Stimulus: 3 Years Of “Investment”

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President Obama’s Stimulus Is ‘Remaking The American Landscape,’ One ‘Million Dollar Yacht’ At A Time

 

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “…we are remaking the American landscape with the largest new investment in our nation’s infrastructure…” (Remarks By The President And The Vice President At Signing Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act, 2/17/09)

 

Stimulus ‘Investment In Our Nation’s Infrastructure’

 

$489,000 To Renovate ‘A Million Dollar Yacht,’ The Angelena II, Owned By The City Of Los Angeles

“…Los Angeles is the proud owner of a million dollar yacht and it is about to undergo hundreds of thousands of dollars in renovations at taxpayer expense… The port is using $489,000 in federal taxpayer stimulus money that is supposed to go create jobs…” (“Taxpayer Money Used To Maintain Million-Dollar Yacht,” KCAL-TV [Los Angeles, CA], 2/6/12)

 

$54 Million For A Napa Valley Wine Train

“The Napa Valley wine train, to tourists a great way to see America’s most celebrated wine region, to others exhibit a in what’s wrong with the stimulus… 54 million stimulus dollars to build a new rail bridge, elevate and relocate 3,300 feet of tracks and put flood walls around the train’s main station.” (ABC News’ “Good Morning America,” 2/2/10)

 

$1 Million For The ‘The Sunset Strip’ ‘Nose Job’

“Sunset Boulevard, also known as ‘The Sunset Strip’ and one of the most famous streets in the world, will be getting a $7 million facelift after more than 75 years of use, with a free million dollar nose job coming from Uncle Sam. The City of West Hollywood Council received one million dollars in federal funds from the Federal American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA)…” (“Feds Stimulus Sunset Strip Beautification Project,” WeHoNews, 9/28/09)

 

$150,000 For A Bridge That ‘Doesn’t Go Anywhere’ And ‘Ends In A Sheer, 8-Foot Drop’

“A historic stone arch bridge that received more than $150,000 in federal stimulus funds this year has fallen short of some people’s expectations — mainly because it doesn’t go anywhere. The bridge, which dates back to the 1860s, ends in a sheer, 8-foot drop after it crosses the Contoocook River. Traffic no longer crosses the span, which parallels a modern bridge near the intersection of Routes 202 and 149.” (“$150 Thousand For ‘Bridge To Nowhere,’” The Union Leader [NH], 8/12/10)

 

$2 Million To Extend And Restore “The Crookedest Railroad In The World”

“A $2 million grant went to extend an antique tourist train line, the Virginia & Truckee Railway, built during Nevada’s silver mining boom. The line currently ends near Mound House, home to several legal brothels, including the Kit Kat Guest Ranch and the Moonlight Bunny Ranch, but would go to Carson City.” (“Stimu-Loss For Words – This Bunch Of Clowns Getting Federal Grants,” The New York Post, 12/9/09)

 

Money For ‘Jumping Fish’ Art

“Jumping fish are now on display at Volland and Canal. It’s not an aquarium. It’s pieces of art in this median. This is the final touch to the first phase of ‘The Columbia Park Overlook Project.’ Stimulus money paved the way. Phase ‘two’ calls for new sidewalks, and better bike access from Fisher to Volland on Canal Street.” (“Fish Art And Other Kennewick Stimulus Projects,” KEPRTV [Pasco, WA], 9/8/09)

Introducing Government Cluster Fudge: Candy for Limited Government!

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I’m happy to announce The Minority Report Blog’s partnership with Government Cluster Fudge a new line of candy that will help “take the edge off” when you deal with or even think about all of the crappy things various overreaching government  bureaucracies put us all through on a daily basis!

Get Yours Today!!!

 

Helping you though your next Bureau crappy experience one calorie at a time!

Government Cluster Fudge was created out of the love of great tasting candy and the hatred of all things bureaucratic!

