In a recent speech, Safe School czar Kevin Jennings’ boyfriend, Jeff Davis, commented on Jennings past activities in a Gay group called ACT, and mentioned the fundraiser they held for Obama in their home. From Liberty Post:
Sen. Barack Obama waded deep into Clinton territory Thursday evening at a private LGBT fundraiser in New York City where the price of admission was $2,300 per person. Held at the apartment of GLSEN founder and executive director Kevin Jennings and his partner, Jeff Davis, the event drew about 125 people and raised $170,000. No press were admitted, but based on several accounts, attendees were struck by the Illinois senator’s candor as well as his fluency with LGBT issues.
Here is a photo taken as Obama spoke:
See Davis’ comments, and more of Jennings, at http://www.massresistance.org/docs/gen/09d/kevin_jennings/act_up/index.html
Regardless of one’s thoughts or views on homosexuality, there is absolutely no justification for Kevin Jennings having any role in our government or any organization that affects the policies of educating our children.
How many healthcare plans do you have to choose from when shopping for insurance? Go ahead and search the internet, I’ll wait……
Now, go here: http://www.opm.gov/INSURE/HEALTH/ click on compare plans, type in your zip code, and include nationwide plans. That’s how many more plans your local federal employees have to choose from.
Earlier, when I asked you to search the web for healthcare plans, how many of those were nationwide plans? Zero, right? Now, how many were nationwide for your local federal employees? For my location it was somewhere between 11 & 17.
So, by allowing true competition for federal health benefits, federal employees are able to choose from an array of plans from across the country. But us normal folk have to choose from plans in our little area. We can’t even shop in neighboring states for insurance.
Let’s face it: the left in D.C. that are pushing for a public option are really pushing for a single-payer system. But they fail to properly disclose who’s going to fund this takeover. First, they’ll make an estimated $500 billion in cuts to Medicare (cut Medicare to pay for an expanded Medicare system…makes perfect sense). Next, there will be an incremental surtax on incomes in excess of $250,000, I believe up to or starting at 5.4% (remember, in 2007 the top 1% of earners paid a tax rate of 22.45%, so a 5.4% increase takes them to 27.85%. Just over a quarter of their income).
But let’s be honest. The true cost, even according to CBO, will be a 10% or more increase in premiums. Don’t worry, though. The government will give you subsidies to offset the increase.
The really scary part? There are several actually. 1. The government will get involved in your hcr decisions. There’s no way around that. 2. Zeke Emmanuel (sp?) and John Holdren are on record describing how best to ration hcr in an emergency situation. People between the ages of 15-40 would get service first (because they’re the productive members of society), everybody else later. But who determines emergency situations? Why, the government of course.
But I’m a hate monger, a Nazi, a holocaust denier because I raise valid concerns over a government takeover of yet another industry. No one argues the facts I bring up. They only throw out the vague “we have to do something” or start the name calling. I agree we need to do something, but shouldn’t that something be Constitutional?
On Friday, as the chief negotiator for the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) remarked, the government ‘changed its mind’ about a deal with ICTU which would have seen public service employees taking 12 days unpaid leave (though the reports had been ambivalent as to whether these days were to be taken during 2010 or whether they could be stretched to a number of years). Earlier in the week the parties had let it be known that a deal on this and related matters was near, and on the strength of that ICTU called off the strike that had been planned for this Thursday.
It is slightly difficult to get a clear picture of what had been on offer before it was rejected. It seems that the unpaid leave idea was being discussed (and may have been agreed), but no commentator could see how that could save anything like the sum of money needed to allow the government to cut its costs by the €4 billion needed to move the country towards economic health. In fact, the anticipated agreement was roundly criticised by almost everyone other than the trade unions themselves and the Labour Party; government backbenchers, the Fine Gael opposition, employers, newspapers all criticised the expected deal as a caving in to the unions that would fail to deliver the necessary savings.
It seems from recent developments that there is now an appetite in the country to get the national finances under control. It seems unlikely to me that a return to planned strikes will work well for the trade unions. And given events this week, the question must arise as to whether the social partnership model will survive here. In fact, social partnership was vital in the last period of Irish economic regeneration in the late 1980s, as it produced industrial peace and far higher levels of productivity throughout the 1990s and the early years of this decade. It worked because the diagnosis of all the parties, including government, employers and trade unions, was on the whole similar and the solutions were widely accepted, even where they were bound to be painful. There are few signs that these attitudes still prevail today, and so it seems increasingly inevitable that social partnership will not provide the government with cover as it moves to recreate our economic model.
I have a suspicion – which may turn out to be wrong – that this breakdown in talks will re-ignite militancy in some trade union circles, and that there will be pressure to return to demonstrations and strike action. If this happens, it will produce very little public sympathy, I suspect, and may do long term damage to the trade unions. I hope this is not how it goes, as Ireland continues to need a resourceful and intelligently led union movement. Or at least I still think so.
