Archive for November, 2007

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Jobless claims hit nine month high, those getting benefits near 2 year high

Published by
elophan
November 29, 2007 in Economy and Newz. 0 Comments

Number of People Seeking Unemployment Benefits Rises Sharply

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of new people signing up for jobless benefits last week jumped sharply, suggesting that the labor market is softening as national economic activity slows.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that new applications filed for unemployment insurance rose by a seasonally adjusted 23,000 to 352,000. It was the highest level since Feb. 10.

The report surprised economists. They were forecasting claims to hold steady around 330,000. More…

Number of Americans on unemployment nears two-year high

By Robert Schroeder, MarketWatch

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — In a possible sign of a weakening labor market, the number of Americans receiving state jobless benefits rose to a nearly two-year high in the latest week, the government reported Thursday.

Continuing jobless claims - the total number of individuals collecting unemployment benefits — rose by 112,000 in the week ending Nov. 17, to 2.66 million, the highest mark since Dec. 24, 2005, the Labor Department said.

Initial jobless claims - individuals applying for unemployment benefits for the first time — also shot up in the latest week, the data show. Those claims rose by 23,000 to 352,000 during the week ending Nov. 24, their highest level since Feb. 10.

“This is the first time initial claims have broken 350,000 since February and thus perhaps an early sign of a more severe deterioration in the labor market,” said Andrew Gledhill of Moody’s Economy.com.

“At the moment, these two indicators are consistent with weakening labor market conditions,” said Joshua Shapiro of MFR, Inc.

The four-week moving averages for both initial claims and continuing claims also edged up in the latest surveys.

The four-week average of initial claims rose by 5,750 to 335,250, the highest since March 3. The continuing claims average climbed by 20,500 to 2.59 million. That number was the highest since Jan. 1, 2006.

Economists say the averages are a better indicator because they smooth out one-time events like holidays or strikes.

A Labor Department official noted “no special factors” in the latest data.

Initial claims represent job destruction, while the level of continuing claims show how hard or easy it is for displaced workers to find new jobs.

An increase in claims is a leading indicator of an economic slowdown, and analysts have been watching the claims data closely.

The insured unemployment rate, representing the portion of all workers covered by unemployment insurance who are collecting benefits, also crept up for the week ending Nov. 17, to 2.0% from 1.9%. More…

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FEMA to close all LA trailer parks within 6 months

Published by
elophan
November 29, 2007 in Government, Human Interest/Society and Newz. 0 Comments

By Katy Reckdahl, The Times-Picayune

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Wednesday that it would close all of its remaining Louisiana trailer parks within six months.

According to a schedule released by the agency, all of the “group sites” will be closed by the end of May. FEMA’s list of soon-to-be-shuttered parks affects about 6,400 people living at more than 50 sites.

New Orleans residents are most affected by the new schedule. Roughly half of the to-be-closed parks are in New Orleans, where, unlike neighboring parishes, city officials have not pushed FEMA to empty the parks. And a few other sites, such as the 350-trailer Renaissance Village near Baton Rouge, are located elsewhere but house mostly New Orleans-area residents.

FEMA spokesman Bob Josephson said the agency’s new park-closure schedule is part of a strategy of “being compassionate and making sure we have people taken care of with housing.”

That statement raised the blood pressure of some low-income housing advocates, who contend that dozens of hasty New Orleans park closures during the past few months have relegated many trailer occupants to friends’ couches and floors or to substandard housing.

“What FEMA says sounds so good, if you don’t know what’s really going on,” said Davida Finger, a Loyola University Law Clinic staff attorney who has advocated for dozens of displaced trailer-park residents. “Only a handful of the people I’ve met are satisfied with the housing they’ve found. And they’ve found it themselves,” she said in a jab at FEMA’s caseworkers, who she and other advocates say have been ineffective. FEMA, however, claims its caseworkers are available six days a week and have been successful in most instances.

The agency has been careful not to attribute park closures to concerns about formaldehyde, which has been found at dangerous levels in some trailers. In a “Frequently Asked Questions” flier released Wednesday, a question asked: “Is FEMA closing parks because of formaldehyde?” FEMA answered: “Trailers were intended as short-term housing solutions. Rental resources are increasingly available in Louisiana and are more appropriate for long-term housing.”

Testing of local units was scheduled to begin this month but has been postponed. It should begin “very soon,” Josephson said.

FEMA’s effectiveness in moving New Orleans residents out of parks is in dispute, and critics acknowledge the situation is complex. The working poor occupy most FEMA trailers, and they may also be grappling with depression, iffy credit and minor criminal records, all of which make apartment hunting more difficult. Caseworkers cited all those issues as complicating factors for departing trailer-park residents, Josephson said.

FEMA caseworkers also had reported that some occupants talked about wanting a rental apartment but then turned down five or six places, Josephson said.

But Finger said she had toured FEMA-referred apartments with clients and found them, in general, lacking. Some needed drywall, and others had no heat or inadequate plumbing, she said. More…

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Federal regulators opt to let companies deny their shareholders a right to vote on annual proxy ballots.

Published by
Gene Shinai
November 29, 2007 in Business/Finance, Government and Newz. 0 Comments

From CNN/Money:

November 28 2007: 6:22 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal securities regulators on Wednesday voted to let companies deny shareholders access to annual proxy ballots, a move governance advocates say could make corporate America less responsive to investors.

With the lone Democrat on the Securities and Exchange Commission dissenting, the panel voted 3-1 at a public meeting on the controversial shareholder rights issue, which had generated more than 34,000 comment letters from the public.

Annette Nazareth, the Democratic commissioner, said the SEC’s action “stands in the way of shareholders’ rights to elect directors.”

Within minutes of the SEC vote, an effort to test the new rule was launched. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, formally asked JPMorgan Chase (Charts, Fortune 500) and Bear Stearns (Charts, Fortune 500) to allow all shareholders to vote on bylaw changes for electing directors.

The New York-based investment firms are among a number of Wall Street companies that have recently taken multimillion-dollar hits to earnings in writedowns for losses on high-risk mortgage securities.

Richard Ferlauto, AFSCME’s director of corporate governance and pension investment, said the government employees’ union took the action “because of our concerns regarding the mismanagement of subprime credit issues and risk exposure among the financial companies that we own.”

AFSCME was joined by the New Jersey Division of Investments and the North Carolina treasurer’s office in its request to Bear Stearns and by the treasurer’s office in its JPMorgan Chase request.

In coming weeks, “a number of additional proposals will be filed by us and significant numbers of public funds,” Ferlauto said.

If JPMorgan Chase and Bear Stearns use the new SEC ruling to bar AFSCME’s request, Ferlauto said Wednesday that the union is “prepared to litigate to defend” a September federal appeals court ruling that denied American International Group Inc.’s (Charts, Fortune 500) effort to bar a similar proxy-access proposal. AIG had said it was relying on the SEC proxy-access rule that was in place before Wednesday’s vote.

A second unfilled Democratic seat on the five-member SEC panel added to the controversy over the vote on shareholder rights. Democrat Roel Campos, who left in September, likely would have voted to adopt a proposal making it easier and cheaper for dissident shareholders to elect their candidates to a company’s board.

That proposal would have allowed shareholders who together owned at least 5 percent of a company’s stock to propose changes to the company’s bylaws on elections for directors.

Proposed bylaw changes would then have been voted on by all shareholders, giving stock holders the right to get their board candidates on ballots printed and distributed at a company’s expense.

Instead, the SEC adopted a competing proposal that codifies the status quo, allowing companies to ignore shareholder proposals related to the election of board members. Dissident investors must wage costly proxy fights and appeal to shareholders at their own expense if they seek new directors on a company’s board or a bylaw change.

It’s “a sad day for shareowners,” said Ann Yerger, executive director of the Council of Institutional Investors, or CII, a group representing public pension funds.

In a statement, the CII said it “is deeply disappointed that the Securities and Exchange Commission, which takes pride in its mission as the investor’s advocate, has adopted a rule that weakens investor protections.”-More with Video>

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Orange County CA to Use Recycled Water to Augment Drinking Water Supply

Published by
Gene Shinai
November 29, 2007 in Health, Newz, State/Local Government, The Environment and sci-tech. 0 Comments

Courtesy: The New York Times:

By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD

Published: November 27, 2007

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. — It used to be so final: flush the toilet, and waste be gone.

But on Nov. 30, for millions of people here in Orange County, pulling the lever will be the start of a long, intense process to purify the sewage into drinking water — after a hard scrubbing with filters, screens, chemicals and ultraviolet light and the passage of time underground.

On that Friday, the Orange County Water District will turn on what industry experts say is the world’s largest plant devoted to purifying sewer water to increase drinking water supplies. They and others hope it serves as a model for authorities worldwide facing persistent drought, predicted water shortages and projected growth.

The process, called by proponents “indirect potable water reuse” and “toilet to tap” by the wary, is getting a close look in several cities.

The San Diego City Council approved a pilot plan in October to bolster a drinking water reservoir with recycled sewer water. The mayor vetoed the proposal as costly and unlikely to win public acceptance, but the Council will consider overriding it in early December.

Water officials in the San Jose area announced a study of the issue in September, water managers in South Florida approved a plan in November calling for abundant use of recycled wastewater in the coming years in part to help restock drinking water supplies, and planners in Texas are giving it serious consideration.

“These types of projects you will see springing up all over the place where there are severe water shortages,” said Michael R. Markus, the general manager of the Orange County district, whose plant, which will process 70 million gallons a day, has already been visited by water managers from across the globe.

The finished product, which district managers say exceeds drinking water standards, will not flow directly into kitchen and bathroom taps; state regulations forbid that.

Instead it will be injected underground, with half of it helping to form a barrier against seawater intruding on groundwater sources and the other half gradually filtering into aquifers that supply 2.3 million people, about three-quarters of the county. The recycling project will produce much more potable water and at a higher quality than did the mid-1970s-era plant it replaces.

The Groundwater Replenishment System, as the $481 million plant here is known, is a labyrinth of tubing and tanks that sucks in treated sewer water the color of dark beer from a sanitation plant next door, and first runs it through microfilters to remove solids. The water then undergoes reverse osmosis, forcing it through thin, porous membranes at high pressure, before it is further cleansed with peroxide and ultraviolet light to break down any remaining pharmaceuticals and carcinogens.

The result, Mr. Markus said, “is as pure as distilled water” and about the same cost as buying water from wholesalers.

Recycled water, also called reclaimed or gray water, has been used for decades in agriculture, landscaping and by industrial plants.

And for years, treated sewage, known as effluent, has been discharged into oceans and rivers, including the Mississippi and the Colorado, which supply drinking water for millions.

But only about a dozen water agencies in the United States, and several more abroad, recycle treated sewage to replenish drinking water supplies, though none here steer the water directly into household taps. They typically spray or inject the water into the ground and allow it to percolate down to aquifers.

Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, among the most arid places in Africa, is believed to be the only place in the world that practices “direct potable reuse” on a large-scale, with recycled water going directly into the tap water distribution system, said James Crook, a water industry consultant who has studied the issue.

The projects are costly and often face health concerns from opponents.

Such was the case on Nov. 6 in Tucson, where a wide-ranging ballot measure that would have barred the city from using purified water in drinking water supplies failed overwhelmingly. The water department there said it had no such plans but the idea has been discussed in the past.

John Kromko, a former Arizona state legislator who advocated for the prohibition, said he was skeptical about claims that the recycling process cleanses all contaminants from the water and he suggested that Tucson limit growth rather than find new ways to feed it.

“We really don’t know how safe it is,” he said. “And if we controlled growth we would never have to worry about drinking it.”

Mayor Jerry Sanders of San Diego, in vetoing the City Council plan there, said it “is not a silver bullet for the region’s water needs” and the public has never taken to the idea in the 15 years it has been discussed off and on.

Although originally estimated at $10 million for the pilot study in San Diego, water department officials said the figure would be refined, and the total cost of the project might be hundreds of millions of dollars. Although the Council wants to offset the cost with government grants and other sources, Mr. Sanders predicted it would add to already escalating water bills.

“It is one of the most expensive kinds of water you can create,” said Fred Sainz, a spokesman for the mayor. “It is a large investment for a very small return.”

San Diego, which imports about 85 percent of its water because of a lack of aquifers, asked residents this year to curtail water use.

-More>

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French Reveal Plans for Taser Flying Saucer

Published by
Gene Shinai
November 28, 2007 in Foreign, Human Rights, Law and Justice, Newz and sci-tech. 0 Comments

From Wired:

A French businessman tells AFP his company is working on putting TASER stun guns on a flying saucer that would zap protesters, evil-doers, and anybody else that authorities there don’t like. Antoine di Zazzo, identified by AFP as “one of the biggest Taser representatives” outside the United States, said his company is “developing a mini-flying saucer like drone which could also fire Taser stun rounds on criminal suspects or rioting crowds. He expects it to be launched next year and to be sold internationally by Taser.”

TASER could soon be big in France, the AFP reports. French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s “no-nonsense law and order tactics are one reason why the engineer businessman is confident of huge demand for the gun, despite controversy over its use in North America and being declared a form of torture by a UN committee.”-More>

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Holy Halliburton

Published by
Gene Shinai
November 28, 2007 in Business/Finance, Newz and Opinion. 0 Comments

The New York Times:

Holy Halliburton

Crony capitalism rears its ugly head. If this is as bad as it looks, the subprime mess has just entered a whole new level of scandal:

Countrywide Financial Corp. fell more than 10 percent in New York Stock Exchange trading after U.S. Senator Charles Schumer urged the regulator of the Federal Home Loan Bank system to probe cash advances to the largest U.S. mortgage lender.

Schumer said he was alarmed by the volume of advances the system’s Atlanta bank has made to Countrywide considering “the rapid deterioration’’ in the credit quality of some of the Calabasas, California-based company’s mortgages. Schumer expressed his concerns in a letter sent today to Federal Housing Finance Board Chairman Ronald Rosenfeld.

The Atlanta bank has made $51.1 billion in advances to Countrywide as of Sept. 30, representing 37 percent of the bank’s total outstanding advances, Schumer wrote, citing U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

The Federal Home Loan Bank is what the British call a quango — a quasi-non-governmental organization. Although it isn’t legally backed by taxpayer money, it’s widely perceived as having an implicit federal guarantee. And at first glance, it appears that taxpayers’ trust is being used to bail out one of the biggest bad actors in the subprime story.-More>

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H.R. 1955: Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (Vote On Passage)

Published by
susan
November 27, 2007 in Human Rights, In Defense of Democracy, Newz and The Congress. 1 Comment

 From GovTrack

Roll Call Votes: 110th Congress: House Vote #993 (Oct 23, 2007)

H.R. 1955: Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (Vote On Passage)

