Flint
manager warns of bankruptcy over retiree costs - (www.crainsdetroit.com) 'A
lot of cities are on the same train, and that train is headed for the cliff.' Flint may be Michigan’s second city to plunge
into bankruptcy unless retirees accept cuts in health benefits that threaten to
unravel a balanced budget, Emergency Manager Darnell Earley said. “If Flint
were to go to bankruptcy, that would highlight that this legacy-cost problem
has to be addressed more globally,” said Eric Scorsone, a Michigan State
University economist. “Flint’s at the forefront, but a lot of cities are
on the same train, and that train is headed for the cliff.” The specter
intensifies the conflict over finances in the city of 100,000, which twice has
been under state control. Like Detroit, which a year ago this week filed the
largest U.S. municipal bankruptcy, Flint has struggled with loss of population,
jobs and revenue. The birthplace of General Motors Co. has only half
its population of 1960.
Healthcare Premiums Would
Explode If Today's Obamacare Ruling Stands - (www.businessinsider.com) A
federal appeals court on Tuesday dealt a setback to the Affordable Care Act,
ruling that premium subsidies provided through the
federal health exchange in 36 states are invalid under the writing of the law. Here's the practical effect of the ruling, if
it withstands the rest of the legal process: More than 5 million, generally
low-income Americans who received tax credits through the federal exchange to
purchase health insurance, would see their premiums explode. Avalere Health, an
independent healthcare firm, released an analysis last week showing that people who received premium
subsidies for health insurance would see a premium hike of about 76% if courts
ultimately rule they can't get tax credits through the federal exchange.
German
Economy Hit by US, EU Sanctions on Russia ... - (www.spiegel.de) Even
prior to the sanctions, the Russian economy had been struggling. Now, though,
the Ukraine crisis is beginning to make itself felt in Germany as well. German
industry's Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations believes that the
crisis could endanger up to 25,000 jobs in Germany. Were a broad recession to
befall Russia, German growth could sink by 0.5 percent, according to a Deutsche
Bank study... The most recent US sanctions, warns Eckhard Cordes, head of the
Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, have placed an additional
strain "on the general investment climate." Particularly, he adds,
because European companies have to conform to the American penalties.
The 30-Year Law That's Creating A Crisis In San Francisco - (www.businessinsider.com) On July 9, dozens of San Francisco protesters gathered to rally against Urban Green, a real estate developer threatening to evict a 98-year-old woman from her 40-year home in the Mission neighborhood. It sounds absurd, and Urban Green eventually announced it would not evict Mary Phillips. But this isn't an uncommon fear among Bay Area residents. One particular piece of California legislation has helped this same story to play out differently over the past 30 years, forcing many out of their San Francisco homes. One year after a 1984 legal battle in Santa Monica, California, the state passed the Ellis Act, a polarizing law that allows landlords to evict tenants and leave the rental housing business. Since landlords cannot evict tenants without a just cause, the law gives them a simple way to kick out residents and empty a building: closing up shop. The law was proposed — and is still used — to protect landlords from local governments forcing them to continue renting properties to fit market needs, according to Protect the Ellis Act, a campaign supporting the law.
McDonald's
sees Russian sales chill amid unrest - (www.cnbc.com) As McDonald's discussed another tough quarter with
analysts, it singled out the shaky situation in Russia as part of its recent
problems. "We are seeing softness in Russia—I think largely due to some of
the geopolitical" concerns and lower consumer confidence, said Don Thompson,
McDonald's president and CEO. Although a recent report from MNI shows Russia consumer sentiment rebounded
slightly in June from a record low hit the month before, the index is still
sharply year-before levels amid weaker Russia growth and unrest in Crimea. McDonald's
Europe unit saw comparable sales contract 1 percent last quarter, as the
fast-food giant fell short of Wall Street's expectations on Tuesday.
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