Today's Teamster News 03.04.13

(UPDATES with item about White House seeking fast track authority.)
<="http://news.msn.com/politics/obama-renews-offer-to-cut-entitlements-to-end-budget-cuts">Obama renews offer to cut entitlements to end budget cuts  Reuters   ...Possible reforms to entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security are being offered by President Barack Obama as part of a compromise to end automatic budget cuts that began Friday...
<="http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/03/03/1664321/gops-largest-campaign-contributor-admits-to-bribing-foreign-officials/?mobile=nc">GOP’s Largest Campaign Contributor Admits To Bribing Foreign Officials  ThinkProgress   ...Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, who spent as much as $150 million on independent expenditures to bolster Republicans in the 2012 election, has informed the Securities and Exchange Commission that his Las Vegas Sands Corporation “likely violated a federal law against bribing foreign officials.”...
<="http://www.allgov.com/news/unusual-news/surprise-studies-show-rich-people-are-more-unethical-than-poor-people-130303?news=847234">Surprise: Studies Show Rich People are more Unethical than Poor People  AllGov.com   ...a team of five researchers that conducted a set of seven psychological experiments confirmed Fitzgerald’s opinion, specifying that the rich behave more unethically and greedily than lower-class individuals...
<="http://neweconomicperspectives.org/2013/02/pervasive-fraud-by-our-most-reputable-banks.html">“Pervasive” Fraud by our “Most Reputable” Banks  New Economic Perspectives   ...the banks that fraudulently sold fraudulent mortgages did have “skin in the game” because of their reps and warranties.  The key is that the officers who control the banks do not have skin in the game – they can loot the banks they can control and walk away wealthy...
<="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-03/swiss-voters-set-limits-on-ceo-paychecks-sf1-projections.html">Swiss Voters Approve Limits on ‘Fat Cat’ Executive Pay  Bloomberg   ...The proposal gives shareholders an annual ballot on managers’ pay. It eliminates sign-on bonuses, as well as severance packages and extra incentives for completing merger transactions. The initiative also includes rules punishing executives who violate the terms with as long as three years in jail...
<="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/01/us-obama-trade-idUSBRE9200PK20130301">White House says it will seek "fast-track" trade authority  Reuters   ...The White House on Friday said it would work for approval of politically contentious legislation that would ease the way for new trade deals, as it tries to wrap up talks on an Asia-Pacific free-trade agreement this year...
<="http://news.asiaone.com/A1Business/News/Story/A1Story20130304-406228.html">S'pore to host TPP free trade talks from Monday  Asia One   ...SINGAPORE will host the 16th round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade negotiations from Monday with expectations high that the grouping is on track to wrap up talks by the end of this year...
<="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/rail-emerges-as-alternative-to-keystone-xl-pipeline/2013/03/02/dae5d0fe-82ae-11e2-b99e-6baf4ebe42df_story.html?wprss=rss_energy-environment&tid=pp_widget">Railroads emerge as alternative to Keystone XL pipeline for moving oil sands from Canada  Washington Post   ...While TransCanada has been trying to obtain a U.S. permit to build the 875-mile northern leg of its Keystone XL pipeline, Canadian and U.S. railroad companies have been busy installing new track and loading facilities to carry the oil sands crude from northern Alberta to refineries in the United States and Canada...
<="http://tribune-democrat.com/local/x986701228/Backers-opponents-debate-liquor-privatization">Backers, opponents debate liquor privatization  The Tribune-Democrat   ...even before Republicans fully unveil the latest legislative proposal to dismantle the liquor monopoly, critics are warning that the math just may not add up in a way that bodes well for (Pennsylvania) shoppers or taxpayers...
<="https://www.stlbeacon.org/#!/content/29667/democrat_days_koster_hagler_030313">Hagler, Koster whip up Democrats with calls to protect workers, farmers  St. Louis Beacon   ...Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, who is expected to run for governor in 2016, delivered a verbal broadside Saturday night to Republican legislative leaders, as he accused them of being out not only to cripple labor but to destroy the state’s middle class...
<="http://host.madison.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/fine-print-in-scott-walker-s-tax-proposals-draws-criticism/article_2fd26c34-82ce-11e2-8ad3-0019bb2963f4.html?comment_form=true">Fine print in Scott Walker's tax proposals draws criticism  Wisconsin State Journal   ...Gov. Scott Walker’s state budget plan promises a few dollars a week in middle-class tax relief and a crackdown on tax evaders, but the document’s fine print also would widen tax loopholes for businesses, and deliver indefinite amnesty to certain serial tax cheats...