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Analysis of ObamaCare’s Financial Effects on the Middle Class published in the WSJ

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Excerpts:

“It is time to move past the debate over whether ObamaCare was a good or a bad idea. I count myself as an ObamaCare supporter, but this doesn’t blind me to the law’s flaws. Regardless of who wins the presidential election, bipartisan compromise will be necessary to reform health care in a constructive way.”

“Without further reforms, the law will create unnecessary costs for working-class Americans.”

“Consider a low-income American supporting a family of four deciding whether to take a part-time job that pays $36,000 a year or a full-time job that pays $42,000 a year. According to my research, accepting the higher-paying job could result in the family losing over $10,000 a year in health-care subsidies.”

“by switching low-income employees to part-time positions, rather than offering them health insurance, an employer will be able to save over $3,000 a year by avoiding ObamaCare’s employer-mandate penalties. Without further reforms, many employers and employees will jointly benefit if employers make low-income employees part-timers rather than offering them health insurance. The losers will be taxpayers, who will need to fund the subsidies”

“ObamaCare’s new subsidies may also create penalties for marriage and incentives for divorce. Under rules proposed by the Treasury Department, if an employer offers health insurance for which the cost of self-only coverage is affordable to an individual employee, that employee’s entire family will be disqualified from receiving the new federal subsidies.”

“a couple with children in which one of the parents earns most of the family’s income. If the couple marries, the family would lose thousands of dollars of subsidies that could otherwise be used to pay for health insurance for the children and the lower-income spouse. If the couple is already married, divorce may be their only option for obtaining affordable insurance for their children and the lower-income parent.”

“ObamaCare is far from perfect. Yet there was widespread agreement that the health-care system before ObamaCare needed reform. If Republicans and Democrats will work together, they can build a system better than either ObamaCare or what we had before. Partisan warfare should not stand in the way of improving health care for all Americans.”

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203335504578086702676417058.html

Vectren Statement on Rockport Syngas Ruling

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rockport_court_ruling

IS IT TRUE October 31, 2012

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE October 31, 2012

IS IT TRUE that the Ford Center project audit is finally going to happen according to Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke?…the Mayor received notification yesterday from Bruce Hartman, who is the head of the State Board of Accounts that the request for the SBOA audit that was made in the summer will be honored?…there is no time line available on when the audit will start or when it will finish?…it leads one o wonder that other than curiosity and the chance that another $1.6 Million will be found under a rock just what actionable information could come from this audit?…this could and should have been done all along and could even have been available before the election?…strategically speaking the timing could not have been better to mitigate any risks that the audits findings will impact any election at all?…that how the City of Evansville conducts its business is quite important in the decisions that people of the entire county are making on how to vote in the referendum on consolidation?

IS IT TRUE that buried in the details of the recent campaign finance disclosure form that expenditures were made of two polls on behalf of the YES Team?…YES (approval of consolidation) has been reported by several MOLES to have been running nearly 20 points behind the NO Team that calls itself CORE?… the same MOLES have reported and the disclosure confirms that YES spent about $100,000 of their over $300,000 war chest that was sent down through the local Chamber on local advertising?…that the second poll that was run after the $100,000 was invested in ads found that YES has only closed the gap by a couple of percent that left the YES Team trailing the NO Team by over 15 points?

IS IT TRUE that the MOLE NATION tells us that someone at the state level said pull the plug on the TV budget and withdraw the remaining dollars that were made available to close the gap at the end of the campaign?… that local YES officials were not pleased with this decision and tried to push the issue, saying that was meant to budget the TV campaign, and was told “No!, why spend another dime to lose when the first $100,000 only moved the vote by a couple of points?”…the CCO is shocked at the magnitude of the gap reported by our MOLE NATION and while we have done no polls ourselves were expecting a very tight race with both sides still having a decent probability for a win next Tuesday?…if the MOLES are correct about these POLLS that it should be obvious as the pullback in local advertising should be visible to those who watch local TV stations or maintain awareness of other advertising efforts?

IS IT TRUE that the CCO has maintained all along that consolidation is a good idea but that the plan that we are voting on is a toothless plan that actually forbids even touching the lowest hanging fruit for finding efficiency in government?…that a paltry savings of only about $750,000 only represents 0.2% of the combined current City-County budgets?…these are the budgets that are already over 50% higher per capita than peer cities that offer similar services?…if consolidation goes down at the ballot box the YES Team which has done a very professional job can pin the tail on that donkey of a consolidation committee that concocted a plan that was toothless and a vote without threshold rejection for both the City and County residents?…the CCO believes that if the consolidation provided for threshold rejection and identified some respectful amount of savings from consolidation like 10% ($36 Million) that this would be passing by a 20 point margin instead of struggling against an underfunded opposition?

