Volunteerism Michelle O's dream of stimulating economy

It won't work, according to Real Clear Politics. Read about it here: 

Responding to the almost monolithically positive coverage of the Obama administration by the national press, Phil Bronstein, editor-at-large for the Hearst Newspapers, observed recently that the Administration and the reporters covering it should "get a room." And while USA Today's account of Barack and Michelle Obama's "United We Serve" initiative appeared after Bronstein's quip, its coverage of same serves as yet another example of a media apparently unwilling to show even the remotest amount of skepticism about an Administration and program that deserve a great deal of it.

As USA Today's Andrea Stone wrote, "First Lady Michelle Obama will launch a summer of service" that the "White House hopes will help the economy recover through the work of individuals." This is not a joke, and this is also not a parody of slavish White House reportage from the Onion. Stone was serious.

Coleman concedes

Meaning Minnesota has given the big baby Al Franken the Senate seat, meaning the Dems now have a super majority. Of course, they've had a number of Republicans in their pocket anyway, so how is this any different? They are ready to railroad through any number of ridiculous initiatives. And now, they have to take ownership of what they do to this country and the economy. Is Byrd out of the hospital? How about Kennedy? You never know.

Ending an eight-month legal battle, Republican Norm Coleman conceded Tuesday to Democrat Al Franken in the Minnesota Senate race after the state's high court ruled that Franken should be certified as the winner. 

Though Coleman could have tried to take the case to the federal Supreme Court, he told reporters outside his home in St. Paul that continuing to drag out his challenge would hurt his state. 

Cap & trade written to fail

And did you know the new tax (waiting to be voted on in the Senate) on carbon emissions does NOT reduce carbon emissions? Read about it at the New York Post: 

The upshot is that an Environmental Protection Agency analysis says that under Waxman-Markey, there will be no reduction in emissions by 2020. The progressive Breakthrough Institute estimates that emissions could continue at their current business-as-usual rate through 2030.

Perversities abound. The Los Angeles Times reported that, under the bill, America "would use more carbon-dioxide heavy coal in 2020 than it did in 2005." Time magazine writes that "the total amount of renewable energy generation . . . would actually be less than the renewable energy that would have been produced without the bill."

From Contractors Talk

Read the chatter here, about the amendment to the cap and trade bill: Cap and Trade a plus for contractors

---

First off, I consider myself middle of the road political guy. I was against this cap and trade bill until I watched the final two hours of debates in congress. The majority of the time I watched, Rep. Boehner (the minority leader) decided to go through the 300+ pages that were amended to the bill at 3am this morning. There was so many regulations requiring houses to come up to all these new codes for being energy efficient my head was spinning. 

From heat loss, to energy efficiency in appliances, from leaking windows to old boilers. The Rep read that if a house that is put up for sale does not meet these new "green" guidelines, the house has to be made current to these new standards for the house to sell. 

That means opening up walls, adding insulation, new appliances, new fixtures, new doors, new windows, and whatever else that is considered not being "green". 

The best one was every house is going to be required to have a hybird outlet placed in a driveway to accomodate these new electric cars coming out.

Just askin'

The cap and trade bill that just passed the House is based on capping carbon emissions and trading rations for the amount of carbon each company uses, whether by driving or creating a product. Since humans emit carbon, is it conceivable that the government could regulate the number of children we have? Or charge each of us a carbon tax, to be filed along with federal taxes every year, for the carbon dioxide each of us emits? 

Just askin'.

Financial Times on cap and trade

FT says Obama is choosing to be weak, with astronomical price tags. Read about it at the Financial Times: 

The cap-and-trade bill is a travesty. Its net effect on short- to medium-term carbon emissions will be small to none. This is by design: a law that really made a difference would make energy dearer, hurt consumers and force an economic restructuring that would be painful for many industries and their workers. Congress cannot contemplate those effects. So the Waxman-Markey bill, while going through the complex motions of creating a carbon abatement regime, takes care to neutralise itself.

An anticipated movie

"The Stoning of Soraya M." is turning out to be a highly anticipated movie, produced and directed by an Iranian film director and based on a true story about the way women are treated in Iran. Apparently it hits too close to home, since liberal movie critics are panning it as not "surreal" enough, and too dependent on reality to be an effective film. Read the review at Canada Free Press: 

The arrogance of a white liberal film critic condemning an Iranian-American filmmaker for lacking political courage by making a movie protesting against the abuse of women in Iran is truly stunning. So stunning that I suspect Tobias would never get it. In his narrow leftist little world the only Iranians who have political courage are those who denounce George W. Bush.

