No Runny Eggs

WOW!

Of all places, the Capital Times reports:

State on pace to hit Walker jobs target

Earth to the Pulitzer Prize winning MJS: The above is NEWS!

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

Drop protest and pass the ketchup

“Of all the things to protest — Brat Fest!?

Can we not even enjoy a brat for charity in Wisconsin without partisan politics rudely intruding?

So what if a handful of Johnsonville Sausage executives, family members and employees donated $44,250 to Republican Gov. Scott Walker over the last five years.”

School lunch madness

“The principal, Elsa Carmona, is quoted as saying that her students can either eat the school cafeteria food or ‘go hungry.’ Wow! Tough dietary deal. Carmona went on to say that some parents are morons who allow their children to eat garbage and that is not going to happen on her watch.”

On this aborted fetus, the Democrats plant their flag

“(Senator Jon) Kyl said: ‘You don’t have to go to Planned Parenthood to get your cholesterol or your blood pressure checked. If you want an abortion, you go to Planned Parenthood. That’s well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does.’

The entire mainstream media immediately rose in angry denunciation of Kyl — based on Planned Parenthood’s claim that abortion constitutes less than 3 percent of the services it provides.

Apparently, that depends on the meaning of ‘services it provides.’ If taking 30 seconds to write a prescription for birth control pills is considered the equivalent of a two-hour, multiple-visit $450 abortion, then perhaps abortion does constitute only 3 percent of Planned Parenthood’s work.”

Taxes are not too low: It’s the spending, stupid!

“ If Congress, rather than borrowing or cutting spending, raised income taxes by the $1.3 trillion necessary to pay for 2010 deficit spending, it would need to more than double income tax collections. In fact, income tax revenue would need to increase by 144% to cover the overspending.”

Who pays for government?

“It’s Tax Day, a time when Americans briefly think about how much their government costs, instead of daydreaming about all the wonderful things it promises to do for them.  

Who pays for government?  The Evil Rich provide the lion’s share of the income taxes.”

The Trump rebellion

“I saw The Donald open up a can of verbal whup ass on Obama on Hannity last Thursday and Friday night. It was extremely convincing in that he had refreshingly solid, no-BS answers for the multifaceted debacles ‘the worst president ever’ has entrenched us in and explained how he sees himself as the crap-cutting dealmaker to pull us out.”

Oil without apologies

“We’re going to need oil and gas and coal for a long time if America wants to keep the lights on.”

A missing detail

“Wouldn’t you think if you were going to do a front page story about a teacher retiring early because of the hardship posed by Scott Walker’s bargaining changes you might want to give the story some context by saying how much the person experiencing this agony actually makes?

Well since the Journal Sentinel won’t do it for us, I will.”

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

Landslide!

“It looks like Waterloo in Wisconsin for government unions.”

President Obama blames you for high gas prices“For the president to suggest that a taxpayer’s inability to buy a new $40,000+ hybrid vehicle (that still requires gas) is the root problem, rather than his price-increasing oil policies is shameful.”

The GOP Path to Prosperity

“America is facing a defining moment. The threat posed by our monumental debt will damage our country in profound ways, unless we act. No one person or party is responsible for the looming crisis. Yet the facts are clear: Since President Obama took office, our problems have gotten worse.”

Got a Better Plan?

“If Democrats think the Ryan budget is too radical, let them offer a credible alternative.”

Two Americas: Public vs. Private Employees

“If you want to understand better why so many states—from New York to Wisconsin to California—are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, consider this depressing statistic: Today in America there are nearly twice as many people working for the government (22.5 million) than in all of manufacturing (11.5 million).”

The swift death of the new tone“During the most heated month of the health care uprising, when more than 500 town halls took place over one month across the country, there were exactly 10 instances of documented violence. Most of them were confined to the ripping of signs and minor tussles (though there were a handful of punches thrown), and seven of 10 incidents were perpetrated by ObamaCare supporters on protesters, according to photos, police reports and witnesses.”

“Study hard, but party harder”

“Rutgers University last week contributed to the growing debate on whether higher education is worth its surging costs, when it paid the fabulous Nicole Polizzi (a.k.a., ‘Snooki’) of MTV’s ‘Jersey Shore’ television show $32,000 to speak to its students.”

