Sunday, June 12, 2011

Top Democrat operative launches plan of attack in Wisconsin recall elections

Blog: Top Democrat operative launches plan of attack in Wisconsin recall elections
"The plan is a tried and true staple of leftist politics, get involved in the Republican primary elections and manipulate the process in order to ensure victory in the general election."

Coal plants closing: Why coal plants closing means higher electricity prices

Coal plants closing: Why coal plants closing means higher electricity prices - chicagotribune.com
"Consumers could see their electricity bills jump an estimated 40 to 60 percent in the next few years"

USA 2011: McJobs, $4 Gas And Underwater Housing

USA 2011: McJobs, $4 Gas And Underwater Housing - Investors.com
"Random example from the headlines:
The paramilitarization of the education bureaucracy.
The federal Department of Education doesn't employ a single teacher, but it does have a SWAT team:
They kicked down a front door in Stockton, Calif., last week and handcuffed Kenneth Wright (erroneously) in connection with a student-loan 'investigation.'
'We can confirm that we executed a search warrant,' said Department of Education spokesperson Gina Burress.
The Department of Education issues search warrants?
Who knew?
 The Brokest Nation in History is the only country in the developed world whose education secretary has his own Delta Force.
And, in a land with over a trillion dollars in college debt, I'll bet it's got no plans to downsize."

Tea Party Strength | 2012

Tea Party Strength 2012 FreedomWorks The Daily Caller
"These days, Tea Party activists are focused on state and local issues, such as school choice legislation in Pennsylvania, Kibbe said.
They’re not looking to mount another massive D.C. march, such as the 9/12 protest in 2009, in part because the movement has already proved its influence during the 2010 election, he said."

Freedom in the 50 States

Freedom in the 50 States Mercatus
"This study comprehensively ranks the American states on their public policies that affect individual freedoms in the economic, social, and personal spheres."

Michigan is 27th.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

TOUGH LOVE: Gates to NATO: America is getting sick of fighting for you people who won’t defend yourselves

Instapundit » Blog Archive » TOUGH LOVE
"Gates to NATO: America is getting sick of fighting for you people who won’t defend yourselves.
Plus, from the comments: “When you coddle and shelter kids, do you get good teenagers or spoiled punks? What about when you coddle and shelter sovereign states for decades?”
Posted by Glenn Reynolds at 1:15 pm"

Infomation Age 2.0: The Cost of Hard Disk Space Has Decreased by Almost 1.5M Times Since 1980

CARPE DIEM: Infomation Age 2.0: The Cost of Hard Disk Space Has Decreased by Almost 1.5M Times Since 1980: "the cost of hard disk space over the last thirty years (not adjusted for inflation), from $100,000 per gigabyte in 1980 to only $0.07 by 2009."

Longtime Montague business, Todd Pharmacy, closes

Longtime Montague business, Todd Pharmacy, closes MLive.com
"As a kid, every summer my family and I would take a week vacation in northern Muskegon County.
One day, we would hit the A&W drive thru in Fremont.
Another day, was getting hand-made Cherry Cokes at Todd Pharmacy.
To this day, I haven't found any other place that can make em up the way Todd's could"

I remember that back in the late 70's Todds had one of the last soda fountain/lunch counters in the state. It was wonderful.
Time marches on, I guess.

ObamaCare preview: Four arrests in Britain after patient abuse caught on film

theblogprof: ObamaCare preview: Four arrests in Britain after patient abuse caught on film
"From the BBC via memeorandum, a sign of things to come should ObamaCare be ruled constitutional by judicial fiat: Four arrests after patient abuse caught on film"

Lifeguards in hot water

Lifeguards in hot water - Daily Pilot
"So when news reports revealed guards' generous pensions — one of the reasons Selna took the job — and the nearly $150,000 in salaries paid to Newport Beach supervisors, people around the world got furious."

Jefferson County To Lay Off Up To 700 Workers To Avoid Bankruptcy

Jefferson County To Lay Off Up To 700 Workers To Avoid Bankruptcy
"Alabama's troubled Jefferson County may be forced to lay off nearly 700 employees - one-third of its workforce - as it struggles to avoid what would be the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history."

This is what happens when the public allows the unions and county leadership complete control until they destroy the county.
It CAN happen here.

