They STILL had a statue of Lenin?!!! Protesters in Kiev Topple Lenin Statue as Rallies Grow

Protesters in Kiev Topple Lenin Statue as Rallies Grow - NYTimes.com:
"KIEV, Ukraine — Protesters in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, toppled the city’s main statue of Lenin on Sunday and then pounded it into chips with a sledgehammer as a crowd chanted and cheered.
The destruction of the statue was a cathartic moment in the biggest day of demonstrations so far against President Viktor F. Yanukovich’s turn away from Europe."

Face it. Our rulers just don't like us to have a choice about anything. Except killing babies.........New York City proposal seeks ban on electronic cigarette use in public

It's the look they don't like?
New York City proposal seeks ban on electronic cigarette use in public | Fox News:
"New Yorkers who say electronic cigarettes helped them quit smoking asked city lawmakers at a hearing this week not to ban the nicotine inhalers from restaurants, workplaces and other indoor spaces, saying there isn't enough evidence they pose a health risk to justify their exclusion.

"The facts are that this isn't smoking," Jesse Gaddis, a representative from Brooklyn-based Bedford Slims, an e-cigarette company, toldThe New York Post as he exhaled wasps of white mist during his testimony. "This is vapor."

Another attendee at Wednesday's meeting said, "These people would try to get you to prohibit penicillin ... if there was grant money in it.""

The predictive powers of media-----1993 Independent Article About Osama Bin Laden

These MSM bozos couldn't predict tomorrow's weather..... oh, wait. They have. And they're wrong about that too!
1993 Independent Article About Osama Bin Laden - Business Insider:
"This article from Dec. 6, 1993, by Robert Fisk of The Independent, titled, "Anti-Soviet warrior puts his army on the road to peace," is stunning to consider 20 years later.

Osama bin Laden, fresh off the US-backed mujahadin's victory over Russia in 1989, flew his men, materials and money down to Sudan, ostensibly to start public works projects.

When asked if they were militant training camps, the "Saudi entrepreneur" and future leader of al Qaeda told Fisk: "I am a construction engineer and an agriculturalist. If I had training camps here in Sudan, I couldn't possibly do this job.""

Theatre Full Of Bikers And Only 2 Seats Left. What Would You Do?

Theatre Full Of Bikers And Only 2 Seats Left. What Would You Do?

British writer: Michigan State beats Ohio State with class, celebrates with class

British writer: Michigan State beats Ohio State with class, celebrates with class | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:

US-based British sportswriter Simon Veness revels in a win for the ‘good guys’ in Indianapolis.

We have a saying in British sporting circles – form is temporary, but class is permanent. 

And that never seemed like a greater truism afterthe events at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night.
....And it owed everything to the class of Mark Dantonio, who has – in the eyes of this observer-from-afar – created an atmosphere of nobility in competition and respectfulness in attitude, two qualities that probably seemed as outdated as the idea of 12-win seasons and Rose Bowl bids back in September.

...."At the same time, we wait to see if the apparent hubris of OSU’s leader is affected in defeat, if an upset in this manner counts for anything in Columbus. I may have missed it, but I didn’t see a quoted word from the head coach admitting that the better team carried the day; that the Spartans are deserving of their ticket to Pasadena; anything, in fact, that showed an awareness of a world beyond his own.

So, if Urban Meyer really wants to learn the lessons of his first defeat with the Buckeyes, he needs to look not at the game tape of how his team were substantially and indisputably undermined on the field – but at how the opposite sideline conducted itself off it.

In this case, class may not necessarily be permanent, but it has certainly lasted since November 2006, when Mark Dantonio took up the reins at Spartan Stadium. And it will probably last as long as he fancies the task of pitting MSU against college football’s ‘super-powers.’"

WeMog-Tomorrow-Everyone invited

Meet at Picnic Shelter Parking lot (ski trails)

 at 12:25 at Hoffmaster State Park,

Monday, December 9.   

Boots hit the trail at 12:30. 

Plan to hike a couple of hours. 

There are lots of options, so group can choose trails.

