Are there any true leaders in the United States?
Barack Obama? Oh, hell no. He is a divider and even his admirers and followers have to admit that. Especially with the last election, it was all about dividing the country, not uniting it.
Crybaby/Senile/Coward Harry Reid? Are you kidding. He's a true embarrassment to the country and Nevada.
John Boehner? He's a joke- he doesn't lead the House and he gets steamrolled by the Obama administration.
Nancy Pelosi? Please- she's a complete idiot.
Mitch McConnell? Who even knows he exists?
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts? He may be the closest, but a Supreme Court justice being a leader- I don't think that could happen.
Hillary Clinton? After Benghazi, her creditability has shrunk to near nothing.
It seems that the leaders are becoming more regionalized and local. In Wisconsin, Scott Walker is a true leader. In New Jersey, it could be argued that Chris Christie is a true leader.
In Nevada? I don't think we do have a leader. Who has heard from Brian Sandoval in the past 6 months? And the Democrats have no one. In Clark County, we have no leader, just corrupt politicians who look after themselves or are clowns. Steve Sisolak may be an exception.
In the past, we had George Bush, during and after 9-11. Bill Clinton was a leader in economics. The first George Bush took down the Soviet Union and other communist countries. Ronald Reagan was a true leader and turned a horrible Jimmy Carter economy around.
But in 2013, we have no leaders we can rally behind. When Sandy Hook occurred, Obama took it to a political level. In economics, Obama is a divider.
So, who are our leaders in the United States in 2013?
Saturday, January 5, 2013
How Is That Obama Recovery Going?
From the LVRJ: St. Rose Domincan Hospitals said Friday it will eliminate 100 positions it has among its three hospital along the southern edge of the valley.
Already, half of the positions were empty as people who left were not replaced, according to St. Rose. The other 50 will be dropped from the payroll over the next two weeks.
Most of the job cuts will come from what St. Rose described as administrative and support ranks, including 21 managers.
In a statement, CEO Rod Davis said it was necessary to reduce the payroll as reimbursements from Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies continue to tighten. "This is a reality every hospital and health system in the U.S. is facing and it is a particular challenge for not-for-profit organizations like ours," Davis said in the statement. http://www.lvrj.com/business/st-rose-dominican-to-eliminate-100-positions-at-three-hospitals-185719071.html
With a very bad jobs report, no sign of a recovery, increased taxes on almost everyone- except those on Social Security and those receiving government benefits, no indication that prices for the basics will stabilize, it doesn't look like the Obama economy is going to improve anytime soon.
Already, half of the positions were empty as people who left were not replaced, according to St. Rose. The other 50 will be dropped from the payroll over the next two weeks.
Most of the job cuts will come from what St. Rose described as administrative and support ranks, including 21 managers.
In a statement, CEO Rod Davis said it was necessary to reduce the payroll as reimbursements from Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies continue to tighten. "This is a reality every hospital and health system in the U.S. is facing and it is a particular challenge for not-for-profit organizations like ours," Davis said in the statement. http://www.lvrj.com/business/st-rose-dominican-to-eliminate-100-positions-at-three-hospitals-185719071.html
With a very bad jobs report, no sign of a recovery, increased taxes on almost everyone- except those on Social Security and those receiving government benefits, no indication that prices for the basics will stabilize, it doesn't look like the Obama economy is going to improve anytime soon.
Chavez Near Death, Maybe
From the Guardian: The change of mood in
Plaza Bolivar could hardly be more dramatic. Less than three months ago,
jubilant crowds filled the main square in Caracas to celebrate another election
triumph for Hugo Chávez with chants
of "Oo, ah, Chávez no se va" – Chávez won't go.
Now, however, supporters wait anxiously for any scrap of news from Havana, Cuba, where their president is fighting for his life after emergency cancer surgery.
"We are all very confused. We have no idea what to expect. I pray for his recovery but I am expecting the worst," said Joaquín Cavarcas, as he scanned the Ciudad CCS newspaper for the latest update.
Next Thursday, Chávez is supposed to be inaugurated for a further six-year term of office at a ceremony at the National Assembly, a short walk from the plaza. But the usually gregarious, publicity-loving president has not been seen or heard since his operation on 11 December, prompting speculation that he will not recover in time.
"We must wait for him to recover and then swear him into office," said Ruben Daza, a newspaper vendor. "I don't think he'll be back next week. The assembly will have to decide what to do in the meantime, but he is the president and we must wait for his return."
The head of the opposition's Democratic Unity coalition, Ramon Aveledo, has accused the authorities of breaking a pledge to keep Venezuelans informed about Chávez's health.
Now, however, supporters wait anxiously for any scrap of news from Havana, Cuba, where their president is fighting for his life after emergency cancer surgery.
"We are all very confused. We have no idea what to expect. I pray for his recovery but I am expecting the worst," said Joaquín Cavarcas, as he scanned the Ciudad CCS newspaper for the latest update.
Next Thursday, Chávez is supposed to be inaugurated for a further six-year term of office at a ceremony at the National Assembly, a short walk from the plaza. But the usually gregarious, publicity-loving president has not been seen or heard since his operation on 11 December, prompting speculation that he will not recover in time.
In the latest in a series
of grave bulletins, the government said on Thursday that the president was
suffering from complications
brought on by a severe lung infection after surgery. Aides earlier described
his condition as "delicate". The Bolivian president, Evo Morales, said it was
painful to see his close political ally in this state. "The situation for our
brother Hugo Chávez is very worrying," he said....
On the streets, nobody is giving up on Chávez, but there is a growing
resignation that he will not attend his swearing-in as scheduled."We must wait for him to recover and then swear him into office," said Ruben Daza, a newspaper vendor. "I don't think he'll be back next week. The assembly will have to decide what to do in the meantime, but he is the president and we must wait for his return."
The head of the opposition's Democratic Unity coalition, Ramon Aveledo, has accused the authorities of breaking a pledge to keep Venezuelans informed about Chávez's health.
And one opposition leader suggested on Thursday that legislators should form
an official commission to visit Cuba and assess the president's condition for
themselves. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/04/hugo-chavez-severe-lung-infection
Sounds like the Obama's administration definition of transparency.
Thank You Readers
Sometime today, the Las Vegas Badger hit the 500,000 reader mark- the number visits since the blog started around May, 2008, according to Sitemeter. (Sitemeter's counter has been down today- the number has been stuck on 499,844 since last night) I also have about 944,856 page views, according to Google/BlogSpot.
I get around 25,000 visits a month and almost 50,000 page views per month- not to bad for a guy who doesn't advertise my blog nor take advertisements.
So, thank you very much, my friends and readers, for taking the time and visiting and hopefully, enjoying what I write.
I get around 25,000 visits a month and almost 50,000 page views per month- not to bad for a guy who doesn't advertise my blog nor take advertisements.
So, thank you very much, my friends and readers, for taking the time and visiting and hopefully, enjoying what I write.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Obama's $20,000,000 Vacation Gifts From Taxpayers
From the Whitehouse Dossier: Michelle Obama recently revealed that she and President Obama don’t give Christmas gifts to each other. They merely say, “We’re in Hawaii,” and that’s Christmas gift enough.
But actually the present is from taxpayers, and it’s an expensive one.
The total cost to taxpayers of Obama’s vacations to Hawaii since becoming president is likely in excess of $20 million, and possibly much, much more. During a time of budget deficits that threaten the nation’s security and its future, the Obamas have chosen to maintain a “family tradition” and vacation halfway around the world instead of finding far cheaper alternatives closer to home.
The $20 million figure is based on estimates of the cost of the four Hawaii vacations the Obamas have taken during Christmastime 2009-2012. According to a detailed breakdown by the Hawaii Reporter, the annual excursions in 2009, 2010, and 2011 cost about $4 million, much of it attributable to the expense of taking Air Force One, at an hour rate of about $180,000, on an eighteen-hour roundtrip journey to Honolulu and back.
But $4 million almost certainly underestimates the true tally, as it does not include many miscellaneous items like the cost of flying advance teams out to Hawaii and separate flights Michelle Obama took in 2010 and 2011, when she left ahead of her husband, who was forced to stay in Washington to finish up work with Congress.
This year, Obama returned from Hawaii to complete a deal on the Fiscal Cliff and then jetted back to Honolulu, where he is now engaged in Part 2 of his vacation. The second roundtrip flight added about $3.24 million to the tab this time, bringing the cost of the 2012-1013 vacation to well over $7 million.
http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2013/01/04/taxpayer-bill-obamas-hawaii-vacations-20-million/
Yes, President Obama can go on vacation with his family, but he seems to take the most expensive vacations, at the farthest away places and the most vacations than any other president in our lifetime or anybody else's life time.
And with his mindset, how can we expect him to even think about cutting some federal expenses?
But actually the present is from taxpayers, and it’s an expensive one.
The total cost to taxpayers of Obama’s vacations to Hawaii since becoming president is likely in excess of $20 million, and possibly much, much more. During a time of budget deficits that threaten the nation’s security and its future, the Obamas have chosen to maintain a “family tradition” and vacation halfway around the world instead of finding far cheaper alternatives closer to home.
The $20 million figure is based on estimates of the cost of the four Hawaii vacations the Obamas have taken during Christmastime 2009-2012. According to a detailed breakdown by the Hawaii Reporter, the annual excursions in 2009, 2010, and 2011 cost about $4 million, much of it attributable to the expense of taking Air Force One, at an hour rate of about $180,000, on an eighteen-hour roundtrip journey to Honolulu and back.
But $4 million almost certainly underestimates the true tally, as it does not include many miscellaneous items like the cost of flying advance teams out to Hawaii and separate flights Michelle Obama took in 2010 and 2011, when she left ahead of her husband, who was forced to stay in Washington to finish up work with Congress.
This year, Obama returned from Hawaii to complete a deal on the Fiscal Cliff and then jetted back to Honolulu, where he is now engaged in Part 2 of his vacation. The second roundtrip flight added about $3.24 million to the tab this time, bringing the cost of the 2012-1013 vacation to well over $7 million.
http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2013/01/04/taxpayer-bill-obamas-hawaii-vacations-20-million/
Yes, President Obama can go on vacation with his family, but he seems to take the most expensive vacations, at the farthest away places and the most vacations than any other president in our lifetime or anybody else's life time.
And with his mindset, how can we expect him to even think about cutting some federal expenses?
Guess Who Gets Hurt The Most Because Of Higher Federal Taxes?
It ain't the rich.
From U.K. Mail Online: Middle-class workers will take a bigger hit to their income proportionately than those earning between $200,000 and $500,000 under the new fiscal cliff deal, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.
Earners in the latter group will pay an average 1.3 percent more - or an additional $2,711 - in taxes this year, while workers making between $30,000 and $200,000 will see their paychecks shrink by as much as 1.7 percent - or up to $1,784 - the D.C.-based think tank reported.
Overall, nearly 80 percent of households will pay more money to the federal government as a result of the fiscal cliff deal.
'The economy needs a stimulus, but under the agreement, taxes will go up in 2013 relative to 2012 - not only on high-income households, as widely discussed, but also on every working man and woman in the country, via the end of the payroll tax cut,' said William G. Gale, co-director of the Tax Policy Center.
'For most households, the payroll tax takes a far bigger bite than the income tax does, and the payroll tax cut therefore - as [the Congressional Budget Office] and others have shown - was a more effective stimulus than income tax cuts were, because the payroll tax cuts hit lower in the income distribution and hence were more likely to be spent,' he added.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2256972/Middle-earners-hit-hardest-revealed-workers-making-30-000-bigger-hit-earning-500-000-new-fiscal-deal.html#ixzz2H3jnXNce
So, to all the Obama supporters out there: suckers- you just lost some of your "Obamamoney"
From U.K. Mail Online: Middle-class workers will take a bigger hit to their income proportionately than those earning between $200,000 and $500,000 under the new fiscal cliff deal, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.
Earners in the latter group will pay an average 1.3 percent more - or an additional $2,711 - in taxes this year, while workers making between $30,000 and $200,000 will see their paychecks shrink by as much as 1.7 percent - or up to $1,784 - the D.C.-based think tank reported.
Overall, nearly 80 percent of households will pay more money to the federal government as a result of the fiscal cliff deal.
'The economy needs a stimulus, but under the agreement, taxes will go up in 2013 relative to 2012 - not only on high-income households, as widely discussed, but also on every working man and woman in the country, via the end of the payroll tax cut,' said William G. Gale, co-director of the Tax Policy Center.
'For most households, the payroll tax takes a far bigger bite than the income tax does, and the payroll tax cut therefore - as [the Congressional Budget Office] and others have shown - was a more effective stimulus than income tax cuts were, because the payroll tax cuts hit lower in the income distribution and hence were more likely to be spent,' he added.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2256972/Middle-earners-hit-hardest-revealed-workers-making-30-000-bigger-hit-earning-500-000-new-fiscal-deal.html#ixzz2H3jnXNce
So, to all the Obama supporters out there: suckers- you just lost some of your "Obamamoney"
Another Reason To Reform Welfare?
Since we now use electronic transfer of welfare benefits to people who get welfare, like food stamps, general welfare and unemployment compensation, how do we know if people still live, or have ever lived at the address they have listed. Well, in Massachusetts, they found or actually, cannot find, 19,000 welfare recipients.
From the Boston Herald: Red-faced state officials admitted last night they are trying to find as many as 19,000 missing welfare recipients — after the controversial taxpayer-funded voter registration pitches the state mailed to their addresses last summer were sent back marked “Return to sender, address unknown.”
The Department of Transitional Assistance contacted 477,000 welfare recipients who were on their books from June 1, 2011, to May 31, 2012, after settling a voter-rights lawsuit brought by Democratic-leaning activist groups that demanded an aggressive voter information effort by the state. That $274,000 push by DTA resulted in 31,000 new voter registrations — but revealed an alarming number of welfare recipients whose residency in Massachusetts can’t be confirmed.
“DTA is in the process of contacting those clients for which a forwarding address was provided to verify their addresses, as a change of address might impact their eligibility,” a statement from the agency said.
DTA critics expressed astonishment at the agency’s faulty address records — which were only uncovered by accident — saying it’s further evidence that the electronic benefits system sorely needs reform.
