Where can you find happiness? Texas, that's where. Three of its cities placed in the top four: number one, Laredo; number two, El Paso; and number four, Corpus Christi.
The 20 Happiest Cities
1. Laredo, TX: A+
2. El Paso, TX: A+
3. Jersey City, NJ: A+
4. Corpus Christi, TX: A+
5. Baton Rouge, LA: A
6. Honolulu, HI: A-
7. Fresno, CA: A-
8. San Jose, CA: A-
9. Lincoln, NE: B+
10. Bakersfield, CA: B+
11. Buffalo, NY: B+
12. Anchorage, AK: B+
13. Stockton, CA: B+
14. Shreveport, LA: B+
15. (3-way tie) Madison, WI: B, Montgomery, AL: B, and Des Moines, IA: B
18. Wichita, KS: B
19. (tie) Sacramento, CA: B and Omaha, NE: B
The 20 Most Depressed Cities
1. Philadelphia, PA: F
2. Detroit, MI: F
3. St. Petersburg, FL: F
4. St. Louis, MO: F
5. Tampa, FL: F
6. Indianapolis, IN: F
7. (3-way tie) Mesa, AZ: F, Phoenix, AZ: F, and Scottsdale, AZ: F
10. Cleveland, OH: F
11. New York, NY: D-
12. Salt Lake City, UT: D-
13. Atlanta, GA: D
14. (3-way tie) Yonkers, NY: D, Pittsburgh, PA: D, and Kansas City, MO: D
17. (3-way tie) Long Beach, CA: D, Los Angeles, CA: D, Nashville, TN" D
20. Portland, OR: D
Somehow, I feel like I am becoming a geezer. After my bike accident, I have used a cane. I feel like poking a young whipersnapper...
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Save Oil, legalize hemp!
Hemp industry poised for a comeback
Ron Chepesiuk, Vermont Guardian
Industrial hemp has long been a lucrative crop for farmers in Canada, Europe, and Asia, and governments in many countries have encouraged research into its development. In April, for instance, the Government of Canada’s Scientific Research and Experimental Development Program awarded Hempton Clothing, Inc., the world’s largest hemp T-shirt apparel brand, a $223,118 grant in recognition of the company’s work in developing environmentally friendly fabrics and garments in 2002 and 2003.
This is one of many such grants the Canadian government has made available for hemp research.
In the United States, however, the forces of drug prohibition have long associated hemp with marijuana, and the U.S. government has blocked its use. Yet, hemp and marijuana come from different varieties of the cannabis plant, and low THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) varieties of cannabis are cultivated for non-drug uses, such as soap, paper, food, and even high tech bio composites used in automobiles. THC is an active ingredient found in hemp, marijuana, and hashish.
“There are millions of cars on the road with hemp door panels, tens of millions of dollars spent annually on hemp food and hemp body care, and hemp paper is being made in the U.S., ” said Alexis Baden-Mayer, director of government relations for Vote Hemp, a Washington, DC, nonprofit dedicated to the acceptance of industrial hemp. ”So people are asking tough questions about why the U.S. government won’t distinguish low THC hemp from high THC drug varieties.”
But it looks like this state of affairs is about to change. Hemp industry spokesmen are optimistic that hemp farming is about to make a comeback almost 50 years after federal law prevented U.S. farmers from growing the crop. The end of its three-year battle with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and recent pro-hemp, state sponsored initiatives are the two big reasons for the hemp industry’s optimism.
The hemp industry’s battle with the U.S. government ended in February when the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ordered the DEA to pay $21,265 in legal expenses to Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps. The Escondido, CA-based company, which has used hemp oil in its soap products since 1998, largely financed the Hemp Industries Association’s fight to overturn DEA efforts to ban the sale of foods containing hemp products. The association is a trade group of hemp businesses that represents the interests of the hemp industry and works to encourage research and development of new hemp products.
Earlier, the 9th Circuit ruled that the DEA had ignored Congress’s exemption to the Controlled Substance Act, which specifically exempts hemp seed, fiber, and oil from government regulation, and agreed with the association that hemp seed contained just minor traces of THC, much like poppy seed contains insignificant amounts of opiates. In regulating the manufacture and distribution of controlled substances, the Controlled Substance Act provides the legal foundation for the U.S. government’s war on drugs. Then, on July 2, 2004, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied the DEA’s petition for a re-hearing of the case. The DEA had the option of appealing the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the allotted time for an appeal expired on September 28, 2004.
“Nobody has ever been able to block the DEA in court from interpreting the law the way it wanted,” said Adam Eidinger, Vote Hemp’s communications director. “The court decision was 3 to 0, and even the Reagan appointee on the court agreed with us. It was a reality check for the DEA.”
David Bronner, president of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, added, “It’s a sweet victory and certainly an embarrassment to the DEA. It proves that the DEA’s attempt to ban hemp never had any legal merit.”
In making its case to ban hemp, the DEA claimed that the use of hemp products could cause a false positive reading of drug tests. Hemp activists maintain that companies in the hemp industry voluntarily observe reasonable THC limits similar to those observed by hemp businesses in Canada and European countries, and that these limits protect consumers with a wide margin of safety from workplace drug testing interference.
Manufacturers of hemp nut and oil products in North America also participate in a TestPledge program, hemp activists pointed out. Manufacturers pledge to hold the THC in hemp nut and oil below levels that makes failing a drug test extremely unlikely, even when a person consumes large amounts of those products on a daily basis.
As for personal care products made with hemp seed oil, Eidinger said, “In recent years, a handful of people have alleged that they failed workplace drug tests because of using hemp oil products on the skin. Such allegations were routinely proven false, and there has yet to be a case in which someone was excused [from work] due to the use of hemp oil personal care products.”
As the hemp industry savors its court victory, it is making gains in the legislative arena. This year, several state legislatures are considering hemp legislation that would allow farmers to grow industrial hemp. Five states (Hawaii, Kentucky, Montana, North Dakota, and West Virginia) allow for hemp farming on a commercial or research basis, but hemp can’t be legally grown in the United States without a permit from the DEA. According to Vote Hemp, the agency has allowed only an experimental plot in Hawaii.
In California, Assemblyman Mark Leno introduced a bill that would allow the California State Department of Food and Agriculture to issue licenses to grow and process hemp. Companies that sell hemp products must now contract with Canadian farmers for their hemp. Nutiva, a California-based organic food company, estimates that it would save more than $100,000 in transportation and related costs if it could buy hemp seeds from California growers and process them at a plant the company plans to build in California.
“We pay Exxon and Chevron a lot of gasoline for truckers,” John Roulac, Nutiva’s president and founder, told the Sacramento Union newspaper. “We’d rather pay that money to California farmers to grow a sustainable crop.”
Leno’s bill bans anyone with a criminal conviction from getting a license to process or grow hemp and requires that the hemp be tested in the fields so as to ensure that the THC levels don’t exceed the prescribed limits. A hearing of the bill before the Senate Environment and Wildlife Committee was scheduled for April 19.
The California initiative is similar to other bills introduced in North Dakota, New Hampshire, and Oregon.
In North Dakota, House Bill 1492 passed Feb. 16 by a vote of 87 to 3; a similar bill passed in the Senate on March 1 by 46 to 0, and is awaiting the governor’s action. In 1999, North Dakota became the first state to pass hemp farming legislation, but it hasn’t challenged the DEA’s authority in the courts. The proposal allows North Dakota State University to begin storing “feral seed hemp” in anticipation of the day the growing of industrial hemp becomes legal.
The bill in Oregon allows the State Department of Agriculture to administer a licensing, permitting, and implementation program for growers and handlers of hemp. On April 6, the state Senate Environment and Land Committee took testimony.
The New Hampshire proposal requires qualifying farmers with no criminal convictions to plant at least five acres of hemp annually. A bill passed the New Hampshire House on March 23 by a margin of 199 to 68, and has moved to the Senate for consideration.
Vote Hemp is currently working with Congressman Ron Paul, R-TX, to introduce the Industrial Hemp Farming Act, which aims to distinguish hemp from marijuana and legalize the former for U.S. farmers to grow.
Hemp advocates say these legislative initiatives make them excited about their industry’s future. “We want American farmers to have the opportunity to grow industrial hemp without being harassed by the DEA,” Eidinger said.
About
Ron Chepesiuk, Vermont Guardian
Industrial hemp has long been a lucrative crop for farmers in Canada, Europe, and Asia, and governments in many countries have encouraged research into its development. In April, for instance, the Government of Canada’s Scientific Research and Experimental Development Program awarded Hempton Clothing, Inc., the world’s largest hemp T-shirt apparel brand, a $223,118 grant in recognition of the company’s work in developing environmentally friendly fabrics and garments in 2002 and 2003.
This is one of many such grants the Canadian government has made available for hemp research.
In the United States, however, the forces of drug prohibition have long associated hemp with marijuana, and the U.S. government has blocked its use. Yet, hemp and marijuana come from different varieties of the cannabis plant, and low THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) varieties of cannabis are cultivated for non-drug uses, such as soap, paper, food, and even high tech bio composites used in automobiles. THC is an active ingredient found in hemp, marijuana, and hashish.
“There are millions of cars on the road with hemp door panels, tens of millions of dollars spent annually on hemp food and hemp body care, and hemp paper is being made in the U.S., ” said Alexis Baden-Mayer, director of government relations for Vote Hemp, a Washington, DC, nonprofit dedicated to the acceptance of industrial hemp. ”So people are asking tough questions about why the U.S. government won’t distinguish low THC hemp from high THC drug varieties.”
But it looks like this state of affairs is about to change. Hemp industry spokesmen are optimistic that hemp farming is about to make a comeback almost 50 years after federal law prevented U.S. farmers from growing the crop. The end of its three-year battle with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and recent pro-hemp, state sponsored initiatives are the two big reasons for the hemp industry’s optimism.
The hemp industry’s battle with the U.S. government ended in February when the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ordered the DEA to pay $21,265 in legal expenses to Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps. The Escondido, CA-based company, which has used hemp oil in its soap products since 1998, largely financed the Hemp Industries Association’s fight to overturn DEA efforts to ban the sale of foods containing hemp products. The association is a trade group of hemp businesses that represents the interests of the hemp industry and works to encourage research and development of new hemp products.
Earlier, the 9th Circuit ruled that the DEA had ignored Congress’s exemption to the Controlled Substance Act, which specifically exempts hemp seed, fiber, and oil from government regulation, and agreed with the association that hemp seed contained just minor traces of THC, much like poppy seed contains insignificant amounts of opiates. In regulating the manufacture and distribution of controlled substances, the Controlled Substance Act provides the legal foundation for the U.S. government’s war on drugs. Then, on July 2, 2004, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied the DEA’s petition for a re-hearing of the case. The DEA had the option of appealing the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the allotted time for an appeal expired on September 28, 2004.
