Posted: 11 Mar 2010 01:12 AM PST

ANDREW TAYLOR

Associated Press Writer= WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate voted Wednesday to extend key pieces of last year's economic stimulus measure, including help for the jobless and money to help financially strapped states pay for health care for the poor.

The 62-36 vote came over protests from conservatives who say the bill adds too much to the $12.5 trillion national debt. Six Republicans joined all but one Democrat, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, in voting for the bill.

The plight of the jobless and the political power of an annual package of tax breaks powered the measure through the Senate, even though it would add about $130 billion to the budget deficit over the next year and a half.

"The bill is not a second stimulus, but it's going to deliver badly needed relief to Americans who are hurting," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. "It would be cruel, even inhumane, to tell these people that their unemployment benefits expire."

The measure is the second piece of the Democrats' much-touted "jobs agenda" to pass the Senate this year, with more elements promised, such as help for small businesses suffering from a credit crunch. Concern over out-of-control budget deficits are a big challenge to the success of the agenda.

In fact, the bill chiefly resurrects elements of the stimulus bill that expired at the end of last year, including more generous unemployment benefits, health care subsidies for the jobless, and Medicaid aid to cash-starved states. They have been temporarily extended twice but would again expire at the end of this month.

"This bill helps small businesses get the loans they need to grow and hire, provides tax relief that companies need to support new research and development jobs of the future, and extends relief to Americans looking for work," President Barack Obama said in a statement Wednesday evening.

The vote sends the measure into talks with the House, which is wary about some Senate provisions included to defray the measure's impact on the deficit since they may want to use such "offsets" to help finance an overhaul of the health care system.

Democrats had also hoped to finish work this week on a far smaller job-creation measure blending additional highway spending with new tax breaks for companies that hire the unemployed. Now, it's looking like a final vote won't come until next week.

Wednesday's larger bill would provide unemployment benefits of up to 99 weeks in many states for people mired in joblessness as the economy slowly recovers from the worst recession in decades.

The measure illustrates the great extent to which direct help for the jobless and the poor makes up a large portion of Democrats' election-year agenda on jobs — and threatens to squeeze out other items amid concerns about a budget deficit.

The sweeping bill cleans up a host of unfinished congressional business from last year that languished as the Senate focused on health care. It would also prevent doctors from absorbing a 21 percent cut in Medicare payments and extends through December a generous 65 percent subsidy of health insurance premiums for the unemployed under the COBRA program, at a cost of $10 billion.

Wednesday's larger bill also provides the annual extension of $26 billion worth of tax breaks for businesses and individuals that are popular with senators in both parties and swung support from business lobbyists behind the legislation.

The $59 billion cost of providing additional months of unemployment checks — the core benefit is 26 weeks — is added directly to a budget deficit expected to hit $1.6 trillion this year. Unemployment insurance typically provides recipients with about one-third of their lost wages.

But Democrats said it would be heartless to cut off unemployment benefits to the long-term jobless and contended that the benefits inject demand into the economy, helping to lift it.

Federal cash to help states with Medicaid adds about $25 billion more to the legislation, with the money helping states not only keep poor people on the program but in many cases free up resources to forestall layoffs of teachers, police and other public employees.

The tax breaks include a property tax deduction for people who don't itemize, lucrative credits that help businesses finance research and development and a sales tax deduction that mainly helps people in the nine states without income taxes.

To defray the impact on the deficit, the measure helps the Internal Revenue Service crack down on abusive tax shelters and would block paper companies from claiming a tax credit from burning "black liquor," a pulp-making byproduct, as if it were an alternative fuel.

Other tax breaks include a deduction for college tuition for couples making less than $160,000 a year, and one for teachers who use their own money to buy school supplies. There is a tax credit for community development agencies that invest in low-income neighborhoods, as well as a tax break for restaurant owners and retailers who remodel their stores.

There are several energy-related credits, including one for installing energy-efficiency improvements to new homes and a $1 per gallon credit for the production of biodiesel.

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President Obama pushes his healthcare plan in St ... - St. Louis American

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 03:25 PM PST

It's business as usual for free agency in NFL - PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 01:26 AM PST

NEW YORK — Business as usual.

The absence of a salary cap has caused little change in how NFL teams approach the early stages of free agency.

There still has been a spending spree, highlighted by the $42 million guaranteed the Chicago Bears gave defensive end Julius Peppers on the first day he became unrestricted. And, as always, backup quarterbacks have been on the move, following a money trail that led David Carr to San Francisco, A.J. Feeley to St. Louis and Jim Sorgi to the New York Giants.

Solid starters such as cornerback Dunta Robinson and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch are landing solid deals. Proven veterans, even those coming off injuries such as DE Aaron Kampman and DT Jamal Williams, are getting lucrative contracts.

But the baseball-style bidding wars and stratospheric salaries some predicted simply haven't occurred.

