Memorial Day

V - Upfront Trailer

Replace V with O and it's down right creepy.

HT Hot Air

Memorial Day

Four more years of Bush

In the words of Randy Jackson, "Yo, Yo, Yo Kraut Dog you are point on.........."

If hypocrisy is the homage that vice pays to virtue, then the flip-flops on previously denounced anti-terror measures are the homage that Barack Obama pays to George Bush. Within 125 days, Obama has adopted with only minor modifications huge swaths of the entire, allegedly lawless Bush program.

The latest flip-flop is the restoration of military tribunals. During the 2008 campaign, Obama denounced them repeatedly, calling them an "enormous failure." Obama suspended them upon his swearing-in. Now they're back.

Of course, Obama will never admit in word what he's doing in deed. As in his rhetorically brilliant national-security speech yesterday claiming to have undone Bush's moral travesties, the military commissions flip-flop is accompanied by the usual Obama three-step: (a) excoriate the Bush policy, (b) ostentatiously unveil cosmetic changes, (c) adopt the Bush policy.

Article here

Watching democrats run

Can you believe it?

Apparently, we now have a way of watching democrats run from the cameras. Ask them about Nancy Pelosi!



Article here

Life in "Progress" City

From the city of Cincinnati, who hasn't had a republican mayor since Ben Franklin discovered electricity.

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory said today that predictions of a $40 million deficit next year shouldn't prompt talk of layoffs.

"Who knows what the number will actually be?" he said. "The number is a projection. We get forecasts all the time."

He was in Las Vegas at a conference of the International Shopping Center earlier this week when council members learned from Finance Director Joe Gray that the city was already stuck with a $7.7 million deficit for this year and was looking at the $40 million if something isn't done. City Manager Milton Dohoney has directed all departments to let him know how they could cut 5 percent from their budgets this year.

Yeah, don't sweat a $40 million dollar deficit; it's only a projection.

Here's my projection. It will end up worse.

Do liberals live in fairy land?

Article here

Who did he vote for #486

Meet Derrick Morton.

Why is Derrick in the news?

Derrick Morton chose the wrong shirt to be
arrested in. When Morton was arrested for possession of cocaine, he was wearing
a t-shirt that read "DARE Role Model," referring to the anti-drug program for children. On Monday, Morton was convicted of drug possession and now faces two years in prison when he is sentenced next month.

Now this past November did Derrick here vote for hope and change or four more years of Bush?

I'm thinking from the T-shirt he was a big Nancy Reagan fan.

Article

Once again, the responsible citizen carries the water

It's hard to feel sorry for the credit card companies. Actually I don't feel a damn bit sorry for the credit card companies.

With the new Obamunist credit card bill worked out, in collusion with the credit card companies, the credit card companies won't doing anything except shifting their profits from the irresponsible to the responsible.....

Now Congress is moving to limit the penalties on riskier borrowers, who have become a prime source of billions of dollars in fee revenue for the industry. And to make up for lost income, the card companies are going after those people with sterling credit.

Banks are expected to look at reviving annual fees, curtailing cash-back and other rewards programs and charging interest immediately on a purchase instead of allowing a grace period of weeks, according to bank officials and trade groups.

“It will be a different business,” said Edward L. Yingling, the chief executive of the American Bankers Association, which has been lobbying Congress for more lenient legislation on behalf of the nation’s biggest banks. “Those that manage their credit well will in some degree subsidize those that have credit problems.”

So congratulations to you responsible a-holes who do crazy shit like............. pay your bills. When will get that you are part of the problem with America?

Article here.........

Cleveland Tourism video

This is hilarious......

Life in "Progress" City

From the city of Cleveland, who hasn't had a republican run the town since David slew Goliath

Words from a recovering "progressive"

I want to welcome Robin to the "Progressives" Anonymous group today. Everyone welcome Robin.

Thank you Robin for being here and sharing.

Here is her story at The American Thinker....

So what do you do when you realize that everything you've ever thought and believed no longer worked for you? Where do you go when the bubble of progressive politics bursts in your face and you're left in the leftist place on earth? It seems that the choices are as follows: either you cling to your beliefs even more zealously and attack anyone who dares to disagree. Or, if you're like me, you embark on a journey of discovery and recovery.

I wrote another piece recently for American Thinker, a letter of amends to conservatives. In it I described why I transformed from a Berkeley leftist to a talk radio loving conservative the last 1 1/2 years. I realized the Democratic Party wasn't what I thought, that it had mutated into something mean and rough, and that I had probably been living in a fantasy world all along. I very much appreciated the outpouring of support, wisdom, and forgiveness from American Thinker readers.

Many said something to the effect of: Robin, congrats, but what in the world took you so long? So let me explain. I wasn't just your garden variety liberal who voted Democrat and that was about it. I was a true believer. A zealot. Like many leftists who had abandoned Judeo-Christian religion, I worshipped at the altar of liberalism. For instance, I never missed watching the Democratic National Convention. I watched every speech, with tissue box handy. (What kind of a freak was I anyway?) The Democratic Party symbolized hope, love, compassion, promise, everything that was good and holy in the world. I gave money, my time, my heart, my soul. I cried with joy when Democrats won; I was distraught when they lost.

Thanks for sharing Robin. You know everyone in this group was a former liberal who finally got the smelling salts to notice that liberal stuff just doesn't work in real life. Keep up the faith.

Where's Sandy Berger?

Federal authorities are investigating the disappearance of a computer disc from the National Archives containing Social Security numbers and Secret Service procedures from former President Bill Clinton’s administration, congressional officials said.

Among the files on the disc were 100,000 Social Security numbers, including that of one of former Vice President Al Gore’s daughters, contact information for officials who served in the Clinton administration, logs of events and “other highly sensitive information,” according to a statement from the office of Representative Darrell Issa, the ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

More.....

Fashion Trends

Last night, Gordon made his way down to his first Party in the Park.

That first summer outing is always a great way to see what the current fashion trends are so I put on my Perez Gekko hat (a fedora with goose feathers taped to it) on and these are my thoughts.....

1) That mid drift top and navel ring is still hot unless you can pour a quart of oil into that navel.

2) I guess either the ass antler tattoos are no longer fashionable or women decided to pull their pants up.

3) Those Paris Hilton bug glasses that make you look unique just make you look like the ding dong you're standing next to. Kind of like the guys you talk to wearing Ed Hardy T- Shirts.

4) People who wear Tommy Hilfiger gear should just show up in a NASCAR race suit. I always find it amazing that people will pay to advertise someone's gear. When Tommy pays me to advertise his stuff, I'll wear it.

5) Those five inch heals look sexy at 6:00. But when I see you carrying your shoes two hours later because your feet hurt so bad; not so much. Clean up those bunions.

6) I saw three different 50 + year old guys with ear rings on last night (office worker types). What the hell is up with that? Couldn't you afford a Porsche for your mid life crisis?


So take these fashion tips from a guy who believes weekend hours at Costco constitutes a fashion trend.

The current American Revolution

An absolute must read at The American Thinker on the current American Revolution we live in today.....

With the election of Barack Obama as president, the liberals have launched a massive, two-front offensive they believe will end in victory. They have judged that our public education system is so degraded that only a few Americans are left who even understand what a democracy is, and how the free market actually works. They are convinced that the majority of Americans are too frightened by the current recession to care about preserving the principles that made us the most powerful, productive and innovative country the world has ever known. In short, the liberals are reaching for victory because they believe that history now is on their side.

The speed of their offensive is breathtaking.

At the core of democracy is the rule of law, and we have already lost it. The liberals lecture us incessantly that everything is "relative," but that's not true; some things are absolutes. You cannot claim to be faithful to your spouse because you never cheat on her -- except when you're in London on business. And you cannot claim to have the rule of law if the government can set aside the rule of law when it decides that "special circumstances" have arisen that warrant illegality. When the President and his aides handed ownership of Chrysler Corp. to the United Auto Workers union, they tried to avoid sending that beleaguered company into bankruptcy by muscling its bondholders into accepting less money for their assets than the law entitled them to collect. These contracts, and the law under which they were signed, were mere obstacles to a thuggish President bent on paying off his political supporters.

It's going to get much worse, fast. President Obama has told us time and again that among his criteria for choosing Federal judges will be "empathy." Empathy is a wonderful quality in any human being, but a judge's job is to rule according to the law. Once our courts are presided over by judges who will reach verdicts based on how they feel about an issue -- such as abortion or the right of citizens to bear arms -- the law will be whatever the judges wish it to be; the rule of law will become an empty phrase rather than the architecture of our civilization.

Read the entire piece here............

The Obama School of Business, er, Redistribution

In the good ole days, when business schools taught corporate capital formation, they always taught that in a liquidation through bankruptcy, the money received by the trustees was distributed in the following order

1) Secured debt holders
2) Bondholders
3) Preferred stockholders
4) Unsecured debt holders
5) Common shareholders

Well, that was until Obamanomics. By essentially moving the order around to accommodate political constituencies, the Obamunists created a new playing field.

