'Pro-Oil' Obama Administration Now Closing Western Lands To Oil Drilling

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During this last election, President Obama proclaimed that oil drilling in the US has never been greater, implying that he was responsible for this oil drilling boon. In reality, the increase in oil drilling had been taking place on private lands that the Government had little ability to stop.
Now, that President Obama has won re-election, his pro-oil Administration is planning to close off Western Government land from oil exploration.

The Interior Department on Friday issued a final plan to close 1.6 million acres of federal land in the West originally slated for oil shale development.

The proposed plan would fence off a majority of the initial blueprint laid out in the final days of the George W. Bush administration. It faces a 30-day protest period and a 60-day process to ensure it is consistent with local and state policies. After that, the department would render a decision for implementation.

The move is sure to rankle Republicans, who say President Obama’s grip on fossil fuel drilling in federal lands is too tight. - The Hill

The Obama Presidency, redefining 'Pro-Oil'. Then again, his 'All-of-the-Above' energy policy seems to mean 'None of the below'.
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Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) Lies: 'Social Security does not add one penny to the debt. Not one penny.'

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So the latest story concerning the fiscal cliff the US is facing is news that some Republicans in Congress are thinking of being flexible when it comes to their 'Grover Norquist' no tax increase pledge. However, I think this issue brought out a huge lie pushed by Democrats in general but said by Illinois Democrat Senator Dick Durbin. He said that

 'Social Security does not add one penny to the debt. Not one penny.' 

His statement was in response to Republican demands that entitlement spending reform be on the table . Basically Senator Durbin is claiming that there is no need to reform Social Security Entitlements because Social Security is not a part of this nation's spending/deficit crisis. Unfortunately, this is not the case and Senator Durbin for sure knows that this is a lie. Zero Hedge explains:

This statement is a lie that is covered over by a dopy accounting system called the Unified Budget. In this magical world, the deficits driven by entitlements are hidden. The reliance on this accounting fiction is a dangerous path for liberals to take. The fact is, SS (and the other government retirement programs for Federal workers and the Military) are running billion dollar cash deficits today and will run Mega-Trillion dollar cash deficits for the next seventy-five years. Every penny of those deficits will result in more borrowing from the public.

These deficits may be “Off Budget” in the magical world of Unified Accounting, but they do add to the publicly held debt on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The Rating Agencies are part of the Cliff discussion (like it or not); those folks are no dopes and they fully understand that Senator Durbin is all wet with his talk of Off Balance sheet debt. - Zero Hedge

If a publicly traded company did this sort of accounting gimmickry, shareholders would eventually lose their investments and people would go to jail. Ironically, Democrat politicians would then be crowing to every TV camera how we need even more laws to prevent this kind of criminal behavior, all the time committing a much larger theft right out in the open.
Worse, the Social Security Trustee report notes that Social Security will run out of money around 2033, unless Social Security taxes are raised (or benefit rules reformed).
Finally, the Trillions of dollars in assets that the Social Security Trust fund has are currently held in the form of US Treasury Bonds. In short, the money was given to the Government and spent. The Government will then have to redeem the bonds as the money is needed to pay Social Security recipients. This means that they will have to get the money from somewhere. Given that the Government plans to run a deficit into the sunset, that means that they will either have to print or borrow the money.
Graphs pictured above were taken from the US Government's own Government Accountability Office. The article is titled 'Federal Debt Basics'. Clearly, this is a topic Senator Durbin and many of his follow Democrats would fail if a grade was given. Unfortunately, it is we who suffer as a result of their incompetence and criminal behavior if they had to be judged the same way that they demand businesses be held to account.-------------------- --------------------

Obama to Republicans - Eliminate the Debt Limit Now, Spending Cuts Later, Maybe

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In an earlier post I covered Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's proposal/demand that Congress simply eliminate the debt limit.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the U.S. “absolutely” should get rid of the debt ceiling as soon as possible.

“It would have been time a long time ago to eliminate it,” Geithner told Bloomberg TV on Friday. “The sooner the better.” - HuffPo (Found at Hot Air)

As it turns out, this is the demand that was made today to the Republican members of Congress as part of the fiscal cliff solution talks.

House Republicans said on Thursday that Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner presented the House speaker, John A. Boehner, a detailed proposal to avert the year-end fiscal crisis with $1.6 trillion in tax increases over 10 years, an immediate new round of stimulus spending, home mortgage refinancing and a permanent end to Congressional control over statutory borrowing limits. - NY Times

The 'deal' includes no cuts to Government spending. Only a suggestion to discuss cuts sometime next year. The offer is so ridiculous that Republican Senator Mitch McConnell burst into laughter. Unfortunately, this meeting confirms my belief that the Democrats have no intention of dealing with the Nation's debt problem.

Geithner’s visit to his office left McConnell discouraged about reaching a “balanced” deal on tax hikes and spending reductions designed to prevent a shock to the economy in January. “Nothing good is happening” in the negotiations, McConnell says, because of Obama’s insistence on tax rate hikes for the wealthy but unwillingness to embrace serious spending cuts. - Weekly Standard

So there you have it, Obama and the Democrats are unwilling to commit to any real spending cuts, outside of cutting spending for the Military. They have already run the country for four years with no budget. Now they are demanding to be able to run the country with no limit on spending.
Like I said before, they have no intention of solving the debt and deficit crisis. If they did, they would know how high the debt would grow before a plan of increased revenue and decreased spending would eliminate the deficit. Of course they might have even more plans for increasing spending. Perhaps legalizing the illegal aliens and giving them Obamacare benefits. That would surely increase Government spending.
Keep in mind that raising taxes on the richest 2% will only solve about 8% of the deficit problem.  This demand is confirmation that President Obama and the Democrats have no intention of solving the debt problem. 
They plan to run up the debt as far as it can go. -------------------- --------------------