Misogynist Video Games“Karen’s nine-year-old son came home from a birthday party at a locally owned ‘family fun’ center with plenty to tell. The party was great, especially the laser tag and the pizza. But he didn’t like the arcade games, one in particular.”

Coerced abortions affect men, too

“For every woman who has had an abortion a man has been involved. For me it was two abortions.

My story begins at 16 when I heard that first ‘I’m pregnant’ from my girlfriend. I can remember being scared and a little confused about how it all happened. I asked all of the questions like, ‘I thought you were protected,’ and anything else I could think of to say rather than taking responsibility for my actions.

I can remember when the phone call came to my parents. My feelings of being scared and confused changed to terrified and ashamed. I don’t know how much time passed from the phone call until my parents came to talk with me, but it felt like an eternity. I remember putting on my headphones with the music cranked up, not wanting to face the consequences of my actions as my parents were trying to talk to me. I wanted it all to go away.”

Tax Time Coming“Will any of these jokes cheer you up?”

Sorry, once again, for not keeping this place too updated. It’s been a very rough few days on the health front. I have barely had enough energy to tweet the last several days, so I hope you’ve been following along on Twitter.

Or at least half of that is true. Lance Burri has joined the Million Hit Club, mostly because he is a shameless self-promoter who throws just anything up (and by anything, I mean many, many pictures of Danica Patrick).

But seriously, if you’re not reading the Troglopundit, you’re missing a lot. Lance really is THAT GOOD.

It hasn’t been easy for me to type the last week as the ulnar nerve in my left arm has been acting up. For those of you without medical degrees, that nerve controls the feeling in the pinky finger, which as I try to type is numb. Since I’m a “classical” typist, that means hitting the left shift key, “a”, “z”, “q”, and “1″ are problematic for me.

Oh well; I’ll live with it and eventually get used to it.

I’m already several days late to this, but time’s wasting. Michelle Malkin’s cousin, Marizela Perez, went missing in Seattle Saturday afternoon, and she still hasn’t been found. I’m praying the tatoo Marizella has on her arm, “ay magiging maayos” (Tagalog, meaning “all will be well”), will come true quickly, and she turns up in good health.

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

State Budget Battles Herald the Return of the Grown-ups

“Even now that sober-minded voters have put a set of brakes on Obama’s little socialist dune buggy, our adolescent in chief has quickly abandoned his Clinton mask for the more tantalizing delights of spending other people’s money.

Enter Governor Scott Walker and his fellow adults.

No, 2012 will look nothing like 2008.

At this point, I could not care less which Republican runs against our adolescent president.  As long as that person is a grown-up with a grown-up’s perspective on the presidency and has demonstrable experience to that effect, he or she will get my vote.

So, here’s my help-wanted ad for the next president of the United States of America.”

Pleading for Violence

“Twitter, the social network that allows people to express themselves with 140 characters or less, is a wonderful invention.  It’s a gigantic virtual bulletin board covered with Post-Its, a food fight conducted entirely with fortune cookies.

What Twitter does not provide is ‘context.’  If you can’t pack all of the context surrounding an idea into 140 characters or less, it’s probably best to leave that idea simmering in the back of your head.”

Time for wandering senators to return to Mad City

“The Wandering Democratic state senators from Wisconsin should go home. Not that I don’t appreciate them spending their ‘cheesy’ money in Rockford and other cities in northern Illinois. But their road show is losing box office appeal.”

Should Unions Have the Power to Tax?

“Only about 7% of the private workforce is unionized today, but their ability to ‘tax’ union members through union dues and make political contributions gives them top priority in the White House today. Public sector unions represent about a third of public sector workers.

Here, we are held hostage by threats to not pick up our garbage or teach our children. Politicians, not facing a bottom line performance measure like GM or the steel companies but worried about re-election, give in to demands to keep voters from being unhappy. But, over time, this has produced a generally over-paid and over-benefited public sector workforce (compared to market wages).”