In an address to community leaders and the media at the Statesville Civic Center, Hermínio Freitas, CEO of Brazilian-based nonwoven fabrics manufacturer Companhia Providência Industria e Comercio, today re-affirmed his company’s commitment to building its first North American manufacturing facility at a site in Statesville, North Carolina, and announced construction would begin immediately, with an official groundbreaking ceremony planned for early next year.
Providência USA first announced plans for the new plant — which will be situated on 43 acres at the West Industrial Park north of I-40 — in September of 2008, with the expectation it would be completed and in operation by mid-2009. The project, however, was delayed by the onset of the global economic downturn in the months following the announcement.
In his comments today, Mr. Freitas expressed confidence in the rebound of the North American economy and indicated that the time is now right to increase production capacity for this market. “This announcement further underscores the company’s plans for expansion. For some time now we have been examining the company’s structure and consequently its capacity; but with the world financial crisis we had put new investments on hold. In the past few quarters, we have noticed the increase in demand and the resumption of this project will be instrumental in meeting this need, increasing our production capacity to 100 thousand tons per year.”
The announcement was greeted enthusiastically by community leaders:
“At the revised investment and jobs levels, Providência USA still represents the largest new capital project in Statesville in more than a decade. We certainly understand and are sympathetic to the economic conditions that lead to delaying the start of construction and the changes in capital investment. We are happy that the company never lost confidence that Statesville was the right place and continued to work with us to find the right time,” said Greater Statesville Development Corporation Chairman Bill Leach. “This announcement, on top of two recent business expansion announcements, are signs of an improving local economy.”
Godfrey Williams, Chairman of the Iredell County Board of Commissioners echoed Leach’s sentiment; “Given the recent uptick in unemployment figures county-wide, these new, high-paying jobs will be essential. Hopefully, Providência will begin a new season of industrial announcements that will help put the unemployed of Iredell County back to work.”
With this announcement, Providência brings its 46 year track record of quality products and respect for customers, suppliers, employees and shareholders to the Greater Statesville business community, a point of emphasis for Statesville Mayor Costi Kutteh, “We have continued to work diligently with Providência and others during these tough times. We are glad that this great company has made its decision to be a part of the Statesville family. The jobs and investment Providência is bringing will provide a tremendous boost to our economy and remind the entire world that Statesville is open for business.”
The Greater Statesville Development Corporation would like to recognize the following partners in this significant announcement for our community: the City of Statesville, Iredell County, PSNC, Electricities of North Carolina, the NC Department of Commerce, the NC Community College System, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Alexander Railroad, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the One North Carolina Fund and the Greater Statesville Area Committee of 100.
How do you get 6.2 million people up every morning, feed them, send them to work or school, and put a roof over their heads every night in a country where the average income of a worker is around $800 a year? Then answer is easy. Hard work, sacrifice, innovation, and an entrepreneurial spirit that is partially survival instinct, and mostly hope.
In Hanoi it is easy to be confused while walking down a main street where many shops offer the latest in wide screen TVs and mobile phone technology, while navigating sidewalks busy with vendors trying to scrape a living by selling used books and bowls of dumplings.
We’ve been here before. Guangzhou in the early 1990s. Ulaanbaatar in the 1990s. Jakarta. Locations that are now littered with a Starbucks on every street corner, Mercedes Benz jamming the streets, and a hunger for opulence that has literally flipped the economy and quality of life on its back.
Does Hanoi have the same opportunity and appetite for success as other Asian countries? The intellectual and institutional tools to make s it happen?
Absolutely.
In the 1900s foreign tech companies would go to China to set up shop. Most had a twisted idea that if they sold a comb to one billion Chinese they would become wealthy, but others saw the potential of China as a place to build new business, and new business models not possible in their home countries. In the telecom business we found university graduates with strong backgrounds in math, science, and physics – but had never actually touched a laptop computer or telecom switch.
Within a few months, with their strong academic training, the Chinese employees were overtaking their (in our case) American counterparts in both understanding the technology we were deploying, but also having a view into the future that was not nurtured in our home offices.
As a company we made the decision to let the China-based branch offices of our company loose to develop new products, software, and services based roughly on our company’s target market. The China office blew past our home office vision, and led the company into new areas of business that ultimately changed our entire service line – until we were eventually throttled back due to our business being contributed into a merger.
I see the same intelligence, capability, and burning hunger for success in Hanoi. The university graduates I meet are smart, really smart. Unlike the 1990s in China, Hanoi (and I assume many parts of Vietnam) already have some access to Internet technology. Very low cost Internet cafes dot the city, and a peek into the café reveals users are not playing games – rather they are using Facebook and other social media to communicate with expatriate relatives and friends, as well as making new contacts around the world.
Well-educated, and globalized.
