Thursday, February 16, 2012
"Barack Obama is trying to make the US a more socialist state"
Ten years in front to ten years behind.
That has a really bad ring to it...
That has a really bad ring to it...
Janet Daley has this point of view and a warning for America:
"What was it everybody used to say about the United States? Look at what’s happening over there and you will see our future. Whatever Americans are doing now, we will be catching up with them in another 10 years or so. In popular culture or political rhetoric, America led the fashion and we tagged along behind.
Well, so much for that. Barack Obama is now putting the United States squarely a decade behind Britain."
"I Got Food Stamps and So Can You!"
Food stamps are in the news a lot lately.
They do serve a purpose, but, like many government welfare programs, they are wide open to abuse...
They do serve a purpose, but, like many government welfare programs, they are wide open to abuse...
At theCollegeConservative.com, Sydney Phillips writes about her experience in that system:
"My recent excursion into the welfare system has left me scratching my head. Prior to writing and researching this project, my only impression of food stamps and similar welfare programs was that the credit only worked for certain items at certain stores and that an individual had to be in a particularly dire financial situation to receive such aid. I was wrong.
An EBT card works and looks like a debit card, but instead of the user withdrawing money from a checking account, the government prepays an amount of money it deems necessary for the user’s food expenditures."
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
"Sacrificial Spokesman"
The politics of war is never exposed for what it is...
At PJmedia.com, Richard Fernandez writes about the war in Afganistan:
"Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis, an officer who 'served in Operation Desert Storm, in Afghanistan in 2005-06 and in Iraq in 2008-09″ and “legislative correspondent for defense and foreign affairs for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas', recently concluded, after spending a year in Afghanistan gathering data for a report on equipment, that the whole operation had become a fraud.
He echoed the assessment of Anthony Cordesman’s conclusion that the war was being reported to fit a political template, while in the meantime doing little or nothing to achieve any tangible goal. Cordesman wrote, 'Since June 2010, the unclassified reporting the U.S. does provide has steadily shrunk in content, effectively ‘spinning’ the road to victory by eliminating content that illustrates the full scale of the challenges ahead. They also, however, were driven by political decisions to ignore or understate Taliban and insurgent gains from 2002 to 2009, to ignore the problems caused by weak and corrupt Afghan governance, to understate the risks posed by sanctuaries in Pakistan, and to ‘spin’ the value of tactical ISAF victories while ignoring the steady growth of Taliban influence and control.'"
"No room for a road? Japanese engineers just build straight through the middle!"
The Japanese are really clever.
Americans are too; but, some ideas just have a flare to them...
Americans are too; but, some ideas just have a flare to them...
Richard Ashmore has the story and pictures at The U.K. MailOnline website:
"Resourceful Japanese engineers did not let a small matter like a lack of space deter them when they needed to begin a new construction project and managed to build a road through an office block in the city of Osaka.
The 16-storey building Gate Tower Building has a busy fly-over running straight through the ground floor as this amazing picture shows"
The Flat Tax
If you don't understand the concept of what is known as the flat tax, here is an explanatory video.
The moderator certainly and enthusiastically makes it sound good...
The moderator certainly and enthusiastically makes it sound good...
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
"Students step over 'rivers of urine' after green bathrooms plan turns a high school yellow... and it will cost $500,000 to fix"
Here's another "green" boondogle that will cost taxpayers.
Don't they test or trial these things?...
Don't they test or trial these things?...
Michael Zennie recently reported in the U.K. Daily Mail:
"School officials at Spanish River High School thought they had found an environmentally-friendly, cost-saving solution for their bathrooms when they installed Falcon Waterfree urinals in their boys bathrooms.
But with no water moving through the school's copper pipes to flush the urine into the sewer system, the waste produced noxious gases that ate through the metal, leaving leaky pipes that allowed urine to drip into walls and flow onto floors."
"The fifth horseman of the apocalypse"
If you live long enough, everything you have heard or learned seems to get turned upside down.
We should learn by that, and not buy into grand theories too quickly.
I think this turnabout will surprise you...
We should learn by that, and not buy into grand theories too quickly.
I think this turnabout will surprise you...