“Wow,” said state Rep. Shaunna O’Connell, R-Taunton, upon hearing of the number of returned mailings.
“The fact that 19,000 of these came back undeliverable tells me DTA has no idea where these people live, obviously, and is not doing the background checks they should be doing,” O’Connell said.
“It goes to show this program is just fraught with fraud and abuse and needs a complete overhaul,” said O’Connell, who has made her name on Beacon Hill as a leading legislator for welfare reform.
It was not clear last night how many of the missing clients have moved out of state or are otherwise no longer eligible to receive Massachusetts benefits. http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/01/welfare_recipients_%E2%80%98missing%E2%80%99
I wonder if they did this in Nevada, especially in Clark County, what the results would be. I think the results probably would be the same or worse, especially since we have such a high rate of people moving in and out of Nevada on a daily/monthly basis.
From the Boston Herald: Red-faced state officials admitted last night they are trying to find as many as 19,000 missing welfare recipients — after the controversial taxpayer-funded voter registration pitches the state mailed to their addresses last summer were sent back marked “Return to sender, address unknown.”
The Department of Transitional Assistance contacted 477,000 welfare recipients who were on their books from June 1, 2011, to May 31, 2012, after settling a voter-rights lawsuit brought by Democratic-leaning activist groups that demanded an aggressive voter information effort by the state. That $274,000 push by DTA resulted in 31,000 new voter registrations — but revealed an alarming number of welfare recipients whose residency in Massachusetts can’t be confirmed.
“DTA is in the process of contacting those clients for which a forwarding address was provided to verify their addresses, as a change of address might impact their eligibility,” a statement from the agency said.
DTA critics expressed astonishment at the agency’s faulty address records — which were only uncovered by accident — saying it’s further evidence that the electronic benefits system sorely needs reform.
“Wow,” said state Rep. Shaunna O’Connell, R-Taunton, upon hearing of the number of returned mailings.
“The fact that 19,000 of these came back undeliverable tells me DTA has no idea where these people live, obviously, and is not doing the background checks they should be doing,” O’Connell said.
“It goes to show this program is just fraught with fraud and abuse and needs a complete overhaul,” said O’Connell, who has made her name on Beacon Hill as a leading legislator for welfare reform.
It was not clear last night how many of the missing clients have moved out of state or are otherwise no longer eligible to receive Massachusetts benefits. http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/01/welfare_recipients_%E2%80%98missing%E2%80%99
I wonder if they did this in Nevada, especially in Clark County, what the results would be. I think the results probably would be the same or worse, especially since we have such a high rate of people moving in and out of Nevada on a daily/monthly basis.
Cool
From Firehouse: Using CPR and oxygen, firefighters worked for about 30 minutes Thursday to revive a dog they rescued from a burning house in east Fort Worth.
The fire started about 1:30 p.m. in a single-story house at the intersection of South Beach Street and East Vickery Boulevard.Firefighters with a ladder truck were already in the neighborhood when they saw smoke, said Engineer Tim Hardeman, fire department spokesman.
"The driver said he noticed a haze, and they drove right up to it," Hardeman said....
A neighbor told firefighters that an elderly man lived in the home with two dogs.
The man was not inside, but firefighters found two large dogs, Hardeman said.
"One was OK," he said, "but the other was unresponsive."
Firefighters got busy giving the dog CPR and oxygen from a special animal mask.
The dog was revived, Hardeman said, but firefighters urged the owner to take it to a veterinarian. Dogs that inhale smoke can later develop fluid in their lungs, which can be fatal.... http://www.firehouse.com/news/10848524/texas-firefighters-revive-dog-with-cpr-o2
It used to be, when there was a animal that was down at a fire scene, the firefighters would throw the body away.
But now, many fire departments are attempting to save animals by giving oxygen and sometimes, CPR.
Pretty soon, we may see animal ambulances, running red lights and siren, going to animal rescue calls.
The New Sandy Hook School Open And The White House Picture Is....
President Obama is ready to take concrete steps to prevent future tragedies
like the one in Newtown, Connecticut. http://www.whitehouse.gov/
What a narcissist pig. On the day the kids went back to school, we see Obama's face, probably at the memorial, while everyone else's face is clouded out.
On a day that the kids, teachers and other staff came back to school, we see the pictures of the president instead of the kids.
What a total asshole.
Obama Lies. Again.
From the White House web page, their opening page:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
But what Obama didn't say that taxes will go up 2% because of the Obama payroll tax hike.
I bet Obama lies to his own kids while at the same time, stealing their allowance.
Relief for Middle Class Families
Thanks to a bipartisan agreement, 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses will not see their income taxes go up.
Get the Factshttp://www.whitehouse.gov/
But what Obama didn't say that taxes will go up 2% because of the Obama payroll tax hike.
I bet Obama lies to his own kids while at the same time, stealing their allowance.
Kinky
From ESPN: The New York Jets' quarterback controversy has entered uncharted waters -- as crystal clear as they may be.
A vacationing Rex Ryan was spotted and photographed Thursday sporting a tattoo of a woman who appears to be his wife, wearing only a green jersey with Mark Sanchez's No. 6 on it and posing in a way many would say resembles a crouching Tim Tebow.
A shirtless Ryan, sunbathing poolside at the Cove Atlantis resort in the Bahamas, quickly left the scene with his wife after being approached by a reporter.According to a story in the New York Daily News, Ryan cursed at the reporter while "storming away," but not before an image had been captured of Ryan lying prone with a book in his left hand with the illustration on his other upper arm. Above it is another tattoo of a green shamrock featuring the names of his wife and children.There was no indication in the report whether the tattoos were permanent, but a person close to Ryan told ESPNNewYork.com's Rich Cimini that Ryan's "had it for years." A few people in the Jets' organization have known about it, but not many, the source said. Even some of his assistant coaches apparently didn't know. http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/8812176/rex-ryan-tattoo-features-woman-mark-sanchez-new-york-jets-jersey
First, seeing Rex Ryan half naked is a scary though in it's self.
But one would hope he had the number 6 on the jersey of the tattoo would have a different meaning than Mark Sanchez.
Finally, why is this even news?
A vacationing Rex Ryan was spotted and photographed Thursday sporting a tattoo of a woman who appears to be his wife, wearing only a green jersey with Mark Sanchez's No. 6 on it and posing in a way many would say resembles a crouching Tim Tebow.
A shirtless Ryan, sunbathing poolside at the Cove Atlantis resort in the Bahamas, quickly left the scene with his wife after being approached by a reporter.According to a story in the New York Daily News, Ryan cursed at the reporter while "storming away," but not before an image had been captured of Ryan lying prone with a book in his left hand with the illustration on his other upper arm. Above it is another tattoo of a green shamrock featuring the names of his wife and children.There was no indication in the report whether the tattoos were permanent, but a person close to Ryan told ESPNNewYork.com's Rich Cimini that Ryan's "had it for years." A few people in the Jets' organization have known about it, but not many, the source said. Even some of his assistant coaches apparently didn't know. http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/8812176/rex-ryan-tattoo-features-woman-mark-sanchez-new-york-jets-jersey
First, seeing Rex Ryan half naked is a scary though in it's self.
But one would hope he had the number 6 on the jersey of the tattoo would have a different meaning than Mark Sanchez.
Finally, why is this even news?
Is It Me Or Is The Big Bang Theory Just Not That Funny?
I've been watching the TV show, "The Big Bang Theory", both at home and while on break in the break lounge at Wal-Mart (or as liberals would say, the slave room) I have yet seen anything funny on the show. Not one line, not one character movement and certainly not 1 story line.
Of course, the have this loud laughter in a can (the laugh track) which attempt to make their "jokes" seem funny, but I'm not buying it, as hard as I try.
So, is it me- the show is funny and I'm just not getting it because I am an old fart and I like the old fashioned shows like M*A*S*H, WKRP, Night Court, Barney Miller and other old shows?
Or am I right, the show is just not that funny?
Of course, the have this loud laughter in a can (the laugh track) which attempt to make their "jokes" seem funny, but I'm not buying it, as hard as I try.
So, is it me- the show is funny and I'm just not getting it because I am an old fart and I like the old fashioned shows like M*A*S*H, WKRP, Night Court, Barney Miller and other old shows?
Or am I right, the show is just not that funny?
Rep. Dr. Joe Heck: Have You Lost Your Way?
Dear Dr. Joe Heck,
I have supported you, Rep. Dr. Joe Heck, from the time you announced that you were running against a very corrupt Dina Titus. I am proud to call you my Congressman.
I thought you were a conservative, even though you represent more Democrats than Republicans.
But I just cannot understand your votes this week.
You voted for the fiscal cliff bill, which will be an almost total disaster for the country and then you turn around and vote for John Boehner for Speaker of the House instead of another candidate. You could have even voted for a protest candidate or abstained, but you voted for Boehner, who is a country club Republican who is not conservative and just gives lip service to conservatives.
Boehner got his butt kicked in the Fiscal Cliff bill and yet you supported the bill and still voted for Boehner, who sold out GOP and conservative values.
You could have voted no on the Fiscal Cliff and brought the tax increases back in a week or less and still could have demanded more spending cuts.
Do you think the liberals in Hollywood need a tax credit? Do you think that NASCAR needs tax credits? Do you think that outweighs the increases of taxes and eliminating tax deductions on many Americans? Is Hollywood and NASCAR more important than most everyone in the United States who will pay an increase in the payroll tax?
When John Oceguera, I went to bat for you, but I wonder, what is the difference Oceguera and yourself?
Rep. Dr. Heck, you are a great American, have a great family but it seems like you are getting too comfortable in Washington D.C.
So, to Rep. Dr. Joe Heck, if you feel you are getting too comfortable in Washington D.C., please make this your last term and go home to your family and let someone who will stand up to the liberals and their outrageous spending and enjoying taxing everyone in the United States who holds a job and has to pay payroll taxes. If you cannot stand up to liberals, why are you in Washington?
Sincerely
Dan
I have supported you, Rep. Dr. Joe Heck, from the time you announced that you were running against a very corrupt Dina Titus. I am proud to call you my Congressman.
I thought you were a conservative, even though you represent more Democrats than Republicans.
But I just cannot understand your votes this week.
You voted for the fiscal cliff bill, which will be an almost total disaster for the country and then you turn around and vote for John Boehner for Speaker of the House instead of another candidate. You could have even voted for a protest candidate or abstained, but you voted for Boehner, who is a country club Republican who is not conservative and just gives lip service to conservatives.
Boehner got his butt kicked in the Fiscal Cliff bill and yet you supported the bill and still voted for Boehner, who sold out GOP and conservative values.
You could have voted no on the Fiscal Cliff and brought the tax increases back in a week or less and still could have demanded more spending cuts.
Do you think the liberals in Hollywood need a tax credit? Do you think that NASCAR needs tax credits? Do you think that outweighs the increases of taxes and eliminating tax deductions on many Americans? Is Hollywood and NASCAR more important than most everyone in the United States who will pay an increase in the payroll tax?
When John Oceguera, I went to bat for you, but I wonder, what is the difference Oceguera and yourself?
Rep. Dr. Heck, you are a great American, have a great family but it seems like you are getting too comfortable in Washington D.C.
So, to Rep. Dr. Joe Heck, if you feel you are getting too comfortable in Washington D.C., please make this your last term and go home to your family and let someone who will stand up to the liberals and their outrageous spending and enjoying taxing everyone in the United States who holds a job and has to pay payroll taxes. If you cannot stand up to liberals, why are you in Washington?
Sincerely
Dan
Wind Farms Dangerous To Your Health
From Madison.com: When it comes to wind farms, it may be the sound you can't hear that drives you to distraction, according to a report released this week that is pitting environmental groups against one another.
The study of noise levels around the Shirley Wind Farm in Brown County detected largely inaudible, low-frequency sound inside three nearby houses. But researchers found that only in the home closest to the turbines could it be correlated with sound coming from outside the house, according to the report released Monday.
The study concluded that between the low-frequency sound and the nausea, dizziness, headaches, ear pressure and other maladies reported by neighbors "enough evidence and hypotheses have been given herein to classify (low-frequency noise) as a serious issue, possibly affecting the future of the industry."
But the study could not conclude that the health problems reported by nearby residents were caused by the low-frequency sound from the eight-turbine project, according to Clean Wisconsin, a Madison environmental group that arranged the testing.
That's because "there aren't any documented peer-reviewed studies finding any health effects for inaudible sounds," said Tyson Cook, staff scientist for Clean Wisconsin, which favors development of renewable energy.
Read more: http://host.madison.com/news/local/environment/study-suggests-wind-turbines-low-frequency-noise-could-cause-health/article_835ba89e-5609-11e2-8b02-001a4bcf887a.html#ixzz2H07uOvxW
And just think, Obozo and the GOPzo's just granted billions of dollars in tax breaks for wind farms.
Just wonderful.
The study of noise levels around the Shirley Wind Farm in Brown County detected largely inaudible, low-frequency sound inside three nearby houses. But researchers found that only in the home closest to the turbines could it be correlated with sound coming from outside the house, according to the report released Monday.
The study concluded that between the low-frequency sound and the nausea, dizziness, headaches, ear pressure and other maladies reported by neighbors "enough evidence and hypotheses have been given herein to classify (low-frequency noise) as a serious issue, possibly affecting the future of the industry."
But the study could not conclude that the health problems reported by nearby residents were caused by the low-frequency sound from the eight-turbine project, according to Clean Wisconsin, a Madison environmental group that arranged the testing.
That's because "there aren't any documented peer-reviewed studies finding any health effects for inaudible sounds," said Tyson Cook, staff scientist for Clean Wisconsin, which favors development of renewable energy.
Read more: http://host.madison.com/news/local/environment/study-suggests-wind-turbines-low-frequency-noise-could-cause-health/article_835ba89e-5609-11e2-8b02-001a4bcf887a.html#ixzz2H07uOvxW
And just think, Obozo and the GOPzo's just granted billions of dollars in tax breaks for wind farms.
Just wonderful.
