Thursday, July 16, 2009

House Speaker Andy Dillon proposes Michigan's 400,000 public employees receive same health insurance coverage

House Speaker Andy Dillon proposes Michigan's 400,000 public employees receive same health insurance coverage
"State employees pay between 5 and 10 percent of the cost of their health care depending on coverage type, according to report compiled by Dillon's office.
Despite a trend toward more cost-sharing at the local school district level, the report said many school employees 'pay no premiums or very small premiums for their health care.'"

Train bound for nowhere? Amtrak too costly

Train bound for nowhere? Amtrak too costly
"Our issue here is twofold: Is the $7.3 million now spent on Amtrak the best use of dwindling financial resources for a state mired in a persistent fiscal crisis; and who is using the train to Chicago?"

Mitch Ryder ready to roar into Bike Time festival

Mitch Ryder ready to roar into Bike Time festival
"The creator of such well-known hits as 'Devil With a Blue Dress On,' 'Jenny Take a Ride,' and ''Sock It To Me Baby,' Ryder plans to deliver his no-frills, high-energy classic-rock grooves to Muskegon's Bike Time festival 8:30 p.m. Saturday."

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Michigan Budget Deficit Swells To Almost $2 Billion - CURRENT YEAR!

Michigan Budget Deficit Swells To Almost $2 Billion - CURRENT YEAR!
"But now, it appears that it will be closer to $2 billion. Boy was I way off.
With the growing deficit, it will be time once again for Granholm to kick the can, backfilling the shortfall with stimulus dollars that will evaporate in a year and a half, leaving a huge chasm for the next Governor."

Bride's bouquet brings down plane

Bride's bouquet brings down plane

"However, the flowers were sucked into the plane's engine causing it to catch fire and explode.

The aircraft plunged into a hostel. One passenger on the plane was badly hurt.
But about 50 people who had been in the hostel escaped unscathed, as did the pilot."

Nice wedding planner touch?

House bill to hit millionaires with 5.4 pct surtax

House bill to hit millionaires with 5.4 pct surtax
"sweeping overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system to be announced on Tuesday in the U.S. House of Representatives will include a surtax on millionaires of 5.4 percent, congressional sources said"

Let's see, take more money from rich folks, give it to Barney Frank and his buddies, and we'll have more jobs?

Just how dumb are they... or is it us?

Minority Broadcasters Seek Federal Aid

Minority Broadcasters Seek Federal Aid
A group of minority broadcasters asked Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner Monday for financial assistance akin to the aid that has been extended to the financial and auto industries."

This is GREAT! No one listens to their stations so the rest of us will live with more pot holes to subsidize the millionaire owners cuz their black?

White males gotta be gettin' close to being a minority.... right?

Meeting to focus on migrants' civil rights




Meeting to focus on migrants' civil rights
"Civil rights officials will be available to take reports on potential civil rights violations and discrimination incidents faced by migrant workers.

Reports can be conducted privately and anonymously.

Spanish-language interpreters will be available.

The civil rights agency is also accepting testimony from representatives of government and social service agencies."

So our government is goin' on a fishin' trip with the big fish being "anonymous" testimony from spanish folks given to "civil right" apparatchiks.

Folks, something is wrong here.

Port St. Lucie apologizes to Treasure Coast Tea Party

Port St. Lucie apologizes to Treasure Coast Tea Party
"About 75 members of the anti-tax group attended the City Council’s Monday night meeting looking for an apology.
They have said their civil rights were violated when they were singled out at the festival by being put into a special area with a sign nearby stating Port St. Lucie did not back their views or opinions.
Members got the apology they wanted and more Monday night the offer from Cooper to cover the cost of the city sign himself, rather than taxpayers, and the promise of no more signs at city-sponsored events."

Tea Parties in parks are nice.
75 Tea Partyers in politician's offices gets the job done!
Duh!

Nearly all my professors are Democrats. Isn't that a problem?

Nearly all my professors are Democrats. Isn't that a problem?
"What I didn't realize is that journalism that examined the dominance of liberal ideas on campus would be addressed with hostility.
A professor who confronted me declared that he was 'personally offended' by my column. He railed that his political viewpoints never affected his teaching and suggested that if I wanted a faculty with Republicans I should have attended a university in the South. 'If you like conservatism you can certainly attend the University of Texas and you can walk past the statue of Jefferson Davis everyday on your way to class,' he wrote in an e-mail."

Ain't no problomo as long as we keep the cons out....right?

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

GM Bankruptcy Frees Up Millions for Buick Marketing

GM Bankruptcy Frees Up Millions for Buick Marketing
"Having a bigger budget to promote Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC was among GM’s goals in shedding Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and Saab in its 40-day restructuring. The $27,085 LaCrosse was one of about a half-dozen models featured last week when GM left Chapter 11 as a new company.
“They can spend that much now because they have half the brands to cover,” said Aaron Bragman, an analyst at IHS Global Insight Inc. in Troy, Michigan. “That’s the beauty of it.”"

Didn't Obama's car czar cut Chrysler's ad budget in half when he took over the company?
Now GM will double (relatively) its ad budget?

Thank god for CZARS.....

You call that a knife? This is a knife!

You call that a knife? This is a knife!
"A Stanley knife wielding bandit had the tables turned on him when he attempted to rob a Brisbane convenience store attendant who was cutting vegetables.
The attendant, who had a much larger kitchen knife, chased the man out of the Cut Price Supermarket store on Aminya Rd, Mansfield, about 2.50pm (AEST) on Monday.
He did not make off with any money or goods."

Monday, July 13, 2009

Tim Geithner: recession will be over within months - Telegraph

Tim Geithner: recession will be over within months - Telegraph

Business Week sale may fetch only $1

Business Week sale may fetch only $1: "Business Week sale may fetch only $1
By Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson in New York
Published: July 13 2009 20:09 Last updated: July 13 2009 23:28
McGraw-Hill could reap just $1 from a sale of Business Week, according to people familiar with the 80-year-old financial magazine’s losses"

7 day cruise $459!!!!


