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Before the economy went bust, California voters authorized multibillion-dollar charges on the state's infrastructure credit card. They approved generational investments in roads, schools and levees, as well as hospitals and stem-cell research. At the time, fiscal experts projected that California at most would have to spend roughly 6 percent of its annual budget on payments. But after an economic collapse, estimates now show that debt service could consume as much as 10 percent of the annual general fund budget by 2014-15 – an "unprecedented" ratio, according to the Legislative Analyst's Office. The latest debt warning comes weeks after lawmakers and...

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate late Wednesday unanimously passed legislation extending unemployment benefits and also significantly expanding a homebuyer tax credit that was championed by Republican U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia. The Senate voted 98-0 to extend unemployment benefits for the jobless by up to 20 weeks. In states with unemployment rates of 8.5 percent and above -- in Georgia the unemployment rate is 10.1 percent -- the jobless could receive up to 99 weeks of benefits, which average about $300 per week...

Listen and watch HERE Related thread: Chaos erupts at Cobo as thousands jockey for federal aid (Obama "Stimulus" Giveaway)

Detroit -- The lure of federal cash assistance for needy Detroit families sparked pandemonium Wednesday at Cobo Center, as hundreds of city residents pushed, jostled and trampled others in a rush to apply for the aid. In a scene that spoke volumes about the despair of one of the nation's poorest cities, about 50,000 Detroiters descended on downtown to pick up 5,000 applications in hopes of enrolling in a federal program that pays a few hundred to a few thousand dollars to low-income residents to help pay rent and utilities. In fact, some 60,000 residents applied for the aid over...

An organization that informs people of the Cash for Clunkers program has recently announced that several celebrities have showed their support in giving consumers the simple and easy summary of the program, that started just a few days ago.Though Americans have already shown great interest in program, which is officially known as CARS - Car Allowance Rebate System, the support Dancing With The Stars' Cristian de la Fuente and Ugly Betty star Angelica Vale does not hurt at all. "This government subsidy will make it easy for people to get a new car that is a lot less expensive to...

A battle is brewing among consumer groups, car dealers and the government over the use of contingency agreements in the Cash for Clunkers program.At issue is who is left holding the bag if a transaction goes awry.Under the Car Allowance Rebate System, a consumer turns in a qualified clunker and gets $3,500 or $4,500 off the price of a new car. The dealer must make sure the clunker and the new car meet program requirements and get the proper documentation - including proof of insurance and registration - from the owner. After the buyer drives off, the dealer must electronically...

But larger than that - my prediction is Fannie/Freddie and then above and beyond that, for people who do not have 20% down and won't pay for insurance, the FHA - will wage a war against current mortgages. We'll see interest rate buydowns, we'll see principal reductions, we'll see anything and everything that basically gives a big (bleep) you to people who have been honoring the system. In return we will tell those people, well if your neighbor's house goes into foreclosure we will all suffer, so it's a necessary evil.

Potholes? Faded road stripes? Downed signs or faulty traffic lights? Too bad; take a number, and drive carefully. Among Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposals for closing the state's $24 billion budget deficit is to redirect gas-tax away from cities and counties to pay debt service on state highway bonds — draining $744 million from local government coffers in the next fiscal year and $745 million in the year after that. "It'll have a devastating effect here," said Alameda County's Public Works Director Daniel Woldesenbet. "This isn't just a public works issue, but a public safety issue." Woldesenbet said his agency stands...

U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski reversed himself and voted for the final version of the $787 billion economic stimulus package approved Friday by Congress. As expected, Rep. Chris Carney and Sens. Arlen Specter and Bob Casey also voted for the package. Mr. Kanjorski, D-11, opposed the first version, which passed the House late last month. He cited Democratic leadersÂ’ failure to allow bipartisan input into the bill, CongressÂ’ failure to spend enough time preparing the bill, its lack of enough money for road, bridge and infrastructure repairs and construction, that it didnÂ’t provide enough help for retired or unemployed Americans...

SAO PAULO- General Motors plans to invest $1 billion in Brazil to avoid the kind of problems the U.S. automaker is facing in its home market, said the beleaguered car maker. According to the president of GM Brazil-Mercosur, Jaime Ardila, the funding will come from the package of financial aid that the manufacturer will receive from the U.S. government and will be used to “complete the renovation of the line of products up to 2012.” We're sending a Billion dollars to Brazil?

