Thursday, January 03, 2013

The Five Worst Op-Eds of 2012

Gene Healy: The Five Worst Op-Eds of 2012 | WashingtonExaminer.com

Senators Got 154-Page 'Fiscal Cliff' Bill 3 Minutes Before Voting on It

Senators Got 154-Page 'Fiscal Cliff' Bill 3 Minutes Before Voting on It | CNS News

FBI: More People Killed with Hammers, Clubs Each Year than Rifles

FBI: More People Killed with Hammers, Clubs Each Year than Rifles
According to the FBI annual crime statistics, the number of murders committed annually with hammers and clubs far outnumbers the number of murders committed with a rifle.

Michelle Suggests Republicans are Liars

Michelle Suggests Republicans are Liars | The Blog on Obama: White House Dossier
First Lady Michelle Obama Thursday suggested Republicans are engaged in rampant lying as they debate the issues with President Obama.
“People have to stay focused on what’s going on, because it’s easy to get confused in all the back and forth that goes on, and there’s a whole lot of not-truth telling going on, if you know what I mean,” Michelle said during a radio appearance on the The Tom Joyner Show.
Mrs. Obama also charged that voter suppression during the 2012 election was widespread.
Michelle said Republicans sought to win the election by spending “unprecedented amounts of money,” running negative advertising, and committing voter suppression.
“Voter suppression was in full force in so many states all over this country,” Mrs. Obama said.

Michigan Congressional Republicans Split On 'Fiscal Cliff' Vote

Michigan Congressional Republicans Split On 'Fiscal Cliff' Vote [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
Republicans voting “yes“ were U.S. Representatives Dan Benishek, R-Crystal Falls; Dave Camp, R-Midland; Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township.; Mike Rogers, R-Howell; and Fred Upton, R-St Joseph

Fox News Parody About Gun-Free Zones Stopping Crime


Wednesday, January 02, 2013

A Voyage to Laputa

A Voyage to Laputa - By Michael Walsh - The Corner - National Review Online
Conservatives understand, to their chagrin, that Obamaism cannot be defeated and rolled back until the GOP undergoes the same sort of ideological transformation that the Left effected upon the Democrats between 1968 and 1972.
Sure, the donkeys lost for a while, and lost bad — Nixon wiped out McGovern in ‘72 and Reagan destroyed Mondale in 1984.
But that was a price they were willing to pay for eventual victory

What global warming? Alaska is headed for an ice age as scientists report state's steady temperature decline

What global warming? Alaska is headed for an ice age as scientists report state's steady temperature decline | Mail Online
Since 2000, temperatures in Alaska have dropped by 2.4 degrees Fahrenheit

Scientists reviewed weather reports from 20 climate stations operated by the National Weather Service located across Alaska, 19 of the 20 weather stations reported falling temperatures

An ocean phenomenon has disrupted a storm regulating system thus allowing cold winter storms to linger longer and bring a deep chill

Local residents have noticed the colder temps but say its no big deal since they are already bundled up for 20-below zero temperatures

County Prevailing Wage Law Could Add Millions To Taxpayer Costs

County Prevailing Wage Law Could Add Millions To Taxpayer Costs [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy has researched the costs of prevailing wage laws in Michigan.
It has concluded that prevailing wage laws can add 10 percent to 15 percent to the cost of construction projects.
If Muskegon County's prevailing wage ordinance were to add 10 percent to the cost of the jail project, the ordinance would put local taxpayers on the hook for an additional $2.3 million to $4.7 million.

Hollywood: Cinema attendance plummets to 25-year low

Hollywood: Cinema attendance plummets to 25-year low | Mail Online
The golden age of the silver screen may be coming to a close.
Attendance at movie theatres is at a 25-year low, with young consumers – those who often see the most films – down 40 per cent since 2002.

Dreading your diet? Don't worry...plump people live LONGER than their skinnier counterparts

Dreading your diet? Don't worry...plump people live LONGER than their skinnier counterparts | Mail Online

‘Cliff’ bill is a bitter pill for House’s tea party adherents to swallow

‘Cliff’ bill is a bitter pill for House’s tea party adherents to swallow - The Washington Post
The bill was 153 pages long. t was written only the day before, by Washington insiders working in the dark of night.
It was crammed with giveaways and legislative spare parts: tax breaks for wind farms and racetracks.
A change to nuclear-weapons policy.
Government payments for cheese.
And, most significantly, the bill will raise taxes but do relatively little to cut government spending or the massive federal deficit.