How? Assume you are a bond holder. In a traditional investing strategy, bond holders are willing to take less of a return for more security.

As we've seen from the Chrysler deal, bondholders now assume the risk of common shareholders with none of the upside.

Since bondholders now have increased risk related to their investments, what will be the outcome of such?

1) Bondholders will demand higher returns which results in increased costs of capital to a company.

2) Bondholders simply will not loan to companies in difficult financial situations since they cannot be assured of the first out in a liquidation.

If you want to believe that's a bunch of bunk, you need look no further than the state of Indiana's pension fund who decided this week to not invest in any bonds related to banks and auto companies.

Indiana will no longer invest in bonds issued by banks and automakers who receive federal bailout money.

Bondholders are supposed to be at the head of the line for repayment if a company goes bankrupt. But State Treasurer Richard Mourdock says the government rewrote the rulebook for the Chrysler bankruptcy, leaving investors with 29 cents on the dollar. Mourdock says that cost state investment funds $5.6 million.

Mourdock has lodged an objection to Chrysler's restructuring with the bankruptcy judge hearing the case, making Indiana the only one of the automaker's creditors to do so.

Mourdock says the state won't sell bonds it already holds -- he says that would lock in losses. But he's ordering fund managers not to buy any more bonds from Chrysler, GM, or banks covered by the bailout.

Mourdock says the Obama Administration's handling of Chrysler's debt wiped out $896,000 in value from the state's investment of the proceeds from the 2006 lease of the Indiana Toll Road, and $147,400 from the Indiana State Police Pension Fund. Mourdock oversees both portfolios.

Mourdock says the Teachers Retirement Fund, which is administered separately, lost $4.6 million.

Article here.

I guess I'll have to go back to school to get my MRA (Masters in Redistribution Administration) to I can figure out how investors get paid pack.

Matthews on Global Warming

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Summer is near

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that the Gekko's are big summer concert folks.

Nearly every week, somewhere in the Cincinnati area is a national act playing for free. I actually like the free shows better because in general the acts are 1) out of rehab 2) actually into the music 3) not self absorbed assholes and 4) not Coldplay.

Unfortunately, this year's schedule is fairly lame. Even the paid acts schedule this summer look weak. The Gekko's plan on heading to Fifth Third Field to see Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan and that's about it.

The free summer show schedule this year is as follows....

Summerbration - Blue Ash
Diamond Rio
Rodney Atkins
James Otto

Mason Fireworks
Huey Lewis

Blue Ash Fireworks
Gretchen Wilson

Miami Meadows
Marshall Tucker
Fabulous Thunderbirds

Sycamore Twp.
Orleans
Elvin Bishop

Taste of Blue Ash
Three Dog Night
Kansas
Commodores

I still waiting to see the line ups for The Chili Festival, Seafood Festival and a few others. I'm guessing that slim budgets are making for slim acts. Mrs. Gekko thinks that the only acts at these festivals are those who need health insurance for their liver transplants.

Regardless, we'll be starting out festival season this weekend at Taste of Cincinnati to see Sullivan Janszen on Sunday night.

Now we just need some global warming and cold beer to get this summer off to a good start.

California Tea Party

Jim Geraghty reports that the California issue 1A failed to win a majority.... in any county. Even San Francisco voted it down.

The selfish bastards.

Reality check

Remember how The Won told us that if we didn't do the stimulus bill things would be pretty catastrophic?

In fact, the administration put together this graph to show what the unemployment rate would be with and without the stimulus bill.

Over at Michael's comments, he's tracking the actual unemployment rates against the The Won's projections.

Ouch

Hey O let's not work so hard solving problems.

HT Greg Mankiw

Life in "Progress" City

From my wonderful town of Cincinnati, where there hasn't been a republican run the city since Mozart wrote his first symphony.

Who better to run the city's pension fund than a guy who's declaring bankruptcy.....

The long-time Cincinnati pension system supervisor accused of improperly loaning himself money from his contributions faces a host of personal financial problems - including bankruptcy, an Enquirer investigation shows.

Gordon Keith Giles, a 28-year city employee, will hear the official allegations against him at an administrative hearing today and be able to respond. He and a subordinate, Norma Haygood, were put on leave with pay in January after audits discovered they might have violated rules about how much pension money can be taken out and for how long.

snip

The $1.83 billion Cincinnati Retirement System, which has been in the news for losing $854 million last year, allows contributors to take out loans of up to $50,000 of their contributions and pay them back over five years. There are limits to the number of loans.

