Sunday, October 06, 2013

Families throw off the cones at Badlands National Park in South Dakota

View image on TwitterFamilies throw off the cones at Badlands National Park in South Dakota | Twitchy

Identify the "deciders", tar and feather!-Zeeland (MI) public school in outlaws tag, chasing, 'running in packs'

Zeeland public school in outlaws tag, chasing, 'running in packs':
"New Groningen kindergarten teachers in Grand Rapids, Michigan caused some consternation amongst parents recently with a letter they sent home that banned the game of tag and other chase-oriented games.

The letter described the problem of children, "running in packs, pushing, knocking other children over, and making the game dangerous," which as we recall, was half the fun of the game.

"We want our children to treat each other with respect, kindness, and with safety in mind," said Ginger Smith, community relationship manager for Zeeland Public Schools, on Friday, in an attempt to clarify the situation.
Apparently, neither the school nor the district have received any direct complaints from parents regarding the policy, but at least one did contact the media."

Cushest toilet seat award coming soon! Our tax dollars at work-Muskegon Area Intermediate School District snags second annual 'Breastfeeding-Friendly' award

Muskegon Area Intermediate School District snags second annual 'Breastfeeding-Friendly' award | MLive.com:
"MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI –Flexible scheduling, a relaxing lactation room and a supportive environment for nursing mothers recently won the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District Muskegon's second annual “Breastfeeding-Friendly Business of the Year” honor."

MSM amnesia or lack of Googling skills enabling Dems again!- Democrats have demanded conditions for debt-ceiling increases 21 times since 1979


Politics: FYI: Democrats have demanded conditions for debt-ceiling increases 21 times since 1979 | Best of Cain:

Why, those irresponsible Republicans, risking the full faith and credit of the United States by threatening not to raise the debt limit!
It's unheard of!
It's unprecedented!
It's beyond the pale, I tell ya!
Except for one thing: It's as common as the day is long. 
In fact, more than half of all the debt ceiling increases since 1979 came with conditions, and no party attached conditions more than the Democrats.
Writing today in the Wall Street Journal, Kevin Hassett and Abby McCloskey tell you what the mainstream media would have told you two years ago if it was not merely an Obama propaganda outfit:
Congressional Republicans who want legislative conditions in exchange for a debt-limit increase are following a strategy that has been pursued by both parties the majority of the time. Of the 53 increases in the debt limit, 26 were "clean"—that is, stand-alone, no strings-attached statutes. The remaining debt-limit increases were part of an omnibus package of other legislative bills or a continuing resolution. Other times, the limit was paired with reforms, only some of which were related to the budget.
In 1979, a Democratic Congress increased the debt limit but required Congress and the president to present balanced budgets for fiscal years 1981 and 1982. In 1980 the debt limit, again increased by a Democratic Congress, included repeal of an oil-import fee. In 1985, the debt limit that was raised by a divided Congress included a cigarette tax and a provision requiring Congress to pursue an alternative minimum corporate tax in the next year.

Charts of the day: Mean SAT math and critical reading test scores by ethnicity, 1992 to 2013

Charts of the day: Mean SAT math and critical reading test scores by ethnicity, 1992 to 2013 | AEIdeas

What if we all buy Chevy Volts? -Sir Bob Geldof: 'All humans will die before 2030'

Sir Bob Geldof: 'All humans will die before 2030' | Latest News | News | Daily Star. Simply The Best 7 Days A Week:
"The musician-turned-activist reckons the world will end in 2030 - leading to the extinction of humankind.
Sir Bob, 61, based his miserable prediction on the effects of climate change."

Saturday, October 05, 2013

Your money in the toilet-LITERALLY! Gov't to Erect $98,670 Outhouse

Open for Business: Gov't to Erect $98,670 Outhouse | CNS News:
"The Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently paid $98,670 for the purchase and installation of an outhouse at the Swede Park Trail Head in Alaska.

The purchase includes a single-vault Romtec 1011 "Aspen Single" prefabricated waterless toilet and its installation at the parking area for the trail head.

KJ Mushovic of the BLM tells CNSNews.com, “Almost half of it (contract expense) is for the cost of the toilet.”

The Oregon based company Romtec lists the "Aspen Single" model on its website for “as low as $9,999”, "

BUY NOW, before Moochelle and the burger nazis ban this gem-Forget home runs and pitching, the Detroit Tigers now sell a ballpark burger made from BACON

Forget home runs and pitching, the Detroit Tigers now sell a ballpark burger made from BACON | Crain's Detroit Business:
"Baseball, apple pie and … bacon?

The Detroit Tigers, who this season introduced $5 bacon-on-a-stick at Comerica Park, are rolling out another cured pig meat concession option for the playoffs.

This time, it's the 50/50 Burger. It's a patty made of 50 percent ground bacon and 50 percent ground beef, topped with an onion ring, strips of smoked bacon and barbecue sauce. "

Judge enables fiscal madness to continue-Detroit pension funds' 13th check OK'd by judge, but retirees shouldn't count the money yet

Detroit pension funds' 13th check OK'd by judge, but retirees shouldn't count the money yet | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:
"The extra benefits are cited as contributing to Detroit’s bankruptcy filing and to Orr’s contention that the two pensions are underfunded by $3.5 billion."

Media asks the tough questions-Obama shows grit! "OBAMA OPEN TO NAME CHANGE FOR WASHINGTON REDSKINS"

News from The Associated Press:
"OBAMA OPEN TO NAME CHANGE FOR WASHINGTON REDSKINS"
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama says he would "think about changing" the Washington Redskins' name if he owned the football team as he waded into the controversy involving a word many consider offensive to Native Americans.
Obama, in an interview with The Associated Press, said team names such as the Redskins offend "a sizable group of people." 

Do NOT cross Der Leader!-Rushmore blockage stirs anger in S.D.

