The ACLU is representing a couple with a civil union who attempted to file their taxes on the company's website through their online service, TaxCut Online, but were told, "We don't support Connecticut civil union returns." Through its website, the company said the couple would have to work with one of their professionals, by phone or at one of their office locations, which would be more time consuming and substantially more expensive.
"This is yet another example of the many ways that civil unions just don't live up to marriage," said Jason Smith of Hartford, who has been with his partner Settimio Pisu for six years. "It really stung when I realized it would cost an additional $150 dollars to have our tax returns prepared. We're saving for a house and hoping to start a family, so every penny counts right now."
Monday, March 31, 2008
Marc Dann in Town
Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann will provide opening remarks at “Family Violence Prevention: What Can Be Done in Ohio?” from 10 a.m. to noon Friday at the Holiday Inn, 7410 South Ave. The forum is to share research findings from the recently published “White Paper on Improving Family Violence in Ohio.” Regional forums are the first phase of a project started in 2007, through the support of the Anthem Foundation of Ohio. The Family Violence Prevention Project aspires to increase awareness of the scope and consequences of family violence in Ohio, identify realistic and promising policies and programs for abuse prevention and build support for implementing policies and programs.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Does This Sound Like Germany In The Thirties?
Last week Peter Sprigg, the Family Research Council's Vice President ofPolicy, was captured on camera calling for the forced exile of, lesbian gay,bisexual, and transgender American citizens. The comment came in response to a reporter's query about the UnitingAmerican Families Act - UAFA. Said Sprigg, "I would much prefer to exporthomosexuals from the United States than to import them into the UnitedStates because we believe homosexuality is destructive to society."
They already supported a ban on gay marriage, just like the ban on jewish marriage to Arians in Germany in the thirties.
They already supported a ban on gay marriage, just like the ban on jewish marriage to Arians in Germany in the thirties.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Republicans Bail Out Lenders-Send Owners To The Streets
Here's what happened. Since the Bush regime came to power, a new species of loan became the norm, the 'sub-prime' mortgage and it's variants including loans with teeny "introductory" interest rates. From out of nowhere, a company called 'Countrywide' became America's top mortgage lender, accounting for one in five home loans, a large chuck of these 'sub-prime.'
Here's how it worked: The Grinning Family, with US average household income, gets a $200,000 mortgage at 4% for two years. Their $955 a month payment is 25% of their income. No problem. Their banker promises them a new mortgage, again at the cheap rate, in two years. But in two years, the promise ain't worth a can of spam and the Grinnings are told to scram - because their house is now worth less than the mortgage. Now, the mortgage hits 9% or $1,609 plus fees to recover the "discount" they had for two years. Suddenly, payments equal 42% to 50% of pre-tax income. Grinnings move into their Toyota.
Now, what kind of American is 'sub-prime.' Guess. No peeking. Here's a hint: 73% of HIGH INCOME Black and Hispanic borrowers were given sub-prime loans versus 17% of similar-income Whites. Dark-skinned borrowers aren't stupid – they had no choice. They were 'steered' as it's called in the mortgage sharking business.
'Steering,' sub-prime loans with usurious kickers, fake inducements to over-borrow, called 'fraudulent conveyance' or 'predatory lending' under US law, were almost completely forbidden in the olden days (Clinton Administration and earlier) by federal regulators and state laws as nothing more than fancy loan-sharking.
But when the Bush regime took over, Countrywide and its banking brethren were told to party hardy – it was OK now to steer'm, fake'm, charge'm and take'm.
But there was this annoying party-pooper. The Attorney General of New York, Eliot Spitzer, who sued these guys to a fare-thee-well. Or tried to.
Instead of regulating the banks that had run amok, Bush's regulators went on the warpath against Spitzer and states attempting to stop predatory practices. Making an unprecedented use of the legal power of "federal pre-emption, " Bush-bots ordered the states to NOT enforce their consumer protection laws.
Indeed, the feds actually filed a lawsuit to block Spitzer's investigation of ugly racial mortgage steering. Bush's banking buddies were especially steamed that Spitzer hammered bank practices across the nation using New York State laws.