Prioritizing Hanoi
There are several arguments possible on where and how Hanoi should focus their innovative efforts. The city infrastructure is appalling. Raw sewage floats down the sidewalks and street where children are playing. Tens of thousands of scooters spew CO2 into the air. Low quality coal is used in homes for cooking and heat, spewing terrible levels of particulate into the air, as well as increasing the potential of illness due to CO2 poisoning in the home.
Clean water is also a commodity, and there is no assurance even tap water meets minimum international standards for health.
High voltage power lines are frequently running along the top of city sidewalks, and bundles of telephone and power cables drape their way across streets and intersections creating a situation that makes you pray there are no typhoons, earthquakes, or even irresponsible lorry (truck) drivers that may cause one of the utility poles to tumble into a crowded public space.
So the dilemma – should a city like Hanoi focus all its effort on rebuilding city infrastructure, or jumping into the 22nd century exploiting the capacity of their youth? Rhetorical? Maybe. Necessary? Definitely.
My suggestion would be to let the international agencies work with government to develop a strategy to rebuild the city’s infrastructure, and let the private sector develop the youth of Vietnam to build the basis for an economy and society for the next generation.
It would be a tragedy to force the youth of Hanoi, or any other developing country, to miss the opportunities of living in a global social and economic future driven by technology – and be forced to look forward to a life of selling used books to foreigners standing outside of the Hanoi Opera House, scraping enough money out of the sympathies of passing tourists, to find enough money to buy food to live through the next day.
Maybe there is a place for both. Maybe the youth can be trained to develop technologies that will help rebuild Vietnam’s infrastructure. The only problem that arises is that building infrastructure does not build products, provide exports, or support a market economy – it is merely a national cost center in a country that clearly is not in a position to afford a US-style deficit.
Back to the Future
But, when walking past an elementary school it is easy to become excited at the future of Hanoi. Young people must be smarter than our “baby boomer” generation, and they are being presented with basic intellectual tools to run with their dreams and visions. This will not be in competition to America or other country, but rather a new partner in developing a better world.
Given the experiences of China and Mongolia (my own experiences), I have deep empathy for the current sacrifices being made each day by the people of Hanoi, and great optimism that Hanoi’s quality of life and place in the globalized social community will level with the international community within the next generation.
Just days before the President Obama leaves for the Copenhagen meeting on climate change; White Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says the Obama Administration standby global warming.
Despite the uproar involving the release of the hacked e-mails that show that the scientists have been manipulating the data supporting their theories.
The Climate Research Unit at University of East Anglia in Norwich,England has caused firestorm of controversy when a blogger hacked into the CRU computer system and placed the e-mails and other documents on a blog based in Russia, has appeared to contradict the theories by supporters of Climate Change.
Letter from Profs. Phil Jones of the University of East Anglia and Michael Mann of Pennsylvania State University shows how the scientists used method to prove global warming.
Press Secretary Gibbs says that the White House believes “climate change is happening.”
“I don’t think that’s anything that is, quite frankly, among most people, in dispute anymore,” he said during Monday’s press briefing.
“I think there’s no real scientific basis for the dispute of this,” responded Gibbs to questions about those scientists’ credibility.
Climate Change critic Senator James Inhofe,(R-OK) the ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee;wonders about the decision to standby Global Warming Theories and has called for investigation into the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to find out if it “cooked the science to make this thing look as if the science was settled, when all the time of course we knew it was not.”
“[T]his thing is serious, you think about the literally millions of dollars that have been thrown away on some of this stuff that they came out with,” he told reporters, noting it was “interesting” the e-mails surfaced before the Copenhagen summit.
More than 5,000 American working artists … you know, the ones who bring creativity to light in the world for all of us but don’t get paid at Goldman Sachs levels?… participated in a study conducted by a group called Leveraging Investments in Creativity. The study found that over half of those in the study made less money in 2009 than they did in 2008 - before the recession. I would guess this is no surprise to anyone. Perhaps the good thing about the study is that it created fresh economic data regarding the livelihoods of artists. www.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/arts/design/24study.html
In an address to community leaders and the media at the Statesville Civic Center, Hermínio Freitas, CEO of Brazilian-based nonwoven fabrics manufacturer Companhia Providência Industria e Comercio, today re-affirmed his company’s commitment to building its first North American manufacturing facility at a site in Statesville, North Carolina, and announced construction would begin immediately, with an official groundbreaking ceremony planned for early next year. 
In Hanoi it is easy to be confused while walking down a main street where many shops offer the latest in wide screen TVs and mobile phone technology, while navigating sidewalks busy with vendors trying to scrape a living by selling used books and bowls of dumplings.
business we found university graduates with strong backgrounds in math, science, and physics – but had never actually touched a laptop computer or telecom switch.
of thousands of scooters spew CO2 into the air. Low quality coal is used in homes for cooking and heat, spewing terrible levels of particulate into the air, as well as increasing the potential of illness due to CO2 poisoning in the home.