Rushmore blockage stirs anger in S.D. | Argus Leader | argusleader.com:
"Blocking access to trails and programs at South Dakota’s most popular attraction was one thing, but state officials didn’t expect Congress’ budget stalemate to shut down a view of Mount Rushmore.

The National Park Service placed cones along highway viewing areas outside Mount Rushmore this week, barring visitors from pulling over and taking pictures of the famed monument."

Hey, let's try to find our own ObamaCare Navigator!

Health Insurance Marketplace: Please wait:
Yes, the BIG-guy's entire system has crashed but, no worries! 
We still have our Navigators..... right.
I've googled/Binged for an hour and can only find "Navigator jobs" links.
Is this the way our system will work when the system begins to work?

Here's what the leaders in our state have provided:
http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,4612,7-132-2943---,00.html



Not sure if this is true...but there are no surprises anymore.....Feds Try to Close the OCEAN Because of Shutdown

Feds Try to Close the OCEAN Because of Shutdown:
"Just before the weekend, the National Park Service informed charter boat captains in Florida that the Florida Bay was "closed" due to the shutdown.
Until government funding is restored, the fishing boats are prohibited from taking anglers into 1,100 square-miles of open ocean. 
Fishing is also prohibited at Biscayne National Park during the shutdown. "

We have hit the iceberg yet our "Captains" are arguing over when dessert will be served! U.S. Treasury Warns of What's to Come: "Catastrophic Effect... Could Last for More Than a Generation"

U.S. Treasury Warns of What's to Come: "Catastrophic Effect... Could Last for More Than a Generation"
While all the political hoopla in Congress will eventually lead to an agreement on raising the debt ceiling, the fact is that we are very quickly approaching our limit as a nation.
At some point our creditors are going to pull the plug. 
They understand that the $200 trillion in obligations we have will never be met. Countries like Russia, China, and even the private central banking conglomerates are positioning their chess pieces right now for when this day comes.
The end result is going to widespread financial and economy destruction, a meltdown of the U.S. dollar, and a collapse of our very way of life as tens of millions of Americans will be instantly impoverished.
Economic analyst John Williams has warned that when it does finally happen, we can fully expect disruptions to our food supplies and the normal flow of commerce.
Without the U.S. dollar as a viable mechanism of exchange, such a  scenario could very quickly lead to civil unrest, violence, and widespread looting. 
While most Americans may deny that the possibility exists, it’s exactly the scenario that U.S. Homeland Security experts and the Pentagon have been simulating for years.

The gaul of this little man to "punish" us! Army-Boston College, Navy-Air Force to play Saturday

Army-Boston College, Navy-Air Force to play Saturday - ESPN:
"Navy and Air Force received the go-ahead to play football because the game is not funded by the government. A sellout crowd is expected.
"We're just grateful that the Department of Defense is allowing us to move forward," Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk said. "

Heck, it worked for JFK-Dead people can sign up for health care in Kentucky

Dead people can sign up for health care in Kentucky | The Daily Caller:
 "Question 39 on the kynect: Kentucky’s Healthcare Connection printable application form for a single person health seeking either coverage or help paying costs, states:
“If you are filling out this application on behalf of a person who recently passed away, enter the deceased person’s date of death.”"

Big media exposes Obama pettiness..... NOT! Military keeps Camp David open, cuts NFL, baseball coverage to troops overseas

Military keeps Camp David open, cuts NFL, baseball coverage to troops overseas | WashingtonExaminer.com:
"President Obama has visited the Navy-run presidential retreat Camp David in central Maryland only 32 times, but it is being kept open during the government shutdown for his entertainment and security at the same time the Pentagon is cutting sports coverage to hundreds of thousands of troops around the world."

BarryCare enrolement portends end-of-medical-care-as-we-know-it-Most Obamacare enrollment applications flawed

Most Obamacare enrollment applications flawed:
"As few as 1 in 100 applications on the federal exchange contains enough information to enroll the applicant in a plan.......
"It is extraordinary that these systems weren't ready," said Sumit Nijhawan, CEO of Infogix, which handles data integrity issues for major insurers including WellPoint and Cigna, as well as multiple Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliates."

Friday, October 04, 2013

Swat Officer is Asked by School Not to Wear His Uniform and Gun When Picking Up His Daughter

Swat Officer is Asked by School Not to Wear His Uniform and Gun When Picking Up His Daughter:
"Entz Elementary School in Mesa, Arizona received some complaints about the armed officer having a gun.
So the principal of the school called him up and made a very audacious request, asking him to not wear his gun and uniform at school because it alarmed some of the parents."

Is Obama simply a less likable Homer Simpson? Glitch-ridden Obamacare website going down for maintenance over weekend

Glitch-ridden Obamacare website going down for maintenance over weekend - Yahoo News

If you love dogs......

Click and laugh and cry.......
9GAG - My dog - the paradox

Who Shut Down the Government?

Who Shut Down the Government? - Thomas Sowell - Page 1:
"The Senate chose not to vote to authorize that money to be spent, because it did not include money for ObamaCare.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says that he wants a "clean" bill from the House of Representatives, and some in the media keep repeating the word "clean" like a mantra.
But what is unclean about not giving Harry Reid everything he wants?

If Senator Reid and President Obama refuse to accept the money required to run the government, because it leaves out the money they want to run ObamaCare, that is their right. 
But that is also their responsibility."

Obama/Media/democrat/OFA posterboy tells lady, ex-governor to "suck on a turd".

The Media is Concealing the Extent of Chad Henderson's Partisanship

BarryKare makin' folks "go skinny" or "get skinny" or ...... whatever.....