Spitzer not only took on Countrywide, he took on their predatory enablers in the investment banking community. Behind Countrywide was the Mother Shark, its funder and now owner, Bank of America. Others joined the sharkfest: Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch and Citigroup's Citibank made mortgage usury their major profit centers. They did this through a bit of financial legerdemain called "securitization. "
What that means is that they took a bunch of junk mortgages, like the Grinnings, loans about to go down the toilet and re-packaged them into "tranches" of bonds which were stamped "AAA" - top grade - by bond rating agencies. These gold-painted turds were sold as sparkling safe investments to US school district pension funds and town governments in Finland (really).
When the housing bubble burst and the paint flaked off, investors were left with the poop and the bankers were left with bonuses. Countrywide' s top man, Angelo Mozilo, will 'earn' a $77 million buy-out bonus this year on top of the $656 million - over half a billion dollars – he pulled in from 1998 through 2007.
But there were rumblings that the party would soon be over. Angry regulators, burned investors and the weight of millions of homes about to be boarded up were causing the sharks to sink. Countrywide' s stock was down 50%, and Citigroup was off 38%, not pleasing to the Gulf sheiks who now control its biggest share blocks.
Then, on Wednesday of this week, the unthinkable happened. Carlyle Capital went bankrupt. Who? That's Carlyle as in Carlyle Group. James Baker, Senior Counsel. Notable partners, former and past: George Bush, the Bin Laden family and more dictators, potentates, pirates and presidents than you can count.
The Fed had to act. Bernanke opened the vault and dumped $200 billion on the poor little suffering bankers. They got the public treasure – and got to keep the Grinning's house. There was no 'quid' of a foreclosure moratorium for the 'pro quo' of public bail-out. Not one family was saved – but not one banker was left behind.
Every mortgage sharking operation shot up in value. Mozilo's Countrywide stock rose 17% in one day. The Citi sheiks saw their company's stock rise $10 billion in an afternoon.
And that very same day the bail-out was decided – what a coinkydink! – the man called, 'The Sheriff of Wall Street' was cuffed. Spitzer was silenced.
Do I believe the banks called Justice and said, "Take him down today!" Naw, that's not how the system works. But the big players knew that unless Spitzer was taken out, he would create enough ruckus to spoil the party. Headlines in the financial press – one was "Wall Street Declares War on Spitzer" - made clear to Bush's enforcers at Justice who their number one target should be. And it wasn't Bin Laden.
It was the night of February 13 when Spitzer made the bone-headed choice to order take-out in his Washington Hotel room. He had just finished signing these words for the Washington Post about predatory loans:
"Not only did the Bush administration do nothing to protect consumers, it embarked on an aggressive and unprecedented campaign to prevent states from protecting their residents from the very problems to which he federal government was turning a blind eye."
Bush, said Spitzer right in the headline, was the "Predator Lenders' Partner in Crime." The President, said Spitzer, was a fugitive from justice. And Spitzer was in Washington to launch a campaign to take on the Bush regime and the biggest financial powers on the planet.
Spitzer wrote, "When history tells the story of the subprime lending crisis and recounts its devastating effects on the lives of so many innocent homeowners the Bush administration will not be judged favorably."
But now, the Administration can rest assured that this love story – of Bush and his bankers - will not be told by history at all – now that the Sheriff of Wall Street has fallen on his own gun.
Here's how it worked: The Grinning Family, with US average household income, gets a $200,000 mortgage at 4% for two years. Their $955 a month payment is 25% of their income. No problem. Their banker promises them a new mortgage, again at the cheap rate, in two years. But in two years, the promise ain't worth a can of spam and the Grinnings are told to scram - because their house is now worth less than the mortgage. Now, the mortgage hits 9% or $1,609 plus fees to recover the "discount" they had for two years. Suddenly, payments equal 42% to 50% of pre-tax income. Grinnings move into their Toyota.
