More Than 400 New Laws Take Effect Tuesday. In 2013 in Illinois, motorcyclists will be able to "proceed through a red light if the light fails to change. " In Kentucky, releasing feral or wild hogs into the wild will be prohibited. And inFlorida, swamp buggies will not legally be considered motor vehicles.
On Jan. 1, as crowds of people toast to a new year, more than 400 news laws across the country will take effect — and possibly improve life for some. "The laws that state governments deal with are really the laws that impact people on a daily basis," said Jon Kuhl, a spokesmanfor the National Conference of State Legislatures, which tracks the bills. "Whether amending or updating laws or enacting brand new legislation, it was an active year. " In addition to the new laws of 2013, more than 29,000 lawswere passed by state legislatures this year, Kuhl said.
WEIRD NEWS: Mom, 1-Year-Old Child Live Alongside Squatter Who Refuses to Leave Their Detroit Home.
Michael Bloomberg. Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American business magnate, politician and philanthropist. He served as the 108th Mayor of New York City, holding office for three consecutive terms beginning with his first election in 2001. With a net worth of $33 billion, he is the eleventh-richest person in the United States[1] and the sixteenth-wealthiest in the world.[1] He is the founder and 88% owner of Bloomberg L.P., the global financial data and media company notable for its Bloomberg Terminal.[2][3] He was frequently mentioned as a possible candidate for the U.S. presidential elections in 2008 and 2012,[5] and for New York Governor in 2010.
He declined to seek either office, instead opting to continue serving as Mayor of New York. On January 31, 2014, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced that he had appointed Mr. Early life[edit] Bloomberg attended Johns Hopkins University, where he joined the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. Business career[edit] Wealth[edit] Bloomberg Wins Re-Election in New York City.
EBT fraud and abuse: Looking past your state. By Todd Shepherd | Watchdog.org Fraud is skyrocketing as states shift from issuing paper-based food stamps to plastic, electronic benefits transfer cards preloaded with a monthly limit of cash intended only for food purchases. Examples of fraud prompted Congress to take action, with President Obama signing a law in February intended to prevent EBT cardholders from spending their money on tattoos and at strip clubs, liquor stores and casinos. Here’s a state-by-state listing of some EBT fraud stories: Alabama: Not fraudulent, but are EBT cards becoming a status symbol? In Alabama, a place called the “Rose Supper Club” gives you $5 off the cover price if you show your EBT card. Arizona: A 15-month investigation found roughly $700-K in EBT fraud. 18 indictments.
California: $69 million in EBT funds withdrawn outside the state’s borders in recent years, including almost $12 million withdrawn in Las Vegas. Colorado: EBT cards used at strip clubs, casinos. Enterprising States | National Chamber Foundation. Welcome | Georgia Grown.
Bloomberg's Soda Ban Blasted By New York Business Owners. Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to ban the sale of large sugary drinks at New York City eateries has some local business owners up in arms. "We're coming out of this thing swinging," president of the New York State Restaurant Association Rick J. Sampson said in a statement last week. "We appreciate the Mayor's concern for public health," association spokesman Andrew Moesel wrote. "But the current proposal goes much too far. " Bloomberg is seeking to outlaw the sale of any cup or bottle of sweetened drink larger than 16 ounces at city restaurants, delis, street carts and theaters. The ban would not include beverages sold at grocery stores and convenience stores. The Huffington Post checked in with some New York City business owners about Bloomberg's beverage crackdown, which could take effect as early as March 2013.
Darrell Nelson, San Loco "New York is not a business-friendly city anymore," said Nelson. Rezwan Kabir, Allen Street Deli Jake Dell, Katz's Delicatessen. Chicago’s unreported race war. Text smaller Text bigger According to a statement in the Chicago Tribune, reporting on the race of individuals involved in news events, such as mobs attacking, robbing and vandalizing, is irrelevant. A news anchor at the ABC affiliate in Chicago goes even further: Anyone who reads or writes about the epidemic of racial violence in Chicago is an “idiot” who engages in “meaningless … race baiting,” says Ravi Baichwal.
City officials and the media might be the only two places left where people still deny Chicago is under assault from more than 50 episodes of black mobs attacking, beating, robbing and vandalizing over the last three years in and around downtown. Many of them are on display at YouTube. Some call it the “Chicago Intifada.” Over just the last two weeks, black mobs are under investigation in at least five new violent incidents in downtown Chicago. The latest epidemic of violence was centered around the Blues Festival on June 9. Which has nothing to do with anything, she says. The simple fact that's not really so simple. June 08, 2011|Mary Schmich You probably know the basic facts.
