Monday, October 31, 2011

Skeptic finds he now agrees global warming is real

My Way News - Skeptic finds he now agrees global warming is real
What's different, and why everyone from opinion columnists to "The Daily Show" is paying attention is who is behind the study.
One-quarter of the $600,000 to do the research came from the Charles Koch Foundation, whose founder is a major funder of skeptic groups and the tea party.
The Koch brothers, Charles and David, run a large privately held company involved in oil and other industries, producing sizable greenhouse gas emissions.

The very angry first lady Michelle Obama

CURL: The very angry first lady Michelle Obama - Washington Times
Mad Michelle this week popped down to Davis Island, Fla., to hobnob with the very people her husband despises - the 1 percent.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Occupy DC to secede from the United States? [VIDEO] |

Occupy DC to secede from the United States? [VIDEO] The Daily Caller
The Daily Caller visited the Occupy DC encampment on Friday and interviewed union organizer Anthony Sluder.
While Sluder appeared to be in charge, he preferred to describe himself as “the one who is informed to inform you.”
Check out what Sluder told TheDC about the “occupiers” and their plan to — you heard it right — secede.

GOLDMAN: Stop Kidding Yourself, The Economy Is Weak And Got Worse In October

GOLDMAN: Stop Kidding Yourself, The Economy Is Weak And Got Worse In October
Remember, this past week, Q3 GDP came in at 2.5%, nearly double the pace of the previous quarter.
And the stock market has rebounded sharply thanks to a surprise string of stronger-than-expected economic data.
But don't get too excited.

From Goldman's Shuyan Wu
"The GSAI fell 0.9 points from 43.3 in September to 42.4 in October.
This is the third straight decline since July, and the second straight month that the headline index has registered below the 50 mark (a sub-50 reading implies that more analysts see contraction in their sectors than expansion)".

Obama clarified what liberalism is

Obama clarified what liberalism is « Don Surber
Obama accepted a whopping $750 million in campaign contributions — a half billion of the money coming from large donors, including the two richest men in America.
That was double the money Republican John McCain collected

GHEI: Europe accepts the inevitable

GHEI: Europe accepts the inevitable - Washington Times
The official European Council statement released Thursday said the deal will result in a “nominal discount of 50 percent on notional Greek debt held by private investors.”
That’s a fancy way to describe what amounts to an orderly default.

Friday, October 28, 2011

It's a Dog's Life (Funny Pics)

Dark Roasted Blend: It's a Dog's Life (Funny Pics)

11 Charged in L.I.R.R. Disability Scheme

11 Charged in L.I.R.R. Disability Scheme - NYTimes.com
Ten of the defendants were taken into custody early Thursday at their homes by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and state investigators, officials said.
They included seven former railroad workers, including a former union president;

Pensions 101: Your one-stop guide to the crisis in Rhode Island

Pensions 101: Your one-stop guide to the crisis in Rhode Island WPRI.com

Four Reasons Keynesians Keep Getting It Wrong

Allan H. Meltzer: Four Reasons Keynesians Keep Getting It Wrong - WSJ.com
Why is the economic response to increased government spending so different from the response predicted by Keynesian models?
What is missing from the models that makes their forecasts so inaccurate?
Those should be the questions asked by both proponents and opponents of more government spending.
Allow me to suggest four major omissions from Keynesian models:

Thursday, October 27, 2011

The Coalition Of The Swilling

The Coalition Of The Swilling » The NewsHour Hits a MUST-SEE Homerun With This Interview

Bill Ayers Wows Adoring Audience at OccupyChicago

» Bill Ayers Wows Adoring Audience at #OccupyChicago - Big Government
Bill Ayers – the one-time domestic terrorist and leader of the Weather Underground, the self-proclaimed author of Barack Obama’s “Dreams of My Father,” the university professor now living on a government-provided pension – wowed the #OccupyChicago crowd last week.

66% Oppose Forgiveness of Student Loans

66% Oppose Forgiveness of Student Loans - Rasmussen Reports™
One of the loudest demands by the Occupy Wall Street protesters is for forgiveness of the nearly $1 trillion worth of student loans, but Americans strongly oppose forgiving that debt.
Even as President Obama talks about easing the burden on those with student loans, in fact, Americans are more inclined to think the government should help those who haven’t gone to college instead.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 21% of American Adults think the federal government should forgive the nearly $1 trillion in loans it made or guaranteed to help students pay for a college education.
Sixty-six percent (66%) oppose the forgiveness of all student loans.Thirteen percent (13%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The corruption you see, the doomsday you don't

The corruption you see, the doomsday you don't - chicagotribune.com
Yes, we're talking here in part — but only in part — about the galling expose that began on the front page of Sunday's Tribune under the maddening headline, "Sub for a day, teacher pension for life":

Two lobbyists with no prior teaching experience were allowed to count their years as union employees toward a state teacher pension once they served a single day of subbing in 2007 …
Over the course of their lifetimes, both men stand to receive more than a million dollars each from a state pension fund that has less than half of the assets it needs to cover promises made to tens of thousands of public school teachers. …
The revelation that one day of substitute teaching allowed officials from a state teachers union to tap into an ailing public pension fund is yet another example of how the Illinois pension system has been manipulated for political purposes and personal gain.

Political purposes and personal gain.
Hmm.

10 States With The Highest Debt Per Person

10 States With The Highest Debt Per Person: Report
The total of U.S. state debt, including pension liabilities, could surpass $4 trillion, with California owing the most and Vermont owing the least, according to an analysis released on Monday.
The nonprofit State Budget Solutions combined states' major debt and future liabilities, primarily for pensions and employee healthcare, unemployment insurance loans, outstanding bonds and projected fiscal 2011 budget gaps.
It found that in total, states are in debt for $4.2 trillion

Repeat criminals to face mandatory life sentences

Repeat criminals to face mandatory life sentences Mail Online
Repeat criminals convicted of a second serious offence will face a mandatory life sentence, under new ‘two-strikes’ rules.
Life terms will automatically go to anyone twice given jail terms of ten years or more for crimes such as rape, child abuse, serious GBH and terrorism offences.
They will also apply to the crime of ‘causing or allowing the death of a child’ - the offence for which Baby Peter’s mother and boyfriend were jailed.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Europe Doesn’t Want To Pony Up More Cash, Seeks U.S.-Led IMF Rescue

Europe Doesn’t Want To Pony Up More Cash, Seeks U.S.-Led IMF Rescue
In other words, Europe wants the U.S., China and the Mideast to come to its rescue without Germany, France or other “rich” euro zone members ponying up more cash.

Failed Democrat Pol Sues Critics Over Election Loss

Failed Democrat Pol Sues Critics Over Election Loss - Peter Roff (usnews.com)
Amazingly, rather than laugh the suit out of court U.S. District Court judge Timothy S. Black, an Obama appointee, is allowing it to go forward.

Monday, October 24, 2011

John Who? - WSJ.com

John Who? - WSJ.com
The best detail is this: "The librarians have eschewed the Dewey Decimal System, concerned by historical accounts that portray Melvil Dewey, its inventor, as a racist and misogynist."

Flash mob at Copenhagen Central Station. Copenhagen Phil playing Ravel's...

Sunday, October 23, 2011

iowahawk: Together, I Shall Ride You To Victory

iowahawk: Together, I Shall Ride You To Victory
Who, you may ask, is T. Coddington Van Voorhees VII?
Simply put, a man born to the conservative saddle.
The only scion of the legendary swashbuckling conservative editor / author / bon vivant T. Coddington Van Voorhees VI, I have since my earliest days honed a conservatism forged in the fires of intellectual combat, stoked by the bellows of classic education, and tempered in the cooling waters of good breeding.