Now, what kind of American is 'sub-prime.' Guess. No peeking. Here's a hint: 73% of HIGH INCOME Black and Hispanic borrowers were given sub-prime loans versus 17% of similar-income Whites. Dark-skinned borrowers aren't stupid – they had no choice. They were 'steered' as it's called in the mortgage sharking business.
'Steering,' sub-prime loans with usurious kickers, fake inducements to over-borrow, called 'fraudulent conveyance' or 'predatory lending' under US law, were almost completely forbidden in the olden days (Clinton Administration and earlier) by federal regulators and state laws as nothing more than fancy loan-sharking.
But when the Bush regime took over, Countrywide and its banking brethren were told to party hardy – it was OK now to steer'm, fake'm, charge'm and take'm.
But there was this annoying party-pooper. The Attorney General of New York, Eliot Spitzer, who sued these guys to a fare-thee-well. Or tried to.
Instead of regulating the banks that had run amok, Bush's regulators went on the warpath against Spitzer and states attempting to stop predatory practices. Making an unprecedented use of the legal power of "federal pre-emption, " Bush-bots ordered the states to NOT enforce their consumer protection laws.
Indeed, the feds actually filed a lawsuit to block Spitzer's investigation of ugly racial mortgage steering. Bush's banking buddies were especially steamed that Spitzer hammered bank practices across the nation using New York State laws.
Spitzer not only took on Countrywide, he took on their predatory enablers in the investment banking community. Behind Countrywide was the Mother Shark, its funder and now owner, Bank of America. Others joined the sharkfest: Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch and Citigroup's Citibank made mortgage usury their major profit centers. They did this through a bit of financial legerdemain called "securitization. "
What that means is that they took a bunch of junk mortgages, like the Grinnings, loans about to go down the toilet and re-packaged them into "tranches" of bonds which were stamped "AAA" - top grade - by bond rating agencies. These gold-painted turds were sold as sparkling safe investments to US school district pension funds and town governments in Finland (really).
When the housing bubble burst and the paint flaked off, investors were left with the poop and the bankers were left with bonuses. Countrywide' s top man, Angelo Mozilo, will 'earn' a $77 million buy-out bonus this year on top of the $656 million - over half a billion dollars – he pulled in from 1998 through 2007.
But there were rumblings that the party would soon be over. Angry regulators, burned investors and the weight of millions of homes about to be boarded up were causing the sharks to sink. Countrywide' s stock was down 50%, and Citigroup was off 38%, not pleasing to the Gulf sheiks who now control its biggest share blocks.
Then, on Wednesday of this week, the unthinkable happened. Carlyle Capital went bankrupt. Who? That's Carlyle as in Carlyle Group. James Baker, Senior Counsel. Notable partners, former and past: George Bush, the Bin Laden family and more dictators, potentates, pirates and presidents than you can count.
The Fed had to act. Bernanke opened the vault and dumped $200 billion on the poor little suffering bankers. They got the public treasure – and got to keep the Grinning's house. There was no 'quid' of a foreclosure moratorium for the 'pro quo' of public bail-out. Not one family was saved – but not one banker was left behind.
Every mortgage sharking operation shot up in value. Mozilo's Countrywide stock rose 17% in one day. The Citi sheiks saw their company's stock rise $10 billion in an afternoon.
And that very same day the bail-out was decided – what a coinkydink! – the man called, 'The Sheriff of Wall Street' was cuffed. Spitzer was silenced.
Do I believe the banks called Justice and said, "Take him down today!" Naw, that's not how the system works. But the big players knew that unless Spitzer was taken out, he would create enough ruckus to spoil the party. Headlines in the financial press – one was "Wall Street Declares War on Spitzer" - made clear to Bush's enforcers at Justice who their number one target should be. And it wasn't Bin Laden.
It was the night of February 13 when Spitzer made the bone-headed choice to order take-out in his Washington Hotel room. He had just finished signing these words for the Washington Post about predatory loans:
"Not only did the Bush administration do nothing to protect consumers, it embarked on an aggressive and unprecedented campaign to prevent states from protecting their residents from the very problems to which he federal government was turning a blind eye."