Bailout trackdown

Go here for a trackdown of the money spent on the bailout. Why, you may ask, is so much of the bailout money not yet spent? Are the politicians having trouble finding places to spend it? Or are they being frugal with your money. Well, the answer to those questions would be no. This is simply another political scam politicians are running to feather their own nests. Remember how it was SO urgent it had to be passed NOW, right this MINUTE, or the whole country would fail? Then Obama went on a "date" to Chicago with his wife, leaving the bill unsigned for almost another week? This is a tactic the Democratic congress is employing to get their taxes passed, and then dole out the proceeds to constituencies that will support Democratic politicians. So those billions just waiting to be spent (although ACORN has already received billions of dollars) will be allotted closer to the 2010 election. Yep, that's right. Political spending. 

See, not all of the money was simply doled out to banks. A lot of the $700 billion that was appropriated either hasn't been spent, or went to programs such as housing relief, auto company assistance, and credit market unclogging.

Using data from the Treasury's official bailout website -- financialstability.gov -- here are the latest figures:

Insanity Rules

is the title of an article over at EU Referendum. Follow this link to read it. 

This passage of this bill does not signify any great "green revolution" or "growing" climate "awareness" on the part of Congress. Instead, the methods and manner that the Pelosi-led House achieved final passage, represents nothing more than unrestrained exercise of raw political power, arm-twisting, intimidation and special interest handouts.

The House of Representatives passed a bill it did not read, did not understand. A bill that is based on crumbling scientific claims and a bill that will have no detectable climate impact (assuming climate fear promoters are correct on the science and the bill is fully implemented – both implausible assumptions).

No official copy and unread

Apparently the cap and tax bill the House just passed had no official copy, nor have the 300 pages of amendment been added to the main body of the bill. Which means, of course, that no one actually READ the bill they passed, as it is written with all the add this paragraph, drop that paragraphs. Which means, of course, that anything could be in it. But we knew that already, didn't we. Read the Washington Examiner:

By all appearances, the House is about to vote on a very long bill of which it has no completed official copy.

Texas Republican Reps. Joe Barton and Louie Gohmert have just asked the chair whether there exists a complete, updated copy of the Waxman-Markey carbon-cap bill. 

"If a bill for which there is no copy were to actually pass this body," Barton asked, "could the bill without a copy be sent to the Senate for its consideration?" 

Monica Conyers pleads guilty

Heh. What a surprise. A corrupt Detroit politician. Who could have imagined. Read about it at the Detroit Free Press: 

The federal trap finally snapped Friday on Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers, ending a year of speculation about her role in the Synagro sludge contract scandal.

The normally boisterous Conyers, 44, appeared in U.S. District Court to quietly plead guilty to a bribery conspiracy charge during a brief hearing.

Conyers, the wife of powerful U.S. Rep. John Conyers, left the courtroom on personal bond without commenting.

In a few short weeks, Conyers, who was the council's president pro tem, went from one of Detroit's most politically powerful and mercurial women to an admitted felon in a pay-to-play scheme for a $1.2-billion-plus sludge treatment contract.

Vote them all out

So eight Republicans helped. I say vote 'em all out. They deserve the boot. Read PowerLine's viewpoint: 

As John notes below, the House passed cap-and-trade energy tax legislation last night even though no complete copy of that legislation existed, making it impossible for our representatives to know exactly what they were voting on. The vote was 219-212.

Eight Republicans voted in favor of the legislation. They are: Mary Bono (CA), Mike Castle (DE), Mark Kirk (IL), Leonard Lance (NJ), Frank LoBiondo (NJ), Chris Smith (NJ), John McHugh (NY), and David Reichert (WA).

It doesn't follow that these Republican votes (or at least four them) were critical to the passage of cap-and-trade. In the absence of Republican support, the Democratic leadership probably would have forced the necessary number of reluctant Dems to vote for the measure, instead of letting them off the hook.

Largest tax in history passed today

It is sad to note that the House of Representatives passed the largest tax in history today. Nancy Pelosi, Al Gore and Edward Markey stand to become millionaires from stock they have bought that is worthless without passing this legislation. In addition, this bill was unread. No one knows what is in it, except for those people who wrote it. 

Shame! Shame! Everyone of the individuals who voted for this bill, including the eight Republicans, deserve to be voted out of office. It does nothing to stem so-called global warming (http://junkscience.com). All it does is give these greedy, money-grubbing politicians access to our lives, our work effort and our money. Shame, shame.

Cap & trade to be passed in House today?

Groan. The largest tax increase in human history. How DARE they!!? 

Like most good scams, cap and trade as outlined in the Markey-Waxman legislation is simple. The government sets a cap on how much pollution the nation's factories, cars (and flatulent cows) are allowed to expel into the atmosphere. Companies can buy, sell or trade their emissions, or lack thereof. (If the cows must be cited for violations, Al Gore, a onetime tobacco farmer, can measure the barnyard effluvium.)

But the most acute pain will be the rising costs of everything as companies pass the effects of the tax on to consumers. Nobody knows this better than Mrs. Pelosi and her merry band of robbers. When this far-reaching legislation was debated in the House Energy Committee, the Republicans offered amendments to suspend the legislation if the price of gasoline exceeds $5 a gallon, if the price of electricity rises more than 10 percent over 2009, and if the unemployment rate, now hovering close to 9 percent, exceeds 15 percent. The Democrats, who know very well the devastation this "biggest tax increase in history" is likely to wreak on American families, nevertheless defeated all three amendments.

Altercation on House floor over other people's money

Call the waaambulance. They're fighting over how to grab our money with their greedy fingers out. Huh. What an embarrassment to see those jokers up in front of hearings questioning private business people in the most juvenile,  contentious manner when they themselves behave as badly as children in a school yard:

 You’re out of line,” Waters shot while walking down toward the well.

“You’re out of line,” Obey shot back before turning and walking away.

But then Obey stopped, turned back toward Waters, and shouted: “I’m not going to approve that earmark!”

Obey turned away, but Waters went to go huddle with members of the Congressional Black Caucus. She could be over heard telling them: “He touched me first.”

Waters was escorted by her colleagues into the cloakroom.

Don't get hurt health plan

Obama admits cap and trade will skyrocket energy costs

EPA suppresses truth

Apparently they didn't like the true scientific findings of a study about global warming so they hid the results. Read about it at Global Warming:

 As part of a just-ended public comment period, CEI submitted a set of four EPA emails, dated March 12-17, 2009, which indicate that a significant internal critique of the agency’s global warming position was put under wraps and concealed.

The study the emails refer to, which ran counter to the administration’s views on carbon dioxide and climate change, was kept from circulating within the agency, was never disclosed to the public, and was not added to the body of materials relevant to EPA’s current “endangerment” proceeding. The emails further show that the study was treated in this manner not because of any problem with its quality, but for political reasons.

Detroit Public Schools $430 million in the hole

They did an audit and found hundreds of "ghost employees." In addition, Detroit has "more registered voters than residents." Read about it at BlogProf: 

Ghosts over at DPS is so apropos for DPS since it is located in Detroit which, incidentally, not only has more registered voters than it does residents (to the tune of 200,000+), but it is also ranked by Forbes as #2 in the emptiest cities in the U.S. So it looks like ghosts vote in elections and collect paychecks while living in a ghost town! Speaking of more registered voters than residents, those mystery voters tend to vote overwhelmingly Democratic, as Detroit, by voting record, is the most liberal city in the U.S. Here are some statistics:

Warren Buffett criticizes cap and trade

Buffett has repeatedly criticized the cap and trade tax about to be passed on Friday as detrimental to the struggling economy. Duh. Ya think? Read about it at CNBC: 

Buffett repeated his criticism of "cap and trade" as a method to control pollution, saying it would be a huge, regressive tax.

Neda's family harassed, forced to leave

The video of Neda that has circulated so widely on the net and in the media has caused the Iranian militia to uproot and punish her family. Read it here on The Guardian:

 The Iranian authorities have ordered the family of Neda Agha Soltan out of their Tehran home after shocking images of her death were circulated around the world.

