State Lawmakers Pump Up Pensions in ways YOU Can't

State Lawmakers Pump Up Pensions in ways YOU Can't: "A pension is calculated by multiplying the salary times the multiplier. That figure is then multiplied by the number of years in office. For a legislator retiring after 20 years with a $30,000 salary in a state with a 2% multiplier, the pension is:

"

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Obama Congressional Black Caucus Speech: Stop Complainin' And Fight

Obama Congressional Black Caucus Speech: Stop Complainin' And Fight: "WASHINGTON — In a fiery summons to an important voting bloc, President Barack Obama told blacks on Saturday to quit crying and complaining and "put on your marching shoes" to follow him into battle for jobs and opportunity.

And though he didn't say it directly, for a second term, too.

Obama's speech to the annual awards dinner of the Congressional Black Caucus was his answer to increasingly vocal griping from black leaders that he's been giving away too much in talks with Republicans -- and not doing enough to fight black unemployment, which is nearly double the national average at 16.7 percent.

"It gets folks discouraged. I know. I listen to some of y'all," Obama told an audience of some 3,000 in a darkened Washington convention center."

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Ohio House Bill 194 and Senate Bill 148: The Republican's Voter Disenfranchisement Plan | Corrente

Ohio House Bill 194 and Senate Bill 148: The Republican's Voter Disenfranchisement Plan | Corrente: "Find your state representative at the Ohio House of Representatives home page.

Find your state Senator at the Ohio Senate home page.

You will need your zip code and the 4 digit extension. When you get the Representative's name, click on it. That will bring you to their address, phone number or to a form to send an email.

Text of the bill is here.

More information from the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio is here.

The following notes were sent to me by an activist. Republished in full with a few formatting changes."

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John Boehner Jobs Speech Blasts Obama Plan, Rules Out Tax Increases

John Boehner Jobs Speech Blasts Obama Plan, Rules Out Tax Increases: "WASHINGTON -- House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) threw cold water on the prospect of passing President Obama's jobs bill during a speech on Thursday, casting doubt over the viability of longterm debt talks as well.

Addressing the Economic Club of Washington, Boehner called Obama's plan to create jobs, which includes a mix of tax incentives and state-targeted spending, a "poor substitute" for policies he views as more effective.

“Private-sector job creators of all sizes have been pummeled by decisions made in Washington. They’ve been slammed by uncertainty from the constant threat of new taxes, out-of-control spending, and unnecessary regulation from a government that is always micromanaging, meddling, and manipulating," said Boehner. “They’ve been hurt by a government that offers short-term gimmicks rather than fundamental reforms that will encourage long-term economic growth.""

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Reform underway — but it’s a Va. secret - The Washington Post

Reform underway — but it’s a Va. secret - The Washington Post: "GOV. ROBERT F. McDONNELL’S commission on reforming and restructuring state government in Virginia, billed as a blue-ribbon enterprise to smarten and streamline the way Richmond does business, has yielded some sane ideas, if not exactly earth-shattering ones.

Among its dozens of initiatives are measures to abolish perhaps a sixth of Virginia’s 300-odd boards and commissions; consolidate a half-dozen inspector general offices; centralize payroll and accounting functions; and eliminate some of the state’s toll-free phone numbers."

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Judge scolds Rep. Joe Walsh, orders him to prove he doesn’t owe back child-support - Chicago Sun-Times

Judge scolds Rep. Joe Walsh, orders him to prove he doesn’t owe back child-support - Chicago Sun-Times: "A judge in Chicago issued a preliminary ruling Wednesday against U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) in the Tea Party favorite’s child-support dispute with his ex-wife, ordering Walsh to explain why he appears to be $100,000 behind on his child-support payments.

Cook County Circuit Judge Raul Vega also wanted to know why Walsh wasn’t in court for the hearing — the McHenry Republican’s ex-wife, Laura Walsh was — and said he expects him to show up at the next hearing, in November.

Walsh’s new attorney, Janet Boyle, asked Vega “for what purpose” he wanted the congressman in court.

Vega gave her a puzzled look.

To which Boyle responded: “Mr. Walsh is a U.S. congressman.”"

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Rick Perry's Next Controversial Execution Comes Thursday

Rick Perry's Next Controversial Execution Comes Thursday: "Having devoted significant attention to Rick Perry's role in the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham, let's turn our attention to what could potentially be Rick Perry's next controversial execution -- Duane Edward Buck's, currently scheduled for Thursday. The Buck case, it should be noted, is dissimilar from the Willingham case in many vital ways -- the most important being that prosecutors proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Buck committed the 1995 double murder with which he was charged. Nevertheless, there are some interesting parallels.