This is what you have been waiting for! Finally we have created a treat for you take out your frustrations with government programs while satisfying your sweet tooth at the same time. At government Cluster Fudge we know that the government is capable of solving any or all problems much like unicorns are capable of puking rainbows or pooping butterflies.

So, we have created a new line of candy that will help “take the edge off” when you deal with or even think about all of the crappy things various bureaucracies put us all through on a daily basis!

We may not have the solutions on how to make things better but we can make you “feel” better while you think about the solutions.

From the About Page:

America has watched our politicians shove regulations and policies down our throats for years.

Alisa Shakespeare decided to create a product that would “go down” much easier. The concept for the company came, as my partner and I were thinking about what would take the sting out of all that was happening around us politically, and there it was: Government Cluster Fudge.

Government Cluster Fudge a decadent over the top line of candy and confections and comes in a variety of flavors such as Peanut Butter, Cookies and Cream, Triple Fudge to name a few. All of our packages are wrapped in “hard to deal with” red tape. According to Shakespeare, the company is bipartisan in their attack on politicians. Along with the current line of “cluster fudge” you can also purchase Chocolate Lies, Little White Lies and Broken Promises Candy Bark or you can participate in Government Cluster Fudge’s “Cash for Clusters” program! Not only does it feel good going down, it sends a message to Washington that we are stick of their bureau-crap! We are unapologetically capitalist, in a time when you can’t depend on government to do anything but make matters worse.

Our company provides jobs, economic stimulation as well as a delicious and humorous look at what a huge “Cluster Fudge” the Federal Government has become.

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Three Years Ago Today The Obama-Reid-Berkley $1.2 Trillion Stimulus Became Law

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NRSC Launches New Video Highlighting The Failed Promises & Economic Agenda Of Washington Democrats

 

WASHINGTON –  Three years ago today, despite an already skyrocketing federal debt, President Barack Obama, with the help of Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid and liberal U.S. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, rammed their $1.2 trillion stimulus spending bill into law promising Americans that it would create millions of news jobs

 

In fact, Berkley specifically promised that the stimulus would ‘create or save’ 34,000 Nevada jobs, but since the legislation was signed into law Nevada has lost nearly 60,000 jobs, because the Obama Administration was determined to spend their way out of this economic crisis, instead of targeting the legislation to assist small business owners who are the true job creators of this country.

Notably, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report just yesterday that found that the rate of unemployment in the United States has exceeded 8 percent since February 2009, making the past three years the longest stretch of high unemployment in this country since the Great Depression.  Additionally they project that the unemployment rate will remain above 8 percent until 2014, which is again contrary to the promises of Obama, Reid and Berkley.
“After three years, it’s become abundantly clear that the Obama-Reid-Berkley stimulus which spent billions of dollars growing the size of government instead of helping small business owners create jobs was an utter failure,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Jahan Wilcox.  “With 166,000 unemployed Nevadans, the Silver State deserves better than the tax-and-spend, big government policies of liberals Harry Reid and Shelley Berkley.”      

BACKGROUND …
 

Exactly Three Years Ago Barack Obama Signed His Failed $825 Billion Stimulus Into Law

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL:  President Barack Obama signed his $787 billion economic stimulus package into law Tuesday, with an upbeat speech emphasizing the road to recovery. (Laura Meckler, Obama Signs Stimulus Into Law, Wall Street Journal, 02/18/09)
 

Which Berkley Promised Would ‘Create Or Save’ 34,000 Jobs

 

Berkley Cited White House Statistics That Claimed The Stimulus Bill Would “Create Or Save 34,000” Jobs In Nevada. “‘From incentives to increase clean energy production to funding for work on I-15 and the Las Vegas Beltway, this package will mean jobs for Nevada at a time when we continue to face record unemployment levels,’ said Berkley. ‘According to the White House, passage of this legislation will create or save 34,000 jobs statewide, with the majority of those in Clark County.’” (“Rep. Berkley: Report Shows Broad Economic Recovery Package Will Mean More Nevada Jobs,” Congresswoman Shelley Berkley Press Release, 2/13/09)

