Your New And Exciting Car By The United States Government

When the U.S. Government took over GM, you knew things were going to get bad, but when you have the New York Times ripping on you, you know it has to be bad.
G.M. came out with a new car, the Volt, and the New York Times has this to say about the car:
"For starters, G.M.’s vision turned into a car that costs $41,000 before relevant tax breaks ... but after billions of dollars of government loans and grants for the Volt’s development and production. And instead of the sleek coupe of 2007, it looks suspiciously similar to a Toyota Prius. It also requires premium gasoline, seats only four people (the battery runs down the center of the car, preventing a rear bench) and has less head and leg room than the $17,000 Chevrolet Cruze, which is more or less the non-electric version of the Volt." ...
So the future of General Motors (and the $50 billion taxpayer investment in it) now depends on a vehicle that costs $41,000 but offers the performance and interior space of a $15,000 economy car. The company is moving forward on a second generation of Volts aimed at eliminating the initial model’s considerable shortcomings. (In truth, the first-generation Volt was as good as written off inside G.M., which decided to cut its 2011 production volume to a mere 10,000 units rather than the initial plan for 60,000.) Yet G.M. seemingly has no plan for turning its low-volume “eco-flagship” into a mass-market icon like the Prius.....
Quantifying just how much taxpayer money will have been wasted on the hastily developed Volt is no easy feat. Start with the $50 billion bailout (without which none of this would have been necessary), add $240 million in Energy Department grants doled out to G.M. last summer, $150 million in federal money to the Volt’s Korean battery supplier, up to $1.5 billion in tax breaks for purchasers and other consumer incentives, and some significant portion of the $14 billion loan G.M. got in 2008 for “retooling” its plants, and you’ve got some idea of how much taxpayer cash is built into every Volt.
In the end, making the bailout work — whatever the cost — is the only good reason for buying a Volt. The car is not just an environmental hair shirt (a charge leveled at the Prius early in its existence), it is an act of political self-denial as well.
If G.M. were honest, it would market the car as a personal donation for, and vote of confidence in, the auto bailout. Unfortunately, that’s not the kind of cross-branding that will make the Volt a runaway success.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/30/opinion/30neidermeyer.html?_r=3
So, GM is making a car that no will buy unless you are a glutton for punishment. Even though it's priced as a luxury car, it's not even that. Hell, my KIA Spectra seats more the Volt. You have to charge the battery every night and it uses premium gasoline.
But, GM and the Obama administration could have stopped the Volt when they found out that this was going to be a loser of a car (from the same article): In short, the Volt appears to be exactly the kind of green-at-all-costs car that some opponents of the bailout feared the government might order G.M. to build. Unfortunately for this theory, G.M. was already committed to the Volt when it entered bankruptcy. And though President Obama’s task force reported in 2009 that the Volt “will likely be too expensive to be commercially successful in the short term,” it didn’t cancel the project.
Nor did the government or G.M. decide to sell the Volt at a loss, which, paradoxically, might have been the best hope for making it profitable. Consider the Prius. Back in 1997, Toyota began selling the high-tech, first-of-its-kind car in Japan for about $17,000, even though each model cost $32,000 to build.
This is what happens when you demand that everything turn Green. This is the Obama administration and Harry Reid's vision of the future. Green no matter what Who cares if no one buys the car. That it will put GM even more in debt to the U.S. government doesn't matter.
This car is a farce, just like most green energy projects.

Las Vegas Sun: Pravda Of Las Vegas

Pravda Of Las Vegas

Flashback to when the old Soviet Union was still around, they had the Pravda newspaper. The Pravda was the mouth piece of the Soviet Government. They mostly reported good things about the government and if there bad things, they wouldn't report it or they make a bad report look good. They would also demonize the government's opponents. In the West, Pravda was a joke and from what I have read, Pravda wasn't very well respected in the Soviet Union either.

Now, in 2010, we have the similar version of Pravda here in Las Vegas. Of course, there are liberal newspapers throughout the United States, most of them actually, but when it comes to imitating Pravda, you can not get a more glaring example of the Las Vegas Sun.

The Sun makes no bones about it, they are the whores for Harry Reid and Rory No Last Name. The Sun are the prostitutes and the Reid's are the pimps and johns.

Just like Pravda, the Sun refuses to run news stories that make the Reids look bad. They won't run poor poll numbers for the Reids, just the good ones. The latest polls show Harry Reid barely beating Sharron Angle, leading by 1 point. No story. But when Reid was up by 8 points, the Sun was gleefully reporting Reid was up by that amount. Rory No Last Name has been beaten up by Brian Sandoval in the polls but if you read the Sun, you would never realize it. I can't even remember the last time the Sun has run a poll in the governor's race.

They won't run stories about the CCFD firefighter's union criticizing Rory No Last Name, even though the vast majority of media in the Valley have reported on it. But Jon Ralston is trying to make a mountain about a quote that Sandoval may have made or not made about his children. It's a quote that has nothing to do with the race for governor.

The Sun also loves to demonize the political opponents of the Reid's. They have employed Jon Ralston as a columnist and blogger. Ralston demonizes his opponents, which is no surprise. What is surprising is how he does it. He has resorted to racism, lying, distorting the truth, not reporting news and so much more. I don't like to call people names, unless it is warranted, but in this case, it is clear, Jon Ralston is a racist. (http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2010/07/now-jon-ralston-is-racist.html) Jon Ralston is a liar and has been on several occasions including claiming to see three polls showing Harry Reid leading. when called out on it, he refused to cite the polls.

Brian Greenspun, the editor of the Las Vegas Sun, is a limousine liberal, who has inherited the Sun from his mother and father and he loves to demonize conservatives while calling for civility in discussions. He claims, with a straight face, that conservatives want to destroy democracy. He wants voters to be thoughtful int he voting booth, you are only thoughtful if you vote for Democrats. He is just a total clown who you can not take seriously.

Then you have Anjeannte Damon, who is a journalist and a very liberal blogger. The only problem is that Damon blogs about the people she writes about as a journalist. Her bias is quite obvious in her news stories that sometimes you cannot tell if she is blogging or writing a "news" story. Her "stories" and blogs can be intertwined.

The old editors of Pravda would be proud that there is a newspaper in the United States that imitate their newspaper. They would be proud of the racism, the demonizing of opponents, the lying, the distorting of the facts, the refusal to report on real news stories and the lunacy of it's editors.

Maybe this is the actual goal of the Las Vegas Sun, become an old style Soviet Union communist party newspaper. If it is, they have been successful.

New Governor Poll, Same Old Results

From Channel 8, KLAS: If the 2010 election for Governor were held today, who would you vote for: Rory No Last Name: 31%
Brian Sandoval: 50%
Other 2% None of these 3%
Undecided: 14%
http://www.8newsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12901638
As far as raising taxes, in the survey, people would like to see the mining and gaming tax increased as opposed to other taxes, such as personnel and business income taxes, sales tax and applying sales tax to more businesses.
Finally, Rory No Last Name had a 28% voter approval rate and a 40% disapproval rate.
Sandoval has a 49% favorable rating with a 17% unfavorable rating.
Turn out the lights, the party is over (almost)
I wonder when the Las Vegas Sun will run these numbers. Yes, I know, they won't.

Scary Slideshow Of Unemployment Since 2007

From the American Observer:
If you want to see something scary and a hint as to why we will not get out of this recession and unemployment problem quickly, click on the video:


h/t: cranky hermit: http://crankyhermit.blogspot.com/

Arizona Police Killing Gets Stranger

Last night at this time, it was thought that the Chandler police officers who were shot were carrying hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash. Well, maybe not. It also has been revealed that none of the suspects in the case are illegals.
From Arizona Central: Chandler's fatal narcotics operation at a south Phoenix home Wednesday was a drug bust gone sour, a deal that resulted in death, a confrontation over bales of marijuana worth up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, Phoenix police said.
The shootout that felled a Chandler detective and two suspects may have started after the targets of the investigation resorted to robbery, turning the tables on three Chandler criminal-investigations unit members, said Phoenix police Sgt. Steve Martos....Altogether, there are eight suspects, aged 25 to 40. Two suspects were killed, one has been hospitalized and five have been arrested on charges ranging from murder to possession of marijuana with the intent to sell.
The five in custody were identified as Thadika Singleton, 38, John Webber, 37, Doarnell Jackson, 35, Jerry Wayne Cockhearn, 25, and Eldridge Gittens, 34. None was charged with being in the country illegally. http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/07/30/20100730phoenix-police-drug-bust-gone-wrong.html

But in another story in the same paper: Chandler police detectives were selling 500 pounds of marijuana in an operation called a "reversal'' when they became the victims of a botched drug rip-off in south Phoenix, according to court records released Friday.
Two defendants in the fatal shooting of Detective Carlos Ledesma, 34, identified in the documents as Thadika Singleton and John Howard Webber III, showed police $250,000, demonstrating they had the cash to buy the pot. They showed the money during a meeting with undercover agents at a fast food restaurant at 19th Avenue and Broadway Road in Phoenix.Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/07/30/20100730chandler-officers-shootout-tried-to-sell-pot.html#ixzz0vEfV9h1o

Since I am not in law enforcement, so I am not in the know, but to me it seems strange that the cops are selling 500 pounds of pot. Maybe these guys were big time dealers (the thugs, not the cops) and they were the suppliers for the area.
But whatever the reason for the drug deal, an officer is dead, his family is grieving and a police department is in mourning.

Why Isn't The Las Vegas Sun Covering The Protests Of The CCFD Firefighters?

The Clark County Fire Department firefighters have been protesting the cut backs within the CCFD, especially the closing of the Haz-Mat and Heavy Rescue units. They have taken out advertisements and Clark County responded. The firefighters went to protest in the neighborhoods in Rory No Last Name's district by going door to door explaining to the residents about the cuts.
You would think this is news. The LVRJ thinks it is and is all over it, giving it attention, even though the writers really don't how to question the union or administration. Channel 8 thinks it is important. Channel 13 thinks it is important. Channel 3 thinks it is important.
But the Las Vegas Sun Doesn't think it is important? Why?
It involves a public safety concern according to the firefighters union. The Clark County administration says no. There are protests and firefighters going door to door. And that's not a story? Wow!
Could it be that Rory No Last Name is at the focal point and the union is making him look bad? Ding, ding, ding!!! We have a winner.
The Las Vegas Sun is putting Rory No Last Name above public safety and a legitimate and that is shameful. If the union was targeting Steve Sisolak, the Sun would be all over this story but because it involves Rory No Last Name, The Las Vegas Sun, under the direction of Brian Greenspun, thinks the public is to stupid to figure out what they are doing.

Jon Ralston Changes Stance On Racist "News Article", But Still Is Racist

On Thursday, Jon Ralston, on his blog, posted an extremely racist "column" by the news director of Univision. http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2010/07/now-jon-ralston-is-racist.html
Well, today, Ralston, in attempting to make a mountain out of ant hill, says this about the racist article: "But the reporter who did the interview and several other staffers told the news director about the conversation shortly afterward, which explains how it appeared in her column for El Tiempo. It is that column where the remark first appeared – and its vitriolic (and inappropriate for a news executive) attack on Sandoval surely has caused fits for the Univision higher-ups. Indeed, the staffers and the reporter/anchor have been asked by higher-ups and all told the same or similar stories as to what Sandoval said."
http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/ralstons-flash/2010/jul/30/univision-we-stand-story-sandovals-remarks-theres-/
Ok, if this column was inappropriate for a news executive and vitriolic, why did Ralston print the entire article? Why hasn't Ralston condemned the article as racist?
Well, probably because Ralston doesn't think the article was racist, which just shows his blatant racism.
Ralston is so desperate to help Rory No Last Name and Harry Reid that he will stop at nothing to slander Sharron Angle and Brian Sandoval and that includes lying, manufacturing scandals and blatant racism. Journalistic ethics mean nothing to Ralston. I have read many journalists in my time and the duo of Ralston and Brian Greenspun, editor of the Las Vegas Sun are the two worst and most ethically challenged journalists I have ever seen or read.
With the exception of the liberal Kool Aide drinkers, I think most people see through these to clowns, or at least I hope so.

CCFD Union Following National Union's Playbook

The CCFD firefighters union is going off the deep end by taking plays out of the national fire fighter's playbook.

Now, they are going door to door in Rory No Last Name's commissioner's district complaining about the closing down of the heavy rescue truck from Station 21.

From the LVRJ: "This choice, which was made by Commissioner Reid, was a bad choice," said Kendrick, a firefighter-paramedic.
Kendrick and the others say they didn't set out to undermine Reid's gubernatorial campaign, but the dispute between a Democratic candidate and a high-profile union was the reason the door-knocking effort is making headlines and news highlights around Las Vegas.
The firefighters blame Reid for cutbacks that eliminated a heavy rescue unit and a hazardous materials team, cuts they say jeopardize public safety.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/firefighters-hit-streets-99607269.html

I hate to say it, but the firefighters union is making Rory No Last Name look like a sympathetic character. It's so bad that the Las Vegas Sun won't even cover the union's protests because it makes Rory No Last Name look bad. If they had targeted Steve Sisolak, I guarantee you the Las Vegas Sun would be covering this with a lot of vigor.

But what the union is doing is trying to protect their little fiefdom and they are doing what many fire department unions are doing across the nation when their department is faced with layoffs or closing down fire stations. They use "fear" as an intimidator. The "chicken little" syndrome is alive and well in both the local union here and the national union (IAFF).

If you Google "firefighters picket", you will get a list where firefighters have picketed government agencies when there have been layoffs or reduced staffing. Cities include Flint, MI., Buffalo NY., Battle Creek, MI., North Providence, RI., Richmond, CA., Fort Walton Beach, FL., Hartford, CT., and many many more.

So, the CCFD is just playing mind games right now. They are throwing temper tantrums because their overtime is being reduced which means their pay is being cut and in some cases, drastically.

If the union was serious about getting the Haz-Mat and Heavy rescue truck back in service, they need to agree on cross staff the units with an engine or truck crew. If they don't want this, then all they are doing is playing lip service about safety of the residents of Clark County.

As an aside, the above picture is a picture of the mobile air unit that has been taken out of service full time.

LVRJ Editorial Nails It

From The LVRJ:"The president used a Wednesday visit to a New Jersey sandwich shop to tout a bill that would let community banks tap a $30 billion government fund (all borrowed from somewhere else, of course), and use that capital to extend up to $300 billion in loans to small businesses. The legislation also includes limited tax breaks for those businesses....
The hypocrisy and election-year posturing of Washington Democrats is pretty galling, even by the low standards they've set over the past four years. They demand that businesses start hiring the unemployed, yet they're relentlessly pursuing an economically destructive agenda that piles new regulations and uncertainty on employers and the investors they depend on. From health care reform to financial reform to cap-and-trade, from the looming expiration of the Bush tax cuts to talk of a national sales tax, they're giving businesses more and more reasons not to hire.
Businesses have to increase their sales before they even think of hiring, let alone borrowing. What good is a tax break for restaurants and retailers that remodel their locations or open new ones -- as this new legislation proposes -- when they don't have enough customers to cover the debt payments on all those new costs?" http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/giving-the-business-99611124.html

The LVRJ nails it. The Obama administration along with Reid, Titus and Berkley promise new taxes and increase in regulations. Why should private employers hire people when they may have to lay them off in a few months. Tax breaks are not going help. A business is not going to hire someone just because it is the nice thing to do. They are going to hire someone because they need the help. Employers are going to keep their expenses low as possible and the biggest expense usually is labor.
Why the Democrats don't understand this is beyond me.

More Interesting Poll Numbers

So more Mason-Dixon poll numbers for Nevada.
http://www.8newsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12898927
Favorable Ratings for the Senate candidates:
Reid has a 51% unfavorable opinion Angle has a 47% unfavorable opinion.

