FENTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The viral pandemic has triggered a cascade of price hikes throughout America’s auto industry — a surge that has made both new and used vehicles unaffordable for many. Prices of new vehicles far outpaced overall consumer inflation over the past year. In response, many buyers who were priced out of that market turned to used vehicles. Yet their demand proved so potent that used-vehicle prices soared even more than new ones did. The price of an average new vehicle jumped 6% between January of last year, before the coronavirus erupted in the United States, and December to a record $40,578, according to data from Edmunds.com. Yet that increase was nothing next to what happened in the used market. The average price of a used vehicle surged nearly 14% — roughly 10 times the rate of inflation — to over $23,000. It was among the fastest such increases in decades, said Ivan Drury, a senior manager of insights for Edmunds.com. The main reason for the exploding … [Read more...] about New or used? Either way, price hikes squeeze U.S. auto buyers.
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Whistleblowers Celebrate New VA Accountability Legislation, But Worry It May Be Used To Target Them
Whistleblowers celebrated President Donald Trump’s decision to sign the Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act into law Friday morning as a hopeful beacon of change, but are wary the legislation could be used against them. Prominent whistleblowers Brandon Coleman, Sean Higgins and Kuauhtemoc Rodriguez told The Daily Caller News Foundation that they appreciate the bill and see it as a major shift towards reform, but are also concerned it may be used to speed up firing of legitimate whistleblowers, instead of targeting incompetent employees. “Whistleblowers around the nation are concerned that this legislation will make it easier to fire them (WB’s) while the real culprits management will continue their reign of terror on them,” Sean Higgins, whistleblower at the Memphis VA, told TheDCNF. “POTUS has not reached out to WB’s in the way we had hoped to hear our plight. The VA management continues its corrupt ways, while no one is held accountable except WB’s. … [Read more...] about Whistleblowers Celebrate New VA Accountability Legislation, But Worry It May Be Used To Target Them
VA Whistle-Blower Office Failing Whistle-Blowers, Group Finds
A new report from an advocacy group found the new Veteran Affairs (VA) whistle-blower office largely fails whistle-blowers. The VA Office of Accountability and Whistle-blower Protection (OAWP) was formed when the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act went into effect in June 2017. The new office was supposed to hold bad managers accountable and protect whistle-blowers from retaliation. The office made an initial splash when Brandon Coleman, a well-known VA whistleblower from the Phoenix VA , was immediately brought on board . But a new survey from Whistleblowers of America — a non-profit which helps whistle-blowers who suffer retaliation- done for Congress and shared exclusively with The Daily Caller finds that overwhelmingly whistle-blowers have been frustrated by the office, which has largely failed them. Jacqueline Garrick is the founder of the Whistleblowers of America. She said OAWP suffers from serious … [Read more...] about VA Whistle-Blower Office Failing Whistle-Blowers, Group Finds
Avalanche forward Brandon Saad to miss Wild game in anticipation of newborn child
Avalanche forward Brandon Saad was absent from the team’s morning skate Wednesday, initially prompting health concerns, before coach Jared Bednar cleared the confusion with a smile. Saad will miss Colorado’s game against the Minnesota Wild for the best of reasons. “They’re due to have a baby,” Bednar said. “Him and his wife, they went into the hospital last night. We’re hoping and praying that everything is going good there. She was due to have the baby this week and it just so happened to land on today.” Saad is in his first season with the Avalanche after being acquired via trade from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for defensemen Nikita Zadorov and Anton Lindholm. Saad, with now 15 games on his Avs resume, is the team’s second-leading goal scorer (six). He also has four assists. But hockey wasn’t a priority for Saad on Wednesday with full organizational support from the Avalanche as his family grows. Saad, 28, opened up about fatherhood in a Chicago Tribune feature … [Read more...] about Avalanche forward Brandon Saad to miss Wild game in anticipation of newborn child