I suppose the Associated Press wants us all to feel sorry for Mexico. With so many illegals here either having trouble finding work or actually returning home, Mexico is finding that its citizens illegally in the US have fewer American dollars to send home. AP says the "situation is so serious" that the Mexican government is trying to create new programs to reinforce ties between illegals here and its citizens at home. Of course, no where in AP's story does it seem to occur to anyone that Mexico clean itself up and offer opportunities there as opposed to trying to...

You may have read that the Bush administration is seriously considering giving taxpayer dollars to the Big Three automakers. This would be an extension of the Great Bailout of 2008, which started with banks and brokerage houses and spread to at least one insurance company. The auto companies are arguing that they deserve money too because they all have financing subsidiaries that provide money for car loans, and these subsidiaries are being hurt by the credit crunch as much as other lending entities. Which is, of course, true, but: please. The auto companies are not in trouble because their auto...

If you want to see what is really going on with the "bail out" just look at the video link it will tell you everything you need to know about "free money" and what these "jokers" really have in mind. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Svf2aWr0hfI

Twelve Republicans used the excuse of an inflammatory speech by the House Speaker, Congressperson Nancy Pelosi, to vote "no" whereas previously they had indicated a "yes". We heard parts of the speech, and inflammatory it was; though all the facts were correct as to how President Bush had wrecked the US budget over 8 years. But if she sought to blame the mess on President Bush, that would definitely be a no-no: this nonsense started during President Clinton's time, and strange as it may seem, there are Democratic Wall Street people as much as Republican Wall Street people. The Democrats...

Unbelievable video of Bush promoting zero down loans for minorities....

Governor Deval Patrick has decided against taking action to allow illegal immigrants to pay resident tuition and fees at state colleges and universities this fall, an administration official said yesterday, crushing advocates who were counting on the governor to deliver on a pledge to support the students. Earlier this year, Patrick said he was considering ways to offer illegal immigrants in-state rates, such as issuing a regulation, adding that it would be "the right thing to do." The governor declined to comment yesterday, but an administration source who spoke on condition of anonymity said Patrick decided that there were "significant...

NEW YORK, March 24 (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve Bank of New York said on Monday a subordinated note and a loan in a takeover offer by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) of Bear Stearns Cos (BSC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) will have a term of 10 years, and will be renewable by the New York Fed. The rate due on the loan is the primary credit rate, which currently stands at 2.50 percent and fluctuates with the discount rate, the New York Fed said. The term on the subordinated note is the primary credit rate plus 475...

So much for "postpartisan" Beltway harmony. Remocrats and Depublicans were supposed to be making beautiful music together on economic "stimulus," but Senate Democrats apparently didn't get the song sheet. They spent most of this week assailing Republicans for refusing to spend even more than House Democrats want to spend -- solely with a goal of picking up more Senate seats next year. President Bush and Speaker Nancy Pelosi first agreed on $146 billion in tax rebates, including for people who don't pay income taxes; then Mr. Bush consented to billions more in checks for seniors. But Senate Majority Leader Harry...

OCALA - A woman who reportedly confessed to Marion County sheriff's deputies that she stuffed the body of her 83-year-old mother into two black garbage bags and dumped her along a dirt road so she could cash her retirement check was arrested Tuesday and charged with failure to report a death, a misdemeanor. Inspector Mike Mongeluzzo arrested Debra Loreth, 53, of Belleview. On Monday, Mongeluzzo learned from the Medical Examiner's Office that the cause of Jeanne Vasa's death was "undetermined." Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. John Herrell said detectives have filed paperwork with the State Attorney's Office seeking a charge of...

WAUWATOSA, Wis. -- A melee at a Kmart store in Wauwatosa Saturday morning was started by a computer glitch. The store was running a promotion in which it would give away $10 to anyone applying for its credit card, but the computer glitch led to everyone's application being granted -- bestowing up to $4,000 in instant credit to anyone who applied even if they shouldn't have qualified. Once word started to spread about the so-called "free money" Saturday, witnesses said things got pretty nuts inside the Wauwatosa store. "They were having a big fight. Two ladies was jumping a lady...

AIKEN, S.C. - A bank teller in Clearwater had a million reasons not to open an account for an Augusta, Ga., man Monday, authorities said. Alexander D. Smith, 31, was charged with disorderly conduct and two counts of forgery after he walked into the bank and tried to open an account by depositing a fake $1 million bill, said Aiken County Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Michael Frank. The employee refused to open the account and called police while the man started to curse at bank workers, Frank said. The second forgery charge came after investigators learned Smith bought several cartons of...