“Nobody has ever been able to block the DEA in court from interpreting the law the way it wanted,” said Adam Eidinger, Vote Hemp’s communications director. “The court decision was 3 to 0, and even the Reagan appointee on the court agreed with us. It was a reality check for the DEA.”
David Bronner, president of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, added, “It’s a sweet victory and certainly an embarrassment to the DEA. It proves that the DEA’s attempt to ban hemp never had any legal merit.”
In making its case to ban hemp, the DEA claimed that the use of hemp products could cause a false positive reading of drug tests. Hemp activists maintain that companies in the hemp industry voluntarily observe reasonable THC limits similar to those observed by hemp businesses in Canada and European countries, and that these limits protect consumers with a wide margin of safety from workplace drug testing interference.
Manufacturers of hemp nut and oil products in North America also participate in a TestPledge program, hemp activists pointed out. Manufacturers pledge to hold the THC in hemp nut and oil below levels that makes failing a drug test extremely unlikely, even when a person consumes large amounts of those products on a daily basis.
As for personal care products made with hemp seed oil, Eidinger said, “In recent years, a handful of people have alleged that they failed workplace drug tests because of using hemp oil products on the skin. Such allegations were routinely proven false, and there has yet to be a case in which someone was excused [from work] due to the use of hemp oil personal care products.”
As the hemp industry savors its court victory, it is making gains in the legislative arena. This year, several state legislatures are considering hemp legislation that would allow farmers to grow industrial hemp. Five states (Hawaii, Kentucky, Montana, North Dakota, and West Virginia) allow for hemp farming on a commercial or research basis, but hemp can’t be legally grown in the United States without a permit from the DEA. According to Vote Hemp, the agency has allowed only an experimental plot in Hawaii.
In California, Assemblyman Mark Leno introduced a bill that would allow the California State Department of Food and Agriculture to issue licenses to grow and process hemp. Companies that sell hemp products must now contract with Canadian farmers for their hemp. Nutiva, a California-based organic food company, estimates that it would save more than $100,000 in transportation and related costs if it could buy hemp seeds from California growers and process them at a plant the company plans to build in California.
“We pay Exxon and Chevron a lot of gasoline for truckers,” John Roulac, Nutiva’s president and founder, told the Sacramento Union newspaper. “We’d rather pay that money to California farmers to grow a sustainable crop.”
Leno’s bill bans anyone with a criminal conviction from getting a license to process or grow hemp and requires that the hemp be tested in the fields so as to ensure that the THC levels don’t exceed the prescribed limits. A hearing of the bill before the Senate Environment and Wildlife Committee was scheduled for April 19.
The California initiative is similar to other bills introduced in North Dakota, New Hampshire, and Oregon.
In North Dakota, House Bill 1492 passed Feb. 16 by a vote of 87 to 3; a similar bill passed in the Senate on March 1 by 46 to 0, and is awaiting the governor’s action. In 1999, North Dakota became the first state to pass hemp farming legislation, but it hasn’t challenged the DEA’s authority in the courts. The proposal allows North Dakota State University to begin storing “feral seed hemp” in anticipation of the day the growing of industrial hemp becomes legal.
The bill in Oregon allows the State Department of Agriculture to administer a licensing, permitting, and implementation program for growers and handlers of hemp. On April 6, the state Senate Environment and Land Committee took testimony.
The New Hampshire proposal requires qualifying farmers with no criminal convictions to plant at least five acres of hemp annually. A bill passed the New Hampshire House on March 23 by a margin of 199 to 68, and has moved to the Senate for consideration.
Vote Hemp is currently working with Congressman Ron Paul, R-TX, to introduce the Industrial Hemp Farming Act, which aims to distinguish hemp from marijuana and legalize the former for U.S. farmers to grow.
Hemp advocates say these legislative initiatives make them excited about their industry’s future. “We want American farmers to have the opportunity to grow industrial hemp without being harassed by the DEA,” Eidinger said.
About
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Robot Soldier....
"They don't get hungry. They're not afraid. They don't forget their orders. They don't care if the guy next to them has just been shot."
- GORDON JOHNSON, of the Pentagon's Joint Forces Command, on robot soldiers.
- GORDON JOHNSON, of the Pentagon's Joint Forces Command, on robot soldiers.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Oh my gawd, Bush tells a fib?
Mr. Emanuel said: "The new cost estimate destroys the credibility of the Bush administration. Officials were so far off in estimating the cost of the Medicare law. Why should we believe what they say about the financial problems of Social Security?"
Why should we believe him about Weapons of Mass Destruction?
Why should we believe him that the Iraqi's will love us?
Other fibs will come flowing shortly....
Why should we believe him about Weapons of Mass Destruction?
Why should we believe him that the Iraqi's will love us?
Other fibs will come flowing shortly....
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Hey, I am not 55 either for 60 days...
A quote from an editorial....I agree....