The controversy in Buck's case stems from potential malpractice that occurred during the sentencing stage of his trial. Here, we kick things over to Tim Murphy of Mother Jones, who's been giving this matter considerable attention:"

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Another FAA shutdown? | WJLA.com

Another FAA shutdown? | WJLA.com: "With the airline industry headed for yet another bumpy ride, pilots and flight attendants lined up Wednesday, with harsh words for congress and a plea for action."" It's time to get it done, and we're serious about that, that's why we're coming to you, coming to the American public,” said Capt. Lee Moak, Air Line Pilots Association.

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Serial Killer Anthony Sowell's 'House Of Horrors' Condemned

Serial Killer Anthony Sowell's 'House Of Horrors' Condemned: "CLEVELAND -- The city has condemned the killing ground dubbed the "House of Horrors," a home where 11 women were murdered by a man who dumped their remains around his house and property.

The owner has until Oct. 2 to make repairs or face having the house demolished, mayoral press secretary Andrea Taylor said Friday in an email to The Associated Press.

The three-story frame house in an impoverished Cleveland neighborhood was the home of Anthony Sowell, who was convicted and sentenced to death last month for killing the 11 women, many of whom were living on the street and dealing with addiction problems."

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FACT CHECK: Perry, Romney twist records in debate - Yahoo! News

FACT CHECK: Perry, Romney twist records in debate - Yahoo! News: "WASHINGTON (AP) — When Mitt Romney and Rick Perry thumped their chests over their job-creation records as governor during the Republican presidential debate Wednesday night, they left the bad parts out.
Yes, employment has grown by more than 1 million since Perry took office in Texas. But a lot of those jobs are not well paid.
True, unemployment dropped to 4.7 percent when Romney was Massachusetts governor. But the state's employment growth was among the nation's worst.
A look at some of the claims in the debate, and how they compare with the facts:"

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Obama Jobs Plan: $447 Billion, More Than Half In Tax Cuts, To Be Paid For By Super Committee

Obama Jobs Plan: $447 Billion, More Than Half In Tax Cuts, To Be Paid For By Super Committee: "WASHINGTON -- Hoping to stem the tide of poor economic news and boost his falling poll numbers, President Barack Obama proposed a $447 billion jobs plan to Congress on Thursday evening.

Titled the American Jobs Act, the proposal includes more than $250 billion in tax incentives for small businesses and employers, according to administration estimates. The rest of the money would be devoted to infrastructure spending, state aid, unemployment insurance, and neighborhood rehabilitation. The president will pay for the proposal by asking the congressional super committee tasked with finding $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction to offset the cost of the package in their proposal."

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Regulations, taxes aren't killing small business, owners say | McClatchy

Regulations, taxes aren't killing small business, owners say | McClatchy: "WASHINGTON — Politicians and business groups often blame excessive regulation and fear of higher taxes for tepid hiring in the economy. However, little evidence of that emerged when McClatchy canvassed a random sample of small business owners across the nation.

"Government regulations are not 'choking' our business, the hospitality business," Bernard Wolfson, the president of Hospitality Operations in Miami, told The Miami Herald. "In order to do business in today's environment, government regulations are necessary and we must deal with them. The health and safety of our guests depend on regulations. It is the government regulations that help keep things in order.""

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Rove: Perry Holds 'Toxic' Views on Social Security - Olga Belogolova - NationalJournal.com

Rove: Perry Holds 'Toxic' Views on Social Security - Olga Belogolova - NationalJournal.com: "Karl Rove slammed GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry on ABC’s Good Morning America on Wednesday, calling his views on Social Security “toxic.”
In Perry’s book Fed Up!, which was released less than a year ago, he described Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme” and a “failure” that exists “at the expense of respect for the Constitution and limited government.”"

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Tea party, right blast Teamster president Hoffa’s remarks; Bachmann fundraises | The Ticket - Yahoo! News

Tea party, right blast Teamster president Hoffa’s remarks; Bachmann fundraises | The Ticket - Yahoo! News: "Tea party leaders and conservative critics are calling on the White House to denounce remarks made yesterday by International Brotherhood of Teamsters president James Hoffa. Hoffa's detractors contend that his comments called for violence against tea party members
During Hoffa's introduction Monday of President Obama at a Detroit, Mich., Labor Day rally, Hoffa likened union fights to a "war" and a "battle" between union workers and tea partiers, and described union supporters as Obama's "army."
"Everybody here has got a vote," Hoffa said. "If we go back and we keep the eye on the prize. Let's take these son-of-a-bitches out and give America back to America where we belong.""

