagged hundreds of illegal immigrants, including at a New Bedford factory

Clyde W. Summers Dies at 91 - Advocated Democracy in Labor Unions - NYTimes.com

www.nytimes.com/2010/11/12/business/12summers.html?_r=1&src=busln
When two dissenters in the painters union were murdered in the San Francisco area in 1966 after they denounced sweetheart contracts, Mr. Summers became a leader on a committee demanding justice

How to Make the Dollar Sound Again - NYTimes.com

www.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/opinion/14grant.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&nl=todaysheadl...
BY disclosing a plan to conjure $600 billion to support the sagging economy, the Federal Reserve affirmed the interesting fact that dollars can be conjured. In the digital age, you don’t even need a printing press.

General Motors IPO Attractively Priced -- Seeking Alpha

seekingalpha.com/article/236571-general-motors-ipo-attractively-priced?source=em...
There has been a 50% loss on the government's $50 billion bailout "investment." At the mid-point of the price range, the government's value is $25 billion = 50% loss. The government has been "repaid" $6.7 billion, but that was by borrowing from another government fund which doesn't count -- in other words, borrowing from Peter to pay Paul.

AFL-CIO NOW BLOG | NFL Players to Join 

State Federations

blog.aflcio.org/2010/11/12/nfl-players-to-join-state-federations/

It happens too often. Workers become more productive, 

often risking serious injury on the job,  and make the owners more money.

But instead of sharing the wealth, the owners demand givebacks

 and threaten to shut down the company if the workers don’t agree.

Issa to Push for Postal Service Changes -

 NYTimes.com

thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/12/issa-to-push-for-postal-service-changes/

“This loss only underscores the urgent need for the Postal Service to trim

 its operating costs  to match revenues,” Mr. Issa said in a statement.

 “Congress has an obligation to ensure that effective solutions are 

implemented and taxpayers don’t get stuck paying for a bailout.”

Honoring Our Veterans in 2010

2

www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/11/veterans_2010.html

Homelessness
2,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have so far received

 help from the Department of Veterans Affairs'  homeless outreach program

 107,000 veterans are homeless on any given night,  according to 2009

 estimates from the Veterans Administration. About one-third of homeless

 adult Americans are veterans,  only about one-tenth of all adults are veterans.

Republicans Turn Against Their Own

 Health Reform Proposals

www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/11/health_care_gop_proposals.html

Congressional Republicans are threatening to repeal the

 Affordable Care Act,  the recently passed health care reform law.

 But President Barack Obama  pointed out on “60 Minutes” Sunday night

 that the law is very similar to  Republican Gov. Mitt Romney’s

 health reform law in Massachusetts.  And it turns out the law reflects 

many other ideas that enjoyed Republican support in the past.

 Here are 10 of those ideas.

I smell a rat!

Matt Reed: Veto override could kill windstorm rule | floridatoday.com | FLORIDA TODAY

www.floridatoday.com/article/20101109/COLUMNISTS0207/11090319/1086/
House and Senate Republicans want to repeal a requirement that home sellers in coastal counties such as Brevard disclose their properties' "windstorm mitigation ratings" to buyers starting in 2011

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans - Women Veterans

www.nchv.org/women.cfm
Women Veterans
The following resources are provided to steer you toward organizations and agencies that have programs to help homeless women veterans. You should also seek assistance from your local Department of Social or Human Services. Check your local phone book for contact information.

3 Strange Things About The GM IPO : Planet Money : NPR

www.npr.org/blogs/money/2010/11/04/131074939/3-strange-things-about-the-gm-ipo&s...
1. The U.S. government is going to sell at a loss.

Extra NASA funds unsure after election | floridatoday.com | FLORIDA TODAY

www.floridatoday.com/article/20101105/NEWS02/101105001/1086/
Congress will make spending decisions in November and December, when Democrats will still be in control. But the Republicans who take over in January campaigned on rolling back spending to 2008 levels. Congress will make spending decisions in November and December, when Democrats will still be in control. But the Republicans who take over in January campaigned on rolling back spending to 2008 levels.