Giles took out 20 loans in the past seven years, according to one audit.

What's so "progressive" about a bankrupt pension plan?

Article here

Williams on empathetic judges

Walter Williams on the role of judges.....

President Obama's articulated criteria for his nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court is: "We need somebody who's got the heart to recognize -- the empathy to recognize what it's like to be a young teenage mom, the empathy to understand what it's like to be poor or African-American or gay or disabled or old. And that's the criteria by which I'm going to be selecting my judges."

What is the role of a U.S. Supreme Court justice? A reasonable start for an answer is the recognition that our Constitution represents the rules of the game. A Supreme Court justice has one job and one job only namely; he is a referee. There is nothing complicated about this. A referee's job, whether he is a football referee or a Supreme Court justice, is to know the rules of the game and make sure that they are evenly applied without bias. Do we want referees to allow empathy to influence their decisions? Let's look at it using this year's Super Bowl as an example.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have won six Super Bowl titles, seven AFC championships and hosted 10 conference games. No other AFC or NFC team can match this record. By contrast, the Arizona Cardinals' last championship victory was in 1947 when they were based in Chicago. In anyone's book, this is a gross disparity. Should the referees have the empathy to understand what it's like to be a perennial loser and what would you think of a referee whose decisions were guided by his empathy? Suppose a referee, in the name of compensatory justice, stringently applied pass interference or roughing the passer violations against the Steelers and less stringently against the Cardinals. Or, would you support a referee who refused to make offensive pass interference calls because he thought it was a silly rule? You'd probably remind him that the league makes the rules, not referees.

More here.....

Goodbye John Galt

So, according to "progressives", it's not possible for the rich to leave and take their wealth with them.

Tell that to Tom Golisano, owner of the Buffalo Sabres.....

I LOVE New York. But how much should it cost to call New York home? Decades of out-of-control budgets, spending hikes and relentless borrowing have made New York simply too expensive.

Politicians like to talk about incentives -- for businesses to relocate, for example, or to get folks to buy local. After reviewing the new budget, I have identified the most compelling incentive of all: a major tax break immedi ately available to all New Yorkers. To be eligible, you need do only one thing: move out of New York state.

Last week I spent 90 minutes doing a couple of simple things -- registering to vote, changing my driver's license, filling out a domicile certificate and signing a homestead certificate -- in Florida. Combined with spending 184 days a year outside New York, these simple procedures will save me over $5 million in New York taxes annually.

By moving to Florida, I can spend that $5 million on worthy causes, like better hospitals, improving education or the Clinton Global Initiative. Or maybe I'll continue to invest it in fighting the status quo in Albany. One thing's certain: That money won't continue to fund Albany's bloated bureaucracy, corrupt politicians and regular special-interest handouts.

How did the state get to this point? By spending, spending and spending some more.

We should force every state and local politician to read this on the floor. Maybe they'd get it.

I wonder if that smart ass David Paterson will call out Golisano as he did Rush Limbaugh with his "If I knew that would be the result, I would have raised taxes earlier".

The rest of this must read here.

It's the voters fault

They called it Paradise
I don't know why
You call some place paradise
Kiss it goodbye

So California voters decided that they no longer wanted to be enablers to a system that will ultimately collapse under it's own weight.

But then again, this mess is entirely the fault of the voters if you listen to this ding dong....

By rejecting five budget measures, Californians also brought into stark relief the fact that they, too, share blame for the political dysfunction that has brought California to the brink of insolvency.

Rightly or wrongly, voters in the special election refused either to extend new tax hikes or to cap state spending. They also declined to unlock funds that they had voted in better financial times to set aside for special purposes.

Nearly a century after the Progressive-era birth of the state's ballot-measure system, it is clear that voters' fickle commands, one proposition at a time, are a top contributor to paralysis in Sacramento. And that, in turn, has helped cripple the capacity of the governor and Legislature to provide effective leadership to a state of more than 38 million people.

Clogged freeways, the decline of public schools, an outdated water system and a battered economy are just a few of the challenges demanding action by state leaders. Instead, they are consumed by yet another budget crisis, one that voters worsened Tuesday.

Wait a damn minute here. You mean to tell me that because voters have enough sobriety to say when enough is enough it's their fault that legislators won't prioritize spending.

That's the arrogance of the average "progressive", the voter is too dumb to keep enabling a seriously failed system run by "professionals".

Article here

Life in a "Progressive" State

From the great state of Massachusetts, who's teachers can't add 2+2; literally.