President Obama's approval rating:
Favorable: 39%
Unfavorable: 55% (Obama won Nevada in 2008 with 55 % of the vote)

Is the Country on the right or wrong track
Right Track: 34%
Unfavorable: 60%

Do you feel President Obama's actions to stabilize the economy have:
Improved the nation's economic situation : 29%
Hurt the nation's economic situation 40%
Had little effect on the nation's economic situation 24%

When it comes to stimulating economic growth, improving the economy and reducing unemployment, which party do you feel would do a better job if they controlled Congress – the Democrats or the Republicans?
GOP: 45%
Democrats: 40%

Repealing Obama Care:
Repeal it: 52%
Keep it: 38%
http://www.8newsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12898927

Things do not bode well for the Democrats in Nevada in November. Clearly, the State has turned from middle left to middle right.

New Mason-Dixon Poll Shows Angle-Reid Almost A Dead Heat

Today, the LVRJ and Channel 8 released a poll showing Sharron Angle tightening up her race against Harry Reid. From Channel 8:
Candidate

Harry Reid, Democrat
43%
Sharron Angle, Republican
42%
Another party candidate
2%
None of these
7%
Undecided
6%
http://www.8newsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12898927

A couple of weeks ago, this same poll showed that Reid was beating Angle by 8 points and now it is a 1 point difference? This is why Mason-Dixon is not as trust worthy as a poll as compared to Rasmussen.
But the damaged had been done for several weeks. The Las Vegas Sun trumpeted this poll on their web site and newspaper. The columnists at the LVRJ and Sun were gleeful, writing Angle's obituary. Jon Ralston was painfully deceitful and dishonest.
But now, it is a dead heat and Reid must be getting nervous. Reid had Obama in for a visit and that didn't help him. Reid has been running a lot of commercials demonizing Angle and it has not helped him. Angle has done a pathetic job campaigning so far and she is statistically in a dead heat or even leading. So, what changed? My guess is that the poll taken several weeks ago was inaccurate.
Here's a good bet to take. The Las Vegas Sun will not run an article on this poll.

Race To The Top Faltering?

From Fox News: "President Obama’s $4 billion education initiative to spur school reform has become a veritable piñata as the program heads into its second round. Not only has Congress raided the account to pay for teacher layoffs to be averted, prompting a White House veto threat of the war supplemental to which it’s attached, but there’s a quiet rebellion going on by some in the education community to ditch the program. So why has the contest lost some of its shine? According to the ranking member on the House Education and Labor Committee, it’s a loss of confidence in the system.
“Competition is generally a good thing,” says Minnesota Republican Representative John Kline. “The question is fair, whose doing the judging? How’s the point system put together? Let’s face it, in anything like this where you have judges, whether it’s an Olympic diving competition or something like this, you have some subjectivity. In your state you would like to know what the rules are and want as little subjectivity as possible.”
Minnesota recently joined eight other states in opting out the second round of the contest."
http://congress.blogs.foxnews.com/tag/taxpayer-calculator/?test=latestnews
As I stated in a previous post, this is evil money.
With No Child Left Behind, there was a goal to get as many kids to be proficient int he basics as possible. It was a good program until it's goals became unrealistic, like saying 100% of students will be proficient. That's impossible and that is why NCLB, while starting good has ended up as a failure.
The Race To The Top is just a liberal education fad and it is not realistic. Why should states have to compete against each other? If everyone meets a certain standard, everyone should share in the pie. It should tell you something that 8 states won't even bother putting in applications.
The Race To The Top money is evil and Nevada shouldn't even bother going after it. We are just jumping through hoops and for what? Being told by Washington D.C. how to run our school districts and our schools. For me, no thank you.

Border Patrol Raids Las Vegas Bus Station

From Channel 8 KLAS News: "A bus filled with nearly 60 people was parked in front of the American Lion and Tufesa bus station. It was headed through Arizona and Mexico.
At 8:30 a.m., several unmarked vans and vehicles pulled up and officers in plain clothes boarded the bus.
Rogelio Gaytan, the bus station owner, saw the raid. "They started asking for documents from the people and the people who couldn't prove they had legal papers to be in the U.S. were taken away," he said.
Gaytan approached the officers and asked for their identification and they refused to comply. Sixteen people were escorted into vans and taken away."
But you have an liberal idiot who wants his 15 seconds of fame: Michael Flores, with Progressive Now, heard of the raid and arrived on scene. It was then that the officers identified themselves as agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency out of Yuma, Arizona.
They told Flores they were there to catch smugglers and check for drug activity. Flores said they did not confirm whether drugs were found, but that they did take those 16 people away.
"This is Nevada. This is not Arizona. They have no right to be here and enforcing their laws here," he said. http://www.8newsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12895885
Hey moron Flores, these were Federal officers doing their job. Their jurisdiction is the United States. Can you be more stupid?
I am glad that this raid was held. There is also a bus station on Eastern and Washington that has buses that go from Las Vegas to El Paso and Juarez. Stop by their some time and you will have a field day.
I wonder if these busts are politically related. Earlier this week, ICE said they were going to local jails and deport illegals that have been arrested and now this. Can it be an election year stunt? I hope not and I hope these kind of raids continue.

President Obama Visits The View, Screws The Boy Scouts

President Obama thought it was more important to spend time the View women than the Boy Scouts who were celebrating their 100th anniversary at their Jamboree they hold every 4 years.


Stay classy, Mr. President.

Jack Rousch Transfered To Mayo Clinic

From the Oshkosh Northwestern: "NASCAR team owner Jack Roush has been transferred to the Mayo Clinic following surgery on facial injuries he sustained in a plane crash Tuesday at Wittman Regional Airport.

Roush Fenway Racing said in a statement Thursday that Roush was taken to the Mayo Clinic on Wednesday and is in serious but stable condition. The team does not say what kind of injuries he has from the accident Tuesday night.
Roush had surgery at Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah."

http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/20100729/OSH0107/100729065/Jack-Roush-transferred-to-Mayo-Clinic?GID=aMAOWEshnFXBARFg7WpGbzyOjUh7h3WXtSz4IQZvR9s%3D

Something tells me Rouch's injuries are worse than they are letting on. Theda Clark is an excellent hospital, one of the best in Wisconsin and Rousch has no ties to Minnesota that I can see.

Anyways, good luck to the Cat in the Hat and I hope he has a fast recovery. I also hope Matt Kenseth will give him a get well victory this Sunday.

A Question For Dina Titus

Dr. Joe Heck has a question for Rep. Dina Titus, PhD.: "Today, the Friends of Joe Heck campaign released the following statement as the former Chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, Charlie Rangel, prepares for his legal debut. The House ethics committee will release the detailed results of its Rangel probe Thursday. A special investigative subcommittee has already concluded there is “substantial reason to believe” that he broke House ethics rules. “Dina Titus is trying to pull a fast one on Southern Nevada by returning only the Rangel contributions from this cycle. Nevadans want to know if she plans on returning the $14,000 in dirty money that propelled her to victory in 2008. Dina Titus was sent to Congress using the same dishonest money that thrust Rangel from his powerful Chairmanship into the defendant's chair. Dina Titus has already voted to defend the tax-cheating Representative once; Nevadans are watching to see if she will stand by him again as he faces a jury of his peers,” said Grant Hewitt."
Congressional investigators subpoenaed dozens of witness and gathered thousands of pages of documents looking into the charges against Rangel. Allegations against the former Chairman include his failure to report hundreds of thousands of dollars of income and assets, abuse of his Ways and Means Committee post to protect a donor to the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service and failure to pay taxes on rental income for a resort home in the Dominican Republic.

In 2008, Dina Titus accepted $10,000 from the "National Leadership PAC," Charlie Rangel's Political Action Committee. (National Leadership PAC and Rangel for Congress 2008 FEC reports, accessed 7/29/2010)

In 2008, Dina Titus accepted $4,000 from "Rangel for Congress."
http://e2ma.net/map/view=CampaignPublic/id=24610.8491645998/rid=5241dae870444ae708417c96d3016700
How about it, Rep. Titus, PhD? How come your buddy, Nancy Pelosi promised the American people the most ethical Congress ever and she has failed this promise. Why have you been silent on this issue?
Also, would you like to comment to the press how much you despise Charles Rangle and would like to see him punished?
Your silence on the subject is quite telling.

Update On Arizona Police Officer's Death

Last night a Chandler, AZ police officer was hot and killed and 2 other officers were wounded. In addition, two thugs were shot dead and 6 more were detained.
The name of the officer was just released. His name is Carlos Ledesma, 34 years old. http://odmp.org/officer/20484-police-officer-carlos-ledesma
From the Arizona Republic: During a Thursday press conference, Chandler officials said Officer Ledesma was killed during an undercover operation to purchase a large quantity of marijuana.
"(He) gave his life last night for this community," said Chandler Police Chief Sherry Kiyler
It's still unclear exactly how things went wrong, but officials said they're investigating the possibility that the drug dealers planned to rob the undercover officers. The officers had hundreds of thousands of dollars on them to make the purchase, officials said.
"They have not admitted that is what they were doing, but that is what we are looking at," said Phoenix Police spokesman Sgt. Steve Martos. Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/07/29/20100729chandler-police-officer-killed-reaction0729.html#ixzz0v7PxjTRJ
My question is why the officers had hundreds of thousands of dollars on them. I admit I don't know all that much about undercover police work, but officers having hundreds of thousands of dollars on them seems to be a bit unusual, if not unheard of to buy drugs. It is also strange that the officers were shot in Phoenix, not in Chandler.
Was this operation just a Chandler operation or was DEA involved?
Again, we don't know anything about the suspects- are there illegals involved? If so, all hell should break loose.

New Poll: Reid 45% Angle 43%

Rasmussen came out with it's latest poll and it shows that Harry Reid has over taken Sharon Angle, 45-43%. These poll numbers are not as bad what has been reported in the LVRJ but it still is disappointing.
From Rasmussen: "The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Nevada finds Reid with 45% of the vote, while Angle earns 43% support. Seven percent (7%) favor some other candidate, and four percent (4%) are undecided.
But 48% of the state’s voters have a Very Unfavorable view of Reid. Forty-one percent (41%) say the same of Angle. Overall, 55% have at least a somewhat unfavorable opinion of Reid and 56% view Angle at least somewhat unfavorably.
Sixty-two percent (62%) describe the longtime Democratic senator as a liberal, and 50% characterize his views as extreme. Forty-one percent (41%) put Reid in the mainstream.
Angle, who is seen as a conservative by 81% of the state’s voters, is viewed as holding extreme views by 58%. Thirty-seven percent (37%) see the GOP nominee in the mainstream."
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/nevada/election_2010_nevada_senate

This has to be disappointing to the Angle camp. But it is her and her campaigns own fault. They have put out terrible advertisements, she looks unnatural, she doesn't reach out to supporters, it looks like she is on vacation for the next few weeks according to her terrible web site and she is not taking on Harry Reid.
We conservatives want a fighter. Harry Reid, for all of his faults, is a fighter and that is why he is leading right now.
Angle better get into gear now and not in September because it will be too late.

In another poll taken by Rasmussen, President Obama is tanking in Nevada. He was elected with 55% in Nevada and now his favorable rating is now just 43%, down 5% since earlier this month. And why is Sharron Angle not linking Reid and Obama as joined at the hip? More screw ups by the Angle campaign.

A Televison Ad That Sharron Angle and Dr. Joe Heck Should Use

h/t Dad 29
Moonbattery

Now, Jon Ralston Is A Racist

Whenever you think that Jon Ralston, of the Las Vegas Sun can't get any lower, Ralston proves us wrong. Now he comes out shows that he is a racist. We have already shown that he is a liar, a hard core liberal, throws softball questions to liberals, a coward and now today, he shows himself to be a racist. In a blog about the governor's race, Ralston copies a piece written by an equally racist "columnist", Adriana Arévalo, News Director, Univision Nevada.
Apparently in Arévalo's mind, all Hispanics or Mexicans must act alike. From Arévalo and Ralston's column: "His advisors should be more careful about what they have him do, say and not say. First he was in favor of driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants, then he thought it over and said no. In reality, it was his campaign directors who thought it over, because a Republican can’t think like that."
So, if you are Mexican, you have to be in favor of letting illegal immigrants have driver's licenses. That's right, all every Hispanic must think alike.
Next: "his campaign must have psychologically prepared him so he wouldn’t suffer some sort of trauma upon seeing himself identified as Hispanic"
So, a person has to be prepared psychologically prepared to be Hispanic? Really, Jon and Arévalo? Wow, tell that to any kid growing up who is Hispanic or even worse, tell that kid who comes from a mixed race household where one parent is Hispanic. Do they have to be psychologically prepared?
More racism: "It wasn’t long ago that he said in an interview on Univision that he vehemently supported Arizona’s anti-immigrant law" So, apparently, to be sufficiently Mexican or Hispanic, you have to be against Arizona's anti-illegal immigrant law.
"So it is that he is Hispanic without being proud of the fact; he is not sure how to be Hispanic and clearly doesn’t understand what it means to be one of us in this country". Sandoval doesn't understand what it means to be one us in this country? Pray tell, Ralston and Arévalo, and what would that be?
And finally, the most racist part of Ralston's blog: "I suppose all being fair in this case means trying to brainwash voters into believing that this man who appears to be Mexican -- but doesn’t speak Spanish and is anti-immigrant -- is like us. What I would like to know is if they have finished convincing him, because in the end, the least-assured that he is Hispanic is poor Brian."
http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/ralstons-flash/2010/jul/28/sandoval-i-never-said-my-kids-dont-look-hispanic/
So, to be Hispanic, you have to believe certain things. You have to belong to the liberal plantation. You have to think alike. You have to believe in the same things and if you don't you are not Hispanic. That is extremely racist. I suppose a black has to be a liberal and vote Democrat, so apparently in the eyes of Ralston and Arévalo, the great Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas isn't a black person.
So, tonight, when Ralston gets home, will he put on a white robe and hood, just like Robert Byrd and David Duke?
Will Arévalo go home and act all Hispanic, whatever that is?
Just when you think the Las Vegas Sun and Jon Ralston can't get any lower, they do. But how do you top this? Racism is very ugly and Ralston just showed the world that he is a very ugly person by being a racist.
Why are liberals racist and why do they get away with it? Why is Ralston racist? Time and time again, we have seen liberals who are racist but it is accepted in the liberal community. So, I ask again, why are many liberals in Las Vegas, racist?

Chandler AZ Police Officer Shot And Killed

A Chandler police officer was shot and killed tonight during an undercover operation: A Chandler police officer and two criminal suspects were killed in a shootout when an undercover operation went awry in south Phoenix on Wednesday evening.
Two other officers and two suspects were wounded. One of the officers was in critical condition and undergoing emergency surgery Wednesday night. Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Steve Martos said Chandler police were engaged in an undercover operation involving about a dozen officers, including members of the department's SWAT team, when shooting erupted inside a home in the 2300 block of West Maldonado Road.
The names of the dead were not available late Wednesday.
Emergency crews were called to the scene, near south 23rd Avenue and Vineyard Road, around 6:45 p.m. When they arrived, two suspects were dead, and three Chandler officers and two other suspects were suffering from gunshot wounds. Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2010/07/29/20100729policeshot0729.html#ixzz0v4TUFhNZ
From a Phoenix TV station, it says the suspects are mostly black (5) and a Hispanic(1)
http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/south_phoenix/pd-officers-south-phoenix
I guarantee you that if an illegal immigrant is involved in this shooting, all hell will break out.
Gob Bless the officer, his or her family and the officers and personnel at the Chandler Police Department.

Las Vegas Sun: Do They Support Trickle Down Economics Or Don't They?

Proving that the editorial writers at the Las Vegas Sun really don't have a clue about anything they write comes this gem from today's editorial: "They are fixed on worthless trickle-down economic theories and on anything that helps only those individuals and corporate giants in the upper tax brackets. They have shown they couldn’t care less about Main Street."
Ok, so they don't support trickle down economics. Or do they? From the same editorial: We urge the Senate to pass the bill quickly so small businesses can begin to hire more workers, purchase equipment and expand operations. All of that would have a ripple effect on local economies, particularly in hard-hit Southern Nevada, where employment growth would be most welcome. WTF, they are talking about trickle down economics and it is a good thing.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/jul/29/helping-main-street/
The Onion could not make this stuff up.
Brought to you by the mental midgets at the Las Vegas Sun.

Clark County Fires Back At CCFD Firefighters, Defends Rory No Last Name

Clark County management has responded to the claims that the CCFD unions have made in advertisements and in the press regarding the closing down of the Haz-Mat and the Heavy Rescue truck in the past month. The County goes blow by blow against the union and it defends Rory No Last Name against the union, some of it justified and other not.
http://media.lvrj.com/documents/Clark_county_Fire_IAFF_Fact_Checking_0710.pdf
Here is the union bash against Clark County: http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2010/07/ccfd-union-declares-war-on-rory-no-last.html

This is the bottom line, both sides are wrong. If the union and county want the heavy rescue and haz mat units in operation, they have to allow cross-staffing of the units. They need to cross staff the units with an engine or ladder company but from what I can see, union rules don't allow this. A haz-mat and heavy rescue squad does not need to be staffed 24/7. Most fire departments around the country cross staff different units within a department. Some departments cross staff ambulances and a engine. Other departments cross staff heavy rescue with a engine or ladder crew and same with haz-mat.
The union is right that a haz mat or heavy rescue squad is needed. But in 99.9% o the cases, the first responders can stabilize the situation while it waits for the haz mat and heavy rescue units to arrive, no matter what the distance.
The County also puts out false information: The typical County fire engine (E34) arrives on scene far more often at 2,199 times.
Engine 34 is the only apparatus at the station and the vast majority of the calls they go on are medical calls, as they are the first responder to any medical call or emergency call in their area. They are not a typical engine and the county portrays this engine company is just going on fire calls, accidents and other engine only calls. It is not the typical engine company. For more information on engine 34: http://fire.co.clark.nv.us/(S(xraaoz45fdtzyub41uk4ftyx))/Station.aspx?id=34
More false Clark County information: Further, responding to these calls would help offset the
4,000 calls the County responds to within the city.
What they don't mention is the number of times the City also goes into Clark County. I teach at a school in the City of Las Vegas and about 15 times a year, we need the ambulance. Most of the time, we get City equipment, but other times, we get County equipment every now and then. When I was at a fire scene at Sahara and Maryland (or close to it), both the City and County responded. The City and County have a great relationship and both departments respond to calls in and out of their jurisdiction. The same goes with North Las Vegas and Henderson.
So, from what I can see, both sides are stretching the truth or just lying. There are simple solutions to the problems but both sides want to be in a pissing match to see which one can piss more. Maybe both the union and the County can piss on an electric fence and shock both of them back into reality.

A Question Sharron Angle Should be Asking But Isn't

Question: Harry Reid was re-elected 6 years ago and is the Senate Majority Leader: Are you better off now or 6 years ago? I suspect most people would say they are better off 6 years ago when unemployment was low and property prices were high and few foreclosures. Taxes were lower, fewer regulations, less fear in the economy and more trust in the government. Jobs were numerous and we didn't have a president who picked on Las Vegas. There were fewer problems with illegals committing crime, sucking off social services, taking away jobs, and no threat of amnesty.
Why isn't Sharron Angle asking this question?

Democrat Liberal Judge Rules On Arizona Illegal Immigration Bill

Ok, so a liberal, Bill Clinton appointed Democrat judge threw out parts of the Arizona illegal immigrant bill. That's no surprise since the judge really wanted to suck up to Obama and his racist ilk. This is just the beginning of the battle against law breaking illegals.
For now, illegals, for the most part, can continue to break American's laws, commit more crimes, suck off the United States and states and local government's money trough, get free education and medical care along with welfare and other social services, not pay taxes and take away jobs from people already living here. The fact that the majority of Americans support Arizona means nothing to this corrupt judge.
For a good reading on why the judge is corrupt: http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ODg2MWRmNWNlOTUwNDdiMWMwNGVlZDM0YjJkM2M3Mzg=
This judge is just sucking up to the Obama administration in hopes to get a higher court appointment. Legally, there is no rational for what the judge did. But power corrupts and this judge is corrupt.

C-17 Crashes In Alaska

A C-17 has crashed at Elmendorf AFB, near Anchorage AK. and it doesn't look to find any survivors.

http://www.adn.com/2010/07/28/1385727/cargo-plane-reported-down-on-base.html

When I lived near Nellis, I would see C-17's take off and land and they are an impressive cargo plane. The C-17 would appear at the Nellis air show in November and it is quite impressive at what the plane can do.

God bless the crew their families and the Elemendorf AFB personnel.

Top Chef: Liberal Version

I was watching Top Chef-Washington D.C. tonight. They had to make a big dinner for a bunch of Washington D.C. big wigs. Only liberals were invited to eat the dinner, apparently conservatives were not allowed. The winner of the competition stole a puree from another contestant. Just stole it and would not own up to his theft.
How real life is that? Liberalism and stealing go together, even in cooking shows.

Why Do Union Members Support Harry Reid?

I've always wondered why union members or union leaders support Harry Reid. here are some things Harry has done to hurt unions:
1. Harry has killed jobs in Nevada, including union jobs. He killed the construction of power plants up North that would have been built with union labor and possibly run with union members.
Yucca Mountain was closed by Harry. How many union jobs were lost there?
2. Harry supported Obama Care and wants the public option. If this comes to be, union members will shoved out of their negotiated union health plans and put into the public options.
3. Harry supports amnesty for illegals. If he gets that, the illegals will take away some union jobs. Look out SEIU Barney members, their coming for your jobs.
4. Harry wants to close down coal mining. Who mines most of the coal in the U.S.? Union members. Who transports most of the coal? Mostly by trains and who drives of the trains? Union members.
5. Harry supports green energy. How many green energy plants in Nevada are unionized?
6. Harry supports higher taxes. How many union members want to lose more of their pay to the government?
7. Since the government took over GM and Chrysler, thousands of union jobs have disappeared. Since Reid has become Majority Leader, hundreds of thousands of union jobs have disappeared.
8. Social Security is going bankrupt. Maybe not for baby boomers, but our future union members will not see social security the way it is now. Harry Reid is in denial about Social Security and he has led raids on the Social Security trust funds. Harry Reid does not support Social Security.

So, why do union members support Harry Reid?

Review: Zen Magic

Having been to numerous magic shows in the Las Vegas, it is hard to get excited about seeing another one. Well, when we went to Zen Magic at the Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile Shops, at the Saxe Theater, we were treated to a wonderful show.
First thing that was different was that they had magic, acrobats and gymnasts all working together in the show. Second, there is no verbal dialogue between the cast and the audience. All you heard was Japanese music and the occasional chirp of a bird, played by a female gymnast.
Speaking of the female gymnast, she really was a wonderful co-star of the show. She is an incredible gymnast and athlete. She put on displays throughout the show and these were not easy maneuvers. She twirled through a hoop, ribbons/scarfs/long material hanging from a trapeze near the top of the ceiling and on a balance beam. The balance beam act was truly amazing, as she was using a flexible balance beam and she was thrown up in the air by two gentlemen and she went up at least 15 feet in the air. While in the air, she did somersaults, flips and various other things and landing on the beam. She is an incredible talent.
The magic by two young Japanese women, Ai and Yu Ki, was very well done and most of the magic was intertwined with dance. Most of the magic done has also been done around the Strip, but the two young ladies did it with flare and finesse, along with being quiet. Much of the magic told a story, which is also different from most of the shows on the Strip. They did many different kinds of magic, ranging from the magic rings, to disappearing and reappearing acts and they did the magic with modesty but also flawlessly.
They had a male acrobat/gymnast who was also quite good and athletic and he was also part of the magic acts. They also had several male dancers/helpers/actors who added talent to the show.
The costumes were very nice and totally Japanese.
The show is family friendly and for kids of all ages. The cost of the ticket varies, depending on which web site you want to believe.
The magicians web site is: http://ay-magic.jp/en/top
I highly recommend this show and you can see the show at 4:00 at the Saxe Theater.

Wisconsin vs UNLV Football Tickets Still Available

If you are still thinking of coming to Las Vegas for the Badgers vs Rebel football game on September 4th, tickets are still available. You can get the information here: https://ev2.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventList?groupCode=FB&linkID=unlv

I was thinking of going, but UNLV jacked up the ticket price over double than usual. Tickets are going for $75 plus a $10 service fee. Usual ticket prices are about $30.

So, if you are thinking of going, get your tickets now.

mylife.com: Fraud

Mylife.com has been advertising a lot lately. They say they can find people who are looking for you and it's free.
Umm, no, it's not free. If you put in the required information and they supposedly search for people who are looking for you. They say they find a bunch of people that are looking for you and if you want to know who it is, they want you to pay. No, it's not free and it is for suckers.
Avoid mylife.com and save yourself some headache.

Plane Crashes In Pakistan. Will Obama Ground Airbuses?

From Fox News: A passenger jet carrying 152 people crashed into the hills surrounding Pakistan's capital amid rain Wednesday, officials said. At least 25 people were killed, but many more were feared dead...."The plane was about to land at the Islamabad airport when it lost contact with the control tower, and later we learned that the plane had crashed," George said, adding that the model of the plane was Airbus 321 and the flight number was ED202.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/07/28/plane-board-crashes-pakistan/
Using President Obama's rationale, we need to ground all Airbus airplanes until we can see if they are safe.

Obama Approval Rating: Tanking:

According to Real Clear Politics, the average of polls regarding Obama's poll numbers show the lowest he has ever seen. Yes, the emperor has no clothes.
RCP Poll Average President Obama Job Approval
45.7
Approve
49.0
Disapprove
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_obama_job_approval-1044.html

It's actually a lot worse than that. If you take out the liberal polls, the difference is a lot larger.

What? Obama and Reid Lied?

From ATR.org and John Kartch: White House spokesman Robert Gibbs seems to have forgotten that his boss has already broken his central campaign promise – a “firm pledge” that “no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.”
Responding to a question during his daily press briefing today, Gibbs said, “The President believes raising taxes on the middle class during this economic time would not make a lot of economic sense.”
But President Obama has already broken his “firm pledge” at least eight times:
1. Federal Tobacco Tax Hike: On Feb. 4, 2009, just sixteen days into his presidency, Obama signed into law a 156 percent increase in the federal excise tax on tobacco– a hike of 62 cents per pack. The median income of smokers is just over $36,000.
When the tax took effect on April 1, 2009, White House spokesman Reid Cherlin tried to pull a fast one on Associated Press reporter Calvin Woodward. Cherlin falsely claimed Obama’s tax pledge applied only to “income or payroll taxes”. Cherlin said: "The president's position throughout the campaign was that he would not raise income or payroll taxes on families making less than $250,000, and that's a promise he has kept." Woodward rightly wasn’t buying it (PROMISES, PROMISES: Obama Tax Pledge Up In Smoke).
Tax Increases on families making less than $250,000 didn’t stop with tobacco. Obama’s signature on the healthcare reform bill made possible the following tax increases – none of which exempt families making less than $250,000:
2. The Tax on Indoor Tanning Services took effect July 1, 2010: This provision of Obamacare imposes a new 10 percent excise tax on Americans using indoor tanning salons. The tax was tucked into the bill behind closed doors at the last minute, replacing the previous “Bo-Tax” – a proposed tax on plastic surgery. The 30 million Americans who visit tanning facilities are getting a lesson in the petty, nanny-state nature of Obamacare – every time they walk through the door. Not to mention the business owners and employees who are threatened by the tax.
3. The “Medicine Cabinet Tax” takes effect Jan. 1, 2011: Thanks to Obamacare, Americans will no longer be able to use health savings account (HSA), flexible spending account (FSA), or health reimbursement (HRA) pre-tax dollars to purchase non-prescription, over-the-counter medicines (except insulin).
4. The HSA Withdrawal Tax Hike takes effect Jan. 1, 2011: This provision of Obamacare increases the additional tax on non-medical early withdrawals from an HSA from 10 to 20 percent, disadvantaging them relative to IRAs and other tax-advantaged accounts, which remain at 10 percent.
5. The“Special Needs Kids Tax” takes effect Jan. 1, 2013: This provision of Obamacare imposes a cap on flexible spending accounts (FSAs) of $2500 (Currently, there is no federal government limit). There is one group of FSA owners for whom this new cap will be particularly cruel and onerous: parents of special needs children. There are thousands of families with special needs children in the United States, and many of them use FSAs to pay for special needs education. Tuition rates at one leading school that teaches special needs children in Washington, D.C. (National Child Research Center) can easily exceed $14,000 per year. Under tax rules, FSA dollars can be used to pay for this type of special needs education.
6. The Obamacare Medical Prosthetics and Devices Tax takes effect in January of 2013: This Obamacare tax raises the price of all medical prosthetic devices, such as pacemakers and artificial limbs. Consumers of these devices will end up paying more for these life-saving items.
7. The Medical Itemized Deductions Cap takes effect Jan. 1, 2013: Currently, those facing high medical expenses are allowed a deduction if the total cost if the expenses reduces the filer’s income by 7.5%. This provision of Obamacare imposes a threshold of 10%. This new tax will most adversely affect early retirees and the catastrophically ill.
8. The Obamacare Individual Mandate Excise Tax takes effect Jan. 1, 2014: Anyone not buying “qualifying” health insurance must pay an income surtax according to the higher of the following (page 71 of manager’s amendment updates Reid bill):

Single
2 People
3+ People
2014
$95/1.0% AGI
$190/1.0% AGI
$285/1.0% AGI
2015
$325/2.0% AGI
$650/2.0% AGI
$975/2.0% AGI
2016+
$695/2.5% AGI
$1390/2.0% AGI
$2085/2.5%/AGI

Read more: http://www.atr.org/gibbs-misleads-public-obamas-broken-tax-a5256##ixzz0uxofeFSo

So, among other things, Reid and Obama also want to punish families with disabled children in addition to their other lies. You stay Classy, Obama and Reid.

To The SEIU Purple Barney's: Suckers!!!

From Michelle Malkin: "On June 29, I shared an outraged e-mail from an L.A. government worker lambasting the SEIU for using worker dues to organize a pro-illegal immigration bus ride to protest Arizona’s immigration enforcement law. SB1070 goes into effect this week....More than 550 people plan to ride on 11 buses to Arizona to stage a protest and launch a partnership with Arizona groups to boost voter registration. During the one-day trip, sponsored by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, participants will meet with Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris, march to the state Capitol and hold a vigil. The participants represent 32 unions." http://michellemalkin.com/2010/07/28/open-bordersseiu-caravan-to-arizona-you-read-it-here-first/

The SEIU is well represented in the Las Vegas area. So, to all of those union dues paying members: SUCKERS!!

Your dues money from Las Vegas is being paid trips to the Phoenix area by people around the country. Good use of your dues!!!.

Nevada Loses Round 1 In Race To The Top Funds

Nevada is out of the running for next round of Race To The Top funds. It did not pass the first round. From the Lahontan Valley News: "Federal officials announced Tuesday that Nevada will not be eligible for the $175 million in federal education money under the Race to the Top program.Gov. Jim Gibbons said, however, that won't stop his blue ribbon education reform commission from moving ahead with plans to reform the state's public school system.Nevada didn't file an application in the first round of the Race to the Top competition, which drew criticism from some quarters. The problem was that to qualify for the money Nevada had to first repeal the law that barred school districts from linking student achievement to teacher evaluations.That law was changed during the special session earlier this year and the state filed its application for funding by the June 1 deadline."