Employers Offering ‘Skinny’ Health Plans to Avoid Obamacare Penalties | Heartlander Magazine:
"Contrary to the commonly held expectations that the new health care reform law would incease benefits, skinny health plans are now being pitched around the country by benefits advisers and insurance brokers. 
They cover minimal requirements such as preventive services, and often little else.
Some of the plans don't cover surgery, X-rays, or prenatal care, and others will be paired with limited packages to cover additional services, such as paying out $100 a day for a hospital visit.

This type of plan allows companies with low-wage workers to avoid the $2,000-per-worker penalty for failing to offer insurance coverage."

Detroit Still Sending Tax Notices 15 Years After Company Closed

Detroit Still Sending Tax Notices 15 Years After Company Closed [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:
"On the latest bill (pictured nearby), Bogaert wrote on the bill that she sent back to the city:
"We do not own this building and have not been there in more than 15 years."

Give your lib friends consternation!-Gun Family Car Decals

Gun Family Car Decals - Bing Images

What a coincidence: Single ObamaCare success story is … OFA volunteer

What a coincidence: Single ObamaCare success story is … OFA volunteer « Hot Air:
"Or would they? Rothman was convinced they would properly vet The Only Man In America With ObamaCare Exchange Insurance … at least until he wasn’t:

Chances are you will soon be hearing the name Chad Henderson and his heroic story of enrolling successfully in a health care exchange. His is a saga of hope and redemption.
If Chad can do it, maybe the millions of other healthy young people needed to sustain this program can too.

UPDATE: It turns out Henderson’s knowledge of OFA was not the result of his astuteness or political acumen. According to his LinkedIn profile, he is a current OFA volunteer.
Maybe those many media outlets who spoke with him will make note of this seemingly relevant fact.
OFA?
You mean Organizing for America, which spent the last year stuffing e-mail inboxes with an avalanche of missives about just how easy and wonderful ObamaCare would be? 
That OFA?"

Economics of fascism-can't happen here........right?

Economics of fascism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"an economy where the government exerts strong directive influence, and effectively controls production and allocation of resources.
In general, apart from the nationalizations of some industries, fascist economies were based on private property and private initiative, but these were contingent upon service to the state."

After Shutdown: Administration Gives $445,000,000 to Corporation for Public Broadcasting

After Shutdown: Administration Gives $445,000,000 to Corporation for Public Broadcasting | CNS News:
"On the first day of the “shutdown” of the federal government, when members of the U.S. Senate were going to the well of their house to point out that the shutdown would prevent the National Institutes of Health from starting clinical trials for cancer patients and others facing possibly terminal illnesses, the administration was giving $445,000,000 to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, according to the Daily Treasury Statement.

That means PBS NewsHour, National Public Radio and Sesame Street got a taxpayer subsidy during the shutdown, but not would-be cancer patients at the NIH."

Run-over Mass. biker has long criminal record

Run-over Mass. biker has long criminal record | Boston Herald
The Lawrence motor­cyclist struck and paralyzed as a desperate SUV driver tried to escape the rage of other bikers in New York on Sunday has a six-page criminal record that began at age 12 with a negligent driving charge and includes jail time for drugs, guns, resisting arrest and other convictions, according to court records.

Edwin Mieses, 32, never got a driver’s license in the Bay State, the Registry of Motor Vehicles said, but he was frequently nabbed behind the wheel, and even sentenced to jail for driving without a license, court records show. Mieses has a pending case out of Lawrence District Court for driving suspended, subsequent offense, said Carrie Kimball Monihan, spokeswoman for the Essex County District Attorney’s Office. Mieses also has 15 guilty findings for criminal offenses including distribution of cocaine, possession of a firearm without a permit, knowingly receiving stolen property, resisting arrest and several motor vehicle violations, court records show.

Mieses was sentenced to jail in 2004 for distribution of cocaine, in 2001 for operating without a license, in 2000 for possession of a firearm, and in 1999 for possession of marijuana, receiving stolen property, destruction of property and attaching plates, according to court records.

Six decades in Detroit: How abandonment, racial tensions and financial missteps bankrupted the city

Six decades in Detroit: How abandonment, racial tensions and financial missteps bankrupted the city | The Detroit News:
It was called a city of magic, and many believed the best was yet to come.
For a week in July 1951, Detroit put down its tools to reflect on its magnificence. 
The city that in four decades transformed from an unremarkable Midwestern community into a prosperous urban powerhouse was celebrating its 250th birthday.
A million people lined Woodward for a parade. 
A musical written for the occasion, “City of Freedom,” ran for 11 days. 
The city marked the anniversary by creating the Detroit Historical Museum and launching a fundraising drive for Cobo Hall.
“The magic of Detroit is the way it sprang apparently full grown, fully prepared, into a world-wide metropolitan eminence, virtually overnight, after two centuries of somnolent obscurity,” John C. Manning, editor of The Detroit Times, wrote in the anniversary’s program.

How much of America does Barry and his army have the ability to shut down?

Northern Light: Does the Federal Government actually own Land and control morals?:
"Expand your view to read how much land the Federal Government is holding in violation of the Constitution. The Federal Government has no authority to control land or morals.

Here is the defining in the Constitution to the extent the Federal Government Constitutionally is limited to: "

"The French Way" as prototype for US? Who’d a-thunk it?

Who’d a-thunk it? | AEIdeas:
"Incumbent businesses using the political process to thwart competition and raise prices for consumers?

Small independent book shops in France are complaining that Amazon’s practice of offering books at a discount with free shipping undermines their already struggling business.
Solution?
French lawmakers overwhelmingly passed a bill that will bar booksellers from offering five-percent discounts and free shipping at the same time — a move that appears aimed squarely at U.S. retail giant Amazon."

Trust in government "protection" or defend yourself...and the children....Michigan GOP lawmakers: Allow civilian Tasers in schools, day care centers, other 'gun-free zones'

Michigan GOP lawmakers: Allow civilian Tasers in schools, day care centers, other 'gun-free zones' | MLive.com:

The good die young.......

