Dear unnamed County Commissioner,
Thanks for the invite!
I found the entire 3 hours very interesting... and distressing.
Some observations:
1. Pat Steele's plea "somebody just tell me the rules" seemed to sum up a very serious problem. It went unanswered. Why?
A simple request from a department head to the elected commissioners for clarity should not be unique.
But it is..... in Muskegon county.
2. I understand that getting a consensus among 11 commissioners is a challenge so why not create a "gang of 6" or more outside of your meetings and produce a specific proposal? Is it legal? Maybe 2 groups of 3 each to arrive at a consensus? Maybe an e-mail proposal that would be sent around for comments? It would have been nice to see a specific plan presented to the group. Does one exist?
Please come up with a plan!
At least if there was a vote on a specific proposal, each commissioner would be forced to take a public stand.
If no plan exists, why do you meet?
Seriously.
Why is there NO PLAN to keep our county from bankruptcy?
If you cannot provide a plan for the financial rescue of our county, why don't you all resign?
3. I was surprised that department heads complained about communication.
It may be that many of their complaints are simple grousing but Pat Steele asked a simple, public question that seemed to have no answer.
I know that e-mail is impersonal but at least there is a way to track each communication.
Isn't your charge to communicate your (us taxpayers/voters) desires to the hardworking county employees?
If there is a communication problem and you can't fix it, what do we do?
4. Have you considered a county wide "town hall" meeting. The word bankruptcy was brought up today.
BANKRUPTCY!!!!!!!
Big word!
Maybe a "Muskegon County in Bankruptcy" meeting would get some attention. So far it seems few realize the financial disaster that seems to be our fate.
Don't you think someone needs to tell the people?
I'm sure that you've had many discussions of similar ideas.
But, if I may, another personal comment from a citizen of Muskegon and a taxpayer living in our wonderful county.
I sensed a very clear reluctance from most (not all) of the commissioners to address the giant iceberg that our Titanic of a county has just been warned of from the yardarm.
Today's discussions of how to spend the new "casino" money were, to me, a surreal imagination of the officers of the Titanic obsessing about the minutia of tomorrow's breakfast .... and at the same time complaining about the annoying tipping of the tables where they sat ... as everything and everyone was moments from disaster.
My fear of the "frog in the slowly boiling water" seems to be the unstated policy of our Muskegon County Commissioners to hide the disaster from the people until it is too late.
YOU ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO CAN PROTECT US FROM DISASTER!
Please tell me that I am wrong.
Gentlemen, I'm sure you all have faced far more substantial personal challenges in your long and successful lives..... and defeated them.
Is your legacy to be that of the officers Titanic?
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Why Cramer Should Be Suspended
Why Cramer Should Be Suspended
"We've been here before with Jim Cramer. On Thanksgiving Day of 2006, my Dad and I made it a point to enjoy a nice bowl of applesauce in honor of Jim Cramer. Why applesauce? Because in July of 2006 with Apple (AAPL) stock trading at its low near $50, Cramer told his viewers that they had to pull all their money out of Apple. 'It's turning into applesauce and I can't have you in it.' From that very day, the stock went on to double in price over the next four months while we were invested in option LEAPS that appreciated 20 times themselves over that span. Once Cramer was out, we knew it was time to get in. Believe me, applesauce never tasted so good as it did during that Thanksgiving dinner."
Cramer is a menace to any investor's wealth!
"We've been here before with Jim Cramer. On Thanksgiving Day of 2006, my Dad and I made it a point to enjoy a nice bowl of applesauce in honor of Jim Cramer. Why applesauce? Because in July of 2006 with Apple (AAPL) stock trading at its low near $50, Cramer told his viewers that they had to pull all their money out of Apple. 'It's turning into applesauce and I can't have you in it.' From that very day, the stock went on to double in price over the next four months while we were invested in option LEAPS that appreciated 20 times themselves over that span. Once Cramer was out, we knew it was time to get in. Believe me, applesauce never tasted so good as it did during that Thanksgiving dinner."
Cramer is a menace to any investor's wealth!
The Farhat Theorem
My ex-state representative, Dave Farhat tells us that most candidates get smarter and tougher if they have a primary fight.
It certainly seemed to work with B Hussein Obama. His rough campaign made his candidacy more formidable.
Perhaps the McCain's lackluster performance is a result of his years in a safe Senate seat and the guy just doesn't have the fighting skills honed for the new media.
If he wins, he'd better become a much better communicator.
If he loses.... it doesn't matter.
Either way, Farhat's Theorem seems even more accurate.
It certainly seemed to work with B Hussein Obama. His rough campaign made his candidacy more formidable.
Perhaps the McCain's lackluster performance is a result of his years in a safe Senate seat and the guy just doesn't have the fighting skills honed for the new media.
If he wins, he'd better become a much better communicator.
If he loses.... it doesn't matter.
Either way, Farhat's Theorem seems even more accurate.
Candidate Banners Can Leave Clients, Businesses Bruised
Candidate Banners Can Leave Clients, Businesses Bruised: "'Businesspeople have to be mindful of the sentiments and sensibilities of their market trading area, and Prince George's County is overwhelmingly for Obama,' said community activist Arthur Turner of Kettering, who was among those advocating a boycott. 'People I have talked to look at the sign as a slap in the face. They feel it was blatant disrespect. . . . I have heard people say they will no longer patronize Colony South because of that disrespect.'
The outcry over the hotel marquee tapped into the passion -- and sometimes anger -- that has characterized this fall's presidential campaign. Supporters of Republican candidate John McCain have vented their rage at rallies this week, applauding thunderously as McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, accused Obama of 'palling around with terrorists.'
Prince George's, though, is clearly Obama Country. As the nation's wealthiest mostly black community, where about 77 percent of registered voters are Democrats, residents have Obama placards in their yards, bumper stickers on their cars and the candidate's visage on their T-shirts.
The marquee supporting the GOP ticket in 'an area that is strongly African American was like putting a stink bomb in the middle of the living room,' said University of Maryland political Professor Ron Walters. 'What it does show is the emotions that are around this campaign and this election.'"
Imagine what these people will do if they own the Presidency AND the House AND a veto proof Senate.
The outcry over the hotel marquee tapped into the passion -- and sometimes anger -- that has characterized this fall's presidential campaign. Supporters of Republican candidate John McCain have vented their rage at rallies this week, applauding thunderously as McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, accused Obama of 'palling around with terrorists.'
Prince George's, though, is clearly Obama Country. As the nation's wealthiest mostly black community, where about 77 percent of registered voters are Democrats, residents have Obama placards in their yards, bumper stickers on their cars and the candidate's visage on their T-shirts.
The marquee supporting the GOP ticket in 'an area that is strongly African American was like putting a stink bomb in the middle of the living room,' said University of Maryland political Professor Ron Walters. 'What it does show is the emotions that are around this campaign and this election.'"
Imagine what these people will do if they own the Presidency AND the House AND a veto proof Senate.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
IBD/TIPP Tracking Poll: Day Two
IBD/TIPP Tracking Poll: Day Two: "IBD/TIPP Tracking Poll: Day Two
Posted: Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Obama holds a slim 3-point lead over McCain, the IBD/TIPP Tracking Poll shows"
Not so far away!
Posted: Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Obama holds a slim 3-point lead over McCain, the IBD/TIPP Tracking Poll shows"
Not so far away!
Man Arrested After Taping Woman's Mouth Shut to Make Her Listen
Man Arrested After Taping Woman's Mouth Shut to Make Her Listen
"Authorities say a Port St. Lucie man bound a woman's hands and taped her mouth shut, claiming he only wanted to make her listen."
"Authorities say a Port St. Lucie man bound a woman's hands and taped her mouth shut, claiming he only wanted to make her listen."
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Manipulated attendance forces cuts
Manipulated attendance forces cuts: "The Godwin Heights school board voted Monday night to implement cuts in the wake of an unexpected $1 million shortfall prompted by what the state determined was manipulation of student attendance at the district's alternative high school.
But some students, parents and teachers fear the outcome of those cuts.
'I want to know how you can expect kids to keep going to this district by taking away everything to them that makes the school worth going to?' student Nicole Hill asked the board before the vote.
She said too many cuts have happened already.
Godwin Heights administrators say most students won't be affected. They say they're only cutting classes and athletic programs without enough students to keep them viable."
But some students, parents and teachers fear the outcome of those cuts.
'I want to know how you can expect kids to keep going to this district by taking away everything to them that makes the school worth going to?' student Nicole Hill asked the board before the vote.
She said too many cuts have happened already.
Godwin Heights administrators say most students won't be affected. They say they're only cutting classes and athletic programs without enough students to keep them viable."
Monday, October 13, 2008
Presidential Election '08 Global Poll | Election '08 | Reader's Digest
Presidential Election '08 Global Poll Election '08 Reader's Digest
"The majority in India (73%), South Africa (65%), the Netherlands (55%) and France (52%) would be interested in moving to the U.S."
France?
"The majority in India (73%), South Africa (65%), the Netherlands (55%) and France (52%) would be interested in moving to the U.S."
France?
Candidates differ on female draft
Candidates differ on female draft: "But the two presidential candidates disagree on a key foundation of any future draft: Mr. Obama supports a requirement for both men and women to register with the Selective Service, while Mr. McCain doesn't think women should have to register.
Also, Mr. Obama would consider officially opening combat positions to women. Mr. McCain would not."
Also, Mr. Obama would consider officially opening combat positions to women. Mr. McCain would not."
Diplomatic fights put criminal immigrants back on streets
Diplomatic fights put criminal immigrants back on streets
"Harrison called Andy Kahan, director of the Houston Mayor's Crime Victims Office, asking for help. ........`You got the ultimate suckerpunch,'' Kahan said to Harrison.
Kahan watched Malekzadeh from the corner of his eye, frowning.
``Nobody can do anything to him, and he knows that,'' Kahan said. ``He knows he's not going to go back, no matter what he does. He got the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card.''"
"Harrison called Andy Kahan, director of the Houston Mayor's Crime Victims Office, asking for help. ........`You got the ultimate suckerpunch,'' Kahan said to Harrison.
Kahan watched Malekzadeh from the corner of his eye, frowning.
``Nobody can do anything to him, and he knows that,'' Kahan said. ``He knows he's not going to go back, no matter what he does. He got the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card.''"
The Corner on National Review Online
The Corner on National Review Online:
"As for the 'old' vs the 'new' McCain, I've had little use for either.......Clearly, he's found it difficult (to put it mildly) to make the transition from running against his party to running for it. There's a lesson there: 'Maverick' is an attitude, not a coherent worldview, which is why McCain has been unable to make maverickiness (maverectomy?) into a viable electoral platform. Of course, 'hope' and 'change' are attitudes, too, but so fluffy as to float free of the constraints of reality."
"As for the 'old' vs the 'new' McCain, I've had little use for either.......Clearly, he's found it difficult (to put it mildly) to make the transition from running against his party to running for it. There's a lesson there: 'Maverick' is an attitude, not a coherent worldview, which is why McCain has been unable to make maverickiness (maverectomy?) into a viable electoral platform. Of course, 'hope' and 'change' are attitudes, too, but so fluffy as to float free of the constraints of reality."
BARONE: The coming liberal thugocracy
BARONE: The coming liberal thugocracy: "These attempts to shut down political speech have become routine for liberals."
Liberal Outrage: A Pro-McCain March In Manhattan
The MSM templet of GOP hate and liberal love precludes this video from inclusion on TV.
Middle class finds itself buried in debt
Middle class finds itself buried in debt
"Like a lot of bankruptcy filers, Berthet, a 51-year-old Dearborn Heights resident, saw his problems mount not from a profligate lifestyle but from simple misfortune linked with perhaps too-easy credit."
The general MSM consensus is that debtors aren't at fault.
Sort of like they have a disease buy don't have health insurance.