IS IT TRUE that if and we still do mean if consolidation fails that should he City of Evansville go on an annexation binge that the only winners will be attorneys and that the well for working together will be poisoned by such aggressive tactics?…if one believes in the concept of consolidation as the CCO does and believes it to be appropriate for the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County that the best course of action going forward after a loss by the forces for YES will be to immediately form a new consolidation committee with a goal to find 10% savings and to spare no sacred cows?…after that is finished another referendum can be held in 2015 or so with threshold rejection so the entire county can work together willingly to make this a better place?…if no committee can muster the courage or the brainpower to find tangible and achievable savings that consolidation would be best served to wait until a group of leaders come forward with the brains and courage that it will take to forge an alliance of skeptics?

EPD Activity Report: October 30, 2012

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epd activity report October 30, 2012

Halloween Fright Nights Bring Light Shows Back For Fall at Evansville Museum

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Don’t be too spooked if you miss the Summer Laser Light Shows, because our Halloween Laser Light Shows in the Koch Planetarium this October are to die for! We’ll be playing some spooky music and lighting up the dome with some fun graphics during our FRIGHT NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM laser light shows.

New for 2012, Fright Nights at the Museum will occur October 27- 31. In our Halloween-themed shows, families can scream in delight during five evenings and on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Each Fright Night show is a 45-minute laser extravaganza that features music such as Feed My Frankenstein by Alice Cooper, Godzilla by Blue Oyster Cult, Dead Man’s Party by Black Sabbath, and Attack of the Radioactive Hamsters by Weird Al Yankovic. And what Halloween show would be complete without Thriller, by the late Michael Jackson?

In addition, we will present special performances of Pink Floyd’s Darkside of the Moon on October 27 and two performances of our traditional, family-orientated show Laser Pop at 2 p.m. on October 27 and 28.

Tickets are $5 for matinee presentations and $7 for all evening shows with a $2 discount for Museum Members. Tickets may be purchased by mail, in person, at the door, or online at ETIX.COM.

Source: emuseum.com

James MacLeod to Present November Andiron Lecture at UE

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Next week, as part of the University of Evansville’s Andiron Lecture Series in the liberal arts and sciences, James MacLeod, professor of history, will present “To the Greater Glory of God: Religion and Memorialization in 1920s Scotland.”

MacLeod will speak at 4 p.m. Wednesday, November 7 in Eykamp Hall (Room 252), Ridgway University Center. His lecture is free and open to the public.

“The First World War killed around 10 million men and helped shape the modern world,” MacLeod said. “The war had a devastating impact on traditional religious belief, especially in formerly pious countries like Scotland.”

“Through an analysis of around one thousand Scottish war memorials, mostly erected in the early 1920s, this lecture is a measurement of the extent to which religion continued to be a force in society. This involves a discussion of not only location and form, but also iconography and inscriptions, and is one way to assess the real impact war had on traditional religion in Scotland.”

MacLeod holds a PhD from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He taught history and British studies at Harlaxton College from 1994-99, and since 1999 he has taught history at the University of Evansville. In 2003, he was honored with the Exemplary Teacher Award, presented by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of The United Methodist Church. He is the author of The Second Disruption: The Free Church in Victorian Scotland and the Origins of the Free Presbyterian Church (Tuckwell Press, 2000) and numerous articles and chapters of books. His research interests are war, war memorials, and religion. His grandfather was a stretcher bearer in World War I.

Established in 1982, the Andiron Lectures offer research, commentary, and reflection from many fields of study. Presenters are primarily drawn from the faculty of UE’s College of Arts and Sciences but also include faculty members and administrators from across the University campus and occasional contributions from the regional community. The Andiron Lectures are sponsored by the University of Evansville College of Arts and Sciences and supported by a generous gift from Donald B. and Jean Korb.

Source: Evansville.edu

Trick Or Treat At CMoE

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Wear a costume and get 50% off admission! You can also go “door to door” to collect some goodies! 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

http://www.cmoekids.org/

LEGISLATORS: MEETING FOR RESIDENTS HIT WITH UNFAIR STATE PENALTIES SET FOR THURSDAY

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INDIANAPOLIS –State Reps. Gail Riecken (D-Evansville) and Ron Bacon (R-Chandler) and State Sen. Vaneta Becker (R-Evansville) said a meeting for area residents concerned they are being unfairly required to repay unemployment benefits has been set for Thursday (November 1) in Evansville.

The meeting – set to begin at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the Browning Room of the Evansville Central Library, located at 200 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. – is aimed at hearing complaints from residents who were allowed to collect unemployment benefits, but now are receiving collection notices from the state’s Department of Workforce Development (DWD) to repay those benefits.

“In the past, these workers have collected unemployment during mandatory shutdowns,” Riecken said.

This year, workers followed normal practice, only to find out that DWD made a mistake by not properly informing them about changes in state law affecting their status. DWD then began sending collection notices, despite no official finding that any worker was to blame for this mistake.

“In many cases, the workers were told they were not legally classified as unemployed under DWD’s interpretation of state law, so they must repay the benefits,” Riecken said. “Some people are being asked to repay thousands of dollars that they simply do not have.”

In the Vanderburgh County area, the new policy has impacted many workers for the Community Action Program of Evansville (CAPE), but Riecken noted that legislators have heard complaints from workers in Posey, Gibson and Warrick Counties as well. They will attend this meeting.

“I know that workers in the Anderson area already are appealing DWD’s decision through the administrative hearing process to correct this situation,” Riecken said.

“The meeting in Evansville this Thursday will give residents a chance to see how many people have been adversely affected by this change in policy, and to examine potential options to protect their interests,” Riecken said.

“I want to emphasize the fact that this situation has cropped up through no fault of the workers,” she continued. “They did as they had been encouraged by their employers in every previous shutdown. They received benefits as they had in the past, then were told by DWD they must pay those benefits back. The mistakes were made by others, and I see no reason why they should be unfairly penalized.”

The Faces Behind the “Official” Unemployment Rate

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29% of our potential is not working but should be
The Numbers Behind the “Official” Unemployment Rate

By: Joe J. Wallace

Knowing a number of people who are unemployed, underemployed, or have exhausted their unemployment benefits and have essentially become “ghosts” as far as official statistics are concerned, an effort has been made to put real numbers of real people into three categories.

The categories to be examined are those who have jobs which is defined by the Bureau of Labor as people working for a paycheck for more than 30 hours per week, the official unemployed plus underemployed, and the people who for some reason are fully capable of working but are neither working nor looking for work.

The population of the United States as estimated by the Census Department should be right at 315 Million people today based on starting 2012 with 312.8 Million and growing at one net person every 17 seconds including births, deaths, and immigration.

The highest workforce to population ratio ever was 64.3% and occurred in 2001. Based on a 2012 population of 315 Million that would equate to 202,545,000 people who should be in the labor force today.

The lowest workforce to population since back in the 60’s when the dual income family started to emerge as the model is 58.3% and corresponds to from 2009 until now with little change. That equates to 183,645,000 people either working full time, part time, or actively looking for work.

The number of actual full time jobs right now is 45.6% of the population or 143,640,000 people working more than 30 hours per week.

Given those numbers the number of people either looking for a job or unemployed is 40,005,000 people (19.8% of historically capable workforce).

The number of people that have just given up and dropped out of the workforce for some reason is 18,900,000 (9.3% of historically capable workforce).

The total number of people that are either unemployed, underemployed, or have dropped out is now nearly 59 Million people (29.1% of historically capable workforce?

Our government tells us the “official” unemployment rate is 7.8% that only accounts for the needs of 15,798,510 of our citizens who qualify to be counted in “official” unemployment numbers. This undercounts the workforce by a full 43,106,490 capable people who should be working by all historical measures.

These people find ways to survive including doing odd jobs for cash, finding friendly medical professionals to help them get onto disability, buying and selling merchandise in the black market, relying on the generosity of others, accessing the social safety net, or living off savings. The bottom line is that we have over 43 Million people who are in the business of surviving and paying no taxes on their income or consuming the resources of others.

The earnings of 43 Million workers at an average wage of $50,000 per year amounts to $1.72 Trillion that income and employment taxes are not paid on. From an IRS perspective it creates a shortfall in FICA taxes of $263 Billion and income taxes of roughly the same amount. This also deprives employers of roughly $172 Billion in potential profits at a profit margin of 10% which is also taxable at appropriate rates.

