Obscure news unearthed for May 28, 2009

My daily jaunt on May 28 brings these interesting articles:

Chinese gov’t offers 120 bln yuan in tax cuts in Q1 — China’s tax payers have enjoyed tax reductions of 120 billion yuan (17.65 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter, as the country offered cuts to stimulate the slowing economy …read it here

RED ALERT: Did anti-Obama campaign contributions dictate which Chrysler dealers were shuttered? — The 789 Chrysler dealerships that were terminated, while still being investigated by the public, seem to have a common link. Because a list of the affected dealerships was not issued, the public created the list, one dealership at a time. As the list grows, the common denominator seems to be that each dealership donated money to Obama’s competition. Apparently, Chrysler didn’t make the decision to close the dealerships, but rather, was pressured from the Obama’s automotive task force. See list of dealerships here. …read it here

Fast-track screening for illegal immigrants launched – The San Diego Sheriff’s Dept. will be the first California law agency to streamline identification and deportation of criminal illegal immigrants. Instead of checking fingerprints solely in the Justice Departments database the fingerprints will be simultaneously run in the Justice Department and Homeland Security databases. The program is currently being used in seven other states. …read it here

US National Regulatory Commission contemplates the next step on imported waste — Federal regulators want to know if the time is right to think about allowing a Utah company to import radioactive waste from Italy. A ruling by the US District Court indicated a regional radioactive waste organization has no authority over where waste may come from. A Utah company is now open to receive waste from multiple states and foreign nations …read it here

No more smiling for your driver’s license picture –Nevada is one of about thirty states using a facial recognition system and one of four not allowing folks to smile … read it here

Merrick Bank Seeks $16M for Hacking – The bank claims it lost $16 million after hackers compromised as many as 40 million credit card accounts. Claims that Savvis, an information technology firm, erroneously assured it that the bank’s processor, CardSystems Solutions, complied with Visa and Mastercard’s security regulations. …read it here

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) threat as scientists develop edible tag for pills –American scientists at an Hawaii-based company (CBI) have revealed an affordable (one cent) edible tag (TruTag) using silica that can be used to track and trace and authenticate individual pills without effecting the efficacy. The tag can be used to track many other products as well …read it here

Eitel Withdraws Nomination to Head National Service Agency — President Obama’s choice for CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service Agency has declined the nomination. The withdrawal of the 46 year old president of the Nike Foundation, Maria Eitel has left the White house surprised and “very disappointed.” With questionable management skills, Eitel would have been in charge of a federal budget of about $6 billion which funds Obama’s major project, AmeriCorps …read it here

IRS lax in destroying sensitive tax papers …read it here

California’s new budget proposal slashes welfare, releases inmates …read it here

Hundreds of aircraft mechanics may have been improperly licensed …read it here

Ongoing worldwide statistics for swine flu reported on this site …read it here

American Airlines pilot fails breath test …read it here

Obama Administration sparks battery gold rush …read it here

Defense Dept., industry join to protect data …read it here

Mobile phone location technology fights card fraud …read it here

Report: New twists on credit scams …read it here

Three Calif. men charged in $200 million scam …read it here

A/H1N1 confirmed cases continue to rise across world …read it here

Korean man caught selling U.S. weaponry …read it here

Viral epidemics poised to go mobile …read it here

Cell phone recall …read it here

Defense contractor pleads guilty to wire fraud in connection with the procurement of a bullet-proof vest contract in Iraq …read it here

U.S. Expected to Own 70% of Restructured G.M. …read it here

RFID tagging: Chips with everything — Building an ‘internet of things’ could be the next crucial step in the march towards a truly digital age …read it here

From Willnevergiveup archives Constitutional change for marriage

View archived news on this site

Legal services may get IRS change

The short name for the new Bill introduced into the Senate is titled “Legal Services Benefit Act of 2009”

The intent is to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to restore, increase, and make permanent the exclusion from gross income for amounts received under qualified group legal services plans. The bill was referred to the Committee on Finance.

This bill would restore the pre-tax status for group legal employee benefits. If passed, it would be effective beginning after the December 31, 2008 taxable year.

Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced the bill.

Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas made history as the youngest woman ever elected to the US Senate in 1998. Born in 1960, she has also served in the House of Representatives from 1993-1996.

Republican Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine has served in the US Senate since 1995. Born in 1947, she has also served in the House of Representatives from 1979 until her election into her current Senate seat.

S. 825

Congress, Cuba and the Postal Service

In the midst of a financial crisis within the US Postal Service more legislation continues to mount, that if passed, may put further stress on an already troubled business.

“Even with our aggressive cost-cutting measures, our situation is critical,” said Postmaster General John E. Potter.

With a $2.8 billion net loss and mail volume running 12 percent below 2008 levels, two pieces of legislation have been introduced that will affect the Postal Service if passed.

Congressman Jose E. Serrano of New York introduced HR 188 into the House of Representatives on the first day of this current Congressional session, January 6, 2009. The bill, titled “Cuba Reconciliation Act” has a section specifically written for the faltering Postal Service.

The United States Postal Service shall take such actions as are necessary to provide direct mail service to and from Cuba, including, in the absence of common carrier service between the 2 countries, the use of charter providers.

Democratic Congressman Jose E. Serrano of New York, born in 1943, has served in Congress since 1990.

Congressman Serrano serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government. The chairmanship allows Congressman Serrano to lead the subcommittee, which oversees the budgets of multiple agencies, including the Treasury Department including the IRS; the FDIC; the District of Columbia; the judicial branch, and other agencies.

Serrano is a strong supporter of a bi-lingual America.

Congressman Charles Rangel of New York introduced HR 1530 into the House of Representatives on March 16, 2009. The bill, titled “Free Trade With Cuba Act” also has a section specifically written for the faltering Postal Service. Interestingly, the wording specific to the USPS is exactly the same.

The United States Postal Service shall take such actions as are necessary to provide direct mail service to and from Cuba, including, in the absence of common carrier service between the 2 countries, the use of charter providers.

Democratic Congressman Charles Rangel of New York, born in 1930, has served in Congress since 1971. This year marks his 20th term in the House of Representatives.

He’s better known for the alleged failure to pay 20 years of taxes on a Caribbean rental villa. Congressman Rangel is chairman of the Congressional committee that writes the nation’s tax code. Read more here

In the days to come, more legislation, which, if enacted, could affect the profitability of the Postal Service will be covered.