Sunday, March 31, 2013

Judge Won’t Grant ‘Pregnant Man’ Thomas Beatie A Divorce

Judge Won’t Grant ‘Pregnant Man’ Thomas Beatie A Divorce:
"Welcome to the world’s most confusing divorce case.
A judge in Arizona today declined to grant a divorce to Thomas Beatie, who attained minor celebrity status as the “pregnant man” a few years back and gave birth to three children.
Beatie, who was born a woman but identifies as a man, married wife Nancy in Hawaii in 2003. 
But was he a man or a woman at the time? 
Beatie had undergone a double-mastectomy by then and was starting hormone therapy, but he still had a woman’s reproductive organs, reports AP.
The judge today decreed that there wasn’t enough evidence proving Beatie was a man at the time of the wedding.
That makes it a same-sex marriage, which means that the state of Arizona doesn’t recognize it.
And if the state doesn’t recognize the marriage, it can’t grant a divorce, either. Read more…"

Google honors Cesar Chavez on Easter

Google honors Cesar Chavez on Easter | The Daily Caller:
"While Google frequently decorates its logo to celebrate various holidays and special events, it is unclear why the company chose specifically to honor Chavez’s birthday, instead of Easter Sunday."

Articles: Universal Background Checks: the Liberal Holy Grail

Articles: Universal Background Checks: the Liberal Holy Grail: "The worst part of UBC will be the check on the seller (that's you and me). In the interest of getting illegal guns off the street, the left will want to throw in this little addition to the universal background check scheme: the seller must prove that they legally own the gun they are seeking to sell. I have a very modest gun collection (the number of guns just barely breaks into double digits). Half of the guns I have bought in the last several years, the other half go back to the 1970s and 80s. For example, I have a .22 my parents gave me for Christmas in 1980. My folks are long gone and I certainly don't have a bill of sale for the rifle. Half of my guns fit this mold. I have no proof that I own them. All the government needs to do is write the law so the seller must provide proof of ownership (original bill of sale, in your name) and we are all in trouble. "

'via Blog this'

No Budget No Pay was a failure | NetRight Daily

No Budget No Pay was a failure | NetRight Daily:

'via Blog this'

How to fight the left-wing hate machine pt. 2

How to fight the left-wing hate machine | WashingtonExaminer.com:
"Of course, the progressive stance against bigotry has nothing to do with principles and everything to do with politics.
After all, less than a year ago, President Obama opposed redefining marriage.
Neither CAP, nor Bowers nor any other major progressive entity was devoting resources to calling Obama a bigot.
It was an election year, for Pete's sake.
CAP is not content with name-calling, either. The group has led progressive efforts to ostracize anyone who disagrees with it.
Take the Boy Scouts of America. Like any large nationwide organization, it has its flaws, but it still provides countless community service and leadership opportunities to almost 3 million boys nationwide.
Because BSA does not allow gay adults to become Scout leaders, the BSA must be isolated and punished.
Earlier this month, Chipotle was set to sponsor a Scout-O-Rama fundraising event in Utah. CAP sprang into action, organizing a pressure campaign to get Chipotle to drop its sponsorship.
Within 24 hours, Chipotle ended its sponsorship of Scouting entirely."

How to fight the left-wing hate machine

How to fight the left-wing hate machine | WashingtonExaminer.com:
"That is not good enough for the progressive movement. Progressives want marriage to be redefined in every state to include same-sex relationships.
And they will not stop there, either. As the court was listening to oral arguments Wednesday, progressive blogger and former Pennsylvania State Democratic Committee member Chris Bowers wrote,
"The step after victory in legal LGBT rights will be social ostricization of those who oppose it."
Don't think for a second that Bowers' desire to punish those who disagree with the progressive agenda is an isolated case.
The Center for American Progress, or CAP, the nonprofit organization founded by President Clinton's Chief of Staff John Podesta, has also labeled anyone and everyone who opposed redefining marriage as a bigot."

Google honors Cesar Chavez on Easter

Google honors Cesar Chavez on Easter | The Daily Caller:
"While Google frequently decorates its logo to celebrate various holidays and special events, it is unclear why the company chose specifically to honor Chavez’s birthday, instead of Easter Sunday."

Climate Change Endgame In Sight?

Climate Change Endgame In Sight? | Power Line:
"That day appears to have arrived. 
The new issue of The Economist has a long feature on the declining confidence in the high estimates of climate sensitivity. 
That this appears in The Economist is significant, because this august British news organ has been fully on board with climate alarmism for years now. 
A Washington-based Economist correspondent admitted to me privately several years ago that the senior editors in London had mandated consistent and regular alarmist climate coverage in its pages."

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Court: EPA can stop changes at DTE's Monroe coal plant

Court: EPA can stop changes at DTE's Monroe coal plant | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com:
"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sued Detroit-based DTE Energy in 2010, because the company was replacing key boiler parts at its Monroe Unit 2 coal-fired power plant without installing pollution controls.
The EPA said the controls were required because the utility was performing a major overhaul, but DTE argued the $65 million project was only routine maintenance and was therefore exempt."

Former Newark schools chief indicted in Georgia cheating scandal

Former Newark schools chief indicted in Georgia cheating scandal | NJ.com:
"The former superintendent of the Newark, N.J., public school district and nearly three dozen administrators, teachers, principals and other educators from Atlanta were indicted today in one of the nation’s largest cheating scandals.
Former Atlanta Superintendent Beverly Hall faces charges including racketeering, false statements and theft.
She retired just days before a state probe was released in 2011, and has previously denied the allegations. The indictment represents the first criminal charges in the investigation."

Why The Euro Is Doomed In 4 Steps

Why The Euro Is Doomed In 4 Steps - Business Insider: "
Here's why the euro, as it's currently constructed, is a doomsday device for mass bankruptcy. (How's that for solidarity?)."

Illinois law must outlaw stalking, not encourage it

Katie Packer Gage: Illinois law must outlaw stalking, not encourage it - Opinions - Springfield, IL - The State Journal-Register:
"I was very troubled to learn recently that despite having made stalking illegal in Illinois, elected officials in the state have afforded union bosses an exemption.
Yes, that’s correct; during labor disputes, Illinois’s law against “aggravated stalking” does not apply to union organizers (Public Act 097-0468).
This leads to a simple and logical question: is it ever acceptable to engage in stalking?
Apparently, the answer in the Land of Lincoln is yes.
For anyone who engages in aggravated stalking in Illinois, it is a Class 3 felony with a “second or subsequent conviction” serving as a Class 2 felony.
The penalty for the crime is serious and it should be. That’s what makes the exemption for organized labor — a special interest — so outrageous and inexcusable."

Student loan write-offs hit $3 billion in first two months of year

Student loan write-offs hit $3 billion in first two months of year - chicagotribune.com:
"Banks wrote off $3 billion of student loan debt in the first two months of 2013, up more than 36 percent from the year-ago period, as many graduates remain jobless, underemployed or cash-strapped in a slow U.S. economic recovery, an Equifax study showed.
The credit reporting agency also said Monday that student lending has grown from last year because more people are going back to school and the cost of higher education has risen."

Soldier Suicides

Soldier Suicides » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names:
"Suicides in the U.S. military have been climbing, reaching a record high in 2012 when 349 soldiers took their own lives, about one every 25 hours.
By comparison, 301 U.S. soldiers died in active combat in 2012, marking the third time in four years that the number of military suicides has surpassed the number of deaths in combat of U.S. soldiers."

MLive.com: The Wire

MLive.com: The Wire:
"The desire for a Big Ten hockey conference was mainly driven by the Big Ten Network's need for more Big Ten sports programming."