Bush, said Spitzer right in the headline, was the "Predator Lenders' Partner in Crime." The President, said Spitzer, was a fugitive from justice. And Spitzer was in Washington to launch a campaign to take on the Bush regime and the biggest financial powers on the planet.
Spitzer wrote, "When history tells the story of the subprime lending crisis and recounts its devastating effects on the lives of so many innocent homeowners the Bush administration will not be judged favorably."
But now, the Administration can rest assured that this love story – of Bush and his bankers - will not be told by history at all – now that the Sheriff of Wall Street has fallen on his own gun.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Privatization Hurts The US Again
The State Department has been subcontracting out important sensative jobs to private companies. It was two of these employees that accessed the passport records of candidates for the US presidency.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080322/ap_on_el_pr/passports_candidates
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080322/ap_on_el_pr/passports_candidates
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Another Example Why Blocking Gay Marriage Hurts
If the two women were married, Procito could be eligible for unemployment benefits. But the referee determined that domestic partners do not qualify for a policy Pennsylvania courts have developed called the "following the spouse" doctrine.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Why Spitzer Had To Go - Not Clients 1-8
It was the night of February 13 when Spitzer made the bone-headed choice to order take-out in his Washington Hotel room. He had just finished signing these words for the Washington Post about predatory loans:"Not only did the Bush administration do nothing to protect consumers, it embarked on an aggressive and unprecedented campaign to prevent states from protecting their residents from the very problems to which he federal government was turning a blind eye."Bush, said Spitzer right in the headline, was the "Predator Lenders' Partner in Crime." The President, said Spitzer, was a fugitive from justice. And Spitzer was in Washington to launch a campaign to take on the Bush regime and the biggest financial powers on the planet.
Then, on Wednesday of this week, the unthinkable happened. Carlyle Capital went bankrupt. Who? That's Carlyle as in Carlyle Group. James Baker, Senior Counsel. Notable partners, former and past: George Bush, the Bin Laden family and more dictators, potentates, pirates and presidents than you can count.The Fed had to act. Bernanke opened the vault and dumped $200 billion on the poor little suffering bankers. They got the public treasure and got to keep the Grinning's house. There was no `quid' of a foreclosure moratorium for the `pro quo' of public bail-out. Not one family was saved but not one banker was left behind.Every mortgage sharking operation shot up in value. Mozilo's Countrywide stock rose 17% in one day. The Citi sheiks saw their company's stock rise $10 billion in an afternoon.And that very same day the bail-out was decided what a coinkydink! the man called, `The Sheriff of Wall Street' was cuffed. Spitzer was silenced.
Then, on Wednesday of this week, the unthinkable happened. Carlyle Capital went bankrupt. Who? That's Carlyle as in Carlyle Group. James Baker, Senior Counsel. Notable partners, former and past: George Bush, the Bin Laden family and more dictators, potentates, pirates and presidents than you can count.The Fed had to act. Bernanke opened the vault and dumped $200 billion on the poor little suffering bankers. They got the public treasure and got to keep the Grinning's house. There was no `quid' of a foreclosure moratorium for the `pro quo' of public bail-out. Not one family was saved but not one banker was left behind.Every mortgage sharking operation shot up in value. Mozilo's Countrywide stock rose 17% in one day. The Citi sheiks saw their company's stock rise $10 billion in an afternoon.And that very same day the bail-out was decided what a coinkydink! the man called, `The Sheriff of Wall Street' was cuffed. Spitzer was silenced.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
More Proof The War Was Evil
A DETAILED Pentagon study confirms there was no direct link between late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and the al-Qaeda network, debunking a claim President George W Bush's administration used to justify invading Iraq.Coming five years after the start of the war in Iraq, the study of 600,000 official Iraqi documents and thousands of hours of interrogations of former Saddam Hussein colleagues "found no smoking gun (ie direct connection) between Saddam's Iraq and al-Qaeda," said the study, quoted in US media today. The US administration appeared to bury the release of the study, making it available only at individual request and by mail - instead of posting it on the internet or handing it out to reporters.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Rep Hagan and Sen Cafaro Support EHEA-Thank them
House sponsors include: Joint Primary Sponsors Representatives Jon Peterson and Dan Stewart with cosponsors Redfern, Yuko, Szollosi, Ujvagi, Skindell, Foley, Celeste, Koziura, Budish, Yates, Chandler, Brown, Hagan, Brady, Sykes, and House Minority Leader Beatty.
