I Could Never Do That Rubik's Cube Thing So How The Fluff Can A Robot Do It?

Follow the link below and watch the You Tube video!

http://sippicancottage.blogspot.com/2006/10/friday-fun.html

Mark Warner Opts Out Of Politics- Says Nutoots Bloggers Eat Too Much

Mark Warner has decided he won't run for the presidency in 2008. He claimed he wanted to spend more time with his family but privately he complained to close aides that he, a mega-millionaire, could not afford to feed the fatass nutroots crowd again. Last year at the Yearly Kos convention in Vegas, Warner footed the tab for a feast for the nutroots circle jerk. Warner said he could not believe how fat the average nutroots blogger is. Warner guesses they got so hefty from sitting all day in front of a computer, eating from giant buckets of granola and posting every whiny thought that enters their tiny crazed minds. Geez, Warner exclaimed, why don't they walk around the block once in a while or go to a library where they could actually read something worthwhile instead of copying post from each other's blogs. Warner wondered aloud if even one of the nutroots had ever had an original idea.

Future Trivia Answer

Question: Who was the college kicker who made his first PAT attempt and his first field goal attempt and had never played football in high school?

Answer: Steve Apanovicius ( I may have spelled his name incorrectly so just remember the pronunciation for that Trivia Pursuit game in 10 or 20 years).

FYI- I am watching the Boston College - Virginia Tech Thursday night game nationally televised on ESPN. And I caught this kicker's debut. The announcers mentioned that just last year he was simply another student fan watching the game with a painted face.

Great stories come out of great countries.

Because The MSM Will Bury This Good News

The headline on this USA Today story says it all ...."GOP Promotes News Of Smaller Deficit" and my post title tells you why. The MSM is full of doom and gloom and has to include the fact that in 10-20 years the baby boomer entitlements will make the deficit far worse.

The MSM has been burying this good news and would be singing a different tune if the DEMS were still in power.

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20061012/a_deficit12.art.htm

I Don't Think I Trust Bonnie Grant To Be An Expert On Structural Safety Issues

An exit ramp at the new Philadelphia Eagles stadium was swaying enough after Sunday's game that a bunch of attendees called the Eagles to report it. The Eagles spokesbot is named Bonnie Grant and is quoted in this story as saying, in effect, don't worry about it. http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/15719453.htm

Well, FYI, Ms. Grant used to be Mayor Street's spokesbot. And that fact alone leads me to question her ability, accuracy, expertiness (I just made up this word and the word, spokesbot, so you are getting a twofer) and qualifications to answer the questions even if she was given the questions in advance and used a teleprompter.

House Approves A 700 Mile Border Fence _Don't Kid Yourself These Things Bear No Resemblance To A Fence

The house approved this border fence. It makes sense to me to reduce the threat of terrorists using the currenly wide-open border to get into the US.

I read the vote was 283 votes for and 138 against. That is about 2-1 in favor and Philly's are reps (there are 14 according to the Inky) voted 11-3 in favor. That's about 78% and makes me wonder where there were a lot of votes against the fence? I would guess in the border states like FL, TX, NM, AZ, etc. I'll have to see where I can find that info.

And the news I saw including some hand-wringing about where we would find the $2-$7 Billion to build the fence. That is small potatoes IMHO.

Damn, That Churchill Was Smart

I borrowed this from Jon Meacham, the history writer for either Time or Newsweek via the blog at realclearpolitics.com About Winston Churchil, Meacham wrote this:

The lesson: there is no hiding from history. In another September, amid another war, Winston Churchill stood in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to explain why America, the anchor of the New World, seemed forever linked to the passions and politics of the Old World.

“I will offer you one explanation—there are others, but one will suffice,” Churchill said at a Harvard convocation. “The price of greatness is responsibility. If the people of the United States had continued in a mediocre station, struggling with the wilderness, absorbed in their own affairs, and a factor of no consequence in the movement of the world, they might have remained forgotten and undisturbed beyond their protecting oceans: but one cannot rise to be in many ways the leading community in the civilized world without being involved in its problems, without being convulsed by its agonies and inspired by its causes. If this has been proved in the past, as it has been, it will become indisputable in the future. The people of the United States cannot escape world responsibility.”

Poll On Sports

Which Philly Pro Sports Team Is Most Likely To Win A Championship Phillies Eagles Flyers Sixers St. Joseph's Prep Free polls from Pollhost.com

One Of The Greatest Foods

Every once in a while, you rediscover a food you used to love but, for some reason, you stopped eating for a long time.

That just happened to me. I swear it is one of the best foods God ever put on this green earth. I am talking about bacon bits- you know those bacon-tasting toppings that come in a little plastic container. I think they are made by McCormick's the company that sells all kinds of spices. I highly recommend these bacon bits. I would want a big supply if I were ever marooned on an island even if I did not bring any salads.

Why Bloggers Blog

There is a core reason to blog. And that is to express yourself using your own thoughts, ideas, words and observations.

When done very well or uniquely, even one time, a blogger's words can spread across the globe instantly. The political parties are scared to death of this phenomenon. Because it is shrinking their power and influence.

Bloggers are best when they ignore the party's position and just speak to their own personal beliefs and ideas.

Someday, I hope, individual identifiaction with one party will wane as the blogopshere matures making ideas not parties paramount. Bloggers are generally uninteresting and at their worst when they become an extension of one of the two dominant parties. Unfortunately, that is what is occurring right now.... the left side of the blogopshere has gone nuts in defending the perhaps indefensible performance of the Clinton administration wih regards to Al Quaeda. I say they need to go back to words, ideas and thoughts and let the Clintons defend themselves.

HE THAT DOTH PROTEST TOO MUCH

The Liberal bologsophere is going nuts about the ABC''s docudrama "Path To 911".

Below is a link to the far-left blog Atrios where the blogger/ college prof reports on the outrage of the convicted document-stealer Sandy Berger (or as El Rushbo calls him Sandy Burglar) and Madeline Albright. Now with regards to Albrigt, she should sue the inventor of the camera. And if you have seen her, you would agree I am being kind.

Atrios got 1400 comment to his post hence the title to my post. Here is the link.
http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2006/sep/08/albright_and_berger_slam_tom_kean_in_new_letter

Ryan Howard For City Council

City Council president, Anna Verna, is about to announce that the November election will include votes to fill the three council seats once held by the late David Cohen, the imprisoned Ricky Mariani and the running for mayor, Can't Remember His Name Oh Yeah It's Michael Nutter.

Now this is wrong on several levels.

1. One, it's only 60 days to the election and Verna's decision makes it impossible for all but the Machine candidates to mount a viable campaign.
2. Second, Philly has 17 council seats including these three but the population has dropped from 2.5 million people to 1.4 million in the last 30 years.
3. Three, due to the population decline, I think the city should lop off about 5-6 council seats.
4. Four, to back up my argument, let's compare Philly to New York City...NYC has more than 4x as many people (6 million) but only 3x as many council seats (51).
5. Five, the councilmen for the most part are incompetent doffuses and the city would be better represented by stick figures.

So, let's use the blogosphere to fuel a write-in campaign to elect Ryan Howard to the council's at-large seat. And show the Dems and the Republicans they don't call the shots anymore.

For A Good Laugh

Go to the link below. The blog has a link to a Youtube video of WC Fields juggling. I highly recomend it.

http://sippicancottage.blogspot.com/2006/09/great-mcgonigle.html

I Wonder How They Deposited The Money

Below is the link to a NY Times story about three survivors of illegal immigrants who died at the WTC on 9/11. The survivors are also illegal, don't have social security numbers and still live in New York city. And they deservedly were paid survivors benefits from the WTC Fund of anywhere from $1.6 Million to $4 Million.

I wonder how they opened a bank account or investment account to deposit their survivor benefit check if they don't have a social security number? If they used someone else's bank account, they have an extraordinary amount of trust since more than a Million dollars is involved. Below is the link to the story if you want to read it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/03/nyregion/03families.html?hp&ex=1157342400&en=1cfe80e1141e2a18&ei=5094&partner=homepage

I Hate The Whiners In This Great Country

This is the greatest country the world has ever seen. It has spawned so many succcesful individuals who literally pulled themselves from very humble upbringings.

Here is a great example- Bob Mathias- I read his life story when I was a kid. He won the Decathalon in the 1952 Olympics and he was only 17 years old!! And won it again four years later. That was back when the Olympics competitors were truly amateurs and before money and pro contingents runied it for me. Here is a link to the Mathias background. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Mathias

I bring this up because I saw a blog post today where the folks were whining because colleges, in competing for the best students, have increased financial aid to those studenst who tend to be from higher-income famiies. So the whiners were griping that that sucks cause financial aid to low-income students went up by only $800 per year while the higher-income students got about $1,300 per year. Here is the link to the blogging whiners. http://susiemadrak.com/2006/09/02/10/59/a-helping-hand-2/#comments

So what is their point? That $500 less per year is going to sidetrack an ambitious but low-income student?

I say it would not have side-tracked someone like Bob Mathias nor anyone else whose parents instilled drive, self-confidence and resolve into them. I know my mother, a hard-working public-school teacher, never let her four kids believe we could not do anything we wanted to try. And her kids would never have been put off because we knew we get another job to earn that extra $500.

Saying You Will Do Something Ain't The Same As Actually Doing It

Philly's lame ass mayor, John Street, got tons of publicity when he announced everyone (especially the low income folks) would get wireless internet access. Well, I stumbled across this Forbes ranking and Philly is only ranked 27th out of 30 cities when it comes to being "wired".

But poor results and little follow-up are just what Street and many Democratic mayors are known for........promising the world and delivering little.

And yeah , I know it's still early with regards to Street's WIFI plan but I can't stand him- he is a visionless phony (in other words, just another party hack). Here is the link to the Forbes story.

http://www.forbes.com/home/intelligentinfrastructure/2006/08/29/06wiredcities_lander.html

Well Duh- I Basically Told You this 2 Weeks Ago

The WAPO has a story today about the three best paid counties in the country are in suburbs of D.C.

Well, duh, my post a few weeks ago commented on the fact that government workers make double what the average worker makes. So, it stands to reason that there would be well-off counties in markets that had a bunch of government drones (like D.C). So if you read this blog, today's WAPO story http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/29/AR2006082901543.html is not really news.

Below is my prior post. Glad to be of service.

Lotta Americans are fat slobs, Robocop on a mountain bike & Doesn't everyone know what a Husky looks like?

Doing my hike in the park last Sunday which is as good for my mind as much as my health. Anyway, I had three thoughts to share.

• One- it would be good if most Americans tried to shed at least ten pounds cause we are a fat bunch of slobs (on average).
• Two- I overheard a little kid point at a Husky dog and ask what kind of dog it was- I had thought everyone knew that but I guess I was wrong.
• Three- used to be you could ride a bike in your everyday clothes but nowadays- an awful lot of cyclists get fully outfitted in clothes made just for riding. In fact, I saw one mountain biker with so much protective gear, he looked like that guy who played "ROBOCOP".

We Have To Start Electing People Who Will Fix This

In the Washington Post on Sunday, there was a Cato Institute OPED that claimed federal workers make 100% more than the average civilian worker when you include benefits and 75% more when you consider wages wihout benefits. Below is the key quote from the story.

"The Bureau of Economic Analysis released data this month showing that the average compensation for the 1.8 million federal civilian workers in 2005 was $106,579 -- exactly twice the average compensation paid in the U.S. private sector: $53,289. If you consider wages without benefits, the average federal civilian worker earned $71,114, 62 percent more than the average private-sector worker, who made $43,917."

The Lazlo Toth Letters

A funny book. I highly recommend it- FYI- I read it about 30 years ago and was reminded of it today when I visited another blog (althouse.blogspot.com) and a commenter disparaged the author, Don Novello (aka Father Guido Narducci of SNL fame).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1563052857/104-9817737-2410356?v=glance&n=283155

Must Be My Lucky Day

Today, I saw TWO episodes on Law & Order that I never saw before. That's right- they may have been reruns but not to me. What are the chances of that? Guess I should go buy a Powerball ticket.

Things You Never Knew Or "Life Before The Internets"

The link below is to a letter written by an American military general to the idiotor of the Washington Post. The general is complaining about a recent Washington Post story regarding the Iraq reconstruction.
We would never see this letter before the internets. Hat tip to Real Clear Politics.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/blog/2006/08/a_general_fed_up_with_the_msm.html

This Editorial Sums All You Need To Know About Arlen Specter

Read it and know this to be a fact- Senator Arlen Specter has been a phony, fence-straddling faker all his life. I guess in this case , I should say Arlen has never seen a fence, an issue or a BORDER he did not want to straddle.

I have asked for years, how does he continue to get elected? He has not achieved a single big thing in his entire career. Unless, you count his ridiculous Single Bullet Theory.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/archive/s_464776.html

And Another Thing

Philly's (the city's) highest-paid employee, Dianah Neff, traveled far and wide to almost sixty confererences and her expenses (in some cases) were paid by businesses who could make money off the city. But that is not the reason for my post- heck that is business as usual for the usual suspects who run this city. No, my point is twofold.

One- the internet can be harmful to your health. Neff is the "Information Czarina" for the city and is responsible for its efforts to make wifi internets accessible to everyone. [This is sorta admirable but will definitely be an enormous taxpayer's money sucking boondogle.] But I digress, Neff is 57 years old and looks like she is about 260 lbs and maybe 5'2". So I say.." Dianah- get off your fat ass, get off the internet and walk around the block or to one of those old-fashioned forerunners to the internets (they are called libraries).

Two, stop going to all those conferences- walking thru 60 airports in two years could be taking a toll on Neff- she just got both knees replaced. Why not use the internets to "digitally attend" the conferences and if your knees allow it, log in from a treadmill in your office?

Poll Data Is Way More Interesting Than The Poll Headline

I actually read the questions in a recent poll regarding Pennsylvania and the governor's race, etc. It is fascinating. For instance, 48% have a favorable opinion of the current governor, Rendell, and 50% have a favorable opinion of his opponent, Swann. Yet Swann gets only 36% of the votes and Rendell gets 49%.

And even more fascinating to me is that ONLY 23% approve of Bush's handling of the economy AND (EVEN MORE BIZARRE) only 24% think Pennsylvania is headed in the right direction!! Let's see, I think unemployment is about 5% so I think Pennsylvanians (at least those polled here) and Americans overall are suffering from a great malaise. Is it possible we are just a bunch of whiners? Though I believe the average person is aware that our elected reps do not get anything done and waste time on issues that are not important. So they approve of the governor but must think the office is impotent to get the state headed in the right direction.

Lastly, the poll says 80% favor a fence be built on the Mexican border. So why did the US Senate refuse to fund it? (Below is the link to the poll results).

As I said, the poll details are way more fascinating than the poll headline.

//www.strategicvision.biz/political/pa_poll_072006.htm

The Customers Loved This Joke

I used to tend bar part-time in college and afterwards (heck almost 10-11 years). Here is a joke I used to tell and all the customers loved it. I guess they tended to assume the joke only applied to other customers:

What is the difference between a proctologist and a bartender? ............. A proctologist only has to look at one asshole at a time.

Geez -What's He Been Doing For The Last Eleven Years?

