Category: Points of Information

Very brief descriptions, with appropriate links, of current or recent news items.

Wisconsin union law saves school district

11:21 pm

And here are the results: A Wisconsin school district has gone from failure to success as a result of the new law limited union power.

The Kaukauna School District, in the Fox River Valley of Wisconsin near Appleton, has about 4,200 students and about 400 employees. It has struggled in recent times and this year faced a deficit of $400,000. But after the law went into effect, at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, school officials put in place new policies they estimate will turn that $400,000 deficit into a $1.5 million surplus. And it’s all because of the very provisions that union leaders predicted would be disastrous.

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Minnesota government shuts down over budget and taxes

9:33 am

The Minnesota state government shut down on Friday over budget and taxes.

“We have divided government, and a governor that believes that he has a mandate to raise taxes and increase spending, and we have a Legislature that believes we should cut taxes and reduce spending,” said House Majority Leader Matt Dean. “It is a sort of a microcosm, in the middle of the country, of what’s going on throughout the nation.”

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Astronaut Mark Kelly says he won’t run for political office

8:55 am

Astronaut Mark Kelly says he won’t run for political office, leaving politics to his wife, Gabrielle Giffords.

It was a terrible tragedy that Giffords was so seriously injured in the Tucson shooting in January. However, I am completely baffled why people think this incident has somehow elevated the qualifications of both her and her husband for higher office. How does getting shot in the head make you a better leader/executive? It is absurd. If anything, this injury should sadly force us to question her ability to continue in office. As for her husband, mere name recognition isn’t enough. I respect him for recognizing that and bowing out.

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U.S. National Parks’ Cultural and Natural Resources Threatened

6:55 pm

The pigs begin squealing again: According to a report written by a D.C. advocacy group, the national parks face serious problems due to a lack of sufficient funds.

It’s never enough. The National Park Service budget [pdf] has grown from $2.5 billion in 2003 to $3.1 billion in 2011. At the same time, they have increased fees on all public lands, often introducing fees where none had ever existed before.

Somehow, they managed for decades on smaller budgets. At this time of unimaginable federal debt, I have no sympathy for them, despite the fact that I am a passionate lover of the natural wonders contained in the national parks.

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An independent panel of scientists has found that a $1.4 billion plan put forth by environmentalists to save the salmon of the northwest by destroying four hydroelectric dams and restricting water use was based on junk science.

8:44 am

An independent panel of scientists has found that a $1.4 billion plan put forth by environmentalists to save the salmon of the northwest by destroying four hydroelectric dams and restricting water use was based on junk science.

According to the just-released 350-page assessment, funded by the Fish and Wildlife Service, experts expressed “strong reservations” that the expensive effort could significantly increase the Chinook salmon population in the Klamath River system. . . . The report also states, “There are many pieces of information we do not know about the Klamath system, and none we know with absolute certainty. The process of developing the model, trying to reproduce historical conditions … must be internally consistent.”

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An new Harvard study finds a political congruence between patriotism promoted on Fourth of July and the values associated with the Republican party.

3:51 pm

An new Harvard study finds “a political congruence between patriotism promoted on Fourth of July and the values associated with the Republican party.”

I think this study says a lot more about the perceived values of the modern Democratic Party, and how many imagine them as almost being hostile to this country and its founding principles.

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Another billion in free money for homeowners who can’t pay their mortgage

3:44 pm

The Obama administration is offering another billion in free money to homeowners who can’t pay their mortgage.

So, considering the trillions in debt that is overwhelming the budget of the federal government, I wonder where is billion dollars coming from. Do they grow it on trees? I’d really like to know, since it would be nice if I could manufacture cash out of thin air as easily whenever I thought I needed it.

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