Senate sponsors include: Primary Sponsor Senator (Dale) Miller with cosponsors Goodman, Morano, Smith, Fedor, Cafaro, Kearney, Roberts, Sawyer and Senate Minority Leader (Ray) Miller.
Senate sponsors include: Primary Sponsor Senator (Dale) Miller with cosponsors Goodman, Morano, Smith, Fedor, Cafaro, Kearney, Roberts, Sawyer and Senate Minority Leader (Ray) Miller.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Oil Companies Price Gouge While Congress Fiddles
Oil companies continue price gouging during wartime with an even greater price hike in gasoline. They are already making record profits. Much of the profits are going to dictators in countries that dislike the US, like Saudia Arabia, Dubai, Iran, and Venezuela. Say goodbye to more greenbacks. Hello to fewer dollars to borrow or earn right here in the US.
http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/3434701
http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/3434701
Business Abuse Guest Worker Program
Thousands of US students are graduating in the computer usage, but businesses continue to only hire cheap guest workers from other countries. They make up cheap excuses, like the employee must have prior work experience in their specific job. This leaves out recent graduates and allows the Republican business owners to hire cheap foreign labor. http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/16410066.html
Friday, March 7, 2008
Gay Rights Group Beats Bigoted Church School
A Gay rights group in Kentucky took the State to court for paying for a Pharmacy school at an openly bigoted Southern Baptist College. The group won. http://www.planetout.com/news/article.html?2008/03/06/5
Taxpayers Getting Cheated By Fees On Public Lands
federal land agencies have been imposing new fees and increasing existing ones at recreation sites across the West in an effort to raise tens of millions of dollars.
Additionally, hundreds of marginally profitable campsites and other public facilities on federal lands have been closed, and thousands more like overlooks and picnic tables are being considered for removal.
The Forest Service and BLM have doubled their fees charged for recreation since Bush entered office.
Additionally, hundreds of marginally profitable campsites and other public facilities on federal lands have been closed, and thousands more like overlooks and picnic tables are being considered for removal.
The Forest Service and BLM have doubled their fees charged for recreation since Bush entered office.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Southern Baptists Continue Bigotry
Why would anyone be surprised that the Southern Baptist Convention would be anti-gay?
The Southern Baptist Convention was organized in 1845 to protect, defend, and preserve their sacred institution of slavery.
The Southern Baptist Convention was organized in 1845 to protect, defend, and preserve their sacred institution of slavery.
Cong LaTourette Votes Against Renewable Energy Act
Cong. Ryan voted for the Renewable Energy Act. Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008 - Vote Passed (236-182, 11 Not Voting)The House voted to repeal certain tax deductions for oil and gas companies in order to pay for the extension of renewable energy and energy conservation tax credits for individuals.Rep. Tim Ryan voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Wellington has Opponents
Seeing Wellington as vulnerable, independents line up to run against Mahoning County Sheriff Wellington. http://www.vindy.com/news/2008/mar/04/three-file-to-run-against-sheriff/
Business Investments Affect Supreme Court
Because of his business investments, Chief Justice Roberts was unable to vote in a crucial case before the supreme court. This meant a tie. Perhaps it is time that we require Justices of the Supreme Court to divest themselves of all holdings to prevent this type of problem. After all, they hold this job for life and the pay is very good.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/washington/04scotus.html?th&emc=th
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/washington/04scotus.html?th&emc=th
Proof Trickle Down Does Not Work
If it wasn't enough proof that trickle down doesn't work when wages have kept lowering as companies got richer, now comes proof that selfish business owners just hoard their riches.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/business/04cash.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/business/04cash.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)