And now they need wealth insurance,,,,,,,,
Detroit Free Press front page bullet points:
Steps to keep borrowing costs down
Standard of living squeezing middle class
Wealthy people still seeing incomes soar
Cheaper care is across border
More on our falling standard of living
Videos: How Americans are coping with a reduced standard of living
All negative. America a disaster. Rich getting richer. Mexico even better!
"Like a lot of bankruptcy filers, Berthet, a 51-year-old Dearborn Heights resident, saw his problems mount not from a profligate lifestyle but from simple misfortune linked with perhaps too-easy credit."
The general MSM consensus is that debtors aren't at fault.
Sort of like they have a disease buy don't have health insurance.
And now they need wealth insurance,,,,,,,,
Detroit Free Press front page bullet points:
Steps to keep borrowing costs down
Standard of living squeezing middle class
Wealthy people still seeing incomes soar
Cheaper care is across border
More on our falling standard of living
Videos: How Americans are coping with a reduced standard of living
All negative. America a disaster. Rich getting richer. Mexico even better!
Paul Krugman Wins the Nobel Economics Prize - WSJ.com
Paul Krugman Wins the Nobel Economics Prize
"American Paul Krugman won the Nobel economics prize on Monday for his analysis of trade patterns and location of economic activity.
Mr. Krugman, born in 1953, and a professor at Princeton University in New Jersey and a columnist for The New York Times, formulated a new theory to answer questions about free trade, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.
'What are the effects of free trade and globalization? What are the driving forces behind worldwide urbanization? Paul Krugman has formulated a new theory to answer these questions,': the academy said in its citation. 'He has thereby integrated the previously disparate research fields of international trade and economic geography,' it said."
The final dumbing down of a once great Nobel institution?
Probably not the final dumbing....
"American Paul Krugman won the Nobel economics prize on Monday for his analysis of trade patterns and location of economic activity.
Mr. Krugman, born in 1953, and a professor at Princeton University in New Jersey and a columnist for The New York Times, formulated a new theory to answer questions about free trade, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.
'What are the effects of free trade and globalization? What are the driving forces behind worldwide urbanization? Paul Krugman has formulated a new theory to answer these questions,': the academy said in its citation. 'He has thereby integrated the previously disparate research fields of international trade and economic geography,' it said."
The final dumbing down of a once great Nobel institution?
Probably not the final dumbing....
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Michelle Malkin » Crush the Obamedia narrative: Look who’s “gripped by insane rage”
Crush the Obamedia narrative: Look who’s “gripped by insane rage”
"The Obamedia is attempting to set yet another false narrative: The narrative of the McCain “mob.” McCain-Palin rallies are out of control, they wheedle. Conservatives are mad! They’re yelling mean things about Obama and calling him names! It’ scaaaaary!"
"The Obamedia is attempting to set yet another false narrative: The narrative of the McCain “mob.” McCain-Palin rallies are out of control, they wheedle. Conservatives are mad! They’re yelling mean things about Obama and calling him names! It’ scaaaaary!"
JammieWearingFool
JammieWearingFool: "While the media obsesses over a couple of isolated comments at McCain/Palin rallies, the angry left is busy throwing Molotov cocktails at McCain supporters."
GOP frets about McCain's strategy, prospects
GOP frets about McCain's strategy, prospects: "Several Republicans, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid angering McCain, said the campaign should have sought to plant doubts about Obama's associations with 1960s-era radical William Ayers and others months ago, rather than waiting until the campaign's final weeks. Doing so now, they said, makes the 72-year-old McCain come off as angry, grouchy and desperate, playing into Democrats' hands."
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Granholm says Michigan must 'ride out' tough times #2
Granholm says Michigan must 'ride out' tough times
"Turmoil on Wall Street should abate once the presidential election signals what direction the next administration will take on economic policy, Gov. Jennifer Granholm said Friday."
..."Although not anticipating the recent market free-fall, Granholm said her administration made cautious revenue estimates for the current budget and is continuing tight-fisted policies on hiring and spending.
The budget should have a small surplus at the end of the year, "but we are still going to be extremely conservative in how we operate," she said.
Granholm said the Michigan Economic Development Corp. would provide a $400,000 grant in support of the partnership between Mariah Power, based in Reno, Nev., and Manistee-based MasTech Manufacturing LLC.
Mariah produces the Windspire, a 30-foot-high, vertical-axis wind turbine that sells for $5,000 each and can produce enough power to meet 25 percent of the typical home's needs. The company next year will release another model designed to provide 100 percent of the average home's energy, CEO Mike Hess said."
"tight-fisted"?????
"Turmoil on Wall Street should abate once the presidential election signals what direction the next administration will take on economic policy, Gov. Jennifer Granholm said Friday."
..."Although not anticipating the recent market free-fall, Granholm said her administration made cautious revenue estimates for the current budget and is continuing tight-fisted policies on hiring and spending.
The budget should have a small surplus at the end of the year, "but we are still going to be extremely conservative in how we operate," she said.
Granholm said the Michigan Economic Development Corp. would provide a $400,000 grant in support of the partnership between Mariah Power, based in Reno, Nev., and Manistee-based MasTech Manufacturing LLC.
Mariah produces the Windspire, a 30-foot-high, vertical-axis wind turbine that sells for $5,000 each and can produce enough power to meet 25 percent of the typical home's needs. The company next year will release another model designed to provide 100 percent of the average home's energy, CEO Mike Hess said."
"tight-fisted"?????
Granholm says Michigan must 'ride out' tough times
Granholm says Michigan must 'ride out' tough times
"That makes it all the more important to continue promoting industries such as wind power, she said while announcing a partnership that will mass produce wind turbines in Manistee for home and business use.
'For Michigan, this is the long-term strategy,' Granholm said.
The Democratic governor has made alternative energy the centerpiece of a push to diversify a state economy long dependent on automobile manufacturing. Disclosures that GM may announce more plant closings and production cuts next week provided a fresh reminder of that linkage."
None of the "new" business sell a product that has buyers unless the product price is subsidized..... by us taxpayers in Michigan.
None of these businesses would even be in business if we taxpayers in Michigan didn't subsidize their existance.
They pay ZERO net taxes to our state.
Just another Ponzi scheme that will collapse as soon as the publice scam money runs out.
"That makes it all the more important to continue promoting industries such as wind power, she said while announcing a partnership that will mass produce wind turbines in Manistee for home and business use.
'For Michigan, this is the long-term strategy,' Granholm said.
The Democratic governor has made alternative energy the centerpiece of a push to diversify a state economy long dependent on automobile manufacturing. Disclosures that GM may announce more plant closings and production cuts next week provided a fresh reminder of that linkage."
None of the "new" business sell a product that has buyers unless the product price is subsidized..... by us taxpayers in Michigan.
None of these businesses would even be in business if we taxpayers in Michigan didn't subsidize their existance.
They pay ZERO net taxes to our state.
Just another Ponzi scheme that will collapse as soon as the publice scam money runs out.
Friday, October 10, 2008
elementary particle jokes
The Volokh Conspiracy
"Lightening Up:
A genre of humor of which I was previously unaware (courtesy of my daughter):
elementary particle jokes.
So a neutron walked into a bar and says, 'i'd like a beer, please.' And the bartender gives him one and the neutron says, 'thanks, how much?' and the bartender says, 'For you? No charge.'
So one ion runs into another ion and says, 'Hey, can you help me? I think I lost an electron.' And the second ion says, 'Wow, are you sure?' and the first one says, 'Yeah, I'm positive!'
28 Comments"
"Lightening Up:
A genre of humor of which I was previously unaware (courtesy of my daughter):
elementary particle jokes.
So a neutron walked into a bar and says, 'i'd like a beer, please.' And the bartender gives him one and the neutron says, 'thanks, how much?' and the bartender says, 'For you? No charge.'
So one ion runs into another ion and says, 'Hey, can you help me? I think I lost an electron.' And the second ion says, 'Wow, are you sure?' and the first one says, 'Yeah, I'm positive!'
28 Comments"
Sorry, Dad, I'm Voting for Obama - The Daily Beast
Sorry, Dad, I'm Voting for Obama
"The son of William F. Buckley has decided—shock!—to vote for a Democrat.
Let me be the latest conservative/libertarian/whatever to leap onto the Barack Obama bandwagon. It’s a good thing my dear old mum and pup are no longer alive. They’d cut off my allowance."
Holy shirt!
"The son of William F. Buckley has decided—shock!—to vote for a Democrat.
Let me be the latest conservative/libertarian/whatever to leap onto the Barack Obama bandwagon. It’s a good thing my dear old mum and pup are no longer alive. They’d cut off my allowance."
Holy shirt!
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Most area school buses pass safety inspections
Most area school buses pass safety inspections
"Of Muskegon Heights' 11 buses, four were given red tags and seven passed. The school district's transportation supervisor could not be reached for comment."
"Of Muskegon Heights' 11 buses, four were given red tags and seven passed. The school district's transportation supervisor could not be reached for comment."
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
American Thinker Blog: Archives prove Obama was a New Party member
American Thinker Blog: Archives prove Obama was a New Party member: "Fusion, fortunately for the country, died in 1997. William Rehnquist, writing for a 6-3 Supreme Court, found the concept was not a protected constitutional right. It was two years too late to stop Obama.
Obama's career bears many signs of being helped along by the radical left. At the critical moment when he entered electoral politics, he was part of a movement to take over an established political party and direct it to the task of building a socialist America."
Interesting!
Obama's career bears many signs of being helped along by the radical left. At the critical moment when he entered electoral politics, he was part of a movement to take over an established political party and direct it to the task of building a socialist America."
Interesting!
Congress mulls major 401(k) changes
Congress mulls major 401(k) changes
"A wide range of sweeping changes to the 401(k) system were proposed Tuesday at a hearing on how the market crisis has devastated retirement savings plans.
Chief among them was eliminating $80 billion in tax savings for higher-income people enrolled in 401(k) retirement savings plans.
This was suggested by the chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor.
“With respect to the 401(k), it appears to be a plan that is not really well-devised for the changes in the market,” Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., said."
And just who are those "higher income people" who will lose their 401k and Roth IRA promises from our wonderful government?
"A wide range of sweeping changes to the 401(k) system were proposed Tuesday at a hearing on how the market crisis has devastated retirement savings plans.
Chief among them was eliminating $80 billion in tax savings for higher-income people enrolled in 401(k) retirement savings plans.
This was suggested by the chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor.
“With respect to the 401(k), it appears to be a plan that is not really well-devised for the changes in the market,” Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., said."
And just who are those "higher income people" who will lose their 401k and Roth IRA promises from our wonderful government?
Investment advice in a time of angst
As some of you may know, old Gordo has decades of experience in the investment world.
As a novice investor, stock broker and the new moniker, "financial advisor".
Now a retiree, I have fiscal and physical health recommendations for all of you.
I want to give al the visitors of MuskegonPundit my best advice concerning the stock market collapse AND some timely health advice.
When your monthly September statement from your 401k or brokerage account arrives, do this:
1. Do not open the envelope.
2. If you access your account via the web, change your password AND login name to something you will never remember...... until notified by GordoM.
3. If you receive your statement via mail, do NOT open the reverse, sticky side of you envelope.
4. Take your monthly statement (in the unopened envelope) to your shredder.
5. Shred the ENTIRE statement AND unopened envelope.
6. Take a breath, have a drink.
7. Repeat as often as necessary until notified by GordoM.
GordoM-rarely-offers-advice-so-do-this-NOW
As a novice investor, stock broker and the new moniker, "financial advisor".
Now a retiree, I have fiscal and physical health recommendations for all of you.
I want to give al the visitors of MuskegonPundit my best advice concerning the stock market collapse AND some timely health advice.
When your monthly September statement from your 401k or brokerage account arrives, do this:
1. Do not open the envelope.
2. If you access your account via the web, change your password AND login name to something you will never remember...... until notified by GordoM.