Of course, Harry Reid, playing politics and sounding like a demented father says this: Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., blamed the Gibbons administration, accusing governor of a “severe lack of leadership in education.”“While the governors from other states were aggressively working to pass new reform laws and position their states to take advantage of these important funds, our governor was satisfied with only meeting the minimum requirement to file our application,” said Reid.
Hey, moron, it had nothing to do with Gibbons. The LEGISLATORS had to pass the law to even come close to applying for the funds. It was also the teacher's union who held things up as well because they wanted certain wording in the bill that was passed by the legislators.
And Gibbons is wrong as well: “Reid has never lifted a finger to help us while we applied for these special federal funds for education,” he said. “Harry Reid was asleep at the switch again when the teachers, parents, children and families of Nevada needed his help.”
http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com/article/20100727/NEWS/100729894/1055&ParentProfile=1045 Reid could not do anything about this funding if he tried, at least this time. There is no excuse for Reid not to bring more money for education, especially help with Special Education funds. The Fed's have promised to pay 2/3 of Special education but the Fed's come up way short. So Harry could bring in more money to school districts, but he chooses not to, but he is no way to blame for losing this round in the Race to the Top.
This was a very long shot at best, to get this money. It was the state's first attempt at the funding and most states have to apply several times in order for them to get the grant money.
In my opinion, it is evil money. It is going to cost more in the long run and all this does is hire a few more teachers but hire many more administrators and so called "experts". Just as No Child Left Behind didn't do a whole lot, neither will Race To The Top. It's just the latest fad in education and it just has school districts and states jumping through hoops to do nothing. It just looks good on paper and that's about it.
Another reason to get rid of the Department of Education.

Jack Rousch Injured In Airplane Crash In Wisconsin

Jack Rousch, a car owner of several NASCAR cars, including Matt Kenseth, crashed his plane at the EAA convention in Oshkosh, WI. While he is injured, he will survive, along with a female passenger.
For more news: http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=5415476

and
http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/20100727/OSH0107/100727152/Jack-Roush-listed-in-critical-condition-after-crash-at-EAA
According to an Oskosh paper, Rousch is now in critical condition.
The EAA convention is one of the biggest aircraft shows/conventions in the world. During the EAA convention, the Oshkosh is the busiest airport in the world. Every year, a couple planes crash, either at the airport or on the way to or from the airport.
The show brings in aircraft of all kinds, from the very tiny to the very huge. If you love airplanes, this is the place to be at this time of year. They also have an awesome museum.
Based on what witnesses are saying, it seems like pilot error, but we will see. I hope he comes through with minimal pain and injuries.

The Low Down On Obama

Roger Kimball brings President Obama down to size. But substitute Obama with harry Reid's name and you get the same result.
Excerpts from the article: Thanks a lot, Mr. President. And thanks to you, too, Secretary Geithner. You inherited the richest, most productive country in history. And you have set it firmly on course for economic stagnation.
It’s all part of your effort to “fundamentally transform the Untied States of America,” isn’t it, Mr. President? That’s what you promised in October 2008: to change America fundamentally. Who would have predicted you were really serious? (Well, some of us did, but you know what I mean.)
You’ve made it clear that, deep down, you really don’t like the United States. In that, you are like many of your Ivy confrères, all those Harvard-Yale-Princeton types who find the spectacle of individual freedom playing itself out irredeemably vulgar. You all are beyond allegiance to anything so parochial as an individual nation. And when it comes to what (even now) is the world’s nation of nations, the United States, you are more than embarrassed: you are downright impatient....
Of course, you are a special case, Mr. President. Your dislike of America has the added ingredient of what, for lack of a better term, I’ll call metaphysical ambivalence. At its core, as Samuel Huntington pointed out in Who We Are, the United States is based upon certain “Anglo-Protestant values” that generations of immigrants had absorbed and made their own in the process of becoming American citizens. (Oh, how the left hated to have that pointed out!) Your filiations lie elsewhere, which perhaps explains why you bow to Saudi princes, why you forbid the conjunction of the adjective “Islamic” with the noun “terrorist,” why, to take an example from the day before yesterday, you pretended to criticize the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi — all Americans, you said, were “surprised, disappointed and angry” that the Scots released him. But then it turns out that your State Department explictly, if secretly, told British authorities that you preferred his release for “compassionate” reasons. “All Americans” — did that include you Mr. President? I’m not asking about where you were born: I am asking about where your fundamental allegiance lies....
It’s quite clear — you’ve already announced — that you are going to use this mind-numbing deficit as an excuse to raise taxes—another abstract phrase worn smooth by repetition. The power to tax, Chief Justice Marshall observed long ago, is the power to destroy. How much of the American dream are you preparing to dismantle by depriving people of the means to fulfill it? Do you want to rein in the deficit? Stop spending. But you won’t do that while you can continue depleting the substance of the country by draining away the economic life blood of its citizens. Ultimately, the issue is not the deficit but the spending. That is, the horrendous deficit is a product of incontinent spending. You won’t admit that because both spending and taxing are instruments for the consolidation of your power — no matter that the potency of the country as a whole is diminished in the process. Raising taxes diminishes revenue: that has been shown again and again....
The punitive side of your regime of “hope and change” will soon become starkly obvious to all — all, I mean, except the nomenklatura that inhabit the corridors of power. You and your fellow politicians will not be subject to the new health laws you have imposed upon the country. You’ve made medicine a less attractive career, so there will be fewer good doctors, but still, there will be enough to serve Congress and the executive branch. And of course, you won’t be subject to the delays the rest of us face. You won’t be told, “I’m sorry, Mr. Obama, you are too old for that kidney transplant/innovative cancer treatment/cardiac procedure” as the rest of us will be. Even as Britain is dismantling a large part of the disaster that was its national health service, you are saddling Americans with health care that will be 1) more expensive 2) more cumbersome, and 3) worse....
For the “who,” however, the fundamental effect of democratic despotism is a net increase in arrogance and unaccountability. Remember the way soon-to-be-retired Congressman Bob Etheridge treated that student who asked him whether he supported Obama’s programs? “Who are you,” he demanded as he manhandled the young man. Meaning “Who do you think you are to ask me a leading question?” Joe Biden would doubtless have called him a “smart-ass”: we little people are not meant to ask provocative questions.
http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerkimball/2010/07/26/how-to-bankrupt-a-country/
This is a great article and like I said before, if you substitute Obama's name and put in Harry Reid, you still have the same results of the story. You have two people who do not like the United States and they are out to bankrupt the U.S. and do harm to it. It already has started.

Woman Attacked By A Buffalo

Reminds me when I lived in Havre, MT. When I was there, we had 2 cases of morons getting eaten by grizzly bears by Glacier Park. One was a photographer who got to close to a grizzly and the last shot he took before being eaten was a grizzly standing on two legs.
The second was a drunk cowboy who tried to rope a grizzly. Didn't work out to well and I am sure the cowboy tasted good to the grizzly.
Don't get to close to wild animals, especially those who are bigger than you.

Kudos To The Obama Administration For Their Stance On Illegals

Proving the old adage, even a blind squirrel gets a nut once in awhile, the Obama administration deserves praise for their new stance on illegals who have been arrested.
From Fox News: "The federal government meanwhile is rapidly expanding a program to identify illegal immigrants using fingerprints from arrests, drawing opposition from local authorities and advocates who argue the initiative amounts to an excessive dragnet.
The program has gotten less attention than Arizona's new immigration law, but it may end up having a bigger impact because of its potential to round up and deport so many immigrants nationwide.
Under the program, the fingerprints of everyone who is booked into jail for any crime are run against FBI criminal history records and Department of Homeland Security immigration records to determine who is in the country illegally and whether they've been arrested previously. Most jurisdictions are not included in the program, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been expanding the initiative.
Since 2007, 467 jurisdictions in 26 states have joined. ICE has said it plans to have it in every jail in the country by 2013. Secure Communities is currently being phased into the places where the government sees as having the greatest need for it based on population estimates of illegal immigrants and crime statistics.
Since everyone arrested would be screened, the program could easily deport more people than Arizona's new law, said Sunita Patel, an attorney who filed a lawsuit in New York against the federal government on behalf of a group worried about the program. Patel said that because illegal immigrants could be referred to ICE at the point of arrest, even before a conviction, the program can create an incentive for profiling and create a pipeline to deport more people." http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/07/27/brewer-seeks-dismissal-challenge-law/
This is exactly what ICE and the Department of Justice should be doing. ICE and Metro are cooperating and it has resulted in numerous deportations.
With the economy turning south and arrested criminals who are illegals being deported, we are seeing a big dent in the number off illegals here in Las Vegas and other areas of the countries.
If you go after employers who hire illegals, go after illegals who suck up social services like welfare, housing and other "benefits" reserved for people here legally and go after those who seek free medical care (after they are treated) and we will have basically resolved the problems with illegal immigration. We won't need an amnesty program that Harry Reid wants, Arizona won't need to enforce their law and states won't feel the need to pass any further laws.
So, congratulations to the Obama administration for doing this. Of course, the Hispanic voters and condescending liberals will be angry, but you are doing the right thing and it is a great start.