IRS knowingly sends Billions in Fraudulent Refunds to Illegal Immigrants

IRS knowingly sends Billions in Fraudulent Refunds to Illegal Immigrants - Bob Beauprez - Townhall Finance Conservative Columnists and Financial Commentary:
"A WTHR-TV Indianapolis investigative report exposes a fraudulent scheme wherein the IRS is sending $4.2 billion per year to illegal immigrants as an "additional child tax credit" for children who don't even live in the U.S.
Further, the IRS and Congress have been ignoring the scheme for years.
The Inspector General's office has repeatedly identified the problem in audit after audit. 
The IG, Russell George says, "The magnitude of the problem has grown exponentially," but the IRS is doing nothing to stop it"

Statistics on homosexuals - 1978 to 1994

This the site posted on Dave Agema's facebook page that has so many PC lovers excited:
Statistics on homosexuals - 1978 to 1994

Four concerns raised by fracking opponents in wake of application for a well in Ravenna Township

Four concerns raised by fracking opponents in wake of application for a well in Ravenna Township | MLive.com:
"4. Just because there hasn’t been an ecological issue in the past, doesn’t mean there won’t be.
Fracking wells have not had an incident jeopardizing the environment or human health in 50 years, according to the Michigan DEQ.
But Schoonmaker points to a 2011 spill at a well in Benzie county as a sign that something could still happen. "

BET Founder: ‘This Country Would Never Tolerate White Unemployment at 14 or 15 Percent’

BET Founder: ‘This Country Would Never Tolerate White Unemployment at 14 or 15 Percent’ | CNS News
"Johnson said the challenge was to figure out why the unemployment rate for blacks has been so high, “and if that doesn’t change, somebody’s going to have to pay— 34 million African-Americans are not going to leave this country, millions of African-Americans who don’t have jobs.”
“Somebody’s going to have to pay for them. Somebody’s going to have to take care of them, and if somebody’s going to have to take care of them, that money’s got to come from somebody.
And whoever’s paying for it is going to be upset about it, and they’re going to start looking for somebody to blame,” Johnson said."

Senators tell Hagel that VA backlog is 'simply unacceptable'

Senators tell Hagel that VA backlog is 'simply unacceptable' - The Hill's Floor Action:
“Tragically, these men and women are also waiting years to access the benefits they need and deserve — 449 days on average in New York, 506 days in Los Angeles, and 439 days in Waco, according to VA. This is simply unacceptable.”
The senators said that they believe some of the delay is caused because the Department of Defense takes too long to send military and medical records of the disabled veteran to the VA."

Dionne Warwick files for bankruptcy: Singer owes over $10 million, has just $25K in assets

Dionne Warwick files for bankruptcy: Singer owes over $10 million, has just $25K in assets - NY Daily News:
"The vast majority of her debt is $10.2 million in tax claims from the IRS and the state of California.
She also owes a former manager about $500,000, and ran up $20,000 in Visa credit card debt, court papers showed."

Justin Bieber's monkey quarantined in Germany

Justin Bieber's monkey quarantined in Germany:

Big Depositors in Cyprus to Lose Far More Than Feared

Big Depositors in Cyprus to Lose Far More Than Feared:
"Under conditions expected to be announced on Saturday, depositors in Bank of Cyprus will get shares in the bank worth 37.5 percent of their deposits over 100,000 euros, the source told Reuters, while the rest of their deposits may never be paid back.
The toughening of the terms will send a clear signal that the bailout means the end of Cyprus as a hub for offshore finance and could accelerate economic decline on the island and bring steeper job losses."

Holy crapoli!

Rick Ross, Lil Wayne pulled from Muskegon radio station now getting national attention

Rick Ross, Lil Wayne pulled from Muskegon radio station now getting national attention | MLive.com:
A Muskegon radio station has received national attention for its decision to ban music by rappers Rick Ross and Lil' Wayne from its rotation.
Rapper Rick Ross, who has recently faced criticism for controversial lyrics.AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
The Muskegon-based radio station 103.7
The Beat WUVS-LP released a statementThursday, March 28 indicating that it would no longer play those artists' music.
The move, said the self-described urban educational public station, was a way for it to take a stand against disrespectful music.
"We pride ourselves on playing music that is non-degrading and non-violent," the announcement read. 
"While we believe in freedom of speech, creative writing and individualism, we refuse to be part of the problem by spreading messages that could harm or end someone's life."
Ross and Lil Wayne were singled out because of recent lyrical controversies.
In February, Lil Wayne faced criticism for rapping that he would "beat" a woman's genitalia "like Emmett Till" during a cameo of the song, "Karate Chop (Remix)" by another rapper called Future.
Till was a black teen who was kidnapped and violently killed by white men in 1955.
His death was one of the events that helped spark the Civil Rights movement.
Ross began receiving public outcry earlier this week for a lyric that suggested he had slipped crystallized MDMA and then had sex with her. 
Critics, like the station, charge that the lines celebrate and encourage the behavior.
Since posting the message Thursday, the radio station has been mentioned for its stance in several publications, includingThe Hollywood Reporter, the International Business Times and Billboard Biz, the online extension of Billboard magazine.
But the radio station has always stayed away from music that "promotes drug use, gang life and criminalistic behavior," said 103.7
"We just didn't do no press release," he said.
"We always took the road of trying to do what is best for the community, what is best for our listeners."

WTC cross can stay in National September 11 Memorial & Museum: judge

WTC cross can stay in National September 11 Memorial & Museum: judge - NYPOST.com:
"A New York judge has tossed out a lawsuit seeking to stop the display of a cross-shaped steel beam found among the World Trade Center's wreckage.
Federal judge Deborah Batts on Friday rejected the arguments of a national atheists' group.
American Atheists had sued the National September 11 Memorial & Museum's operators in 2011 on constitutional grounds."

Friday, March 29, 2013

Muskegon-area violence: Some readers doubt promised witness protection

Muskegon-area violence: Some readers doubt promised witness protection | MLive.com:
"Some commenters stated that the overall  judicial  “system” is flawed and that witnesses, and even victims themselves, are fearful to come forward due to the possibility of retaliation.
Others stated that witnesses will end up being convicted if they say too much, thus deterring them from coming forward as well."

Stu Padazo had this to say:
As much as I want to believe that people would be protected, I don't. If Mr. Hilson had control of the Hts police dept, then I would believe it. There are people who know the person who shot the 18 yr old back in late Jan. No one will report it because it is a WELL known fact that the police department is UNDER staffed and the crime in that community is sky HIGH. The pastors and the social justice committee have done nothing in the community that is long term or impactful. Do they even meet any more? They sure do come together for photo opportunities.
Some suggested that officials promising to protect witnesses really won’t make a difference. One commenter claims that law enforcement officials should go about it differently.
People don't trust the "system", its been like this for 100's of years, probably has something to do w/ being enslaved by the white man. Its pervasive and won't just go away. In 2013 you have a society of unemployed non skilled people living in Muskegon's poorest neighborhoods. What's their hope for the future? The young people grow up w/ very little guidance and very little hope. They then gravitate towards quick money and petty posturing(gang affiliation). The authorities need to work on the root causes, not just apprehending the bad guys and getting people to "talk'. The authorities are treating this problem from the wrong end and until somebody has the balls to confront the real problem and treat it accordingly, then it'll just be more of the same.

North Carolina Woman Fights Off Two Male Intruders with Pistol

The PJ Tatler » North Carolina Woman Fights Off Two Male Intruders with Pistol:
"They were eventually caught and now face charges.
One of them is just 16 years old.
Neighbor Wayne Crumpler sounds like a good man.
“She was lucky she knew how to use a handgun and lucky she had it.
Because If she hadn’t, we might be going to a funeral,” he said.
“I’m proud of her.”
Was it luck, or forethought and preparation?
Two firearms just saved at least one life and helped take two criminals off the streets, at least for a while."

"If you will vote for me, I will give you ice cream."

