RAPID CITY, S.D. (December 14, 2013) - Sean Erickson, Konrad Reeder and Scott Wray provided a goal and an assist apiece as the the host Rapid City Rush defeated the Quad City Mallards 5-1 Saturday night and ended the Mallards' ten-game (6-0-4) regulation unbeaten streak.

The Rush never looked back after ripping off the game's first three goals. Scott Brannon opened the scoring in a goalmouth scramble at 8:57 of the first period. The Rush lead stretched to 2-0 when Erickson drove the puck home from the right point at 15:52 of the first.

At 8:32 of the second period Reeder buried a rebound to give Rapid City a 3-0 advantage. The Mallards got on the scoreboard for the first time with Matt Duffy's blast from the right point at 15:33 of the second.

5:15 into the third period Eric Giosa reestablished the three goal Rapid City lead by pumping the rebound into the gaping net after Reeder hit the goal post. Wray capped off the evening by scoring from point blank range at 15:18 of the third.

With the win, the Rush earned a split of their two-game weekend series with the Mallards, who Friday night scored a 2-0 victory in Rapid City.

BOOK DETAILS

SOUTHWEST UFO TRIANGLE THEORY   by   Andrew Oien

ISBN:                     978-1-4349-3687-5     (hard copy).

eISBN:                    978-1-4349-3607-3     (e-book).

COPYRIGHT:         12 - 2013.

PAGES:                  121     (138 total). Including 55 color maps and photos.

WEB SITE:             http://www.ufotriangle.com/

BOOK ORDERS via Publisher

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http://dorrancebookstore.com/ or search under UFO.

dorrordr@dorrancepublishing.com book order info via email to Publisher.

BOOK ORDERS via OTHER BOOK SELLERS

This book will be made available to other book sellers by 12-20-13.

PUBLISHER CONTACT

DORRANCE PUBLISHING CO., INC.

701 SMITHFIELD ST.

PITTSBURGH, PA 15222

Publisher phone #'s:          800-834-1803 or    412-288-4543.

http://www.dorrancepublishing.com/ web site.

December 13, 2013

Washington, D.C. - Senators Joe Donnelly (D-IN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) today led a group of 31 senators in writing a letter to United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Michael Froman, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack about the importance of addressing barriers to market access for American pork producers in the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The senators noted the importance of exports to the economic well-being of U.S. pork producers and the U.S. economy as a whole, writing, "U.S. pork production supports an estimated 550,000 domestic jobs, around 110,000 of which are the direct result of exports. Pork exports now make an annual surplus contribution of nearly $5 billion to the overall U.S. trade balance."

Currently, there are numerous market access barriers for U.S. pork in countries participating in the TPP, such as Japan's complex system of tariffs.  These barriers limit the contributions U.S. pork exports can make to the U.S. economy.  The senators insisted to Ambassador Froman and Secretary Vilsack that, as part of the TPP agreement, all tariffs and non-tariff barriers on pork in TPP partner nations be eliminated.

A signed copy of the letter is available by clicking here. Full text of the letter follows.

December 13, 2013

Ambassador Michael Froman

Office of the United States Trade Representative

600 17th Street NW

Washington, DC 20508

Secretary Tom Vilsack

United States Department of Agriculture

1400 Independence Avenue SW

Washington, DC 20250

Dear Ambassador Froman and Secretary Vilsack:

We write to emphasize the importance of addressing market access barriers to U.S. pork exports in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

We know that you are both well aware how important exports are to the economic well-being of U.S. pork producers and the U.S. economy as a whole. U.S. pork production supports an estimated 550,000 domestic jobs, around 110,000 of which are the direct result of exports. Pork exports now make an annual surplus contribution of nearly $5 billion to the overall U.S. trade balance.

Around the world, however, numerous market access barriers exist that prevent pork exports from contributing even more to the domestic economy. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiation presents an important opportunity to open new markets to U.S. pork in the Asia-Pacific region, to expand several existing markets, and to establish a standard for all future trade agreements involving pork. The participants in the TPP negotiations represent significant markets for increased U.S. pork exports with the successful removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers.

Currently, U.S. pork producers encounter highly restrictive trade barriers that slow the growth of U.S. exports into a number of TPP participant countries. Japan, for example, maintains a complex system of tariffs that reduces the price and quality advantages of U.S. pork. Vietnam, in addition to burdensome administrative requirements, continues a reference price scheme on imported pork that raises the cost to import certain pork cuts above the market price. Furthermore, despite an existing bilateral trade agreement, Australia still uses non-tariff barriers to limit U.S. exports to either processed pork or frozen, boneless pork for further processing.

It is estimated that if tariffs and all non-tariff barriers are eliminated in each TPP nation, U.S. pork exports will grow by over 50 percent within 10 years of implementation. We strongly urge you to insist that all tariffs and non-tariff barriers on pork in TPP partner nations be eliminated as part of the TPP agreement.