On a point of personal privilege, I note that Bush promised Americans aged 55 and up that they would receive full benefits, but threw open the doors of the opportunity society to all “younger workers.” That means that if Congress were to enact Bush's program (which he took pains not to spell out last night) within the next month, I'd be exposed to the vagaries of the market; after that, I'd be a full-fledged geezer eligible for full Social Security benefits. So, memo to Congress: Take it slow, guys. Better yet, don't take it at all.
On a point of personal privilege, I note that Bush promised Americans aged 55 and up that they would receive full benefits, but threw open the doors of the opportunity society to all “younger workers.” That means that if Congress were to enact Bush's program (which he took pains not to spell out last night) within the next month, I'd be exposed to the vagaries of the market; after that, I'd be a full-fledged geezer eligible for full Social Security benefits. So, memo to Congress: Take it slow, guys. Better yet, don't take it at all.
Friday, January 28, 2005
I remember when gas was this price!
I remember a time when my dad was so happy that he could buy 5 gallons for a dollar! Gas wars of the 60's as I recall. I was just a yungun....
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- A misplaced decimal point gave drivers a surprisingly good deal on gas, and even inspired some threats of violence at a west Omaha filling station Wednesday night.
Carolyn Folsom, who occasionally helps her brother and father run the self-service, attendant-less Shell station, said she goofed Wednesday afternoon when entering prices into the computer that runs the fuel tanks. A gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline was supposed to cost $1.89 but ended up costing only 18 cents.
"I don't know if my finger missed the nine or what," Folsom said. "The whole family is laughing about this. I will never live this down."
Folsom said about 500 gallons of gas were sold during the several hours the price was down, costing the business about $1000. The station does not have an attendant and the only way to pay is at the pump, so the mistake went unnoticed for hours.
A fuel truck driver who came to deliver gas discovered the problem and tried to block the entrance of the station with his truck, Folsom said.
But by then word was out and the rush for cheap fuel was on.
Folsom said one person threatened to hit the fuel truck driver with a hammer if he didn't stop blocking the entrance.
"That's the thing that upsets me," Folsom said. "I mean, grow up."
Folsom said her father fixed the price about 7:15 p.m. And he's forgiven her for the mistake, she said.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- A misplaced decimal point gave drivers a surprisingly good deal on gas, and even inspired some threats of violence at a west Omaha filling station Wednesday night.
Carolyn Folsom, who occasionally helps her brother and father run the self-service, attendant-less Shell station, said she goofed Wednesday afternoon when entering prices into the computer that runs the fuel tanks. A gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline was supposed to cost $1.89 but ended up costing only 18 cents.
"I don't know if my finger missed the nine or what," Folsom said. "The whole family is laughing about this. I will never live this down."
Folsom said about 500 gallons of gas were sold during the several hours the price was down, costing the business about $1000. The station does not have an attendant and the only way to pay is at the pump, so the mistake went unnoticed for hours.
A fuel truck driver who came to deliver gas discovered the problem and tried to block the entrance of the station with his truck, Folsom said.
But by then word was out and the rush for cheap fuel was on.
Folsom said one person threatened to hit the fuel truck driver with a hammer if he didn't stop blocking the entrance.
"That's the thing that upsets me," Folsom said. "I mean, grow up."
Folsom said her father fixed the price about 7:15 p.m. And he's forgiven her for the mistake, she said.
Friday, January 21, 2005
A geezer bike owned by a geezer
For 75 of his 95 years, William Wagstaff rode the same bicycle -- until a brush with a car finally made him decide to stop pedalling and donate the bike to a transport museum.Wagstaff, from Croydon in southern England, bought the bicycle for £14 in 1929, the Daily Mirror newspaper said on Wednesday.Over the years he pedalled more than 80 000km on the bike, which he named "Evans" after its manufacturer.He replaced the saddle twice, used up 15 sets of tyres -- but kept the original saddlebag and tool-kit, plus a World War II oil lamp masked with blackout paper."Even into his nineties, he used it two or three times a week. But a car knocked him off and upset his confidence," Wagstaff's daughter told the newspaper.Robert Excell, curator at London's Transport Museum to which Wagstaff donated the cycle, said: "It's remarkably well preserved, partly because they were made out of stronger steel in those days and partly because Mr. Wagstaff soaked everything in oil to preserve it. It's a real gem." -- Sapa-DPA
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
What did you think?
They probably lack the capability the people of Vietnam did....don't care!
"The Iraqis lack certain capacities, and if we focus in this next period after the election on helping them to build those capacities beyond where they are now, I think we will have done a major part toward the day when less coalition help is needed."
- CONDOLEEZZA RICE
"The Iraqis lack certain capacities, and if we focus in this next period after the election on helping them to build those capacities beyond where they are now, I think we will have done a major part toward the day when less coalition help is needed."
- CONDOLEEZZA RICE
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Comet crashing rocket
Sort of worried about NASA sending a rocket to crash into a comet. I can only think of bad things that could happen.
1) The rocket hits the comet. It changes the course of the comet which then runs into the earth and kills us all. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!
2) The rocket hits the comet. Really pisses off the aliens that are using it for their observation site. They attack the earth and kill us all!
Hmmm, you can see there are all sorts of bad things that can come of this!
1) The rocket hits the comet. It changes the course of the comet which then runs into the earth and kills us all. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!
2) The rocket hits the comet. Really pisses off the aliens that are using it for their observation site. They attack the earth and kill us all!
Hmmm, you can see there are all sorts of bad things that can come of this!
Tourist says he has been stumped by this situation!