"If you will vote for me, I will give you ice cream.":

Editor’s Note: Received via email. Original author unknown.
From a teacher in Nashville:
We are worried about ‘the cow’ when it is all about the Ice Cream.
The most eye-opening civics lesson I ever had was while teaching 3rd grade. 
The last Presidential election was heating up and some of the children showed an interest. 
I decided we would have an election for a class president. 
We would choose our nominees. 
They would make a campaign speech and the class would vote. 
To simplify the process, candidates were nominated by other class members. 
We discussed what kinds of characteristics these students should have. 
We got many nominations and from those, Jamie and Olivia were picked to run for the top spot.
The class had done a great job in their selections. 
Both candidates were good kids.
I thought Jamie might have an advantage because he got lots of parental support.
I had never seen Olivia’s mother.
The day arrived when they were to make their speeches.
Jamie went first.
He had specific ideas about how to make our class a better place.
He ended by promising to do his very best.
Everyone applauded and he sat down.
Now is was Olivia’s turn to speak.
Her speech was concise. 
She said, “If you will vote for me, I will give you ice cream.” 
She sat down.
The class went wild. 
“Yes! Yes! We want ice cream.”
She surely would say more. 
She did not have to.
A discussion followed. 
How did she plan to pay for the ice cream? 
She wasn’t sure. 
But no one pursued that question. 
They took her at her word.
Would her parents buy it or would the class pay for it…
She didn’t know.
The class really didn’t care. 
All they were thinking about was ice cream…
Jamie was forgotten. 
Olivia won by a landslide.
Every time Barack Obama opened his mouth he offered ice cream and 51.4 % of the people reacted like nine year old’s.
They want ice cream.
The other 48.6% percent know they’re going to have to feed the cow and clean up the mess.
This is the ice cream Obama promised us!
Remember, the government cannot give anything to anyone that they have not first taken away from someone else.
Did you vote for the ice cream? 

New gun laws could mean economic woes for booming gun industry

New gun laws could mean economic woes for booming gun industry | The Daily Caller:
"Over the past two years, while the rest of the country faced unemployment rates above 8 percent, the gun industry added more than 37,000 new jobs, with average salary of $47,000.
The report states that in 2012 alone, the industry paid $5.1 billion in federal taxes and was responsible for $33.6 billion in economic activity."

OBAMA PITCHES PUBLIC WORKS SPENDING TO CREATE JOBS

News from The Associated Press:
"Among the proposals Obama called for, which require approval from Congress, are:
-$4 billion in new spending on two infrastructure programs that award loans and grants.
-Higher caps on "private activity bonds" to encourage more private spending on highways and other infrastructure projects. State and local governments use the bonds to attract investment.
-Giving foreign pension funds tax-exempt status when selling U.S. infrastructure, property or real estate assets. U.S. pension funds are generally tax exempt in those circumstances.
The administration says some international pension funds cite the tax burden as a reason for not investing in American infrastructure.
-A renewed call for a $10 billion national "infrastructure bank."

Already fired twice, Tollway boss ousted again for allegedly sleeping on the job

Already fired twice, Tollway boss ousted again for allegedly sleeping on the job - Chicago Sun-Times:
"A $78,444-a-year Illinois Tollway garage supervisor who was fired twice by the state agency — only to win his job back both times — has been fired yet again after he was photographed seemingly sleeping at work.
Joseph Caffarello, 29, was terminated for not only snoozing on the job, but also for being “intimidating, threatening, abusive, condescending and loud’’ to the people he supervised, according to an audit released Thursday by the Tollway’s inspector general."

New solar structure cools buildings in full sunlight, replacing air conditioners

New solar structure cools buildings in full sunlight, replacing air conditioners | KurzweilAI:
"Stanford University researchers have designed an entirely new form of cooling structure that cools even when the sun is shining, eliminating the need for air conditioning.
Such a structure could vastly improve the daylight cooling of buildings, cars, and other structures by reflecting sunlight back into space.
“We’ve developed a new type of structure that reflects the vast majority of sunlight, while at the same time it sends heat into that coldness, which cools manmade structures even in the day time,” explained Shanhui Fan, professor of electrical engineering and senior author of a Nano Letters paper.
The trick: (1) the reflector has to reflect as much of the sunlight as possible and (2) the structure also must efficiently radiate heat back into space — that is, within a specific wavelength range in which the atmosphere is nearly transparent."

Lawmakers Demand Answers on $50-Million, Sequester-Eve TSA Uniform Deal

Lawmakers Demand Answers on $50-Million, Sequester-Eve TSA Uniform Deal | CNS News:
"....the TSA awarded the contract to VF Imagewear on Feb. 27, two days before $44 billion in automatic across-the-board spending cuts, known as the sequester, began being implemented on March 1.
By Mar. 4, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was warning of long lines at airports due to furloughs at the TSA because of the budget cuts, which are actually reductions in the increase in spending – more money total will be spent in 2013 than in 2012."

Proposed Obama Trade Agreement would Ban Buy America Laws

Top Stories - Proposed Obama Trade Agreement would Ban Buy America Laws - AllGov - News:
"The proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which has been negotiated largely in secret, would prevent the U.S. government from giving preference to American companies for federal contracts.
Around since the 1933, the so-called “Buy American” policy allows domestic companies to put in more costly bids for government work and still receive the contract, even if a foreign business offers to provide the product or service for less money."

Twenty-year hiatus in rising temperatures has climate scientists puzzled

Twenty-year hiatus in rising temperatures has climate scientists puzzled | The Australian:
"Another paper published by leading climate scientist James Hansen, the head of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, says the lower than expected temperature rise between 2000 and the present could be explained by increased emissions from burning coal."

Survey: Majority support Muskegon County millage for school technology

Survey: Majority support Muskegon County millage for school technology | MLive.com:
"A proposed millage increase to pay for school technology is supported by a majority of adults polled in Muskegon County, according to the intermediate school district superintendent.
Of the 400 people who responded to a telephone survey, 68 percent were supportive of the proposed 10-year, 1-mill tax increase"

Junior Plans to Milk Parents a Little Longer

Junior Plans to Milk Parents a Little Longer: Survey:
"While teens expect to rely on their parents more, teens also think they will be financially better off, or as well off as their parents with nearly 65 percent expressing this opinion, the AllState and Junior Achievement USA survey found.
That's up from up from 56 percent last year.
Teens were even more optimistic in Tru's survey, with 90 percent believing they'll be at least as well off as their parents.
.......Unemployment data overall paints a stark picture for young adults as they near the beginning of their careers.
Although the overall unemployment rate edged down to 7.7 percent in February, the jobless rate for those aged 20 to 24 years old stands at 13.1 percent."

The Failure of Deterrence in Korea

The Failure of Deterrence in Korea | World Affairs Journal:
"In a poll released last month by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, 66 percent of South Koreans said they wanted their country to develop nuclear weapons to ward off attacks from North Korea.
In fact, only 48 percent of the population last year believed America would use nukes to retaliate against a North Korean nuclear strike against them, down 7 percent from 2011."

Cyprus Bailout Infographic

Cyprus Bailout Infographic | FXdebates:

Are We Equal?

Are We Equal? - Walter E. Williams - [page]:
"Are women equal to men?
Are Jews equal to gentiles?
Are blacks equal to Italians, Irish, Polish and other white people?
The answer is probably a big fat no, and the pretense or assumption that we are equal -- or should be equal -- is foolhardy and creates mischief. 
Let's look at it."

Smart Meters.. Cost, efficiency and health

Smart Meters.. Cost, efficiency and health | Ottawa County Patriots:
 "Each meter, or portion of the smart energy program, equates to a capital expenditure of $417 per household assuming the MPSC allows CE to recoup the full $750M.
Additionally, utility capital expenditures are allowed a 10% rate of return thru the MPSC.  This equates to another $42 per household or another $75M incurred for sheer smart meter profit, over a 7 yr period.
All this to replace meters that still have a useful life. Mr. McKee concurred."

Dow Jones Industrial Average 2 Minute, Direxion Daily Small Cap Bear 3X Shares: What Would America Look Like After ‘Getting Cyprused’?

