6:42 AM
Since the new OSHA administration took over, there has been a shift toward stronger enforcement.
More staff has been added and policies have been changed. Fines have been higher. Are businesses being over regulated? Has regulation gone so far as to hamper the construction business?
What is OSHA really up to? In the past, OSHA only looked back 3 years when determining a "repeat" violation - which carries a higher penalty - had occurred. This window has increased to 5 years. This also creates tougher criteria for penalty reductions based on good history. Employers need to have a good track record for longer periods of time (5 years vs. 3 years) to be eligible for 10% penalty reductions based on history.
The average fine for serious violations will rise by $2000 - $3000 as a result of enforcement policy changes. OSHA is also asking Congress to pass legislation, the Protecting America's Workers Act, that would raise maximum penalties even further, up to $250,000 for certain violations. Even record keeping requirements are being cited at an increased rate with tougher penalties.
OSHA has launched an enforcement program geared toward what the agency calls "severe violators". Known as the Severe Violator Enforcement Program or SVEP, it focuses on OSHA enforcement resources on "recalcitrant" employers who fail to meet their obligations under the OSH Act. This means more inspections, more follow-up inspections, and more intense examination of employer's history to assess if there are systematic problems that would trigger more mandatory inspections.
The enforcement figures are in. OSHA has a $1.1 billion budget, $87 million in record breaking fines, and 169 new inspectors. To borrow from Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis' words, OSHA is acting like a "sheriff" now.
Is this too much? I'm not saying to rid ourselves of regulations entirely, but this seems to me as way too much regulation that can actually hamper productivity. The best regulator is the free enterprise system. If a company has a history of safety violations are they really doing well in business? Most likely not. They would continually have to "back up" to correct problems instead of moving forward. This would make projects come in over budget and over time. Hence a company with that kind of history wouldn't stay in business very long.
Over regulation isn't part of the capitalist model. Business is self-regulated. Regulated by what? Profit. To make more money, business has to run and run well. Business moves forward and more inspections don't allow for that. Businesses will pass on their added costs to the customer. That's more money out-of-pocket for you and me.
Congress has to examine the Protecting America's Workers Act before voting on it. Also other OSHA laws need to be inspected and if they are outdated, they have to be taken off the books. Regulation is need, but only to a point. Over regulation stops productivity.
More staff has been added and policies have been changed. Fines have been higher. Are businesses being over regulated? Has regulation gone so far as to hamper the construction business?
What is OSHA really up to? In the past, OSHA only looked back 3 years when determining a "repeat" violation - which carries a higher penalty - had occurred. This window has increased to 5 years. This also creates tougher criteria for penalty reductions based on good history. Employers need to have a good track record for longer periods of time (5 years vs. 3 years) to be eligible for 10% penalty reductions based on history.
The average fine for serious violations will rise by $2000 - $3000 as a result of enforcement policy changes. OSHA is also asking Congress to pass legislation, the Protecting America's Workers Act, that would raise maximum penalties even further, up to $250,000 for certain violations. Even record keeping requirements are being cited at an increased rate with tougher penalties.
OSHA has launched an enforcement program geared toward what the agency calls "severe violators". Known as the Severe Violator Enforcement Program or SVEP, it focuses on OSHA enforcement resources on "recalcitrant" employers who fail to meet their obligations under the OSH Act. This means more inspections, more follow-up inspections, and more intense examination of employer's history to assess if there are systematic problems that would trigger more mandatory inspections.
The enforcement figures are in. OSHA has a $1.1 billion budget, $87 million in record breaking fines, and 169 new inspectors. To borrow from Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis' words, OSHA is acting like a "sheriff" now.
Is this too much? I'm not saying to rid ourselves of regulations entirely, but this seems to me as way too much regulation that can actually hamper productivity. The best regulator is the free enterprise system. If a company has a history of safety violations are they really doing well in business? Most likely not. They would continually have to "back up" to correct problems instead of moving forward. This would make projects come in over budget and over time. Hence a company with that kind of history wouldn't stay in business very long.
Over regulation isn't part of the capitalist model. Business is self-regulated. Regulated by what? Profit. To make more money, business has to run and run well. Business moves forward and more inspections don't allow for that. Businesses will pass on their added costs to the customer. That's more money out-of-pocket for you and me.
Congress has to examine the Protecting America's Workers Act before voting on it. Also other OSHA laws need to be inspected and if they are outdated, they have to be taken off the books. Regulation is need, but only to a point. Over regulation stops productivity.
6:30 AM
The unemployment rate in Illinois rose for three months in a row. As of July, the rate is at 9.5 percent. Since the record tax increases were passed, the jobless numbers have rose in Illinois. Since January 2011 89,000 jobs have been lost in Illinois. This according to the Department of Labor.
This trend did not start overnight. This has been a trend in the works since 2001. Illinois government has not tried to end the trend in lost jobs. Instead Illinois governmental leadership did just about the opposite. Increased spending, which meant a wave of massive fund sweeping, put a tremendous strain on the state treasury. In response, tax increases were proposed and passed. Those increases couldn't keep up because the spending far outweighed the revenues. Nothing was done in 2002 or 2003 when the problems could have been headed off at the pass. In the meantime the very function of state government was put in jeopardy. Needed funding to school districts and local government was delayed putting more of a strain on those entities.
What has been proposed by Governor Quinn is more borrowing in the form of another bond issue. If this idea continues, the spending has to be capped. The backlog of unpaid bills has to be addressed and the pension problem needs leadership. We as Illinois citizens must be vigilant in the pursuit of better fiscal policy. This means no more new programs and cutting programs which have outlived their usefulness.
This trend did not start overnight. This has been a trend in the works since 2001. Illinois government has not tried to end the trend in lost jobs. Instead Illinois governmental leadership did just about the opposite. Increased spending, which meant a wave of massive fund sweeping, put a tremendous strain on the state treasury. In response, tax increases were proposed and passed. Those increases couldn't keep up because the spending far outweighed the revenues. Nothing was done in 2002 or 2003 when the problems could have been headed off at the pass. In the meantime the very function of state government was put in jeopardy. Needed funding to school districts and local government was delayed putting more of a strain on those entities.
What has been proposed by Governor Quinn is more borrowing in the form of another bond issue. If this idea continues, the spending has to be capped. The backlog of unpaid bills has to be addressed and the pension problem needs leadership. We as Illinois citizens must be vigilant in the pursuit of better fiscal policy. This means no more new programs and cutting programs which have outlived their usefulness.
5:39 PM
The Illinois Republican Party will hold its 2012 State Convention at Tinley Park’s newly expanded convention center June 8 and 9, officials announced Monday, August 22, 2011.
The Tinley Park Convention Center’s prime location is near Interstates 80 and 57. Tinley Park Mayor Ed Zabrocki said statewide events that attract visitors to the village of about 56,000 is exactly what local officials were hoping for when they approved the project.
The GOP will showcase the Republican Presidential candidate and state representative and state senate candidates along with the unveiling of the state platform. State Treasurer Dan Rutherford and State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, the Illinois Republican State officials will also be on hand.
8:02 PM
I was watching Lawrence Kudlow's show on CNBC and he mentioned that the country needs a dose of Reaganism. I agree, and for the record Mr. Kudlow could be biased, he was President Reagan's senior domestic economic adviser for just over six years. So Mr. Kudlow served President Reagan, he was "in the room" when President Reagan made most of his important economic decisions. Mr. Reagan had a variety of business and market leaders at his disposal and called upon them to aid in his decision making. Even President Carter did this. Unfortunately, President Carter made decisions that were contrary to the advise he was getting. But I think you get the point.
Has President Obama brought in the best and the brightest to seek their advise and guidance in dealing with this economic crisis? Well, I'll let you answer that in your own way. But if he hasn't he needs to start. His decision that led to QE2, which basically printed trillions of dollars, but created no jobs, was not a good one. In the President's defense, he should have slowed the printing press down, but I have to wonder if he received the proper suggestions to do so. He still had the majority of the Democrats in the U.S. House and the Senate, when QE2 proposals were made. But QE2 failed as far as job creation goes. The Republicans got the House back and the President's cap and trade was unveiled by the Republicans as bad policy. The Republicans cut, cap and balance bill proposed in the House and passed, was not called for a vote in the Senate, much to the chagrin of "a few" Republican senators led by John McCain.
So that brings us to the point where we are now. No jobs bill, but the President has said one is coming after Labor Day during his recent bus tour. What the President needs now is a political miracle. He needs to call in the best and the brightest to help forge a jobs bill. He has just a small amount of time. President Reagan put a proactive plan together for America, not a reactive one. Now is the time, but I get the feeling that time is wasting away, as Lawrence Kudlow brought up.
Has President Obama brought in the best and the brightest to seek their advise and guidance in dealing with this economic crisis? Well, I'll let you answer that in your own way. But if he hasn't he needs to start. His decision that led to QE2, which basically printed trillions of dollars, but created no jobs, was not a good one. In the President's defense, he should have slowed the printing press down, but I have to wonder if he received the proper suggestions to do so. He still had the majority of the Democrats in the U.S. House and the Senate, when QE2 proposals were made. But QE2 failed as far as job creation goes. The Republicans got the House back and the President's cap and trade was unveiled by the Republicans as bad policy. The Republicans cut, cap and balance bill proposed in the House and passed, was not called for a vote in the Senate, much to the chagrin of "a few" Republican senators led by John McCain.
So that brings us to the point where we are now. No jobs bill, but the President has said one is coming after Labor Day during his recent bus tour. What the President needs now is a political miracle. He needs to call in the best and the brightest to help forge a jobs bill. He has just a small amount of time. President Reagan put a proactive plan together for America, not a reactive one. Now is the time, but I get the feeling that time is wasting away, as Lawrence Kudlow brought up.
12:41 PM
State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, Treasurer Dan Rutherford, Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno and House Minority Leader Tom Cross say it’s time Illinois paid its bills with the revenue it generates.
Governor Quinn has mentioned borrowing more money so Illinois can pay its bills. This has the called the "restructuring" of debt by Governor Quinn. Basically this means borrowing more money to pay the back log of bills and to address the pension crisis. The only, but major problem is that's its far too expensive to borrow money. Illinois’ credit rating has sunk to 49th place by ratings companies Standard & Poor’s and Fitch, and the state is now dead last in the view of Moody’s.
Many efforts to implement more reforms and deeper budget cuts have been ignored or blocked by the majority party (Democrat) in Springfield. Many reforms have been introduced and held up including additional Medicaid and pension reforms which could save the state billions of dollars.
We have put forward a proposal that gives current employees options in an effort to stabilize our pension systems going forward. We have been meeting with interested parties this summer and hope to vote on a final product as soon as possible,” said Cross.
The four officials continue to offer to meet with Democrats at any time to find solutions.
Governor Quinn has mentioned borrowing more money so Illinois can pay its bills. This has the called the "restructuring" of debt by Governor Quinn. Basically this means borrowing more money to pay the back log of bills and to address the pension crisis. The only, but major problem is that's its far too expensive to borrow money. Illinois’ credit rating has sunk to 49th place by ratings companies Standard & Poor’s and Fitch, and the state is now dead last in the view of Moody’s.
Many efforts to implement more reforms and deeper budget cuts have been ignored or blocked by the majority party (Democrat) in Springfield. Many reforms have been introduced and held up including additional Medicaid and pension reforms which could save the state billions of dollars.
We have put forward a proposal that gives current employees options in an effort to stabilize our pension systems going forward. We have been meeting with interested parties this summer and hope to vote on a final product as soon as possible,” said Cross.
The four officials continue to offer to meet with Democrats at any time to find solutions.
6:26 AM
Recently, Moody’s Investors Service issued a special commentary and review of Illinois’ finances. The report noted that the state still has the worst Moody’s rating in the nation at A1 with a negative outlook, worse than even California’s A1 rating with a stable outlook.
Moody’s emphasized that the tax hike passed by Democrats in January is only a temporary solution to the state’s “significant funding burden” for pensions. The rating agency confirmed that while the 2010 pension reforms for new state employees will have a significant impact, the primary savings won’t be realized for many years.
Recent news reports have indicated that there is a willingness on the part of some lawmakers to revisit pension reforms for current employees this Fall. Moody’s echoes calls from legislators, financial oversight organizations, and taxpayer protection groups for further benefit reductions. Many agree that these reforms are necessary to truly address the unsustainable nature of Illinois’ retirement systems, but because the retirement benefits for current employees are Constitutionally-guaranteed, legal impediments may stand in the way.
The ratings agency went on to point out that “The state may be able to use increased tax revenue to chip away at its large balance of past-due budgetary payment obligations, but has not adopted a comprehensive plan to do so.” As of June 30, 2011, Comptroller Topinka estimated the state’s current bill backlog at $7.4 billion. Moody’s noted that the state’s outstanding obligations “will significantly drain fiscal 2012 revenues and perpetuate late payments into fiscal 2013.”
And while Gov. Quinn has reportedly indicated that the ratings agencies look favorably upon his continued proposals for long-term bonding to pay bills, Moody’s appeared at best neutral to Quinn’s bonding plan, saying: “This approach would significantly increase the state’s bonded debt burden, while at the same time helping those entities awaiting payment.”
Moody’s cautioned that while there have been signs that the state’s economy is in recovery, economic turmoil at the national level could have serious ramifications for Illinois. As noted, “Because of its financial weakness, Illinois is less well positioned than other states to handle a renewed downturn in the national economy.”
The backlog of bills still grows. I have said more bond issues deserve spending caps. If the State of Illinois continues to borrow, it has to watched and used to get caught up. Governor Quinn has to formulate a plan to pay past-due payment obligations.
Moody’s emphasized that the tax hike passed by Democrats in January is only a temporary solution to the state’s “significant funding burden” for pensions. The rating agency confirmed that while the 2010 pension reforms for new state employees will have a significant impact, the primary savings won’t be realized for many years.
Recent news reports have indicated that there is a willingness on the part of some lawmakers to revisit pension reforms for current employees this Fall. Moody’s echoes calls from legislators, financial oversight organizations, and taxpayer protection groups for further benefit reductions. Many agree that these reforms are necessary to truly address the unsustainable nature of Illinois’ retirement systems, but because the retirement benefits for current employees are Constitutionally-guaranteed, legal impediments may stand in the way.
The ratings agency went on to point out that “The state may be able to use increased tax revenue to chip away at its large balance of past-due budgetary payment obligations, but has not adopted a comprehensive plan to do so.” As of June 30, 2011, Comptroller Topinka estimated the state’s current bill backlog at $7.4 billion. Moody’s noted that the state’s outstanding obligations “will significantly drain fiscal 2012 revenues and perpetuate late payments into fiscal 2013.”
And while Gov. Quinn has reportedly indicated that the ratings agencies look favorably upon his continued proposals for long-term bonding to pay bills, Moody’s appeared at best neutral to Quinn’s bonding plan, saying: “This approach would significantly increase the state’s bonded debt burden, while at the same time helping those entities awaiting payment.”
Moody’s cautioned that while there have been signs that the state’s economy is in recovery, economic turmoil at the national level could have serious ramifications for Illinois. As noted, “Because of its financial weakness, Illinois is less well positioned than other states to handle a renewed downturn in the national economy.”
The backlog of bills still grows. I have said more bond issues deserve spending caps. If the State of Illinois continues to borrow, it has to watched and used to get caught up. Governor Quinn has to formulate a plan to pay past-due payment obligations.
10:52 PM
Results of the 2010 Census have given us a reason to see why change is nothing new. The end of the first decade of the 21st century marks a turning point in the nation's social, cultural, geographic, racial and ethnic fabric. It's a shift so profound that it reveals an America that seemed unlikely a mere 20 years ago — one that will influence the nation for years to come in everything from who is elected to run the country, states and cities to what type of houses will be built and where.
Check out the USA Today Census page.
Items that stand out:
Check out the USA Today Census page.
Items that stand out:
- Aging population booms
- Households are getting larger
- Asian population is growing