Her Car

Her Car
Originally uploaded by sharkzƒan

Courtesy of my parked truck. I fine addition to my vacation activities...making phone calls to insurance companies.

She hit my truck so hard she moved it about 10 feet and up on to the curb. At least my truck fared better than her car. It's drivable. If I had to guess, I'd say her car is totalled.

Fun With Jib Jab

It's been a pathetically long time since I have posted. I conceivably have lost my lone reader. I am now essentially posting for my own edification. If you just happened to stumble across this blog, my apologies for interrupting your internet.

Let the edification begin!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Sam Adams - Not the beer

"If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin."

Samuel Adams, 1776

Relevant "Quotes Of The Day"

In the course of human events there are times when each of us experiences self doubt and ones thought processes come to a screeching halt. Today when attempting my latest in a long line of incredibly overdue blog posts, I was planning on penning my own opinionated tome on the current public debate on health care "reform" being proposed by Comrade Obama. Unfortunately the incessant monotonies of life crashed in on me and squashed any hope of creating an intelligently written post on the subject. In response to this failure I chose the most rational direction to proceed. That direction was to the dreaded "Quote of the Day". I must say, however that these quotes are especially relevant to the current political climate of the country.

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like
A man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-- Winston Churchill

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But
Then I repeat myself..
-- Mark Twain

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys
To teenage boys.
-- P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short
Phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it
Stops moving, subsidize it.
-- Ronald Reagan (1986)

If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it
Costs when it's free!
-- P.J. O'Rourke

No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in
Session.
-- Mark Twain (1866)

The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to
Fill the world with fools.
-- Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.
-- Edward Langley, Artist (1928-1995)

AND LASTLY...
A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong
Enough to take everything you have.
-- Thomas Jefferson

Exclusivism That Welcomes All

I've been looking for a readable presentation on this topic for some time. While it could be headier than most care to read, I found it easy to follow. Even the circular philisophical questions make sense. If you have any interest (or even none for that matter) in the subject it's a very interesting read.

Exclusivism that welcomes all

Why So Serious?

Gotta love the hair as well!

Quote Of The Day

Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.

Ronald Regan

Our Corrupt Government - Van Jones

Our Corrupt Government

Just Because

My grandson is growing so fast! I just had to post this "conversation" we had with him. He actually does a little laugh at one point!

Very Disturbing Article Indeed

When the Russian newspaper Pravda runs a column that pronounces American capitalism is dead, one should stop and contemplate the course this country is taking. Pravda is the former state run newspaper of communist Russia. It was the mouthpiece of the regime.

"American Capitalism Gone With A Whimper" is the title of the opinion piece. This headline wouldn't stir any controversy if published in any right leaning conservative publication. It would be par for the course, even considered preaching to the choir. Published in Pravda makes it an entirely different animal.

Stand up, speak out. Contact your representatives. Call them out when they drop the ball or can't seem to tell the truth because they are too caught up in their own lies. Don't let them dictate the direction this country is headed as if no one cares. That may be asking too much. There is a multitude of citizens who are actually too busy watching American Idol and following the sleazy exploits of the pointless lives of Hollywood schmucks to care about the little details like freedom and liberty.

Obama's Supreme Court Nominee

Obama's Supreme Court nominee...discuss amongst yourselves. Does anyone remember the firefighters whose advancement test results were thrown out because the racial minority test takers didn't score high enough? The Appelate Court judge who wrote the opinion is this nominee.

Mobile Blogging Test

Testing mobile blogging from my cell phone. I could really use a qwerty keyboard.

Failure Of Socialism

From The New York Times - November 13, 1857
Click "View Full Article" under the first paragraph.

Even going back 150 years it was obvious that Socialism is a failed political system. Coming from a commentary in The New York Times makes it all the more poignant.

The sheeple were swindled in this last election cycle. The President ran his campaign as a "hopey changey" moderate. He portrayed his far left agenda as change. He used languge to prod the electorate into voting against George Bush but not particularly for him. Well, he won and now we have our cake and we are being forced to eat it too. The Hopey Changey" Administration now owns most of the financial industry, the auto industry and is making a hard charge for the healthcare industry.