House Vote #993 — Oct 23, 2007

Result: Passed

Related Bill: H.R. 1955: Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007

Alabama
Aye AL-1 Bonner, Jo [R]
Aye AL-2 Everett, Terry [R]
Aye AL-3 Rogers, Michael [R]
Aye AL-4 Aderholt, Robert [R]
Aye AL-5 Cramer, Robert [D]
Aye AL-6 Bachus, Spencer [R]
Aye AL-7 Davis, Artur [D]
Alaska
Aye AK-0 Young, Donald [R]
Arizona
Aye AZ-1 Renzi, Rick [R]
Aye AZ-2 Franks, Trent [R]
Aye AZ-3 Shadegg, John [R]
Aye AZ-4 Pastor, Edward [D]
Aye AZ-5 Mitchell, Harry [D]
Nay AZ-6 Flake, Jeff [R]
Aye AZ-7 Grijalva, Raul [D]
Aye AZ-8 Giffords, Gabrielle [D]
Arkansas
Aye AR-1 Berry, Robert [D]
Aye AR-2 Snyder, Victor [D]
Aye AR-3 Boozman, John [R]
Aye AR-4 Ross, Mike [D]
California
Aye CA-1 Thompson, C. [D]
Aye CA-2 Herger, Walter [R]
Aye CA-3 Lungren, Daniel [R]
Aye CA-4 Doolittle, John [R]
Aye CA-5 Matsui, Doris [D]
No Vote CA-6 Woolsey, Lynn [D]
Aye CA-7 Miller, George [D]
Aye CA-9 Lee, Barbara [D]
Aye CA-10 Tauscher, Ellen [D]
Aye CA-11 McNerney, Jerry [D]
Aye CA-12 Lantos, Tom [D]
Aye CA-13 Stark, Fortney [D]
Aye CA-14 Eshoo, Anna [D]
Aye CA-15 Honda, Michael [D]
Aye CA-16 Lofgren, Zoe [D]
Aye CA-17 Farr, Sam [D]
Aye CA-18 Cardoza, Dennis [D]
Aye CA-19 Radanovich, George [R]
Aye CA-20 Costa, Jim [D]
Aye CA-21 Nunes, Devin [R]
Aye CA-22 McCarthy, Kevin [R]
Aye CA-23 Capps, Lois [D]
Aye CA-24 Gallegly, Elton [R]
No Vote CA-25 McKeon, Howard [R]
Aye CA-26 Dreier, David [R]
No Vote CA-27 Sherman, Brad [D]
Aye CA-28 Berman, Howard [D]
Aye CA-29 Schiff, Adam [D]
Aye CA-30 Waxman, Henry [D]
Aye CA-31 Becerra, Xavier [D]
Aye CA-32 Solis, Hilda [D]
Aye CA-33 Watson, Diane [D]
Aye CA-34 Roybal-Allard, Lucille [D]
Aye CA-35 Waters, Maxine [D]
Aye CA-36 Harman, Jane [D]
Aye CA-37 Richardson, Laura [D]
Aye CA-38 Napolitano, Grace [D]
Aye CA-39 Sanchez, Linda [D]
Aye CA-40 Royce, Edward [R]
Aye CA-41 Lewis, Jerry [R]
Aye CA-42 Miller, Gary [R]
Aye CA-43 Baca, Joe [D]
Aye CA-44 Calvert, Ken [R]
Aye CA-45 Bono, Mary [R]
Nay CA-46 Rohrabacher, Dana [R]
Aye CA-47 Sanchez, Loretta [D]
Aye CA-48 Campbell, John [R]
No Vote CA-49 Issa, Darrell [R]
No Vote CA-50 Bilbray, Brian [R]
Aye CA-51 Filner, Bob [D]
No Vote CA-52 Hunter, Duncan [R]
Aye CA-53 Davis, Susan [D]
Colorado
Aye CO-1 DeGette, Diana [D]
Aye CO-2 Udall, Mark [D]
Aye CO-3 Salazar, John [D]
Aye CO-4 Musgrave, Marilyn [R]
Aye CO-5 Lamborn, Doug [R]
Aye CO-6 Tancredo, Thomas [R]
Aye CO-7 Perlmutter, Ed [D]
Connecticut
Aye CT-1 Larson, John [D]
Aye CT-2 Courtney, Joe [D]
Aye CT-3 DeLauro, Rosa [D]
Aye CT-4 Shays, Christopher [R]
Aye CT-5 Murphy, Christopher [D]
Delaware
Aye DE-0 Castle, Michael [R]
Florida
Aye FL-1 Miller, Jeff [R]
Aye FL-2 Boyd, F. [D]
Aye FL-3 Brown, Corrine [D]
Aye FL-4 Crenshaw, Ander [R]
Aye FL-5 Brown-Waite, Virginia [R]
Aye FL-6 Stearns, Clifford [R]
Aye FL-7 Mica, John [R]
Aye FL-8 Keller, Ric [R]
Aye FL-9 Bilirakis, Gus [R]
Aye FL-10 Young, C. W. [R]
Aye FL-11 Castor, Kathy [D]
Aye FL-12 Putnam, Adam [R]
Aye FL-13 Buchanan, Vern [R]
Aye FL-14 Mack, Connie [R]
Aye FL-15 Weldon, David [R]
Aye FL-16 Mahoney, Tim [D]
Aye FL-17 Meek, Kendrick [D]
Aye FL-18 Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [R]
Aye FL-19 Wexler, Robert [D]
Aye FL-20 Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D]
Aye FL-21 Diaz-Balart, Lincoln [R]
Aye FL-22 Klein, Ron [D]
Aye FL-23 Hastings, Alcee [D]
No Vote FL-24 Feeney, Tom [R]
Aye FL-25 Diaz-Balart, Mario [R]
Georgia
Aye GA-1 Kingston, Jack [R]
Aye GA-2 Bishop, Sanford [D]
Aye GA-3 Westmoreland, Lynn [R]
Aye GA-4 Johnson, Henry [D]
Aye GA-5 Lewis, John [D]
Aye GA-6 Price, Tom [R]
Aye GA-7 Linder, John [R]
Aye GA-8 Marshall, James [D]
Aye GA-9 Deal, Nathan [R]
Aye GA-10 Broun, Paul [R]
Aye GA-11 Gingrey, John [R]
Aye GA-12 Barrow, John [D]
Aye GA-13 Scott, David [D]
Hawaii
Nay HI-1 Abercrombie, Neil [D]
Aye HI-2 Hirono, Mazie [D]
Idaho
Aye ID-1 Sali, Bill [R]
Aye ID-2 Simpson, Michael [R]
Illinois
Aye IL-1 Rush, Bobby [D]
Aye IL-2 Jackson, Jesse [D]
Aye IL-3 Lipinski, Daniel [D]
Aye IL-4 Gutierrez, Luis [D]
Aye IL-5 Emanuel, Rahm [D]
Aye IL-6 Roskam, Peter [R]
No Vote IL-7 Davis, Danny [D]
Aye IL-8 Bean, Melissa [D]
Aye IL-9 Schakowsky, Janice [D]
Aye IL-10 Kirk, Mark [R]
Aye IL-11 Weller, Gerald [R]
Nay IL-12 Costello, Jerry [D]
Aye IL-13 Biggert, Judy [R]
Aye IL-14 Hastert, J. [R]
