BANKS AFFECTED BY THE GLOBAL CRISIS – 2008
Giants of the business world, such as Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, have crumbled or been bought out.
| Bank | Date | Status | Website |
| Fannie Mae | 07 Sep | Nationalised | Fannie Mae |
| Freddie Mac | 07 Sep | Nationalised | Freddie Mac |
| Lehman Bros | 15 Sep | Collapsed | Lehman Bros |
| Merrill Lynch | 15 Sep | Taken over | Merrill Lynch |
| AIG | 16 Sep | Part-nationalised | AIG |
| HBOS | 17 Sep | Taken over | HBOS |
| WaMu | 25 Sep | Collapsed and sold | WaMu |
| Fortis | 28 Sep | Nationalised | Fortis |
| Bradford & Bingley | 29 Sep | Nationalised | Bradford & Bingley |
| Wachovia | 29 Sep | Taken over | Wachovia |
| Glitnir | 29 Sep | Nationalised | Glitnir |
| Hypo Real Estate | 06 Oct | Rescue package | Hypo Real Estate |
| RBS | 13 Oct | Part-nationalised | RBS |
| Lloyds TSB | 13 Oct | Part-nationalised | Lloyds TSB |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_7640000/newsid_7644200/7644238.stm
Page last updated at 08:39 GMT, Monday, 3 November 2008
BBC
Finance crisis: In graphics
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London shares slip early on; BoE rate caution, miners weigh; …
The Dow Jones industrials rose to another record close. The Dow Jones closed up 53.8 points at 13362.9, while the Nasdaq Composite took on 4.59 at 2576.34 and the S&P 500 index added 4.9 at 1,512.6.
Meanwhile, in Asia this morning, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index closed down 11.16 points at 17,736.961, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was 72.51 points lower at 20,772.27 by midday.
February 5 2008: 11:35 AM EST
Selloff accelerates on recession fears
Investors are spooked by a report that feeds into worries that the economic downturn may be intensifying.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The stock selloff quickened Tuesday morning, after a surprisingly weak service sector reading exacerbated bets that the economy is in a recession.
The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) lost 1.9% nearly 2 hours into the session, the broader Standard & Poor’s 500 (SPX) index lost 2% and the Nasdaq composite (COMP) fell 1.7%.
Market breadth was negative. On the New York Stock Exchange, losers trounced winners three to one on volume of 480 million shares. On the Nasdaq, losers beat winners two to one on volume of 770 million shares.
Stocks retreated Monday as well, following last week’s big rally, as investors continued to worry that the credit and housing market crises will send the economy into recession, if it isn’t there already. Tuesday’s news added to such worries.
Economic doom and gloom. The ISM services index, a survey of services sector executives, showed business activity falling in January for the first time in five years. The report was released nearly an hour ahead of schedule, unnerving investors at the start of trade. The report countered last week’s reading on the manufacturing sector, which showed expansion. (Full Story).
“This is the most unequivocal sign we’ve had that the economy is weakening,” said Stephen Stanley, chief economist at RBS Greenwich Capital. “We’ve had data pointing in that direction, but they’ve been all over the map and it always seemed like there was a silver lining in the weak reports.”
[etc.]
http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/05/markets/markets_morning/?postversion=2008020511
***
Compensation
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- Congressional Quarterly’s Guide to Congress, 5th edition (Doc. Cen. JK 1021 .C75 2000)
- Carries a history of Congressional salaries in vol. 2, p. 776
- 2000 salary was $141,300 for both Senators and Representatives
- Legistorm
- Database of trips made by Members of Congress with price, destination, and who paid for it
- Salaries for Senators and Representatives in 2008 were $169,300
- Power Trips (American Radioworks)
- Travel expenses, 2000-2005, by individual Congressmen and Senators
- Travel money spent by the political parties
- Most expensive trips and groups contributing the most to Congressional travel
- Senate Ledger, 1790-1881
- Digitized record of compensation and mileage reimbursements paid to Senators
- Congressional Quarterly’s Guide to Congress, 5th edition (Doc. Cen. JK 1021 .C75 2000)
Congressional Districts
District Maps
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- Congressional District Maps: 111th Congress (Chris Chubb)
- Choose name of state; then either pan or choose city or district number to view
- Map displays county and city names in a district as well as the representative
- Coloring is by political party of current office holder
- Congressional District Maps: 111th Congress (Chris Chubb)
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/fedlegis.html#compensation
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- Congressional Staff Employment Surveys (Congressional Management Organization)
- Typical salaries of Congressional staff members by position, average age, and years of experience
- Taken biennially for the House and Senate
- Only the Senate Study, 1991-2001 is still free on the web
- Legistorm
- Salaries of Congressional staff members, including interns
- Searchable by name, Member of Congress, and committee
Legislative Histories
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- Detailed guide to tracing legislation
- Includes committee, member, and political information
Policy Agendas Project (University of Washington)
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- Determine the amount of attention government gave to 19 major topics, 220 subtopics, or a section of the budget, 1946-2002
- Filters allow you to choose topics and the type of material (budget, Congressional hearings, Presidential executive orders, laws, New York Times articles, CQ Almanac articles, and the Gallup Most Important Problem Index
- Results yield data and graphs
- Additional dataset tools available
***
http://www.legistorm.com/trip.html
The congressional trips in our database were funded by private organizations. By searching our data you can learn details of each trip taken by a member of Congress or their staff, and who paid for the travel. Read more about Congressional Travel.
