Tag Archives: disaster

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Corporate Evil: Sears & Kmart connected to Romney’s Bain Capital! Bain Capital working with Carlyle Group!

News reports have been revealing that the Mitt Romney co-founded Bain Capital (and its affiliates) are behind many of the huge job layoffs in the United States, since the late 1980s.

Turns out that Bain Capital could be involved with the problems at Sears and Kmart!!!

In 2005, Vornado Realty Trust bought 7.5 million shares of Sears Canada. Vornado was also involved with Bain Capital in taking over Toys “R” Us, which  took over KB Toys resulting in 3,400 jobs lost.

Vornado also backed the take over of Sears by Kmart in 2005, leading to the creation of Sears Holdings Corporation.

Part of the recent list of Sears/Kmart store closings showed that several Sears stores were being converted into Kmart stores.  Is this just a Bain Capital inspired conspiracy to shut down Sears?

In another posting I showed how the demise of KB Toys, and the take over of Toys “R” Us, were part of the Mitt Romney style of ‘investing’ which results in net job losses.

In the early 1990s, Bain Capital, along with a company called Acadia Partners, bought the Coldwell Banker subsidiary from Sears.

Here’s the scary thing. In the short time I researched Romney’s creation, Bain Capital, it became clear that the so called investment company is involved in almost every corporation in the United States!

Bain Capital, along with dozens of other so called investment companies (including the infamous Carlyle Group) are systematically taking over and shutting down businesses in the United States.  Those shut downs are not based on the true performance of those companies, but on the personal desires of those involved in the so called investment companies (as I tried to explain in a previous posting). And it’s all about the money.

Of interest is the fact that Bain Capital’s 13F-HR filing, for June 2011, shows that it owns stocks in only five companies!  Their 13F-HR statement says those five companies make up 100% of their stock holdings. Pretty pathetic for such a prolific investment company!

Political Incompetence & Corporate Evil: CHRISTIAN/MORMON MITT ROMNEY CO-FOUNDED BAIN CAPITAL, WHICH HAS BEEN DESTROYING JOBS SINCE 1984! DESTROYED JOBS IN CHUBBUCK, IDAHO. DEMISE OF KB TOYS CONNECTED TO TOYS “R” US

Fukushima

Government Incompetence & What Economic Recovery? Think your taxes are bad here in the U.S.? Try 45% income tax and 10% sales tax, welcome to Japan!

The Japanese government is about to raise taxes on its already struggling population.  This after Japanese unemployment hit record high levels.

The national government is pushing for an increase in income tax, from the current 40% to 45%!  They want to push their low national sales tax from the current 5% to 10% by October 2015 (still low by European standards).

The reason is to raise money to help pay for reconstruction of areas hit by the quake/tsunami, and to help with deal with the ongoing Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.  I suspect that in the long run these tax hikes will only reduce consumer spending, helping to drive even more Japanese businesses away from Japan (that’s the reason for their record high unemployment).

The national government (the Diet) will vote on the tax reform plans after March 2012.

Fukushima

Global Food Crisis and Government & Corporate Incompetence: Fish catch down 70% off the coast of Fukushima, U.S. FDA misleads!

Fish catches, off the coast lines of Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures, is down 70%.  That’s from the beginning of April 2011 to the beginning of October 2011, compared to the same time last year.

Those three prefectures are the main fishing grounds for the local Japanese fishing industry.

The reasons are a combination of tsunami damage to ports (especially Miyagi, which was literally wiped out), and radiation contamination caused by Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.  Most fishermen had voluntarily stopped fishing over radiation concerns, but some continued to fish, only to find out a lot of their catch was contaminated after it arrived at fish markets.

Contrary to the reassuring statements on the U.S. FDA website, there is no standardized Japanese government testing of fish (or any food product) for radiation contamination. Most contamination was (and still is being) found by private citizens groups, or local governments who acted on their own volition.

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Health insurance rates in Idaho could go up more than 10%, thank you ObamaCare

Two insurance companies, that are part of Milwaukee based Assurant Health, have notified that Idaho Department of Insurance, that they will jack up rates by more than 10% in 2012.

Those two operations are John Alden Life Insurance and Time Insurance.  They’ve both filed rate increases of 13%!

This is part of the 2010 health care reforms, commonly known as ObamaCare.  Under the reforms an insurance plan that went into effect after September 1, can be subject to such rate increases.

The 2010 reforms actually allow insurance companies to jack up their rates as long as they can make a convincing case.  Some of the many accepted excuses are age and if you smoke.  Now how is that supposed to keep costs to consumers down?

