I came across this is little story today, it's not breaking news. I suspect that a member of the housekeeping staff knows something about the bomb threat that required the sweep for weapons.
According to police in Secaucus, the bomb threat — which later was determined to be bogus — was called in to Hudson Regional Hospital on July 18. During a search, bomb detection dogs led investigators to an unlocked office closet containing dozens of firearms.
Among the weapons were 11 handguns and 27 rifles or shotguns, according to police. The closet also contained a .45 caliber semi-automatic rifle with a high-capacity magazine that was determined to be an assault rifle, and a 14-round high-capacity handgun magazine.
The arrested the guy the next day.
What the heck do you think this guy was doing? It sounds very ominous that he was keeping those weapons there.
I'm actually headed out, which is why I was short to begin with.
Maybe later.
I can presume it was a speech on which he said something to effect that democracy was in danger. Over the top rhetoric. Was interesting to see Fox News was having none of that. They admitted there were a lot of candidates that were election deniers but that's okay because they are not campaigning on that, but rather the economy, the border and crime. They noted he made his speech on a crime ridden area.
I can presume it was a speech on which he said something to effect that democracy was in danger. Over the top rhetoric. Was interesting to see Fox News was having none of that. They admitted there were a lot of candidates that were election deniers but that's okay because they are not campaigning on that, but rather the economy, the border and crime. They noted he made his speech on a crime ridden area.
Fox actually televised the speech. I've heard one of the few.
Yep, you have the jist of it. He opened with a good 4 or 5 minutes going over the Pelosi attack and Jan 6, and tied that to if you vote for Republicans you are putting our democracy in danger.
The speech was at Union Station, a few blocks from the Capitol. I was there in 2008. It was a nice place with a great food court and retail shops.
I spent alot of time in the area last Winter. I never visited Union Station, as I was told most of those things closed and there were more homeless people than customers. So, a interesting choice of venue.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
1 hour ago, Beerman said:
You get an atta-boy! for trying, but that's not the question I asked.
It is interesting to see those numbers, however. It illustrates how if ALL of the oil company profits were taken, nevermind just a windfall tax on profits over 15%, it wouldn't fund social security.
Color me surprised that you are attached to a narrow question..."is it enough" ... while previously intimating that you didn't know that profits were up significantly.
Maybe you could answer your own question... would it be enough or should we do nothing and just watch them raise prices to guarantee historic profits... that inaction does seem to feed the right wing narrative.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
1 hour ago, HiddenAngels said:
I enjoyed reading every bit of this speech. To see the enormity of the tasks the FBI has to undertake was quite alarming not to mention some of it seems downright impossible. There is no way to detect a small cell individual who's planning an attack simply because of the reasoning they gave which is, these individuals don't have a lot of discussions surrounding their plans which usually stem from some unseen personal grievances.
I wasn't the least bit shocked to see the top domestic terrorism threat was from DVEs. This country needs a whole new makeover with regards to its citizens and equality and even that won't suffice. As long as people see differences and form opinions about those differences, we all just simply will not get along. The history of this country is founded on racism.
As far as the cyber attacks, good luck. Technology is waaaaay past what our human minds could ever think of. When the technological advances become something, we can't even comprehend, but something we readily accept, this in itself is very dangerous.
Wray has been consistent in his appraisal and warnings. It's important to remember that the "lone wolves" aren't really alone... they are supported by a social media network of like minded individuals who encourage and validate them.
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The greatest terrorism threat to our homeland is posed by lone actors or small cells who typically radicalize to violence online and look to attack soft targets with easily accessible weapons. We see these threats manifested within both domestic violent extremists (DVEs) and homegrown violent extremists (HVEs), two distinct threats, both of which are located primarily in the United States and typically radicalize and mobilize to violence on their own. Individuals who commit violent criminal acts in furtherance of social or political goals stemming from domestic influences—some of which include racial or ethnic bias, or antigovernment or anti-authority sentiments—are described as DVEs, whereas HVEs are individuals who are inspired primarily by international terrorist actors but are not receiving individualized direction from foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) or specially designated global terrorists (SDGTs).
Domestic and homegrown violent extremists are often motivated and inspired by a mix of social or political, ideological, and personal grievances against their targets and more recently have focused on accessible targets to include civilians, law enforcement and the military, symbols or members of the U.S. government, houses of worship, retail locations, and mass public gatherings. By selecting these types of soft targets, in addition to the insular nature of their radicalization and mobilization to violence and limited discussions with others regarding their plans, lone actors present a persistent challenge for law enforcement who work to detect and disrupt their activities before they occur.
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The top domestic terrorism threat we face continues to be from DVEs we categorize as racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVEs), including those who advocate for the superiority of the white race, who were the primary source of lethal attacks perpetrated by DVEs in recent years. It is important to note that we have also recently seen an increase in fatal DVE attacks perpetrated by anti-government or anti-authority violent extremists, specifically militia violent extremists and anarchist violent extremists. Anti-government or anti-authority violent extremists were responsible for three of the four lethal DVE attacks in 2020. Also, in 2020, we saw the first lethal attack committed by an anarchist violent extremist in over 20 years. These anti-government or anti-authority violent extremists have specifically targeted law enforcement and the military as well as institutions or members of the U.S. government.
The number of FBI investigations of suspected DVEs has more than doubled since the Spring of 2020. In January, we marked the one-year anniversary of the January 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol, which has led to unprecedented efforts by the Department of Justice, including the FBI, to investigate and hold accountable all who engaged in violence, destruction of property, and other criminal activity on that day. To date, the department has arrested and charged more than 850 individuals who took part in the Capitol siege.
The number of DVE investigations has grown since 010621...Trump supporters are keeping them busy.
Color me surprised that you are attached to a narrow question..."is it enough" ... while previously intimating that you didn't know that profits were up significantly.
Maybe you could answer your own question... would it be enough or should we do nothing and just watch them raise prices to guarantee historic profits... that inaction does seem to feed the right wing narrative.
I'm not the one who made the proposal that we should fund social security with a windfall tax on profits over 15%. I would assume the person who made it has done some research. So, that's I asked.
Whether "profits are up" or not is irrelevant.
What I do know is that the average profit margin for the top few thousand (don't remember the exact number) corporations is around 8%. Exxon's over the last 12 months is about 13%.
And I know SS outlays areabout 1.3 trillion a year. That doesnt include admin costs. "Big Oil's" profits last year was something like 250 billion.
So, it doesn't seem that a windfall tax would get us much. But, I could be wrong.
A measure of US profit margins has reached its widest since 1950, suggesting that the prices charged by businesses are outpacing their increased costs for production and labor.
After-tax profits as a share of gross value added for non-financial corporations, a measure of aggregate profit margins, improved in the second quarter to 15.5% -- the most since 1950 -- from 14% in the first quarter, according to Commerce Department figures published Thursday.
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The data show that companies overall have comfortably been able to pass on their rising cost of materials and labor to consumers. With household budgets squeezed by the rising cost of living, some firms have been able to offset any slip in demand by charging more to the customers they’ve retained -- though others like Target Corp. saw their inventories swell and were forced to discount prices in order to clear them.
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US inflation has surged this year and stood at 8.5% in July, not far short of the previous month’s four-decade high. Federal Reserve officials have pointed to rising wages as one of the big risks that could keep inflation entrenched. But some economists say that historically elevated profit margins mean there’s room for businesses to accommodate worker demands for better pay without setting off a wage-price spiral.
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Bloomberg: Business News Daily
Before you change the A measure of US profit margins has reached its widest since 1950, suggesting that the prices charged by businesses are outpacing their increased costs for production and labor.
After-tax profits as a share of gross value added for non-financial corporations, a measure of aggregate profit margins, improved in the second quarter to 15.5% -- the most since 1950 -- from 14% in the first quarter, according to Commerce Department figures published Thursday.
The data show that companies overall have comfortably been able to pass on their rising cost of materials and labor to consumers. With household budgets squeezed by the rising cost of living, some firms have been able to offset any slip in demand by charging more to the customers they’ve retained -- though others like Target Corp. saw their inventories swell and were forced to discount prices in order to clear them.
The surge in profits during the pandemic era has fueled a debate about whether price-gouging companies carry a share of the blame for high inflation -- an argument pushed by President Joe Biden’s Democrats. Most economists have been skeptical about the idea.
US inflation has surged this year and stood at 8.5% in July, not far short of the previous month’s four-decade high. Federal Reserve officials have pointed to rising wages as one of the big risks that could keep inflation entrenched. But some economists say that historically elevated profit margins mean there’s room for businesses to accommodate worker demands for better pay without setting off a wage-price spiral.
‘Tide Is Turning’
Biden allies have singled out the energy industry, which has posted blowout profits this year, for criticism over price-gouging. Democratic Senator Ron Wyden has floated a measure that would impose a windfall tax on profits in the industry deemed to be “excessive.” Similar measures have been adopted in several European countries to help finance measures that will protect consumers the energy-price shock.
Across the economy, adjusted pretax corporate profits increased 6.1% in the April-to-June period from the prior quarter -- the fastest pace in a year -- after falling 2.2% in the first three months of the year. Profits are up 8.1% from a year earlier.
While companies report individual profits based on historical costs, the government adjusts the figures to reflect the current cost of replacing capital stock such as equipment and structures. Due to surging inflation, the current replacement costs are much higher.
Excluding that adjustment, as well as one for inventory valuation, after-tax profits climbed 10.4% in the second quarter.
Businesses might damage an economy while lining their pockets for exactly the same reason that they might lie about health risks from their products or conceal negative environmental impacts, @Beerman
In many cases, their anxieties stem not from experiencing serious crime, but from seeing homeless encampments, or finding a syringe or human waste on the sidewalk, or reading accounts in their neighborhood social networks of vandalism on a local bike path.
These concerns are generally benefiting Republican candidates, who have bluntly blamed Democratic elected officials for a surge in violent crime in many cities that began during the pandemic and has yet to fully subside. In interviews, voters criticized liberals’ efforts to eliminate cash bail, decriminalize marijuana and decrease funding for police departments, even if those policies have not been put in place where they live.
Many independent voters have warmed to Republican candidates across the country who are emphasizing crime and public safety in their closing messages before Election Day. Republican plans to curb crime generally consist of hiring more police officers and tightening border security, but most of the party’s candidates focus far more on assailing progressive criminal justice policies or the “defund the police” movement, which most Democratic candidates have rejected.
It's hard for Republicans to talk about being tough on crime while they are simultaneously making excuses for crimes commited by Trump and his sycophants. IMV
I think that it's important to note that while Republicans largely want to stop all investigation into the attempt to stop the peaceful transfer of power to benefit Trump and aren't interested in the theft of top secret documents by that well known transactional liar, they are interested in more law enforcement for the rest of us. In fact, those Republicans want to make restrictive laws regarding reproductive health matters... and aggressively enforce them. Or make laws about felons voting, and aggressively enforce them. Under Trump, federal enforcement of outdated cannabis laws was encouraged.
The USA has the highest per capita prison population in the world. Gun violence is on the rise but Republicans resist gun control measures. Republican governed states have some of the worst murder rates.
We could address the despair and quality of life issues that are foundational to some of this crime. We can do better.
We see the outrage echoed here. For instance, are we generally upset by Obama's recent speeches in contrast to Trump's? Or Biden's communications as compared to other President's?
These are perilous times.
I also think the satirical is wearing down because of the sensitivity that we are facing in American culture. What used to be funny, is now condemning. What used to be a private conversation, is now readily made public. And I don't think it's so much that we are scared to laugh. It's becoming so that nothing is funny. But otherwise, I liked this opinion piece.
A police sniper shot him in the chest, through a window, because they were afraid of him.
De-escalation must not be part of that police department's skill set... neither is honesty or compassion.
ugggh, this is just horrendous. We need an alternative to police responding to mental health crisis calls. But this is not even about this guy's mental health, or as the family hoped for, a welfare check, this is just disgusting. They were supposed to be checking on him, that's it.
"A bad year?".. I don't know him, so I won't say he's this or that about him the person. But his actions are reprehensible, and I can no longer support him.
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I can presume it was a speech on which he said something to effect that democracy was in danger. Over the top rhetoric. Was interesting to see Fox News was having none of that. They admitted there were a lot of candidates that were election deniers but that's okay because they are not campaigning on that, but rather the economy, the border and crime. They noted he made his speech on a crime ridden area.