Wisconsin vs Michigan State 10/22/11 Kirk Cousins Last Second Touchdown HQ

For Rhode Island, the Pension Crisis Is Now

For Rhode Island, the Pension Crisis Is Now - NYTimes.com
ON the night of Sept. 8, Gina M. Raimondo, a financier by trade, rolled up here with news no one wanted to hear: Rhode Island, she declared, was going broke.

Flashback: Obama’s Failed Stimulus Cost More than 9 Year Iraq War

Flashback: Obama’s Failed Stimulus Cost More than 9 Year Iraq War The Gateway Pundit
As the War in Iraq winds down remember…
The entire cost of the Iraq War was less than Barack Obama’s failed stimulus bill.
Nice work, champ!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Fraud case leaves California Democrats scrambling

Fraud case leaves California Democrats scrambling Reuters
Stunning accusations that a top California Democratic campaign treasurer looted the war chests of her big-name clients have left candidates across the state scrambling to raise more money as election season looms.
Kinde Durkee, who controlled the funds of roughly 400 candidates and groups, ranging from Senator Dianne Feinstein to local Democratic youth clubs, was arrested in September and charged with fraud.

What Explains the Left's Affinity for OWS and Abhorrence of the Tea Party?

Articles: What Explains the Left's Affinity for OWS and Abhorrence of the Tea Party?

50 Things I Learned From The Movies

50 Things I Learned From The Movies
3. The ventilation system of any building is the perfect hiding place.
No one will ever think of looking for you in there, and you can travel to any other part of the building you want without difficulty.

Why Publish the Marco Rubio Story?

Why Publish the Marco Rubio Story? « Commentary Magazine
I just want to offer a few thoughts, based on years working in newsrooms, of how a piece like Roig-Franzia’s comes to be and why it is usually published even when it fails to make its own case.

DOJ Finds A Cause

DOJ Finds A Cause - WSJ.com
: In the end it couldn't have come as any great shock when the Department of Justice intervened on behalf of a Muslim school teacher who claimed that the board of her Illinois school district was guilty of religious bias.
Nor could it have come as any surprise that the Board of Education, Berkeley School District 87 Cook Country Illinois, was finally forced to settle the case brought against it by the DOJ.
Still, even Americans accustomed to the relentless -- more precisely the relentlessly selective -- political correctness of the Obama Justice Department had to have been startled at the facts of this case and the deranged notions of equity that had impelled Eric Holder's DOJ to go rushing into battle against the school district.

Biden 2016? VP Says "I'll Make Up My Mind On That Later"

Biden 2016? VP Says "I'll Make Up My Mind On That Later" RealClearPolitics
"I'll make up my mind on that later," Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview with CNN's Candy Crowley.
"I'm in one of the, probably the best shape I've been in in my life"

Friday, October 21, 2011

Punishment on Loan from Rush

Punishment on Loan from Rush Heartlander Magazine
A Texas woman says she was subjected to cruel and unusual punishment after her arrest by being forced to listen to talk-show host Rush Limbaugh in the squad car.

What a strange country we live in.

Jimmy O'Bama

Thursday, October 20, 2011

THE FISKER KARMA: Solyndra On Wheels?

Instapundit » Blog Archive

THE FISKER KARMA: Solyndra On Wheels?
“Our tax dollars at work… a half-billion dollar loan (actually $529 million) from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a hybrid toy for the wealthy and/or celebri-licious (like Leonardo DiCaprio, one of the first customers) that, in real world driving, won’t get much better mileage than your average crossover utility vehicle.
Not only that, but the cars are manufactured in Finland — that’s right, Finland – and shipped here for sale, where their purchasers will then receive a $7,500 tax credit for buying one . . . .
Oh, and by the way, it just so happens that several major investors in the company are also major donors to the Democratic Party.
Can you say, ‘crony capitalism?’”

At least it’s really good looking

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

SF plan would offer tax break for hiring felons

SF plan would offer tax break for hiring felons
San Francisco businesses that hire people with felony convictions would get a tax break, under legislation expected to be introduced today.

Toby Keith is never one to mince words in songs

Toby Keith is never one to mince words in songs Reuters
"When I decided to go out on my own in 2004 with Show Dog/Universal, people asked me 'What makes you think you can run a label?'
I told them, 'Because I've seen the people who do it and I'd put a bullet in my mug if I couldn't do as good a job as they do!
And here we are, six years later, still kicking and rocking."

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Should Illinois taxpayers care that state pension funds face imminent bankruptcy?

Should Illinois taxpayers care that state pension funds face imminent bankruptcy? - chicagotribune.com
Illinois' biggest problem is the state budget; the budget's biggest problem is the plush pensions for public employees; lavish pensions are a problem because of a constitutional clause that bans the "diminishment or impairment" of their benefits.
How did we get into this mess?

Articles: Obama: 1, Informed Public: 0

Articles: Obama: 1, Informed Public: 0
I've been worried about this for some time: the government would start either manipulating the data or hiding it altogether.
Eliminating the Abstract is not just a matter of crimping the mirth of data hobbyists like me; it is ominous.

It is hiding the truth.
It is Soviet-like.
It is a short step from airbrushing people out of photos.
The Abstract has been around for 133 years, or about a century longer than the Department of Education has.

Publishing: Amazon Signs Up Authors, Writing Publishers Out of Deal

Publishing: Amazon Signs Up Authors, Writing Publishers Out of Deal - CNBC
Several large publishers declined to speak on the record about Amazon’s efforts.
“Publishers are terrified and don’t know what to do,”

I must admit, after reading a few books on my Kindle, I just don't like the size, weight and hassle of "books".

Monday, October 17, 2011

BREAKING: An IPCC backchannel ‘cloud’ was apparently established to hide IPCC deliberations from FOIA.

BREAKING: An IPCC backchannel ‘cloud’ was apparently established to hide IPCC deliberations from FOIA. Watts Up With That?: UPDATE: (9:20 PST 10-17) the FOI request has been released, a copy of which is now linked below.

CEI has learned of a UN plan recently put in place to hide official correspondence on non-governmental accounts, which correspondence a federal inspector general has already confirmed are subject to FOIA.
This ‘cloud’ serves as a dead-drop of sorts for discussions by U.S. government employees over the next report being produced by the scandal-plagued IPCC, which is funded with millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars.

By Christopher Horner, CEI.org for WUWT
Although this is seedy and unlawful at any time, it also goes in the ‘bad timing’ file.
Or it’s good timing, depending on one’s perspective.
Just as a brand new book further exposes the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)(which scam I dissected here, and in more disturbing detail here), and on the heels of the weekend surprise of a 2005 memo showing President Obama’s cooling/warming/population zealot of a ‘science czar’ John Holdren is the kind of guy Mitt Romney turns to to develop his ‘environmental’ policies, we’ve exposed the Obama administration and IPCC have cooperated to subvert U.S. transparency laws, run domestically out of Holdren’s White House office.

More on the info-lies of the global warmists.

What if they gave an election and nobody came?

Letters: What if they gave an election and nobody came? MLive.com
Elections matter, right?
What if we had an election scheduled and there was a way, an easy and almost free way, for an interested citizen to run for office, but no one knew about it?

Nazis and Communists Throw Their Support Behind Occupy Wall Street Movements

Nazis and Communists Throw Their Support Behind Occupy Wall Street Movements (Updated) The Gateway Pundit

The Austerity Myth: Federal Spending Up 5% This Year

The Austerity Myth: Federal Spending Up 5% This Year - Investors.com
In fact, in the first nine months of this year, federal spending was $120 billion higher than in the same period in 2010, the data show.
That's an increase of almost 5%. And deficits during this time were $23.5 billion higher.
These spending hikes haven't stopped many analysts from claiming that the country is in an age of budget austerity, one that's hurting economic growth.
A July article in USA Today, for example, claimed that "Already in 2011, softer government spending has sapped growth."