E-mail from Greyhound's CFO

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Tonight I received an e-mail from Andy Kaplinsky, Greyhound's CFO. Andy wants to talk to me next week about the Gift Ticket Fee.
I'm excited. I anticipate a robust and professional conversation. It would help the petition cause if we had hundreds of people sign the petition over the weekend.
Thank you for your support - I am amazed at we had over 8200 people sign this. You are all awesome; lets all push this petition hard over the next few days. This weekend could make or break the cause to end the $18 Gift Ticket Fee!
Shawn

Just got off the phone with Andy Kaplinsky - Greyhound's CFO

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First off, I want to publicly thank Andy Kaplinsky for taking time to call me today. We had a good free-flowing conversation on several topics relating to Greyhound, customer service, etc. He apologized for the long delay in getting back to me, and took a great deal of time to thank me and the petition signers for their concerns.

According to Andy, 80 - 90% of their charge backs are related to the "gift tickets." Charge backs for gift tickets primarily fall into 2 categories: 1) Fraud - someone steals a credit card and buys a bus ticket; 2) A person buys a ticket for someone else, the person doesn't show up, and the purchaser wants their money back. Andy freely admitted that the gift ticket fee has been a topic of discussion off and on at Greyhound for the last couple of years, and while "Greyhound is exploring ways we can address the issue," that due to the large amount of charge backs, the company just isn't comfortable with that. Andy also admitted that the fee is a convenience fee as well.

In addition, according to Andy, the company is looking at ways to invest in the technology to better "sniff out" fraudulent purchases, however, from an operational standpoint, Greyhound has chosen to first invest in new buses, and investing in customer service training. (Note - Andy was very clear in saying that Greyhound needs to improve  in customer service - he compared it to turning a freighter in the ocean).

I made a couple of suggestions to Andy for some "short -term fixes" which would help with the chargebacks:

1. When someone purchases a "gift ticket" - have an additional screen stating that gift tickets are nonrefundable if the person does not show up, etc. with a check box stating that the user agrees to these terms and conditions, etc. This would provide Greyhound with evidence that the purchaser knew that the ticker was a non-refundable ticket, etc.

2. On fraud, I asked Andy if Greyhound would consider charging the gift ticket fee for bus ticket purchases made within 14 days of travel. In other words, 3rd party tickets purchased more than 14 days out would not be subject to the fee. This should reduce fraud exposure to Greyhound.

Andy wanted to express his appreciation for the feedback and response to the 8,000+ plus people who have signed the petition. It was a great conversation.

So...where do we go from here?

I let Andy know that I was going to continue the petition drive. IMHO, I gave Greyhound some steps to begin eliminating this fee. By singing the petition, you can send a clear message that you want Greyhound to implement the steps I just recommended, and to invest in the technology needed to reduce fraudulent purchases for bus tickets.

Thanks to all of you for signing! We are making a difference. Please sign, share, and post a link to the petition on your Facebook or Twitter Walls. You are all awesome!

Best,

Shawn

http://www.change.org/petitions/greyhound-eliminate-the-18-gift-ticket-fee

Just got off the phone with Andy Kaplinsky - Greyhound's CFO

To contact us Click HERE
First off, I want to publicly thank Andy Kaplinsky for taking time to call me today. We had a good free-flowing conversation on several topics relating to Greyhound, customer service, etc. He apologized for the long delay in getting back to me, and took a great deal of time to thank me and the petition signers for their concerns.

According to Andy, 80 - 90% of their charge backs are related to the "gift tickets." Charge backs for gift tickets primarily fall into 2 categories: 1) Fraud - someone steals a credit card and buys a bus ticket; 2) A person buys a ticket for someone else, the person doesn't show up, and the purchaser wants their money back. Andy freely admitted that the gift ticket fee has been a topic of discussion off and on at Greyhound for the last couple of years, and while "Greyhound is exploring ways we can address the issue," that due to the large amount of charge backs, the company just isn't comfortable with that. Andy also admitted that the fee is a convenience fee as well.

In addition, according to Andy, the company is looking at ways to invest in the technology to better "sniff out" fraudulent purchases, however, from an operational standpoint, Greyhound has chosen to first invest in new buses, and investing in customer service training. (Note - Andy was very clear in saying that Greyhound needs to improve  in customer service - he compared it to turning a freighter in the ocean).

I made a couple of suggestions to Andy for some "short -term fixes" which would help with the chargebacks:

1. When someone purchases a "gift ticket" - have an additional screen stating that gift tickets are nonrefundable if the person does not show up, etc. with a check box stating that the user agrees to these terms and conditions, etc. This would provide Greyhound with evidence that the purchaser knew that the ticker was a non-refundable ticket, etc.

2. On fraud, I asked Andy if Greyhound would consider charging the gift ticket fee for bus ticket purchases made within 14 days of travel. In other words, 3rd party tickets purchased more than 14 days out would not be subject to the fee. This should reduce fraud exposure to Greyhound.

Andy wanted to express his appreciation for the feedback and response to the 8,000+ plus people who have signed the petition. It was a great conversation.

So...where do we go from here?

I let Andy know that I was going to continue the petition drive. IMHO, I gave Greyhound some steps to begin eliminating this fee. By singing the petition, you can send a clear message that you want Greyhound to implement the steps I just recommended, and to invest in the technology needed to reduce fraudulent purchases for bus tickets.

Thanks to all of you for signing! We are making a difference. Please sign, share, and post a link to the petition on your Facebook or Twitter Walls. You are all awesome!