Aye IL-15 Johnson, Timothy [R]
Aye IL-16 Manzullo, Donald [R]
Aye IL-17 Hare, Phil [D]
Aye IL-18 LaHood, Ray [R]
Aye IL-19 Shimkus, John [R]
Indiana
Aye IN-1 Visclosky, Peter [D]
Aye IN-2 Donnelly, Joe [D]
Aye IN-3 Souder, Mark [R]
Aye IN-4 Buyer, Stephen [R]
Aye IN-5 Burton, Dan [R]
Aye IN-6 Pence, Mike [R]
No Vote IN-7 Carson, Julia [D]
Aye IN-8 Ellsworth, Brad [D]
Aye IN-9 Hill, Baron [D]
Iowa
Aye IA-1 Braley, Bruce [D]
Aye IA-2 Loebsack, David [D]
Aye IA-3 Boswell, Leonard [D]
Aye IA-4 Latham, Thomas [R]
Aye IA-5 King, Steve [R]
Kansas
Aye KS-1 Moran, Jerry [R]
Aye KS-2 Boyda, Nancy [D]
No Vote KS-3 Moore, Dennis [D]
Aye KS-4 Tiahrt, Todd [R]
Kentucky
Aye KY-1 Whitfield, Edward [R]
Aye KY-2 Lewis, Ron [R]
Aye KY-3 Yarmuth, John [D]
Aye KY-4 Davis, Geoff [R]
Aye KY-5 Rogers, Harold [R]
Aye KY-6 Chandler, Ben [D]
Louisiana
No Vote LA-1 Jindal, Bobby [R]
Aye LA-2 Jefferson, William [D]
Aye LA-3 Melancon, Charles [D]
Aye LA-4 McCrery, James [R]
Aye LA-5 Alexander, Rodney [R]
Aye LA-6 Baker, Richard [R]
Aye LA-7 Boustany, Charles [R]
Maine
Aye ME-1 Allen, Thomas [D]
Aye ME-2 Michaud, Michael [D]
Maryland
Aye MD-1 Gilchrest, Wayne [R]
Aye MD-2 Ruppersberger, C.A. [D]
Aye MD-3 Sarbanes, John [D]
Aye MD-4 Wynn, Albert [D]
Aye MD-5 Hoyer, Steny [D]
Aye MD-6 Bartlett, Roscoe [R]
Aye MD-7 Cummings, Elijah [D]
Aye MD-8 Van Hollen, Christopher [D]
Massachusetts
Aye MA-1 Olver, John [D]
Aye MA-2 Neal, Richard [D]
Aye MA-3 McGovern, James [D]
Aye MA-4 Frank, Barney [D]
Aye MA-5 Tsongas, Niki [D]
Aye MA-6 Tierney, John [D]
Aye MA-7 Markey, Edward [D]
Aye MA-8 Capuano, Michael [D]
Aye MA-9 Lynch, Stephen [D]
Aye MA-10 Delahunt, William [D]
Michigan
Aye MI-1 Stupak, Bart [D]
Aye MI-2 Hoekstra, Peter [R]
Aye MI-3 Ehlers, Vernon [R]
Aye MI-4 Camp, David [R]
Aye MI-5 Kildee, Dale [D]
Aye MI-6 Upton, Frederick [R]
Aye MI-7 Walberg, Timothy [R]
Aye MI-8 Rogers, Michael [R]
Aye MI-9 Knollenberg, Joseph [R]
Aye MI-10 Miller, Candice [R]
Aye MI-11 McCotter, Thaddeus [R]
Aye MI-12 Levin, Sander [D]
Aye MI-13 Kilpatrick, Carolyn [D]
No Vote MI-14 Conyers, John [D]
Aye MI-15 Dingell, John [D]
Minnesota
Aye MN-1 Walz, Timothy [D]
Aye MN-2 Kline, John [R]
Aye MN-3 Ramstad, James [R]
Aye MN-4 McCollum, Betty [D]
Aye MN-5 Ellison, Keith [D]
Aye MN-6 Bachmann, Michele [R]
Aye MN-7 Peterson, Collin [D]
Aye MN-8 Oberstar, James [D]
Mississippi
Aye MS-1 Wicker, Roger [R]
Aye MS-2 Thompson, Bennie [D]
Aye MS-3 Pickering, Charles [R]
Aye MS-4 Taylor, Gene [D]
Missouri
Aye MO-1 Clay, William [D]
Aye MO-2 Akin, W. [R]
Aye MO-3 Carnahan, Russ [D]
Aye MO-4 Skelton, Ike [D]
Aye MO-5 Cleaver, Emanuel [D]
Aye MO-6 Graves, Samuel [R]
Aye MO-7 Blunt, Roy [R]
Aye MO-8 Emerson, Jo Ann [R]
Aye MO-9 Hulshof, Kenny [R]
Montana
Aye MT-0 Rehberg, Dennis [R]
Nebraska
Aye NE-1 Fortenberry, Jeffrey [R]
Aye NE-2 Terry, Lee [R]
Aye NE-3 Smith, Adrian [R]
Nevada
Aye NV-1 Berkley, Shelley [D]
Aye NV-2 Heller, Dean [R]
Aye NV-3 Porter, Jon [R]
New Hampshire
Aye NH-1 Shea-Porter, Carol [D]
Aye NH-2 Hodes, Paul [D]
New Jersey
Aye NJ-1 Andrews, Robert [D]
Aye NJ-2 LoBiondo, Frank [R]
Aye NJ-3 Saxton, H. [R]
Aye NJ-4 Smith, Christopher [R]
Aye NJ-5 Garrett, E. [R]
Aye NJ-6 Pallone, Frank [D]
Aye NJ-7 Ferguson, Michael [R]
Aye NJ-8 Pascrell, William [D]
Aye NJ-9 Rothman, Steven [D]
Aye NJ-10 Payne, Donald [D]
Aye NJ-11 Frelinghuysen, Rodney [R]
Aye NJ-12 Holt, Rush [D]
Aye NJ-13 Sires, Albio [D]
New Mexico
Aye NM-1 Wilson, Heather [R]
Aye NM-2 Pearce, Steven [R]
Aye NM-3 Udall, Tom [D]
New York
Aye NY-1 Bishop, Timothy [D]
Aye NY-2 Israel, Steve [D]
Aye NY-3 King, Peter [R]
Aye NY-4 McCarthy, Carolyn [D]
Aye NY-5 Ackerman, Gary [D]
Aye NY-6 Meeks, Gregory [D]
Aye NY-7 Crowley, Joseph [D]
Aye NY-8 Nadler, Jerrold [D]
Aye NY-9 Weiner, Anthony [D]
Aye NY-10 Towns, Edolphus [D]
Aye NY-11 Clarke, Yvette [D]
Aye NY-12 Velazquez, Nydia [D]
Aye NY-13 Fossella, Vito [R]
Aye NY-14 Maloney, Carolyn [D]
Aye NY-15 Rangel, Charles [D]
Aye NY-16 Serrano, José [D]
Aye NY-17 Engel, Eliot [D]
Aye NY-18 Lowey, Nita [D]
Aye NY-19 Hall, John [D]
Aye NY-20 Gillibrand, Kirsten [D]
Aye NY-21 McNulty, Michael [D]
Aye NY-22 Hinchey, Maurice [D]
Aye NY-23 McHugh, John [R]
Aye NY-24 Arcuri, Michael [D]
Aye NY-25 Walsh, James [R]
Aye NY-26 Reynolds, Thomas [R]
Aye NY-27 Higgins, Brian [D]
Aye NY-28 Slaughter, Louise [D]
Aye NY-29 Kuhl, John [R]