As you know Frank Sinatra stopped performing in 1995 so this is what I asked when I saw the headline below.....
........."Frank Sinatra's pianist dies at 91"

Inquirer Finally Calls It Like It Is- "TAX INCREASE IS 16.7% HIKE"

Below is the link to an Inquirer story that has a headline calling the New Jersey increase in sales tax a 16.7% hike. And I say finally and give kudos to the Inquirer for telling it like it is. Prior to this story, the Inky has been calling it a "one penny" increase as if that was inconsequential. Below is the link to the story and the headline.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/15050211.htm

If Your Kid Wrote Like This, You'd Want A Refund On Your Tuition Payments

Abysmal headline from the Inky....."Philadelphia Unready For Disaster". I may be crazy but what the fluff do they teach these nitwits in journalism school? Here is the link if you doubt me....

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/15025099.htm

Veni, Vidi, Vici

That's about all I remember form my high school Latin classes... the literal translation is "I came, I saw, I conquered" and is a tribute to the sprawling Roman Empire and its emperors.

I wrote this as a tribute to the winning World Cup country, Italy which of course was home to the Roman Empire. BTW, do you think anyone (except the French) was actually rooting for France to win?

91 Year Old WW II Veteran And Double Amputee Looks Forward To Each Day

My father was an amputee (below knee -right leg when he was 79 years old) and lived to 88 years old. So I could relate to this story of a World War II vet who lost both legs in the war and is now 91 years old!

Below is the link to the story. It's inspiring amd I suggest you read it.

http://www.oandp.com/edge/issues/articles/2006-07_09.asp

Speaking Of State Budgets

Lotta stuff in the news lately about state budgets. So I ask you why Pennsylvania's budget of $26 Billion equates to a cost per resident of $2,091 while New Jersey's budget of $31 Billion equates to a per resident cost of $3,555? FYI $2,091 vs. $3,555 is a statistically significant variation of almost $1,500 or 75%!!!

What costs so much in Jersey when compared to Pennsy? It can't all be due to differing ways that they fund education can it?

Governor Corzine Calls State Government Shutdown "Deplorable" As If He Is An Innocent Bystander

Corzine first bought a seat in the US Senate. When he found it that offered far less power than he was accustomed to, he bought the governor's job. And now, he mucks up the budget process because he got his back up and tried to ram thru his tax increases AND his own party refused to play along. Now he calls it deplorable AS IF he were an innocent bystander.

Boy, it could be very interesting to see how this plays in the November elections...can you say wacth many more incumbents lose their jobs? Heck, maybe that was Corzine's scheme all along (nah he's not that smart).

Lastly, they say the New Jersey state government is shut down. How can you tell?

Space Shuttle Is Fast

Did you ever really pay attention to the stats, distances and speed of a space shuttle launch? I just did and it's astounding. Here are some notes I jotted down while watching the launch:

• Four minutes after liftoff, the shuttle has gone 60 miles up, is 200 miles from the space center and has reached a speed of 6,000 MPH (or about ten times faster than a passenger jet).
• Five minutes after liftoff, it has reached a speed of 7,000 mph!!
• Six minutes after liftoff, it has reached a speed of 13,000 frigging feet per second which is more than two miles per second!!!!
• At seven minutes after liftoff, it is now traveling 4 miles per second! If you can get your brain around that fact, can you imagine being in a container going that fast????
• Freaking human achievement is amazing.

The Rich and Famous Are Treated Better

Bernard Kerik cut a deal and pleaded gulity to a misdemeanor in a case involving his taking services and goods of about $200,000! A frigging misdemeanor- that is not right. Reminds me of Sandy Berger also pleading gulity to a misdemeanor when he got caught stealing classified documents and stuffing the papers down his pants and in his socks.

We pay prosecutors to prosecute criminal cases and these two (rich and famous) guys are criminals. There is no reason they should receive such light treatment! IMHO. Below is a link to the Kerik story.

http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=104&sid=803867

Does America Need Another Bazillionaire In The Senate?

I am not a big fan of Senator Joe Lieberman (after all he is a Democrat) but I do believe he is honest, genuine and holds certain core values. And he won't sellout his values for political reasons.

Anyway, Lieberman is in a primary battle with a "businessman" Ned Lamont which is what Democratic bloggers call their favored candidates when they are rich (if the same person was a Republican, the left blogs and MSM would call him an "ultra-rich capitalist").

And according to Lieberman, Lamont is worth a bunch of money. See Lieberman's quote below......
"What if my opponent, who says he is worth somewhere between $90 million and $300 million, decides to write bigger and bigger checks in the last weeks of the campaign?" Lieberman stated when asked why he was considering a run as an independent too.

So I ask does America really need another bazillionaire Senator?? I say there are too many of those already and the Senate seats are becoming like a "vanity seat".

MSM Neglects To Tell Readers The Just Convicted Former Governor is A Democrat

I am sure it is just an oversight but at least two MSM news stories failed to report the political party affiliation of Don Siegelman, the former governor of Alabama who was convicted yesterday of taking bribes.

And FYI- he is a DEMOCRAT and not a member of the Party linked to the culture of corruption.

Below are the links to the two stories (Bloomberg News and The Wilmington News Journal). And I also saw an AP news release that also omitted his party affiliation.

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060630/BUSINESS/606300333/1003

He Was Paid Approx $250 MILLION in the last 30 years & is 74 years old

Yes I am talking about Dan Rather. So, let's not worry too much about him.

But let's question Rather's gigantic narcissistic attytood in his bemoaning CBS decision to put him and his experience in "mothballs" so to speak. If Rather feels he has so much left to say, why doesn't he just buy his own cable channel- I suspect he could afford it.

Inquirer Buries Big Story About Lynn Swann's Plan to Cut Number of State Legislator Drones

Let's say this right up front..."the Philadelphia Inquirer loves Fat Eddie Rendell- he can do no wrong in their eyes". And they are doing their best to support Fat Eddie's re-election campaign by playing up Fat Eddie's daily press releases and criticizing every thing said by his opponent, Lynn Swann, or downplaying Swann's platform.

For example, in yesterday's Inquirer, they buried a story about Swann's goal to reduce the size of the state legislature by 40% (afterall it is the biggest or 2nd biggest in the country!). IMHO, Swann's plan is GIGANTIC NEWS. But the Inky buried it on page 4 of its metro section. The people who work at the Inky should be ashamed to work there!. Below is the link to the story. Suggest you read it.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/14820288.htm

Is Al Bore's Movie Full of Soup?

Read this article. The climate experts quoted in the story seem to think Al Bore's movie is chock full of wholes - you know like everyone used to beleive the moon was made of swiss cheese.

http://www.canadafreepress.com/phprint.php

University President Says "FU" to The NCAA

Quick recap- last year the NCAA issued an edict that barred colleges from continuing to use the name of Amrican Indian Tribe for their mascots.

The president of the University of North Dakota just responded to the dimwitted but oh so politically correct NCAA. The University uses the "Fighting Sioux" as its longtime mascot. I say good for UND and its president. And btw- here is a bit of trivia for you. The current prez of the NCAA is Miles Brand who just happens to be the guy who fired Bobby knight at Indiana University.

Below is the link to the letter. read it - he is very creative in telling the NCAA to f-off. Hat tip for this item to hughhewitt.com

http://www.universityrelations.und.edu/logoappeal/openletter_6-07-06.html

Bill O'Reilly Has The Same Effect As Dr. Kevorkian

Below is a link to the lead idiotorial in the Philly Inquirer this morning. They are bemoaning the three suicides at Gitmo and claim it stains the USA.

I say nothing could be further from the truth. I suspect the suicides were probably due to the fact that the inmates heard Bill O'Reilly was coming for a visit.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/14803724.htm

Cable Company To Change Its Channel Numbers

Actually this a good thing cause I think I was close to wearing out the numbers on my remote for the Fox News Channel (at least that is what I want my two far-left lib siblings to believe).

Cut Out Starbucks On the Way To Work & Save $1,500 Per year

The link below is to a NY Times story. It offers money-saving financial tips to new college grads on how to save money once they get a job of course. It's a good column and I suggest you read it. Starbucks won't like it. (jeez this makes two NY Times stories I linked to in one day....am I an equal opportunity blogger or what?).

