Marcy ‘Wheeler has the report that shows what I have known for years: Privatization is more expensive than government workers.

Politicians believe that outsourcing and privatization of public services saves money because the people who are actually hired by the corporations are paid much less than government worker. They don’t factor in the profit or the salaries of the corporate management. Recently a local sheriff in a Florida county threw out the contractor who had been operating the county jail, and saved his cash-strapped county major money.

Fallenmonk looks at the latest IMF study: Austerity causes economic contraction. Duncan has the the short version.

The BBC had a story a couple of days ago that the Conservative government’s austerity program is going to reduce the standard of living for most Britons about 10%. This is not how you get out of a severe recession, and never has been.

Yves looks at the latest Census ‘Bureau reporting on the nation that shows that we are poorer than we have been in decades, and that includes people with jobs. Corporations are raking in records profits, but nothing is going to their actual workforce, i.e. the people who actually produce the value of companies.

There was a special election in New York that proved once again that if you give people a choice between a Republican running as a Republican, and a Republican running as a Democrat, the Republican will win. Democratic voters in New York are not going to show up for a Blue Dog. This was another Zero, Inc. own-goal [a football term indicating a player put the ball into his own goal, rather than the opponent’s goal].

Position: 28.0N 68.6W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North-Northeast [015°] near 18 mph [30 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 65 mph [100 kph].
Wind Gusts: 75 mph [115 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 205 Miles [335 km].
Minimum central pressure: 999 mb ↓.

Currently about 375 miles [ 600 km] Southwest of Bermuda.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Bermuda.

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Bermuda.

Maria may make it to hurricane strength before making its pass to the East West of Bermuda tomorrow.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]