North Carolina
Aye NC-1 Butterfield, George [D]
Aye NC-2 Etheridge, Bob [D]
Aye NC-3 Jones, Walter [R]
Aye NC-4 Price, David [D]
Aye NC-5 Foxx, Virginia [R]
Aye NC-6 Coble, Howard [R]
Aye NC-7 McIntyre, Mike [D]
Aye NC-8 Hayes, Robin [R]
Aye NC-9 Myrick, Sue [R]
Aye NC-10 Mchenry, Patrick [R]
Aye NC-11 Shuler, Heath [D]
Aye NC-12 Watt, Melvin [D]
Aye NC-13 Miller, R. [D]
North Dakota
Aye ND-0 Pomeroy, Earl [D]
Ohio
Aye OH-1 Chabot, Steven [R]
Aye OH-2 Schmidt, Jean [R]
Aye OH-3 Turner, Michael [R]
Aye OH-4 Jordan, Jim [R]
No Vote OH-6 Wilson, Charles [D]
Aye OH-7 Hobson, David [R]
Aye OH-8 Boehner, John [R]
Aye OH-9 Kaptur, Marcy [D]
Nay OH-10 Kucinich, Dennis [D]
Aye OH-11 Jones, Stephanie [D]
Aye OH-12 Tiberi, Patrick [R]
Aye OH-13 Sutton, Betty [D]
Aye OH-14 LaTourette, Steven [R]
Aye OH-15 Pryce, Deborah [R]
Aye OH-16 Regula, Ralph [R]
Aye OH-17 Ryan, Timothy [D]
Aye OH-18 Space, Zackary [D]
Oklahoma
Aye OK-1 Sullivan, John [R]
Aye OK-2 Boren, Dan [D]
Aye OK-3 Lucas, Frank [R]
Aye OK-4 Cole, Tom [R]
Aye OK-5 Fallin, Mary [R]
Oregon
Aye OR-1 Wu, David [D]
Aye OR-2 Walden, Greg [R]
Aye OR-3 Blumenauer, Earl [D]
Aye OR-4 DeFazio, Peter [D]
Aye OR-5 Hooley, Darlene [D]
Pennsylvania
Aye PA-1 Brady, Robert [D]
Aye PA-2 Fattah, Chaka [D]
Aye PA-3 English, Philip [R]
Aye PA-4 Altmire, Jason [D]
No Vote PA-5 Peterson, John [R]
Aye PA-6 Gerlach, Jim [R]
Aye PA-7 Sestak, Joe [D]
Aye PA-8 Murphy, Patrick [D]
Aye PA-9 Shuster, William [R]
Aye PA-10 Carney, Christopher [D]
Aye PA-11 Kanjorski, Paul [D]
Aye PA-12 Murtha, John [D]
Aye PA-13 Schwartz, Allyson [D]
Aye PA-14 Doyle, Michael [D]
Aye PA-15 Dent, Charles [R]
Aye PA-16 Pitts, Joseph [R]
Aye PA-17 Holden, Tim [D]
Aye PA-18 Murphy, Tim [R]
Aye PA-19 Platts, Todd [R]
Rhode Island
Aye RI-1 Kennedy, Patrick [D]
Aye RI-2 Langevin, James [D]
South Carolina
Aye SC-1 Brown, Henry [R]
Aye SC-2 Wilson, Addison [R]
No Vote SC-3 Barrett, James [R]
Aye SC-4 Inglis, Bob [R]
Aye SC-5 Spratt, John [D]
Aye SC-6 Clyburn, James [D]
South Dakota
Aye SD-0 Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie [D]
Tennessee
Aye TN-1 Davis, David [R]
Nay TN-2 Duncan, John [R]
Aye TN-3 Wamp, Zach [R]
Aye TN-4 Davis, Lincoln [D]
No Vote TN-5 Cooper, Jim [D]
Aye TN-6 Gordon, Barton [D]
Aye TN-7 Blackburn, Marsha [R]
Aye TN-8 Tanner, John [D]
Aye TN-9 Cohen, Steve [D]
Texas
Aye TX-1 Gohmert, Louis [R]
Aye TX-2 Poe, Ted [R]
Aye TX-3 Johnson, Samuel [R]
Aye TX-4 Hall, Ralph [R]
Aye TX-5 Hensarling, Jeb [R]
Aye TX-6 Barton, Joe [R]
Aye TX-7 Culberson, John [R]
Aye TX-8 Brady, Kevin [R]
Aye TX-9 Green, Al [D]
Aye TX-10 McCaul, Michael [R]
Aye TX-11 Conaway, K. [R]
Aye TX-12 Granger, Kay [R]
Aye TX-13 Thornberry, William [R]
No Vote TX-14 Paul, Ronald [R]
Aye TX-15 Hinojosa, Rubén [D]
No Vote TX-16 Reyes, Silvestre [D]
Aye TX-17 Edwards, Thomas [D]
Aye TX-18 Jackson-Lee, Sheila [D]
Aye TX-19 Neugebauer, Randy [R]
Aye TX-20 Gonzalez, Charles [D]
Aye TX-21 Smith, Lamar [R]
Aye TX-22 Lampson, Nicholas [D]
Aye TX-23 Rodriguez, Ciro [D]
Aye TX-24 Marchant, Kenny [R]
Aye TX-25 Doggett, Lloyd [D]
Aye TX-26 Burgess, Michael [R]
Aye TX-27 Ortiz, Solomon [D]
Aye TX-28 Cuellar, Henry [D]
Aye TX-29 Green, Raymond [D]
No Vote TX-30 Johnson, Eddie [D]
Aye TX-31 Carter, John [R]
Aye TX-32 Sessions, Peter [R]
Utah
No Vote UT-Johnson, Eddie [D]
Aye UT-2 Matheson, Jim [D]
Aye UT-3 Cannon, Christopher [R]
Vermont
Aye VT-0 Welch, Peter [D]
Virginia
Aye VA-2 Drake, Thelma [R]
Aye VA-3 Scott, Robert [D]
Aye VA-4 Forbes, James [R]
Aye VA-5 Goode, Virgil [R]
Aye VA-6 Goodlatte, Robert [R]
Aye VA-7 Cantor, Eric [R]
Aye VA-8 Moran, James [D]
Aye VA-9 Boucher, Frederick [D]
Aye VA-10 Wolf, Frank [R]
No Vote VA-11 Davis, Thomas [R]
Washington
Aye WA-1 Inslee, Jay [D]
Aye WA-2 Larsen, Rick [D]
Aye WA-3 Baird, Brian [D]
Aye WA-4 Hastings, Doc [R]
Aye WA-5 McMorris Rodgers, Cathy [R]
Aye WA-6 Dicks, Norman [D]
Aye WA-7 McDermott, James [D]
Aye WA-8 Reichert, Dave [R]
Aye WA-9 Smith, Adam [D]
West Virginia
Aye WV-1 Mollohan, Alan [D]
Aye WV-2 Capito, Shelley [R]
Aye WV-3 Rahall, Nick [D]
Wisconsin
Aye WI-1 Ryan, Paul [R]
Aye WI-2 Baldwin, Tammy [D]
Aye WI-3 Kind, Ronald [D]
Aye WI-4 Moore, Gwen [D]
Aye WI-5 Sensenbrenner, F. [R]
Aye WI-6 Petri, Thomas [R]
Aye WI-7 Obey, David [D]
Aye WI-8 Kagen, Steve [D]
Wyoming
No Vote WY-0 Cubin, Barbara [R]