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/10/business/10money.html?n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fD%2fDarlin%2c%20Damon

The Rich & Powerful Really Think They Are Better Than The Rest Of Us

Read the NY Times article I linked to below. It tells of some small vacation town where some of New York's richest and mightiest spend their summers. Well, apparently some of them feel they can register to vote in two locations: their legal residence be it in NY city or some expensive suburb AND their summer home's town. In fact, one of the bigshots quoted had this to say about casting a vote in both places. It sounds like something an old railroad baron would have said 100 years ago.

Here is her quote : "People are making decisions on how our taxes are spent...without the vote, we have payment without representation".

The article notes courts have refused to allow dual voting no matter how rich and no matter how many vacation homes you may own. Oh and who actually said the quote above? Well, it was Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman to run for vice president and a bigtime Democrat. I suggest you read the article and I believe the dual voters should be arrested and prosecuted.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/10/nyregion/10saltaire.html?_r=1&oref=slogin.

"Incumbentstan"

Great story about how our elected officials are out of touch. Read it. I say VOTE OUT ALL INCUMBENTS AND START OVER. Here is the link:

http://www.suntimes.com/output/steyn/cst-edt-steyn28.html

New Inquirer Owner Should Shake Things Up

I hope the new owners of the Philadelphia newspapers shake things up and can a bunch (Will Bunch for instance) of its far-left liberal writers. They have a chance to re-make the paper into a real voice of the people and not just a standard, typical MSM liberal rag. Don't get me wrong the Inquirer is very good in a lotta ways but its political and news slant is way too far up the butt of the democratic party groupthink.

Think about this- neither of these two large dailies has ever had a nationally known and recognized non-sports columnist. That is a disgrace for paper its size. AND that sorry track record proves the paper does not encourage original thinking nor out of the box opinion writing in its stars. They simply write the liberal and doctrinaire company line. I say let the fun begin and start shaking up all the Philly and Pennsylvania sacred cows.

Am I Too Critical

Lately, I have taken notice of more and more mispronunciations of words and names by news broadcasters. Two examples:

Fox News' Trace Gallagher (I think is his name)....... he said the "da noob" river. Yes that is how he pronounced the famous and very well-known Danube River.

Philly's local CBS station's Sunday evening news anchor (cute new chick with 3 names) reports on a shooting in the Kensington section of Philly on "Two Lip" street. Ahem, I think that's tulip street you know like the famous flowers from Denmark.And this is more information that you need but those tulips also served as one of the world's first great economic lessons on the affects of commodity prices due to changing supply and demand.

So, it's not me, right?

No Sacred Cows

The bids are in for the Philly Inquirer and the Daily News. I don't care who wins though I noticed one lib group is in the running (Yucaipa Group, an investment company that is budy buddy with Bill Clinton) and one local republican Brian Tierney.

I simply hope whoever takes over adopts a mindset that there are no sacred cows. The MSM takes a "hands off" approach to MANY local and state guvmint DRONES and MOST OF THE area power-brokers. It generally favors liberal/ democratic positions. In fact, the Inquirer was way behind in recognizing the egregious nature of the state legislature's pay-raise grab (the Inquirer thought initially the pay raise was warranted for all their hard word).

Well, in Tuesday's primary, the voters ousted 17 of 61 incumbents (who had primary opponents). THAT MEANS ALMOST 1 out of 3 lost their job! That's humongous; only two lost in the last election cycle.

I believe incumbents for state office are in trouble including Fat Eddie Rendell, the Dem govenor who signed the pay raise legislation which was subsequently repealed due to citizen/ blogosphere outcry (which also caught the Inquirer flatfooted).

And lastly, good riddance to the far-left Daily News which will almost certainly go out of business even though it has always had an exceptional sports page.

My Annual Advice to the New College Graduates

Note- this is a re-print of a letter I sent two years ago to three relatives who just happened to be graduatiing from college.

Advice to the New Graduates

Dear Michele, Christine & Gabe:

Before I wrote this, I looked in a dictionary for the definition of the word “commencement”. The dictionary states commencement refers to “the act or process of bringing or being brought into existence; inauguration, inception, incipience, initiation, leadoff, birth, dawn, genesis, start”.Therefore, commencement suggests your lives are just beginning (and that is true in some respects).

And by calling graduation ceremonies a “commencement”, our institutions of higher learning have sorta decreed you can’t really take that first step until they have conferred a degree on you. That’s somewhat presumptuous but I guess by promoting the necessity and value of a degree, the schools can make a buck too. And there is no law against that.

Essentially, I wish you two things: interesting people and interesting places. By that, I hope you find, see and keep both of those close to you for all your years. If you do that, you will lead rich, rewarding and fulfilling lives.

And try very hard to understand the primary goal in life is to get very old. I know you won’t agree with that statement right now but believe me you will one day. Put more simply, it is exhilarating to be both available and sufficiently lucid to give the eulogy at a friend’s funeral.

I know it is hard to resist the urge to follow the crowd. But do try to be your own person- so don’t routinely and rigidly adopt all of the latest fads and trends. Find music, books and other hobbies you enjoy and make time for them.

Endeavor to be a leader to others. Christine, you are a born leader. And there is much evidence you were born with the ringleader gene. That’s the mischievous cousin of the leader gene. And that is a good thing- you love life and you show it.

Each of you should try to stand up for what you believe is right even:

• · When your opinion is unpopular·
• When it’s not the easiest path to take and·
• When you have not been right about anything in a very long time (cause the law of averages says everyone is right sooner or later).

You will be a part of many groups and organizations in the next 60-70 years. Don’t just go along for the ride. Give your best effort. Develop a reputation as an impact player. You can do that by making a strong personal impression and offering your support to the group’s goals (i.e unforgettable PARTAYS, improve annual sales, beat the Villa Gorillas every other year).

Never stop learning and never stop asking questions (there are almost no dumb questions).

Set out to identify mentors and role models from whom you can learn valuable life and career lessons. A good mentor will be happy to freely give you career and life advice for years to come.

Strive to be a role model yourself. Be generous to others with your time and knowledge. No one can leave much of true value in this world except those gifts you plant in the hearts and minds of those you leave behind.

Be open-minded and learn to think for yourself. Don’t be afraid to question the prevailing wisdom or latest news story. For example, a national news program recently ran a story that “the exercise done on Infomercials accounted for more than 50% of the total exercise done in America”. That “news” story first originated as a spoof in a satirical magazine. The news network picked it up as “real news”. I cringed and laughed when I heard it and wondered if any of you (had you worked on that program) would have thought to question the ridiculous premise. I believe each of you would have (Especially Gabe since he reads the magazine though until now he probably thought its “news” stories were legit).

Take very good care of yourself both physically and mentally. There is a time to party and a time to “not party”. Try to learn the difference way before you turn forty (so you can still run for President).You only get one chance in this world and life is much better when you are fit and ready to take advantage of all it offers.

Make strenuous exercise a regular part of your routine and add a large helping of mental exercise and challenges to keep the mind in top shape. If you smoke, quit.

With regards to your career, as you know there is a secret to success. Unfortunately, it is a secret so I can’t share it with you. So, you will have to settle for my own priceless advice:

• NO MARKETABLE SKILL= ZERO JOB OPPORTUNITIES= NO MONEY
• MARKETABLE SKILL = JOB OPPORTUNITIES= PAYCHECK= REGULAR PARTAY
• LOTTA MARKETABLE SKILLS= MORE JOB OPPORTUNITIES= MORE MONEY= REALLY BIG PARTAY

So what does that mean. Pick some skills. Regularly polish, hone and improve those skills with practice and repetition. Enhance your skills with regular study and learning and MAYBE you will always have a job and make money.

Ideally you will choose skills (as I said that are marketable) in jobs and professions where:

• You enjoy the work (i.e. barfly, world philosopher, expert recounter of Seinfeld episodes, social director for former dorm mates).
• It is in demand by employers and customers and
• You are good at it and like it.
• It would be great if you could find a career that has all three of the above criteria but you will survive and likely thrive even if you choose skills that only have two of the above criteria.

