Danielle Elizabeth

My niece and God-daughter had her first baby on Friday. The adorable Danielle Elizabeth was born about 8PM and is 21 inches and 8 lbs. Mother, baby and Dad are doing great; they returned home yesterday after stopping to say hello to Granpop Michael Gullotti.

Fans Celebrate Phils Victory in In Game 3 of World Series

Phils Will Sweep The Devil Rays....

...and Jimmy Rollins will be World Series MVP with three dingers and ten RBI's. Howzat for a prediction?

Phils Win Phils Win

Mixed Martial Arts Company Lost Money

The mixed martial arts company announced it is going out of business. In spite of a TV contract with CBS. And the company revenues in the last two years were $55 Million!! Damn how could they have lost money? I watched some of those TV fights and found it pretty entertaining. The TV ratings were good too.

I guess it is easy to spend millions of dollars these days.

Click on the post title above to read the NY Post article.

Inquirer Endorses Obama ....

.....was its "endorsement scorekeeper" in the bag for Obama? Below I analyze the Inquirer's endorsement of Obama. IMO, the issues selected by the Inquirer actually favor an endorsement of McCain but I guess the paper's "endorsement scorekeeper" was in the bag for Obama. I am shocked NOT.

My Analysis of Obama Endorsement by Inquirer :

· IRAQ WAR
o McCain was RIGHT on surge but opposes a timetable for withdrawal.
o Obama was WRONG on surge but supports a timetable for withdrawal.
o So they pick the candidate who so far has been WRONG and the Inquirer awards a Point to Obama

· INCOME TAX POLICY
o Uses the very liberal Tax Policy Center as a source for its claim that Obama’s tax plan gives more money back to middle class.
o And the Inquirer also claims The Tax Policy Center is non-partisan. That is a lie; it gets 100% of its financial support from liberal groups.
o FYI Obama will increase tax rates on high income earners as much as 50-60% is some areas when you include state and local taxes.
o In my opinion, Obama’s tax plan is socialistic, is an onerous tax rate and will cause us to go into a deep recession.
o Small businesses will pull back plans to invest their hard-earned money into growing their business. Jobs in the private sector will not increase under Obama’s plan.
o In spite of this, the Inquirer awards a Point to Obama.

· ENERGY POLICY
o McCain favors building 40 nuclear power plants which will take time. [Fact - France gets 40-50% of its electricity from nuke power]. McCain also supports immediate offshore drilling.
o The inquirer says that will only have a “minimal impact” [which I believe is a lie].
o Obama and Dems do not sincerely support offshore drilling so if Obama is elected, they will block offshore drilling. And I predict gas prices will hit $5.00 per gallon if Obama is elected.
o And the Inquirer awards a Point to Obama.

· HEALTH INSURANCE
o McCain wants to give everyone a voucher to help them buy their own health insurance.
o Obama wants to pick and choose the “needy” with free health insurance plus Obama will force many businesses to contribute.
o The Inquirer wrongly claims McCain’s plan represents a new tax on workers. In truth, McCain’s plan takes away the business deduction for health insurance expenses.
o McCain’s plan is also more tax neutral than Obama’s plan.
o IMO McCain’s plan is a bold step as it “severs the age-old tie between health insurance and one’s job”. Obama’s plan is more of the same and makes the government pay more.
o In spite of this, the Inquirer awards a Point to Obama.

· EDUCATION
o McCain favors more school vouchers and charter schools. To me, that represents more freedom so parents can get their kids out of failing public schools now!
o Obama (naturally) favors plowing more and more govt money into schools including expanding early childhood education! In the last debate, Obama said "we are running out of vouchers" which may be the dumbest he has ever said!
o Of course, the Inquirer, which has never seen a govt spending plan it did not support, gives a Point to Obama.

· OBAMA IS NOT WHITE
o The world will see the “the melting pot legend of America has finally become a reality”.
o Inquirer gives a Point to Obama.

· OBAMA HAS ELOQUENT ORATORY
o Obama has already taken big steps to bridge America’s racial divide.
o Obama will eliminate “the tar pit of partisan sniping”.
o In actuality, Obama has no record of working with Republicans or working across the aisle. His agenda is identical to the far left, liberal Democratic party agenda.
o On the other hand, McCain has a documented record of working across the aisle with Democrats.

· THESE TIMES REQUIRE STEADY, FOCUSED LEADERSHIP
o Fact - Obama has never even led a Boy Scout troop.
o McCain has served as a Commander in the US Navy where he managed and led hundreds of sailors and aviators.
o In spite of the facts, the Inquirer again awards a Point to Obama.

Trooper York

I tip my hat to Trooper York. This is a great rant (in bold below) he made on Althouse's blog:

I personally think some one should lead a conservative movement that is focused on the common workingman. You know that your liberal commie professors and scumbag news gasbags claim that is the Democratic Party but they have to be kidding. The small businessman who was told by Obama that he wanted to screw him out of his plumbing business to give it to those “who aren’t doing as well” knows the score. Palin could be that person is she is willing to fight.

To fight the scumbag elitist media pundits, the entrenched government workers who make every government agency the fucking DMV, the parasitical professors who couldn't teach you to pour piss out of a boot but get million dollar foundation grants and the fucking lawyers who are blight on our Republic who will sue anyone at the drop of a hat. Not to mention the corporate thieves who have there whores both Republican and Democrat to bail them out of the shithole their greed put them in.

A working class revolt of Americans from fisherman in Alaska to longshoreman in Brooklyn to coal miners to guys who own small business who are the true working class because they go to work every day to keep people employed in small business that are being taxed out of existence.

Andrew Jackson would be the perfect role model. He hated the banks and the fancy pants lying weasels that ripped off everyday Americans. It's time to get back to basics and after four years of yuppie eggheads running things; I think the time will be ripe.

I don’t know if Palin is that person but bitch slapping elitist weasels like Brooks, Maureen Doud, Peggy Noonan, Katie Couric, Christopher Buckley and Gwen Ifil would definitely be a good start.

I.D. Cards - The Time Is Right To Require When Voting

I really don't make this stuff up:

"The Galapagos Islands issues its residents mandatory identity cards that feature photos, invisible ultraviolet ink, a computer bar code and a holographic overlay." They do this TO PROTECT THEIR FING BIG TURTLES! We refuse to do the same thing even though it would help to protect ourselves and help to ensure integrity in our elections.

CLICK THE POST TITLE ABOVE TO LEARN MORE.

Phils Will Win The World Series

Watched the ALCS game last night. The Phils can beat either team. Josh Beckett used to be a dominator pitcher- he looked very ordinary last night. Scott Kascmir for the Rays is scared to throw a strike. That ain't good - it means Kaczmir lacks confidence bigtime.

So I predict the Phils will win the World Series! [as a lifelong Philly guy, I will not say what year that will happen. Heh.]

Flyers Support Racism

Lat night at the Flyers game, a fan held a sign that read "Flyers Support Racism". He was angry because Gov. Palin, a hockey Mom, was invited to drop the first puck of the season. As you may know, ice hockey is struggling to maintain and grow its fan base. The team's owners apparently were trying to honor hockey Moms all over the area. No big deal right?