According to state education officials, nearly three-quarters of the people who took the state elementary school teacher’s licensing exam this year failed the new math section.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released the results Tuesday. They say that only 27 percent of the more than 600 candidates who took the test passed. The test was administered in March of this year.

The teacher’s licensing exam tested potential teachers on their knowledge of elementary school mathematics. This included geometry, statistics, and probability.

Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester was not surprised by the results. He told the Boston Globe that these results indicate many students are not receiving an adequate math education.

Tom Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents , said "The high failure rate puts a shining light on a deficiency in teacher-prep programs."

As I've stated before, go to any university, and you'll find the largest collection of dumb asses right there in Teacher's College.


More......

Life in "Progress" City

From the Detroit area, who hasn't had a republican mayor since Washington crossed the Delaware....

It was supposed to be a shining example of the green movement -- a completely independent solar-powered house with no gas or electrical hookups.

Seven months ago, officials gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the $900,000 house owned by the city of Troy that was to be used as an educational tool and meeting spot.

But it never opened to the public. And it remains closed.

Frozen pipes during the winter caused $16,000 in damage to floors, and city officials aren't sure when the house at the Troy Community Center will open.

"It's not safe right now, and there's no estimated opening time because it depends on when we can get funding," said Carol Anderson, director of the city's Parks and Recreation Department.

That surprised the Oakland County Planning and Economic Development Department, which advertised tours of the house for its Tuesday Oakland County Green Summit.

What's so "progressive" about a million dollar, non functioning property?

Article

Deep Thoughts

Deep Thoughts by Gordon Gekko

Last night, I turned on ESPN when it hit me. I hadn't heard Brett Favre's name in 104 hours or exactly the same amount of time since I last had ESPN on.

Coincidence?

.

Hey, I resemble that remark

Apparently, old, conservative guys are the happiest..........

Americans grow happier as they age, surveys find. And a new Pew Research Center survey

shows the tendency is holding up as the economy tanks.

Happiness is a complex thing. Past studies have found that happiness is partly inherited, that Republicans are happier than Democrats, and that old men tend to be happier than old women.

And even before the economy got nasty, seniors were found to be generally happier than Baby Boomers. Some of that owes to the American Dream being lived by past generations, while Boomers work two jobs and watch the dream wither.

In times like this, it's clear how age can have its advantages. While not all seniors are weathering the recession well, for many the impact is much less severe than it is for younger people.

Why? Many people 65 and older retired and downsized their lifestyles before the economy imploded, according to Pew analysts. Most aren't raising kids and many are not so worried about being laid off. Loss of income can be, of course, a source of stress and displeasure. (While money doesn't buy happiness, a study in February showed cash can help, especially when people use it to do stuff instead of buy things.)

If you're thinking that Republicans are happy just because they perhaps make more money, that does not seem to be the case. The study that found Republicans to be happier than Democrats also showed that it held true even after adjusting for income.

More....

Six problems with modern liberalism

1) You really didn't learn everything you needed to know in kindergarten: Liberals love to think of themselves as sophisticated, nuanced intellectuals, but the truth is they have a kindergartner’s view of the world. If it has been defined as "nice" to people they like, they're for it. If it has been defined as "mean" to people they like, they’re against it -- and that is about as deep as it gets. Unfortunately, that lack of adult perspective isn't so cute in political leaders who are making life and death decisions that may still have ramifications fifty years from now.

More....

I wish I were a liberal

A great and humorous piece from someone who wants to be a liberal.....

I want to be a liberal because they care so much. They have a lock on all the fashionable emotions, like tolerance, diversity, equality and patriotism. And as long as my intentions were pure and I 'care', I wouldn't have to accept responsibility for any negative consequences that my actions might cause.

I'd like to be a liberal because everyone knows that conservatives are racist, homophobic, stupid and, well, beneath contempt. Conservatives are motivated by -- gasp -- profit, instead of being nice. Enough said.

It would be swell to be a liberal because I'd be able to redefine reality to my own specifications. I could turn failure into success, murder into choice, lies into 'misstatements', and theft into investment. I would automatically be considered wise, instead of opinionated. Best of all, I could make up the rules as I go along, change them in midstream and then demonize anyone who doesn't agree with me.

It's great to be a liberal because everyone knows they hold the moral high ground. They don't lie, cheat or steal. Oh, and they don't condone torture. The media says so, so it must be true.

More.....

New secrets of the Komodo Dragon

New science on Gordon's favorite animal, the Komodo Dragon.

THE huge carnivorous Komodo dragon isn't just the largest living lizard, it also packs the biggest poisonous punch of any creature.

What's more, new research shows that the mega-meat eater probably inherited its "biggest" and "most venomous" mantle from its extinct Australian ancestor, the 7m-long dragon, Megalania, The Australian reports.

Adult male Komodo dragons weigh in at about 100kg and exceed 3m in length. A typical meal weighs 30-40kg.

Deer are common prey. While humans seldom fall victim to Komodo dragons, earlier this year a dragon stalked a poacher for several days and then, with a companion, waited for the man, caught, killed and ate him.

Sounds eerily similar to Madonna.

More....

Life in "Progress" City

From the city of Cincinnati, who hasn't had a republican run the city since Adam wore a fig leaf....

Cincinnati’s pension fund supervisor and an employee face discipline for the latest in a string of problems with the department, including that the city paid benefits for five years – to a dead person.

Keith Giles, supervisor of pension plans and a 28-year employee who earned $98,000 last year, remains on paid leave until an administrative hearing Wednesday. So does Norma Haywood, who reported to him. Neither could be reached Monday.

They allegedly violated rules regarding personal loans from their pension contributions and have been on paid leave – their union contract requires that pay continue, city officials said – since late January.

The $1.83 billion Cincinnati Retirement System, which has been in the news lately for losing $854 million last year, allows contributors to take out loans of up to $50,000 of their contributions and pay them back for up to five years. There also are limits to the number of loans.

Kind of nice to screw up and get paid time off.

More....

Who did he vote for? #410

Meet Timothy Akers. What makes Timothy here so special?

Timothy Akers should be a familiar face for law enforcement – the 40-year-old man has been arrested 101 times, according to Cincinnati police.

Investigators hope to make his 102nd arrest soon, said Detective Tamar Skelly with Crime Stoppers.

Akers, a parole violator whose last known address was Cheviot, remains at large on April 2 charges of misuse of a credit card and receiving stolen property, Hamilton County court records show.

Cincinnati police accuse him of using an 81-year-old woman’s credit card March 18 to make several purchases at the CVS Pharmacy on Seventh Street downtown. The credit card was taken during a recent burglary offense, records state.

Akers served about 3½ years in a state prison in London, Ohio, after he was convicted of an April 2005 robbery offense at a Rally’s Hamburgers in Hamilton County during which he threatened a female clerk, records show.

So last November, was Tim here a supporter of the hope and change candidate of Barack Obama or four more years of George Bush?

More....

When liberals party

I read this article on WSJ title Soak the Rich, Lose the Rich, related to the net migration of capital into and out of certain states (HT Porkopolis).

To the side, is a table prepared by American Legislative Exchange Council ranking states' net domestic migration.

From the table, it's easy to see the flat out flight of people from the following states; Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois, California, and New York.

In any of my normal posts I would, of course, point out that all of these states are the most "progressive" states in the country.

But in this post, I'd like to ask a question of my liberal friends out there.

Needless to say, I don't get invited to many parties populated by "progressives". I'm guessing it's primarily because I'm neither feminist, gay, black, union member, college professor nor do I drink Pinot Noir or Starbucks.

So I'm curious, when you liberal types get together what do you talk about? Obviously, you tell all kinds of Bush = Chimp jokes. But seriously, do you guys ever talk about how life is so wonderful in New York? So wonderful, in fact, 2 million people have fled the state?

Or how about how wonderful life is in the great state of California, where liberal policies have resulted in 1.5 million people leaving?

But on a smaller scale, "progressives" run every single city in this country. How's that working out?

Does it ever dawn on any single liberal out there to look around and ask the question "Gee, maybe those liberal policies I'm so big on don't work so well?"

Or do you care?

Is it so important to be "right" that you are willing to bankrupt an entire city, state and county to have your way?

Is there one ounce of self reflection in your "progressive" mind set?

So maybe you can clue me in on the jokes you and your buddies tell down at the local coffee shop. Because you are most certainly not discussing how liberal policies work so well for society.

Heard on the streets

This just in.

Sources closest to the administration have informed taxmanblog that the Obama's diplomatic gift to the Netanyahu's will be the 50th anniversary addition of The Ten Commandments DVD which includes previously unreleased director's cuts.

To avoid the embarrassment of the Gordon Brown gift, they've included a DVD player it would actually play on.

In addition, all staff have been reminded not to divulge the ending.

Will the "progressives" who passed this fill in the gap?

