Free Republic

The funds that pay pension and health benefits to police officers, teachers and millions of other public employees across the country are facing a shortfall that could soon run into trillions of dollars. But the accounting techniques used by state and local governments to balance their pension books disguise the extent of the crisis facing these retirees and the taxpayers who may ultimately be called on to pay the freight, according to a growing number of leading financial analysts. State governments alone have reported they are already confronting a deficit of at least $750 billion to cover the cost of...

Topeka, Kan. and Washington - At its best, America's infrastructure has powered our economic prosperity, created well-paying jobs, and served the public interest. Today, however, it has fallen into a dangerous state of disrepair. The Minnesota bridge collapse last summer brought home the urgency of repairing and modernizing our nation's system of highways, bridges, tunnels, power plants, transmission lines, and airports. But doing so will be prohibitively expensive. Current plans seek to exploit the nation's need for private profit. But there's a better source of capital at hand: public pension funds. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that $1.6...

Now that big corporate lobbyists know they can't get amnesty for the millions of cheap laborers they have imported illegally, they are pushing to increase the number of so-called high-skilled workers by raising the cap of H-1B visas. The pressure is on the House of Representatives to pass an increase soon, most likely in the form of the SKIL Act (H.R. 1930), sponsored by Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ), usually a conservative ally. There are three reasons why Big Business wants to increase foreign workers: * H-1Bers are paid much less than Americans * The influx of H-1Bers depresses the "prevailing...

'We are being swamped with requests from employers' The federal government has given the green light in the past year for more than 40,000 temporary foreign workers to come to Alberta -- setting the stage for a staggering 300 per cent jump from just three years ago. The workers, being brought in to ease the massive labour shortage, would create a new city half the size of Red Deer if they all lived in one place. The new data provided by Human Resources and Social Development Canada also indicate the number of temporary foreign workers could grow even larger in...

CLEVELAND -- There are 40 cases of cancer among people who work in the same building at NASA Glenn Research Center. Dozens of the employees fear that their cancer was triggered by years of working in the developmental engineering building, NewsChannel5 reported. The union that represents hundreds of scientists and other workers said nearly half of the 100 employees on the third floor of the building have been diagnosed with various forms of cancer in the past three to four years. "What we've seen in the way of cancer here has just been astronomical on this third floor alone and...

Hundreds of Indian guest workers rallied in the street Monday. The rally began uptown around 10 a.m. at the Coliseum Square Fountain. According to a press release, 500 workers had filed a class-action anti-racketeering suit against Signal International and various recruiters, including New Orleans attorney Malvern Burnett. The workers, members of the Alliance of Guest Workers for Dignity, filed the lawsuit in federal court in New Orleans late Friday. According to the statement from the workers, about 500 Indian welders and pipefitters were “trafficked” to the Gulf Coast to work for signal, a Northrop Grumman subcontractor. Their complaint alleged that...

One in 10 Arizona workers are here illegally, according to a revealing new study. The Pew Hispanic Center says the new number is based on U.S. Census data and their own surveys. Steven Camarota, an immigration critic with the Center for Immigration Studies, says the Arizona figure contrasts to the national picture. "Nationally, we think that about 5 percent of workers in the country are illegal immigrants." It's important to note that both anti-illegal immigration critics and immigration reform supporters consider Pew a relaible source.

China appeals for skilled foreign workers By Richard Spencer in Beijing Last Updated: 12:34am GMT 01/12/2007 China has appealed for 150,000 skilled foreign workers to help boost its economy. While the West may regard China’s educational achievements with awe, many Chinese see their universities as a disaster, prone to turn out graduates who can pass exams but lack any creative or entrepreneurial skills. A study by McKinsey, the international management consultancy firm, suggested that many Chinese degrees do not equip students for working in well-run companies. Of the 1.6 million young engineers in China, it reckoned only 10 per cent...

MILWAUKEE Some 5,400 Harley-Davidson Inc. workers are out of work this week as the motorcycle maker cuts production because of falling sales. The Milwaukee-based company announced in September it would shut down production at plants in Wisconsin, Kansas City, Mo., and York, Pa., this week as part of a planned cut in production. A shorter layoff is better than a long one, said Frank Larkin, a spokesman for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents workers at Harley-Davidson plants. At least workers were able to prepare for it, he said. "We were informed early on this was...

EU told to open door to 20m migrant workers By Philip Johnston, Home Affairs Editor Last Updated: 2:56am BST 14/09/2007 A huge increase in economic migration into the EU is being proposed by the European Commission. It wants to relax controls and open the borders to an extra 20 million workers from Asia and Africa over the next two decades. That would more than double the present non-EU resident population now living in the 27 member states. It now stands at about 18 million out of a total of around 490 million. The Commission is drawing up a new ''blue...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2007 – Turbocam International’s support of its deployed employees with technology to use in the field and a special supply fund has earned the company a place of honor alongside 14 other organizations being recognized today with Secretary of Defense Employer Freedom Awards. Since Sept. 11, 2001, three Turbocam employees have been called to serve overseas: Brian Barber, a New Hampshire Air National Guard crew chief on KC-135 Stratotankers; Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Tom McGee, who served in 172nd Field Artillery in Iraq; and Army National Guard Cpl. Chris Wentworth, who served in 744th Transportation...

There are those who are asking the question (Quote): “Should the US allow for more lenient immigration policies toward highly skilled workers?” In other words: Should the US thus continue to "except" our way out of being a Nation based on the rule of law, as opposed to a nation based on "making exceptions" (such as a "caste" system [caste: "separated from others by distinctions of hereditary rank, profession, etc]), political expediency, "political correctness", etc, and thus also continue to increasingly pretend to be a nation based on the rule of law? If the answer to the question at hand...

To hold down medical costs, some firms are penalizing workers who are overweight or don't meet health guidelines. Looking for new ways to trim the fat and boost workers' health, some employers are starting to make overweight employees pay if they don't slim down. Others, citing growing medical costs tied to obesity, are offering fit workers lucrative incentives that shave thousands of dollars a year off healthcare premiums. In one of the boldest moves yet, an Indiana-based hospital chain last month said it decided on the stick rather than the carrot. Starting in 2009, Clarian Health Partners will charge employees...

A global IT company with a work force in Bloomington agreed to pay $#2.4 million to visa workers whom a federal agency claimed were underpaid compared to U.S. worers. India based Patni Computer Systems will pay an average of about $4,000 each to 607 employees for work performned in 32 states in 2004 and 2005, as part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor. Patni, which has more than 12,000 clients globally, employes more than 400 workers in Bloomington, and analysts for serveral investment firmst list State Farm Insurance Cos. as one of the company's largest U.S. clients....

Chain's use of database to fire employees who don't check out angers advocates for immigrants You may have already seen the signs popping up at your local Dunkin' Donuts shop: ``We follow the law! This company hires lawful workers only. " The signs, which have begun appearing in shops around Boston, make public the company's participation, starting June 1, in a voluntary federal program that enables employers to quickly check the immigration status of new hires. Dunkin' Donuts is requiring all of its franchisees to participate in the Basic Pilot Program, which allows employers to verify a worker's status using...

I think we should keep track of those companies who are doing a splendid job of NOT hiring illegals! This morning in our local edition of The Arizona Republic Business section there was an article re: the firm stance that Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins has taken with ensuring that NO illegal aliens are hired on at any of their franchises. They are utilizing the federal government's Basic Pilot program to conduct electronic background checks. Franchise owners who don't follow this policy are taken to court.

Senator Bernie Sanders addressed the US Senate concerning the proposed Immigration Bill. I listened to his remarks on C-Span2. He was critical of the bill and pointed out the damage that has been done to America by the business interests which are pushing for the bill, and the damage that it will cause. He offered an amendment that will prohibit corporations from trying to import foreign labor, while at the same time firing Americans. I've never heard Senator Sanders speak before. He was eloquent and brave. I hope that all Americans who are concerned about the immigration debacle will have...

British workers for British jobs says Brown By George Jones, Toby Helm and Graeme Wilson Last Updated: 2:16am BST 06/06/2007 Gordon Brown promised yesterday to launch a drive to train thousands of unemployed workers for jobs currently being filled by immigrants flocking to Britain. The Chancellor put a new emphasis on "Britishness" at the heart of his programme for government when he takes over from Tony Blair in three weeks' time. Gordon Brown addresses the GMB union "It is time to train British workers for the British jobs that will be available over the coming few years and to make...

By all reports, the president and congressional leaders are trying to address the illegal immigration problem, and it’s safe to say that things aren’t going well. Apparently, the electeds have gotten themselves bogged down with political posturing and all the other things that they spend their time doing instead of governing. We at the Rochester Pundit have decided to help them refocus their efforts by providing a commonsense birds-eye view of this issue. After reading this, the guys (and gals) up on the hill should be able to bang out this bill and get back banging…well, whatever it is they...

NEW YORK - Discounted apartments and cash were given to a former United Nations procurement official and two other U.N. workers got nights with prostitutes to help secure $100 million in U.N. contracts, a businessman testified Tuesday at a bribery trial. The witness, Nishan Kohli, provided many of the details at the heart of the government's case against Sanjaya Bahel, who was chief of the U.N.'s Commodity Procurement Section from 1999 to 2003. Bahel, 57, is charged with bribery, wire fraud and mail fraud. Kohli testified in U.S. District Court in Manhattan that Bahel was so helpful to the Kohli...