And remember, there are no guarantees in life and life can be unfair. That’s just the way it is. Bitching about bad breaks won’t help. It will just make you very unpleasant to be around.

Be confident in your abilities and self-worth. Be persistent in pursuing what you want.

Michele- with your focus and drive you could achieve anything you set your sights on. So set your sights high! Gabe, you could do anything. You just have to convince yourself you CAN do anything instead of finding reasons for why you can’t do something.

Remember you are most fortunate to have been born in this country. Though not without its faults, it is the greatest country on Earth. Always honor and respect the elderly though I know it is especially hard when they don’t wear their hearing aids.

Always value and cherish your family even when they ask a bazillion questions about your latest escapade.Remember where you came from, respect traditions, and perhaps start your own traditions.

Stay informed about current events - it makes you a more interesting person and give you a big edge on your peers.

Be faithful to your core values and beliefs, your religion, your lover and one day your spouse.

You will make mistakes. Most mistakes are minor and can be fixed. However, try to avoid the really big mistakes (i.e always wear your seat belt). Observe other people and try to learn (and maybe get a good laugh) from their big mistakes.

But you also have to take risks in life. Without risk, there is little reward. Just do your homework before you take those risks.

Set priorities and establish goals and objectives- it makes life a bit more interesting to look back and see how you did. And try to recognize the difference between what is important and what is not.You each have what it takes to be very happy and very successful. Keep that in mind and let the fun begin. Just know I’ll be watching you. Love and all the best to each of you,U.T.

It's Not Nice To Call Someone That- Even On the Internet

Did you seen the internet catfight yesterday brewing on the Huffington Post where one manly liberal is calling out a Republican pundit and talking head and actually threatened to beat him up? Here is the link if you'd like to read it:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cenk-uygur/michael-smerconish-is-a-p_b_20843.html

That story made me come up with my own list of who I thought was a Wuss and who I figured was not a Wuss.
And BTW, I placed both the threatening lib and his Republican target in the Wuss category. Also the bloviating lib attended Penn which has absolutely no record of even one tough guy among its thousands of alumni (OK maybe one and that would be Football Hall of Famer Concrete Charlie Bednarik who went to Penn about 50 years ago).

WHO IS A WUSS :
…..Cenk Uygur & Michael Smerconish (the squabbling talking heads with odd names), Will Bunch, Chris Matthews, John Podesta, Bill Clinton, Bill Maher, Keith Olbermann, Billmon, Bill Lockhorn, Chris Satullo, Dick Polman and David Gregory.

WHO ISN’T A WUSS:
……………..Aaron Rowand, Allen Iverson, Camille Paglia, George Bush, John Street, Bill O’Reilley, Stephen Colbert, Steve Mackell, Rasheed & Ben Wallace, Laura Ingraham and Tom Ferrick.

NY Times Correction

Saw this on Powerline......the NY Times had to correct a story about a soldier killed in Iraq. The original story reported the soldier recieved the "Purple Star" Medal. Doesn't everyone except the NYT know it is called a Purple Heart. It's an unbelievable mistake. Below is the actual correction from the NY Times...

"An article and a picture caption yesterday about the funeral of Sgt. Jose Gomez of Queens, who was killed on April 20 in Iraq, referred incorrectly to the Army representative who comforted his mother. She was a sergeant first class — an enlisted woman, not an officer. The article also misstated the name of a service medal that a general presented to Sergeant Gomez's mother. It is a Purple Heart, not a Purple Star. In some copies, a picture of the coffin being carried out of a funeral home carried an erroneous credit. The photographer was Ozier Muhammad of The New York Times." (Go to Article)

Graduation Advice

I enjoy reading commecncement addresses to see if they contain any true nuggets of truth and wisdom. Below is a tongue-in-cheek column by Tom Ferrick, the Inquirer's best metro columnist. I recommend you read it for some laughs. Below is the link.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/14540670.htm

Newspaper Circulation - The Most Liberal Papers Dropped The Most

I saw this on Drudge. Many of what I call the most liberal papers seem to be losing readers the fastest....The SF Chronicle lost almost 16% in six months. Can that be accurate? The Philly Inquirer lost 5% and the Atlanta Journal Constitution lost more than 6%.

I read the Inquirer and in many ways it is very good and other ways it is pathetic. It sucks up to so many Dems (Fat Eddie Rendell especially) and most of its opinion writers (columns) are bigtime libs..Dick Polman, Trudy Rubin, Chris Satullo (editor and wheeny lib), etc.

Here is the link to the story. http://www.drudgereport.com/flash.htm

What A Great Country

What a great country this is. My evidence is the huge number of illegal imigrants who played hookey from work to voice their desire to stay in America. The pols have to figure out what is right..I believe some sort of delayed amnesty BUT we need to simultanously stop the border bleeding by erecting a secure wall down Mexico way.

I was wondering too what my ancestors would have done to protest back in 1900 or so. I suspect if it involved a day off from work, they would have chosen to go to a bar and play darts, gamble, fight and just generally carouse in a drunken stupor. Sure sounds like more fun than marching peacefully down a crowded street.

Quit Your Belly Aching (about gas prices)!!

We interrupt the hysteria over rising gas prices in America for the following bulletin:
Average Gasoline Prices in 10 Cities

Olso...$6.90
Paris...................$6.77
London...............$6.28
Brussels..............$6.16
Rome..................$5.91
Berlin..................$5.96
Tokyo.................$5.77
Hong Kong..........$5.62
Sydney...............$3.44
Philadelphia.......$3.01

Prices are in U.S. dollars for a U.S. gallon of unleaded regular (3.785 litres)
Prices are those posted as of early to mid-April, 2006
Sources: CNN and various gas-price web sites.P.S.
A Hummer / H2 has a 32-gallon gas tank.
It would cost $208.80 to fill 'er up in Oslo.
In Philly, it would cost a mere $96.32.

I got this info from Tom Ferrick's blog- he is a columnist for the Philly Inquirer.

Best Kind Of Baseball Trade

Phils traded Jim Thome because they felt the younger Ryan Howard was their best bet to play stellar First Base for years to come. And you know what the Phils were right!

Today, Ryan hit his 5th homer today including a tape measure shot into Ashburn Alley. And Thome has already hit 9 for his new team. So the trade is turning out great for both teams and that's OK!

She Should Have Hidden Secret Info In Her Socks

I heard the CIA fired an employee for giving classified info to Dana Priest of the Washington Post. The employee, Mary McCarthy, was once a Clinton appointee and got her job from Sandy Berger, who himself, pleaded guilty to taking classified info from the National Archives.

I guess Berger neglected to tell McCarthy that a good spy hides classified info in their socks. Here is the link to the story and btw somewhere I heard McCarthy was also a Kerry supporter.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/21/AR2006042101218_pf.html

Is Gillick Philly's Best GM?

Isn't it funny how things change so quickly? I believe Pat Gillick is the most experienced and most qualified and best GM among Philly's four major sports. And in my world that means the Phillies are in the best position to win their sport's title. Cause my theory is it's GM's not managers nor owners that assemble the parts that make up championship-caliber teams. And Gillick is definitely an upgrade from Billy King, Bobby Clarke and slimmed-down but still arrogant Andy Reid.

And it is very rare for a first-time GM to win it all. King and Reid are first-time GM's and Clarke has never been a GM anywhere but here (I think-- he may have served some time in exile for a year ot two). So that means they are first-timers.

This Is Not Right & The Pols Have To Fix It

A Philly kid from the ghetto was murdered the other day. He would have been the first one in his family (out of 35 cousins) to graduate from college (in August 2006). But he was apparently robbed and shot when he was home from Penn State to attend a family funeral.