In 2008, lot's of busy bodies thinking they were "helping the poor", voted to restrict the charges payday lenders charged their customers.

How'd that work out?

More than a third of Ohio's payday lending storefronts have been shuttered since new restrictions on short-term lending took effect six months ago, state officials said.

Payday lenders operated roughly 1,600 retail locations across Ohio before voters approved new restrictions. Now, payday lenders run just 960 storefronts. While industry operators bemoan their struggle to keep running their businesses, critics charge they are using loopholes in the state's regulations to continue lending at high interest rates.

The debate will likely pick up steam as Ohio legislators mull a bill to be introduced this month by state Rep. Matt Lundy, D-Elyria, to further limit short-term loans.

Possibly hardest hit among the largest chains in Ohio is Columbus-based CheckSmart. A chain of 215 stores still has 95 stores in Ohio.

"The change has been a tremendous blow to the company - I've closed 10 or 15 stores and I've got more on a watch list," said chief executive Ted Saunders. "We were on a growth spurt until this happened."

So far, Saunders said, he's cut about 100 jobs statewide and now employs about 750 in Ohio and about 1,400 total. And more cuts are on the way.

Ohio's biggest payday lender, Spartanburg, S.C.-based Advance America, says it's in the process of closing a quarter of its stores - 60 by the end of 2009. While the Buckeye State is its fourth-largest market in terms of stores, the company says its Ohio operation is unprofitable and is considering ramping up the cutbacks.

Now if you were one of those busy bodies who voted for this, do you intend to open one of these stores to serve the population these were servicing?

What about opening another business so you can give a job to one of the people who worked at these places?

That's what I thought.

More....

Should this be mandatory viewing again

An old video forwarded to me from reader Scott?

Credit cards - Guns? an appropriate combination

Thanks to reader Jeremy for the link to this article on a gun law slid into the recent credit card bill.....

What do guns have to do with credit cards?

Not much. Except they both share space on a bill that lawmakers want to deliver to President Obama's desk by Memorial Day.

In a surprising move, the Senate voted 67-29 on Tuesday to attach a measure that would allow guns in national parks to a bill that cracks down on credit card fees.

"It's just wacky," said Jon Houston, an aide speaking on behalf of Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., the bill's chief House sponsor who has been pushing for a crack down on credit card practices for two years.

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., saw an opportunity to grab on to a comparatively fast-moving target, since lawmakers are under the gun to finalize a credit card bill in the next 11 days. Keeping pressure on Congress, President Obama held a town hall in New Mexico on Thursday inviting consumers who had written or called the White House about their credit card companies.

More here....

The "Progressive" way

They called it paradise
The place to be
They watched the hazy sun
Sinking in the sea


Liberalism, sounds great on paper. After all, who could possibly be opposed to "From each according to abilities; to each according to need". It's so quaint. It's so empathetic. It's so not possible.

History has proven that socialist governments will ultimately implode under their own structure as it attempts to salve each and every need a population may have.

You need look no further than that "Progressive" paradise of California. A state of infinite resources and human talent and an infinite appetite for all things government....

Once, California was known as the “Golden State.” No more. It’s struggling with a fiscal crisis of epic proportions. And voters are so disgusted with the ineptitude and waste of a state legislature dominated by liberal Democrats that they are poised to vote down a $16 billion tax increase and a slew of propositions allegedly intended to beat back fiscal Armageddon.

If residents of the other 49 states haven’t focused on California’s plight yet, they should. In a real sense, California has become liberalism’s “canary in the coal mine.” It is an instructive – and frightening – warning of the toll exacted by the kind of leftism now in vogue in Washington, D.C..

Put simply, California is in desperate fiscal straits because it has become a place where government works for only two constituencies: Those who need public assistance, and unions. Sacramento is so busy responding to the needs of the one and the demands of the other that the legitimate expectations of regular, taxpaying citizens have been completely ignored.

For union members, life is good. California teachers earn 25% more than the national average, even though some of the most incompetent, indifferent or downright dangerous of them cannot be fired because of concessions won by the teachers’ unions. The SEIU is so powerful that some of its members were able to listen in on a phone call between the Obama administration and the state – which resulted in the President’s threat to withhold stimulus money if the cash-strapped state made even modest cuts in the salaries of unionized home health care employees. In fact, state government is routinely held hostage by public employee unions; not surprising when one considers that California is home to 356,000 state workers – 9.3 of them for every 1,000 residents.

Once again, I would appreciate a lefty explaining to me how life is so much better in the state of California than the state of Texas, a red state who spends much less in per resident state dollars.

