Join Our Premiere Catheter Club!

Join Our Premiere Catheter Club! | The Daily Caller:

Medical Skyboxes: The hospital where I was born–St. John’s in Santa Monica–has just opened new “VIP Caritas Suites,” which “offer an upgraded stay for patients who want additional amenities and a more restful atmosphere.”

“Absent are the clatter of computer keys and the rattle of food carts rumbling down hallways. Signs of comfort are everywhere, such as in the reception area where an artisan glass jug filled with lemon slices dispenses cool water. The fourth-floor windows offer a panoramic view of the city, and nurses sit quietly at the elegant wooden table at the nurses’ station–their noisy equipment stashed in a separate nearby room.“

Hmm. This sort of thing could detract from the socially-egalitarian, class-mixing experience of post-Obamacare medicine … P.S.: I should add that the regular rooms at St John’s are extremely nice and the nurses excellent. This looks like a way to extract a bit more money ($500/day) with over-the-top service and a few strategically placed artisanal jugs. But if the best nurses gravitate toward VIP-high roller duties the end result could eventually look a lot like the market segmentation of airlines. …

Brawl for the Hall: New York Primary Election Day, Sept. 10, 2013

Brawl for the Hall: New York Primary Election Day, Sept. 10, 2013:
"THE POLLS HAVE CLOSED. HERE ARE OUR INITIAL PROJECTIONS:
Bill de Blasio has a large lead over Bill Thompson and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, according to an exit poll by Edison Research.
The pollster, who did an exit poll for the Daily News and other outlets said, "It is possible, but not certain that de Blasio could hit the 40% threshold and avoid a runoff."
Controller John Liu and former Rep. Anthony Weiner are "trailing in single digits."
State Sen. Daniel Squadron and Brooklyn Councilwoman Letitia James are the top two candidates for Public Advocate.
It is too early to determine whether either will hit the 40% needed to avoid a runoff.
The race for City Controller between candidates Eliot Spitzer and Scott Stringer is too close to call."

Dem Senator to MSNBC: ‘We Aren’t Trusting Assad, We’re Trusting the Russians’

Dem Senator to MSNBC: ‘We Aren’t Trusting Assad, We’re Trusting the Russians’ | Mediaite:
“Why would you trust Assad, Mitchell asked Heitkamp.(Sens. Heidi Heitkamp D-ND)
“Assad has, until this initiative, denied there was an attack, denied he was part of it, denied he has chemical weapons.
Why on earth would we trust this man to tell us he’s turned them all over to international monitoring and that he is signing a treaty that he’s never redesigned?”
“We’re not trusting Assad,” Heitkamp explained. “We’re trusting the Russians to come to the table…”
“Whoa,” Mitchell interjected. “You’re trusting the Russians?”"

Poster Girl

Still one of my favorites.
As we look to engage in ANOTHER war.

Seeing her for the first time again

"In response to all of the questions: I had a hernia repair to fix residual tears from a previous surgery.
I wish I could remember this but I was definitely out of it. 
This was my fifth surgery within our six years of marriage and she's been by my side through all of it. In a previous surgery I suffered a severe complication and we didn't know if I'd ever function the same again. She is the love of my life.
Glad everyone is enjoying the video"

Detroit slows Michigan muni-bond sales to fewest in a decade

Detroit slows Michigan muni-bond sales to fewest in a decade | Crain's Detroit Business:
"The smallest amount of municipal-bond issuance in Michigan in 10 years is threatening to derail the state's economic comeback, showing how Gov. Rick Snyder underestimated the fallout from Detroit's bankruptcy."

The Next Battle Looms: Taxing "Purchases on the Internet"

The Next Battle Looms: Taxing "Purchases on the Internet":
"As reported at mackinac.org:
 
Both pieces of legislation ignore the direct benefits brick-and-mortar stores receive in exchange for the state sales taxes they collect; namely, the roads and other infrastructure that are not equally used by Internet retailers. Further, not every Internet retailer is a gigantic behemoth akin to Amazon or Overstock.com. Retailers who provide services from their respective home offices - and who barely scrape by under the current tax structure  of over 7,000 U.S. tax jurisdictions - would find the collecting and remittance of sales taxes in-state or nationwide cumbersome, expensive and potentially fatal to their business.

These bills will do nothing to grow a business-friendly environment in Michigan. It will mean more government, more regulation, more compliance, and more tax collection. Please contact your legislators and ask them not to support HB 4202 and 4203. Find Rep. Kowall here and Rep. VerHeulen here."

Lengthy Senate report details EPA FOIA abuses

UPDATED: Lengthy Senate report details EPA FOIA abuses | WashingtonExaminer.com:
"The agency established an alias identity to hide the actions of the former administrator; has purposefully been unresponsive to FOIA request, oftentimes redacting information the public has a right to know; and mismanaged its electronic records system such that federal records have been jeopardized," the report said.
"Moreover, EPA’s leadership abandoned the historic model of a specialized public servant who seeks to fairly administer the law and has instead embraced a number of controversial tactics to advance a secretive agenda," the report said.
In addition to multiple abuses of the FOIA, the Senate report claims EPA officials have sought to cover up such activities when challenged by congressional oversight officials."

Jeb Bush to Award Hillary 'Liberty Medal' on Eve of Benghazi Anniversary

Jeb Bush to Award Hillary 'Liberty Medal' on Eve of Benghazi Anniversary:
"Upon the announcement of Clinton’s award in June, Gateway Pundit’s Jim Hoft wrote, “Really Jeb, no one else came to mind?"

Missouri Robbery | Store Clerk | Self Defense

Missouri Robbery | Store Clerk | Self Defense:
"Like Most Defensive Uses of Guns, Not a Shot Was Fired
It’s worth noting that this is how the vast majority of defensive uses of firearms end—without a shot being fired, the defensive display of the firearm being sufficient to defuse the situation without injury to either party.
Would Alexander Have Been Justified in Shooting?"

Michigan politics preview: Internet sales tax called 'the next battle' for tea party Republicans

Michigan politics preview: Internet sales tax called 'the next battle' for tea party Republicans | MLive.com:
"The "main street fairness" bills are similar to legislation approved earlier this year by the U.S. Senate. The federal legislation, which Republican Gov. Rick Snyder urged lawmakers to approve, is currently stalled in a House committee."

If Employment Is So Great, Why Are Withholding Taxes Declining?

Guest Post: If Employment Is So Great, Why Are Withholding Taxes Declining? | Zero Hedge:

Obama is a laughing stock

Obama is a laughing stock: Column:
"At least Hollywood is still behind the president -- or, anyway, is mostly keeping quiet about its opposition because, as old-line Hollywood liberal Ed Asner reports, they "don't want to feel anti-black."
So it's come to this -- while George W. Bush was savaged for "bombing brown people," now if you're against bombing brown people you're "anti-black.""

What if we had a Bagel Czar?

What if we had a Bagel Czar? - Politics Blog - The Detroit News:
"Realistically, a bagel czar would have to tell us what kind of bagels we would be getting, and tell producers how many and what type of bagels they would have to make.
The czar would then tell us that we can’t have certain types of bagels because they are bad for us, or that we must buy a certain number of bagels each week. "

Exclusive look inside Elmore Leonard's $2.4 million Bloomfield Township home, on the market this week

Exclusive look inside Elmore Leonard's $2.4 million Bloomfield Township home, on the market this week | Crain's Detroit Business:

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Advocate for anti-science and anti-vaccination.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Advocate for anti-science and anti-vaccination.:
"Most of these issues are in the past. But there is an ongoing problem associated with a Kennedy, one I consider extremely troubling. Specifically it’s with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is an attorney, a radio host, and an environmental activist.
He is also, as it happens, a full-blown anti-vaccination conspiracy theorist.
And I do mean full-blown."

Final Tally: Americans Were 12 Times More Interested in Miley Cyrus Than Syria

Final Tally: Americans Were 12 Times More Interested in Miley Cyrus Than Syria - The Cut:
"Americans viewed twelve times as many pages about Miley Cyrus as they did about Syria — even though the news sources published 2.4 Syria articles for every one about Miley."
Proof we're on the brink of the Apocalypse.
We're doomed......

Companies and organizers prep for Michigan health insurance exchange rollout Oct. 1

Companies and organizers prep for Michigan health insurance exchange rollout Oct. 1 | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:
"Even those who understand the exchange might opt to pay the tax penalty that starts at just $95 the first year rather than pay an insurance premium, especially for these more generous policies.
By 2016, the penalty will be 2.5% of income or $695 per person, whichever is higher."

Michigan State learns from weather delay in season opener, improves Spartan Stadium evacuation process

Michigan State learns from weather delay in season opener, improves Spartan Stadium evacuation process | MLive.com:
"There have been just two evacuations in the 90-year history of Spartan Stadium.
Both have come within the past eight days."

The Pension Crisis is Worse Than We Thought

The Pension Crisis is Worse Than We Thought | Via Meadia:
"America’s pension crisis may be much worse than we thought.
A new report from State Budget Solutions looks at each state’s pension liabilities using a lower estimate of the rate of return than the states use themselves, and found that the country’s plans are underfunded by $4.1 trillion, and only 39 percent funded overall. "

Your tax (and tuition) dollars at work

RightMichigan.com || Your tax (and tuition) dollars at work:
"Meanwhile the university is on the hook for approximately $200,000 in salary and benefits for a tenured professor whose carcass it couldn't dispense with even if it wanted to, which, of course, it doesn't--bird of a feather and all that.

Danny Guthrie, the soft porn photography professor might be gone these days, and so too might be a closet Marxist here and there after serving a lifetime in academia working for the movement, but Penn will remain employed by the tax and tuition payers of Michigan for as long as he feels compelled to rape those for whom he is committed to serve and, uncomfortably, sometimes to offend. (Though once again, only out of class!)

