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Bill to Destroy California Businesses Introduced in Senate; Bill Mandates Employers with 5 or More Employees to Create "Personal Defined Benefit Plan" Managed by CALPers

Posted: 25 Feb 2012 01:25 PM PST

The gall, arrogance, and stupidity of public union pandering has reached new heights. A senate bill sponsored by written by Sen. Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles seeks to force businesses with five or more employees to create personal defined benefit plans, managed by CALPers.

The Sacramento Bee reports California Democrats push pension plan for nongovernment workers

Senate Bill 1234, written by Sen. Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles, would require businesses with five or more employees to enroll them in a new "Personal Pension" defined benefit program or to offer an alternative employer-sponsored plan.

The new system's investments would be professionally managed by CalPERS or another contracted organization. Employees would contribute about 3 percent of their wages through a payroll deduction, although they could opt out of the plan.

The fund would assume much lower investment returns than the 7.75 percent that the California Public Employees' Retirement System says its investments will generate, de León said.

Steinberg rejected suggestions that Democrats are pushing de León's bill to fend off pressure to enact substantial public pension changes.

"Absolutely not. We're not running away from it," Steinberg said, calling de León's bill the private sector "bookend" to public pension reform measures he expects lawmakers will send to Brown before the current session ends.

Pure Insanity

There is no polite way to put this so I won't. Sen. Kevin de León is clearly a certifiable nutcase.

Stoctkon and Vallejo California are both bankrupt over insane promises made to public union employees. So is Detroit Michigan, Central Falls Rhode Island, Providence Rhode Island, and Harrisburg Pennsylvania.

Numerous other cities will eventually be forced to seek bankruptcy. Los Angeles and Oakland and at the top of the list.

Numerous airlines and GM went bankrupt over defined benefit pension plans.

De León's bill would bankrupt countless small businesses trapped in its wake.

Things That Would Happen If Passed

Immediate large-scale firings by small businesses. No small business owner in his right mind would have over four employees.
Any business that could, would leave the state.
Many businesses that do stay would be destined to go bankrupt.
California would end up like Detroit or Greece

States on the Right Path

The road to reform is 180 degrees opposite. Governor Scott Walker in Wisconsin, Governor John Kasich in Ohio, and Governor Mitch Daniels are on the right path.

Five Point Road to Reform

End collective bargaining of public unions
Scrap Davis-Bacon and all prevailing wage laws
Scale back existing pension benefit promises via bankruptcy if necessary
Eliminate defined benefit pension plans
Institute national right-to-work laws

Corruption of America

The gall, arrogance, and stupidity of Senate bill 1234 sponsored by Sen. Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles, is absolutely stunning.

Here are a few particularly relevant paragraphs from my post Fatally Flawed Approaches to the Budget Deficit and Taxes; Debt Will Swell Under 3 of 4 Republican Hopefuls' Tax Plans

Porter Stansbury wrote a tremendous article on The Corruption of America and how public unions are at the center of it.

Golden State on road to Greece, by way of Detroit

Stansbury touched on Detroit in his article and so did the Orange County Register in an editorial Golden State on road to Greece, by way of Detroit

The Chicago Tribune reported Chicago teachers asking for 30% raises over next 2 years.

Is that insane or is that insane? The only way to stop such insanity is by ending collective bargaining of public unions, scrapping Davis Bacon and all prevailing wage laws, and instituting national right to work laws.

Legal Bribery

As long as public unions, corporations, and lobbyists can bribe legislators with campaign contributions, then bills are going to be written by public unions, corporations, and lobbyists.

Tax reform alone cannot and will not work. In addition to a balance budget amendment, something must be done to rein in the power of public unions and corporate lobbyists at the center of this mess.

Ending collective bargaining rights of public unions and passing right-to-work legislation would be a wonderful first step.

Addendum:

I missed the words "Employers could make voluntary contributions into the fund." Sorry, but I still don't buy it. This would be the first step towards mandated involuntary contributions. Moreover, maintenance of the plan would cause headaches, and giving money over to CALpers to manage is inane.

If people want to enter such programs on their own, let them. Mandating businesses offer such plans is another ridiculous burden on all businesses, especially small businesses. Nothing at all stops private companies from offering such plans.

Who is going to guarantee these benefits anyway, and who will be at risk when the plans fail to meet the goals? The answer today may be one thing, the answer down the road is sure to be taxpayers and businesses.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
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160 German Tax Collectors Volunteer to "Help" Greece

Posted: 25 Feb 2012 12:22 PM PST

Goodness gracious, how gracious! The German business weekly WirtschaftsWoche reported Saturday that Germany offers to send tax men to Greece

The German government is prepared to send 160 financial experts to Greece to help the country overhaul its tax collection, the business weekly WirtschaftsWoche reported Saturday.

Hans Bernhard Beus, deputy finance minister, told the magazine that the tax officials are ready to jump in to help the ailing country. They would need to at least speak English, but about a dozen of the volunteers speak Greek, he said.

A large number of the volunteers would come from western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where state Finance Minister Norbert Walter-Borjans of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) told WirtschaftsWoche: "Greece is facing the problems that former East Germany faced in 1990."

The central German state of Hesse is also prepared to send in volunteers, the state's Finance Minister Thomas Schäfer of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) said.

"In helping Greece, we should also entertain the idea of bringing in retired tax collectors, because considerable practical experience could be used here," he told WirtschaftsWoche.

In January, the Greek government released a 170-page list of 4,000 tax evaders, who owe the state approximately €15 billion. The Greek government under Prime Minister Lucas Papademos has announced that it will be seriously pursuing tax evaders.

Is this tax collection help or the beginning of colonization?

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Google Analytics Certification and How to Pass the GAIQ Test

Posted: 24 Feb 2012 01:33 AM PST

Posted by Slingshot SEO

This post was originally in YouMoz, and was promoted to the main blog because it provides great value and interest to our community. The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of SEOmoz, Inc.

When I hear the word, “cookies,” I generally think of warm, gooey homemade chocolate chip cookies. But when it comes to passing the Google Analytics Individual Qualification (GAIQ) test, I had to put my cravings for Mrs. Fields’ Nibblers aside and learn about the differences between first-party and third-party cookies.

Google Analytics Cookie Monster - Delete cookies!?

Cookies are just one of the many topics covered on the exam, and passing can be a daunting task, especially for those unfamiliar with the program and its ever-changing features. The GAIQ test is one of the best ways to become a more knowledgeable user and deepen your understanding of Google Analytics. For those to new to GA or seeking additional tips & tricks, check out our Google Analytics Guide. Studying for the exam can be a fun process, and I would like to offer some advice so that you can pass as well.

The GAIQ Test

The test is limited to 90 minutes, consisting of 70 multiple choice questions with two to five answer choices. The trickiest part is that some questions ask you to select "all that apply," which means there can be up to 24 possible answer combinations for those questions (assuming you have to select one answer). The test can be accessed at the Google Testing Center, and each sitting costs $50. During the test, you have the ability to pause and come back anytime within the next five days. Although the questions vary in difficulty, it's an open book exam. The pass mark is 80%, which means you must answer at least 56 out of 70 questions correctly.

Preparing for the Exam

All the topics and content covered on the exam are available through Google’s Google Analytics IQ Lessons, formerly known as Conversion University, which consists of online lessons that are freely available for viewing at your leisure. There are 21 different presentations that are easily digestible and will last a total of roughly 2 hours and 15 minutes. However, these presentations move fairly quickly, so I recommend pausing and taking notes that you can use during the exam. A rough outline of topics is listed below:

Accounts & Profiles
Interface Navigation
Tracking Code
Interpreting Reports
Traffic Sources
Campaign Tracking & AdWords Integration
AdWords
Goals
Funnels
Filters
Advanced Segments
Cookies
Regular Expressions
E-Commerce Tracking
Domains & Subdomains
Custom Reports
Motion Charts
Internal Site Search
Event Tracking & Virtual Page views

The GAIQ lessons are the best way to study for the test and should be your starting point. I recommend watching each video at least twice, and using your own Google Analytics profile in tandem with the videos, to practice and walk through each lesson to make sure you understand the topics. It is important to note that there have been many changes to Google Analytics over the past year, and Google has updated its exam in January 2012. The fundamental material covered on the exam has stayed the same, but if you are still using the old version of Analytics, you may want to get used to the new version and all of its new features before taking the exam.

I would not be surprised if Google started asking questions on features that are only available in the new version (multi-channel funnels, real-time analytics, social plugin analytics, and flow visualization). Also, there is always a chance that Google has made an update, but hasn’t changed the test question or GAIQ lesson videos. For example, the “__utmc” cookie is no longer used by the Google Analytics tracking code to determine session status, but it is still mentioned in the GAIQ lessons and could still be asked about on the exam as one of the cookies that Google sets. When in doubt, I would answer questions like this based on whatever has been taught in the GAIQ lessons. It is more likely that Google would not change the test without updating the videos first.

When Taking the Exam

For a “pass-the-exam” strategy, the most important thing to remember is to keep moving. Answer all of the easy questions first and don’t get tied down by any one question. You have roughly 1 minute and 16 seconds to answer each question, so if you answer all of the easy ones first, you can judge how much time you have left to finish the remaining, tougher questions. You have the ability to mark questions, answer them, or leave them incomplete. A good strategy is to answer the easy ones, mark the questions that require some research, and leave the questions you have absolutely no idea about blank. That way, during your second run-through, you can review all marked questions first and do the most difficult questions last. I feel safe in assuming that all questions are weighted equally in the score and that there is no penalty for guessing incorrectly.

During the test, I recommend having the following resources open on your computer: Google Analytics IQ Lessons, an Analytics account, the Google Help Center, and Jens Sorensen’s test notes. There will be some questions that require research, so keep these resources close.

Practice Problems

I’ve included some original practice problems with solutions that will help you get ready for the exam. These problems are meant to challenge you, but do not necessarily represent how Google will test you on these topics. These problems should be a final test to take after watching all of the GAIQ lessons. They are available for download in the link below :-)

Passing the Exam

If you pass, Google sends you an email with an official certificate showing that you have passed the exam. The certificate is valid for 18 months from the date of the passed exam. Google does not give you the results for each question, but it lists the percentage of questions you answered correctly, and the four most missed topics on your exam.

Google Analytics Qualified Individual Badge

Sometimes, the difference between passing and failing can be a matter of how you interpret some of Google’s questions. They can be quite tricky, so be sure to pay attention to detail on every question. If you fail, you may take the exam again, but you have to wait 14 days and can only take it twice within a 30-day period. You have to pay the $50 fee for each sitting, so do your best to pass it the first time.

If you’ve taken the exam, we’d love to hear your thoughts and study tips. Or if you have any other questions, please leave a comment!

Best of luck!

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Weekly Address: An All-Of-The-Above Approach to American Energy

Your Daily Snapshot for
Saturday, February 25, 2012

Weekly Address: An All-Of-The-Above Approach to American Energy

President Obama talks about how important it is to embrace an all-of-the-above approach to addressing our nation’s energy challenges.

Watch the weekly address:

By the Numbers

Oil companies receive $4 billion every year in taxpayer-funded subsidies, despite continually bringing in record high profits. Meanwhile, gas prices are on the rise—just like they were this time last year—and the same people funding those subsidies are paying more at the pump for the gas they need to get to school and work.

Find out more.

Weekly Wrap Up

A quick look at what happened this week on WhiteHouse.gov:

Your Voice, Your $40: On Wednesday, the President signed the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, which extends the payroll tax cut and emergency jobless benefits through the end of the year. He credits the Americans who added their voices to the debate by letting their representatives know what $40 means to them—“This got done because of you…You made it clear that you wanted to see some common sense in Washington.”

President Obama, In Performance: Some huge names in music—Mick Jagger and B.B. King, among others—joined the President and the First Lady for a night of blues on Tuesday as part of the PBS “In Performance at the White House” series. By now, we’re no strangers to the President’s impressive pipes, and he certainly held his own against the music legends as he sang a few lines of “Sweet Home Chicago.”

New Museum on the Block: Tourists and locals alike appreciate Washington, D.C.’s museums. In 2015, a new one will open its doors—the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. The President, who was accompanied by the First Lady at the future museum’s ground breaking on Wednesday morning, remarked that, “This museum should inspire us…It should stand as proof that the most important things rarely come quickly or easily. It should remind us that although we have yet to reach the mountaintop, we cannot stop climbing.”

CC2C: Dr. Jill Biden and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis hit the road this week for their three-day “Community College to Career” bus tour to highlight the integral role community colleges play in developing a flexible, highly-skilled 21st century workforce.

Welcome to Miami: President Obama visited the Sunshine State on Thursday and stopped at the University of Miami to check out their Industrial Assessment Center (IAC)—a smart and important piece of the administration’s “all-of-the-above” approach to domestic energy sources. He also spoke to the Hurricanes about securing a future for America built on home-grown energy, and his blueprint to help us get there.

West Wing Week: Your guide to everything at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Check out the video.

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Seth's Blog : Perfect and impossible

Perfect and impossible

The definition of a revolution: it destroys the perfect and enables the impossible.

The music business was perfect. Radio, record chains, Rolling Stone magazine, the senior prom, limited access to recording studios, the replaceable nature of the LP, the baby boomers... it all added up to a business that seemed perfect, one that could run for ever and ever.

The digital revolution destroyed this perfect business while enabling the seemingly impossible: easy access to the market by new musicians, a cosmic jukebox of just about every song ever recorded, music as a social connector...

If you are love with the perfect, prepare to see it swept away. If you are able to dream of the impossible, it just might happen.