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WASHINGTON -- Commerce Secretary John Bryson has resigned, saying the seizure that he suffered on June 9 that led to two San Gabriel Valley hit-and-run accidents could be a distraction in the job. "I have concluded that the seizure I suffered on June 9th could be a distraction from my performance as Secretary and that our country would be better served by a change in leadership of the Department," Bryson wrote to President Obama in a letter dated Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--U.S. factory orders fell at the sharpest pace in three years in March, a sign that demand is slowing amid an uneven economic recovery. Orders for manufactured goods declined 1.5% to $460.46 billion, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. That matched expectations of economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires. Factory orders over the previous month were revised down, as well, to a 1.1% increase from an initial estimate for a 1.3% gain.

Does John Bryson, Barack Obama’s nominee for commerce secretary, want a world government? Critics say a newly uncovered video of the nominee suggests that he does. In the video – given to The Daily Caller by sources on Capitol Hill – Bryson refers to the 2009 United Nations climate negotiations in Copenhagen as “the closest thing we have to a world governance organization,” implying it provided the best model for imposing climate regulations on countries around the globe. Bryson also boasts about his role as an adviser to the U.N. secretary general on climate change in the video.

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama will nominate businessman John Bryson to lead the Commerce Department, a White House official said Tuesday. Bryson's appointment brings another private sector player into an administration that has been making a concerted effort to improve its relationship with the business community.

A guy I'll call Mike has worked for Census 2010 several times in California over the past two years. The last time, he was trained at a facility that was an hour's drive from his home. He was paid for his commuting time at $17 an hour -- which is what he also got while working and training. Mike says that he, like everyone else, was also given 50 cents a mile for gasoline. The last time Mike worked for Census, the job lasted two weeks. He and the rest of his class had been promised eight weeks. Mike says...

Here’s a theory we’d love your help researching. Last night, we were all talking about the crazy amount of mail everyone’s received about the 2010 Census. We don’t remember this much mail in 2000, or in 1990, the other two censuses we were aware enough to take note of. The Census mailed letters advising Americans a census was happening. Then, the government sent letters asking if the first letters were received. It seems letters were sent informing the public that more letters would be coming telling them to expect letters that would give further details about expecting more letters, and...

Gay and lesbian couples who share a home may identify one another as "husband or wife" on their 2010 census forms if that's how they view their relationship — even if they have not legally married in any of the places where it is allowed. And whatever they say on that form is precisely how the government will count them. Advocates who have long sought a complete count of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community say this falls short but is still a partial breakthrough — one they say offers tacit acknowledgment of the very relationships the federal...

(Please click on the original to see the linked articles, important further reading) 24 Mar 2010 at 12:25 PM / IRS, TAXES, TAXES: BECAUSE WE'RE THE LITTLE PEOPLE / Comments The IRS Will Enforce Mandatory Healthcare Using the Honor System By JOE KRISTAN 57 Share Share Email How much tax would you pay on April 15 if the IRS couldn’t levy on your bank account, slap you with a lien, charge you penalties and interest, or send you to jail? Not much, eh? Then ponder the rules forcing individuals to buy “minimum essential coverage” under Obamacare. The forced purchase of...

The U.S. Census Bureau has changed its interpretation of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to allow it to tabulate same-sex couples who self-identify their union as a marriage, even though DOMA prohibits any federal agency from recognizing same-sex unions as marriages. Prior to the Obama administration, the Census Bureau said that DOMA prohibited the Bureau from tallying homosexual couples as being married. The Bureau plans to issue a report on its same-sex married data that is separate from its nationwide census report. “What we agreed to do in 2010 is that since some people are answering that they...

New York, Jan 27 (IANS) The American middle class dream is fast getting out of reach for more and more people as tough economic times take toll on their incomes and quality of life, says a study by the US Commerce Department. More than 90 percent Americans consider themselves to be middle/working class, with only one percent calling themselves 'upper class' and seven percent 'lower class', according to a 2005 survey by the New York Times. But according to the new report titled Middle Class in America, the Americans' dream to reach the middle class is becoming increasingly difficult. The...

Recently completed the census "long form" that includes demographic information. Sent it in. Received this evening a call from someone saying they are from the Census and they are calling to verify information on the form. I told the heavily accented mexican woman calling that I will not discuss personal information over the phone, that if they want to verify information they can do so by coming by my address and speaking to me directly. She insisted I speak with her. I declined. She then said she can provide me a telephone number to call to verify she is with...

6. IJWhat is this person’s race? Mark K one or more boxes. White Black,African Am., or Negro American Indian or Alaska Native — Print name of enrolled or principal tribe. C Asian Indian Chinese Filipino Other Asian — Print race, for example, Hmong, Laotian, Thai, Pakistani, Cambodian, and so on. C Japanese Korean Vietnamese Native Hawaiian Guamanian or Chamorro Samoan Other Pacific Islander — Print race, for example, Fijian, Tongan, and so on. C Some other race —

This year, the United States Census Bureau is taking heat for question 9 on the new census form which reads: "What is Person 1's race?" -- the second option reads: "Black, African-Am., or Negro." Census officials defend their decision for the category, saying that a number of individuals wrote in "Negro" in the 2000 census. Actually, the 2000 Census included the same race options as the 2010 census form. However, what is striking in the 2010 census form is the lack of citizenship or birthplace question.

It's a new decade, which means that the U.S. Census Bureau is hard at work getting the nation's more than 300 million residents to fill out a 10-question form that determines how the federal government doles out its money. But one question is causing some controversy. Specifically question No. 9 asks "What is Person 1's race?" The answer choices are "White; Black, African-American, or Negro; American Indian or Alaska Native." The Grio reports that many older blacks preferred to be called "Negro." "Some prefer it because of their complexion, whether they're light-skinned or dark," said Jeanne R. Stanley, a retiree...

"They're all Democrats," a census insider told me. I was asking the official speaker at the morning census information workshop some rather pointed questions about how they plan to count illegal immigrants and what they plan to do with that data. The insider was the supervisor of the four county census supervisor giving us the hygienic explanation about what we have to do on April 1. clearing house out from under the Department of Commerce and to relocate it within the confines of the White House. The pat answer the spokeswoman told us is: "both documented and undocumented workers will...

Don't pack a sweater-girl THE ROAD TO HELL - - PART 9,762 thelastcrusade.org No man like her has ever occupied a prominent cabinet post. But President Obama, in an effort to display his solidarity with gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders has appointed Amanda Simpson to serve as a Senior Technical Advisor at the Department of Commerce. “I’m truly honored to have received this appointment and am eager and excited about this opportunity that is before me. And at the same time, as one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be...

According to various media reports, President Obama has hired a transgender woman as a senior adviser at the Commerce Department – but the White House is refusing to confirm the appointment. Mitchell Simpson, now known as "Amanda" following a sex change, is said to have been appointed senior technical adviser at the Commerce Department. He purportedly began work today. The Commerce website now lists an "Amanda Simpson" in its directory along with a Bureau of Industry and Security e-mail address. The directory does not list a phone number for "Amanda." The Obama administration has not officially announced the appointment, and...

Political Punch Jake Tapper President Obama Names Transgender Appointee to Commerce Department. President Obama recently named Amanda Simpson [Pic in URL] to be a Senior Technical Advisor to the Commerce Department. In a statement, Simpson, a member of the National Center for Transgender Equality's board of directors, said that "as one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others." While Simpson is clearly one of the first transgender presidential appointees, Democratic officials say they're unsure if she is...

Amanda Simpson, who has served on NCTE’s Board of Directors for the past 3 years, has been appointed by the Obama Administration as a Senior Technical Advisor to the Department of Commerce. She’ll be working in the Bureau of Industry and Security. “I’m truly honored to have received this appointment and am eager and excited about this opportunity that is before me. And at the same time, as one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others.” Simpson...

Icann – the official body that ultimately controls the development of the internet thanks to its oversight of web addresses such as .com, .net and .org – said today that it was ending its agreement with the US government. The deal, part of a contract negotiated with the US department of commerce, effectively pushes California-based Icann towards a new status as an international body with greater representation from companies and governments around the globe. Icann had previously been operating under the auspices of the American government, which had control of the net thanks to its initial role in developing the...