“Democrats have failed us. Republicans have failed us. No one is defending our interests.”
“Its time for us to stand up for ourselves. Its time for you to stand up for yourself.”
“…first step…occupy public spaces…”
All posts by Hutchins AAron
The U.S. IS a Police State: Gold dealers must go through police background check and be fingerprinted
The city of Nampa, Idaho, now requires people who sell precious metals to go through new “licensing” by getting a background check and be fingerprinted by police. They must also pay a fee for the cost of the new “licensing” procedure.
Nampa officials say the new process will help police with finding stolen property. Police will start checking dealers for compliance on July 1.
A Boise newspaper gave this police phone number for more info: 208-468-5615
What Economic Recovery? The U.S. was lagging behind Europe even before the Credit Crisis
Before the 2007-08 Credit Crunch Crisis the United States was far behind the European Union, when it came to new job creation.
According to a Fortune article, from 1999 to 2008 the EU created 14 million new jobs, while the U.S. created 8 million.
On top of that, once the economy started down the drain the United States lost more jobs than were lost in the EU. Percentage wise the EU and U.S. are around 9% unemployment (officially, unofficially the percentages are higher), but when you look at actual numbers the U.S. is leading the way down. As of December 2010, the difference in job losses, between the EU and U.S., are about 7 million.
Pacific Ring of Fire: 6.9 earthquake near Indonesia follows latest New Zealand quake
Several hours after New Zealand was hit with a series of quakes, the eastern islands of Indonesia were hit.
The U.S. Geological Survey reports a 6.2, but local officials are calling it a 6.9 earthquake. No tsunami warnings were issued.
What Economic Recovery? Obama spouts the neccesity of higher education, but Middle Class is now officially unable to pay for it
“We’re seeing further differentiation in incomes, with the rich get richer and the poor getting poorer. Meanwhile, the middle class often claims they’re too wealthy to get student aid, yet too poor to afford college.”-Mark Kantrowitz, FinAid.org and FastWeb.com
President Barack Obama is constantly stumping for higher education as a way to recover the U.S. economy, the problem is most people in the United States can’t afford to go.
According to a CNN/Money report (based on the findings of the College Board), tuition and fees have skyrocketed 130% in the past 20 years, while incomes for the majority of U.S. workers have stayed relatively the same. By the way a recent IRS report says the same thing about U.S. incomes.
In 2008 median income was $33,000, when adjusted for inflation that means the average person was making $400.00 less than in 1988 (I knew I wasn’t crazy).
In 2008 tuition and fees averaged $6,500 per year, which is 130% more than what they were in 1988.
What happened to financial aid? Obama ran for president partly on a promise to make more federal aid available. Didn’t happen. According to the College Group, the maximum federal aid (which includes loans, which should not be considered “aid” ’cause you have to pay it back) has remained stuck at 1992 levels; only $23,000 (by the way that “aid” is limited, so if you don’t get a ‘four year degree’ in ‘four’ years, which is actually the reality for many, you don’t get anymore federal “aid”).
Two trends have developed as a result: Families hell bent on their kids getting worthless degrees (I have one, from Idaho State University) are getting deeper into debt (isn’t that part of our country’s economic problems?). The other bigger trend is that people are delaying entry into college, or just saying “forget it, it ain’t worth it”.
Here’s a sobering thought: According to Mark Kantrowitz, the cost of higher education is such that many of today’s college students will still be paying their student loans when their children are college age! That is a sure sign that college is no longer “worth it”!
What Economic Recovery? Arby’s Sold
Wendy’s/Arby’s Group sold off its Arby’s restaurant, for $430 million. The new owner is Atlanta based Roark Capital Group.
Earlier in the year it was announced that if Arby’s sales didn’t improve, the fast food restaurant would be sold. The former Wendy’s/Arby’s Group still holds 15% of Arby’s stock. The CEO, Roland Smith, says they can now focus solely on the better performing Wendy’s fast food chain.
Smith says that any closing of Arby’s stores will involve those already slated to be closed, which will happen as leases expire. The deal with Roark Capital Group will result in changes for Arby’s, including a name change.
I can tell you that here in Chubbuck, Idaho, the Arby’s store has the lowest customer traffic of any of the national chain fast food restaurants.
Idaho State University hit with sanctions, major donor says ISU President “inflexible”
“There’s something very sick at that school, and Art Vailas I think is at the core of it. I was shocked when I heard about the potential for a vote of no confidence. I talked to Art several times about it. Art is not a very good listener. He’s very stubborn. He’s inflexible. It is his way or no way because he thinks he’s right. I told him never to call me anymore.”-Jim Rodgers, major Idaho State University donor, and former chancellor of higher education in Nevada
Jim Rodgers is a major donor to ISU, and he’s not happy with what’s been happening there. The Idaho State Board of Education ended the faculty’s bargaining ability by suspended the Faculty Senate, at the request of President Arthur Vailas.
Vailas, and his administrators, have been busy trashing ISU ever since they arrived a few years ago. It’s looks like it’s part of a plan by the state to reduce ISU’s ability to provide higher education.
For one thing student tuition and fees have skyrocketed, and classes have been cut. The reason given is always lack of money, but just a few weeks ago ISU announced they were buying an old factory building that was used to make medical products (aka Ballard Medical building).
The suspension of the Faculty Senate prompted a vote by the American Association of University Professors. They voted to sanction ISU, the largest university ever to be sanctioned by the AAUP. The vote was unanimous.
Former ISU Faculty Senate Chair, Phil Cole, says AAUP sanctions should be taken seriously, because they act as a warning to potential employers, and graduate schools, that the education program at ISU is ‘suspect’, and that “there is a fundamental flaw in a university and it could collapse.”
This might be part of the State Board of Education’s plans to end ISU as a four year university (which many of the state employees at ISU believe is the intention).
Pacific Ring of Fire: New Zealand hit with earthquakes
Christchurch, New Zealand was hit by a 5.5 quake, followed by a 6.0 aftershock, then by a 4.9.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quakes hit in the afternoon, June 13.
Christchurch was hit in February by a devastating 6.3 quake.
Even when turned ‘off’ your electronic appliances still use electricity. Has Japan solved that problem?
Even when turned ‘off’, most of your electronic appliances are still on. That’s because most appliances now contain tiny computers to remember settings, to run clocks, to sense your remote, etc.
Actually when you turn your electronics ‘off’ you’ve actually put them in a ‘standby mode’. This standby mode accounts for about 6 percent of household electricity use.
NEC and Tohoku University have developed a semiconductor to cut that standby power usage to zero. They say it uses a magnet, instead of electricity, to operate in standby mode. Unfortunately it will be a few more years before it hits the market, but they hope it will cut overall electricity usage by 25%.
Strontium 90 in ground water & Pacific Ocean
For the first time, Tokyo Electric Power Company says strontium 90 is contaminating ground water, and the Pacific Ocean.
Water samples that were taken on 16 and 18 May, 2011, are positive for strontium. Sample testing takes three weeks for results.
Three ocean inlets were tested on 16 May. The lowest reading was 53 times safe limits. The highest, 240 times, was taken at reactor 3 inlet.
Ground water samples were taken on 18 May. The highest reading was 6,300 becquerels per liter near reactor 2.
Strontium 90 is created during nuclear fission. It has a half life of 29 years and causes bone cancer.