81% of Americans Would Throw Congress Overboard

Record-high 81% of Americans are
dissatisfied with the way the country
is being governed


16 days since returning from their August 8th to

September 5th "recess," Bipartisan Bickering continues

as they prep for their recess cocoon September 26th to

October 5th...oh, by the way, they will be on recess again from

 Ocotber 17th to Ocotber 23rd.

This is "representation" at a $174,000 annual salary...

Gallup
By Lydia Saad
September 26, 2011

PRINCETON, NJ -- A record-high 81% of Americans are dissatisfied with the way the country is being governed, adding to negativity that has been building over the past 10 years.

Majorities of Democrats (65%) and Republicans (92%) are dissatisfied with the nation's governance. This perhaps reflects the shared political power arrangement in the nation's capital, with Democrats controlling the White House and U.S. Senate, and Republicans controlling the House of Representatives. Partisans on both sides can thus find fault with government without necessarily blaming their own party.

The findings are from Gallup's annual Governance survey, updated Sept. 8-11, 2011. The same poll shows record or near-record criticism of Congress, elected officials, government handling of domestic problems, the scope of government power, and government waste of tax dollars.

Key Findings:

• 82% of Americans disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job.
• 69% say they have little or no confidence in the legislative branch of government, an all-time high and up from 63% in 2010.
• 57% have little or no confidence in the federal government to solve domestic problems, exceeding the previous high of 53% recorded in 2010 and well exceeding the 43% who have little or no confidence in the government to solve international problems.
• 53% have little or no confidence in the men and women who seek or hold elected office.
• Americans believe, on average, that the federal government wastes 51 cents of every tax dollar, similar to a year ago, but up significantly from 46 cents a decade ago and from an average 43 cents three decades ago.
• 49% of Americans believe the federal government has become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens. In 2003, less than a third (30%) believed this.

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Hilton Hotels Clarifies the $16 Muffins

It's okay America, DOJ Spent $121 MILLION During

1,832 Conferences in 2008 and 2009...it was a Buffet

at an average of $66,000 per conference...it's okay.

Washington Post
By Ed O'Keefe
Updated 9/23/11

Washington Post's original report on this subject quoted from the publicly released inspector general report that said conference organizers served 250 muffins costing a total of $4,200, or $16.80 per muffin at a Hilton-owned hotel. The report also repeatedly referred to “$16 muffins.”

In a statement issued Thursday night, Hilton Hotels — one of the hotel chains singled out in the inspector general report, defended and explained its pricing policies:

“Hilton has a long standing practice of working with government agencies to plan meetings and events that fall within their budgets. Usually provided by the agencies themselves, these budgets are reflective of the pricing structure of the destination, local taxes, gratuities and other fees. Hotel teams tailor these events to provide maximum value and ensure the best experience possible. Dining receipts are often abbreviated and do not reflect the full pre-contracted menu and service provided, as is the case with recent media reports of breakfast items approved for some government meetings. In Washington, the contracted breakfast included fresh fruit, coffee, juice, muffins, tax and gratuity, for an inclusive price of $16 per person. At each hotel, menu pricing structures are derived by a comprehensive review of the competitive local market. Additionally, hotels typically offer guest rooms at per diem rates established by the government.”

Dept. of Justice Munches on $16 Muffins While 22% of our Children Live the Life of Poverty

Oh the Disgusting and Pathetic Irony, Department of JUSTICE Spends $16 on Muffins While 22% of U.S. Children Live in Poverty. Do you think anyone in the DOJ thought about our children and grandchildren as they chowed down their muffin and sipped $8 coffee...did I mention pathetic?

Reuters
By JoAnne Allen
September 21, 2011

"We found the Department (of Justice) spent $16 on each of the 250 muffins served at an August 2009 legal conference in Washington," said a DOJ Office of Inspector General report released on Tuesday.

The DOJ spent $121 million on conferences in fiscal 2008 and 2009, which exceeded its own spending limits and appeared to be extravagant and wasteful, according to the report that examined 10 conferences held during that period.

The review turned up the expensive muffins, which came from the Capital Hilton Hotel just blocks from the White House, as well as cookies and brownies that cost almost $10 each.

The department spent $32 per person on snacks of Cracker Jack, popcorn, and candy bars and coffee that cost $8.24 per cup at another conference, the report said.



The DOJ also spent nearly $600,000 for event planning services for five conferences, the document said.

A Justice Department spokeswoman said most of the gathering were held when there were no strict limits on food and beverage costs, adding the DOJ had taken steps since 2009 "to ensure that these problems do not occur again."

Word of the agency's extravagant spending drew a swift response from Capitol Hill.

Senator Chuck Grassley, the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee which has oversight of the Justice Department, said the report was a blueprint for the first cuts that should be made by the "super committee" searching for at least $1.2 trillion in savings.

"Sixteen dollar muffins and $600,000 for event planning services are what make Americans cynical about government and why they are demanding change," Grassley said in a statement. "People are outraged, and rightly so."

As the U.S. government grapples

to find ways to trim the bloated

federal deficit, a new report suggests

officials might start with cutting out

$16 muffins and $10 cookies.

GM Throws Entry Level Workers a Bone...$16 per hour versus $14 (no more food stamps at $16)

Starting pay will increase to about $16

an hour from $14 and rise to about $19

an hour from a previous maximum of $16...

WOW...at $16 per hour, one only needs to

figure out how to work 562,500 hours in a

year to equal CEO Dan Akerson's $9 mil

compensation package. That's progress, as

before the raise, one needed to work

642,857 hours...If Mr. Akerson worked

24/7 for an entire year, his hourly rate

is $1,027.

Bloomberg
By David Welch
September 17, 2011

General Motors will increase entry-level pay by $2 to $3 an hour as part of a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract with the United Auto Workers, said two people familiar with the accord.

Starting pay will increase to about $16 an hour from $14 and rise to about $19 an hour from a previous maximum of $16, said the people who asked not to be identified disclosing details before they have been presented to union members for ratification. UAW President Bob King had said getting those workers a middle-class lifestyle was his highest priority.

“This is a wage gain in an economy that is cratering in some places,” Harley Shaiken, a labor professor at the University of California at Berkeley, said in a telephone interview today. “It’s an important symbol.”

GM will also pay a record $5,000 signing bonus if a majority of the 48,500 hourly workers vote to ratify the accord, the people said. That would cost the Detroit-based automaker $242.5 million. The accord also includes new jobs and better profit-sharing, the union said. Ratification votes will probably be held within 10 days, GM said.

The new entry-level wage will get workers close to the average manufacturing wage in the U.S., Shaiken said. In August, it was $18.90 an hour, according to the Commerce Department.

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Ron Paul's (unofficial) Commercial (Greg Hunter)

USA Watchdog
By Greg Hunter
September 13, 2011

This is a take-off on a commercial produced last November by Citizens Against Government Waste. It was so controversial that major networks would not air it. In this version, Congressman Ron Paul is inserted. It is totally unofficial and not produced by the Paul campaign, but it is just as powerful as the original version. I thought this would be fun to watch in now that the second Republican debate is behind us.

Here’s part of the write-up on the original commercial: “A new television ad about the U.S. national debt produced by Citizens Against Government Waste has been deemed “too controversial” by major networks including ABC, A and E and The History Channel and will not be shown on those channels. The commercial is a homage to a 1986 ad that was entitled “The Deficit Trials” that was also banned by the major networks. Apparently telling the truth about the national debt is a little too “hot” for the major networks to handle. But perhaps it is time to tell the American people the truth.”