Best,

Shawn

http://www.change.org/petitions/greyhound-eliminate-the-18-gift-ticket-fee

Lost Pools Of Talent

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The labor market in Northern Virginia is tight. Salaries (and real estate prices) are sky high. Here, and around the country, the story is talent shortage. The problem isn't a lack of good prospects. Your human resources department has no imagination. Your workforce development professionals are using outdated paradigms. The solution is in your neighborhood:

"I had seen all these talented people dropping out of the profession around me and had the idea to go back and find out what all these women were doing.

"These women feel they have been forgotten and their skills don't matter anymore."

She added: "We have built a business around a skillset that has not been tapped into. We have fantastic lawyers of City caliber who can deliver results.

"We are using people that have disappeared from the market. I'm keen to challenge the idea that professional women with children should be given work out of sympathy rather than be seen as a fantastic business proposition."

I live in Northern Virginia, juggling stay-at-home dad duties and a blossoming career as a talent geographer. My peer group is made up of mostly college-educated mothers with a variety of occupational arrangements ranging from full time homemaker to full time jobs with substantial travel. I have more intellectually stimulating conversations at the playground than I did while in graduate school. Sitting on a park bench is an immense reserve of world class skills.

Regions are focused on talent attraction and retention, instead of talent development. People develop, not places. What can your town do to get these women back in the game? Wasting brains is a much bigger issue than brain drain or brain gain.

Pittsburgh Migration

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One year does not a trend make. We are still in the early months of a recovery from a cataclysmic recession. Surely some migration patterns have changed. The premature analysis:

Migration data for the most recent one-year period available, July 2010 to July 2011, show the Great Recession has shaken the rankings up quite a bit within the circle of fast-growth regions. The biggest winner has been Texas. The Lone Star state boasts four of the 10 metro areas with the largest net migration gains for the past two years.  Dallas ranks first, followed by Austin in third place, Houston in fifth and San Antonio in eighth. In contrast, some of the growth leaders over the 2000-09 period, notably Las Vegas, and to a lesser extent Phoenix, have tumbled considerably in the rankings. The lesson here: a strong economy has to be based on something more than gaming, tourism and home construction. Energy, technology, manufacturing and trade are far preferable as an economic base.

Also posting strong net migration gains for 2010-11 were Miami (second place), Washington, D.C. (sixth), and Seattle (ninth). In each of these areas, economic conditions appear to have improved. The once disastrous condo glut in the Miami area, which includes Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, has begun to clear up as foreign buyers pour into the region. Taxpayer-funded Washington is surging with new jobs and the highest incomes in the land. Seattle continues a long-term evolution toward the healthiest of the blue-state private economies. San Francisco, a consistent big loser for the last decade, jumped to 19th, presumably as a result of the current dot.com bubble.

Another huge turnaround can be seen in New Orleans, which ranked a dismal 43rd for 2000-09 as residents fled not only Katrina but a stagnant, low-wage, corruption-plagued economy. But in our 2010-11 ranking, the Crescent City surged to a respectable 16th, one of the biggest migration turnarounds in the country.

How about the biggest losers? From 2000-09, the metropolitan areas that suffered the biggest net domestic migration losses resemble something of an urbanist dream team: New York, which saw a net outflow of a whopping 1.9 million citizens, followed by the Los Angeles metro area (-1,337,522), Chicago, Detroit, and, despite recent improvements, San Francisco-Oakland. The raw numbers make it clear that California has lost its appeal for migrants from other parts of the U.S., and has become an exporter of people and talent (and income).

And despite the cheap money Bernanke-Geithner policies of the past few years that have benefited giant banks centered in the bluest big cities, people continue to leave these areas.  The 2010-11 numbers show the deck chairs on the migratory titanic have stayed remarkably similar, with New York still ranking first among the 51 biggest metro areas for net migration losses, followed by Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit and Philadelphia. In most of these cases only immigration from abroad, and children of immigrants, have prevented a wholesale demographic decline.

Emphasis added. Cities, such as Austin, continue to chug along as talent magnets. Las Vegas and Phoenix head up the pack of new losers. Speaking of Phoenix, Pittsburgh is now sandwiched between that metro and Jacksonville, Florida at 21st place for net migration (+3,740). For "net flow", I don't see a Rust Belt city faring better. In fact, few other industrial legacy metros sport positive numbers. (Notably Columbus, Indianapolis, and Louisville) If you look at the chart for "2010-2011 Net Domestic Migration for the Nation's 51 Largest Regions", you can also assess rate per 1,000 residents. Pittsburgh's ranking barely changes (20th). Last place (51st) is Cleveland with -6.04. That's a tremendous amount of migration pressure within Cleveburgh.

To put the shift into a larger context, read Chris Briem's post (Null Space) about the latest workforce numbers:

Pittsburgh MSA labor force +26K year over year through October. Works out to +2.1% or more than double US labor force growth (+1%) over the same period. 

Also, check out the associated chart to better appreciate the slope of events. To my eye, the net migration estimate falls short of the mark. One shouldn't expect much (if any) in the way of natural increase in the workforce. Yes, some people who left the labor market are opting back in. I expect the net inmigration rate to pick up considerably for 2011-2012 when those numbers are available.

All of the above lend credibility to the rosy anecdotes about the turnaround in Pittsburgh. Typically, the metro is sluggish out of the recession. Today, it leads the way and is accelerating through the recovery. Emerging from each downturn is an unexpected boom town. I saw it happen in Seattle and Minneapolis in the early 1990s. I see the same thing taking hold of Pittsburgh.

Update: This just in from Pittsburgh Today:

Fluff: It's What's for Dinner

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Here's one for all you foodies.