Happy Hiking

Well-armed young women help spike growing gun-ownership numbers

Well-armed young women help spike growing gun-ownership numbers - Boulder Daily Camera:

The Well Armed Woman -- their slogan is "Where the Feminine and Firearm Meet" -- advertises stylish purses designed for concealed carry.

Another online retailer, Pistols & Pumps -- "Concealed and High Heeled" -- offers pink camouflage hats and bra-mounted holsters.

Gungoddess.com -- the name, apparently, is sufficient -- sells a variety of "gun bling," including leopard-print handgun grips and zebra-print ear protection.

Such items may seem odd to some, but these retailers understand their customer base -- a group of young, strong, determined and armed women. And just because their bullets may be fired from pistols with rhinestone-studded grips doesn't mean they shouldn't be taken seriously.

These women are among a growing population of gun owners who fiercely fight for their right to own and carry a gun for self-protection.

Self-reported gun ownership -- among both men and women in the U.S. -- is the highest it has been since 1993.

"A woman with pepper spray is smart, a woman who takes self-defense is prepared, but a woman with a gun is scary," said Rachael Makowski, a 25-year-old nanny in Westminster, Colo. 

"And when it comes down to my life or theirs, I want them to be just as afraid of me as I am of them."

7 Nelson Mandela Quotes You Probably Won't See In The U.S. Media

7 Nelson Mandela Quotes You Probably Won't See In The U.S. Media

7. On the U.S. war with Iraq:
“If there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world,
it is the United States of America. They don’t care for human beings.”
Via cbsnews.com

6. On Israel:
“Israel should withdraw from all the areas which it won from the Arabs in 1967,
 and in particular Israel should withdraw completely from the Golan Heights,
from south Lebanon and from the West Bank.”
Via jweekly.com

5. On the U.S. war with Iraq:
“All that (Mr. Bush) wants is Iraqi oil.”
Via cbsnews.com



4. Mandela on Castro and the Cuban revolution:
“From its earliest days, the Cuban Revolution has also been a source of
inspiration to all freedom-loving people.
We admire the sacrifices of the Cuban people in maintaining their independence
and sovereignty in the face of the vicious imperialist-orquestrated campaign to
destroy the impressive gain made in the Cuban Revolution.
… Long live the Cuban Revolution. Long live comrade Fidel Castro.”
Via lanic.utexas.edu

3. Mandela on Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, his longtime supporter:
“It is our duty to give support to the brother leader … especially in regards 

to the sanctions which are not hitting just him, they are hitting the 

ordinary masses of the people … our African brothers and sisters.”Via finalcall.com

2. On the U.S. preparing to invade Iraq in a 2002 interview with Newsweek:
“If you look at those matters, you will come to the conclusion
that the attitude of the United States of America is a threat to world peace.”
Via newsweek.com

1. On a Palestinian state:
“The UN took a strong stand against apartheid; and over the years,
an international consensus was built, which helped to bring an end to
this iniquitous system.
But we know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the
 freedom of the Palestinians.”

Via cbsnews.com

The World's 18 Strangest Airports

Airports and Architecture - The World's 18 Strangest Airports - Popular Mechanics

8: Princess Juliana International Airport

Simpson Bay, Saint Maarten

Our president is a serial liar and no one in the media seems to care------Twisting the truth till you cry uncle

Carr: Twisting the truth till you cry uncle | Boston Herald:
"But the confusion was understandable, Baghdad Jay Carney explained at the White House this week.
Back when the question of his relationship with Uncle Omar arose, after his pinch for drunken driving in Framingham in 2011, Carney said the staff “looked at the record, including the president’s book, and there was no evidence that they had met.”

Consider that for a moment.
The aides consulted “the book” — “Dreams from My Father.”
This is Barack’s “autobiography,” which a convicted Weatherman terrorist now claims to have ghostwritten.
It includes what is now acknowledged to be a “composite girlfriend,” and was peddled to publishers with a description of Obama as Kenyan-born, although he now claims to have been born in Hawaii, or as he calls it, “Asia.”