3. If you receive your statement via mail, do NOT open the reverse, sticky side of you envelope.
4. Take your monthly statement (in the unopened envelope) to your shredder.
5. Shred the ENTIRE statement AND unopened envelope.
6. Take a breath, have a drink.
7. Repeat as often as necessary until notified by GordoM.
GordoM-rarely-offers-advice-so-do-this-NOW
Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?
Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?
"GEORGE W. BUSH:
We don’t really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.
COLIN POWELL:
Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road…
ANDERSON COOPER - CNN:
We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.
JOHN KERRY:
Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken’s intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.
NANCY GRACE:
That chicken crossed the road because he’s GUILTY! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks."
READ IT ALL!
"GEORGE W. BUSH:
We don’t really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.
COLIN POWELL:
Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road…
ANDERSON COOPER - CNN:
We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.
JOHN KERRY:
Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken’s intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.
NANCY GRACE:
That chicken crossed the road because he’s GUILTY! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks."
READ IT ALL!
Too funny!
Cox presses for more openness in state government
Cox presses for more openness in state government
"Attorney General Mike Cox wants Michigan residents to be a click away from learning how state government spends every tax dollar and is pushing for a Web site to make that possible.
Cox and three state representatives touted more 'transparent' government during a brief press conference today in Detroit.
With the state fiscal year starting this week, Cox said residents should be able to see how Michigan will spend an estimated $42 billion."
Brave man!
Excellent idea!
"Attorney General Mike Cox wants Michigan residents to be a click away from learning how state government spends every tax dollar and is pushing for a Web site to make that possible.
Cox and three state representatives touted more 'transparent' government during a brief press conference today in Detroit.
With the state fiscal year starting this week, Cox said residents should be able to see how Michigan will spend an estimated $42 billion."
Brave man!
Excellent idea!
‘Mail Goggles' might prevent regrets
"Here's the scenario: It's Friday night, and what began as an innocent happy-hour margarita morphed into a few pitchers. After all, those tacos were salty.
Bidding friends adieu, you jump in a cab, head home and decide a quick e-mail check is in order. And there it is: a message from your ex. Or your boss. Or that friend you're secretly mad at.
If you're the kind of person who types tipsy and regrets it in the morning, Google's Mail Goggles, a new test-phase feature in the free Gmail service, might save you some angst.
The Goggles can kick in late at night on weekends. The feature requires you to solve a few easy math problems in short order before hitting “send.” If your logical thinking skills are intact, Google is betting you're sober enough to work out the repercussions of sending that screed you just drafted."
Bidding friends adieu, you jump in a cab, head home and decide a quick e-mail check is in order. And there it is: a message from your ex. Or your boss. Or that friend you're secretly mad at.
If you're the kind of person who types tipsy and regrets it in the morning, Google's Mail Goggles, a new test-phase feature in the free Gmail service, might save you some angst.
The Goggles can kick in late at night on weekends. The feature requires you to solve a few easy math problems in short order before hitting “send.” If your logical thinking skills are intact, Google is betting you're sober enough to work out the repercussions of sending that screed you just drafted."
Granholm named possible supreme court candidate
Granholm named possible supreme court candidate
"Gov. Jennifer Granholm is on the short list of potential supreme court nominees that could accompany a Barack Obama presidency, The Washington Post reported."
"Gov. Jennifer Granholm is on the short list of potential supreme court nominees that could accompany a Barack Obama presidency, The Washington Post reported."
Imagine a lifetime job for Jenny......
State's foster system gets fed monitor
State's foster system gets fed monitor
"A court-appointed monitor will oversee what a federal judge on Tuesday described as a historic agreement to improve the health and safety of Michigan's 19,000 foster children.
The deal approved by U.S. District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds ends a class-action lawsuit brought in 2006 by Children's Rights, a national advocacy group based in New York, alleging Michigan's foster care system was broken and harming kids.
It also could mean $50 million a year in additional costs for cash-strapped Michigan's Department of Human Services."
Our state is bankrupt and now unelected judges are demanding we spend ANOTHER $50 million!
And yet, state spending continues to increase!
"A court-appointed monitor will oversee what a federal judge on Tuesday described as a historic agreement to improve the health and safety of Michigan's 19,000 foster children.
The deal approved by U.S. District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds ends a class-action lawsuit brought in 2006 by Children's Rights, a national advocacy group based in New York, alleging Michigan's foster care system was broken and harming kids.
It also could mean $50 million a year in additional costs for cash-strapped Michigan's Department of Human Services."
Our state is bankrupt and now unelected judges are demanding we spend ANOTHER $50 million!
And yet, state spending continues to increase!
Macomb County budget cuts fail!
Macomb County budget cuts go slowly
"As the budget clock continues to tick for Macomb County to eliminate a record $33-million deficit next year, commissioners cut about $650,000 Tuesday but acknowledged they have a long way to go with little time left.
"Tuesday's cuts largely came from freezing vacant positions throughout the county.
"We're chipping away, but we still have a lot of cutting to do," Commissioner Andrey Duzyj, D-Warren, said after the Budget Committee meeting.
As the Dec. 31 deadline nears to adopt a balanced budget -- as required by law -- some commissioners expressed frustration that cuts weren't deeper.
"This deficit is not going to magically disappear," said Commissioner Peter Lund, R-Shelby Township. "We're talking about a $33-million deficit, and we cut just about 2%. That's not big enough. When are we going to find ways to save millions of dollars?"
Commissioners said after the meeting that they have no idea how they will eliminate the deficit.
The only plan to cut a significant chunk from the deficit hinges on labor unions agreeing to concessions on health care benefits for employees and retirees at a savings of $6 million.
But unions aren't budging, and commissioners now say they doubt a new contract will be inked by Dec. 31.
That leaves commissioners, who have resisted a tax increase, with less than two months to eliminate the county's largest-ever deficit.
Commissioners are to consider plans this morning to reduce a projected $7-million subsidy next year to keep afloat the county's nursing home, Martha T. Berry Medical Care Facility in Mt. Clemens.
Fueling the budget shortfall are drops in revenue from declining property taxes and rising pension costs for some employees who can retire as young as 50 years old.
"As the budget clock continues to tick for Macomb County to eliminate a record $33-million deficit next year, commissioners cut about $650,000 Tuesday but acknowledged they have a long way to go with little time left.
"Tuesday's cuts largely came from freezing vacant positions throughout the county.
"We're chipping away, but we still have a lot of cutting to do," Commissioner Andrey Duzyj, D-Warren, said after the Budget Committee meeting.
As the Dec. 31 deadline nears to adopt a balanced budget -- as required by law -- some commissioners expressed frustration that cuts weren't deeper.
"This deficit is not going to magically disappear," said Commissioner Peter Lund, R-Shelby Township. "We're talking about a $33-million deficit, and we cut just about 2%. That's not big enough. When are we going to find ways to save millions of dollars?"
Commissioners said after the meeting that they have no idea how they will eliminate the deficit.
The only plan to cut a significant chunk from the deficit hinges on labor unions agreeing to concessions on health care benefits for employees and retirees at a savings of $6 million.
But unions aren't budging, and commissioners now say they doubt a new contract will be inked by Dec. 31.
That leaves commissioners, who have resisted a tax increase, with less than two months to eliminate the county's largest-ever deficit.
Commissioners are to consider plans this morning to reduce a projected $7-million subsidy next year to keep afloat the county's nursing home, Martha T. Berry Medical Care Facility in Mt. Clemens.
Fueling the budget shortfall are drops in revenue from declining property taxes and rising pension costs for some employees who can retire as young as 50 years old.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Dr. Seuss and the Bailout Plan
Dr. Seuss and the Bailout Plan:
"That Uncle Sam!
That Congress-man!
We do not like your bailout plan!
We do not like your taxing plan!
Should we pay so stocks don’t tank?
Should we pay for Barney Frank?"
read the rest.....funny in a scary sort of way.
"That Uncle Sam!
That Congress-man!
We do not like your bailout plan!
We do not like your taxing plan!
Should we pay so stocks don’t tank?
Should we pay for Barney Frank?"
read the rest.....funny in a scary sort of way.
Granholm signs Mich. energy package into law
Granholm signs Mich. energy package into law
"Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Monday signed into law a package that will require more electricity to come from renewable sources, raise residential rates, restrict competition among power companies and encourage energy efficiency.....
Among other provisions, the package requires that 10 percent of Michigan's power come from renewable sources by the end of 2015. More than half of U.S. states have such requirements or goals, causing concerns that the state was falling behind."
Remember Jenny when your electric and heating bills skyrocket.
"Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Monday signed into law a package that will require more electricity to come from renewable sources, raise residential rates, restrict competition among power companies and encourage energy efficiency.....
Among other provisions, the package requires that 10 percent of Michigan's power come from renewable sources by the end of 2015. More than half of U.S. states have such requirements or goals, causing concerns that the state was falling behind."
Remember Jenny when your electric and heating bills skyrocket.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Study: Wind turbines could boost energy tenfold
Study: Wind turbines could boost energy tenfold
"Michigan could produce more than 10 times the amount of current peak electricity if nearly 100,000 offshore wind turbines operated on the Great Lakes, according to a new study."
"Michigan could produce more than 10 times the amount of current peak electricity if nearly 100,000 offshore wind turbines operated on the Great Lakes, according to a new study."
State grant makes fluorescent bulbs cheap
State grant makes fluorescent bulbs cheap
"Starting Wednesday, about 500,000 compact fluorescent bulbs will be available for as little as 99 cents at Kroger, Meijer and Menards stores across the state. They also will be sold at Ace Hardware stores in the Lansing area and Upper Peninsula.
The bulbs are cheaper thanks in part to a state grant."
"Starting Wednesday, about 500,000 compact fluorescent bulbs will be available for as little as 99 cents at Kroger, Meijer and Menards stores across the state. They also will be sold at Ace Hardware stores in the Lansing area and Upper Peninsula.
The bulbs are cheaper thanks in part to a state grant."
Interesting Michigan facts
MICHIGAN
Detroit is known as the car capital of the world.
Detroit's Davidson Freeway is the oldest expressway in the U.S.
Alpena is the home of the world's largest cement plant.
Rogers City boasts the world's largest limestone quarry.
Elsie is the home of the world's largest registered Holstein dairy herd.
Michigan is first in the United States production of peat and magnesium compounds and second in gypsum and iron ore.
Colon is home to the world's largest manufacture of magic supplies.
The state Capitol with its majestic dome was built in Lansing in l879.
Although Michigan is often called the ( Wolverine State ) There are no longer any wolverines in Michigan. (However, on e was spotted in 2007, so there are some.)
Michigan ranks first in state boat registrations. (This was true till two years ago. The sagging economy now has Florida a little ahead of Michigan.)
The Packard Motor Car Company in Detroit manufactured the first Air-conditioned car in 1939.
The oldest county (based on date of incorporation) is Wayne in 1815.
Sault Ste. Marie was founded by Father Jacques Marquette in 1668. It is the Third oldest remaining settlement in the United States.
In 1817 the University of Michigan was the first university established by any of the states.
It was founded by priests. Originally named Cathelepistemian and located in Detroit, the name was changed in 1821. The university moved to Ann Arbor in 1841
.
The city of Novi was named from its designation as Stagecoach Stop #6, or No.VI.
Michigan State University has the largest single campus student body of any Michigan university.
It is the largest institution of higher learning in the state and one of the largest universities in the country. Michigan State University was founded in 1855 as the nation's first land-grant university and served as the prototype for 69 land-grant institutions later established under the Morrill Act of 1862. It was t he first institution of higher learning in the nation to teach scientific agriculture.
The largest village in Michigan is Caro.
Michigan's state stone, The Petoskey is the official state stone. It is found along the shores of Lake Michigan.
The Mackinac Bridge is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. Connecting the upper
and lower peninsulas of Michigan. It spans 5 miles over the Straits of Mackinac, which is where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron meet. The Mighty Mac took 3 years to complete and was opened to traffic in 1957.
