Friday, January 7, 2011
George Dale to run as independent for Insurance Commissioner?
Rumor is that former Insurance Commissioner George Dale picked up qualifying papers from the Secretary of State's office on Thursday, January 6 with the intent of running for his old office as an independent. He previously held the office as a Democrat.
Dale was a teacher, coach and school administrator in the Moss Point public school system prior to entering state government in 1972. Elected as commissioner of insurance in 1975, he became the youngest insurance commissioner in Mississippi history. Upon completing his eighth term, Commissioner Dale was the longest-serving insurance commissioner in the United States.
Following his defeat by Democrat Challenger Gary Anderson 51-49 in 2007, he joined the law firm of Adams and Reese as a governmental affairs advisor.
Dale lost in the wake of his cozy relationship with the insurance industry following Hurricane Katrina.
The now seventy year old told the Mississippi Business Journal following his 2007 defeat, "I will not go home and retire."
He added, "I come from family of long livers. I have one uncle who lived to be 99 and another who lived to 94. I think a certain amount of long life is hereditary. The key to all of them living so long was they were active to the end. I intend to be active as long as I can."
It would appear he intends to get his old job back.
Dale was a teacher, coach and school administrator in the Moss Point public school system prior to entering state government in 1972. Elected as commissioner of insurance in 1975, he became the youngest insurance commissioner in Mississippi history. Upon completing his eighth term, Commissioner Dale was the longest-serving insurance commissioner in the United States.
Following his defeat by Democrat Challenger Gary Anderson 51-49 in 2007, he joined the law firm of Adams and Reese as a governmental affairs advisor.
Dale lost in the wake of his cozy relationship with the insurance industry following Hurricane Katrina.
The now seventy year old told the Mississippi Business Journal following his 2007 defeat, "I will not go home and retire."
He added, "I come from family of long livers. I have one uncle who lived to be 99 and another who lived to 94. I think a certain amount of long life is hereditary. The key to all of them living so long was they were active to the end. I intend to be active as long as I can."
It would appear he intends to get his old job back.
Republicans Say Higher U.S. Debt Limit Depends on Specific Spending Cuts
Republicans in Congress told President Barack Obama and Democrats they will insist on specific cuts in government spending as a condition of raising the U.S. debt limit.
Any increase must be “accompanied by meaningful action by the president and Congress to cut spending and end the job- killing spending binge,” House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement yesterday after the Obama administration asked Congress to boost the debt ceiling by March 31.
Boehner, of Ohio, and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, of Wisconsin, said a default on government debts isn’t an option. Still, Ryan suggested Republicans may use the debt- ceiling issue as leverage to attach conditions that would force Obama to sign them into law or force a default.
“Republicans are not interested in just a naked debt- ceiling increase,” Ryan said at a Washington forum on economic policy. “Nobody likes brinksmanship, but what we really don’t want is runaway spending.”
Republicans “want to do something that gets us pointed in the right direction,” he said.
In a letter to congressional leaders, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the $14.29 trillion debt limit may be reached as soon as March 31, and “most likely” by May 16. The debt was incurred “during periods when both Republicans and Democrats were in control of different branches of government,” he said.
A default on government obligations by a failure to extend the borrowing authority would have “catastrophic consequences” possibly worse than the 2008 financial crisis, said Geithner. He said Obama is committed to working with both parties to put the U.S. on a “fiscally responsible path.”
Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, told reporters, “Rather than sending out scary letters, what we ought to look at is an opportunity here, on a bipartisan basis, to address spending and debt.”
As part of the Republican focus on spending cuts, the House yesterday voted to reduce its operating budget by 5 percent. The 410-13 vote imposed the reduction on all House committees and the offices of leaders and members. The resolution will save an estimated $35 million from a federal budget that exceeds $3.5 trillion.
Ryan suggested Republicans’ new House majority may seek to use the debt-ceiling matter to force Obama to sign legislation with spending conditions he might otherwise veto. An increase in the government’s borrowing authority “is not an unrelated item,” he said.
Asked whether Republican demands for spending cuts would threaten a government default, Ryan said, “It would be irresponsible if the president brings about a default of the country if he refuses to sign a bill that raises the debt- ceiling limits. That’s his choice.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, told reporters that Republicans are “threatening to shut down the government” over the debt limit, which would cause “an economic crisis.”
Ryan said Republicans are discussing their strategy for boosting the government’s borrowing authority, adding they might opt for either a one or two-year extension.
“There are different ways of doing a debt-ceiling increase that could speak to our strategy,” Ryan said.
Ryan said he holds out “some hope that there’s a shot at some actual, maybe not wholesale, fundamental” changes in the tax code.
Bloomberg
Any increase must be “accompanied by meaningful action by the president and Congress to cut spending and end the job- killing spending binge,” House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement yesterday after the Obama administration asked Congress to boost the debt ceiling by March 31.
Boehner, of Ohio, and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, of Wisconsin, said a default on government debts isn’t an option. Still, Ryan suggested Republicans may use the debt- ceiling issue as leverage to attach conditions that would force Obama to sign them into law or force a default.
“Republicans are not interested in just a naked debt- ceiling increase,” Ryan said at a Washington forum on economic policy. “Nobody likes brinksmanship, but what we really don’t want is runaway spending.”
Republicans “want to do something that gets us pointed in the right direction,” he said.
In a letter to congressional leaders, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the $14.29 trillion debt limit may be reached as soon as March 31, and “most likely” by May 16. The debt was incurred “during periods when both Republicans and Democrats were in control of different branches of government,” he said.
A default on government obligations by a failure to extend the borrowing authority would have “catastrophic consequences” possibly worse than the 2008 financial crisis, said Geithner. He said Obama is committed to working with both parties to put the U.S. on a “fiscally responsible path.”
Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, told reporters, “Rather than sending out scary letters, what we ought to look at is an opportunity here, on a bipartisan basis, to address spending and debt.”
As part of the Republican focus on spending cuts, the House yesterday voted to reduce its operating budget by 5 percent. The 410-13 vote imposed the reduction on all House committees and the offices of leaders and members. The resolution will save an estimated $35 million from a federal budget that exceeds $3.5 trillion.
Ryan suggested Republicans’ new House majority may seek to use the debt-ceiling matter to force Obama to sign legislation with spending conditions he might otherwise veto. An increase in the government’s borrowing authority “is not an unrelated item,” he said.
Asked whether Republican demands for spending cuts would threaten a government default, Ryan said, “It would be irresponsible if the president brings about a default of the country if he refuses to sign a bill that raises the debt- ceiling limits. That’s his choice.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, told reporters that Republicans are “threatening to shut down the government” over the debt limit, which would cause “an economic crisis.”
Ryan said Republicans are discussing their strategy for boosting the government’s borrowing authority, adding they might opt for either a one or two-year extension.
“There are different ways of doing a debt-ceiling increase that could speak to our strategy,” Ryan said.
Ryan said he holds out “some hope that there’s a shot at some actual, maybe not wholesale, fundamental” changes in the tax code.
Bloomberg
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)