“Dreams from My Father” — obviously, an extremely credible source."

Embezzle a half million? No problemo in Flint Michigan-----Career Alliance saga ends with no jail time for those who misused $500,000 in taxpayer money

With zero penalty for the theft, why not try it again?
Career Alliance saga ends with no jail time for those who misused $500,000 in taxpayer money | MLive.com
 "FLINT, MI -- A scandal that took down the head of a public agency, a Flint police chief and his father, as well as a former Flint School Board member has come to end with more than $500,000 in taxpayer money misused and not a single day of jail for anyone involved.

Pamela Loving, the former head of Career Alliance who a federal judge called the leader of the "criminal episode," was ordered to pay back more than a half-million dollars after she admitted to embezzling tax-payer money and funding a program led by a relative without approval of the federal government.

U.S. District Judge Mark A. Goldsmith, however, spared Loving from more than a year in prison and instead placed her on five years' probation with a year of house arrest.

Loving, who is unemployed and has filed for bankruptcy, was also ordered to pay $586,000 in restitution."

▶ 12/7/2013 - Michigan State 34 Ohio State 24 - YouTube

▶ 12/7/2013 - Michigan State 34 Ohio State 24 - YouTube: ""

'via Blog this'

The unions and their democrat friends don't want you to read this---Why does Walmart get 38 applications for every opening? Because it offers economic opportunity, hope and change

The "Harvard" of employment opportunity!
Carpe Diem | AEIdeas

Why does Walmart get 38 applications for every opening? Because it offers economic opportunity, hope and change

Mark J. Perry | December 6, 2013, 6:26 pm

There’s a lot of rhetoric, especially from the left, that is very dismissive of working at Walmart. Go the Wikipedia entry for “Criticism of Walmart” and you’ll find references to the following criticisms of being a Walmart employee: low wages, poor working conditions, being forced to work off the clock, being denied overtime pay, not being allowed to take breaks, violations of child labor laws, instances of minors working too late, during school hours, or for too many hours in a day, labor racketeering crimes, sexual discrimination, limiting or eliminating health care benefits, poorly-run and understaffed stores, etc. You get the idea – it must be a pretty terrible place to work, right? But then why do so many people actually want to work for the retail giant, based on the huge number of applications that Walmart receives every time it opens a new store?

For example, Walmart received 23,000 applications for 600 new jobs at the two new stores that it opened this week in Washington, DC. That’s more than 38 applications for every position. 
In contrast, Harvard only gets about 17 applications for every available opening in its freshman class, Stanford gets about 15 students applying per opening, Yale receives roughly 14 applications per opening, and Princeton gets 12.7 applications for every slot in its freshman class.

When Walmart is considering employee applications for its news stores, why can it be twice as selective as Harvard and three times more selective than Princeton when those elite universities consider student applications for freshman admission? 

In other words, why do so many people want to work at Walmart?

A VERY sh!tty day-----Ottawa County farmer recovering from entanglement in manure spreader

Gotta hope he's OK
And give thanks Obamacare isn't in force yet.
Ottawa County farmer recovering from entanglement in manure spreader | MLive.com:
"Deputies said Vanderzwaag’s clothing became entangled in the power take-off (PTO) shaft of the manure spreader he was using in a field. "

IBM offered to built it for free?!!!! Obama Stars in The No-Name Law That Sank His Party

Articles: Obama Stars in The No-Name Law That Sank His Party:
"We've paid almost a billion dollars to a Canadian firm whose vice-president is a college buddy of Michelle Obama's from their black radical days at Princeton to create a webpage to enroll people mandated by this law to do so, Obama having turned down the U.S. firm IBM's offer to create it for free. "

America's closest ally? After Snubbing Thatcher Funeral, Obama and Michelle to Visit South Africa for Mandela

After Snubbing Thatcher Funeral, Obama and Michelle to Visit South Africa for Mandela:
"On Friday, the White House announced that President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama would travel to South Africa next weeks to pay their respects to Nelson Mandela."