Gerald R. Ford grew up in Grand Rapids and became the 38th president of the United States . He attended the University of Michigan where he was a football star. He served on a World War II aircraft carrier and afterward represented Michigan in Congress for 24 years. He was also an Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouts.
The Kellogg Company has made Battle Creek the Cereal Capital of the World. The Kellogg brothers accidentally discovered the process for producing flaked cereal products and sparked the beginning of the dry cereal industry.
The painted turtle is Michigan's state reptile.
The western shore of Michigan has many sand dunes. The Sleeping Bear Dunes rise 460 feet above Lake Michigan. Living among the dunes is the dwarf lake iris the official state wildflower.
Vernor's ginger ale was created in Detroit and became the first soda pop made in the United
States. In 1862, pharmacist James Vernor was trying to create a new beverage when he was called away to serve our country in the Civil War. When he returned, 4 years later, the drink he had stored in an oak case had acquired a delicious gingery flavor.
The Detroit Zoo was the first zoo in America to feature cageless, open-exhibits that allowed the animals more freedom to roam.
Michigan is the only place in the world with a floating post office. The J. W. Westcott II is the only boat in the world that delivers mail to ships while they are still underway. They have been operating for 125 years.
Indian River is the home of the largest crucifix in the world. It is called the Cross in the Woods.
Michigan has the longest freshwater shoreline in the world.
Michigan has more shoreline than any other state except Alaska.
The Ambassador Bridge was named by Joseph Bower, the person credited with making the bridge
a reality, who thought the name ( Detroit-Windsor International Bridge ) as too long and lacked emotional appeal. Bower wanted to symbolize the visible expression of friendship of two peoples with like Ideas and ideals.
Michigan has more than 11,000 inland lakes and more than 36,000 miles of streams.
Michigan has 116 lighthouses and navigational lights.
Seul Choix Point Lighthouse in Gulliver has been guiding ships since 1895. The working light also functions as a museum, which houses Early 1900's furnishings and maritime artifacts.
Forty of the state's 83 counties adjoin at least one of the Great Lakes . Michigan is the only state that touches four of the five Great Lakes.
Standing anywhere in the state a person is within 85 miles of one of the Great Lakes.
Michigan includes 56,954 square miles of land area; 1,194 square miles of inland waters; and 38,575 square miles of Great Lakes water area.
Sault Ste. Marie was established in 1668 making it the oldest town between the Alleghenies and the Rockies.
Michigan was the first state to provide in its Constitution for the establishment of public libraries.
Michigan was the first state to guarantee every child the right to tax-paid high school education.
Four flags have flown over Michigan - French, English, Spanish and United States.
Isle Royal Park shelters one of the largest moose herds remaining in the United States.
Some of the longest bulk freight carriers in the world operate on the Great Lakes. Ore carriers 1,000 feet long sail Michigan's inland seas.
The Upper Michigan Copper Country is the largest commercial deposit of native copper in the world.
The 19 chandeliers in the Capitol in Lansing are one of a kind and designed especially for the building by Tiffany's of New York . Weighing between 800-900 pounds apiece they are composed of copper, iron and pewter.
The first auto traffic tunnel built between two nations was the mile-long Detroit-Windsor tunnel under the Detroit River.
The world's first international submarine railway tunnel was opened between Port Huron,
Michigan, and Sarnia, Ontario, Canada in 1891.
The nation's first regularly scheduled air passage service began operation between Grand Rapids and Detroit in 1926.
In 1879 Detroit telephone customers were first in the nation to be assigned phone numbers to facilitate handling calls.
In 1929, the Michigan State Police established the first state police radio system in the world.
Grand Rapids is home to the 24-foot Leonardo da Vinci horse, called Il Gavallo. It is the largest equestrian bronze sculpture in the Western Hemisphere.
Was that interesting or what ?
Detroit is known as the car capital of the world.
Detroit's Davidson Freeway is the oldest expressway in the U.S.
Alpena is the home of the world's largest cement plant.
Rogers City boasts the world's largest limestone quarry.
Elsie is the home of the world's largest registered Holstein dairy herd.
Michigan is first in the United States production of peat and magnesium compounds and second in gypsum and iron ore.
Colon is home to the world's largest manufacture of magic supplies.
The state Capitol with its majestic dome was built in Lansing in l879.
Although Michigan is often called the ( Wolverine State ) There are no longer any wolverines in Michigan. (However, on e was spotted in 2007, so there are some.)
Michigan ranks first in state boat registrations. (This was true till two years ago. The sagging economy now has Florida a little ahead of Michigan.)
The Packard Motor Car Company in Detroit manufactured the first Air-conditioned car in 1939.
The oldest county (based on date of incorporation) is Wayne in 1815.
Sault Ste. Marie was founded by Father Jacques Marquette in 1668. It is the Third oldest remaining settlement in the United States.
In 1817 the University of Michigan was the first university established by any of the states.
It was founded by priests. Originally named Cathelepistemian and located in Detroit, the name was changed in 1821. The university moved to Ann Arbor in 1841
.
The city of Novi was named from its designation as Stagecoach Stop #6, or No.VI.
Michigan State University has the largest single campus student body of any Michigan university.
It is the largest institution of higher learning in the state and one of the largest universities in the country. Michigan State University was founded in 1855 as the nation's first land-grant university and served as the prototype for 69 land-grant institutions later established under the Morrill Act of 1862. It was t he first institution of higher learning in the nation to teach scientific agriculture.
The largest village in Michigan is Caro.
Michigan's state stone, The Petoskey is the official state stone. It is found along the shores of Lake Michigan.
The Mackinac Bridge is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. Connecting the upper
and lower peninsulas of Michigan. It spans 5 miles over the Straits of Mackinac, which is where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron meet. The Mighty Mac took 3 years to complete and was opened to traffic in 1957.
Gerald R. Ford grew up in Grand Rapids and became the 38th president of the United States . He attended the University of Michigan where he was a football star. He served on a World War II aircraft carrier and afterward represented Michigan in Congress for 24 years. He was also an Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouts.
The Kellogg Company has made Battle Creek the Cereal Capital of the World. The Kellogg brothers accidentally discovered the process for producing flaked cereal products and sparked the beginning of the dry cereal industry.
The painted turtle is Michigan's state reptile.
The western shore of Michigan has many sand dunes. The Sleeping Bear Dunes rise 460 feet above Lake Michigan. Living among the dunes is the dwarf lake iris the official state wildflower.
Vernor's ginger ale was created in Detroit and became the first soda pop made in the United
States. In 1862, pharmacist James Vernor was trying to create a new beverage when he was called away to serve our country in the Civil War. When he returned, 4 years later, the drink he had stored in an oak case had acquired a delicious gingery flavor.
The Detroit Zoo was the first zoo in America to feature cageless, open-exhibits that allowed the animals more freedom to roam.
Michigan is the only place in the world with a floating post office. The J. W. Westcott II is the only boat in the world that delivers mail to ships while they are still underway. They have been operating for 125 years.
Indian River is the home of the largest crucifix in the world. It is called the Cross in the Woods.
Michigan has the longest freshwater shoreline in the world.
Michigan has more shoreline than any other state except Alaska.
The Ambassador Bridge was named by Joseph Bower, the person credited with making the bridge
a reality, who thought the name ( Detroit-Windsor International Bridge ) as too long and lacked emotional appeal. Bower wanted to symbolize the visible expression of friendship of two peoples with like Ideas and ideals.
Michigan has more than 11,000 inland lakes and more than 36,000 miles of streams.
Michigan has 116 lighthouses and navigational lights.
Seul Choix Point Lighthouse in Gulliver has been guiding ships since 1895. The working light also functions as a museum, which houses Early 1900's furnishings and maritime artifacts.
Forty of the state's 83 counties adjoin at least one of the Great Lakes . Michigan is the only state that touches four of the five Great Lakes.
Standing anywhere in the state a person is within 85 miles of one of the Great Lakes.
Michigan includes 56,954 square miles of land area; 1,194 square miles of inland waters; and 38,575 square miles of Great Lakes water area.
Sault Ste. Marie was established in 1668 making it the oldest town between the Alleghenies and the Rockies.
Michigan was the first state to provide in its Constitution for the establishment of public libraries.
Michigan was the first state to guarantee every child the right to tax-paid high school education.
Four flags have flown over Michigan - French, English, Spanish and United States.
Isle Royal Park shelters one of the largest moose herds remaining in the United States.
Some of the longest bulk freight carriers in the world operate on the Great Lakes. Ore carriers 1,000 feet long sail Michigan's inland seas.
The Upper Michigan Copper Country is the largest commercial deposit of native copper in the world.
The 19 chandeliers in the Capitol in Lansing are one of a kind and designed especially for the building by Tiffany's of New York . Weighing between 800-900 pounds apiece they are composed of copper, iron and pewter.
The first auto traffic tunnel built between two nations was the mile-long Detroit-Windsor tunnel under the Detroit River.
The world's first international submarine railway tunnel was opened between Port Huron,
Michigan, and Sarnia, Ontario, Canada in 1891.
The nation's first regularly scheduled air passage service began operation between Grand Rapids and Detroit in 1926.
In 1879 Detroit telephone customers were first in the nation to be assigned phone numbers to facilitate handling calls.
In 1929, the Michigan State Police established the first state police radio system in the world.
Grand Rapids is home to the 24-foot Leonardo da Vinci horse, called Il Gavallo. It is the largest equestrian bronze sculpture in the Western Hemisphere.
Was that interesting or what ?
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Analysis: Fact-Checkers Fall Short in Criticizing NRA's Anti-Obama Ads
Analysis: Fact-Checkers Fall Short in Criticizing NRA's Anti-Obama Ads
"But what are the facts? Were the NRA ads this bad? How accurate are the fact checkers? FactCheck.org, which is regularly relied on by FOX News, had the longest critical discussion of the ads. Here is a review of their most critical comments."
"But what are the facts? Were the NRA ads this bad? How accurate are the fact checkers? FactCheck.org, which is regularly relied on by FOX News, had the longest critical discussion of the ads. Here is a review of their most critical comments."
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
No bidders?
The talk of the federal "bailout" perplexes me.
Why do "we" need a federal bailout?
I don't get the illiquidity of the giant mortgage pools.
They're not illiquid at all.
The owners of the mortgage pools simply want more money for the pools than the market will pay.
My proof?
I'll offer $100 (CASH) for every $10 billion of "illiquid" bunch of mortgages the wizards of wall street can't sell.
Maybe Warren Buffet would outbid me, probably.
But my point is that there ARE bidders for these mortgages but the sellers (Wall Street crooks) want more money than anyone will pay. More money than they are currently worth.
And they think they can con us dopey taxpayers into paying our tax dollars to buy their crappy investments for far more than they are worth.
Much like homeowners who say "my house is worth $xxxx and I won't sell it for anything less".
The difference is that dufus homeowners can't get innocent taxpayers to bail them out.
Wall street crooks can....maybe......
Only if our elected politicians allow it.
And only if we voters let them do it to us again.
Why do "we" need a federal bailout?
I don't get the illiquidity of the giant mortgage pools.
They're not illiquid at all.
The owners of the mortgage pools simply want more money for the pools than the market will pay.
My proof?
I'll offer $100 (CASH) for every $10 billion of "illiquid" bunch of mortgages the wizards of wall street can't sell.
Maybe Warren Buffet would outbid me, probably.
But my point is that there ARE bidders for these mortgages but the sellers (Wall Street crooks) want more money than anyone will pay. More money than they are currently worth.
And they think they can con us dopey taxpayers into paying our tax dollars to buy their crappy investments for far more than they are worth.
Much like homeowners who say "my house is worth $xxxx and I won't sell it for anything less".
The difference is that dufus homeowners can't get innocent taxpayers to bail them out.
Wall street crooks can....maybe......
Only if our elected politicians allow it.