In his first 100 days in office, Obama has spent more than the Dubya Administration did in eight years. Where is the outrage? Obama increased the size and scope of our military commitment in Afghanistan. Where is the outrage? I could go on but I won't because my blood pressure is rising.

Most of the folks I correspond with probably disagree with my politics. Maybe I should stick to trains and photography. Discussing politics and religion is always dangerous territory. I have some wonderful friends who vehemently disagree with me about politics. That's healthy. We are still friends yet political adversaries. Our votes and voices are our weapons agaist the "enemy".

Our Out Of Control Government

Just perusing the recently retracted Department of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis Domestic Extremism Lexicon "Reference Aid". It apparently classifies a large portion of the population as extremists. It's overarching broad descriptions of "extremist" groups opens up a myriad of possibilities for agencies to target individuals for their perceived extremist views. As an example, I fully support 2nd Amendment rights. If I actively pursue forms of support for repealing gun laws or protesting new legislation I may be targeted as a militia member according to the lexicon description. Read through some of these to see which extremist group YOU may be a "member" of according to the DHS.

The bracketed (U) stands for unclassified and (U//FOUO) stands for unclassified, for official use only. The post title is a link to the document.

(U) alternative media

(U//FOUO) A term used to describe various information
sources that provide a forum for interpretations of events and
issues that differ radically from those presented in mass
media products and outlets.

Apparently media other than "mainstream" is subversive and dangerous. The truth is not important, the source is. The DHS is of the opinion that as long as the sheeple continue to watch the alphabet soup networks (abc, nbc, cbs, etc.) they will be fully propagandized.

(U) hate groups

(U//FOUO)A term most often used to describe white
supremacist groups. It is occasionally used to describe other
racist extremist groups.

Racism of any form is antithetical to everything I believe. God created us in his image and we are all his children (there's a radical notion we should fear!) However, it is troubling that DHS describes "hate groups" mainly as white supremacists. Is not Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam a hate group? La Raza? The lexicon descriptions of the various minority extremist groups do not describe them as racist even though their actions are. If you are a minority is it not possible to be racist as well?

(U) patriot movement

(U//FOUO) A term used by rightwing extremists to link their
beliefs to those commonly associated with the American
Revolution. The patriot movement primarily comprises
violent antigovernment groups such as militias and sovereign
citizens.
(also: Christian patriots, patriot group, Constitutionalists,
Constitutionist)

O.K., this is really confusing. The term "patriot" is now being given a negative connotation. Can someone be antigovernment without being violent? Of course. Lets also throw in "Christian" as well. Saying that the movement "primarily" comprises violent antigovernment groups does not specify that if you are NOT violent you are not an extremist because you believe the government to be too big and too powerful. While revolutions can be violent such as the American Revolution, a revolution in general terms can mean many things other than violence. Associating the American Revolution with an extremist group is an subversive way of targeting those who would want more of the freedoms our Founding Fathers intended and less government intrusion. There is a quote that goes something like, 'When people fear their government, that is tyrrany. When government fears the people, that is liberty.'

(U) rightwing extremism

(U//FOUO) A movement of rightwing groups or individuals
who can be broadly divided into those who are primarily
hate-oriented, and those who are mainly antigovernment and
reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority.
This term also may refer to rightwing extremist movements
that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to
abortion or immigration.
(also known as far right, extreme right)

Just having the term "broadly divided" in the above description should scare everyone. Somehow rejecting federal authority for state and local authority is a bad thing? Can anyone provide me with an example of some statute, program, code or law that can be equally applied and relevant to all fifty sates? Under this definition of rightwing extremism, the Founders are just that. They believed in a weak centralized government and strong state governments.