Dow Jones Industrial Average 2 Minute, Direxion Daily Small Cap Bear 3X Shares: What Would America Look Like After ‘Getting Cyprused’? 
"Make no mistake about it; ‘The Great Cypriot Train Robbery’ adhered closely to the now accepted methodology of conquest by fear used successfully in America in 2008 when the banksters wanted their $750 billion bailout from Congress."

Sen. Johnson (R-WI) launches ‘Victims of Government’ project to expose excessive regulations

Sen. Johnson (R-WI) launches ‘Victims of Government’ project to expose excessive regulations | AEIdeas

EPA taking aim at auto emissions, sulfur in gas

EPA taking aim at auto emissions, sulfur in gas - Yahoo! News:
"Reducing sulfur in gasoline and tightening emissions standards on cars beginning in 2017, as the Obama administration is proposing, would come with costs as well as rewards.
The cost at the pump for cleaner air across the country could be less than a penny or as high as 9 cents a gallon, depending on who is providing the estimate."

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Hillary Clinton, Harry Reid: When Democrats Swore They Would Never Back Gay Marriage

Hillary Clinton, Harry Reid: When Democrats Swore They Would Never Back Gay Marriage
"The new Democratic advocates for SSM fall into two camps.
The first consists of people who always liked the idea of this but worried about losing national elections.
In his memoir, Democratic consultant Bob Shrum remembers John Kerry fretting that the Massachusetts Supreme Court had forced Democrats to talk about gay marriage before they were ready to.
"Why couldn't they just wait a year?" he asked Shrum, mournfully.
The second camp consists of people who really do oppose the idea of gay people getting married.
Republicans argued that this second camp was tiny, and that liberals were hiding behind it.
They were right!"

GREAT VIDEO!

Buffalo Wild Wings Refuses Service For Police Officers Carrying Guns

Buffalo Wild Wings Refuses Service For Police Officers Carrying Guns « CBS DC:
"MANASSAS, Va. (CBSDC) — A server at Buffalo Wild Wings refused to serve Prince William County police officers because they had their guns displayed.
The Manassas Park Patch reports that the employee wouldn’t serve them despite the plain-clothes officers showing him their badges.
The server reportedly told the officers that it was a gun-free establishment."

Detroit emergency manager says he'll haggle with bondholders

Detroit emergency manager says he'll haggle with bondholders | Crain's Detroit Business:
"Detroit has about $8.6 billion of long-term bond debt, including $6.1 billion of non-general obligation debt, $963.4 million of general-obligation bonds and $1.5 billion of borrowings to fund pension liabilities, according to a report from a financial team that reviewed the city’s finances.
When other pension and retiree health-care obligations are included, the city burden totals almost $15 billion."

GERMAN PAPER WARNS OF COMING ICE AGE:

Instapundit » Blog Archive » 
"GERMAN PAPER WARNS OF COMING ICE AGE:
We may yet see some of the more grizzled would-be climate scientists who warned that global cooling was about to destroy the earth in the 1970s, told us that global warming was about to destroy the earth in more recent decades switch back to telling us that global cooling is soon to destroy the earth.
And all the while championing the same socialist formula to prevent mankind’s destruction — which is no doubt just right around the corner:"
(Video in link)

Feds Spending $880,000 to Study Benefits of Snail Sex

Feds Spending $880,000 to Study Benefits of Snail Sex | CNS News:
"The study, first funded in 2011 and continuing until 2015, will study the New Zealand snails to see if it is better that they reproduce sexually or asexually – the snail can do both – hoping to gain insight on why so many organisms practice sexual reproduction."

VIDEO: Chicago Teachers Union President Recommends Lying to Parents!

VIDEO: Chicago Teachers Union President Recommends Lying to Parents! | Fox News Insider:
"Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis made an eyebrow-raising recommendation at an education conference that took place earlier this week, doling out “tips” that she said really work.
One of the suggestions?
Lie to parents.
“I used to love parent conferences, because I would just lie to the parents.
[I would say of their child], ‘he’s wonderful!’
And the parents would look at me like, are you talking about my kid?
And the kid would sit there like, when is she gonna blow the whistle on me?
Now, I have a hostage!”

New e-mails reveal Feds not “forthright” about fake cell tower devices

New e-mails reveal Feds not “forthright” about fake cell tower devices | Ars Technica:
"Groups like the ACLU are concerned that unsupervised use of such technology can inadvertently collect information of people who are not suspected of any crime, nor under investigation."

Surging Student-Loan Debt Is Crushing the System

Surging Student-Loan Debt Is Crushing the System:
"Credit-rating firm Equifax said $3.5 billion in government and private student loans went bad in the first three months of 2013, the most since the company began keeping track.
The U.S. Department of Education said 6.8 million federal student loan borrowers are now in default, representing $85 billion in debt. 
And the department's systems for collecting the bad loans are struggling to keep up.
The Department's Office of Inspector General found in December that more than $1.1 billion in defaulted student loans were stuck in a sort of computer limbo."

The Rutherford Institute

The Rutherford Institute :: Welcome

Free Speech under Fire in Michigan Cattle Field

Free Speech under Fire in Michigan Cattle Field - By Patrick Brennan - The Corner - National Review Online
The judge, Steven Servaas, seemed sympathetic at the first hearing, expressing serious concerns over the township’s expansive definition of what speech it can regulate. 
“My own feeling,” he said, “is that you have to be pretty careful about what you let the government stop you from saying.” 
He got the township’s attorney to admit that a similarly sized sign with as anodyne a message as “I Love America” would be an unacceptable political display on private land, even if it weren’t visible from a road. 
The government attorney further explained that “there is really no provision under the zoning ordinance that would allow a 300-square-foot sign that says the message that it says, or a commercial one, other than a billboard.” 
Van Den Heuvel, however, believes there’s one clearly more important statute that gives Verduin the right to speak on his own property: 
“The Constitution is clear. 
What do we value highest? 
We want a vigorous political dialogue, no matter what side you’re on.”
If found “not responsible” — like getting off of a traffic ticket — Verduin won’t have to pay the small fine and can keep his sign, but more important, the township will probably give up trying to enforce the rule anywhere.

Americans Migrating To More Free GOP States With Better Income Growth

Americans Migrating To More Free GOP States With Better Income Growth - Investors.com
"Americans are migrating from less-free liberal states to more-free conservative states, where they are doing better economically, according to a new study published Thursday by the George Mason University's Mercatus Center.
....It found that the freest states tended to be conservative "red" states, while the least free were liberal "blue" states."

Freedom in the 50 States 2013 | Michigan Overall Freedom

Freedom in the 50 States 2013 | Michigan Overall Freedom | Mercatus Center:

SNAIL SEX! Feds Spending $880,000 To Study SNAIL SEX!?!? Your Tax Dollars At Work

"The Lid": SNAIL SEX! Feds Spending $880,000 To Study SNAIL SEX!?!? Your Tax Dollars At Work
"Have you ever sat in your bed at night, stared at the ceiling and said to yourself,
"Gee, I wonder if there is any benefit to New Zealand mud snails having sex?"
Me neither.
Probably the only people who wonder about New Zealand mud snails also wonder why some duck penis' are in the shape of a corkscrew.
And our federal government is funding them both."

Feds Waste $3.8 Million to ‘Decrease Human-Elephant Conflict’

Feds Waste $3.8 Million to ‘Decrease Human-Elephant Conflict’ | Wizbang:
"The federal government is looking into the serious issue of the “conflict” between humans and elephants.
To help out on that important issue, the government generously gave $3.8 million of your tax dollars to study the matter.
The princely sum was awarded in 2011 and 2012 for the African Elephant Conservation grant and was sent to “any African government agency responsible for African elephant conservation and protection and any other organization or individual with demonstrated experience in African elephant conservation.”
Despite the millions offered, the federal government assured our African partners that no documentation or credentials were required to apply for the grant."

