Month: August 2010

NEW ERA

The editorial “’Fee for service,’ courtesy of Sturla” huffs “[State Rep. Mike Sturla] points out that 73 percent of residents, with their own police departments, pay for state police coverage for the 21 percent who don’t have their own departments (6 percent have par-time state police service)….All that Sturla is doing is asking that the […]

U.S. Auto Sales May Hit 28-Year Low as Discounts Flop

From BLOOMBERG: U.S. auto sales in August probably were the slowest for the month in 28 years as model-year closeout deals failed to entice consumers concerned the economy is worsening and they may lose their jobs. Industry wide deliveries, to be released tomorrow, may have reached an annualized rate of 11.6 million vehicles this month, […]

Gallup: GOP Has Largest Poll Lead Ever

From NEWSMAX: A new Gallup poll released Monday shows Republicans with a record 10-point edge over Democrats on the “generic ballot” test — the question of whether voters prefer a Democratic or Republican congressional candidate. It’s the largest GOP polling edge at this stage in the 68 years of the generic ballot poll, Politico first […]

At least 14 American soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan over the past few days.

From Bob Herbert, NEW YORK TIMES: We learned on Saturday that our so-called partner in this forlorn war, Hamid Karzai, fired a top prosecutor who had insisted on, gasp, fighting the corruption that runs like a crippling disease through his country…

Time magazine tells us that stressed-out, depressed and despondent soldiers are seeking help for their mental difficulties at a rate that is overwhelming the capacity of available professionals.

US pay law branded ‘logistical nightmare’

FINANCIAL TIMES:  US companies face a “logistical nightmare” from a new rule forcing them to disclose the ratio between their chief executive’s pay package and that of the typical employee, lawyers have warned. The mandatory disclosure will provide ammunition for activists seeking to target perceived examples of excessive pay and perks. The law taps into […]

Sestak, Toomey trade jabs on campaign trail

From the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS: U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak told a group of senior citizens in Northeast Philly yesterday that his Republican rival in the race for the U.S. Senate, former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey, wants to gamble with privatization of Social Security. Toomey in turn seized upon confusion in Sestak’s congressional office about a […]

A visit to the doctor

The Watchdog had a routine visit to a medical group of eight specialists.

The building was “A” grade. The waiting room was spacious and well appointed, albeit almost empty. The receptionist was courteous in verifying the Watchdog’s insurance coverage. (If no insurance, presumably cash up front.)

WASHINGTON POST / INTELL

A “For black children, daunting divides in achievement and family life” column by George Will observes “Writing in the American Interest, [Nathan]  Glazer, a sociology professor emeritus at Harvard, considers it a “paradox” that the election of Barack Obama “coincided with the almost complete disappearance from American public life of discussion of the black condition […]

Record number in government anti-poverty programs

USA TODAY — Government anti-poverty programs that have grown to meet the needs of recession victims now serve a record one in six Americans and are continuing to expand. More than 50 million Americans are on Medicaid, the federal-state program aimed principally at the poor, a survey of state data by USA TODAY shows. That’s […]

US consumers split into two camps

FINANCIAL TIMES:  Consumer spending in the US has turned into a tale of two cities in 2010, with an entire segment of consumers splurging confidently on the finer things in life, while another segment, concerned about unemployment and with little or no discretionary income, spends only on bare necessities… Sung Won Sohn, professor of economics […]

PennDOT needs a U-turn in its thinking

From the Patriot-News: Three years ago, Pennsylvania adopted a long-term strategy for providing money to fix the state’s crumbling transportation infrastructure. It was known as Act 44 and included the tolling of Interstate 80 as a key funding provision. When the federal government under intense pressure from officials representing communities along the interstate rejected that […]

LETTER: New Era editorial deceitful and demagogic

The New Era editorial this morning, “What motivates mosque backers?” is the most deceitful and demagogic I have ever witnessed by newspaper editorial writers.

It is cunningly deceitful for [its]editorialist to supposedly quote syndicated columnist Cal Thomas by stating “As Cal Thomas pointed out on this page Friday, Rauf’s (the leader of the Muslim community center) goal is to use ‘peaceful means’ to establish the Islamic state worldwide”