Gates blasts NATO, questions future of alliance

My Way News - Gates blasts NATO, questions future of alliance
"America's military alliance with Europe - the cornerstone of U.S. security policy for six decades - faces a 'dim, if not dismal' future, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday in a blunt valedictory address.
In his final policy speech as Pentagon chief, Gates questioned the viability of NATO, saying its members' penny-pinching and lack of political will could hasten the end of U.S. support."

The comparison with the collapse of the League of Nations prior to WW2 is a bit eerie.

Hot Rod Power Tour likely to return to Muskegon in coming years

Hot Rod Power Tour likely to return to Muskegon in coming years MLive.com
"“My editor, David Freiburger, said last night it was the best tour stop we've had ever in a downtown,” Pitt said Friday morning while traveling to Detroit for the final tour stop this year. Freiburger is editor-in-chief of Hot Rod Magazine."

YES!

Weiner Nation

KUHNER: Weiner Nation - Washington Times
"The problem is that Weinergate goes to the heart of the Democrats’ cultural liberalism.
Try as they might to disown him, he embodies the party’s moral rot.
Mr. Weiner is a progressive crusader.
He has championed almost every secular leftist cause: socialized medicine, government day care, welfare, high taxes, abortion rights, homosexual marriage, gays in the military, sex education in schools and a European-style nanny state.
In other words, he peddles sex and socialism - the twin pillars of progressivism."

Friday, June 10, 2011

Our view: Focus on national debt, not another stimulus

Our view: Focus on national debt, not another stimulus - USATODAY.com
"The road to economic recovery has developed some major potholes recently.
First came housing data showing that prices had dropped to levels not seen since 2002.
Then came a surprising dip in consumer sentiment.
This was followed by a grim May jobs report: Private-sector job growth slowed, and the unemployment rate ticked up for a second straight month, to 9.1%.
Ouch!"

When you've lost USA Today, you've lost the country......heh...

California’s Green Jihad

California’s Green Jihad - Joel Kotkin - New Geographer - Forbes
"Then there’s California, rich in everything from oil and food to international trade and technology, but still skimming along the bottom of the national economy.
The state’s unemployment rate is now worse than Michigan’s"

Gordo's musings

I finally figured out the popularity of the iPad. Kids start out with cell phones that use touch screen tech. iPad has touch screen and traditional computers still use a mouse. Kids won't move to the mouse. Touch screen is the future...for now.

 
Walmart prices are noticeably up. And the number of shoppers is noticeably down. Not surprising that the poor are hurt first and most. Very sad what this president has done to those in need.

Fruits. Why did "fruit" stop being both singular and plural? Is it the work of gay activists to redefine "fruits"?

Libs must be goofy.
They tell us that Obama would kill Sarah Palin in an election yet they demonize her in an attempt to keep her off the GOP ballot. One would think they'd be supporting the heck out of her.
Doesn't seem too smart to me.....but I never thought libs were all that smart to begin with.....

China ratings house says US defaulting: report

China ratings house says US defaulting: report - Yahoo! News
"'In our opinion, the United States has already been defaulting,' Guan Jianzhong, president of Dagong Global Credit Rating Co. Ltd., the only Chinese agency that gives sovereign ratings, was quoted by the Global Times saying.
Washington had already defaulted on its loans by allowing the dollar to weaken against other currencies -- eroding the wealth of creditors including China, Guan said."

No, You Can't Keep Your Health Insurance

Grace-Marie Turner: ObamaCare and the Future of Employer Health Insurance Coverage. - WSJ.com
"ObamaCare will lead to a dramatic decline in employer-provided health insurance—with as many as 78 million Americans forced to find other sources of coverage.
This disturbing finding is based on my calculations from a survey by McKinsey & Company.

The survey, published this week in the McKinsey Quarterly, found that up to 50% of employers say they will definitely or probably pursue alternatives to their current health-insurance plan in the years after the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act takes effect in 2014.
An estimated 156 million non-elderly Americans get their coverage at work, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute."

True Cost of Fannie, Freddie Bailouts: $317 Billion, CBO Says

True Cost of Fannie, Freddie Bailouts: $317 Billion, CBO Says CNSnews.com
"The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says the real cost of the federal government guaranteeing the business of failed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is $317 billion -- not the $130 billion normally claimed by the Obama administration."

