The Sunday 'Report;' 07/10/2011

What The National Pamphleteers Don't Report:
Business Replies to Obama
July 8, 2011
By Victor Davis Hanson
    The United States has tried the largest stimulus in its peacetime history, with record $5 trillion borrowing in Obama’s first three years. Yet unemployment is much higher than when he entered office. The more he talks of stimulating the economy — with subsidies to “green” industries, government take-over of private enterprise, massive annual deficits and federal hiring, cash for clunkers, etc. — the less the private sector seems to hire or invest.  Why should this be so, given the recovery trajectories that have historically followed recessions? Some causes of these doldrums are psychological in nature. Those who have saved money and in theory could invest are scared off by uncertainty over new federalized health-care costs, by massive government spending that must be [....]
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/271395/business-replies-obama-victor-davis-hanson

Top 10 Most Valuable U.S. Coins Found in Pocket Change

From Susan Headley,
former About.com Guide
    There are a number of fairly valuable U.S. error coins and die varieties in circulation today. These coins are overlooked by people because they have small distinguishing characteristics, such as a modest doubling of the coin image, or minute differences in the size or spacing of the letters in the legends. Learn which of your pocket change coins is worth a large premium over face value, and why.
Tip: Be sure to do your hunting with at least a 6x power magnifier so you don't miss anything!
1. 1969-S Lincoln Cent With a Doubled Die Obverse
This coin is exceedingly rare. The early specimens were confiscated by the Secret Service until the U.S.[....]
http://coins.about.com/od/uscoins/tp/errorvarieties.htm

States crack down on unemployment benefits scams
Associated Press
Monday, July 4, 2011
PROVIDENCE, R.I. • A nationwide crackdown is coming for people fraudulently drawing unemployment payments — a $17 billion benefits swindle last year alone, say federal officials. It applies to those who were never eligible for unemployment checks and workers who keep getting checks after they return to work.  With the poor economy lingering and the jobless rate remaining high, Rhode Island and other states are stepping up efforts to stop the fraud and improper payments.  As much as 30 percent of the wrong payments in 2010 [....]
http://www.stltoday.com/news/national/article_a9598fb6-aa49-55d1-955f-ecc24f5be0d2.html


Constitutional Nonsense on Debt
What the 14th Amendment really says about the debt ceiling and debt default
By John Berlau
July 8, 2011
    Lo and behold! As we celebrated this Fourth of July amid the debt-ceiling fight, the netroots and progressive pundits suddenly discovered the Constitution’s relevance in fiscal matters. It doesn’t seem like that long ago — because it wasn’t that long ago — that they ridiculed the very idea of constitutional limits on Congress in economic policymaking, and even mocked the GOP’s public reading of the Constitution at the beginning of the current session.  Of the new House rule requiring a statement of the constitutional authority for bills, Ian Millhiser wrote at ThinkProgress that “the constitutional lunatics are now in charge of the GOP’s asylum.” It was completely unnecessary [....]
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/271329/constitutional-nonsense-debt-john-berlau

Obama Considers Cutting Social Security Full Payment
Bloomberg News
Jul 7, 2011
Obama and lawmakers are considering cutting Social Security and increasing revenue by changing the way the government measures inflation.  Four senior congressional aides said lawmakers are discussing using an alternative yardstick to gauge inflation, known as the “chained consumer price index,” to determine annual cost-of-living adjustments for millions of Americans.  The idea may rile both Democrats and Republicans, because it could mean paring Social Security by $112 billion over 10 years, raising taxes by $60 billion and cutting pension and veterans’ disability payments by $24 billion, according to estimates by [....]
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/social-security-cuts-inflation/2011/07/07/id/402875?s=al&promo_code=C93B-1

72% Favor Free Market Economy Over One Managed by the Government
Rasmussen Reports
Friday, July 08, 2011
    Voters remain strongly supportive of a free market economy over one controlled by the government and still think small businesses are hurt more than big businesses when the government does get involved.  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 72% of Likely U.S. Voters believe a free market economy is better than an economy managed by the government. Just 14% think a government-managed economy is better. Another 14% are not sure.  Republicans and unaffiliated voters overwhelmingly prefer a free market approach. Among these segments of the electorate, the number preferring a government-managed economy is in the single digits.  Among Democrats, 48% say [....]
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/july_2011/72_favor_free_market_economy_over_one_managed_by_the_government

75% See Vital U.S. Interests As Only Reason For Committing Military Forces to Overseas Action
Rasmussen Reports
July 07, 2011
    Compared to the four presidents who followed him, Ronald Reagan had a more limited view of when to send U.S. military force into action overseas and voters today still embrace the more restrained use of force that he advocated.  Seventy-five percent (75%) of voters nationwide agree that “The United States should not commit its forces to military action overseas unless the cause is vital to our national interest.” A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that [....] 
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/july_2011/75_see_vital_u_s_interests_as_only_reason_for_committing_military_forces_to_overseas_action