Soon to be the richest woman in her trailer park? Woman Hospitalized After Being Glued To Toilet Seat at Home Depot

Woman Hospitalized After Being Glued To Toilet Seat at Home Depot:
"The store manager found a brown paper sack in the restroom containing a bottle of Loctite GO2 glue, a product that not only boasts of durability, but also versatility. "

This explains much-----The more inept you are the smarter you think you are

BBC - Future - Health - The more inept you are the smarter you think you are:
"You're pretty smart right?
Clever, and funny too.
Of course you are, just like me.
But wouldn't it be terrible if we were mistaken?
Psychologists have shown that we are more likely to be blind to our own failings than perhaps we realise. This could explain why some incompetent people are so annoying, and also inject a healthy dose of humility into our own sense of self-regard.

In 1999, Justin Kruger and David Dunning, from Cornell University, New York, tested whether people who lack the skills or abilities for something are also more likely to lack awareness of their lack of ability. 
At the start of their research paper they cite a Pittsburgh bank robber called McArthur Wheeler as an example, who was arrested in 1995 shortly after robbing two banks in broad daylight without wearing a mask or any other kind of disguise.
When police showed him the security camera footage, he protested "But I wore the juice".
The hapless criminal believed that if you rubbed your face with lemon juice you would be invisible to security cameras."

Obama supporting, serial liar----Wounded Warriors Has No Record of Donation from Waitress Tip Hoaxster

"Fake hate" works.
EVERYONE heard about the slur.
Most haven't heard ANYTHING about this hate spewing, lying, lesbian.
But the "hate" message lives on.
The PJ Tatler » Wounded Warriors Has No Record of Donation from Waitress Tip Hoaxster:
"Sure, that’s possible.
It’s not likely, but it’s possible.
There are reasons to doubt Morales’ veracity.
Her “former Marine” schtick didn’t really pan out. 
Neither did her original claim — she’s being investigated.
We probably already have a smear and a version of “stolen valor” in this story.
We’ll see how the donations angle shakes out."

This was the lead story ALL morning on Grand Rapids TV-WOOD --Fires, arrests in East Lansing after MSU's win

Fires, arrests in East Lansing after MSU's win | WOOD TV8
And this is why they are hemorrhaging viewers.
They did have an alternative.......

"Killer Climate Change" ----Climate change warning: Killer winter storms for next THIRTY years

No worries. 
If we give them enough money, they promise to stop it from happening. 
Or, at least, to rename it......
Climate change warning: Killer winter storms for next THIRTY years | Latest News | Latest Breaking News | Daily Star. Simply The Best 7 Days A Week:
"Many people could die as extreme weather becomes common.
There will be more freak winds like the October storm, which killed four people.
Heatwaves will be lethal and the sea level will rise, leaving coastal towns at risk of being swamped by storm surges.
Sir Brian Heap, president of the European Academies Science Advisory Council, said he felt “obliged” to issue the warning after a new study by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change."

New Nat Geo website showcases amateur nighttime photography

New Nat Geo website showcases amateur nighttime photography | Rare:

Folks, this is a recipe for disaster----41% of Net New Jobs in November Were in Government

41% of Net New Jobs in November Were in Government | CNS News:
"Federal, state and local governments hired a net additional 338,000 workers in November, equaling 41 percent of the total of 818,000 net additional jobs created in the United States during the month.

At the same time, the unemployment rate for government workers fell from 4.4 percent in October to 3.2 percent in November. (The overall national unemployment rate fell from 7.3 percent to 7.0  percent.)"

And the media made fun of Sarah Palin......Obama: ‘Biden Will Go Down In History As One Of The Best Vice Presidents Ever’

Obama: ‘Biden Will Go Down In History As One Of The Best Vice Presidents Ever’ « CBS DC:
"President Barack Obama has high praise for potential 2016 contenders Vice President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“I think Joe Biden will go down in history as one of the best vice presidents ever, and he has been with me, at my side, in every tough decision that I’ve made,” Obama told MSNBC in an interview Thursday held at American University.
“Hillary, I think, will go down in history as one of the finest secretaries of state we’ve ever had, and helped to transition us away from a deep hole that we were in, when I first came into office, around the world, and rebuilt confidence and trust in the United States.”"