Its the new American way."

Obama administration had restrictions on NSA reversed in 2011

Obama administration had restrictions on NSA reversed in 2011 - The Washington Post:
"The Obama administration secretly won permission from a surveillance court in 2011 to reverse restrictions on the National Security Agency’s use of intercepted phone calls and e-mails, permitting the agency to search deliberately for Americans’ communications in its massive databases, according to interviews with government officials and recently declassified material.

In addition, the court extended the length of time that the NSA is allowed to retain intercepted U.S. communications from five years to six years — and more under special circumstances, according to the documents, which include a recently released 2011 opinion by U.S. District Judge John D. Bates, then chief judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court."

RUMBLINGS: RoboCop statue has good timing |

RUMBLINGS: RoboCop statue has good timing | Crain's Detroit Business:
 "A 10-foot crowdfunded RoboCop statue is currently being bronzed at Venus Bronze Works in Detroit before an unveiling later this year. A Kickstarter campaign raised more than $60,000 for the statue. "

How America's Amazing Car Recovery Explains the U.S. Economy

Overdrive: How America's Amazing Car Recovery Explains the U.S. Economy - Derek Thompson - The Atlantic:
"Young vs. old might not be the most important binary for car companies.
That would be rich vs. poor.
The U.S. is beginning to look like the aristocratic auto market we're used to seeing in Europe, McAlinden said, where the top 25 percent buys most of the new cars and the bottom 75 percent only buys old and used."

Left with nothing

Left with nothing | The Washington Post:
"All because he didn’t pay a $134 property tax bill.
The retired Marine sergeant lost his house on that summer day two years ago through a tax lien sale — an obscure program run by D.C. government that enlists private investors to help the city recover unpaid taxes.

For decades, the District placed liens on properties when homeowners failed to pay their bills, then sold those liens at public auctions to mom-and-pop investors who drew a profit by charging owners interest on top of the tax debt until the money was repaid.

But under the watch of local leaders, the program has morphed into a predatory system of debt collection for well-financed, out-of-town companies that turned $500 delinquencies into $5,000 debts — then foreclosed on homes when families couldn’t pay, a Washington Post investigation found."

Almost Half of U.S. Births Covered by Medicaid

Almost Half of U.S. Births Covered by Medicaid:

Michigan State University has abysmal transparency record

Steve Miller: Michigan State University has abysmal transparency record | MLive.com

But that “erosion” hasn’t halted the school from spending freely when it comes to attempting to prevent taxpayers from seeing public records.

The Lansing State Journal wondered earlier this year just how much the university was
getting for those luxury suites at Spartan Stadium. The newspaper reported in 2005 that a $64 million stadium upgrade included 24 suites that were to go for $80,000 a crack.
The paper wanted to see just what the return on that investment was, so it filed an open records request to find out who was paying what for the suites.

But rather than deliver the records in accordance with the law, the school took six months to deliver the information, said attorney Herschel Fink, who represented the State Journal in a series of communications with the university over the matter.

Fink, considered widely as one of the state's premier First Amendment lawyers, told me
that “It seems I am always dealing with Michigan State over something.”

For the university, such a needless ordeal carries a price tag, money that could be passed
along in the name of education rather than obfuscation.

Michigan State, like so many other governmental units in the state, spends tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money attempting to hold onto information it is legally obligated to provide to the public.

This Day in History

My Way - My Way Today - This Day in History:
"1997 America Online acquired CompuServe."
Time does move quickly.....

SHARIA IN THE MARKETPLACE: WAL-MART MANAGER FIRED FOR BURKA JOKE ON FACEBOOK

SHARIA IN THE MARKETPLACE: WAL-MART MANAGER FIRED FOR BURKA JOKE ON FACEBOOK (Geller, Atlas Shrugs) |:
"Wal-Mart, a company I have long defended against attacks from leftists and statists, has lost its way.
There is no other explanation for the firing of an employee at the behest of a Muslim Brotherhood group, an unindicted co-conspirator in the nation’s largest terror finding trial, CAIR.

Once of Wal-Mart’s employees published a silly and crass Facebook joke about the burka.
So what?
He made a remark on Facebook, not to them, not at them.

Hamas-CAIR bullied Wal-Mart into firing him.
No warning, no policy citations — just surrender to the sharia and the Islamic supremacists who enforce it in this country."

Global cooling: Arctic ice caps grows by 60% against global warming predictions

Global cooling: Arctic ice caps grows by 60% against global warming predictions | Mail Online:
"A chilly Arctic summer has left nearly a million more square miles of ocean covered with ice than at the same time last year – an increase of 60 per cent.
The rebound from 2012’s record low comes six years after the BBC reported that global warming would leave the Arctic ice-free in summer by 2013.
Instead, days before the annual autumn re-freeze is due to begin, an unbroken ice sheet more than half the size of Europe already stretches from the Canadian islands to Russia’s northern shores."