The Philadelphia Inquirer sent a reporter, Mari Schaefer, to the game and she included this guy's sign in her story. Did she ask him why he felt Pain was a racist? Did she defend Palin to her readers since there is no evidence Palin is a racist? Did she mock him for having an outrageously ridiculous sign? No , No and No.

If a fan had a sign that read "Obama Signed a Baby Killer Law" , do you think this reporter, Mari Schaefer, would have reported that in her story? No way right!

Shepherd Smith

..........says something dopey again. (FYI - I do not make this stuff up).

Ok so I am trying to get the weather for tonight cause I am headed to the Phillies game.

Fox News is on and I hesitate to hear about the stock market. Shepherd Smith, Fox News Talking Head, is telling how the DOW fell by 500 points today. Then Smith tries to say it could have been much worse because he says " a good percentage of the people who would usually be trading today are not.They are atoning".

Keep in mind the above quote is not absolutely 100% precise but it fairly reflects what Smith said. Smith was trying to say I think .......thank God it is a Jewish holiday or even more people would have been selling their stocks.

How dumb are America's talking heads? Isn't it time to clean house of all of them and replace them with ordinary people from Main Street and perhaps college classrooms.

Time For A Commission To Investigate The Cause of Bailouts?

When will John McCain call for an independent (i.e no Congress critters allowed) commission to determine the causes and culprits for the financial meltdown? Cause the American people have their pitchforks ready and are pissed off!

The commission should also determine if there are other ticking financial timebombs (i.e the state govt pension funds).

Philadelphia Inquirer Can't Make Its Loan Payments

My local paper, the Philadelphia Inquirer, runs short in paying its loan payments.

I wonder how long the old media can last? The Newark Star-Ledger (New Jersey's largest paper) is threatening to close if the employees don't concede to some givebacks and take early retirements.

I bet they could sell more papers if they did some real thorough investigative work on Senator Obama's scumbag associates. But that will never happen, the papers' idiotors would rather go down with their ship than report a story that is critical to Dems. I am still shocked the owners allow the slanted behavior to continue.

[Below is the Story reported in the 10/04/2008 edition]:

Papers' owner defers payment By Joseph N. DiStefano Inquirer Staff Writer
Philadelphia Media Holdings L.L.C., which owns The Inquirer, Daily News, and Philly.com, said yesterday that it deferred an interest payment on its bank loans this week, as negotiations continued on a refinancing plan that includes $20 million in new cash from its owners.

"Unlike some companies in our industry, PMH has strong, positive cash flows, which have remained steady year over year," the company said in a statement. "We remain hopeful that we can quickly finish the terms of the new plan with our lenders."

PMH proposed the plan in August. A deal would allow PMH to complete the planned sale of its 400 N. Broad St. headquarters and reduce the senior debt load at least 15 percent, PMH said. The Inquirer reported in the spring that the building would be sold to and leased back from Patriot Equities L.P., of Wayne, but that deal has not yet closed.

PMH borrowed $295 million, plus a $50 million revolving credit, from Citizens Bank and other banks when it bought the newspapers in 2006. At the time, the papers were earning more than $50 million a year. The loan agreement requires the company to earn higher profit each year, or it will be in technical default.

PMH issued the statement after the missed payment was reported by Standard & Poor's in an investors' newsletter. [end of story]

Letter To Charities To Whom I Give Money

Dear Charity or Worthy Cause to Whom I donate:

Barack Obama, a Democrat, will raise taxes. I estimate his plans will increase my taxes by 30% or more from their current level.

This letter is to advise you that I will therefore reduce my contributions to your organization by 30%.

When and if Barack Obama becomes the next president, perhaps you can try and ask the government to contribute to your fine organization. Because they will have the 30% I once gave to you. I wish you the best of luck in that effort.

If you have questions, please let me know.

Best regards,

Fan Makes A Wishbone

Check out the chins on the fan in the fedora. He ain't saving the guy who is dangling over the tarp, he is getting ready to snap a wishbone.

I wonder if Hillary is drinking heavily these days?

If you support McCain and are depressed at how far behind he is in the polls, just think how depressed Hillary Clinton must be. Hillary is probably drunk everyday all day when she realizes that an inexperienced empty suit like Obama beat her in the Dem primaries and he may actually win the election! Heh.

Obama's "Judgamunt"

Obama likes to brag about his superior judgment (spelling above refers to how Slow Joe Biden pronounces the word).

Biden just claimed the Prez should go on TV and splain the Bailout crisis to the American people. Biden said FDR did just that when Wall Street crashed in 1929. Of course, Hoover was president then and TV was not yet invented.

Funnier folks said FDR did do that and if you were lucky enough to be watching on your experimental TV, you asked "Hey who is this guy and what happened to Hoover"?

I have said this before. The VP choice was Obama's 1st big important decision and Obama made a very poor choice.

AIG Bailout

It looks like the taxpayers will bailout some banks and AIG for about a trillion dollars. I say give stock in these companies to every man, woman and child in the country.

Screw the government - the people are putting up the money and the people should get the stock certificates. Make sense to me. What do you think?

Dave McLimans

Here is a quote from a New York Times story. The reporter caught up with this guy at a rally for Joe Biden in Media, PA.

“People got to wake up, because these guys in Washington are raping this country,” said Dave McLimans, a steelworker from Coatesville, Pa., who attended the rally in Media. “Joe Biden talks in a way that can wake people up.”

Sounds innocent enough right? Sounds like a regular working class guy maybe even an independent. Well when I do the googles on the name Dave McLimans, I learn he may be a steelworker but he is also a union official and is president of the Chester County Labor Council and has given money to Dems in the past.

Should the NY Times reporter have known that and included it in his story? Does the reporter even know Google exists?

Here is the googles proof; scroll down, McLiman's name is the third name in the Chester county section.

http://www.slaterforcongress.com/endorse01.htm

Immigration Proposal

I wish our elected officials could think as clearly and argue their positions as logically and forcefully as Rush Limbaugh. He will be recognized one day as a national treasure.

The Other McCain (the blog)

http://rsmccain.blogspot.com/2008/09/luckiest-man-on-earth.html

I am a big fan of government waste. Pointing out govt waste I should say. Click on the link to read a good blog and what he said about govt salaries in Daytona Beach.

It's hard to argue with it. Many govt employees are paid way too much and their benefit and pensions are way too generous. Has to stop because there is a looming financial crisis in state and loacl pension funds- they are underfunded!

Howard Dean

Anyone see this idiot lately? Guess he is busy with his 50 state strategy. Heh.

Susan P. Michaelson says Ed Rendell Is Full Of Soup

The Philly Inquirer is almost a wholly owned P.R. firm for the Democratic party and especially Governor Fat Eddie Rendell. Surprisingly, it printed a "letter to the Idiotor" that debunked one of its own front-page stories that claimed Fat Eddie made big money sellling a state plane. Below is the letter from one smart person named Susan P. Michaelson of Radnor (practically a next-door neighbor of my town).

PLANE FACTS

Dear Idiotor:

The suggestion that Gov. Rendell is somehow a better plane salesperson than was Gov. Palin is nothing but hot air. Your front-page story ("Alaska, here's a tip on how to sell a plane," Tuesday) reported she netted $2.1 million for a plane that originally cost - it doesn't say when - $2.7 million. Pennsylvania will get $1.375 million minus the unreported cost for pre-sale maintenance, including a brake job, for a plane that cost "slightly more than a million" in 1992.

How about filling in some facts?

First, the sales and markets are not comparable. Alaska's plane was a 1984 10-seat Westwind II, nearly 21/2 times as expensive as Pennsylvania's 1981 seven-seat Beech King Air 200. The Westwind was an impractical vanity purchase by Palin's predecessor, Frank Murkowski, for which many suggest he overpaid. Outrage over that plane helped get Palin elected.

As any first-year Wharton MBA student can tell you, total returns are not comparable on two different purchases without taking into account a host of information you failed to address, including demand, operating and maintenance costs, and forgone expenses.

It took Palin nine months to finalize the sale for maximum return, eventually completed by a broker after numerous lesser offers were rejected. Alaska has its cash.

Rendell has been at this since April. He's taken the best of four offers, but still hasn't closed the deal.

Gov. Palin sold the plane and cut the best deal she could for the people of Alaska. Gov. Rendell is doing the same. That's all you can fairly conclude.

Susan P. Michaelson, Radnor

Yabba Dabba Fred

This post is for Trooper York's Flintstone Opus.

Hattip to www.hcwdb.com

Philly Cop Is Buried

If you can afford it, click on the post title to see where you can make a donation to this policewoman's family. She was killed last week when a drunk driver slammed into her police car when she was en route to a crime scene. Thanks.

Nutcrackers

North Korean nutcrackers. What a way to go!

Inartfully Authentic Is a Big Problem

The Dems are hurting because they picked another in-authentic candidate. That is right - if I had to pick one thing that doomed Al Bore, John Kerry and now Barack Obama, it is they each lacked authenticity. They were still evolving and changing even in middle age and even worse they did it during their presidential campaigns.

The American people prefer authenticity. Like they liked Elvis who never hid the fact he liked peanut butter and banana sandwiches (disgusting IMO). George Bush likes baseball and running, McCain likes hiking, Palin runs and hunts. They are regular people and don't have to check with Naomi Wolf (taste and culture maven to the Manhattan elites) to pick their campaign wardrobe or to say what they do for fun

That is the problem for Dems - they are too serious and they are inartfully authentic.

"Meet The Press" Being Replaced by "MEET THE TAXPAYERS"

The MSM has their collective knickers twisted. Sarah Palin has not graced them with her presence and "it's been nine days since she was announced as McCain's VP choice". That is a quote from girly-boy Chris Matthews this morning.

I recommend McCain give Palin free access to a Meet The Press type confrerence but instead of MSM types, they should randomly find informed taxpayers to ask the questions. Call it "MEET THE TAXPAYERS". And no one from the Beltway is allowed. This is a great maverick move for McCain because polls show voters don't believe nor respect the MSM anyway.

The new paradigm goes around and replaces the biased dinosaur media with real no-bullshit type regular citizens to ask questions to the candidates.

Joe Biden

Joe Biden had five draft deferments just like Dick Cheney!

I wonder why the MSM has not been reporting this - have not yet seen this AP news story in my local paper, the Phila. Inquirer. Oh that's right, Biden is a Democrat.

http://www.courant.com/news/politics/ats-ap-cvn-biden-vietnamaug31,0,2934547.story

Hattip to Ace of Spades.

Sarah Palin

Who is Sarah Palin? Read this great New Republic article by Christopher Orr. Here is the money quote from Orr's article. This is some excellent writing:

"Sarah Palin is a living reminder that the ultimate source of political power in this country is not the Kennedy School or the Davos Summit or an Ariana Huffington salon; even now, power emanates from the electorate itself. More precisely, power in 2008 emanates from the working class electorates of Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Sooner or later, the Obama camp will realize that the beauty pageant queen is an enormously talented populist in a year that is ripe for populism. For their own sake, it had better be sooner."

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/09/02/the-case-against-the-case-against-palin.aspx

Shepherd Smith

Shepherd Smith of Foxs News is such a deutchbag. I heard him say at least three times today "this is my 28th hurricane". What a strapper he is- as if he were a brave pioneer or explorer. It is just the news you idiot and FYI hurricanes occur about 10-20 times every year.

The scene of the anchor man standing in the storm holding a microphone is now old, stale and hokey. Time to put that news production in mothballs. And fire deutchbags like Shepherd Smith!

Sippican Cottage

Sippican Cottage is a great blog. The guy always has good you-tube videos plus he is is a genius philospher. Click below to see a great Monty Python skit.

http://sippicancottage.blogspot.com/2008/08/this-video-is-unlabeled-but-i-think-its.html

High Cost of College

Wow - John Edwards is speaking to a student group at a public university in Illinois. He will be paid a speaking fee of $65,000! Click on the link if you doubt my word.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/1134374,CST-NWS-edwards29.article

Fat Eddie Rendell Is Full Of Soup

The Philadelphia media specifically and the MSM generally give Governor Ed Rendell 150% non-stop 24-7's favorable spin on everything he does and just about every word he utters.

So it is funny to hear Fat Eddie whining about MSNBC, one of the unofficial branches of the DEM Party. He claims MSNBC was way more favorable to Obama than to his girl, Hillary! Too too funny. In effect, Fat Eddie is proving what Republicans have known for years! The MSM is biased and liberal- I am shocked.

BTW- Pennsylvania has a new info access law and I am going to request copies of every press release that Fat Eddie's office sent to the Inquirer's idiotors so they could publish as a "news story".

[click on the post title above to read the story about Fat Eddie whining].

Jimmy Rollins

My Favorite all-time Phillies player:

My favorite all-time Phillie is Jimmy Rollins. He won an MVP last year and he replaced Lenny Dykstra who was my former favorite all-time Phillie. I don't remember if I had an alltime favorite before Dykstra. Possibly Jim Bunning, who pitched a perfect game on my birthday in 1964.

If you are a baseball fan, you can tell what type of players I like.

Rollins was my favorite several years before he won the MVP. He plays hard, can hit for average and for power and is always smiling. And he can motor around the bases too. I wish he'd work the pitchers more ala Dykstra.

Philadlphia Sports Fans Are NOT ANY SMARTER THAN THE AVERAGE FAN

There is a longstanding myth that Philadelphia sports fans (and I am one) are so smart and informed. FWIW - this is a myth (origin unknown) and is in fact a big steaming load of bullshit.

Ryan Howard won Rookie of The Year and an MVP Award the next year. I have heard dumb ignorant Phillies fans boo him on several occasions. They are truly dumb and ignorant. They are not smart nor informed sports fans contrary to the myth that gets mouthed everytime a national sports crew comes to Philly to do a big game.

Let me repeat Philadelphia fans are no better nor smarter than the average fan in any city. BUT Philadelphia Eagles fans may be dumber than average. My evidence is I still remember when an Eagles fan called into the sports talk radio and asked if Dan Klecko would get any reps and carries at fullback. First, Klecko will be lucky if he makes the team and WTF does anyone with half a brain care if a 4th-string tackle gets to play 3rd -string fullback. Sheesh!