Senate expected to post expense records online
The Senate is expected to follow the House of Representative’s lead and post all member expenses online, the Associated Press reports.
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) proposed the measure, which was approved and added to an appropriations bill allocating funds for the congressional budget. A final compromise version of the appropriations bill will need to be approved by the House and Senate before the measure will go into effect.
This follows last month’s announcement by the House that it would post the House’s Statement of Disbursements “at the earliest date.” Originally, that was expected to be the end of August. But The Hill reported last week that the House was going to delay the release until October to plan for the expected increase in online traffic.
The Associated Press quoted LegiStorm founder Jock Friedly to show the possible positive effect of adding transparency to the legislative expenses.
“There’s no question about it that any time you make records more accessible it’s much harder to get away with abuses,” said Friedly. “A little bit of embarrassment will go a long way to fixing some of the problems.”
Previously, the expense reports have only been released as printed volumes, running to thousands of pages covered in small type each quarter. The volumes are now made available to the public in basement offices House and Senate office buildings.
Until now, LegiStorm’s database of congressional salaries was the only online source for any of this data. But the salaries in our database represent only a fraction of the total disbursements made by Congress. The full disbursements also include everything from taxi cab fares to television purchases and rent payments. Members of Congress are required to spend taxpayer funds only on official business and not to pay for personal expenses.
LegiStorm hopes to add the full expense records to our database once the House and Senate post the information online.
Congressional Travel by Approver
http://www.legistorm.com/trip_browse_by_approver/index/sort/number/type/desc.html
Most Traveled Members of Congress and who paid for it – chart across several pages
*click on name of legislator to see specific info on trips and sponsors for it – & top traveling staffer, as well.
***
- Congressional Trip Statistics by Year
- Most-Traveled Members
- Most-Traveled Staffers
- Most-Active Sponsors
- Most-Expensive Trips
- Most-Popular Countries
- 2008 Presidential Candidates
- Trip Cost Over Time
- Scandal Sheet
- Trips Coinciding with Events
Info
http://www.legistorm.com/trip.html
***
RL30240
Congressional Oversight Manual
May 01, 2007
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Federation of American Scientists |
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WikiLeaks |
Available Versions:
May 01, 2007
January 03, 2007
October 21, 2004
<!—->
http://opencrs.com/document/RL30240
***
American taxpayers spend over $100 million a year to fund the Congressional Research Service, a “think tank” that provides reports to members of Congress on a variety of topics relevant to current political events. Yet, these reports are not made available to the public in a way that they can be easily obtained. A project of the Center for Democracy & Technology through the cooperation of several organizations and collectors of CRS Reports, Open CRS provides citizens access to CRS Reports already in the public domain and encourages Congress to provide public access to all CRS Reports. (More)
Featured Report Collections
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National Council for Science and the Environment (1661) |
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Federation of American Scientists (1444) |
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Thurgood Marshall Law Library/University of Maryland School of Law (598) |
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National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (135) |
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Center for Democracy & Technology (42) |
[from-]
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Featured Collections
Listed below are some of the largest collections of CRS reports available on the web. Inclusion on this list does not imply that the organization responsible for the collection is joining CDT in calling for Congress to make all reports directly available to the public.
 |
National Council for Science and the Environmen/National Library for the EnvironmentThe National Library for the Environment currently posts over 1000 CRS Reports on environmental and related topics. NCSE is committed to expanding, maintaining and updating its database of reports, making them available and searchable for the public.
NCSE Collection |
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Thurgood Marshall Law Library/University of Maryland School of LawThe CRS Reports collection of the Thurgood Marshall Law Library of the University of Maryland School of Law has been developed with an emphasis on the areas of Health Law and Policy and Terrorism and Homeland Security.
