Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Most of the Navy guys I know would not let themselves be called a liar by a sad sack l…

Instapundit » Blog Archive » BLACKFIVE: Most of the Navy guys I know would not let themselves be called a liar by a sad sack l…

BLACKFIVE:

Most of the Navy guys I know would not let themselves be called a liar by a sad sack like Robert Gibbs if they weren’t, you know, lying.

Froggy would have waterboarded his fat ass quicker than you can say “Charlie Sheen is an awesome actor.”

And Subsunk would have appeared out of a storm drain like some kind of an angry sea wolf ninja, kicked him in the nuts until he fell to the ground holding onto what was left of them, grabbed the hair on the back of his head and shoved his face into the pavement until his nose and teeth were mashed up into some kind of a bloody stew.

But Joe Sestak didn’t do that.

So here’s what I think. I think the fact that Joe Sestak — even after being called a liar by Robert Gibbs — has not come forward and made a statement to the authorities about felony corruption he claims to have witnessed says something about Joe Sestak.

And what it says is this: Joe Sestak is either a coward, a liar, a political sycophant or — and this is where I’d put my money — all three of these things.

Whatever Joe Sestak learned in the Navy, it wasn’t “personal accountability.”

Ouch.

Posted by Glenn Reynolds at 10:47 pm"

Moody’s Reiterates U.S. Spending Risks Credit Rating

Moody’s Reiterates U.S. Spending Risks Credit Rating (Update1) - Bloomberg.com
"The U.S. government’s Aaa bond rating will come under pressure in the future unless additional measures are taken to reduce projected record budget deficits, according to Moody’s Investors Service Inc."

Muskegon County murderer released under protest in 2007 headed back to prison for third drunken driving conviction

Muskegon County murderer released under protest in 2007 headed back to prison for third drunken driving conviction - MLive.com
"A Muskegon County man who spent 27 years in prison for a brutal 1979 murder is headed back behind bars for up to 20 years on a third-offense drunken driving conviction.
Wayne Lee Stevens, 56, .... blood-alcohol level registered a 0.16, double the state's legal limit for drunken driving.

During the traffic stop, his female passenger fled the car, ran to police and alleged he was being abusive."

Sundstrom city is going broke

Sundstrom city is going broke
WOOD TV8:
"Despite an income tax hike approved by voters in early May and Bob Sullivan's offer to open Richmond Pool with his own money, City Manager Greg Sundstrom said the budget future is very dark."

School Employee Concessions in Utica Don't Add Up

School Employee Concessions in Utica Don't Add Up [Mackinac Center]
"The Macomb Daily reported recently that teachers in Utica Community Schools agreed to $6 million in employee concessions.
On the surface, this appears to be a major step towards helping the district balance its budget.

In fact, these concessions won't help all that much.

Employee compensation granted to members of the Utica Education Association consumes about 70 percent of the school district's entire operating budget.

Yet the concession trimming $6 million from that expense only nibbles at the $33 million in overspending the district has created.

Therefore, 82 percent of the budget cuts must come from the remaining 30 percent of the budget.

An apt chart produced by the Port Huron School Board illustrates the problem, which is that teacher compensation gobbles up the lion's share of district spending and comes at the expense of other necessary services.
Just like the rest of the world, school districts have scare resources and must prioritize how to allocate them.

In this case, smaller concessions from the teachers union means larger cuts to other necessities and to programs like art, music and athletics."

Michigan proposed resolution opposes Arizona immigration law, urges boycott

Michigan proposed resolution opposes Arizona immigration law, urges boycott - FOX 17: "Michigan opponents of anti-immigration legislation are trying to raise the profile of their campaign.

Democratic state Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit says Tuesday she is introducing a resolution urging Arizona to repeal a recently enacted law empowering local police to question anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally. The resolution also urges Michigan organizations not to do business in or with Arizona."

I sure hope that nice lady, and her democrat party, get their chance to publicly vote!

Why is College Tuition Rising 2X Rate of Inflation?

CARPE DIEM: Why is College Tuition Rising 2X Rate of Inflation?
"What an amazing story: full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty outnumbered full-time administrators in 2001 at UM-Flint by 11 positions - 171 faculty vs. 160 administrators.

By 2009, the administrators outnumbered full-time faculty by 109 positions - 278 administrators vs. 169 tenured and tenure-track faculty!"

Up and away! World's largest airship lifts off for the first time

Up and away! World's largest airship lifts off for the first time Mail Online
"Although the airship only has a top speed of 80MPH it can take-off and land vertically.
The craft is also able to hover over an area for up to a week at a time - something neither airplanes or satellites cannot manage."

a comment that is interesting:

Hydrogen does not have twice the lifting power of helium, it has only about 8% more. You have to look at the difference between the density of the gas and the medium that the airship is floating in. If you had a gas with zero density (i.e. a vacuum in a rigid container), it would not have infinite lifting power, just slightly more than helium or hydrogen.

On the other hand, there's something to be said for the notion that we should conserve helium, because in the long run it's going to be hard to come by, because there's no way to produce it chemically and when let loose, it escapes from the atmosphere. It's unique among the elements in this regard.
There could come a day when we'll need a lot of it (for fusion, cryogenics, or whatever), and we'll be wishing we hadn't squandered it.
Airships are not really the big problem, but toy balloons for kids waste a lot.
- J-J Cote, Lunenburg, MA, USA, 22/5/2010 15:55Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1279831/Up-away-Worlds-largest-airship-lifts-time.html?ito=feeds-newsxml#ixzz0oxIEw8Xo

Private pay shrinks to historic lows

Private pay shrinks to historic lows - USATODAY.com
"Paychecks from private business shrank to their smallest share of personal income in U.S. history during the first quarter of this year, a USA TODAY analysis of government data finds...
.....The trend is not sustainable, says University of Michigan economist Donald Grimes.

Reason: The federal government depends on private wages to generate income taxes to pay for its ever-more-expensive programs. Government-generated income is taxed at lower rates or not at all, he says.

"This is really important," Grimes says."

This same trend is happening in just about every city, county and state budget in our country. 

The government grows and the private sector shrinks.

Europe Debt Crisis - Greece 'Tip of the Iceberg'

Europe Debt Crisis - Greece 'Tip of the Iceberg': Deputy Doom - CNBC

"The debt crisis is a game changer for the market and Europe is now at risk of heading into a double-dip recession, Arnab Das, managing director of market research and strategy at Roubini Global Economics told CNBC Monday."

New Facts Exposed in Hangar42 Investigation

New Facts Exposed in Hangar42 Investigation [Mackinac Center]
"Knape also confirmed that the current owner of the property is planning to use the subsidy money received by the buyer to pay for renovation work that has already been performed by contractors.

At least some of the contractors have not been paid and have filed six liens against the property, one of them for $228,000."

Volt of hope: Can electric car recharge General Motors, Michigan and US auto industry? | -

Volt of hope: Can electric car recharge General Motors, Michigan and US auto industry?

Nice car.
But where will the electricity to power it come from?