A German professor who went on a dream holiday to Costa Rica woke up in an airport departure lounge to find his leg had been amputated. The professor said he had gone to see a doctor at a hospital in San Jose because his left foot was swollen. He said: “An aspirin usually did the trick. I have had the problem before - it was nothing serious - just something caused by my diabetes. “When I got to the hospital they put me on a bed and I heard the word amputate. I tried to protest, but before I knew it they had given me drugs to black me out, and when I woke up I was at the departure lounge. “My suitcases were by my side - and then I realised my leg was missing. I couldn’t move, and when I checked my wallet I found that £200 had been taken out and replaced with a receipt for the amputation.
GET DOWN AND DO YOUR PUSH UPS YOU MAGGOT!!!!
"Tonight eat only half the dessert. And then go out and walk around the block. And if you are going to watch television get down and do 10 push-ups and five sit-ups."
- TOMMY THOMPSON, secretary of Health and Human Services, on new diet
guidelines.
Tommy doesn't look like he misses too many desserts!
- TOMMY THOMPSON, secretary of Health and Human Services, on new diet
guidelines.
Tommy doesn't look like he misses too many desserts!
Saturday, January 08, 2005
How forward looking they are in Wisconsin
In 1972, my first job out of college, paid $6 an hour. I could have gone to work at a newspaper for $5 an hour, but I went to the higher paying job in surveying. It is nice that 32 years later, the great state of wisconsin thinks $6 an hour might be a fair minimum wage. GET A LIFE!
Madison - The Assembly's leader said Friday that he would be willing to raise the statewide minimum wage to $6 per hour - a sign that Republican lawmakers are increasingly nervous about the possibility of Milwaukee becoming the second city to set its own wage.
The Push for a Wage Increase
"I don't believe we should have all these communities doing all these different things," Assembly Speaker John Gard (R-Peshtigo) said, explaining why he could support a compromise that would lift the minimum wage from the current $5.15 per hour.
Gard offered no details of how or over what period the current wage should be boosted.
But Democratic Gov Jim. Doyle immediately said a $6-per-hour minimum wage would be too low. He would not agree to a scale of less than $6.50 an hour, saying that figure had been recommended by a bipartisan group of business and labor leaders.
The exchange came the day after Milwaukee leaders followed Madison's lead, and said they were looking into raising the minimum wage in Wisconsin's largest city. Madison increased its minimum wage to $5.50 on Jan. 1, and it is scheduled to rise to $7.75 per hour in January 2008.
Madison is being sued by business groups over the city's wage increase.
Last year, a committee Doyle appointed recommended a two-step increase to $6.50 an hour - a process the Legislature should seriously consider, another Republican leader, Sen. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), said Friday.
A co-chairman of the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee, Fitzgerald said he had talked to Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) about a possible increase in the minimum wage, but Fitzgerald did not offer his own plan.
Wisconsin's minimum wage "should be closer" to the recommended two-stage boost of $6.50, Fitzgerald said. Republicans in the Legislature this week delayed until the end of 2006 a state agency's rule that would have implemented that boost, however.
Doyle has said he wants the state to have a uniform minimum wage, but he understands why frustrated municipalities might take action on their own.
"Like I've always said, I'm in favor of a statewide minimum wage, and we would make sure then that it's uniform across the state," Doyle said Friday.
"We have a process in Wisconsin that was established decades ago that. . . is intended to keep legislators from playing these kinds of political games."
State Sen. Bob Jauch (D-Poplar) offered his own compromise Friday. It would raise the minimum wage to $6.50 per hour and forbid any city from enacting any higher wage.
Also Friday, Gard said the Legislature should act quickly next week to refinance long-term state debt to save $11 million. But he said that $7.5 million of that should go to pay for a 2005 state income tax credit for Health Savings Accounts, or HSAs.
HSAs offer federal - but not state - tax deductions for setting aside money to pay future health-care bills. Gard said the state tax code should mirror the federal rules.
Gard said the Assembly could pass the debt-refinancing, which the governor wants, and add the HSA tax breaks as early as Tuesday.
But Doyle said: "Not much chance I'm going to agree to that. Here's $11 million of taxpayers' money. Let's not spend it before we even have the money."
Lawmakers bent on spending the $11 million should "restrain themselves," Doyle said. "It's simply a matter of making this (refinancing) so that we can save taxpayers the money and resist the temptation to go out and spend it as quickly as they can."
Senate leader Schultz said Friday that the $11 million should be set aside as a down payment on a deficit of more than $220 million in state health-care costs.
Madison - The Assembly's leader said Friday that he would be willing to raise the statewide minimum wage to $6 per hour - a sign that Republican lawmakers are increasingly nervous about the possibility of Milwaukee becoming the second city to set its own wage.
The Push for a Wage Increase
"I don't believe we should have all these communities doing all these different things," Assembly Speaker John Gard (R-Peshtigo) said, explaining why he could support a compromise that would lift the minimum wage from the current $5.15 per hour.
Gard offered no details of how or over what period the current wage should be boosted.
But Democratic Gov Jim. Doyle immediately said a $6-per-hour minimum wage would be too low. He would not agree to a scale of less than $6.50 an hour, saying that figure had been recommended by a bipartisan group of business and labor leaders.
The exchange came the day after Milwaukee leaders followed Madison's lead, and said they were looking into raising the minimum wage in Wisconsin's largest city. Madison increased its minimum wage to $5.50 on Jan. 1, and it is scheduled to rise to $7.75 per hour in January 2008.
Madison is being sued by business groups over the city's wage increase.
Last year, a committee Doyle appointed recommended a two-step increase to $6.50 an hour - a process the Legislature should seriously consider, another Republican leader, Sen. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), said Friday.
A co-chairman of the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee, Fitzgerald said he had talked to Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) about a possible increase in the minimum wage, but Fitzgerald did not offer his own plan.
Wisconsin's minimum wage "should be closer" to the recommended two-stage boost of $6.50, Fitzgerald said. Republicans in the Legislature this week delayed until the end of 2006 a state agency's rule that would have implemented that boost, however.
Doyle has said he wants the state to have a uniform minimum wage, but he understands why frustrated municipalities might take action on their own.
"Like I've always said, I'm in favor of a statewide minimum wage, and we would make sure then that it's uniform across the state," Doyle said Friday.
"We have a process in Wisconsin that was established decades ago that. . . is intended to keep legislators from playing these kinds of political games."
State Sen. Bob Jauch (D-Poplar) offered his own compromise Friday. It would raise the minimum wage to $6.50 per hour and forbid any city from enacting any higher wage.
Also Friday, Gard said the Legislature should act quickly next week to refinance long-term state debt to save $11 million. But he said that $7.5 million of that should go to pay for a 2005 state income tax credit for Health Savings Accounts, or HSAs.
HSAs offer federal - but not state - tax deductions for setting aside money to pay future health-care bills. Gard said the state tax code should mirror the federal rules.
Gard said the Assembly could pass the debt-refinancing, which the governor wants, and add the HSA tax breaks as early as Tuesday.
But Doyle said: "Not much chance I'm going to agree to that. Here's $11 million of taxpayers' money. Let's not spend it before we even have the money."
Lawmakers bent on spending the $11 million should "restrain themselves," Doyle said. "It's simply a matter of making this (refinancing) so that we can save taxpayers the money and resist the temptation to go out and spend it as quickly as they can."
Senate leader Schultz said Friday that the $11 million should be set aside as a down payment on a deficit of more than $220 million in state health-care costs.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Be careful with those thermometers
DETROIT (AP) -- The sign on the toilet brush says it best: "Do not use for personal hygiene."
That admonition was the winner of an anti-lawsuit group's contest for the wackiest consumer warning label of the year.
The sponsor, Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch, says the goal is "to reveal how lawsuits, and concern about lawsuits, have created a need for common sense warnings on products."
The $500 first prize went to Ed Gyetvai, of Oldcastle, Ontario, who submitted the toilet-brush label. A $250 second prize went to Matt Johnson, of Naperville, Ill., for a label on a children's scooter that said, "This product moves when used."
A $100 third prize went to Ann Marie Taylor, of Camden, S.C., who submitted a warning from a digital thermometer that said, "Once used rectally, the thermometer should not be used orally."
This year's contest coincides with a drive by President Bush and congressional Republicans to put caps and other limits on jury awards in liability cases.
"Warning labels are a sign of our lawsuit-plagued times," said group President Robert Dorigo Jones. "From the moment we raise our head in the morning off pillows that bear those famous Do Not Remove warnings, to when we drop back in bed at night, we are overwhelmed with warnings."
The leader of a group that opposes the campaign to limit lawsuits admits that while some warning labels may seem stupid, even dumb warnings can do good.
"There are many cases of warning labels saving lives," said Joanne Doroshow, executive director of the Center for Justice and Democracy in New York. "It's much better to be very cautious ... than to be afraid of being made fun of by a tort reform group."
That admonition was the winner of an anti-lawsuit group's contest for the wackiest consumer warning label of the year.
The sponsor, Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch, says the goal is "to reveal how lawsuits, and concern about lawsuits, have created a need for common sense warnings on products."
The $500 first prize went to Ed Gyetvai, of Oldcastle, Ontario, who submitted the toilet-brush label. A $250 second prize went to Matt Johnson, of Naperville, Ill., for a label on a children's scooter that said, "This product moves when used."
A $100 third prize went to Ann Marie Taylor, of Camden, S.C., who submitted a warning from a digital thermometer that said, "Once used rectally, the thermometer should not be used orally."
This year's contest coincides with a drive by President Bush and congressional Republicans to put caps and other limits on jury awards in liability cases.
"Warning labels are a sign of our lawsuit-plagued times," said group President Robert Dorigo Jones. "From the moment we raise our head in the morning off pillows that bear those famous Do Not Remove warnings, to when we drop back in bed at night, we are overwhelmed with warnings."
The leader of a group that opposes the campaign to limit lawsuits admits that while some warning labels may seem stupid, even dumb warnings can do good.
"There are many cases of warning labels saving lives," said Joanne Doroshow, executive director of the Center for Justice and Democracy in New York. "It's much better to be very cautious ... than to be afraid of being made fun of by a tort reform group."
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Dixie is a nice unity song for the Republicans!
Band's version of one-time Presley tune hits sour note with someAssociated Press
MADISON, Wis. - As if the incoming Legislature didn't have enough problems, a high school band's rendition of a tune that was an Elvis Presley hit decades ago drew a complaint from a newly elected member of the Senate.
The Richland Center High School band played "An American Trilogy" at the Senate's inaugural ceremony at the Capitol Monday - the first day of a session expected to be dominated by battles over budget-cutting, a tax-freeze amendment and a myriad of other issues.
Sen. Spencer Coggs, who is black, said he was shocked, as were his family and other guests, to hear the strains of the Southern anthem "Dixie" played in the Senate chamber as part of the trilogy, along with "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "All My Trials."
Coggs, a Democrat from Milwaukee, complained in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center.
"Whether the slight was intentional or not, the selection was not appropriate," he wrote, noting that "Dixie" is often associated with slavery.
"While now it should be unnecessary to suggest, in the future a list of songs should be submitted prior to a performance and the list should be reviewed for its appropriateness," he said. "It is unfortunate that this special day was marred by such an unnecessary event."
Schultz had invited the band and choir to play at the ceremony.
He said the complaint caught him by surprise.
"A simple apology is what's needed," Schultz said, "and I will certainly be happy to do that."
He said he wasn't aware of every musical selection the band prepared for the event, and the piece has some historical significance.
"But I want everyone to feel included. If Sen. Coggs felt offended, I would want to extend my hand in apology."
MADISON, Wis. - As if the incoming Legislature didn't have enough problems, a high school band's rendition of a tune that was an Elvis Presley hit decades ago drew a complaint from a newly elected member of the Senate.
The Richland Center High School band played "An American Trilogy" at the Senate's inaugural ceremony at the Capitol Monday - the first day of a session expected to be dominated by battles over budget-cutting, a tax-freeze amendment and a myriad of other issues.
Sen. Spencer Coggs, who is black, said he was shocked, as were his family and other guests, to hear the strains of the Southern anthem "Dixie" played in the Senate chamber as part of the trilogy, along with "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "All My Trials."
Coggs, a Democrat from Milwaukee, complained in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center.
"Whether the slight was intentional or not, the selection was not appropriate," he wrote, noting that "Dixie" is often associated with slavery.
"While now it should be unnecessary to suggest, in the future a list of songs should be submitted prior to a performance and the list should be reviewed for its appropriateness," he said. "It is unfortunate that this special day was marred by such an unnecessary event."
Schultz had invited the band and choir to play at the ceremony.
He said the complaint caught him by surprise.
"A simple apology is what's needed," Schultz said, "and I will certainly be happy to do that."
He said he wasn't aware of every musical selection the band prepared for the event, and the piece has some historical significance.
"But I want everyone to feel included. If Sen. Coggs felt offended, I would want to extend my hand in apology."
Monday, December 27, 2004
Why we should not be in Iraq...
On Dec. 27, 1979, Soviet forces seized control of Afghanistan. President Hafizullah Amin, who was overthrown and executed, was replaced by Babrak Karmal.
And it went so well for the next decade....
And it went so well for the next decade....
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Get rid of cars!
"We're having too many fatalities. The streets are too wide," said Stanton, District 6. "We need to let pedestrians know that they are welcome on our streets."
Monday, December 20, 2004
Some geezers are not too bright....
Robbery note has thief's address on back
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Call it the case of the perfect clue. A man handed a note demanding money to a teller at the Wells Fargo Bank Thursday, took the money and fled.
Left behind was the note — written on the back of a paper from the state probation and parole department, complete with the man's name on it, Deputy Police Chief Brian O'Keefe said Friday.
The 60-year-old man was soon in custody. He was on parole for bank robbery.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Call it the case of the perfect clue. A man handed a note demanding money to a teller at the Wells Fargo Bank Thursday, took the money and fled.
Left behind was the note — written on the back of a paper from the state probation and parole department, complete with the man's name on it, Deputy Police Chief Brian O'Keefe said Friday.
The 60-year-old man was soon in custody. He was on parole for bank robbery.
Friday, December 17, 2004
Bah, Humbug
Maybe we should write a different letter to Santa?
Santa at Mich. middle school cited for pot possession
HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. (AP) — A man who visited a middle school dressed as Santa Claus on Thursday left with a citation for misdemeanor marijuana possession.
The 40-year-old Detroit man faces up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine after a small plastic bag of marijuana was found in the pocket of his street coat, which he left in a school restroom, Wayne County Sheriff's Department officials said.
A deputy who works at the school found the marijuana while searching the coat for identification after a teacher found it in the bathroom. The man dressed as Santa approached the deputy a short time later and identified the coat.
The man denied the pot was his. His wife, who was at the school to take pictures of Santa with the students, apparently did not know the marijuana was in her husband's coat, officials said.
"She was not happy," Lt. Paul Jones said. "It's going to be a long ride back to the North Pole."
Santa at Mich. middle school cited for pot possession
HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. (AP) — A man who visited a middle school dressed as Santa Claus on Thursday left with a citation for misdemeanor marijuana possession.
The 40-year-old Detroit man faces up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine after a small plastic bag of marijuana was found in the pocket of his street coat, which he left in a school restroom, Wayne County Sheriff's Department officials said.
A deputy who works at the school found the marijuana while searching the coat for identification after a teacher found it in the bathroom. The man dressed as Santa approached the deputy a short time later and identified the coat.
The man denied the pot was his. His wife, who was at the school to take pictures of Santa with the students, apparently did not know the marijuana was in her husband's coat, officials said.
"She was not happy," Lt. Paul Jones said. "It's going to be a long ride back to the North Pole."
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Baseball and drugs
What would a geezer say about the drug news from sports? Geezer Bush says they will do something if baseball does not. I wonder if that includes cocaine testing for members of the White House staff and family?
Geezer McCain says the senate will do something if baseball does not. Of course, it was ok for his wife to cut a deal with the government when she was caught with her hand in the percodet jar. The rest of us would have gone to jail for stealing drugs from kids. She went through rehab. The pictures I have seen of her lately mnake you wonder....He will never run for President. The press would have too much fun....
Drugs have been in sports since day one. One time, people thought smokes improved performance. There are great pictures of tour de france riders smoking while they were riding. Hmmm, that test did not work well.
Steroids were first available during Babe Ruth's time. Don't you think the Babe would try them if they were availab.e Booze probably relaxed him too.
Steroids are the latest fad. Who didn't know that players were juiced. All you had to do was look at them. Does anyone care? NOOOOO
Is it a bad example to kids? Of course, but people are willing to take the risks for the rewards. Always will be, always has been. Get real, acknowledge it. Talk about risks and side affects. Get on with life.
We love our pro wrestlers. Don't tell me they are not juiced. We don't want to look at normal people playing. We like the sex of big muscles.
There are more important things to think about. Like deaths in Iraq and a hopless policy against terrorism....
Get real....
Geezer McCain says the senate will do something if baseball does not. Of course, it was ok for his wife to cut a deal with the government when she was caught with her hand in the percodet jar. The rest of us would have gone to jail for stealing drugs from kids. She went through rehab. The pictures I have seen of her lately mnake you wonder....He will never run for President. The press would have too much fun....
Drugs have been in sports since day one. One time, people thought smokes improved performance. There are great pictures of tour de france riders smoking while they were riding. Hmmm, that test did not work well.
Steroids were first available during Babe Ruth's time. Don't you think the Babe would try them if they were availab.e Booze probably relaxed him too.
Steroids are the latest fad. Who didn't know that players were juiced. All you had to do was look at them. Does anyone care? NOOOOO
Is it a bad example to kids? Of course, but people are willing to take the risks for the rewards. Always will be, always has been. Get real, acknowledge it. Talk about risks and side affects. Get on with life.
We love our pro wrestlers. Don't tell me they are not juiced. We don't want to look at normal people playing. We like the sex of big muscles.
There are more important things to think about. Like deaths in Iraq and a hopless policy against terrorism....
Get real....
Sunday, December 05, 2004
geezers are us
By The Helena IR - 12/05/04
As is often pointed out, it's difficult to make predictions — especially about the future. But there's one fact about the future that is inescapable. It will have a lot of old people in it.
A story in the business section of today's newspaper reports on a presentation made in Helena last week by Bob Morton, a consultant from Washington state who urges business people to take advantage of the quickly growing market of aging customers. Today, he said, about 14 percent of the U.S. population is 65 or older. In just 20 more years, that figure will jump to 25 percent. For businesses, it will be a different world.
But it isn't just corporations that will feel the change. Look around. Those older people are going to be us.
It is striking to realize that for 99 percent of human history, only 2 to 3 percent of any society on any continent ever reached the age of 65. In fact, two out of three humans who have ever existed and lived to reach 65 just happen to be alive today.
Credit better health care, coupled with smarter life styles, for the ballooning numbers of elderly people. Back when Social Security was invented in 1935 — a time when life expectancy was just 55 years — nobody was worried about cholesterol, and you weren't cool if you didn't smoke.
Another factor involves a declining percentage of young people. For decades in the United States and most other developed nations, the fertility rate has been below the "replacement rate" of 2.1 live births per woman of reproductive age. That means the geezer percentage will loom even larger.
Changes brought about by the graying of America will ripple throughout society. Some of them, such as the impact on Social Security and Medicare, are easy to foresee. Others are certain to surprise us.
But we can be pretty sure that one other truism will remain: Getting old is never going to be for sissies. But hey, we'll sure have a lot of company.
As is often pointed out, it's difficult to make predictions — especially about the future. But there's one fact about the future that is inescapable. It will have a lot of old people in it.
A story in the business section of today's newspaper reports on a presentation made in Helena last week by Bob Morton, a consultant from Washington state who urges business people to take advantage of the quickly growing market of aging customers. Today, he said, about 14 percent of the U.S. population is 65 or older. In just 20 more years, that figure will jump to 25 percent. For businesses, it will be a different world.
But it isn't just corporations that will feel the change. Look around. Those older people are going to be us.
It is striking to realize that for 99 percent of human history, only 2 to 3 percent of any society on any continent ever reached the age of 65. In fact, two out of three humans who have ever existed and lived to reach 65 just happen to be alive today.
Credit better health care, coupled with smarter life styles, for the ballooning numbers of elderly people. Back when Social Security was invented in 1935 — a time when life expectancy was just 55 years — nobody was worried about cholesterol, and you weren't cool if you didn't smoke.
Another factor involves a declining percentage of young people. For decades in the United States and most other developed nations, the fertility rate has been below the "replacement rate" of 2.1 live births per woman of reproductive age. That means the geezer percentage will loom even larger.
Changes brought about by the graying of America will ripple throughout society. Some of them, such as the impact on Social Security and Medicare, are easy to foresee. Others are certain to surprise us.
But we can be pretty sure that one other truism will remain: Getting old is never going to be for sissies. But hey, we'll sure have a lot of company.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)