Monday, July 11, 2011

Santander returns call centers to UK; Repeat of easy-lending cycle by Justice Dept.; Brits can't fire on Taliban planting roadside bombs, as it is not a immedicate threat; Voluntary extra payments to Treasury Dept.; Welfare recipients live large in Fairfax, VA; Obama's possible raise of debt ceiling w/o Congress stirs talk of impeachment; Obama backs down; World Net Daily subpoenas birth certificate info from Hawaii; Democrat plans for debt-reduction; More proof of Holder's perjury; Reform groups call for Maxin Waters ethics investigation to resume; Small businesses not ready to hire

The UK Daily Mail reports: A major bank has brought all its call centres back to the UK from India to try to restore its reputation with customers.
Santander, which owns Abbey National, Bradford & Bingley and Alliance & Leicester, said the move was in response to complaints about its operations in Bangalore and Pune.
‘Our customers tell us they prefer our call centres to be in the UK and not offshore.
‘We have listened to the  feedback and have acted by  re-establishing our call centres back here.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2012523/Bank-listens-customers-Santander-brings-centres-India-UK.html#ixzz1RbS2fUu2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Investors.com writes: In what could be a repeat of the easy-lending cycle that led to the housing crisis, the Justice Department has asked several banks to relax their mortgage underwriting standards and approve loans for minorities with poor credit as part of a new crackdown on alleged discrimination, according to court documents reviewed by IBD.
Prosecutions have already generated more than $20 million in loan set-asides and other subsidies from banks that have settled out of court rather than battle the federal government and risk being branded racist. An additional 60 banks are under investigation, a DOJ spokeswoman says. http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/577794/201107081851/DOJ-Begins-Bank-Witch-Hunt.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The UK Telegraph reports: British soldiers who spot Taliban fighters planting roadside bombs are told not to shoot them because they do not pose an immediate threat, the Ministry of Defence has admitted.

There has to be an immediate threat to life and that’s a hard thing to prove. An IED does not count as an immediate threat.

“The Americans are different – their Rules of Engagement are pretty liberal. If they even suspect someone of laying a bomb, they can shoot them.”
Afghans routinely dig holes in river banks to store meat because there is no refrigeration and farmers often dig at night because it is cooler to work.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/onthefrontline/8626344/Soldiers-told-not-to-shoot-Taliban-bomb-layers.html

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ZeroHedge reports: HR 2411 states that every worker in America should be able to voluntarily have a portion of his/her wages automatically withheld and sent directly to the Treasury Department for the purposes of paying down the federal debt.
Every employer making payment of wages shall deduct and withhold upon such wages any amounts so elected, and shall pay such amounts over to the Secretary of the Treasury…
That’s right. Uncle Sam is so broke that he wants to give all the good little Americans out there the opportunity to contribute an even greater portion of their paychecks to finance government largess.
Desperate? Hmmm…. Don’t worry, it gets better.
Obviously, if an employee feels so compelled and should elect to have a portion of his/her paycheck withheld, the onus of responsibility is now on the employer to make it happen. The employer has to do all the paperwork, withhold the money, send the payment to the Treasury, maintain the account records, and probably submit to all kinds of new filing requirements.
You can imagine that, if passed, the bill will result in a host of new IRS regulations, complete with a battery of penalties for employers who don’t fill out the paperwork properly, submit filings on time, or make some administrative mistake. http://www.zerohedge.com/article/guest-post-boiling-frog-alert-congress-wants-automatic-wage-deductions-pay-down-debt
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Directly from the Library of Congress:  (a) In General- An employee may elect for an employer to deduct and withhold upon the payment of wages by such employer amounts to be used to reduce the public debt.
    (b) Requirement of Withholding- Every employer making payment of wages shall deduct and withhold upon such wages any amounts so elected, and shall pay such amounts over to the Secretary of the Treasury at such times and in such manner as the Secretary shall by regulation prescribe. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:h2411:
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
by Mark Weaver
WMAL.com
FAIRFAX, Va. -- Resort-style swimming pools with fountains and heated spas, billiards rooms, granite counter tops, ceramic tile, indoor basketball courts, stainless steel appliances -- many Fairfax County taxpayers cannot afford such luxuries.  But they are paying for these amenities for use by low-income residents who live in subsidized housing in affluent neighborhoods.
"They're a part of our rental program where we subsidize the rents for the individuals in the units, and we end up having to pick up the condo fees," supervisor Pat Herrity told 630 WMAL News.
Herrity does not advocate putting low-income residents in "ghetto-style" housing but he takes issue with taxpayers who cannot afford such luxuries being forced to pick up the tab for people who qualify for subsidized housing.
[One person who commented on this pointed out: In most redevelopments, part of the approval process for developers who come in to areas of currently affordable housing, is to agree to set aside a certain number of units to replace the affordable housing units lost.]  http://www.wmal.com/Article.asp?id=2225336
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Expose Obama writes: Barack Obama’s threat to bypass Congress and raise the debt ceiling has stirred significant talk of impeachment —and not just on talk radio. A Republican Congressman has confirmed some of his colleagues are talking about initiating impeachment hearings. Scott Keyes of ThinkProgress.org asked Rep. Pete Olson of Texas:“Congressman Tim Scott of South Carolina yesterday in a town hall said if President Obama were to just ignore the debt ceiling,then he might be favoring bringing up articles of impeachment. Is that something that you’ve heard discussed much among your colleagues?”Olson replied,“A little bit.”Olson quickly pivoted to repeating talking points about the debt ceiling,so Think Progress’s Lee Fang followed up:“So Congressman Scott,is he just a lonely voice or are there a large number of people who are talking about this?”Olson answered,“He’s not a lonely voice.”
Congressman Olson’s statement confirms that a number of Congressmen are discussing a motion to remove Barack Obama from office. http://www.exposeobama.com/2011/07/09/a-congressman-confirms-gop-is-talking-impeachment/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ben Johnson :Conservatives who say they believe in "peace through strength" might take a lesson from the Obama administration this week. Its officials walked back discussion of an end-run around Congress on the debt ceiling after Republicans stepped up their talk of impeaching Barack Obama.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner had raised the possibility the president might unilaterally raise the debt ceiling under the pretext of the 14th Amendment. On Tuesday....
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