200 State Troopers To Guard One Governor ?

Click on the post title. It takes you to a NY Post story that reports the NY governor is increasing his state police security detail from 150 troopers to 200!

WTF does a stinking governor need 200 troopers for?

Home Field Advantage

I was watching the Olympics last night. I swear the pommel horse was on a hydraulic lift and it was lowered slightly just before the Chinese competitors got ready to do their dismount! That is out and out cheating - anyone else notice that?

Do you think the Red Chinese are monitoring my blog?

The Arkansas Project

Click on my post title - this new blog (The Arkansas Project) decries the expansion of state-run lotteries to raise more and more money to fund govt spending run amuck. I agree wholeheartedly.

Freeman Hunt is one of the blog's writers and I am familiar with her name as she comments on the Althouse blog.

Exxon Made 7 Cents Per Gallon Produced

Exxon released its quarterly earnings last week. There was a great hue and cry because it made $11 Billion in the quarter after taxes. The MSM had TV cameras in gas stations and showed some drivers whining about the price of gas. One said "why can't they give back some of their profits and lower the price of gas?".

So, I did the MSM's job and asked myself "how much did Exxon make per gallon"? Without knowing that, I could not determine if Exxon could lower it price for gas. And if it did give back some of its profits, would that have an impact on our pocketbooks?

Anyway, here is what I did:

• I did the googles on the internets and found Exxon's 2nd Quarter earnings report (took two minutes).
• Next I printed the report (took another two minutes).
• Read the report to find some statistic that would tell me how many gallons of gas they produce (took 15 mnutes).
• Found their "Oil Equivalent Production" was 3,801 KOEBD which I think means 3.8 Billion barrels of oil products (took my 30 minutes to get my brain around this concept).
• Next I made a presentation & analysis decision (remember I am a financial analyst. I am not bound by GAAP rules of financial reporting) and decided to use this metric to calculate Exxon's profit per gallon:
• {Exxon profit after tax divided by gallons of petrleum produced = profit per gallon}.
• Next I had to convert barrels to gallons. Had to do the googles again and found there are 42 gallons to a barrel (took me 15 minutes). Hope that is accurate.
• So here is the calculation:
• 3.8 billion barrels time 42 gallons per barrel = 159.6 billion gallons produced
• Exxon made $11.7 Billion
• $11.7 Billion divided by 159.6 billion gallons produced means they made a windfall profit of 7.3 cents per gallon (snark alert).

So if Exxon gave up half of their profit, next time you gas up you will save 3.6 cents per gallon. For a car with a 20 gallon tank that is a savings of almost 75 cents!! Or six bits as they used to say.

And that is my two cents - too bad the MSM can't do stuff like this. Maybe I should offer to school those journalists.

How Hateful Liberals Think

Click on the post title to get a taste of how many liberals think and how mean-spirited they can be.

It is from the blog of a local, liberal blogger who can't hold a job for more than six months. She blames the Republicans, conservatives and the so-called "corporate media" for all her problems as well as the problems of every one of the chronic complainers who tend to comment on her blog.

Flying Nuns

Went to a state little league tournament in Turbotville, PA. It is about 25 miles west of Bloomsburg and sure has an Amish presence. I carefully passed at least three horse-drawn buggies on the road in Turbotville.

Then I saw the flying nuns. Nah - that is just what it looked like. There was a big farmhouse next to the ball field. As I drove down the road towards the ball field, I saw a bunch of Amish girls/ women dressed in those black & white dresses flying around behind the house. I thought they were swinging in a bunch of large swings set up behind the farmhouse.

But when I got closer, I realized there were about 5-6 of them jumping on a trampoline! Too funny and what a cultural contrast huh? I was so pissed because I forgot my damn camera!

Cool Pic

Hat tip to Chip Ahoy via www.althouse.blogspot.com

Chip Ahoy is a commenter and he uses amimation software (I guess) to modify this picture of Ann Althouse in Los Angeles.

Click on post tile to see the pic.

Stuff Congress Has Neglected

For the last 2o-30 years, Congress has neglected many important issues. These include:

• The ERISA legislation was enacted in 1974 and established IRA accounts with a $2,000 maximum annual contribution. It took Congress almost 35 years to raise the IRA maximum above $2,000. Why ? Are they so are out of touch with the average American?
• The government failed to enforce immigration laws leading to a large-scale amnesty program in the 1980's. Now 30 years later, they have again failed to enforce laws and we have 12 million illegal immigrants with no incentive to go home or become legal residents.
• Banks have a limit of $100,000 on FDIC insured balances. As far as I know the this limit has never been increased. Why not?
• The "contributions" made by hard-working Americans to social security have been squandered in what Congress might call an inter-generational shell game. Those "contributions" are 12% of our earnings versus only 7-8% thirty years ago. Should Congress fix this? How much would it cost? Why hasn't it been fixed or should it stay broken for the next 1,000 years?
• Today, many elected officials claim our infrastructure is falling apart. Americans have been paying gasoline taxes to the state and fed for years. Plus tolls and car/ license fees. What have they been doing with this money? Perhaps spending it on other stuff?
• The war on drugs? Is it time to re-think tough drug laws and perhaps legalize some drugs? Would that reduce crime (fewer laws means fewer laws broken) and reduce the money we spend on jails, police and the cour system?
• What is so wrong with allowing govt-issued school vouchers so conscientious parents can send their kids to a school that may work. If I had school-age kids in a big city, I would not want to wait for the Democrats to fix the public schools cause it ain't gonna happen for another 50 years if ever.
• Energy- Part I. Back in the 1970's there were gasoline shortages and gas lines. Americans learned oil was a finite natural resources, so did Congress and what did Congress do to plan for growing demands for energy? Not much?
• Energy Part II. Congress shows no energy or motivation to serve the people's interests unless they believe that involves bickering and grandstanding. Give me a good reason or two to support any member of Congress who has been in office for more than two terms?

Bonusgate - Harrisburg Corruption Kept Nader Off 2004 Prez Ballot?

I see they are calling this political scandal "Bonusgate". It is alleged state legislators and their staff used state money to pay "bonuses" to staffers who in fact did work on political campains. Last week, the Pennsylvania attorney general indicted 12 people and today the Inquirer reports the illegal activities may have included an organized effort to impede Ralph Nader from getting on the state ballot in the 2004 presidential election. This is a pretty explosive charge if true. Below is the Inquirer story.


BONUSGATE TIED TO CAMPAIGN AGAINST NADER By Amy Worden
Inquirer Harrisburg Bureau

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania - The tentacles of the Bonusgate scandal have spread to past presidential politics.

