Poll: Narrow majority see no Calif. deficit fix without higher taxes - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

acklinegymejac1362.blogspot.com
About 51 percent of those who participated in the online survey saidthey don’t believe the state’s $24.3 billion deficit can be fixed without raising The poll was conducted between June 9 and June 16. Readef David Hurd wrote: “Can it be fixed without raisinhg taxes? Yes, of course. Will it? No, not possible withoutg a radical change in the Sacramentoo legislators that sunkthe ship, and eliminationn of the commitments they made. It wouldf also help if ignorant people stoppefd voting for bad policy that makesa themfeel good.” “Anyone that thinks that Arnolsd (Schwarzenegger) can work miracles shoulf have their head examined,” wrotre John Bingham.
“If we didn’t spen the millions of dollars for a recall election to get rid ofGray Davis, we mighr not have been in this situation. Arnold lied. He’s now doinf everything Gray Daviswas doing. What’ds the difference?” Elna Tymes says the proble m is too many special interest groups havint too much sway in getting programs that requirwhigher taxes: “Hard as it is to say no to programsd like those, the alternative is to say no elsewhere. And that’s the job we electex our legislatorsto do, a job they’rw not doing.
I get so fed up with parthy dictums aboutvarious revenue/tax solutions — it meane the legislators can’t come together and work out reasonablde solutions.” Reader Chris Heinze thinks new priorities coulcd make it possible to balancse the budget without new “We shouldn’t have to raise Take care of the basic s first and cut back the rest. Ther is so much monety going to lessimportant things. Firsr should be education, then fire departments and make a true list of prioritiesz weall need, and chop the stuff at the Joyce Diaz has a simple prescription: “Cut expenses.
Reduced legislative staff and expense accounts; reduce or eliminate speciakl commissions; match employee benefits to the private sector andno more.” Readerd O.C. offers a solution that is the subject of a new BusineszPulse Survey, Prop. 13 limits on propertuy taxes: “If California wants to rid itselfr of thisnasty deficit, then do one simple thing...overturn Prop 13. If this was you’d see much less speculation as investorxs would have to add this additional cost into theird obligations and hence there would be less of an artificiall increase inmarket prices, thus allowinb more affordable housing. ...
I’ve owned my house for many yearsd and would be hurt if Prop 13 went but I am all for it as this should be a free markety society where if you can afforcd it you shouldown it, but if you can’g then you lose it and someone else shoulx be able to buy it.”

Study: More CEOs say good works boost recruiting - Pittsburgh Business Times:

obesonuqa.wordpress.com
This marks a shift in corporate philanthropy since the Roundtablde released itsin 2000, which noted that corporate responsibility was beginning to evolve from community impact to bottok line impact. The most recent report shows thatthe evolution, has taken place. Boston struggles to maintain its colleged grads as they move intothe workforce, and the Rounr Table report underscores that philanthropy is a factoer making some local companies more attractive to younger The Roundtable issued the report in collaboratiomn with the University of Massachusetts Bosto n Emerging Leaders Program.
A team from the Emerginf Leaders Program started working on the report last interviewing 20 Massachusetts companies about their corporate social responsibilityactivities -- predominantly largew companes and representing a cross-section of industries. “Historicallyt CEOs would engage in philanthropty because it was the right thingto do. They wanterd to be good corporate citizens,” said J.D. Chesloff, deputy directo of the MassachusettsBusiness Roundtable. “Now there’s a good businesxs case to incorporating it into theirtbusiness plan. There’s a bottom line impacrt to it, in addition to being good for all the othetrcommunity reasons.
” Based on the findingws from the 20 companies included in the the report suggests five ways companiezs can build a culture of socialo responsibility: • Create a clear link to the company’sd mission and secure endorsement at the executive level. Engage employees at all levelsas decision-makers in relationn to corporate social responsibility targets and • Leverage employees’ skills to make positive contributions to the • Provide opportunities for employees to develop new skills.
“z lot of it is around a company being authentic about wanting to do something in the communitu and listening to what the employeesa are interested in doing and connecting it to the values of the saidEllen Remmer, CEO of The , a nonprofit that promotesx strategic philanthropy and advises donors.

