Word: directs
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...reason to fret. A key plank of President Ma's economic platform is to capitalize on an expanding China to propel Taiwan's own growth. Though Taiwan firms have already shifted much low-end manufacturing to China, they have been operating under severe restrictions, such as a ban on direct travel between China and Taiwan, and limitations on investment, which put Taiwan at a disadvantage versus other economies in Asia that enjoyed greater access to the mainland. The regulations were a result of the tense political relationship between Taipei and China's leaders in Beijing, who consider Taiwan a breakaway...
...Since taking office in 2008, Ma has been clearing these hurdles away. The two sides have opened the "three links" - direct air, sea and mail connections - while Ma's administration in June permitted Chinese firms to invest in a wide range of Taiwan industries for the first time. Now Ma wants to forge a "comprehensive economic framework" with Beijing that would give Taiwan companies easier access to the China market. San, the deputy minister, believes Taiwan's shared culture and language give its businessmen an advantage in China that could make a partnership between the two especially powerful. Taiwan...
...Dangers of Direct Democracy...
California employs a unique combination of representative and direct democracy. A 1933 provision requires a two-thirds majority in both houses to pass a budget, a rule shared only by Rhode Island and Arkansas. Tax increases must pass by the same percentage--a stipulation adopted by just 12 other states. California also uses referendums, recalls and voter initiatives more frequently than any other state. This tangled structure often combines to confound legislators seeking changes that would relieve the state's woes...
...Starting this [weekend] we're going to be running ads across all of our core brands that specifically mention cash for clunkers," said GM spokeswoman Susan Garontakos. GM is also mounting a direct-mail campaign designed to explain the program. Garontakos adds that these programs are in addition to specific financial incentives ranging up to $4,000 that GM offers on slow-selling models. "Our dealers are looking for an uptick in sales," she says...