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Civil Rights and the
Collapse of Birmingham, Ala.

American Thinker, by John Bennett

Original Article

Posted By:Ribicon, 2/26/2013 11:29:02 PM

Birmingham, Alabama is considered by many to be the birthplace of the civil rights movement. Today, African-Americans in Birmingham benefit from a numerical majority in the population, corresponding majorities in government jobs, and political control of the city. But civil rights won´t address what ails the city now. Birmingham is recognized as one of the most violent and poorly-run cities in the nation. The city runs a massive deficit, and is county seat of Jefferson County, which recently cut a deal with a European bank as part of the largest government bankruptcy in U.S. history. Underlying this fiasco

Comments:
Blacks gain majority power, engage in the most outrageous racial discrimination, and quickly mire the city in corruption and mismanagement that for various reasons are excused by the voters, dooming them to more of the same.

Can´t say anything against these patterns, so at least until the money runs out, city after city falls in the name of diversity.

  

Post Reply  

Reply 1 - Posted by: BuckeyeRon, 2/26/2013 11:36:47 PM     (No. 9198185)

OP is so correct...here´s a partial list of Black majority controlled institutions that were rampant with corruption and mismanagement...

http://www.propublica.org/special/government-bailouts


Reply 2 - Posted by: ilovedogs, 2/26/2013 11:39:41 PM     (No. 9198187)

B´ham was once a great city. Now the outlying areas are where people want to be. Who are we going to blame for that?


   

 

  


 
Reply 3 - Posted by: Salt5792, 2/26/2013 11:51:02 PM     (No. 9198194)

I´m afraid that Dallas, Texas is on the same death spiral. Democrats now control all local offices.


Reply 4 - Posted by: ColonialAmerican1623, 2/26/2013 11:58:17 PM     (No. 9198205)

It´s those darn numbers.

Guess which ones go forth and multiply ?


Reply 5 - Posted by: southron, 2/27/2013 12:26:52 AM     (No. 9198222)

Birmingham´s spectacular emergence into a thriving healthy metropolis earned it the nickname "The Magic City" but since the impact of the civil rights movement it is called "The Tragic City".Its first black mayor, Richard Arrington, lucked out when a years long FBI investigation of him was stopped for political reasons.


Reply 6 - Posted by: stonepony, 2/27/2013 12:29:51 AM     (No. 9198224)

you will be hard pressed to find a single black run city that is not on this path.


Reply 7 - Posted by: bamapreacher, 2/27/2013 12:41:36 AM     (No. 9198232)

My favorite Birmingham channel for news and especially weather with James Spann often, naturally, shows Birmingham´s city council at work, or shows the mayor or other high officials talking, and they are just dumb, that´s the only way to put it. They keep driving the city into the ground. I just wish Vulcan could come down off his pedestal and drive all of them into the ground with his hammer.


   

 

  


 
Reply 8 - Posted by: Safari Man, 2/27/2013 1:22:25 AM     (No. 9198255)

City of Houston is getting there. That´s why the ´burbs are exploding, like Katy and The Woodlands. Me? I am getting out of The Woodlands as soon as I can because it won´t be long...


Reply 9 - Posted by: Country Boy, 2/27/2013 2:00:12 AM     (No. 9198269)

My recollection of Mayor Larry Langford was that he took the City (maybe a county level) of Birmingham´s bond portfolio and used it for collateral to speculate in the derivatives market. This was back in 2008, maybe starting a few years earlier. This is same as taking your family´s entire net worth and taking it to the casino.

The guy belongs in jail and the dumb voters who put him there deserve all the pain they get.

Civil Rights my @ss.


Reply 10 - Posted by: Country Boy, 2/27/2013 2:04:18 AM     (No. 9198272)

The Civil Rights problem has ground to a halt because too many stupid people have been put in charge. It is their "Civil Right" to be in charge.

Progressive Agenda, brings destruction every time.


Reply 11 - Posted by: 4Justice, 2/27/2013 2:24:56 AM     (No. 9198284)

It´s important to note that it isn´t just black-majority controlled, but it is DEMOCRAT black-majority controlled. Another Democrat "utopia" of dysfunction. It is really a shame that the majority of blacks turned to the corrupt Democrat Party, who has no regard for them (even when the leaders are people of color, they still use, abuse and keep their own people down on purpose.)


Reply 12 - Posted by: doctorfixit, 2/27/2013 2:31:17 AM     (No. 9198285)

South Africa - chaos
Zimbabwe - chaos
Uganda - chaos
Detroit - chaos
Oakland - chaos
Baltimore - bedlam
Birmingham - bedlam
Chicago - anarchy
And now, according to the Democrats at least, the US is on the verge of disintegration. Hmmm, is there a common thread here?