Traitor Al Gore Sells TV Station To Muslin Fanatics
From Michelle Malkin: Current TV, the small cable news channel that was co-founded by former vice president Al Gore, has been sold to Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based media company.
The acquisition gives Al Jazeera, which is funded by the Qatar government, the opportunity to establish a footprint in the United States, where it already has an English-language version of its Qatar service — called Al Jazeera English — but only limited reach.
Just buying Current does not guarantee instant distribution, however. Time Warner Cable, which offered Current in roughly 10 million of its homes, is dropping the channel. Without Time Warner Cable, which is the largest distributor in New York City and Los Angeles, Current TV is in only about 50 million homes.
Big Oil is bad — so bad that Al Gore is heroically trying to save the planet by taking as much of their cash as possible. However, you probably won’t be hearing about this sale in Gore’s next Dirty Weather Report.
Gore must have been reluctant to turn over control of his foundering media baby to Al Jazeera knowing he’d have to watch it make a move to the right, but hey, business is business.
Glenn Beck’s bid for Current was rejected. Gee, I wonder why. http://michellemalkin.com/2013/01/03/global-warming-causes-al-gore-to-sell-current-tv-to-al-jazeera/
So, instead of selling to an American, Glenn Beck, Al Gore decided to sell to anti-American Al Jazeera, who showed Muslims celebrating 9-11 and other anti-American stories-pro terrorist stories.
Yep, Al Gore, anti-American, damn near traitor.
The acquisition gives Al Jazeera, which is funded by the Qatar government, the opportunity to establish a footprint in the United States, where it already has an English-language version of its Qatar service — called Al Jazeera English — but only limited reach.
Just buying Current does not guarantee instant distribution, however. Time Warner Cable, which offered Current in roughly 10 million of its homes, is dropping the channel. Without Time Warner Cable, which is the largest distributor in New York City and Los Angeles, Current TV is in only about 50 million homes.
Big Oil is bad — so bad that Al Gore is heroically trying to save the planet by taking as much of their cash as possible. However, you probably won’t be hearing about this sale in Gore’s next Dirty Weather Report.
Gore must have been reluctant to turn over control of his foundering media baby to Al Jazeera knowing he’d have to watch it make a move to the right, but hey, business is business.
Glenn Beck’s bid for Current was rejected. Gee, I wonder why. http://michellemalkin.com/2013/01/03/global-warming-causes-al-gore-to-sell-current-tv-to-al-jazeera/
So, instead of selling to an American, Glenn Beck, Al Gore decided to sell to anti-American Al Jazeera, who showed Muslims celebrating 9-11 and other anti-American stories-pro terrorist stories.
Yep, Al Gore, anti-American, damn near traitor.
Barack Hitler At It Again
From Junk Science: The Obama Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says no law empowers any judge to stop it from conducting illegal scientific experiments on seniors, children and the sick.
That astounding assertion will be tested Friday, when a federal district court in Alexandria decides whether it has jurisdiction to hear claims made by the American Tradition Institute that EPA researchers are exposing unwary and genetically susceptible senior citizens to air pollutants the agency says can cause a variety of serious cardiac and respiratory problems, including sudden death.
Although the lawsuit only addresses ongoing, purportedly illegal experimentation being carried out at an EPA laboratory on the Chapel Hill campus of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, EPA researchers and grantees have carried out dozens of similarly shocking experiments over the past 10 years at UNC and other schools, including Rutgers University, the University of Michigan, University of Rochester, University of Southern California and University of Washington....
The EPA has exposed its human guinea pigs to ozone levels as high as 400 parts per billion (ppb), more than five times higher than the EPA’s current standard and six times higher than the standard expected to be adopted in 2013. In a March 2012 letter to Mrs. Jackson from the agency’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Council, a council member unwittingly commented that “[experimental] exposure of rats to 300 or 400 ppb may be very relevant to humans, but impossible to study in humans for ethical reasons.” Little did the council member know that EPA researchers routinely — but illegally — do the “impossible.”
Aside from the EPA-determined dangers associated with the air pollutants used in the experiments, there are the human study subjects. While some have been healthy young adults, others have been elderly, asthmatic or both. Many have been diagnosed with “metabolic syndrome.” Some had suffered heart attacks and, while they were in rehabilitation, were enrolled as human guinea pigs. EPA-funded researchers apparently have even exposed children to dangerous diesel exhaust and ultrafine particles.....
Rather than defending itself against the serious allegations made by the institute, the EPA instead has said it is essentially above the law and the federal court has no business hearing those serious charges.
The EPA claims the court has no jurisdiction to hear the case under the Clean Air Act (CAA): “Nothing in the CAA provides a meaningful standard to evaluate what air pollution EPA chooses to study or how. To the contrary, the CAA gives EPA broad discretion in the subject matter of its research program. Congress broadly mandated that EPA study the health effects of air pollution.”
Of course, Congress most likely thought the EPA would conduct such research in a lawful manner. http://junkscience.com/2013/01/01/epas-illegal-human-experiments-could-break-nuremberg-code/#more-33183
It would be one thing is the Obama administration was caught and said they would change the policy, but instead they think experimenting on humans are a much test subject than say animal.
Why does the Obama administration hate the kids, elderly, disabled, asthmatics and others?
h/t Dad29: http://dad29.blogspot.com/
That astounding assertion will be tested Friday, when a federal district court in Alexandria decides whether it has jurisdiction to hear claims made by the American Tradition Institute that EPA researchers are exposing unwary and genetically susceptible senior citizens to air pollutants the agency says can cause a variety of serious cardiac and respiratory problems, including sudden death.
Although the lawsuit only addresses ongoing, purportedly illegal experimentation being carried out at an EPA laboratory on the Chapel Hill campus of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, EPA researchers and grantees have carried out dozens of similarly shocking experiments over the past 10 years at UNC and other schools, including Rutgers University, the University of Michigan, University of Rochester, University of Southern California and University of Washington....
The EPA has exposed its human guinea pigs to ozone levels as high as 400 parts per billion (ppb), more than five times higher than the EPA’s current standard and six times higher than the standard expected to be adopted in 2013. In a March 2012 letter to Mrs. Jackson from the agency’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Council, a council member unwittingly commented that “[experimental] exposure of rats to 300 or 400 ppb may be very relevant to humans, but impossible to study in humans for ethical reasons.” Little did the council member know that EPA researchers routinely — but illegally — do the “impossible.”
Aside from the EPA-determined dangers associated with the air pollutants used in the experiments, there are the human study subjects. While some have been healthy young adults, others have been elderly, asthmatic or both. Many have been diagnosed with “metabolic syndrome.” Some had suffered heart attacks and, while they were in rehabilitation, were enrolled as human guinea pigs. EPA-funded researchers apparently have even exposed children to dangerous diesel exhaust and ultrafine particles.....
Rather than defending itself against the serious allegations made by the institute, the EPA instead has said it is essentially above the law and the federal court has no business hearing those serious charges.
The EPA claims the court has no jurisdiction to hear the case under the Clean Air Act (CAA): “Nothing in the CAA provides a meaningful standard to evaluate what air pollution EPA chooses to study or how. To the contrary, the CAA gives EPA broad discretion in the subject matter of its research program. Congress broadly mandated that EPA study the health effects of air pollution.”
Of course, Congress most likely thought the EPA would conduct such research in a lawful manner. http://junkscience.com/2013/01/01/epas-illegal-human-experiments-could-break-nuremberg-code/#more-33183
It would be one thing is the Obama administration was caught and said they would change the policy, but instead they think experimenting on humans are a much test subject than say animal.
Why does the Obama administration hate the kids, elderly, disabled, asthmatics and others?
h/t Dad29: http://dad29.blogspot.com/
Boyz To Men Vegas's New Headliner
From the Las Vegas Sun: Boyz II Men, America’s bestselling R&B group of all time, have landed a nearly yearlong residency of selected weekend dates at the Mirage. “Motownphilly’s back again,” said baritone Nathan Morris, a founding member of the group. He’ll be joined by tenors Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman for the 78 shows in the Terry Fator Theater.
Under Terry’s own new extended contract, the entertainer, singer, ventriloquist and $1 million Season 2 winner of “America’s Got Talent” gets several weekend dates cleared for his out-of-town appearances and a new Hollywood TV project. Boyz II Men will start taking over several weekends as of March 1 and will perform through Dec. 29, with, of course, a possible option of extending. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/jan/03/motownphilly-mirage-boyz-ii-men-land-strip-reside/
I don't know many of their songs, ok, maybe 1 or two at most, but it is interesting and good to see that an African American musical group be a main headliner at a major hotel/casino, especially in these days and times of the big money that is put out to market and put on the show.
I hope they are successful.
Under Terry’s own new extended contract, the entertainer, singer, ventriloquist and $1 million Season 2 winner of “America’s Got Talent” gets several weekend dates cleared for his out-of-town appearances and a new Hollywood TV project. Boyz II Men will start taking over several weekends as of March 1 and will perform through Dec. 29, with, of course, a possible option of extending. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/jan/03/motownphilly-mirage-boyz-ii-men-land-strip-reside/
I don't know many of their songs, ok, maybe 1 or two at most, but it is interesting and good to see that an African American musical group be a main headliner at a major hotel/casino, especially in these days and times of the big money that is put out to market and put on the show.
I hope they are successful.
Even With Replay, Ref's Get It Wrong
Tonight (Thursday night) the Colorado Buffaloes played the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona and they were involved in a close game that eventually went to overtime.
But the officials, apparently believing they were replacement NFL referees decided to overrule themselves (they called the basket good initially) and overrule the replay that showed that the Colorado player released just before or at the moment the clock went to 0:00.
The Colorado coach was obviously angry- from ESPN: It's fair to say Colorado coach Tad Boyle was frustrated by the officials' decision to use an inconclusive replay of a potential game-winning 3-pointer to reverse an on-court call at the end of Thursday's game against Arizona.
How frustrated?
Enough that he wants college basketball to take a dramatic step: Don't go to the monitor to decide a game on such a close call.
"Get rid of instant replay," Boyle told ESPN.com by phone from Tucson. "In basketball, football, human error is part of our game. If human error is part of the game, let the officials call the game. Players, coaches and officials will make mistakes. It's part of the game.
"We spend all this money on replays and we still can't get it right. Get rid of it."
Boyle hadn't seen the replay of Sabatino Chen's buzzer-beating 3-point bank shot until well after the game.
The shot, waved off by officials after a lengthy review, would have handed the Buffaloes a stunning 83-80 victory over No. 3 Arizona in the Pac-12 opener in Tucson.
Instead, Arizona completed a 17-point comeback to win 92-83 in overtime and remain undefeated.
"After the game, I was disappointed in myself and in the way we played down the stretch, but I hadn't seen the replay," Boyle said. "That was like a shot to the gut. We're going to move on and not cry about it and not complain about it, and we'll take it like men and hopefully get better."
But Boyle won't let it rest. He said his first call on Friday morning will be to Pac-12 coordinator of officials Ed Rush.
"I would like an explanation," Boyle said. "I think the University of Colorado deserves one and the players and administration and student body and everybody involved in Buff Nation deserves an explanation. It's not going to change the result. I've never been involved in something like this." http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8811934/tad-boyle-colorado-buffaloes-basketball-coach-wants-end-instant-replay-controversial-overturned-call
But the officials, apparently believing they were replacement NFL referees decided to overrule themselves (they called the basket good initially) and overrule the replay that showed that the Colorado player released just before or at the moment the clock went to 0:00.
The Colorado coach was obviously angry- from ESPN: It's fair to say Colorado coach Tad Boyle was frustrated by the officials' decision to use an inconclusive replay of a potential game-winning 3-pointer to reverse an on-court call at the end of Thursday's game against Arizona.
How frustrated?
Enough that he wants college basketball to take a dramatic step: Don't go to the monitor to decide a game on such a close call.
"Get rid of instant replay," Boyle told ESPN.com by phone from Tucson. "In basketball, football, human error is part of our game. If human error is part of the game, let the officials call the game. Players, coaches and officials will make mistakes. It's part of the game.
"We spend all this money on replays and we still can't get it right. Get rid of it."
Boyle hadn't seen the replay of Sabatino Chen's buzzer-beating 3-point bank shot until well after the game.
The shot, waved off by officials after a lengthy review, would have handed the Buffaloes a stunning 83-80 victory over No. 3 Arizona in the Pac-12 opener in Tucson.
Instead, Arizona completed a 17-point comeback to win 92-83 in overtime and remain undefeated.
"After the game, I was disappointed in myself and in the way we played down the stretch, but I hadn't seen the replay," Boyle said. "That was like a shot to the gut. We're going to move on and not cry about it and not complain about it, and we'll take it like men and hopefully get better."
But Boyle won't let it rest. He said his first call on Friday morning will be to Pac-12 coordinator of officials Ed Rush.
"I would like an explanation," Boyle said. "I think the University of Colorado deserves one and the players and administration and student body and everybody involved in Buff Nation deserves an explanation. It's not going to change the result. I've never been involved in something like this." http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8811934/tad-boyle-colorado-buffaloes-basketball-coach-wants-end-instant-replay-controversial-overturned-call
This Is Good
From Firehouse.com: The number of firefighters who died while performing their duties last year continued on a downward trend.
There were 83 firefighter deaths last year, and of those 16 were classified as Hometown Heroes.
A person who dies of a heart attack or stroke within 24 hours of an emergency response is classified as a Hometown Hero, and is eligible for funds under PSOB.
There were 83 firefighter fatalities in 2011 as well, and 87 in 2010.
Heart attacks or cardiac-related issues continue to be the leading cause of firefighter deaths, cited in at least 34 cases, while trauma killed 27.
Eight firefighters died during training, and three were killed at blazes determined to have been intentionally set.
The statistics posted by the USFA are preliminary as information will be sent to all state fire marshals for verification and to make sure all firefighter deaths have been reported.
Of those who died, 40 were volunteers; 32 were career; four were wildland part-time; three wildland contract; and two paid on-call.
Records show that 23 died on the fire scene, and 17 afterward. A dozen died responding, while 15 were performing other duties. http://www.firehouse.com/news/10847710/on-duty-firefighter-deaths-continue-downward-trend
And police officer deaths are also down in 2012, compared to 2011. In 2011, there were 174 police officer deaths according to the Officer down Memorial Page (http://www.odmp.org/) and 126 in 2012.
Of course, you hope that we have zero police officer or firefighter deaths, but it is dangerous job and you hope that the cops and firefighters stay safe as possible.
There were 83 firefighter deaths last year, and of those 16 were classified as Hometown Heroes.
A person who dies of a heart attack or stroke within 24 hours of an emergency response is classified as a Hometown Hero, and is eligible for funds under PSOB.
There were 83 firefighter fatalities in 2011 as well, and 87 in 2010.
Heart attacks or cardiac-related issues continue to be the leading cause of firefighter deaths, cited in at least 34 cases, while trauma killed 27.
Eight firefighters died during training, and three were killed at blazes determined to have been intentionally set.
The statistics posted by the USFA are preliminary as information will be sent to all state fire marshals for verification and to make sure all firefighter deaths have been reported.
Of those who died, 40 were volunteers; 32 were career; four were wildland part-time; three wildland contract; and two paid on-call.
Records show that 23 died on the fire scene, and 17 afterward. A dozen died responding, while 15 were performing other duties. http://www.firehouse.com/news/10847710/on-duty-firefighter-deaths-continue-downward-trend
And police officer deaths are also down in 2012, compared to 2011. In 2011, there were 174 police officer deaths according to the Officer down Memorial Page (http://www.odmp.org/) and 126 in 2012.
Of course, you hope that we have zero police officer or firefighter deaths, but it is dangerous job and you hope that the cops and firefighters stay safe as possible.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
One Way To Stop Shoplifting
From the Local (Sweden): A store manager with Swedish supermarket chain Ica has been convicted of assault after pouring urine over a woman he had caught shoplifting in his Stockholm shop.
"What occurred in the shop was completely unacceptable," said Anders Svensson, CEO of Ica Sweden, to Sveriges Television (SVT).
"He is guilty of something that we at Ica take a strong stand against, and we have informed him of this."
After the man caught the female shopper pinching items in his central Stockholm store, he rang the police and blocked the exit so the light-fingered customer was forced to wait with him for officers.
When the woman asked to use the store's bathroom, the staff member refused, at which point the shopper used a waste paper bin to relieve herself.
The shop assistant then poured the bin's contents back onto the woman.
During police interrogation, the staff member claimed that he was simply "giving back what belonged to the woman."
When the police arrested the woman, they asked her why her clothes were wet and she explained what had happened, although her story was denied by the shop attendant who claimed he had only poured dishwater on her.However, the court refused to believe his claims and demanded he pay damages to the woman totalling 10,000 kronor ($1,540). http://www.thelocal.se/45394/20130103/#.UOVefn7Tkc8
Now, of course, Democrats in the United States now will demand that urine be outlawed or severely limited.
"What occurred in the shop was completely unacceptable," said Anders Svensson, CEO of Ica Sweden, to Sveriges Television (SVT).
"He is guilty of something that we at Ica take a strong stand against, and we have informed him of this."
After the man caught the female shopper pinching items in his central Stockholm store, he rang the police and blocked the exit so the light-fingered customer was forced to wait with him for officers.
When the woman asked to use the store's bathroom, the staff member refused, at which point the shopper used a waste paper bin to relieve herself.
The shop assistant then poured the bin's contents back onto the woman.
During police interrogation, the staff member claimed that he was simply "giving back what belonged to the woman."
When the police arrested the woman, they asked her why her clothes were wet and she explained what had happened, although her story was denied by the shop attendant who claimed he had only poured dishwater on her.However, the court refused to believe his claims and demanded he pay damages to the woman totalling 10,000 kronor ($1,540). http://www.thelocal.se/45394/20130103/#.UOVefn7Tkc8
Now, of course, Democrats in the United States now will demand that urine be outlawed or severely limited.
Airplane 2: Life Imitates Art (Movie)
I'm watching the movie, Airplane 2 and writers certainly were ahead of their time, with their take on airport security. Who knew that the TSA would imitate a movie:
More Democrats Coming For Your Guns
From Fox News: Illinois Senate Democrats appear to be moving forward with new gun control measures in the waning days of the legislative session, with one lawmaker telling FoxNews.com that he will introduce a bill to limit ammunition magazines to 10 or fewer rounds. Another Democratic lawmaker confirmed to FoxNews.com that he is pushing a separate assault-weapons ban.
Amid the developments, the Illinois State Rifle Association issued an “urgent alert” to its members warning them that Democratic legislators would try to push through last-minute anti-gun legislation.
“There would be no exemptions and no grandfathering,” the group stated in its alert. “You would have a very short window to turn in your guns to the state police and avoid prosecution.”
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/01/02/illinois-dems-press-forward-with-gun-control-bills-firearms-group-warns-no/#ixzz2Gtr6bUe3
And if the Illinois Democrats do pass the bill, some gun companies plan to leave the state:
The state Senate got back to work Wednesday. The House plans to return Monday. Both legislative bodies are working against a Jan. 9 deadline -- when the state’s new General Assembly will be sworn-in.
Gun manufactures in Illinois have already threatened to leave the area if laws limiting guns are put in place. ArmaLite owner Mark Westrom told FoxNews.com that he’s been fielding offers from at least two others states to move his operation if gun control laws in Illinois are pushed through.
Hey, to the gun companies in Illinois, you are more than welcome to Nevada and open up shop.
Amid the developments, the Illinois State Rifle Association issued an “urgent alert” to its members warning them that Democratic legislators would try to push through last-minute anti-gun legislation.
“There would be no exemptions and no grandfathering,” the group stated in its alert. “You would have a very short window to turn in your guns to the state police and avoid prosecution.”
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/01/02/illinois-dems-press-forward-with-gun-control-bills-firearms-group-warns-no/#ixzz2Gtr6bUe3
And if the Illinois Democrats do pass the bill, some gun companies plan to leave the state:
The state Senate got back to work Wednesday. The House plans to return Monday. Both legislative bodies are working against a Jan. 9 deadline -- when the state’s new General Assembly will be sworn-in.
Gun manufactures in Illinois have already threatened to leave the area if laws limiting guns are put in place. ArmaLite owner Mark Westrom told FoxNews.com that he’s been fielding offers from at least two others states to move his operation if gun control laws in Illinois are pushed through.
Hey, to the gun companies in Illinois, you are more than welcome to Nevada and open up shop.
After 33 Years, It's Still Very Funny
I'm watching the movie Airplane! probably for the 150 times (no exaggeration) and the movie is still funny as ever and I still find new things in the movie I haven't seen before- like the whacking part of the magazine rack in the beginning of movie.
Here is a clip of the movie:
Here is a clip of the movie:
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Look What Drugs Can Do You To You
From the Las Vegas Sun: A mother and daughter have pleaded guilty to killing their elderly neighbor in April and stealing her coin collection, court officials said.
Lourie Rodriguez, 46, and her daughter, Amber Hall, 27, accepted a plea deal Wednesday in Clark County District Court, said Mary Ann Price, a court spokeswoman.Rodriguez pleaded guilty to first-degree murder with a deadly weapon of a victim over 60 and robbery with a deadly weapon of an older person, Price said. Hall pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with a deadly weapon of a victim over 60 and robbery with a deadly weapon of an older person, she said. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/jan/02/mother-daughter-reverse-course-pleading-guilty-dea/
The lady on the right in this Las Vegas Sun picture is 46 years old. She looks like she is in her 70's or 80's.
Drugs will do that to you.
Fence Meant To Keep Sledders Safe, Kills Girl
You have to hand it to government workers, when they try an make things safer, they only make it more dangerous. A case in point is the tragedy that happened this weekend at Mount Charleston, when an 11 year old girl died after she hit a fence that was meant to keep sleeders safe, instead helped kill her.
From the LVRJ: A girl who died Tuesday while sledding on Mount Charleston crashed into a solid metal fence installed last fall with the intent of making sledding safer by keeping people out of an off-limits area.
The girl, identified by the Clark County coroner as Vanesa Lara, 11, was flown to University Medical Center, where she died of heart injuries....
Jose Hernandez, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Department, said Vanesa was riding on the sled with another child, who was not injured, when they hit the fence. He said Vanesa's parents were with her on the mountain....
Police officers at the scene Wednesday said Vanesa was sledding in the upper Meadows area, and hit the end of a metal fence that was installed in October in the middle of the sledding area. There are signs posted in the area warning against sledding up-slope from the fence, said Erik Pappa, a Clark County spokesman. http://www.lvrj.com/news/girl-dies-from-sledding-into-fence-recently-installed-to-block-sledders-185487741.html
So, instead of making the fence out of a softer material, like wood, plastic or hay bales, they made it out of unbending metal.
And anybody who goes up do the ski/sledding area on the mountain know that kids don't read the no trespassing/sledding signs.
Yes, the parents do share some responsibility for allowing the sledding to be so close to the fence, but Clark County is more responsible for putting up a metal fence instead something softer.
From the LVRJ: A girl who died Tuesday while sledding on Mount Charleston crashed into a solid metal fence installed last fall with the intent of making sledding safer by keeping people out of an off-limits area.
The girl, identified by the Clark County coroner as Vanesa Lara, 11, was flown to University Medical Center, where she died of heart injuries....
Jose Hernandez, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Department, said Vanesa was riding on the sled with another child, who was not injured, when they hit the fence. He said Vanesa's parents were with her on the mountain....
Police officers at the scene Wednesday said Vanesa was sledding in the upper Meadows area, and hit the end of a metal fence that was installed in October in the middle of the sledding area. There are signs posted in the area warning against sledding up-slope from the fence, said Erik Pappa, a Clark County spokesman. http://www.lvrj.com/news/girl-dies-from-sledding-into-fence-recently-installed-to-block-sledders-185487741.html
So, instead of making the fence out of a softer material, like wood, plastic or hay bales, they made it out of unbending metal.
And anybody who goes up do the ski/sledding area on the mountain know that kids don't read the no trespassing/sledding signs.
Yes, the parents do share some responsibility for allowing the sledding to be so close to the fence, but Clark County is more responsible for putting up a metal fence instead something softer.
Another Reason Why Boehner Was Right Not To bring The Hurricane Sandy Bill To A Vote
From the Weekly Standard: But one of the big objections to the bill was that Senate Democrats had filled it with pork.
In fact, "Democrats expanded the legislation during a mark-up to include not just areas affected by Sandy, but also to provide money for 'storm events that occurred in 2012 along the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Coast within the boundaries of the North Atlantic and Mississippi Valley divisions of the Corps that were affected by Hurricanes Sandy and Isaac,'" we reported previously. The expansion of the bill was a way to provide a financial incentive for senators from red states--"two Republicans senators from Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas, and the one Republican senator from Louisiana"--to vote for the bill. "The Sandy kickbacks provide an incentive for those Republicans to vote on the bill," we wrote.
It is true that the Sandy bill in the House strips the legislation of at least some of the pork, but after yesterday's fight over the "fiscal cliff" deal it seems reasonable that Congress might not have been up for another battle just yet. http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/christie-craving-pork-filled-sandy-bill_693530.html
And from the Inquisitor:
“Your two senators packed this with pork. They had the opportunity to have a $27 to $30 billion dollar legit relief packages, packed it with pork, then dared us not to vote for it.”Representative Issa was referring to New York Senators Kristen Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer. Some of the disputed items in the Super Storm Sandy disaster aid bill include a $150 million in funding for Alaskan fisheries. The bill would also have reportedly increased spending to the national flood insurance program, which is expected to max out its borrowing limit next week. If the flood insurance program cannot borrow more money, it will reportedly only be able to pay 12,000 of the estimated 139,000 of the Hurricane Sandy related claims, according to The Atlantic Wire.
The Bennington Banner notes multiple “pet projects” which have caused angst among Republican lawmakers who likely want to help Hurricane Sandy victims. Some of the disputed hurricane relief bill pork measures in $336 million in Amtrak expenses and $2 million in taxpayer funds to repair a room on one of the Smithsonian buildings in Washington D.C.
The publication also reports that the Super Storm Sandy relief legislation also includes $8 million to purchase new vehicles for federal agencies. A total of $4 million for repairs to the Kennedy Space Center were also added to the disaster relief bill.
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/464823/hurricane-sandy-relief-pork-spending-stalls-passage/#FPmbz5P3IqdO2Ko2.99
And if the people who lost their homes businesses or the homes and businesses were severely damaged thought they were going to get help paying for their new homes or businesses are sadly mistaken. The Federal government should not be in the business of rebuilding homes and businesses, after all, that is what private insurance is all about. If people didn't purchase insurance to cover their losses, then maybe they can get a low interest loan but they should not expect the government to pay for their damages.
So, the GOP did do a good thing last night and that was not bringing the Hurricane sandy to a vote. They should start over and redo the bill and get rid of the pork.
And the Democrats and Republicans from the Northeast ought not be so damn greedy.
2013 Predictions
The past two year, I have made predictions about what will happen in the next year. My average is about 60% correct, for whatever that is worth, so these are my predictions for the year 2013:
1. Some time in the year 2013,, John Boehner will lose his Speaker of the House job.
2. The U.S. government will shut down at least one time this year because of politics.
3. President Obama will play at least 50 rounds of golf this year.
4. The nation's unemployment rate will be higher at the end of December than it is now.
5. Congress will pass a gun control law but it will be toothless and hardly affect anybody.
6. The religious objections in ObamaCare will be overturned by the Supreme Court.
7. The Green Bay Packers get knocked out the NFL playoffs in the 2nd round.
8. The San Francisco 49'ers win the Super Bowl.
9. There will be no NHL season for the 2012-13 season.
10. The Wisconsin Badgers football team will not improve this season and will not qualify for a bCS bowl game.
11. The Wisconsin Badgers, Marquette Warriors and UNLV Runnin Rebels will qualify for the NCAA men's basketball tourney but none will make the Great 8 in the tourney.
