12-12 split along party lines for the 24-member body that got off to a divided start.
The even split made it necessary for a bipartisan advisory group of County Board members to come to a compromise on how the chairmanship and committee leadership positions would be filled, but those agreements caused division among members that caused some heated debate....
Click on the following for more details: Daily Chronicle | County Board sees a division on first day
The first thing to know about the so-called "fiscal cliff" is that it's not a cliff—it's a choice.
It's a choice between making the 1% richer at the expense of everyone else, or lifting up 100% of Americans. It's a choice
between American prosperity and European austerity.
In this sharp new video, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich breaks down the fiscal choice in 2 minutes and 30 seconds—with
pictures too. And he gives Democrats the inside scoop on how to fight and win this fiscal showdown for the middle class.
Even if you don't usually watch videos like this, you've got to watch this one. Reich's video on Mitt Romney's
economic plan went viral—half a million people watched and shared it—because it was so illuminating. Share this
one with your friends and family so they understand what's at stake now, and how we can win.
That framework aims to raise new revenue through an overhaul of the tax code. It also calls for slicing $600 billion from federal health programs, in part by increasing the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67, and saving $200 billion by applying a less generous measure of inflation to all federal programs, including Social Security benefits, according to GOP aides.
For the first time, Boehner managed to get his entire leadership team — including conservative champions such as House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (Va.) and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (Wis.), the 2012 vice-presidential candidate — to publicly sign on to a plan that explicitly calls for new tax revenue. Republicans say they are willing to extract all the new tax money from households earning more than $250,000 a year, the same group Obama wants to target with higher tax rates
Global emissions of carbon dioxide were at a record high in 2011 and are likely to take a similar jump in 2012, scientists reported Sunday — the latest indication that efforts to limit such emissions are failing…..
new figures show that emissions are falling, slowly, in some of the most advanced countries, including the United States. That apparently reflects a combination of economic weakness, the transfer of some manufacturing to developing countries and conscious efforts to limit emissions, like the renewable power targets that many American states have set. The boom in the natural gas supply from hydraulic fracturing is also a factor, since natural gas is supplanting coal at many power stations, leading to lower emissions.
“If we’re going to run the world on coal, we’re in deep trouble,”
Over all, global emissions jumped 3 percent in 2011 and are expected to jump another 2.6 percent in 2012,
Click on the following for more details: Emissions of Carbon Dioxide Hit Record in 2011, Researchers Say - NYTimes.com
“If we buy the land, complete due diligence and environmental impact, then the Tollway will build it on their dime.” The catch is, the local parties have to have the land purchased by May 1, 2013 in order to get this project in-line with the state’s larger project and benefit from it.
“If we can’t agree on a price,” Drella warned, “The whole thing goes away.” If there isn’t a negotiated contract by the May date, the parties are no longer bound by the agreement.
1. …"the majority of the majority." Under this de facto rule, no bill is brought up for a vote when Republicans control the House unless a majority of their caucus supports it.
So while there may well be enough Republicans willing to break ranks and vote with Democrats to pass that Senate bill, Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, the GOP's deputy whip, said that's just not going to happen: "You're not going to come up here and be able to put together a deal with 170 Democrats and 40 Republicans — that's just not in the cards."….
2. Any increase in the debt ceiling must be matched by an equal decrease in spending
3. No new taxes
"We're willing to put revenues on the table, but revenues that come from closing loopholes, getting rid of special interest deductions, and not raising rates," Boehner said Friday.
Click on the following for more details: The 3 Unofficial GOP Rules That Are Making A Deficit Deal Even Harder : It's All Politics : NPR
By Jennifer Wheeler
The company has asked to relocate to Lee Quarry located in unincorporated Flora Township. It would allow agricultural preservation areas to stockpile mulch through special use permits.
Click on the following to read all of the story: Northwest Pallet still seeks mulch storage location - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star