Berkley Said The Stimulus Bill Would “Create Or Save 4 Million Jobs Over The Next Two Years,” Nationwide. Shelley Berkley: “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will create or save 4 million jobs over the next two years. In my district, thousands of construction workers will be put back to work improving infrastructure, building renewable energy facilities, improving school buildings and generally strengthening the future of our nation.” (“Rep. Berkley Urges Passage Of Broad Stimulus Package,” Congresswoman Shelley Berkley Press Release, 1/27/09)

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Obama Contradicted: HHS Banned Determining Whether Mandate Was ‘Cost Effective’

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From CNSNews.com:

There would be no consideration of cost effectiveness.

That was the explicit condition that the Department of Health and Human Services imposed on the panel of health-care experts it commissioned to develop the “preventive services” mandate that will require virtually all health-insurance plans in the United States to cover sterilizations and contraceptives—including those that cause abortions.

The fact that HHS prohibited the panel from considering the cost effectiveness of the mandate it developed contradicts President Obama’s declaration at the White House last Friday that his administration had adopted the panel’s recommendations precisely because they will “make the overall cost of health care lower”

Democrats’ Failed Economic Record: Stimulus and President Obama’s So-Called Buffett Tax Rule

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Driving The Discussion Today….

Today marks the third anniversary of the Democrats’ $825 billion “stimulus” and the NRSC and Republican Senate candidates around the country are highlighting the mile-wide gap between the rhetoric of Senate Democrats three years ago versus their economic record today.  As Politico’s Morning Score previews, Watch for lots of state Republican parties and Republican Senate candidates to attack Obama and Democratic incumbents on the stimulus through today. The National Republican Senatorial Committee is up with a one-minute web video {below} to highlight the president’s statement about turning the economy around in three years. 

Democratic Senate candidates on the stimulus

Nelson: “Florida’s Drastic Rise In Unemployment Deserves Immediate Attention And Swift Action. The Senate’s Stimulus Package Will Provide Jobs That Lay A Foundation For A Clean-Energy Future. It Also Has Special Provisions That Will Help Homeowners Who Are Facing Foreclosure.” (Senator Bill Nelson Website, “Floridians’ Top Concerns: Retirement, Health Care, Jobs,” www.billnelson.senate.gov, Accessed 12/13/10)

Kaine Said The Stimulus Was One Of The First Flagstones In The “Road To Recovery.” “From his efforts came the first flagstones in the road to recovery. The Recovery Act, which put vital dollars back into the pockets of working families, pumped critical funding into high-growth industries and promoted projects that employed Americans and improved vital infrastructure.” (Tim Kaine, Op-Ed, “The President’s Progress,” Politico, 12/31/10)

Berkley Said The Stimulus Bill Would “Create Or Save 4 Million Jobs Over The Next Two Years,” Nationwide. Shelley Berkley: “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will create or save 4 million jobs over the next two years. In my district, thousands of construction workers will be put back to work improving infrastructure, building renewable energy facilities, improving school buildings and generally strengthening the future of our nation.” (“Rep. Berkley Urges Passage Of Broad Stimulus Package,” Congresswoman Shelley Berkley Press Release, 1/27/09)

Tester’s Press Release Said The Stimulus Would Create “Millions Of New Jobs” And Cut Taxes “By Hundreds Of Billions Of Dollars.” “Both of Montana’s U.S. Senators today voted in favor of a plan to rebuild America’s struggling economy by creating millions of new jobs, investing in long-term infrastructure, and cutting taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester voted to pass the Jobs Bill, formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.” (Senator Jon Tester, “Baucus, Tester Vote For Final Jobs Bill, At Least $626 Million For Montana,” Press Release, 2/13/09)

Stabenow: “So This Is — This Is A Jobs Bill, Number One, Jobs Rebuilding America, Jobs In The Green Economy. It’s Also About Making Sure We Keep People Working, Keep Our Police Officers On The Streets, And Focus On Quality Schools.” (Fox News Channel, 1/28/09)

