Former senator George Allen unveiled his “Freedom to Work” agenda Wednesday, releasing a collection of proposals that would make it easier for workers to avoid joining unions and for the government to avoid having to strike labor deals or pay “prevailing wages” on public works projects. Allen, who unveiled his agenda at Dynax America Corporation in Roanoke, is the likely Republican nominee in the contest to succeed retiring Sen. James Webb (D). Ex-governor Timothy M. Kaine is expected to win the Democratic nod. Allen has sought to make labor policy a focal point of his campaign against Kaine, putting particular emphasis — as many Republicans have nationwide — on a controversial decision by the National Labor Relations Board to sue Boeing for allegedly deciding to open a new plant in South Carolina rather than Washington state in retaliation for worker strikes in the latter location. The Washington Post
Submitted 1 years 224 days ago

German tire maker Continental made it official today, saying it will build a $500 million plant near Sumter with up to 1,700 new jobs. Included in those jobs is a $4 million investment to expand the company’s U.S. headquarters in Lancaster County by 80 jobs. South Carolina beat out North Carolina and Louisiana in the contest for the manufacturing facility. The State
Submitted 1 years 224 days ago

Sumter County is now where the rubber meets the road. Nearly 1,700 new jobs and $500 million in investments will be coming to Sumter County after Continental AG, the fourth-largest tire manufacturer in the country, announced Thursday it would open a new manufacturing facility off U.S. 521. Sumter Item
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A measure designed to punish China for undervaluing its currency has cleared a key procedural hurdle in the Senate and will face a final vote as early as later Thursday. The bill has had bipartisan support in the Senate, and the chamber invoked cloture Thursday morning by a vote of 62 to 38, as supporters said mere consideration of the bill might persuade China to realign its currency and end what they consider an unfair advantage that benefits Chinese manufacturers to the detriment of U.S. companies. The Washington Post
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With a fledgling economy the focus of the 2012 presidential campaign, there has been one glaring omission from the debate so far: the failure of our current trade policy, particularly with China. Trade policy affects national security by putting the safety of our people and their jobs at risk. Between 2000 and 2010, the United States ran an aggregate trade deficit in goods of $6.8 trillion. This is one measure of how much money went to support production and job creation overseas rather than here at home. Last year, the trade deficit in goods was $635 billion. The import share of the domestic economy has grown very rapidly in textiles, machinery, computers, electrical equipment and motor vehicles. We buy a third to a half of these products from overseas, leaving American factories idle and American people jobless. The Washington Times
Submitted 1 years 224 days ago

On Wednesday night, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) essentially took himself out of the vice presidential sweepstakes. “I am not going to be the vice presidential nominee,’’ he said at the Washington Ideas Forum at the Newseum in Washington. “The answer is gonna be no.” Rubio, a rising star in the his party and a tea party favorite, had been mentioned most often as a GOP vice presidential contender. So what does this mean for Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who had also beenmentioned as a possible No. 2 on the Republican ticket? The Washington Times
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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio pulled back on past support for tuition breaks for children of illegal immigrants Wednesday, repositioning himself on a growing controversy in the Republican presidential race. St. Petersburg Times
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Several hundred people displeased with the current economic and political climate marched from Mid-City to Lafayette Square today, carrying signs and chanting as part of a movement to protest corporate power that began three weeks ago in New York City. Occupy New Orleans, one of more than 80 local spinoff protests from the Occupy Wall Street demonstration, is loosely organized and does not represent a single philosophy or desire. Times-Picayune
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Despite fears of a double-dip recession and sputtering consumer confidence, U.S. car and truck sales were actually up in September, "surprising the auto industry and raising hopes that a bumpy year will end on a high note." General Motors reported a 20 percent sales jump from September 2010 to September 2011, while Chrysler's sales were up a whopping 27 percent — the company's best September since 2007. Ford also saw a 9 percent uptick, and U.S. vehicle sales were up 10 percent overall from last September. To what do we owe this rare bit of economic good news? Here, six theories: The Week
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With the harsh news that Steve Jobs had died at age 56 on Wednesday night, millions of people around the globe flooded the digital world that the fervently revered Apple co-founder helped shape, tweeting in record numbers and spiking the sales of Jobs biographies. Here, a look at the "record-breaking" response, by the numbers: The Week
Submitted 1 years 224 days ago