(U) tax resistance movement

(U//FOUO) Groups or individuals who vehemently believe
taxes violate their constitutional rights. Among their beliefs
are that wages are not income, that paying income taxes is
voluntary, and that the 16th Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution, which allowed Congress to levy taxes on
income, was not properly ratified. Members have been
known to advocate or engage in criminal activity and plot acts
of violence and terrorism in an attempt to advance their
extremist goals. They often target government entities such
as the Internal Revenue Service and the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
(also: tax protest movement, tax freedom movement, antitax
movement)

My head is going to explode. I am an extremist because I think the government takes far too much money from me to give to people, places, causes and events that I do not wish to support. They believe that my hard earned dollars are theirs to use in whatever way they see fit. A good example is sending hundreds of millions of dollars to "community groups" such as ACORN that perpetrate voter fraud. Their mention of the 16th Amendment in the context of "it's in the Constitution" gives the impression that anyone who opposes is a radical. The 16th Amendment which was ratified to fund the Civil War snowballed over the next century into our current confiscatory tax system. What's not to like about that? Raise your hand if you support higher taxes and more debt. Anyone?

(U) skinheads

(U//FOUO) A subculture composed primarily of
working-class, white youth who embrace shaved heads for
males, substance abuse, and violence. Skinheads can be
categorized as racist, anti-racist or “traditional,” which
emphasizes group unity based on fashion, music, and lifestyle
rather than political ideology. Dress often includes a shaved
head or very short hair, jeans, thin suspenders, combat boots
or Doc Martens, and a bomber jacket.

Here the problem is a radical group being identified by it's fashion and music among other things. Um, I actually own a pair of Doc Marten shoes. Not boots, but shoes. I also have a pair or two of jeans. I guess I've slipped into the dark realm of the skinheads.

The entirety of this report should be troubling to all of us as Americans. That your political or personal views can be deemed extremist by the government and could possibly put you on some terrorist watch list should frighten everyone. This lexicon broadly describes so many belief systems that nearly everyone in America could find some portion of one of these groups that they would be in agreement with.

Dianne Feinstein Benefits From The Foreclosure Crisis

Not surprisingly my California Senator who "represents" me is benefitting from the current mortgage foreclosure debacle. Her husband, Richard Blum is Chairman of the Board of CB Richard Ellis (CBRE), a large commercial real estate firm. CBRE won the government contract to sell foreclosed properties that the FDIC had inherited. Feinstein sent a letter to the FDIC offering to help them secure funding to help stem the rise in home foreclosures just days before the FDIC determined that CBRE would be awarded the contract.

Around the same time as the contract award, Blum's private investment firm reported to the SEC that it and it's affiliates had purchased ten million new shares in CBRE. The shares were purchased at the going price of $3.77. Shares closed Monday at $5.14. Gosh, what great coincidental timing for that purchase. That makes a profit of nearly fourteen million dollars!

They're all a bunch of crooks in D.C. They need to be thrown out on their butts! Both sides of the aisle.

Click the post title for the full story at the Washington Times

Can You Tell I'm Bored?

Two video posts in one day. Not healthy! I've been trying to "come down" after the birth of my Grandson. Today has really been low key.

Just For Fun

Just a video I found quite interesting from "Francis and the Lights". Makes me think of a hybrid of David Byrne (Talking Heads) and Kramer from Seinfeld.


The Top (Music Video) from Francis and the Lights on Vimeo.

Welcome to Ethan Lucas Evans-Ratzman. Born April 7, 2009 at 10:28pm. Six pounds, one ounce, nineteen and three quarter inches long. Mom and baby are healthy and happy, just a bit tired! This picture was taken when he was just a few minutes old.

Obama Administration Pushing "Net Neutrality"

They just ca't keep their regulatory paws off of free enterprise and the free market, can they? Here's a short article on how the fine print in the socialist porkulus bill that no one was allowed to read before it was voted on is bit by bit killing freedoms in this country.

The New Fifty Dollar Bill

Have you seen the new fifty dollar bill that the Treasury is producing??

4.4 Earthquake 3/30/09

We had an earthquake this morning at 10:40am. It's epicenter was about five miles southeast of where I live. At first I thought it was the wind rattling the windows since it's blowing pretty good today. When it kept rattling and I started feeling it sitting at the kitchen table I knew it wasn't the wind! It seemed to last for about 5seconds. While that doesn't seem like a long time, try counting to five (using the Mississippi counting style) and consider that during that period of time your entire house is shaking and rattling. That is a virtual eternity.