European Default Has to Happen: Mark Mobius

European Default Has to Happen: Mark Mobius

Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association increases rates amid discussions on changing no-fault auto insurance

Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association increases rates amid discussions on changing no-fault auto insurance | MLive.com:
"Michigan motorists will pay an extra $11 per year to cover the rising costs of the state's unlimited lifetime medical care for auto-related injuries.
The Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association on Wednesday announced it will increase the premium paid for catastrophic coverage by 6 percent to $186 per insured vehicle from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014.
The current assessment is $175, which represents a $30 increase from the previous year.
Michigan is the only state to offer unlimited lifetime medical care for auto-related injuries under its no-fault auto insurance system. "

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

The Awesome Adapter for Your 12-Gauge Shotgun That Turns It Into an ‘Ultimate Survival Rifle’

The Awesome Adapter for Your 12-Gauge Shotgun That Turns It Into an ‘Ultimate Survival Rifle’ | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"In an extreme survival situation where the appropriate amount of ammunition for the type of firearm you’re carrying can’t necessarily be guaranteed, what would you do?
Carry multiple types of firearms to increase your chances of coming across ammo you can use?
You could do that, or you could have an adapter system that comes in a handy pouch that allows one 12-gauge shotgun to take 11 different types of ammunition.
The creator of Gear Up’s X Caliber Shotgun Gauge Adapter System, Tim Ralston, told TheBlaze it’s like carrying 11 guns in one."

Alabama lawmaker's email: 'Slave-holding, murdering, adulterous, baby-raping, snaggle-toothed kin folk' | al.com

Alabama lawmaker's email: 'Slave-holding, murdering, adulterous, baby-raping, snaggle-toothed kin folk' | al.com:
"State Rep. Joe Mitchell, D-Mobile, had an outlandish exchange via email with a Jefferson County man who asked him and other lawmakers not to pass any laws that would restrict gun ownership.
...Mitchell responded from his public, ALHouse.gov email account an hour later, telling Maxwell:
"Your folk never used all this sheit (sic) to protect my folk from your slave-holding, murdering, adulterous, baby-raping, incestuous, snaggle-toothed, backward-a**ed, inbreed (sic), imported criminal-minded kin folk."

Federal plan aims to help wildlife adapt to climate change

Federal plan aims to help wildlife adapt to climate change - latimes.com:
"Over the next five years, the plan establishes priorities for what will probably be a decades-long effort.
One key proposal is to create wildlife "corridors" that would let animals and plants move to new habitats.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Daniel M. Ashe said such routes could be made through easements and could total "much more than 1 million acres."
The plan does not provide an estimate of the cost."

3 Desktop Tools to Get the Most Out of Windows 8

WinCustomize: Articles : 3 Desktop Tools to Get the Most Out of Windows 8

Expect These Eight Steps From The Government’s Playbook | Zero Hedge

Expect These Eight Steps From The Government’s Playbook | Zero Hedge

  1. Direct confiscation

    As Cyprus showed us, bankrupt governments are quite happy to plunder people’s bank accounts, especially if it’s a wealthy minority.
    Aside from bank levies, though, this also includes things like seizing retirement accounts (Argentina), increases in civil asset forfeiture (United States), and gold criminalization.
  2. Taxes

    Just another form of confiscation, taxation plunders the hard work and talent of the citizenry. But thanks to decades of brainwashing, it’s more socially acceptable. We’ve come to regard taxes as a ‘necessary evil,’ not realizing that the country existed for decades, even centuries, without an income tax.
    Yet when bankrupt governments get desperate enough, they begin imposing new taxes… primarily WEALTH taxes (Argentina) or windfall profits taxes (United States in the 1970s).
  3. Inflation

    This is indirect confiscation– the slow, gradual plundering of people’s savings. Again, governments have been quite successful at inculcating a belief that inflation is also a necessary evil. They’re also adept at fooling people with phony inflation statistics.
  4. Capital Controls

    Governments can, do, and will restrict the free-flow of capital across borders. They’ll prevent you from moving your own money to a safer jurisdiction, forcing you to keep your hard earned savings at home where it can be plundered and devalued.
    We’re seeing this everywhere in the developed world… from withdrawal limits in Europe to cash-sniffing dogs at border checkpoints. And it certainly doesn’t help when everyone from the IMF to Nobel laureate Paul Krugman argue in favor of Capital Controls.
  5. Wage and Price controls

    When even the lowest common denominator in society realizes that prices are getting higher, governments step in and ‘fix’ things by imposing price controls.
    Occasionally this also includes wage controls… though wage increases tend to be vastly outpaced by price increases.
    Of course, as any basic economics textbook can illustrate, price controls never work and typically lead to shortages and massive misallocations.
  6. Wage and Price controls– on STEROIDS

    When the first round of price controls don’t work, the next step is to impose severe penalties for not abiding by the terms.
    In the days of Diocletian’s Edict on Prices in the 4th century AD, any Roman caught violating the price controls was put to death.
    In post-revolutionary France, shopkeepers who violated the “Law of Maximum” were fleeced of their private property… and a national spy system was put into place to enforce the measures.
  7. Increased regulation

    Despite being completely broke, governments will dramatically expand their ranks in a last desperate gasp to envelop the problem in sheer size.
    In the early 1920s, for example, the number of bureaucratic officials in the Weimar Republic increased 242%, even though the country was flat broke from its Great War reparation payments and hyperinflation episode.
    The increase in both regulations and government officials criminalizes and/or controls almost every aspect of our existence… from what we can/cannot put in our bodies to how we are allowed to raise our own children.
  8. War and National Emergency

    When all else fails, just invade another country. Pick a fight. Keep people distracted by work them into a frenzy over men in caves… or some completely irrelevant island.

Could The "Cyprus Fiasco" Occur In The United States?

Could The "Cyprus Fiasco" Occur In The United States? | Zero Hedge
 "Politics aside, the bottom line is that the Rubicon has been crossed, and deposits have now been forcefully confiscated in what Europe promises to be a standalone case.
What is certain, is that nobody will wait to find out how long it takes before Europe's class of increasingly more desperate and ill-meaning despots is found to be have lied once more (as it has about everything else since the start of the European crisis).
And while the mainstream media will be focused primarily on Europe in the coming days, as BCG and we have warned, the topic of "wealth taxation" is now front and center, and it stars not only Europe, but the US as well."

When Work Is Punished: The Tragedy Of America's Welfare State

When Work Is Punished: The Tragedy Of America's Welfare State | Zero Hedge:
"Exactly two years ago, some of the more politically biased progressive media outlets (who are quite adept at creating and taking down their own strawmen arguments, if not quite as adept at using an abacus, let alone a calculator) took offense at our article "In Entitlement America, The Head Of A Household Of Four Making Minimum Wage Has More Disposable Income Than A Family Making $60,000 A Year."
In it we merely explained what has become the painful reality in America: for increasingly more it is now more lucrative - in the form of actual disposable income - to sit, do nothing, and collect various welfare entitlements, than to work. "

Government Money

Sultan Knish: Government Money:
"Do you know of any company in America where for a mere few billion, you could become the CEO of a company whose shareholders would be forced to sit back and watch for four years while you run up trillion dollar deficits and parcel out billions to your friends?
Without going to jail or being marched out in handcuffs.
A company that will allow you to indulge yourself, travel anywhere at company expense, live the good life, and only work when you feel like it.
That will legally indemnify you against all shareholder lawsuits, while allowing you to dispose not only of their investments, but of their personal property in any way you see fit.
There is only one such company. 
It's called the United States Government. "

PBS’ follow up to Erin Brockovich left key details out

PBS’ follow up to Erin Brockovich left key details out | Ars Technica:
"But that approach—letting everyone have their say, without any critical evaluation—is part of the problem.
This is not a question of differing points of view, but one of carefully sifting the knowns and unknowns. Presenting opposing perspectives and leaving the viewer to decide is not the way to communicate science, and it doesn't excuse broadcasting misleading or incomplete information."