12. The Milwaukee Brewers will lose at least 82 games next season.
13. The Nevada legislators will pass a bill that raises taxes on mining and gaming but Gov. Brian Sandoval will veto it.
15. There will be a major wildfire in Clark county this year.
16. The temp's in Las Vegas will be cooler this year than the past 3 years.
17. The highest official temp. in Las Vegas will be 113 or lower this year.
18. There will be at least 1 opening in the U.S. Supreme Court this year.
19. The Los Angeles Lakers will not make the playoffs this year.
20. The Oklahoma Thunder win the NBA championship.
21. The Detroit Tigers win the World Series.
22. The UNLV football team will win 4 games this next season by they do not fire the coach.
23. No sports arena will be approved this year in Las Vegas.
24. Yucca Mountain will still be barely alive at the end of the year.
25. The Desert Express train will not begin any construction this year.
26. Nevada state government will spend about 5% more than last year.
27. There will be a mild walkout of CCSD teachers over pay and lack of contract this year.
28. Dwight Jones, Superintendent of CCSD will give teachers a 2nd option for health insurance, meaning Teacher's Health Trust will have competition.
29. The conservative Supreme Court justice in Wisconsin, Pat Roggensack, will win her election.
30. 1 more state will become a right to work state.
31. 2013 will be another bad year for celebrities, as at least 5 major former or current stars will die this year.
32. Eric Holder will still be U.S. Attorney General in December.
33. Hillary Clinton will not testify in front of Congress on Benghazi.
34. Matt Kenseth wins the Daytona 500, with his new team.
35. Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes the Chase but does not win a race in 2013.
36. Kyle Busch wins the Sprint Cup Chase.
37. Wisconsin NASCAR driver, Paul Menard will make the Chase.
38. Danica Patrick gets 1 top ten finish in Sprint and ends up 21th in points or lower.
39. Tiger Woods wins 3 or fewer golf tournaments in the PGA but none of them are a major.
40. Pawn Stars will turn Olivia's firing into a show or two and she will be invited back on to the show, showing that her firing was a hoax.
41. My friend Jamie, over at the Greenlee Gazette, http://greenleegazette.blogspot.com/ will have at least 1 column criticizing other liberals.
41. The Las Vegas Badger will have about 200,000 visits this year.
Well, I made these predictions up in about an half an hour, so they could be totally wrong.
So, what are your predictions for 2013?
1. Some time in the year 2013,, John Boehner will lose his Speaker of the House job.
2. The U.S. government will shut down at least one time this year because of politics.
3. President Obama will play at least 50 rounds of golf this year.
4. The nation's unemployment rate will be higher at the end of December than it is now.
5. Congress will pass a gun control law but it will be toothless and hardly affect anybody.
6. The religious objections in ObamaCare will be overturned by the Supreme Court.
7. The Green Bay Packers get knocked out the NFL playoffs in the 2nd round.
8. The San Francisco 49'ers win the Super Bowl.
9. There will be no NHL season for the 2012-13 season.
10. The Wisconsin Badgers football team will not improve this season and will not qualify for a bCS bowl game.
11. The Wisconsin Badgers, Marquette Warriors and UNLV Runnin Rebels will qualify for the NCAA men's basketball tourney but none will make the Great 8 in the tourney.
12. The Milwaukee Brewers will lose at least 82 games next season.
13. The Nevada legislators will pass a bill that raises taxes on mining and gaming but Gov. Brian Sandoval will veto it.
15. There will be a major wildfire in Clark county this year.
16. The temp's in Las Vegas will be cooler this year than the past 3 years.
17. The highest official temp. in Las Vegas will be 113 or lower this year.
18. There will be at least 1 opening in the U.S. Supreme Court this year.
19. The Los Angeles Lakers will not make the playoffs this year.
20. The Oklahoma Thunder win the NBA championship.
21. The Detroit Tigers win the World Series.
22. The UNLV football team will win 4 games this next season by they do not fire the coach.
23. No sports arena will be approved this year in Las Vegas.
24. Yucca Mountain will still be barely alive at the end of the year.
25. The Desert Express train will not begin any construction this year.
26. Nevada state government will spend about 5% more than last year.
27. There will be a mild walkout of CCSD teachers over pay and lack of contract this year.
28. Dwight Jones, Superintendent of CCSD will give teachers a 2nd option for health insurance, meaning Teacher's Health Trust will have competition.
29. The conservative Supreme Court justice in Wisconsin, Pat Roggensack, will win her election.
30. 1 more state will become a right to work state.
31. 2013 will be another bad year for celebrities, as at least 5 major former or current stars will die this year.
32. Eric Holder will still be U.S. Attorney General in December.
33. Hillary Clinton will not testify in front of Congress on Benghazi.
34. Matt Kenseth wins the Daytona 500, with his new team.
35. Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes the Chase but does not win a race in 2013.
36. Kyle Busch wins the Sprint Cup Chase.
37. Wisconsin NASCAR driver, Paul Menard will make the Chase.
38. Danica Patrick gets 1 top ten finish in Sprint and ends up 21th in points or lower.
39. Tiger Woods wins 3 or fewer golf tournaments in the PGA but none of them are a major.
40. Pawn Stars will turn Olivia's firing into a show or two and she will be invited back on to the show, showing that her firing was a hoax.
41. My friend Jamie, over at the Greenlee Gazette, http://greenleegazette.blogspot.com/ will have at least 1 column criticizing other liberals.
41. The Las Vegas Badger will have about 200,000 visits this year.
Well, I made these predictions up in about an half an hour, so they could be totally wrong.
So, what are your predictions for 2013?
Another Reason Why Defense Lawyers Are Despised
A woman is accused of murdering a ten year old girl and there is the girl's blood found on the woman's property. Meanwhile the thug woman is also charged with cutting a woman's face at the Bellagio and what does the defense attorney say, she is a wonderful woman.
From the Las Vegas Sun: A judge revoked bail for Brenda Stokes, the woman accused of attacking a Bellagio co-worker and killing 10-year-old Jade Morris, during a court hearing Wednesday morning.
Stokes, 50, has been charged with first-degree kidnapping with use of a deadly weapon, murder with use of a deadly weapon, battery with use of a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm, burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon, attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon and mayhem with use of a deadly weapon, according to an amended criminal complaint.
Stokes was arrested the night of Dec. 21 after she slashed Joyce Rhone, a fellow blackjack dealer, with razor blades at the Bellagio, according to a Metro Police report. Rhone survived the attack.
Tony Liker, Stokes' hired defense attorney, opposed the prosecution's request, noting the defendant intended to plead not guilty to all charges.
Liker, who called Stokes a "wonderful woman," said he met Stokes several years ago when representing her daughter in an accident case. Stokes raised three children — a daughter who graduated from UNLV and works in California and two sons who attend colleges in Texas and Ohio — as a single mother, Liker said.
"I don't think it meets the profile of someone who would kill a 10-year-old girl," Liker said. "She has no criminal history whatsoever." http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/jan/02/woman-arrested-bellagio-attack-charged-death-10-ye/
Yeah and I bet she didn't meet the profile of someone who sliced a woman's face open either, right Attorney Liker?
It's one thing to represent an defendant and do it with class, but it is another thing to paint the person as a saint when they are caught at the scene of a crime trying to slash someone's face off in an attempt to kill them and having a dead 10 year old's blood on your property.
From the Las Vegas Sun: A judge revoked bail for Brenda Stokes, the woman accused of attacking a Bellagio co-worker and killing 10-year-old Jade Morris, during a court hearing Wednesday morning.
Stokes, 50, has been charged with first-degree kidnapping with use of a deadly weapon, murder with use of a deadly weapon, battery with use of a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm, burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon, attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon and mayhem with use of a deadly weapon, according to an amended criminal complaint.
Stokes was arrested the night of Dec. 21 after she slashed Joyce Rhone, a fellow blackjack dealer, with razor blades at the Bellagio, according to a Metro Police report. Rhone survived the attack.
Tony Liker, Stokes' hired defense attorney, opposed the prosecution's request, noting the defendant intended to plead not guilty to all charges.
Liker, who called Stokes a "wonderful woman," said he met Stokes several years ago when representing her daughter in an accident case. Stokes raised three children — a daughter who graduated from UNLV and works in California and two sons who attend colleges in Texas and Ohio — as a single mother, Liker said.
"I don't think it meets the profile of someone who would kill a 10-year-old girl," Liker said. "She has no criminal history whatsoever." http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/jan/02/woman-arrested-bellagio-attack-charged-death-10-ye/
Yeah and I bet she didn't meet the profile of someone who sliced a woman's face open either, right Attorney Liker?
It's one thing to represent an defendant and do it with class, but it is another thing to paint the person as a saint when they are caught at the scene of a crime trying to slash someone's face off in an attempt to kill them and having a dead 10 year old's blood on your property.
1 Year Later, The No Snitchers Are Still Winnning
Almost 1 year ago, a girl that attended the school I teach at, Betty Pinkney, is still not solved and the no snitching "policy" of those at the party and those that knew what happened is still in effect.
From a post from last year: Over the weekend, a student from my school was murdered while she attended a party on the northeast side of the Las Vegas Valley. There has been a lot of talk about the murder- by the students, some teachers and the local newspapers and television stations.
From the LVRJ today: Diana Perry plays back the worst night of her life over and over in her head, wondering "What if? What if?" as she looks at her wristband from the house party. She won't take it off. It proves the nightmare was real.
Mere moments before her 17-year-old girlfriend died in her arms from a stray bullet early Sunday, they were dancing the night away at the party. Then she was kneeling on the floor, holding the hand of Betty "Jay" Pinkney, who was squeezing tight as she convulsed and gasped for air.
Perry's other hand pressed hard on Pinkney's blood-drenched side to try to stop the spreading red.
Pinkney's good friend Amber Robertson felt for her pulse.
"I felt one heartbeat and that was it," a sobbing Robertson said Tuesday. "It was hard. She was my best friend."
Police arrived shortly after.
"I stayed with her until they forced me off," Perry said, chuckling softly as she remembered something. "My wallet is actually at the morgue with her right now. I would call her my gentleman. She'd carry my things." http://www.lvrj.com/news/teen-s-slaying-leaves-questions-among-friends-137550238.html
http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2012/01/murder-of-high-school-student-betty.html
The sad fact is that someone at the party knew what happened and some kids around the neighborhood, on the northeast side of the Las Vegas valley also know what happened but are refusing to tell the cops.
It would also be nice if the so-called leaders in the Black community would come out and demand people come forward, but they won't. The so called leaders don't want to piss off their followers who give them good money so they can live their lavish lifestyles. And the ministers of the Black community are about as weak as can be and are pretty much useless.
So, hopefully, someone this year will come forward and tell the cops who was the coward behind the shooting of Betty Pinkney. I also hope the media in this town will also write and report on the unsolved murder, as the 1 year anniversary comes closer.
While I hope someone will come forward, I doubt it will happen.
From a post from last year: Over the weekend, a student from my school was murdered while she attended a party on the northeast side of the Las Vegas Valley. There has been a lot of talk about the murder- by the students, some teachers and the local newspapers and television stations.
From the LVRJ today: Diana Perry plays back the worst night of her life over and over in her head, wondering "What if? What if?" as she looks at her wristband from the house party. She won't take it off. It proves the nightmare was real.
Mere moments before her 17-year-old girlfriend died in her arms from a stray bullet early Sunday, they were dancing the night away at the party. Then she was kneeling on the floor, holding the hand of Betty "Jay" Pinkney, who was squeezing tight as she convulsed and gasped for air.
Perry's other hand pressed hard on Pinkney's blood-drenched side to try to stop the spreading red.
Pinkney's good friend Amber Robertson felt for her pulse.
"I felt one heartbeat and that was it," a sobbing Robertson said Tuesday. "It was hard. She was my best friend."
Police arrived shortly after.
"I stayed with her until they forced me off," Perry said, chuckling softly as she remembered something. "My wallet is actually at the morgue with her right now. I would call her my gentleman. She'd carry my things." http://www.lvrj.com/news/teen-s-slaying-leaves-questions-among-friends-137550238.html
http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2012/01/murder-of-high-school-student-betty.html
The sad fact is that someone at the party knew what happened and some kids around the neighborhood, on the northeast side of the Las Vegas valley also know what happened but are refusing to tell the cops.
It would also be nice if the so-called leaders in the Black community would come out and demand people come forward, but they won't. The so called leaders don't want to piss off their followers who give them good money so they can live their lavish lifestyles. And the ministers of the Black community are about as weak as can be and are pretty much useless.
So, hopefully, someone this year will come forward and tell the cops who was the coward behind the shooting of Betty Pinkney. I also hope the media in this town will also write and report on the unsolved murder, as the 1 year anniversary comes closer.
While I hope someone will come forward, I doubt it will happen.
More Idiot Jurors In Pahrump
What the hell is in the water in Pahrump that makes juries do stupid things? In the latest case of jury stupidity, a jury found a pervert innocent of fondling a 16 year old girl in the vaginal area, even though she was underage and didn't want to be touched and he admitted he did it.
From the Pahrump Valley Times:
A jury found one man not guilty of inappropriately touching a 16-year-old girl, during an incident last year, after a brief two-day trial. (A two day trial is brief?)
Marco Antonio Soto was on trial Dec. 20 and Dec. 21 for a single count of open and gross lewdness after he was alleged to have rubbed the teenager’s crotch for 20 to 30 seconds one afternoon over the summer while the two were sitting on a couch at his girlfriend’s home. Both Soto and the victim were living with Soto’s girlfriend at the time of the incident.
According to the declaration of arrest in the case, on Sept. 2 Nye County Sheriff’s deputies were called to a home in the 2300 block of McMurray Street for a report of open and gross lewdness.
When they arrived, the victim in the case told police that her guardian’s boyfriend had rubbed her vaginal area, without consent, approximately one month prior.
Police then asked Soto about the allegation, to which he initially replied he never touched the girl. Later, during another interview with a detective at the sheriff’s office, Soto admitted to rubbing the girl on the outside of her clothes under a blanket.
He was subsequently arrested on a charge of open and gross lewdness and on Sept. 11 charged by the district attorney’s office.
The defense argued that while Soto had admitted to the act during an interview with police, he should be found not guilty of the crime since there was the possible appearance, or at least mistaken appearance, of consent to the act when the girl didn’t immediately push his hand away or tell him to stop.