World Net Daily reports: Subpoena Targets “1961 Typewritten Birth Certificate”

Bob Unruh,WND.com

A subpoena has been served on officials in the Hawaii Department of Health and the state’s attorney general demanding access to the original “1961 typewritten birth certificate #10641 for Barack Obama.”
The attorney behind the case,Orly Taitz,told WND she is asking a court to compel compliance.
The California attorney contends the state’s “privacy”regulations should be ignored,as Obama already has released what the White House purported to be a copy of the document to the public.
She has developed a case in Washington,D.C.,seeking the original application for Obama’s Social Security number,a document that could provide significant information about the president’s early life that relates to his eligibility.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Royce Lamberth recently rejected a defense concern over procedure in the dispute. Taitz said that moved the case into the discovery phase,in which she can issue subpoenas to those holding documentation she is seeking.
WND previously has reported on the issue that Obama holds a Connecticut-based Social Security number despite allegedly being born in Hawaii,starting his work career in the Aloha State,and never having lived in Connecticut.
The first three digits of a Social Security number indicate the state of the applicant’s mailing address. Obama’s number begins with 042,which falls within Connecticut’s range of 040 through 049.  http://www.exposeobama.com/2011/07/09/subpoena-targets-1961-typewritten-birth-certificate/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Washington Post writes: Senate Democrats have drafted a sweeping debt-reduction plan that would slice $4 trillion from projected borrowing over the next decade without touching the expensive health and retirement programs targeted by President Obama.
Instead, Senate Democrats are proposing to stabilize borrowing through sharp cuts at the Pentagon and other government agencies, as well as $2 trillion in new taxes, primarily on families earning more than $1 million year, according to a copy of the plan obtained by The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/senate-democrats-draft-debt-reduction-plan/2011/07/08/gIQAFQbS4H_print.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Salem News reports: New information indicates that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's actions are squarely behind the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) operation known as "Fast and Furious", which orchestrated the delivery of almost 2,000 weapons to Mexican drug cartels[1].
Holder openly proclaimed his connection to the operation in April 2009 during a publicized speech in Mexico, then told a Congressional Committee in May 2011, "I probably heard of Fast and Furious the first time in the last few weeks."[2]  http://www.salem-news.com/articles/july092011/holder-atf-death-tk.php
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Washington Times reports: A coalition of reform groups wants the House Committee on Ethics to resume its work on the long-pending investigation of Rep. Maxine Waters and provide a public accounting of the status of the case against the California Democrat.
In a statement Friday, the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Democracy 21, the League of Women Voters and Public Citizen said no public notice of the status of the 2-year-old case has been provided “since the abrupt and unexplained cancellation” of a scheduled hearing in November.
In a letter to Rep. Jo Bonner, Alabama Republican and ethics committee chairman, and its ranking Democrat, Linda T. Sanchez of California, the coalition said the “unexplained delay undermines confidence in the ethics process and is unfair to all parties involved in the case.”  http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jul/10/groups-want-house-to-re-start-waters-ethics-probe/
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Wall St. Journal reports: The U.S. labor market could stay sluggish for a while, with small-business executives reluctant to hire amid the murky economic outlook.
Almost two-thirds—64%—of small-business executives surveyed said they weren't expecting to add to their payrolls in the next year and another 12% planned to cut jobs, according to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce report to be released Monday. Just 19% said they would expand their work forces.
"I think it's safer to stay on hold and not hire workers," said Harold Jackson, chief executive of Buffalo Supply, a Lafayette, Colo., distributor of high-tech medical equipment used in operating rooms.
The modest hiring plans of small businesses don't make up for the job losses in the past year, when some 29% let go workers, far outpacing the numbers that now plan to hire.  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303812104576437853543049480.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

No comments:

Post a Comment