How to Clean Up the List of Apps that Have Access to Your Accounts

How to Clean Up the List of Apps that Have Access to Your Accounts - How-To Geek

Tuesday, January 01, 2013

Photos of the Year - The Wall Street Journal

Photos of the Year - The Wall Street Journal

Members-only clubs for legal pot use open in Colorado

Members-only clubs for legal pot use open in Colorado | Fox News

Monumental deceit: How our politicians have lied and lied about the true purpose of the European behemoth

Monumental deceit: How our politicians have lied and lied about the true purpose of the European behemoth | Mail Online

Sperm donor ordered to pay child support to lesbian couple despite him giving up rights to the child

Sperm donor ordered to pay child support to lesbian couple despite him giving up rights to the child | Mail Online
The legal agreement that the three made in 2009 was deemed invalid by Kansas state because they did not use a certified doctor for the insemination.

"Stockton tries a Chrysler"

Fix Pacifica: Bakersfield bankruptcy in stalemate
Wall Street Journal/Review and Outlook/Top Stories in Opinion, 12/31/12. "Stockton tries a Chrysler"

The municipal bankruptcy unfolding in Stockton, California is giving investors a bad case of deja vu. Just as the Obama Administration bailed out the United Auto Workers in Chrysler's bankruptcy while hanging bondholders out to dry, the city of Stockton is subordinating its bond debt to worker pensions.
But what's really scary is that the Stockton case could be replayed in dozens of California cities.

The San Joaquin Valley's second largest city filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy this summer after a three-month mediation with creditors and unions ended in stalemate.
Bond insurers that guarantee about $200 million in debt wouldn't submit to a haircut unless the rich pensions that helped drive the city to bankruptcy were also clipped.
Yet unions wouldn't countenance an even modest reduction to their pensions.

.... Ratings agencies downplay the "systemic risk" that the Stocktons of the United States pose to the $3.7 trillion municipal bond market.
But then they also said mortgage-backed securities were Triple-A.
While the market may not be in danger of blowing up soon, bondholders face a very real danger of being blown off to preserve worker pensions.

Gunman shoots one outside San Antonio movie theater

Gunman shoots one outside San Antonio movie theater | The Desert Sun | mydesert.com:
The gunman entered the theater and fired a shot but struck no one, Antu said.
An off-duty sheriff’s deputy working security then shot the gunman.

Monday, December 31, 2012

Muskegon County officials to be sworn in Thursday; Organizational meeting to follow

Muskegon County officials to be sworn in Thursday; Organizational meeting to follow | MLive.com
The reciting of the oath of office for several county officials, including newcomers such as Prosecutor-elect D.J. Hilson and two members of the County Board of Commissioners, is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday in Circuit Court Judge William C. Marietti’s courtroom on the fourth floor of the Michael E. Kobza Hall of Justice, 990 Terrace St.
The event, basically a kickoff to the new terms of those selected by voters in November, also features the organizational meeting for the County Board of Commissioners and a community open house for all of those elected officials.
The organizational meeting is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in the County Board of Commissioners meeting room on the fourth floor of the Hall of Justice.
The community open house is set to follow from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the board room.

If aliens exist, they probably want to destroy us

Study: If aliens exist, they probably want to destroy us - CSMonitor.com
When considering the prospect of alien life, humankind should prepare for the worst, according to a new study:
Either we're alone, or any aliens out there are acquisitive and resource-hungry, just like us.

Brace For an Avalanche of Unfunded Debt

Mort Zuckerman: Brace For an Avalanche of Unfunded Debt - US News and World Report
The greatest fiscal challenge to the U.S. government is not just its annual deficit but its total liabilities. Our federal balance sheet does not include the unfunded social insurance obligations of Medicare, Social Security, and the future retirement benefits of federal employees.
Only in the small print of the financial statements do you get some idea of the enormous size of the unfunded commitments.
Today the estimated unfunded total is more than $87 trillion, or 550 percent of our GDP.
And the debt per household is more than 10 times the median family income.


Obama's description of
four murders in Benghazi.
(Sunday's Meet The Press)


theunrelenter.blogspot.com


The USS Scorpion Buried at Sea

The USS Scorpion Buried at Sea
Despite official denials, several informed sources allege the top-secret Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) had indeed recorded an underwater duel between Scorpion and a Soviet submarine that ended when the Soviet launched a torpedo that struck and sank the American submarine.
One former SOSUS operator, Vince Collier, came forward decades later to tell in chilling detail how he and other sailors in SOSUS School were shown a bootleg copy of the tape that graphically depicted the death of Scorpion.