Fortunately 4.4 is a mild quake. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake was a 6.9 on the Richter Scale and lasted for fifteen seconds. Each incremental increase in the size of the quake is ten times stronger. For example a 4.0 quake is ten times stronger than a 3.0 quake. The jump from today's 4.4 quake to the 6.9 Loma Prieta quake is an increase in magnitude of about twenty five times in strength. Gotta love living in California!

A Fun Couple of Minutes

Here's a short video from the band Hawk Nelson. It's not a music video it's just the guys having fun on the road in Sacramento. They are a Christian Pop-Punk band. I needed to post some fluff so my head doesn't explode from the government takeover of private industry and our continual march towrds socialism.

Simon Jester

I think I've found a group of folks who are sympathetic to my viewpoints. Check it out. You might be surprised to find that you are Simon Jester, too.

Sick Of Hypocrite Bastards In Government

All of this AIG bashing and hemming and hawing about the bonuses the company is paying it's executives is about to send me over the brink. Does anyone realize that these same lying, hypocritical, slimebag politicians who are crying their crocodile tears over the bonuses that AIG executives are receiving are the ones who wrote the legislation that specifically gave the company the legal right to give the execs their contractual bonuses when they would be receiving bailout money!

Read this if you don't believe what I am telling you

Bastards!!

Just Because....

My outlook for the future is:
	Rosey with these glasses
	Where's my Windex
	Anyone seen my contacts
	Ouch! There's an ice pick in my eye!
	Future? What Future?
pollcode.com free polls

Must See TV!

OMG! This is incredibly awesome! I poached it off of Joan Of Argghh!'s blog



I'm getting so sick and tired of sheeple all around me waiting for their share of the bailout. I keep telling them that they are PAYING for the bailout but they just don't get it. They continue grazing in an oblivious field of grass. I feel like I'm the Lone Ranger. I realize I am surrounded in a bastion of liberalism on the left coast of the continent but at some point SOMONE has to see the insanity happening around them!

Hats off to the folks in the video as they throw their hard earned dollars at Chuckie Schumer. He's the one who says the "American people don't care" about a little pork. You bastard! You work for us yet you spit in our faces as you laugh with contempt at us "regular" folk.

Mr. Schumer will surely reap what he sows in the afterlife.

Currently Applicable Jeffersonian Quotes - and a Mark Twain thrown in for good measure

"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe,
we shall become as corrupt as Europe."

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those
who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes.
A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world."

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the
government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government."

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."

Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."

Unfortunately the following quote is a truism about the industry in which I work.

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed."
-Mark Twain

A Vintage Editorial Still Pertinent Today

This editorial by Charlie Reese in the Orlando Sentinal was published about a year ago. It certainly is a timeless topic since things never change in D.C.



545 PEOPLE
By Charley Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash.

The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party.

She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red .

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!


Charley Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

Who Sounded The Warning And Who Buried Their Heads?

Insanity Abounds

I never really understood the PETA folks and their desire to place animals above humans in the food chain. I can agree with the most basic tenet of their organization, the "Ethical Treatment" of animals. However, I have never been blind to their more radical agenda. After reading portions of Ingrid Newkirk's will (courtesy wnd.com), I realize this woman is literally insane. She wants "meat" from her body to literally be used for a barbecue!

Her funding of eco-terrorist Rod Conrado and many other whack jobs runs under the public radar. Many people think they are joining an organization that just seeks to "protect" animals without knowing what they are actually funding. It is not difficult at all to do a little research to find out the truly sinister activities of this organization.

Additional reading:
Eminent Domain blog

How The Obama Tax Structure Works

A analogy courtesy of Stewie and Brian -

Since Dunce Hats Are Outdated

I figured we could keep one of these handy for the person who isn't pulling their weight at work. They could wear it all day and the rest of us would be justified in calling them a $#@&head.

San Francisco Chronicle In Trouble

Nothing new here. They have been bleeding red ink for years but when there is an Associated Press story that reads "San Francisco Chronicle May Close" you know things are near the bottom of the toilet tank for them. There is a remote possibility that the company that owns the San Jose Mercury News could be a potential buyer. The only way that could happen would be if no buyers stepped forward to purchase the paper and the alternative option of shutting down was the only other choice. Then MediaNews could step in and buy the ailing paper in order to keep the presses running. Maybe even pick it up at a firesale price.