It's summer, a time for goofing off, hitting the pool, the beach. Drinking margaritas, mojitos, and other refreshing adult beverages brought to us frigid New England bitches* from warmer climates. Instead, I am trying really hard to graduate in May, and part of gittin' er done means two four week classes. While I'm working 20 hours a week at my work-study job, writing crazy letters to the editor, make it to the beach, and fulfill many wedding-related obligations. Oh, and the Bachelorette. I'm bummed Ames is gone, but I'm really starting to root for JP. What? She's from the County. Gotta keep it real.

Let me break it down for you. Each semester is 15 weeks. So taking one class during a four-week session is the roughly the equivalent of taking three. Taking two is like taking six, which is eighteen credits. A normal student takes between 12 and 15 credits. Over 18 is considered "an overload." That's what I'm doing now. During summer. But I guess it's technically finals week and I'm able to write this blog... so....

One time, I also found myself taking 15 credits and working a part time job. I was probably as poor then as I am now, though back then I was under 21 and still a non-drinker. At Montserrat College of Art, somehow, I didn't understand financial aid, credit hours, or the fact that I was moving away to go to college at a place that didn't have a fucking cafeteria. WTF, Montserrat? It was kind of insane, now that I think about it. Probably more work than I've ever done in my life. Drawing and painting homework has the propensity to take way, way longer than writing a paper or reading a book. Trust me. I've never stayed up until 3:00 a.m. because I felt like an essay wasn't done. Or because I wouldn't have the right light to finish the essay in the morning.

But because I'd never lived away from home and therefore had never really prepared any of my own meals, let alone gone shopping for them, my food became like, abstract art or something. Here's a recipe for something I ate all the time.

Prep time:
5 min
Ingredients:
2 slices Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread
1/3 cucumber, peeled and sliced thin.
1 tbsp Marshmallow Fluff
1 slice cheddar cheese
Directions:
Carefully slather Fluff unto both slices of bread. Arrange cucumbers on one slice, cover with cheese, then the other slice. Firmly press the sandwich down with your clean hand, as Fluff and cucumbers are slippery. Enjoy!

I'm not kidding. Pepperidge Farm was like, a luxury that I didn't know I could afford myself. We bought local at my house, sort of. Country Kitchen all the way.

It's hard to say whether I could ingest this marvelous concoction today. I'll let you know if I decide to try.

*a genuine Southern gentleman said that to me once, about women here; instead of comforting him, I laughed and said it was true.

At Caiola's: Party of One

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Back when I was waiting tables, which seems like a lifetime ago at this point, I’d often hang out at bars, by myself for two reasons: 1) I got free meals at work and was too lazy to cook the rest myself, and 2) What is at one moment a quiet, thoughtful afternoon of solitude can become an afternoon filled with bemusing stories of camaraderie. 100% of the time if I’m dining alone I will take a seat at the bar instead of a table for one. It’s so much more entertaining. Which is part of the reason why this woman dining alone at Caiola’s was so fascinating to me. Her back to the room, facing the window, she almost mocked me and my need for togetherness.

I took Mandy out to Caoila’s for her birthday. She’d never been, and I decided I’d rather spend an evening enjoying outstanding food and drink rather than take a chance on a gift that she’d feign excitement over and consign a respectable 12 months later. We had an amazing time! The food was decadent and complex, but not so complex that I couldn’t understand the menu, if you get my drift.

It was a Wednesday night, and we were in the back room, through the kitchen. Being the sous chef that has to stand near that door must be the worst. There was a group of three respectable upper-middle-aged guys in the corner to my left, one had a Southern accent and I heard them talking about Marketing, television, and the Bangor Daily News. (Hmmm). Behind Mandy was a younger couple who left shortly after we arrived. Then a woman, about 62ish, waltzed in and sat at a two top against the wall diagonal from us, facing the window. The waitress only put down a single place setting, water glass and menu. Table for one.

I knew almost immediately that I wanted to be her. She had a black cardigan, a simple canary-red blouse underneath, with a mid-calf ivory colored a-line skirt that had, like, ribbing or piping instead of stripes throughout. It was a beautiful skirt- hip, yet age appropriate. Her ballet flats, undoubtedly leather, matched her blouse as though they came together. Perhaps they were in fact ordered from the J.Crew catalogue at the same time. Dark framed reading (?) glasses hung low on her face, probably Michael Kors or Kate Spade or some designer brand. My favorite part about her was the bag she carried. It was my dream bag. A caramel leather tote whose sides slouched in around the handles the same way my canvas bags do. It was my dream bag. I think if Diane from Cheers was a real person and lived to be 62, this woman is what she would be like.

Out of the bag she pulled a pristine hardcover book, and inevitably tuned out everyone except for the waitress, who was forced to break into her line of vision when she brought yet another Grey Goose martini with a twist. Or maybe this woman opted into the Buy Local movement and ordered a Cold River martini. I liked that she didn’t like it dirty. I tried a dirty martini once, it was like salty... salty... it was like drinking the ocean if the ocean was made out of olives.

Occasionally she’d pull out a legal sized pad and take notes. On what, I’m not sure. By the way, I wasn’t trying to stare. She was directly in my line of vision.

I imagine after her iceburg salad, steak or bacon wrapped scallops and three martinis she probably pulled out of the parking lot in her 1992 Volvo Station wagon. Although her 3,000 square foot home with its commercial-grade kitchen was only 1/6 of a mile away, you know she didn’t drive because you never see fancy women like that just walking around the West End. Her youngest daughter usually uses the Volvo but she’s WOOFing in France now. It had better visibility than the Mercedes anyway, plus she liked the sentimental value of driving it. Yeah, she was a little tipsy but it was a very short drive if cops are going to venture into the West End, they don’t make it past Brackett, Spring, and the hospital respectively.

