Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party |
- Food, drink tax touted to fund stadium
- Ex-Freddie, Fannie CEOs Sued Over Loans
- School District Bans Christmas Cookies, Cake, Candy, Soda
- Internet architects oppose US online piracy bills
- Two deaths from brain-eating amoeba linked to sinus remedy for colds
- Tea Party fave Nikki Haley backs Romney
- Tea party’s Mark Meckler arrested on gun charge
| Food, drink tax touted to fund stadium Posted: 16 Dec 2011 01:10 PM PST By: ROCHELLE OLSON and KEVIN DUCHSCHERE , Star Tribune Two Ramsey County commissioners sent a letter Thursday to key legislators saying a 3 percent countywide food and beverage tax is the “only viable financing plan” for a new Minnesota Vikings stadium. Commissioners Tony Bennett and Rafael Ortega have been pushing for a $1.1 billion stadium on a former munitions site in Arden Hills. They touted their financing plan in a letter to state Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, and state Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont. They are the sponsors of stadium bills and have said they want to introduce a site-specific plan soon. In a letter just more than a page long, the commissioners underlined two sentences: “This is the only viable financing plan on the table, and the only plan that would make the local share available immediately. Additionally, it is the only plan that has already been negotiated with the Vikings.” Others, however, aren’t convinced it’s the way to go. County Finance Director Lee Mehrkens first raised the plan in legislative hearings this month, but the concept received a tepid reception. Rosen, who couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday, said at that time those taxes were “not acceptable.” The letter proposes a cocktail of “special local taxes on food and beverages, liquor, lodging, entertaining and admissions” to generate about $24 million a year to support $350 million in bonds. The commissioners attached a legal analysis saying the taxes would require only legislative authorization and a County Board vote — not a referendum of county voters. To read more, visit: http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/135707068.html |
| Ex-Freddie, Fannie CEOs Sued Over Loans Posted: 16 Dec 2011 01:06 PM PST By David Glovin and Joshua Gallu,Bloomberg.com Daniel Mudd, the former chief executive officer of Fannie Mae, and Richard Syron, ex-CEO of Freddie Mac, were sued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for understating by hundreds of billions of dollars the subprime loans held by the firms. The lawsuits filed today in Manhattan federal court were followed by an SEC statement that it had entered into "non- prosecution agreements" with each company. Fannie Mae, the government-sponsored enterprise which issues almost half of all mortgage-backed securities, and Freddie Mac, the McLean, Virginia-based mortgage-finance company, had "agreed to accept responsibility" for their conduct, the SEC said. The agency said in the lawsuits that Syron, Mudd and other executives understated exposure to subprime mortgage loans. From 2007 to 2008, Freddie Mac executives said the company's exposure was from $2 billion to $6 billion when it was actually as high as $244 billion, according to one SEC complaint. From 2006 to 2008, Washington-based Fannie Mae executives said the firm's exposure to subprime mortgage and reduced- documentation loans was about $4.8 billion when it was almost 10 times greater, according to the regulator. 'Told the World' "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac executives told the world that their subprime exposure was substantially smaller than it really was," Robert Khuzami, director of the SEC's enforcement division, said in a statement. "These material misstatements occurred during a time of acute investor interest in financial institutions' exposure to subprime loans, and misled the market about the amount of risk on the company's books." The lawsuits, which together name six former executives at the government-sponsored entities, come amid criticism from judges and lawmakers that the SEC hasn't done enough to hold individuals responsible for misconduct related to the housing crisis and financial-market collapse that followed. To read more, visit: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-16/sec-sues-former-freddie-mac-chief-executive-richard-syron-in-new-york.html |
| School District Bans Christmas Cookies, Cake, Candy, Soda Posted: 16 Dec 2011 01:03 PM PST From: CBSBoston.com Westford school officials are getting tough on classroom holiday parties. They're banning sugary snacks and sweetened beverages from the celebrations this year. Students are being told to leave the Christmas cookies, cakes, candy bars, and soda at home and to bring fruits, unsweetened juices, popcorn and raisins instead. Superintendent Everett Olsen says the ban on holiday sweets has nothing to do with being politically correct, rather, his motive is simply promoting a healthy lifestyle. "We aren't trying to take the Christmas out of Christmas. We're not trying to take the enjoyment out of children's lives. We're just trying to act responsible," he told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Mike Macklin. The school's goal is to avoid the types of sweets that pile on empty calories and contribute to childhood obesity. To read more, visit: http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/12/15/westford-students-told-to-leave-the-christmas-cookies-at-home/ |