Lots of high pay jobs available designing touchscreens------McDonald's orders 7,000 touchscreen kiosks to replace cashiers

McDonald's orders 7,000 touchscreen kiosks to replace cashiers - Neowin:
"McDonald's recently added 64,000 people to its payroll in the United States, but job prospects in Europe for those so inclined to work in the fast food industry are looking pretty grim right about now.
That's because the fast food giant is poised to add touchscreen kiosks in more than 7,000 of its restaurants in Europe in effort to replace actual, human cashiers."

You Shall Not Pass, Dog

You Shall Not Pass, Dog - YouTube: ""

'via Blog this'

Oh my gosh! This just grows and grows and grows! Wonderful! (Watch it in "big screen") USAF Band Holiday Flash Mob at the National Air and Space Museum

▶ USAF Band Holiday Flash Mob at the National Air and Space Museum - YouTube: ""

'via Blog this'

Never forget--Pearl Harbor remembered

Sadly, I fear we already have forgotten just about EVERY lesson from that infamous day.
Pearl Harbor remembered - The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com:
"Thousands are expected at the US Navy base in Hawaii Friday to commemorate the lives of those lost in the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941."

Spartans WIN!

If you love your country, you won't keep your country if you give it to greedy socialists who run AARP---------AARP partner crafted Obama 'keep your plan' lie

AARP is bad people
AARP partner crafted Obama 'keep your plan' lie | The Daily Caller:
"The retired persons advocacy group AARP partners with the organization that helped craft President Obama’s “you can keep your plan” lie.

AARP, founded in 1958, is generating criticism from many of its members for heavily promoting Obamacare, which helps AARP’s bottom line to the tune of more than $1 billion. "

A lot of bruhaha for a small number of folks-----Same-Sex Weddings 17 Percent of Washington Marriages

And 1/4 of the 17% were from a different state
Same-Sex Weddings 17 Percent of Washington Marriages:
"SEATTLE
Gay weddings made up 17 percent of marriages in Washington this past year, the first year gay marriages were legal in the state, state officials reported Wednesday.

About 7,071 same-sex couples got married in Washington between December 6, 2012, and the most recent complete month of data, September 2013. There were 42,408 total marriages in the state during that time, according to the Washington State Department of Health.

So far, most of Washington state's same-sex marriages, 62 percent, were between two women."

L.A. County social workers strike over salary increases, caseloads

These pay numbers do NOT include overtime or BENEFITS and PENSION
L.A. County social workers strike over salary increases, caseloads - latimes.com:
"These workers, who earn between $41,328 and $86,436, will not be paid while striking.
Nearly 200 clerical workers in the department also failed to report to work."

The scurge of moobs---------------Does smoking pot cause man boobs?

Now that pot is officially the "asprin" of the millenium, what federal "fix" do ya think will come out of Obamacare to cure boy-hooters?
Does smoking pot cause man boobs? - CNN.com:
"A young man in his 20s -- let's call him George -- sits across from me in the exam room.
"Dr. Youn," he says, "I have man boobs."
I notice a not-so-unfamiliar smell wafting from his body.
It's the same odor that floated my way during a rock concert I recently attended.
"How long have you had a problem with this, George?"
"Hard to say.
But it seems to have gotten worse over the past year or so."
"George, the first thing you need to do is stop smoking pot. 
Marijuana could be causing your man boobs.""

The Simple Water Pump That's Changing Lives Across the World

The Simple Water Pump That's Changing Lives Across the World | Wired Design | Wired.com:
"But gear wasn’t the problem; the real challenge was changing behavior. “We spend all our time in the field, talking about irrigation and how much money they can make,” Fisher says. “Then we have to sell them a big-ticket item they’ve never seen before.” 
But it’s working.
Kick­Start has already sold 230,000 pumps, currently priced at $75 to $160 each.
Now they’re developing solar-­powered pumps, versions that can tap deeper water sources, and new financing models to reach more farmers.

