Oh baby, the PORK is gonna pay off now!!!----------------------Programs combating obesity expect to gain under Obamacare as covered patients lose

Programs combating obesity expect to gain under Obamacare as covered patients lose | Crain's Detroit Business:
"Weight-loss outpatient clinics emphasizing healthy diets and bariatric surgery hospital programs in Michigan stand to be big winners under the Affordable Care Act with improved insurance coverage for services and procedures.
With 31.1 percent of the state's population considered obese, Michigan has the 10th-highest percentage of obese people in the nation. 
Louisiana is first with 34.7 percent.
At 31.4 percent, Indiana is the only Midwestern state higher than Michigan, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Michigan insurance experts project that up to 1 million people will either purchase private insurance under the Affordable Care Act's expanded benefits or gain Medicaid coverage through the state's Healthy Michigan program over the next several years.
"Not only will Detroit Medical Center see an uptick in (obesity-related) services, but all hospitals" will generate more business, depending on what health insurance plans they purchase, said Don Gulish, program manager of service line development with Harper University Hospital, which is part of the eight-hospital DMC."

Lines long in democrat controlled cities result in massive vote fraud-----Michigan ranks 6th best for election performance, 6th worst for average voter wait times

Michigan ranks 6th best for election performance, 6th worst for average voter wait times | MLive.com: "While Michigan's 21.9-minute average wait time was one of the longest in the nation, it was still below the 30-minute threshold identified in a 2014 report by the bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration.
Only Florida and Washington D.C. had wait times of more than a half hour in 2012.
Michigan is one of 14 states that does not offer either in-person early voting or no-reason absentee ballots, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. 
While such policies could reduce voter wait times, they are not a panacea.
Three Midwest states -- Ohio, Wisconsin and Illinois -- that allow both early and no-reason absentee voting had average wait times of between 8 and 12 minutes in 2012.
But Florida, which also offers both voting options, ranked last in the nation with a 45-minute average wait time."

NATO warns Russia against 'historic mistake' in Ukraine

NATO warns Russia against 'historic mistake' in Ukraine - Yahoo News:
"Donetsk (Ukraine) (AFP) - NATO warned Russia on Tuesday against making an "historic mistake" by provoking a flaring secession crisis in eastern Ukraine that Moscow itself conceded could degenerate into a civil war.
Ukraine's embattled interim leaders have been waging an uphill battle to keep their culturally splintered nation of 46 million together after last month's ouster of a pro-Kremlin regime and subsequent loss of Crimea to Russia.
An eery echo of the Black Sea peninsula's crisis sounded on Sunday when militants stormed a series of strategic government buildings across a swathe of heavily Russified eastern regions and demanded that Moscow send its troops for support."

Obama now probes everyone’s health – in Kenya!

Obama now probes everyone’s health – in Kenya!: "In the latest addition to the Obama administration’s growing aid-to-Kenya portfolio, the U.S. will help subsidize a nationwide citizen-health assessment in every Kenyan county without exception.

While the estimated project cost remains undisclosed, a separate Kenya-based trade-promotion project unveiled late last week came with an additional $70 million price tag.

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, with U.S. taxpayer help, will implement the 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, or KDHS.

Kenya will coordinate the efforts with United Nations agencies, the U.S. government and “other partners.” The U.S. will fund a KDHS requirement to deploy contractor caravans across the entirety of this East African nation of 45 million.

The U.S. Agency for International Development’s goal is to facilitate the travel accommodations necessary to conduct 45,000 household in-person health surveys of women aged 15-49 and men 15-54."

$45 parking tickets coming to Detroit

$45 parking tickets coming to Detroit | Crain's Detroit Business:
"Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr officially proposed increasing the cost of parking tickets to $45.
For those of you who haven’t been caught at an expired meter lately, the current tab is $20 — $10 if you pay it within 10 days.
The $45 fee would also apply to parking in no-parking zones, blocking an alley or driveway and a number of other scenarios.
The cost of illegally parking in a handicap spot would jump from to $150 from $100. 
Additionally, if you park at a two-hour meter but stay four hours, you could be ticketed twice."

