Tuesday, November 15, 2011

With a deadline looming for the deficit reduction committee, lawmakers supporting The Wall Street Trading and Speculators Tax have sent a letter to the committee urging them to adopt their proposal.  The lawmakers, led by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR), outlined the revenue generating impact of their bill.  Analysis conducted by the Joint Committee on Taxation found that the Wall Street Trading and Speculators Tax Act introduced earlier this month will raise $352 billion over the time period of January 2013 through 2021. The Joint Tax Committee also estimated that the Act raises $218.6 billion in the last 5 years, on average over $43 billion per year.

"As you work to craft a comprehensive deficit reduction plan, we believe you should incorporate reasonable spending cuts and ask the wealthiest Americans and most profitable corporations to pay their fair share. However, we understand through media reports and talking to our colleagues that revenue options remain the largest challenge in your negotiations to obtain significant deficit reduction. We believe we have a viable revenue option that deserves serious consideration," wrote the lawmakers. "Given the extraordinary profitability of Wall Street banks while the rest of the economy is suffering, there is no question that Wall Street can easily bear this modest tax. In fact, while Wall Street lobbyists will express great concern with our proposal, they will not tell you that the European Union is considering a similar proposal, but with a tax rate that is more than three times higher."

The Wall Street Trading and Speculators Tax places a small tax of three basis points (3 pennies on $100 in value) on most non-consumer financial trading including stocks, bonds and other debts, except for their initial issuance.  For example, if a company receives a loan from a financial company, that transaction would not be taxed.  But, if the financial institution traded the debt, the trade would be subject to the tax.  The tax would also cover all derivative contracts, options, forward contracts, swaps and other complex instruments at their actual cost.  The measure excludes debt that has an original term of less than 100 days.  

The full text of the letter can be found here.

Senate Judiciary Committee Oversight Hearing with Attorney General Eric Holder, Nov. 8, 2011

 

U.S. Guns in Mexico

 

Attorney General Holder: "[O]f the nearly 94,000 [weapons] that have been recovered that have been traced in Mexico in recent years, over 64,000 of those guns were sourced to the United States of America; 64,000 of 94,000 guns sourced to this country."

FACT

The definition of a "U.S. source gun" used in these often cited statistics was not created by the ATF and is overly broad.  It includes guns manufactured in the United States even if never sold by a federally licensed gun dealer in the United States.  Such weapons may have been legally exported to foreign governments or stolen before falling into the wrong hands.  That cannot be properly blamed on Americans exercising their Second Amendment freedoms.

According to ATF statistics, of the 21,313 guns submitted for tracing by the government of Mexico in 2009, only 5,444 of them (25 percent) traced back to federally licensed gun dealers in the United States.  Similarly, in 2010, of 7,971 guns submitted for tracing by the government of Mexico, only 2,945 (37 percent) traced back to federally licensed gun dealers in the U.S.

The reason for the large disparity between the overall numbers of guns submitted in those two years is that in late 2009, the government of Mexico provided the United States with a large list of guns it had been stockpiling for years.  Accordingly, 2009's numbers do not reflect guns that were seized exclusively in 2009, but rather for a number of the preceding years.

Additionally, any statistics on the percentage of such guns tracing back to the United States are further skewed because of selection bias.  As it has been widely noted, the government of Mexico only provides guns to the United States for tracing that they already have reason to believe originated here.  There is no reason to submit for tracing guns that are known to originate in Mexico.

In a November 8, 2011, court filing, the Chief of ATF's Firearms Operations Division made a declaration that "in 2008, of the approximately 30,000 firearms that the Mexican Attorney General's Office informed ATF that it had seized, only 7,200, or one quarter of those firearms, were submitted to ATF for tracing."  Based on these statistics, it's clear that the total sample of guns submitted for tracing is not representative of all the guns found in Mexico, and there isn't evidence that the other 75 percent of those guns were sold in a U.S. gun store.

Documents related to the FACTS.

Contributions made through December 31, 2011 can be deducted from 2011 state taxes.

DES MOINES, IA (11/15/2011)(readMedia)-- State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald has a simple solution for the gift-giving dilemmas that are usually associated with the holiday season. "Instead of trying to put together a wish list of toys that will soon be lost in your children's closet, invite the special people in your life to give one of the most meaningful gifts a child may ever receive - help toward paying for a college education," stated Fitzgerald. "Opening a College Savings Iowa account has two-fold benefits, not only are you helping a child prepare for his/her future education, but you can take advantage of the tax benefits as well. It's the perfect gift!"