And only if we voters let them do it to us again.
Debates Don't Always Reveal Character
Debates Don't Always Reveal Character
"As everyone saw that evening, he was not a politician. He was a fighter-pilot ace, a Medal of Honor recipient, and a wonderful dad and human being. During his eight years as a POW, he slit his scalp and beat his face with a stool to prevent his captors from parading him in the streets for propaganda purposes. He gave starving men his food rations when he himself was starving. And at home, after his release in 1973, he was a respected leader, scholar and writer. He considered himself a philosopher."
Read the entire article about our American hero.
"As everyone saw that evening, he was not a politician. He was a fighter-pilot ace, a Medal of Honor recipient, and a wonderful dad and human being. During his eight years as a POW, he slit his scalp and beat his face with a stool to prevent his captors from parading him in the streets for propaganda purposes. He gave starving men his food rations when he himself was starving. And at home, after his release in 1973, he was a respected leader, scholar and writer. He considered himself a philosopher."
Read the entire article about our American hero.
James H Warner- How we got here
This was sent to me by my friend itazuke:
The BEST explanation of the current crisis I've read.
JAMES H. WARNER
20511 Bent Willow Road
Rohrersville, Maryland 21779
(301) 432-4935.
http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/w/w063.htm
The Democrats are correct. The financial crisis was caused by "failed policies," including a refusal to permit meaningful regulation of financial institutions. However, they are deliberately lying when they associate these policies with President Bush. Since taking the oath of office, President Bush has called, 18 times, for adequate regulation of the financial institutions which have done the most to create this crisis: two government-sponsored entities (GSE's), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. ("Freddie Mac") and the Federal National Mortgage Corp. ("Fannie Mae"). Each time it was Democrats, not Republicans, who willfully blocked regulation. Why?
The Democrats have been protecting the failed policies of Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. In 1977, under Jimmy Carter, the Democrat controlled Congress passed the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), which was designed to stop the practice of "redlining" by forcing banks to invest in low income neighborhoods. In 1995, the Clinton administration rewrote the regulations governing the manner in which the CRA ratings were applied to banks. The new regulations require banks to make mortgage loans to borrowers who would not normally qualify – “subprime” mortgages. Frequently these subprime loans were made without a down payment or any documentation from the borrower.
The CRA, with the new regulations, gave “community organizers” a powerful tool with which to pressure banks to do their bidding. Before any bank can open a new branch, or merge with another bank, it has to petition the bank regulatory authorities for permission. This calls for a review which includes review of the bank’s CRA compliance. Complaints, even if spurious, by "community organizers" could threaten permission for the proposed move. In order to prevent such complaints, banks began to buy off the “community organizers.” By the year 2000 these groups had received nearly $10 billion from the banking industry. In that year, the banking industry came up with a proposal under which “community organizers" would receive funding over the next several years. For example, ACORN Housing was scheduled to receive $760 million. (ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, has been investigated repeatedly for fraudulent voter registration attempts.) While this is legal, it bears a very close resemblance to extortion.
Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae bought subprime mortgages and created "securitized" packages -- bundles of mortgages which included some of the sub primes and some sound mortgages. These are the dubious investment instruments which are leading to the failures of so many financial institutions. Freddie and Fannie themselves failed because their portfolios were very heavily invested in subprime mortgages. When Andrew Cuomo was Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) he stated that he wanted these mortgages to be 50% of their portfolios. As they were two of the largest financial institutions in the country, it was clear to observers that the situation posed a serious threat to the economic stability of the country.
The need for regulation was made clearer when the CEO of Fannie Mae, Franklin Raines, was forced to step down in 2004. The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) accused him of being complicit in accounting irregularities, which resulted in overstating earnings by more than $6 billion, making it possible for the senior executives of Fannie Mae, including Raines himself, to receive huge performance bonuses. He is reported to have received more than $100 million during his five years as CEO of Fannie Mae.
When a congressional subcommittee investigated this, the Democrats on the subcommittee saw nothing wrong and saw no need for regulation over Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. This at a time when other banks were required to have 10% reserves behind their mortgages, and Freddie Mae back and Fannie Mae were required to have only 2 1/2%.
The failed policies that led to the current crisis were the policies of Democrats, not Republicans. It was Democrats, not Republican, who blocked regulation. In 1933, when FDR took office, banks were failing all over the country. Roosevelt proposed, and Congress enacted, a number of regulatory measures designed to prevent a repeat of the events that led to the economic collapse. Roosevelt recognized that the greater the economic enterprise, the greater the threat to the country if it should collapse, and for this reason felt that regulation was absolutely necessary to protect the country against foolish speculation by such institutions. Thus, FDR asked for the creation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The same reasoning led President Bush repeatedly to request meaningful regulation of the GSE's. It also led Sen. John McCain, in 2005, to introduce legislation to create a body with authority to exercise oversight over these GSE's. The legislation failed because Democrats blocked it.
It was Democratic policies that forced banks to grant subprime mortgages to people who were not creditworthy, and in amounts that could not help but put the country at risk ( in 2006, banks were forced to issue $600 billion in subprime mortgages). Rational economists, but not Democrats, trembled to contemplate what might happen if these mortgages started to turn bad.
The only argument Democrats have that the subprime mortgages issued pursuant to CRA were not the cause of the crisis is the fact that a large number of these loans were made by independent mortgage brokers who are not subject to CRA. This is irrelevant since the independent mortgage brokers were acting as agents for banks or sold the mortgages they issued to banks, which needed to have them in their portfolios in order to show compliance with CRA.
I agree with the Democrats that greed was a contributing factor to this crisis. It was greed on the part of the Democratic executives at Fannie Mae that caused them to lie about their earnings in order to be granted large multimillion-dollar bonuses.
I agree with the Democrats that foolish speculation helped cause the crisis. Forcing banks to grant subprime mortgages was every bit as foolish as any speculations made by financiers during the roaring twenties.
I agree with the Democrats that the people whose failed policies caused this crisis should not be trusted to fix it -- they are the failed policies of Democrats. I agree with the Democrats that it was a lack of effective regulation that permitted the two largest holders of subprime mortgages to fail -- it was congressional Democrats, including Barack Obama, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi who blocked John McCain’s attempt to impose regulations and who failed to heed President Bush when he warned the Congress about the risk of these entities failing.
If, 85 years after the multiple bank failings of 1933 pushed the country deeper into the Great Depression, the Democrats do not have the same good sense that Franklin Roosevelt had to recognize that large financial entities should be regulated and should not take such foolish gambles as granting billions of dollars of subprime mortgages to people who are not credit worthy, then they cannot be trusted to govern. Furthermore, when they lie about their own complicity, one wonders if it is even worthwhile to continue to listen to them.
James H. Warner is a retired attorney. He served as a domestic policy advisor to President Ronald Reagan from 1985 until 1989.
The BEST explanation of the current crisis I've read.
JAMES H. WARNER
20511 Bent Willow Road
Rohrersville, Maryland 21779
(301) 432-4935.
http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/w/w063.htm
The Democrats are correct. The financial crisis was caused by "failed policies," including a refusal to permit meaningful regulation of financial institutions. However, they are deliberately lying when they associate these policies with President Bush. Since taking the oath of office, President Bush has called, 18 times, for adequate regulation of the financial institutions which have done the most to create this crisis: two government-sponsored entities (GSE's), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. ("Freddie Mac") and the Federal National Mortgage Corp. ("Fannie Mae"). Each time it was Democrats, not Republicans, who willfully blocked regulation. Why?
The Democrats have been protecting the failed policies of Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. In 1977, under Jimmy Carter, the Democrat controlled Congress passed the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), which was designed to stop the practice of "redlining" by forcing banks to invest in low income neighborhoods. In 1995, the Clinton administration rewrote the regulations governing the manner in which the CRA ratings were applied to banks. The new regulations require banks to make mortgage loans to borrowers who would not normally qualify – “subprime” mortgages. Frequently these subprime loans were made without a down payment or any documentation from the borrower.
The CRA, with the new regulations, gave “community organizers” a powerful tool with which to pressure banks to do their bidding. Before any bank can open a new branch, or merge with another bank, it has to petition the bank regulatory authorities for permission. This calls for a review which includes review of the bank’s CRA compliance. Complaints, even if spurious, by "community organizers" could threaten permission for the proposed move. In order to prevent such complaints, banks began to buy off the “community organizers.” By the year 2000 these groups had received nearly $10 billion from the banking industry. In that year, the banking industry came up with a proposal under which “community organizers" would receive funding over the next several years. For example, ACORN Housing was scheduled to receive $760 million. (ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, has been investigated repeatedly for fraudulent voter registration attempts.) While this is legal, it bears a very close resemblance to extortion.
Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae bought subprime mortgages and created "securitized" packages -- bundles of mortgages which included some of the sub primes and some sound mortgages. These are the dubious investment instruments which are leading to the failures of so many financial institutions. Freddie and Fannie themselves failed because their portfolios were very heavily invested in subprime mortgages. When Andrew Cuomo was Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) he stated that he wanted these mortgages to be 50% of their portfolios. As they were two of the largest financial institutions in the country, it was clear to observers that the situation posed a serious threat to the economic stability of the country.
The need for regulation was made clearer when the CEO of Fannie Mae, Franklin Raines, was forced to step down in 2004. The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) accused him of being complicit in accounting irregularities, which resulted in overstating earnings by more than $6 billion, making it possible for the senior executives of Fannie Mae, including Raines himself, to receive huge performance bonuses. He is reported to have received more than $100 million during his five years as CEO of Fannie Mae.
When a congressional subcommittee investigated this, the Democrats on the subcommittee saw nothing wrong and saw no need for regulation over Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. This at a time when other banks were required to have 10% reserves behind their mortgages, and Freddie Mae back and Fannie Mae were required to have only 2 1/2%.
The failed policies that led to the current crisis were the policies of Democrats, not Republicans. It was Democrats, not Republican, who blocked regulation. In 1933, when FDR took office, banks were failing all over the country. Roosevelt proposed, and Congress enacted, a number of regulatory measures designed to prevent a repeat of the events that led to the economic collapse. Roosevelt recognized that the greater the economic enterprise, the greater the threat to the country if it should collapse, and for this reason felt that regulation was absolutely necessary to protect the country against foolish speculation by such institutions. Thus, FDR asked for the creation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The same reasoning led President Bush repeatedly to request meaningful regulation of the GSE's. It also led Sen. John McCain, in 2005, to introduce legislation to create a body with authority to exercise oversight over these GSE's. The legislation failed because Democrats blocked it.
It was Democratic policies that forced banks to grant subprime mortgages to people who were not creditworthy, and in amounts that could not help but put the country at risk ( in 2006, banks were forced to issue $600 billion in subprime mortgages). Rational economists, but not Democrats, trembled to contemplate what might happen if these mortgages started to turn bad.
The only argument Democrats have that the subprime mortgages issued pursuant to CRA were not the cause of the crisis is the fact that a large number of these loans were made by independent mortgage brokers who are not subject to CRA. This is irrelevant since the independent mortgage brokers were acting as agents for banks or sold the mortgages they issued to banks, which needed to have them in their portfolios in order to show compliance with CRA.
I agree with the Democrats that greed was a contributing factor to this crisis. It was greed on the part of the Democratic executives at Fannie Mae that caused them to lie about their earnings in order to be granted large multimillion-dollar bonuses.
I agree with the Democrats that foolish speculation helped cause the crisis. Forcing banks to grant subprime mortgages was every bit as foolish as any speculations made by financiers during the roaring twenties.
I agree with the Democrats that the people whose failed policies caused this crisis should not be trusted to fix it -- they are the failed policies of Democrats. I agree with the Democrats that it was a lack of effective regulation that permitted the two largest holders of subprime mortgages to fail -- it was congressional Democrats, including Barack Obama, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi who blocked John McCain’s attempt to impose regulations and who failed to heed President Bush when he warned the Congress about the risk of these entities failing.