Sherrod Brown: “So It’s Not Just Shovel-Ready Projects That Are Ready To Go Now That Will Create Jobs, It’s Also – It’s Also Green Jobs, And It’s Also Building For The Future, So When You Do Economic Stimulus, It Really Needs To Look At What Kinds Of Jobs It’s Going To Create, Not Just Immediately But Two Years, Five Years, Ten Years Down The Road.” (ABC’s, “This Week,” 12/28/08)

Baldwin Said The Stimulus Would Create Or Save 67,000 Jobs In Wisconsin. Baldwin: “In Wisconsin alone, this bill will create or save more than 67,000 jobs, and provide more than $1 billion in health care for the uninsured, Baldwin explained.” (Rep. Tammy Baldwin, “Baldwin Votes For Economic Recovery Plan,” Press Release, 1/29/09)

Heinrich Called The Stimulus A “Jobs Creation Package” And Said It Would “Rebuild America’s Economy.” “‘This jobs creation package will rebuild America’s economy, making us more globally competitive and energy independent, while providing 95% of Americans with immediate tax relief,’ said Rep. Heinrich.” (Congressman Martin Heinrich, “New Mexico Delegation Supports American Recovery And Reinvestment Act That Could Create 22,000 Jobs In New Mexico,” Press Release, 2/13/09)

  • And National Review’s Jim Geraghty writes, The National Republican Senatorial Committee reminds us that the stimulus passed, three years ago today, in a web video that represents a beautiful example of using lawmakers’ own boasts and promises against them.

Staying on the Democrats’ failed economic record, the Daily Caller reports that President’s top budget officials are desperately trying to duck the deficit and debt debate.  President Barack Obama’s top budget officials are trying to deflect questions about debt and deficits, especially because  his latest 10-year spending plan would boost government spending more than $1 trillion above the deficit-trimming deal that he signed in August….It’s “a rope-a-dope performance worthy of Muhammad Ali,” said Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the lead Republican on the Democratic-dominated Senate Budget Committee.  Their evasiveness is caused by their boss’ campaign-trail desire to claim that he is cutting spending more than he increases taxes, Sessions told The Daily Caller.

Speaking of campaign trail gimmicks, don’t miss this piece in today’s New York Times pulling back the curtain on President Obama’s so-called Buffett Tax Rule.  President Obama has made the Buffett Rule, mandating that millionaires pay at least 30 percent of their incomes in taxes, the centerpiece of his campaign for “fairness.” But look for it among the myriad tax changes the White House detailed in the 2013 budget proposal it released this week, and you will not find it.  The Buffett Rule has become a signal piece of election-year political rhetoric. It featured heavily in Mr. Obama’s State of the Union address last month. It has become a favored talking point on the campaign trail. And Mr. Obama underscored his support of it in his budget proposal.   But the White House says it is a “guideline,” rather than a legislative initiative. And it says it prefers not to establish the Buffett Rule without a broader overhaul of the tax code, though it would support a Congressional effort to carry it out alone.

Stimulus: 3 Years Of Editorial Criticism

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Editorial Pages Across The Country Have Been Criticizing President Obama’s Stimulus Package Ever Since It Passed

 

An ‘Indisputable Flop,’ ‘A Demonstrated Failure’

 

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE: “If the federal government can’t responsibly manage the money it’s doling out in the name of economic stimulus, then it has no business doling out the money — period… Public investments… must be based on due diligence. Not big money politics. Not stimulus rollout timetables. Not sun-struck ideology….A nickel’s worth of business sense and a dime’s worth of caution might have saved Uncle Sam millions — and the Obama administration a heap of trouble.” (Editorial, “The Solyndra Saga,” The Chicago Tribune, 9/15/11)

 