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar

U.S. Senator Deb Fischer

U.S. Senator Tom Harkin
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt

U.S. Senator Carl Levin
U.S. Senator Pat Roberts

U.S. Senator Tim Johnson
U.S. Senator Mike Johanns

U.S. Senator Robert Casey
U.S. Senator Richard Burr

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin
U.S. Senator Rob Portman

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow
U.S. Senator Mark Kirk

U.S. Senator Mark Udall
U.S. Senator John Thune

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill
U.S. Senator John Barrasso

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown
U.S. Senator James Inhofe

U.S. Senator Richard Durbin
U.S. Senator John Cornyn

U.S. Senator Michael Bennet
U.S. Senator Tom Coburn

U.S. Senator Mark Pryor
U.S. Senator Patrick Toomey
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson
U.S. Senator Mike Lee

Q:        Will new leadership at the IRS fix the agency's recent problems?

A:        As the tax collector-in-chief for the federal treasury, the Internal Revenue Service and its commissioner bear a Herculean task to administer and enforce a tax code blanketing a nation of 300-plus million citizens.  Regrettably, the agency's efforts to uphold the public trust have fallen far short of heroism by any definition.  Considering its core mission is to serve the taxpaying public, the beleaguered agency has substantial fence-mending to tend to after a number of self-inflicted scandals.  These include the flagrant misuse of tax dollars for lavish conferences and repressive targeting of taxpayers during the 2010 and 2012 election cycles.  That extra scrutiny was directed towards groups seeking tax-exempt status and whose political views primarily differed from the current administration.  Now the IRS has proposed new rules that would impose new restrictions on political speech by these same tax-exempt social welfare organizations, while providing an exemption for tax-exempt labor unions.  The proposal ought to raise a red flag to all those interested in engaging and educating the public about elections. Throughout my decades of public service, I have worked to foster greater participation among the electorate, not less.  The next commissioner of the IRS should not allow the agency to undermine constitutional principles of free speech and civic engagement.

With its thicket of tax laws, rules and regulations covering individuals, households, businesses, non-profit charities and tax-exempt organizations, the federal agency by any measure has a tall order to fill.  Unfortunately, the IRS has flunked fundamental metrics of accountability and transparency.  In an era of federal deficits lined up as far as the eye can see, the IRS must work effectively to help close the fiscal gap through principles of good governance, sound stewardship of tax dollars and faithful execution of collecting taxes owed.  Due to its spate of scandals, the IRS now also must work to close the credibility gap with the taxpaying public.  Our system of voluntary compliance depends upon it.  During a recent congressional hearing held to vet the next IRS Commissioner, I used the opportunity to get the nominee's views and demeanor on the public record.  As we've learned from the botched rollout of the Affordable Care Act, style and substance matter.  It's critical to have a leader at the helm who will take a hands-on approach to trouble-shoot and address problems, not a feigned hands-off approach that believes ignorance somehow will whitewash incompetence.  As a senior lawmaker on the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, I will continue making good use of my constitutional oversight authority to hold the IRS accountable.  Considering our current fiscal challenges and the IRS' expansive new role to implement and enforce the Affordable Care Act, the IRS can expect regular check-ups from this U.S. Senator to restore integrity and service to the Internal Revenue Service.

Q:        What issues did you raise at the nomination hearing?

A:        For starters, I wanted to clear the air about a common misconception in Washington, D.C.  That is the mistaken notion that Washington knows best.  The Affordable Care Act provides a perfect illustration of this misguided belief.  The President's health care law redirects one-sixth of the U.S. economy and assigns vast new responsibilities to an already bloated federal bureaucracy.  As we witnessed on Oct. 1, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) exposed embarrassing incompetence after toiling for three and a half and spending hundreds of millions of tax dollars to create an infamously flawed website.  And not yet so visible to the public's eye is that the IRS will play a central role in administering the new health care law, such as issuing refundable tax credits to insurers that would offset the costs of insurance premiums and administering the employer and individual mandates and penalties.  Already the IRS has delayed for one year the employer mandate and reporting requirements for insurers and employers.  The IRS must still issue these regulations and install reliable software systems to determine eligibility and compliance.  In addition, the IRS confronts notorious challenges rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in improper payments under the Earned Income Tax Credit program.  In fact, the EITC improper payment rate has exceeded 20 percent for the last decade.  The Affordable Care Act has created yet another federal spigot from which to siphon tax dollars.  That's why it's even more important for the next IRS commissioner to welcome as many partners to the policy and enforcement table as possible.  Whistleblowers and private debt collection companies offer very useful tools to add to the IRS arsenal to collect taxes that are owed and to fight waste, fraud and abuse.  The IRS has been slow to take advantage of whistleblowers who highlight tax cheating, to my disappointment as the author of beefed-up whistleblower incentives.  Considering the IRS is taking on more responsibilities than ever before, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue needs all the help he can get.