The Sanchez Report

First Nuclear Reactor Since 1978 Just Approved

There is no doubt that the United States is facing an Energy Crisis. One could easily argue that our security interest in the Middle East is rooted in protecting our energy sources as much as it is fighting terrorism. For most of the past thirty or so years, the dividing line has been drawn between the Democrats who want to do away with fossil fuels entirely at all costs to our economy and the Republicans who want to find new energy sources closer to home. One source of energy that seems to be absent from the debate is nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is responsible for providing 20% of our nation's electrical needs. It is a clean energy whose technology has improved considerably from the last time a reactor was approved and constructed. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) just approved the construction of two new reactors in Georgia. This is progress people! The last time we built a reactor in this country was 1978. Yes, 1978! The population has grown and so has our need for electricity and the bureaucrats in Washington, along with the Environmental lobby has caved in and granted this approval. This is big news, but unfortunately we need 100 more by 2030 just to maintain the current 20% output. I hope the next President has the leadership and backbone to stand up to the tree hugging environmentalists and develop a real energy policy. Lord knows we need one!

From Scientific American:

Years of shifting and smoothing Georgia red clay paid off today, as the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) voted to allow construction of two new nuclear reactors (pdf) at the Plant Vogtle nuclear power station near Augusta. Atlanta–based utility giant Southern Co. will soon have permission to complete construction and operate two AP1000 type nuclear reactors designed by Westinghouse.

But what were initially lauded as the first reactors of a nuclear renaissance when proposed are more likely to be the exceptions that prove the rule of no new nuclear construction in the U.S. Only this twin set of reactors in Georgia, another pair in South Carolina and the completion of an old reactor in Tennessee are likely to be built in the U.S. for at least the next decade. "We won't build large numbers of new nuclear plants in the U.S. in the near term," says Marvin Fertel, president of the Nuclear Energy Institute, a lobbying group for the nuclear industry.

Capitalism or Socialism... Where Do You Stand?

I found this gem on a blog run by a gentleman in India. I decided to share it with you. Now granted, the photo is a simplistic image that compares the two economic systems, but the questions are truly an eye opener. Go ahead and read them. I'm sure they will resonate in terms of how some of the left wingers want to run this country!

From Destiny's Child:

If a capitalist doesn't like guns, he doesn't buy one.
If a socialist doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.

If a capitalist is a vegetarian, he doesn't eat meat.
If a socialist is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.

If a capitalist is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
A socialist wonders who is going to take care of him.

If a capitalist doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels.
Socialist demand that those they don't like be shut down.

If a capitalist decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.
A socialist demands that the rest of us pay for his.

If a capitalist reads this, he'll forward it so his friends can have a good laugh.
A socialist will complain

The US Budget Problem In Simple English

I wish I could take credit for this, but that goes to the the guys at Mr.Conservative.com. They did something that most politicians have a hard time doing, they used simple english to describe the crisis our Nation is facing with the budget. Like my previous post, this requires little commentary. Study this chart and grasp the problem. Imagine it was your household. Then ask yourself, which candidate or political Party is willing to make the tough decisions to fix it!

From Mr.Conservative.com

Just The Facts... The Obama Economic Record

No need for added commentary here folks. The facts speak for themselves. You decide. Yes He Did? or No He Didn't?

From Mr. Conservative.com:

For backup research please from the Republican Study Committee please follow this link

Global Equity Markets Lost $6.3 Trillion in 2011

Many investors are happy to see 2011 come to an end and rightly so. Global equity markets lost $6.3 trillion in market capitalization due primarily to the EU currency and debt crisis. I can't imagine 2012 will be much better. With a US presidential election slated for the Fall and continued macro economic uncertainty in Europe, this year could be extremely volatile and poised to post similar declines. I hope that's not the case!

From the Financial Times:

Almost $6.3 trillion was erased from global stock markets this year as the euro zone financial crisis reverberated across the world in the latter half of 2011, calling into question the future of the world’s largest currency bloc.

Global stock market capitalization dropped 12.1 percent to $45.7 trillion according to Bloomberg data, while the euro ended the year as the worst performing major currency after finally starting to succumb to the continent’s financial and economic woes in December.

he S&P 500 is flat this year while the FTSE 100 has only dropped 5.5 percent. But the Eurofirst 300 gauge of blue-chip European companies has lost 11 percent, led by the French and Italian exchanges. The MSCI Emerging Markets index has shed a fifth of its value despite strong growth in China and other emerging markets.

Asian equity markets were hit particularly hard with Japan’s Nikkei index losing 17.3 percent this year, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index 20 percent and the Shanghai Composite 22 percent.

While the US economy is showing signs of recovery and most emerging market countries are still growing at a healthy clip, some investors fear that China’s economy could be facing a “hard landing” next year, posing yet another danger to the fragile global economy.

Surprise, Surprise! France, Greece And Spain Require The Most Vacation Time

I'm sure you've heard that Europeans are lazy and do not come close to having the American work ethic. Well. that stereotype happens to be true. The Economist Magazine just published their latest study that ranks Western Nations by the amount of mandatory vacation time required by their respective governments. This vacation time is broken down by public and private sector employees. What's interesting is that those countries that happen to be in the headlines for causing economic turmoil and throwing the European Union into a crisis, are the same countries that top the rankings. Perhaps these countries should slash the amount of mandatory vacation and force their citizens to be more productive and work for a change!

From The Economist:

Which countries give employees the most generous holidays?

WHEN considering the amount of holiday each employee is entitled to in any particular country, some clichés hold good. North Americans are more industrious than South Americans, according to data compiled by Mercer, a consultancy. Asians work harder than Europeans. Among the feckless workers from the old continent, those in the troubled economies of Greece, Spain and Portugal have among the most generous holiday allowances. Take a look at this videographic for more detail.

The 'Occupy' Crowd Now Wants Americans To Boycott Black Friday

The hits just keep on coming! Add this to the list of asinine demands from the spoiled brats called OWS. I'm still trying to figure out how this will help our economy and create jobs. These people are proving that they have absolutely no clue.

From Fox News:

Occupy Wall Street-inspired protesters are eyeing a new target -- Target. And dozens of other companies. 

A campaign under the name "Occupy Black Friday" is trying to enlist supporters to boycott just about every major retailer, and quite a few mid-sized ones, the day after Thanksgiving. The protesters are casting a wide net, urging people to demonstrate against the top 100 publicly traded retail stores -- a list that includes everything from Wal-Mart to Target to Dick's Sporting Goods to Dollar Tree. 

"The idea is simple, hit the corporations that corrupt and control American politics where it hurts, their profits," the group's Facebook page reads, describing Black Friday as the "one day where the mega-corporations blatantly dictate our actions." 

But retailers, who are monitoring the mini-movement, warn that a blanket boycott could end up hurting local communities. 

"Retailers, regardless of their size, are an important part of the community, and they employ friends and neighbors of that community across the country," said Joseph LaRocca, a senior adviser to the National Retail Federation specializing in loss prevention. 

Read more about OWS call for a boycott on Black Friday

The Real Record On Union Manufacturing Job Loss

For years, we've heard politician after politician moan about the loss of manufacturing jobs. There are many reasons for this decline, which by the way has been occurring for decades. The media would have us believe that Republicans are to blame, NAFTA, China, Mexico or a number of other reasons. It's pretty simple as far as I'm concerned. We are losing jobs because companies are burdened with high taxes, way too many regulations and union demands that make it too costly to employ Americans here at home. Think about it. If you ran a company and had the choice of hiring union employees with all of their demands or overseas workers at a fraction of the cost, coupled with a lower regulatory burden and lower taxes, what would you do? This isn't rocket science people!

From the Labor Union Report:

Just another example on how today’s union bosses mislead the public.

For years, unions have created a myth around manufacturing in the United States having been destroyed by the [ insert perjorative here ].

The fact is, manufacturing is not dead in the United States. It is a myth created to mislead the public on unions’ own destructiveness on companies and the jobs of employees. What union bosses have been screaming about is, in fact, the decline of unionized manufacturing.

While all manufacturing has decreased since America’s current economic recession began, from 1983 through 2006, union-free manufacturing had actually increased by 52,000 jobs.

So Mr. President...Are We Lazy Or Hard Working?

The President can't seem to make up his mind. Last week at the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Conference in Hawaii, he told the word that "we've gotten a little bit lazy, I think, over the last couple of decades. We’ve kind of taken for granted" that "people will want to come here and we aren’t out there hungry, selling America and trying to attract new business into America."

However, in his weekly radio address this week in Bali, he declared that Americans "are the hardest working people on Earth." We're on the verge of a double dip recession, job growth is non-existent, the markets are in turmoil and this President is speaking out of both sides of his mouth. Mr. President, just leave the private sector alone and it'll fix itself!

Read the entire article at the Los Angeles Times:

 

California... The Anti-Business State

For many years, California conservatives have railed against the anti-business, tax and spend liberals and their stranglehold on Sacramento. For the most part, their words have fallen on deaf ears with voters. The liberal wing of the Democratic Party has essentially controlled both chambers of the State Capital, statewide offices and the Governorship for most of the past forty years. I know, I know, there were a few Republican Governors throughout those years and its no coincidence that the state was in better fiscal shape during their administrations. Need I remind you of Gray Davis's doubling of the budget in less than eight years? These wreckless policies have brought the Golden State to its knees. We are in big trouble and rather than moving towards a more hospitable climate for business, the Democrats are doing the opposite.

The Los Angeles Times yesterday published a sobering op-ed on the current toxic business climate in the Golden State. I would encourage you to read the entire article to get a sense of why a heavy regulation and high tax combination make it nearly impossible to create jobs.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Unless Sacramento moves to improve the business climate, California's reputation as one of the country's most toxic business environments will make it hard for the Golden State to regain its luster.

California's suffocating regulations have a lot to do with this discontent. A 2009 study by two California State University finance professors, Sanjay Varshney and Dennis Tootelian, estimated that regulation cost the state's businesses $493 billion annually, or nearly $135,000 per company. Additionally, dense and complex land-use regulations have driven up housing construction costs in the state, giving residents a double whammy: a stagnant economy and unaffordable home prices, even since the real estate bubble burst.

Taxes are another burden. According to the Tax Foundation, California imposes the nation's second-heaviest tax burden on businesses, and finance officers of major companies recently rated the state's overall tax environment the worst in the country, according to a poll in CFO magazine.

On top of taxes and regulation, the state can also claim what may be America's most expensive litigation environment for firms. The American Tort Reform Foundation recently named California one of the country's five worst "judicial hellholes," in part because state law allows trial lawyers to sue firms for minor violations of California's complex labor and environmental regulations.