Neighbours said that her family no longer lives in the four-floor apartment building on Meshkini Street, in eastern Tehran, having been forced to move since she was killed. The police did not hand the body back to her family, her funeral was cancelled, she was buried without letting her family know and the government banned mourning ceremonies at mosques, the neighbours said.

Who will benefit from cap & trade to be passed Friday in House?

Read about it at National Mining Association: 

Barney Frank recommends lowering standards for condo buyers!

After all the controversy surrounding the underwater mortgage holders across the United States, Frank is ONCE AGAIN recommending that standards be lowered for those seeking mortgages for condos. This is exactly what he did that produced the initial lowering of standards and ultimate crash of the housing industry. Read about it at the WSJ: 

After two years of telling us how lax lending standards drove up the market and led to loans that should never have been made, Mr. Frank wants Fannie and Freddie to take more risk in condo developments with high percentages of unsold units, high delinquency rates or high concentrations of ownership within the development.

Fannie and Freddie have restricted loans to condo buyers in these situations because they represent a red flag that the developments -- many of which were planned and built at the height of the housing bubble -- may face financial trouble down the road. But never mind all that. Messrs. Frank and Weiner think, in all their wisdom and years of experience underwriting mortgages, that the new rules "may be too onerous."

Planted questioners at news conference

Why is it a no-no to have planted questions at a presidential news conference? Surprisingly, the Washington Post has some answers: 

The use of planted questioners is a no-no at presidential news conferences, because it sends a message to the world -- Iran included -- that the American press isn't as free as advertised. But yesterday wasn't so much a news conference as it was a taping of a new daytime drama, "The Obama Show." Missed yesterday's show? Don't worry: On Wednesday, ABC News will be broadcasting "Good Morning America" from the South Lawn (guest stars: the president and first lady), "World News Tonight" from the Blue Room, and a prime-time feature with Obama from the East Room.

Racial discrimination

Once again, education is diluted in favor of racial discrimination. 

Mr. Connerly tells of a conversation he had with a high-ranking UC administrator about a proposal that the administrator was developing to increase campus diversity.

Connerly asked the administrator why he considered it important to tinker with admissions instead of just letting the chips fall where they may. His response was that unless the university took steps to "guide" admissions decisions, the UC campuses would be dominated by Asians.

When Connerly asked, "What would be wrong with that?", the UC administrator told him that Asians are "too dull — they study, study, study." Then he said to Connerly, "If you ever say I said this, I will have to deny it."

Kill cap & trade!

Call your representative! It's time! Read about cap & trade legislation at IBD:

Perhaps the most destructive legislation in our country's history will, as soon as this week, be voted on in the House of Representatives: the Waxman-Markey tax bill in the guise of addressing climate change.

It will have adverse and lingering consequences for every American. It will raise the cost of electricity in our homes, the fuel for our cars and the energy that produces our manufacturing jobs, with little or no environmental benefit.

Further, independent experts estimate that it will cost Americans more than $2 trillion in just over eight years.

All Americans in the Midwest, South and Rocky Mountain regions will be most drastically affected because the climate change legislation will destroy the nation's coal industry and the low-cost electricity it has provided to these regions for generations.

Great Lakes czar named

Hm. What does he mean "growing demand for fresh water," of which the Great Lakes make up 22%? Are buckets reaching for the Great Lakes to pass out to California?

In his budget in February, Obama proposed to allocate some $475 million toward cleaning up the Great Lakes. In addition, the administration is taking a "zero tolerance" attitude to the issue of any new invasive species entering the lake.

Davis suggested the administration's actions are "also accentuated by the growing demand for fresh water around the globe."

Cap & trade legislation moves to the House for Friday

Say Anything Blog has a few comments about cap & trade: 

The delivery trucks that bring books and gadgets you ordered on the internet emit carbon.  The truck that delivers food to your local organic grocery store emits carbon.  The bus you ride to work in the morning emits carbon.  The factory that made the bike you ride to your yoga class emits carbon.

Obama’s flowery words are calculated to make it seem like this carbon tax isn’t really going to be a burden to most Americans at all.  That’s because, much like with his health care reform policies, Obama wants to put his policies in place before anyone realizes how much they’ll cost.

Tea Party Event at Hood Park July 4

Find the details at the TeaPartyatPerrysburg website!