To find out if your insurance plan (if you even have one) is jacking up your rates you can check companyprofiles.healthcare.gov.

 

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2011/12/29/1932970/2-idaho-health-insurers-file-rate.html#storylink=cpy

Business/Economics, Technology, U.S.

Corporate Incompetence: Verizon will charge you $2 extra when you pay your wireless bill, blame the too big to fail banks

Beginning January 15, 2012, Verizon will charge you and extra $2 when you pay your wireless bill over the phone or online using a debit or credit card.

You can avoid the charge by using an e-check, or signing up for AutoPay.

Verizon officials say the charge is to make up for what they are charged by the credit and debit card companies (that’s right, businesses get charged fees every time you use a credit or debit card).

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Sears post partial list of store closings. Idaho, Oregon, Colorado & Washington makes the list

It’s only been two days since Sears Holdings announced they were closing up to 120 Sears and Kmart stores, and now they have named 79 of those stores.

I already explained why their Chubbuck and Pocatello, Idaho stores could be closed.

Sears store in Lewiston Center Mall, Lewiston, Idaho, makes this initial list of 79 closings.  The list does not provide details on any timeline for closing.

Some regional media sources have stated that other stores in the area “escaped” the list, however the list is only 79 of as many as 120 total closings (and it could be more).

Other Pacific Northwest Sears stores that made this early list are in Roseburg, Oregon, Longmont, Colorado and Walla Walla, Washington.  Also, the Kmarts in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and Spokane, Washington will be closed.

Also, a Sears store in Denver, Colorado, that was formerly a Kmart store, will be converted back into a Kmart store.

You can find out more by going to www.searsholdings.com and looking under their media tools section.

 

International, Technology

Military Incompetence: Russian Delta class Nuclear submarine on fire in Arctic

The Russian Emergency Ministry is reporting that a K-84 type nuclear powered submarine is on fire, after wooden scaffolding around the sub caught fire.

The Delta class sub is in a shipyard in the Murmansk region.  Crews are currently trying to put out the fire.  The Emergency Ministry says radiation levels are normal, the fire is external and so far is not affecting the reactor inside the sub.

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Rick Snyder proves who he works for; Corporate America, not you! Unemployed workers are screwed over while Corporations get more tax breaks!

Tied for “Most Unpopular Governor in the United States”, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, along with the State’s Legislature, proved who they really represent; Corporate America.

For 2011 Synder has signed into law, bills passed by Michigan’s lawmakers, which favor corporations and attack unemployed people!

Those laws cut unemployment assistance from a maximum of 26 weeks down to 20 weeks.  Some unemployed people will get only a maximum of 10 weeks of assistance!!!

At the same time corporations operating in Michigan now get at least $1.7 billion in new tax breaks!!!  That about $30 in new corporate tax breaks for every one dollar cut from Michigan’s social services.

If you think about it, how is cutting corporate taxes by far more than what you cut from government programs gonna help the state government’s budget problems?

 

 

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Fukushima to be turned into giant nuclear waste dump!

Struggling to figure out what to do with the ever increasing nuclear waste, caused by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster reactors, the Japanese government has decided to dump it in Fukushima.

The county of Futaba, in Fukushima Prefecture, is being asked to allow eight of its cities to become nuclear waste dumps.  The official reasoning is that area is already contaminated (currently it suffers the equivalent of 100 millisieverts of radiation per year).

Of course this would mean that those people still living in the area would have to leave, and the national government will pay for occupying the land.

Many people in the area are upset, and disillusioned with their national government, because immediately after the March nuclear accidents, they were told, by national government officials, that the situation wasn’t that bad and they would all be returning to their homes soon.

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Japanese trees now highly radioactive, a new twist on pollen allergies!

Japan’s Forestry Agency tested male cedar tree flowers, in Fukushima Prefecture, and discovered extreme levels of contamination: More than 250,000 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium!

The forestry Ministry took samples from 87 locations between November and December.  The highest level, 253,000 becquerels of cesium per kilogram, were discovered at Omaru in the town of Namie, 11.3 kilometers (7 miles) from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Now realize that pollen is blown through the air, meaning highly radioactive pollen is blowing throughout Japan!

Japan’s Environment Ministry says as much as 2,207 grains per cubic meter, of radioactive pollen, is being blown around. However, the Forestry Ministry is trying to downplay the spread of radiation through pollen, by saying if people breath it for 4 months they would be exposed to 0.553 microsieverts of radiation.  Officials claim this is equivalent to ten times the normal background radiation found in Tokyo.  Mmm, they’re not concerned with that?