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PALIN-BASHING IS WOMEN-BASHING? Don’t be silly. She’s not a woman, she’s a Republican….

PALIN-BASHING IS WOMEN-BASHING?
"PALIN-BASHING IS WOMEN-BASHING? Don’t be silly. She’s not a woman, she’s a Republican.
Posted at by Glenn Reynolds at 2:56 pm"

Public-employee pensions put cities, states in tight squeeze - Opinion - USATODAY.com

Public-employee pensions put cities, states in tight squeeze - Opinion - USATODAY.com

As Americans slaving away at private-sector jobs have watched their 401(k) retirement accounts pulled down about one-third by the stock market, they might have found some comfort in thinking everyone's in the same boat.
The comfort is not only small; it's false:
More than 80% of state and city government workers are guaranteed a pre-set, generous pension, and most also can retire early.
Such "defined benefit" pensions generally went out of style in private business and the federal government in the 1980s because of their cost.
They're a main reason why cities and counties across the country are in dire financial straits. Vallejo, Calif., filed for bankruptcy protection last year.
El Monte, Calif., narrowly avoided it June 30.
Others are considering it.
In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said last month that the pension system is "out of control."

Recent stock market declines have left public and private pension plans alike underfunded, but the problem is deeper for public plans because they offer bigger pensions and make them available earlier, particularly to public safety employees. Three-fifths of state-government pension funds owe at least 20% more money than they have. According to the National Association of State Retirement Administrators, the shortfall is $430 billion, or about $3,800 for every U.S. household. Other estimates put the number above $1 trillion

The great public-sector pension rip-off: Dodging the bill


Truth In Lending

Truth In Lending
"Behind The Meltdown:
Many Americans are unaware of the causes of the greatest economic calamity of our lifetime. A new congressional report details how government politicized housing, wrecking the economy"

David Gregory Grills Sen. McCain About...Sarah Palin


David Gregory Grills Sen. McCain About...Sarah Palin
"We're in the middle of the worst recession in decades.
Congress is currently debating sweeping changes to healthcare and energy policy that could cost trillions of dollars in new taxes in the foreseeable future.
We've got soldiers risking their lives on two fronts in the Middle East, and despots in North Korea and Iran developing nuclear weapons.
Yet, when one of the most powerful men in Washington visited "Meet the Press" Sunday, host David Gregory spent almost 30 percent of the time allotted grilling him about -- wait for it! -- Sarah Palin. "

And the liberal MSM wonders what it can do to increase viewer/readership....

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Ride The High Horse

Ride The High Horse
"Otherwise, well, no Selma fantasies here. Sorry."

Lucianne.com News Forum - Thread

Lucianne.com News Forum - Thread

Congressman: Michigan could hit 20% jobless thanks to Obama


Congressman: Michigan could hit 20% jobless thanks to Obama

Michigan's unemployment rate could hit as high as 20 percent with the Obama administrationto blame, one Michigan congressman warned Friday.

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) said that Michigan's unemployment — already the highest in the country at 14.1 percent — could go even higher as General Motors and Chrysler continue to shed jobs after their government-financed bankruptcies.

'Sadly, we've seen estimates, because of the radical restructuring that the auto task force demanded, that this year, Michigan wind up over 20 percent unemployment,' McCotter said during an appearance on a conservative news radio program.

The Wolverine State hasn't yet exceeded its previous record for unemployment in modern history, when it reached 16.9 percent in November of 1982."
And the response from our democrat leaders is more automatic raises for state employees, more annual step-ups in pay for state employees, bigger retirement benefits for state employees, MORE state employees.
And more taxing and regulation for those few foolish businesses left in Michigan.

Detroit Public School System Ponders Bankruptcy


Detroit Public School System Ponders Bankruptcy

http://tinyurl.com/l8bmpq

"This looks like a done deal to me.

The employment contracts and pension plans are untenable, wage and benefit reductions of 50% outside of bankruptcy are virtually impossible, and there is no money to be found anywhere unless Obama comes to the rescue.

No large school district nationwide, has ever filed for bankruptcy...

With that, the pension time bomb has finally gone off.

And if the judge dramatically slashes wage contracts and pensions, which is what every taxpayer everywhere should be hoping, it will set a nice precedent for other over-burdened school districts to follow suit."

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
How this bombshell is handled will set the tone for future fixin' or future destruction of our local schools.

How San Jose workers do in retirement: a comparison

How San Jose workers do in retirement: a comparison

Social Security
Average annual retirement benefit: $13,386
Age to qualify: For full benefit, 66 or 67; 62 for reduced early benefit.

S.J. civilian workers
Federated City Employees' Retirement System
Average annual pension: $37,376
Age to qualify: 55 with at least five years of service; any age after 30 years of service.

S.J. public safety workers
Police and Fire Department Retirement Plan
Average annual pension: $73,818
Age to qualify: 50 with 25 years of service; 55 with 20 years of service; any age after 30 years of service.

Backpack giveaways in Muskegon County to start again this month

Backpack giveaways in Muskegon County to start again this month
"Fundraising -- including working with corporate sponsors and seeking grants -- for the effort has turned into a year-round effort"

This may (or maybe not) be a noble idea but it is another taxpayer-money-to-"the poor"-program with little credit given to the evil "rich" and "corporations" who pay most of the taxes (and straight up money!) for programs such as this one.

Just more po folks who expect more and more freebies at the same time they and their leaders demonize those who provide the gifts.

The end of Obamania


The end of Obamania
"Barack Obama has fallen back to Earth.

When he ran for president, Obama said his election would be 'the moment the rise of the oceans began to slow.'"

10 Most Unfortunate Store Names


10 of the Worst Restaurant Names ever


How much damage did the Times do?