If, 85 years after the multiple bank failings of 1933 pushed the country deeper into the Great Depression, the Democrats do not have the same good sense that Franklin Roosevelt had to recognize that large financial entities should be regulated and should not take such foolish gambles as granting billions of dollars of subprime mortgages to people who are not credit worthy, then they cannot be trusted to govern. Furthermore, when they lie about their own complicity, one wonders if it is even worthwhile to continue to listen to them.
James H. Warner is a retired attorney. He served as a domestic policy advisor to President Ronald Reagan from 1985 until 1989.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Mind the gap! The world's biggest cruise ship squeezes out of dock and sets sail
Mind the gap! The world's biggest cruise ship squeezes out of dock and sets sail
"Mind the gap! The world's biggest cruise ship squeezes out of dock and sets sail"
"Mind the gap! The world's biggest cruise ship squeezes out of dock and sets sail"
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Comparison of original Paulson bailout to compromise proposal
Comparison_of_original_Paulson_bailout_to_compromise_proposal
"House Republican Whip Roy Blunt's office provides this side-by-side comparison of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's original Wall Street bailout proposal with the final compromise agreed to over the weekend by congressional and Treasury negotiators:
********************
Side-by-Side Comparison of Rescue Legislation"
"House Republican Whip Roy Blunt's office provides this side-by-side comparison of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's original Wall Street bailout proposal with the final compromise agreed to over the weekend by congressional and Treasury negotiators:
********************
Side-by-Side Comparison of Rescue Legislation"
Family Told Obama NOT To Wear Soldier Son's Bracelet... Where is Media?
Family Told Obama NOT To Wear Soldier Son's Bracelet... Where is Media?
"Shockingly, however, Madison resident Brian Jopek, the father of Ryan Jopek, the young soldier who tragically lost his life to a roadside bomb in 2006, recently said on a Wisconsin Public Radio show that his family had asked Barack Obama to stop wearing the bracelet with his son's name on it. Yet Obama continues to do so despite the wishes of the family"
Obama is a despicable panderer.
"Shockingly, however, Madison resident Brian Jopek, the father of Ryan Jopek, the young soldier who tragically lost his life to a roadside bomb in 2006, recently said on a Wisconsin Public Radio show that his family had asked Barack Obama to stop wearing the bracelet with his son's name on it. Yet Obama continues to do so despite the wishes of the family"
Obama is a despicable panderer.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Study: Students in advanced math classes do worse
Study: Students in advanced math classes do worse
"Once unavailable to many minority and poor children, algebra is becoming widely accepted as a must-have for eighth-graders.
Algebra is considered a “gateway” course for higher learning. Students who take it that year are on track for calculus as seniors. President Bill Clinton made eighth-grade algebra a priority, and an influential 1995 book labeled algebra “The New Civil Right.”"
Why is algebra necessary simply to graduate?
What about reedin', ritin' and addin'?
"Once unavailable to many minority and poor children, algebra is becoming widely accepted as a must-have for eighth-graders.
Algebra is considered a “gateway” course for higher learning. Students who take it that year are on track for calculus as seniors. President Bill Clinton made eighth-grade algebra a priority, and an influential 1995 book labeled algebra “The New Civil Right.”"
Why is algebra necessary simply to graduate?
What about reedin', ritin' and addin'?
Senate OKs $25B loan for automakers
Senate OKs $25B loan for automakers
"The largest federal aid ever offered to the U.S. auto industry passed the Senate today, as a $25-billion loan program won final approval from Congress after a three-month industry blitz."
"The largest federal aid ever offered to the U.S. auto industry passed the Senate today, as a $25-billion loan program won final approval from Congress after a three-month industry blitz."
Obama emotionally recalls fallen soldier: What's his name?
Obama emotionally recalls fallen soldier: What's his name?
"Getting some notice -- not enough -- is Obama's failure to remember the name of the fallen soldier on his bracelet. At least Fox is covering it:"
"Getting some notice -- not enough -- is Obama's failure to remember the name of the fallen soldier on his bracelet. At least Fox is covering it:"
Media Mum on Barney Frank's Fannie Mae Love Connection
Media Mum on Barney Frank's Fannie Mae Love Connection
"Frank has argued that family life “should be fair game for campaign discussion,” wrote the Associated Press on Sept. 2. The comment was in reference to GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and her pregnant daughter. “They’re the ones that made an issue of her family,” the Massachusetts Democrat said to the AP.
The news media have covered the relationship in the past, but there have been no mentions since 2005, according to Nexis and despite the collapse of Fannie Mae. The July 3, 1998, Reliable Source column in The Washington Post reported Frank, who is openly gay, had a relationship with Herb Moses, an executive for the now-government controlled Fannie Mae. The column revealed the two had split up at the time but also said Frank was referring to Moses as his “spouse.” Another Washington Post report said Frank called Moses his “lover” and that the two were “still friends” after the breakup"
Ah, the wonderful "unbiased" MSM.
"Frank has argued that family life “should be fair game for campaign discussion,” wrote the Associated Press on Sept. 2. The comment was in reference to GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and her pregnant daughter. “They’re the ones that made an issue of her family,” the Massachusetts Democrat said to the AP.
The news media have covered the relationship in the past, but there have been no mentions since 2005, according to Nexis and despite the collapse of Fannie Mae. The July 3, 1998, Reliable Source column in The Washington Post reported Frank, who is openly gay, had a relationship with Herb Moses, an executive for the now-government controlled Fannie Mae. The column revealed the two had split up at the time but also said Frank was referring to Moses as his “spouse.” Another Washington Post report said Frank called Moses his “lover” and that the two were “still friends” after the breakup"
Ah, the wonderful "unbiased" MSM.
Global warming has paused
Global warming has paused
"Recent studies by the Hadley Climate Research Center (UK), the Japan Meteorological Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the University of East Anglia (UK) and the University of Alabama Huntsville show clearly that the rising trend of global average temperature stopped in 2000-2001. Further, NASA data shows that warming in the southern hemisphere has stopped, and that ocean temperatures also have stopped rising."
"Recent studies by the Hadley Climate Research Center (UK), the Japan Meteorological Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the University of East Anglia (UK) and the University of Alabama Huntsville show clearly that the rising trend of global average temperature stopped in 2000-2001. Further, NASA data shows that warming in the southern hemisphere has stopped, and that ocean temperatures also have stopped rising."
Friday, September 26, 2008
School counts suffer as families flee area
School counts suffer as families flee area
"School districts already dealing with declining birth rates are suffering another 'worrisome' hit this year -- drops in enrollment as students' families seek jobs elsewhere.
School officials counted their students Wednesday -- counts that will be used to determine how much per-pupil state aid districts will receive. In Muskegon County, enrollment fell by 485 students, a 1.6 percent drop."
It's ALL about money, not kids.
Nor parents.
Nor taxpayers.
No gleeful "class sizes smaller, better!"
No giddy "Smaller classes mean less need for taxpayer dollars for teachers!"
No hopeful "Parents to see lower taxes and kids closer attention from teachers!"
Nope.
It's ALL about the money...... and that says everything about education and its willing cheerleaders in The Chronicle.
"School districts already dealing with declining birth rates are suffering another 'worrisome' hit this year -- drops in enrollment as students' families seek jobs elsewhere.
School officials counted their students Wednesday -- counts that will be used to determine how much per-pupil state aid districts will receive. In Muskegon County, enrollment fell by 485 students, a 1.6 percent drop."
It's ALL about money, not kids.
Nor parents.
Nor taxpayers.
No gleeful "class sizes smaller, better!"
No giddy "Smaller classes mean less need for taxpayer dollars for teachers!"
No hopeful "Parents to see lower taxes and kids closer attention from teachers!"
Nope.
It's ALL about the money...... and that says everything about education and its willing cheerleaders in The Chronicle.
Letterman-sad...
The David Letterman has descended, over the years, into a sort of a one man "The View".
A good friend of mine who has been an avid fan for decades has finally stopped watching.
He said it's just too sarcastic and politiaclly biased.
Too bad Letterman cares not.
A good friend of mine who has been an avid fan for decades has finally stopped watching.
He said it's just too sarcastic and politiaclly biased.
Too bad Letterman cares not.
Four Pinocchios for Biden's Tax Fabrication - Fact Checker
Four Pinocchios for Biden's Tax Fabrication
"However, Biden conveniently overlooks the fact that the Republican nominee is offering tax-payers a credit that should cover the cost of going out and buying insurance."
"However, Biden conveniently overlooks the fact that the Republican nominee is offering tax-payers a credit that should cover the cost of going out and buying insurance."
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Dems paid $1.4 million for failed state ballot proposal
Dems paid $1.4 million for failed state ballot proposal
"The Michigan Democratic Party provided nearly all the $1.4 million spent supporting a failed ballot proposal that would have rewritten several sections of the state constitution, according to campaign finance reports submitted Wednesday."
And those democrat scumbags and their willing enablers in ithe Michigan media covered up this attack on freedom!
Sick and disgusting!
"The Michigan Democratic Party provided nearly all the $1.4 million spent supporting a failed ballot proposal that would have rewritten several sections of the state constitution, according to campaign finance reports submitted Wednesday."
And those democrat scumbags and their willing enablers in ithe Michigan media covered up this attack on freedom!
Sick and disgusting!
Drunk driver hits K'zoo police cruiser
Drunk driver hits K'zoo police cruiser: "A Kalamazoo man is behind bars after allegedly hitting a police cruiser and taking off."
Kids, don't try this at home!
Kids, don't try this at home!
Obama's $100K Englewood garden grant being probed :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: The Watchdogs
Obama's $100K Englewood garden grant being probed
The Watchdogs: "A $100,000 state grant for a botanic garden in Englewood that then-state Sen. Barack Obama awarded in 2001 to a group headed by a onetime campaign volunteer is now under investigation by the Illinois attorney general amid new questions, prompted by Chicago Sun-Times reports, about whether the money might have been misspent.
The garden was never built. And now state records obtained by the Sun-Times show $65,000 of the grant money went to the wife of Kenny B. Smith, the Obama 2000 congressional campaign volunteer who heads the Chicago Better Housing Association, which was in charge of the project for the blighted South Side neighborhood."
The Watchdogs: "A $100,000 state grant for a botanic garden in Englewood that then-state Sen. Barack Obama awarded in 2001 to a group headed by a onetime campaign volunteer is now under investigation by the Illinois attorney general amid new questions, prompted by Chicago Sun-Times reports, about whether the money might have been misspent.
The garden was never built. And now state records obtained by the Sun-Times show $65,000 of the grant money went to the wife of Kenny B. Smith, the Obama 2000 congressional campaign volunteer who heads the Chicago Better Housing Association, which was in charge of the project for the blighted South Side neighborhood."
Chronicle among papers letting go young carriers
Chronicle among papers letting go young carriers
"Those papers will come from The Chronicle in downtown Muskegon until Oct. 20, when printing of the paper will be moved to the Walker facility of The Grand Rapids Press. The Chronicle and The Press are owned by the same company.
Only those 18 and older will be allowed to pick up bundles of newspapers at the depots and have a route in their name."
Exhibit A in why The Chronicle is a dying "news"paper.
1. No explanation of WHY the kids are being fired. Just a mention that The Chronicle is "among" other papers making similar business destroying decisions.
2. No mention of future delivery rates or "time of delivery" changes.
3. No mention of ANY benefit to either The Chronicle, its owners OR the customer.
This smelly paper has gone beyond being worthy of wrapping dead fish.
Ba bye Commie Chronicle........
"Those papers will come from The Chronicle in downtown Muskegon until Oct. 20, when printing of the paper will be moved to the Walker facility of The Grand Rapids Press. The Chronicle and The Press are owned by the same company.
Only those 18 and older will be allowed to pick up bundles of newspapers at the depots and have a route in their name."
Exhibit A in why The Chronicle is a dying "news"paper.