Is the liberal media just dumb?
I doubt it.
LIARS!!!!!!!!

NUGENT: Nobody needs Michael Moore's hypocritical advice

NUGENT: Nobody needs Michael Moore's hypocritical advice - Washington Times
Of course, the uninspired, uneducated, unskilled and stoned have been conditioned for generations to expect something for nothing.
They will always be in the tank of the left-wing movement - and they will always be unmotivated and poor and will continue to blame others for their condition.
Instead of busting their humps working two or three jobs, they have time to protest on Wall Street.
Fascinating.

[HD] IndyCar 2011 - Dan Wheldon Fatal Crash (Multi Camera Replay)

Will Teacher Right-to-Work Die With The Recall Election of Rep. Paul Scott?

Will Teacher Right-to-Work Die With The Recall Election of Rep. Paul Scott? [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
On Thursday, Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Clinton Canady ordered a halt to the recall election against Michigan House Education Committee Chair Paul Scott.

More proof the "power" of unions in our state is melting away!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

EyeOnMuskegon 10-16-2011 Tom Eaton

Horrific 15 Car Crash 2011 IndyCar World Championships in Las Vegas 300




A terrible day.
RIP Dan Wheldon

Muskegon Critic

Muskegon Critic
Muskegon Critic
Dispatches from the Great Lakes

Wow!
Another Muskegon blog!

Forums to discuss Egelston Township fire station millage

Forums to discuss Egelston Township fire station millage MLive.com
Township voters will consider a 30-year, 0.7-mill tax increase to fund a $2.3 million station.
Egelston officials say the current fire station is structurally unsound, inefficient and not adequate to accommodate modern firefighting equipment.
Owners of a home with a market value of $100,000, and taxable value of $50,000 would pay $35 per year if the 0.7-mill increase is approved.

How many "$35 per year" millage have we gotten pushed on us in the last few decades?
When will it end!!!!

Student Loan Debt Hell: 21 Statistics That Will Make You Think Twice About Going To College | ZeroHedge

Student Loan Debt Hell: 21 Statistics That Will Make You Think Twice About Going To College ZeroHedge

US to Play 'Very Major Role' In Helping Europe: Geithner

US to Play 'Very Major Role' In Helping Europe: Geithner - CNBC
The U.S. plans on being an active partner as efforts intensify to get Europe get back on its feet financially, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told CNBC Friday

No problem, we've got LOTS of money.......especially for our wonderful allies who so strongly support our country and our troops.........yeah right!

Occupy Muskegon group gathers to plan for upcoming 'occupation'

Occupy Muskegon group gathers to plan for upcoming 'occupation' MLive.com
She said only prospective occupiers know the location and they're keeping it quiet so they aren't "interfered with."
"The Wall Street occupation just sort of sprang up and I think that works better so people can't break it up beforehand," Carson said.

Guest Post: How Government Spending Impoverished Us All

Guest Post: How Government Spending Impoverished Us All ZeroHedge
At the World Complex, I view metal consumption as being a better indicator of economic activity than the officially reported GDP.
Perhaps I should say I trust the metal consumption numbers more, as I suspect they are harder to fake.
In any case, metal consumption usually involves making something, which is frequently accretive to wealth (except in the case of bombs, et al.).
The decline in metal consumption is a direct measure of the decline of real wealth.

Very interesting article.

Court rules in favor of state in welfare cutoff lawsuit

Court rules in favor of state in welfare cutoff lawsuit MLive.com
A federal judge today ruled in favor of the Department of Human Services in a lawsuit that sought to stop the cutoff of cash welfare benefits for some 11,162 people in the state who've exceeded the 48-month time limit.

Recent weather proves climate crisis, Gore says at Wayne State

Recent weather proves climate crisis, Gore says at Wayne State Detroit Free Press freep.com
Gore, speaking Thursday in Detroit, reeled off statistics about huge downpours in Pakistan and Colombia, wildfires in Australia and drought in Texas the past year that he said are clear evidence of the looming climate crisis.

Hollywood Worries About Weak Box Office

Hollywood Worries About Weak Box Office: ‘Real Steel’ #1 After ‘Footloose’ Stumbles; ‘The Thing’ #3; ‘The Big Year’ Comics Bomb – Deadline.com
But the truly alarming news is how very weak the North American box office performed again.
I’ve been reporting how younger males — which used to be Hollywood’s target audience — have been no longer consistently (and indiscriminately) going to the movies since August.
As a longtime studio exec worried out loud to me Friday night:
“I’m really concerned about how soft things are.
I’m sitting here looking at grosses and I’m concerned for the Industry.
What’s worrying me is where are those hardcore movie fans at this point?”

Well, I say Hollywood should expect the worst when they release a succession of mostly dreadful pics.
This weekend’s total gross won’t edge much over $80M — which is a whopping -35% from last year when Jackass 3D opened to $50M.

Saint Warren's halo gets a little more tarnish

Saint Warren's halo gets a little more tarnish - ProfessorBainbridge.com
“Buffett judges the investments he makes ruthlessly, but allows his operating companies to run on autopilot.”
That decentralized structure allows plausible deniability when anything goes wrong.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

American Power

American Power: Anti-Semitic Protester at Occupy Wall Street — Los Angeles

The making of SpiceJet's Q400 aircraft

Fake petitions undercut state's voting process

Fake petitions undercut state's voting process - southbendtribune.com
The investigation into suspected fake petition pages used to place Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on the 2008 primary ballot looks worse for Democrats the further it goes.
Among the latest revelations: that the fake pages passed through the St. Joseph County voter registration office on days when the Republican head of the office was absent.
And that without the falsified names, Obama and possibly Clinton might not have qualified for the ballot.

The Real ‘Income Disparity’: Government Employee Pensions vs. Private Workers’ Retirement Plans

The Real ‘Income Disparity’: Government Employee Pensions vs. Private Workers’ Retirement Plans

$5,176.34 Bridge Card balance raises questions

Schneider: $5,176.34 Bridge Card balance raises questions Lansing State Journal lansingstatejournal.com
"This is the kind of thing a lot of us cashiers do not understand, but see regularly," said the note accompanying the receipt.
"I hear cases are reevaluated every six months, but ... we have watched the balance on this card climb for years."

Ho Hum, a Black Candidate

Ho Hum, a Black Candidate - WSJ.com
"There's a second reason that some conservatives, particularly tea partiers, largely ignore Cain's race," Travis notes: "it drives a stake through claims that the movement harbors racists."
This seems to us a reversal of cause and effect.
Conservatives and Tea Partiers ignore Cain's race not because they have something to prove but because they didn't care much about race to begin with.

Farm Bureau upset that science kit for students contains left-wing book with misinformation about modern farming

Farm Bureau upset that science kit for students contains left-wing book with misinformation about modern farming MLive.com
“A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids” holds up Al Gore as an “eco-hero;”
promotes organizations such as Greenpeace and Rainforest Alliance;
urges children to persuade their parents to “Vote Green” and buy organic;
cautions against new-home construction, the plastics industry and conventional agriculture,
and notes “many people believe that it is best for the earth for families to have no more than one child.”

We have allowed the left to turn American schools into liberal/progressive madrases.
Do we on the right have the guts to fix this mess?

The One (Percent)

Exurban League > Home - The One (Percent)
The inconvenient truth that the "I Am The 99 Percent" crowd refuses to face:

Friday, October 14, 2011

House Bill Would Criminalize Satire of TSA Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!

House Bill Would Criminalize Satire of TSA Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!
In other words, if you print a t-shirt or produce a publication with a TSA logo, the government may soon be able to arrest and prosecute you.

