Article Snip: "The economists added that for the Fed's stated 2% inflation target to be achieved, the unemployment rate would have to climb to 7.4% for one year. That's more than double the currency jobless rate of 3.4%. "A deep recession," the economists said, "would be necessary to achieve the SEP's projected inflation path. ..."
Reference: businessinsider.comTuesday, February 28, 2023
Lowering inflation to the Fed's target would require a deep recession that more than doubles unemployment, say Cleveland Fed economists
House Republicans have reasonable and sensible solutions to debt ceiling crisis. Biden refuses to negotiate-out added pork
Article Title: House Republicans have reasonable and sensible solutions to debt ceiling crisis. Biden wont negotiate on added pork
Snippet of Article:
House Republicans have reasonable and sensible solutions to debt ceiling crisis:
Recapture Unobligated COVID Money – There is nearly $100 billion in uncommitted pandemic money that Congress could rescind to reduce the deficit.
Put Americans Back to Work – By reinstating work requirements in welfare programs (like TANF and SNAP) we could save tens of billions and spur economic growth.
Reduce Fraud in the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and SNAP (Food Stamp) Program – Requiring Social Security numbers for the CTC and income verification for SNAP would not only reduce fraud, but it would also save roughly $70 billion.
Limit Obamacare to its Original Purpose – Capping Obamacare subsidies at 400 percent of poverty and below while recovering overpayments could save nearly $65 billion.
Cancel Wasteful EPA Programs from the IRA – The Inflation Reduction Act included $27 billion for the EPA with no specific programmatic purpose, and $60 billion for “environmental justice” programs. That money should be rescinded.
End President Biden’s Student Loan Bailouts – President Biden’s student loan bailout is not only costly and misguided, but recent studies have also shown that it disproportionally benefits the top 10% of income earners. Ending these bailouts would save hundreds of billions of dollars: $25 billion from ending his loan repayment moratorium and $379 billion from prohibiting the debt cancellation all together.
Stop Wasteful and Extreme Climate Spending – Rescind $3 billion for new USPS electric vehicles, $1 billion for “clean” garbage trucks, $3.4 billion for “regional greenways” and “tree planting,” and $5.6 billion for low emissions buses.
Refocus Spending to Programs that Address the Crisis at Our Border, Not Exacerbate It –The recent $1.7 trillion omnibus that Democrats rushed through at the end of the year was ripe with wasteful and misguided spending, including hundreds of millions of dollars towards organizations that facilitate illegal immigration and $10 million for legal assistance for detained migrants.
Address Billions in improper payments – The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently reported that federal agencies made an estimated $281 billion in improper payments during FY21. House Republicans will put a stop to these improper payments.
Stop Woke-Waste – The recent omnibus included millions of dollars in funding for woke policies that American taxpayers shouldn’t be footing the bill for, including $1.2 million for “LGBTQIA+ Pride Centers,” $1 million for a space for “gender-expansive people of color,” $3.6 million for a Michelle Obama Trail in Georgia, and $750,000 for “Transgender and Gender nonconforming and Intersex (TGI) immigrant women in Los Angeles.”
Source: house.gov
USAJOBS | Employment of non-citizens
USAJOBS | Employment of non-citizens
Snippet of Article: "In general, you must be a U.S. citizen or national (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) to work for the federal government, but there are some exceptions. In rare cases, a federal agency may:
* Hire a non-U.S. citizen into the excepted service or Senior Executive Service, if the annual Appropriations Act, the Immigration Law and the agency’s internal policies allow it.
* Request approval to hire a non-U.S. citizen into the competitive service, if no qualified U.S. citizen is available. "
Elon Musk becomes world's richest person again
Elon Musk becomes world's richest person again
Snippet of Article: "...Net worth of the Tesla CEO soared $50 billion this year to $187 billion. ..."
