Category Archives: U.S.

International, U.S.

Canada Sucks! USPS resumes shipping to Canada, Canadian government forces postal workers back to work with new law

The United States Postal Service announced it will resume shipping to Canada, on June 28.  The announcement followed the creation of a new law in Canada, which forces striking workers back to their jobs.

The USPS warns that there will be delays in getting mail to Canada, because a huge backlog of mail has built up.

The USPS stopped shipping to Canada after Canada Post locked out its union workers.  The Canadian government just passed a new law which makes it a criminal offense to strike.  Canada’s postal workers (called “posties”) now have the choices of going back to work, quitting or pay huge fines.

Members of Canada’s New Democratic Party admit it’s all about destroying workers rights: “…an indication of what’s to come for other public service workers who are unionized. … It’s also a signal from the Conservatives to all employers—in a union setting or otherwise—that it’s an open bar. They can start going after the acquired rights of their workers.”-Thomas Mulcair, Deputy NDP leader

The new law targets posties only, and is in effect until the end of a new four year contract that will be mandated by the Canadian government.  Any postal worker who does not comply can face a $1,000 per day fine, and union officials could be hit with $50,000 per day fines.

The new contract will greatly reduce wages and benefits for Canada’s posties.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

No Economic Recovery for the U.S.: Toyota launches new car in India

Toyota announced the premier of a new car, not in the United States, but India!

The new car is a small low priced car called the Etios Liva.  It’s smaller than most Toyota sedans.  The price is about U.S.$9,000.

Toyota also announced that India was becoming its fastest growing car market.  The number of Toyotas sold in India, last year, was double the number sold five years ago.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

No Economic Recovery for the U.S.: Nissan says U.S. no longer target car market, the money is in South America, China, India & Russia

Nissan/Renault announced they plan to expand their global market share by 8% (an increase of about 10 million cars by 2017).  How are they going to do that? Definitely not by selling more cars in the United States.

Nissan/Renault says it will expand sales in China, India and Brazil.  They will boost production in China and India, and build a new factory in Brazil, that will produce 200,000 cars per year.

They will also buy more than 50% stake in Russian car maker Avtovaz.

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Government Incompetence: Home values drop, yet Property Taxes go up?

According to a Fortune article, some counties across the United States are trying to save their budgets by jacking up property taxes.  As a resident of Bannock County, Idaho, I can vouch for that!  Recently Bannock County announced they were jacking up farmland property taxes by at least 90%!!!

The National Association of Counties found that 15% of U.S. counties admitted to arbitrarily raising property taxes, for this year alone.

Real estate analysts say it’s the wrong thing to do, not just ethically, but economically: “Given the situation we’ve been in for the past few years, increasing property taxes is not likely to aid in the short-term recovery of the housing market.” McKay Price, real estate finance analyst Lehigh University

The fear by analysts is that by increasing property taxes homes sales will drop even more. The National Association of Counties says the trend of counties raising property taxes, as property values fall, is increasing.

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? California Dreamin’ turned into Hotel California nightmare, yet people are escaping

It’s now official, for the first time since 1850 the number of people moving to California has declined!  People are actually leaving!  That’s according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

California is still the most populated state: 37 million.

According to the Public Policy Institute of California, 1.5 million middle class people left California in the past ten years.  Where are the people leaving to?  Anywhere that the taxes and cost of living are lower than in California!  (mostly Texas, Colorado, Nevada and Arizona)

Immigrants now make up the majority of people moving to California.  But that is on the decline as well.  Why?  Most migrants from south of the border are saying they can’t find any work!  Those that have work say the cost of living in California is not worth it!

The problem now, is that California is becoming a state of extreme wealth and extreme poverty.  According to the American Human Development Project, the exodus of middle class Californians is creating a state of two classes; rich and poor.

From 2009 to 2010, California’s GDP was in stagnation mode; at 1.8%, lower than many other states.  By the way, when the media calls 1.8% “growth” it shows their economic ignorance.  Anything from 2.9% to 0% is not growth, it’s stagnation.

I luckily escaped California in 1997.  I’m now in Idaho, things are getting bad here as well (economically) but I’ve run out of escape money.

Business/Economics, Technology, U.S.

Corporate Incompetence: Citi hacked, millions of dollars stolen

Citigroup is admitting that a May hack cost cardholders millions of dollars.

On May tenth 3,400 accounts had at least $2.7 million stolen from them.  The total number of accounts that were hacked is more than 360,000.

Citi officials claim they notified customers quickly, yet those notices weren’t sent out until June 3.  So far 200,000 credit cards have been replaced by Citi.

 

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Official Baseball Bankruptcy

The Los Angeles Dodgers are officially bankrupt.  The team franchise tried to get a new television deal that could have kept it out of bankruptcy, but Major League Baseball blocked that deal.

This comes after a bitter court battle between the two owners.  Frank McCourt was left as the owner, but he believes the blocked TV deal is an effort to force him to sell the LA Dodgers.  McCourt vowed he wouldn’t do that, he thinks the bankruptcy will buy him time to get things turned around.

It was hoped the TV deal would bring the Dodgers $3 billion.  Yes, they need $3 billion to stay alive.  I think this is a sure sign that sports is way overvalued, you might says it’s a another economic bubble about to burst.

International, U.S.

Study shows naturally skinny people develop Type 2 Diabetes

The Nature Genetics Journal reporting that the “lean gene” not only keeps people skinny but causes type 2 diabetes.

Conventional thinking by health officials is that obese (fat) and sedentary (lazy) people are the most at risk for type 2 diabetes (despite the fact that the majority of diabetics live in China and India, where there isn’t that many fat or lazy people).

A study of the IRS1 gene revealed that not only does it keep people skinny by burning up fat, but it also increases heart disease and type 2 diabetes by 20%.  Scientists weren’t expecting that result.  The study proves that just because you’re naturally skinny doesn’t mean you’re healthy.

International, Opinion, U.S.

Global diabetes exploding, health officials continue to blame fat people, yet the majority of diabetics not fat

The Lancet Journal reporting that despite efforts to stop diabetes, world rates have only gone up.   There are now 347 million people considered diabetic.

The United States and Russia clam 36 million of those diabetics, but China and India beat the U.S. and Russia by 100 million.  China and India have 138 million diabetics.

UN World Health Organization officials were not expecting such a high number of diabetics.  They had estimated about 285 million, not 347 million that the study came up with.

Type 2 diabetes is the fastest growing form, and is always blamed on being fat and lazy.  But there’s a problem with that reasoning: 138 million diabetics in China and India, where not that many people are fat or lazy!

Anyone who understands the diet of most people in China and India, and knows how hard they work, should question the standard reasons for getting type 2 diabetes.  There must be something else going on to cause this explosion of diabetes.

Opinion, U.S.

The U.S. IS a Police State: A sicko Police state as TSA officials force woman to remove adult diaper

This has really gone too far!  CNN reports Transportation Security Administration agents forced a cancer stricken 95 year old woman to remove her adult diaper.

“My mother is very ill, she has a form of leukemia. She had a blood transfusion the week before, just to bolster up her strength for this travel.”-Jean Weber, daughter of victim of TSA

Agents said they thought they felt something in the diaper when they did a patdown.  No sh*t Sherlock!  Turns out the diaper was doing its job!   Jean Weber cried because her ill mother ended up without underwear for the flight.

How can any self respecting person willingly do what TSA agents have to do?  Not only does it violate the rights, and dignity of travelers, but it has to be humiliating for the TSA agents!  If I were working for the TSA I would’ve quit a long time ago.  So not only is the United States a police state, but it’s a sicko police state!