MediaNews, the parent company of the San Jose Mercury news, borrowed $300 million dollars from the Hearst Corporation, which owns the Chronicle, to purchase the bay area newspapers that were put up for sale after the McClatchy company bought them from Kight Ridder. Follow that trail of bread crumbs!

I guess whatever the outcome may be could only bode well for the San Jose Mercury News. If the Chronicle shuts down that would be a tremendous opportunity to "poach" a subscriber base that no longer had a hometown newspaper. If they have a huge company restructuring with cutbacks/layoffs and downsizing it could affect the overall stability of their subscriber base and there could be some customer migration to the Mercury News.

Either way it will be interesting to watch and see the effects on the industry as a whole.

Federal obligations exceed world GDP

Hey! Thanks for the "hopey changey" thing there! We have definitely "changed" the country forever. I don't say that in a good way. Click the post title to read the article. The US federal deficit exceeds the GDP (gross domestic product) of the entire world! Anyone feel a bit nervous about their future yet? Take a look at the citizens guide to the 2008 Financial Report of the United States Government. It's surely a depressing read so take your meds first!

We might hope to see the finances of the union as clear and intelligible as a merchant's books so that every member of Congress and every man of any mind in the union should be able to comprehend them, to investigate abuses and consequently to control them.

President Thomas Jefferson to Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin - 1802

Sharing Some Wisdom

Today I'll not berate the sparse few who have meandered over to this diminutive corner of the series of tubes called the internets. I will take it upon myself to impart some wisdom. Unfortunately that wisdom is gleened from the minds of others. I know I have some but I think I misplaced it somewhere. A mind, that is.

I'll start with the quote below that is specifically intended to describe the current political atmosphere here in Amerika.

Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.

C. S. Lewis

For my buddy, Joe

If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.

C. S. Lewis

and...

"Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning..."

--from "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis

Joe and I can probably agree on this one as well. Only we come from different perspectives.

"Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst."

--Reflections on the Psalms, C.S. Lewis

Assisting The Obama Administration With Their Promise Of "Transparency"

I purposefully put the word transparency in quotations. The Obama administration has been in office for less than a month and the campaign "promise" of transparency has been all but ignored. In order to help the administration live up to the transparency promise I will, at my leisure, begin posting the details from the all important "emergency" stimulus (read: pork) bill. Let me cut the banter and get right to the crux of the matter.

Warning: individuals being treated for high blood pressure or other coronary disorders are advised against proceeding beyond this point. The author takes no responsibility for any adverse reactions to the information contained within.

The text excerpted below can be acessed at this link. Keep in mind that the stimulus bill is intended to create jobs and stimulate the economy. Pay close attention to where the money is going. You'll notice that a large percentage of the money allocated is for the government to spend money on itself. These sections will be highlighted for your easy reading pleasure! I will provide you with an equivalent for the proposed funding amount. The Obama administration has been generous enough to provide you a $400 "tax rebate" that will be spread out over the course of one year. $800 for couples. Over the year an individual will realize a whopping $7.69 per week reduction in their income tax witholding. Couples will be swimming in their extra cash as they will notice a net reduction of $15.38 per week in taxes. Where will you spend all that extra money you ask? Well, you won't have any to spend if you live in California! "Why is that?", you say. The below list has the proposed reasons why that is -

1. A 5% surcharge on what the tax filer owes (great! a tax on taxes!). Incrediby, they are trying to put a positive spin on this by saying, "The state income tax is deductible on the federal tax return". Whoppee!!

2. Increase the annual fee on the value of vehicles from 0.65% to 1.15%. Translation - if your car is worth $15,000, your annual DMV renewal tax would increase from $97.50 to $172.50. Oh, but wait, it's deductable from your federal tax return. How simple is that!

3. Increase the state sales tax by one cent on the dollar. That increases the state sales tax rate to nine cents.

4. Increase the per-gallon gasoline excise tax by 12 cents!.

5. Reduce the dependent income tax credit by two thirds from $309 to $103.

California is not the issue, it's just my pain (maybe yours as well). The issue is the federal "porkulus" bill. Without further ado, please indulge yourself in this disgusting, fraudulent, wasteful bill.


TITLE I-AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION,
AND RELATED AGENCIES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
AGRICULTURE BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES AND RENTAL PAYMENTS

For an additional amount for "Agriculture Buildings and Facilities and Rental Payments", $24,000,000, for necessary construction, repair, and improvement activities.

OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
For an additional amount for "Office of Inspector General", $22,500,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013, for oversight and audit of programs, grants, and activities funded by this Act and administered by the Department of Agriculture.

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES
For an additional amount for "Buildings and Facilities", $176,000,000, for work on deferred maintenance at Agricultural Research Service facilities: Provided, That
priority in the use of such funds shall be given to critical deferred maintenance, to projects that can be completed, and to activities that can commence promptly following enactment of this Act.

FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE
CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS
For an additional amount for the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42
U.S.c. 1751 et. seq.), except section 21, and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et. seq.), except sections 17 and 21, $100,000,000, to carry out a grant program for National School Lunch Program equipment assistance: Provided, That such funds shall be provided to States administering a school lunch program in a manner proportional with each States' administrative expense allocation: Providedfurther, That the States shall provide competitive grants to school food authorities based upon the need for equipment assistance in participating schools with priority given to school in which not less than 50 percent ofthe students are eligible for free or
reduced price meals under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.

Free school lunches create jobs and stimulate the economy?

GENERAL PROVISIONS-THIS TITLE
SEC. 101. TEMPORARY INCREASE IN BENEFITS UNDER THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM. (a) :MAXIMUM BENEFIT INCREASE.-
(1) IN GENERAL.-Beginning the first month that begins not less than 25 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the value of benefits determined under section 8(a) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 and consolidated block grants for Puerto Rico and American Samoa determined under section 19(a) of such Act shall be calculated using 113.6 percent of the June 2008 value of the thrifty food plan as specified under section 3(0) of such Act.

Whu-what?

I really have to stop before I hurl on my laptop. This is a conglomeration of liberal pet projects probably collected over the last 10 to 15 years. More than likely none were ever able to get out of committee. Now we have this fiscal "emergency" and we must act "urgently" to pass this bill. Translation: pass it before anyone figures out what's in it!

My Brain Itches!!

If you can figure this out, let me in on it! I was tricked into visiting this blackhole of a time consuming, brain draining, blood pressure raising puzzle of a site by Vulgar Wizard.

Again I ask, "What Happened To My Country?"

This is incredible that the parents in this article are being interrogated for sincerity in regards to their religious beliefs. The topper is that it was instigated by a school district! These people earn their living taking OUR hard earned MONEY!!

Bastards!

Some Tidbits From The Porkulus Bill

The post title is a link to the text of the Porkulus Bill. I'll include some wonderful snippets here for your enjoyment. If you are taking blood pressure or heart medication, have your pills close at hand.

"special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (wic)
For an additional amount for the special supplemental nutrition program as authorized by section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786), $100,000,000, for the purposes specified in section 17(h)(10)(B)(ii) for the Secretary of Agriculture to provide assistance to State agencies to implement new management information systems or improve existing management information systems for the program." - One Hundred Million Dollars! That equals twenty million Little Caesar's $5 pizza's. That's just for information management!

"periodic censuses and programs
For an additional amount for ‘Periodic Censuses and Programs’, $1,000,000,000: Provided, That section 1106 of this Act shall not apply to funds provided under this heading." - One Billion Dollars! That's equal to one million consumers buying a one thousand dollar flat screen TV. But the Census Bureau and programs create jobs!...? Well, technically yes, once every ten years!

"National Telecommunications and Information Administration
salaries and expenses
For an additional amount for ‘Salaries and Expenses’, $350,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2011: Provided, That funds shall be available to establish the State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program, as authorized by Public Law 110-385, for the development and implementation of statewide initiatives to identify and track the availability and adoption of broadband services within each State, and to develop and maintain a nationwide broadband inventory map, as authorized by section 6001 of division B of this Act." - This one speaks for itself. I shouldn't have to explain anything here for it to piss you off.