How much damage did the Times do?
"Risen and Lichtblau mostly airbrush these assessmetns out of their highly selective story today. The reason is obvious. They have a vested interest in minimizing the damage that their own reporting -- also unmentioned in today's story -- has done to the national security of the United States.
Given their own role in this story, the Times shouldn't let Risen and Lichtblau continue to report on it. They have an obvious conflict of interest. The conflict is manifested in the lousy job they do fairly reporting on the IGs' report on the NSA program today."

Boxer faces 'challenge of a lifetime' on climate change bill


Boxer faces 'challenge of a lifetime' on climate change bill
"If the Senate doesn't pass a bill to cut global warming, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer says, there will be dire results: droughts, floods, fires, loss of species, damage to agriculture, worsening air pollution and more."

What, no pestilence?

Good grief, what about bankrupting every business in the country?!!!!!!!
Simply to give Al gore and his democrat, religious zealots our money... and our economy!

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Ed Driscoll » Getting Squeezed By The Parentheses States

Ed Driscoll » Getting Squeezed By The Parentheses States: "Tom Wolfe likes to call New York and California “the Parentheses States”, as he mentioned to the Wall Street Journal back in 2006:"

Michelle Malkin » The ghoulish spirit of Margaret Sanger lives

Michelle Malkin » The ghoulish spirit of Margaret Sanger lives
"Looks like Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg isn’t the only one who’s been channeling abortion champion/eugenicist Margaret Sanger.

Internet sleuth Zombie has a new report on John Holdren, President Obama’s science czar:

• Single mothers and teen mothers should have their babies seized from them against their will and given away to other couples to raise;

People who “contribute to social deterioration” (i.e. undesirables) “can be required by law to exercise reproductive responsibility” — in other words, be compelled to have abortions or be sterilized.

A transnational “Planetary Regime” should assume control of the global economy and also dictate the most intimate details of Americans’ lives — using an armed international police force.

Impossible, you say? That must be an exaggeration or a hoax. No one in their right mind would say such things.

Well, I hate to break the news to you, but it is no hoax, no exaggeration. John Holdren really did say those things, and this report contains the proof.
"

B-17 in Muskegon!


Do you want to fly in a WW2 B-17, Flying Fortress?

Everyone in W. Michigan will have that opportunity on Saturday, July 25.

The Yankee Air Museum has offered to visit us with their WW2 B-17 Flying Fortress, Yankee Lady, at Muskegon Airport.

The cost will be about $400 each, depending on how many sign up for a flight.

It's not cheap but well worth it to support Yankee Museum and their efforts to keep our Warbirds flying. Plus it's a once in a lifetime thrill for anyone who has marveled at the bravery of our young World War 2 fliers.

I took a ride last month on their B-25 Mitchell Bomber and it was like nothing I've ever experienced. I still get a thrill when I think of that flight.

Call or E all your friends (and fathers!) and tell them about this once-in-a-life-time opportunity!

We recently flew in their B-25 Mitchell Bomber
(http://www.yankeeairmuseum.org/historic-aircraft/67-b-25d.html) from MKG over Lake Michigan, down south of Grand Haven, east to the end of the county, up to White Lake and back over W Muskegon county to the airport.

We will do the same in a B-17!

Please pass the word out to all your friends and their Dads!

E me at GordoMuskegon@aol.com if you are interested!

http://www.yankeeairmuseum.org/historic-aircraft/68-b17g.html

Blueberry crop delayed by cool weather


Blueberry crop delayed by cool weather
"Although the frost did not cripple the crop at Reenders Blueberry Farms in Grand Haven Township, the cool spring temperatures have pushed the harvest behind schedule, according to partner Ken Reenders.
'We're a little behind,' Reenders said. 'The cool spring has caused that.'
U-pick has begun on the farm, but the only blueberries currently available are small, early varieties, Reenders said.
The most popular, commonly-picked 'blue crop' will not be ready for another 10 days or so."

What a stupid article.
A farm product about 10 days late for picking?!!!
10 whole DAYS!!!

How could that happen when every newspaper writer knows that Al gore promises all crops ripen at the same rate always.....unless it's Global Warming!!!

That's the ticket!

State Rep. Goeff Hansen wants tax havens for start-ups

State Rep. Goeff Hansen wants tax havens for start-ups
"Rep. Goeff Hansen, R-Hart, said he plans to introduce a bill that would exempt start-ups from paying real property taxes, personal property taxes and the Michigan Business Tax during their first two years in business.
Those taxes would phase in during the next three years, he said."

Excellent idea! And look how quickly the statists and their willing enablers in the media try to knock it down.

Anyone notice this article fails to interview a business owner or entrepreneur?

Of course not!

Former Institute for Healing Racism director says he can't quit

Former Institute for Healing Racism director says he can't quit
"For 10 years, Gordon Rinard's been in constant dialogue.As executive director of the Institute for Healing Racism-Muskegon, he's been engaged in an ongoing "conversation on race," challenging the community at large on what he calls the "-isms.
"And a new one -- capitalism -- that really divides us as a society," he says.

Holy shittake!
Capitalism divides us as a society?!!!!!
This man is a menace!
And so is his evil mission!

"global governance"???????


TigerHawk: "Gore touted the Congressional climate bill, claiming it “will dramatically increase the prospects for success” in combating what he sees as the “crisis” of man-made global warming.

“But it is the awareness itself that will drive the change and one of the ways it will drive the change is through global governance and global agreements.”

Anybody who thinks that 'global governance' is anything other than a profound evil is a woefully misguided dreamer, a nut, or an authoritarian. The only question is whether it is a necessary evil. Let us hope not"

Sotomayor backers urge reporters to probe New Haven firefighter


Sotomayor backers urge reporters to probe New Haven firefighter
"Supporters of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor are quietly targeting the Connecticut firefighter who's at the center of Sotomayor's most controversial ruling.
On the eve of Sotomayor's Senate confirmation hearing, her advocates have been urging journalists to scrutinize ..... firefighter Frank Ricci.

.....'The whole business of getting Supreme Court nominees through the process has become bloodsport,' said Gary Rose, a government and politics professor at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn."

The Obama left using "journalists" to destroy a firefighter? I am shocked, shocked to find that personal destruction is going on in here! !

SO HOW’S THAT STIMULUS THING WORKING? (CONT’D): Stocks post 4th straight week of losses.

SO HOW’S THAT STIMULUS THING WORKING? (CONT’D): Stocks post 4th straight week of losses.
"I’m beginning to feel that this business of shoveling money out to cronies isn’t really helping the economy as much as was promised."

That unbiased MSM is really on this one, aren't they......

Obama Says Economic Stimulus Worked

Obama Says Economic Stimulus Worked as Intended, Urges Patience
"President Barack Obama said his $787 billion stimulus bill “has worked as intended” as he pushed back against Republican criticism that his recovery program has failed to rescue the economy.
It has already extended unemployment insurance and health insurance to those who have lost their jobs in this recession,” Obama, who is traveling today in Ghana, said in his weekly Saturday radio and Web address. “It has delivered $43 billion in tax relief to American working families and business.”
Were it not for the stimulus program, the president said, “state deficits would be nearly twice as large as they are now, resulting in tens of thousands of additional layoffs -- layoffs that would affect police officers, teachers, and firefighters.”"

Ummm, Barry hussein told us the trillion dollars spent would INCREASE jobs not pay for unemployment benefits.

Is Obama More Catholic Than the Pope?


Is Obama More Catholic Than the Pope?
"In truth, though, Obama's pragmatic approach to divisive policy (his notion that we should acknowledge the good faith underlying opposing viewpoints) and his social-justice agenda reflect the views of American Catholic laity much more closely than those vocal bishops and pro-life activists.
When Obama meets the pope tomorrow, they'll politely disagree about reproductive freedoms and homosexuality, but Catholics back home won't care, because they know Obama's on their side. In fact, Obama's agenda is closer to their views than even the pope's."

Friday, July 10, 2009

Michigan St: No longer second to Michigan - AthlonSports.com


Michigan St: No longer second to Michigan - AthlonSports.com: "Right now, Dantonio is assembling a winner in East Lansing. His three seasons on campus have proven that. Rodriguez is still in the early stages of his construction project, with a much different blueprint, and it’s too early to tell whether or not he’ll be successful. Two different approaches with two similar goals. In a few years, the schools could have comparable results.
And a whole new take on an old sibling rivalry."

Fix Medicare First

Fix Medicare First
"Well, to be honest, there's already a public plan, and it's hurtling toward insolvency."

Pot smokers: patriotic and generous?

TigerHawk: "Plus, there's all the extra sales taxes from the extra-large packages of Oreos and Doritos."

Laughing Heartily (Once Again)




Laughing Heartily (Once Again) at Andrew Sullivan
"Is there a bigger Internet fool than The Atlantic's Andrew Sullivan, who spends most of his time doing a cheap imitation of a scummy Chicago Democratic Party precinct captain with his lips firmly attached to President Barack Obama's backside?

Andrew Sullivan: (emphasis added)

John McCain picked Sarah Palin because he was a) desperate, b) has no integrity, c) cares much more about his career than national security, and d) couldn't take his eyes off her boobs."

Call your congressman NOW!

TigerHawk: "You might want to call your Congresscritter and ask -- no, demand -- that it to support H.Res 615:...
.....Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that Members who vote in favor of the establishment of a public, Federal Government run health insurance option are urged to forgo their right to participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and agree to enroll under that public option."

Tell the Senate to Say NO to Robert Groves and ACORN Corruption!

Tell the Senate to Say NO to Robert Groves and ACORN Corruption!
"Barack Obama -- the former attorney for the corrupt Association of Community Organization and Reform Now (ACORN) -- has now nominated for Census Bureau czar a man who (perhaps not surprisingly) refuses to rule out paying ACORN lieutenants tens of millions of tax dollars to, of all things, count the number of Americans who should receive federally funded hand-outs and be allowed to vote"

No Silver Lining to Michigan’s Decline

No Silver Lining to Michigan’s Decline
"His July 6 entry describes the latest dismal economic and employment figures, and ponders the question of whether Michigan can be a prosperous state of just 8 million, vs. it’s current 10 million. He concludes hopefully, “Being smaller is not automatically a bad thing.”"

Congressional Reality Check: The Laws of Supply and Demand Are NOT Optional


Congressional Reality Check: The Laws of Supply and Demand Are NOT Optional
"As if the recession hasn’t been rough enough on those near the bottom of the economic food chain, fresh bad news is on the way.
Beginning July 24 (two weeks from today), the federal government will be making it more difficult for employers to hire low-skilled and unskilled American workers. Thanks to an ill-advised law enacted with bipartisan support in 2007, the cost of providing an entry-level job to individuals with few skills or minimal experience will be going up by more than 10 percent. Those who cannot find a job paying at least $7.25 an hour will not be permitted to work. Welcome to the latest chapter of America’s minimum-wage folly."

Lucianne.com News Forum - Thread

Lucianne.com News Forum - Thread: "Reply 1 - Posted by: PruneSpleen, 7/9/2009 11:10:09 PM (No. 5674325)

By definition, 'rogue states' do not abide by agreements.

Pre-emptive surrender -- total success since 1938.

We should be so proud that Zimbabwe and Paraguay have more sensible governments than the US or Britain."

Honor the Jackson 5 - Real Heroes
















ARRA News Service: Honor the Jackson 5 - Real Heroes
The following brave people will NEVER get the media coverage they deserve or anything equal to the praise and coverage lavished on the Jackson 5 musical family.
This week at the passing of Michael Jackson the world weeps at the death of a recording artist and entertainer who made hundreds of millions of dollars from his music.

While most Americans are thinking about Michael Jackson, we hope you will join us and think about the Jacksons 5 - young men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for America."

God bless those wonderful men and women who gave their last full measure.

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Lucianne.com News Forum - Thread

Lucianne.com News Forum - Thread: "A woman is suing an Egyptian hotel claiming her daughter got pregnant - from using the swimming pool. Magdalena Kwiatkowska's 13-year-old returned to Poland from their holiday expecting a baby. Magdalena believes the teenager conceived from stray sperm after taking a dip in the hotel's mixed pool. She is now seeking compensation from the hotel. (Snip) ''The mother is adamant that her daughter didn't meet any boys while she was there.''

Comments:
In order to believe her story you have to have taken courses in Islamic science. Possibly graduate level. [end sarcasm]"

Lucianne.com News Forum - Thread

Lucianne.com News Forum - Thread: "Reply 2 - Posted by: aintnojoke, 7/9/2009 5:07:52 PM (No. 5673523)

Tough guys don't dance."

Home burns while Obama fiddles in Rome


Home burns while Obama fiddles in Rome
"While Barack Obama continues his foreign tour in Italy, trouble is brewing on the home front.

His poll numbers are slipping, as Rasmussen reports here, and Gallup does here.

The source of the shift is independent voters, particularly in swing states. The numbers are nothing for the White House to fret about, but clearly the president’s shine is beginning to wear off.

The main reason for his slump was a depressing jobs report last week that saw unemployment rise to 9.5%. It is soon likely to hit the red letter figure of ten per cent."

Lucianne.com News Forum - Thread


Lucianne.com News Forum - Thread: "Original Article
Posted By:Desperata, 7/9/2009 5:31:07 PM
Call it a case of mistaken identity. Italian luxury goods manufacturer VBH boasted yesterday that First Lady Michelle Obama had toted their $5,950 alligator manila clutch earlier this week while on a trip to Russia.

Comments:
Wow, the White House got to that VBH lady fast.


Reply 1 - Posted by: cap MarineTet68, 7/9/2009 5:35:37 PM (No. 5673588)

Even if we believe this (I don't) doesn't a gal with expensive sneakers need an expensive bag?"

Obama Takes Michelle Out For a Date and Us For a Ride part deux

Obama Takes Michelle Out For a Date and Us For a Ride
"Speaking of Obama, the White House is trying to convince us that the recent date night that took him and the missus to New York, along with his usual entourage, cost the taxpayers a mere $24,000. That’s supposed to be the total amount of the roundtrip flight, the two helicopter rides, the limo, dinner and the show.

Fat chance. My brother-in-law in Michigan had a heart attack last year. His heart must be working just fine now because it didn’t stop when he got the bill for the 50-mile helicopter ride to the hospital. It was $12,000, and that was one-way, and without a squad of Secret Service agents riding shotgun."

Obama Takes Michelle Out For a Date and Us For a Ride

Obama Takes Michelle Out For a Date and Us For a Ride
"’m not engaging in hyperbole when I say that I’d sooner send a youngster to Florida during hurricane season than to most colleges.
As I see it, he or she has a very good chance of surviving the hurricanes. Their hair might get mussed, but at least their brains wouldn’t be scrambled.

Frankly, I’m surprised that there are any young conservatives left in America.
They deserve to be on the list of endangered species.
Considering the amount of pressure they face from peers and professors, I am in awe of those with the gumption to stand their ground.
If the nation’s Founding Fathers came back to life, I believe they’d recognize them as the progeny of those Americans they last saw hurling tea into Boston Harbor, fighting at Lexington and freezing at Valley Forge.

However, I also believe that after taking a good look at America today, they’d shake their heads and wonder how, after such a glorious beginning, we’d wound up in this pitiful condition. How did we go from George Washington to Barack Obama in, historically speaking, the blink of an eye; from the man who refused to be king to the man who would be czar?"

Ensign paid $96,000 "gift" to Hamptons

Ensign paid $96,000 "gift" to Hamptons
"Sen. John Ensign paid out nearly $100,000 to the family of his mistress out of his private funds, his lawyer says in an e-mail.
The gifts, the statement says, are part of a pattern of 'generosity' on the part of the senator to the family he nearly destroyed."

Imagine the fool who talks "generosity" and expects anyone to believe his bullshit!

Out damned spot!

Women spend almost a year of their lives deciding what to wear

Women spend almost a year of their lives deciding what to wear
"WOMEN spend almost a year of their lives deciding what to wear, a new study has found."

Well....duh....

I wonder just who funded this "study"...

More spelling errors plague Obama releases

More spelling errors plague Obama releases
"Misspellings continued to plague the Obama administration on Thursday, after two more releases containing errors were sent to reporters in the last 24 hours.
After misspelling the president's name as 'Barak Obama' yesterday on an official document sent to reporters, the General Services Administration messed up another message when announcing it had awarded an $18 million contract to redesign the website keeping track of spent stimulus dollars."

WHAT!!!!
$18 million to set up a website to track porkulus dollars!!!!!

Obama positives at new low


Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere: "Thirty-eight percent (38%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of –8. The President’s Approval Index rating has fallen six points since release of a disappointing jobs report last week (see trends)."

Private sector can't afford public sector employees

Private sector can't afford public sector employees
"The federal government is the nation's largest single employer, even excluding the Postal Service. And state and local governments employ more people than any other sector of our economy.
It is no mystery the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports 74 percent of budget gaps are in blue states!"

Public Pensions Cook the Books

Public Pensions Cook the Books
"Here's a dilemma: You manage a public employee pension plan and your actuary tells you it is significantly underfunded. You don't want to raise contributions. Cutting benefits is out of the question. To be honest, you'd really rather not even admit there's a problem, lest taxpayers get upset.
What to do? For the administrators of two Montana pension plans, the answer is obvious: Get a new actuary."