By kidding ourselves and allowing our government to deceive us while patting themselves on the back, our country is squandering the most valuable asset that we have in the labor, the industriousness, and the spirits of 43 Million people. We need to demand truthfulness and transparency in our government officials and statistics lest we wake up soon when some more people become “ghosts” to the reality of an “official” unemployment rate of 5% with 50 Million people who have checked out and entered survival mode. That is a burden that the rest of us will not be able to bear.

Source for Data: Center for Budget and Policy Priorities
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3252

IS IT TRUE October 30, 2012

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE October 30, 2012

IS IT TRUE that our first order of business and interest this day is to encourage our readers to think positive thoughts and take whatever actions are at your disposal to help the people whose lives have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy?…seeing the beaches like Absecon, Margate, and Atlantic City on the Jersey Shore where this guy spent two summers in the early 80’s was a bit disturbing as were the images of New York City under the flooding?…sometimes it takes a natural disaster to remind us that we are all in this together and that none of us controls each and every day of our lives?

IS IT TRUE that one of the additive elements to the perfect storm was the fact that the moon is full?…in the desert sky the full moon was in the constellation Taurus last night?…that could actually be interpreted with the statement “Full of Bull” which brings us to politics?…the sheer number of dollars spent on campaigns at nearly every level has gotten to be staggering?…the two candidates for President of the United States are expected to spend roughly $1 Billion each to get or keep a job that pays only $400,000 per year?…it would take a President 2,500 years before taxes to earn enough money to pay for their campaign?…Senate campaigns at about $10 Million are a relative bargain and only would take 60 years of pre-tax earnings to cover the campaign?…that a mayoral contest in a place like Evansville is even more of a bargain at about $1 Million since the Mayor earns just under $100,000 and could pay for the campaign in a measly 10 years?…City Council almost seems cheap at $25,000 that can actually be paid for in about 1.3 years which is less than the term of office?

IS IT TRUE that as money and campaigning goes it is when one stops running that cashing out becomes an option?…that former Indiana Senator Evan Bayh left office with roughly $10 Million in his campaign coffers?…former Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel was holding over $500,000 in the Weinzapfel for Mayor coffers just before announcing that he would not be seeking a third term in office?…there are plenty of legal ways for the “leftovers” to find their way into the personal accounts of these guys and others and exploiting those ways is not so difficult?…that speaking of the former Mayor he was spotted with Democrat Senate candidate Joe Donnelly at a north side eatery recently?…if the CCO had seen this earlier we may very well have held back on our endorsement and stuck to the policy of non-endorsement that has served us well?

IS IT TRUE before Obama was president, the U.S. ranked 40th in “favoritism in decisions of government officials” and today, the U.S. ranks 59th, a fall of 19 places?… before Obama was president, the U.S. ranked 50th for lowest “burden of government regulation” but today, the U.S. ranks 76th, a fall of 26 places?…before Obama was president, the U.S. ranked 28th in “transparency of government policy making” and today, the U.S. ranks 56th, a fall of 28 places?…our nation was founded on the idea that freedom could only be preserved if a strong executive branch of government was checked by an equally strong legislative branch?… by choosing to assert his executive power over Congress at every turn, Obama has weakened our freedom?…high unemployment and weak economic growth are direct results of these actions taken specifically to avoid collaborating with people who do not share his own views verbatim?

IS IT TRUE that for months it has been predicted that if the Obama campaign sensed the possibility of a loss that the last week would see the race card and the Mormon religion coming from the campaign surrogates?…it is now one week until election day and this morning Real Clear Politics which is a very good aggregator of good articles has 5 articles on racism in the election and one about Mormons?…it has been reported that 100 Romney signs were swiped in greater Evansville over the weekend?…this is one dirty nasty path that the CCO hopes the presidential race does not go down?…the best article on RCP about this subject is on the link below?…that just before posting this article the sound of Chris Matthews voice in the other room just yelled “they are still fighting the Civil War” and he was referring to people not supporting President Obama?…if Matthews and other pundits really want to divide the country then they are doing the right thing?…the best course of action would be for Matthews to shut his damn mouth and stop fanning the fires of hate so whomever wins this election will have a chance of uniting the American people and actually working with the congress?

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/10/30/perfect_storm_race-baiting_and_the_2012_election.html

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