Source: www.fortuneindia.comMonday, February 27, 2023
Time to renegotiate your overly high rent | Apartment Rents Fall as Crush of New Supply Hits Market
Apartment Rents Fall as Crush of New Supply Hits Market
Snippet of Article: "Declines signal tenants may be maxed-out on how much income they can devote to rent...Apartment rents fell in every major metropolitan area in the U.S. over the past six months through January, a trend that is poised to continue as the biggest delivery of new apartments in nearly four decades is slated for this year. Renters with new leases in January paid a median rent that was 3.5% lower than they would have paid last August, according to estimates from listing website Apartment List. It was the first time in five years that rent fell every month over a six-month period, according to the same estimates. ..."
Source: Wall Street JournalSunday, February 26, 2023
EPA temporarily halts toxic waste shipments from site of East Palestine Ohio train derailment and chemical burn-off
EPA temporarily halts waste shipments from site of Ohio train derailment
Snippet of Article: "Federal environmental authorities have ordered a temporary halt in the shipment of contaminated waste from the site of a fiery train derailment earlier this month in eastern Ohio near the Pennsylvania state line. Region 5 administrator Debra Shore of the Environmental Protection Agency said Saturday the agency ordered Norfolk Southern to "pause" shipments from the site of the Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine..."
Source: www.cbsnews.comSaturday, February 25, 2023
H.R. 866 | Equal COLA Act is 'attempted' again
H.R. 866 | Equal COLA Act
Snippet of Article: "H.R. 866: To amend title 5, United States Code, to achieve parity between the cost-of-living adjustment with respect to an annuity under the Federal Employees Retirement System and an annuity under the Civil Service Retirement System, and for other purposes. ...Call or write congress on H.R. 866"
Source: www.govtrack.usFriday, February 24, 2023
NSA releases best practices for securing your home network
NSA releases best practices for securing your home network
Snippet of Article: "The National Security Agency (NSA) released the “Best Practices for Securing Your Home Network (PDF)” Cybersecurity Information Sheet (CSI) today to help teleworkers protect their home networks from malicious cyber actors... READ FULL REPORT HERE..." Source: www.nsa.gov
Federal Prisons Employees Aren’t Entitled to COVID Hazard Pay, Appeals Judges Rule
Federal Prisons Employees Aren’t Entitled to COVID Hazard Pay, Appeals Judges Rule
Snippet of Article: "In a 10-2 decision, the appeals court said OPM regulations around hazardous duty pay only address the handling of “virulent biologicals” in a laboratory setting, not “ambient” exposure to infected individuals. ...“The OPM memo provides that COVID-19 exposure falls within the [hazardous duty pay] ‘virulent biologicals’ category when the employee is ‘exposed to the virus during the performance of assigned duties (e.g., as in the case of a poultry handler or health care worker)’ but not when the employee is incidentally exposed ‘to the public or other employees who are ill,’” Reyna wrote. “Poultry handlers and health care workers are obviously not laboratory employees working directly or indirectly with COVID-19. These employees’ jobs, like the poultry handlers, require them to work closely with or around other people, subjecting the employees to the hazard of COVID-19 exposure while on the job.”"
Source: www.govexec.comNLRB | Your Rights during Union Organizing
NLRB | Your Rights during Union Organizing
Snippet of Article: "You have the right to form, join or assist a union. ...Supervisors and managers cannot spy on you (or make it appear that they are doing so), coercively question you, threaten you or bribe you regarding your union activity or the union activities of your co-workers. You can't be fired, disciplined, demoted, or penalized in any way for engaging in these activities. Working time is for work, so your employer may maintain and enforce non-discriminatory rules limiting solicitation and distribution, except that your employer cannot prohibit you from talking about or soliciting for a union during non-work time, such as before or after work or during break times; or from distributing union literature during non-work time, in non-work areas, such as parking lots or break rooms. Also, restrictions on your efforts to communicate with co-workers cannot be discriminatory. For example, your employer cannot prohibit you from talking about the union during working time if it permits you to talk about other non-work-related matters during working time. ..."
Source:Starbucks eludes U.S. agency's bid to shield pro-union workers from firings
Starbucks eludes U.S. agency's bid to shield pro-union workers from firings
Snippet of Article: "A federal judge in Detroit on Thursday dealt a blow to a U.S. labor agency by drastically narrowing his recent order that had barred Starbucks Corp from retaliating against pro-union workers nationwide to cover only one Michigan store. ..."
Source: www.msn.comChina is using spy buoys in the Arctic, says Canada
China is using spy buoys in the Arctic, says Canada
Snippet of Article: "Officials described the objects as 'dual-purpose technologies' but have been reported in Canadian media as being used for spying. The Canadian military has discovered Chinese spy buoys in the Arctic which are monitoring US submarines and melting ice sheets. ... "
Source: www.telegraph.co.ukThursday, February 23, 2023
China allegedly stealing U.S. developed corn seed from Iowa corn fields in order to cheaply backward engineer U.S. research and development
In Iowa corn fields, Chinese national's seed theft exposes vulnerability
Snippet of Article: "Tim Burrack, a northern Iowa farmer in his 44th growing season, has taken to keeping a wary eye out for unfamiliar vehicles around his 300 acres of genetically modified corn seeds. Along with other farmers in this vast agricultural region, he has upped his vigilance ever since Mo Hailong and six other Chinese nationals were accused by U.S. authorities in 2013 of digging up seeds from Iowa farms and planning to send them back to China...."
Source: yahoo.comSerbian politician’s Link to Biden family business deals being investigated
Serbian politician’s Link to Biden family business deals being investigated
Snippet of Article: "...The House Oversight and Accountability Committee has requested Serbian politician and former U.N. General Assembly President Vuk Jeremic hand over documents and testify for the panel’s investigation of the Biden family’s foreign money-making schemes. ..."
Source: www.washingtontimes.comBlatant FTX cover-up attempt and Bankman-Fried’s deep ties to the Democratic Party
Blatant FTX cover-up attempt and Bankman-Fried’s deep ties to the Democratic Party
Snippet of Article: "...to find some way to paint over the unsavory details in the breaking FTX scandal involving the largest non-foreign donor for the Democrats, Sam Bankman-Fried, in the most recent election cycle. The cover-up gets worse the longer you look. ...These details involve backdoor connections with major Democrats and globalist organization leaders. Mr. Bankman-Fried donated about $37 million to Democrats last election cycle and pledged to give as much as $1 billion in contributions in the 2024 cycle... Ukraine partnered with FTX...Mr. Bankman-Fried’s mother leads a secretive group called “Mind the Gap,” which brings in money from big-name Silicon Valley donors and then funnels it out to Democratic candidates and causes. His father, Joseph Bankman-Fried, drafted tax legislation for Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Mr. Bankman-Fried partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation..."
Source: www.washingtontimes.comWednesday, February 22, 2023
Trump to visit East Palestine toxic spill site, donate water, supplies
Trump to visit East Palestine, donate water, supplies
Snippet of Article: "...the former president 'will never forget' the people of East Palestine...Former President Trump will travel to East Palestine, Ohio Wednesday and is set to donate thousands of gallons of cleaning supplies and more than a dozen pallets of water to the community as it grapples with the aftermath of the train derailment that led to a large release of toxic chemicals, ...Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine requested HHS and CDC assistance on Feb. 16, after being denied aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA told DeWine Ohio isn't eligible for disaster assistance, even amid the derailment. "
Source: www.foxnews.comNALC and the Postal Service open negotiations for sixteenth collective bargaining agreement
NALC and the Postal Service open negotiations for sixteenth collective bargaining agreement
Snippet of Article: "Today, NALC and the Postal Service formally opened negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. ..."
Source: www.nalc.orgTuesday, February 21, 2023
Northern Border Crisis Grows Under Biden Admin | Record number of Mexican nationals coming from Canada
Record number of Mexican nationals coming from Canada
Snippet of Article: "To help with the influx, Border Patrol is recruiting volunteers to start as early as March 1st. Former Yuma (Ariz.) Sector Border Patrol Chief Chris Clem said the northern border is often forgotten because the volume at the southern border is "astronomical." "This is why we need the resources, not just on the southern border, but our northern border and our coasts as well," said Clem. Clem said "electronic travel authorization allows [migrants], basically visa-free, to fly in from Mexico to Canada, which means now they have access to move about Canada freely. And then at that point, they're coming in."..."