   

 



 
Reply 13 - Posted by: Grant Hodges, 2/27/2013 3:16:52 AM     (No. 9198300)

I can name a worse thing: Islamics in charge!!! lol


Reply 14 - Posted by: varkdriver, 2/27/2013 5:19:15 AM     (No. 9198329)

Youse guys are forgetting the great former mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin! A success story for sure.

Corruption knows no color, but it seems the Dimocrats have it down to a science.


Reply 15 - Posted by: Trigger2, 2/27/2013 6:23:15 AM     (No. 9198372)

Black Birmingham is beating out Black Detroit. Is there a prize for the most greed, corruption, and ineptitude when the duel is over?


Reply 16 - Posted by: Blue-Z-Anna, 2/27/2013 7:09:37 AM     (No. 9198431)

It is considered to be extremely racist to make these observations.

Leftism requires info-control.

Thought control.

Data control.

Everything but self-control.


Reply 17 - Posted by: Tianne, 2/27/2013 7:22:02 AM     (No. 9198451)

“cultural pathology” – excellent descriptive phrase from an excellent article for what ails our major cities and for what saturates our politically correct ´Civil Rights´ environment.

The sad obliteration of major cities (which were envisioned, created, supported, and managed mostly by whites) is not only happening in the United States but in other parts of the world where people, who are not experienced or qualified, are encouraged to force out most whites and to take control of local/national governments.

A documentary, “Tell Me and I Will Forget”(trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DajZsgW3yLg ) follows paramedics in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. The emergency responders explain, and allow one to see, how conditions have changed, with resulting chaos, since most whites have been forced out of positions of consequence. As one ‘virtually’ rides along with the paramedics, one can easily believe that one is traveling along some American inner city streets, e.g., those of Detroit, MI, Birmingham, AL, Camden, NJ, Flint, MI, etc. – once attractive and thriving cities that have fallen into hideous physical and managerial decay due to Democrat/Progressive political and social maneuverings. Also, the visual portrayals of the forced decline of medical assistance reminds one of the ramifications of “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (Obamacare). This worthy documentary helps to illuminate why the consequences we now face are thoroughly demoralizing and even horrifying – for everyone.


   

 

  


 
Reply 18 - Posted by: Crosscut, 2/27/2013 7:30:10 AM     (No. 9198459)

And we have an African American president leading the nation down the same path. Thank you, Democrats.


Reply 19 - Posted by: Catherine, 2/27/2013 7:48:59 AM     (No. 9198491)

...numerical majority in the population, corresponding majorities in government jobs,...

Just in case someone missed this, what it means is if there is 40% black population in a particular town/city, etc.,then government offices there MUST have 40% black people on their payroll. Affirmative Action at it´s best!


Reply 20 - Posted by: Old Army Vet, 2/27/2013 7:56:56 AM     (No. 9198510)

Just another democRAT city going down the toilet. It´s not the race of the people, it´s the liberal progressive thinking.


Reply 21 - Posted by: kenecarroll, 2/27/2013 7:58:33 AM     (No. 9198514)

White man builds it....black man destroys it....OMG... Look what we have in charge of our nation...our home. We are doomed.


Reply 22 - Posted by: Muncssister, 2/27/2013 8:00:16 AM     (No. 9198519)

This is happening to other once great southern cities. Mobile, Charlotte, Winston-Salem... And who can forget Atlanta and New Orleans... 40 years of forced busing and other social engineering programs have worked their magic.


   

 



 
Reply 23 - Posted by: Starshine, 2/27/2013 8:31:39 AM     (No. 9198566)

Add Memphis, Tennessee to the list.


Reply 24 - Posted by: BuckeyeRon, 2/27/2013 8:39:57 AM     (No. 9198583)

#12...the list I posted in #1 only had one city, New York. Yours omits Harrisburg, PA, Stockton, Ca, and other cities which played the same muni-bond game as B´ham. Add to your list of countries Italy, Greece, and France, today, which threaten the so-called EU community. The common thread is leftism, socialism, communism, and the labor unions that go hand in hand with these types of governments, particularly, in the African nations you cited. To see an accurate list of obilterated cities, review WWI and WWII, and add to that the body count of 100million. The US taxpayer and economic engine largely rebuilt those cities and economies and have defended them at the cost of trillion$ since WWII. What´s the net gain.

I understand the sentiment of many of the responses...If you´re White in America or any place else in the world, no where to run to, no where to hide...