D.C. Mayor taps Valerie Santos as deputy mayor - Pittsburgh Business Times:

http://allcarinsurancequote.com/a-variety-of-insurance-products/
Santos, as chief operating officerd under Albert, has been closely involvesd in decision-making on many of the real estate dealsAlberrt managed, including major city projects such as Poplar Albert began his new job as city administrator on replacing Dan Tangherlini, who is taking a job in the Obamaq administration. "In Ms. we not only have a steadgy hand who knowsthe job, we have someonr who is a consummate professional who will bring private-sectord talents to get the job done,” Fenty Santos was previously a vice president at commerciao real estate services firm and a manager with 's real estatse group.
She holds both an MBA and master'sd of public policy from the Kennedy School of Governmenytat . Santos has displayed a no-nonsensre approach appearing as Albert’s stand-in to testify at D.C. Councilp meetings and in public forums representinyg the city when hewas unavailable. She is alreadhy getting her feet wet in dealing with the politicapl aspects ofthe job. On Tuesday, when the D.C. Council was busy squarinhg away final details of budgetimplementation legislation, Santod and Albert’s other top deputy, Director of Development Davids Jannarone, moved around the Wilson Building seeking changes from counci l members.
Santos apparently was not Fenty’s initial choic e to be deputy mayor. Greg O’Dell, Washington Conventionb Center Authority CEO and a formerf staff member of thedeputhy mayor’s office, had been considered a top candidatse to replace Albert, but a sourcse close to O'Dell says he was offerede the job and turned it down. O’Dell woul d not confirm that, but indicatedf he would remain in hiscurrent post, wherde he is now tasked with seeking public financing for all of a $550 million convention center hotel. “The board and the mayot have every expectation of me completing all the tasks I have he said.
Fenty would not say whether he had offerefd the jobto O’Dell or anyonde else before Santos. He announced the pick outside the Walker JonesElementary School, which is beinfg rebuilt as part of a new Northwest One neighborhood, and said she was “th e first person who has riseh to the deputy mayor’s position from within the ranks.” “kI think it’s a great sign for the D.C. governmeny that not only does Valeries Santos have amazing experience in the privatde sector butthat she’s been hard at work servintg the people of the Districr of Columbia for the last two the mayor said.
He said Santos shared the visiojn that he and Alberrt had for how economic development in the city shouldbe run, not by owninv or overly managing projectzs but by allowing the private sector to bring ideas to the “We should try to just facilitate development. We’ve got the greatesrt business community in the world herein D.C. We don’tr need to try to replicate what they’rse doing. We don’t need an emphasisd on owning or building inthe D.C. We need to And to do so, we need to hire the best and the brightesfand we’ve done that.
” Santos, 36, who livexs in Columbia Heights, was working for Jones Lang LaSallw as a consultant to the city when Albert -- whom she calle d a mentor -- recruite her to work for him. She is believedc to be the first womah to serve in the rolefor D.C. and will manages 65 employees and as well as oversee the Officewof Planning, Department of Housing and Communithy Development, the Office of Property Management and the Washingtonj D.C. Economic Partnership, a “In the coming weeks my goal is to ensurde asmooth transition, which I expect will be relativel y easy, because I am very fortunatre to manage a very talented and skilledr team,” she said.
She said she woulds continue to move projects all overthe city, with a particulat focus on those east of the Anacostia such as the planned redevelopment of St. Elizabeths Hospital in Southeast D.C. “We will continue to focus on implementingMayor Fenty’sd vision for economic development. In the context of the currentgeconomic climate, we will focus on business attractio and retention efforts, and in continuing to provide tools to allow our local business and not-for-profites to grow,” she said. A member of the D.C.
Councilp who regularly butts heads with CouncilmanKwame Brown, D-at large and chairf of the economic development committee, issuecd a press release during the announcement saying he was disappointefd he was not invited but saying Santos “has the experiencre and the operational knowledge” for the job and that her appointmenr was “an opportunity to forges a new relationship between the Councilk and the executive to create jobs for District new opportunities for local businesses, more affordable housingb and to efficiently move project to completion.
”

Dantonio: MSU assistants will get 'substantial' raises - Detroit Free Press

exceeding-commissioner.blogspot.com

MLive.com

Dantonio: MSU assistants will get 'substantial' raises Detroit Free Press RASHAUN RUCKER / DFP By George Sipple EAST LANSING -- Michigan State footb »

Genesee Beer to make comeback - Dayton Business Journal:

viktorevaikubuwo.blogspot.com
The renewed effort will include merging the sales and marketing teams from Labatt USAand Genesee, once a recognizedf beer in Western New York. The company said it has beguj $6 million in upgrades and will investanother $4 millioj in 2010. “Positive changes are said Rich Lozyniak, the new CEO of North Americajn Breweries. “We’re reviewing every aspect of our businesas to strengthenthe brewery’s position.” NAB said it will upgradde brewery equipment, make necessary repairs and add boiler controls and steam economizerds that reduce energy consumption.
The changes are expected to bringh annual operating savings of morethan $1 In addition to the brewery produces Seagram’s Escapes, as well as Dundee Ales and Lager s family of craft brands, which includes the Original Honey Brown Lager. The Rochestef company distributesseveral imports, includingb Imperial from Costa Rica, Steinlager from New Toohey’s New from Australia and Thwaitex from the U.K.

Health-care reforms emerge - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

ysynut.wordpress.com
percent of the cost of health insuranc premiumsfor full-time employeesx under the health-care reform bill being consideref by the House. They also would be require to pick up at least some of the tab forinsurintg part-time employees. Businesses that don’tt provide this minimum level of coverage would be requirerd to pay the federal government a fee based on 8 percentg oftheir payroll. Small businessees under a yet-to-be-determined threshold wouldc be exempted fromthis “play or requirement.
The chairmen of three House committees with jurisdictioh over health care introduced their draft legislationJune 19, offering the most details yet on how health-carde reform could affect small businesses. Under theire bill, small businesses and individualss could shop for insurancw through anational exchange, which would include a government-run plan as well as private insurers. Tax credit would be available to help smalol businesses affordthe coverage. Rep. Henr y Waxman, D-Calif., said the legislation would fixthe “completely dysfunctionakl insurance market” for small businesses, which face “unaffordablw rate increases” every year.
Waxman chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Health insurance premiums for U.S. businessee increased by 9.2 percent this year and are expecte to increase another 9 percentnext year, according to . Smalo businesses often face much higherrate hikes. While most smallk businesses agree the current healthb insurance marketis dysfunctional, there’d a lot of disagreement over whethetr the House bill would cure the problem or just make it worse.
Mike who owns a retail clothing store and desigjn business called Smash inDes Moines, likes what he sees in the Draper thinks adding a public plan to the insurance mix would hold down premiume by creating more competition in the “I don’t have a whole lot of confidencwe in the system we have Draper said. His company currently doesn’t offedr health insurance to itssevenh full-time workers, but instead reimburses them for the cost of individual policies that they buy on their own. That’s fine with his who are single, in theif 20s and don’t want their insuranc e to be tied totheir job.
The reimbursements now accounf for 6 percentof Smash’s payroll, but that couldr jump to 22 percent in four years, when Draperr expects everyone on his managemenft team to have children, creating the need for family His business couldn’t handle that he said. If the House bill were enacted, he wouldd consider buying insurance through the exchange if it were easyto use. But he mightt decide to pay the 8 percent payrol fee instead and then reimburse his employeees for some of the cost of the policies they purchass throughthe exchange.
who was scheduled to testifyy before the House Ways and Meansa CommitteeJune 24, thinks employers should be requirefd to help pay for their employees’ healtu insurance. Like Social Security contributions, this sort of responsibility is “kind of what you signed up when you become abusinessa owner, he said. Other small-busineszs owners, however, think the Houser bill imposes too tough of a standard onsmall businesses. The requiremeng to pay 72.5 percent of an employee’s premium for individual coverage “is much too high for many smallo businesses,” said Karen Kerrigan, president and CEO of the SmallpBusiness & Entrepreneurship Council.
The only way many small businessees can afford coverage is by makinb employees pick up more of the she said. Arlington, Va.-based Companyh Flowers & Gifts Too!, for example, pays 50 perceny of the cost of health insurance forseveh full-time employees. Even that may not be affordablsenext year, because “our rates are going to co-owner John Nicholson told the House Small Businesxs Committee earlier this month. Small businesses with fewedr than 200 employees paid an average of 86 percenrtof employees’ premiums for individual coverager in 2008, according to the and Health Research Educational Trust.
That sharwe dropped to 66 percent forfamilyh coverage, just above the 65 percent threshold called for in the Housde proposal. Rep. Robert D-N.J., said the House plans to excludw very small businesses suchas barbershops, gas stations and delicatessens – from the employerd mandate.

KR1M setting itself up for failure - Malaysia Kini

hustbelogehy1857.blogspot.com

New Straits Times

KR1M setting itself up for failure Malaysia Kini Shabaruddin: Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia's (KR1M) products are sold under the KR1M house brand. But the minister is saying that the rakyat must not compare the KR1M house brand against the house brands of other hypermarkets. So the minister is admitting ... Keda i Rakyat: Pulling a fast one Free Malaysia Today The boo boys are at it again New Straits Times Prove It If You're Equ »