What we need is a Packer game to unite us again

“Might I suggest the rest of the state take a page out of my playbook when things get tense and veins start to bulge as the inevitable comes up for discussion. When it looks as though f-bombs are about to be dropped and fists may be set to fly, bring up the Green and Gold as a deflection”

Public broadcasting should go private

“If these outfits can afford to pay lavish salaries to their heads, they don’t need taxpayer help.”

Have to respect BYU’s decision

“Most people can’t relate to the school’s lengthy honor code — which doesn’t allow for the consumption of coffee or alcohol, forbids swearing and also prohibits premarital sex. But n an era in which big-time college athletics has run amok, BYU has maintained its core values and refused to sell out.”

Cigars don’t kill people…

“I ordered drinks for my lovely Italian wife and myself and fired up my first cigar for that evening, a Rocky Patel Edge. While I was enjoying the Edge and its full-bodied, spicy aroma and super long finish afforded by its five-year-old blend in a Corojo wrapper, a lesbian sitting at the table next to us started fake coughing at my smoke and flailing her arms like Nell did when she tried to explain the trees.

How did I know it was a lesbian protesting my cigar, you ask? Well, the Justin Bieber haircut and the softball jersey was a hand tip. Plus, she was making out with another chick. Nothing gets past me.”

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

Oh, to be a teacher in Wisconsin

“The showdown in Wisconsin over fringe benefits for public employees boils down to one number: 74.2. That’s how many cents the public pays Milwaukee public-school teachers and other employees for retirement and health benefits for every dollar they receive in salary. The corresponding rate for employees of private firms is 24.3 cents.”

The chart that tells you everything you need to know about whether public workers are over-compensated

“Every labor economist, right or left, will agree that higher “quit rates” are much more likely in sectors that are underpaid and lower levels are much more likely in sectors where compensation is generous. Not surprisingly, this data shows state and local bureaucrats are living on Easy Street.”

Meet the GOP’s Newst Rising Star
* NOTE THE LIBERAL SOURCE OF THIS PIECE *

“Barely a month after his inauguration, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker already has prospective presidential candidates stampeding to help him. In today’s turbocharged political climate, fueled by constant chatter on cable television and the Internet, can talk of a vice presidential bid be far behind for the man who two months ago was a little-known county executive?”

A Governor for President in 2012

“Governors make better Presidents.  They have actually run big unwieldy bureaucracies and suffered the political impacts of tough decisions.  OK—except Jimmy Carter.”

Union fails pension math

“My mother worked as a public employee when she was a teacher’s aide in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.  She was employed by the state for five years, from 1981-1986.  However, she worked only part-time, so was never credited for a full year of employment by the state for each year she worked.  Instead, she received only partial credit each year.  Fortunately for her, Wisconsin and two other states (Minnesota and South Dakota) allow for full vesting for public teachers after only three years of employment.  Using a deduction for her part-time status, Wisconsin determined her creditable service amounted to 3.07 years.  Had she worked three weeks less during her last year, she would be entitled to nothing.  As luck would have it, she fully vested, and is entitled to receive a monthly check from the state of Wisconsin for the rest of her life.”

The media on Wisconsin? A bad joke

“The battle in Madison, Wisconsin between new Gov. Scott Walker and the public-sector union hacks offers an amazing study in journalistic double standards. The same national media that have spent the last two years drawing devil’s horns and Klan hoods on the Tea Party protesters have switched sides with lightning speed. In the Wisconsin protesters, they find sweetness and light, ‘hope and change’.”

Wisconsin unions vs. the Tea Party

“A story-by-story analysis by the Media Research Center shows the Wisconsin protests are a perfect case study in the media’s longstanding double standard favoring left-wing causes while demonstrating much more hostility to the Tea Party and conservative protests.”

Results of idiotic choice of words by a Republican and Democrat

(This past week) “We had dueling idiocy from both Parties…”

President’s Day: Losing our heroes one day at a time

“Washington and Lincoln? That “and” takes on a life of its own. Remember that old Saturday Night Live routine advertising a product that was both “a floor wax and a dessert topping”? Part of what made that ad funny was its rich critique of the American tendency to combine things that shouldn’t be combined to achieve a short-sighted notion of convenience.”

Does winning an Oscar extend your life?

“It’s got to be one of the most cocktail-party-worthy scientific studies ever: a 2001 article in the Annals of Internal Medicine that showed actors and actresses who won Academy Awards lived four years longer than mere nominees…

But it may not be true.”

For two reasons:

1) As chair of the Senate Committee on Transportation and Elections, Senator Mary Lazich has successfully worked to get Senate Bill 6, the PHOTO ID bill on Thursday’s state Senate calendar.

2) Today, the state Senate approved Senate Bill 15 that repeals the mandatory requirement placed in the 2009-11 state budget that law enforcement collect racial data at each traffic stop. The bill’s author is Senator Lazich.

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

Athens in Mad Town

“Protesters, including many from the 98,000-member teachers union, have gone Greek. Madison’s school district had to close Thursday when 40% of its teachers called in sick. So much for the claim that this is ‘all about the children.’ By the way, these are some of the same teachers who sued the Milwaukee school board last August to get Viagra coverage restored to their health-care plan.

The protests have an orchestrated quality, and sure enough, the Politico website reported that the Democratic Party’s Organizing for America arm is helping to gin them up. The outfit is a remnant of President Obama’s 2008 election campaign, so it’s also no surprise that Mr. Obama said that while he knows nothing about the bill, he supports protesters occupying the Capitol building.”

Lost: The common good

“Walker is trying to give Wisconsin a reality check. In response, public workers have interrupted the Legislature. Madison and many neighboring public schools have closed because so many teachers called in sick and left to join the protest. Democratic lawmakers disappeared on Thursday to stall a vote on the budget measures. Apparently some of them fled to … Illinois.

Public sentiment is changing. There is a growing sense that public-sector unions are not battling for better, safer workplaces. They’re not battling unscrupulous employers. They’re battling … the common good.”

Palin – Union Brothers and Sisters: Seize Opportunity to Show True Solidarity

“Hard working, patriotic, and selfless union brothers and sisters: please don’t be taken in by the union bosses. At the end of the day, they’re not fighting for your pension or health care plan or even for the sustainability of Wisconsin’s education budget. They’re fighting to protect their own powerful privileges and their own political clout.”

The audacity of mobs

“Let’s understand this clearly. A governor of a state, who was elected on a promise of trying to bring fiscal discipline to a state budget process, asks for small sacrifices while still guaranteeing full employment and between 88%-95% of the original benefits promised, is being protested–by largely protestors who were bussed in by the president and all parties who are loyal to him. Hey – it’s Chicago brute politics at its best!”

What’s at stake in Wisconsin’s budget battle

“The labor laws that Wisconsin unions are so bitterly defending were popular during an era of industrialization and centralization. But the labor organizations they protect have become much less popular, as the declining membership of many private-sector unions attests. Moreover, it’s become abundantly clear that too many government workers enjoy wages, benefits and pensions that are out of line with the rest of the economy.”

Retire the racial bean-counters

“Instead of shutting down the racial bean-counters, the government is giving them new powers.”

What happens to all those Super Bowl T-shirts?

“What happens to all those preprinted ‘Pittsburgh Steelers 2011 Super Bowl Champion’ t-shirts?  Apparently, each year the NFL gives them to the international relief and development organization World Vision, who then ships them to Africa.

Is this good or bad? And why should anyone care?”

Did Live Action Lie?

“Of course, Lila Rose is not the first pro-lifer to pretend to be someone seeking an abortion in order to obtain information from abortion clinics. The fact is, pro-lifers have been doing this for years in an effort to stop the killing of the unborn. The writer of this article is no stranger to these methods. However, because this latest Live Action video has attracted much attention, many are asking whether pro-lifers lied in the undercover tactic they employed—namely: is the behavior of pro-lifers as seen in the Live Action video contrary to the precepts of the 8th Commandment—thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor?”

Sorry for the short notice, but Rick Moran of Right Wing Nut House invited me to be part of his BlogTalkRadio show tonight. Rick, Doug Mataconis, Aaron Gee, and I will be discussing the federal budget, the recently-concluded CPAC, and events in the Middle East between 7 pm and 8 pm.