My Way News - Legendary Vietnam Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap dies:
"HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - Vo Nguyen Giap, the brilliant and ruthless self-taught general who drove the French out of Vietnam to free it from colonial rule and later forced the Americans to abandon their grueling effort to save the country from communism, has died.
At age 102, he was the last of Vietnam's old-guard revolutionaries"

Obamacare: Error 404

Obamacare: Error 404 | WashingtonExaminer.com:
The wave of computer glitches that has undermined the unveiling of Obamacare now has its own YouTube video, thanks to the Republican National Committee.
The RNC today released “Error 404,” which shows the frustration news organizations had signing on to the Obamacare site this week.
The RNC release said:
This week Democrats shut down the federal government, refusing to give Americans reprieve from the trainwreck that is Obamacare. The Republican National Committee (RNC) is highlighting the President’s rosy Rose Garden speech versus the reality that is error messages, “please wait” signs and elevator hold music. See the new video, “Error 404.”
“Democrats shut down the government amid disastrous headlines and with a majority of the country opposing Obamacare,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. “Obama knows he’s selling a lemon and giving big business a break from Obamacare, why not the rest of America?”

Error 404-Must see!

$175 premium for a young, healthy student? Thanks, Obamacare!

$175 premium for a young, healthy student? Thanks, Obamacare! | WashingtonExaminer.com:
"American media outlets were finally able to track down a mythical creature — a person who actually signed up for the Obamacare exchanges online.

But that person, Chad Henderson, admitted to the Washington Post that the premium for the plan he enrolled in was $175. Ouch! Wasn’t Obamacare supposed to lower premiums?

Henderson’s going to pay a $175 premium and he won’t even receive vision or dental insurance. He has contacts, so not having vision insurance is kind of a bum deal."

Tesla slips for a second day after Model S fire

Tesla slips for a second day after Model S fire | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:
"Tesla Motors fell for a second day after an Oct. 1 fire in one of its vehicles raised questions about the car’s safety, prompting the electric-car maker to issue a statement citing a collision as the cause."

Last call at 4 a.m.? Legislation would allow some Michigan bars, restaurants to serve alcohol later

Last call at 4 a.m.? Legislation would allow some Michigan bars, restaurants to serve alcohol later | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:
"If approved, businesses would have to purchase an after-hours permit for $10,000 each year.
That money would be distributed, with 85% to local police departments, 10% to the Liquor Control Commission and 5% to the local unit of government.

Sen. Virgil Smith, D-Detroit, who is sponsoring the bill"

He's Just Not That Clever

The American Spectator : He's Just Not That Clever:
"To paraphrase Freud*, sometimes incompetence is just incompetence."

Chrysler cuts Viper output amid slow sales, growing inventory

Chrysler cuts Viper output amid slow sales, growing inventory:
"Pricing for the 2014 model starts at $104,480, including destination, and each car comes with a "track day" of professional driving instruction included."

13 things to know about Detroit's '13th checks' for pensioners

13 things to know about Detroit's '13th checks' for pensioners | MLive.com:

30 Statistics About Americans Under The Age Of 30 That Will Blow Your Mind

30 Statistics About Americans Under The Age Of 30 That Will Blow Your Mind:
"Young adults as a group have been experiencing a tremendous amount of economic pain in recent years.
The following are 30 statistics about Americans under the age of 30 that will blow your mind...

#1 The labor force participation rate for men in the 18 to 24 year old age bracket is at an all-time low.

#2 The ratio of what men in the 18 to 29 year old age bracket are earning compared to the general population is at an all-time low.

#3 Only about a third of all adults in their early 20s are working a full-time job."
And it gets worse .....

Day 5-And the government lovers tell us we need MORE government?

Health Insurance Marketplace: Please wait:

Thursday, October 03, 2013

You're In A Fool's Paradise"

Jim Rogers Warns US Stock Investors "Be Careful... You're In A Fool's Paradise" | Zero Hedge:
"On The Limits Of Central Banks:

"This is the first time in recorded history that we have every major central bank in the world printing money, so the world is floating on an artificial sea of liquidity.

Well, the artificial sea is going to disappear someday, and when it does, the catastrophe will be even worse. 
Yes, it's coming,"

Jim Rogers Warns US Stock Investors "Be Careful... You're In A Fool's Paradise"

Jim Rogers Warns US Stock Investors "Be Careful... You're In A Fool's Paradise" | Zero Hedge:
"It is only a matter of time before the US stock market runs into devastating problems due to the Fed QE program", Jim Rogers warned during an interview on CNBC Singapore, adding that the prevalance of similar stimulative programs around the world merely exacerbates the probability and size of a fall.
His simple message to US investors - "Be Careful."

On US Equities:
"We may well have had a big, big rally in the U.S. stock market, but it's not based on reality.
I would encourage investors to know you're in a fool's paradise, be careful, and when people start singing praises, say, 'I've been to this party before, and I know know it's time to leave.'""

Scooter Store scammed $108m from U.S. taxpayers |

Scooter Store scammed $108m from U.S. taxpayers |:
"Doug and Susanna Harrison are the the ‘faces’ behind The Scooter Store.  They founded The Scooter Store and were personally responsible for its operations, policies and procedures – until they jumped ship in 2012. [...]

They spent years greasing the palms of politicians.  Through The Scooter Store, they gave $86,273 to federal politicians and were a top source of funds for 19 members of Congress. Since 2007, they have given $473,000 to politicians.

They also spent nearly $4 million on lobbying since 2004 trying to kill laws to curb waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.  [...]

After being charged with fraud, the company said it would only repay $20 million of the $88 million defrauded from Medicare.  They actually had the audacity to file a lawsuit against the government (really all of us as consumers) for not approving their claims."