At the Asia Times website, "Spengler" (David Goldman) shares this information, along with supporting explanations:
"Population decline is the elephant in the world's living room. As a matter of arithmetic, we know that the social life of most developed countries will break down within two generations. Two out of three Italians and three of four Japanese will be elderly dependents by 2050. [1] If present fertility rates hold, the number of Germans will fall by 98% over the next two centuries. No pension and health care system can support such an inverted population pyramid. Nor is the problem limited to the industrial nations. Fertility is falling at even faster rates - indeed, at rates never before registered anywhere - in the Muslim world. The
world's population will fall by as much as a fifth between the middle and the end of the 21st century, by far the worst decline in human history."
"Global Warming vs. affordable inhalers: An inconvenient truth"
There have been many changes initiated by "global warming" predictions.
Some are large and some are small; many are costly or annoying.
Perhaps, we're trying too hard. If I'm not mistaken, a spewing volcano or two could negate these efforts in a heart beat...
Some are large and some are small; many are costly or annoying.
Perhaps, we're trying too hard. If I'm not mistaken, a spewing volcano or two could negate these efforts in a heart beat...
Bob Siegel expresses some of his thoughts WashingtonTimes.com:
"The pharmacist seemed sympathetic to my plight. Sadly, he explained that Primatene Mist (an over the counter inhaler for asthmatics) had been taken off the market"
Monday, February 13, 2012
A Fairness Quiz for the President - WSJ.com
The President's recent references to fairness provoked this...
In the Wall Street Journal, Stephen Moore has these "is it fair?" questions and more:
"Is it fair that Americans who build a family business, hire workers, reinvest and save their money—paying a lifetime of federal, state and local taxes often climbing into the millions of dollars—must then pay an additional estate tax of 35% (and as much as 55% when the law changes next year) when they die, rather than passing that money onto their loved ones?
Is it fair that after the first three years of Obamanomics, the poor are poorer, the poverty rate is rising, the middle class is losing income, and some 5.5 million fewer Americans have jobs today than in 2007?
Is it fair that our kids and grandkids and great-grandkids—who never voted for Mr. Obama—will have to pay off the $5 trillion of debt accumulated over the past four years, without any benefits to them?"
Government at Work - Banning "toy" guns
I know this law is well-intended, BUT, does it really fix anything?
Does it include flea markets and garage sales?
Is it even common sense?
Think of the enforcement and court costs to the taxpayer...
Does it include flea markets and garage sales?
Is it even common sense?
Think of the enforcement and court costs to the taxpayer...
Dan Mangan wrote about this case in New York City:
"The owner of a discount store in Brooklyn says the city is holding him up for $30,000 in fines he can’t afford — all because he stocked six toy sheriff sets that included plastic guns.
And now the .44-caliber fines for the orange-tipped, obvious fakes are forcing him to close for good."
"100 Tories revolt over wind farms"
Oh my.
Look what the Brits have figured out.
I say it's about time...
Look what the Brits have figured out.
I say it's about time...
In the U.K. Daily Telegraph, Patrick Hennessy reports on wind farm politics:
"Critics say wind farms are inefficient because the wind cannot be guaranteed to blow at times of greatest energy demand. They are also said to be unsightly, blighting the landscape.
Wind farms are also accused of forcing up energy bills while swallowing disproportionate amounts of taxpayer-funded subsidies."
Sunday, February 12, 2012
2012-02-12 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, February 11, 2012
"House And Senate Lawmakers Proposed $1 Trillion New Spending Last Year"
Wow!
Here is a gigantic case of say one thing, do another.
Elected officials just spend, spend, spend...
Here is a gigantic case of say one thing, do another.
Elected officials just spend, spend, spend...
John Merline has the statistics and story at Investors.com:
"Despite endless talk of spending cuts and fiscal restraint in Washington over the past year, lawmakers continued to act as though the government doesn't spend nearly enough.
They introduced 874 bills in the House and Senate that would have boosted annual federal spending by more than $1 trillion if they'd all been signed into law, according to an analysis done for IBD by the National Taxpayers Union Foundation"
"Media hoax exposed: Recent attack on vitamins a fabricated scare campaign"
I saw this story a while ago, and of course, the criticism of the media caught my eye.
These days, there are studies that purport to "prove" everything, until you find out who ran, authorized, and/or paid for said study.
Our media should be careful with how and what they publish.
That's wishful thinking, I guess...
These days, there are studies that purport to "prove" everything, until you find out who ran, authorized, and/or paid for said study.
Our media should be careful with how and what they publish.
That's wishful thinking, I guess...
