MuniLand

Good Links

FBI: Dig down into crime stats by city (excel file included)

NYT: U.S. postal worker union hires financial advisory firm for advice

SIFMA: Moody’s gives an excellent overview of muniland credit quality

Bloomberg:  Sagging state revenues will cause more service cuts

WSJ: Two small rating firms, Morningstar and Kroll, to begin rating municipal bonds

AP: Connecticut gets free future credit ratings as comp for past underrating

Bloomberg: Delays for Jefferson County debt agreement as Dems protest sewer rate increases

Star-Telegram: ”Lubbock… maybe a transit hub for drugs coming north from Mexico”

Reuters: Showdown in Harrisburg on Monday

California Budget Bites: California will spend 7.8% of general fund on debt service in 2011-12

New York Times: Tom Friedman on Chicago mayor Emanuel’s effort to force change

Matthew Ericson: When maps shouldn’t be maps

@Twitter Talk

@robenfarzad Roben Farzad  More than half of the US govt’s additional $9 trillion in debt expected over the next 10 years is projected to be interest (Leuthold Group)

@OKPolicy OK Policy Institute  Regulation is killing jobs? Nope. NFIB survey says Biz worry about regs about the same now as under Reagan or W.Bush  ow.ly/6VbQW

@xlambertg Greg Lambert Feed   50 State Surveys bit.ly/pv4q8Y

@chefbrad66 Brad James  Kentucky (R) governor wants to pass law allowing guns in bars, gets caught DUI with a loaded gun.

@PublicPerform Performance Partners   Ohio Voters Weigh Repeal of Controversial Collective-Bargaining Law pbs.org/newshour/bb/po…

@MikeStanton1891 Mike Stanton   Moody’s Sussman:  H’burg Ch9 bears watching b/c it’s the rare distressed muni with a debt problem, not a rev. and spending problem.

@GreeneBarrett Barrett and Greene    Hair-raising testimony about hospital upcoding to increase Medicare payments ow.ly/6XfTG @CaliforniaWatch

@tednesi Ted Nesi   I am genuinely impressed by how @kathyprojo got the pension draft considering how few people have it. Who the heck leaked it?

Chart: Markit municipal credit default swaps levels for October 14, 2010