Last Vietnam-era draftee is retiring from Army
By KIMBERLY HEFLING,
Associated Press
Jul 4, 2011
(In this photo taken Monday, June 27, 2011,) Army Command Sgt. Major Jeffery Mellinger, 58, talks to The Associated Press about his nearly 40-year career in his office in Fort Belvoir, Va. Mellinger, a Vietnam War draftee in 1972, is believed by the Army to be the last conscripted soldier to have served continuously without a break. Set to retire this summer, he's done everything from teaching Special Forces commandos to free-fall out of planes, to serving as the top enlisted soldier in Iraq, where he survived 27 roadside bombings during his deployment of 33 consecutive months. 
 FORT BELVOIR, Va. — A homemade wind chime with the word "Whining" under a red slash is made from metal parts put in his leg after a parachute accident. Every Sunday he trims his crew cut. He didn't join the Army willingly, but as Command Sgt. Maj. Jeff Mellinger prepares to retire, he's grateful he found his calling.  Mellinger was drafted to fight in the Vietnam War, and the Army believes he's the last draftee to retire, after 39 years. Most did their two years and left. But Mellinger had found home.  "I think I'm pretty good at it, but I like it. That's the bottom line. I love being a soldier and I love being around soldiers," he said.  Mellinger's motto is simple: [....]
http://www.kentucky.com/2011/07/03/1798514/last-vietnam-era-draftee-decides.html

Car Czar: ‘I Did it All for the Unions’?
By Buck Sexton
July 7, 2011
    A Congressional oversight committee has asked Ron Bloom, White House advisor and former ‘car czar,’ to clarify his response to a question during a recent hearing. Bloom was asked whether he made the statement “I did it all for the unions” back in 2009 in the middle of the auto bailout controversy. He vehemently denied saying it.  The problem is, Bloom’s denial contradicts two otherwise credible sources, including a book written by his car czar predecessor, Steve Rattner, and a published account in the Detroit News. Both claim that Bloom did in fact make the comment in question, though both accounts also agreed that it was made in jest.  Here is video from the June 22 Oversight hearing showing [....]
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/car-czar-i-did-it-all-for-the-unions/

10 ugliest cars from the 1950s
    Remember 1958? Eisenhower was president, Pope John XXIII was crowned pontiff, 14-year-old Bobby Fischer won the U.S. chess championship, and Elvis Presley was inducted into the Army.  It was also the year American automakers produced the worst looking cars of the last 60 years: great tail-finned land barges draped in ornamentation and dripping in chrome. Designers had been trying to outdo themselves for so long, they'd lost touch with reality.  Chrysler Corp. got a jump on the competition in 1957 by tearing up its product plans and [....]
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/autos/1106/gallery.10_ugly_cars_1950s.fortune/index.html

Retiree Tax Heavens (and Hells)
Updated June 2011
Click on any state below for a detailed summary, or:
GET DETAILS ON RETIREE TAXES IN ANY STATE
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District Of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
SHOW ME RETIREE TAX HEAVENS
Our picks of the 10 most tax-friendly states for retireesThe nine states with no income taxThe five states with no sales taxThe five states with the lowest sales taxes (including local sales taxes)The five states with the lowest median real estate taxesThe 14 most pension-friendly statesThe 36 states that don't tax Social Security benefits
SHOW ME RETIREE TAX HELLS
Our picks of the 10 least tax-friendly states for retireesThe five states with the highest income tax rate (based on highest tax bracket)The five states with the highest sales taxes (including average county/city sales taxes)The five states with the highest median real estate taxesThe six least pension-friendly statesThe 23 states that impose their own estate taxes or inheritance taxes.  States More Tax-Friendly for Retirees… [....]
http://portal.kiplinger.com/tools/retiree_map/

 Jeb Bush: NEA Losing Battle Over Bad Teachers
By Henry J. Reske
Jul 5, 2011
The National Education Association’s change of heart over teacher evaluations is too little, too late and just proof that it has lost the argument, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush tells Newsmax.
“This is not a policy change. It is a diversionary tactic,” said Bush, founder and president of the Foundation for Excellence in Education.  The NEA made its move at its national convention, voting to adopt a policy statement that student performance should be considered as part of teacher evaluations. It came after years of opposition.  "The NEA has realized it lost the argument against a teacher in the classroom having a direct impact on student learning,” Bush said in an exclusive interview. “Recognizing they’ve lost the battle of opposing teacher effectiveness evaluations, they have come up with another tactic by which to oppose.  "It appears they will [....]
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/jeb-bush-nea-bad/2011/07/05/id/402594?s=al&promo_code=C8EB-1

Rick Harrison of 'Pawn Stars' spills success secrets
July 7, 2011
By Linda Childers, contributing writer
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Rick Harrison knows a deal and a steal when he sees one.  Ever since he was a young boy, he's had the uncanny ability to make money selling other people's unwanted items. Today, that ability has made him a mint and turned him into one of TVs hottest reality stars.  Along with his father, Richard "The Old Man" Harrison, his son, Corey "Big Hoss" Harrison" and family friend Austin "Chumlee" Russell, Harrison gives viewers a behind-the-scenes peek into his Las Vegas business the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. In the process, he educates audiences on the history behind many of the unique items sold in the store.  Debuting in 2009, ''Pawn Stars'' is now the History Channel's top-rated show, and one of the highest-rated shows on cable television, averaging 5 million viewers per week. This month, Harrison signed [....]
 http://money.cnn.com/2011/07/06/smallbusiness/rick_harrison/index.htm?iid=HP_LN
Until Next Sunday....