Friday, January 6, 2012

Today's Teamster News 01.06.12

Corporate Profits Have Rebounded To Pre-Recession Levels, But Corporate Tax Revenue Hasn’t  ThinkProgress   ...Corporate tax revenue has plummeted for several reasons, but one of the big ones is the growth of deductions, loopholes, and outright tax evasion that helps companies limit, or entirely eliminate, their income tax liability. 30 major corporations, in fact, paid no corporate income tax over the last three years, while making $160 billion in profits...
Need jobs? Call on government (opinion)  Los Angeles Times   ...International experience shows that direct job creation by governments is one of the very few options that has succeeded at raising employment levels more than just marginally during a crisis...
Bank charge of the day, mortgage-payment edition  Reuters   ...Citi is getting a big advantage from you making half your mortgage payment two weeks early — and then it has the chutzpah to charge you hundreds of dollars for the privilege. They even charge you $1.50 per extra transaction, as though that costs them any money at all. (It doesn’t.)...
SCOTUS expected to weight Montana campaign finance appeal  Politico   ...Campaign finance experts predict that the court will almost certainly address the ruling, since it’s seen as a direct challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision that allowed corporations, unions and other special interests to use their treasury funds to make or fund political ads that support or oppose political candidates...
Airline Safety Soars  paulkedrosky.com   ...According to new data, 2011 was the safest year in global commercial aviation history...
Democrats bemoan rush on labor bill  Indianapolis Star   ...This morning's joint House- Senate committee may be the only chance the public has to weigh in on the controversial legislation targeting labor contracts that for the second year has forced a legislative standoff...
Former aide to Scott Walker arrested with two others  Politico   ...Three people, including a former aide to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, were arrested Thursday as part of a secret criminal probe that found two of the men stole funds intended for wounded vets and families of U.S. soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan...
Teamster Strike Halts Pipeline Projects  Youngstown Business Journal   ...a strike by more than 700 pipeline construction workers has already halted work on projects related to the Marcellus shale play in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, and could lead to stoppages across the country...