DAVENPORT, IA - February 9, 2012 - Midland Communications, the region's leading technology provider, is helping small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) reposition their communications infrastructure to increase their profitably during an office expansion or relocation. In 2012 many companies have paused to reflect and reevaluate their business from all angles. Convergence has led many business owners to rely heavily on highly qualified technology providers to ensure a smooth transition of phone systems, data networks and other technologies during a strategic relocation. Midland Communications is well positioned to actively support the complex needs of its customers during this type of transition.
With an abundance of technology providers in the marketplace, a business owner's first challenge is to select the right technology provider. There are companies that are strong in either voice or data, but most lack both skill sets. However, Midland Communications is unique in that it has expertise in both voice and data communications which enables them to provide benefits that far exceed those of their competition. Midland Communications is a true Managed Service Providers (MSPs), with certified voice and data experts who have years of experience in the industry.
Midland Communications differentiates itself by providing high-level consultation to ensure that pre-installation, installation, and post-installation all runs smoothly. "As a company, we take a global approach to understand our customers' business communications and IT needs and we utilize sophisticated tools to ensure proper implementation," commented Jason Smith, Vice President of Midland Communications. "Attention to detail and clear communication is the only way to ensure that the technology investment provides you with a competitive advantage and increases overall profitability."
Midland Communications deploys Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and leverages an innovative Current Technology Assurance Plan (C-TAP) which continually equips the customer with new technology while simultaneously protecting them from obsolescence and unforeseen cost. When a business moves into a new location the need for additional hardware and software oftentimes becomes glaringly apparent, and C-TAP customers are able to add new technology without incurring any additional cost. Keeping the customer at the latest state of technology is at the forefront of Midland Communications' mission, so long as the technology enhances productivity and increases bottom-line profitability.

ABOUT MIDLAND COMMUNICATIONS

Midland Communications began more than 60 years ago in 1946 as the Worldwide Marketing Arm of Victor-Animagraph Projectors. In 1977 a communications division was formed due to a partnership with NEC America. Today, As a distributor of NEC America, for 33 years, Midland Communications has a customer base of more than 3,000 satisfied customers that include general businesses, government agencies, Universities, colleges, hospitals, and hotels.
Midland provides a wide range of communication services including VOIP, PBX and key systems, Wide Area and Local Area networking, computers, Computer integration, voice mail, CCIS, and video conferencing and paging systems. Our philosophy is simple, provide quality products at a fair price, backed by an average emergency response time of twenty minutes, and the best service in the industry. For more information on Midland Communications, call (563) 326-1237 or visit www.midlandcom.com.


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Companion Legislation Introduced Today in the Senate

Washington, DC - Congressmen Aaron Schock (IL-18) and Bobby Schilling (IL-17) last week introduced the 1099K Overreach Prevention Act, which will prohibit the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from implementing a new tax reporting requirement that would have far reaching implications for small business owners nationwide.  Companion legislation was introduced today in the Senate by Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA).

"This is an unnecessary IRS requirement that will only lead to more accounting headaches for businesses. My concern is that the IRS is asking for flawed information from small businesses by requiring them to reconcile their internal numbers with that of third party entities," said Congressman Schock. "When you take into consideration all of the types of merchant transactions that occur between a customer and a small business all this adds up to unnecessary administrative costs, a new accounting burden, and more time away from growing their business. At a time when there is still record unemployment, adding another job killing regulation on small businesses is not the right solution."

"As a small businessperson, I've seen the impact of government red-tape and paperwork firsthand.  When I speak to fellow small business owners, I frequently hear that they are burdened with a lot of complicated paperwork that is difficult and time-consuming to navigate," said Congressman Schilling. "For small companies, the cost of tax compliance is already $1,584 a year.  It is wrong to weigh down the very folks we are asking to put Americans back to work and lead us into economic recovery."

The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 requires the IRS to collect a new document known as a 1099K from third party payment entities, such as credit card companies. The 1099K will show all credit transactions within a merchants business for a given year. Unfortunately, the IRS is using the 1099K to add additional burdens on small business tax forms by requiring them to reconcile this report with the merchants own internal numbers, which was NOT the original intent of the law.