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

Walker plan fair; offers solid footing for the state

“Let me be blunt: Wisconsin is out of money. Our state faces a $137 million shortfall in the current fiscal year and a projected $3.6 billion hole in the next biennium.

The recession has left Wisconsin families hurting. We simply cannot expect the taxpayers to shoulder an even greater tax burden to close the budget gap. Inaction is also not an option. Without immediate action, our most vulnerable members of society will be put at risk as the state’s coffers run dry and programs run out of money.

Labor costs account for 60% of the state general fund operational budget, and any serious budget solution must address the cost of labor.

Gov. Scott Walker is asking state employees to lend a hand in balancing the budget.

Under this plan, no public workers will lose their jobs or be forced to take furlough days.”

Admit it, you wished you lived in Wisconsin

“It’s not just that Wisconsin stands atop the football world, or that Wisconsin is quickly ascending to the top of the political world. It’s that Wisconsin’s CEO has what’s commonly known as ‘a pair’.”

What taxpayer-funded union bosses think of us

“This public employee union boss, who is paid with your tax dollars, actually called folks like you and me ‘mentally retarded’ for working to cut spending.

Voter ID? How about candidate ID?

“I think common sense suggests that the vast majority of people without IDs are too disengaged from society to ever vote anyway. Telling a man without an ID that he can’t vote would be like telling an Eskimo in Nome he’s not allowed on the beach in Cabo San Lucas.

Not really a problem.”

More f-bombs for your iPad

“When you can’t even count on the Muppets to behave in front of children, the world has become sick enough to make your head spin.”

De-fund the predators of Planned Parenthood

“Planned Parenthood is a $1-plus billion business that rakes in one-third of its budget from government grants and contracts at both the state and federal levels. Congress has interrogated banking, energy, health insurance, tobacco and oil execs — treating them like serial killers before the cameras. When will they finally de-fund a corrupt industry that has real blood on its hands?”

New Climate Alarmist Movies About To Hit As Animals Freeze To Death And Barry Eats Well

“Remember around 15 years ago, when the alarmists were still somewhat rational, and they came up with the brilliant plan to ‘spread awareness’, rather than actually taking action in their own lives? And, if Something Wasn’t Done, winters would be a thing of the past and we would all burn? Flash forward to today, and, nothing has changed.”

Liberal bouquets for dead conservatives

“If liberals are going to celebrate Reagan, they might try to account for the fact that they fought his every move, alternating between derision and slander in the process.”

And you wonder why health insurance is so expensive

“The opening line in a New York Times piece caught my attention.   It is typical of how government, once it gets control of something, then begins to expand it (and make it more costly for everyone) as it sees fit.  Note the key falsehood in the sentence…”

In February, 2009, in an attempt to be the blue collar POTUS, Barack Obama said:

You can’t get corporate jets. You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer’s dime

At the time, Obama was in the middle of justifying bailouts for Wall Street and Detroit. Numerous “tin ear” incidents by CEOs such as the infamous private jet transportation of Detroit CEOs to a DC hearing where they were asking for bailouts, had created a level of outrage amongst US taxpayers.

The result of Obama’s comments were to make an already challenging situation for the Las Vegas economy and make it impossible. As companies cancelled existing reservations and avoided new Vegas reservations, unemployment in Vegas grew to a point where it is amongst the worst hit of American cities.

That was so “yesterday!”

CBS Chicago is reporting that at least 14 Chicago public school employees went on an all expenses paid trip to a Las Vegas resort and spa. This while the school district is facing a $700M budget shortfall. Admittedly, the $15,000 spent on the trip won’t be a rounding error in the shortfall. However, the school at which the 14 employees are employed, is the same school that had sex acts being performed in class rooms!

“For the children” is the retort we hear from any teacher’s union when budget reductions are contemplated. I’m hard pressed to figure out how massages whether at a spa in Vegas or in the school classroom, benefit any children!

A new studyclaims that there is a link between diminished IQs and eating a junk food laden diet.  According to the British study:

Toddlers who have a diet high in processed foods may have a slightly lower IQ in later life

Wow, who’d of thunk it! Have these folks never done the grade school experiment of nutrition using two rats? In case you haven’t seen it, you take two rats. You feed one a healthy, vegetables and water diet and the other, potato chips and Coke diet.