Man: Easter Bunny says I fondled her

Man: Easter Bunny says I fondled her | WOODTV.com:
BIG RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A Big Rapids man says he is being accused of fondling a woman dressed in an Easter Bunny costume at a drug store.
“It’s pretty stupid,” Michael Dodge told 24 Hour News 8.
Saturday, Dodge said, he and his wife took their grandchildren to a Big Rapids Walgreens to meet and have photos taken with the Easter Bunny.
The children became upset by the large rabbit costume.
So, Dodge said, he tried to make them more comfortable by taking a few photos with the bunny to show them there was nothing to fear. 
In one of those photos, he hugged the woman wearing the Easter Bunny costume.
The next morning, he got a call from the Big Rapids Department of Public Safety, asking him to come to the station for an interview. 
The woman in the Easter Bunny costume, Dodge says police told him, alleged he had fondled her.

Kim Jong-un executes security minister by FLAME THROWER

Kim Jong-un executes security minister by FLAME THROWER - Mirror Online:
A North Korean security minister has been executed by flame-thrower on orders of the country’s leader Kim Jong-un.
It would take the death-toll purges carried out by dictator Jong-un to at least 12 since he took power as Supreme Leader after the death of his father three years ago.
Deputy Public Security Minister O Sang-hon, was “executed by flame-thrower,” because of links to Kim’s own uncle - killed by firing squad and whose body was allegedly fed to starving dogs.
He was one of the last believed to have been linked to leader Kim’s uncle, Jang Song-taek.

Unintended consequences?-------Marijuana-Stuffed Mail Intercepts Hit Another High, Postal Inspectors Say

Marijuana-Stuffed Mail Intercepts Hit Another High, Postal Inspectors Say - US News:
"The U.S. Postal Inspection Service ended fiscal year 2013 on a high, intercepting 20 percent more pot-packed parcels and tallying 14 percent more arrests and indictments for mailing controlled substances than in the preceding year.
During the fiscal year, which ended in September, inspectors confiscated 45,000 pounds of cannabis concealed within 9,100 parcels, according to Paul Krenn, an assistant inspector in charge at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington, D.C., headquarters.
In fiscal year 2012 inspectors found 42,000 pounds of marijuana stashed in about 7,600 parcels."

History for April 8

History for April 8 - On-This-Day.com:

Birth anniversary of Olympic gold medal figure skater Sonja Henie (1912-69).

Birth anniversary of former first lady Betty Ford (1918-2011).

Anniversary of the ratification of the 17th Amendment (1913), requiring direct popular election of US senators.

40 years ago, on Apr 8, 1974, Hank Aaron hit the 715^th home run of his career, breaking the record set by Babe Ruth in 1935. Aaron finished his career in 1976 with a total of 755 home runs—a record that stood until Barry Bonds hit his 756^th home run in 2007.

Happy Birthday! Patricia Arquette, Shecky Greene, John Havlicek,

1513 - Explorer Juan Ponce de Leon claimed Florida for Spain. 


1873 - Alfred Paraf patented the first successful oleomargarine. 


1913 - The Seventeenth amendment was ratified, requiring direct election of senators. 


1952 - U.S. President Truman seized steel mills to prevent a nationwide strike. 

1962 - Bay of Pigs invaders got thirty years imprisonment in Cuba. 


1975 - Frank Robinson of the Cleveland Indians became first black manager of a major league baseball team. 

1986 - Clint Eastwood was elected mayor of Carmel, CA. 


1994 - Smoking was banned in the Pentagon and all U.S. military bases. 

Victory for Gun-Rights Proponents as Open-Carry Bill — Possible Nationwide Model — Approved by State’s Lawmakers

Victory for Gun-Rights Proponents as Open-Carry Bill — Possible Nationwide Model — Approved by State’s Lawmakers | TheBlaze.com:
"Kansas legislators gave final approval Saturday to a bill that would nullify city and county gun restrictions, ensuring that it’s legal across the state to openly carry firearms, the Associated Press reported.

The measure — which the National Rifle Association sees as a nationwide model for stripping local officials of their gun-regulating power — was approved by the state House, 102-19, a day after the Senate passed it, 37-2."

UPS to Union Bullies in NY: You’re Fired!

UPS to Union Bullies in NY: You’re Fired!:
"In a move that may make some union members think twice about attempting to bully companies into personnel decisions, UPS recently fired 250 Queens, NY drivers for walking off the job.
Back in February, a long-time employee, who was a driver for 24 years as well as a union activist, was let go. In response, 250 drivers walked off the job for 90 minutes."

Hate crimes?!!!------Vandals Flip Smart Cars Over in San Francisco

Vandals Flip Smart Cars Over in San Francisco | NBC Bay Area:
"Someone's been vandalizing compact Smart cars in San Francisco, flipping the tiny vehicles on their front and rear ends in the city's streets.
Bay Area found four of the targeted Smart cars between Sunday night and Monday morning.
Two were found in the Bernal Heights neighborhood on Anderson Street, and another was found a bit south on Sweeny and Bowdoin streets, closer to the Portola district.
They were either sitting on their headlights, rear bumpers high in the air, or vice versa.
A fourth Smart car -- a small white one with a faded "Obama-Biden" bumper sticker -- was discovered Monday about 9 a.m. at Coso and Prospect avenues between the Mission District and Bernal Heights. 
Shelley Gallivan was babysitting her friend's smart car after it was left to her by her late father, and was shocked to find it flipped on its right side."

Give and take: $5 billion in tax credits still loom from Granholm years

Give and take: $5 billion in tax credits still loom from Granholm years | Crain's Detroit Business:
Tax credits granted during the Granholm administration are the gifts that keep on giving to the 3,500 state businesses who have earned them, but they're a continuing headache for the group of state employees who have to predict how much money Michigan has to spend.

Sometimes it works out — more than $400 million of the fiscal 2013 $1 billion budget surplus is due to credits the state thought would be claimed but weren't.

But in future years, a bad estimate could end up as a budget deficit, threatening Michigan's ability to fund big-ticket items such as roads, education and public safety.

And the $400 million not claimed in fiscal 2013 could still be claimed in the future.

Eric Holder on Gun Safety

How Many Personal Trips has Eric Holder Taken on Government Planes?

How Many Personal Trips has Eric Holder Taken on Government Planes?:

"It seems that the Obama family are not the only ones in the administration abusing taxpayer dollars with vacations excessive in both numbers and cost. Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder faced questioning during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing over his use of Justice Department airplanes for personal use. In response to a Government Accountability Report, Holder defended his usage of the planes for personal use by stating that, despite the notion that he’s taken over a hundred trips for personal use, he’s only taken 27."

ABC, CNN, MSNBC, PBS All Skip Political ID for 'Shocking' Corruption By Democratic Mayor

ABC, CNN, MSNBC, PBS All Skip Political ID for 'Shocking' Corruption By Democratic Mayor | Media Research Center:
"ABC, CNN, MSNBC and PBS on Wednesday and Thursday all covered the "shocking" corruption involving the Democratic mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Yet, while talking about the tens of thousands of dollars in bribes he sought, none of these networks identified Patrick Cannon's political party. 
Only a Fox News host referred to him as a Democrat.

On ABC's Good Morning America, Amy Robach asserted, "Well, the mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina has resigned after being arrested during an FBI sting."
On CNN's New Day, Christine Romans informed that undercover FBI agents "got the mayor to take almost $50,000 in bribes in exchange for favorable treatment by the city."
In contrast, Fox News's Jamie Colby revealed, "There's another Democrat in trouble over accusations of corruption." [MP3 audio here.]"

Check out this INSANE Bumper Sticker; Participation Awards Taken To a New Level!

Check out this INSANE Bumper Sticker; Participation Awards Taken To a New Level! | The Federalist Papers:
"This really is insane! 
Are kids really so delicate that their self esteem will be crushed forever if it isn’t artificially propped up with nonsense like this bumper sticker?"


Right up here with this showcase of "school pride":

Chicago's Murder Rate Plummets With Concealed Carry Law

Chicago's Murder Rate Plummets With Concealed Carry Law | RedState

The city of Chicago registered more homicides than any city in the nation in 2012, surpassing even New York — despite the fact that the Second City has only one third as many residents as the Big Apple.

In new crime statistics released Monday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported 500 murders in Chicago in 2012, up sharply from the 431 recorded in 2011. New York reported 419 murders last year, compared with 515 in 2011.

On September 12, 2013, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled a law passed in Illinois which effectively banned carrying a loaded weapon violated the Second Amendment and struck it down. In January, the Illinois State Police began issuing concealed carry licenses.

The usual suspects predicted dire and cataclysmic outcomes:

But other city officials aren’t so assured. Superintendent Garry McCarthy calls a requirement that people go through only 16 hours of training before they are issued a concealed carry permit “woefully inadequate” because about the only thing people can learn in that time is how to “point and fire a weapon” and not when they can legally do so.

“Our officers receive six months of training in the police academy and then three months on the streets and at the end of the day we make mistakes frequently,” he said.

Another concern by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is the provision in the bill that calls for law enforcement and prosecutors to object to a governor-appointed panel if they suspect applicants are dangerous. In Cook County, where there are 358,000 registered gun owners, Dart said he’s worried gang members and others who shouldn’t have guns will slip through the cracks and be granted permits.

(WTF Sherriff Dart: how did the gang members manage to kill so many people last year without applying for concealed carry permits?)

When new crime statistics were released covering the first quarter of 2014 an amazing thing happened

Chicago’s first-quarter murder total this year hit its lowest number since 1958, police say.

The first three months of the year saw 6 fewer murders than the same time frame in 2013–a 9 percent drop–and 55 fewer murders than 2012, according to a statement from Chicago Police.

Why is this? Divining causation is fraught with danger but so long as we are considering global warming to be science I suppose anything goes.

The issue of concealed carry and crime should be settled science. The NRA has a substantive paper on the subject which concludes:

Studying crime trends in every county in the U.S., economist John Lott and David Mustard concluded, “allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons deters violent crimes. . . . [W]hen state concealed handgun laws went into effect in a county, murders fell by 8.5 percent, and rapes and aggravated assaults fell by 5 and 7 percent.”

Obama imposes his policies directly on federal contractors, in 'year of action

Obama imposes his policies directly on federal contractors, in 'year of action' | Fox News:
"This week's steps showcase Obama's efforts to take action without congressional approval and illustrate how even without legislation, the president can drive policy on a significant segment of the U.S. economy. At the same time, it also underscores the limits of his ambition when he doesn't have the backing of Congress for his initiatives.

Republicans maintain that Obama is pushing his executive powers too far and that he should do more to work with Congress. His new executive orders are sure to prompt criticism that he is placing an undue burden on companies and increasing their costs.

Federal contracting covers about one-quarter of the U.S. workforce and includes companies ranging from Boeing to small parts suppliers and service providers. As a result, presidential directives can have a wide and direct impact. Such actions also can be largely symbolic, designed to spur action in the broader economy."

As the leftist media and entire democrat party assures us there is NO vote fraud------6,100 dead people on Nassau voter rolls, Newsday analysis finds

6,100 dead people on Nassau voter rolls, Newsday analysis finds - Newsday:
"Evelyn E. Burwell's family was surprised to learn she voted in the 2012 general and primary elections.
They knew she was an avid voter, but she's been dead since 1997.
Burwell is one of about 6,100 deceased people still registered to vote in Nassau County, a Newsday computer analysis shows.
The former Wantagh resident, who died at age 74, is also among roughly 270 people that records show voted in Nassau County after dying, a group that includes a man who voted 14 times since his death.
Newsday's analysis of voter registration and U.S. Social Security Administration death records found more deceased registered voters in Nassau County than any other New York county, accounting for nearly a quarter of the 26,500 on the rolls statewide.
Suffolk County has about 2,490 deceased people registered to vote, with roughly 50 listed as voting after their death."

Muslim pilots have "suicided" their planes before: Occam's razor

Occam's razor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"It states that among competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected. 
Other, more complicated solutions may ultimately prove correct, but—in the absence of certainty—the fewer assumptions that are made, the better."

