If politicians really gave a damn about helping people move up the economic ladder, they would significantly bump the minimum wage instead of whining about cutting these programs.

Originally shared by +Jim Fawcette

Public Assistance Actually a Massive Taxpayer Subsidy for Too Big Conglomerates

We're seen this argument applied to select firms such as Walmart and MacDonald's, but new studies look at the bigger picture. State and federal government spend $150 Billion on antipoverty programs, much of which goes to working families, not the idle indolent. Texas, land of small government and independence, has more working poor on aid than any other state. A staggering 67% of aid in Texas goes to working families paid too little to live on.

Study PDF at:
http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/pdf/2015/the-high-public-cost-of-low-wages.pdf

NYT.com: "“The low-wage business model practiced by many of the largest and most profitable employers in the country not only leaves many working families unable to afford the basics, but also imposes significant costs on the public as a whole,” Sarah Leberstein, a senior staff lawyer with the National Employment Law Project, testified recently before Connecticut lawmakers." {article at embed}

WaPo: "This picture casts the culprit in a different light: Taxpayers are spending a lot of money subsidizing not people who won't work, but industries that don't pay their workers a living wage. Through these four programs alone, federal and state governments spend about $150 billion a year aiding working families, according to the analysis (the authors define people who are working here as those who worked at least 10 hours a week, at least half the year)."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/04/14/when-work-isnt-enough-to-keep-you-off-welfare-and-food-stamps/

Working, but Needing Public Assistance Anyway – NYTimes.com
A University of California study finds that taxpayer money is effectively subsidizing employers who pay at or around the minimum wage.

With continuing debacles like this, explain to me why we should even consider giving more money to the military?

Navy Builds Ship For F-35, Ship Needs Months Of Upgrades To Handle F-35
The Navy’s USS America, the first of her class, was controversially optimized to handle the F-35, leaving out the multi-purpose well deck traditionally found on ‘Gator Navy’ flattops. Now, just months after her commissioning, she already needs 40 weeks of upgrades just to handle the very aircraft she was designed for.

Vehicle-to-external communications could be ubiquitous by 2025

Coming Soon to Cars: Safety Alerts via On-Board DSRC Radios
Coming Soon to Cars: Safety Alerts via On-Board DSRC Radios

Yes, the 2015 +Dodge Charger R/T is big an rear-wheel-drive and V8-powered but it's also a thoroughly modern car with plenty of advanced technology and and great manners to go with its performance. Now if +Ford Motor Company would just add some space between the axles of the new Mustang platform, apply their styling prowess to a big sedan and offer a version with a 5.2-liter flat-plane-crank V8, we could have some serious competition.

2015 Dodge Charger R/T – Modern Muscle Without the Hellcat | Sam’s Thoughts

After 53 years with Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen, Ferdinand Piech may have finally worn out his welcome. A grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, the chairman of the Volkswagen supervisory board has gone to war with CEO Martin Winterkorn, but it seems that the rest of the Porsche/Piech families, along with management and the unions are backing Winterkorn. This has left Piech isolated on the board and potentially at risk of finally loosing control of the world's second largest automaker.

VW board members rally to Winterkorn after Piech criticism creates leadership crisis
Volkswagen Chairman Ferdinand Piech faces resistance within the automaker’s supervisory board to his criticism of CEO Martin Winterkorn, deepening a leadership crisis at the automaker. Piech publicly withdrew his confidence in Winterkorn but major VW power players including the powerful works council, the state of Lower Saxony and Piech’s cousin, Wolfgang Porsche, rallied to Winterkorn’s side.

If you're in the industry and interested in the market for V2X communications for cars and trucks, you might want to check out this new report

Connected Vehicles
The continuing push to improve safety while reducing the emissions and energy consumption resulting from transportation is driving the development of a number of crucial technologies, including ele…

It's a big truck and yet the bed is only 5ft 7in

Originally shared by +Jim Fawcette

This puts things in perspective. The tax deduction for a single, business dinner is often more than the entire monthly food allowance under the food stamp program. And, nobody will complain if you eat seafood. Or filet with Chateau Petrus.

Scott Klinger runs the numbers: "Imagine that the tab for dinner and drinks for 10 executives comes to $1,600. Current tax law allows companies to deduct half of the cost of business meals — in this case, $800. With a corporate tax rate of 35 percent, each dollar of deductions yields 35 cents of tax savings — so that $800 deduction saves $280 in taxes. This means one dinner for 10 people provides more public food assistance than the $279 an average household receives in food stamps for the whole month."

Cut tax breaks, not food stamps
Congress seems to be focusing its austerity efforts on America’s most vulnerable citizens, including those who need help feeding their families. Meanwhile, large food subsidies that benefit the most…