Monday, March 21, 2011

Suttons Bay star, Michigan State signee Dwaun Anderson named Mr. Basketball

Suttons Bay star, Michigan State signee Dwaun Anderson named Mr. Basketball detnews.com The Detroit News
"Anderson is a 6-4 guard/forward who averaged 20.1 points, 10 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 3.3 steals and 1.9 blocks.

He signed with Michigan State where he'll join the last two winners (Derrick Nix and Keith Appling of Detroit Pershing)."

The 'Pension Ponzi' Rap

The 'Pension Ponzi' Rap
"So it is not the pension fund itself that is a Ponzi scheme.

It is the plan's accumulation of unfunded liabilities that are not fully prepaid before current workers retire that constitutes a Ponzi account within the pension fund."

Video: Gov. Rick Synder says local governments must show improvement to get state dollars

Video: Gov. Rick Synder says local governments must show improvement to get state dollars MLive.com
"To meet the accountability goal, communities would be required to post their financial data and performance on an online “dashboard” by Oct. 1.

The compensation incentive would require communities to replace defined benefit pensions with 401(k)-style retirement savings programs and require an 20 percent employee match for health care."

A GREAT start!

Muskegon Taxpayers Alliance

Muskegon Taxpayers Alliance
"Muskegon Tea Party Meeting Whitlow's Banquet Hall (on Airline Rd.)

EVERYONE is invited!"

Democrats catching impeachment fever?

Democrats catching impeachment fever? « Hot Air
"If nothing else, Dennis Kucinich is consistent.
He wanted to push articles of impeachment against George W. Bush and Dick Cheney over the Iraq war, which his own party’s leadership squelched in the summer of 2008 — when Bush’s term had all but expired anyway.
Kucinich and John Conyers instead had to settle for “impugnment hearings,” which one witness called “slightly demented.”
Now we have another military action from another president, this one without the cover of a Congressional authorization to use military force, and Kucinich wants to crank up the impeachment process, pun most certainly intended:"

Unions' political thuggery

Unions' political thuggery--Glenn Reynolds - NYPOST.com
"Just a couple of months ago, in the wake of Jared Loughner's shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, simple talk of 'targeting' a political opponent for defeat was treated as beyond the pale.
But let's look at some more recent language -- and conduct -- that our bien-pensant punditry can't be bothered to notice, let alone condemn.

In Michigan, protesters opposed to Gov. Rick Snyder's austerity budget broke a window to get into the capitol building. One faces felony charges after assaulting police with an edged weapon; 14 were arrested.

In Washington, DC, the windows at GOP headquarters were shot out, not the first time that Republican offices have been subject to such attacks.

In Madison, Wis., the state capitol was occupied for weeks by teachers-union members and their supporters.
Doors and windows were broken; a mob tried to keep Republican state senators from entering the Senate chamber to vote"

Video of Charles Krauthammer: Nuclear Power In America ‘Is Dead’

theblogprof: Video of Charles Krauthammer: Nuclear Power In America ‘Is Dead’
"It's been dead for 30 years now insofar as no new nuclear power plants have been commissioned, but there are at least 16 proposals out there right now including Fermi 3 here in MI. France is now 80% nuclear, and they won't miss a beat..."

The Plot to Destroy the US Military

The Plot to Destroy the US Military
"In two generations we have gone from General Patton telling his troops to grease their tanks with the enemy’s guts to an extensive purge of Navy command officers over a series of raunchy video skits.
Slowly but surely we are turning the greatest armed forces into the world, into the most politically correct disarmed forces the world has ever seen."

Neo-Bam

Neo-Bam - WSJ.com
"As bombs started falling on Libya Saturday, blogger Glenn Reynolds noticed something striking:
'Hey, it's exactly 8 years to the day since Bush started bombing Iraq!'
Eight years--which is to say, Barack Obama ordered the bombing of an Arab dictatorship at precisely the same point in his presidency that George W. Bush did.

Of course, there were some differences.
The Libya war is new;

the Iraq one was an escalation of a conflict that had been under way for 12 years.

The U.N. Security Council had authorized action in Libya for the first time two days earlier, vs. 17 times in Iraq.

Bush had persuaded a large majority of the public that escalating the war was a good idea;

Obama had to act more quickly, without making a sustained case to either the public or Congress."

How ignorant are Americans? An alarming number of U.S. citizens don't know basic facts about their own country

How ignorant are Americans? An alarming number of U.S. citizens don't know basic facts about their own country Mail Online
"First Christina Aguilera forgot the words to the national anthem.
Now it has emerged that 70 per cent of Americans do not know what the Constitution is, and six per cent don't even know when Independence Day falls."

McCaskill will sell 'the damn plane'

McCaskill will sell 'the damn plane' - David Catanese - POLITICO.com
In a conference call Monday afternoon, McCaskill revealed that after her own review of the plane's records, she had not paid personal property taxes on the aircraft over the past four years.

theblogprof: Democratic Party principle: If you have both a mother and father in the household, you're not black

theblogprof: Democratic Party principle: If you have both a mother and father in the household, you're not black

Actor Paul Giamatti clarifies flub about Detroit

Actor Paul Giamatti clarifies flub about Detroit
"When asked about winning a Canadian acting award for his role in “Barney’s Version” he explained why he couldn’t make it to the ceremony to receive the award,
I couldn’t go because I was shooting a movie in Detroit, which is like being in prison, so I couldn’t get out of Detroit.”"

US Army 'kill team' in Afghanistan posed for photos of murdered civilians

US Army 'kill team' in Afghanistan posed for photos of murdered civilians World news The Guardian
"US Army 'kill team' in Afghanistan posed for photos of murdered civiliansCommanders brace for backlash of anti-US sentiment that could be more damaging than after the Abu Ghraib scandal"

The new "monster" Obama?