College Savings Iowa lets anyone - parents, grandparents, friends and relatives - contribute towards college costs on behalf of a child. Iowa taxpayers contributing to College Savings Iowa can deduct up to $2,865 per account from their state taxable income in 2011.* To take advantage of this great tax-savings opportunity, investors can contribute online at www.collegesavingsiowa.com. All other contributions must be submitted by December 31, 2011. If the contribution is being mailed, checks must be postmarked by December 31, 2011. For more information about College Savings Iowa, call 888-672-9116 or visit collegesavingsiowa.com.

Ugift® - Make giving college savings easier

"When you're saving for college, you need all of the help you can get. That's why College Savings Iowa is pleased to offer the Ugift® service to plan participants," stated Fitzgerald. This easy-to-use service allows participants to invite family and friends to celebrate a child's milestones by contributing to his or her College Savings Iowa account.

To learn more, participants can log on to their existing College Savings Iowa accounts and click on the Ugift logo or go to www.collegesavingsiowa.com and click on Plan Details. Then click on Ugift FAQs under the Plan Details section.

* Adjusted annually for inflation. If withdrawals are not qualified, the deductions must be added back to Iowa taxable income.

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Author: Stephanie Walsh, M.D., Medical Director, Child Wellness, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

The Thanksgiving holiday season is a wonderful time of the year filled with family, friends and of course, food. While the spirit of Thanksgiving is to give thanks for all that we have, the holiday has become increasingly focused on food and eating. There's no harm in enjoying a meal with your family on Thanksgiving, but it's important to remember that the purpose of the holiday is not simply to over-eat.

Childhood obesity continues to be a threatening epidemic in Georgia. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is continuing to see cases of obesity at all three of its hospitals. The consequences of obesity on children include health issues that are typically seen only in adults, such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, joint problems and high cholesterol. Strong4Life aims to help families take small steps that add up to big changes to help prevent or reverse the consequences of obesity.

Thankfully, there are a lot of ways you can make this Thanksgiving a healthier one for the whole family. Strong4Life helps families bring together four essential building blocks every kid needs to be healthy - Eat Right, Be Active, Get Support and Have Fun. You don't have to take a break from trying to be healthy just because it's the holidays; instead, try incorporating one or two of the tips below into your family's holiday routine:

Eat Right

  • Try to incorporate more whole fruits and vegetables into your Thanksgiving meal; you'll save on the calories that are often added to fruits and vegetables to make heavy casseroles.
  • Serve water with sliced lemon or lime with your Thanksgiving meal instead of sugary beverages like lemonade, alcohol and sweet tea. You'll get more flavor with less sugar and calories.

Be Active

  • Leading up to Thanksgiving, encourage your family to spend one less hour in front of the television and one more hour of physical activity per day to help offset the extra calories consumed on Thanksgiving Day.
  • On Thanksgiving Day, consider leaving the T.V. and computers off all day so your family will have more opportunities to be active.

Get Support

  • Sometimes, overindulging at the holidays can lead to eating unhealthy all of the time. Try to recognize when your family's holiday eating has become an unhealthy habit and work together as a family to make better choices.
  • If you are concerned about childhood obesity, talk to your healthcare provider about more steps your family can take to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Have Fun

  • Play a game of touch football, Frisbee or kickball after the Thanksgiving meal to help everyone feel energized rather than lethargic.
  • Promote "play time" and encourage activities that are fun and physical such as hop-scotch, jumping rope, tag or hide-and-go-seek.

Remember that parents serve as role models for their children, so make sure your actions are ones that you would want your children to follow. By making a few simple changes, your whole family can enjoy a healthy and happy Thanksgiving!

New survey reveals a statistical tie with Herman
Cain?and that Dr. Paul's support is unwavering
LAKE JACKSON, Texas - 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul polls well within the margin of error at first place and has an unusually loyal following that is unlikely to switch to another candidate, according to a new Bloomberg News poll.

Paul polls at a strong 19 percent while pizza baron Herman Cain polls at 20 percent, making the first in the nation race a statistical tie.  The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points and was surveyed during November 10th to 12th

Mitt Romney polls at 18 percent and Newt Gingrich at 17 percent among the likely caucus goers, while Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann earned just 7 and 5 percent, respectively.  A mere 3 and 1 percent of respondents, respectively, chose Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman.

Poll highlights favorable to Dr. Paul include the following points:
  • Among likely caucus-goers who say their decision is final, Paul leads with 32 percent, followed by Romney and Gingrich at 25  and 17 percent, respectively; and
  • Among Paul supporters who backed him in the 2008 caucuses, an impressive 69 percent of those who backed Paul's bid for the presidency in 2008 still support him now; and
  • Paul's campaign leads all other campaigns in voter contact, with about two thirds of respondents saying they've heard from his campaign.
The Bloomberg News poll follows a recent CNN/TIME/ORC poll showing that Paul polls among the top three in the key early voting state in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, and that concerning Iowa, Paul's support is growing along with the changing nature of the field.

"The Bloomberg News poll reveals that Ron Paul is a top contender in the key early voting state of Iowa, which helps determine who will win the Republican nomination for the presidency," said Ron Paul 2012 National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton.

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The Iowa Podiatric Medical Society membership elected one new director and re-elected two directors at the 2011 Annual Business Meeting that was recently held in Des Moines. Mica Murdoch, D.P.M., Des Moines was elected as a new director and Mindi Feilmeier, D.P.M., Spirit Lake and Greg McCarthy, D.P.M., Sioux City were both re-elected to a three-year term on the board.

Paul Dayton, D.P.M., Fort Dodge, was elected President of the IPMS Board of Directors. Mark Lucas, D.P.M., Bettendorf was elected as Vice-President, and Greg McCarthy, D.P.M., Sioux City, was elected as Secretary-Treasurer of the IPMS Board of Directors.

Current Board Members include : Gregg Corrigan, D.P.M., Davenport; Christopher Considine, D.P.M., Waterloo; James Mahoney, D.P.M., Des Moines; Gene Nassif, D.P.M., Marion, Past-President; Philip Morreale, D.P.M., Waterloo; Michael Ward, D.P.M., Dubuque; and Tim Yoho, D.P.M., Des Moines.

The Iowa Podiatric Medical Society (IPMS) is the professional organization representing over 135 medical and surgical specialists of the foot and ankle, located throughout the state of Iowa. Doctors of Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M.) are physicians and surgeons who provide comprehensive services ranging from routine foot care to sophisticated foot surgery. Doctors of Podiatric Medicine are also involved in examining and treating patients diagnosed with diabetes, and those at risk for the disease, to assist them in avoiding possible complications, such as foot ulcers and amputations.

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Nov 15, 2011 – Based on data from insurance giant State Farm, more cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year. In fact, grease and cooking-related claims more than double on Thanksgiving Day compared to an average day in November.
With the popularity of turkey frying increasing, more people than ever are at risk for fryer related fires and injuries. U.S. fire departments are responding to more than 1,000 fires each year in which a deep fryer is involved. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says deep fryer fires result in more than $15 million in property damage each year and hot oil splatter can cause serious burns to an adult or life threatening injuries to a child.
According to State Farm Insurance claims data, the top 10 states for grease and cooking-related claims on Thanksgiving Day (2005-2010) are as follows:
  1. Texas                       36
  2. Illinois                       24
  3. Ohio                          21
  4. New York                  17
  5. Pennsylvania             17
  6. Michigan                    15
  7. Florida                       14
  8. Minnesota                  14
  9. Indiana                      13
  10. Louisiana                   12
Most turkey fryer fires are preventable. Recognizing common mistakes is a critical step in reducing your risk of a fire or potentially fatal burns.
  • More than one-third of fires involving a fryer start in a garage or patio. Cook outdoors at a safe distance from any buildings or trees and keep the fryer off any wooden structures, such as a deck or patio.
  • Avoid a hot oil spill over by first filling the pot with cold oil and then lower the thawed turkey into the pot to determine how much oil should be either added or removed.
  • Shut off the fuel source or flame when adding the turkey to the hot oil to prevent a dangerous flare-up if oil does spill over the rim.
  • Make sure your turkey is properly thawed before lowering it slowly into the pot.
  • Never leave a hot turkey fryer unattended.
  • Do not use ice or water to cool down oil or extinguish an oil fire.
  • Keep an extinguisher approved for cooking or grease fire nearby.
To warn people about the dangers of turkey fryers, State Farm has teamed up with actor William Shatner to produce a short video dramatizing an actual accident where the celebrity was burned in a turkey fryer mishap on Thanksgiving.  Viewers of the video are encouraged to support "Shatner's Fryers Club" by simply liking or commenting on the video and agreeing to stay safe when frying or cooking turkey.
(Davenport, Iowa) The focus of the "Teacher Institute on Holocaust Study" is the Holocaust and the keynote speaker is author, Howard Reich. Heist traveled across the United States and Eastern Europe to uncover why his 76 year old mother believes the world is conspiring to kill her. He claims his mother is reliving the Holocaust six decades later. As he put it--she is once again a 9 year old girl in the small Polish village of Dubno, struggling to survive the Holocaust. His book is called, The Final Nightmare of Sonia Reich: A Son's Memoir. Reich says her mother has PTSD.  There have been thousands of Holocaust stories, but this angle--PTSD--is new.The paperback version of the book just came out and a film, with the same title, is playing on PBS nationally throughout this year.

The teacher institute is being held on November 17th at the Rogalski Center St. Ambrose University in Davenport from 3:30 pm until 7:15pm. Reich will be speaking from 4:30 pm until 5:15 pm. This is the first year the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities is holding the Institute in Iowa.

The Teacher Institute on Holocaust Study is sponsored by the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities, the Holocaust Education Committee of the Greater Quad Cities, and the Rauch Family Foundation II. Additional sponsors this year include St. Ambrose University and the Doris and Victor Day Foundation. The goal of the Teacher's Institute is to help provide the tools that teachers need in order to be able to teach the Holocaust in the classroom and how it relates to events today. You do not have to a teacher to attend.  Organizers are hoping for 100 attendees. Graduate credit option available for Illinois and Iowa teachers through Aurora University or Drake University.

WHAT: Teachers' Institute on Holocaust Study

WHEN: November 17, 2011 3:30 pm until 7:15 pm

WHERE: St. Ambrose University Rogalski Center Ballroom

WHO: Author, Howard Reich





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SPRINGFIELD, IL (11/14/2011)(readMedia)-- Living History Detachment and period actors portray World War I life and combat

Story by Sgt. James D. Sims, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

SPRINGFIELD - The silence was broken by gun shots and shouts in German and English, a once empty field is now a trench battlefield outlined with mines and barbwire with Soldiers fighting in the middle of it all.

This is no modern battlefield, but rather scenes in history reenacted to preserve significant moments in the history of the Illinois National Guard in the "Great War" during the Veterans' Day weekend.

The Illinois State Military Museum in Springfield and Lincoln Land Community College sponsored an event called the "Great War" encampment Nov. 12 and 13 to tell the story of the First World War.

Members of the Living History Detachment along with other period re-enactors came together to reenact the living conditions and methods of fighting from nearly a century ago during the two-day event.

"The Illinois National Guard's 33rd Division and the 370th Infantry played major roles in several of the battles in World War I," said retired Illinois National Guard Brig. Gen. Stewart Reeve, the director of the Illinois State Military Museum. "The actions and valor of the 33rd were renowned throughout Europe during the war. The "Great War" encampment preserves the legacy of yesterday's veterans for today's generation."

This was the second Great War Encampment this year, said Reeve. The first was held March 5 and 6.

"It was a good event that not only educated people about World War I, but it was another opportunity for the public to become acquainted with the Museum and the history of the Illinois National Guard," said Reeve.

The encampment told the story of Illinois National Guard Soldiers out on the field and provided education on the impact of the Great War on Sangamon County and Illinois.

"With the 100th anniversary of the Great War coming up shortly and the passing of the last American World War I veteran, Frank Buckles, in February of this year we wanted to create an event to educate the public more about the great war," said Hellar Armbruster of Springfield, a former member of the Illinois Army National Guard, now a period re-enactor and the event coordinator.

"The two-day event was not only outdoors but in the museum with Professor Chris McDonald of Lincoln Land Community College giving lectures on the Great War as well as several displays and the 33rd Division film that was done in 1918," said Armbruster.

McDonald, a professor of Political Science at Lincoln Land Community College, said the similarities between the mission statements from the 33rd Division in World War I and the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team's (IBCT) recent deployment to Afghanistan were so similar he put together a presentation paralleling the two events with side-by-side photos of the training, departure and interaction with the local civilians from both wars nearly 100 years apart.

"I have several friends who were in the 33rd that deployed to Afghanistan. This is a kind of

connection to that as well as getting the opportunity to show people what history was like and the experience of living it myself," said Jeremiah Wayne Brady of Georgetown, a chemist and period re-enactor portraying a German Soldier.

According to historical 33rd Division documents Maj. Gen. George Bell Jr., received the following telegram from Gen. Henry Rawlinson of the British Army:

"Am anxious to express to you, General Bell, and to all ranks of the 33rd (Illinois) Division, my warm thanks for the gallant part taken by part of your division in the attack at Hamel and Vaire Wood on Independence Day. I hear nothing but praise of the manner in which your units fought the enemy and my only regret is that I was not permitted to employ a larger portion of your fine division. Perhaps later on there may be another opportunity."

Following the 33rd IBCT's deployment to Afghanistan in 2008 to 2009, the unit suffered 18 casualties and returned with more than 4,600 total awards including 66 Purple Hearts and accolades from several Coalition Forces. Almost a hundred years prior The 33rd Division endured almost 1,000 casualties and 5,871 wounded, and is also credited with nine Medals of Honor.

Among the Medal of Honor recipients was Johannes S. Anderson of Chicago.

According to the Medal of Honor citation, while Anderson's company was being held up by intense artillery and machine gun fire, 1st Sgt. Anderson, without aid, voluntarily left the company and worked his way to the rear of the machine gun nest that was offering the most stubborn resistance. His advance was made through an open area and under constant hostile fire, but the mission was successfully accomplished, and he not only silenced the gun and captured it, but also brought back with him 23 prisoners.

Pablo Baum, a living historian, from Mexico, Mo., portrayed Gen. John Pershing. He gave two short speeches and participated in a re-enactment of the presentation of the Medal of Honor to Anderson.

More than 1.5 million individuals served from Illinois in WWI, totaling almost 7 percent of the U.S. forces. There were more than 4,000 casualties from Illinois forces alone.

"The encampment event allowed us to honor the heroics of Illinois National Guard World War I veterans on this Veterans' day weekend," said Reeve. "It is with the sacrifice of yesterday's heroes that make the Illinois National Guard and this nation what it is."

Photo 1) Photo by Sgt. James D. Sims, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/ The Illinois State Military History Museum in Springfield hosted the "Great War" encampment displaying living conditions and combat skirmishes from World War I Nov.12 and 13. Depicted here is Germans Soldiers capturing Allied Soldiers after attacking their trench.

photo 2) Photo by Sgt. James D. Sims, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/ The Illinois State Military History Museum in Springfield hosted the "Great War" encampment displaying living conditions and combat skirmishes from World War I Nov. 12 and 13. Jeremiah Wayne Brady of Georgetown, a chemist and period actor portrays a German Soldier manning a machinegun position.

photo 3) Photo by Sgt. James D. Sims, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/ The Illinois State Military History Museum in Springfield hosted the "Great War" encampment displaying living conditions and combat skirmishes from World War I Nov. 12 and 13. Period re-enactors interacted with the visitors who came to observe the static displays and skirmishes as well as lectures covering World War I.

Senate Judiciary Committee Oversight Hearing with Attorney General Eric Holder, Nov. 8, 2011

·           Senator Grassley: "Who will be held accountable for allowing a letter to Congress with a statement that many people in the Justice Department knew was false?

Attorney General Holder: "Well again I - I have to dispute, with due respect, the assertion that people in the Justice Department knew it was false."

·           Attorney General Holder to Senator Cornyn: "February the 4th, the information that was contained in that letter was thought to be accurate.  It wasn't until sometime after that that we had a sense that the information was not, in fact, accurate.  So it wasn't as if the date upon which we knew the information was inaccurate was on February the 4th."

·           Senator Lee: "And - and you've reiterated several times that people within the Department of Justice believed that the initial statements denying knowledge of Fast and Furious were accurate.  They believed they were accurate.  Obviously these were some people and not all people, right?  Because clearly some people knew.

Attorney General Holder: "Exactly."

FACT

On November 1, 2011, Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer admitted in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism that he knew the statement in the February 4th letter to Senator Grassley was absolutely false.  Mr. Breuer had admitted in a statement issued the day before, on October 31, 2011, that gunwalking in a case known as Operation Wide Receiver was brought to his attention in April 2010.  Documents produced by the Justice Department show that in addition to Mr. Breuer, his Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jason Weinstein, leadership within the Gang Unit of the department's Criminal Division, and various Gang Unit prosecutors were also aware that guns had been walked in Operation Wide Receiver.  Thus, many senior officials at Justice Department headquarters clearly knew that it was false to assert that "ATF makes every effort to interdict weapons that have been purchased illegally" ? because they at least knew that ATF had walked guns in Wide Receiver.  Correspondence that has been produced in response to Freedom of Information Act requests makes clear that the Criminal Division reviewed the February 4 letter multiple times before it was sent to Senator Grassley.

 

Further, as a follow-up to the letter, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Weinstein conducted a widely-attended briefing on February 10, 2011 for staff of Senate Judiciary Committee members.  In that briefing, Mr. Weinstein did not disclose the gunwalking to staff, and clearly left the impression that they stood by the Justice Department's Feb. 4 denial of the whistleblowers allegations, even though he was the same individual who brought gunwalking to Mr. Breuer's attention nine months earlier in April 2010.

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