Today's Teamsters News 02.25.13

<="http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/24/travel/gas-prices/">Gas prices jump, but not as high, survey finds  CNN   ...Over the past two weeks, prices at the pump have jumped 20 cents, adding to a total rise of nearly 54 cents over the past nine weeks, according to the Lundberg Survey. A gallon of self-serve regular costs $3.80 on average nationwide, the survey found. But the speed of the spike has slowed substantially. And now, prices may even start to drop...
<="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/9891082/Trade-protectionism-looms-next-as-central-banks-exhaust-QE.html">Trade protectionism looms next as central banks exhaust QE  The Telegraph   ...The four years of QE have given us a contained depression and prevented the global strategic order from unravelling. That is not a bad outcome, but the time gained has largely been wasted because few wish to face the awful truth that globalisation itself -- in its current deformed structure -- is the root cause of the whole disaster...
<="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/business/major-banks-aid-in-payday-loans-banned-by-states.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0">Major Banks Aid in Payday Loans Banned by States  New York Times   ...With 15 states banning payday loans, a growing number of the lenders have set up online operations in more hospitable states or far-flung locales like Belize, Malta and the West Indies to more easily evade statewide caps on interest rates...
<="http://www.plunderbund.com/2013/02/21/kasich-cribbed-his-tax-hike-from-an-unpopular-alec-endorsed-initiative/">Kasich cribbed his tax hike from an unpopular ALEC-endorsed initiative  Plunderbund   ...Kasich’s tax hike–in coordination with similar schemes in Nebraska, Kansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Virginia, and basically every GOP-controlled state–is clearly part of a national plug-and-play strategy led by ALEC, based on a failed Missouri idea...
<="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/soda_ban_to_sap_your_4t5pEK0hvo3PoNZEBOdZ2L">Bloomberg's ban prohibits 2-liter soda with your pizza and some nightclub mixers  New York Post   ...Nanny Bloomberg unleashes his ban on large sodas on March 12 — and there are some nasty surprises lurking for hardworking families. Say goodbye to that 2-liter bottle of Coke with your pizza delivery, pitchers of soft drinks at your kid’s birthday party and some bottle-service mixers at your favorite nightclub...
<="http://wvgazette.com/Opinion/OpEdCommentaries/201302220236">Ken Hall: Where are 'Friends of Coal Miners'?  Charleston Gazette   ...Where are these so-called friends when it comes to the 22,500 active miners, retirees and their families who depend on Patriot Coal for their health care and pension benefits?...