The Sunday 'Report'; 02/20/2011

What "National Pamphleteers" Don't Report:
Amendments To The Continuing Appropriations Act.
Here's a list of amendments (#1 thru #583) to federal reduce spending.  There are duplicates; they are in no particular order.
http://www.gop.gov/bill/112/1/hr1amendments

Do YOU Have A Suggestion To Cut Spending?
http://majorityleader.gov/YouCut/YourIdea.htm

Chris Christie lays out a national vision

    Gov. Chris Christie today delivered a broadside against the broken politics of Washington and the need for straight talk to solve the country's problems in a speech that will stoke talk of a 2012 presidential bid by the New Jersey Republican.  "I look at what's happening in Washington right now and I am worried," said Christie in an address at the American Enterprise Institute. "What game is being played down here is irresponsible and it's dangerous."  Asked whether he would consider running for president in 2012, Christie acknowledged that he "see[s] the opportunity" but quickly added: "That's not a reason to be president of the United States."  And yet, Christie's speech, which spanned roughly 45 minutes, had all the traditional markers of someone eyeing national office.  "Leadership today in America has to be about doing the big things and being courageous," said Christie. At another point, Christie argued that "we have to bring a new approach and a new discipline to this."  Christie repeatedly drew on his experiences in New Jersey -- tightening the state's budget, facing down public-sector unions -- to draw a harsh contrast with the kick-the-can-down-the-road-ism that he believes has infected politics in Washington.  Dismissing the "old playbook" of putting off hard choices until after the next -- and then the next -- election, Christie noted that after the 2012 election Medicare will be [....]
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/governors/chris-christie-lays-out-a-nati.html

Allen West posted these observations on his Facebook page:

To the Citizens of the Twenty Second District of the State of Florida:

Over this past week I have watched and listened to Members of the House of Representatives from across the aisle.
I am appalled at their arrogance, belligerence, and dishonest rhetoric filled with empty emotional platitudes. Have they no shame in realizing that their inept, incompetent failures are the reason why we are debating this continuing resolution? They failed to pass a budget during the 111th Congress.
Have they no honor in realizing that their fiscal irresponsibility over the past four years has resulted in our standing on the precipice of a fiscal canyon from which we may not recover.
Also troubling are the events in the state of Wisconsin which mirror those [....]
http://www.wesurroundrochester.com/boards/view/viewthread?thread=10460766

Berkshire sold several stocks in fourth quarter

Nike, Nestle, other stocks out, while Buffett lifts Wells Fargo stakeRelated stories
Alistair Barr, MarketWatch

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the insurance-focused conglomerate run by Warren Buffett, sold stakes in several companies as the stock market surged during the fourth quarter, according to a regulatory filing Monday. [....]
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/berkshire-sold-several-stocks-in-fourth-quarter-2011-02-14?link=kiosk

New subpoena seeks records on sweetheart loans

By LARRY MARGASAK; The Associated Press;  Wednesday, February 16, 2011

WASHINGTON -- A House committee chairman renewed efforts Wednesday to obtain names of current and former federal, state and local policymakers - including congressional colleagues - who received sweetheart mortgage deals from the former Countrywide Financial Corp.  The subpoena by Rep. Darrell Issa of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee makes it more likely that the records could be made public.  A subpoena in 2009, when Democrats controlled the committee, specified that information on discounted loans to members of Congress and their spouses go only to the House Ethics Committee - with all names deleted. The ethics committee has never revealed the information it obtained.  Issa did not favor the restrictions but agreed to them as a compromise so that the committee's former chairman, Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., would issue the subpoena.  "Countrywide orchestrated a deliberate and calculated effort to use relationships with people in high places in order to manipulate public policy and further their bottom line to the detriment of the American taxpayers even at the expense of its own lending standards," said Issa.  "This subpoena will allow us to obtain the information needed to answer the outstanding public interest questions regarding the full size and scope of the VIP program," he said. "The American people have a right to know the totality of who participated in the Countrywide's VIP program and what they did in return for access to it."  Countrywide had been the nation's largest home loan originator before the housing market collapse. Many of its borrowers were left unable to repay mortgages [....]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/16/AR2011021604808.html?hpid=top

The most dangerous jobs you’d think would be safe

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — While there’s no doubt that being a cop or firefighter is a dangerous job, being a farmer is even riskier. The rate of fatal occupational injuries for farmers and ranchers is 38.5 per 100,000 full-time workers, versus 4.4 for firefighters, and 13.1 for police and sheriff’s patrol officers, according to U.S. Labor Department data for 2009, the most recent available.  “It seems counter-intuitive because you hear about violent accidents; you probably hear less about people dying when tractors roll over on them,” said Jim Rice, an economist at the Labor Department. “For those who do work on farms, it’s still a dangerous occupation.”  The rate of fatal injuries for aircraft pilots and flight engineers is 57.1, and for fishers and related fishing workers it’s 200. Among civilian workers — the military, volunteers and those under 16 are excluded — the fatality rate is an average of 3.3.  Other workers face higher-than-average rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work. For instance, state psychiatric aides have [....]
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/jobs-you-never-knew-were-dangerous-2011-02-14?siteid=nwhpf

Amendments Passed to Eliminate Obama Czars and Defund FCC Net Neutrality Rules

by Emily Miller; 02/17/2011

The House passed two important conservative amendments on Thursday night: to eliminate funding for President Obama’s czars and to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from enforcing its net neutrality rules.  The House is in the third day of an open process to debate 583 amendments to the Continuing Resolution (CR) spending bill. HUMAN EVENTS has identified 10 of the amendments which are key [....]
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=41869

Ontario Scraps Energy Conservation Directorship
TORONTO, ON -- On a day when Premier Ernie Eves and other public officials pleaded with Ontarians to use less electricity to prevent blackouts, the government seemed to be scrapping its newly created position of energy conservation director.  Critics said the decision, apparently made for budgetary reasons, shows the Conservative government doesn't care much about getting people to cut their demand for power. "They're preaching conservation because they want to get the lights back on and the system stable," said Marion Fraser, a conservation expert with an [....]
http://www.electricityforum.com/news/aug03/directorship.html
Til Next Sunday....