The benefits are tangible: The pumps have increased farm incomes by 500 percent on average, helping move 740,000 people out of poverty. “If you’re poor, your number one need is a way to make more money,” Fisher says. Cheap, simple machines might be the best approach."

The federal government banned barges in Muskegon? ----Business group favors opening Muskegon port to river barges

I'm thinkin' there is more to the story..... like federal "free" money, union requirements, enviro-payola.......
Business group favors opening Muskegon port to river barges | Crain's Detroit Business:
"MUSKEGON — Michigan business interests are asking the U.S. Coast Guard to open the port of Muskegon to river barge traffic.
The Michigan Agri-Business Association and local leaders have scheduled a news conference for today in Muskegon to discuss the proposal, which the group says would bring more opportunities for economic growth.
The Coast Guard allows barges and other commercial vessels to operate along set routes in some navigable waterways.
Interest recently has risen in bringing barge traffic commonly seen on the Mississippi River and its tributaries to Lake Michigan.
The Coast Guard will be accepting public comment on the idea in coming weeks."

Finally, a reason to brave the danger and visit Detroit-------New bra boutique opening in Midtown Detroit

But isn't it kinda pathetic that the opening of this small store actually is news in what was a major American city?
New bra boutique opening in Midtown Detroit | Crain's Detroit Business:
"Busted! brings lingerie to the city, featuring options for ladies of all cup sizes."

Don't forget it is you (and me) who will pay these union scammers if a judge rules the Detroit pensions must be paid-----Detroit pension board trustees walk out of meeting during vote on legal contract

And if they pay no penalty, they'll continue their crooked secret deals, FOREVER! 
Detroit pension board trustees walk out of meeting during vote on legal contract | Detroit Free Press | freep.com
"The city’s two pension funds filed a request to appeal Judge Steven Rhodes ruling on Tuesday that Detroit is eligible for bankruptcy and that pensions can be cut in a forthcoming plan to resolve the city’s $18-billion debt and long-term liabilities. 
Detroit’s pension funds have maintained that the state constitution shields vested retirement benefits in bankruptcy, but Rhodes disagreed."

Peek at your pee! What The Color of Your Urine Says About You (Infographic)

What The Color of Your Urine Says About You (Infographic) — Health Hub from Cleveland Clinic

Remember, democrats assure us we aren't NOT paying our fair share.....right? ----House proposes 15-cent federal gas tax hike

And you thought only those nasty rich guys were gonna get stuck?
House proposes 15-cent federal gas tax hike [w/poll] - Autoblog:
"The cost of a gallon of fuel may go up if a Democratic representative from Oregon gets his way.
Earl Blumenauer has reportedly proposed a bill in the House of Representatives to raise the federal gas tax 15 cents per gallon in a bid to cover a shortfall in transportation funding (we told you so?).
The current federal tax is 33.4 cents per gallon on gas and 42.8 cents per gallon of diesel.

Union thugs and democrats working hard to toss all those workers into the unemployment lines-----Can Fast Food Jobs Really Be Replaced By Machines?

Can Fast Food Jobs Really Be Replaced By Machines? | The Skeptical Libertarian Blog:
"You bet: McDonald’s just added 7,000 touch-screen kiosks to handle ordering and cashier duties in its European stores."

Look for that Chinese label-----Entire New 13-Story Building Tips Over in Shanghai

Entire New 13-Story Building Tips Over in Shanghai: "This past Saturday, an entire apartment building in Shanghai collapsed.
To be fair, the building was under construction and thus unoccupied, but it's still a minor miracle that there was only one fatality."

Morons who majored in communications are America's "science filters". That ain't right-----Media’s Chicken Little Hurricane Predictions Fall Flat

Media’s Chicken Little Hurricane Predictions Fall Flat | Media Research Center:
"Hurricane season ended Nov. 30, with an all time-low for hurricanes.
The weak outcome didn’t fit the environmental disaster narrative the media had concocted leading up to hurricane season. ABC, NBC and CBS devoted broadcasts to scaring viewers with news of “devastating tornadoes, searing heat waves, withering droughts” and “powerful hurricanes.”
But they became strangely silent once the season finished … and next to nothing had happened."