Reply 25 - Posted by: Rinktum, 2/27/2013 8:40:23 AM     (No. 9198585)

It doesn´t matter. If the whole country falls into a cultural and economic abyss, progressives will still put the blame at the white man´s feet. We know that success has nothing to do with race and everything to do with character and a good work ethic. Unfortunately, we are now seeing played out on the stage of American life a nation of leaders who have no moral compass. We are a nation obsessed with situational ethics, no moral absolutes, and no respect for any authority. A civilized society will collapse under this kind of thinking.


Reply 26 - Posted by: LZK, 2/27/2013 8:43:24 AM     (No. 9198592)

i´m from Chicago....

Need I say more...

Oh yes -- how about Detroit?

LZK


Reply 27 - Posted by: pindarjr, 2/27/2013 8:51:27 AM     (No. 9198602)

I am in accord with those posters who blame corruption in places like Birmingham less on
skin color and more on the systems and policies of the Democrat Party. If I recall correctly, Tammany Hall, which owned and operated NYC from 1854 to 1932, did not have an African-American quota. Quite simply, the civil rights movement that finally allowed blacks to break into such fields as medicine and education and politics, also allowed them to create their own Tammany Halls. And it´s nice to know that, in today´s world of opportunity, not all African-American criminals are winding up in Riker´s, but that some are now being accepted at our finest "country club" prison facilities.


Reply 28 - Posted by: Felixcat, 2/27/2013 8:57:22 AM     (No. 9198607)

FTA: Well, okay, if it wasn´t your fault, and if you weren´t the recipient of what your forefathers did, or whatever, then, why... when we [blacks] take a test, [do] you [whites] always come out number one?

Perhaps because those whites taking the tests are smarter?






Reply 29 - Posted by: MattMusson, 2/27/2013 8:57:59 AM     (No. 9198608)

Charlotte in the future. White flee across the state line into South Carolina, leaving chaos, corruption and incompetence at City Hall.


Reply 30 - Posted by: Michaelus, 2/27/2013 9:00:09 AM     (No. 9198616)

The civil rights movement has destroyed the culture of black America. It has destroyed the work ethic, the family and any sense of personal responsibility. No one even mentions the fact that more black men are in prison now than the entire black population of 1985. No one really cares. They can dedicate a new statue to Rosa Parks and we can all worship Martin King at stylish DC galas while millions of actual people suffer.


Reply 31 - Posted by: dolphin, 2/27/2013 9:14:04 AM     (No. 9198648)

So what do we do? I know! Let´s watch it get worse.


Reply 32 - Posted by: Ivehadit, 2/27/2013 9:22:52 AM     (No. 9198667)

We´ve been saying it for years: incompetence and corruption, corruption being the thing that is UNFORGIVABLE, IMHO.
Memphis
New Orleans
Birmingham
and others

In the end what is happening to America now is nothing more than common thievery. We are being raped by rogues with nothing left but destruction. Nothing noble whatsoever, IMHO.


Reply 33 - Posted by: Marcus Tullius, 2/27/2013 9:32:49 AM     (No. 9198685)

Then let´s run Black conservatives (every election, year-in and year out), cite the corruption and destruction heaped on the citizens by the Devilrats and their lackeys in the Black Community, and take these cities back. Let´s use divide and conquer to their own blind benefit.

Quit whining and let´s do something.


Reply 34 - Posted by: PoliticalJunky, 2/27/2013 9:43:49 AM     (No. 9198715)

You mean the black conseratives should run for office. Few are willing and the few who are willing find no support in the black communities. In fact, those communities turn out in droves to defeat them. That suggestion that we run black candidates would be great if it were possible.


Reply 35 - Posted by: BuckeyeRon, 2/27/2013 10:51:17 AM     (No. 9198861)

#33...let´s start with Dr. Ben Carson for gov in MD, 2014 (now!). Set the same $100million fundraising goal that Scott has in FL and structure an old fashioned campaign, door-to-door, church-to-church, hand-to-hand combat...have him get off the national yack-yack circuit and get busy running for office with specific proposals...if his message doesn´t resonate with the highest Black household income population in PG County and the down and out in Baltimore, then we´ve got a bigger problem with a return to sanity, responsibility, and self-sufficiency in this country than I think we have....


Reply 36 - Posted by: Layne´s Soapbox, 2/27/2013 10:54:13 AM     (No. 9198868)

It´s not the skin color, it´s the culture that I can´t stand.
You can add DC to that list and Kansas City, MO is going that way also. White flight was very severe in KCMO. They finally gave up trying to desegregate the KCMO school district in 2003, which had lost their accreditation in 2000.