One thousand feet later, she pulled into the secret road between Carroll and Vaughn Streets in the West End that connects all of the garage/back entrance/guest houses and settled in for one more cognac in her fucking jacuzzi tub.

Or maybe she was just too exhausted from running her law firm all day to prepare herself a meal. Maybe she didn’t want to sit at the bar because she wanted some peace and quiet for a change. Maybe she was supposed to meet up with the Oshers and they’re still in San Francisco, or the Hagges, but they were at a fundraising dinner and this was her back up plan. All I know is while she was sitting alone at that table, with the dim lighting, Amelie soundtrack and blowing $65 before tip on a meal for one person, I wanted to be her. Minus her imagined kids.

Perspectives On Homelessness Often Clash

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That is something I have witnessed over the years.   People working in the homelessness industry often hold conflicting ideas and beliefs about homelessness, its causes and solutions.   I recall attending a presentation by the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) here in Nashville.   One would assume that every homeless service provider would attend such a meeting, but not all of them in the Nashville area were represented.  But even more striking is that some people left in the middle of the presentation because they personally did not agree with some of the statements made by the NCH.   It seems odd to me as well, that they choose to just leave instead of discussing their differences.

As I've said before, nearly all homeless service providers, either individuals, or organizations, approach homelessness with preconceived ideas about homelessness, and homeless people.   So, when they interact with the homeless, they tend to gravitate towards those homeless people who seem to validate those preconceived ideas, and either reject, or ignore, those homeless who do not.   Additionally, their preconceived ideas often act as filters, preventing the homeless service providers from seeing the homeless people people for who they truly are, and because of this, they fail to recognize the real needs of the homeless, leaving the homeless without access to the very things that could cure them of their homelessness.   Though this is most obviously true of religion based homeless services, all homeless services organizations are guilty of this.

After some time of working with the homeless, it is often the case that a homeless service provider will believe themselves an expert in the field.  Certainly they have had many experiences with the homeless, some of these experiences may have even been what people would consider successful, as a portion of the homeless people they have interacted with have indeed overcome their homelessness.  The idea that they have become experts in the field will often be reinforced by  people outside of the homelessness industry who applaud the work of the service providers, though they don't really know what or why they are applauding.  Mostly they want to provide encouragement for people doing something that they would never attempt to do themselves.

The one thing I wish for all homeless service providers to understand is that regardless of how many homeless people they encounter in their daily work, there are still many more homeless people whom they will never encounter, whom will never cross the threshold of their organizations front door, and because off this they will never truly obtain a full understanding, or have a complete perspective, of homelessness.   And because of this, the ideas that they hold to, they believe in, and guild them in their work with the homeless, will always be incomplete.   They will always have more to learn.  I just hope that they will keep themselves open to learning more.

'Hope' Is no Way to Protect American Embassies

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With each passing day it seems that the Obama Administration is looking more and more responsible for the success of the terrorist attack against the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Take the following developments since the initial news of the attack:

• The Obama Administration initially blamed the attack on protests against some crudely made internet video
• Prior to the terrorist attack, there were no protests outside the Consulate. The attack started at 9:40 PM.
• The Administration claimed to have no intelligence information suggesting any impending attacks, however they were informed both internally and from foreign sources.
• The attack happened on 9/11
• The Administration, including the President,  met during the attack and decided to take a 'wait-and-see' posture, deciding against sending forces to defend the consulate.
• The Ambassador himself alerted the State Department regarding threats to his life.
• The Ambassador had repeatedly requesting additional security.
• The requests were denied.
• the requests and the denials were kept from the public.
• The State Department even told the Ambassador to stop asking for additional support.
• It took weeks before the Consulate was investigated by the FBI. To this day, there is no evidence that the State Department did anything to secure the site or any confidential information still remaining in the Consulate.

 How is it possible, other than through a case of negligence, possibly bordering on criminal negligence, or through some huge misguided social experiment in 'Hope' is is possible for a consulate in a country full of persons violently hostile to Americans to have less security than the US Embassy in peaceful Helsinki, Finland. How is that possible? It's possible when you put a President in charge who does not believe in a strong defense. A President who believes that a strong defensive posture is what drives hate against Americans. 
All I can say to that is that letting those who hate America destroy our Embassies and kill Americans is not going to extinguish the hate. All it will do is make America look weak and fan the flames of more hate.
This is just one more reason to elect Mitt Romney as the next President. The haters around the world will hate us no matter who is President. We can however minimize the threat by having a strong a proud President at the helm.

This is just the latest example of how much of a failure President Obama's soft stance against terrorism is. Hugging terrorists does not reform them. It never will. The Obama Administration will never understand this. The only 'extremists' they can recognize are members of the 'Tea Party.'


UPDATE 10 October 2012
Above I had mentioned the possibility that persons in the State Department might have been criminally negligent. Well, take a look at this Congressional hearing questioning Charlene R. Lamb, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Programs. Here is a summary of what she is responsible for:

Diplomatic Security Senior Leadership » Lamb, Charlene R - Assistant Director for International ProgramsBiographyOther ReleasesBureau of Diplomatic SecurityWashington, DCShare on facebookShare on google_plusoneShareCharlene R. LambDeputy Assistant Secretary for International ProgramsAs the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Programs, Ms. Lamb is a key member of the DS management team, responsible for providing strategic planning, management support, and establishing budget priorities to senior DS management. Ms. Lamb manages more than $1.2 billion in security assets and programs and thousands of personnel dedicated to that purpose. She is also responsible for the safety and security of over 285 overseas Embassies and Consulates and oversees the 550 special agent/security professionals posted at those locations. - US State Department

That is a pretty impressive set os responsibilities. You know what else is impressive, her past history. Go ahead and read the rest of her bio which includes postings in a number of hot spots. It sounds like this is exactly the kind of person you would want overseeing embassy safety and security. Which makes this testimony all the more bizarre and I dare say damning. How on earth did she come to the conclusion that security in the consulate was anywhere near acceptable, especially considering that embassies in peaceful countries have much better security. 