More....

The Enchanted Times

In a surprise to no one. It now appears that the NY Times spiked a story injurious to the Obama campaign last year.....

Acknowledging what the blogosphere has known for weeks, the New York Times finally went on record to admit that just before last Election Day it killed a politically sensitive news story involving corruption allegations that might have made the Obama campaign look bad.

But the admission on Sunday, which came seven months after NYT staff reporter Stephanie Strom's reporting about possibly illegal coordination between the Obama campaign and ACORN last year, took the form of a snarky column from Clark Hoyt, the Old Gray Lady's "public editor." Hoyt used the word "nonsense" to describe the allegations of impropriety leveled against ACORN and the Obama campaign.

more...

Deep Thoughts

Deep Thoughts by Gordon Gekko...

So the president wants us to have open hearts and open minds as it relates to abortion. Does that mean he's open to the idea that life begins at conception and is worth protecting?

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Coldplay Update

It's no small accomplishment to make a sea of 16,000 people feel like an intimate audience in a small club, but that's what Chris Martin and Coldplay did at West Palm Beach's Cruzan Amphitheatre on Friday night. Joking, charming, and leading blissful singalongs, Martin and company made the opening night of their U.S. tour into a celebration of the feel-good power of pop music.

The sentimental peak came when the group ventured into the middle of the crowd to lead them in an acoustic version of The Monkees' I'm a Believer, teasing at and enjoying the song's innocent "I'm in love, ooooohhhh, I'm a believer" enthusiasm. "People in the back are you in love?" Martin asked, and got a ringing affirmation.

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Formally Secret VP Bunker

Biden's a piece of work...

Vice President Joe Biden, well-known for his verbal gaffes, may have finally outdone himself, divulging potentially classified information meant to save the life of a sitting vice president.

According to a report, while recently attending the Gridiron Club dinner in Washington, an annual event where powerful politicians and media elite get a chance to cozy up to one another, Biden told his dinnermates about the existence of a secret bunker under the old U.S. Naval Observatory, which is now the home of the vice president.

The bunker is believed to be the secure, undisclosed location former Vice President Dick Cheney remained under protection in secret after the 9/11 attacks.

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Ramirez

The five Bush "Sins"

I asked some buddies last week on what liberals believed are the five worst sins of the Bush presidency.

They were in no particular order.

1) Domestic wire taps
2) Guantanamo
3) Budget deficits
4) The economy
5) Torture

Now let's look at the Bush programs and compare the Obama administration against the Bush legacy.

Domestic Wire taps

Bush - Progress Ohio had this post related to Bush's use of domestic wiretaps

The NYDN is reporting that Bush signed a Postal Reform bill with a signing statement attempting to circumvent warrant procedures required to open the mail of private citizens:

The President asserted his new authority when he signed a postal reform bill into law on Dec. 20. Bush then issued a "signing statement" that declared his right to open people's mail under emergency conditions.

That claim is contrary to existing law and contradicted the bill he had just signed, say experts who have reviewed it.

Bush's move came during the winter congressional recess and a year after his secret domestic electronic eavesdropping program was first revealed. It caught Capitol Hill by surprise.

One would think our President would have received a signal from the November election that this type of behavior is not what the American people wanted. No, check that. One would not think that. Why would I ever think he would ever stray from his arrogant course of monarchical rule? Silly me.

Obama ?

Given that his administration has chosen to follow the Bushie's position, What does progress Ohio have to say?

" "

I guess that makes it OK since Obama is The Messiah?


I'll post the others as we go along.

Go Cincinnati

Yesterday, I spent the day with a group of 6500 people from 28 churches as part of the "Go Cincinnati" program to make a difference in our city.

The project I was assigned was to do some home repairs and gardening help for a family who is part of the Shepherd's Crook ministry.

This family currently houses 15 special needs, adopted children from across the globe. To say it was sobering would be an understatement. Frankly, it makes commenting on politics so small and petty.

Mind you, this, as the Gekko's are currently working on plans to increase the living space in our home because "it's not big enough" for two people.

Well, take a modest four bedroom house and cram 15 kids in it and remind me of how our home isn't big enough.

Regardless, if you ever want to be a witness to the power of allowing God into your life, you need look no further than the parents of these kids. It's crazy to believe that two people could take this on. But with a faith in God, all things are possible.

By the way, someone tell the little two year old Guatemalan kid that my hand still hurts from the "knuckle knock" he gave me.

What's so "progressive" about kicking kids out of schools?

A free market lesson

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