Prosecutor Ross Armstrong, however, argued that it was clear there was never consent for Soto to touch the teenager and that his actions were clearly unwanted as the girl did eventually push his hand away and left the room. http://pvtimes.com/news/jury-finds-man-not-guilty-in-touching-case/...
She said on the day of the incident she had sat down on the other end of the couch where Soto was sitting, playing video games. Soon after, Soto reached across the couch and placed his hand in her lap.
After what both she and Soto believe was 20 or 30 seconds of him rubbing her inappropriately she pushed his hand away, got up and went to another room to play a board game with her brother.
When asked why she waited approximately a month before telling anyone what had happened between her and Soto, the girl answered that she was uncomfortable talking about what had occurred.
“I wasn’t comfortable telling anybody about that,” she said....
Though Soto’s attorney, Harry Kuehn, submitted to the court that what his client did was morally wrong, he painted a picture for jurors through testimony from the victim’s guardian and character witnesses, that the girl may have only brought this incident to the attention of authorities as unwanted touching because her guardian wouldn’t let her go shopping....
Kuehn argued that while his client had admitted to touching the girl, he did not commit the offense of open and gross lewdness as the girl never asked for him to stop, at least giving the appearance that she was consenting to his touching.
“A 16-year-old person can consent to sexual touching. Morally, maybe as I indicated earlier it should be 25 years of age, but at 16 in Nevada you have that discretion …
How many times each year, do kids get sexually abused and they don't report it because of fear, shame or face intimidation and retaliation from the abuser or the family because they want to keep it within the family? It's also possible that the girl was completely shocked when the incident of perversion occurred.
It also seems to me that the prosecutors were out lawyered by the defense attorney and the jury bought it.
But the question the jury should asked themselves, that if the girl consented to be touched in the vagina, why did she have this come to trial and testify in open court and put herself through the humiliation of the trial?
I know there are some sane people in Pahrump, but obviously, none of them are allowed on juries (or allowed to write for the newspaper.)
From the Pahrump Valley Times:
A jury found one man not guilty of inappropriately touching a 16-year-old girl, during an incident last year, after a brief two-day trial. (A two day trial is brief?)
Marco Antonio Soto was on trial Dec. 20 and Dec. 21 for a single count of open and gross lewdness after he was alleged to have rubbed the teenager’s crotch for 20 to 30 seconds one afternoon over the summer while the two were sitting on a couch at his girlfriend’s home. Both Soto and the victim were living with Soto’s girlfriend at the time of the incident.
According to the declaration of arrest in the case, on Sept. 2 Nye County Sheriff’s deputies were called to a home in the 2300 block of McMurray Street for a report of open and gross lewdness.
When they arrived, the victim in the case told police that her guardian’s boyfriend had rubbed her vaginal area, without consent, approximately one month prior.
Police then asked Soto about the allegation, to which he initially replied he never touched the girl. Later, during another interview with a detective at the sheriff’s office, Soto admitted to rubbing the girl on the outside of her clothes under a blanket.
He was subsequently arrested on a charge of open and gross lewdness and on Sept. 11 charged by the district attorney’s office.
The defense argued that while Soto had admitted to the act during an interview with police, he should be found not guilty of the crime since there was the possible appearance, or at least mistaken appearance, of consent to the act when the girl didn’t immediately push his hand away or tell him to stop.
Prosecutor Ross Armstrong, however, argued that it was clear there was never consent for Soto to touch the teenager and that his actions were clearly unwanted as the girl did eventually push his hand away and left the room. http://pvtimes.com/news/jury-finds-man-not-guilty-in-touching-case/...
She said on the day of the incident she had sat down on the other end of the couch where Soto was sitting, playing video games. Soon after, Soto reached across the couch and placed his hand in her lap.
After what both she and Soto believe was 20 or 30 seconds of him rubbing her inappropriately she pushed his hand away, got up and went to another room to play a board game with her brother.
When asked why she waited approximately a month before telling anyone what had happened between her and Soto, the girl answered that she was uncomfortable talking about what had occurred.
“I wasn’t comfortable telling anybody about that,” she said....
Though Soto’s attorney, Harry Kuehn, submitted to the court that what his client did was morally wrong, he painted a picture for jurors through testimony from the victim’s guardian and character witnesses, that the girl may have only brought this incident to the attention of authorities as unwanted touching because her guardian wouldn’t let her go shopping....
Kuehn argued that while his client had admitted to touching the girl, he did not commit the offense of open and gross lewdness as the girl never asked for him to stop, at least giving the appearance that she was consenting to his touching.
“A 16-year-old person can consent to sexual touching. Morally, maybe as I indicated earlier it should be 25 years of age, but at 16 in Nevada you have that discretion …
How many times each year, do kids get sexually abused and they don't report it because of fear, shame or face intimidation and retaliation from the abuser or the family because they want to keep it within the family? It's also possible that the girl was completely shocked when the incident of perversion occurred.
It also seems to me that the prosecutors were out lawyered by the defense attorney and the jury bought it.
But the question the jury should asked themselves, that if the girl consented to be touched in the vagina, why did she have this come to trial and testify in open court and put herself through the humiliation of the trial?
I know there are some sane people in Pahrump, but obviously, none of them are allowed on juries (or allowed to write for the newspaper.)
Well, At Least Boehner Got 1 Thing Right
John Boehner is a country club Republican, who wants the power but not willing to fight for principals of conservatism or for the Republican party.
But Boehenr got 1 thing right last week:
From Fox News:
As nasty as the battle over the fiscal crisis bill looked on the floors of Congress, it was even nastier behind the scenes.
Sources confirmed to Fox News that House Speaker John Boehner told Harry Reid to "go f--- yourself" while passing by the Senate majority leader at the White House Friday.
Read more: http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2013/01/02/boehner-swore-reid-after-dictatorship-comment-sources-say/#ixzz2Gr5wKvpb
Trust me, many of us have been saying that to Reid, but we just don't get the chance because he no longer comes to Nevada, unless it is election time. He is a resident of Washington D.C. and the Ritz Carlton and no longer a Nevadan.
But Boehenr got 1 thing right last week:
From Fox News:
As nasty as the battle over the fiscal crisis bill looked on the floors of Congress, it was even nastier behind the scenes.
Sources confirmed to Fox News that House Speaker John Boehner told Harry Reid to "go f--- yourself" while passing by the Senate majority leader at the White House Friday.
Read more: http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2013/01/02/boehner-swore-reid-after-dictatorship-comment-sources-say/#ixzz2Gr5wKvpb
Trust me, many of us have been saying that to Reid, but we just don't get the chance because he no longer comes to Nevada, unless it is election time. He is a resident of Washington D.C. and the Ritz Carlton and no longer a Nevadan.
That's 10,957 Too Many
From the Las Vegas Sun: Sen. Harry Reid hits a milestone today, becoming Nevada's longest-serving member of Congress, with 10,957 days tenure — or just about 30 years.
He will likely be marking the occasion by wrapping up business for the 112th Congress.
Reid came to Congress as a member of the House of Representatives in 1983, after being elected to represent Nevada's 1st Congress District in the first session Nevada had a two-seat delegation.
He didn't stay long — only two terms — before winning a Senate seat in 1986. It's there that he built his career, becoming the Democrats' whip in 1999 and taking over leadership of the party six years later. Reid has served in his current post, senate majority leader, for a full six years and is heading into his seventh — at which point he will have been in the post longer than famous predecessors Lyndon B. Johnson or Robert C. Byrd (though not quite as long as Mike Mansfield of Montana, who held the post for 16 years). http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/jan/02/reid-sets-congressional-service-record-today/
In the 10,957 days, Reid has destroyed people's lives, help shatter the economy of Nevada and made a complete ass of himself and embarrassing the state of Nevada.
He really hasn't done anything special that any other senator or congressman or congresswoman could have done.
Coward/Senile/Crybaby Harry Reid has been a total disgrace and the people of Nevada have been suffering because of this idiot.
He will likely be marking the occasion by wrapping up business for the 112th Congress.
Reid came to Congress as a member of the House of Representatives in 1983, after being elected to represent Nevada's 1st Congress District in the first session Nevada had a two-seat delegation.
He didn't stay long — only two terms — before winning a Senate seat in 1986. It's there that he built his career, becoming the Democrats' whip in 1999 and taking over leadership of the party six years later. Reid has served in his current post, senate majority leader, for a full six years and is heading into his seventh — at which point he will have been in the post longer than famous predecessors Lyndon B. Johnson or Robert C. Byrd (though not quite as long as Mike Mansfield of Montana, who held the post for 16 years). http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/jan/02/reid-sets-congressional-service-record-today/
In the 10,957 days, Reid has destroyed people's lives, help shatter the economy of Nevada and made a complete ass of himself and embarrassing the state of Nevada.
He really hasn't done anything special that any other senator or congressman or congresswoman could have done.
Coward/Senile/Crybaby Harry Reid has been a total disgrace and the people of Nevada have been suffering because of this idiot.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
It's About Time
Talk about a losing college football program.
From the Chicago Sun Times: The 1949 Rose Bowl finally can fade into Northwestern history after the Wildcats snapped a 64-year postseason bowl drought with a win over Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl on Monday.
From the Chicago Sun Times: The 1949 Rose Bowl finally can fade into Northwestern history after the Wildcats snapped a 64-year postseason bowl drought with a win over Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl on Monday.
The Wildcats’ 34-20 victory also gave them 10 wins for the first time since their breakthrough Big Ten championship season of 1995. It was just the second bowl win in NU history. http://www.suntimes.com/17335490-761/northwestern-football-wins-first-bowl-game-in-64-years.html
Hopefully, it won't take another 64 years before Northwestern wins another bowl game.
This Diplomat Ought To Be Scared
From the New York Daily News: Al Qaeda terrorists in Yemen have offered a golden bounty for the killing of the U.S. ambassador, sending American troops — and even the diplomat’s mother — into high alert.
The terrorists offered three kilos of gold, worth $160,000, for the head of Ambassador Gerald Feierstein.
A smaller bounty — roughly $23,000 — is being offered to anyone who kills a U.S. soldier in Yemen.
The threats, which were posted online Saturday, have terrified Feierstein’s elderly mother, who learned of the bounty Monday.
“I’m worried about it,” said Rose Feierstein, 94, a retired government worker who lives in Florida. “I hope he has sufficient security over there so he won’t be harmed, but I don’t know how good the security is.”
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/al-qaeda-targets-ambassador-article-1.1231169#ixzz2GnjVXLAp
One would hope the Obama administration would have learned something from the Benghazi disaster, but based on what we have heard from the Obama administration, they haven't learned a damn thing and so this ambassador and any soldier in Yemen ought to be really, really afraid for their lives.
The terrorists offered three kilos of gold, worth $160,000, for the head of Ambassador Gerald Feierstein.
A smaller bounty — roughly $23,000 — is being offered to anyone who kills a U.S. soldier in Yemen.
The threats, which were posted online Saturday, have terrified Feierstein’s elderly mother, who learned of the bounty Monday.
“I’m worried about it,” said Rose Feierstein, 94, a retired government worker who lives in Florida. “I hope he has sufficient security over there so he won’t be harmed, but I don’t know how good the security is.”
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/al-qaeda-targets-ambassador-article-1.1231169#ixzz2GnjVXLAp
One would hope the Obama administration would have learned something from the Benghazi disaster, but based on what we have heard from the Obama administration, they haven't learned a damn thing and so this ambassador and any soldier in Yemen ought to be really, really afraid for their lives.
Meanwhile, The Taliban Are Right
From the San Fran Chronicle: The Taliban
Wednesday likened the planned withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan to
America's pullout from Vietnam, calling it a "declare victory and
run" strategy.
A statement from the militant
group said the ongoing transfer of security operations from U.S. troops to
Afghan forces was merely a retreat similar to the American withdrawal from South
Vietnam prior to the communist victory there in 1975.
American-led NATO troops are
scheduled to pull out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014, although the U.S. will
leave a residual force behind and other NATO countries have pledged continuing
support of the Kabul government.
"They want to flee from
Afghanistan just as they turned tail and ran from Vietnam," the Taliban
statement said. "When America faced utter destruction in Vietnam, they came up
with the formula 'declare victory and run' and want to utilize the formula of
'transfer security and run' here in Afghanistan."
The United States withdrew is
combat troops from South Vietnam in 1973, leaving South Vietnamese forces to
face the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong who marched into the capital, Saigon,
two years later.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/Taliban-likens-US-Afghan-role-to-Vietnam-War-4160429.php#ixzz2GnfqcuR3
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/Taliban-likens-US-Afghan-role-to-Vietnam-War-4160429.php#ixzz2GnfqcuR3
While the United States initially accomplished their goal of getting rid of the Taliban from Afghanistan and President Obama, when he started his presidency, now Obama, through his policies is doing almost exactly what happened at the end of the Vietnam War.
And the Taliban is just waiting out the United States and will move their followers in and more than likely take over Afghanistan again, putting the U.S. at risk for another terrorist attack.
More foolishness from Obama, a guy who has no clue about world politics, but supports Muslims and Muslim terrorists.
Photographer Killed While Taking Justin Beiber's Car
I don't like the paparazzi- they violate the rights of the celebrities right to privacy and just intrude on their lives, along with their friends and family.
From the San Fran Chronicle: Police say a paparazzo was hit by a car and killed after taking photos of Justin Bieber's white Ferrari on a Los Angeles street.
From the San Fran Chronicle: Police say a paparazzo was hit by a car and killed after taking photos of Justin Bieber's white Ferrari on a Los Angeles street.
Los Angeles police Officer James
Stoughton says the photographer, who was not identified, died at a hospital
shortly after the crash Tuesday evening. Stoughton says Bieber was not in the
Ferrari at the time.
The sports car was parked on the
side of Sepulveda Boulevard near Getty
Center Drive after a traffic stop. The photographer was struck as he walked
across the boulevard after taking pictures.
Stoughton says no charges are
likely to be filed against the motorist who hit the man.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/LA-photographer-killed-while-shooting-Bieber-s-car-4160420.php#ixzz2GnbWe1Nd
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/LA-photographer-killed-while-shooting-Bieber-s-car-4160420.php#ixzz2GnbWe1Nd
While I feel sorry for the family and friends of the photographer, I don't feel sorry for the photographer himself.