At NaturalNews.com, Mike Adams took exception to this:
"Caught yet again, the mainstream media has been exposed pulling off a juvenile, simplistic hoax that attempts to scare people away from good nutrition. To accomplish this hoax, they took a poorly-constructed "scientific" study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine which was itself based on erroneous conclusions (see below) and then blatantly misreported what the study data actually showed.
This journal is owned, not surprisingly, by the American Medical Association, which has a long and sordid history of openly attacking vitamins and nutrition, even to the point of committing crimes that violate federal law. Remember, the AMA has been found guilty of conspiracy in federal courts: http://www.naturalnews.com/008845.html"
Friday, February 10, 2012
"Tale of two small countries"
Here's a hint. It wasn't luck.
Funny how certain policies work, and others don't...
Funny how certain policies work, and others don't...
At WashingtonTimes.com, Richard W. Rahn anwers this question:
"Back in the early 1970s, Cayman was as poor on a per capita basis as is Belize today. Both countries had ambitions to be tourist and financial centers. Cayman succeeded and has about six times the real per capita income of Belize. What did Cayman do right and Belize do wrong?"
"Speeding Around The World in Under 5 minutes Time Lapse"
Watch this and you can say "been there, done that"!
Well, not really; but, this video is certainly clever and fun...
Well, not really; but, this video is certainly clever and fun...
Thursday, February 09, 2012
"It's takers versus makers and these days the takers are winning"
Absolutely the truth.
This boat will eventually sink...
This boat will eventually sink...
Finally, at WashingtonExaminer.com, Glenn Harlan Reynolds says it the way it is:
"In today’s America, government benefits flow to large numbers of people who are encouraged to vote for politicians who’ll keep them coming. The benefits are paid for by other people who, being less numerous, can’t muster enough votes to put this to a stop."
"If Obama has no Natural Born Citizenship problem why did Congress try to fix it?"
With so many "important" things to do, this DOES seem to have gotten a lot of time and attention...
Suzanne Eovaldi writes about them at CoachIsRight.com:
"Congress made eight different attempts to alter our U.S. Constitution concerning the Natural Born Citizenship Clause according to the apocalyptic video documentary done with research by Senior Pastor Carl Gallups proving they knew Barack Obama lacked presidential eligibility prior to the 2008 election! If there was no problem for Obama why would these people do this? There had never been a question of Natural Born Citizenship in our lifetimes! Why fix what wasn’t broken?"
"Forget global warming - it's Cycle 25 we need to worry about..."
So, the earth hasn't warmed for 15 years.
Unfortunately, the warming idea has been falsely promoted for so long by so many that it may be difficult to change opinions.
The media served us poorly on this issue.
All but a few FAILED to consider the veracity of the claims of those who would benefit financially from global warming hysteria...
Unfortunately, the warming idea has been falsely promoted for so long by so many that it may be difficult to change opinions.
The media served us poorly on this issue.
All but a few FAILED to consider the veracity of the claims of those who would benefit financially from global warming hysteria...
In the U.K. Daily Mail, David Rose has the latest:
"Based on readings from more than 30,000 measuring stations, the data was issued last week without fanfare by the Met Office and the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit. It confirms that the rising trend in world temperatures ended in 1997.
Meanwhile, leading climate scientists yesterday told The Mail on Sunday that, after emitting unusually high levels of energy throughout the 20th Century, the sun is now heading towards a ‘grand minimum’ in its output, threatening cold summers, bitter winters and a shortening of the season available for growing food."
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
"What Really Happened to the Gingrich Ethics Case?"
Regardless of what you think of a candidate, you probably prefer to know the truth about them, rather than believe the political and biased media reports...
At Townhall.com, Byron York investigated the past ethics charges against Newt Gingrich and posted what he found:
"The Gingrich case was extraordinarily complex, intensely partisan, and driven in no small way by a personal vendetta on the part of one of Gingrich's former political opp onents. It received saturation coverage in the press; a database search of major media outlets revealed more than 10,000 references to Gingrich's ethics problems during the six months leading to his reprimand. It ended with a special counsel hired by the House Ethics Committee holding Gingrich to an astonishingly strict standard of behavior, after which Gingrich in essence pled guilty to two minor offenses. Afterward, the case was referred to the Internal Revenue Service, which conducted an exhaustive investigation into the matter -- and then, three years later, completely exonerated Gingrich.
It's that last part of the story you don't hear about much."