Now I know you can't prevent all murders but there are just too many murders and shootings in Philly thses days. The city bigwigs are paid to keep honest citizens safe and they must figure out how to reduce these crimes. Here is the link to this sad story.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/14373337.htm

Always Get A Receipt

I am making this up cause it's funny.... but as far as I know it could be true.....

Attorneys for the Duke lacrosse players (charged in the rape) claim the players are not guilty and have evidence including a commercial transaction which proves they were not even at the crime scene. Ironically, the evidence is a receipt for lap dances at Bubba's Downhome Bada Bing Lounge, a well-known gentleman's club in the Durham metro market. If true that is good news for the two players but the bad news is the two (19 year-old sophmores) are guilty of underage drinking.

I like To Read Between The Lines

There was a story in the news today that the number of black businesses is growing faster than other businesses. The story went on to say that there are now 1.2 million black-owned businesses and the combined revenue from these businesses is $88.8 Billion.

Bottom line is that this is fantastic news for our country BUT when I ran the numbers (which is what I do), the average revenue per business is a fairly modest $74,000! So the flip side to this story is : Are the numbers correct and accurate? And if so, it sounds like what is being created is a bunch of micro-businesses or sole proprietorships. And I don't view that as a bad thing since that is the trend throughout the entire economy.

But I'd like to see what the average revenues are for other businesses. And I suggest the MSM should dig deeper into the data and this story cause I am busy and have a real job. Here is the link to the story.

Btw, this story reminds me of when the MSM breathlessly reports (and it does that every 3-4 months or so) that literally thousands of people make the majority of their living off of Ebay and when I run those numbers, it comes out this average Ebay etailer takes in like $299 per year.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06108/682889-28.stm

Student Is Awarded A Scholarship For Exotic Dancing

I heard the alleged rape victim and exotic dancer will have her college tuition paid by a group headed by Jesse Jackson. I assume it's a Dance Scholarship. Below is the link to the story.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/nation/14358218.htm

Inquierer Headline Emphasizes The Negative About VP Cheyney

The Inquirer had an AP article today that revealed how much Bush and Cheyney made in 2005 per their tax returns. Of, course, the Inquirer slanted the article so its headline read: Bushes, Cheneys share details of their tax returns- The President and his wife had income of more than $700,000, a tenth of what the Cheneys made.

And much later in the article, the Associated Press writer says that by the way, the Cheyney's gave almost 80% of their income to charity!! So, yes, they made a lot of money (mostly stock options) but they gave most of it away!! Here is the link to the article if you want to read it yourself. I can't wait to see the Clinton's tax returns when she runs in 2008. Cause I know they make at least $10MM a year and probably gave less than 1% to charity.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/nation/14347106.htm

Rolling Stones Arrive In China on Harleys Bearing Capitalism??

I admit to know very little about China but thought it was a communist country, kinda backwards but waking up and starting to become a big guzzler of the world's oil. But I did not think the average Chinese resident could afford to pay for two things I saw in the news today:

• Rolling Stones play a concert in China- how can the communists afford the Stones concert prices?
• Harley Davidson is opening a dealership in China. Here is the link to the Harley story.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/business/3780963.html

And I view this as very good news.

Talk Show Host Is The Real Garbage

I was reluctanly listening to a talk radio show, Jay Severin. I say reluctantly because I don't care for this guy's show but I was in my office and the station happened to be tuned to his show.

Anyway, a lady called in and very politely admonished Severin for calling all illegal immigrants "garbage". It seems Jay had said that on a past show. Well, the caller went on to say her husband is an illegal immigrant and they had a couple nice kids and she said none of her family were garbage. Jay responded by asking if the husband was really an illegal immigrant. When the lady responded "yes", Jay said "well then he is garbage" and hung up on her. I say this guy Severin is the real garbage and I suspect he is a physical coward to boot. He certainly proved talk is cheap.

Best Infield In Baseball

If you watched the Phils-Cards game yesterday, you may have been watching the best infield in all of baseball. It's just too bad that the Phils fielded only have three of the four pieces (Howard, Utley, Rollins) and the Cards have the fourth (Scott Rolen). Seriously, if the Phils still had a great third baseman like Rolen, you could argue the Phils had the BEST INFIELD IN BASEBALL! It's fun to dream, huh!

Do Hostages Get Paid Overtime?

When someone is taken hostage, do you think their employer has to honor their contract and pay the hostage gobs of overtime money?

Now Jill Carroll, the recentlly freed journalist, was usually called an independent contractor. Since she could not file stories while being held hostage, she is probably screwed financially. But how about a truck driver who is paid hourly? Bet he makes out bigtime if he is lucky enough to escape with his head.

Term Limits Now- Politics Should Never Become The Family Business

State Representattive Mark Cohen apparently likes to read books and he has charged the state (on his expense reports) for $28,800 in book purchases over the last two years. It would appear he is a greedy, sneaky piggish politician. But my main point is this- politics should never become the family business and that is why I support term limits.

What does that have to do with Rep. Cohen you ask?

• Well, Mark Cohen has been in the state house for about 20 or so years.
• His father, David Cohen, was a Philadelphia city councilman for about 35 years until he died recently at about the age of 92 years. David Cohen was a bigtime invalid for the last few years. On many occasions, he was wheeled in to work and appeared barely conscious. If he had expired in his wheelchair in the Council chambers, I don't think anyone would have even noticed.
• Cohen's mother worked for her councilman husband for many years. Now Mrs. Cohen wants to run for her late husband's seat. And Mrs. Cohen is about 88 years old.

Let's face it families like this are greedy, grasping arrogant pigs and that is why we need term limits because I bet there are many more families just like this piggish one! Here is the link to the story if you want to read the story about the book loving Rep. Cohen! http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/14241399.htm

Can We Trust Our Elected Politicians To Enforce Any Laws

That is the question I have to ask. For years, our political class has decided to pick and choose which laws it will enforce and which laws it will simply wink at when that law is broken. That is not right. If America is anything, it is a country of laws.

And I am in favor of immigration- it's very good for our economy. And I am in favor of hispanic immigtrants- they generally hold values that are similar to American citizens. But why should I trust Senators Santorum or Spector to enforce the existing laws or any new laws??

Smart Letter Of The Week- "Global Warming? Nah"

Congrats to Mr. Del Rossi of Lower Gwynedd, Pa who wrote the smartest letter of the week! The letter-writer, Mr. Michael Del Rossi, asks a very logical question. Distilled to one sentence, he asks if temps are returning to levels seen 130,000 years ago, maybe it is not being caused by "human activity" cause the earth did not have that many humans on it back then! Pretty hard to argue with that logic!! Below is the letter- enjoy.

"Dear Editor:
In the 1970s, climatologists were warning of a new Ice Age. Now, they are warning of global warming. The Earth has been evolving and moving in cycles for thousands of years. Yet we believe we are entitled to a static coastline.

The March 24 article "Reports see 3-foot sea-level increase" also indicated that the Arctic region temperatures were projected to be as warm as they were 130,000 years ago. To my knowledge, man-made activity could not have been a cause of that previous warming.

Yet today we are told to alter our economic system to eliminate man-made causes of global warming based on computer assumptions. This from people who cannot tell us what the weather will be two days from now but are certain what it will be in 150 years from now. Science indeed!

Michael G. Del Rossi
Lower Gwynedd, PA

Convicted Councilman Must Decide If He wants to Be The Wife Or The Husband (in prison)

Today' Inquirer (in the hard copy) had this headline "LAWYER SAYS MARIANO NEEDS TO WEIGH OPTIONS" over an article about the soon to be imprisoned and disgraced city councilman, Ricky Mariano.

I figured the headline referred to the difficult decision Mariano must make when he gets to his prison cell ....."will he be the wife or the husband during his time in prison ?" Update- the online edition changed the headline. Read the article if you like. Here is the link.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/14209457.htm

Jackoff's Prison Sentence Is Way Too Short

Just heard filthy scum, Jack Abramoff, was sentenced to just short of six years in prison. From what I know about his crimes, it should have been much closer to 20 years!