For some reason, many Americans feel they have a right to intrude on famous people lives- when they go out to eat, go to the bathroom, go shopping, go to a ballgame etc. (just look at Norm's column in the LVRJ, where he reports where famous people and people who think they are famous go shopping or out to eat or to a sporting event)
And the papers like the National Enquirer make money from these idiots who fawn over famous people.
So, prayers for the family and friends and I hope the photographer spends an eternity of people shooting pictures of him when he is eating, driving, going to the bathroom, shopping etc.
Stupid Protest Of The Year
Yes, it is the first day of the year, but this protest will have to rank up there as one of the stupidest protest of the year.
From the Chicago Tribune: One of about 50 demonstrators protesting the “jailing of people’’ in Cook County Jail will be spending time there Wednesday after his arrest Monday night on charges of hitting a sheriff’s officer in the face with a tree branch, officials said.
Alexander Cachinero-Gorman, 23, originally from Spain and also of the Little Village neighborhood, was charged with felony aggravated battery, said Frank Bilecki, a spokesman for Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart.
Cachinero-Gorman is expected to appear in Leighton Criminal Courts Building Wednesday after being processed in Maywood, said Bilecki.
Bilecki said no one was hurt during the incident that happened about 7 p.m. outside the court building in the 2600 block of South California Avenue.
The group, protesting the “jailing of people,’’ were banging pots and pans and chanting “Free the people,’’ Bilecki said. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-cops-jail-protester-jailed-after-hitting-sheriffs-officer-with-walking-stick-20130101,0,3993504.story
Well, my suggestions to the protestors: why don't you invite the murderers, rapists, robbers and others and let them live in their home and have the protestors be responsible for the crimes they commit while in their custody.
Yes, there is a mental illness problem in the United States. It's called liberalism.
From the Chicago Tribune: One of about 50 demonstrators protesting the “jailing of people’’ in Cook County Jail will be spending time there Wednesday after his arrest Monday night on charges of hitting a sheriff’s officer in the face with a tree branch, officials said.
Alexander Cachinero-Gorman, 23, originally from Spain and also of the Little Village neighborhood, was charged with felony aggravated battery, said Frank Bilecki, a spokesman for Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart.
Cachinero-Gorman is expected to appear in Leighton Criminal Courts Building Wednesday after being processed in Maywood, said Bilecki.
Bilecki said no one was hurt during the incident that happened about 7 p.m. outside the court building in the 2600 block of South California Avenue.
The group, protesting the “jailing of people,’’ were banging pots and pans and chanting “Free the people,’’ Bilecki said. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-cops-jail-protester-jailed-after-hitting-sheriffs-officer-with-walking-stick-20130101,0,3993504.story
Well, my suggestions to the protestors: why don't you invite the murderers, rapists, robbers and others and let them live in their home and have the protestors be responsible for the crimes they commit while in their custody.
Yes, there is a mental illness problem in the United States. It's called liberalism.
One Good Thing The House Did
From the Chicago Tribune: The U.S. House of Representatives adjourned on Tuesday night without acting on a
$60.4 billion Superstorm Sandy disaster aid bill, prompting angry denunciations
from members from the states hardest hit by the storm.
"I have just been informed that we will be having perhaps no further votes in this Congress," said Democratic Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland. "I am deeply disappointed at that information. We have millions of our fellow citizens who have been badly damaged by a storm called Sandy."
"We help each other," Representative Rush Holt, a Democrat of New Jersey, said on the House floor. "We always have ... There are thousands of people who are not going back to their homes. They deserve our help."
They and others pleaded with the Republican leaders of the House to rethink the decision, but few were in the chamber to listen.
There was no sign of a response from House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio or Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, who are in charge of scheduling the House. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-storm-sandy-aidbre90001q-20121231,0,5626802.story
I don't doubt that there should be some help for the small geographic areas hit by Sandy, but the politicians got greedy and asked for way more money that they were entitled to and they tried to ask the nation to pay for things that had nothing to do with the hurricane.
I think the real reason though was to stick it to the east coast, where most politicians are Democrats and there are tons of liberals there. There really was no down side for the GOP not to vote on the bill.
Now, if the GOP had the guts to do the same thing with the fiscal cliff.
"I have just been informed that we will be having perhaps no further votes in this Congress," said Democratic Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland. "I am deeply disappointed at that information. We have millions of our fellow citizens who have been badly damaged by a storm called Sandy."
"We help each other," Representative Rush Holt, a Democrat of New Jersey, said on the House floor. "We always have ... There are thousands of people who are not going back to their homes. They deserve our help."
They and others pleaded with the Republican leaders of the House to rethink the decision, but few were in the chamber to listen.
There was no sign of a response from House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio or Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, who are in charge of scheduling the House. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-storm-sandy-aidbre90001q-20121231,0,5626802.story
I don't doubt that there should be some help for the small geographic areas hit by Sandy, but the politicians got greedy and asked for way more money that they were entitled to and they tried to ask the nation to pay for things that had nothing to do with the hurricane.
I think the real reason though was to stick it to the east coast, where most politicians are Democrats and there are tons of liberals there. There really was no down side for the GOP not to vote on the bill.
Now, if the GOP had the guts to do the same thing with the fiscal cliff.
Obama's Chicago: New Years Bring More Violence
From the Chicago Tribune: Two teenagers were shot and seriously wounded this afternoon in the Humboldt
Park neighborhood, among at least 15 people shot since midnight Monday, three of
them fatally, authorities said.
Paramedics were called about 4:30 p.m. to the 2600 block of West Chicago Avenue for two people who’d been shot, according to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford.
They were both taken in serious to critical condition to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, said Langford.
Police News Affairs Officer Veejay Zala said the victims, both males in their teens, were shot in the chest and their conditions had stabilized at Stroger.
Earlier, a man was shot to death in the 4500 block of South Champlain Avenue, in what was believed to be the second homicide of the new year.
What appears to have been the third homicide of 2013 took place about two hours after the Champlain killing. About 4:56 p.m. in the Gage Park neighborhood, a man was shot in the chest in a possible drive-by shooting in the 5800 block of South Sacramento Avenue, Zala said about 7 p.m. He had no further details to release. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-humboldt-park-shooting-leaves-2-hospitalized-20130101,0,6730065.story
Obama World: coming to a town near you.
Paramedics were called about 4:30 p.m. to the 2600 block of West Chicago Avenue for two people who’d been shot, according to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford.
They were both taken in serious to critical condition to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, said Langford.
Police News Affairs Officer Veejay Zala said the victims, both males in their teens, were shot in the chest and their conditions had stabilized at Stroger.
Earlier, a man was shot to death in the 4500 block of South Champlain Avenue, in what was believed to be the second homicide of the new year.
What appears to have been the third homicide of 2013 took place about two hours after the Champlain killing. About 4:56 p.m. in the Gage Park neighborhood, a man was shot in the chest in a possible drive-by shooting in the 5800 block of South Sacramento Avenue, Zala said about 7 p.m. He had no further details to release. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-humboldt-park-shooting-leaves-2-hospitalized-20130101,0,6730065.story
Obama World: coming to a town near you.
Montana Rules Against Hutterites In Workman's Compensation Case
From the Havre Daily News: A sharply divided Montana Supreme Court has ruled that forcing a Hutterite religious colony to pay workers' compensation insurance for jobs outside the commune is not an unconstitutional intrusion into religion.
The 4-3 decision upholds a 2009 law requiring religious organizations to carry workers' compensation insurance, which the Legislature passed after businesses complained they could not outbid the religious workers.
The Big Sky Colony of Hutterites in northwestern Montana sued, saying the law targeted its religion and infringed on its beliefs. Its members have no personal property and make no wages as part of their communal life, which is central to their religious beliefs, and a member can't make a claim against the colony or take money for himself without risking excommunication.
The Hutterites are Protestants similar to the Amish and Mennonites who live a life centered on their religion. But unlike the others, Hutterites live in German-speaking communes scattered across northern U.S. states and Canada. They are primarily agricultural producers but have expanded into construction with success because they can offer lower job bids than many private businesses. http://www.havredailynews.com/cms/news/courthutteritesmustpayworkerscompensation.html
This is a law that smacks of religious discrimination. Because the Hutterites refuse insurance because they view insurance as gambling- they also don't have life insurance and maybe not even health insurance(I believe that because most Amish and Mennonites also don't buy health insurance)
But now, they will be forced to buy workman's compensation insurance even though they will never use it. If true, then of course, their insurance premiums should be fairly low.
But because big business complained, the Montana legislators and governor decided to force a religious organization to buy insurance they will never use.
And the death of America and religious freedom continue to gather steam.
(as an aside, the description of the Hutterites early in the story pretty much debunks the show, American Colony, Meet the Hutterites, as being a real and true description of life of the Hutterites.
The 4-3 decision upholds a 2009 law requiring religious organizations to carry workers' compensation insurance, which the Legislature passed after businesses complained they could not outbid the religious workers.
The Big Sky Colony of Hutterites in northwestern Montana sued, saying the law targeted its religion and infringed on its beliefs. Its members have no personal property and make no wages as part of their communal life, which is central to their religious beliefs, and a member can't make a claim against the colony or take money for himself without risking excommunication.
The Hutterites are Protestants similar to the Amish and Mennonites who live a life centered on their religion. But unlike the others, Hutterites live in German-speaking communes scattered across northern U.S. states and Canada. They are primarily agricultural producers but have expanded into construction with success because they can offer lower job bids than many private businesses. http://www.havredailynews.com/cms/news/courthutteritesmustpayworkerscompensation.html
This is a law that smacks of religious discrimination. Because the Hutterites refuse insurance because they view insurance as gambling- they also don't have life insurance and maybe not even health insurance(I believe that because most Amish and Mennonites also don't buy health insurance)
But now, they will be forced to buy workman's compensation insurance even though they will never use it. If true, then of course, their insurance premiums should be fairly low.
But because big business complained, the Montana legislators and governor decided to force a religious organization to buy insurance they will never use.
And the death of America and religious freedom continue to gather steam.
(as an aside, the description of the Hutterites early in the story pretty much debunks the show, American Colony, Meet the Hutterites, as being a real and true description of life of the Hutterites.
GOP Caves On Bad Fiscal Cliff Bill
From Fox News: Congress gave its final approval Tuesday to a bill halting massive tax hikes and delaying a risky round of spending cuts, sending the package to the president’s desk and likely averting for now an economy-stalling fiscal crisis. President Obama said he would sign it.
Americans will still see a 2-point increase this month in their Social Security tax, as Congress did not opt to extend that payroll tax holiday....
House conservatives had begun voicing frustration Monday night about the lopsided ratio of tax increases in the plan, as compared with net spending cuts. The bill contained roughly $620 billion in tax hikes, and just a fraction of that in spending cuts. As one House Republican told Fox News, "I can’t imagine a ratio such as that warming our fiscal hearts."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/01/01/house-approves-fiscal-crisis-bill/#ixzz2GnDyf2Lg
The GOP, if they were smart, and they are not, they should have scrapped the deal, dismissed Congress and start again with the new Congress. Then they should have come back with the new Congress, put forth the tax cuts, restore some, but very few spending cuts, cut the payroll tax etc.
But, as I have said, the GOP is not that smart or brave.
The 257-167 vote in the House came after a day of high drama on Capitol Hill, during which conservative House lawmakers voiced serious concern about the Senate bill’s lack of spending cuts. Rank-and-file Republicans initially predicted they would tinker with the package, raising the possibility the Senate would abandon it and nothing would get done before the new congressional class is seated Thursday.
But House leaders soon learned they did not have a majority behind any spending-cut plan, and allowed the straight vote. Far more Democrats supported the final bill than Republicans.
The result, once Obama signs it, is that tax hikes that technically kicked in Jan. 1 for most Americans would largely be halted....
The bill passed by Congress would nix the 2013 tax increases for families making under $450,000, while letting rates rise for those making above that threshold. It would also extend unemployment insurance for another year, while patching up a host of other expiring provisions and delaying automatic spending cuts for two months. Those cuts, which would hit defense heavily, will instead be offset with a blend of tax increases and other spending cuts.But House leaders soon learned they did not have a majority behind any spending-cut plan, and allowed the straight vote. Far more Democrats supported the final bill than Republicans.
The result, once Obama signs it, is that tax hikes that technically kicked in Jan. 1 for most Americans would largely be halted....
Americans will still see a 2-point increase this month in their Social Security tax, as Congress did not opt to extend that payroll tax holiday....
House conservatives had begun voicing frustration Monday night about the lopsided ratio of tax increases in the plan, as compared with net spending cuts. The bill contained roughly $620 billion in tax hikes, and just a fraction of that in spending cuts. As one House Republican told Fox News, "I can’t imagine a ratio such as that warming our fiscal hearts."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/01/01/house-approves-fiscal-crisis-bill/#ixzz2GnDyf2Lg
The GOP, if they were smart, and they are not, they should have scrapped the deal, dismissed Congress and start again with the new Congress. Then they should have come back with the new Congress, put forth the tax cuts, restore some, but very few spending cuts, cut the payroll tax etc.
But, as I have said, the GOP is not that smart or brave.
Just Remember When You Go To Work, Making Less....
Members of Congress, Vice President, federal workers and people who receive Social Security will be getting pay raises.
Meanwhile, you working stiff will be making less because of the payroll tax increase, compliments of President Obama and members of Congress.
Makes you all warm and snuggly, doesn't it.
Meanwhile, you working stiff will be making less because of the payroll tax increase, compliments of President Obama and members of Congress.
Makes you all warm and snuggly, doesn't it.
Badgers In Rose Bowl, I Really Don't Care
It used to be that the best team in the Big Ten went to play the best team in the Pac Ten. It was really quite forward, the best teams played played the best teams.
This year, at best, the Badgers are the 4th best team in the Big 10, 12, 14. Clearly, Penn State and Ohio State were better than the Badgers and it certainly can be argued that Nebraska was the better team, except they lost to the Badgers in a playoff game. Hell, the Badgers were only 4-4 in the Big 10, 12, 14.