Fed Injects $41 Billion Into US Financial System to Help Ease Credit Problems WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Reserve pumped $41 billion into the U.S. financial system Thursday, one of its largest cash infusions to help companies get through a credit crunch that took a turn for the worse in August. The action comes one day after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and all but one of his central bank colleagues voted to slice a key interest rate for the second time in six weeks to protect the economy from the ill effects of collapse in the housing market, aggravated by...

Six-month limits and tougher work rules could be around the corner for some single adults receiving welfare in Alameda County. General assistance, better known as GA, is the county's safety net for more than 7,200 adults with little or no income. For many of them, the GA monthly grant of $336 provides a last toehold against homelessness. But ballooning costs have left the Social Service Agency no choice but to cut back, said interim agency director Yolanda Baldovinos. "This is not something we want to do," she said. "We don't want to do time limits on any of our clients,...

Presidential hopeful Bill Richardson on Saturday said a portion of college loans should be forgiven if graduates complete a year of national service. The New Mexico governor plans to unveil the specifics of his education plan in Portsmouth in a few weeks, but gave a preview during a house party in a Londonderry backyard. "As part of your college loan structure — in other words we'll pay them off, if you give your country one year of national service: work in a forest, clean up a forest ... work in a hospital, go in the military, go in the Peace...

New York State will sue the Bush administration unless the federal government grants the state a waiver to extend public health coverage to tens of thousands of more children who are not covered by Medicaid, Governor Spitzer said yesterday. A lawsuit would be a last resort for the Spitzer administration, which is angling for Congress to step in and override newly imposed federal guidelines that have derailed the governor's effort to expand the state's health coverage program for children. Lawmakers are expected to pass a reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program when they return from their summer recess...

Japan cash windfall creates dilemmas A 10,000 yen bill What would you do if you found a wad of money? If someone left an envelope with a crisp 10,000 yen ($80) note in it, would you: A - get on the phone to your favourite restaurant and find out if they have a spare table B - get down to the bank and deposit it C - take it down to the nearest policeman and hand it over intact? If you live in Japan the answer, it would seem, is C. In recent weeks more than 400 blank envelopes containing...

$1.7 Million Available for New Clean Diesel Projects in Northeast; EPA seeking proposals until July 31 Release date: 06/08/2007 Contact Information: David Deegan (617) 918-1017 (Boston, Mass. – June 8, 2007) - EPA is making nearly $1.7 million available for clean diesel projects under the 2007 Northeast Diesel Collaborative Emissions Reductions Grant Program. Project applications are being accepted under two national clean diesel programs: Clean School Bus USA and the Voluntary Diesel Retrofit program. Projects may include a variety of diesel emissions reductions solutions such as add-on pollution control technology, engine or vehicle replacement, idle reduction technologies or strategies, and/or...

The United States has responded vigorously to this crisis. In 2003, I asked Congress to approve an emergency plan for AIDS relief. Our nation pledged $15 billion over five years for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care in many of the poorest nations on Earth. In the years since, thanks to the support of the United States Congress and the American people, our country has met this pledge. This level of assistance is unprecedented, and the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in human history.

I watched the Democrat debate yesterday evening, not so much to learn something new, but because I have the innate curse of enjoying political speeches, even if those speeches grind against the very pit of my soul in both substance and concept. The majority of the debate uncovered no real surprises, but one particular answer to a question about drug testing sticks in my mind. The answer that Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd gave to a question about drug testing welfare recipients strikes hard at the very nature of the rampant disability and aggressive disease that infects the modern Democrat party,...

Even as California's economy continues to defy the downward pull of a slumping housing market, two new forecasts are projecting slower growth and higher unemployment in the months ahead. If they are right, the state's tax collections are likely to suffer as well, leaving the government short of what it needs to provide a full plate of services for another year. The result would be increasing pressure on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to either reduce spending or raise taxes, forcing him into a choice that he has largely avoided since he took office, thanks to the economy's better than expected performance...

Descendancy stems from the 19th Century Dawes Commission lists Members of the Cherokee Nation of native Americans have voted to revoke tribal citizenship for descendants of black slaves the Cherokees once owned.A total of 76.6% voted to amend the tribal constitution to limit citizenship to "blood" tribe members. Supporters said only the Cherokees had the right to determine tribal members. Opponents said the amendment was racist and aimed at preventing those with African-American heritage from gaining tribal revenue and government funding. The Cherokee Nation has 250,000 to 270,000 members, second only to the Navajo. 'Right to vote' The list...