Source: www.foxnews.comFriday, February 17, 2023
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg blames Trump for Ohio train derailment
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg blames Trump for Ohio train derailment
Snippet of Article: "Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg shifted part of the blame for the recent derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals in Ohio on the Trump administration...Shortly after the derailment, Norfolk Southern opted to release the gas from the derailed cars, potentially releasing deadly fumes into the air...The Environmental Protection Agency>/b>, Norfolk Southern and Ohio officials have conducted air monitoring in the eastern Ohio region and said the tests have shown the air is safe to breathe."
Source: www.foxnews.comMarco Rubio urges Biden to fire Pete Buttigieg over handling of Ohio train derailment
Marco Rubio urges Biden to fire Pete Buttigieg over handling of Ohio train derailment
Snippet of Article: "Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) penned a letter to President Biden on Thursday demanding that he fire Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg over his handling of the train derailment that dumped toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio..."
Source: nypost.comThursday, February 16, 2023
U.S. Postal Service (USPS) follows anti-nepotism rules (federal anti-nepotism rules)
U.S. Postal Service (USPS) follows anti-nepotism rules
Article: The Postal Service would like to remind employees that federal anti-nepotism rules apply at USPS.
Employees are forbidden to directly or indirectly appoint, employ, promote or advance a relative. Advocating for such actions on behalf of a relative is also prohibited.
A spouse, parent, child, sibling, aunt, uncle, first cousin, niece, nephew, in-law, stepparent, step-sibling and half sibling are considered to be relatives.
USPS employees are also prohibited from taking direct or indirect action related to a relative’s career at the Postal Service.
Examples of prohibited actions include:
A higher-level spouse promoting a lower-level spouse;
An uncle hiring his nephew for a postal position in his facility;
An aunt asking a manager to give her niece a detail appointment; and
A brother-in-law recommending his sister-in-law for a supervisor position in his facility.
For more information, visit the Ethics page on Blue or contact the Ethics and Legal Compliance team at ethics.help@usps.gov.
Source: usps.com
Tuesday, February 14, 2023
Executive Leader Positions That Have NO EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Director, Land, Chemicals and Redevelopment Division (Senior Executive Service (SES) position )
Director, Land, Chemicals and Redevelopment Division (Senior Executive Service (SES) position )
Snippet of Article: "You must be a U.S. citizen. This job does not have an education qualification requirement. ...This Senior Executive Service (SES) position is located in Region 9, Land, Chemicals and Redevelopment Division (LCARD). If selected, you must work at the location stated in this announcement. ..." Source: Federal Employment TipsAnimals falling sick, dying near hellish Ohio train derailment site
Animals falling sick, dying near hellish Ohio train derailment site
Snippet of Article: "Evironmental Protection Agency official James Justice said the agency has been conducting constant air-monitoring tests that did not show any toxic threats, and residents were told it was safe to return to their homes...But scattered reports of dead animals well outside the original evacuation zone continue to stoke fears....“My video camera footage shows my chickens were perfectly fine before they started this burn, and as soon as they started the burn, my chickens slowed down and they died,” said Amanda Breshears of North Lima. “If it can do this to chickens in one night...Animals are falling sick and dying near the site of a hellish Ohio train derailment last Friday which released toxic chemicals into the air...“Out of nowhere, he just started coughing really hard, just shut down, and he had liquid diarrhea and just went very fast,” Holzer told the outlet of one of his animals. ..."
Source: nypost.comMonday, February 13, 2023
Border Patrol catches three child sex offenders in one sector; union asks 'how many others got through?’
Border Patrol catches three child sex offenders in one sector; union asks 'how many others got through?’
Snippet of Article: "Customs and Border Protection says that on Jan. 30 agents stopped two illegal immigrants attempting to slip past them. One of them is a 40-year-old Salvadoran national with a prior conviction of unlawful sexual activity with a minor in Salt Lake City, Utah from 2008. He had most recently been deported last year, the agency said. The next day, agents nabbed another Salvadoran national with prior convictions in Washington for rape and sexual assault of a child. He had been deported in 2018 after being sentenced to 18 months in jail. The same day..."
Source: www.foxnews.com