We Are The 53%

We Are The 53%

Tea Party Uses MichiganVotes to Rank Legislators

Tea Party Uses MichiganVotes to Rank Legislators [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
The lowest scoring House Republicans were Reps. Ed McBroom, Peter Pettallia, Jud Gilbert, Margaret O'Brien, Wayne Schmidt and Dale Zorn.

Sen. Rick Jones was the lowest ranked Senate Republican, followed by Tory Rocca, Geoff Hansen and Tom Casperson.

The simple math of recession

The simple math of recession - The Washington Post
It is the simple math of recession.
Consider housing, which is typically a major factor in recessions.
At the peak of the last boom, Americans were spending $813 billion a year on residential investment.
That figure bottomed out last year at only a $327 billion.

How to Get Rich in CA: Work for Govt.

How to Get Rich in CA: Work for Govt. CalWatchDog
The number is shocking.
Some retired state and local workers will make in retirement nearly twice as much, on average, as private-sector workers.
For them, working as public servants literally turned into a gold mine.

Chevy-Dealing Congressman: “There Is No Market” For The Volt

Chevy-Dealing Congressman: “There Is No Market” For The Volt The Truth About Cars
I’m a Chevrolet dealer…
we have a Chevy Volt on the lot, it’s been there now for four weeks.
We’ve had one person come in to look at it, just to see what it actually looks like…
Here’s a car that costs $45,763.
I can stock that car for probably a year and then have to sell it at some ridiculous price.
By the way, I just received some additional information from Chevrolet: in addition to the $7,500 [federal] tax credit, Pennsylvania is going to throw another $3,500 to anybody foolish enough to buy one of these cars, somehow giving them $11,000 of taxpayer money to buy this Volt.
When you look at this, it makes absolutely no sense.
I can stock a Chevy Cruze, which is about a $17,500 car and turns every 30 to 40 days out of inventory… or I can have a Volt, which never turns and creates nothing for me on the lot except interest costs…

About Us | OccupyWallSt.org

About Us OccupyWallSt.org
OccupyWallSt.org is the unofficial de facto online resource for the ongoing protests happening on Wall Street.
We are an affinity group committed to doing technical support work for resistance movements

Top Contributors to Barack Obama | OpenSecrets

Top Contributors to Barack Obama OpenSecrets
Barack Obama (D)
Top Contributors


University of California
$1,648,685
Goldman Sachs
$1,013,091
Harvard University
$878,164
Microsoft Corp
$852,167
Google Inc
$814,540
JPMorgan Chase & Co
$808,799
Citigroup Inc
$736,771
Time Warner
$624,618
Sidley Austin LLP
$600,298
Stanford University
$595,716
National Amusements Inc
$563,798
WilmerHale LLP
$550,668
Columbia University
$547,852
Skadden, Arps et al
$543,539
UBS AG
$532,674
IBM Corp
$532,372
General Electric
$529,855
US Government
$513,308
Morgan Stanley
$512,232
Latham & Watkins
$503,295

Obama Sends 100 US Troops to Uganda to Help Combat Lord’s Resistance Army

Obama Sends 100 US Troops to Uganda to Help Combat Lord’s Resistance Army - ABC News
The president made this announcement in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, Friday afternoon, saying that “deploying these U.S. Armed Forces furthers U.S. national security interests and foreign policy

Are the liberal media and their pundits able to take out Cain?

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Olive Garden: Presence of the American flag disrupts the dining experience

Olive Garden: Presence of the American flag disrupts the dining experience « Hot Air
Poor Warren had to ask her fellow Kiwanis members to just picture the flag waving in the breeze as they said the Pledge of Allegiance.
Here’s a bit of common sense for the Olive Garden: The restaurant in question is in America!

When the Zealots Are No Longer Zealous

When the Zealots Are No Longer Zealous - By Victor Davis Hanson - The Corner - National Review Online
The chief symptom of this embarrassment is silence.
Gone are the sloppy charges of “war criminal,” the Hollywood movies, the outbursts by celebrities, the anguished op-eds.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

How Walmart and the Retail Lobby Used Regulatory Robbery to Squeeze Banks, Consumers

CARPE DIEM: How Walmart and the Retail Lobby Used Regulatory Robbery to Squeeze Banks, Consumers
Here's some more public choice economics to follow the post below about Google's Chairman - this public choice analysis comes from Washington Examiner's Tim Carney about the recent announcement that Bank of America will begin charging a $5 monthly fee to debit card customers:
"The real culprit is Walmart and the retail lobby, which used government to squeeze banks and fatten their own bottom line.
Walmart won, banks lost, and now customers are stuck with a new monthly fee.

American flag display would disrupt dining experience- Olive Garden

American flag display would disrupt dining experience garden, flag, olive - Olive Garden - WPEC 12 West Palm Beach
"To be fair to everyone and avoid disrupting the dining experience for all other guests, they're unable to accommodate flags or banners of any type in the dining room," according to the statement.

Obama Tried to Apologize to Japan for the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

The PJ Tatler » Obama Tried to Apologize to Japan for the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Obama Tried to Apologize to Japan for the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Let’s replace the American president with someone who goes out of his way to humiliate the country and see if anyone notices.
Oops, it looks like Japan did notice.

One stop on his tour was Prague in August 2009.
There he spoke of “America’s commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons,” ignoring that before 1945 we lived in such a world and it was neither peaceful nor secure.

Another stop on the tour was in Japan, where Obama in November 2009 bowed to the emperor, something no American president had ever done.
It could have been worse if plans to visit Nagasaki and Hiroshima to apologize for winning the war with the atom bombs had come to pass.

A heretofore secret cable dated Sept. 3, 2009, was recently released by WikiLeaks.
Sent to Secretary of State Clinton, it reported Japan’s Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka telling U.S. Ambassador John Roos that “the idea of President Obama visiting Hiroshima to apologize for the atomic bombing during World War II is a ‘nonstarter.’”
The Japanese feared the apology would be exploited by anti-nuclear groups and those opposed to the defensive alliance between Japan and the U.S.

Yes, that’s exactly what the anti-nuclear activists would do. As an old anti-nuclear activist himself, Obama may have known that. Or he may just be an idiot.

Let me tell you a military story.
I joined the US Air Force and got sent to Japan in 1993.
I was a military reporter, and wound up spending much of my time with the US Navy.
At one point, I deployed aboard the USS Blue Ridge, the 7th Fleet’s flagship, for a cruise down the coast from Yokosuka to Nagasaki.
The visit was the ship’s first ever to that city, and took on many of the trappings of a state visit.
It was a big deal, and I was privileged to be a part of it.
The US history with Nagasaki is complicated, as you might expect, but less complicated than folks like our president seem to think.
The Blue Ridge and her crew were greeted with a welcoming flotilla of private boats (that had to get out of the way to keep the harbor clear), aircraft and hundreds of well wishers on the shore.
I toured the city with some sailors after our arrival, and found the people almost shockingly friendly everywhere we went.
They weren’t looking for apologies or an America that’s unsure of herself.
They were happy to have a visit by a major ship from their closest ally.

As weird as this sounds, having studied the war and the post-war period extensively and having lived in Japan for years and visited both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I’m convinced that the atomic bombings saved Japan.
They saved Japan from her own militarism and from potential Soviet invasion and partition.
America bequeathed to our bitter enemy a democracy that functions well to this day, and Japan is our strong friend despite its having raised its hand against us.
America has nothing to apologize for in its conduct or conclusion of that war.

Nothing at all.

Reckless Government Policies, Not Private Greed Caused the Housing Bubble and Financial Crisis

CARPE DIEM: Reckless Government Policies, Not Private Greed Caused the Housing Bubble and Financial Crisis
Peter Wallison of the American Enterprise Institute writing in today's WSJ, explains that the Wall Street protesters have been grossly misled because it was "Reckless government policies, and not private greed, that brought about the housing bubble and resulting financial crisis."