Tea Party at PERRYSBURG

 Hood Park - Downtown Perrysburg

July 4th

10 am- 11 am

Calling all Patriots who are concerned about big government and high taxes

 If you are concerned about loose fiscal policies coming out of Washington--come and show your support

 "We the People" need to voice our concern. United we stand…Divided we continue to pay and pay and pay!

  T.E.A. ( taxed Enough Already)

AP courses being overtaken by non-"brainiacs"

Huh. Now imagine why and how that could possibly happen. Doesn't it mean "Advanced Placement"? As in, "You're ahead of everyone else and need extra stimulation?" Read about the courses AP teachers are taking to compensate for non-brainiacs.

 A tidal wave of high school students is crashing over college-caliber AP courses, and nowhere is that more true than Florida. Between 2004 and 2008, the number of students taking AP classes in Florida jumped from 68,000 to 118,000. The hope is that exposing more students to the rigors of AP will give them the skills to succeed in school - and in life after it.

But many of the new students aren't as prepared as the brainiac AP students of old. Many have never taken a challenging class. Some don't know how to write essays or take good notes.

No checks on stimulus funding

The feds won't be checking for accuracy on how many jobs the so-called stimulus funds generate. Huh. No kiddin.' Read about it here:

Attention workers: If you're getting federal stimulus money, stand up and prepare to be counted. And no cheating.

The Obama administration issued its long-awaited rules for tallying jobs Monday and warned that local politicians trying to inflate their numbers would surely be caught.

As part of the $787 billion stimulus law, governors, mayors and contractors must begin reporting job numbers to the federal government in October. The data collected could provide the most accurate count of workers employed by stimulus money, a number that is expected to be far more precise than the murky and unverifiable promise that 3.5 million jobs will be created by the end of next year.

Fed govt's health care costs rise much higher than private sector

So the idea is that the government will lower health care costs by going federal. Think again. Costs rise, when run by the feds. Read about it here at Investors: 

The results are clear: Since 1970 — even without the prescription drug benefit — Medicare's costs have risen 34% more, per patient, than the combined costs of all health care in America apart from Medicare and Medicaid, the vast majority of which is purchased through the private sector.

Since 1970, the per-patient costs of all health care apart from Medicare and Medicaid have risen from $364 to $7,119, while Medicare's per-patient costs have risen from $368 to $9,634. Medicare's costs have risen $2,511 more per patient.

Quality of life measured when treating the sick

There are few ways to cut health care costs without cutting treatment to the sick, the elderly and the chronically ill. Evidence is found in Great Britain. As they say, it puts a $ value on the quality of life you lead. Read about it at the LA Times: 

Everyone agrees that costs have to be wrung out of healthcare, which won't be easy if Obama and Congress insist on preserving a role for private insurers, which impose enormous administrative costs on the system for no commensurate gain. Savings from highly touted projects like computerizing medical records will be marginal at best.

The only solution is going to be discouraging the use of new treatments and drugs that fail a cost-effectiveness test. Britain's experience teaches us that these judgments are better made in the open rather than in the counting houses of insurers, and that however they're made, they won't be easy.

New York educators take hundreds of thousands of $$ in retirement

As unbelievable as it seems, educators in New York make hundreds of thousands of dollars in retirement. In addition, they receive free health care, cost of living increases, and they make no payment to their retirement after 10 years.And why are these states going broke? One individual makes over $26,000 a MONTH in retirement.

As state officials struggle to close gaping holes in the budget and deal with skyrocketing retirement costs, records show that at least 1,325 retirees collect six-figure pensions from the state - and nearly one-half of them are from Long Island. [SNIP]

"You're talking about tax increases that could go, just for this alone, anywhere from a 5 or 6 percent increase all the way up to a 15 percent tax increase," said Fred Gorman, a founder of Long Islanders for Educational Reform, a watchdog group.

Neda

I've hesitated to post about this because it is so graphic. Indeed, it is the passing of a life (a  young life, of which I've seen too many pass) from this world to the next. But it is an important story that must be heard; Neda's death has resounded around the world. Please be warned that this video is graphic. This is a CNN video posted on the Coelho blog: 

The One's numbers dropping

And for good reason. Read Michael Goodwin's column: 

While it's too early to say Obama's honeymoon is over, the public is waking up to the danger of uncontrolled government power and spending. Three separate polls last week had similar findings, and they weren't pretty for theWhite House.

