Articles Posted in Commentary and Opinion

The following are among the financial planning documents which have been submitted to the U.S. Congress by automakers Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors as requested:

FORD:

Ford Motor Company Business Plan as Submitted to the Senate Banking Committee on December 2, 2008

The Federal Register has announced the launch of a new Electronic Public Information Desk to Provide free public access to public documents.*

To view these documents, go to www.federalregister.gov (link opens in a new window). See “View Documents on Public Inspection” (link opens in a new window) on the left hand side. This new desk grants the public access to documents that will be published in the next day’s Federal Register as early at 8:45 a.m. EST. Previously, such documents could only be seen by viewing the documents physically located at the Office of the Federal Register in Washington, DC.

See Press Release at: http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2009/nr09-06.html

“About 450 librarians and library supporters rallied against budget cuts at the New York State Capitol in Albany November 18. Gov. David Paterson has proposed $20 million in cuts to libraries, which the New York Library Association says will reduce library aid for the state’s 73 library systems to a level not seen since 1993. State aid to libraries was flat between 1998 and 2006. Paterson called lawmakers into an emergency session to make mid-year budget cuts, but legislators did not take any action…”
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White Plains (N.Y.) Journal News, Nov. 18; New York Library Association

The following is a brief excerpt from President-elect Barack Obama’s letter to the people of Illinois announcing his resignation from the U.S. Senate.:

“Today, I am ending one journey to begin another. After serving the people of Illinois in the United States Senate — one of the highest honors and privileges of my life — I am stepping down as senator to prepare for the responsibilities I will assume as our nation’s next president. But I will never forget, and will forever be grateful, to the men and women of this great state who made my life in public service possible.”

Here is the letter.

Notes from Law Technology News Online Update November 17, 2008.

Cell Phones

“If you use a handheld device while driving in California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, or Washington (state or D.C.), you are breaking the law. Utah and New Hampshire have some mention of handheld cell phone use – but mostly as a means of enacting distracted driver laws. Some jurisdictions have bans in certain cities (including Phoenix and Detroit).”

For the Announcement check the press release at http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2008/08-190.html..

Questions have been raised as to how this might impact law cataloging. Here is a response from AAron Wolfe Kuperman at the Law Catagoging Section of the Library of Congress:

The impact on the LAW team is limited. We are renamed the “Law Section”,

October 28 2008

FROM THE INTRODUCTION:

This Mid-Year Financial Plan (the “Mid-Year Financial Plan”) revises the State’s fiscal projections for the 2008-09 through 2011-12 fiscal years that were set forth in the First Quarterly Update to the Financial Plan (the “First Quarterly Update”) dated July 30, 2008. The revised Plan reflects (a) updated estimates of receipts and disbursements based on DOB’s1 revised economic forecasts for the nation and State, operating results through the first six months of fiscal year 2008-09, and a comprehensive review of factors affecting the long-term current-services forecast; (b) the estimated impact of cost-saving measures approved by the Governor and Legislature in August 2008, after the issuance of the First Quarterly Update; and (c) the status of actions to reduce State operations spending that were instituted earlier in the fiscal year.

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