SF Kindle owners don't care about naked women in stench-filled bathrooms

S.F. library's main branch bathrooms a mess - SFGate:
"From the women's bathroom on the first floor of the San Francisco Public Library's main branch came that ripe, familiar tang.

On this day, the stench came from one of the disabled-access stalls, where, through the cracks in the door, a cart heaped with belongings was visible.

Informed of the situation, custodian Richard Mathews asked, "Was she naked?"

He explained that his supervisor had recently emerged from the bathroom to report a "woman, buck naked, lying on the ground of one of the stalls, doing puzzles on the floor."

"We figured if she wasn't bothering anyone," Mathews said, "we would let her be.""

This is a pretty cool political poll.

iSideWith.com:

Another ethanol subsidy? Hamster eating corn like there is no tommorow

MSNBC Anchor Mockingly Asks GOP Congressman If He Has ‘Degree In Economics’… Turns Out He Does!

MSNBC Anchor Mockingly Asks GOP Congressman If He Has ‘Degree In Economics’… Turns Out He Does! | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"Brewer: We were looking at going–reverting a depression at that point. Everyone, the Fed Chairman–

Rep. Brooks: Well I disagree we were going into a depression, but go ahead.

Brewer: Do you have a degree in economics?

Rep. Brooks: Yes ma’am I do, highest honors.

Rep. Brooks official bio says that the Congressman graduated from Duke University in three years with a double major in political science and economics, with highest honors in economics. After Duke, Rep. Brooks graduated from the University of Alabama Law School in 1978.

Brewer’s question seems especially interesting considering that economics is a Top 10 major for undergrads. Brewer, who does not have a degree in economics, quickly realized her gaffe and responded on Facebook after the interview:"

Majority of citizens have little faith in media

Tim Skubick: Majority of citizens have little faith in media | MLive.com:
"“Media Bounces Back From All-Time Low,” the headline screamed.

Only the media could describe a 4 percent shift in the public’s attitude as a “bounce” on the question of confidence in the media’s accuracy. At best it was a blip. At worse it was within the margin of error and therefore meaningless.

Get this. Last year 40 percent said they trusted the media - which was an all time low. Now, as if by some miracle, the number “bounced” to 44 percent.

Pop the cork on the champagne bottles. The media is back.

What a total hoot."

Lesson for Detroit? California city struggles after avoiding pensions during bankruptcy

Lesson for Detroit? California city struggles after avoiding pensions during bankruptcy | MLive.com:
"DETROIT, MI - A California city that filed bankruptcy two years ago is back in financial trouble as pensions, which were left untouched, eat up revenue needed for municipal services.

Reuters reports that Vallego, Calif., which completed a bankruptcy filing in 2011, is facing a $5.2 million deficit this year and nearly $9 million next year. Experts say the city's inability to cut pension benefits - while cutting all other services - left it in a precarious position.

Vallejo's experience has implications for Detroit"

Obama: Transforming America

Obama: Transforming America | National Review Online:
“We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” — Barack Obama, October 30, 2008

“We are going to have to change our conversation; we’re going to have to change our traditions, our history; we’re going to have to move into a different place as a nation.” — Michelle Obama, May 14, 2008"

This is a good time to contact your congressman and offer your support

Keep standing tall, Bill!
Contact | Congressman Bill Huizenga:

Captain Capitalism: Democrats are the Real Uncle Toms

Captain Capitalism: Democrats are the Real Uncle Toms
"I don't know how else to get blacks to take the red pill they so desperately need.  Democrats, especially the likes of Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and most politicians are using you.  Don't you get it?  They are using you to make themselves rich while impoverishing you."

NAACP claim right of "black people" to bankrupt their city... if they want to.....

Detroit bankruptcy judge lets union seek opinion on 13th pension check | Crain's Detroit Business:
"Also at the hearing, the NAACP, the civil rights group, asked Rhodes for permission to pursue a voting rights lawsuit that challenges the Michigan law that allowed Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr to put the city into bankruptcy in July.

Before the bankruptcy, state NAACP officials filed a lawsuit that claims the emergency manager law violates the voting rights of black people in Detroit and several other local governments by stripping their elected officials of power."

Insurance Manager: ‘We Have Yet To Have Someone Successfully Register On The Marketplace’

Insurance Manager: ‘We Have Yet To Have Someone Successfully Register On The Marketplace’ « CBS DC:
"SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Overloaded websites and jammed phone lines frustrated consumers for a second day as they tried to sign up for health insurance under the nation’s historic health care overhaul.

That was putting pressure on the federal government and the states that are running their own insurance exchanges to fix the problems amid strong demand for the private insurance plans.

“I think I’m through with Hawaii Health Connector,” said Richard Gamberg, 61, of Honolulu, after tweeting messages to officials and complaining to state lawmakers on Wednesday. “They’ve got ads in the newspaper, they’ve got ads on the TV — it just flabbergasts me.”"

Making up numbers is haaarrrrd...........

California: So, Obamacare exchange traffic wasn’t actually 5 million; it was 700K « Hot Air:
" The federal health exchange reportedly had 2.8 million visitors, but wouldn’t release numbers for enrollment:

Some state run exchanges have released data on the number of people who have enrolled.
Twenty-four people had enrolled in the Connecticut exchange by noon Tuesday, while the one in Kentucky had processed nearly 1,000, according to USA Today.

“Certainly states can report what they want, these are state-based exchanges and some have reported early enrollment numbers.
We have just decided not to release that yet,” Tavenner said."

7:18 am-My new desktop photo!


Everyone gets a "13th month" pension check.....right.....

Detroit bankruptcy judge lets union seek opinion on 13th pension check | Crain's Detroit Business:
"U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes today agreed with the union that an administrative law judge should be free to issue an opinion about the so-called 13th-check policy, which the city said cost it $1.92 billion from 1985 to 2008."
At least, everyone will be able to contribute to a 13th month check.....