Found here.
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Obama's Sandra Fluke vs Clinton's Monica

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First, there would have been no point to this story. But the Democrats had to insist in forcing companies and religious institutions to provide birth control to adults at no charge despite 'lack of access to birth control' not even being listed as any of the major reasons why women get accidentally pregnant.
One of Obama's major vote for free birth control warriors is Sandra Fluke. She has been activly promoted by Obama's re-election team, even given a speaking spot at the Democrat National Convention. Personally I do not know why, as the message of a 31 year old law graduate whining about her need to get free birth control does not really ring with me. It actually rings pretty hollow when you find out that a month's worth of birth control costs about $10. Everyone can pony up $10. The fact that Sandra can't gather a crowd of more than ten persons at an Obama re-election rally is pretty good evidence that her 15 minutes of fame is about over.
(Photo found at Ace of Spades)

Now take Monica Lewinsky. I had a chance to see her back in 1999 when she appeared in Helsinki Finland for her book signing. This was her second appearance that day and all of the people packed into the bookstore are trying to get a glimpse of her. the first bookstore was so packed that you could not get into it. All of this is 3 years after the scandal that made her famous.
So maybe Obama should ask Monica if she can help him campaign. Because Sandra's message is just not cutting it.


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'Congressman' Gerry Connolly: "Vets Unqualified to Serve in Congress"

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I just don't like my Congressman Gerry Connolly. He is a Liberal tool right behind Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. So I will be voting for the man seeking to replace him as my Congressman, Colonel Chris Perkins.
Here is a statement and video by Chris PErkins responding to comments made by Congressman Connolly, both touting his accomplishments in the district, which sounds lots like taking credit for securing Government funding for local projects in which he expects to be rewarded with being re-elected to his spot in Congress. Well, if that is how we should vote, then why not vote in the most corrupt people we can find. That will surely get the money flowing. Anyway, here is Chris Perkins statement:

I was forewarned that politics can be an ugly thing, but I was unprepared for the latest development in my congressional race to represent the 11th District of Virginia.

Incumbent Congressman Gerry Connolly has shocked many of his constituents by suggesting that career military veterans, like myself, are unqualified to serve in Congress – implying that their service to the nation at-large does not amount to sufficient “sweat equity” in the district they seek to serve in Congress.

While speaking to a local Chamber of Commerce and touting his own accomplishments during his 16 years in local politics, Mr. Connolly recently asked the audience: "Where has my opponent been?" Many in the room who were aware of my military career, including those wearing lapel stickers listing the Democratic Party ticket, were visibly taken aback and later distanced themselves from Mr. Connolly’s attack. Unrepentant, the congressman subsequently pressed his line of attack when he spoke to a local neighborhood civic association. Once again describing the work he did as a Fairfax County Supervisor in the building of schools and sidewalks for his community, Mr. Connolly again dismissed my more than 24 years of military experience, saying "I expect a candidate to have demonstrated some sweat equity!"

I am happy to answer the congressman's question. I was in Iraq trying to rescue American fighter pilots who had been shot down. I was hunting down war criminals in Bosnia, and I was evacuating U.S. Embassy personnel in Africa from armed mobs that would do them harm. I was at Arlington National Cemetery 17 times paying my last respects to brave men that I had the privilege and honor to serve with.

I am profoundly disappointed that Congressman Connolly believes career military men and women are unqualified to serve in Congress simply because they chose to serve and protect their country rather than enter local politics. Mr. Connolly’s statements are outrageous and demonstrate an out-of-touch career politician who thinks that only those who climb the ladder of local politics can graduate to higher office. By Mr. Connolly’s standard, many of our forefathers, including George Washington and Dwight Eisenhower, were unqualified to hold federal office. His statements are offensive to our service members and their families who have sacrificed so much for the country they love.

This country’s military veterans, professional intelligence officers and career first responders don’t just have sweat equity in their communities, they have blood equity in America. I believe the voters in Virginia's 11th District appreciate that.

Chris Perkins is a retired U.S. Army officer and congressional candidate for Virginia's 11th District. - Washington Times

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Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) Lies: 'Social Security does not add one penny to the debt. Not one penny.'

To contact us Click HERE

So the latest story concerning the fiscal cliff the US is facing is news that some Republicans in Congress are thinking of being flexible when it comes to their 'Grover Norquist' no tax increase pledge. However, I think this issue brought out a huge lie pushed by Democrats in general but said by Illinois Democrat Senator Dick Durbin. He said that

 'Social Security does not add one penny to the debt. Not one penny.' 

His statement was in response to Republican demands that entitlement spending reform be on the table . Basically Senator Durbin is claiming that there is no need to reform Social Security Entitlements because Social Security is not a part of this nation's spending/deficit crisis. Unfortunately, this is not the case and Senator Durbin for sure knows that this is a lie. Zero Hedge explains:

This statement is a lie that is covered over by a dopy accounting system called the Unified Budget. In this magical world, the deficits driven by entitlements are hidden. The reliance on this accounting fiction is a dangerous path for liberals to take. The fact is, SS (and the other government retirement programs for Federal workers and the Military) are running billion dollar cash deficits today and will run Mega-Trillion dollar cash deficits for the next seventy-five years. Every penny of those deficits will result in more borrowing from the public.