TIGERHAWK: The 35% Solution

TIGERHAWK: The 35% Solution
“Because its efforts have been broken into separate initiatives with different justifications, few people other than news junkies have noticed how extraordinary Barack Obama’s agenda is.
Perhaps a number will help: 35%.
That is the aggregate percentage of United States GDP produced by the three industries that the Democrats hope to restructure from the top down: Health care (17% of GDP), energy (9.8% of GDP), and financial services (8% of GDP).
Think about that. Without even considering the transformational impact of proposed anti-business laws of general application, such as the Orwellian ‘employee free choice act,’ the Obama administration wants to redesign 35% of gross domestic product from the center. And he proposes to do it all in a rush this summer, lest the decline in his popularity and that of the Congressional Democrats erodes his power to do so.”"

How Ferris State's tuition increase stacks up to other Michigan schools

How Ferris State's tuition increase stacks up to other Michigan schools
"Students will pay the whole increase, but the university will cut rebate checks when it gets an expected $1.39 million in federal money."

Your "job stimulus" dollars at work?

People with employability issues or criminal records get training for construction trade in GRCC program

People with employability issues or criminal records get training for construction trade in GRCC program
Grants worth about $200,000 cover tuition, materials and other expenses.
"Perhaps the biggest benefit is that the guys can demonstrate to themselves that they can make a difference in the community, and demonstrate to the community that these people can make a difference," said Dan Buron, Goodwill's chief work force development officer.
Students, between the ages of 24 and 50, spend three weeks in a classroom brushing up on math skills, plus learning how to use small tools safely.
They will spend the rest of the summer building two scaled-down "green" model houses that can be set up at construction expos, as well as working in the field on Habitat for Humanity homes.

Fabulous!
$200,000 (mostly from us taxpayers) to teach "math" and how to use an electric drill without killing someone, so those schmoos will be able to find there are NO construction jobs and no one needs a new house cuz we got thousands of empty ones already.
Cuz we tax our businesses out of the state .... in order to have nice programs like that one.......

That makes sense...right?

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

The Big Public Pension Squeeze

The Big Public Pension Squeeze: "Vallejo, a working-class community of 120,000 northeast of San Francisco, has long been a strong union town. Like many cities, it gives its workers generous retirement benefits: Police and firefighters can retire as young as age 50 with a pension equal to 90 percent of their final salary, and they enjoy free health care for life. Salaries, which serve as the base for determining pension levels, have also been generous: Forty-four percent of the city’s 613 employees had gross wages in excess of $100,000 in 2008."

Corrections officers conducted "informational picketing" Tuesday outside the soon-to-close Muskegon Correctional Facility.


Corrections officers conducted "informational picketing" Tuesday outside the soon-to-close Muskegon Correctional Facility.
"The goal of the picketing, organized by the Michigan Corrections Organization, was to 'educate the public' about what that union calls a danger to public safety: the state's decision to parole up to 4,000 inmates after their minimum sentence is served -- sooner than would previously have been the case -- thus allowing it to close MCF and other prisons."

This is what state over-spending brings, folks.

The sentences are gonna be shorter, or non-existent, for the thugs.

And the thugs know it.

Buy a gun...NOW!

Officials: Arrests, hospital visits up at ROTHBURY

Officials: Arrests, hospital visits up at ROTHBURY
"Arrests and hospital visits stemming from the second ROTHBURY festival were up from last year's event, authorities say."

I wonder if all the concert cheerleaders factored this in.....

“SMART DIPLOMACY:” Reminding the Russians about Alaska. UPDATE: Setting off the “Quayle-o-Meter…

“SMART DIPLOMACY:” Reminding the Russians about Alaska. UPDATE: Setting off the “Quayle-o-Meter…:
July 8, 2009
“SMART DIPLOMACY:” Reminding the Russians about Alaska.

UPDATE: Setting off the “Quayle-o-Meter.” “That’s the way to ‘hit the Reset button’, Mr. President. Remind the Russians of perhaps the stupidest thing they ever did.”
Bottom line: The guy is a smooth-talking ignoramus: not all that smart, not well-read, with a wafer-thin resume.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Maybe Obama’s just covering for Joe Biden."

Lake Express -Big sale!

Lake Express - High Speed Car Ferry crossing Lake Michigan between Milwaukee, WI and Muskegon, MI
"Savings of more than 25% are possible when you take advantage of the Lake Express summer '91-19' return fare sale - Available for Phone and In-Terminal Bookings Only.

Convert your one-way trip to a roundtrip for as little as $19 per person when you use a 6:00 a.m. or 11:00 p.m. crossing"

Good idea!

Metrorail Operator Caught Texting on Job

Metrorail Operator Caught Texting on Job
"There's more bad publicity for Metro after a YouTube video surfaces of a Metro train operator apparently texting while on the job."

Government provided commuter care.
Great.........

Barack Obama holds a fire sale of America’s nuclear defences in Moscow

Barack Obama holds a fire sale of America’s nuclear defences in Moscow
"For Obama, success is not the delivery of watertight nuclear security for America; it is a feel-good news conference and photo opportunity that will create huge approval ratings on liberal campuses where the delusions of 1968 and the anti-Vietnam war movement still linger on in these isolated Jurassic Parks.
It seems certain Obama will sacrifice the anti-missile shield in Europe that would have been our defence against a nuclear Iran after the ayatollahs, with Russian help, emerge as potential vapourising agents of the infidel. The interceptor missiles do not even carry warheads: they rely on an impact at 14,900mph to destroy any incoming missile, so Russian hysteria about this “threat” is synthetic."

Obama may make Neville Chamberlain look Churchillesque in comparison.

Audit finds states using stimulus to stay afloat

Audit finds states using stimulus to stay afloat: "The Obama administration hoped spending $787 billion in stimulus would jump-start the economy, build new schools and usher in an era of education reform.
So far, government auditors say, many states are setting aside such grand plans and simply trying to stay afloat."

So the $trillion dollar porkulus bill that was supposed to create jobs has simply been sucked up by the same credit card spending on the state level that the feds have been doing on the national level?

No new jobs....?
And we still owe the $trillion?

Just great.......

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

TheHill.com - Republican report puts blame for housing on Fannie, Freddie

TheHill.com - Republican report puts blame for housing on Fannie, Freddie: "“The housing bubble that burst in 2007 and led to a financial crisis can be traced back to the federal government intervention in the U.S. housing market intended to help provide home ownership opportunities for more Americans,” declares the first sentence of the GOP Oversight and Government Reform report."

Obama: Social Justice in Catholic Church Has Had 'Profound Influence' on Me

Obama: Social Justice in Catholic Church Has Had 'Profound Influence' on Me
"President Obama said the Catholic Church's long tradition of social justice has had a 'profound influence' on him -- just days before he is to meet with Pope Benedict XVI on his first trip to Italy."

American Thinker Blog: Just how naïve is President Obama?

American Thinker Blog: Just how naïve is President Obama?
"'U.S. President Barack Obama said July 7 that if Iran stops its nuclear weapon development program, the U.S, has no reason to develop a missile defense system, Interfax reported. Obama was speaking at the Russian School of Economics in Moscow.'


Is the President unaware that North Korea is a nuclear power, and produces long range missiles that it tests and delivers to other countries?


Are there no other threats from terror groups or nations, other than Iran for which an American missile defense mightbe useful?"

EDITORIAL: Return of the Black Panther - Washington Times

EDITORIAL: Return of the Black Panther - Washington Times: "Rarely does the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights vote unanimously on anything.
A partisan divide has made the commission contentious in recent years. Yet the Department of Justice's decision to forfeit its voter-intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party and three individual defendants drew a 6-0 vote with one abstention by the commission. What unified the commission was outrage at the Justice Department for letting the Black Panthers off the hook."

I Still Hate You, Sarah Palin

I Still Hate You, Sarah Palin
"And so the word went out, from that time and place: Eviscerate Sarah Palin like one of her field-dressed moose. Turn her life upside down. Attack her politics, her background, her educational history. Attack her family. Make fun of her husband, her children. Unleash the noted gynecologist Andrew Sullivan to prove that Palin’s fifth child was really her grandchild. Hit her with everything we have: Maureen Dowd of the New York Times, taking a beer-run break from her quixotic search for Mr. Right to drip venom on Sister Sarah; post-funny comic David Letterman, to joke about her and her daughters on national television; Katie Couric, the anchor nobody watches, to give this Alaskan interloper a taste of life in the big leagues; former New York Times hack Todd “Mr. Dee Dee Myers” Purdum, to act as an instrument of Graydon Carter’s wrath at Vanity Fair. Heck, we even burned her church down. Even after the teleological triumph of The One, the assault had to continue, each blow delivered with our Lefty SneerTM (viz.: Donny Deutsch yesterday on Morning Joe), until Sarah was finished."

CRACKING THE SOCIAL SECURITY CODE: The nation’s Social Security numbering system....

CRACKING THE SOCIAL SECURITY CODE:
The nation’s Social Security numbering system...... is an open book!
"I’m sure they’ll do a fine job of protecting your healthcare information, though."

Global Pensions-DISASTER!

Global Pensions
"Hungary’s pension system will be financially unsustainable in the coming weeks as the government has run out of money, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation"

Dumbing-down the U.S. Navy

Dumbing-down the U.S. Navy
"According to Fleming, who once sat on the board of admissions, white applicants must have all As and Bs and test scores of at least 600 on the English and math parts of the SAT even to qualify for a 'slate' of 10 applicants, from which only one will be chosen.
However, if you check a box indicating you are African-American, Hispanic, Native American or Asian, writes Fleming, 'SAT scores to the mid 500s with quite a few Cs in classes ... typically produces a vote of 'qualified' ... with direct admission to Annapolis. They're in and given a pro forma nomination to make it legit.'
If true, the U.S. Naval Academy is running a two-tier admissions system of the kind that kept Jennifer Gratz out of the University of Michigan and was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Monday, July 06, 2009

US lurching towards 'debt explosion' with long-term interest rates on course to double - Telegraph


US lurching towards 'debt explosion' with long-term interest rates on course to double - Telegraph: "In a 2003 paper, Thomas Laubach, the US Federal Reserve’s senior economist, calculated the impact on long-term interest rates of rising fiscal deficits and soaring national debt. Applying his assumptions to the recent spike in the US fiscal deficit and national debt, long-term interests rates will double from their current 3.5pc.
The impact would be devastating by making it punitively expensive to finance national borrowings and leading to what Tim Congdon, founder of Lombard Street Research, called a “debt explosion”."

Grand Haven Board of Light and Power customers to pay new surcharge


Grand Haven Board of Light and Power customers to pay new surcharge
"The state's plan is aimed at public utilities meeting 1-percent energy savings starting in 2012.
The BLP worked with the Michigan Public Power Association to develop the plan.
The BLP's customers in the Grand Haven area will pay the surcharge based on a formula that translates to the average residential user paying an additional 83 cents per month.
'That's definitely manageable,' Molyneux said"

Manageable to whom?
$12 buck a year here and $12/yr there and it starts to add up.
This is your State of Michigan democrat eco-nuts at work folks!

Nonunion Muskegon County Road Commission workers get raise


Nonunion Muskegon County Road Commission workers get raise
"Board members said they didn't need the extra money. They said the board is largely a voluntary role they enjoy, though they receive salaries between $3,500 and $7,000, depending on years of service.
'I don't need the extra money either,' Conrad said. 'I was just thinking about you guys.'
There was not a motion to include commissioners in the pay-raise package, and it did not come back up for further discussion.
Nevertheless, county commissioners in attendance, including James Derezinski, were not amused.
During a recent county board meeting, Derezinski asked whether the road commission has the authority to give itself a raise.
County Attorney Theodore Williams said that by state law the county board holds the power in granting raises to the road commission's board members."

Since when does "voluntary" mean $7 grand a year from the taxpayers of our pothole infested county?
And kudos to commissioner Derezinski for spotting and stopping Conrad's scam before it succeeded!

