An excerpt of the article is below:
"[The New America Foundation’s] paper’s central premise is something I’ve been hearing from [Daniel] Alpert for more than a year now: this time, it really is different. What he and his co-authors mean by that is that the bursting of the debt bubble three years ago was not just a severe example of the ups and downs that are an inevitable part of American capitalism. Rather, it was the ultimate consequence of the modern global economy. Chief among the changes that have taken place is the integration of China, Russia, India and other countries into the global economic mainstream. The developed world once had maybe 500 million workers. Today, say the authors, we’ve added another two billion people to the global work force."
There are several scenarios in this article for how to address the global crisis - none of which, Mr. Nocera admits, have much chance of impacting Washington politicians. But, it is an interesting read.
See the full piece here.
10 October 2011
The case for a third party candidate – Douglas E. Schoen (Politico)
An excerpt from the story is below ...
“…55 percent of respondents in a September Gallup poll said there is a need for a third party. For the first time in Gallup’s history, a majority of Republicans also embraced the idea. In addition, 30 percent of respondents in a September Newsweek survey we conducted, said that a president unaffiliated with either the Democratic or Republican parties would be more effective than a partisan pick in solving America’s problems.
“This is far more than just a reaction against the status quo from an electorate tired of politics as usual.
“Voters desperately want the opportunity to change the political system. Polling showed they are looking for their voices to be heard by electing a centrist alternative to the Democratic and Republican presidential tickets in 2012. They believe, our results show, that this could force the two parties to work together, bringing logical ideas from both.”
Read the full article here.
“…55 percent of respondents in a September Gallup poll said there is a need for a third party. For the first time in Gallup’s history, a majority of Republicans also embraced the idea. In addition, 30 percent of respondents in a September Newsweek survey we conducted, said that a president unaffiliated with either the Democratic or Republican parties would be more effective than a partisan pick in solving America’s problems.
“This is far more than just a reaction against the status quo from an electorate tired of politics as usual.
“Voters desperately want the opportunity to change the political system. Polling showed they are looking for their voices to be heard by electing a centrist alternative to the Democratic and Republican presidential tickets in 2012. They believe, our results show, that this could force the two parties to work together, bringing logical ideas from both.”
Read the full article here.
07 October 2011
Easier Website Coming Soon
A new Richland County Treasurer’s website will go live the second week of November. For a number of months my office has been working with Richland IT to build the most user-friendly website possible. We’re almost there ….
Up until now, our site was useful for accepting tax payments, but it wasn't very user-friendly if you were trying to search for what you needed. A taxpayer was required to physically have their tax bill (and the numbers on it) to access a bill on-line before they could pay. It worked okay, over the past four years around 2,000 tax bills were paid on the Treasurer’s site each month (or about 4% of payments overall) but our new site will allow for an unprecendented ease of use that will allow more people to take find the information they need when they need it.
Next month our new site will make it a whole lot easier to find and pay a tax bill, and it will also let taxpayers print paid tax receipts from the last ten years. Next month you'll see a huge difference in our website that is a benefit to all the people in Richland County. The website will stay the same at www.rcgov.us/treasurer.
Up until now, our site was useful for accepting tax payments, but it wasn't very user-friendly if you were trying to search for what you needed. A taxpayer was required to physically have their tax bill (and the numbers on it) to access a bill on-line before they could pay. It worked okay, over the past four years around 2,000 tax bills were paid on the Treasurer’s site each month (or about 4% of payments overall) but our new site will allow for an unprecendented ease of use that will allow more people to take find the information they need when they need it.
Next month our new site will make it a whole lot easier to find and pay a tax bill, and it will also let taxpayers print paid tax receipts from the last ten years. Next month you'll see a huge difference in our website that is a benefit to all the people in Richland County. The website will stay the same at www.rcgov.us/treasurer.
A Little Less You Will Have to Pay
Last year, Richland County received more in sales tax than it gave back in tax credits to Richland County taxpayers. When a diligent deputy treasurer of mine noted the difference, we notified the County Council Chair, Administrator, and the County Auditor. To the credit of all involved, it was immediately agreed that the additional funds would be used to increase the tax credits given back to our county taxpayers in the coming year.