1. No explanation of WHY the kids are being fired. Just a mention that The Chronicle is "among" other papers making similar business destroying decisions.
2. No mention of future delivery rates or "time of delivery" changes.
3. No mention of ANY benefit to either The Chronicle, its owners OR the customer.
This smelly paper has gone beyond being worthy of wrapping dead fish.
Ba bye Commie Chronicle........
Sports fans = Political Fans
The Volokh Conspiracy - -: "How Political Fans are Like Sports Fans - Why Voters are Highly Biased in their Evaluation of Political Information"
How do we get out of the dangerous box in which public policy is determined in elections where most voters are either rationally ignorant about even basic political information or highly biased in their evaluation of what they do know? There is no easy answer to that question. In the article linked above and in some of my other scholarship (e.g. - here), I suggest that we consider making fewer decisions through the political system and more through free markets and civil society - where people have much stronger incentives to both seek out information and evaluate it at least somewhat rationally.
How do we get out of the dangerous box in which public policy is determined in elections where most voters are either rationally ignorant about even basic political information or highly biased in their evaluation of what they do know? There is no easy answer to that question. In the article linked above and in some of my other scholarship (e.g. - here), I suggest that we consider making fewer decisions through the political system and more through free markets and civil society - where people have much stronger incentives to both seek out information and evaluate it at least somewhat rationally.
Sheep sex doesn't make man a sex offender
Judges: Sheep sex doesn't make man a sex offender
"A Calhoun County man who sodomized a sheep will not have to register as a sex offender because the sheep cannot be considered a victim of sexual assault under Michigan law, a court ruled this week."
Shari Lewis must be giddy in her grave!
(what WAS her hand doing up LambChop's shirt for all those years?)
"A Calhoun County man who sodomized a sheep will not have to register as a sex offender because the sheep cannot be considered a victim of sexual assault under Michigan law, a court ruled this week."
Shari Lewis must be giddy in her grave!
(what WAS her hand doing up LambChop's shirt for all those years?)
If Someone Has Sex with a Sheep, Must He Register as a Sex Offender?
If Someone Has Sex with a Sheep, Must He Register as a Sex Offender?: "If Someone Has Sex with a Sheep, Must He Register as a Sex Offender?"
Is Michigan going to displace New Zeeland as the haven for sheep love?
Florida Democrat Congressman: Palin 'Don't Care Too Much What They Do With Jews and Blacks'
Florida Democrat Congressman: Palin 'Don't Care Too Much What They Do With Jews and Blacks': "said Hastings. 'Anybody toting guns and stripping moose don’t care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks."
... and this is what democrats elect to office.
Anyone hear Obama's response to one of his own supporter's racist comments.............?
... and this is what democrats elect to office.
Anyone hear Obama's response to one of his own supporter's racist comments.............?
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Democrats to let offshore drilling ban expire
Democrats to let offshore drilling ban expire
"Democrats have decided to allow a quarter-century ban on drilling for oil off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to expire next week, conceding defeat in an months-long battle with the White House and Republicans set off by $4 a gallon gasoline prices this summer."
YES!
"Democrats have decided to allow a quarter-century ban on drilling for oil off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to expire next week, conceding defeat in an months-long battle with the White House and Republicans set off by $4 a gallon gasoline prices this summer."
YES!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Woman Gets Life Sentence for Sex With 5-Year-Old
Woman Gets Life Sentence for Sex With 5-Year-Old
"Florida woman has been sentenced to life in prison for having sex with a 5-year-old boy.
Kelly Lumadue, 33, was found guilty Thursday of having sex with the boy 12 years ago, when she was 21, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Lumadue told the jury she had sex with the child under the direction of her now-deceased husband, who was a professional pornographer, the paper said.
Police arrested Lumadue in 2003 after a garbage collector found the tapes in a box on the curb of Lumadue's Volusia County home, the Sentinel said."
"Florida woman has been sentenced to life in prison for having sex with a 5-year-old boy.
Kelly Lumadue, 33, was found guilty Thursday of having sex with the boy 12 years ago, when she was 21, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Lumadue told the jury she had sex with the child under the direction of her now-deceased husband, who was a professional pornographer, the paper said.
Police arrested Lumadue in 2003 after a garbage collector found the tapes in a box on the curb of Lumadue's Volusia County home, the Sentinel said."
"Conservatives have stronger startle reflexes?"
Lucianne.com News Forum: "Conservatives Have Stronger Startle Reflexes?
National Geographic News, by Brian Handwerk
Original Article
Posted By:Sector7G, 9/18/2008 11:31:10 PM
As Barack Obama and Joe Biden tussle with John McCain and Sarah Palin over the mantle of change in the U.S. presidential race, they may all be losing a little-known constituency: people who startle easily. Voters with heightened physical reactions to perceived threats—blinking or sweating when exposed to 'threatening' images—may be less likely to vote for change, a new study says."
National Geographic News, by Brian Handwerk
Original Article
Posted By:Sector7G, 9/18/2008 11:31:10 PM
As Barack Obama and Joe Biden tussle with John McCain and Sarah Palin over the mantle of change in the U.S. presidential race, they may all be losing a little-known constituency: people who startle easily. Voters with heightened physical reactions to perceived threats—blinking or sweating when exposed to 'threatening' images—may be less likely to vote for change, a new study says."
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Instapundit.com -
Instapundit.com -: "I would put together a commercial that said…
James A. Johnson - former Fannie Mae CEO and Obama Advisor
Just cost you billions in taxes
Franklin Raines – former Fannie Mae CEO and Obama Advisor
Just cost you billions in taxes
Barack Obama – If we can’t afford his advisors, how can we afford him?"
James A. Johnson - former Fannie Mae CEO and Obama Advisor
Just cost you billions in taxes
Franklin Raines – former Fannie Mae CEO and Obama Advisor
Just cost you billions in taxes
Barack Obama – If we can’t afford his advisors, how can we afford him?"
Monday, September 15, 2008
Thinking Outside the Lox - WSJ.com
Thinking Outside the Lox - WSJ.com: "I shall probably vote for John McCain in this year's presidential election. But I am not locked in on my vote, and if the McCain-Palin campaign gets dramatically stupid, I could go the other way. I make no claim to be an original political thinker, but, unlike so many of my co-religionists, I feel a nice sense of freedom, knowing that I am able to think, so to say, outside the lox."
Atlantic Magazine Might Sue McCain-Smearing Photographer | NewsBusters.org
Atlantic Magazine Might Sue McCain-Smearing Photographer
"The magazine's editor, James Bennet, told Fox News's Megyn Kelly Monday that he was deeply sorry about this incident, and that The Atlantic isn't taking it lying down (audio available here, partial transcript follows, h/t NBer blonde) :
JAMES BENNET, EDITOR 'THE ATLANTIC': I'm already drafting a letter of apology [to McCain]. I mean, this photographer went in there under our auspices to take a covershot for us. Again, we stand by the picture, and we produced a terrific story on John McCain...But while she was there, she behaved in an incredibly underhanded and unprofessional way. [...]
MEGYN KELLY, HOST: What do you do to shut down her use on her website, not just of that covershot, but the disgusting things she has done to John McCain's image on her website which I won't repeat here?
BENNET: She's violated the terms of our agreement with her, or our contract with her. So, we're taking steps. We're looking into steps we can see to do something about that.
KELLY: Are you considering a lawsuit?
BENNET: We're looking into what we can do.
KELLY: Would that be including legal action?
BENNET: If we can, if it's available to us, yeah.
KELLY: Has she been paid?
BENNET: No.
KELLY: Will she be?
BENNET: No."
"The magazine's editor, James Bennet, told Fox News's Megyn Kelly Monday that he was deeply sorry about this incident, and that The Atlantic isn't taking it lying down (audio available here, partial transcript follows, h/t NBer blonde) :
JAMES BENNET, EDITOR 'THE ATLANTIC': I'm already drafting a letter of apology [to McCain]. I mean, this photographer went in there under our auspices to take a covershot for us. Again, we stand by the picture, and we produced a terrific story on John McCain...But while she was there, she behaved in an incredibly underhanded and unprofessional way. [...]
MEGYN KELLY, HOST: What do you do to shut down her use on her website, not just of that covershot, but the disgusting things she has done to John McCain's image on her website which I won't repeat here?
BENNET: She's violated the terms of our agreement with her, or our contract with her. So, we're taking steps. We're looking into steps we can see to do something about that.
KELLY: Are you considering a lawsuit?
BENNET: We're looking into what we can do.
KELLY: Would that be including legal action?
BENNET: If we can, if it's available to us, yeah.
KELLY: Has she been paid?
BENNET: No.
KELLY: Will she be?
BENNET: No."
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Frantic day on Wall Street as banks teeter - International Herald Tribune
Frantic day on Wall Street as banks teeter - International Herald Tribune: "In one of the most extraordinary days in Wall Street's history, Merrill Lynch is near an 11th-hour deal to avert a deepening financial crisis while another storied securities firm, Lehman Brothers, hurtled toward liquidation, according to people briefed on the deal."
Climate change chicanery - Telegraph
Climate change chicanery - Telegraph: "There has also been an acclaimed new paper by Michael Mann, the creator of the iconic 'hockey stick' graph, purporting to show that the world has recently become hotter than at any time in recorded history, eliminating all the wealth of evidence to show that temperatures were higher in the Mediaeval Warm Period than today."
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Cleared: Jury decides that threat of global warming justifies breaking the law - Climate Change, Environment - The Independent
Cleared: Jury decides that threat of global warming justifies breaking the law
"The threat of global warming is so great that campaigners were justified in causing more than £35,000 worth of damage to a coal-fired power station, a jury decided yesterday."
"The threat of global warming is so great that campaigners were justified in causing more than £35,000 worth of damage to a coal-fired power station, a jury decided yesterday."
Friday, September 12, 2008
Probe into how Google mix-up caused $1 billion run on United - Times Online
Probe into how Google mix-up caused $1 billion run on United
"The comedy of errors began with just one reader who went to the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s website and viewed a 2002 article on United Airlines’ bankruptcy.
That single visit in the early hours of Sunday morning, a period of low traffic, apparently bumped it into a 'Popular Stories' in the business section.
At 1:37am, an electronic Google program swept through the paper’s website for new stories and spotted the link.
Google says its program scanned the piece and, seeing there was no 2002 dateline, indexed the article for inclusion on its news pages.
Three minutes and two seconds later, Google News readers started viewing the story on the Sun Sentinel’s Web site."
This is either a miserably written article (duh!) or more likely a Google employee who found a way to take the date tag off the United story.
Lots more to come on this scam......pity the poor investing friends/family of those Google workers who had the ability to de/re-tag posts.
bummer dudes!
"The comedy of errors began with just one reader who went to the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s website and viewed a 2002 article on United Airlines’ bankruptcy.
That single visit in the early hours of Sunday morning, a period of low traffic, apparently bumped it into a 'Popular Stories' in the business section.
At 1:37am, an electronic Google program swept through the paper’s website for new stories and spotted the link.
Google says its program scanned the piece and, seeing there was no 2002 dateline, indexed the article for inclusion on its news pages.
Three minutes and two seconds later, Google News readers started viewing the story on the Sun Sentinel’s Web site."
This is either a miserably written article (duh!) or more likely a Google employee who found a way to take the date tag off the United story.
Lots more to come on this scam......pity the poor investing friends/family of those Google workers who had the ability to de/re-tag posts.
bummer dudes!
Hateful or fools?
Instapundit.com -: "September 12, 2008
OKAY, I THOUGHT THE OBAMA COMMERCIAL MOCKING MCCAIN for not using a computer was dumb because it would alienate older voters. But it turns out it's a lot dumber than that:
The reason he doesn't send email is that he can't use a keyboard because of the relentless beatings he received from the Viet Cong in service to our country. . . . McCain's severe war injuries prevent him from combing his hair, typing on a keyboard, or tying his shoes.
