This is the third time the bill has been introduced. It had no co-sponsors as of Tuesday afternoon.
— “Owens reintroduces War on Debt Act”
(Source: watertowndailytimes.com)
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It should be obvious that the more people we move out of harm’s way in the reasonably near future, the better off we will ultimately be.
But we are doing the opposite, offering huge subsidies for coastal development. We proffer federally backed flood insurance at rates bearing no resemblance to the risks. Even more important, we go in after storms and write big checks so towns can put the roads, sewers and beach sand right back where they were.
We are, in other words, using the federal Treasury to shield people from the true risks that they are taking by building on the coasts. Coastal development has soared as a direct consequence, and this rush toward the sea is the biggest factor in the rising costs of storm bailouts. …
So here is a modest idea. As the first plank of our plan for coping with storm risk, what about expanding the boundaries of the program that Reagan took such pride in?
That is not to be cruel: people deserve humanitarian help after big storms. But Robert S. Young, head of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University, thinks we have to start weaning beach towns from the welfare roll.
One way to begin, he suggests, would be to identify the towns in the riskiest areas, the ones that the taxpayers keep bailing out again and again.
Perhaps we say to them: You get one more shot. We will make you whole after the next big storm, and if you choose to use the money to rebuild, then you are on your own.
— “Rebuilding the Shores, Increasing the Risks”
(Source: The New York Times)
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The figure commonly cited as the “average” federal employee salary now stands at nearly $78,500, an amount that has risen by about $1,800 in the last two years despite a general freeze on salary rates during that time, according to data released Monday.
… The average federal worker was 47.1 years old with 13.8 years of government service in 2012.
… The latest count put the number of full-time, permanent non-seasonal federal workers at 1,850,311. That comes to 5.894 federal employees per 1,000 Americans in fiscal year 2012, down slightly from 2011 and 2010, but still above the 5.497 number of 2008.
The report does not include temporary, seasonal or part-time employees whose inclusion in other types of counts puts the total federal workforce at around 2.1 million.
— “Despite salary rate freeze, average federal salary rises”
(Source: Washington Post)
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Gibson spent $38,952 on postage and $38,096 on printing, while Owens spent $75,493 and $82,651.
— “In office spending, local congressmen Owens and Gibson reveal preferences”
(Source: m.poststar.com)
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(Owens) replied, “There most likely will not be a farm billed passed in Washington this year.
— “Rep. Bill Owens talks maple”
(Source: mymalonetelegram.com)
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Alcoa will invest an initial $42 million in the next five years to modernize its Massena East plant, plus $10 million towards a North Country Economic Development Fund. The contract also calls for Alcoa to preserve a minimum of 900 jobs.
Over the long term, Alcoa is now committing to a $600 million modernization of its facilities that will keep it operating here for decades.
In return, NYPA will provide low-cost hydroelectric power to the plant for the next 30 years, with options to extend the contract by an additional decade.
Despite the celebratory tone of the announcement Saturday, there is one more condition that must be satisfied. In order for the agreement to go through, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must approve Alcoa’s proposed $245 million remediation plan for the Grasse River to clean up the industrial pollutants the company dumped from the 1950s to the 1970s.
If the EPA turns down the proposal insisting on a stricter, more extensive project that could cost $1.3 billion, Alcoa’s commitment to the region could be in doubt, many here fear.
… Under the agreement with the state, NYPA will provide Alcoa with 480 megawatts of power. This is about 60 percent of the output of St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project, equal to enough electricity to power about 240,000 homes.
— “Lieutenant Governor Duffy announces Alcoa deal”
(Source: watertowndailytimes.com)
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New York has nearly 15,000 Amish residents, up from about 4,700 in 2001. They live in 47 settlements spread across 22 counties.
In Northern New York today: Lewis County — two church districts, estimated 270 residents. Jefferson County — three districts, estimated 405 residents. St. Lawrence County — 15 districts, estimated 2,025 residents
— “Amish facts and stats”
(Source: watertowndailytimes.com)
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Most vulnerable to the AMT are taxpayers with children—tax dependents—and who take mortgage interest deductions, have capital gains, and have high state and local taxes. Those items are not deductible when it comes to calculating the AMT and usually put taxpayers at risk of having an AMT bill.
What taxpayers—and/or their accountants—have to calculate is if the regular tax is higher then the AMT figure. If it is, then there’s no AMT to pay. But if the regular tax calculation is lower, the difference between the two taxes is the amount of AMT that has to be paid on top of the regular taxes.
The average AMT bill is between $2,000 and $15,000.
— “Who has to pay the alternative minimum tax?”
(Source: USA Today)