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Obama preparing $300 billion jobs package - CNN.com

Obama preparing $300 billion jobs package - CNN.com: "Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama is preparing to roll out a roughly $300 billion plan to strengthen the shaky economy and stimulate new job growth, according to multiple Democratic sources.
The president is expected to unveil his plan -- focused partly on new infrastructure spending and targeted tax cuts -- during an address to a joint session of Congress Thursday evening.
"I'm going to propose ways to put America back to work that both parties can agree to, because I still believe both parties can work together to solve our problems," Obama said in a Labor Day speech in Detroit.
The plan's prospects in a sharply polarized Congress -- particularly with the 2012 presidential primary season looming -- appear murky at best. Some Republicans have already dismissed it, saying any proposal from the president will amount to little more than a continuation of what they characterize as his failed 2009 stimulus plan."

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Ron Paul adviser Jesse Benton baits Rick Perry - Alexander Burns - POLITICO.com

Ron Paul adviser Jesse Benton baits Rick Perry - Alexander Burns - POLITICO.com: "One of the more interesting — and potentially, in debate context, entertaining — rivalries of the 2012 race is the emerging tension between Ron Paul and Rick Perry. The two Texans have sniped at each other a bit in recent days and in a memo this morning, Paul adviser Jesse Benton suggests that the zingers against Perry's conservative bona fides are a preview of more to come:"

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Gaddafi Found Running for Republican Nomination « Borowitz Report

Gaddafi Found Running for Republican Nomination « Borowitz Report: "CONCORD, NH (The Borowitz Report) – The mystery surrounding Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s whereabouts was resolved today as the dictator announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in a town hall meeting in Concord, New Hampshire.

In announcing his candidacy, the Libyan madman joins a Republican field which is believed to number in excess of seven hundred candidates."

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Romney lays out comprehensive jobs, economic program - Politics Wires - MiamiHerald.com

Romney lays out comprehensive jobs, economic program - Politics Wires - MiamiHerald.com: "WASHINGTON -- Mitt Romney offered a detailed blueprint Tuesday for boosting the nation's ailing economy, a plan full of familiar Republican ideas such as keeping tax rates low, peeling back federal regulations, spurring domestic energy production and repealing the 2010 health care overhaul.

The former Massachusetts governor was trying to position himself as the moderate-to-conservative alternative to President Barack Obama, but as Republican presidential candidates prepare to debate Wednesday night in Simi Valley, Calif., serious questions remain about whether Romney's effort to portray himself as the field's common-sense business executive will translate into broader support.

He also faces doubts about whether his economic ideas, many of which mirror proposals from the George W. Bush administration, will help create jobs. The nation's unemployment rate remained 9.1 percent last month, and on balance, no new jobs were created."

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New Polls Find All-Time Lows For Obama, Congress

New Polls Find All-Time Lows For Obama, Congress: "WASHINGTON -- Two new polls released on Tuesday confirm that the summer's debt ceiling debate along with the drumbeat of bad economic news have taken a toll, yielding all-time low ratings of both President Barack Obama and Republicans in Congress and suggesting real peril for Obama in 2012. Obama's ratings are now lower than those for Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton at the same time in their presidencies."

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Obama Aide Discusses 2012 Campaign Strategy

Obama Aide Discusses 2012 Campaign Strategy: "WASHINGTON -– And so here we go: a gloomy campaign for a gloomy era, a political war framed by the combatants as an Armageddon-style struggle between the Ungodly and the Irrational.

Nearly three years ago, in a brief burst of sunshine on a chilly day, Barack Obama was inaugurated on the strength of his promise not only to represent, but bring about, “change we can believe in.”

But as he and the Republican field launch the active, above-ground phase of the 2012 presidential campaign, Obama’s strategists are planning to focus less on his record –- which is spotty at best -– than on what they regard as the frightening prospect of a Republican Party not only of wrong but medieval thinking."

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Jim DeMint: Sarah Palin 'Doesn't Appear' Likely To Run For President In 2012 (VIDEO)

Jim DeMint: Sarah Palin 'Doesn't Appear' Likely To Run For President In 2012 (VIDEO): "U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is weighing in on speculation swirling around whether Sarah Palin will run for president in the next election cycle.

The South Carolina senator told CBS News that "it doesn't appear" likely that the former Alaska governor is prepared to jump into the race for the Republican presidential nomination. He added, however, "She's done a lot, I think, to engage the American people and stir things up, which we really needed to do, to get American citizens more involved in the process. It made a big difference in the last election. My hope is it'll make an even bigger difference in the next election, as people take back their government.""

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