Two found decline in Obama's job approval rating. AWall Street Journal/NBC Newspoll pegged it at 56%, down five points. Most important, independents dropped dramatically, from nearly a two-to-one approval to closely divided.

Readmore:http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/columnists/goodwin/index.html#ixzz0J7dnLBPG&C

Mousavi's office issues comment?

From Michael Ledeen at National Review 

What: Does Mousavi Think?   [Michael Ledeen]

This may help clarify matters for those who wonder what the Iranian dissidents want.  I posted it on my blog a while ago.  As I said on my blog, we are all getting various things whose authenticity requires skepticism.  I'm confident of the channel—a person who is directly in contact with Mousavi and his people—but I can't swear this has been approved by Mousavi himself.  Still, I do think it reflects the state of mind of his people.  Notice that it doesn't bear his signature;  it's from "the office."

From  the Office of Mr. Mir Hossein Mousavi

To the President of the USA, Mr. Barack Hussein Obama:

Dear Mr. President,

In the name of  the Iranian people, we want you to know that when you recently made the statement "Achmadinejad or Mousavi? Two of a kind,” we consider this as a grave and deep insult, not just to Mr. Mousavi but especially against the judgment of the Iranian people, against our moral conviction and intelligence, especially those of the young generation that comprises a population of 31 million.

Great Lakes to be divided into zones?

Read about zoning the oceans and the Great Lakes. I guess that's why they needed a Great Lakes scar. Go here: 

The memo indicates that Obama is creating a task force that within 180 days will recommend "a framework for effective coastal and marine spatial planning." What's called The Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force will make recommendations to the president on protecting ocean and Great Lake resources as they experience "growing demands" from "renewable energy, shipping and aquaculture."

"This framework," the memo reads, "should be a comprehensive, integrated, ecosystem-based approach that addresses conservation, economic activity, user conflict, and sustainable use of ocean, coastal, and Great Lake resources consistent with international law..."

I've put out calls to the White House, the region's lawmakers and wind groups looking for some clarity, but it sounds like the federal government is looking to zone the oceans for activities and uses. Presumably, "marine spatial planning" would mean specific areas of water would be chosen for things like wind farms, just as towns go through a planning process to decide what types of developments are appropriate for what locations.

The Nature Conservancy seems to have the same interpretation of this memo as I do: It's a step toward creating designated spaces in the ocean for specific activities.

Community survey to be collected yearly

Why would ACORN members need to know when you go to work? Read it here.

He's Barack Obama!

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Congress and federal employees exempted from federal health care plans

If it's going to be so great, why aren't they doing it? Read about it at the Wall Street Journal:

 The president is barnstorming the nation, urging swift approval of legislation that is taking shape in Congress. This legislation -- the Affordable Health Choices Act that's being drafted by Sen. Edward Kennedy's staff and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee -- will push Americans into stingy insurance plans with tight, HMO-style controls. It specifically exempts members of Congress (along with federal employees; the exemptions are in section 3116).

Members of Congress "enjoy the widest selection of health plans in the country," according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. They "can choose from among consumer-driven and high deductible plans that offer catastrophic risk protection with higher deductibles, health saving/reimbursable accounts and lower premiums, or fee-for-service (FFS) plans, and their preferred provider organizations (PPO), or health maintenance organizations (HMO)." These choices would be nice for all of us, but they're not in the offing. Instead, if you don't enroll in a "qualified" health plan and submit proof of enrollment to the federal government, you'll be tracked down and fined (sections 3101 and 6055).

Monica Conyers and $40,000????

Check it out at Detroit News. The water begins to boil: 

Detroit -- Federal agents are investigating allegations that Councilwoman Monica Conyers received thousands of dollars in jewelry from a pawn shop whose owner urged the council to ease off on plans to increase regulation of his business, people familiar with a City Hall corruption investigation told The Detroit News.

One estimate pegged the value of the jewelry from Zeidman's Jewelry and Loan at about $40,000, sources said.

Agents also are investigating allegations that Conyers was to receive payment for favorable consideration of an investment proposal or proposals submitted to the General Retirement System, where Conyers was a trustee, by Detroit businessman Melvin Washington and his Phoenix Group companies, sources said.