Answering phones and making websites work is too haaaarrrrd......

News from The Associated Press:
"Overloaded websites and jammed phone lines frustrated consumers for a second day as they tried to sign up for health insurance under the nation's historic health care overhaul."

IT’S COME TO THIS: Democrats Pay Union Members to Protest World War II Vets.

Instapundit » Blog Archive » IT’S COME TO THIS: Democrats Pay Union Members to Protest World War II Vets. 

You can’t make this stuff up: World War II veterans come to Washington to see their monument, and the Obama administration tries to block them by putting up barricades.
When that blunder starts getting media attention, the administration doubles down by paying union members $15 to march around, waving signs and protesting–as though that were a sure-fire way to generate sympathy for the nonessential federal employees who are getting the day off.
Is it possible that the Democrats could be snatching defeat from the jaws of victory?

And does that perhaps have something to do with Obama’s backing down on his vow not to talk with Congressional Republicans?
Obama has now invited Congressional leaders to the White House for talks on ending the spending impasse.

Their messaging hasn’t been especially great."

Wednesday, October 02, 2013

Seven stupid things the gov’t spent money on during shutdown

Seven stupid things the gov’t spent money on during shutdown | The Daily Caller:

Networks Embrace ‘Catastrophic’ Warnings of Latest IPCC Report

Networks Embrace ‘Catastrophic’ Warnings of Latest IPCC Report | Media Research Center:
"“Evening News” took a different tack, airing a story about oyster farming and complaints that climate change is ruining a man’s business.
But in Ben Tracy’s story, which mentioned the IPCC’s latest report, he said that oceans have absorbed much of the heat caused by CO2 and that ocean temperatures have risen only slightly.
Then he made a claim that Principal Research Scientist Dr. Roy Spencer of the University of Alabama in Huntsville called “totally misleading and irresponsible.”

“Had all that heat gone into the atmosphere, air temperatures could have risen by more than 200 degrees [showed 212 degrees onscreen],” Tracy warned.

Spencer told the MRC’s Business and Media Institute, “The oceans have warmed by an average of less than 0.1 deg. C (only the SURFACE by about 0.5 deg.) since the 1950s, and since that is so much water mass, the absorbed heat equivalent to 0.1 deg. IF RELEASED ALL AT ONCE IN THE ATMOSPHERE [it] would, indeed, be hundreds of degrees.
But this is physically impossible. 
It is a meaningless statistic. "

Tesla Model S fire stokes electric car fears

Tesla Model S fire stokes electric car fears | The Car Tech blog - CNET Reviews

Belgian killed by euthanasia after a botched sex change operation

Belgian killed by euthanasia after a botched sex change operation - Telegraph:
"Mr Verhelst had hormone therapy in 2009, followed by a mastectomy and surgery to construct a penis in 2012.
But "none of these operations worked as desired"."

Obama's ACORN Pals Cashing In on Obamacare Enrollment

The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Obama's ACORN Pals Cashing In on Obamacare Enrollment:
"President Obama’s old friends in the ACORN crime syndicate have decided to get a piece of the big-money Obamacare action.
United Labor Unions (ULU) Local 100 in New Orleans, which is run by ACORN founder Wade Rathke, announced on its Facebook page that it’s gearing up “to do mass enrollment and help navigate people into the marketplaces in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas under the Affordable Care Act!”
Be afraid."

Attacked by Muslims, Christianity is going extinct in Middle East

Attacked by Muslims, Christianity is going extinct in Middle East |:
"Two days ago, at least 42 students in Yobe State College of Agriculture in Nigeria were killed by yet another violent Islamic jihadist group, the Boko Haram. That’s just the latest news about Muslim jihadists which the mainstream media ain’t telling you.

The fact of the matter is that Muslims are persecuting and killing Christians across the world, especially in the Middle East — the birthplace of Christianity.

And yet, what we hear from Obama (who says he’s Christian), Pope Francis, Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby, Evangelical leaders, and U.S. Christians is . . . crickets."

H-1B Obamacare Illinois Bombshell | Adam Andrzejewski

H-1B Obamacare Illinois Bombshell | Adam Andrzejewski:
Billions of dollars of IT contracts are wrapped inside the implementation of Obamacare, with federal tax dollars paying up to 90 percent of the cost for upgrading state Medicaid Management Information Systems (MMIS).
These awards are some of the largest in state history.
Two weeks ago, Illinois Governor Patrick Quinn became national news for circumventing a three-year procurement process on up to $190 million in no-bid IT contracts
Last week, we found that one of the largest bid-contract awards outsources state jobs to H-1B contractors from India. 
The Democratic governor awards $71.4 million contract to an outsourcing firm billing up to $256,160 per year per position -- plus $200,000 taxpayer financed "slush fund" for travel.

Well, after 12 tries I got here but.......

....the little dropdown boxes don't work.
All my previous entries dropped.
The left and Barry Hussein are telling us this just like Apple.
With Barry as Steve.
I'm thinkin' not.

Tom Clancy Dead: Celebrated Thriller Author Dies At Age 66

Tom Clancy Dead: Celebrated Thriller Author Dies At Age 66 - Business Insider:
Dang!
First Vince Flynn.
Now Tom.
RIP sir.

How could they have "lots"? 10:19EST-Still waiting.......-Health Insurance Marketplace: Please wait

Health Insurance Marketplace: Please wait
How could the fine folks have "lots of visitors...." when no one can even get on the site?

Politichicks.tvRacists and Extremists and Teabaggers--Oh My!