Customers asking for cash back, returning merchandise bought on credit for cash, or collecting the deposits for rentals can all lead to discrepancies when reconciliation occurs.  As many small businesses don't have the specialized accounting software, bookkeeping technology, time, or personnel to cross reference and reconcile their own internal numbers with third party generated numbers, this reconciliation requirement increases the accounting workload and costs for small businesses.

The 1099K Overreach Prevention Act prevents the IRS from using the 1099K data to require new reconciliatory calculations on the part of the small business, returning this provision to the intent of the law when it was enacted.

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More than $1 Billion in Mortgage Relief for Illinois Families

CHICAGO - February 9, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today announced that Illinois mortgage regulators have joined with their counterparts across the country to accept the terms of a national settlement with five of the nation's largest banks. Under the settlement, more than $1 billion will go to help struggling Illinois homeowners and those affected by improper foreclosures.

The settlement will provide direct assistance to distressed homeowners, including helping them to change the terms or payments of their mortgages so they can stay in their homes. The settlement will also provide monetary awards to families who lost their homes due to faulty foreclosure proceedings, and will reform the mortgage servicing practices that led to the problems faced by tens of thousands of Illinois families.

"Over the past years, we've seen how the flawed mortgage financial system has hurt Illinois families, and I want to thank Attorney General Lisa Madigan for her advocacy on this issue," Governor Quinn said. "This settlement will help those most affected by the housing crisis, and will establish new rules for mortgage lending that will be easier to understand and enforce."

The settlement significantly eases the way for families to modify the terms of their mortgages. For families that are at risk of default, money has been set aside to help reduce the principal balance on the loan and reduce monthly mortgage payments.

The settlement also provides direct help to homeowners who owe more on their mortgage than the current value of their homes. The banks will also allocate funds to reduce the principal balance, approve short-sales (where the property is sold for less than the balance on the mortgage, with the bank's approval) and allow for unemployed payment forbearance, which defers payments for homeowners who are between jobs. Under the terms of the settlement, the five lenders are barred from starting foreclosure proceedings on mortgage loans while the homeowner is in negotiations on loan a modification.

The State's Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) is responsible for overseeing the activities of mortgage lenders and servicing companies. It has aggressively targeted mortgage fraud and sloppy or illegal loan processing and servicing. The settlement also includes $1 million for the state agency that will be used by IDFPR to continue its ongoing investigative and enforcement work.

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Rock Island, IL...Recently Caterpillar Inc. turned down Silvis, Illinois for a plant location citing, "concerns about the business climate and overall fiscal health of the state of Illinois."* Jonathan Wallace, candidate for State Representative, released the following statement regarding Caterpillar's decision to rule out Illinois for future plants:

 

"First a tax increase, then a credit downgrade, and now a major job creator tells it like it is: Illinois has a toxic policy environment for job creation. We need to stymie the tide of failing business confidence by electing leaders who actively engage and cultivate the growth of business, small and large.

 

"We need to hold our elected officials in Springfield accountable for this loss. Another lost business opportunity can be added to State Rep. Pat Verschoore's extensive record of poor policies. It's time for a new era of leadership in Illinois for the sake of job creation and the next generation."

 

*Caterpillar rules out Silvis and other Illinois sites for plant; reasons include business climate, Dispatch Argus, February 8, 2012.

 

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Washington, DC - On the very day the Administration expressed "no opinion" about whether the Senate should pass a budget, Congressman Bobby Schilling (IL-17) joined with the majority of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle in supporting bipartisan efforts to reform the budgeting process. 

"Neither side of the aisle is blameless for the fiscal crisis we are in, and both are responsible for guiding us out of it," Schilling said.  "The current budgeting process is neither transparent nor accurate, and - if you take a look at the 1,015 days since the Senate last passed a budget - hardly mandatory. 

"The fact of the matter is that we are in a spending-driven crisis with a national debt of more than $15 trillion.   We will be unable to get ourselves out of it unless we seriously develop a credible plan to get our fiscal house in order, grow our economy, and get Americans back to work.  The House has passed more than 25 bipartisan jobs bills that are currently stalled in the Senate and I am pleased to support these two budget reform bills, continuing to fundamentally change how Washington does business and end its spending addiction once and for all."

Schilling this week voted in favor of H.R. 3521, the Expedited Legislative Line-Item Veto and Rescissions Act, put forth by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).  This bill would give the president authority to identify reductions in spending provisions within an appropriations bill, which would only take effect if legislation was passed by an up-or-down vote in both chambers of Congress.  Each dollar of savings from the rescission would be devoted to deficit reduction.  Schilling yesterday supported H.R. 3581, the Budget and Accounting Transparency Act, which would  increase transparency and accuracy in budgeting for federal credit programs, the housing-related government sponsored enterprises, and the publication of budget-justification materials.  More information on these bills can be found on the House Budget Committee's website.

In addition to introducing the Govern Before Going Home resolution in 2011, Schilling has cosponsored the H.R. 3643, the No Budget, No Pay Act, which would prohibit Members of Congress from getting paid should they miss deadlines for annual budget and appropriations bills, and ensures that missed pay could not be recouped retroactively.

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Washington, DC - Congressman Bobby Schilling (IL-17) released the following statement upon Caterpillar Inc.'s announcement that it will not be building its new North American plant in the state of Illinois:

"Caterpillar's announcement, though certainly disappointing, is not at all surprising.  As a small business owner myself, I understand Caterpillar's concerns about Illinois' unfriendly business climate.  With nearly 10 percent of Illinoisans searching for work, we simply cannot afford any more missed opportunities.  If nothing else, this decision must serve as a wakeup call  for our state legislators.  Our state can fix this, but it is long past time to change course.  We need leaders in Springfield to speak out, guide our state out of this mess, and work to create an environment that invites companies to build their businesses here and hire the unemployed men and women of Illinois."

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Washington, DC - Along with Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-32), Congressman Bobby Schilling (IL-17) today introduced the bipartisan Building Better Business Partnerships Act.  The bill, which is part of the House Committee on Small Business contracting reform initiative, is intended to help remove bureaucratic impediments for small contractors wishing to do business with the federal government.

Small businesses have proven that they can perform a service or produce goods for the government at a lower cost and often at a faster pace than their larger counterparts, however - as illustrated in this CNBC piece, "Fifth Time's a Charm: Winning a Government Contract" - too many challenges remain for too many businesspeople seeking to break through the bureaucracy. 

Rep. Schilling said, "As a small business owner, I understand that many federal programs intended to help businesses are ultimately too time consuming or onerous to navigate.  Unfortunately, many mentor-protégé programs are no different.  The Building Better Business Partnerships Act would streamline the contracting process, and place the SBA in charge of overseeing and setting standards for mentor-protégé programs based on what we know works.  This bill also adds transparency to the program by requiring the SBA to report on the number of small businesses participating in each program, including the number of those that are women-owned, disadvantaged, HUBZone, or service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.  This will help all small businesses to more easily and more effectively contract with the federal government, enabling them to grow, create jobs, and get folks back to work."

Mentor-protégé programs are intended to partner small businesses with established mentors in order to improve the small business' ability to win and perform on contracts and subcontracts, but the 13 federal agency programs lack standardized measures of success and are duplicative.  This creates an unnecessary paperwork burden for participants.  The Building Better Business Partnerships Act allows the Small Business Administration (SBA) to oversee civilian agency mentor-protégé programs in order to promote portability of agreements between the agencies, guarantee that the programs benefit small businesses, and ensure that the mentor-protégé agreement doesn't inadvertently harm the protégé's small business status.  It also encourages equal treatment among small businesses (women- and minority-owned, etc) by authorizing the SBA to have mentor-protégé programs for all small businesses. 

"I hear one question over and over again from small businesses: How do I break into federal contracting?" said Rep. Chu, Ranking Member on the Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce.  "With annual spending averaging $500 billion, there is no better way for small businesses to expand during these tough times than through federal contracts.  Unfortunately, only 20 percent of that spending is going to small businesses right now.   The Building Better Businesses Partnership Act of 2012 will help small firms break into federal contracting by making it easier for them to join mentor-protégé programs. Helping small businesses win contracts will help put Americans back to work, and with two out of every three jobs coming from small businesses, this bill will help the true driving force behind America's economy."

As part of the Committee's contracting initiative, two other bipartisan pieces of legislation were introduced today with the goal of creating protections to fight contracting fraud and empowering advocates who fight for small business during the federal acquisition process.  More information on the Committee's initiative can be found here on the Committee's website.