Buried deep in the grand jury report, released last week, that led to the indictment of 12 people are details of what is described as a "massive" effort by House Democrats to oust the independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader from the ballot in 2004.
Also, the report says, in 2006 the same machine fired up again to boot from the ballot Carl Romanelli, the Green Party candidate for the U.S. Senate in a race won by Democrat Bob Casey.
In light of the grand jury revelations of political work conducted with taxpayers' money, the candidates and reform advocates want a federal investigation into the ballot challenges, which they now think were the result of the criminal conspiracy that has come to be known as Bonusgate.
Harrisburg activist Gene Stilp filed a petition with the U.S. attorney here yesterday, asking him to look into whether any of those charged in the state investigation were also involved in federal elections while they were supposed to be working on state business as legislators and legislative aides.
"Everybody who runs for office should have a fair election that isn't subverted by alleged criminal activity," said Stilp.
House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese (D., Greene), who led the effort to oppose Nader, said yesterday through a spokesman that "those matters are for the U.S. attorney and courts to decide."
Martin Carlson, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, acknowledged that he had received Stilp's correspondence, but said it was the policy of his office "to decline to make any comment whatsoever regarding whether any matters are the subject of pending investigation."
The grand jury report, released by Attorney General Tom Corbett last week, alleges that former House Minority Whip Michael Veon of Beaver County ran a statewide political operation out of his Capitol and district offices involving hundreds of legislative workers on the House Democrats' payroll.
One of the House Democrats' most visible targets was Nader, who in 2004 was seeking to challenge Democrat John Kerry as well as President Bush. As many as 50 Pennsylvania House staff members worked on a challenge to Nader's ballot petition, and more than half received state-funded bonuses, in part for their "Nader efforts," according to the report.
A decision by Commonwealth Court, upheld by the state Supreme Court, found that most of the signatures for Nader were invalid.
Nader is locked in a battle with lawyers representing a group of Democratic voters over an order that he pay $81,000 in legal fees. Two of his personal bank accounts were frozen last year as a result.
Now, Nader says the charges against the House Democrats are cause to throw out that judgment against him.
"It looks like the judgment was the result of a criminal conspiracy," said Nader's attorney, Oliver Hall. "We will investigate our options to vacate the judgment."
Romanelli, who was thrown off the 2006 ballot for having improper signatures, said he would seek a new hearing on his case in Commonwealth Court. "This is absolutely hideous," said Romanelli. "I knew I was a victim of conspiracy on behalf of the Democratic Party."
Abe Amoros, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, said the grand jury report did not "exclude the fact that Ralph Nader and Carl Romanelli falsified their nominating petitions."
"I fail to see how this is the responsibility of the Democratic Party," he said. "They are rehashing their own inadequacies and their own incompetence to get on the ballot."
Both candidates maintain that the majority of their signatures were valid.

Contact staff writer Amy Worden at 717-783-2584 or aworden@phillynews

Mayor Nutter...........

.........let me ask you a question. Yesterday, the news media reported that your city's population continued to decline. Since 1950 when it peaked at 2,071,605, Philadelphia's population has dropped by 31% to 1,449,634 in 2007. That means 3 out of 10 residents have left for greener pastures since 1950 (not a good trend Mr. Mayor).

But the number of city council seats has stayed the same at about 17. Why don't you consider saving city funds by reducing the number of city council districts? Fewer residents surely means there is less work for the city council.

Please don't get offended at my question. Just yesterday, when you posed your question about charging residents for trash collections, you defended it by saying it is just one of thousands of questions that gets asked.

I Wonder

Look at the color of the leaves on this tree. Almost the same color as red wine ? I wonder if you ground up the leaves and made a potion, would it contain any medicinal properties like red wine is supposed to have? I have heard accidental discoveries are how many medicines are developed.

Your Flag & Ours

"Your Flag" rests (and dries off ) on our back porch after a long day waving in the wind on our front landing. I say "Your Flag" because though it may reside in our home, it is the flag of every American!

You Call This Change Senator Obama?

Below is a letter to the idiotor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published on Friday, June 27, 2008. The letter-writer is criticizing Obama's selection of many Clintonistas for the Obama Security Panel.Here is a money quote "Going back to the 1990's isn't change in my book". Start of letter is below:

THIS ISN'T CHANGE

Even though I am a registered Republican, I worked very diligently on Barack Obama's primary campaign here in Ohio and then crossed the border to volunteer during his three-week Pennsylvania primary effort. I considered myself to be someone who was committed to his election as president this fall. But after reading who is serving on his "new national security advisory group," I feel like I have been duped ("Obama Convenes Security Panel," June 19).

With so many former, recycled Clinton advisers, I can't help but wonder if I supported the wrong candidate. Perhaps we should have stayed with the Clintons. Are there no new faces in this arena? Is this the best Mr. Obama can do? I understand that many voters credit the Clintons with a peaceful end to the last century, but I blame their lack of an appropriate response to any of the numerous terrorist attacks under their watch for the tragedy that befell us on 9/11. The problem I have is that although we will have a clear choice between two very different options this fall, both approaches have failed us as a nation. Where are the new ideas? Where is the change?

Going back to the 1990s isn't change in my book. I have to reconsider my support of the Obama candidacy. I honestly believe we would be better off with John McCain's promise of a forceful response, over the nonresponse of the last administration. I am extremely disappointed.

TIM WAGNER Youngstown, Ohio

Dead Frog In My Driveway

I like to travel and do a fair amount for my work. But you never know what you will find when you get home. Here is a pic of a dead frog I found in my driveway when I got home from a trip to Pittsburgh for 2 days.

There is a small creek at the front of my property and I can only guess this frog made his way up my driveway (about 250 feet from the creek) where he got smushed by my truck tire?

Apropos ...Today is Doc River's Father Birthday

Doc Rivers is 46 years old and is the coach for the Celtics. His father died last fall suddenly. The Boston Celtics, are winning Game 6 at halftime by 23 points. If they win the game, they win the NBA league title! Today is Doc's father's birthday. Life is funny huh? Congrats to Doc Rivers and his father who was a Chicago policeman and steered his son past life's many pitfalls and to success in the NBA and in life!

Flag Day 2008

David Stern Will Not Be Happy - Obama Tax Plan Will Cost Pro Sports Teams & Players

Senator Obama has proposed eliminating the earnings ceiling on the social security tax. That means highly-paid pro athletes and their employers will get socked for millions more in social security taxes.

For example, the New York Knicks had a player payroll of almost $90 Million this year. They will pay about 6% of that in added social security taxes if Obama becomes president and his plan is enacted. Therefore, the Knick team owners will pay $5.5 Million more and the Kmicks players will pay about $5.5 Million more. Under social security rules, the employer pays 6.2% of payroll and the employee pays another 6.2%.

So an NBA team and its players with let's say $90 Million in player salaries will pay about $11 Million to Uncle Sam just to cover increased social security taxes under Senator's Obama plan. There are thirty NBA teams so this will cost the NBA about $330 Million per year or more than $3 Billion over ten years! The league has approximately 450 players. Senator Obama's plan will cost the average player (over ten years) $3.6 Million!

This $11 Million figure will be even greater if we tally up the increased social security taxes for highly paid coaches, general managers, etc. Will Senator Obama's tax plan cause inflation? Can you say "higher ticket prices"?

Ann Curry Saves Lives?

Question: NBC’s Ann Curry seems to be everywhere these days—the Today show, Dateline, guest-anchoring the Nightly News, and traveling to places like Antarctica. Does she have a life outside of work?—Lisa Mackin, Avon, Ohio

Answer: “There are times, to be perfectly honest, when I wish I had more of a life,” says Curry, 51, the wife of businessman Brian Ross and mother of teens McKenzie, 15, and Walker, 13. “But my family knows that my sense of mission requires me to say ‘yes’ whenever I can do something to save lives in places like Bosnia, Darfur, and Congo.” Curry has become such a superstar at NBC that you can expect to see her as part of the network’s election coverage this summer and fall.

Blogger's comment:

Damn - I never knew that folks like Curry and I presume Matt Lauer are out there saving lives! God Bless Our High Paid Talking Heads!

Obama Looks Like A Dweeb In this Photo

Just call me fair and balanced. I posted one great pic of Obama and this one where he looks like a dweeb on a bike.

And then there is this picture which is a bit better:http://theringleader.blogspot.com/2008/02/obamamania-great-american-family.html

News Biz Is Bad Biz

The new owner (Philadelphia Media Holdings) of the Philadelphia Inquirer reportedly missed an interest payment on some subordinated debt.

I have never witnessed a business allow its employees to deliberately sabotage the business and turn away customers. But I believe that is what the liberals who run these papers have done.

The editorial staff and many reporters just don't get it so they continue to write far left-slanting news stories. Do they ever even wonder why the paper's circulation continues to drop?

Sure, I know there are other reasons for the newspapers to lose customers. But the Philadelphia Daily News and The New York Times lost me as a customer some time ago. I was a semi-regular consumer of each paper but got sick and tired of the liberal slant. Letting the employees ruin a newspaper is like a restaurant employing a waiter or bartender who did not bathe or use deodorant. It is nuts!

I predict the Associated Press will be next- its wire stories surely affect the slant of these local papers who pay big fees to the AP for its crappy stories. Evidence: have you ever read "news" stories from the AP's economic writer, Jeannine Aversa? If not, I suggest you do and you will see why I feel the way I do.

Great Picture - click here

Crane Collapse in New York City

My niece lives in the 300 block of E. 91st and the crane collapse was at 333 E. 91st. Same damn block! Fortunately, she was out of her apt and on her way to work on the subway when the crane fell!

Of course, she fielded a bunch of phone calls in her classroom from family, etc asking if she was OK.

{Click on the post title to see some NY Post video}

Bob Dole

I enjoy naked, brutal honesty so I liked this email from Bob Dole to Scott McClellan. Read it - we could use more honesty like this in Washington.

Memorial Day Pics

Memorial Day pictures- like my new flag? Plus you can see a bit of my big front yard behind my truck.

Saying Stuff Like This Is Guaranteed To Get You Votes (Not)

Obama said this today: "We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK," Obama said. "That's not leadership. That's not going to happen," he added.

I don't see this statement as a big vote-getter. Of course, Obama is a DEM and I am not. That means his supporters will claim his statement is chock full of nuance and context that I just am not getting.

One in Four Americans Has A Tattoo

This is according to a Fox News survey. But the Inquirer claimed in a Saturday idiotorial that about one in ten voting-age Americans is unable to get a government ID. And it claimed almost all of these sad sacks are Democrats. Jeez if one in four Americans is dumb enough to get a tattoo, how much dumber must the others be if they can't get an ID.

Inquirer link: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20080517_Editorial__Voter_ID.html

The Groom left jail alone, sporting a black eye, torn tuxedo pants, a bloody t-shirt and one shoe

What a wedding! This is why, when you get married, it is very important that you wear rented clothes! Don't risk ruining your own hard-earned duds!

Newlyweds jailed after brawl at Pittsburgh-area hotel
Apr 28, 2008
PITTSBURGH (AP) —
A newlywed couple spent the night in separate jail cells — she in her wedding gown — after police said they brawled with each other, then members of another wedding party, at a suburban Pittsburgh hotel. The fight started Saturday night after a reception when he knocked her to the floor with a karate kick in the seventh-floor hallway of a Holiday Inn — and escalated when she attacked two guests from another wedding party who came to her aid, police said. The melee moved to an elevator and then to the lobby, where the couple threw metal planters at the two good Samaritans, causing minor injuries, police charged. "It was pretty wild," Ross police Sgt. Dave Syska said.

Dentist David W. Wielechowski, 32, of Shaler, and Christa Vattimo, 25, had married a month earlier in the Bahamas but repeated their vows Saturday at a reception for 150 guests. They were checking into their room when the argument began, police said. Police arrived to find the dentist lying on the lobby floor and his bride, seemingly highly intoxicated, screaming. Authorities charged each with simple assault, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct, and the bride with an additional count of public intoxication. They face a May 7 preliminary hearing. A district judge considered issuing a restraining order against Wielechowski, but his new bride declined the measure. The couple declined comment upon their release Sunday morning.
She left with her father, still dressed in her white gown.
Wielechowski left alone, sporting a swollen eye, tuxedo pants, a bloody T-shirt and one shoe.

Another Cop Killed - Dig Deep & Make A Donation Please

Click on my post title to see how you can make a donation; the slain policeman has 3 school-age kids.

My Annual Advice To The New Grads (a reprise)

Just click on the blog title to see a reprise of my advice to today's college grads. I first wrote this in 2005 and re-post every year in May.

Barbara Walters Was Sleeping With A What........

Many Americans were shocked and disgusted to learn that MSM pioneer and TV icon Barbara Walters had an affair thirty years ago with a U.S. Senator and he was...........................................................a Republican! The Horror!

President Obama

Ann Coulter is damn funny. I say this is funny no matter what your politics are:

"If it takes Obama 20 years to notice that his pastor is a traitorous, racist nut-job, it will probably take him his full term of office to realize that the U.S. has been invaded and subdued by al-Qaida.

Let's just hope President Obama pays closer attention during national security briefings than he did during 20 years of the Rev. Wright's church services. "

Why The City's Elected Officials Suck

Below is an editorial from the Philadelphia Inquirer today about the demise of a non-profit beloved by the last mayor, John Street. The group probably got more than $200 million from the city in the last 8 years but see the money quote I bolded below: THE INQUIRER SAYS the non-profit "was always known as STREET'S PLAYGROUND". In other words, the city money went to the non-profit and Street's puppets there dished the loot as they saw fit. There is no other way to say this- the Inquirer editorial staff has been a bunch of pussies. They kissed Street's ass while he was in office and now almost five months after he is gone, they finally find the guts to kick him. Don't get me wrong, Street was scum just like most of the other city pols.

Editorial:
Safe and Sound - Over and out
Neither the city's at-risk children nor its taxpayers should miss Philadelphia Safe and Sound when the agency closes its doors. The directors of the nonprofit voted last week to cease operations by June 30. Their action comes while the agency is under continued scrutiny by the city and state into how Safe and Sound spent tens of millions of dollars on after-school and anti-violence programs.

A preliminary report by the state Department of Public Welfare found that Safe and Sound was doing a poor job with taxpayers' money. Among the findings were weak accountability, soaring administrative costs, and spending on programs that did not appear to benefit the most at-risk children. The demise of Safe and Sound culminates Mayor Nutter's mini-crusade against irresponsible spending decisions by his predecessor.

As mayor, John Street pushed through a $21 million increase for the agency, to $75 million, shortly before he left office. Safe and Sound was created in 1998 by then-Mayor Ed Rendell, but it was always known as Street's playground. His wife, Naomi Post Street, ran the agency until 2002.

It received no-bid contracts to coordinate and funnel money to hundreds of youth programs serving 27,000 children. But it's still not clear what value the city got from an outfit that essentially passed through money to other vendors who did the real work. Nutter decided to seek bids for this work, which is what the city should have done years ago.

Soon after Nutter's decision, Safe and Sound officials decided to fold. Chairman Ernest E. Jones said the agency had lost staffers and had no commitment for any funding. If they were so committed to the work they were doing, why not submit a competitive bid for the job? With Safe and Sound closing its doors, Nutter's team must ensure continuity of needed youth programs. The quarrel was never with beneficial programs; it was with rising administrative costs and a lack of accountability.
There isn't much time to evaluate bids and get a new coordinating team up and running. Nutter was correct to raise questions about Safe and Sound, but now he needs to do everything within his power to keep delivering worthwhile services beyond June 30. Neither should Safe and Sound's decision to go out of business stop a full accounting of its past expenditures. The Department of Public Welfare report raised questions about the effectiveness of some youth programs, finding there was a "significant risk" that they were not serving the children most in need of help. The city needs to ensure not only that its money is being spent carefully, but also that the children who are most at-risk receive services that will do them good.

Treemendous Treehouse

How about this treehouse being built on Atwick Street in Baltimore. Look closely - it has one of those "rope bridges" to the house on the left!

We saw the Dad hard at work up there but no sign of the kids who will be using it. What is up with that? Maybe it is gonna be Dad's hangout?

Omar Gets The Keys To His New Home From My Nephew

Habitat For Humanity Home by Loyola College

I attended a ceremony yesterday where Loyola College students had built a home for a Baltimore family. My nephew was the student coordinator for the project and it was the first time a home had been completed in a single school year. I am very proud of him and his schoolmates.

How about these hair styles?

Who cares about another weird Texas cult- that ain't news. But how about these hairdos - a new fashion trend perhaps?

Worst Political Ad Ever

Click on the post title to listen to possibly the worst Philadelphia accent of all time. John Dougherty, union bigwig, was running for state office and this is his ad.

Dougherty's nasally voice had to frigging cost him votes. When I heard this ad on my TV, I was tempted to kick it in. Interestingly, Dougherty sounds a bit like New Yorker sports talk radio host, Jody McDonald.

John Marzano - Rest In Peace

This is a great pic from the Inquirer today of Philly boy, John Marzano. In the picture, Marzano, then playing catcher for the Mariners, is manhandling Paul O'Neill of the Yankees.

Johnny Marz was a popular radio/ TV personality and great baseball analyst for WIP610, Comcast Sportsnet, MLB.com and others. He died suddenly yesterday, was only 45 years old. He will be missed.

Marzano played at Central High and Temple University and played about ten years or so in the big leagues mostly as a backup catcher.

The Old Horse Finished 3rd At Delaware Park.

Here are some pics of Sky Heat which ran at Delaware Park today and finished 3rd in the 2nd race. Her jockey was Jeremy Rose, who had some fame as the rider of Afleet Alex named after the little girl who founded Alex's Lemonade Stand. Enjoy.

Prediction For Pennsylvania Primary

I am here with boots on the ground in Pennsylvania covering all the latest news on the upcoming Pennsylvania primary just four days away (not really doing that; I actually live here).

I predict Clinton will win by fifteen points something like 57 - 42. Yes I know all the media and young voters have literally swooned for Obama but my primary meter predicts Clinton by almost a landslide.

Where is my damn ice cream?

It drives me frigging nuts that the grocery store bags your groceries into as many bags as it can. Don't get me wrong. it's not a green thing- I really don'tgive a damn about the environment. No, it seems if I buy 12 items, they use like 6-8 bags !!!

So tonight I go the freezer to get the ice cream I bought two days ago- and it ain't there. I look on my store receipt and it is there- I paid for it but the stunod policy of these frigging stores must be "Don't overload the bags cause a frigging customer may sue us" and so when I left I must of grabbed just 7 of the 8 bags and left my god-damn ice cream at the store. I may have to kill somebody.

Economic Stimulus Refund _ IRS Scam Alert _ Stimulus Relief _Scam Email

I got this email today asking me to go to a website that will expedite my Economic Stimulus rebate check. The sender was service@irs.gov and was very official looking. Don't follow the instructions but you may want to click on the link to see what they ask for - they are bold and brazen articles as my 2nd grade nun would have said. Below is the email "word for word" and the logo above was on the email! Sophisticated scam IMHO:

START OF EMAIL......

"Over 130 million Americans will receive refunds aspart of President Bush program to jumpstart the economy.Our records indicate that you are qualified to receive the2008 Economic Stimulus Refund.The fastest and easiest way to receive your refund is bydirect deposit to your checking/savings account.Please click on the link and fill out the form and submitbefore April 16th, 2008 to ensure that your refund will beprocessed as soon as possible.Submitting your form on April 16th, 2008 or later means thatyour refund will be delayed due to the volume of requests weanticipate for the Economic Stimulus Refund.To access Economic Stimulus Refund, please click here.

© Copyright 2008, Internal Revenue Service U.S.A. All rights reserved." ......END OF EMAIL

Flowers in my yard

Don't know what these are - planted by the former owner. Really tiny buds. I want to cut out a big round spot in the middle of my yard and plant something that will come back every year. Any suggestions; FYI - I don't have a green thumb.

Mr. Irrelevant

This is a new regular feature entitled Mr. Irrelevant in honor of Chris Satullo, former bigshot liberal at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Satullo was promoted up to a gig as a Tuesday and Saturday columnist at the Inky. Those of course are not the "platform" days columnists fight for- no they are the days no one even reads the paper.

Satullo apparently won't take his marbles and go home or take a job with a liberal think tank or NGO like Jane Eisner, his predecessor, did. So on occasion I will post his columns- today he is touting another guvmint program. Note I put his column in the "smallest font" I could find because even I barely glanced through his far left predictable trash. Satullo's column generally start off with "blah, blah, blah".

I believe Satullo's next work of irrelevance will involve the secret plot between Fox News, talk radio and evil Republicans who will try unfairly to show Senator Obama is a just another America-despising far left liberal.