I try to walk 3 miles a day and this article says it's good for you

Good article in the paper today about the benefits of walking every day combined with walkable communities. I try to walk three miles per day every day. And could not agree more with Thomas Hylton's very well-written piece. Below is the link.

ps- I have found there is one risk to walking. There are a lot of frigging bad drivers who don't pay attention, talk on the phone and ignore the rights of pedestrians.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/14146947.htm

State Legislator Serves 4 Years in Office and Gets a Pension of $8,500 Per Year

The Inquirer has a great article today that tells about the extraordianrily generous pension benefits that Pennsylvania state legislators get. For instance, they include an example of a state legislator who was in office for only two terms (a total of four years) but is entitled to a lifetime pension of $8,500 per month. Let's be clear - no one these days - absolutely no employer in the private sector pays that type of pension anymore for ONLY FOUR YEARS OF SERVICE. Hell their pension benefits are way more generous than the military. And that is not right!!

I will go on record and recommend mandatory term limits for these mediocre slimeballs. I suggest their pension checks should be no more than $100 per month for each year of service. Hell -it's a part-time job with full-time pay. Kudos to the Inquirer for writing the article. Here is the link below.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/14190151.htm

Evidence ( Follow-up to earlier post "Do You Believe In Coincidences")

Below is a copy of the email response I got back from the PNC Prez, Bill Miles, who wrote the OPED article about early childhood education and that we taxpayers should pay for it. I very cleverly suggested in my email to Mr. Mills that he contact the PU Foundation because they really really want taxpayers to pay for this stuff. Mills took my bait when he responded to my email and essentially said he already knew that cause he has the biggest PU bigwig on his board.

Well, what do you know the PU president is a member of the PNC Bank advisory board. So I was right to guess the PU Trust probably helped write the OPED for Bill Mills. Below is Mills' email response to me (or evidence in my world):

"Mr. Lynch: Thanks for your e-mail about the op-ed piece. I appreciate your recommendation to contact the PEW Charitable Trust. PNC has been actively engaged with PEW around the issue of early childhood education. In fact,Rebecca Rimel is a valued member of my local PNC Advisory Board. Regards, Bill Mills (president of PNC Bank)"

Lastly, I don't think Einstein could keep an accurate count of the number of articles the Inquirer prints that are initiated by the PU Trust and its vast and deep-pocketed tentacles. And btw I love it when I am right!

NJ Governor's New Budget Spends $3,545 For Every Man, Woman & Child In The State

I had to post this. You may recall when the Congress approved a new federal debt ceiling earlier this week, virtually every MSM outlet breathlessly mentioned the $9 Trillion represented $30,000 for every man, woman and child in the country. So, I thought I should report on the state of New jersey's new budget in the same manner.

Ergo, the state of New Jersey now spends $3,545 per year for every man, woman and child in the state. WTF do they do with all that money??

And keep in the mind the US budget is way too high too. It spends $9,000 for every man, woman and child in the USA. And yes I understand some of that NJ money is double-counted since it is reflected included in US budget. But, wtf, what do they do with this money?

Do You believe In Coincidences?

On Friday, the president at PNC Bank wrote an OPED piece in the Philly Inquirer. He was recommending we spend $10 Billion a year to pay for pre-school for low-income kids. That's an increase in govt spending of about $33 for every man, woman and child in the USA. And of course, since not everyone works, let's figure it's about $100 from every worker in the USA. And that's on top of the $9,000 per spent by the govt for every man,woman and child. If you are a lib, you say what's another $33?? And you are right.

I actually posted this because I am sure the PU Trust was behind the OPED by the bank prez. The PU is trying oh so hard to get govt-paid pre-school into a select group of states and I know the PU "ghost-wrote" the OPED for this PNC bigshot. When I confirm this, I will let you know.

Oh and it was also no coincidence that the same day, Bob Casey, the candidate for senate, announced the first thing he will do after he is sworn in is to introduce legislation to pay $10 Billion for pre-school for low income kids. And did I mention that an evern greater coincidence was that Casey's announcement was in that very same Philly Inquirer??? Guess it is possible they all got the same fax from the PU Trust!

My New Favorite Comedy "The Colbert Report"

Have you seen this show? It is a spoof of Bill Oreilley's Factor and Colbert is the former sidekick of Jon Stewart. The Colbert Report is hilarious- he has to be one of the most talented comedians in the whole country.

on each of the last two shows, Colbert had a liberal guest. They were Keith Olberman and Al Franken. Both have been lampooned by and dissed by and are feuding with the real Bill O'Reilley. Colbert asked each about the feud and neither was able to make light of it. Both lashed out at Oreiley and were way too serious (unfunny). Btw, Colbert has nicknamed and refers to Oreilley as "Papa Bear".

Coincidentally, I happened to see Olberman a few nights before on C-Span with Brian Lamb. He was asked the same questions and answered identically and just as seriously! Guess it could be true when they say republicans are happier than democrats. Lastly, I'd love to see an interviewer ask Olberman about his show's dismal TV ratings! Oh and may as well ask Franken about Air America's poor ratings too.

Why Does Sirhan Deserve Even One Parole Hearing?

In 1968, Sirhan killed a candidate for president, RFK. The news reported he is about to have his 13th parole hearing. Why ? Just throw away the key on this guy.

http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=16471

Ten Winning Ideas (My Contract With America - Part One)

Always remember America is great because it strives to “Reward Hard Work, Offer Opportunity For All And Is Fair and Compassionate”. When I am Emperor, My Contract With America will encourage and support the following:

1. Every legislative proposal must clearly disclose the price or cost per citizen.


2. Mandatory term limits for state and federal elected officials.


3. Establishment of a standing education commission (like the census bureau) that will analyze and evaluate the cost to adequately educate a student, Publish a report that lays out its findings and mandate a minimum (or recommended) spending per student. School districts can continue to spend more than the recommended minimum per student because it is still a free country!


4. Outlaw gerrymandering of voting districts. It creates an unfair advantage for political parties and candidates and serves to disenfranchise the district’s citizens.


5. A uniform, nationwide voting period for all federal elections. The voting period will start at 10AM EST on a Tuesday and ends 24 hours later at 10AM EST Wednesday. And do away with the “big party lever”. Voters do not have a constitutional right to be able to cast a single vote for a party’s entire slate. If you support a candidate, find his name on the ballot and vote for him. If that is too difficult, remember I am Emperor. Every voter must present a valid government-issued photo ID before they will be allowed to vote.


6. Make Social Security Solvent. Under my plan, those over 45 years old will help by paying 2% more; 1% will be deducted from your paycheck and your employer will pay the other 1%. Their benefit plan will not be changed. Those under 45 will do their part by paying 1% more with ½% deducted from your paycheck and ½% paid by employers. Their benefit plan will be re-structured into a simpler, fairer plan called “The Yours, Mine & Ours Plan”. One-third of their money will go into the “Yours” pool and will be used to fund the cost of benefits for those who are disabled and their dependent children. One-third will go into the “Mine” pool. This is entirely your money, a type of personal savings account. You can bequeath this money to a beneficiary of your choice even if it’s a gay partner (just don’t disclose that part). One-third will go into an “Ours” pool. That money will be divided up among all those born in the same year. I will leave it to actuaries as to payouts but everyone will get exactly the same benefit amount from the “Ours” pool regardless of their lifetime earnings. You can opt out of paying into social security once your lifetime earnings have reached $5 Million. Does this plan sound fair and equitable to you? That’s what I thought.


7. Right size government. The state of Pennsylvania has way too many state legislators. Take my word for it. I say the state can be as effective and more economical to set a normative standard of one state senator for every federal congressman and three state representatives for every state senator. That would eliminate more than 100 current legislators and save taxpayers more than $25 Million a year. Replicate this idea in 50 states and the big cities and we could save billions. And the best part is no one would even notice they were gone!


8. Simplify all other retirement savings plans: Universal IRA, 401K plans, etc. Everyone is eligible. Eliminate every “if”, “and” or “but” from the current regulations. Keep it very simple.


9. Change the name of The Billionaires Club back to the U.S. Senate. We must put a limit on the amount a candidate can give to his own campaign. Aren’t you sick of all these billionaires self-funding their own campaigns? Is Jon Corzine’s political career that much different than the Outer Limits episode where the overgrown kid (on another planet) gets her father to travel to Earth so he can bring back a couple tiny humans for her dollhouse? Let’s face facts. About six years ago, Corzine tired of his Wall Street job and decided he’d like to buy a U.S. Senate seat. But he soon tired of that senate job and he decided he’d like to buy a state governor’s office. I say no candidate should be allowed to contribute more than one term’s salary to his own campaign. That may be unconstitutional but don’t forget I am Emperor! Let’s start with the senate and work our way down to the sheriff of Mayberry (you know he got filthy rich from the TV reruns, coffee mugs, theme park royalties, etc). And I suspect that’s how he kept those campaign coffers filled.


10. Form a commission to find ways to slow the increase in healthcare costs, make healthcare insurance more affordable, encourage and motivate citizens to get and stay in shape, mitigate the ties between healthcare coverage and one’s employment.

This Blogger Has Writing Talent But Thinks She Must Be Cruel to Succeed

Below is a link to a progressive blogger who wonders if Senator Specter's cancer has spread to his brain. That's nasty speculation even for a blogger. And I myself don't like Specter myself but she crosses the line. Read it yourself if you like.

http://susiemadrak.com/2006/03/13/20/49/the-excuse/#comments

Eagles Will Not Make Enough Big Free Agent Signings

Blogs are great for making predictions. So I predict the Eagles will not make sufficient free-agent signings to satisfy the average but skeptical Philly fan like me!

So far, I am right - they just signed a back-up tight end. Big Whoop!!?? I am not an LJ Smith fan - he will never be a Top Ten player (at his position) so they should have made a bigtime upgrade but they did not. Joe Banner, the Eagles salary cap genius and and former fantasy football geek is an idiot.

The Eagles missed out on the best free agent at center, Le Charles Bentley. And news reports seem to indicate the Eagles were blowing smoke about signing Bentley.

And what the hell kind of name is that for a football player?? Le Charles?? IMHO, he would not have fit in with grey-collar Eagles fans. But damn Bentley looked huge in the picture of him signing with the Browns. Usually, a player looks a little small in his jersey without shoulder pads but Bentley looked like he was actually stretching the jersey and did not need the pads to do so.

Last word- the Eagles missed their Super Bowl window of opportunity and unfortunatelly those only come around every 20 or 30 years.

Another Wishy Washy Democrat Caves In To Party Pressure

Here is a story about a typical career pol, Joe Hoeffel, who announced yesterday he was running for lieutenant governor but just TODAY said he changed his diaper (I mean his mind) after talking to Governor Fat Eddie (who supports even older and fatter Katherine Baker Knoll instead). It's so heartening to see how decisive and independent these drones are; they are generally scared shitless to go against the reigning governor. Here is the link to the new story if you want to read (but I can't imagine why you would).

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/14048380.htm

Happy Birthday!

You know who you are!

I Don't Know If Bonds Used But I Looked At His Stats

I don’t know if Bonds used steroids but I looked up his home run records back to 1990. He played in Pittsburgh from 1990-1992 then was traded to San Francisco in 1993.

1. He hit 33, 25 & 34 homers in 1990-1992. That is a total of 92 and a three-year average of 31 per year.


2. He hit 46, 37,33,42 & 40 homes from 1993-1997; that is a total of 198 and a five-year average of 40 per year.


3. He hit 37, 34 & 49 from 1998-2000. That is a total of 120 and a three-year average of 40 per year.


4. He hit 73 HOMERS in 2001. That 24 more than his previous career-high of 49!


5. He hit 46, 45 & 45 homers from 2002-2005. That is a total of 136 and a three-year average of 45 per year.

His average homers increased by nine from 31 to 40 when he moved to San Francisco in 1993. In 2002, his average jumped again to 45 per year. In his defense, Bonds was now playing in the extremely hitter-friendly Pac Bell and pitchers had started to avoid him. His walks zoomed up to record levels and he became a truly excellent hitter.

So, are these stats evidence Bonds used steroids? Maybe, but in 1993, he was in fact entering his prime age (mid to late 20’s) and now played in a more homer friendly ballpark and the number of home runs increased throughout baseball.

IMHO, home runs increased everywhere for several reasons including better player conditioning and weight training, better hitting coaching and techniques, smaller ballparks, perfected eye / laser surgeries (Mark McGwire is one beneficiary) and of course steroids.

Lastly, I did not consider partial seasons due injuries or strikes but was surprised that Bonds has has only one season with 50 or more homers (ala Hammering Hank).

Whatever Happened To The "20th Hijacker"?

I have noticed the MSM hardly ever refers to Mossaiui as the 20th hijacker. When did that start and why? I admit I have not paid much attention to his long trial and don't care either way if he gets life or death penalty. Death penalty cases become drawn out for years due to ability to make numerous court appeals.

But I am curious how virtually the entire MSM seems to use the same terminology or labels in stories. Do you think they hold a big conference call to discuss and agree that "we should no longer call him the 20th hijacker"??

Cause the odds of all using the exact terminology / labels are too high to be a coincidence.

Democrats Are Taking A Poll To Determine What They Think

Glanced at these choices for the Dems new election slogan. Have to say they are uninspiring and IMHO use the word "government" far too often as if Guvmint is the answer to our collective problems.

It's a shame they don't know what they feel or think. Maybe I should write it for them. If you are interested, below is the link:

http://www.ourtenwords.com/

"Dude- Where Is My Civil War"?

That's the title of Ralph Peter's latest column about the media almost gleefully predicting and reporting civil war in Iraq. But, Peters claims from his vantage point on the ground in Iraq, that he sees no substantive evidence of a civil war. (and btw the civil war was one of the main topics on the weeny Chris Matthews Show on this Sunday morning).

In his column, Peters takes a whack at the reporting methodology of the MSM. Here is a a great quote..."And the Iraqi stringers (working for the MSM) have cracked the code: The Americans (the MSM) don't pay for good news. So they (the stringers) exaggerate the bad."

Read the whole article, I provide the link below.

http://www.nypost.com//postopinion/opedcolumnists/64677.htm

Best Irish Joke Of 2005

Since it's only 14 days til St. Patrick's Day, let's kick it off with a damn fine joke:

John O'Reilly hoisted his beer and said: "Here's to spending the rest of me life, 'tween the legs of me wife!" That won him the top prize at the pub for the best toast of the night! He went home and told his wife, Mary, "I won the prize for the best toast of the night" She said, "Aye, did ye now? And what was yer toast?" John said, "Here's to spending the rest of me life, sitting in church beside me wife." "Oh, that is very nice indeed, John!" Mary said.

The next day, Mary ran into one of John's drinking buddies on the street corner. The man chuckled leeringly and said, "John won the prize the other night at the pub with a toast about you, Mary. "She said, "Aye, he told me, and I was a bit surprised meself. Ya know, he's only been there twice in the last four years. Once he fell asleep and the other time I had to pull him by the ears to make him come."

More Evidence of Greed & Arrogance In the Non-Profit Sector

Catch this article about the very, very well-paid president of the University of Miami and her 9,000 square foot house paid by the school? Her extravagant compensation is in stark contrast to the much lower paid janitors at the school. Have to say these non-profit execs make way too much money! It is getting to be rampant- wonder what the PU Foundation prez, Rebecca Rimel, makes? I'll guess more than $1MM but less than $2 Million. And here is the link to the story. Enjoy.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/columnists/13986000.htm