Oops. Another unforced error from the Obama campaign, which seems to have had a lot of those lately. The above is from 2000 -- don't these people know how to use Google? Or NEXIS? Or something?
UPDATE: Ouch: 'It's extraordinary that someone who wants to be our president and our commander in chief knows how to send an e-mail ...but not how to do a five-minute Google search.' Or even how to hire someone who can . . . .
ANOTHER UPDATE: On that note, reader Amy Lopez notes that Obama was recently touting his experience managing his campaign as evidence of his executive ability. That argument isn't looking as strong after the past couple of weeks.
MORE: Epic Fail: 'This whole Obama thing has *got* to be a put-on by the DNC. Any minute Allen Funt will pop out and they’ll announce the real ticket is Hillary Clinton and Phil Bredesen (or Mark Warner) or something, right?'
posted at 07:14 PM by Glenn Reynolds"
Is this the "real" change these folks want to bring to America?
OKAY, I THOUGHT THE OBAMA COMMERCIAL MOCKING MCCAIN for not using a computer was dumb because it would alienate older voters. But it turns out it's a lot dumber than that:
The reason he doesn't send email is that he can't use a keyboard because of the relentless beatings he received from the Viet Cong in service to our country. . . . McCain's severe war injuries prevent him from combing his hair, typing on a keyboard, or tying his shoes.
Oops. Another unforced error from the Obama campaign, which seems to have had a lot of those lately. The above is from 2000 -- don't these people know how to use Google? Or NEXIS? Or something?
UPDATE: Ouch: 'It's extraordinary that someone who wants to be our president and our commander in chief knows how to send an e-mail ...but not how to do a five-minute Google search.' Or even how to hire someone who can . . . .
ANOTHER UPDATE: On that note, reader Amy Lopez notes that Obama was recently touting his experience managing his campaign as evidence of his executive ability. That argument isn't looking as strong after the past couple of weeks.
MORE: Epic Fail: 'This whole Obama thing has *got* to be a put-on by the DNC. Any minute Allen Funt will pop out and they’ll announce the real ticket is Hillary Clinton and Phil Bredesen (or Mark Warner) or something, right?'
posted at 07:14 PM by Glenn Reynolds"
Is this the "real" change these folks want to bring to America?
Thursday, September 11, 2008
TheHill.com - Mad about Sarah
TheHill.com - Mad about Sarah: "What is it about Sarah Palin that seems to have driven so many smart, thoughtful Obama supporters around the bend?
Wendy Doniger, the Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago Divinity School, wrote that Palin’s “greatest hypocrisy is in her pretense that she is a woman” and denounced “the Republican Party’s cynical calculation that because [Palin] has a womb and makes lots and lots of babies … she speaks for the women of America.”"
Wendy Doniger, the Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago Divinity School, wrote that Palin’s “greatest hypocrisy is in her pretense that she is a woman” and denounced “the Republican Party’s cynical calculation that because [Palin] has a womb and makes lots and lots of babies … she speaks for the women of America.”"
Pension Time Bomb - washingtonpost.com
Pension Time Bomb
"Mayor Osby Davis, who has lived in this waterfront city across San Pablo Bay from San Francisco for 60 of his 62 years, says: 'If you have a can that's leaking two ounces a minute and you put an ounce a minute in it, it's going to get empty.' He is describing his city's coffers."
"Mayor Osby Davis, who has lived in this waterfront city across San Pablo Bay from San Francisco for 60 of his 62 years, says: 'If you have a can that's leaking two ounces a minute and you put an ounce a minute in it, it's going to get empty.' He is describing his city's coffers."
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Paul says he turned down appeal to endorse McCain
Paul says he turned down appeal to endorse McCain: "Republican Rep. Ron Paul, the libertarian-leaning Texas lawmaker who attracted a devoted following in the GOP primaries, said Wednesday he rejected an appeal to endorse John McCain's presidential bid."
Communities' water battle heads for court
Communities' water battle heads for court
"'It appears that over the years Muskegon Heights has routinely borrowed from the water fund and/or failed to make payments to it, without proper notice to (much less the approval of) Norton Shores and also without paying any interest,' Rose's letter said.
Heights mayor Paige called the dispute 'a matter of opinion.'"
"'It appears that over the years Muskegon Heights has routinely borrowed from the water fund and/or failed to make payments to it, without proper notice to (much less the approval of) Norton Shores and also without paying any interest,' Rose's letter said.
Heights mayor Paige called the dispute 'a matter of opinion.'"
CAFE: Most Perverse Product Regulation in History
CAFE: Most Perverse Product Regulation in History
"$50 billion won't turn CAFE into effective policy. It will do just fine, though, as an indicator of Washington's willingness to throw good money after bad rather than admit the folly of its own long-running handiwork."
"$50 billion won't turn CAFE into effective policy. It will do just fine, though, as an indicator of Washington's willingness to throw good money after bad rather than admit the folly of its own long-running handiwork."
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
The Hunt for Sarah October - WSJ.com
The Hunt for Sarah October - WSJ.com: "The latest Washington Post/ABC Poll shows John McCain taking a 12-point lead over Barack Obama among white women, a reversal of Mr. Obama's eight-point lead last month."
Al Franken wins Senate nod amid 7 state primaries
Al Franken wins Senate nod amid 7 state primaries
District of Columbia: Former mayor Marion Barry easily held off four challengers seeking his city council seat in the Democratic primary. Barry is expected to win a second four-year term in November in the overwhelmingly Democratic city."
How sick is the district of columbia.... and how sad....
District of Columbia: Former mayor Marion Barry easily held off four challengers seeking his city council seat in the Democratic primary. Barry is expected to win a second four-year term in November in the overwhelmingly Democratic city."
How sick is the district of columbia.... and how sad....
Monday, September 08, 2008
Feds give Muskegon cash for Chicago flight
Feds give Muskegon cash for Chicago flight
"There are now only three daily flights to Detroit from Muskegon.
Lakeshore Congressman Pete Hoekstra announced the Muskegon airport will get a $650,000 grant to help develop flights to O'Hare International Airport. The last time Muskegon had a direct flight to Chicago was 2002."
"There are now only three daily flights to Detroit from Muskegon.
Lakeshore Congressman Pete Hoekstra announced the Muskegon airport will get a $650,000 grant to help develop flights to O'Hare International Airport. The last time Muskegon had a direct flight to Chicago was 2002."
MSNBC Drops Olbermann, Matthews as News Anchors
MSNBC Drops Olbermann, Matthews as News Anchors: "MSNBC's more liberal outlook has boosted its ratings, though it remains the third-place cable news channel. But both parties began castigating its coverage last spring. Steve Schmidt, McCain's top strategist, called the network 'an organ of the Democratic National Committee,' and Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe said Matthews was 'in the tank' for Obama."
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Saturday, September 06, 2008
BBC NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | Wilson row over green 'alarmists'
BBC NEWS UK Northern Ireland Wilson row over green 'alarmists': "'Resources should be used to adapt to the consequences of climate change, rather than King Canute-style vainly trying to stop it,' said the minister."
My Brain Tumor by Robert D. Novak on Creators.com - A Syndicate Of Talent
My Brain Tumor by Robert D. Novak on Creators.com - A Syndicate Of Talent: "I had thought 51 years of rough-and-tumble journalism in Washington made me more enemies than friends, but my recent experience suggests the opposite may be the case.
But Joe and Valerie Wilson, attempting to breathe life into the Valerie Plame 'scandal,' issued this statement: 'We have long argued that responsible adults should take Novak's typewriter away. The time has arrived for them to also take away the keys to his Corvette.'
Thanks to my tumor, the Wilsons have achieved half of their desires. I probably never will be able to drive again, and I have sold the Corvette, which I dearly loved. Taking away my typewriter, however, may require modification of the First Amendment.
Support for me and promises of prayers sent for me poured in from all sides, including political figures who had not been happy with my columns. I'm told that President George W. Bush has not liked my criticism, particularly of his Iraq war policy. But the president is a compassionate man, and he telephoned me at 7:24 a.m. on August 15, six minutes before I went into surgery. The conversation lasted only a minute, but his prayerful concern was touching and much appreciated."
But Joe and Valerie Wilson, attempting to breathe life into the Valerie Plame 'scandal,' issued this statement: 'We have long argued that responsible adults should take Novak's typewriter away. The time has arrived for them to also take away the keys to his Corvette.'
Thanks to my tumor, the Wilsons have achieved half of their desires. I probably never will be able to drive again, and I have sold the Corvette, which I dearly loved. Taking away my typewriter, however, may require modification of the First Amendment.
Support for me and promises of prayers sent for me poured in from all sides, including political figures who had not been happy with my columns. I'm told that President George W. Bush has not liked my criticism, particularly of his Iraq war policy. But the president is a compassionate man, and he telephoned me at 7:24 a.m. on August 15, six minutes before I went into surgery. The conversation lasted only a minute, but his prayerful concern was touching and much appreciated."
Friday, September 05, 2008
My Way - TV
My Way - TV: "Enslavement: The True Story of Fanny Kemble (2000)
11 WZPX: Friday, September 5 9:00 PM
2000, NR, **, 01:51, Color, English, United States, Made for TV
A woman (Jane Seymour) becomes estranged from her husband (Keith Carradine) after she begins to help slaves on his family's Southern plantation.
Cast: Jane Seymour, Keith Carradine, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Janet-Laine Green, Arlene Duncan, Eugene Byrd, Sharon Washington Director(s): James Keach Executive Producer(s): Susan Cooper, Paul Taublieb, Austin Hearst, Jane Seymour, James Keach
Get more movie info at My Way Movies"
11 WZPX: Friday, September 5 9:00 PM
2000, NR, **, 01:51, Color, English, United States, Made for TV
A woman (Jane Seymour) becomes estranged from her husband (Keith Carradine) after she begins to help slaves on his family's Southern plantation.
Cast: Jane Seymour, Keith Carradine, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Janet-Laine Green, Arlene Duncan, Eugene Byrd, Sharon Washington Director(s): James Keach Executive Producer(s): Susan Cooper, Paul Taublieb, Austin Hearst, Jane Seymour, James Keach
Get more movie info at My Way Movies"
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Poll: 51 percent say reporters are trying to hurt Palin
Poll: 51 percent say reporters are trying to hurt Palin
"Forty-two percent (42%) say Obama has better experience to be president, but 37% say Palin does."
Two very disturbing stats that will keep demo-libs to double their prozac consumption.
heh......
"Forty-two percent (42%) say Obama has better experience to be president, but 37% say Palin does."
Two very disturbing stats that will keep demo-libs to double their prozac consumption.
heh......
GR says: Show me the Hollywood money!
GR says: Show me the Hollywood money!
"The state of Michigan send movie producers a check for 42 percent of what they spend. Does the added business make up for the tax break? Time will tell.
Producers won't share the cost of the production or the size of the incentive - and neither will the state. The information, they say, is confidential"
The state is funding this boondoggle and our Gov Jenny is keeping the "confidential" money a secret from all of us?!!!!!!!!
And why is the GRPress so complacent with this stonewall?
"The state of Michigan send movie producers a check for 42 percent of what they spend. Does the added business make up for the tax break? Time will tell.
Producers won't share the cost of the production or the size of the incentive - and neither will the state. The information, they say, is confidential"
The state is funding this boondoggle and our Gov Jenny is keeping the "confidential" money a secret from all of us?!!!!!!!!
And why is the GRPress so complacent with this stonewall?
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Water floods new JW Marriott
Water floods new JW Marriott
"When the pipe broke, engineering could not turn off the main water line. Floors 3-5 were flooded."
"could not turn off the ...water..."?
"When the pipe broke, engineering could not turn off the main water line. Floors 3-5 were flooded."
"could not turn off the ...water..."?
The Large Hadron Rap
The 23-year-old Michigan State University graduate and science writer's particle physics rap is a hit on YouTube with half a million views and counting.
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