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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley said today that he is concerned that President Obama doesn't understand the difficulty that many high-skilled American workers are facing as they look for employment.

In a letter to the President, Grassley notes that the President seemed surprised about the employment struggles of high-skilled Americans when he learned during an online conversation with Jennifer Wedel whose husband, a  semiconductor engineer, had been out of work for three years.

Grassley said the administration's recent policy changes affecting foreign students and spouses of H-1B visa holders puts American workers at a disadvantage.  Instead, Grassley said that President Obama should support his H-1B reform legislation that will help ensure high-skilled Americans are given the first opportunity to compete for jobs.

Grassley's H-1B visa reform legislation would help to root out fraud and abuse in the program.  The legislation makes reforms to increase enforcement, modify wage requirements and ensure protection for visa holders and American workers.  The bill does not eliminate the program or change the numerical cap of visas available to petitioning employers.  The legislation has been introduced in previous congresses by Grassley and Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois.

 

Here's a copy of the text of Grassley's letter to the President.  A signed copy can be found here.

 

February 7, 2012

 

President Barack Obama

The White House

Washington, D.C. 20500

 

Dear Mr. President:

I read with interest news reports about your Google Plus "hangout" on January 30th, specifically your conversation with Ms. Jennifer Wedel.  Ms. Wedel told of her husband's personal struggle in trying to find employment despite the fact that he has an engineering degree and over ten years of experience.  She expressed concern that the government continues to distribute H-1B visas at a time of record unemployment.

I was surprised to learn that you responded to Ms. Wedel by saying "industry tells me that they don't have enough highly skilled engineers."  You also said that "the word we're getting is that somebody in that kind of high-tech field, that kind of engineer, should be able to find something right away."  You said there's a huge demand for engineers across the country, with which Ms. Wedel seemed to take issue.  Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) would also suggest otherwise.  According to the BLS, the unemployment rate for electrical engineers rose 3.7% from 2006 to 2010.

Your response to Ms. Wedel leads me to believe that you don't understand the plight of many unemployed high-skill Americans.  Mr. Wedel's situation is all too common.  Thousands of qualified Americans remain out of work while companies are incentivized to import foreign workers.  I'm concerned that you're hearing only one side of the story -- from businesses who claim that there are better and brighter people abroad.

Despite your online chat and interest in investigating the problem, just last week, your administration proposed rules to "attract and retain highly skilled immigrants."  The Department of Homeland Security will expand the eligibility for foreign students to stay in the U.S. under the Optional Practical Training program.  This program does not have U.S. worker protections, nor does it require that employers pay prevailing wages to these foreign students/employees.  Your administration will also provide work authorizations to spouses of H-1B visa holders, thus increasing the competition for many Americans who are looking for work.   It's astonishing that, at this time of record unemployment, your administration's solution is to grant more work authorizations to foreign workers.  These initiatives will do very little to boost our economy or increase our competitiveness.

Nevertheless, I'm encouraged by your statement that "The H1-B should be reserved only for those companies who say they cannot find somebody in that particular field."  I have long believed that it's not unreasonable to ask businesses to first determine if there are qualified Americans to fill vacant positions.  It seems you may agree with this premise.

Therefore, I strongly encourage you to endorse legislation that I have cosponsored with Senator Durbin in the past.  Our bill, which has been included in various comprehensive immigration reform proposals, warrants your leadership.  With your help, we can reform the H-1B visa program and ensure that Americans like Mr. Wedel are on equal footing with foreign workers who are flooding the market.

While I'm glad that Mr. Wedel has been contacted by many employers since your online discussion took place, there are many more highly skilled Americans that need our help and attention.  I hope you'll work with me to make changes to the H-1B visa program on behalf of all these Americans.

I appreciate your consideration of my views.

 

Sincerely,

Charles E. Grassley

United States Senator
2 Specialists Share Tips for Getting Your Message Across

There's a bright spot in the U.S. employment picture: the health-care industry.

Health-care employers added 17,000 jobs in November, and they've been adding an average 27,000 jobs a month since December 2010, according to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report.

That's the good news. The bad news is nearly 10,000 health-care workers have lost jobs since August; there were 136 mass layoffs in that time period.