Here's an excerpt:
"Beginning in 1992, the government required Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to direct a substantial portion of their mortgage financing to borrowers who were at or below the median income in their communities.
The original legislative quota was 30%.
But the Department of Housing and Urban Development was given authority to adjust it, and through the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations HUD raised the quota to 50% by 2000 and 55% by 2007.

Issues & Ideas Forum [Mackinac Center]

Issues & Ideas Forum [Mackinac Center]
The Future of Unionized Government
Click below for a video of the Mackinac Center's Oct. 5, 2011, Issues and Ideas Forum in Lansing.

Excellent video!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

"You can have sex with animals." Zucotti Sq. - YouTube

"You can have sex with animals." Zucotti Sq. - YouTube
These tools are not in power or in the high paying jobs because they are incapable of the rational clear thinking to lead anything.
I'm sorry but you have to work hard to get somewhere.
Someone has to clean the floors and someone has to run companies.
This hippie nonsense will never take hold with the mainstream.
Sionn5 13 hours ago 30

Double-Dip Recession a Foregone Conclusion

Double-Dip Recession a Foregone Conclusion: Roubini - EU Business News - CNBC
The world's advanced economies are headed for a second recession, regardless of whether there is further chaos in Europe, noted economist Nouriel Roubini told CNBC on Tuesday.

Occupy Atlanta Silences Civil Rights Hero John Lewis!



You gotta watch this to the end!

Shocking Costs Of Environmentalism

Shocking Costs Of Environmentalism - Investors.com
Those who fancy themselves to be green progressives are about to get some unwelcome "progress."
Thanks in part to environmental rules, electricity bills are headed for double-digit increases.
'Americans," the Daily Beast/Newsweek reports, "are about to get another kick in the wallet."

Westmoreland - WSJ.com

Book Review: Westmoreland - WSJ.com
The War Over the Vietnam War
A new biography puts an end to the idea that we could not win

Monday, October 10, 2011

Children to be banned from blowing up balloons, under EU safety rules

Children to be banned from blowing up balloons, under EU safety rules - Telegraph
The EU toy safety directive, agreed and implemented by Government, states that balloons must not be blown up by unsupervised children under the age of eight, in case they accidentally swallow them and choke.

Netflix Kills Qwikster DVD-Only Business Before Launch

Netflix Kills Qwikster DVD-Only Business Before Launch - Peter Kafka - Media - AllThingsD
Qwikster, we never knew ya: Netflix has killed its plans to turn its DVD service into a separate business.

Instapundit

Instapundit

HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY
Many in the West will demonstrate their fierce originality and intellectual independence today by condemning Christopher Columbus using the same shopworn cliches they used last year. For those of a different bent, I recommend Samuel Eliot Morison’s Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A Life of Christopher Columbus, which takes a somewhat different position. Here’s an excerpt:


At the end of 1492 most men in Western Europe felt exceedingly gloomy about the future. Christian civilization appeared to be shrinking in area and dividing into hostile units as its sphere contracted. For over a century there had been no important advance in natural science and registration in the universities dwindled as the instruction they offered became increasingly jejune and lifeless. Institutions were decaying, well-meaning people were growing cynical or desperate, and many intelligent men, for want of something better to do, were endeavoring to escape the present through studying the pagan past. . . .

Yet, even as the chroniclers of Nuremberg were correcting their proofs from Koberger’s press, a Spanish caravel named Nina scudded before a winter gale into Lisbon with news of a discovery that was to give old Europe another chance. In a few years we find the mental picture completely changed. Strong monarchs are stamping out privy conspiracy and rebellion; the Church, purged and chastened by the Protestant Reformation, puts her house in order; new ideas flare up throughout Italy, France, Germany and the northern nations; faith in God revives and the human spirit is renewed. The change is complete and startling: “A new envisagement of the world has begun, and men are no longer sighing after the imaginary golden age that lay in the distant past, but speculating as to the golden age that might possibly lie in the oncoming future.”

Christopher Columbus belonged to an age that was past, yet he became the sign and symbol of this new age of hope, glory and accomplishment. His medieval faith impelled him to a modern solution: Expansion.

Morison’s book is superb, and I recommend it highly as an antidote to the simplistic anti-occidental prejudice of today — which, as Jim Bennett has noted, has roots that might surprise its proponents:


This is primarily an effect of the Calvinist Puritan roots of American progressivism. Just as Calvinists believed in the centrality of the depravity of man, with the exception of a minuscule contingent of the Elect of God, their secularized descendants believe in the depravity and cursedness of Western civilization, with their own enlightened selves in the role of the Elect.

Indeed. Nonetheless, Bennett thinks that a different Italian deserves the real credit. (Reposted from 2005, but it still fits.) [Doesn't this leave you vulnerable to charges of recycling too? --ed. I prefer to think of it as "They came at us in the same old way, and, you know, we beat them in the same old way."]

I post this every year, as it’s evergreen. The original link to Bennett’s column seems to have succumbed to link-rot, but I believe this is it.

Posted at 8:24 am by Glenn Reynolds

Video: 'Occupy Atlanta' Silences Rep. John Lewis Via Jazz Hands

Video: 'Occupy Atlanta' Silences Rep. John Lewis Via Jazz Hands - Guy Benson
Having watched this clip all the way through several times, I still can't stop chuckling.
Here's a quick primer to prepare you for what you're about to see:

You must watch this video to get a sense of the idiocy that is sweeping our country.
Funny.....but sorta creepy.
Actually really creepy.

Sunday, October 09, 2011

‘Time short’ for eurozone, says Cameron -

‘Time short’ for eurozone, says Cameron - FT.com
David Cameron has urged European leaders to take a “big bazooka” approach to resolving the eurozone crisis, warning they have just a matter of weeks to avert economic disaster.

Here's The Chart That Will Get Obama Fired

Here's The Chart That Will Get Obama Fired

MSU vs U of M - It's Just Starting

Herman Cain: 21 Things You Don’t Know About Him

Herman Cain: 21 Things You Don’t Know About Him

Waiting, waiting, waiting ... for a better bus system

Jeff Gerritt: Waiting, waiting, waiting ... for a better bus system Detroit Free Press freep.com
Riders at crowded Detroit bus stops boil with frustration and anger -- much of it aimed at Mayor Dave Bing.
Sometimes waiting for hours, they miss work, classes, job interviews, medical appointments.
In the last four months, city bus service has crumbled into a crisis, stranding many of the nearly 30% of Detroit households that don't have vehicles.
If this debacle had happened to anyone but Detroit's poor, politicians and pundits would scream for action

States where drivers pay the least for gasoline

States where drivers pay the least for gasoline - Business - Oil & energy - msnbc.com
24/7 Wall St. set out to find the states with the lowest gas prices and the possible reasons behind them.

Saturday, October 08, 2011

Sixty per cent of knife muggers in the capital are young black men | News

Sixty per cent of knife muggers in the capital are young black men News
Separate figures for people charged for "knife-enabled robberies" - in which a victim is either shown a blade or told that the offender is carrying one - show that 967 of the 1,613 alleged offenders last year were black. That represents 60 per cent.

Friday, October 07, 2011

The Ultimate Tailgating Gadget

Herman Cain Leads Mitt Romney by 20 Points: Will the Tortoise or Hare Win?

Herman Cain Leads Mitt Romney by 20 Points: Will the Tortoise or Hare Win? - International Business Times
Herman Cain holds an astounding 20-point lead over Mitt Romney in a poll of Republican primary voters released Thursday, and he is in a statistical tie with President Obama.