Obama's war on America------The Government’s War on Long-Haul Truckers

The Government’s War on Long-Haul Truckers | National Review Online
Long-haul truckers are vanishing? Is there someone protecting this endangered species? God knows we have enough people fighting for the survival of the dunes sagebrush lizard.
...... as we learned how public policy dictated by bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., was affecting his life — and the lives of all long-haul truckers — for the worse: “Lately, though, Mr. Hernandez’s patience has been worn thin by a confusing tangle of rules, efficiency directives, and electronic devices that cap his speed, log his every move, and practically try to autopilot his truck. Magnifying the stress are more federal rule changes that took effect in July and are now roiling the industry.”

The federal agency that is doing all this is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), an agency within a bigger agency, the Department of Transportation.

Morons, thieves, lazy, scumbags. Hire them to "protect" your pension, and Detroit is what you get------------------------Pension financing is even more complicated than I thought.

Pension financing is even more complicated than I thought. | Public Sector Inc:

"Detroit City Manager Kevin Orr has charged (accurately) that over more than a decade the city’s main pension plan siphoned off over $750 million from the plan’s investments to pay so-called “13th checks” to both workers and retirees.

Union official and pension board member John Riehl, who was involved with these bonus payments, responded:
“Some say that if the board had invested those excess earnings funds over the 23-year period, the pension fund would be in better shape today. 
Given the numerous factors that influence fund performance over such a long period, it’s impossible to predict whether that’s true.”

Look, I know this stuff is technical and maybe I’m not bright enough to get it.
But can someone explain to me how putting another $750 million in the City’s pension could have failed to make it better off?
The worst you can do is lose it all, in which case you’re still even."

A somber anniversary-----My new friend, candidate Mark Schauer writes to tell me how our Gov. Snyder has been nasty to Michigan's wonderful union bosses.

 

Jim--

I can’t believe how many stepped up and contributed to our campaign in advance of the deadline last week. It was truly heartwarming to see so many of you supporting us.

Rick Snyder isn’t right for us. He is a constant roadblock to getting anything done for Michigan’s middle class families. Unlike Snyder, I am someone who has always stood on the side of worker's rights. That is why the month of December holds a somber anniversary for our state.

This coming Wednesday marks one year since Governor Snyder signed his reckless right-to-work legislation. This legislation made it harder for unions to organize to protect worker's rights, while putting more money in the pockets of corporate executives.

That is why my campaign is starting a petition to demand that Michigan repeal this anti-worker law. Can you click here and add your name to our petition today?

Thanks for standing up for Michiganders everywhere,

Mark

Blog: Arctic ice cap grows 29% in one year

Blog: Arctic ice cap grows 29% in one year:
"In the United States, President Obama still plans to bypass Congress, which like the American people is highly skeptical of the discredited-by-events predictions, and use administrative regulations and executive orders to impose drastic and expensive carbon restrictions on the American economy.
These will cost jobs and lower the standard of living particularly for lower income Americans, who can least afford the higher electricity, food, gasoline, and other prices that inevitably will result.
Global warming is the most expensive and widespread con job in the history of the world. 
There must be a terrible reckoning for the "scientists" and profiteers who have foisted this crackpot atrocity on the world."

To Propagandize The West, The Soviet Union’s Lenin Recruited A Corps Of Useful Idiots

In the USA we call them "journalists".
To Propagandize The West, The Soviet Union’s Lenin Recruited A Corps Of Useful Idiots - Investors.com:
"Lenin also feared that unless other countries went communist, his own revolution would be doomed to collapse under economic failure.

This drove him to try something new at the time: a special corps of "useful idiots." (The term is actually not Lenin's, but that of economist Ludwig von Mises.) These foot soldiers would push his revolution in every country — co-opting and subverting democratic processes, fomenting strikes, installing secret armies and, above all, propagandizing according to Moscow's dictates.

Useful idiots-----Princeton University Orchestra Debuts ‘Ballad for Trayvon Martin’

Princeton University Orchestra Debuts ‘Ballad for Trayvon Martin’:
"Trayvon Martin continues to be a subject of intense interest for the academic elite. The Princeton University Orchestra and the University Concert Jazz Ensemble is set to debut “The Ballad for Trayvon Martin” today, NJ.com reports.

The goal of the music, according to its composer, noted jazz artist Anthony D.J. Branker, is to pay homage to victims of racial violence.

“I simply want to make a connection,” Branker said, “whether it’s on a level of social consciousness, or music and expression.”

Branker said his composition “speaks to all of us to continue to work together so that children of any race, ethnicity or religious affiliation never have to meet such a tragic end.”"

OMG! "Dozens"! ------Dozens Protest ‘Slave Wages’ For Fast-Food Workers In Metro Detroit

I'm thinkin' these slaves wouldn't be all that unhappy with $7.00/hr and some McNuggets.
All "dozens" of them.....

Dozens Protest ‘Slave Wages’ For Fast-Food Workers In Metro Detroit « CBS Detroit:
"DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Dozens of demonstrators lined up outside an east side Detroit McDonald’s restaurant in an effort to protest what one man called “slave wages” for fast-food workers.

The protest was just one of many taking place nationwide to raise pay in low-wage sectors to $15 an hour. Workers on Thursday are expected to walk off their jobs in Michigan and across the nation, including McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway, Wendy’s, Checkers and KFC.
Clergy, elected officials and community supporters are also expected to join workers on the strike lines."

Say what? "Economists are divided over whether..." increasing the cost of labor will reduce the demand for that labor?????? Fair wage protests at Michigan fast-food restaurants underway

Why don't these imbecilic "journalists demand a doubling of their pay?
Fair wage protests at Michigan fast-food restaurants underway | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:
"Economists are divided whether raising the minimum wage would make it harder for low-skilled workers to find employment and whether it would be a beneficial to the economy, a survey of experts taken by the University of Chicago’s Initiative on Global Markets Forum in February showed."

Texas Democrat Wendy Davis Donated $515 Of Her $235k Income To Charity, But Wants To Redistribute Your Earnings

Texas Democrat Wendy Davis Donated $515 Of Her $235k Income To Charity, But Wants To Redistribute Your Earnings | Independent Journal Review:
"The Democrats’ big abort-happy hope to capture the Texas governorship just released her taxes, and despite her wanting to take your money and give it to anyone who signs up to welfare, she didn’t give much herself.

In 2011, she earned $235,428, but gave a paltry $515 to charity. That’s less than one percent of her income, in fact, it barely scratches one-fifth of one percent.

Democrats are so charitable! Not with their own money, but with yours, of course.

2012 wasn’t much better, even though her income jumped to $284,183. That year, she gave just $950 in contributions to charity, This works out to a very generous three-tenths of one percent!

Amazing how hypocritical they are about your earned money, isn’t it?"

Amazing how, with zero science to back up the claims, pot went from illegal/bad for you to "desperately needed" for children----------Vote on medical marijuana bills allowing dispensaries, edibiles, pharmacy sales on hold

Vote on medical marijuana bills allowing dispensaries, edibiles, pharmacy sales on hold | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:
"The edibles bill is needed because many patients, especially seriously ill children, can’t smoke the product, Kowall said.

“The law has largely been reduced to smoking and vaporizing the marijuana,” Kowall said. “But after speaking with caregivers, most would prefer to ingest in ways other than smoking. They desperately need alternative delivery methods.”

Jim Powers of Centerline brought his toddler son Ryan, who has minimal change nephorsis, an autoimmune disease that attacks the kidneys, mostly in young children. Marijuana-infused oils have helped modulate his immune system and alleviate the symptoms of the disease.

“Out of desperation, we turned to cannabis oil and he went into remission, but the court of appeals ruled his medicine illegal,” Powers said."