NC Media Watch

What is the job stimulus money doing in your neighborhood? Really, that bad?

Russ Steele

After seven months of stimulus 49 of 50 States have lost jobs according to a Republican Ways and Means news release. America is Now Over 6 Million Jobs Shy of Administration's Projections.

The White House's February 2009 projection of the number of California jobs that would be created by the 2009 stimulus law through the end of 2010 was 396,000. The actual change in state payroll employment through September 2009 was a negative 336,400.  The difference between the promised 396,000 new jobs and the actual loss of 336,400 jobs has created a deficit of 732,400 jobs since the stimulus was enacted.

Now economist and administration policy makers are suggesting that the current joblessness is the new normal. According to an AP story, Even with an economic revival, many U.S. jobs lost during the recession may be gone forever and a weak employment market could linger for years. So, in reality we have just been stuffing government money down a rat hole, that has destroyed rather than created jobs. 

Let's be real clear, taking money from some tax payers and giving it to other tax payers does not produce wealth, or create new jobs, it only puts us all at risk of having to accept the "new normal" of widespread job loss and growing poverty.   

Check out how many jobs were lost in favorite state here.

Community Wide Summit on Collaboration

Russ Steele

The Center for Non-Profit Leadership of the Sierra has proposed a Community Wide Summit on Collaboration, which is endorsed by the following Businesses and Community Organizations:

Nevada County Community Leadership Institute Alumni
Center for Nonprofit Leadership
Nevada County Health & Human Services
Twin Cities Concert Association
The Friendship Club
Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation
South Yuba River Citizens League
Habitat for Humanity
Insight Directory
Hospitality House
NID
Ray Morgan Company – Jim Adams
United Way of Nevada County
County Supervisor, Nate Beason
Child Abuse Prevention Council
Nevada County Superintendent of Schools
Nevada County Grown
Project Simplify
First 5 Nevada County
Nevada City Mayor, Reinette Senum
The Sierra Mentoring Partnership

The theme of this Summit is: What can we do together that we cannot do or do as well alone?

When I first heard about this proposed Summit last spring I suggested one of the first actions of the Summit should be to craft a common vision for Nevada County.  We have many different organizations in Nevada County and all have a different vision for the County. 

Each organization is trying to implement their vision of the future. With the local economy suffering there are limited resources available to all organizations, public, private, and non-profit to craft a better quality of life for County citizens.  We cannot afford multiple visions, we need a single vision which we can all work towards, thus leveraging our limited resources.

Bet you did not read this in the main stream press

Russ Steele

The Canada Free Press, which is not controlled by the current administration, has this story about the up coming Tea Party in Sacramento on 28 August 2009.  A display of that manufactured anger which is Un-American according to Nancy Pelosi. Funny when it is an ACORN mob fighting for Democrat votes it is OK, when it is conservatives fighting for our freedom it is Un-American.

According the CFP hundreds of California farmers, ranchers, loggers and truckers will join an estimated 50,000 people to protest the court-ordered shutoff of water to the state’s Central Valley farm land to protect a minnow. And, to protest AB32 which is strangling the California economy.

According to a TEA Party Press Release published in the CFP:

A coalition of conservative, taxpayer, agricultural and logging industry organizations will march to the steps of California’s capitol building in Sacramento on Friday, Aug. 28 to fight for the livelihoods of working families over the rights of a federally protected fish.

“It is devastating California’s economy. We are being crushed by burdensome regulations and taxes”

Let's put shameful in perspective

Russ Steele

I am a visual learner, if I can draws a picture in my note book, or make a sketch on the back of envelope, I am more likely to remember the subject under discussion. That is why I like white boards to doodle on while talking about economic development at the ERC. 

This whole stimulus thing was hard for me to get a handle on without a graphic. This one at Suitably Flip  gets right to core of the issue -- wealth distribution!

As you can see those shameful Wall Street Bonus President Obama is fussing about just jump right out  at you.  Obama forgets that those bonus were negotiated long before the big crash and bailout.  Senior and Middle management worked out the parameters for those bonuses well before last year and thsoe wall streeters agreed to give up salary for a potential bonus if they did meet their goals. They gambled on their ability.

Look at the size of the interest payments we are leaving for our children, they are larger than the infrastructure investment, but about equal to the wealth distribution. I think this fussing about bonuses is to distract us from the fact that most people do not like the bailout. They recognize it for the pork laden wealth distribution that it is. Distraction is the only options left. 

If you have some thought on this pork laden wealth distribution, there are links to California's two Senators on the left side of this page.

Where was his Jimmy Carter sweater?

Russ Steele

Hot Air has the details of how Obama is leading by example. While the rest of the East is freezing, Obama turns up the heat to hot house levels.

The Age of Obama: Heat for me, but not for thee

Last week, Barack Obama caused quite a stir when he allowed himself to be photographed in the Oval Office without wearing a suit jacket, ending the Bush tradition of coat-and-tie for the West Wing.  The New York Times reports on how Obama made that possible during a colder-than-usual Washington winter.  All Obama did was turn up the thermostat to Hawaii hothouse levels.

Life for our President is going to be hard when people remember his words and voters expect him to lead by example.

New White House Web Site and Blog

Russ Steele

With in minutes after the swearing in ceremony, the Obama Team launched a new White House Web site.  Below is a short description by CNN, though they did not provide a link.

The new design includes more interactive features, a prominent photo gallery displayed across the top of the site, the ability to get e-mail updates, and a White House blog. The site's "briefing room" also includes places for a weekly video address, slide shows, proclamations, and executive orders as well as news about nominations and appointments.

Visitors to the site are invited to e-mail the president and his staff, although -- perhaps in a nod to the Twittersphere, where brevity is key -- comments are limited to 500 characters.

Now we can all ask the question on the White House Blog. My question today: 

Why is your administration going to pursue greenhouse gas reduction legislation when there has been no global warming for the last ten years? The sun has entering a quiet phase, which in the past has resulted in cooler temperatures on the planet. Perhaps we should wait until the sun becomes active again and see if warming resumes before taking any drastic action that could have multiple negative impacts on our national economy.

I will share any answers I get in a future post. I will also share tomorrows in a future post. Maybe we should all share our daily questions to the White House Blog.

Unintended Consequences: US Highway Trust Fund broke!

Russ Steele

There are some unintended consequences of saving the world from global warming and limiting oil exploration. As gas and diesel prices went up people stopped driving. As gas prices went up people bought hybrids. All of these actions had the unintended consequences of reducing the amount of automotive fuel that was purchased, thus fewer motor fuel taxes were collected across the US and in California. Today we learned the Transportation Trust Fund is busted.

The Secretary of Transportation announced today that federal motor fuel tax receipts have dropped so precipitously over the summer that the Highway Account of the Highway Trust Fund will run out of cash in the next few weeks.

As a result, starting on Monday, the Federal Highway Administration will cease its longtime practice of twice-daily electronic reimbursements to states for the payments that states have already made to road contractors.

Instead, FHWA will reimburse states once per week, on Thursdays, and will only give states a pro-rated percentage of their outstanding reimbursement claims based on the amount of cash on-hand in the Highway Account on the day the reimbursements are made.

These slower payments will have an economic impact on California Contractors, thus on our whole economy. This is not a new problem I wrote about the problem of declining motor fuel taxes for the Capital Journal December 2004, Riden' with Tax Collector Onboard. riden_with_tax__collector.pdf .  I quoted Mary Peters, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, who was getting the declining motor fuel taxes issue on the table in 2004.  In the DOT press release today she points once again to the problem.

Will Congress create even more homeless

Russ Steele

Jeff Ackerman writes about the homeless problem in his homeless column  After rambling about how he met a beer drinking bong smoking Nick, he ends with this:

Nick, I believe, is at a significant crossroad. He's still young enough to turn things around; to realize that there is much more to life than he's seen from a tipped-up bottle of beer. But he's going to need some help along the way and this Great Nation of ours needs to realize that it can continue to pour money into homeless shelters and prisons, or work to address the root of the homeless and prison problem that clearly rests inside a bottle of beer and at the bottom of a glass pipe.

I had to read this statement several times and I am still not sure what the problem is.

work to address the root of the homeless and prison problem that clearly rests inside a bottle of beer and at the bottom of a glass pipe.

What is the root problem? Mental illness? Lack of parenting? A community that ignores beer drinking drug users, and attracts the homeless. Crime?

While I will continue to ponder Jeff's question, I am more concerned about the growing economic crisis, that if it continues unabated, there will be more homeless than we can handle in Nevada County. If more banks collapses, fuel prices continue to climb, investors lose confidence in the dollar, and congress diddles, there will be more homeless.  Congress continues to block energy production, even though they know that the effects on our economy will be disastrous. Why? Because they are owned by the Sierra Club and environmental groups who want return us a 19th century lifestyle. Congress wastes time and energy trying to solve global warming, a non existent problem by increasing taxes rather than focusing on solving our energy crisis.  Constraining growth will not solve our economic crisis, it will only make it worse and produce even more homeless.  What will we do with our new homeless people in Nevada County.

One world beer and better air

Russ Steele

Now that Belgium-based InBev has bought Anheuser-Busch over the weekend, will all the new Bud labels read "Product of the EU?"   When we were in Canada and shopping for wine, many of the labels read "Product of the EU."  This makes shopping for an Italian wine, or a Spanish wine, or a wine from Germany just a tad difficult. I would find it very troubling that a beer so uniquely American could be labeled a product of the European Union. On the other hand, my new son-in-law who hails from Canada recently introduce me to Stella Artois which is brewed by InBev. I like it better than most of the bland Buds produced by Anheuser-Busch. Maybe I am more ready for a One World Beer than I thought.

On the other hand, given the growing number of micro-brew labels that are cropping up across the country, I am sure we will have many unique choices with US labels. When traveling, and want a beer with lunch or dinner, we ask for the local micro brew. Most are very good and once in a while you run across one that is outstanding. One of the  joys of travel it being exposed to some really great beers. Oregon has some classics and if the air does not clear in Nevada County real soon now, we may be sampling some of Oregon's finest sooner rather than latter. There are some advantages to pulling a trailer, when the air gets bad, just move to a place with better air.

Patriots in the heartland

Russ Steele

Ellen and I were impressed by the patriotism displayed through out the middle of America, especially in Tennessee and the area around Nashville. They seem to be less touched by the negative attitudes on both coasts. Here is an example from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, via the Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds.