Cancer...

Last week, my wife was diagnosed with melanoma.  While that's not one of the really bad ones, it's bad enough as it has metastasized.  We're getting hammered by the insurance demons already.  The costs are...mounting and since we've no savings (unemployment-underemployment over the past 2 years).  We're in a perilous position.

Tomorro, I'll be going to the Jewish Community Services and American Cancer Society...hopefully they'll be able to help.  If you can possibly afford to I humbly ask that you hit the tip jar to the right.

Rich & Cheri Vail
Pikesville, Maryland

Obama Playing Golf...Again!

Obama Bows To Another King...

US Funds Used To Renovate Mosques

American tax dollars are being used to renovate mosques in the Middle East.  We have had record deficits for the past 4 years thanks to the Democratic party, yet we're spending a billion dollars renovating mosques...doesn't this seem like an utter waste of money?  Follow the link to WSBTV's site for the video report.  Congress doesn't just need to cut spending, it must seriously reevaluate just what we're spending money on.

If you don't think that we can't have an across the board cut of at least 10% in spending, then this country is in serious trouble.  Our government is wasting billions of dollars on programs that not only don't do what they are supposed to do, but just merely cutting spending across the board would bring some sanity to the budgetary process.  Ending earmarks  is just a drop in the bucket of wasteful spending...

Inflation

Once upon a time, my wife and I were members of the middle class...then came the economic meltdown of late 2008.  Since then, we've been barely ekeing  by with less than half what were making prior to October 2008.  Only at the beginning of this year was I able to find full-time work.  My wife yet has...to obtain a job that will give her more than 40 hours a week.  Karen-Anne  Shiver has an excellent desciption of just what inflation means.

Inflation stalks like a thief in the night, filling the nightmares of homemakers and breadwinners alike.


Inflation is the invisible beast that steals the long-awaited raise before it has a chance to hit the bank account.

Inflation is the disease that ravages the arduously saved dollars of decades.

Inflation is the bandit that steals from the poor while hardly ever even noticed by the likes of the politicians who guilefully prod its crime spree.

Inflation is the monster who gobbles up the goodies of responsible citizens no matter their station.

So, when Obama and Bernanke and all the Fed gurus like Mr. Dudley put their little heads together and formulate a monetary policy, it would really be nice if they remembered — just once — that while the iPads and the Guccis and the golf clubs they love so much are simply wonderful if they cost a little less, the rest of us do have to worry about the rising cost of our groceries and our gas.

In our world, the necessities of life don’t get paid for with other people’s money.

We in the middle class pay the most taxes and fuel the government engine.

It would be nice if we weren’t told to eat our iPads when we notice that our government has set out to deflate the middle class.

But the most telling part is this:

ObamaCare alone has caused a nearly 40% hike in insurance premiums for individual policies such as the one my self-employed husband and I have. The Democrats’ save-the-deadbeats credit card law caused an immediate rise in interest rates for us always-pay-on-time consumers to cover the cost of the mandated write-offs.

The company I work for...offers a great insurance plan, that doubled in cost on January 1...from $248 per month to over $526.  Think about just how much of a pay check that eats up when you make $17 hour.  Now with a huge increase in both food and gas costs, our barely getting by has placed us back in the "oh shit, how are we going to pay for..." category.  Thanks a lot Washington.

Cadet Matthew Joseph La Porte: The Story of a Hero

Here is the story of Cadet Matthew Joseph La Porte of the Virginia Tech University's Corps of Cadets.  Cadet La Porte acted in the finest tradition of the United States Armed Forces:

The story of Cadet La Porte on the morning of 16 April, 2007 is tragic and short. It is not based on eyewitness account but rather on physical evidence. Given the magnitude of the tragedy, and the seriousness of trying to understand how to prevent further similar events, his story has almost been lost. And that’s just not right…


The basic story
In the early morning of Monday, 16 April 2007, 23-year old Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho entered a dormitory room and killed two students. Sometime later he then entered the Norris Hall engineering building and began to systematically attack five classrooms on the second floor, ultimately killing 30 students and professors and wounding or causing injury of an additional two dozen. As police officers approached classroom 211, Cho took his own life. These premeditated attacks represent the worst mass-murder shooting to ever take place in an American school.

The final act

Around 9:52 the police entry teams move up the stairways shouting “Police, Police!” Cho has returned to room 211 where he had previously attacked and killed several students. There is about a half minute of silence with no shots fired by Cho, then a final two shots, the last being the one turned on himself. Evidence indicates that the next to last shot would have been into Cadet La Porte who would have been dead for some time from the previous attack to the classroom.

From evidentiary photographs…

The body position and the wounds of Matt La Porte indicate that he had maneuvered around the room from his desk in the rear right of the classroom and attempted to attack Cho across the front of the classroom. Attired in his uniform, he fell just short of the door, lying next to the blackboard facing where Cho would have been standing while shooting. Matt’s arms were outstretched in a classic football tackling position. He had eight bullet entry wounds – fingers, thumb, arms and shoulders and to the front of his head – that could only have been sustained while moving forward on the shooter in the very position he fell.

The Archangel team believes there is no other conclusion that can be drawn from the physical evidence other than that Cadet Matthew Joseph La Porte died in a charging attack on Seung-Hui Cho

If there was any justice in life, Cadet La Porte would be given a medal for bravery, as he acted as any military man would.  He died in uniform.

Via ChicagoBoyz

Obama Is Awesome

Here's another great video.



via Powerlineblog

Bush & Obama Discuss Deficit

Here's another  installment on how unserious Obama and the Democratic party are on reigning in spending.



Via Powerlineblog

LA Food Police Ban Burger Joints

Nannyism in California is out of control.  The state, through it's enablers in the Democratic party has injected iteself into just about every aspect of life.  Here's a great video I found on Classical Values:

Bumper Sticker: The American Dream...

HT:  Le-gal In-sur-rec-tion

Highest MPG Car To Enter Production

I just received the following from one of my readers. It appears that this Volkswagen will enter production after all.

This is not a joke and they do sell for $600.00. They won’t be able to make them fast enough--be good just to run around town.

Here's a car that will get you back and forth to work on the cheap.......$600 for the car. 258 miles per gallon... Only a one seater however, talk about cheap transportation....... Volkswagen's $600 car gets 258 mpg -- It looks like Ford, Chrysler and GM missed the boat again!

China launches $600 car that will get 258mpg.  This $600 car is no toy and is ready to be released in China next year. The single seater aero car totes VW (Volkswagen) branding. Volkswagen did a lot of very highly protected testing of this car in Germany , but it was not announced until now where the car would make it's first appearance.

The car was introduced at the VW stockholders meeting as the most economical car in the world is presented. The initial objective of the prototype was to prove that 1 liter of fuel could deliver 100 kilos of travel. Spartan interior doesn't sacrifice safety.  The aero design proved essential to getting the desired result. The body is 3.47 meters long and just 1.25 meters wide, and a little over a meter high. The prototype was made completely of carbon fiber and is not painted to save weight.

The power plant is a one cylinder diesel positioned ahead of the rear axle and combined with an automatic shift controlled by a knob in the interior. Safety was not compromised as the impact and roll-over protection is comparable to the GT racing cars.

The Most Economic Car in the World will be on sale next year:
Better than Electric Car – 258 miles/gallon:
IPO 2010 in Shanghai This is a single seated car

From conception to production:
3 years and the company is headquartered in Hamburg , Germany ..

• Will be selling for 4000 Yuan, equivalent to US$ 600..
• Gas tank capacity = 1.7 gallons
• Speed = 62 – 74.6 Miles/hour
• Fuel efficiency = 258 miles/gallon
• Travel distance with a full tank = 404 miles

To Whom Does The Land Of Isreal Belong?

Here's and apocryphal story:

An Israeli Sense of Humor at UN set the record straight. An ingenious example of speech and politics occurred recently in the United Nations Assembly and made the world community smile.

A representative from Israel began: 'Before beginning my talk I want to tell you something about Moses: When he struck the rock and it brought forth water, he thought, 'What a good opportunity to have a bath!'

Moses removed his clothes, put them aside on the rock and entered the water. When he got out and wanted to dress, his clothes had vanished. A Palestinian had stolen them!

The Palestinian representative at the UN jumped up furiously and shouted, 'What are you talking about? The Palestinians weren't there then.'

The Israeli representative smiled and said, 'And now that we have made that clear, I will begin my speech..'.

The Difference Between Libya & Iraq

The real difference between Libya and Iraq...is an incompetent Democrat started the war with Libya...and a (somewhat incompetent) Republican started the war with Iraq.

or this explaination:




HT Real Clear Politics

Obama Not Born In US?

Here's an interesting video on the subject of Obama's birth place.




I'm really not sure how to take this...even Donald Trump wants to see it:

Snopes Lied

A retired AP editor sent me this:

SNOPES EXPOSED

 

Snopes is heavily financed by George Soros, a big time supporter of Obama!

 

“…. In our Search for the truth…...department, we find what I have suspected on many occasions. I went to Snopes to check this out and they said it was false and there were no such dockets so I ‘Googled’ the Supreme Court, typed in ‘Obama-Kagan,’ and guess what? Yep you got it. Snopes lied. Everyone of those dockets are there. So Here is what I wrote Snopes:

 

Referencing the article about Elena Kagan and Barak Obama dockets: The information you have posted stating that there were no such cases as claimed and the examples you gave are blatantly false. I went directly to the Supreme Court’s website, typed in Obama Kagan and immediately came up with all of the dockets that the article made reference to.. I have long suspected that you really slant things but this was really shocking.

 

Thank You, I hope you will be much more truthful in the future.

 

*************

 

That being said, I’ll bet you didn't know this.  Kagan was representing Obama in all the petitions to prove his citizenship. Now she may help rule on them.

 

Folks, this is really ugly. Chicago Politics; and the beat goes on and on and on...Once again the US Senate sold us out! Well, someone figured out why Obama nominated Elana Kagan for the Supreme Court..... Pull up the Supreme Courts website, go to the docket and search for Obama. She was the Solicitor General for all the suits against him filed with the Supreme Court to show proof of natural born citizenship.. He owed her big time. All of the requests were denied of course. They were never heard. It just keeps getting deeper and deeper, doesn't it? The American people mean nothing any longer. It's all about payback time for those who compromised themselves to elect someone that really has no true right to even be there.

 

Here are some websites of the Suprem Court Docket:

 

You can look up some of these hearings and guess what?? Elana Kagan is the attorney representing Obama!!!

Check out these examples:

• http://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docketfiles/09-8857.htm
• http://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docketfiles/09-8857.htm
• http://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docketfiles/09-6790.htm
• http://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docketfiles/09-6790.htm
• http://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docketfiles/09-724.htm
• Http://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docketfiles/09-724.htm

If you are not interested in justice or in truth forget this
However, If you hold sacred the freedoms granted to you by the U.S. Constitution…“…There truly is tyranny afoot.”

Newt "Exploring" 2012 Run For Presidency

I received this email from the "Newtexplore2012.com" web site.

Dear Richard A. Vail,


As you may have heard, I am exploring the possibility of running for President in the 2012 election.

That's why I am trying to hear from as many Americans as possible.

What are your hopes, your concerns, your dreams? What do you think America must do to revive the economy, keep us safe, and ensure all Americans are able to pursue happiness?

Since you used to receive updates from American Solutions, I am writing to ask if you would like take part in this conversation at http://www.newtexplore2012.com/.

At http://www.newtexplore2012/.com we have already heard from tens of thousands of Americans who arepassionate about leaving for their children and grandchildren a more safe, prosperous and free America than was left for them.

I am hoping to hear from you too.

Please visit www.NewtExplore2012.com to let me know what you think and to receive updates about where we are in the exploring process.

You can also 'opt-in' to receive these updates by clicking the following link.

Click Here to Confirm Subscription

If you do not wish to receive further updates, no action is required.

Thank you for your time and God Bless America.

Sincerely,

Newt Gingrich This message sent to ravail136@aol.com by emailreply@newtexplore2012.com.

Newt Exploratory 2012
P.O. Box 550769
Atlanta, GA 30355

Here's my reply:

Mr. Gingrich,


I would not vote for you either in the primary, or in the general election. I do not believe that you are the leader our party or our country needs. You have far too much bagage in your past, too many affairs, etc., that the MSM will exploit to the fullest extent. Your continuing to explore a vanity campaign for the presidency is hurtful to the party. Please cease and desist your campaign now.

Richard A. Vail,
Pikesville, Maryland
http://thevailspot.blogspot.com/

So, was I too direct?  Hopefully, Mr. Gingrich will actually listen, but I doubt  it.

Michael Moore: Take From The Rich...

It's taken a number of years, but Michael Moore has finally admitted that he's a communist at heart.  He desires to seize the assets of the 400 wealthiest Americans to service the deficit.  Seriously, he wants to steal the wealth of Americans and use it "for the national good."  That's what communists do.

Recently, in a Huffington Post column, he's taken to advocating,

Today just 400 Americans have more wealth than half of all Americans combined.  Let me say that again. 400 obscenely rich people, most of whom benefited in some way from the multi-trillion dollar taxpayer "bailout" of 2008, now have more loot, stock and property than the assets of 155 million Americans combined. If you can't bring yourself to call that a financial coup d'état, then you are simply not being honest about what you know in your heart to be true.

Of course, this goes completely against, not just our democratic heritage, but American tradition of each person being able to achieve the pinnacle of success...by their own hard work.  Here's a video of Mr. Moore, expounding on this theme.



Of course, he's wrong.  By seizing the assets of the wealtiest of Americans wouldn't ease the recession, it would in fact push the country over the brink into a full blown depression.  Those companies that are owned by these people would become so devalued as to be worthless....

Mary Katherine Ham has a far better rebuttal and does it in under 2:30!



Here's the money quote (emphasis is mine): 

The grand total of the combined net worth of every single one of America’s billionaires is roughly $1.3 trillion. It does indeed sound like a “ton of cash” until one considers that the 2011 deficit alone is $1.6 trillion. So, if the government were to simply confiscate the entire net worth of all of America’s billionaires, we’d still be $300 billion short of making up this year’s deficit.


That’s before we even get to dealing with the long-term debt of $14 trillion, which if you’re keeping score at home, is between 10 to 14 times the entire net worth of all of the country’s billionaires, combined. That includes the all-powerful Koch brothers ($40 billion between them), the all-powerful George Soros ($14.5 billion), all the Walton family (of the Wal-Mart fortune), Steve Jobs, Oprah (at a paltry $2.7 billion), the Google Founders, Michael Bloomberg, and the Mars family (of the candy bar empire).

When Democrats took control of Congress in 2007, the national debt stood at $9,000,000,000,000.00.  Between them, Mr Obama, Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Reid added $5 trillion to the national debt...and Democrats in Congress are literally screaming at cutting a mere $150 billion from this years budget.  Where is the sanity?  There ain't none.

Democrats are trying to drive this country into insolvency by spending our great-grandchildren's unearned wealth...today, and taking from those who work, and giving to those that don't, or won't.

The New Civility of the Left

Here's the Left's new civility in action: 



It doesn't look like the MSM will condemn the death threats that the GOP legislator's are receiving from union thugs in Wisconsin.  Nor will Mr. Obama...in fact, his Organizing for America is actually funding these protests. Furthermore, by attempting to disrupt the Wisconsin House of Representatives, the Left has entered the realm of the socialist Nazi party of the 1920's. 

Shrubbery

shrubbery for you home...here's a picture of Viagra's home office in Toronto, Canada.

HT:  JPB

Dana Loesch Smacks Down Paul Begala

Here's video of St. Louis Tea Party founder Dana Loesch verbally smacking Clintonista, Paul Begala.



via Newsbusters

Get NPR Off The Public Tit

Charles Krauthammer tells Nina Tottenberg of NPR that her network needs to get off the public dime.



via Newsbusters

Government Waste: American Bureaucracy Style

Here's  a partial list compiled by  David Steinberg,  of all the government agencies that are cited by the GAO as haveing overlapping and wastefull responsibilities:

The Biggest Government


In a century, Big Government transformed an essential and minimalized service, the Federal Highway Administration, into the Department of Where the F*** Do You Think You’re Going, and the above fog machine is just the genetics of one department. I noted earlier that the GAO had “found” massive amounts of redundancy; it was a poor word. The GAO simply took the time to report on the disgust. Any rational man could look at the following, which is nothing more than a collection of current federal agencies, and understand the waste is of a scale difficult to comprehend and inspiring of our worst tendencies to rage.

This is your Big Government, perhaps the biggest Big Government there ever could be. The problem is not one or several agencies, but the whole damned thing: believe it, it is true — this is the actual structure of the United States. See if you can spot the redundancies:

· Advisory Council on Historic Preservation· American Battle Monuments Commission · Architect of the Capitol · Botanic Garden · Capitol Visitor Center · Constitution Center · National Capital Planning Commission · National Cemetery Administration (Veterans Affairs Department) · Smithsonian Institution · White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance

· Archives (National Archives and Records Administration) · Administrative Committee of the Federal Register · Library of Congress

· Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) · Administration for Native Americans · National Indian Gaming Commission

· Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (Justice) · Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade (Treasury) · Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) · National Drug Intelligence Center · Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
· Bureau of Justice Statistics · Bureau of Labor Statistics · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Congressional Research Service · Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy · National Agricultural Statistics Service

· Agricultural Marketing Service · Agriculture Department (USDA) · Marketing and Regulatory Programs (Agriculture Department) · Research, Education and Economics (Agriculture Department) · Risk Management Agency (Agriculture Department)
· Agency for International Development · African Development Foundation · Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission)
· Federal Highway Administration · Department of Transportation (DOT) · Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration · Federal Transit Administration · Maritime Administration · National Highway Traffic Safety Administration · National Transportation Safety Board · Research and Innovative Technology Administration (Transportation Department) · Surface Transportation Board · Transportation Security Administration
· Environmental Management (Energy Department) · Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · Natural Resources Conservation Service
· Farm Credit Administration · Farm Service Agency · Land Management, Bureau of
· Export Administration (now the Bureau of Industry and Security) · Export-Import Bank of the United States

Below, how Big Government handles money:
· Commerce Department · Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States · Commodity Futures Trading Commission · Comptroller of the Currency Office · Council of Economic Advisers · Department of the Treasury · Disability Employment Policy Office · Economic Adjustment Office · Economic Analysis, Bureau of · Economic Development Administration · Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) · Economic Research Service · Economics & Statistics Administration · Engraving and Printing, Bureau of · Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity · Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board · Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council · Federal Financing Bank · Federal Reserve System · Financial Management Service (Treasury Department) · Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission · Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, National Commission · Government Printing Office (GPO) · Government National Mortgage Association · Mint (Treasury Department) · National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform · National Credit Union Administration · National Economic Council · Office of Management and Budget (OMB) · Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) · Small Business Administration (SBA) · Taxpayer Advocacy Panel · U.S. International Trade Commission · U.S. Trade and Development Agency · U.S. Trade Representative

And “health”:
· Administration on Aging (AoA) · Administration on Developmental Disabilities · Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) · Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry · Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Interagency Coordinating Committee · Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) · Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board · Civilian Radioactive Waste Management · Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled · Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) · Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) · Health Resources and Services Administration · Indian Health Service · National AIDS Policy Office · National Council on Disability · National Institutes of Health (NIH) · Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) · Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission · Rehabilitation Services Administration (Education Department) · Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

And “Education”:
· Education Department (ED) · Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) · Federal Interagency Committee on Education · National Institute for Literacy · National Science Foundation

And energy:
· Energy Department (DOE) · Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy · Energy Information Administration · Federal Energy Regulatory Commission · Fossil Energy · National Laboratories (Energy Department) · Power Administrations · Science Office (Energy Department) · Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology · Nuclear Regulatory Commission · Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

And your food:
· Food and Drug Administration (FDA) · Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services · Food Safety and Inspection Service · Food and Nutrition Service · Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration · National Institute of Food and Agriculture

And your retirement:
· National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare · Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (now the Employee Benefits Security Administration) · Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation · Railroad Retirement Board · Social Security Administration (SSA) · Social Security Advisory Board

And “science”:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) · National Ocean Service · National Weather Service (NOAA) · National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) · Office of Science and Technology Policy · Office of Scientific and Technical Information

And the border:

 Office of Refugee Resettlement · U.S. Border Patrol (now Customs and Border Protection) · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services · U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement · Executive Office for Immigration Review

And this … this is how Big Government attempts to make everything better:

 Arctic Research Commission · Appalachian Regional Commission · Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) · Chief Acquisition Officers Council · Chief Financial Officers Council · Chief Human Capital Officers Council · Chief Information Officers Council · Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee · Commission of Fine Arts · Commission on International Religious Freedom · Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements · Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) · Community Planning and Development · Corporation for National and Community Service · Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention · Council on Environmental Quality · Delaware River Basin Commission · Denali Commission · Domestic Policy Council · Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy · Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) · English Language Acquisition Office · Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC) · Federal Consulting Group · Federal Executive Boards · Federal Geographic Data Committee · Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight · Federal Housing Finance Board · Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds · Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer · Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service · Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board · Foreign Agricultural Service · General Services Administration (GSA) · Indian Arts and Crafts Board · Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor Commission · Innovation and Improvement Office · Institute of Peace · Interagency Alternative Dispute Resolution Working Group · Inter-American Foundation · Interagency Council on Homelessness · Japan-United States Friendship Commission · Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries · Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies · Joint Fire Science Program · Legal Services Corporation · Marine Mammal Commission · Merit Systems Protection Board · Millennium Challenge Corporation · Minority Business Development Agency · Mississippi River Commission · Morris K. Udall Foundation: Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy · Multifamily Housing Office · National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency · National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) · National Mediation Board · National Technical Information Service · National Telecommunications and Information Administration · Northwest Power Planning Council · Office of Compliance · Office of Government Ethics · Office of Personnel Management · Office of Thrift Supervision · Open World Leadership Center · Overseas Private Investment Corporation · Peace Corps · Presidio Trust · Regulatory Information Service Center · Rural Business and Cooperative Programs · Rural Development · Rural Housing Service · Rural Utilities Service · Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation · Southeastern Power Administration · Southwestern Power Administration · Stennis Center for Public Service · State Justice Institute · Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement · Susquehanna River Basin Commission · TRICARE Management · Trustee Program (Justice Department) · Western Area Power Administration · White House Commission on Presidential Scholars · Women’s Bureau (Labor Department)

This is what conservatives mean by Big Government...it's past time to trim ALL of the programs, offices, etc...and turn the dead weight manning them back to the private sector.

Firewall: The End of the Beginning

Bill Whittle's take on why teacher's unions are on the way out...

Between Barack & A Hard Place...

Since the Obama administration has refused nearly all new drilling, we'll likely see gas prices top $5 per gallon by the end of summer.  This will...kill off any economic recovery that's occured.  Furthermore, it will set off a round of inflation as business increase prices to cover the costs of transporting goods and providing services that will further erode the ability of lower paid workers to make ends meet.  But then, Obama administration officials are record  as saying that they want to see $9 per gallon gasoline.  Links here and here. 

“Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe,” Steven Chu, the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, told the Wall Street Journal in September.

While Ken Salazar cancelled 77 drilling leases immediately after being sworn in as Secretary of the Interior.  This administration in general, and the Democratic party in particular seem bend on destroying the economy of this country.  The crippling debt load that has been inflicted over the past 4 years by the Obama, Pelosi, Reid trioka will take decades to payoff...if ever, when combined with vastly increased energy costs, will add ever more to the burden working Americans are saddled with.

Is this the "hope" or the "change"?  At this point, I'm just hoping for a change...

MultiCulturism Explained

Andrew Klavan "explains" Multiculturism...

Citizens United Vs FEC

Via Le-gal In-sur-rec-tion is an excellent video of the CU vs FEC law suit.

Making Ends Meet

Well...I'm finally working full time.   Despite that, making ends meet is still very difficult.  Cheri's yet to find full-time work.  Last fall, when things really went to hell in a hand-basket, we applied for food stamps and energy assistance.  We were denied food stamps immediately, but it took until last week for the energy assistance denial to come rolling down the pike.

So, for the past 5 months, we thought that we were getting help on our electric bill...but this as just not the case.  Baltimore Gas & Electric game by and demanded $671.00 to keep the power on...so, at the stroke of a pen, we went from being "ok" and nearly solvent once more, to being on the brink of disaster.

I've been scrambling to try and find some kind of help.  So, once more, I'm asking you out there in the world to please hit the tip jar.  We're part of the huge numbers of people in this country who just don't qualify for any sort of public assistance...and have to turn to private means. 

Thanks,

Rich & Cheri Vail
Pikesville, MD

Irish Planning

This joke was sent to by a reader...

Two Irishmen flew to Canada on a hunting trip. They chartered a small plane to take them into the Rockies for a week hunting moose.They managed to bag 6. As they were loading the plane to return, the Pilot said the plane could take only 4 moose.

The two lads objected strongly. "Last year we shot six. The pilot let us take them all and he had the same plane as yours."

Reluctantly, the pilot gave in and all six were loaded. The plane took off.  However, while attempting to cross some mountains even on full power the little plane couldn't handle the load and went down.  Somehow, surrounded by the moose bodies, only Paddy and Mick survived the crash. 

After climbing out of the wreckage, Paddy asked Mick, "Any idea where we are?"

Mick replied, "I think we're pretty close to where we crashed last year."

Spending Restraint, Parts 1 & 2

In Part 1,

Dan Mitchell, a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, explains in the video that the key variable is government spending as a share of GDP. This ratio shows the burden of government relative to the productive sector of the economy. By this measure, both Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton successfully restrained spending and reduced the burden of government. Capping the growth of domestic spending was the key factor.


Inflation-adjusted domestic spending increased at an average rate of less than one percent per year under Ronald Reagan, a rate much lower than the rate of economic growth. As a result, the burden of domestic spending fell by 2.5 percentage points of GDP during the same period. Bill Clinton, meanwhile, was able to turn projected deficits into surpluses by holding the average growth of domestic spending to less than three percent, while also capitalizing on the peace dividend from the end of the Cold War. By the time Clinton left office, government spending had been reduced by more than 3 percentage points of GDP.

 

And in Part 2,

Dan Mitchell, a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, explains in the video that Canada, Ireland, Slovakia and New Zealand are examples of how to solve America's fiscal crisis. All of these nations made big improvements in fiscal policy by capping the burden of government spending. In only a few years, each country was able to dramatically reduce the share of GDP consumed by the public sector while also slashing deficits, and in some cases even turning them into surpluses.

Gaming The System: How Public Union's Collective Bargaining Force Higher Taxes

Here's a video from the Heritage Foundation on how public union's collective bargaining has forced higher taxes.



via Redstate.com

Reason TV: To Surly, With Love: Are Teachers Overpaid?

The latest edition of Reason TV:

Wisconsin To Lay Off's To Start Tomorro

In Wisconsin, due to the instransigance of Democratic State Senators' refusal to participate in the democratic process, the governor will begin laying offs tomorrow. 

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said Thursday that he will issue layoff notices to 1,500 state workers on Friday if his proposal forcing them to pay more for benefits and taking away nearly all their collective bargaining rights isn't passed by then.

Additionally, the leader of the state Senate has issued contempt warrants for the 14 missing Democratic Senators.

The Republican leader of the Wisconsin Senate has signed orders finding 14 AWOL Democrats in contempt. The orders signed Thursday allow the sergeant at arms to detain the missing senators and use police force if necessary.

With the passage of so much time...in my opinion those missing Senators have hurt their cause far more than helping, especially if the governor goes through with the proposed layoffs.  Personally, I'd far rather, in the current economy, take a cut in benefits...than lose my job.  I spent the  most of 2 years out of work and pretty much lost everything.  Those selfish state workers have no idea what they're facing...but they'll soon find out.  In the near future they'll have to try and find jobs and actually work for a living.

If you can possibly afford it please hit the tip jar to the right.

Things That Make You Go Hhhhhmmmm...

Proposed lineup changes for MSNBC

By JP Bender

Being at home a lot these days, I have had the opportunity to watch some pretty bad programming. So I got to thinking, there could be some changes to spice up the worst of the worst.

With recent developments within the entertainment industry, I think that it’s time for MSNBC to consider an option shake-up in staffing their cable shows. These changes could launch MSNBC to higher ratings – or not.

I would propose every morning, just before the Way Too Early Show, Singer Christina Aguliera could sing live, our National Anthem, Many new viewers would tune in just to see if she ever gets it correct and of course, no alcoholic beverages would be allowed on the set. With this new addition, promoted and marketed correctly, I would think the nationwide ratings would double from 224 viewers to well over 600 viewers.

Then on Morning Joe, Lindsay Lohan, America’s favorite mess, could replace Mika Brzezinski. Looking at this young beauty with no talent would be a welcomed change to listening to the constant nonsense chatter offered by an uninformed airhead, who dresses like it’s either Halloween or the Ringling Bros. Circus in coming to town.

There would be no need to change daytime programming since everybody is watching serious programming on other channels – the Food Network, The History Channel, The Travel Channel and of course the Cartoon Network.

During the evening meal, Melissa Leo could appear and just like at the Oscars, she could drop the F-Bomb to start off the evening. I don’t know how Rachel Mad-Cow will handle the upstaging, but I think she is already accustomed to being in last place.

At night, Charlie Sheen could replace Lawrence O’Donnell on The Last Word program. This isn’t as radical as it sounds. Neither one of these actors makes any sense nor nobody takes either one seriously. Their ramblings make Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi look like a Phi Beta Kappa scholar. I heard that O’Donnell claims to be a Socialist. Are there any provisions in the Socialist Party to expel such a weirdo?

I now sit back and await these changes, along with others that the network brass might come up with to help increase viewer ship. Watch out FOX, with these new proposed changes, you might lose .0003 percent of your viewing audience.

I know my day will go better.