Liberals have a mental disorder, says doctor

Liberals have a mental disorder, says doctor - Reno Conservative Examiner.com
"A veteran psychiatrist now claims that liberalism is a mental disorder, not purely a political choice"

Muskegon Taxpayers Alliance: A reason for us taxpayers to pay for electric hook-up for rich

Muskegon Taxpayers Alliance: A reason for us taxpayers to pay for electric hook-up for rich
"There are rumors that this enviro-spending is because one of the more affluent county commissioners just bought a $40,000 Chevy Volt.

So he/she could plug in on your taxpayer dime for their free enviro-fuel.

How does that make you feel?

Who is it?"

Big meeting tomorrow!

Muskegon Taxpayers Alliance
"This is very important because chairman Mahoney requested an earlier start (1:00 rather than the usual 1:30) as they will be discussing options for a new jail (higher taxes?) and the county budget which will be in deep doo doo if the projected $1.2 million in state refunding is cut.

As is expected.

So this is a BIG TIME number crunch meeting that every Muskegon resident needs to attend."

A morning story

sent to me by a friend:

After wrestling with Drew to get his socks on (and him taking them off 3x) the following transpired:

M: Ok, Drew.
I'm done.
You put on your own socks.
You may come out of your room when you have your socks on.

D: No, no, I don't want to go to Trader Joes, etc.....

M: Stay in your room until your socks are on.

D: No, no, don't want to get ready, etc.

M: I'll see you when your socks are on.

Door opens...

M: Are your socks on?

D: Ya

And there is our adorably frustrating child standing in the doorway with his socks on his hands.

Farrakhan warns, advises Obama on Libya

Representative Marcia Hovey-Wright is hosting a Town Hall meeting about Michigan's Budget

"Representative Marcia Hovey-Wright is hosting a Town Hall meeting about Michigan's Budget.

Monday, March 28, 7:00 p.m. at the Stevenson Center at MCC, room 1100.

Mitchell Bean, non partisan House Fiscal Agency Director will present it.
He is an expert about Michigan's budget -- information we all need to know.
Remember: knowledge is power!
Let's have a wonderful turn-out for this."

Sunday, March 20, 2011

CARPE DIEM: Chart of the Day: Deaths per Energy Source

CARPE DIEM: Chart of the Day: Deaths per Energy Source

Izzo, Michigan State look toward next season

Izzo, Michigan State look toward next season: 'There'll be some soul-searching' MLive.com
EAST LANSING — The clarity of problems now yields to the murkiness of solutions for Michigan State basketball.

Coach Tom Izzo often has said the difficulties of this soured season were tempered by his belief that he can rationalize the reasons and address them quickly."

Perigee Moon

Perigee Moon
"The full moon is seen as it rises near the Lincoln Memorial, Saturday, March 19, 2011, in Washington.

Trump Has 'Just a Little' Doubt Obama Was Born in America

Trump Has 'Just a Little' Doubt Obama Was Born in America - FoxNews.com

Pure Michigan: St. Patrick's Day

MICHAEL MOORE: Now a racist teabagger.

Instapundit » Blog Archive » MICHAEL MOORE: Now a racist teabagger.
Also, fat and unattractive. Some things don’t change so easily.

UPDATE: Reader James Ruhland writes:
“This man of peace, wasn’t he last seen declaring war at the Wisconsin Capitol?”
Well, yeah, but against the real enemy – Republicans.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Politico:
Liberal Democrats In Uproar Over Libya.
How’s that hopey-changey stuff workin’ for ya?
“They consulted the Arab League.
They consulted the United Nations.
They did not consult the United States Congress.”

Plus, from Don Surber: “I have all along wished for Barack Obama’s success because I knew the only way for him to be a successful president would be to adopt the policies of President Bush. . . . Obama wants a second term.”"

Schools Health Insurance and Corporate Welfare

Analysis: Schools Health Insurance and Corporate Welfare [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
"Most school districts willingly cover their employees’ spouses, without any regard for whether or not these spouses can get health insurance coverage elsewhere, like from their own employer.
If a school employee’s spouse works for a private business that offers health insurance but elects to enroll in the plan offered by a school district, taxpayer funds are being used by school districts to indirectly subsidize the payrolls of private businesses."

“Modest” pension benefits and “attacks on teachers?”

“Modest” pension benefits and “attacks on teachers?”
"According to their press release
“They meet amidst national attacks on teachers and other public employees’ right to collectively bargain, to receive modest retirement benefits, and with California school districts issuing thousands of layoff notices.”

This statement as a whole is frustrating but claiming public employees get modest pension benefits and that teachers are being attacked is inaccurate and absurd"

Lansing-area students may face suspension for unauthorized Capitol protest

Lansing-area students may face suspension for unauthorized Capitol protest

Rachel Jackson is a rookie at playing hooky.

But the Eastern High School junior had enough fluency in truancy to lead hundreds of students to skip school Friday and send state lawmakers a message: Don't cut education funding.

The Compensation of An “Unappreciated” and “Devalued” Spanish Teachertial]

The Compensation of An “Unappreciated” and “Devalued” Spanish Teacher [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
"A teacher taking a job at L’Anse Creuse Public Schools four years ago would have seen his or her salary increase by 37 percent from then until today.
The district pays 100 percent of the health insurance premiums for teachers and allows up to 38 visits to a chiropractor for fully-covered massage therapy treatments.

Amber Kasic Sullivan, a Spanish teacher at L’Anse Creuse High School, did a guest column for the Detroit Free Press this week.
In it, she explained that she felt “very unappreciated” and “devalued.”"