These deficits may be “Off Budget” in the magical world of Unified Accounting, but they do add to the publicly held debt on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The Rating Agencies are part of the Cliff discussion (like it or not); those folks are no dopes and they fully understand that Senator Durbin is all wet with his talk of Off Balance sheet debt. - Zero Hedge

If a publicly traded company did this sort of accounting gimmickry, shareholders would eventually lose their investments and people would go to jail. Ironically, Democrat politicians would then be crowing to every TV camera how we need even more laws to prevent this kind of criminal behavior, all the time committing a much larger theft right out in the open.
Worse, the Social Security Trustee report notes that Social Security will run out of money around 2033, unless Social Security taxes are raised (or benefit rules reformed).
Finally, the Trillions of dollars in assets that the Social Security Trust fund has are currently held in the form of US Treasury Bonds. In short, the money was given to the Government and spent. The Government will then have to redeem the bonds as the money is needed to pay Social Security recipients. This means that they will have to get the money from somewhere. Given that the Government plans to run a deficit into the sunset, that means that they will either have to print or borrow the money.
Graphs pictured above were taken from the US Government's own Government Accountability Office. The article is titled 'Federal Debt Basics'. Clearly, this is a topic Senator Durbin and many of his follow Democrats would fail if a grade was given. Unfortunately, it is we who suffer as a result of their incompetence and criminal behavior if they had to be judged the same way that they demand businesses be held to account.-------------------- --------------------

'Pro-Oil' Obama Administration Now Closing Western Lands To Oil Drilling

To contact us Click HERE
During this last election, President Obama proclaimed that oil drilling in the US has never been greater, implying that he was responsible for this oil drilling boon. In reality, the increase in oil drilling had been taking place on private lands that the Government had little ability to stop.
Now, that President Obama has won re-election, his pro-oil Administration is planning to close off Western Government land from oil exploration.

The Interior Department on Friday issued a final plan to close 1.6 million acres of federal land in the West originally slated for oil shale development.

The proposed plan would fence off a majority of the initial blueprint laid out in the final days of the George W. Bush administration. It faces a 30-day protest period and a 60-day process to ensure it is consistent with local and state policies. After that, the department would render a decision for implementation.

The move is sure to rankle Republicans, who say President Obama’s grip on fossil fuel drilling in federal lands is too tight. - The Hill

The Obama Presidency, redefining 'Pro-Oil'. Then again, his 'All-of-the-Above' energy policy seems to mean 'None of the below'.
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Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) Lies: 'Social Security does not add one penny to the debt. Not one penny.'

To contact us Click HERE

So the latest story concerning the fiscal cliff the US is facing is news that some Republicans in Congress are thinking of being flexible when it comes to their 'Grover Norquist' no tax increase pledge. However, I think this issue brought out a huge lie pushed by Democrats in general but said by Illinois Democrat Senator Dick Durbin. He said that

 'Social Security does not add one penny to the debt. Not one penny.' 

His statement was in response to Republican demands that entitlement spending reform be on the table . Basically Senator Durbin is claiming that there is no need to reform Social Security Entitlements because Social Security is not a part of this nation's spending/deficit crisis. Unfortunately, this is not the case and Senator Durbin for sure knows that this is a lie. Zero Hedge explains:

This statement is a lie that is covered over by a dopy accounting system called the Unified Budget. In this magical world, the deficits driven by entitlements are hidden. The reliance on this accounting fiction is a dangerous path for liberals to take. The fact is, SS (and the other government retirement programs for Federal workers and the Military) are running billion dollar cash deficits today and will run Mega-Trillion dollar cash deficits for the next seventy-five years. Every penny of those deficits will result in more borrowing from the public.

These deficits may be “Off Budget” in the magical world of Unified Accounting, but they do add to the publicly held debt on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The Rating Agencies are part of the Cliff discussion (like it or not); those folks are no dopes and they fully understand that Senator Durbin is all wet with his talk of Off Balance sheet debt. - Zero Hedge

If a publicly traded company did this sort of accounting gimmickry, shareholders would eventually lose their investments and people would go to jail. Ironically, Democrat politicians would then be crowing to every TV camera how we need even more laws to prevent this kind of criminal behavior, all the time committing a much larger theft right out in the open.
Worse, the Social Security Trustee report notes that Social Security will run out of money around 2033, unless Social Security taxes are raised (or benefit rules reformed).
Finally, the Trillions of dollars in assets that the Social Security Trust fund has are currently held in the form of US Treasury Bonds. In short, the money was given to the Government and spent. The Government will then have to redeem the bonds as the money is needed to pay Social Security recipients. This means that they will have to get the money from somewhere. Given that the Government plans to run a deficit into the sunset, that means that they will either have to print or borrow the money.
Graphs pictured above were taken from the US Government's own Government Accountability Office. The article is titled 'Federal Debt Basics'. Clearly, this is a topic Senator Durbin and many of his follow Democrats would fail if a grade was given. Unfortunately, it is we who suffer as a result of their incompetence and criminal behavior if they had to be judged the same way that they demand businesses be held to account.-------------------- --------------------

E-mail from Greyhound's CFO

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Tonight I received an e-mail from Andy Kaplinsky, Greyhound's CFO. Andy wants to talk to me next week about the Gift Ticket Fee.
I'm excited. I anticipate a robust and professional conversation. It would help the petition cause if we had hundreds of people sign the petition over the weekend.
Thank you for your support - I am amazed at we had over 8200 people sign this. You are all awesome; lets all push this petition hard over the next few days. This weekend could make or break the cause to end the $18 Gift Ticket Fee!
Shawn

Just got off the phone with Andy Kaplinsky - Greyhound's CFO

To contact us Click HERE
First off, I want to publicly thank Andy Kaplinsky for taking time to call me today. We had a good free-flowing conversation on several topics relating to Greyhound, customer service, etc. He apologized for the long delay in getting back to me, and took a great deal of time to thank me and the petition signers for their concerns.

According to Andy, 80 - 90% of their charge backs are related to the "gift tickets." Charge backs for gift tickets primarily fall into 2 categories: 1) Fraud - someone steals a credit card and buys a bus ticket; 2) A person buys a ticket for someone else, the person doesn't show up, and the purchaser wants their money back. Andy freely admitted that the gift ticket fee has been a topic of discussion off and on at Greyhound for the last couple of years, and while "Greyhound is exploring ways we can address the issue," that due to the large amount of charge backs, the company just isn't comfortable with that. Andy also admitted that the fee is a convenience fee as well.

In addition, according to Andy, the company is looking at ways to invest in the technology to better "sniff out" fraudulent purchases, however, from an operational standpoint, Greyhound has chosen to first invest in new buses, and investing in customer service training. (Note - Andy was very clear in saying that Greyhound needs to improve  in customer service - he compared it to turning a freighter in the ocean).

I made a couple of suggestions to Andy for some "short -term fixes" which would help with the chargebacks:

1. When someone purchases a "gift ticket" - have an additional screen stating that gift tickets are nonrefundable if the person does not show up, etc. with a check box stating that the user agrees to these terms and conditions, etc. This would provide Greyhound with evidence that the purchaser knew that the ticker was a non-refundable ticket, etc.

2. On fraud, I asked Andy if Greyhound would consider charging the gift ticket fee for bus ticket purchases made within 14 days of travel. In other words, 3rd party tickets purchased more than 14 days out would not be subject to the fee. This should reduce fraud exposure to Greyhound.

Andy wanted to express his appreciation for the feedback and response to the 8,000+ plus people who have signed the petition. It was a great conversation.

So...where do we go from here?

I let Andy know that I was going to continue the petition drive. IMHO, I gave Greyhound some steps to begin eliminating this fee. By singing the petition, you can send a clear message that you want Greyhound to implement the steps I just recommended, and to invest in the technology needed to reduce fraudulent purchases for bus tickets.

Thanks to all of you for signing! We are making a difference. Please sign, share, and post a link to the petition on your Facebook or Twitter Walls. You are all awesome!

Best,

Shawn

http://www.change.org/petitions/greyhound-eliminate-the-18-gift-ticket-fee

Remodelling Migration

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A typical abstraction of migration is a zero-sum game. The community of origin loses a person. The destination gains a person. Alternatively, relocation connects two places.  Brain drain promotes economic development:

As The Economist notes, diaspora networks have three great potential strengths. They can allow information – anything from news of new products to investment opportunities – to cross borders. They can encourage trust – people from shared backgrounds are often more likely to believe each other. And they can create connections between people around the world.

The potential of migrants and diasporas to contribute to development is increasingly recognised, including in recent research done here at the OECD. This research, which focuses in part on developing a better picture of migrant communities, offers some fascinating insights. One of the most striking is the level of education among migrants. Among immigrants living in OECD countries, around a million hold doctorates. Africa alone has about 2.5 million high-skilled emigrants living in OECD countries.

Some of these people will eventually decide to return home, although many others won’t. But regardless of their long-term plans, most migrants like to maintain links with home and, where possible, to contribute to their progress. Finding ways to make that happen can be challenging. Diasporas are, by their nature, widely dispersed and often invisible. That’s one reason why the Internet, and especially social media, has such potential to bring them together. One French study has already identified 8000 websites linked to just 30 of the world’s diaspora groups. As interest in harnessing the power of migrants and diasporas grows, that number will surely rise.

Emphasis added. Transactions and venture capital flow along lines of trust. Exporting talent builds a network that benefits local entrepreneurs. Businesses are moving to where the talent is produced.

Leaving home is good for the economic development of an individual. Highlighting the reciprocity of migration aligns the interests of the individual with that of the community. People develop, not places. Tackling brain drain as a problem puts the place before its people. The UN Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) is hurting the constituency it purports to help. Its attempts to make the world a better place ironically make things worse.

Obama's Sandra Fluke vs Clinton's Monica

To contact us Click HERE
First, there would have been no point to this story. But the Democrats had to insist in forcing companies and religious institutions to provide birth control to adults at no charge despite 'lack of access to birth control' not even being listed as any of the major reasons why women get accidentally pregnant.
One of Obama's major vote for free birth control warriors is Sandra Fluke. She has been activly promoted by Obama's re-election team, even given a speaking spot at the Democrat National Convention. Personally I do not know why, as the message of a 31 year old law graduate whining about her need to get free birth control does not really ring with me. It actually rings pretty hollow when you find out that a month's worth of birth control costs about $10. Everyone can pony up $10. The fact that Sandra can't gather a crowd of more than ten persons at an Obama re-election rally is pretty good evidence that her 15 minutes of fame is about over.
(Photo found at Ace of Spades)

Now take Monica Lewinsky. I had a chance to see her back in 1999 when she appeared in Helsinki Finland for her book signing. This was her second appearance that day and all of the people packed into the bookstore are trying to get a glimpse of her. the first bookstore was so packed that you could not get into it. All of this is 3 years after the scandal that made her famous.
So maybe Obama should ask Monica if she can help him campaign. Because Sandra's message is just not cutting it.


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