Please call the following Representatives and thank them for standing up for the civil rights that this country once stood for:

Abercrombie, Neil [D]
Costello, Jerry [D]
Duncan, John [R]
Flake, Jeff [R]
Kucinich, Dennis [D]
Rohrabacher, Dana [R]

Then call your Senators and scream that this bill must be killed!

~Susan~

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Foreclosures to have ‘profound’ impact, report warns

Published by
elophan
November 27, 2007 in Economy and Newz. 0 Comments

By Sue Kirchhoff, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Mounting home foreclosures will have “profound” effects on the economy next year, reducing job growth, bleeding billions of dollars in tax revenues and hitting consumer spending — but shouldn’t push the country into a recession, according to a report Tuesday.

Financial analysis firm Global Insight, in an study for the National Conference of Mayors, predicted at least 1.4 million homes will enter foreclosure next year. That will worsen the already sharp housing downturn, with ripple effects on hiring and spending.

Overall, businesses will create 524,000 fewer jobs next year. Tax receipts will fall by $6.6 billion in ten select states, the report predicts. Nearly 130 cities around the country will face sluggish growth, as economic activity expansion is reduced by more than a third in 65 metro areas alone.

The housing downturn will shave a full percentage point off growth, with the economy expanding at a tepid 1.9% annual rate, the report says. Property values will drop by $1.2 trillion, as foreclosures mount and the housing market remains in the doldrums. Home prices will fall by an average of 7%, but price declines could range as high as 16% in California, the report says.

Federal, state and local lawmakers have struggled to respond to a growing wave of foreclosures among borrowers with higher-cost subprime mortgages. Nearly 17% of subprime adjustable rate mortgages are delinquent, a number that looks to rise as adjustable rate loans reset in coming months, often to sharply higher interest rates.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernnanke in testimony to Congress earlier this month noted that, on average, nearly 450,000 subprime mortgages will reset every calendar quarter from now until the end of 2008.

The House has passed legislation to give federal housing agencies more freedom to lend to borrowers who would otherwise turn to the subprime market, while setting tighter standards for future mortgage lending. The Senate has yet to act on the bill. Federal and state banking regulators are trying to help loan servicing firms find ways to quickly restructure large groups of loans, instead of considering each mortgage on a case-by-case basis.

In other findings the report predicts that job growth will average 75,000 per month during the next six months. That’s more than 100,000 fewer new jobs per month than the 2006 average. Consumer spending will expand by just 2% in 2008, buffered by falling home prices. And new home construction will fall through the spring of 2008, declining about 20% from current levels. More…

But no recession. Yeah right! Wake up Alice! -Sue

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Feds demand Hospices repay Medicare if patients do not ‘die on schedule’

Published by
elophan
November 27, 2007 in Government, Health Care and Newz. 0 Comments

By KEVIN SACK, The New York Times

CAMDEN, Ala. — Hundreds of hospice providers across the country are facing the catastrophic financial consequence of what would otherwise seem a positive development: their patients are living longer than expected.

Over the last eight years, the refusal of patients to die according to actuarial schedules has led the federal government to demand that hospices exceeding reimbursement limits repay hundreds of millions of dollars to Medicare.

The charges are assessed retrospectively, so in most cases the money has long since been spent on salaries, medicine and supplies. After absorbing huge assessments for several years, often by borrowing at high rates, a number of hospice providers are bracing for a new round that they fear may shut their doors.

One is Hometown Hospice, which has been providing care here since 2003 to some of the most destitute residents of Wilcox County, the poorest place in Alabama.

The locally owned, for-profit agency, which serves about 60 patients, mostly in their homes, had to repay the government $900,000, or 27 percent of its revenues, from its first two years of operation, said Tanya O. Walker-Butts, a co-owner. Its profits were wiped out in the time it took to open the demand letters, Ms. Walker-Butts said.

Hometown paid its first assessment with a bank loan. When the bank declined credit for the second year, the hospice structured a five-year payment plan with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that administers the program, at 12.5 percent interest.

The next bill is expected any day.

In the early days of the Medicare hospice benefit, which was designed for those with less than six months to live, nearly all patients were cancer victims, who tended to die relatively quickly and predictably once curative efforts were abandoned.

But in the last five years, hospice use has skyrocketed among patients with less predictable trajectories, like those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Those patients now form a majority of hospice consumers, and their average stays are far longer — 86 days for Alzheimer’s patients, for instance, compared with 44 for those with lung cancer, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.

The commission, which analyzes Medicare issues for Congress, recently projected that 220 hospices — about one of every 13 providers — received 2005 repayment demands totaling $166 million. The National Alliance for Hospice Access, a providers’ group that is lobbying for a three-year moratorium on the collections, places the numbers at 250 hospices and $200 million.

Because fewer than a tenth of all hospice providers have faced repayment, Medicare officials suggest that management might have been an issue. But Lois C. Armstrong, president of the hospice access alliance, said that if the cap on Medicare reimbursements was not lifted, the availability of care would tighten at a time when demand for hospice care was exploding and when new research suggests it saves money for the runaway Medicare program.

Medicare’s coverage of hospice, which began in 1983, has become one of the fastest growing components of the government’s fastest growing entitlement. Spending nearly tripled from 2000 to 2005, to $8.2 billion, and nearly 40 percent of Medicare recipients now use the service.

To be eligible, patients must be certified by two doctors as having six months or less to live, assuming their illness runs a normal course. They must agree not to bill Medicare for curative procedures related to their diagnosis.

Medicare, which pays the vast majority of hospice bills, reimburses providers $135 a day for a patient’s routine home care. The hospice is then responsible for providing nurses, social workers, chaplains, doctors, drugs, supplies and equipment, as well as bereavement support to the family.

Studies have reached various conclusions about whether hospice care actually saves money, especially for long-term patients. But a new study by Duke University researchers concluded that it saved Medicare an average of $2,300 per beneficiary, calling hospice “a rare situation whereby something that improves quality of life also appears to reduce costs.” Much more…

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Contractor owes $5 million to U.S. soldier’s family

Published by
elophan
November 27, 2007 in Military, Newz and The War in Iraq. 1 Comment

By Wayne Drash, CNN

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — A federal court has ordered a Kuwait-based contractor to pay nearly $5 million in damages to the family of a U.S. military officer killed in Iraq — a rare court decision holding a contracting company accountable for its actions in the war.

Army Lt. Col. Dominic “Rocky” Baragona was just an hour away from a U.S. base in Kuwait — ultimately headed home to the United States — when a tractor-trailer operated by Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Company slammed into his Humvee on May 19, 2003, killing him instantly.

Baragona, a West Point graduate, was 42 years old and the highest-ranking soldier to have died in the war at the time.

His family filed a wrongful death suit against KGL. Earlier this month, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia sided with the family, holding the Kuwait company negligent in Baragona’s death for failing to provide safe passage on the three-lane road where the accident occurred.

A key issue in the judge’s decision was whether a U.S. court had jurisdiction over a foreign contractor and whether there was a legal basis to find it negligent. Ultimately, Judge William Duffey found that there was.

“The court enters judgment in the amount of $4,907,048 to be paid by KGL in a single lump payment,” the judge wrote in his 12-page decision issued on November 5.

Baragona’s father, Dominic Baragona, a former U.S. Marine, told CNN he is embarrassed his family was forced into a lawsuit to learn details surrounding his son’s death. He also said the court decision is bittersweet: No amount of money will ever bring his son back, but it feels good that a court of law sided with his family.

CNN sought comment from KGL for this story, but got no response. The law firm Crowell & Moring, which has represented KGL in the past, declined comment.

KGL has received millions of dollars in U.S.-government contracts. On its Web site, the company says it “performs multiple operations such as providing of vehicles and equipments to customers,” including the U.S. Army and coalition forces. It also boasts of having more than $1 billion in market capitalization.

The court decision comes at a time when Congress has been closely scrutinizing contractors and seeking ways to hold the companies accountable for their actions in war zones.

The Baragonas say their suit was never about money. They would like to see changes made in the contracting business, most importantly to have third-party investigations carried out when something goes wrong and to keep everyone abreast during that reporting process.

If the family ever gets paid, they say they want to set up a foundation to honor their son and brother to help pay for college educations of deserving students. “Rock’s the little guy. We have to vindicate for him. We have to take care of the little guy,” his sister said. “Creating a legacy for him is a huge responsibility.”

According to the lawsuit, Baragona was traveling south through Iraq as part of a three-vehicle convoy when the crash happened. The suit claims the KGL tractor-trailer struck a pile of dried concrete that had spilled on the road, jack-knifing the big rig and then slamming into Baragona’s Humvee. The soldier driving Baragona’s vehicle survived the accident.

The Baragona family never expected more than four years later to be talking to a reporter about their son over the Thanksgiving holiday, a court decision and the grief they’ve endured — grief over losing a young child to leukemia and then a grown son three decades later to an accident in war. More…

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