March 05, 2010

A new Rasmussen poll has revealed that an overwhelming majority of Americans reject the notion that cities have a right to ban handguns, siding with the Second Amendment Foundation's position in its lawsuit to overturn the Chicago ban. "The Rasmussen survey clearly shows that Americans have grown weary of anti-gun municipal demagoguery," said SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. Full release.

Pool and spa safety was dealt a major blow Monday when the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced new guidance that not only undermines federal safety rules, but leaves swimmers at great risk. Earlier this week, CPSC voted to interpret the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act , a rare but overwhelmingly bipartisan bill, in a way that promotes so-called "unblockable" drain covers as the only layer of protection needed. The decision is a strange and blatant contradiction to the intent of the Pool and Spa Safety Act. Full release.

Larry Cox, Amnesty International USA executive director, issued the following statement in response to news reports that the Obama administration is considering to try 9/11 detainees in military commissions after stating that the men would be tried in federal courts. A final decision is expected within the next two weeks: "Hope and change will not rectify the damage today to the United States' international reputation. Change requires more than hope; it requires action and resolve. "Unfortunately when it comes to resolving Guantanamo, action and resolve seem currently absent in the White House." Full release.

Donations are requested for Chilean relief and to help a group of specialized children's clinics that were damaged by the earthquake and aftershocks, the non-profit Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) and the Organization of American States (OAS) announced. "Americans have been very generous during natural disasters and I commend them for their support," says John Sanbrailo, PADF's Executive Director. "We're asking them to help Chileans after the massive earthquake." Full release.

The Chilean earthquake hit just days before the landmark transition from outgoing President Michelle Bachelet to conservative President-elect Sebastian Pinera, and that is reopening old political fault lines that would better remain closed, says Peter M. Siavelis, director of Latin American Studies at Wake Forest University. Siavelis, who has extensive experience briefing U.S. government appointees on Chile's political landscape, says the upcoming inauguration of a right-wing president is causing some to lose sight of the accomplishments under the center-left government of the last 20 years, and focus too heavily instead on the role of the country's free market economy. Full release.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on the February jobs report issued today by the Department of Labor showing that the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.7 percent. "Today's jobs report demonstrates that economic stabilization is taking hold: the unemployment rate held steady despite the disruptions caused by the winter storms, and manufacturing jobs grew for the second straight month. The report is cautious evidence that America's businesses are gaining confidence and that the Recovery Act continues to restore strength in key sectors of our economy. To keep the recovery moving in the right direction on behalf of all Americans, we must continue to invest wisely and act with fiscal discipline." Full release.

Julius H. Hollis, Chairman of The Alliance for Digital Equality (ADE), issued the following statement regarding yesterday's forum on Open Internet, Innovation, and Economic Development, hosted by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies: "I am pleased to see the Joint Center providing a platform for thought leaders to discuss broadband regulation and encouraging thoughtful conversation about its effects on minority communities. As we await the Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Plan that will give every American broadband internet access, how policies will affect our minority and low-income communities is a critical piece that absolutely must be considered." Full release.

Employment data released today by the U.S. Department of Labor indicate that job losses have slowed significantly from a year ago, but the still-high unemployment rate means that millions of Americans continue to struggle to find work even as the economy shows renewed growth, noted the Retail Industry Leaders Association. The U.S. unemployment rate held steady at 9.7 percent in February with 36,000 jobs lost. Full release.

The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009, which took effect February 22, 2010, requires new disclosures on monthly credit card statements. The Financial Services Roundtable and the Center for Responsible Lending have teamed up to explain a few of these new disclosures, which are intended to make the cost of credit clearer to American consumers. Full release.

The new design for the $100 note will make its debut on Wednesday, April 21 during a ceremony at the Department of the Treasury's Cash Room. The U.S. government redesigns currency in order to stay ahead of counterfeiters and protect the public. Decisions about the redesign of each denomination are guided by the government's close evaluation of the range of ongoing counterfeit threats, whether from digital technology or traditional printing presses. Full release.

Powered by a strong performance in U.S. stocks, the funding status of the typical U.S. corporate pension plan in February improved 1.6 percentage points to 85.3 percent, according to monthly figures published by BNY Mellon Asset Management. Assets for the typical U.S. corporate pension plan increased 1.8 percent and liabilities decreased 0.1 percent for the month, as reported by the BNY Mellon Pension Summary Report for February 2010. Full release.

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