After about two weeks you will see that the rat that is eating healthy food is still healthy. You’ll also see that the rat who has been fed a poor diet is losing hair, has yellow eyes and other notable physical effects of the poor diet. Once placed backed on the good diet, the unhealthy rat returns to health within a couple of weeks.

The study claims that it went to great links to make sure that there were not other contributing factors that could explain the difference in IQ:

“We have controlled for maternal education, for maternal social class, age, whether they live in council housing, life events, anything going wrong, the home environment, with books and use of television and things like that.”

It sure looks like they covered everything, or maybe not:

While it is possible that diets impacted the children’s IQ I think I see one factor that the researchers missed. It doesn’t require Michelle Obama screaming at parents for them to know it isn’t good to feed their children a preponderance of junk food. I’m not so sure the children’s IQ is a result, it may well have been genetic!

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

Super Bowl ad targets wrong audience

“While many Americans will park in front of their televisions to watch football on Super Bowl Sunday, others will tune in just to see the commercials. Unknown to most Americans, one commercial will be seen only by members of the U.S. military deployed overseas. Sadly, it’s a spot that probably needs to be shown to federal, state and local election officials, too”

* “Nobody gets married anymore, Mister”

“Within my lifetime, single parenthood has been transformed from shame to saintliness. In our society, perversely, we celebrate the unwed mother as a heroic figure, like a fireman or a police officer. During the last presidential election, much was made of Obama’s mother, who was a single parent. Movie stars and pop singers flaunt their daddy-less babies like fishing trophies.

None of this is lost on my students. In today’s urban high school, there is no shame or social ostracism when girls become pregnant. Other girls in school want to pat their stomachs. Their friends throw baby showers at which meager little gifts are given. After delivery, the girls return to school with baby pictures on their cell phones or slipped into their binders, which they eagerly share with me. Often they sit together in my classes, sharing insights into parenting, discussing the taste of Pedialite or the exhaustion that goes with the job. On my way home at night, I often see my students in the projects that surround our school, pushing their strollers or hanging out on their stoops instead of doing their homework.”

We need to stop glorifying single mothers

“Because most of us know single mothers, know how hard they’re working, and wish them well, we do what we can to support them and build them up. That’s very understandable and it undoubtedly does some good. However, because we’re constantly talking about how wonderful single mothers are, we’re also making the option look a lot less scary than it should be to young girls — and that’s a very bad thing for them and for society.”

Talking with the president

“As some readers might know, your humble correspondent (that’s me) will be conducting a live interview with President Obama a few hours before the Super Bowl game begins on Sunday. The chat is scheduled to last about 12 minutes and is fraught with danger. For me, not for the president.”

Tawdry details of ObamaCare

“If you would like to know what the White House really thinks of Obamacare, there’s an easy way. Look past its press releases. Ignore its promises. Forget its talking points. Instead, simply witness for yourself the outrageous way the White House protects its best friends from Obamacare.”

* – Especially recommended

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

What of the crimes, massacres prevented?

“A reader who refers to himself as ‘a common-sense liberal’ writes in:

In view of the agonized calls for increased restrictions on firearm ownership resurrected by the recent shooting in Arizona, could you write a column with meaningful statistics on death and injury nationwide prevented by the civilian ownership of firearms?”

High speed rail is a fast way to waste taxpayer money

“High-speed rail may sound like a good idea. It works, and reportedly even makes a profit, in Japan and France. If they can do it, why can’t we?

The truth about abortion

“The fact is that the majority of abortions — far from all, but the majority — serve as nothing more than routine birth control: Most women who have abortions became pregnant by willingly engaging in high-risk sexual activity, and many resort to abortion more than once. For a solid pro-choicer, this presents no problem; if unborn children have no rights, there is no harm done.”

Why Sarah Palin Drives Them Wild

“I wonder how many television hosts and “journalists” tuned in to Sarah Palin’s interview on ‘Hannity’ this week, waiting with bated breath for her to say something they could try to distort. And the more she says ‘this isn’t about me,’ the more they make it about her. Let’s enter the world of Sarah Palin for a moment.”

The State Against Blacks

“The welfare state has done to black Americans what slavery couldn’t do. . . . And that is to destroy the black family.”

Don’t kids shovel anymore?

“During my nearly three decades in Boston, exactly one kid has come by seeking a shoveling job. He worked for about 20 minutes on freeing my car from the snowplowed ridge that held it captive, whittling the wintry berm down to the point where you might possibly have extracted the vehicle if, say, you had a mammoth fork-lift at your disposal. When I noted same, he said he’d settle for half the agreed-on fee — and left me to finish the job.”

The following is an entry I posted on MLK Day 2008 on my blog at FranklinNOW.com:

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Martin Luther King Jr. in his famous speech at the Lincoln Memorial in August 1963.

On more than one occasion on Channel 10’s InterCHANGE, I’ve surmised that if alive today, King would oppose affirmative action. He would denounce racial quotas.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

That sounds to me like a perfect conservative value.

Character- conservative candidates say it matters, and conservative voters look for it in various candidates.

On this Martin Luther King Day, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette editorial page editor Paul Greenberg says:

“Martin Luther King Jr. meets the very definition of an American conservative, that is, someone dedicated to preserving the gains of a liberal revolution.

You can tell a lot about an age by the heroes it chooses. While the Malcolms and Farrakhans come and go in favor, Martin Luther King Jr. remains the standard by which all other leaders are measured, and not just black leaders. That’s a hopeful sign.”
—Kevin Fischer blog, 1/21/08

Given King’s famous remarks, it makes one wonder why so many liberals today relish playing the race card. Wouldn’t King find that offensive and insulting to minorities?

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

Liberals seek a ban on metaphors in wake of Arizona shooting

“Every time liberals produce an example of military lingo from a Republican – ‘we’re going to target this district’ — Republicans produce five more from the Democrats.

President ‘whose asses to kick’ Obama predicted ‘hand-to-hand combat’ with his political opponents and has made such remarks as ‘if they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun’ — making Obama the first American president to advocate gun fights since Andrew Jackson.

These are figures of speech known as ‘metaphors.’ (Do liberals know where we got the word ‘campaign’?)

By blaming a mass killing on figures of speech, liberals sound as crazy as Loughner with his complaints about people’s grammar. Maybe in lieu of dropping all metaphors, liberals should demand we ban metonyms so that tragedies like this will never happen again.”

The progressive “climate of hate:” An illustrated primer, 2000-2010

“The Tucson massacre ghouls who are now trying to criminalize conservatism have forced our hand. They want to play tu quo que in the middle of a national tragedy? They asked for it. They got it.”

The hateful left

“‘The Left’s sudden talk about incendiary political rhetoric in the wake of the Arizona shooting isn’t really about political rhetoric at all. It’s about the real-world failure of leftist policies everywhere—the bankrupting of nations and states by greedy unions and unfundable social programs, the destruction of inner cities by identity politics, and the appeasement of Muslim extremists in the face of worldwide jihad, not to mention the frequently fatal effects of delirious environmentalism.”

Jared Loughner was a Tea Partier (and I’m am Atheist River Dancer Who Hates Hunting)

“I bet you Lefties in D.C. and in the Blame Stream Media really sucked at playing connect the dots in first grade, didn’t you?”

The 11 most ludricous free passes given to the Obamas

“What burns conservatives most of all is the refusal of the journalistic community to do its job where Obama is involved. Historically, the American press tends to be hard on a sitting president and the American people expect it. This keeps everybody honest. Never have we witnessed the media so willing to forgo its purpose for the advancement of one man”

Let’s break out the chainsaws

“I want to give Speaker John Boehner the benefit of the doubt. Really, I do. But it’s hard when he fumbles the gimmes like he did in an interview with Brian Williams of NBC News.

Dude. You’re on national television and you can’t name one useless government program? Tell me again why we elected you Speaker?

I’m no career politician but I can come up with 5 things to cut without breaking a sweat.”

Eek! A male!

“Last week, the lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, Timothy Murray, noticed smoke coming out of a minivan in his hometown of Worcester. He raced over and pulled out two small children, moments before the van’s tire exploded into flames. At which point, according to the AP account, the kids’ grandmother, who had been driving, nearly punched our hero in the face.

Why?

Mr. Murray said she told him she thought he might be a kidnapper.”

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

White Flight

“The new data show that white voters not only strongly preferred Republican House and Senate candidates but also registered deep disappointment with President Obama’s performance, hostility toward the cornerstones of the current Democratic agenda, and widespread skepticism about the expansive role for Washington embedded in the party’s priorities. On each of those questions, minority voters expressed almost exactly the opposite view from whites.”

Two Californias

“The last three weeks I have traveled about, taking the pulse of the more forgotten areas of central California. I wanted to witness, even if superficially, what is happening to a state that has the highest sales and income taxes, the most lavish entitlements, the near-worst public schools (based on federal test scores), and the largest number of illegal aliens in the nation, along with an overregulated private sector, a stagnant and shrinking manufacturing base, and an elite environmental ethos that restricts commerce and productivity without curbing consumption.”

Are we still the home of the brave?

“Sadly, this risk-averse/avoid-pain mindset is overtaking America. Anything that entails risk is to be avoided and, when possible, banned.”

The ten most under-reported stories of 2010

“You won’t see the stories below in the pages of the NYT or on the screens of NBC. You won’t hear them discussed at the water cooler. They’re the stories that show without any doubt the cards held by those who wish to enslave the masses to the god of government. A theocracy, to be sure, but one that holds up the state above all else. These stories are what progressives are trying desperately to erase from the annals of history, an effort that the new penny press, new media, refuses to allow.”

Top Ten Political Lies of 2010

“Here, in no particular order, are the top 10 political lies of 2010.

1. Ninety-five percent of ‘working families’ received a tax cut.”

While teachers are laid off, fortunes spent on….

“Teachers have been getting laid off right and left in Florida’s Broward School District. Despite all the taxes, the money just isn’t there to pay them. This gives an idea of where it went.”

MTV abortion special: Happy for the kill

“Now we get to ‘No Easy Decision,’ which follows one of the teen moms from ’16 and Pregnant.’ Markai finds out eight months after having her daughter that she is pregnant again and decides this time to abort.

Announcing the special, Entertainment Weekly wrote, ‘MTV sources say the documentary will tackle all sides of the issue. …’

So I expected the pro-life position to be fairly represented alongside the pro-abortion position – by educating on the documented harm of abortion to women, describing fetal development at the age of the baby being aborted and offering a counseling session at a pregnancy care center as well as an abortion clinic. I was resigned that Markai would move ahead with her abortion but thought her decision would be fully informed.

None of this came to pass.”

Four nursing students have reportedly been expelled from a community college nursing program for having a picture of themselves with a placenta placed on Facebook. Details as to whether the girls got specific or implicit approval to take the photo are murky. Regardless, upon finding out about the posting of the photo, the college responded with a “We are not amused,” and expelled the students.

What’s ironic about this story is that it occurred in Kansas. For those who may not remember, Kathleen Sebelius is from Kansas. In fact, Kathleen Sebelius was Governor of Kansas during the time when the notorious Dr. Tiller carried on late term abortions as frequently as President Obama says “let me be clear!”

While Governor, Sebelius vetoed a bill that specifically targeted Tiller’s activities. The bill would have required details to be reported to the state on each late term abortion. The bill was important as Tiller was alleged to be performing abortions on underage and situations of coerced abortions. As I think about it now, isn’t it ironic that Sebelius thought reporting of late term abortions was improper but now wants reporting on all of our health issues sent to the federal government.

While I agree it was classless, I have a hard time agreeing that explusion is the appropriate response for the student’s behavior. I mean, it’s not like they got it by performing an abortion or something!

If “classlessness” were grounds for expulsion, I would have never graduated from Whats-a-matta U. Perhaps the students can be re-enrolled under probation. Unfortunately for them, Kathleen Sebelius has left Kansas. If not, they would have likely received a hearty congratulations and not expulsion!