LOS ANGELES TIMES: “…some economists are questioning not only the size and composition of the $787-billion stimulus package that Congress approved in 2009, but also the economic theory behind it.” (Editorial, “A Stimulus Strangled In Red Tape,” Los Angeles Times, 9/22/10)

 

THE DENVER POST: “…did little to slow the economic slide, and they piled an unacceptable amount of debt…” (Editorial, “Second Stimulus Isn’t In The Cards,” The Denver Post, 8/19/11)

 

·         “Obama and others have bragged about how the stimulus created or saved millions of jobs. The boast of ‘saving’ jobs is a dubious, at best…” (Editorial, “We Don’t Need A Second Stimulus,” The Denver Post, 2/21/10)

 

·         “Just a little over one year ago… President Obama touched down in Denver to sign a massive federal spending bill to stimulate the economy… One year later, it’s still tough to judge. But one thing is clear: We don’t need another one…” (Editorial, “We Don’t Need A Second Stimulus,” The Denver Post, 2/21/10)

 

·         “…we’ve learned not to trust the government’s accounting on the massive stimulus bill just yet. The jobs figures are wildly misleading…” (Editorial, “Fuzzy Math So Far On Stimulus,” The Denver Post, 11/3/09)

 

CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS: “Nationwide, the counties that got the most road work money per capita from the $862 billion stimulus created no more jobs for construction workers than counties that got no stimulus money. Other spending from the stimulus has been equally non-stimulating.” (Editorial, “Tax Increases, More ‘Stimulus’ Won’t Work,” Times Free Press [TN],” 9/6/11)

 

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: “Considering the indisputable flop of 2009’s massive infusion of tax money, why would spending less this time fare better?” (Editorial, “Less Of The Same Old Stuff From Obama,” The Orange County Register [CA], 8/9/11)

 

·         “It is almost difficult to parody the incoherence of the Obama stimulus plan… The distance from reality could hardly be more dramatic…” (Editorial, “What Economy Are They Talking About?,” The Orange County Register [CA], 6/10/09)

 

·         “If Obama really wanted to jump-start the economy he would cancel the stimulus spending…” (Editorial, “What Economy Are They Talking About?,” The Orange County Register [CA], 6/10/09)

 

THE NEW YORK POST: “It was an $800 billion misadventure that will be wreaking havoc on the economy for years to come. No, not the war in Iraq, where an American combat-troop presence officially comes to an end tomorrow. We’re talking about President Obama’s economic-stimulus program.” (Editorial, “Bam’s Spending Spree,” The New York Post, 8/30/10)

 

·         “… the president’s panacea turned out to be an $862 billion bottle of snake oil — and it cost $100 billion more than the entire Iraq campaign to date.” (Editorial, “Bam’s Spending Spree,” The New York Post, 8/30/10)

 

THE RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH: “Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, the Congressional Budget Office released its latest estimates of the economic effect from the Obama stimulus package, and guess what: The stimulus did less good than earlier estimates suggested. There’s a big shock.” (Editorial, “Stimulus: Correction,” The Richmond Times-Dispatch [VA], 11/29/11)

 

THE DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL: “… the $800 billion Stimulus I bill passed by Congress in 2009 did not live up to its billing. Despite this massive infusion of deficit spending, the economy has continued to sputter.” (Editorial, “Obama’s New Stimulus Won’t Revive Economy,” The Daytona Beach News-Journal [FL], 9/10/11)

 

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: “Why did his first jobs plan—the $825 billion stimulus—so quickly result in the need for another jobs plan?” (Editorial, “Why The Stimulus Failed,” The Wall Street Journal, 9/8/11)

 

·         “The new jobs Democrats promised still haven’t arrived, and while the recovery should finally produce job growth this year, Americans know they have received little for their $862 billion in ‘stimulus.’” (Editorial, “Another Liberal Crackup,” The Wall Street Journal, 2/17/10)

 

THE SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER: “At the time Solyndra received its grant, Vice President Joe Biden declared that the Solyndra investment is ‘exactly what the Recovery Act is all about.’ Events have proven Biden right. Now that Solyndra is a demonstrated failure like the stimulus package as a whole, the administration still wants to continue the waste.” (Editorial, “Solyndra Bankruptcy Shows Stimulus Failure,” San Francisco Examiner, 9/1/11)

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Stimulus: 3 Years Later

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President Obama’s Stimulus Package Has Not Delivered The Jobs His White House Claimed It Would

 

5 Million Jobs Short Of White House Stimulus Claim

 

WHITE HOUSE REPORT: “Aggregate Effect of the Recovery Package on GDP and Jobs in 2010Q4 … With Stimulus … Payroll Employment: 137,550,000.” (Christina Romer & Jared Bernstein, “The Job Impact Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Plan,” P.4, 1/9/09)

 

·In Jan. 2012 payroll employment was 132,409,000. (U.S. Dept. Of Labor, “Employment, Hour, And Earnings From The Current Employment Statistics Survey (National),” Accessed 11/28/11)

 

428,000 jobs have been lost since the stimulus was signed (Feb. 2009 – Jan. 2012). (U.S. Dept. Of Labor, “Employment, Hour, And Earnings From The Current Employment Statistics Survey (National),” Accessed 11/28/11)

 

CBO: Unemployment ‘Will Remain Above 8 Percent Until 2014’

 

The unemployment rate has stood above 8% for 36 months (Feb. 2009 – Jan. 2012).  (“The Unemployment Situation – January 2012,” Bureau Of Labor Statistics, 2/3/12) ; (BLS, Accessed 1/24/12)

 

·“CBO projects that the unemployment rate will remain above 8 percent until 2014. The share of unemployed people who have been looking for work for more than six months — referred to as the long-term unemployed — topped 40 percent in December 2009 and has remained above that level ever since.” (CBO Report, 2/16/12)

 

OLD STIMULUS CLAIM: Unemployment Won’t Exceed 8 Percent

 

WHITE HOUSE REPORT: Obama officials claimed that the “unemployment rate with… the recovery plan,” would not exceed 8 percent. (Christina Romer & Jared Bernstein, “The Job Impact Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Plan,” P.4, 1/9/09)

 

 

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “It’s a plan that will save or create up to 4 million jobs over the next two years.” (President Obama, Town Hall Meeting, Fort Myers, FL, 2/10/09)

 

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: In “18 months” stimulus will “create 3.5 million jobs … literally drop-kicks us out of this recession.” (Vice President Biden, Remarks At Recover Plan Implementation Meeting, The White House, 2/25/09)

 

·BIDEN: “In my wildest dreams, I never thought it would work this well.” (“Biden On Stimulus: ‘Never Thought It Would Work This Well,’” The Wall Street Journal, 9/24/09)

 

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): “This bill creates 3.5 million jobs.” (Sen. Reid, Press Conference, 2/11/09)

Compound Reinvigorates Classic Antibiotics In Fight Against New Superbacteria

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MRK pneumoniae

A new drug compound can recharge a class of antibiotics used to fight superbug bacteria, improving the antibiotics’ effectiveness 16-fold. It’s another volley on the part of humans in the ongoing battle between new drugs and bacterial resistance.

This new compound doesn’t fight the bacteria itself — it just makes the antibacterial drugs more potent, and better able to fight the bacteria despite the bugs’ resistance. The compound, developed at North Carolina State University, could help researchers fight an emerging problem with a tricky bacterial enzyme.

The enzyme is called New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase, or NDM-1, and it has been found in bacterial strains around the world since its isolation in 2008. It’s particularly ugly because it makes bacteria able to resist a broad range of antibiotics — including the type that are typically used to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It can resist the most powerful drugs that still work on drug-resistant bacteria, in other words. A superbug indeed. To make matters worse, it confers this ability on gram-negative bacteria, little bugs that are harder to treat — like E. coli and  K. pneumoniae. The Staph strain MRSA, the superbug we hear about most often, is a gram-positive bacteria.             More

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