Reply 37 - Posted by: RancherJack, 2/27/2013 11:05:23 AM     (No. 9198914)

N word


Reply 38 - Posted by: zahbudda, 2/27/2013 11:08:18 AM     (No. 9198923)

It is all about "getting even with Whitey!"


Reply 39 - Posted by: postaway, 2/27/2013 11:42:48 AM     (No. 9199029)

We should all want to be generous to everyone, regardless of race. Within reason. But is there any insult to western heritage that can no longer be borne? The sad progression is depressingly familiar: where Europeans built thriving cultures and cities worthy of the respect and emulation the world gave them, those same places are degraded and torn down by the same litany of usual suspects, after the white stock, inevitably, has been chased out. We may be seeing a modern-day reenactment of why Caucasians wound up in some of the most inhospitable areas of the Old World and yet, despite that, created thriving, comfortable societies.


Reply 40 - Posted by: RU4us, 2/27/2013 11:48:06 AM     (No. 9199041)

There have been two groups of Black folks who secured success from the Civil Rights (so-called)movement: The Retributionists and the few who abandoned their antiquated culture and tried that old advice about "When in Rome". The former, benefit by demanding the benefits of the American dream without changes in behavior. The latter, embraced Western culture and took advantage of the new opportunities.
Here is a newsletter from one of the best of the latter:
http://www.wstreet.com/member/commentary.asp?con_id=29217


Reply 41 - Posted by: roger h. cook,MD, 2/27/2013 11:52:46 AM     (No. 9199052)

No. 12 has got it correct these are run by mostly AAs democrats need I say more?


Reply 42 - Posted by: capt scurvey, 2/27/2013 12:02:15 PM     (No. 9199072)

And yet white "racists" dismiss them as "inferior".

Go figure...


Reply 43 - Posted by: HisHandmaiden, 2/27/2013 1:28:57 PM     (No. 9199242)

#33 and #35... Grew up near Bal´more...
I´ll come back from beautiful OC [live with friends nearby] and help ... Dear family friends from LA moved back to plant a new church in Baltimore Co... start with the churches... and Dr Carson... I am praying...


Reply 44 - Posted by: rocco49, 2/27/2013 1:35:50 PM     (No. 9199255)

APIA´s (African People in America) have caused more damage to our great nation and cost us more money and misery and violence than any other group of people . In the early part of the last century, at Ellis Island, there was a Wage Announcement for the people who worked on a bridge - building labor known as the "Idlewild Project". Heres what the wages stated were:

1. Whites $1.30 an hour
2. Blacks $1.20 an hour
3. Italians $1.10 an hour

I know about this from my family, my ancestors, and from history books. I am Italian-American. You think it doesnt still pi** me off today? It does! Look around at the cities that diversity has ruined with all these "tokens" running things,the people who hate America and whitey and cannot seem to "assimilate" like so many others have. And remember THAT the next time you order a pizza from Luigi...He´s probably not going to shoot you! Or call you names! Or create massive ghettoes. Or go on welfare, or AFDC, or food stamps. Is he? Oh, and if you are a veteran, like me, and Italian, expect to get the INTERVIEW and then be told you are a "well-qualified candidate" but we gave the job to the Negro! That happened to me several times in education. Does it suck? Hell, yeah, I´m firmly convinced that public schools from 1st grade to Graduate school are rigged, fixed, full of "tokens" that completely dilute our academia!

Enough of diversity!


Reply 45 - Posted by: larryp, 2/27/2013 1:43:20 PM     (No. 9199272)

If you are running Dr Carson, stay out of Iowas´ caucuses. forget it. It is a stooge event set up by Donks. And we run our own debates. No Goofy press donk moderators.
People will be interested and will find us.
we have new rules-our rules and we don´tletthe lefties frame our campaign or choose our candidates anymore. the donks do that by cross-over primaries.


Reply 46 - Posted by: ncgrammie4, 2/27/2013 1:45:28 PM     (No. 9199274)

First of all we need to blame the white people who continue to allow themselves to be tied down by being threatened with the race card. The current black population has not experienced any sort of racism that would make them eligible for a life of unaccountability for their actions. Blacks are well aware of how the game is played and they are experts as it. When will whites and hard working blacks put a stop to this insanity?


Reply 47 - Posted by: chicodon, 2/27/2013 3:02:37 PM     (No. 9199401)

Black people are the only group of Americans who did not choose to come to this country. We lose track of that. Our forefathers kicked this can right into our laps. After reconstruction, many freedmen moved from being housed by a slave owner, who clothed and fed them, to Uncle Sam whose job then was to provide the same function. He still is in many ways.

Who knows how this would have turned out if more freed slaves had taken the opportunity to migrate to Liberia. I would have thought that going there would have been the more responsible thing to do. They shouldn´t have been forced to go but anyone who wanted to go should have had the opportunity. The government should have funded it.

That way the ones who chose to stay would have felt they had more of a stake in America. There would be no need for agitators like Sharpton, Jackson and Obama.


Reply 48 - Posted by: coorslight, 2/27/2013 3:35:59 PM     (No. 9199457)

Leave Winston-Salem off the list. The city has revitalized its downtown, now a safe and vibrant place. It has a huge medical establishment, including a teaching hospital, several institutions of higher education, a flourishing arts community. Is is perfect? No. Is it blighted? Absolutely not.


Reply 49 - Posted by: Blackeagle, 2/27/2013 3:48:30 PM     (No. 9199484)

Whites have fled most of inner Bham - but not around UA Bham or the five points area. They have built up surrounding towns like Hoover, Vestavia,Chelsea, Homewood and the upscale Mountain Brook. And these areas are not just bedroom communities but businesses have moved into these areas as well.

Interesting ethnic census map of Bham.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/5559862755/

So Bham is as segregated as Atlanta (and NYC and Chicago). Still while the situation hardly differs from black-run Atlanta, ATL seems better run.


Reply 50 - Posted by: snowoutlaw, 2/27/2013 4:06:08 PM     (No. 9199512)

Don´t worry its an endless cycle. Soon when the cities like Birmingham are totally unlivable, those that caused it will all move to your nice town and do the same. Then the productive people of the world can re-take the burned out cities and build them up until the unproductive move back to take for themselves what has been built.


Reply 51 - Posted by: ClangClang, 2/27/2013 5:46:00 PM     (No. 9199650)

FTA "then, why... when we [blacks] take a test, [do] you [whites] always come out number one?"

Genetics. The failure to keep up with Whites has very little to do with culture, and even less to do with Democrats. San Francisco is doing fairly well (it certainly could be much better) and it is arguably the most leftwing city in America, completely dominated by hard leftwing Democrats.

Until Whites come to grips with the results of natural selection, the Left will hold the racism bat over your head, ready to smack you with the charge of bigotry if you step out of line with Leftwing orthodoxy.

Liberate yourself and accept that different racial groups evolved differently. Once you do, most of these pathological patterns become crystal clear.


Reply 52 - Posted by: Libertygal, 2/27/2013 6:10:23 PM     (No. 9199675)

I have to agree with a number if posters here. The racism is disgusting, especially when you all know, or should know, the "culture" was crafted, designed, and implemented by Democrats. Democrats have alwayz been bebind oppression of blacks and other minority races, and their lower education is by intent, it is meantto be that way, so they buy into the Dem talking points and keep voting for them.

Once the black community realizes what has really been done to them, and who really did it, expect a real civil war to break out. The black community should be outraged at being destroyed by Dems, and white conservatives should not only strive to educate them, but to stand in their defense.

I am truly saddened to see people willingly shoot any man while they are down, which is what this blatant racism truly is. Having schaudenfreud moments at the expense of any oppressed class or race is shameful.

Yes, I am a white conservative.


Reply 53 - Posted by: Ken M., 2/27/2013 7:02:07 PM     (No. 9199744)

We must bear in mind that our current rResident has already noticed that the suburbs and outlying areas are thriving, while the inner cities are cesspools.

The rResident established something called the "Rural Council" a couple years ago, and who knows what other "Initiatives" since. Didn´t bother to research, but there are probably several programs/initiatives, etc. that re-distribute wealth ... as usual, from the makers to the takers.


Reply 54 - Posted by: Ken M., 2/27/2013 7:23:26 PM     (No. 9199766)

Re #55, here are a couple links:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/08/obamas_three-tiered_wealth_redistribution_plan_individual_regional_and_global.html

http://pjmedia.com/ronradosh/2012/07/29/the-book-to-defeat-obama-stanley-kurtzs-spreading-the-wealth/?singlepage=true


Reply 55 - Posted by: jdwill, 2/27/2013 9:23:18 PM     (No. 9199916)

Comment to end all comments! --
Reply 31 - Posted by: dolphin, 2/27/2013 9:144 AM (No. 9198648)
So what do we do? I know! Let´s watch it get worse.
31 you´ve done us all a big favor!
Says here, "When the Citizens get really fed up, they will change things!" Problem is Citizens on the dole, food stamps, all other freebies don´t get fed up!


Reply 56 - Posted by: Eliza M, 2/27/2013 9:29:51 PM     (No. 9199926)

AND! Coming to a town near you!


Reply 57 - Posted by: Nevadadad46, 2/28/2013 10:49:48 AM     (No. 9200846)

Racism, no matter where its ugly head appears is disgusting. However, there is one fair statistic that just can not be denied. Look at any "Chocolate" city (their term, not mine) and you will find this exact sort of ineptitude and corruption. Look what happened to Detroit, East St. Louis, New Orleans. It just amazes me that no matter how far along the civilized road black leaders seem to go, they just can not help deny their roots. Someone, darker skinned than I, should do a study and try to find out why this is.


Reply 58 - Posted by: terryH03, 2/28/2013 10:51:16 AM     (No. 9200849)

It kind of makes you wish George Wallace was still around.



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New York — Federal mortgage payment relief has been extended up to one year for more than 200,000 homeowners whose houses were damaged by Superstorm Sandy. U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan announced the extension for homeowners with Federal Housing Administration-insured loans on Friday. A previous mortgage payment extension for federally-backed home loans was set to expire on April 30. About 286,000 homeowners with FHA-insured loans were affected by the late October storm, with nearly 96,000 in New York. Donovan said the 12-month extension was meant to help homeowners still struggling to rebuild avoid foreclosure.

Welfare Penalty For
Parents Dead This Session
Associated Press, by Staff    Original Article
Posted By: Ribicon- 4/11/2013 4:15:04 PM     Post Reply
Nashville, Tenn. - A proposal that would dock the welfare payments of parents whose children fail school is dead. After about a 40-minute debate on the Senate floor Thursday, Republican Senator Sponsor Stacey Campfield decided to pull the bill so it can be studied over the summer. Both Republicans and Democrats expressed concern about the legislation, which sought to cut Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits by 30 percent if a child fails to advance to the next grade. The money could be earned back if a parent attends two conferences with teachers, takes parenting classes or enrolls the child in

New Jersey spent $18,047 per
pupil in public schools last year
The Record [Hackensack, NJ], by Leslie Brody and Dave Sheingold    Original Article
Posted By: Ribicon- 4/10/2013 11:06:08 PM     Post Reply
New Jersey districts spent an average of $18,047 per pupil in 2011-12, up 4 percent from the year before, the state said Wednesday. That figure comes from the third annual “Taxpayer’s Guide to Education Spending,” which uses a method devised by the Christie administration to give residents a full picture of the price tag for schools from pre-kindergarten through Grade 12. (Snip) Among regular Bergen districts, total per-pupil spending ranged from a high of $25,938 in the small, wealthy and high-achieving district of Alpine to $13,317 in the immigrant, blue-collar community of Fairview. The Bergen

Tick Tock Diner manager who
police say plotted to rob and
kill rival faced financial troubles
The Record [Hackensack, NJ], by Rich Cowen and Chris Harris    Original Article
Posted By: Ribicon- 4/10/2013 11:00:49 PM     Post Reply
Totowa — A manager of the famous Tick Tock Diner in Clifton has been arrested for plotting to murder a co-owner of the eatery, Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced Wednesday. Chiesa said State Police thwarted the alleged murder-for-hire plot of Georgios Spyropoulos, 45, of Clifton, who “planned in great detail” to have Alexandros Sgourdos tortured, robbed and murdered for $20,000. Spyropoulos assembled his alleged murder plot from behind the counter at Clifton’s Tick Tock, the famed stainless steel and glass eatery on Route 3 that bustles 24 hours a day and is one of best examples of

Paterson cardiologist admits
to $19M in health care fraud
The Record [Hackensack, NJ], by Peter J. Sampson    Original Article
Posted By: Ribicon- 4/10/2013 10:57:42 PM     Post Reply
A prominent cardiologist who ran medical services companies in New Jersey and New York pleaded guilty on Wednesday to orchestrating a massive fraud that subjected thousands of patients to unnecessary tests and procedures and resulted in $19 million in losses. Dr. Jose Katz, 68, of Closter, confessed his crimes to U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares during a hearing in federal court in Newark. Katz pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of Social Security fraud relating to a separate scheme to give his wife a “no-show” job and make her eligible