As California voters last year considered Proposition 1B, the $20 billion transportation bond sponsored by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature, they were told that the money would be distributed through normal channels -- not earmarked by politicians eager to bring home the bacon without regard to the greater transportation needs of the state. At the same time, however, the governor and legislative leaders promised voters in every part of the state that they would benefit if the bond passed. As they campaigned, the leaders distributed lists of specific highway projects they said would get money from the bond, easing...

The quick-paced television commercials for the infrastructure bond measures make promises that voters can't count on. Proponents of Propositions 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D and 1E are running 11 versions of the same ad, which feature different lists of transportation projects based on the region in which the commercials air. In the Bay Area ad, the announcer promises the bond measures will "expand the Caldecott Tunnel, improve 101 and 880, and extend BART and Caltrain." But representatives of Bay Area transportation agencies say that isn't necessarily how they'll spend the money. Projects meeting those broad descriptions are among the Bay Area's...

[... snip ...] Attorney David Lane said that on June 16, Steve Howards was walking his 7-year-old son to a piano practice, when he saw Cheney surrounded by a group of people in an outdoor mall area, shaking hands and posing for pictures with several people. According to the lawsuit filed at U.S. District Court in Denver, Howards and his son walked to about two-to-three feet from where Cheney was standing, and said to the vice president, "I think your policies in Iraq are reprehensible," or words to that effect, then walked on. Ten minutes later, according to Howards' lawsuit,...

GULFPORT, Miss. - Hurricane Katrina battered Raquel Romero's home, but she figures the house took a worse beating from the contractor she hired to repair the damage. The contractor tore off her damaged roof and left her Long Beach home exposed to the elements for several days. Rainwater caked her kitchen and laundry room in sludge and destroyed belongings that survived Katrina. The contractor built Romero a new roof, but Romero says it was so poorly done she had to hire someone else to replace it. And the first contractor refused to refund any of the $20,000 she paid him....

Baton Rouge, La. -- Gov. Kathleen Blanco on Monday announced a plan to ease homeowners' post-hurricane insurance burden by sending them state checks next year with money raised by selling off what remains of the 1998 tobacco settlement. Blanco's plan would require approval from the Legislature, possibly in a special session later this year, plus statewide voter approval of a change to the state constitution. The governor said she aimed to essentially refund the rate hikes — between 10 percent and 15 percent — that insurance companies imposed to offset storm-related losses sustained by the Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the...

NewsTrack - Top NewsNuns settle abuse suit for $1.25 millionLOUISVILLE, Ky., Aug. 26 (UPI) -- A Roman Catholic order of nuns based in Kentucky has agreed to pay $1.5 million to 45 people who say they were abused as children in orphanages and schools. The settlement ends two years of litigation involving the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported. The plaintiffs said they were abused between the 1930s and 1970s, with 20 of them naming a priest who served as a chaplain at an orphanage for many years. Others said they were abused by nuns. The order...

Democratic activists are pushing aggressively to make the minimum wage an election-year issue; they helped persuade several legislatures to boost state minimum wages and want six other states to do likewise through ballot initiatives this November. Democrats hope any extra turnout for the wage proposals from low-income voters would benefit their candidates, similar to the conservative-voter boost received by some GOP candidates in states with gay-marriage bans on their ballots in 2004. "The right has been effective with wedge issues," said Kristina Wilfore of the liberal Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. "The left is actually trying to give voters something ......

Saying he was unfairly kept off the job, Kenner's former chief administrative officer, Cedric Floyd, is seeking more than $63,000 in back pay for the nine months he was suspended amid an investigation into the hoarding of hurricane relief supplies. "You can't suspend somebody just because they've been arrested," said Bill Wessell, Floyd's attorney. "They're entitled to their continuing wages until they are terminated." Floyd was booked Sept. 23 with malfeasance in office. He was suspended without pay two days earlier after Kenner police searched his home and carted off truckloads of Hurricane Katrina relief supplies including clothes, food, tools...

CARACAS, Venezuela The government of Venezuelan has donated 100-thousand dollars to a Santa Cruz-based non-profit organization dedicated to preventing violence among youths. Deputy Justice Minister Yuri Pimentel made the announcement during a meeting in Venezuela's capital with American singer and activist Harry Belafonte, who accepted the donation on behalf of the California Coalition of Barrios Unidos. The California Coalition of Barrios Unidos began as a community based peace movement in the violent streets of urban California in 1977.

" ... 'embedded in the legislation to finalize the switch to DTV is a $1.5 billion fund to subsidize the purchase of these devices' ... The crux of the debate lies in the question of how much power we are willing to grant our elected officials ... " Excerpt from Nadd.com.

WASHINGTON - Kevin McGuire estimates that 18,000 welfare recipients in Maryland have entered the work force during the past two years. "If that's failing, I'm guilty," said McGuire, who oversees the state's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. But under proposed changes to the nation's welfare laws, McGuire and his employees will have a lot of work to do over the coming year, or Washington could withhold millions of dollars. Congress is expected soon to approve legislation that requires states to place at least half of their welfare families in jobs or approved training programs. Only 10 states meet that...

Will Somebody Say Thank You? Turn on TV, read the local newspaper or listen to your local radio station, and all you are going to hear, see and read are accounts of people knee-deep in playing the blame game. What you don't hear is anybody saying "thank you." From the safety of France, Pierce Brosnan took the time to tell the world: "This man called President Bush has a lot to answer for. I don't know if this man is really taking care of America. This government has been shameful." Instead of lifting a finger to help Katrina's victims, this...

"But perhaps the greatest disappointment stands at the breached 17th Street levee. Touring this critical site yesterday with the President, I saw what I believed to be a real and significant effort to get a handle on a major cause of this catastrophe. Flying over this critical spot again this morning, less than 24 hours later, it became apparent that yesterday we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a Presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment. The good and decent people of southeast Louisiana and...

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced a 144-count indictment against a Florida businessman for allegedly hacking personal information on millions of Americans from Acxiom Corp. databases over a 17-month period. Prosecutors claimed that Scott Levine, 45, of Boca Raton, Fla.-based Snipermail.com Inc., accessed Acxiom databases between April 2002 and August 2003. Information accessed included names, addresses, e-mail addresses, customer demographics, and probably some birth dates and social security numbers. “It may be the biggest cyber-crime ever prosecuted and investigated,” said assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Cherry during a news conference at the U.S. Attorney’s Little Rock office. It alleges 139 instances...

I got up really early today to head back to Camp Casey. On the way, I had some amazing conversations with people. In one of those conversations, I was talking to Tyler who was sitting next to me on one of the planes. We were not talking about me and what I have been doing. Randomly, he told me he had just been in Texas about an hour north of Crawford. I said: "Wow that's where I am going and that's where I have been all month." He said: "I know I own a television." I thought that was pretty...

With the President back at his Crawford ranch, the anti-war protest right outside his ranch is getting a lot more media attention. ABC7 looks at who is financing the operation and who's providing on-the-ground support. The camp at Crawford is full of Cindy Sheehan supporters, people from all walks of life. But off to the side are a small group of professionals, skilled in politics and public relations who are marketing her message. Cindy Sheehan kneels before a cross with her son's name on it, touches his picture, wipes her tears. It's an outpouring of emotion that is part of...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A Florida man has been charged with stealing large amounts of consumer information from Acxiom Corp., one of the world's largest database companies. The new indictment comes on the heels of a separate case last year in which an Ohio man pleaded guilty to hacking into an Acxiom server. Acxiom manages personal information on millions of consumers, along with financial and other internal data for companies. The new case, against Scott Levine, 45, represents "what may be the largest cases of intrusion of personal data to date," U.S. Assistant Attorney General Christopher A. Wray said...

Debt issued by banks can never be repaid in full. Some people can repay everything while others cannot repay anything at all. All this is because every time banks lend money, they expect the borrower to pay back the money plus interest. But where do they expect people to earn the interest? Here is the problem: Let's say the federal reserve prints a trillion dollars. Banks put that money into circulation by lending it to the people. The people invest the money and somehow they pay it back with interest. The question is where do they get the money to...

Kensington, MD (PRWEB) March 21, 2005 -- “Free Money Man,” Matthew Lesko, (www.lesko.com) has been trying to get the New York Consumer Protection Board to stop misrepresenting government money programs. In their efforts to rid the nation of fraudulent companies who scam consumers with promises of government grants, the New York CPB has also mislead consumers about the facts concerning programs that are in place to help consumers. In an NBC News interview on January 28, 2005, CPB Chairman, Teresa Santiago tells consumers “There is no free government money to pay your personal bills. There isn’t. That is a myth.”...