It happened Saturday night. A dozen or so teenage males went on the prowl near North Michigan Avenue in Chicago's toniest shopping district. They attacked five people, ages 20 to 68. Their loot included a backpack, a wallet, a bike, an iPad, a BlackBerry and an iPod Touch. The cops quickly arrested five alleged assailants, at least three of them from the South Side, and vowed to find the rest. If you've followed the story — and who hasn't? "Shame on you and the Chicago Tribune for your politically correct crap when doing these type of stories," one reader emailed several Tribune writers. I've omitted the portion of his note that referred to "them" in ugly language.
Another reader wrote: "I can't imagine that if a gang of white teenagers went to the South Side of Chicago and began attacking African-Americans including a 68-year-old that the race card would be left out of your coverage. ... So, yes, the attackers were black. Second City Cop. If Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis can't apprehend a ragtag group of muggers in Lincoln Park, what hope is there for the folks who are under siege on the South Side? The latest victim is 15-year-old Taccara Swain. On Wednesday night, Taccara was shot three times in the head in the Roseland community.The shooters were so ruthless, their gunshots also hit a day care center next door. Well first up, J-Fed is a Fed - a former feeb. He doesn't apprehend people aside from a few photo ops, and he isn't out there in a Sherlock Holmes get-up looking for clues and waving a magnifying glass around.
And your characterization of the shooters as "ruthless? " [...] Again, as much as we dislike J-Fed, he isn't the one running around slaughtering the children. . [...] Oh, now you're going to pretend to be fair? And a man who is allegedly responsible for a string of armed robberies near the Metra train station at 87th and Cottage Grove has been caught. And just how does this tie into the north side muggings? The Oval: "The Right to Feed" California State Bar Recommends Law License for Illegal Immigrant. I am probably a good deal squishier than most conservatives on the immigration issue – I broadly favor a set of immigration reforms that would probably be (inaccurately) called “amnesty” by most people who read this blog. But this story right here really chaps my hide: An illegal immigrant applying for a law license in California should be allowed to receive it, the State Bar of California argues in a filing to the state Supreme Court.
Sergio Garcia, 35, of Chico, Calif., has met the rules for admission, including passing the bar exam and the moral character review, and his lack of legal status in the United States should not automatically disqualify him, the Committee of Bar Examiners said Monday.“ … Mr. Garcia’s status in the United States, should not, ipso facto, be grounds for excluding him from law licensure. Perhaps this story is not as outrageous to anyone who has not had to go through the “moral character review” section of the exam. America’s Most Corrupt States. Earlier this week, the Center for Public Integrity released a report detailing the risk of corruption and lack of accountability in all 50 states. The findings of the report should worry anyone who believes state governments are transparent and free of corruption.
Of course, no state is without flaws. Unfortunately, nearly every state received a grade that would give residents cause for concern. Read America’s Most Corrupt States Read America’s Least Corrupt States The Center for Public Integrity’s report examined issues concerning accountability and ethics in each state government. Most states scored poorly. 24/7 Wall St. examined the eight states that received an F and the five states that scored B- or better. States with the worst corruption risk scores lack powerful watchdog agencies. Surprisingly, most of the states that received high marks have big governments with long histories of corruption and political machinery. These are America’s most corrupt states. America’s Most Corrupt States. World News: Rodney King, whose beating in Los Angeles led to deadly riots, dead at 47. LOS ANGELES—His beating stunned the nation, left Los Angeles smouldering and helped reshape race relations and police tactics.
And in a quavering voice on national television, Rodney King pleaded for peace while the city burned. But peace never quite came for King — not after the fires died down, after two of the officers who broke his skull multiple times were punished, after Los Angeles and its flawed police department moved forward. His life, which ended Sunday at age 47 after he was pulled from the bottom of his swimming pool, was a continual struggle even as the city he helped change moved on. The images, preserved on an infamous grainy video, of the black driver curled up on the ground while four white officers clubbed him more than 50 times with batons, became a national symbol of police brutality in 1991. An autopsy was expected to determine the cause of death within two days; police found no alcohol or drug paraphernalia near the pool and said foul play wasn’t suspected.
The Oval: “The Right to Feed” Look for the video to be posted here shortly! Good afternoon. It seems there’s a limit to brotherly love in the city of Brotherly Love. The city of Philadelphia has outlawed the feeding of people outdoors. If you’re living on the street, you used to be able to go to the oh-so-appropriately-named Love Park and get fed. Someone from the Chosen 300 Ministries was there to hand out the food. You can imagine how important those meals – and that love – was to the homeless. Now, the city wants it to end. They want the homeless fed indoors. As Reverend Brian Jenkins of Chosen 300 Ministries says: These rules “are designed to tuck the homeless in a corner and pretend that the problem does not exist in our city.”
In the city which gave birth to American freedom, they have banned the freedom to give out food. In the city of brotherly love, they have banned brotherly love. They have banned it, because they are threatened by it. No. Big government crowds out small acts of love. What does it all mean? California church fights city to host homeless families. City officials say First Baptist Church can't house the homeless. A California church is taking on city hall after being told it can't take in homeless families because of local zoning and fire codes. The First Baptist Church, of Alhambra, about 15 miles south of Pasadena, sought to take part in the Family Promise Program, in which more than a dozen area churches host up to five families for one week four times a year. When Alhambra City Manager Julio Fuentes nixed the plan, saying turning a church into a shelter violates both zoning and fire code regulations, Pastor Lee Hamby vowed to fight. "I'm fighting this because I believe in religious freedom and laws in our country that protect against the government from imposing on what we do," Hamby told FoxNews.com.
"I'm fighting this because I believe in religious freedom and laws in our country that protect against the government from imposing on what we do "When people need help, they never go to City Hall," Hamby said. Dr. Manny: Ban on popcorn sizes is a step too far. After soda ban proposal, NYC officials set sights on popcorn and milk shakes. Watch out, moviegoers -- Nanny York City is taking aim at yet another of life's gluttonous pleasures. On the heels of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's call for a ban on jumbo-sized sodas and other sugary drinks, city officials are now considering restrictions on treats ranging from popcorn to milkshakes.
At a meeting Tuesday, members of the New York City Board of Health expressed support for Bloomberg's proposal. They then started brainstorming other ways to cut the fat, according to MyFoxNY.com. Member Bruce Vladeck proposed limiting movie-theater popcorn containers. "The popcorn isn't a whole lot better than the soda," he said. Another member suggested limits for milkshakes and "milk-coffee beverages.
" The board, whose members were appointed by Bloomberg, will vote on the mayor's drink proposal -- but agreed to a six-week, public-comment period before taking a vote, according to MyFoxNY.com. Bloomberg has said the drink ban is an attempt to fight obesity in the city.
Citizen's Right to Self Defense. Cities crack down on homeless: Could it be compassion fatigue? A growing number of cities across the United States are making it harder to be homeless. Philadelphia recently banned outdoor feeding of people in city parks. Denver has begun enforcing a ban on eating and sleeping on property without permission. And this month, lawmakers in Ashland, Ore., will consider strengthening the town's ban on camping and making noise in public. And the list goes on: Atlanta, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, Miami, Oklahoma City and more than 50 other cities have previously adopted some kind of anti-camping or anti-food-sharing laws, according to the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. The ordinances are pitting city officials against homeless advocates. "We're seeing these types of laws being proposed and passed all over the country," said Heather Johnson, a civil rights attorney at the homeless and poverty law center, which opposes many of the measures.
"People are getting frustrated and getting angry at the issue," he said. Compassion Fatigue or Federal Scam? According to executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless Neil Donovan, “compassion fatigue” is the cause for the new ordinances being passed in cities across the United States outlawing homeless people from living on the streets, anti-food-sharing laws, and anti-camping laws.
But are Americans really growing tired of the homeless? Are we so tired of the less fortunate we want big government to step in and take care of the “problem”? Hardly. Americans are tired of people living off of our taxes. Americans are tired of being demonized for making money. Americans are tired of the government telling the most charitable among us that they are evil, elitist, greedy and heartless, while they watch their children’s futures are destroyed by their big bloated programs that do nothing but worsen our problems. Americans are not tired of helping those who need it.
Philadelphia recently banned outdoor feeding of people in city parks. Compassion fatigue? Mayor Bloomberg's War on Sugar (Walter Olson) New York lawmakers seek to criminalize viewing of child porn.
California sheriff's deputies accused of illegally selling weapons.