Injunction seeks to
shutter Mo´ Money Taxes
Commercial Appeal [Memphis, TN], by Toby Sells    Original Article
Posted By: Ribicon- 4/10/2013 4:19:49 PM     Post Reply
A federal injunction seeks to shut down Memphis-based Mo’ Money Taxes. The government contends tax losses from fraudulent tax returns prepared by the firm in 2011 cost the IRS more than $9 million. The U.S. Justice Department has long had an eye on Mo’ Money and the tax preparation business. The focus intensified last year after hundreds of Mo’ Money clients in several states alleged bounced checks, excessive fees and the failure of the business to pass along IRS refunds. (Snip) Tuesday’s injunction accuses Mo’ Money owners Markey Granberry and Derrick Robinson and store manager

Masters 2013: How does Arnold
Palmer order an Arnold Palmer?
Star-Ledger [Newark, NJ], by Steve Politi    Original Article
Posted By: Ribicon- 4/9/2013 10:48:54 PM     Post Reply
Augusta, Ga. — The usual crowd at the putting green at Augusta National had turned to face the wrong direction, toward the outdoor dining area adjacent to the old clubhouse. Usually, this is a sign that golf royalty is nearby. And, sure enough, there he was: Arnold Palmer, the four-time Masters winner, wearing in his green jacket and looking over a menu that he has probably seen a thousand times. He already has his beverage. He is drinking an Arnold Palmer. We will have a full week to debate questions pertaining to this tournament. Will Tiger Woods finally break his major



Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)



Diplomat: U.S. Special Forces told "you
can´t go" to Benghazi during attacks

62 replie(s)
CBS News, by Sharyl Attkisson    Original Article
Posted By: JimR3- 5/6/2013 12:29:07 PM     Post Reply
The deputy of slain U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens has told congressional investigators that a team of Special Forces prepared to fly from Tripoli to Benghazi during the Sept. 11, 2012 attacks was forbidden from doing so by U.S. Special Operations Command South Africa. The account from Gregory Hicks is in stark contrast to assertions from the Obama administration, which insisted that nobody was ever told to stand down and that all available resources were utilized.

Putin keeps John Kerry waiting for
THREE HOURS during his visit to
Russia for meetings over Syria
as relationship between the U.S.
and Russia remains frosty

59 replie(s)
Daily Mail [UK], by Staff    Original Article
Posted By: Attercliffe- 5/8/2013 2:10:01 AM     Post Reply
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was looking to strengthen ties with Russia as he tries to put an end to the dictatorial regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, but instead he was met with the coldest of receptions. Russian President Vladimir Putin kept Kerry waiting three hours before their meeting at the Kremlin on Tuesday and continuously fiddled with his pen as the top American diplomat spoke about the ongoing crisis in Syria. Kerry’s visit to Moscow comes as he seeks Russian help in ending Syria´s civil, telling President Putin that common interest in a stable Middle East

Hillary Clinton — culpable for
Benghazi from beginning to end

54 replie(s)
Power Line, by Paul Mirengoff    Original Article
Posted By: StormCnter- 5/7/2013 5:14:14 AM     Post Reply
When it first became clear that the CIA’s Benghazi talking points had been altered, many of us viewed the White House as the prime suspect. After all, it served President Obama’s political purposes to claim, at the height of a political campaign in which he was taking credit for the fall of al Qaeda, that the death of a U.S. ambassador was down to spontaneous outrage over a video, rather than pre-planned terrorism. It turns out, however, that the State Department was the prime culprit. It was State that pushed back hard against the original talking points.

Republican probe of Benghazi
attacks turns to Hillary Clinton

51 replie(s)
Washington Post, by Philip Rucker    Original Article
Posted By: JoniTx- 5/8/2013 6:52:16 AM     Post Reply
Republican lawmakers, who have spent months seeking to tie President Obama to last year’s deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, are increasingly focusing their probe on a new target: former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton. The GOP-led investigation of the Sept. 11, 2012, assaults that killed U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three others now centers heavily on the State Department and whether officials there deliberately misled the public about the nature of the assault. Three State Department officials are scheduled to testify before a House committee on Wednesday about the Benghazi attack and its aftermath.