The Zogby Poll, which was conducted from Oct. 3-5, found that 38 percent of Republicans would vote for Cain, a Georgia businessman, if the primary elections were held today.
Mitt Romney had 18 percent support, and Rick Perry and Ron Paul were tied with 12 percent support each.

Cain 46%, Obama 44%

Cain 46%, Obama 44% « Don Surber
Herman Cain has a 2-point lead over President Obama in a head-to-head match-up, the Zogby online poll found.

So, what’s the point of these Occupy Wall Street demonstrators?

So, what’s the point of these Occupy Wall Street demonstrators? - NYPOST.com
Like the guy who marched with a sign announcing that he was the “Fart Smeller.’’ Say what?
“It’s not a joke,’’ he said, as serious as open-heart surgery, showing me a photograph of his important work.
“I go up to women and ask to smell their ...’’
At the stinky end of the park, I met a smart man, Phillip Belpasso, 64, in a filthy Army-style jacket, who said he’s been in Zuccotti Park “pretty much since the Towers came down.’’ A decade?
“This all happened around me, sort of,’’ he said. “Say, have you figured out what’s going on here yet?
I don’t even know if they know what they’re for. ’’

Occupy DC Organizer

Occupy DC Organizer Washington Hispanics The Daily Caller
A liberal organizer told the Daily Caller on Thursday afternoon that he paid some Hispanics to attend “Occupy DC” protests happening in the nation’s capital

World facing worst financial crisis in history, Bank of England Governor says

World facing worst financial crisis in history, Bank of England Governor says - Telegraph
The world is facing the worst financial crisis since at least the 1930s “if not ever”, the Governor of the Bank of England said last night.

Thursday, October 06, 2011

Shortfall for State and Local Pension Systems Today: Over $4 Trillion

Shortfall for State and Local Pension Systems Today: Over $4 Trillion « Everything Finance
Together with the estimates of assets, these calculations imply an unfunded liability in October 2011 of $4.0 trillion.

Democrats vs. Republicans: Stars they Won’t Pay to See; Movies They Hate and Love (Poll)

Democrats vs. Republicans: Stars they Won’t Pay to See; Movies They Hate and Love (Poll) - The Hollywood Reporter
overall, 35 percent of Republicans and 45 percent of Tea Partiers consider a celebrity's political position before paying to see their films, compared with 20 percent of Democrats.

Occupy Wall Street protesters post manifesto of 'demands'

PICKET: Occupy Wall Street protesters post manifesto of 'demands' - Washington Times
The "Occupy Wall Street" protesters have listed 13 proposed demands from their website.

The Granholm World Fantasy Tour

Letters: The Granholm World Fantasy Tour MLive.com
So with all this as a backdrop, watching Granholm discuss job creation is tantamount to listening to eight-time married Mickey Rooney consult on the sanctity of marriage.

This is a GREAT LTE!
Read it all.

Stanford Hospital Patient Data Breach Is Detailed

Stanford Hospital Patient Data Breach Is Detailed - NYTimes.com
Private medical data for nearly 20,000 emergency room patients at California’s prestigious Stanford Hospital were exposed to public view for nearly a year because a billing contractor’s marketing agent sent the electronic spreadsheet to a job prospect as part of a skills test, the hospital and contractors confirmed this week.
The applicant then sought help by unwittingly posting the confidential data on a tutoring Web site.

Warren Buffett Act

Warren Buffett Act Steve Scalise Class Warfare The Daily Caller
Louisiana Republican Rep. Steve Scalise will introduce his own Warren Buffett-inspired legislation tonight, but this one has the support of conservatives like Grover Norquist.
Scalise’s “Warren Buffett Act of 2011” will instruct the IRS to provide a checkbox on Americans’ income tax forms so that those who feel they are not paying enough in taxes can easily and conveniently do so — without forcing an entire change in the tax code.

Alabama official says tough immigration law leading to ‘self-deportation’

Alabama Immigration Law Self-Deportation Illegal Immigration The Daily Caller
Alabama official says tough immigration law leading to ‘self-deportation’

U.S. stocks' massive "melt-up" fans investor fears

U.S. stocks' massive "melt-up" fans investor fears - Yahoo! News
"Program trading and algorithmic trading was the cause," said Donohue.
"We're seeing moves in a half hour that used to take weeks.
Obviously we were very oversold technically before, and essentially we had a 'melt-up' that was helped by the algo trading that just went off buying."

Trimming TSA

Trimming TSA
Except with 67,000 employees, there's nothing little about it.
As does every federal bureaucracy, TSA has morphed into a large, entrenched agency that is, in some ways, worse than any other because it pretends to be answerable to no one.

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Smith, Alvarez among highest-paid ADs - Big Ten Blog

Smith, Alvarez among highest-paid ADs - Big Ten Blog - ESPN
Here is how the Big Ten athletic directors whose salaries are known stack up against one another.

And this:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/story/2011-10-18/athletic-director-salaries-cover/50671214/1

Watch this video!-National Right to Work Committee

National Right to Work Committee
A Citizen's Petition to: My U.S. Senators and Representative

Whereas: Every year militant union bosses deploy their thugs to target innocent men and women with threats, brass knuckles, knives and beatings in an attempt to send a simple message -- do what we want, or pay the price; and

Whereas: Because of the 1973 Enmons decision, union officials are exempt from federal prosecution -- as long as the campaign of violence they incite is in the name of "legitimate union objectives"; and

Whereas: Union violence is a crippling blow not only for innocent American workers targeted by union militants -- but for every American citizen; and

Whereas: Passage of the Freedom from Union Violence Act would close the loophole in federal law and finally allow authorities to prosecute union officials for inciting violence;

Therefore: I urge you to help hold union officials accountable for union violence by cosponsoring and seeking roll-call votes on the Freedom from Union Violence Act. 

ISD Denies Special Ed Services to Northern Michigan School District [Michigan Capitol Confidential]

ISD Denies Special Ed Services to Northern Michigan School District [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
ISD Denies Special Ed Services to Northern Michigan School DistrictDistrict tells federal court that it could provide special ed services for just 17 percent of what the intermediate school district is charging taxpayers

How Generous Are Federal Employee Pensions?

How Generous Are Federal Employee Pensions? « The Enterprise Blog
USA Today reports that “retirement programs for former federal workers—civilian and military—are growing so fast they now face a multitrillion-dollar shortfall nearly as big as Social Security’s.”

USA Today’s figures include both pension and retiree health costs and are inclusive of military programs, so it is a broad figure.
Nevertheless, it raises an interesting question: how did retirement costs for a small segment of the population grow to rival Social Security, a program designed to cover nearly all Americans?
One big reason is that federal pension benefits are simply very generous relative to typical private sector plans.

Initiative at Muskegon Community College aims to boost student performance in developmental math

Initiative at Muskegon Community College aims to boost student performance in developmental math MLive.com
An experiment is unfolding inside J.B. Meeuwenberg's classroom at Muskegon Community College — and the result could drive how the college teaches developmental math for years to come.
Meeuwenberg is teaching a pilot class that combines two developmental math classes — Math 036 and Math 038 — which focus on topics ranging from decimals to pre-algebra — into one.
The class moves at an accelerated pace and carries a bigger workload, but he's confident the change will benefit students.

Instead of cheering, the media, parents and taxpayers should be screaming "what the heck happened during the 13 years of public paid, "free" education that allowed these young people to graduate without learning decimals and PRE-algebra!"

This ought to be an indictment of public education in Muskegon county.

Instead it will be used as a lever for more money from the taxpayers.

Will the madness EVER stop?!!!!

Univision Accused of Blackmailing Rubio

Univision Accused of Blackmailing Rubio « Commentary Magazine
Horrible. This has to be one of the worst ethical lapses someone could possibly commit in journalism.
If true, Univision will not – and should not – recover from this scandal without internal changes and a lot of contrition.
Based on the reports so far, the Republican candidates seem justified in skipping the debate.
And until Univision takes steps to investigate and deal with the accusations, other political figures and journalists might consider steering clear as well.