The additional $3 million credit will mean that tax bills will be the same or less per $100,000 home in Richland County in the coming year. County Council approved the new tax rates at their meeting Tuesday night (4 October). It will not be a windfall for anyone (from no increase to an $8 decrease per $100,000 home) but every little bit helps when watching out for your money.
The additional $3 million credit will mean that tax bills will be the same or less per $100,000 home in Richland County in the coming year. County Council approved the new tax rates at their meeting Tuesday night (4 October). It will not be a windfall for anyone (from no increase to an $8 decrease per $100,000 home) but every little bit helps when watching out for your money.
05 October 2011
The enemy?
It is hard not to love the music of Hank Williams, Jr. I think I always have. Growing up in South Carolina in the 1980’s it seemed there was always something that related his lyrics to the lives we were living. And, it was fun that he went mainstream American with his, “Are you ready for some football?” each week before a big game.
It is also hard to believe that, with his prolifically checkered past, Hank would be taken seriously as a spokesperson for any political insight. And, I don’t think that his recent rant about President Obama and Hitler should be taken seriously. It should fall away quietly as a tree falling in the forest.
However, there is one thing that sticks with me from his comments, and I just can’t get around it. In his tirade, Ole’ Hank said that the President is “the enemy.” The enemy. That single statement equated the President of the United States to King George, Kaiser Wilhelm, Adolf Hitler, Ho Chi Mihn, and Sadaam Hussein. He said that our elected leader didn’t just have a different view on governing, he said our President was trying to do us harm.
Don’t try to act naïve at this point because we know that it is not just his sentiment, it is what we hear from too many people in America these days. And, this isn’t just a recent phenomenon. Those sentiments were prevalent from the right when Bill Clinton was president and from the left when George W. Bush was president.
Such thoughts aren’t only unseemly, they are what our political system preys upon to drive us farther apart in what should be our only bond ... we are all Americans. We must come together today as we’ve had to in our glorious past to meet our great challenges, but we’re told that anyone who doesn’t agree with us is “the enemy.” Those kinds of thoughts are un-American.
I don’t blame Ole’ Hank for his tirade, but I do blame the media-political culture that has let that kind of thought flourish. The other party is not the enemy, they represent a different point-of-view.
Now is the time for the people in the middle to stake out that ground and say that we won’t stand for the vilification or hatred anymore. It’s time that we say we are proud Americans: no matter who’s in charge.
It is also hard to believe that, with his prolifically checkered past, Hank would be taken seriously as a spokesperson for any political insight. And, I don’t think that his recent rant about President Obama and Hitler should be taken seriously. It should fall away quietly as a tree falling in the forest.
However, there is one thing that sticks with me from his comments, and I just can’t get around it. In his tirade, Ole’ Hank said that the President is “the enemy.” The enemy. That single statement equated the President of the United States to King George, Kaiser Wilhelm, Adolf Hitler, Ho Chi Mihn, and Sadaam Hussein. He said that our elected leader didn’t just have a different view on governing, he said our President was trying to do us harm.
Don’t try to act naïve at this point because we know that it is not just his sentiment, it is what we hear from too many people in America these days. And, this isn’t just a recent phenomenon. Those sentiments were prevalent from the right when Bill Clinton was president and from the left when George W. Bush was president.
Such thoughts aren’t only unseemly, they are what our political system preys upon to drive us farther apart in what should be our only bond ... we are all Americans. We must come together today as we’ve had to in our glorious past to meet our great challenges, but we’re told that anyone who doesn’t agree with us is “the enemy.” Those kinds of thoughts are un-American.
I don’t blame Ole’ Hank for his tirade, but I do blame the media-political culture that has let that kind of thought flourish. The other party is not the enemy, they represent a different point-of-view.
Now is the time for the people in the middle to stake out that ground and say that we won’t stand for the vilification or hatred anymore. It’s time that we say we are proud Americans: no matter who’s in charge.
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