How the Maker of TurboTax Fought Free, Simple Tax Filing

How the Maker of TurboTax Fought Free, Simple Tax Filing - ProPublica:
"Imagine filing your income taxes in five minutes — and for free.
You'd open up a pre-filled return, see what the government thinks you owe, make any needed changes and be done.
The miserable annual IRS shuffle, gone.
It's already a reality in Denmark, Sweden and Spain.
The government-prepared return would estimate your taxes using information your employer and bank already send it.
Advocates say tens of millions of taxpayers could use such a system each year, saving them a collective $2 billion and 225 million hours in prep costs and time, according to one estimate."

Whitehall Township officials hear emotional appeals to keep Walmart out of northern Muskegon County (video)

Whitehall Township officials hear emotional appeals to keep Walmart out of northern Muskegon County (video) | MLive.com:
"In an emergency board meeting Sunday night, the chamber leadership voted 11-1 to oppose the Walmart plans.
“The White Lake chamber is here tonight to ask you to slow down, carefully review the impact of some short-term economic gain for your township vs. the devastation this will cause to local businesses throughout the White Lake area,” Zickel said.
“Significant loss of employment, boarded up storefronts, lost tax revenue and a severely crippled tourist industry” are in White Lake’s future with a Walmart, he claimed. “Tourists come here for the beauty of the area and the special business and retail climate that exists – not shop at Walmart."

Pro-Choice Liberalism

Never Yet Melted » Pro-Choice Liberalism

What same-sex "marriage" has done to Massachusetts

What same-sex "marriage" has done to Massachusetts - 2012:

Whitehall council member opposing Walmart: 'If we want a downtown, we have to fight for it'

Whitehall council member opposing Walmart: 'If we want a downtown, we have to fight for it' | MLive.com:
"The city council then voted to approve a resolution opposing Walmart's entrance into the small, close-knit community.
“I’m glad we did that so quickly,” Council member Tanya Cabala said.  “If we want a downtown, we have to fight for it.”"

Study: Health overhaul to raise claims cost an average 32 percent

Study: Health overhaul to raise claims cost an average 32 percent : page all - NorthJersey.com:
"Medical claims costs — the biggest driver of health insurance premiums — will jump an average 32 percent for Americans' individual policies under President Barack Obama's overhaul, according to a study by the nation's leading group of financial risk analysts."

The Prevailing Wage is now on Snyder's menu

The Prevailing Wage is now on Snyder's menu - Politics - The Detroit News:
"Michigan’s non-union, merit-shop construction companies are ready to do a great job for the taxpayers at a better price, and they’re not taking “no” for an answer.
The unions think all construction workers need to be paid 60 percent higher than the market rate, even though unions represent just 17 percent of the state’s construction workforce.
And construction is the only industry affected by the prevailing wage.
In a union stronghold like Michigan, politicians have historically been averse to taking on prevailing wage, despite the estimated $250 million per year in artificially-inflated wages paid out to union contractors by state and local governments.
Knowing it is often hard to get elected officials to do what’s best for job creators, the Association of Builders and Contractors of Michigan decided to first go after local communities that had local prevailing wage laws on the books."

Alameda County rewards boss: $400k…for life

Alameda County rewards boss: $400k…for life | Matier And Ross | an SFGate.com blog:
"Alameda County supervisors have really taken to heart the adage that government should run like a business — rewarding County Administrator Susan Muranishi with the Wall Street-like wage of $423,664 a year.
For the rest of her life.
According to county pay records, in addition to her $301,000 base salary, Muranishi receives:
– $24,000, plus change, in “equity pay’’ to guarantee that she makes at least 10 percent more than anyone else in the county.
– About $54,000 a year in “longevity” pay for having stayed with the county for more than 30 years.
– An annual performance bonus of $24,000.
– And another $9,000 a year for serving on the county’s three-member Surplus Property Authority, an ad hoc committee of the Board of Supervisors that oversees the sale of excess land.
Like other county executives, Muranishi also gets an $8,292-a-year car allowance."

Muskegon County port committee sets spring and summer timeline for work goals

Muskegon County port committee sets spring and summer timeline for work goals | MLive.com:
"Muskegon County’s staff is taking the lead on some of the work projects.
But committee members say it’s not just a county project. It involves the participation of municipalities in the area and businesses across the region.
“We intend for this to be a regional thing,” Sabo said.
Committee member Ben Cross said the Muskegon port has few, if any, competitors when it comes to businesses in West Michigan looking to ship through a deep water port.
“There’s no major ports.
We’re the largest from the (Mackinac ) Bridge to here,” Cross said.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Soaring Social Security disability rolls headed for collapse

National Editorial: Soaring Social Security disability rolls headed for collapse | WashingtonExaminer.com:
"In 2011, on average, one net person has been added to Social Security's Disability Insurance rolls (and 3.3 to its retirement program) for every five net new jobs created. 
.......The federal government now spends more on disability than food stamps and welfare combined. 
In 2009, DI began paying out more in benefits than it took in from payroll taxes. 
By 2016, it is set to run out of money."

The harsh reality of life in the UK without shale gas and with a misguided faith in green energy

The harsh reality of life in the UK without shale gas and with a misguided faith in green energy | AEIdeas:
"......in the UK — they’re having a gas crisis, with low reserves, chronic shortages, price spikes, and rising gas and electric utility bills, which along with unseasonably cold winter weather, is potentially forcing more than one-third of UK households to turn off their heat entirely. "

Confirmed: Majority of Illegal Immigrants Receive Government Welfare

Confirmed: Majority of Illegal Immigrants Receive Government Welfare | The Gateway Pundit

See who's undercutting GOP cries that Democrats are behind illegal voting in Michigan

Tim Skubick: See who's undercutting GOP cries that Democrats are behind illegal voting in Michigan | MLive.com:
"Are there some persons who are voting who should not be?
Yes, she observes. She sights a recent Pew Research Center study suggesting Michigan has more voters registered than there are citizens.
Or another federal analysis that shows 20 counties have more folks voting than reside in those counties."

Marriage and the Supreme Court

Review & Outlook: Marriage and the Supreme Court - WSJ.com

Liberals do not merely contend that laws based on sexual orientation lack any "rational basis." They also claim the only motivation for such laws is prejudice against gays. They therefore want the Court to designate homosexuals as a legally protected group like minorities or women and apply to Proposition 8 the highest levels of constitutional protection, called strict or heightened scrutiny.

Related Video

Editorial page editor Paul Gigot on why the evolving cultural debate over same-sex marriage is best settled democratically.
The Court has not used the equal protection clause to create a new category of people who need extra legal defenses in three decades, largely because doing so disrupts the ebb and flow of the ordinary political process. Such caution is prudent, especially here. Homosexuals are not disenfranchised like blacks in the mid-20th century, as the very progress of the gay rights movement shows.
Nine states and the District of Columbia now recognize same-sex marriages, up from zero less than a generation ago. Though the early states were ordered to do so by their courts, more recent gains came through legislatures, as in New York. Last year, proponents won three of three popular referenda in Maine, Maryland and Washington state. Through persuasion, gay marriage has come to enjoy a slight popular majority.

Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero proposes $112 million city budget, eliminates $5 million deficit with streetlight fees

Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero proposes $112 million city budget, eliminates $5 million deficit with streetlight fees | MLive.com:
"Under Bernero’s proposed budget, those fees would be assessed to BWL ratepayers on their monthly bills, an average cost of $46 per residential customer."

Grand Rapids lands on Forbes list of 15 U.S. cities with 'emerging downtowns'

Grand Rapids lands on Forbes list of 15 U.S. cities with 'emerging downtowns' | MLive.com:
"Although not competitively ranked, Grand Rapids joins cities like Denver, Des Moines, Detroit, Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Cleveland on the list of cities that are attracting reinvestment and population growth downtown."

Eagle death at Nevada wind farm brings federal scrutiny

Eagle death at Nevada wind farm brings federal scrutiny | Las Vegas Review-Journal:
"Even so, the wind farm could face a fine of up to $200,000 because it does not hold a federal “take” permit that would allow the incidental death of a golden or bald eagle."

GREAT way to enable Obama's ".....my plan, electricity costs would necessarily skyrocket...". scheme.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Have The Russians Already Quietly Withdrawn All Their Cash From Cyprus?

Have The Russians Already Quietly Withdrawn All Their Cash From Cyprus? | Zero Hedge:
 "As it turns out, these same oligrachs may have used the one week hiatus period of total chaos in the banking system to transfer the bulk of the cash they had deposited with one of the two main Cypriot banks, in the process making the whole punitive point of collapsing the Cyprus financial system entirely moot."

EyeOnMuskegon 3-24-13 VIDEO!

http://youtu.be/Nc8efZE4r3Y

Monaco Penthouse 'World's Most Expensive'

Monaco Penthouse 'World's Most Expensive':
"With private infinity pool and exclusive lobby, the apartment could apparently command an asking price of as much as £256m."

Gulp! The Quiz - NYTimes.com

Gulp! The Quiz - NYTimes.com: "6Which of these celebrities had a megacolon, a colon much larger in diameter than average?
Brian Wilson.
Elvis Presley.
Elvis Presley reportedly had a colon that was two to three times normal size. It is unclear what caused his megacolon, since they can form congenitally or be a side effect of taking certain medications or even some parasitic illnesses. One of the complications of having an extra large colon is constipation because the enlarged colon can’t efficiently push out waste. While there is much speculation about the reasons behind the Elvis’s death, it is possible that the superstar’s extra large colon played a role.
Marilyn Monroe.
John Lennon."

'via Blog this'

Sharpton & Barnicle Agree: Anti-Semitism Explains Opposition To Bloomberg On Gun Control

Sharpton & Barnicle Agree: Anti-Semitism Explains Opposition To Bloomberg On Gun Control | NewsBusters:
"If ever there were an expert on anti-Semitism in America, it could be Al Sharpton, he of Freddie's Fashion Mart and Crown Heights riot infamy.
The spectacle of Sharpton lamenting the supposed anti-Semitism of others was ironic, if not repulsive. "

FAA policy on electronics during flight to likely change before 2014

FAA policy on electronics during flight to likely change before 2014 | Ars Technica: "
"According to people who work with an industry working group that the Federal Aviation Administration set up last year to study the use of portable electronics on planes, the agency hopes to announce by the end of this year that it will relax the rules for reading devices during takeoff and landing," Bilton wrote."

Sunday, March 24, 2013

EyeOnMuskegon 3-24-2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrcwbns-WUA

WILSON: Obama's dangerous love of unions

WILSON: Obama's dangerous love of unions - Washington Times
These efforts reached a fever pitch during last year’s “December massacre,” when Barack Obama’s National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a flood of constitutionally dubious pro-union rulings targeting workers’ rights.

In one of these rulings – the Kent Hospital case – the NLRB effectively invalidated a 1988 Supreme Court ruling banning forced employee subsidization of their lobbying and political activities. The ruling also stripped away strict definitions of what constituted “lobbying and political activities” – effectively leaving these definitions at the unions’ discretion. Making matters worse, the Kent case held that unions no longer had to provide employees with a detailed accounting of these lobbying and political activities – creating a “perfect storm” for corruption.

In another case the NLRB overturned a 34-year precedent protecting witness statements obtained by employers during internal misconduct investigations – requiring that these confidential documents be turned over to the unions.

The board also overturned a 50-year precedent when it ruled employers must continue collecting dues even after the expiration of a collective bargaining agreement.

Muskegon-area violence: Additional manpower, task forces may be key to curbing crime

Muskegon-area violence: Additional manpower, task forces may be key to curbing crime | MLive.com:
"Gill also hopes to see another gun buyback program happen this spring or summer, as it was relatively successful in 2011.
The buyback, held at Corinthians Baptist Church at 2027 Peck St. in Muskegon Heights, invited residents of Muskegon and Muskegon Heights to turn in firearms for a monetary refund. Payouts ranged from $25 for nonworking handguns to $100 for assault weapons.
He said police will attempt to return the stolen guns to their owners.
But if they are unable to, those weapons will be melted down, along with the other guns turned in at the event, including several handguns, long guns and one assault rifle."

What it really costs when Walmart comes to town

What it really costs when Walmart comes to town | MNN - Mother Nature Network:
"The research, done by a Northwest community group, estimates that one Walmart store, which is set to open in a Washington neighborhood, will decrease the community's economic output over 20 years by an estimated $13 million.
It also estimates the Walmart will cost the community an additional $14 million in lost wages over the next 20 years. "

Walmart plan puts White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce in tight spot

Walmart plan puts White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce in tight spot | MLive.com: "On the other hand, it’s Walmart.
In thousands of small communities across America, the building of a new Walmart has dramatically changed the local retail scene, many times at the expense of small, local retailers.
Speaking on behalf of the White Lake chamber board of directors, Executive Director Amy VanLoon issued a prepared statement Thursday, selecting her words carefully and remaining noncommittal."

U.S. Sen. Carl Levin: Army Corps commits $19 million for Great Lakes Hurricane Sandy restoration

U.S. Sen. Carl Levin: Army Corps commits $19 million for Great Lakes Hurricane Sandy restoration | MLive.com:
"Levin, D-Mich., said in a release on March 20 that he had received a public commitment from the civilian head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that $19 million in Hurricane Sandy recovery funding will be available to repair the storm’s damage to Great Lakes harbors."
..Among the line items in the Hurricane Sandy funding, according to Levin’s office:
  • New Buffalo Harbor $270,000
  • Holland Harbor $200,000
  • Muskegon Harbor $200,000
  • Saugatuck Harbor $370,000
  • South Haven Harbor $355,000
  • St. Joseph Harbor $550,000

U.S. Will Pay $2 Million So Prison Inmates Can Teach Wild Horses to be 'Gentle'

U.S. Will Pay $2 Million So Prison Inmates Can Teach Wild Horses to be 'Gentle' | CNS News:
" The Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management will pay $2 million in taxpayer funds over five years so that prison inmates in Kansas can teach wild horses and burros to be "gentle."
The grant description reads: “This program provides funding for the rehabilitation and positive animal husbandry work experience for inmates by allowing the inmates to train and care for wild horses and burros and preparing the animals for adoption."

Outrage as Joe Biden's hotel tab runs up to more than 1MILLION for just TWO NIGHTS in London and Paris

Outrage as Joe Biden's hotel tab runs up to more than 1MILLION for just TWO NIGHTS in London and Paris | Mail Online:
"Vice President Joe Biden spent more than $1 million for two nights in hotels in London and Paris, according to government documents.
Biden and his hefty entourage spent the night at two five-star hotels in early February - one night at the Hyatt Regency London for a total of $459,338.65 and another night at the Hotel Intercontinental Paris Le Grand for $585,000.50."

Senate votes 53-46 to stop US from joining UN Arms Trade Treaty

Senate votes 53-46 to stop US from joining UN Arms Trade Treaty - The Hill's Floor Action

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Cyprus Depositor Haircut: 25% Off the Top for the Rich

The PJ Tatler » Cyprus Depositor Haircut: 25% Off the Top for the Rich:
"He confirmed discussions were centered on a possible levy of around 25 percent on holdings of over 100,000 euros at Bank of Cyprus, and expressed hope that a package could be ready by the end of the day for approval by parliament.
Cyprus faces a Monday deadline to clinch a bailout deal with the EU or the European Central Bank says it will cut off emergency cash to the island’s over-sized and stricken banks, spelling certain collapse and a potential exit from Europe’s single currency."