Remember, this is the #1 source of news for millions in our formerly English speaking country.

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Herman Cain rises, Rick Perry slides in new CBS News poll

Herman Cain rises, Rick Perry slides in new CBS News poll - Political Hotsheet - CBS News
Herman Cain has moved into a tie with Mitt Romney atop the field of Republican presidential candidates, according to a new CBS News poll, while Rick Perry has fallen 11 percentage points in just two weeks.

Moore: The Rich Are Out Of Control, Kleptomaniacs, Sociopaths

Moore: The Rich Are Out Of Control, Kleptomaniacs, Sociopaths RealClearPolitics
Olbermann: "Kleptomania."

Moore: "They're kleptomaniacs, is what they are.
They're out of control.
I think there is some sort of sociopathic illness and they know what us to life in a kleptocracy.
Where the kleptomaniacs run the show.

But, oops!
There is this gem:
http://www.deadline.com/2011/02/he-redefines-the-term-greedy-michael-moore-sues-for-more-money-from-911-movie-when-he-already-received-19-8-million/

Michelle Obama's Africa Vacation Cost More Than $432,142

Michelle Obama's Africa Vacation Cost More Than $432,142 - Washington Whispers (usnews.com)
First lady Michelle Obama's family trip to South Africa and Botswana in June cost taxpayers well over $424,000, according to new accounting based on Air Force manifests obtained by Judicial Watch, a taxpayer watchdog group.

Barry and his wife are simply trash with an unlimited credit card payed for by .....essentially the grandchildren and unborn of America.
For anyone in elective office to spend the way this woman and her husband spend is despicable!
In a monster recession kept alive by his own policies it ought to be criminal!

A2 Schools’ Union Prez and Board Member Add Up Wrong Costs for Teachers

A2 Schools’ Union Prez and Board Member Add Up Wrong Costs for Teachers [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
Glenn Nelson, a member of the school board, and Brit Satchwell, president of the Ann Arbor Education Association, wrote a guest column for Heritage Newspapers, in which they stated the average cost of a teacher including benefits was $65,000 in an article criticizing Gov. Rick Snyder’s budget cuts.
But the average cost of a Michigan school teacher is about $94,195 while the average cost of an Ann Arbor Public School teacher increases to $102,657

Morons (or liars) leading the teacher's union hand picked board.

Regular aspirin users at higher risk of sight problems, research suggests

Regular aspirin users at higher risk of sight problems, research suggests - Telegraph
While the study provided no evidence of a causal link between aspirin and the condition, experts are now examining whether a regular dose somehow exacerbates the disease.

More junk science from the MSM front pages.

Lake Worth takes first step toward $60 home assessment to pay for firefighter pensions

Lake Worth takes first step toward $60 home assessment to pay for firefighter pensions: If the fire assessment is approved as proposed, the city plans to use most of the $1.4 million raised to cover part of the cost of firefighter pensions, which cost the city $1.8 million this year.

Senate contemplates taking first step to start a trade war with China | NetRight Daily

Senate contemplates taking first step to start a trade war with China NetRight Daily

Spiking Solyndra: Big Three Networks Barely Mention Burgeoning Scandal

Spiking Solyndra: Big Three Networks Barely Mention Burgeoning Scandal NewsBusters.org
Yet, as a search of Nexis shows, the networks have glanced over the Solyndra story with the Big Three networks running a total of just 8 total full stories, two anchor briefs and a couple of mentions on their evening and morning news shows, since the company declared bankruptcy in August.

Real Steel or Reel Steal? New Film Costs $4.26 Per Michigan Taxpayer

Real Steel or Reel Steal? New Film Costs $4.26 Per Michigan Taxpayer [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
The Hollywood big budget adaptation of Rock’em Sock’em Robots, Real Steel, hits theaters this Friday.
This is one of the many movies filmed in Michigan and supported by Michigan tax dollars through the state film incentive program, which unfairly singles out films for special grants from the taxpayer.
If you disagree with this incentive, feel free to ask for a $4.26 discount on your ticket for this movie — it’s approximately what the state spent on it per taxpayer

Postage Price Calculator

Postage Price Calculator

NYT redefines Astroturf

NYT redefines Astroturf « Don Surber
Comparing the Tea Party movement with the Occupy Wall Street protests is like comparing patriotism with communism.

Monday, October 03, 2011

» Shock Photos: Candidate Obama Appeared And Marched With New Black Panther Party in 2007

» Shock Photos: Candidate Obama Appeared And Marched With New Black Panther Party in 2007 - Big Government
In addition, the new images raise questions about the possible motives of the Obama administration in its infamous decision to drop the prosecution of the Panthers for voter intimidation.

Wake Up Tweet of the Day









Wake Up Tweet of the Day - Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion
Wake Up Tweet of the Day
Posted by William A. Jacobson Monday, October 3, 2011 at 4:29pm
25 46 #
OccupyWallStreet is organized agitprop designed to deflect attention from the Obama administration’s failings onto “Wall Street,” although many of the participants don’t understand how they are being used.
The Washington Post now is fully aboard Team Obama, doing its best to take down Rick Perry this week, next week someone else.
AxelPlouffe messaging is all class warfare all the time, and will be for the next 13 months.
And what are we doing?
Silly antics like day-long sniping at others who are on our side.

America Airlines: AMR Shares Plunge on Bankruptcy Talk

America Airlines: AMR Shares Plunge on Bankruptcy Talk - CNBC
A major airline trade group, The International Air Transport Association, said Monday that the industry may be headed for a downturn.
American Airlines is considered to be in the most vulnerable financial position of major U.S. carriers.

Sen. Inhofe: Obama's EPA Waging War on Fossil Fuels

Sen. Inhofe: Obama's EPA Waging War on Fossil Fuels - HUMAN EVENTS
According to Inhofe, the administration’s proposed CO2/greenhouse gas-emission regulations—due out in November—could chop $300 billion to $400 billion alone off the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) each year.
Estimates from the Senate Energy and Public Works Committee's Republican staff estimates this regulation could cost in excess of the 2 million jobs that would have been lost as a result of Waxman-Markey Climate Change Bill.

Other estimates suggest that the EPA’s Utility MACT and Transport Rule could cost $184 billion and 1.4 million jobs.
Statistics Inhofe provided suggest the rule could shutter hundreds of coal-fired power plants around the country—equaling as much as 20% of the nation’s total energy output.

How the Kindle Fire Could Make 7-Inch Tablets Huge

How the Kindle Fire Could Make 7-Inch Tablets Huge Gadget Lab Wired.com
Steve Jobs made it clear what he thought of 7-inch tablets in October 2010.
They’re “too small,” and as good as “dead on arrival.”
But the announcement of and anticipation surrounding Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet may soon have Jobs eating his words.

Arbitrator rules against Illinois lay-offs, closures

Arbitrator rules against Illinois lay-offs, closures Reuters
Quinn blamed the Democrat-controlled Legislature for sending him a $33 billion fiscal 2012 general funds budget that locks in spending levels for state agencies but did not appropriate enough money to keep some state services operating.

from the comments:

Reply 10 - Posted by: DiamondBob, 10/3/2011 1:50:53 PM (No. 8035092)
IL is not the only state in this union/Democrat created mess.
The newly elected Democrat CT governor (working with a heavily Democrat legislature) recently agreed to no state union layoffs for FOUR YEARS!! in exchange for 2 years of wage freezes.
Then the union workers get a 10% increase spread over years 3 and 4.
This is on top of the $1.5B in tax increases this year to cover the increased spending, for example including cash donations for a brand new state earned income tax credit.
I dread what things will look like when the supposed savings don't materialize, expenses continue to rise (because they're addicted to spending), and they can't cut the largest state expenditure (union workers' wages and benefits) because they have guaranteed employment.
We used to call the state to our north "Taxachussetts" -- not any more.