N.J. family leave is the right thing

By Chris Satullo Inquirer Columnist
Imagine: A mother sits contentedly in her bedroom in Marlton, nursing her 3-month-old baby, making good use of extended paid leave from her job at a Cherry Hill bank.
This blissful moment is brought to you by . . . Don Imus?
Follow the bouncing ball from the craggy, crude radio talker to that sweet scene of nurture:
A year ago, Imus emitted his vile, unfunny insult against Rutgers University's women basketballers. Gov. Corzine, rushing to the parley he'd arranged between Imus and the athletes, got into a scary auto crash that left him hospitalized for weeks.
Fast-forward a year. This week, Corzine signed a law setting up paid family medical leave, making his the third state to take this far-sighted step - and only the second to actually fund the program.
In doing so, Corzine said his accident taught him a lesson that's long been vivid for families not insulated by Wall Street wealth:
With a slip, a swerve, or a somber sentence from a doctor, life can change in an instant, from smooth and settled to chaotic and stressed.
America's workplaces, by and large, aren't set up to help people cope with such moments.
The new family-leave law permits workers to get up to six weeks of leave to take care of newborns, newly adopted children, or ill family members, at two-thirds of their pay.
Advocates of the idea tend, as I did above, to zero in on cuddly images of infants. The greatest usage, however, may grow out of a different need: helping rising generations cope with the aging of their long-living boomer parents. The graying of the baby boom will drive most states to grapple soon with the strains of elder care. New Jersey will be glad it got there early.
Not that the state's employers see it this way. They're whining like 10-year-olds told to load their plates in the dishwasher.
One of the corporate sector's mouthpieces in the Legislature carped that the law would be "one of the final nails in the coffin" for the state's economy. Really? Brief leaves for less than 1 percent of the state's 4.1 million workers? That's a crushing burden?
Gee, given their grousing, you'd think employers were being asked to pay for this benefit. Not so. The paid leaves will be subsidized by a small, regular deduction from workers' paychecks, i.e. self-insurance.
All bosses have to do is manage the paperwork, and find ways to fill in during absences. Not nothing, but a small tariff to support family values in a real way, while likely boosting morale. Taking a couple of weeks off to set up an ailing parent with proper services saps a worker's output far less than having the office phone ring three times a day with distress signals from Dad.
The business sector's alarms remind me of Detroit automakers' apocalyptic cries about the costs of seat belts and airbags. Yet years later, they were running ads touting their cars' safety features.
Soon, New Jersey employers will be recruiting top talent by extolling their "family-friendly" workplaces. Make book on that.
I've covered government for 30-odd years, 19 in and around Philly. So I'd never deny that regulation can sometimes be overbearing, counterproductive or corrupt. The current Democratic primary also offers frequent displays of the liberal delusion that government tinkering can thwart global market trends.
But your local airport now features the outcome of an opposing, conservative fallacy: the assumption that whenever government oversight cuts into profits, whenever it forces capitalists to absorb costs of doing business that they'd prefer to foist on the public, it's government that's in the wrong.
For those with this knee-jerk attitude, which has run the nation for eight years, it doesn't matter how vital the societal good at stake might be.
Ask anyone waiting glumly at the airport today: Would you pay $5 more in fares to ensure that the plane you're about to board has been checked for cracks in the fuselage since, say, the first season of Lost? Hey, I know I'm in.
The job of government isn't to pretend it can outthink markets. But it is its job to smooth out capitalism's jagged edges, to protect societal goods from getting trampled in the pursuit of profit.
This leave bill does just that. Good for the Garden State. Shame on the law's critics.

Campaign Donations

Here is a picture of the first yard sign I ever owned. I bought three signs for $20 each and put two in my yard. I will offer the 3rd sign to my liberal friends and family one by one.

When I bought the signs on the internet, the process made it obvious that legally this is considered a campaign contribution to McCain. So that makes this the third political contribution I have made in my life.

To recap, I gave a big $25 to The Swift Boat Veterans For Truth (still have the receipt on my fridge, heh), $100 to Michael Steele when he ran for the Maryland seat in the US Senate, and now $60 to McCain for the 3 yards signs. That is a total of $185 lifetime.

Keep It In The Family?

So Congressman Rob Andrews, a DEM from New Jersey, has decided he will challenge fellow DEM Senator & ancient fossil, Frank Lautenberg, in the Dem primary. But who will take Andrews' seat in Congress? I have an idea- how about Mrs. Andrews? ..see the story below.

Rob Andrews’ wife set to enter race
By Cynthia Burton
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Camille Andrews plans to run for the congressional seat held by her husband, U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews, who is running for Senate, according to campaign sources. Rob Andrews announced last week that he would enter the Democratic primary against U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.). An attorney and associate dean at Rutgers University's law school in Camden, Camille Andrews is often at her husband's side at political events. The couple have two daughters and live in Haddon Heights. Camille Andrews has until 4 p.m. today to file nominating petitions for the race.

Clintons Can Now Afford A Home in The John Edwards Side of The Two Americas

The Yahoo headline says "Clintons made $20 MILLION in 2007". I am nitpicking but the really big story is they made $109 Million in the last 8 years!

So no matter what the Clintons say "THIS TRULY IS A GREAT COUNTRY!"

Operation Chaos

Yesterday I got my new voter registration card in the mail! I am now legally a Democrat and can vote for the Hildebeast in the upcoming DEM primary in Pennsylvania. Based on poll trends, it appears she will need my vote.

Cell Phones Are Killing Us?

I hope this ain't true. And I wonder why the MSM is not bellowing about this claim that the radiation emitted by cell phones will cause more deaths in ten years than are caused by smoking!

The Dregs of Society Claim A Victim

What a senseless tragedy this was. A nice young man, the only child of a woman from South Philly, is beaten up for no reason (and dies at the hospital) by some thugs in the middle of a week day on the Market Street Line train platform.

There is no other way to put it - these 4-5 kids should be locked up forever. They have no future anyway. Unfortunately the reality is we can't save everyone in society! And these thugs are evidence I am right.

Bill Richardson

In this pic, Bill Richardson looks more like he is Hawaiian rather then Hispanic.

He is Blind So.....

.....I wonder if his affair was with a fat and ugly woman?

Gore, Kerry and now Obama

Why do the Democrats tend to select candidates who are insecure with their own selves? Al Gore was always changing, John Kerry was a stuffy, full of crap phony and now it appears Obama (the Dem frontrunner) has been playing the role of a messianic post-racial prez candidate (whatever that means) while listening for 15 years to his black mentor berate America as evil incarnate.

It's like the Dems are too clever for their own good- they can't seem to go for authenticity! Why is that? Perhaps because the party is powered by many, many trial lawyers, grievance mongers, union leaders and far left think tanks? Yeah that is why IMHO.

What A Great Day!!!

Just had to say that because I have had a frigging great day!

Happy St. Patricks Day !

Borrowed this pic from a darn good Philly blog named www.sharpshooters.blogspot.com

No Shit ? She Oughta Be Ecstatic

Heather mills says she is happy with her $50MM divorce settlement. The no-talent celebrity groupie sure oughta be happy. Because there is no way she could make that money on her own.

Also, why the frig is this Top News on Yahoo! and why the frig am I blogging about this anyway?

Hillary Clinton's Tax Return

Why doesn't the media pound Hillary to release her tax return for 2006? Obama has released his way long ago! Why does she get a pass?

I am watching Meet The Press and a Hillary supporter,Rep. Nita Lowey, is dancing around this issue! I can always tell a Dem - they rarely answer a question with a simple Yes or No.

And BTW, I am voting for Hillary in the PA primary; just changed my registration to DEM so I can help to screw up their primary results.

Geraldine Ferraro Is A Dope .....

......or just plain arrogant to vote in two cities at the same time.

Click on the post title to see a post I did in 2006 about what Geraldine Ferraro said after she got caught voting from her vacation home town as well as her primary residence.

Jack Kevorkian

This is interesting...a convicted felon, the Doctor Death, will run for a seat in Congress. I thought the standard protocol for our elected officials was get elected first then get convicted of a crime.

Blog Jumps The Shark?

Althouse has been my favorite favorite blog for maybe 2-3 years. However, this post about hidden racism in a Hillary ad, was a ginormous stretch. As they say, she jumped the shark.