Monday, February 25, 2013

Today's Teamsters News 02.25.13

Gas prices jump, but not as high, survey finds  CNN   ...Over the past two weeks, prices at the pump have jumped 20 cents, adding to a total rise of nearly 54 cents over the past nine weeks, according to the Lundberg Survey. A gallon of self-serve regular costs $3.80 on average nationwide, the survey found. But the speed of the spike has slowed substantially. And now, prices may even start to drop...
Trade protectionism looms next as central banks exhaust QE  The Telegraph   ...The four years of QE have given us a contained depression and prevented the global strategic order from unravelling. That is not a bad outcome, but the time gained has largely been wasted because few wish to face the awful truth that globalisation itself -- in its current deformed structure -- is the root cause of the whole disaster...
Major Banks Aid in Payday Loans Banned by States  New York Times   ...With 15 states banning payday loans, a growing number of the lenders have set up online operations in more hospitable states or far-flung locales like Belize, Malta and the West Indies to more easily evade statewide caps on interest rates...
Kasich cribbed his tax hike from an unpopular ALEC-endorsed initiative  Plunderbund   ...Kasich’s tax hike–in coordination with similar schemes in Nebraska, Kansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Virginia, and basically every GOP-controlled state–is clearly part of a national plug-and-play strategy led by ALEC, based on a failed Missouri idea...
Bloomberg's ban prohibits 2-liter soda with your pizza and some nightclub mixers  New York Post   ...Nanny Bloomberg unleashes his ban on large sodas on March 12 — and there are some nasty surprises lurking for hardworking families. Say goodbye to that 2-liter bottle of Coke with your pizza delivery, pitchers of soft drinks at your kid’s birthday party and some bottle-service mixers at your favorite nightclub...
Ken Hall: Where are 'Friends of Coal Miners'?  Charleston Gazette   ...Where are these so-called friends when it comes to the 22,500 active miners, retirees and their families who depend on Patriot Coal for their health care and pension benefits?...