Turning on Obama
49 replie(s)
Amerian Spectator, by Ross Kaminsky    Original Article
Posted By: StormCnter- 5/7/2013 6:19:30 AM     Post Reply
If ponies rode men and grass ate cows, And cats were chased into holes by the mouse … If summer were spring and the other way round, Then all the world would be upside down. Once in a long while, an event evokes one of my favorite historical images: the British Army band, at Lord Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown which sealed the Americans’ revolutionary victory, playing “The World Turned Upside Down.” In this case, the event is the dramatic change over the past two weeks

Seattle to melt buyback guns
into peace bricks

47 replie(s)
Associated Press, by Staff    Original Article
Posted By: maggie2u- 5/7/2013 1:13:31 PM     Post Reply
The Seattle Police Department collected more than 700 guns during a buyback in January, and now city officials have a plan for what to do with them. Mayor Mike McGinn is expected to announce Tuesday that they´ll be melted into bricks carrying messages of peace, and the bricks will be placed around the city. The buyback program was announced a month after last December´s elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn., by city leaders sick of hearing about gun violence. Private sponsors including Amazon.com contributed tens of thousands of dollars

Rush Limbaugh´s world is imploding
46 replie(s)
Philadelphia Daily News [PA], by Will Bunch    Original Article
Posted By: LittleHoodedMonk- 5/6/2013 1:00:39 PM     Post Reply
It´s no fluke, but maybe the end of an error in American media: The Rush Limbaugh Program is considering ending its affiliation agreement with Cumulus Media at the end of this year, a move that would bring about one of the biggest shakeups in talk radio history, a source close to the show tells Politico. (Snip) According to the source, Limbaugh is considering the move because Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey has blamed the company´s advertising losses on Limbaugh´s controversial remarks about Sandra Fluke,

Sanford gets second chance:
On political scrapheap 4 years ago,
ex-governor wins 1st district seat

37 replie(s)
Post & Courier [Charleston, SC], by Glenn Smith*    Original Article
Posted By: Attercliffe- 5/8/2013 12:59:28 AM     Post Reply
Former Gov. Mark Sanford completed the trail to political redemption Tuesday with a win over Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch to reclaim his old seat in Congress. Sanford defeated Colbert Busch 54 percent to 45 percent, according to full unofficial results. Turnout was heavier than expected, with about 32 percent of the district’s 455,702 registered voters casting ballots. Sanford, who has never lost an election, returns to the 1st District seat he held for three terms from 1995-2001. It’s a remarkable comeback for a man many pundits had written off after his highly publicized affair with an Argentine

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee: Constitution
implies a right to health care, education

36 replie(s)
Washington Times, by Douglas Ernst    Original Article
Posted By: Desert Fox- 5/7/2013 8:22:18 PM     Post Reply
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee took to the House floor Monday night and implied that the right to health care and education exists in the Constitution. Ms. Jackson Lee, Texas Democrat, also made the case that the moral authority for such services is also derived from the Declaration of Independence. “One might argue that education and health care fall into those provisions of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” she said. Ms. Jackson Lee added, “I think that what should be continuously emphasized is the president’s leadership on one single point: that although health care was not

Mark Sanford wins South
Carolina special election

36 replie(s)
Washington Post, by Rachel Weiner    Original Article
Posted By: supersid- 5/7/2013 8:55:20 PM     Post Reply
Mark Sanford has won the South Carolina special election in a competitive race for what in normal circumstances is a safe Republican seat. The former governor beat Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert Busch, for the state’s 1st congressional district. The AP called the race for Sanford early in the evening, with the Republican leading Colbert Busch 54 percent 46 percent.

Sharyl Attkisson of CBS News,
a persistent voice of media
skepticism on Benghazi

32 replie(s)
Washington Post, by Paul Farhi    Original Article
Posted By: BuckeyeRon- 5/7/2013 11:01:43 PM     Post Reply
From the start, the Obama administration’s account of what happened in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11 last year didn’t quite square for Sharyl Attkisson. So the veteran CBS News reporter dug in, and kept digging. The result: Attkisson has been a persistent voice of news-media skepticism about the government’s story. On the air and online, Attkisson has questioned the administration’s timeline and its response. (Snip) While other media, particularly Fox News, have been similarly skeptical about the official narrative about Benghazi, Attkisson and CBS might put the story in a different light. As a much-decorated reporter from a news

The High Cost of Rush: Talker
Bleeds Millions From His Carriers
as Toxic Talk Slumps, Cumulus Seems
Set to Part Ways With Rush Limbaugh

32 replie(s)
Daily Beast, by John Avlon    Original Article
Posted By: Pluperfect- 5/8/2013 5:41:29 AM     Post Reply
“We´ve had a tough go of it this last year,” Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey said Tuesday morning. “The facts are indisputable regarding the impact certain things have had on ad dollars." Dickey told analysts on the earnings call that his radio empire’s revenue was down $5.6 million in the first quarter of 2013 on top of a boatload of debt. Why? Parse the weasel words (“the impact of certain things”) and you’ll see that Dickey is blaming one man for the precipitous decline of right-wing talk radio’s profitability: Rush Limbaugh. El Rushbo is still a giant in the industry,


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