"Another Unemployment Rate Fairy Tale"
By now, we should have figured out that the monthly unemployment report is a political creation.
It hides the steady decline in the number of people who are actually working.
I think it is purposeful trickery at it's best...
It hides the steady decline in the number of people who are actually working.
I think it is purposeful trickery at it's best...
At RealClearMarkets.com, Louis Woodhill explains:
"For the past 31 months, discouraged workers have been dropping out of the labor force in unprecedented numbers.
At the end of the recession (June, 2009), the labor force participation rate was 65.7%. In January 2012, it was 63.7%. The difference between these two numbers represents 4.8 million people who have given up on looking for work."
"The Seven Differences Between Winners And Losers"
One size doesn't fit all; however, I doubt anyone will get hurt by reading and thinking about what's written in this article...
At PJmedia.com, John Hawkins recently shared his thoughts:
"Over the course of my life, I’ve read hundreds of books about how to better your life and I’ve been fortunate enough to interview and converse with an enormous number of extremely successful people.
What I’ve learned is that for most people, success is no accident. Winners are winners for a reason just as losers are losers for a reason. Here’s some of what I’ve learned."
"Biodiesels pollute more than crude oil, leaked data show"
In the zeal to fix things, patience and thoroughness are really important.
Potentially, this looks like it may turn out to be another "feel good" save the environment idea that wasn't well researched...
Potentially, this looks like it may turn out to be another "feel good" save the environment idea that wasn't well researched...
EurActiv.com recently reported this:
"Greenhouse gas emissions from biofuels such as palm oil, soybean and rapeseed are higher than those for fossil fuels when the effects of Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) are counted, according to leaked EU data seen by EurActiv."
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
"Photo of IDF Soldier Stepping on Girl Proven False"
Controlling the world's public opinion knows no bounds.
The bad guys know that in many parts of the world, the public is NOT even aware that photos can be manipulated...
The bad guys know that in many parts of the world, the public is NOT even aware that photos can be manipulated...
Israeli Defense Forces blog points out what's going on:
"A photo of an IDF soldier purportedly stepping on a Palestinian girl in an act of brutality was recently debunked, after having been proven to be captured in Bahrain in December 2009.
The photo was identified as staged due to several fallacies, such as the use of an AK-47 rifle, which the IDF doesn’t use, as well as inconsistencies with the imposter’s uniform, and with operational reports from the field.
The IDF regrets the cynical use of children in acts meant to demonize IDF soldiers..."
"Eating off the floor: How clean living is bad for you"
Scientific articles are often not easy to quote or create a synopsis.
This one conveys that creating an inbalance in bacterial diversity could well be the cause of many health issues...
This one conveys that creating an inbalance in bacterial diversity could well be the cause of many health issues...
From Scientific-American.com's article by Rob Dunn, I selected this as my "teaser" paragraph:
"Could the diversity of good bacteria in some rooms actually be reducing the density of bad bacteria? There is precedent for such an idea, though it comes from grasslands rather than hospitals or bedrooms. In grasslands and other outdoor habitats (Grasslands are an appropriate example for Kembel, who started off studying grassland diversity before moving on to hospital rooms), an enormous body of literature considers whether more diverse grasslands are harder for an invading life form to take over. The answer—though I will admit to summarizing a literature that includes hundreds, maybe thousands, of papers in six words— is, yes diversity helps to resist invasion. In those fields, diverse grasses efficiently use the resources invaders need, preventing them from gaining a foothold. Could having a diversity of bacteria in your home or hospital room not only make your immune system more likely to develop normally but also help to outcompete the bad news bugs in the first place? YES, YES, YES, the answer is definitely maybe5."
D.A. King on Mexican Voter ID
Wow! Mexico's voter registration card contains a photo, a fingerprint, a signature, and a bar code, while Americans argue about even a photo ID.
Go figure...
Go figure...
Monday, February 06, 2012
Government at Work - on Unemployment Statistics
The improved unemployment number is questioned...
Tyler Durden explains what's going on at ZeroHedge.com:
"A month ago, we joked when we said that for Obama to get the unemployment rate to negative by election time, all he has to do is to crush the labor force participation rate to about 55%. Looks like the good folks at the BLS heard us: it appears that the people not in the labor force exploded by an unprecedented record 1.2 million. No, that's not a typo"
"NYC can’t fire this $100,049-a-year teacher..."
New York's elected or appointed officials have carelessly allowed union bargaining to create this situation.
Unfortunately, the citizens must pay and pay and pay...
Unfortunately, the citizens must pay and pay and pay...
Susan Edelman has the details on this story in the New York Post:
In a defiant raspberry to the city Department of Education — and taxpayers — disgraced teacher Alan Rosenfeld, 66, won’t retire.
Deemed a danger to kids, the typing teacher with a $10 million real estate portfolio hasn’t been allowed in a classroom for more than a decade, but still collects $100,049 a year in city salary — plus health benefits, a growing pension nest egg, vacation and sick pay.
Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Cuomo can call for better teacher evaluations until they’re blue-faced, but Rosenfeld and six peers with similar gigs costing about $650,000 a year in total salaries are untouchable. Under a system shackled by protections for tenured teachers, they can’t be fired, the DOE says.
Sixteen Concerned Scientists: No Need to Panic About Global Warming - WSJ.com
This article seems spot on to me.
The use of quotes in the second paragraph requires reading with care...
The use of quotes in the second paragraph requires reading with care...
This Wall Street Journal opinion column discusses what used to be called "Global Warming":
"In spite of a multidecade international campaign to enforce the message that increasing amounts of the "pollutant" carbon dioxide will destroy civilization, large numbers of scientists, many very prominent, share the opinions of Dr. Giaever. And the number of scientific 'heretics' is growing with each passing year. The reason is a collection of stubborn scientific facts."
Sunday, February 05, 2012
2012-02-05 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, February 04, 2012
Obama and the Eligibility Issue
The authenticity of the president continues to be questioned in court.
The media is completely ignoring, or being dismissive about it.
If you want information, you have to find things like this...
The media is completely ignoring, or being dismissive about it.
If you want information, you have to find things like this...
"La. Sec’y of State: DOJ abusing Motor Voter law for ‘political agenda’"
In Louisiana, the U.S. Department of Justice is accused of selective enforcement of this voting law.
See what you think...
See what you think...
Kevin Mooney writes about it at DailyCaller.com:
"Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler told The Daily Caller that the federal Motor Voter law was set up to “ensure controversy” and that the Obama administration is using it 'to advance a political agenda.'
'I think it’s time for someone in the states to stand up against this foolishness coming out of Washington D.C.,' he said.
Schedler’s concerns echo those of a former Justice Department civil rights lawyer who recently told a Tulane Law School audience that the Obama administration is selectively choosing which parts of the National Voter Registration Act to enforce, in order to expand the voter rolls in every way possible."
Friday, February 03, 2012
"Councillor suspended after charging authority £850 for his lawnmower – and £1,300 to store it"
Elected officials seem to be the same all over.
Considering the seeming pettiness of this occurrence, I have to wonder whether a point was being made...
Considering the seeming pettiness of this occurrence, I have to wonder whether a point was being made...
Richard Alleyne has the story in the U.K. Daily Telegraph:
"Matthew Pollard, vice chairman of Ellistown and Battleflat parish council, had taken the decision for it to buy his device for £850 at a meeting led by himself.
But Mr Pollard then refused to hand it over until the council, based in Leicestershire, paid him additional cash – at a rate of £1 a day – for storing it.
By the end he had held the grass cutter 'hostage' for more than three years and demanded £1,323 in compensation."
Thursday, February 02, 2012
"The Self-Destruction of the Mainstream Media"
I have little respect for the current mainstream media, so this article has an obvious appeal to me...
Steve McCann writes about the media's decline at AmericanThinker.com. He begins:
"For the past forty years the mainstream media has become increasingly liberal and more overt in promoting the policies of the Democratic Party. This evolutionary process reached its zenith in 2008 when the media were instrumental in Barack Obama being elected President. Many journalists dropped any pretense of objectivity and became not only cheerleaders but active de facto members of the campaign. What has their loyalty and prostration achieved for the journalism community? During the past two decades no other sector of the economy has experienced such overwhelming financial and employment devastation.
Yet the vast majority of the media do not understand why theirs is a declining and failing business model. They are still in denial and cannot accept the reality of the marketplace, as their actions have prompted the American public to lose all confidence in their objectivity and integrity."
"370,000 migrants on benefits"
Allowing immigrants to automatically qualify for entitlements is bad business...
Robert Winnett writes about the U.K. version in the U.K. Telegraph:
"The migrants, who can claim unemployment, housing and incapacity benefit, are costing taxpayers billions of pounds a year."
