EARLY WARNING Cruz says Dems will win in "16 against GOP moderate

FILE – In this Dec. 13, 2014 file photo, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas talks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke, File)

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, predicted late Sunday that Democrats would keep the White House in 2016 if Republicans selected a moderate nominee next year.

Speaking at the South Carolina Tea Party Convention in Myrtle Beach, Cruz, himself a possible presidential candidate, referred disparagingly to political consultants as “Washington graybeards … telling us about the mushy middle.” Cruz has previously used the term when discussing former Massachusetts governor and 2012 nominee Mitt Romney, who is considering a third run for the highest office in the land.

“If we nominate another candidate in the mold of [1996 nominee] Bob Dole or [Arizona Senator and 2008 nominee] John McCain or Mitt Romney,” Cruz said Sunday, “the same people who stayed home in 2008 and 2012 will stay home in 2016 and the Democrats will win again. There is a better way.”

Cruz’s comments echoed criticism of Romney made by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who visited two early primary states, New Hampshire and Nevada, over three days last week. 

“If we try the same thing again we might get the same result,” Paul said. “So maybe we need to keep lookin’.”

Romney says he has not formally decided whether to join the 2016 race. In a speech Friday at the Republican National Committee winter meeting in San Diego, he said only that he was “giving some serious consideration to the future.” 

However, sources close to Romney have told Fox News that he has been been calling former aides, donors and supporters from his 2012 campaign — as well as GOP leaders and insiders in the vital state of New Hampshire. One longtime adviser who recently has spoken to Romney told Fox News it is “very likely” the 2012 Republican presidential nominee will announce a 2016 campaign for president in the next three to four weeks.

Another possible target of Cruz’s remarks Sunday, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, is likely to join Romney in making a bid for the White House, according to Fred Malek, finance chairman for the Republican Governors Association. 

“They’ve taken this forward a lot faster and a lot further than I would have imagined,” Malek told Fox News last Tuesday. “And I don’t think they would have done that unless they have a serious intent on moving ahead.” Malek went on to say that he guessed there was an “80 percent chance” Romney would join the race.

Romney is scheduled to speak Monday in Indian Wells, Calif. at the kickoff of the 2015 “Desert Town Hall Speaker Series,” which has drawn headliners ranging from former presidents George Bush and George W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, former Senator Bill Bradley, and other luminaries.

Fox News’ Serafin Gomez, James Rosen, Hillary Vaughn, Jake Gibson, and Lee Ross contributed to this report.

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EARLY WARNING Cruz says Dems will win in "16 against GOP moderate

Flash Flood Warning for Portland, St Mary remains in effect

Tuesday, January 21, 2014 | 5:14 PM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A Flash Flood Warning remains in effect for Portland and St Mary until 5:00 pm Wednesday, January 22, the Meteorological Service has advised.

Residents in low-lying areas are being urged to be on the alert for rising waters and be ready to move quickly to higher ground.

In addition motorists and pedestrians should not attempt to cross flooded roadways or other low-lying areas as strong currents are likely.

The Met Service said that a Stationary Front which extends across eastern Cuba and Jamaica continues to produce showers across sections of mainly northern parishes. Moderate to heavy showers have occurred over Portland and St Mary Tuesday morning, while sections of St James, Trelawny and Westmoreland were affected by very heavy showers in the afternoon.

The outlook is for scattered showers to continue across the island especially over Portland and St Mary on Wednesday. The Met Service’s warning comes despite reports from Portland residents of an ease in the parish.

A decrease in rainfall is expected on Thursday as the Front weakens, the Met Service said.

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Flash Flood Warning for Portland, St Mary remains in effect

Warning issued to "troublesome" tax delinquents

JAMAICANS who continue to dodge their property tax obligations are being warned that the patience of the authority is wearing thin and will result in punitive action.

The warning has been issued by Calvert Thomas, senior director of the Revenue Enhancement and Resource Mobilisation Division in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development. He is peeved that many people are not paying their taxes, though having the means to.“I call them troublesome delinquents. These people are very aware of what obtains, they have the ability to pay but have decided not to; they are willing to sit and wait. We would like to advise them that the situation has changed,” Thomas told the Jamaica Observer’s Monday Exchange forum this week.“While we encourage you to voluntarily come in and pay your property taxes, that accommodation which we have been providing is drawing very close to not being there anymore and we will work with whatsoever legislative authority that exists to ensure that persons who are troublesome come in and pay, and come in very soon,” he said.He said while the authority has been hampered by outdated legislation, there are still avenues it can pursue to get desired results.“We have seen generally that the existing legislative framework pertaining to property tax is what we call archaic. In the early 1990s, the Government had indicated that the legislation in place, the Quit Rents Act, was archaic and needed to be updated. We have still not gotten that update although things are in train to address them,” Thomas noted.“That substantively is the main legislative instrument we have to ensure that if persons are delinquent in a manner that you would say is deliberate, that you would seek to use to seize, sell, collect what is due and then deem whatever is left to the person. It is so cumbersome that, as far as I know, it has not been utilised maybe in the last 10 or more years to bring persons to book,” he explained.That, however, should be small comfort to troublesome delinquents, he said.“We might not be able to turn around and seize properties, but we are employing other measures to ensure that those who can afford to pay, those who know they have a responsibility to pay, those who know the law and believe they can get around it, that has now changed,” Thomas told editors and reporters.For people who operate businesses and fail to make payments, the days are shortened, Thomas cautioned.“What did not obtain until now is that if you are applying for a Tax Compliance Certificate (TCC), which allows you to do a number of business activities, the compliance in terms of payment of property taxes was not a part of the requirement. The directive has been given for that now to be the case and, therefore, very shortly persons who have business, who are seeking to get their TCC, what we are saying to them is that if you have properties and you have not made any arrangements to address your arrears you will have a difficulty in obtaining your TCC,” Thomas said.He said at the local level, contractors or individuals doing subdivisional approvals, whereby they are dividing lands for apartments, will be required by their local authority to demonstrate compliance with property taxes.“There are other measures we are trying to address. When you look at it, we have been very accommodating throughout this fiscal year. Penalties have not been imposed on any arrears that are due (as required by law),” Thomas pointed out.THOMAS… these people are willing to sit and wait but we would like to advise them that the situation has changed (PHOTO: NAPHTALI JUNIOR)

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Warning issued to "troublesome" tax delinquents

Going solar? Electricians issue warning

News

BY KARYL WALKER Editor — Crime/Court Desk walkerk@jamaicaobserver.com Tuesday, August 13, 2013

THE Jamaica Licensed Electricians Association (JLEA) is warning Jamaicans who plan to install solar panels on their premises that approval must first be granted by regulatory bodies.“Firstly, you must get approval from the OUR (Office of Utilities Regulation). The OUR will give you the necessary approval and it must be done by a certified engineer before you can actually start the work. Then it must be inspected and the necessary certification given by the Government Electrical Inspectorate,” Ewart Foster, a representative of the JLEA, told reporters and editors during yesterday’s weekly Observer Monday Exchange.Thomas was peeved that most persons are taking a willy nilly approach to installing solar systems and other equipment and are compromising their safety and that of others.“What is happening now, people are doing the thing the opposite way. They don’t use the right material and don’t do the work to the correct standard and might not be inspected and you find persons spending billions of dollars and it might go up in smoke,” he said.He called on the OUR to actively educate the public about the dangers of installing solar systems without adhering to the proper procedure.One of the main functions of the Electricity Division of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining is to inspect and certify all new industrial, commercial, and domestic installations before they are connected to the power grid.Omar Palarchie, a licensed electrician and prominent member of the JLEA, pointed out that any electrical equipment that is being connected to the national grid must first be inspected.“You can’t just go ahead and connect something to the Jamaica Public Service grid,” he told the Monday Exchange. “JPS is not going to allow that, because the system is already running to a certain efficiency and adding anything to it can upset that integrity.”He also pointed out that for safety reasons all solar systems connected to the power grid must be retrofitted with a ‘on and off’ switch.“There are some little grey areas that will require all of us (electricians and electrical engineers) to come together to ensure compliance,” Palarchie said.The JLEA was formed in February this year and currently has some 200 members.According to Thomas, the association was formed out off the need to regulate the industry and maintain professional standards among licensed electricians and electrical engineers.

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Going solar? Electricians issue warning