"National Institute of Standards and Technology
scientific and technical research and services
For an additional amount for ‘Scientific and Technical Research and Services’, $100,000,000." - Can we be any more vague than that?

"industrial technology services
For an additional amount for ‘Industrial Technology Services’, $100,000,000, of which $70,000,000 shall be available for the necessary expenses of the Technology Innovation Program and $30,000,000 shall be available for the necessary expenses of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership." - How is this not pork when specific recipients are named? Why is it we are funding every agencies "necessary expenses"?

"$6,200,000,000 shall be for the Weatherization Assistance Program under part A of title IV of the Energy Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6861 et seq.)." - Yes, that's six billion two hundred million dollars to give away to folks to weatherize their homes. Number of jobs created? (enter amount here____). That amount is about equal to one billion thirty three million McDonald's value meals or forty nine million six hundred thousand trips to the grocery store to spend $125 dollars.

"National Park Service
construction

(including transfer of funds)
For an additional amount for ‘Construction’, $1,700,000,000, for projects to address critical deferred maintenance needs within the National Park System, including roads, bridges and trails, and for other critical infrastructure projects: Provided, That funds may be transferred to ‘Operation of the National Park System’: Provided further, That $200,000,000 of these funds shall be for projects related to the preservation and repair of historical and cultural resources within the National Park System: Provided further, That $15,000,000 of these funds shall be transferred to the ‘Historic Preservation Fund’ for historic preservation projects at historically black colleges and universities as authorized by the Historic Preservation Fund Act of 1996 and the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Act of 1996, except that any matching requirements otherwise required for such projects are waived: Provided further, That the amount set aside from this appropriation pursuant to section 1106 of this Act shall be not more than 5 percent instead of the percentage specified in such section" - What the heck? You tell me! One billion seven hundred million dollars! That would buy 425 million gallons of milk or 850 million loaves of bread or how about 68,000 Chevy Malibu Hybrids? At least they got really specific when describing the spending on "other critical infrastructure projects". That makes me feel much better. I also like how all of these articles allow for the transfer of funds to the "Operations of...". Dump it into their general funds and do whatever you want with it would be a more specific description. Porkulus, Porkulus, Porkulus!!

If you look at each article of the bill in the Department of the Interior section, for example, you will see that each expenditure is for "critical deferred maintenaince" projects. Isn't that an oxymoron? If it's critical it would not have been deferred. What were their budget expenditures that were more critical than critical?

I really have to quit digging into this because I am becoming more disillusioned and pissed off by the minute. These crooks are stealing your money and my money to give to their lobbyist buddies and anyone with their hand outstretched waiting for a "free" dollar.

Bastards!

You Hard Earned Tax Dollars Promoting Discrimination

The soon-to-be-passed Congressional "Porkulus" Bill is an economic nightmare waiting to happen. Not only for the tiny clause that is cited in this article, but for it's entire socialist agenda. Have any of you paid attention to where the Bastards are planning on spending YOUR money? Maybe I can help you see what they are trying to do by ramming this through because it's so urgent.

$600 million dollars for more energy efficient government vehicles! - If you assume that the average car they are purchasing is around $25,000 dollars, that is a purchase of 24,000 cars. Government spending money on itself does not stimulate the economy.

It prohibits the use of funds for..."a project for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron and steel used in the project is domestic, except in certain circumstances." - Well that should ensure that we get the biggest bang for the buck!

"Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to invest in the infrastructure necessary to allow for and promote the electronic exchange and use of health information for each individual in the United States, consistent with the goals outlined in the Strategic Plan developed by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology." - Nope, not Big Brother. Really! All your information will be secure and encrypted so there is no way for there to be a security breach. I promise!

Requires the application of certain federal labor standards to projects financed with clean renewable energy and conservation bonds, zone academy bonds, school construction bonds, and recovery zone economic development bonds." - read: special favor to lobbyists.

"Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act or the HITECH Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Sets forth provisions governing the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that allows for the electronic use and exchange of information. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) to establish incentive payments for certain eligible physicians and hospitals that adopt and use certified electronic health record (EHR) technology meaningfully, beginning in FY2011." - Ok, so 2011 is two years away. This will help the economy right now, HOW? It creates a massive new bueracracy that will never go away! Oh, that must be how. New government agencies employing new government workers using your hard earned money. Bastards!

These are just a few snippets from the nearly 700 pages of pork they are trying to sell to us. This is a crock and the Bastards know it. It's all of their pet projects rolled into a "porkulus" bill spurred by an "emergency" with an urgent request for action from the president. Did anyone happen to mention that this bill would increase your taxes by nearly $3,400 on average. Hmm, I guess we forgot to mention that.

I would urge everyone to at least skim through this monstrosity and see what the Bastards have been hard at work doing. They certainly have some stones. Unfortunately they believe we are all very stupid people. Well, we ARE stupid people for not voting them all out of office!

Bastards!

Hockey AND Politics!

What more could you possibly ask for??

Well, well, well.....

Hillary Clinton ineligible for the position of Secretary of State?

I'm sure the trial lawyers will get in on this one!

Bastards!

Relevant Quote

In today's climate of Kool-Aide chugging Obamamania mainstream media groupies drinking from the deadly socialist fountain of "youth", this quote from Ronald Reagan is all too pertinent.

"The government's view of the economy can be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."

--President Ronald Reagan, 1986

The supposed "stimulus" bill (read: pork scam) is going to prolong the economic woes of this country far longer than a few corporate failings would have. I would like to apologize right now to my grandchildren and their children for the actions of the criminals in Washington D.C. and their whores in the private sector willing bleed me dry of my hard earned money. I think my tag line for all my upcoming posts will be simply - "Bastards!"

What Has This Country Become?

I don't know who we are anymore. The corrupt band of criminals in Washington D.C. have co-opted my children's children's future. These bastards spending money on their whore's like there's no tomorrow. Sorry for the language but that's how I equivocate this fiscal travesty that's happening. Feel free to see where some of YOUR hard earned income is going. Here I am working and trying to get by at my trivial "job" while these bastards are giving criminals BILLIONS of dollars so their companies won't fail. Somehow they are too big or too important to fail. Excuse me...if you are crooked and run your company into the ground, it should fail!! After it fails YOU should go to jail and get a maximum sentence in the general population. Then you can become Bubba's bitch and see how it feels to be a regular Joe. You can get it just the way the rest of us are getting it. Scum bags. I understand that this is not the "me" that you are used to reading. It IS the me that is incredibly pissed off!

I learned today that all the employees of our company are required to take one week off without pay before the end of March. Hello? Washington? Where's our bailout? I know that a week without pay is better than no job at all. However, why don't they give me my tax money back instead of spending "$150,000,000 to provide emergency relief to eligible producers of livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish to aid in the reduction of losses due to disease, adverse weather, or other conditions, such as blizzards and wildfires, as determined by the Secretary".

Corrupt Bastards - Every one of them!!! You people need to wake up! You get what you vote for. If you voted for one single incumbent, I can only hope that you are looking back at your voting propensity with great dismay. The Founding Fathers are churning in their graves.

I'm signing off to go have a siezure in the quiet comfort of my padded room.

Cool Morning Sunrise

Westbound Amtrak Capitol Corridor #523
Originally uploaded by sharkzƒan

Just wanted to share a sunrise with folks because I have really been neglectful of my blog as of late. We have a grandson on the way so we've been pretty busy with baby shower preparations and just general grandparent stuff. That sounds really wierd to be speaking of myself as a grandparent! Ack!

Maple Bacon Doughnut

Maple Bacon dounut
Originally uploaded by ibison4

I know it sounds bizarre, but I think this would really taste good! You can get maple bacon or a donut so why not maple bacon on a donut? Homer Simpson should know about these treats!

Still Alive

It's been a ridiculously long time since I've posted anything at all and I suppose there are rumors of my untimely demise. So I'm figuring something is better than nothing! So here's something I found amusing and entertaining as well as unique.