	5/5/2006

zoominfo.com - free data mining for the masses

If you have not visited zoominfo.com yet, I recommend you invest two clicks and do a search on yourself just for fun.

The company's investor list includes the Rockfeller Family and Paul Allen, so you know my spidey Birch senses kicked in when I read that.

9:07:10 PM

comment []

Put a Sock in it.

A picture named saveoursocks.jpg If the Greensboro City Council wants to give out taxpayer money to private entities, let me suggest this campaign as a more noble cause than the scheme they currently have under consideration.

(Always good for news coverage when you rent the billboard across the street from the News & Record building.)

From the Donald Patterson article today:

"We think the consuming public is very much aware of what is happening to the manufacturing industry of this country," said Nim Harris, president of Pickett Hosiery in Burlington. "We think their mood is changing toward buying American-made products."

Organizers contend imported socks cost only pennies less than ones made domestically but they do little to support middle class jobs, health benefits and retirement plans.

"There is still an advantage to buying American and it is not all related to price points," said Darrell Frye, chief financial officer at Harriss & Covington Hosiery Mills in High Point. "It is about our community."

8:45:41 PM

comment []

Taxpayer shakedowns from around the world

With the pending Greensboro taxpayer financed gift of $2 million to a private housing developer in our local news, this story caught my eye. I have used bold type to highlight the parallels stand out even through the translation from the original Japanese.

It's tenant with a strong contract that can force you to build them a new house in exchange for leaving your property.

Still, it looks like they had to bring in Secretary Rumsfeld to present the rhetorical question which finalized the negotiations: "What part of 'unconditional' don't you understand?"

EDITORIAL/ Paying to move Marines

04/26/2006

Japan and the United States have finally agreed on Japan's share of the costs for the relocation of 8,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam. It was announced Sunday that, of the $10.2 billion (1.19 trillion yen) grand total, Japan is to shoulder 59 percent--about $6 billion (700 billion yen).

This amount is enormous. Not only that, this is the first time Japan will be picking up part of the tab to build U.S. military facilities on American soil.

Washington initially demanded $7.5 billion; Tokyo countered with a $3 billion offer. Talks were at a standstill until Defense Agency Director-General Fukushiro Nukaga met with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to work out the final agreement.

It appears Tokyo caved in because it feared the Japan-U.S. alliance could be jeopardized if negotiations collapsed. The ruling coalition had vowed that "up to 50 percent of the costs" was as far as it was willing to go. So one could say Washington got Tokyo to fork out much more than it expected.

The government then contrived to quell opposition. Specifically, only $2.8 billion of the total will be grants coming directly from national coffers. Another $1.7 billion will be loans from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and other entities. The remaining $1.5 billion will take the form of investment in a new company formed by public and private sector parties.

The government explains the loans will be paid back, and the investment in the new company will be recoverable. But the exact nature of this company and the possibility of uncollectible fund has yet to be explained.

Until these questions are answered, the outlay is likely to seem tantamount to spending directly taxpayers' money.

The $2.8 billion in grants, we are told, will go only to build barracks, offices and other facilities. The money will not be used to construct military training facilities or runways. This decision is obviously meant to deflect any suspicion the United States is expecting Japan to pay for facilities that have nothing to do directly with the relocation from Okinawa to Guam.

These negotiations started from the need to explore ways to lighten the burden on Okinawa, where 75 percent of U.S. bases in Japan are concentrated. We do not argue with the idea that Japan needs to pay part of the burden for the relocation. However, the big question is whether the government is going about it the right way.

First, is it appropriate for Japanese taxpayers to fund a U.S. military base on American soil?

8:09:53 PM

comment []

Libertarian Party gains procedural victory in NC Ballot Access lawsuit. ACLU joins battle on behalf of Green Party.

From Sean Haugh LPNC:

Today (Thursday) we have won an important victory in the lawsuit brought by the Libertarian Party of NC against our state�fs extreme ballot access barriers. Judge Orlando Hudson has signed the order denying the state�fs motion to dismiss our lawsuit. This is excellent news!

Now we move on to the real heart of our case. All of the preliminary motions are out of the way and we can have our case heard in NC Superior Court...

Although the victory is procedural, its importance cannot be underestimated. According to Richard Winger of Ballot Access News, no one has won a ruling below the state Supreme Court level in any similar ballot access lawsuit since 1982...

But our lawsuit is unlike any similar suit that has been brought before. Our challenge to the state is not just that their ballot access restrictions are unfair. We are alleging that these restrictions are part of an entire scheme of election law which favors Democrats and Republicans over anyone who does not want to be part of those two parties. Many have fought against ballot access laws before and lost, but we are the first to try to show that these oppressive laws are part of a broader scheme to prevent the equal participation of all voters in our elections.

This strategy has allowed the NC Green Party to join our lawsuit, and leaves the doors open for other parties, independent voters and even non-voters to join with us. The Greens have jumped in with both feet. They have enlisted the support of the ACLU to represent them.

ACLU involvement in our lawsuit is a huge asset for us. The Greens�f lawyer, Hoppy Elliott, works very well with Mr. Crowell and together they made a very powerful and effective presentation for us at last week�fs hearing.

Although the ACLU works for free, our lawyer does not. He is giving us a discounted rate and happily working away even while we are behind on the bill. We made the decision to hire the most experienced election law attorney in the state and he is doing an excellent job of representing our interests.

Please take a moment right now to go to the website of Freedom Ballot Access http://www.freedomballotaccess.org/ to make your best possible donation. We take credit cards and PayPal at the site, and also provide you with an address if you�fd prefer to mail a check.

(Editors note: If you have ever complained over the offerings and non-offerings of the Democratic and Republican parties, which have monopolized the election system in North Carolina, this is an effort you need to be putting your money behind.)

3:03:17 PM

comment []