Felony charge filed in lobster, steak Bridge Card case

Schneider: Felony charge filed in lobster, steak Bridge Card case Lansing State Journal lansingstatejournal.com
"Buying $141.78 worth of lobster, steak and Mountain Dew with a Bridge card violates no laws or rules.

But turning around and selling the stuff for 50 percent of its value, well ... that's a different matter."

These cards destroy our entire sense of community.
Every penny spent using these cards comes from someone else.
Yet the contempt of card holders aimed at those who pay for the cards is palpable.

$6 for cholesterol or glucose screenings, $15 for a lipid profile and $21 for both.

Next Tuesday, June 14.
Don't forget to fast before the screening!
Mercy H.E.A.R.T. Center
The following are programs of the Mercy H.E.A.R.T. Center at 1212 E. Sherman Blvd., Muskegon.
Cholesterol, Lipid and Glucose Screening
Second Tuesday of each month, 7 a.m. to noon
$6 for cholesterol or glucose screenings, $15 for a lipid profile and $21 for both.
No appointment needed. To learn more, call 231-672-3648.
http://www.mghp.com/services/heart/heartcenter.shtml

Thursday, June 09, 2011

County board must improve meeting notification

Letters: County board must improve meeting notification MLive.com
"Our commissioners will soon face tremendous challenges as they try to maintain county services and keep our county solvent.
They will need more than citizen committees and consultants to deflect the criticism likely to arise from the tough decisions ahead."

Muni Defaults Still Coming, But Timing Unclear: Whitney

Muni Defaults Still Coming, But Timing Unclear: Whitney - CNBC
"But in a CNBC interview, Whitney stuck to her prediction even if she said the debt crash may not happen overnight.
'It's going to be big,' she said.
'What was troublesome is people took (the call) that it would have to be this year.
I never said that.
But that's the size we're looking at.'"

Bailed-Out GM Spends Millions on Phantom Carbon Offsets

Bailed-Out GM Spends Millions on Phantom Carbon Offsets National Legal and Policy Center
"That’s GM: sponging off taxpayers not only to save the company and its unions, but also using them to score points with eco-extremists."

The Fish Monger’s Wife | Muskegon Farmers Market

The Fish Monger’s Wife Muskegon Farmers Market

Two For One

Abortion Pap Smear Two For One The Daily Caller
"Two for one: Orlando clinic offers free pap smear with every abortion"

CNN Poll: Obama approval rating drops as fears of depression rise

CNN Poll: Obama approval rating drops as fears of depression rise – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs
"President Barack Obama's overall approval rating has dropped below 50 percent as a growing number of Americans worry that the U.S. is likely to slip into another Great Depression within the next 12 months, according to a new national poll."

Martin Feldstein: The Economy Is Worse Than You Think

Martin Feldstein: The Economy Is Worse Than You Think - WSJ.com
"The policies of the Obama administration have led to the weak condition of the American economy.
Growth during the coming year will be subpar at best, leaving high or rising levels of unemployment and underemployment.

The drop in GDP growth to just 1.8% in the first quarter of 2011, from 3.1% in the final quarter of last year, understates the extent of the decline.
Two-thirds of that 1.8% went into business inventories rather than sales to consumers or other final buyers.

This means that final sales growth was at an annual rate of just 0.6% and the actual quarterly increase was just 0.15%—dangerously close to no rise at all.
A sustained expansion cannot be built on inventory investment.
It takes final sales to induce businesses to hire and to invest"

ObamaCare and the Future of Employer Health Insurance Coverage. - WSJ.com

Grace-Marie Turner: ObamaCare and the Future of Employer Health Insurance Coverage. - WSJ.com
"ObamaCare will lead to a dramatic decline in employer-provided health insurance—with as many as 78 million Americans forced to find other sources of coverage.

This disturbing finding is based on my calculations from a survey by McKinsey & Company.
The survey, published this week in the McKinsey Quarterly, found that up to 50% of employers say they will definitely or probably pursue alternatives to their current health-insurance plan in the years after the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act takes effect in 2014.
An estimated 156 million non-elderly Americans get their coverage at work, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute."