Sunday, February 17, 2013

Today's Teamster News 01.17.13

Obama Warned On Social Security Reform By House Democrats   Huffington Post   ...White House Press Secretary Jay Carney recently said the president would be open to implementing chained Consumer Price Index (CPI), which would alter the annual adjustment in how benefits are paid to Social Security recipients by using a less generous baseline of inflation...
Equal Opportunity, Our National Myth (opinion)  New York Times   ...Today, the United States has less equality of opportunity than almost any other advanced industrial country...
Financial Crisis Cost Tops $22 Trillion, GAO Says  Huffington Post   ...The agency said the financial crisis toll on economic output may be as much as $13 trillion -- an entire year's gross domestic product. The office said paper wealth lost by U.S. homeowners totalled $9.1 billion. Additionally, the GAO noted, economic losses associated with increased mortgage foreclosures and higher unemployment since 2008 need to be considered as additional costs...
Kansas's Renewable Portfolio Standard Is Under Attack  Natural Resources Defense Council   ...the 19 wind farms currently operating in the state have created more than 12,300 jobs for Kansas citizens, $13.7 million in payments to landowners annually, and $10.4 million in contributions to communities each year. And, according to the Kansas Corporate Commission (Kansas’s public utilities commission), all this has been achieved without any significant increases in electricity costs for ratepayers...
Vorys: John Kasich’s sales tax expansion “a nightmare” for Ohio businesses  Plunderbund   ...“This tax expansion will hit Ohio businesses most directly and hardest.”...
Walker’s budget calls for selling state properties  Channel 3000   ...Walker spokeswoman Jocelyn Webster says proceeds will be used to pay off debt on the properties and raise $200 million to pay for renovations on Milwaukee's Zoo Interchange...
Assembly to drop fundraising prohibition during budget-writing process  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ...The vote was taken not in front of television cameras but by a paper ballot with minimal public notice - a growing practice in the Legislature in recent years...
Georgia ALEC/Chamber Puppets Try to Wipe Out Labor (AGAIN)  Daily Kos   ...The minions of ALEC and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce are once again trying double down on "Right to work for less" laws in Georgia by introducing "the son of SB 469" dubbed House Bill 361...
Teamsters union again seeking AA mechanics' vote  Tulsa World   ...The Teamsters Union, which represents about 18,000 airline mechanics at 10 carriers, says it has nearly enough cards signed to bring a representation dispute to the National Labor Relations Board...