WZZM-TV13 (ABC), WWMT-TV3 (CBS), WOOD-TV8 (NBC) will begin to pool news video


WZZM-TV13 (ABC), WWMT-TV3 (CBS), WOOD-TV8 (NBC) will begin to pool news video
"Three of West Michigan's major TV network affiliates are launching a news sharing arrangement, it was announced today. The stations -- WOOD-TV8 (NBC), WWMT-TV3 (CBS) and WZZM-TV13 (ABC) -- cover the Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek markets. The pooling does not include Grand Rapids-based WXMI-TV17 (Fox)."

Wow!
Single source news!
...sorta like single source health care?

Bloggers Unite!

Changes likely in store for Muskegon Summer Celebration


Changes likely in store for Muskegon Summer Celebration
"The financially-troubled Muskegon Summer Celebration festival might have thrown its last party -- or at least its last 'Big Party,' anyway.
Festival officials on Sunday acknowledged preliminary figures don't look good."
Total bummer!
Good luck MSC!

Clinic cuts a concern


Clinic cuts a concern
"Medicentres in and around Edmonton are closing their doors early, if they open them at all, leaving many sick and hurt people frustrated.
With only one doctor on, the Belmont clinic was forced to curtail its hours from the normal 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. stretch to 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Other centres -- from Jasper Avenue to Sherwood Park -- had phone messages and signs on doors informing would-be patients that 'due to a shortage of physicians' they would not open or they would close early."

Sunday, July 05, 2009

Sharia law UK... How Islam is dispensing its own justice side-by-side with British courts


Sharia law UK... How Islam is dispensing its own justice side-by-side with British courts
"Sharia has been operating here, in parallel to the British legal system, since 1982. Work includes issuing fatwas - religious rulings on matters ranging from why Islam considers homosexuality a sin to why two women are equivalent to one male witness in an Islamic court....
In Britain, sharia courts are permitted to rule only in civil cases, such as divorce and financial disputes. Until last year, these rulings depended on voluntary compliance among Muslims. But now, due to a clause in the Arbitration Act 1996, they are enforceable by county and high courts."

The Stupid Shall Be Punished: CDR Kevin Mooney's Retirement Remarks

The Stupid Shall Be Punished: CDR Kevin Mooney's Retirement Remarks
"Now some of you may think NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization - NOT TRUE. We never did settle on what the acronym NATO really denotes, but here were some of the contenders:
- Not At The Office
- Not After Two O'clock
- No Action Talk Only, and my personal favorite:
- Need Alcohol To Operate
All accurately describe NATO operations."

Irving woman spreads spirit of 4th with flags


Another Blow to Junk Science... Polar Bear Populations Booming


Another Blow to Junk Science... Polar Bear Populations Booming
"As the democrats passed the junk science 'pile of sh*t' this past week a new report was released, and suppressed, insisting that polar bear numbers, far from decreasing, are much higher than they were 30 years ago."

4-Block World: Every Close Election


STUART SMALLEY GOES TO WASHINGTON... THE REAL AL FRANKEN IS CERTIFIED - AND CERTIFIABLE

STUART SMALLEY GOES TO WASHINGTON... THE REAL AL FRANKEN IS CERTIFIED - AND CERTIFIABLE
"As the Democrats in Congress – and in the mainstream media – celebrate leftist loon and tax cheat Al Franken’s stolen victory from incumbent Republican Norm Coleman, the rest of us are still recovering from nausea at the very thought of Franken as a 'valid' U.S. senator. After nearly eight tortuous months of refusing to concede defeat to Coleman, Franken’s bully tactics finally paid off – thanks mainly to George Soros and ACORN."

Ezra Klein - In Case You Were Insufficiently Depressed About the Job Numbers


Ezra Klein - In Case You Were Insufficiently Depressed About the Job Numbers: "And, as Billy Mays would have said, that's not all! We've also got about 9 million workers who are part-time because they can't find full-time work. That's up from 5 million workers in June.And, as Billy Mays would have said, that's not all! We've also got about 9 million workers who are part-time because they can't find full-time work. That's up from 5 million workers in June."

Friday, July 03, 2009

Cap and Trade Extras - Jamie Dupree on wsbradio.com

Cap and Trade Extras - Jamie Dupree on wsbradio.com: "So let's just review these three items:
* Payments to those making up to 150% of the poverty line to offset the costs of the Cap & Trade bill
* A doubling of the EITC for low income workers with no dependents who qualify for aid
* An open-ended funding of Medicare and Social Security money to deal with job losses and lower tax revenues caused by Cap & Trade
Have you looked through any of this bill yet? What are you waiting for?"

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Springs surgery tech suspected of exposing thousands to hepatitis C

Springs surgery tech suspected of exposing thousands to hepatitis C
"According to the criminal complaint, Parker - a former heroin addict - admitted swapping her own dirty syringes filled with saline solution for syringes filled with Fentanyl, a narcotic 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine.
The drug is supposed to be used to help major post-surgery patients manage pain. Instead, they got no relief while Parker injected herself with the painkiller at home and in the hospital bathrooms before and after a surgery, according to the seven-page complaint.
'I know I (expletive deleted) up,' Parker told Denver Police Detective Dale Wallis after he confronted her"

DESPERATELY SEEKING SILVER LININGS: Have you noticed a change in the economic news over the past …


DESPERATELY SEEKING SILVER LININGS: Have you noticed a change in the economic news over the past …:
"DESPERATELY SEEKING SILVER LININGS:
Have you noticed a change in the economic news over the past year or so? It’s a deliberately ambiguous question: The actual news has gotten worse, but the coverage of it has changed in tone. Today, reporters are eagerly looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. A year ago, and for a long time before that, they couldn’t wait to get into the tunnel.
What changed? Yeah, like you need to ask.
People have been joking about the “state-controlled media,” but in fact it’s worse — a real state-controlled media might be forced to maintain at least a pretense of objectivity and balance . . . ."

Strassel: The EPA Silences a Climate Skeptic