So, the Badgers got lucky to get to the Rose bowl, but they certainly don't deserve to be there. I hope they win but I think they will be blown out. The only thing that makes this game interesting is that Barry Alverez will coach the game and he knows how to win the big, big games.
Obama Tax Hike: Payroll Tax Is Going To Hurt
From the Las Vegas Sun: Keeping hard-earned money in the pockets of workers, President Barack Obama has been saying, is why it’s imperative Congress makes sure income tax rates don’t rise for the middle class.
“The last thing folks like the folks up here on this stage can afford right now is to pay an extra $2,000 in taxes next year,” Obama said Monday, flanked by about a dozen representatives of the middle class at the White House.
But one tax lawmakers aren’t discussing — the payroll tax — is set to increase at midnight, costing the average taxpayer about $1,000 a year....
Nowhere in the midst of the debate, however, have lawmakers been arguing over payroll tax cuts, which are set to expire at midnight and stand little to no chance of being resuscitated.
Payroll taxes are a flat tax rate that goes to fund Social Security and Medicare.
Two years ago, lawmakers included a 2 percentage point reduction in the payroll tax rate as part of a larger, two-year tax bill that extended Bush-era tax cuts for everyone.
Before the 2010 deal, payroll taxes were 6.2 percent, deducted from the first $106,800 of workers’ paychecks. Inflation raised that ceiling to $110,100 in 2012.
But for the last two years, the payroll tax rate has been 4.2 percent.
Last December, the White House and Democrats staged a campaign to preserve the expiring payroll tax cut, asking individuals to detail what the average $40-per-paycheck tax hike would mean to them. Over the course of a year, that adds up to about $1,000 lost to taxes.
Congress extended the payroll tax cut for another year.
This year, however, there is no similar campaign under way. The payroll tax cut has not been an element of any of the proposals to avert the fiscal cliff. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/dec/31/payroll-tax-hike-take-1000-bite-out-average-worker/
Chalk up another Obama tax hike. With ObamaCare and the increased payroll tax, our paychecks, those of use in the middleclass who barely make it paycheck to paycheck, there will be a lot of suffering going on.
Thanks to Obama, another tax hike courtesy of the Federal government.
“The last thing folks like the folks up here on this stage can afford right now is to pay an extra $2,000 in taxes next year,” Obama said Monday, flanked by about a dozen representatives of the middle class at the White House.
But one tax lawmakers aren’t discussing — the payroll tax — is set to increase at midnight, costing the average taxpayer about $1,000 a year....
Nowhere in the midst of the debate, however, have lawmakers been arguing over payroll tax cuts, which are set to expire at midnight and stand little to no chance of being resuscitated.
Payroll taxes are a flat tax rate that goes to fund Social Security and Medicare.
Two years ago, lawmakers included a 2 percentage point reduction in the payroll tax rate as part of a larger, two-year tax bill that extended Bush-era tax cuts for everyone.
Before the 2010 deal, payroll taxes were 6.2 percent, deducted from the first $106,800 of workers’ paychecks. Inflation raised that ceiling to $110,100 in 2012.
But for the last two years, the payroll tax rate has been 4.2 percent.
Last December, the White House and Democrats staged a campaign to preserve the expiring payroll tax cut, asking individuals to detail what the average $40-per-paycheck tax hike would mean to them. Over the course of a year, that adds up to about $1,000 lost to taxes.
Congress extended the payroll tax cut for another year.
This year, however, there is no similar campaign under way. The payroll tax cut has not been an element of any of the proposals to avert the fiscal cliff. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/dec/31/payroll-tax-hike-take-1000-bite-out-average-worker/
Chalk up another Obama tax hike. With ObamaCare and the increased payroll tax, our paychecks, those of use in the middleclass who barely make it paycheck to paycheck, there will be a lot of suffering going on.
Thanks to Obama, another tax hike courtesy of the Federal government.
Muslim Terrorist Thugs Strike Again
The terrorists of the religion of peace strike again.
From the AP: Gunmen in northwest Pakistan killed five teachers and two aid workers from a non-governmental organization Tuesday as they were driving home from work. The group's director said they may have been targeted for their anti-polio work.
From the AP: Gunmen in northwest Pakistan killed five teachers and two aid workers from a non-governmental organization Tuesday as they were driving home from work. The group's director said they may have been targeted for their anti-polio work.
Militants in the past have accused health workers of acting as spies for the U.S., alleging the vaccine is intended to make Muslim children sterile. Last month, nine people working on an anti-polio vaccination campaign were shot and killed. Four of those shootings were in the northwest where Tuesday's attack took place.
The attack was another reminder of the risks to women educators and aid workers from Islamic militants who oppose their work. It was in the same conservative province where militants shot and seriously wounded 15-year-old Malala Yousufzai, an outspoken young activist for girls' education, in October.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest shootings.
In a separate attack in the southern city of Karachi, also likely to have been carried out by militants, four people were killed and dozens injured when a bomb went off just as a large political rally was dispersing.
The teachers and aid workers in the northwest were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on their way home from a community center where they worked at a medical clinic and primary school.
The director of the group targeted Tuesday said he suspected that the workers were attacked because the non-governmental organization has been active in vaccination campaigns designed to wipe out polio. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_PAKISTAN?SITE=NVLAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
And where is the Muslim outrage from so called moderate Muslims?
Former Domino's Owner Gets Court Order Against Contraceptive Coverage.
Too bad Hobby Lobby didn't have this attorney and judge.
From the Detroit Free Press:
Tom Monaghan won a court order that temporarily allows him to avoid Affordable Care Act-mandated contraceptive coverage for employees at his Ann Arbor Domino's Farms property management company.
A federal court judge granted a temporary restraining order Sunday, citing a First Amendment right to freedom of religion, until a final decision is made.
Monaghan is best known as the founder of Domino's Pizza, which he sold in 1998, and the owner of the Detroit Tigers from 1983-92.
A devout Catholic who also founded Ave Maria University in Florida, Monaghan argued in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on Dec. 14 that being forced to cover his Domino's Farms staffers' contraceptives, like the Plan B and other morning-after pills, ran contrary to the tenets of his faith. "Gravely immoral practices" is how they're described in the original lawsuit.
"I'm elated," said his attorney, Erin Mersino. "This is really what (my client) sought at this point. We're happy that as of tomorrow, religious freedom won't be violated."
U.S. District Judge Lawrence Zatkoff wrote in his opinion that he was issuing the temporary restraining order because the case wouldn't be resolved before today, when the Domino's Farms health care plan year begins. http://www.freep.com/article/20130101/BUSINESS06/301010017/Monaghan-gets-court-order-against-contraceptive-coverage?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
This is a common sense issue but liberal policy makers and liberal judges still want to deny people their basic right to express their religious beliefs through their insurance policies.
From the Detroit Free Press:
Tom Monaghan won a court order that temporarily allows him to avoid Affordable Care Act-mandated contraceptive coverage for employees at his Ann Arbor Domino's Farms property management company.
A federal court judge granted a temporary restraining order Sunday, citing a First Amendment right to freedom of religion, until a final decision is made.
Monaghan is best known as the founder of Domino's Pizza, which he sold in 1998, and the owner of the Detroit Tigers from 1983-92.
A devout Catholic who also founded Ave Maria University in Florida, Monaghan argued in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on Dec. 14 that being forced to cover his Domino's Farms staffers' contraceptives, like the Plan B and other morning-after pills, ran contrary to the tenets of his faith. "Gravely immoral practices" is how they're described in the original lawsuit.
"I'm elated," said his attorney, Erin Mersino. "This is really what (my client) sought at this point. We're happy that as of tomorrow, religious freedom won't be violated."
U.S. District Judge Lawrence Zatkoff wrote in his opinion that he was issuing the temporary restraining order because the case wouldn't be resolved before today, when the Domino's Farms health care plan year begins. http://www.freep.com/article/20130101/BUSINESS06/301010017/Monaghan-gets-court-order-against-contraceptive-coverage?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
This is a common sense issue but liberal policy makers and liberal judges still want to deny people their basic right to express their religious beliefs through their insurance policies.
This Ruling Is Wrong
From the New York Post: A Kansas man who donated his sperm to help father a child for a lesbian couple has been ordered by the state to pay child support for the daughter he helped conceive.
William Marotta, a 43-year-old mechanic from Topeka, was targeted by Kansas state officials earlier this year to pay child support for the little girl, who is now 3 years old, after the couple had parted ways, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported.
In 2009, Marotta had responded to an ad on Craigslist posted by Angela Bauer and her former partner Jennifer Schreiner, who were seeking a man to be a sperm donor so they could conceive a child.
The three came to an arrangement to have Marotta’s sperm artificially inseminated into Schreiner. Under the terms of the agreement, Marotta relinquished his parental rights, including all financial responsibility.
But in 2010, the couple, who continue to co-parent eight adopted children ranging in age from 3 months to 25 years, parted ways, raising the issue of who would pay child support for the little girl, according to the Capital-Journal. Then, earlier this year, Bauer, who had been supporting Schreiner and the children, became unable to provide health benefits for the three-year-old, due to a “significant illness” that prevented her from working, and the couple applied for state services — which prompted the Kansas Department for Children and Families to request the name of the child’s father.
Because Schreiner was the child’s sole parent under Kansas law, which does not recognize same-sex marriage, the state was unable to collect child support from Bauer. So the Kansas DCF filed a child support claim against Marotta, the father, the Capital-Journal reported.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/sperm-donor-lesbian-pair-pay-child-support-kansas-court-article-1.1230524#ixzz2GiKfNYAp
I'm sorry, but this is just wrong. A guy who donates sperm, then has no say in raising the child, should not be liable for any child support.
The lesbian couple ought to man up, so to speak, and pay the child support, not the male. This is another reason not to support gay marriage.
William Marotta, a 43-year-old mechanic from Topeka, was targeted by Kansas state officials earlier this year to pay child support for the little girl, who is now 3 years old, after the couple had parted ways, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported.
In 2009, Marotta had responded to an ad on Craigslist posted by Angela Bauer and her former partner Jennifer Schreiner, who were seeking a man to be a sperm donor so they could conceive a child.
The three came to an arrangement to have Marotta’s sperm artificially inseminated into Schreiner. Under the terms of the agreement, Marotta relinquished his parental rights, including all financial responsibility.
But in 2010, the couple, who continue to co-parent eight adopted children ranging in age from 3 months to 25 years, parted ways, raising the issue of who would pay child support for the little girl, according to the Capital-Journal. Then, earlier this year, Bauer, who had been supporting Schreiner and the children, became unable to provide health benefits for the three-year-old, due to a “significant illness” that prevented her from working, and the couple applied for state services — which prompted the Kansas Department for Children and Families to request the name of the child’s father.
Because Schreiner was the child’s sole parent under Kansas law, which does not recognize same-sex marriage, the state was unable to collect child support from Bauer. So the Kansas DCF filed a child support claim against Marotta, the father, the Capital-Journal reported.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/sperm-donor-lesbian-pair-pay-child-support-kansas-court-article-1.1230524#ixzz2GiKfNYAp
I'm sorry, but this is just wrong. A guy who donates sperm, then has no say in raising the child, should not be liable for any child support.
The lesbian couple ought to man up, so to speak, and pay the child support, not the male. This is another reason not to support gay marriage.
He Said What?
From the San Fran Chronicle:
Jubrille was Oakland's 12th child killed in 2012, and its 131st homicide victim in one of the city's deadliest years in recent memory.....
"We as a community and as a police department need to do a better job protecting our young people," Jordan said Monday afternoon. "2013 will be the year we no longer accept this level of senseless violence."
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/15-year-old-girl-gunned-down-in-Oakland-4158925.php#ixzz2GiJDdHt0
So, the years leading up to 2013, they allowed senseless violence?
A pile of flowers, candles, teddy
bears and farewell notes grew by the hour Monday afternoon on a quiet street in
East Oakland, but they were little comfort to Mike
Harris.
Harris, whose longtime family
friend Jubrille
Jordan, 15, was fatally shot at the site Sunday afternoon, was awash in
tears as he surveyed the makeshift memorial.
"She was my sweetheart. They killed my sweetheart," said Harris, a neatly
dressed man in his 50s, as he wiped his eyes. "What happened? I don't know, I
don't know."Jubrille was Oakland's 12th child killed in 2012, and its 131st homicide victim in one of the city's deadliest years in recent memory.....
"We as a community and as a police department need to do a better job protecting our young people," Jordan said Monday afternoon. "2013 will be the year we no longer accept this level of senseless violence."
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/15-year-old-girl-gunned-down-in-Oakland-4158925.php#ixzz2GiJDdHt0
So, the years leading up to 2013, they allowed senseless violence?
BBQ Giraffe
From the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune: Two giraffes were killed during a fire at a Wisconsin Dells wildlife park.
According to Wisconsin Dells police, someone called 911 at about 6 p.m. Sunday to report the fire at the Timbavati Wildlife Park.
The fire department arrived to find the giraffe enclosure fully engulfed. Two 4-year-old male giraffes were killed.
Police say they are investigating the cause and have no reason to believe the fire is suspicious.
According to the park’s site, it features exotic animals, rides and other attractions. It also allows visitors to feed the giraffes.
It was closed for the season. http://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com/viewart/20121231/WDH01/312310272/2-giraffes-die-Wisconsin-Dells-park-fire
Actually, it is quite sad the giraffes died in the fire.
Maybe next time they will have some kind of sprinklers in the barn.
According to Wisconsin Dells police, someone called 911 at about 6 p.m. Sunday to report the fire at the Timbavati Wildlife Park.
The fire department arrived to find the giraffe enclosure fully engulfed. Two 4-year-old male giraffes were killed.
Police say they are investigating the cause and have no reason to believe the fire is suspicious.
According to the park’s site, it features exotic animals, rides and other attractions. It also allows visitors to feed the giraffes.
It was closed for the season. http://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com/viewart/20121231/WDH01/312310272/2-giraffes-die-Wisconsin-Dells-park-fire
Actually, it is quite sad the giraffes died in the fire.
Maybe next time they will have some kind of sprinklers in the barn.
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