If Harry Reid Was Not Senate Majority Leader, Would He Still Be In Trouble?

Despite what Harry Reid campaign newsletter, The Las Vegas Sun says, Harry Reid is in trouble in his re-election bid. But I wonder if Reid was not the Senate majority leader, would he still be in trouble?
First, he would not have Obama licking his boots and vice versa. Reid is doing Obama's bidding, whether it is health care reform, cap and trade, raising taxes, amnesty for illegals, the failed stimulus bill and the TARP spending and all the other extreme liberal positions.
My guess, if Reid was just a senator, his views on most of these laws would be less extreme. He would have asked more questions, held out more for Nevada and he would be in the headlines less. He wouldn't have to do all the horse trading to get senators to vote his way. In fact, Reid could have been on the receiving end of the horse trading.
His influence also would have been lessened. For instance, if he were just another senator, we would not have seen the closing of Yucca and loss of the thousands of jobs there. He probably would not have the influence to shut down the power plants up north, thus costing the state more jobs. He may have not brought in some of those false green jobs we supposedly are getting.
It's no secret, when you become the Senate majority leader, you put your state second and your party's needs first until the last 9 months before your term expires. It happens with Democrats and Republicans. Same with minority leaders and probably the same on the House side.
I think if Harry Reid was just another senator in the Senate, we still would have the new VA hospital and I believe Reid would have been able to bring more federal dollars back to Nevada. Heck, he can't do much worse than he is doing now. Nevada would probably be better off if Reid was just another senator and he would have been able to accomplish more for Nevada he was elected to represent. Hell, if Reid was just another senator, he would have been able to spend more time in Nevada instead of living the high life at the Ritz Carlton in Washington D.C., and who knows, maybe his wife and daughter may not have been in that terrible accident.
And getting back to the original question, would Harry Reid be in trouble with being reelected if he were just another senator. I think the obvious answer is that Harry would have no trouble with any challenger and his polling numbers would be around 60% positive. When Reid speaks in a non-political events, he is a great speaker. I had the chance to hear him and John Ensign talk when came to speak to the new CCSD teachers in 2006. Harry came across as a very decent human being from a humble background. Hell, I would have voted for him then and he certainly outclassed Ensign who sounded like a pompous jerk.
So, if Harry was just another senator, he would not be in the trouble is in and he wouldn't have to be groveling to the voters to get their votes.
Power corrupts. For Nevada, we are seeing the results of power and it is not a good thing.

Pawn Stars Rerun Reviews July 26, 2010

Tonight was another night of reruns for the Pawn stars.
The first episode could be found at this link:
http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2010/04/pawn-stars-review-april-25-26-2010.html

While the 2nd episode can be found here: http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2009/12/pawn-stars-review-october-14th-2009.html
It doesn't have a lot but it covers the big story where the guys buy a hot air balloon and then try to go back on the deal.
Have a nice week.

Matt Garza Thows No Hitter On National Television

Matt Garza of the Tampa Bay Rays threw a no hitter against the Detroit Tigers. The game was national television and ended about 5 minutes ago. Garza just walked 1 person and faced the minimum batters.
For his efforts, Garza was given a face full of shaving cream on during his interview with ESPN.

Nevada Is Number 1 In Job Loss

From Reuters: "Nevada ranked at the bottom of the list, having lost 113,000 jobs in the last five years, followed by California and Florida, it said.
That marked a dramatic change in fortunes for Nevada and Florida, which finished first and second in jobs in a similar 2005 study, it said.
The change illustrates how little can be divined from such data, Thomas said.
"Five years ago, we said Nevada was No. 1, and now it's dead last," he said. "It does make you leery of economic forecasts."
Together, Nevada, California and Florida have lost 1.69 million jobs since 2005, the study said." http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2622998620100726
But yet we have politicians such as Harry Reid, Dina Titus and Shelly Berkley who think nothing of cutting jobs of Nevadans. Closing automobile dealerships, closing Yucca, shutting down power plants before they start and much more. You have Obama opening his big mouth two times complaining about Las Vegas and that cuts out more jobs. Then you add on the new taxes and regulations the these three propose and have passed and you can see why private employers don't want to hire right now.
Is it all the Democrats fault? Of course not, but in a time when we desperately need jobs in Nevada, they seem not care about jobs for the people of Nevada, they just want to pass their legislation or using their influence aimed at killing jobs for us.

Another Obama Lie

From Fox News: "The Obama administration told Scottish officials last August that, although it opposed any release of the Lockerbie bomber, it would rather see him released in Scotland than transferred to a Libyan prison, according to a secret memo obtained by The Sunday Times in London. The publication of the memo's contents comes just days after President Obama, at a press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron, said "all of us ... were surprised, disappointed and angry" by the Scottish government's decision to free Abdel Baset al-Megrahi last year. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/25/obama-administration-reportedly-backed-lockerbie-release-transfer-libyan-prison/
First, how can you say you oppose the thug's release but then you wink and say if you release him, release him in Scotland? No, you just you oppose the release, plain and simple with no qualifiers. No release, period.
And then you say you want him released into the general population in Scotland as opposed to prison. Why?
Makes no sense whatsoever.
More from Fox: According to The Sunday Times, Scottish officials viewed U.S. resistance to the release as "half-hearted." The Guardian reported on the existence of the memo last year, but the U.S. government reportedly has tried to keep its contents secret. The Sunday Times was the first to publish the memo's text. Even Scotland doesn't take the Obama administration seriously and I wonder why the Obama administration wanted this secret? Maybe hide from the public, the buffoonery of the Obama administration?
Finally, there were news reports tis past week or so, and also reported by Jerry Doyle that maybe the release of the thug terrorist was related to BP and opening up oil fields to BP. Gee, I wonder if the Obama administration had something to do with that trial balloon?
Worst president ever.

Happy 1 Year Anniversary To My Wife

I would like to wish my wonderful wife a very happy 1 year wedding anniversary, which is today. Thank goodness I remembered it.

The year has gone by quickly and while we have had some rough times, we have also had many more wonderful times together and I love you more than ever. How you put up with me, I'll never understand.

So, Happy 1 year anniversary, my sweetie and here's to our second year together.

A Very Wierd Case

From Firehouse.com: "A judge ruled on Friday that no one involved in the case of a fallen Wharton firefighter can spend any money that has come in since his death.
Thomas Araguz III died while batting a fire at an egg farm in Boling, Texas, on July 3.
His family has squared off with his wife because they want to prevent her from receiving his benefits.
Araguz's family said his wife, Nikki, should not receive the death benefits because they claim she was born a male, which would make their marriage illegal.
Thomas Araguz's mother asked the judge to freeze the death benefits because she wants it for her 6- and 9-year-old grandsons.
"It turned out well. We're pleased. (This is important to the children) because it belongs to them," she said.
Nikke Araguz said she deserves half.
"My husband and I loved each other very much. And when all evidence is presented, the whole world will know," she said."....
Nikki Araguz's parents said she suffers from rare birth defect called complete androgen insensitivity syndrome, where a person has all of the physical traits of female, but has no uterus. They acknowledge the birth certificate listed in the lawsuit is Nikki Araguz's and that she was born Justin Graham Purdue.
http://www.firehouse.com/topics/careers/texas-judge-freezes-fallen-firefighters-benefits
Tough case, but I think I would go with the second wife and the kids on this one.