Rep. Levin: GOP 'extremism' halting budget process

Rep. Levin: GOP 'extremism' halting budget process - Washington Times:
"The top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee blames the budget impasse on a “radicalized” Republican Party that refuses to compromise.
“The distance [between the parties] has really widened dramatically, and it’s hard to know how to deal with [Republican] extremism,” Rep. Sander Levin of Michigan told MSNBC Friday.
“It doesn’t provide a basis for compromise.”
Mr. Levin said the level and productiveness of talks between Republicans and Democrats have never been worse during his 26 years on the powerful tax-writing panel.
“It’s really disturbing,” he said.
“The extremism that has captured the Republicans in the House I think creates a gap that I think is very difficult to bridge. [But] we have to try.”

Health Insurers Warn on Premiums

Health Insurers Warn on Premiums - WSJ.com:
"Health insurers are privately warning brokers that premiums for many individuals and small businesses could increase sharply next year because of the health-care overhaul law, with the nation's biggest firm projecting that rates could more than double for some consumers buying their own plans."

Senate passes Democratic budget plan

Senate passes Democratic budget plan | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:
"An exhausted Senate gave pre-dawn approval today to a Democratic $3.7 trillion budget for next year that embraces nearly $1 trillion in tax increases over the coming decade but shelters domestic programs targeted for cuts by House Republicans.
While their victory was by a razor-thin 50-49, the vote let Democrats tout their priorities.
.....The Democratic budget's $975 billion in new taxes would be matched by an equal amount of spending reductions coming chiefly from health programs, defense and reduced interest payments as deficits get smaller than previously anticipated.
This year's projected deficit of nearly $900 billion would fall to around $700 billion next year and bottom out near $400 billion in 2016 before trending upward again.
Shoehorned into the package is $100 billion for public works projects and other programs aimed at creating jobs."

Biden's One-Night Paris Hotel Tab: $585,000.50

Biden's One-Night Paris Hotel Tab: $585,000.50 | The Weekly Standard:
"As it turns out, Vice President Joe Biden's London stay in February was not the most expensive part of his trip. A government document released on February 14, 2013 shows that the contract for the Hotel Intercontinental Paris Le Grand came in at $585,000.50."

Motorcycle fatalities up 18% in 2012; total number of crashes down 4%

Motorcycle fatalities up 18% in 2012; total number of crashes down 4% - Michigan State Police | MLive.com: "Motorcycle fatalities in Michigan increased by 18 percent in 2012 while the total number of vehicle crashes decreased 4 percent, according to new traffic crash data released Monday by the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP).
The 129 motorcycle deaths are part of the an overall increase in fatalities caused by crashes. The total number of fatalities increased 5 percent over 2011, from 889 to 936."

Michigan police heighten drunk driving enforcement during NCAA tournament

Michigan police heighten drunk driving enforcement during NCAA tournament | MLive.com:
"More than 155 agencies will have officers assigned to 13,200 hours of overtime to patrol for people driving while intoxicated.
The enforcement, which is funded by federal traffic safety money, began on March 13 and will continue through the end of the tournament."

U.S. Rep. Justin Amash reveals 3-legged stool of immigration reform in letter supporting Sen. Rand Paul

U.S. Rep. Justin Amash reveals 3-legged stool of immigration reform in letter supporting Sen. Rand Paul | MLive.com: "
"three-legged stool of systemic immigration reform." The legs are:
Border security, both the physical border and the "virtual" border of visa enforcement;
Expanding legal immigration to focus on encouraged highly-skilled workers educated in the United States to stay in the United States, expanding opportunities for entrepreneurs and allowing for migrant workers to support agriculture and tourism;
Addressing immigrants who came to the United States "knowingly and illegally - in a way that is best for all Americans."
"This means protecting the rights of those who are seeking and continue to seek to come here legally.
But it also may mean providing a legal status, upon certain conditions and that may not include full rights of citizenship, to people who are currently here," the letter stated."

I-69 freeway signs to get $3 million upgrade in Genesee, Lapeer counties

I-69 freeway signs to get $3 million upgrade in Genesee, Lapeer counties | MLive.com:
"The state is spending $3 million to change signs along eastbound Interstate 69 in Genesee and Lapeer counties.
The Michigan Department of Transportation released a statement, announcing crews will be setting up traffic control starting Monday, March 25, to place the new signs on the freeway.
Shoulder closures will take place in east and west directions of I-69 and lane closures could be required, according to the statement.
Electronic message boards on Interstate 75 and I-69 are being used to inform motorists of the work that will take place."

Top Ten ObamaCare Horror Stories the Media Is Covering Up

Top Ten ObamaCare Horror Stories the Media Is Covering Up

Who'll Check the Checkers?

Best of the Web Today: Revenge of the Nerds - WSJ.com:
"If it's opened up to all prospective sellers of guns--that is, to everybody--what's to prevent someone from abusing it, say by requesting a background check on Greg Sargent, who presumably has no interest in acquiring a gun?
The system only gives a yes-or-no answer as to whether the putative buyer is eligible to own firearms under federal law.
But if you're looking to dig up dirt on someone, a "no" answer on a firearms background check would give you a nice clump of it."

Friday, March 22, 2013

Fan Base on Web Tips Scale to Fallon From Leno

Fan Base on Web Tips Scale to Fallon From Leno - WSJ.com:
"Messrs. Kimmel and Fallon also have built big social-media-followings.
Mr. Fallon has more than eight million followers on Twitter, for example, whereas Mr. Leno does not have a personal twitter account.
The Tonight Show's Twitter account has just over half a million followers."

Comcast Cable Bans All Firearm, Ammunition Advertisers

Comcast Cable Bans All Firearm, Ammunition Advertisers:
"This decision comes after Comcast has been running ads for some gun and hunting groups for decades."

Teacher pension problems catch lawmakers' attention

Teacher pension problems catch lawmakers' attention - latimes.com:
"The teachers pension fund had an unfunded liability of $73 billion as of June 2012, an increase from $64.5 billion the year before. "

FAU Student Claims He Was Suspended For Refusing To Step On Jesus

FAU Student Claims He Was Suspended For Refusing To Step On Jesus « CBS Miami:
"Rotella said he voiced his concerns to his teacher’s supervisor and later learned he was suspended from the class."

Pelosi: ‘I Don’t Want Anybody to Lose’ in March Madness Tourney

Pelosi: ‘I Don’t Want Anybody to Lose’ in March Madness Tourney - By Andrew Johnson - The Corner - National Review Online:
"Sports fans across the country have filled out their March Madness brackets.
But not Nancy Pelosi: She’s no fan of the whole winner-loser part of sports.
The NCAA tournament may be the pinnacle of collegiate athletic competition, but Pelosi told reporters today that though she is “March mad” and “addicted to basketball,” she doesn’t “want anybody to lose” and is “just rooting for everybody.”"

Nine Percent of Yale Students Surveyed Say They’ve Accepted Money for Sex

Nine Percent of Yale Students Surveyed Say They’ve Accepted Money for Sex:
"Nine percent of Yale University students who participated in a recent survey on sexual behavior reported having been paid for sex at least once.
Three percent said they had participated in bestiality, and more than half said they had “engaged in consensual pain” during sex."

Study: Michigan will need more college graduates to remedy skills shortage

Study: Michigan will need more college graduates to remedy skills shortage | Crain's Detroit Business: "Michigan businesses are facing a shortage of applicants with the right experience and skills, and the state faces long-term challenges to produce enough educated workers, according to a study to be released Thursday by Business Leaders for Michigan."

House approves budget bill that can lead to forgiveness of Katrina disaster loans

House approves budget bill that can lead to forgiveness of Katrina disaster loans | NOLA.com:
"The House gave final congressional approval Thursday (March 21) to a spending bill that could lead to forgiveness of outstanding federal disaster loans from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita for Metro New Orleans school districts, government offices and law enforcement agencies. 
Nearly, $500 million in loans are outstanding in Louisiana communities.
The bill passed 318-109."