Time for Some Truth: Bill Clinton NEVER Balanced A Budget And NEVER Ran A Surplus

» Time for Some Truth: Bill Clinton NEVER Balanced A Budget And NEVER Ran A Surplus - Big Government
Despite what you may hear from Democrats on the campaign trail, there were no giant surpluses that Bush squandered (Bush did overspend, but there was no surplus to squander).
The myth of Clinton balancing the budget and producing surpluses belongs with unicorns and and elves, in the realm of myths.
The last president to preside over a balanced budget/surplus was Dwight Eisenhower, whose government saw surpluses of approximately $2 billion dollars in 1956 and 57.
Neither Bill Clinton nor any Republicans deserve any credit for balancing the budget in the 1990s, because the budget was never balanced.

South Carolina Republicans move presidential primary to Jan. 21

South Carolina Republicans move presidential primary to Jan. 21 - latimes.com

Obama’s Polling Compared to Predecessors

Obama’s Polling Compared to Predecessors « Commentary Magazine
President Obama looks worse than any recent incumbent president when the public assesses the country’s direction, consumer confidence, personal financial appraisals, and job approval at this point in time.
Obama 11% satisfied with the way things are going; 20% country heading in the right direction

Health Care Workers Vote to Bolt from 'Corrupt' SEIU

Health Care Workers Vote to Bolt from 'Corrupt' SEIU [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
By a more than 2-to-1 margin, workers at Saginaw's Luther Manor Nursing Home voted themselves out of the SEIU Healthcare union last week

9 American cities going broke

Bottom Line - 9 American cities going broke
2. Pontiac, MI

Is the Chevy Volt a sales flop?

Is the Chevy Volt a sales flop?
General Motors has repeatedly claimed a sales target for 2011 of 10,000 units for the plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt sedan.
But, nine months into the year, they've only shipped 3,895 off the lot.

Sunday, October 02, 2011

Time to raise Cain to contender status | Campaign 2012

Barone: Time to raise Cain to contender status Campaign 2012
Is Herman Cain a serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination?
It's a question no one in the pundit world was asking until the past week.

Pricing and framing: When are we likely to pay more for products?

Pricing and framing: When are we likely to pay more for products? Psychology Today
I want to write about one strategy firms use to increase the sale of a product.
This strategy involves framing: the product is presented in the context of other, related products.
We'll see that "relativity" is not a concept reserved for physics.

Obama Fried Chicken: Is the President giving Colonel Sanders a run for his money?

Obama Fried Chicken: Is the President giving Colonel Sanders a run for his money? Mail Online
Is Obama abandoning his bid for a second term in the White House and is giving Colonel Sanders a run for his money by opening a chain of fried chicken joints?
Now that's change you can't really believe in.

The problem is that BarryO's talents....profits?

Will Jeff Bezos Bring Feudal Security to the Net?

The Volokh Conspiracy » Will Jeff Bezos Bring Feudal Security to the Net?
Amazon’s cloud can handle even the most processor-intense pages instantaneously, far faster than your wheezing desktop machine.
In short, your Internet experience on the Fire ought to be lightning quick.

There’s another advantage to this new vision of what might be called the Bezosnet.
The Bezosnet ought to be a lot more secure.
One way that hackers compromise your machine is by getting you to go to malware infected sites.
Just visiting the site triggers routines that take over the visitor’s computer.
But if the routine runs, not on a visitor’s computer but in a virtual environment at Amazon’s data center, the attacker’s code isn’t likely to work.

I just ordered the Amazon Kindle Fire

This is what pushed me over the edge to make my decision:

So instead of downloading web pages one after the other and opening them on your computer, Amazon’s cloud stores and even opens them, sending you the end result.
This allows speedier downloads for a couple of reasons:
Caching of popular pages (or even parts of pages) avoids download delays when the original source is overloaded; and Amazon’s cloud can handle even the most processor-intense pages instantaneously, far faster than your wheezing desktop machine.
In short, your Internet experience on the Fire ought to be lightning quick.

But I wonder if the higher price of the iPad has simply moved my frame.
This may be the real reason I made my purchase:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-decision-lab/201109/pricing-and-framing-when-are-we-likely-pay-more-products

OBAMA SPREADS A LIE ABOUT GAY SOLDIER-BOOING, INCOHERENTLY

Instapundit » Blog Archive » OBAMA SPREADS A LIE ABOUT GAY SOLDIER-BOOING, INCOHERENTLY
Ann Althouse:
Obama must serve something to the assembled hungry masses, and this infected red meat is the best he’s got.
“There is a contagious lie and the President — he who often speaks of transcending divisiveness — is enthusiastically spreading it… while — ironically! — posing in the mantle of oneness, E pluribus unum.
The crowd goes wild, by the way.
Listen to the audio.
They find the infected http://althouse.blogspot.com/2011/09/i-have-listened-to-video-several-times.html red meat scrumptious!
And can you blame the poor man?
He must serve something to the assembled hungry masses, and this — this! — is the best he’s got.

And what does ‘We don’t believe in them being silent since’ mean?
It’s not a transcription error.
I’ve checked the audio (at the link).
Did he misread the TelePrompTer?
There’s no simple fix, like combining it with the next line, “You want to be Commander-in-Chief?”
The pronouns don’t match up.
But the crowd loves it.
This gibberish is quite delicious!”
Enthusiastically received gibberish.
That’s all they’ve got.
Resist we much!
Meanwhile, Prof. Jacobson notes when Obama thought it was okay to sit silently through slurshttp://legalinsurrection.com/2011/10/obama-silence-for-me-but-not-for-thee/ .
Posted by Glenn Reynolds at 2:52 pm

Study: Women Who Make More Decisions Have Less Sex

Study: Women Who Make More Decisions Have Less Sex YourTango

Saturday, October 01, 2011

The Weekend Interview with Harold Hamm: How North Dakota Became Saudi Arabia

The Weekend Interview with Harold Hamm: How North Dakota Became Saudi Arabia - WSJ.com
With the right set of national energy policies, the United States could be "completely energy independent by the end of the decade.
We can be the Saudi Arabia of oil and natural gas in the 21st century."

The strange case of Anwar al Awlaki

The strange case of Anwar al Awlaki
Why didn’t we have to kill this traitor to the United States?
Because we had him in custody on U.S. soil on felony charges in 2002.
And we could have detained him indefinitely.

Amazing article.
Read it all!

Transit Authority: $1 Million Deficit, Highest Paid Executives

Transit Authority: $1 Million Deficit, Highest Paid Executives [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
“If these were private-sector businesses operating on their own, employee pay would be none of our business,” said Jack McHugh, senior legislative analyst for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.
Transit agencies would dry up and blow away without massive taxpayer subsidies and that makes it the people’s business.”

NYPD Warns Women About Skirts in Brooklyn Sex Attack Probe

NYPD Warns Women About Skirts in Brooklyn Sex Attack Probe NBC New York
Women in a Brooklyn neighborhood on edge over a spate of sex attacks are being told by police that wearing skirts and dresses might not be a good idea.

Samir Khan, Killed by Drone, Spun Out of the American Middle Class

Samir Khan, Killed by Drone, Spun Out of the American Middle Class - NYTimes.com
At the Islamic Society of Greater Charlotte, few of the several hundred Muslims gathered for Friday Prayer wanted to talk about Mr. Khan.
“This is a very dangerous road when you go and kill someone like this,” said Ayeb Suleiman, 25, a medical resident.
“He was just an editor.
He was just writing.”

"A religion of peace...."