Politichicks.tvRacists and Extremists and Teabaggers--Oh My! - Politichicks.tv
I remember the very first time in my life when I was called a racist. (Mind you, I am no spring chicken either.) 
It was in 2008 during campaign season when it became official that Barack Obama would face John McCain in the fight for the office of the President. 
I was having coffee with my friend Jackie who early on appeared to be leaning on the fence regarding which candidate would get her vote. Apparently she had listened to a few of Obama’s speeches and to my dismay, she was suddenly part of a movement that would sweep the nation and elect then-Senator Barack Obama as president. 
She knew nothing about him, couldn’t name one of his accomplishments and had no knowledge of his voting record during the short time that he was in office. 
Her only defense was that she “liked what he said” and that she was tired of the “rich” Republicans and their “disregard for the poor”. 
I remember asking her what she knew of him and what experience he may have had that would qualify him for the job. 
It seemed that the more I pressed her, the more defensive she became. 
I reminded her that Hitler gave good speeches and history will tell you what happens when you follow a man who only tells you what you want to hear. 
Unfortunately, that must have been the straw that broke the camel’s back because the next words out of my friend’s mouth were accusations that I was a racist, merely because I didn’t like her candidate! 

You Really Ought to Go Home

NSA soon to run our schools?-Utah parents charged with vetting Common Core tests being sworn to secrecy

Utah parents charged with vetting Common Core tests being sworn to secrecy - EAGnews.org powered by Education Action Group Foundation, Inc.:
"SALT LAKE CITY – Leave it to government bureaucrats to think that government transparency efforts should somehow be shrouded in secrecy.
That’s exactly what’s happening in Utah, where state education officials are asking members of a parent review committee tasked with scrutinizing the new Common Core-aligned standardized tests “to sign a nondisclosure agreement that could muzzle them from discussing the test questions with other parents,” reports The Salt Lake Tribune."

The wait.......Health Insurance Marketplace: Please wait

Health Insurance Marketplace: Please wait:

Wait, there's more!

NOT!-Open for business: Michigan's health insurance exchange

Open for business: Michigan's health insurance exchange | Crain's Detroit Business:
"Without further adieu, click here to begin the online health insurance application process that federal officials say will only take about 30 minutes to complete."
And federal officials NEVER lie......
Think about it.
Old people aren't calling-Medicare
Poor people aren't using their Obamaphones-Medicaid
Veterans got VA
The employed got employer insurance.
How many are left that need to call on the first two days? 
And this simple website never even got started.
Wait til they try to replace your hip, kidney, treat your kid for cancer.....
Just wait........ 

Must have been a bunch of insomniacs calling all night-7:45AM EST :Health Insurance Marketplace: Please wait

Health Insurance Marketplace: Please wait:

MSNBC 'journalist' tries in vain to sign up for Obamacare - hilarity ensues

Politics: MSNBC 'journalist' tries in vain to sign up for Obamacare - hilarity ensues | Best of Cain:
"So, MSNBC anchor and journalist, Mara Schiavocampo, was told to get on the exchange website and explain just how simple signing up for the new system is.

...then it crashed.

...then she called the help line, where she couldn't get any help.

...then she was trapped in voice-mail hell.

...then she spent a half hour on hold.

....then she got frustrated and gave up.

"At this point," Schiavocampo said, "I'm going to hang up and call it a day. If I were signing up for myself, this is where my patience would be exhausted.""

Movin’ on out… of Illinois

Champion News | Movin’ on out… of Illinois:
"For Illinois, the share of outbound moves in total shipments has consistently been above 50 percent, meaning more households are moving out of state than into the state.
Since 2006, that outbound shipments percentage has trended higher, and in 2011, Illinois “led” the nation on this metric, ranking as the No. 1 state.
It slipped to No. 2 in 2012, barely trailing New Jersey (coincidentally, another state with pressing government fiscal strains).
The accelerating outmigration from Illinois isn’t just a Midwest-to-Sunbelt issue.  
For example, chart here shows how Indiana has seen significant improvement since 2009 – in part as outmigration from Illinois has included moves to Indiana."

The "Greatest Generation" and then there are these guys....WWII veterans storm D.C. memorial closed by government shutdown

WWII veterans storm D.C. memorial closed by government shutdown - News - Stripes:
"WASHINGTON — Wheelchair-bound elderly veterans pushed aside barricades to tour the World War II Memorial Tuesday morning, in defiance of the government shutdown which closed all of the memorials in the nation’s capital.

The four bus loads of veterans — visiting from Mississippi as part of a once-in-a-lifetime Honor Flight tour — ignored National Park Police instructions not to enter the site as lawmakers and tourists cheered them on.

“We didn’t come this far not to get in,” one veteran proclaimed.

The scene was both emotional and comical at once.
After it was clear they had lost control of the situation, Park Police officials stood aside, telling press that they had “asked for guidance on how to respond” to the breach of security."

WWII Vets Knock Over Shutdown Barrier to Visit Memorial

WWII Vets Knock Over Shutdown Barrier to Visit Memorial | Washington Free Beacon:
 "A group of World War II veterans in an Honor Flight group Tuesday knocked over barriers imposed during the government shutdown at the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C., to get inside.

Why The Federal Government Wants To Redefine The Word 'Cancer'

Why The Federal Government Wants To Redefine The Word 'Cancer' - Forbes:
"The federal government wants to reduce the number of Americans diagnosed each year with cancer.
But not by better preventive care or healthier living.
Instead, the government wants to redefinethe term “cancer” so that fewer conditions qualify as a true cancer. 
What does this mean for ordinary Americans — and should we be concerned?

Tuesday, October 01, 2013

EPA official who faked CIA ties takes the Fifth -Keeps pension

EPA official who faked CIA ties takes the Fifth - Erica Martinson - POLITICO.com:
"The former senior EPA adviser who stole $900,000 from taxpayers while posing as a CIA agent pleaded the Fifth on Tuesday morning — shortly before House members expressed outrage upon learning that he’s still due to get his government pension."