Saginaw sheriff expecting to be invaded by Flint?-------Prepared for disaster: Mine-resistant, bulletproof military truck added to Saginaw County Sheriff's fleet

Prepared for disaster: Mine-resistant, bulletproof military truck added to Saginaw County Sheriff's fleet | MLive.com:
""As sheriff of the county, I have to put ourselves in the best position to protect our citizens and protect our property," he said.
"I have to prepare for something disastrous."
 The MRAP could be used in a situation of an armored gunman with high-powered weapons, Federspiel said.
"They can go ahead and fire at that with a .50-caliber weapon and they're still protected," he said.  
"I don't think of myself as a 'doomsdayer,' someone who worries about the end of the world -- I don't," he said.
"But I have to think about what-ifs when I'm the sheriff."
He said the vehicle is part of that plan to be prepared for the worst.
Such an incident has not happened since he was elected sheriff.
"But that doesn't mean we won't have one," he said.
"We're constantly outgunned," he said, noting criminals could be carrying silencers, assault rifles and other heavy duty weapons, adding, "I need every tool I can get." "

Being paid what a politician thinks you should be paid, rather than what your boss thinks you are worth. What could possibly go wrong?-------Cities Advance Their Fight Against Rising Inequality

Cities Advance Their Fight Against Rising Inequality - NYTimes.com:
SEATTLE — In January, Teresa Fuentes’s employer told her she could work no more than 30 hours a week preparing burgers and passing out food at the drive-through for about $9.50 an hour.
It was just the latest blow to her already-fragile household finances.
Ms. Fuentes, 47, had missed work to take care of an eye infection for which she could not afford the prescription drops.
She is struggling to take care of her two children, reliant on a local food bank, working two jobs and behind on her bills.
“It’s very stressful for me,” Ms. Fuentes said.
“Things are just so tight.”
For Ms. Fuentes and thousands of other workers like her, some relief may be on the way. 
The Seattle City Council is intensely debating a plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour from $9.32 — forging ahead on its plan to tackle income inequality as efforts in the nation’s capital have languished.
“The accumulation of 30 years of rising income inequality is finally having its impact,” said Mayor Ed Murray, sitting in his glass-walled office overlooking Puget Sound.
“People can’t afford to live a decent life.”

Hitler finds out he can't keep his doctor under Obamacare

DHS Official: US Not ‘Routinely’ Notified When Sex Offenders Enter the Country | CNS News

DHS Official: US Not ‘Routinely’ Notified When Sex Offenders Enter the Country | CNS News:

"A Homeland Security Department official testified Friday before the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security that U.S. authorities are not “routinely” notified when foreign sex offenders enter the United States.

“We can receive information on foreign criminal records, and in fact the NCB (National Central Bureau) is the vehicle through which 190 countries can communicate, and there are … registered sex offenders, but routinely, that information actually would not come unless there’s a specific case or a specific law enforcement inquiry,” Alan Bersin, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary of International Affairs and Chief Diplomatic Officer, told the subcommittee."

The future?------Students Defend Teacher Accused In Wild Fistfight Caught On Cell Phone Video

Students Defend Teacher Accused In Wild Fistfight Caught On Cell Phone Video « CBS Los Angeles
"SANTA MONICA (CBSLA.com) — A video showing a teacher and wrestling coach at Santa Monica High School fighting with a student that was captured on cell phone video has gone viral.
...On Friday KCAL9’s Bobby Kaple reported that witnesses said the incident unfolded because the student was openly holding a bag of marijuana.
When the teacher, who students identified as science teacher Mark Black, tried to confiscate it, the student got physical."

History for April 7

History for April 7 - On-This-Day.com:

Final Four: NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Final, Arlington, TX.

Birth anniversary of Billie Holiday (1915-59).

Happy Birthday! Jackie Chan, Francis Ford Coppola, Wayne Rogers

1945 - The Japanese battleship Yamato, the world’s largest battleship, was sunk during the battle for Okinawa. The fleet was headed for a suicide mission. 

1948 - The musical "South Pacific" by Rogers and Hammerstein debuted on Broadway. 


1963 - At the age of 23, Jack Nicklaus became the youngest golfer to win the Green Jacket at the Masters Tournament. 


1969 - The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously struck down laws prohibiting private possession of obscene material. 


1970 - John Wayne won his first and only Oscar for his role in "True Grit." He had been in over 200 films. 

1998 - Mary Bono, the widow of Sonny Bono, won a special election to serve out the remainder of her husband's congressional term. 


2000 - U.S. President Clinton signed the Senior Citizens Freedom to Work Act of 2000. The bill reversed a Depression-era law and allows senior citizens to earn money without losing Social Security retirement benefits.