"Finding work in health-care is definitely getting easier, but the stiff competition means you'll need more than credentials to land those jobs," says Stephanie Roberson Barnard, a communications consultant who specializes in training medical professionals to speak and write clearly and effectively.

"Check any online job-hunting Web site for science, technical, pharmaceutical, biotech and medical jobs and you'll find one common requirement: 'excellent communication skills,'" she and co-author Deborah St. James write in their new book, Listen. Write. Present: The Elements for Communicating Science and Technology (Yale University Press; 2012), www.ListenWritePresent.com.

Unfortunately, the science-rich education required for health-care professionals leaves little room for learning how to craft a message for a particular audience, be it an email or a PowerPoint presentation. And that's essential not only for getting jobs, but for keeping them and winning promotions, Barnard says.

She and St. James, deputy director of publications and communications for a North Carolina biotech company, offer these tips for getting your message across:

• Plan: Take time to get to know your clients, colleagues and co-workers. Establish rapport and cultivate a collaborative relationship by finding out about others' interests (check out the pictures in their offices for clues) and inquiring about them. If you have never been to their offices, look them up on Google or their company's Web site. Always keep your personal conversations light and professional.

• Listen: Smile, nod, and acknowledge the speaker - and mean it. Really focus on what the person is saying and not just on the words. Truly effective communication requires your full attention. It's better to spend a few minutes concentrating on the other person's message during a conversation than wasting time trying to remember what he or she said because you were trying to do something else. It's okay to write or type notes as long as you ask permission first.

• Present: Practice. Practice. Practice. Need we say more? Of all the tips we offer, practicing is perhaps the most important one. People in our audiences often suggest that it's possible to over practice. They claim that too much practicing makes a talk appear staged. We have found that the "stiff" presenters are the ones who haven't practiced. They're so busy trying to remember what they're going to say, they can't tune into the audience or deviate from their slides. In contrast, the speakers who have mastered their content seem to glide about the room, exuding just the right amount of enthusiasm.

• Meet: Respect people's time by presenting materials simply. The biggest complaint people have about meetings is that they last too long. For this reason, presenting your ideas in a simple, concise fashion will give you the advantage of appearing focused and prepared. Remember, never compromise content for simplicity.

• Serve: Be kind to others. It costs nothing and requires no skill. Your kind words, good deed, or thoughtful gift may even launch a cascade of positive gestures among others. A recent study by researchers from the University of California San Diego and Harvard University suggests that cooperative behavior spreads among people. This ripple effect can have a wonderful positive impact on the corporate culture of your organization.

"Good leaders must learn to communicate not only within their field of expertise but also to reach people outside their field of authority, influence and passion," Barnard says. "With proper training and practice anyone can become a better communicator."

About Stephanie Roberson Barnard

Stephanie Roberson Barnard has trained thousands of pharmaceutical industry professionals on how to be more effective speakers, writers and communicators. She has also coached hundreds of health-care professionals on presentation skills for FDA hearings, CFO reports and scientific speaker programs, as well as national and international congresses. Her clients include AstraZeneca, Bayer Corporation, WL Gore, and Boehringer Ingelheim. This is her second Yale Press book collaboration with Deborah St. James.

About Deborah St. James

Deborah St. James is Deputy Director of Publications and Scientific Communications at Grifols. She has worked in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry for more than 20 years. Prior to her current position, she was Bayer Corporation's senior manager for national sales training in the pharmaceutical division. She is a former college English instructor and Senior Editor of Better Health magazine.

Washington, DC - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) released the following statement today after President Obama urged Congress to create a new Veterans Jobs Corps that would put veterans to work as first responders or as workers repairing trails, building roads, and doing other projects on public lands:

"After holding a hearing just yesterday on reducing veterans' unemployment, I welcome the idea of a Veterans Jobs Corps.  One out of every four combat veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan is out-of-work, and this program could help reduce that number.

 

"Men and women who've put their lives on the line for our country deserve every opportunity when they return home.  Why not provide them the opportunity to continue contributing to the nation they love, whether as firefighters, cops, or rangers?  They've already rebuilt Iraq and Afghanistan.  It's time to give them the chance to help rebuild America."

Braley is the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.

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