"I see contracts being done as if there is a cap," says player agent Peter Schaffer, who represents Joshua Cribbs, Joe Thomas and Larry Johnson, among others. Schaffer just worked out a restructured deal with the Browns for Cribbs, who went from a six-year, $6.67 million contract to receiving $7.5 million in guaranteed money and could earn as much as $20 million by meeting incentives. Such an agreement would have looked the same in previous years.

"I see two things at work here. Instead of signing bonuses, teams are giving a roster bonus and when they kick in those bonuses under a salary cap, there will be no proration and their cap number won't be threatened. And I see teams preparing for a cap in the next CBA."

The current contract between the NFL and the players association expires after next season; there is no set date, although the league's business year normally begins in early March. When the owners opted out of the 2006 agreement two years ago, it meant not reaching a new deal before this month would trigger an uncapped season.

Aside from Peppers, there have been no astonishing eye-openers. Yes, Detroit gave Nate Burleson, normally a No. 2 or No. 3 receiver, $10 million guaranteed as part of a $25 million, five-year deal. Nice money for a second banana to Calvin Johnson, but not outrageous compared to deals for wideouts in recent years.

And Karlos Dansby, probably the top talent in this diluted crop, received $43 million in a five-year deal that nets him $22 million guaranteed; Dansby gets $27 million over the next three years.

Again, hardly outrageous for a playmaking 28-year-old linebacker in his prime.

"Free agency gives a team a chance to go to their fans and say, 'We stockpiled players and we're doing all we can to put a winning team on the field. Come support us, we might go to the playoffs.' Every team can legitimately say that," Schaffer said. "But the reality in terms of the cap and contract negotiations is teams are spending to a budget whether there's a cap or not."

What has changed, of course, is just who is available and the length of contracts being offered. Under the uncapped system, it takes six years in the NFL to become an unrestricted free agent rather than four. That left 212 players who would require compensation if they signed with another team, a market that has been virtually untapped so far.

The attractiveness of such players as Houston linebacker DeMeco Ryans, San Diego receiver Vincent Jackson and New Orleans guard Jahri Evans is unquestioned if they are completely free. They're not, and they aren't seeing any windfall.

"So many players have been taken off the market because of the extra years added to free agency," said Ralph Cindrich, agent for the Steelers' James Farrior, the Giants' Steve Smth and the Colts' Jeff Saturday among others. "There are less players available than last year and years before because of it."

Many of the contracts are front-loaded so teams aren't penalized down the road if a salary cap is included in a new CBA — something considered likely.

"It seems throughout the league that they're all doing the same thing — it feels like we're the NFL version of the Stepford Wives; all the teams are going with one year deals. Maybe it will open up."

Tom Condon, who along with partner Ben Dogra represents Ryans, Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman, Jets receiver Braylon Edwards and several other prime restricted free agents, thinks the market could open up in April.

"For the restricted guys, we've not seen anything so far," Condon said. "Nevertheless, potentially as we get closer to the draft maybe some of the final eight teams who are picking very late may see value in these guys, regardless if it's a first- or second- or third-rounder they have to give up (as compensation).

"There's absolutely no question that there are a lot of players who are in their prime and they got restricted, and right now it doesn't look they are going to move. We should know more closer to the draft."

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NetSuite's Cloud-based Business Software to be Available in Google Apps Marketplace - TMCnet

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 01:45 PM PST

Google announced its new App Marketplace which works on the desktop this past week. Developers can add their apps to the market and integrate them with Google's Apps utilizing XML and other open standards such as OpenID and OAuth.

Earlier today TMC CEO Rich Tehrani (News - Alert) blogged about the new App Marketplace and embedded a video that includes a discussion on how Intuit has integrated a payroll app into the Google family of solutions.

"What is interesting is how this app integrates with Google Calendar and moreover how various apps from different developers have a similar look and feel," Tehrani wrote.

As Tehrani points out, the fee for developers is 20 percent of the sale price and a $100 one-time listing fee. Also, apps need approval as they do in the Apple (News - Alert) iTunes App Store.

"The threat here is obviously to Microsoft as hosted solutions are a lot cheaper to deploy than those which reside on local servers," Tehrani wrote. "They also scale on-demand and local backups and disaster recovery are less of a worry. Moreover, Apple should feel threatened as this app store can easily have superior integration with Google Android (News - Alert)-based devices."

"The walled-garden is typically considered a bad thing as it prevents true openness," Tehrani continued. "But in Google's case their new ecosystem will allow cheaper solutions to hit the market. Moreover the data integration challenges plaguing customers and making integration houses rich will potentially evaporate in the future."

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Business

Thursday, March 11, 2010

“Senate passes jobless aid, business tax breaks - The Guardian” plus 3 more

“Senate passes jobless aid, business tax breaks - The Guardian” plus 3 more

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