| Internet architects oppose US online piracy bills Posted: 16 Dec 2011 01:00 PM PST From: Breitbart.com A group of prominent architects of the Internet added their voices Thursday to those opposing legislation in the US Congress intended to crack down on online piracy. In an open letter to Congress, more than 80 engineers, inventors and software developers expressed concerns about the bills introduced in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Their letter came a day after the founders of Google, Twitter, Yahoo! and other Internet giants voiced opposition to the Stop Online Piracy Act being considered in the House and the Senate version known as the Protect IP Act. The legislation has received the backing of Hollywood, the music industry, the Business Software Alliance, the National Association of Manufacturers, the US Chamber of Commerce and other groups. But it has come under fire from digital rights and free speech organizations for allegedly paving the way for US authorities to shut down websites accused of online piracy, including foreign sites, without due process. “If enacted, either of these bills will create an environment of tremendous fear and uncertainty for technological innovation, and seriously harm the credibility of the United States in its role as a steward of key Internet infrastructure,” the Internet architects said in their letter. To read more, visit: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.1c73b71a8b1e330524e29ceb1114fc5e.811&show_article=1 |
| Two deaths from brain-eating amoeba linked to sinus remedy for colds Posted: 16 Dec 2011 12:53 PM PST By CLAIRE BATES, Dailymail.co.uk A sinus-flushing device used to relieve colds and allergies has been linked to a deadly brain-eating amoeba. Louisiana’s state health department issued a warning about neti pots – which look like mini watering cans, that are used by pouring salty water through one nostril. It follows two recent deaths – a 51-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man from the ‘brain-eating amoeba’ Naegleria fowleri. It is thought the amoeba entered their brains when they used the devices. Both victims are thought to have used tap water, instead of distilled or sterilised water as recommended by the manufacturers. Dr Raoult Ratard, Louisiana State Epidemiologist, said: ‘If you are irrigating, flushing, or rinsing your sinuses, for example, by using a neti pot, use distilled, sterile or previously boiled water to make up the irrigation solution. To read more, visit: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2074957/Deaths-brain-eating-amoeba-linked-sinus-remedy-colds.html |
| Tea Party fave Nikki Haley backs Romney Posted: 16 Dec 2011 12:50 PM PST By USA Today Feed South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley endorsed Mitt Romney for president today, giving the GOP contender high-profile support from a Tea Party favorite in a key early state. Haley, elected last year with help from the small-government movement, said on Fox News that Romney is "not part of the chaos" in Washington and has made key decisions as a governor and businessman that have created jobs. "He knows what it means to make decisions-aareal decisions-aanot simply cast a vote," she said. Tea Party support is highly coveted in the presidential election, given the movement's ability in the 2010 elections to sweep Republicans into office and demand focus on fiscal responsibility. Other GOP presidential hopefuls, notably Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry, have been aligned with the Tea Party for a long time. Haley and Romney will campaign together over the weekend throughout South Carolina, which holds its primary on Jan. 21. Romney is about 20 points behind Newt Gingrich in South Carolina public opinion polls, but the outcome of the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary will no doubt help tighten the race in the Palmetto State. Romney's campaign also announced it would start advertising in South Carolina, using the "Leader" commercial that's been running in Iowa and New Hampshire. In that spot, Romney highlights is "steadiness and constancy" in his marriage and his career. To read more, visit: http://tucsoncitizen.com/usa-today-news/2011/12/16/tea-party-fave-nikki-haley-backs-romney/ |
| Tea party’s Mark Meckler arrested on gun charge Posted: 16 Dec 2011 12:45 PM PST From: CBSNews.com A leader of a tea party group was arrested after he took a gun to LaGuardia Airport. Tea Party Patriots co-founder Mark Meckler was taken into custody Thursday morning after he tried to check in for a Delta flight to Detroit with a locked gun box containing a Glock pistol and 19 cartridges of ammunition, Queens prosecutors said. Meckler, 49, declared the weapon, as required, authorities said. He’s licensed to carry the gun in Grass Valley, Calif., where he lives, but that license isn’t valid in New York, which has strict rules on carrying concealed weapons, they said. “He didn’t have a correct understanding of the law,” said Al Della Fave, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which polices the area’s main airports. “Though he has a permit to carry in California, that did not cover him in the state of New York.” Meckler spent the day in jail and was arraigned in Queens late Friday afternoon on a felony weapons possession charge. He was released pending a Jan. 12 court date. The charge could carry prison time, but travelers who are arrested in such cases and appear to be trying to comply with the law typically pay fines. The name of Meckler’s attorney wasn’t available Friday, and attempts to contact him by phone and electronic message were unsuccessful. To read more, visit: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57344080/tea-partys-mark-meckler-arrested-on-gun-charge/ |
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