TMLL Collection |
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Federation of American ScientistsThe Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy works to promote public access to government information. The FAS CRS collection focuses on national security, intelligence, foreign policy and homeland security.
FAS Collection |
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IP Mall at Franklin Pierce Law CenterThe collection reports from the IP Mall at Franklin Pierce Law Center is focused on topics concerning intellectual property, telecommunications and technology.
IP Mall Collection |
| National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of TerrorismThe National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT) is a federally funded, non-profit, non-partisan organization located in Oklahoma City. MIPT is the third component of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and is dedicated to preventing terrorism or mitigating its effects. MIPT focuses on first responders and strives to be a one-stop shop for information by providing a broad spectrum of resources on terrorism and homeland security, including Congressional Research Service reports.
MIPT Collection |
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Center for Democracy & TechnologyThe Center for Democracy & Technology is a non-profit, non-partisan public interest organization dedicated to developing and implementing public policies to protect and advance civil liberties and democratic values on the Internet. Among the issues found in reports housed by CDT are speech, privacy, copyright, and open government.
CDT Collection |
http://opencrs.com/collections/
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The NLE currently posts 2137 CRS Reports on environmental and related topics.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS), part of the Library of Congress, prepares its reports for the U.S. Congress. CRS products undergo review for accuracy and objectivity and contain nontechnical information that can be very useful to people interested in environmental policy. CRS does not itself provide these documents to the general public. Although CRS documents are prepared specifically for Congress and not widely distributed, their distribution is not protected by law or copyright. NCSE is committed to expanding, maintaining and updating its database of reports, making them available and searchable for the public. To browse report titles and abstracts for a specific topic, choose one from from the list to the left. Alternatively, search with a keyword using the quick search above the topic list or try a more selective search with the following advancd search form. |
[from-]
http://ncseonline.org/NLE/CRS/
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The Plum Book (United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions): Main Page
Every four years, just after the Presidential election, the United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions, commonly known as the Plum Book, is published, alternately, by the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Government Reform. The Plum Book is used to identify presidentially appointed positions within the Federal Government. More.
Browse the Plum Book
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/plumbook/
***
The Plum Book (United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions): 2008 Edition
The United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions (Plum Book) (1.26 MB, 210 pages) has been made available in its entirety, as a single PDF file. GPO has refined the 2008 Plum Book by adding bookmarks to it and optimizing it for the web. In addition, the entire report is also available in TEXT format (1.91 MB).
The report is also available as a collection of smaller PDFs arranged in the browse table below based on the Plum Book’s table of contents. You can download entire chapters (such as the Legislative Branch or Executive Branch Departments), or just information on individual commissions, councils,corporations, departments, offices, etc… The majority of the PDF files in the browse table are between 30 KB and 90 KB; the PDFs of the whole chapters range from 40 KB to 900 KB.
You can purchase an official print copy of the 2008 Plum Book through the U.S. Government Online Bookstore.
| Document Title | File Format |
|---|---|
| COVER | |
| COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS | |
| FOREWORD | |
| LEGEND | |
| CONTENTS | |
| LEGISLATIVE BRANCH | |
| Architect of the Capitol | |
| Government Accountability Office | |
| Government Printing Office | |
| Library of Congress | |
| United States Tax Court | |
| EXECUTIVE BRANCH – EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT | |
| White House Office | |
| Office of Policy Development | |
| Office of Administration | |
| Office of Management and Budget | |
| Council of Economic Advisors | |
| Council on Environmental Quality | |
| Office of the U.S. Trade Representative | |
| Office of Science and Technology Policy | |
| Office of National Drug Control Policy | |
| National Security Council | |
| EXECUTIVE BRANCH – DEPARTMENTS | |
| Department of Agriculture | |
| Department of Commerce | |
| Department of Defense | |
|
Office of the Secretary
|
|
|
Air Force
|
|
|
Army
|
|
|
Navy
|
|
| Department of Education | |
| Department of Energy | |
| Department of Health and Human Services | |
| Department of Homeland Security | |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | |
| Department of the Interior | |
| Department of Justice | |
| Department of Labor | |
| Department of State | |
| Department of Transportation | |
| Department of Treasury | |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | |
| INDEPENDENT AGENCIES AND GOVERNMENT CORPORATIONS | |
| Advisory Council on Historic Preservation | |
| American Battle Monuments Commission | |
| Appalachian Regional Commission | |
| Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (United States Access Board) | |
| Arctic Research Commission | |
| Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation | |
| Broadcasting Board of Governors | |
| Central Intelligence Agency | |
| Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board | |
| Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation | |
| Commission on Civil Rights | |
| Commission of Fine Arts | |
| Committee for Purchase from People Who are Blind or Severely Disabled | |
| Commodity Futures Trading Commission | |
| Consumer Product Safety Commission | |
| Corporation for National and Community Service | |
| Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia | |
| Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board | |
| Delta Regional Authority | |
| Environmental Protection Agency | |
| Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | |
| Export-Import Bank of the United States | |
| Farm Credit Administration | |
| Federal Communications Commission | |
| Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation | |
| Federal Election Commission | |
| Federal Energy Regulatory Commission | |
| Federal Housing Finance Board | |
| Federal Labor Relations Authorities | |
| Federal Maritime Commission | |
| Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service | |
| Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission | |
| Federal Reserve System | |
| Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board | |
| Federal Trade Commission | |
| General Services Administration | |
| Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation | |
| Interagency Council on the Homeless | |
| Inter-American Foundation | |
| International Boundary and Water Commission | |
| Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin | |
| James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation | |
| Japan-United States Friendship Commission | |
| Marine Mammal Commission | |
| Medicare Payment Advisory Commission | |
| Merit Systems Protection Board | |
| Millennium Challenge Corporation | |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | |
| National Archives and Records Administration | |
| National Capital Planning Commission | |
| National Council on Disability | |
| National Credit Union Administration | |
| National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities | |
| National Labor Relations Board | |
| National Mediation Board | |
| National Science Foundation | |
| National Transportation Safety Board | |
| Nuclear Regulatory Commission | |
| Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board | |
| Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission | |
| Office of Government Ethics | |
| Office of the Federal Coordinator Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects | |
| Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation | |
| Office of Personnel Management | |
| Office of Special Counsel | |
| Overseas Private Investment Corporation | |
| Peace Corps | |
| Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation | |
| Postal Regulatory Commission | |
| President’s Commission on White House Fellowships | |
| Presidio Trust | |
| Railroad Retirement Board | |
| Securities and Exchange Commission | |
| Selective Service System | |
| Small Business Administration | |
| Smithsonian Institution | |
| Social Security Administration | |
| Tennessee Valley Authority | |
| Trade and Development Agency | |
| United States Agency for International Development | |
| United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission | |
| United States Commission on International Religious Freedom | |
| United States Election Assistance Commission | |
| United States Holocaust Memorial Council | |
| United States Institute of Peace | |
| United States International Trade Commission | |
| United States Postal Service | |
| Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission | |
| Vietnam Education Foundation | |
| APPENDICES | |
| 1. Summary of Positions Subject to Noncompetitive Appointment | |
| 2. Senior Executive Service | |
| 3. Schedule C Positions | |
| 4. Federal Salary Schedules for 2008 | |
| 5. Office of the Vice President | |
| ONLINE ADDENDUM – February 13, 2009 | |
| U.S. Commission of Fine Arts Office of the Director of National Intelligence |
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/plumbook/2008/index.html
***
APPENDIX NO. 4
FEDERAL SALARY SCHEDULES FOR 2008
The information in the body of this report reflects grades or salaries in effect on the first pay
period on or after January 1, 2008.
EXECUTIVE SCHEDULE (EX)
Level I ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. $191,300
Level II …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 172,200
Level III …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 158,500
Level IV ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 149,000
Level V …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 139,600
SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE SCHEDULE (ES)
Pay ranges for the Senior Executive Service (SES) are established by law. The minimum is 120
percent of the rate of basic pay for GS–15, step 1. For agencies without a certified SES performance
appraisal system, SES members’ pay may not exceed the rate payable for level III of the Executive
Schedule. For agencies with a certified SES performance appraisal system, SES members’ pay may
not exceed the rate payable for level II of the Executive Schedule. SES members are not entitled
to locality-based comparability payments.
Structure of the SES Pay System Minimum Maximum
Agencies with a Certified SES Performance Appraisal System ……………………………………………………………. $114,468 $172,200
Agencies without a Certified SES Performance Appraisal System ……………………………………………………….. 114,468 158,500
[Etc.]
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/plumbook/2008/p203-209_appendix4.pdf
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My Note -
Between what the states are paying legislators and their staff members, their teams of lawyers to write laws and to cover their asses in various departments, along with the salaries of the staffs and agency heads, legislators and executive branch leadership, it is no wonder that there are economic problems. And it is no wonder that they don’t know there is a problem with the rest of America’s economy. They don’t have a problem . . .
They’re all making money without showing up the entire year, among other things from cab rides to trips around the world, per diems and every other little thing they might need.
- cricketdiane, 07-16-09
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