Doh!....Search | HealthCare.gov

Well, the Obamacare checkin system is down so I tried the helpful "search" function......
I have Dupuytren's disease.
Had 14 hand surgeries.
Got some serious gimp-fingers.
I guess I'm gonna need a bigger healthcare plan......

Search | HealthCare.gov














Yerrrrr OUT!-First day batting average for online Obamacare applications

First day batting average for online Obamacare applications: .000 - Health Exchange - MarketWatch: "President Barack Obama was right when he said there would be a few glitches when signups for the Affordable Care Act began on Tuesday — there were at least 51 of them.

A quick check of all the state Web sites where exchanges have been set up — plus the HealthCare.gov site that will service three-fourths of the country — shows that it was virtually impossible to sign up on the first day."

Health Insurance Marketplace: Please wait

Health Insurance Marketplace: Please wait

Even computers on furlough-Dept. of Ed Shuts Down Web Site. Common Core Hearing Tomorrow

Dept. of Ed Shuts Down Web Site. Common Core Hearing Tomorrow:
"The Michigan Department of Education's website is expected to go dark today because the Legislature has failed to act on allowing the department to spend money to implement the Common Core State Standards, which are integrated throughout the site.

In a memo that went out to school administrators statewide Monday, MDE officials said the site -www.michigan.gov/mde - has to be taken down....

...."If we cannot expend funds on any information, or support and assistance to local schools, then we have to scrub our entire website and restore pages as they are deemed fit," State Superintendent Mike Flanagan said in the Monday memo."

Commander-in-chief cancels football games tellin' us who's boss-BIG TIME

Government shutdown threatens cancellation of college football games involving service academies - ESPN:
"Two college football games on Saturday -- Air Force at Navy and Army at Boston College -- are in danger of being canceled due to the government shutdown caused when Congress did not pass a spending bill to fund the government.
The Department of Defense announced Tuesday that it has temporarily suspended all sports contests at the nation's service academies due to the impasse, which put 800,000 federal workers on furlough."

Trees petrified! US Forest Services non-essential services reduced!

See how the Muskegon area is being affected by federal government shutdown | MLive.com:
"“Due to the lapse in federal government funding, the U.S. Forest Service, as with other federal agencies, is closed with the exception of certain essential services,” the forests' staff wrote in a statement on the forests' website."

Too broke to fix roads, help kids in Detroit but lots of moolah for the rich counties-Michigan budget extends dental care to 64,000 kids

Michigan budget extends dental care to 64,000 kids | Crain's Detroit Business:
"LANSING — About half of Michigan's Medicaid-eligible children and young adults now qualify for dental coverage.

An additional 64,000 kids in Ingham, Ottawa and Washtenaw counties are included in the Healthy Kids Dental program in the state budget that took effect today.

The program is available to a half-million enrollees under age 21 in 78 of Michigan's 83 counties.
It remains unavailable to nearly a half-million poor kids in heavily populated Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Kent and Kalamazoo counties."

Black-hole eruption nearby is a warning for us all

Black-hole eruption nearby is a warning for us all - opinion - 30 September 2013 - New Scientist
We might take it as further evidence of the precariousness of our existence: how the universe teems with threats, some still unsuspected, that might wipe us out in an instant. 
Had our planet orbited a star closer to the Milky Way's black hole, it would have been bathed in radiation – probably killing off our ancestors.

Fraud firm gets OK to sign people up for ObamaCare

Fraud firm gets OK to sign people up for ObamaCare | New York Post:
"Rampant fraud on a New York City contract last year didn’t stop a major nonprofit from landing a slew of federal contracts to sign people up for ObamaCare.
Seedco, a New York-based community-development organization, was sued by the federal government for faking at least 1,400 of 6,500 job placements under a $22.2 million federally funded contract with the city.
Eighteen months later, the feds and Seedco are teaming up again, this time to help medical-insurance seekers maneuver through the maze that is the Affordable Health Care Act."

The answer-It ain't our money....Government shutdown won't be felt in Detroit -- as long as it ends quickly...

Government shutdown won't be felt in Detroit -- as long as it ends quickly, state says | Crain's Detroit Business:
"But if it drags on longer there will no doubt be ramifications as more than 40 percent of the state's roughly $50 billion budget is made up of federal funding."

The religion of "peace"........Arifa Bibi Stoned To Death in Pakistan for Possessing a Cell Phone

Arifa Bibi Stoned To Death in Pakistan for Possessing a Cell Phone:
"“Stoning is a cruel and hideous punishment,” said Shameem.
“It is a form of torturing someone to death.
It is one of the most brutal forms of violence perpetrated against women in order to control and punish their sexuality and basic freedoms.”"

Dallas Acquires MRAP Armored Vehicle As Militarization Of Police Continues

Dallas Acquires MRAP Armored Vehicle As Militarization Of Police Continues - Investors.com:
"In early August, a SWAT team broke through the gates of a 3.5-acre farm in Arlington, Texas, that promotes a sustainable lifestyle and did a 10-hour search of the property. Residents were handcuffed and held at gunpoint as police looked for nonexistent marijuana plants and various city code violations.

As the owners watched, 10 tons of their private property was hauled off in trucks — dangerous items such as blackberry bushes, okra, tomatillo plants, native grasses and sunflowers that provided food and bedding for animals, everything from furniture to compost.

The city said the code citations were issued to the farm after complaints by neighbors "concerned that the conditions" at the farm "interfere with the useful enjoyment of their properties and are detrimental to property values and community appearance."

Do they not understand we're BROKE?!!!!

Tax increase for Muskegon County-wide school technology likely on February ballot | MLive.com:
"The February date was chosen so as not to interfere with a millage request from Muskegon Community College, Sipka said.
The college is asking voters on Nov. 5 to approve $24 million in improvements, which will include some sort of a presence in downtown Muskegon."

For Well Connected Cronies Only...

90 Miles From Tyranny : For Well Connected Cronies Only...: