Arab Festival 2009: Sharia in the US

Humanity done in 96 months?

A classic from Mark Steyn..............

According to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, we only have 96 months left to save the planet.

I’m impressed. 96 months. Not 95. Not 97. July 2017. Put it in your diary. Usually the warm-mongers stick to the same old drone that we only have ten years left to save the planet. Nice round number.

Al Gore said we only have ten years left three-and-a-half years ago, which makes him technically more of a pessimist than the Prince of Wales. Al’s betting Armageddon kicks in January 2016 – unless he’s just peddling glib generalities. And, alas, even a prophet of the ecopalypse as precise as His Royal Highness is sometimes prone to this airy-fairy ten-year shtick: in April, Prince Charles predicted that the red squirrel would be extinct “within ten years”, which suggests that, while it may be curtains for man and all his wretched works come summer of 2017, the poor doomed red squirrel will have the best part of two years to frolic and gambol on a ruined landscape.

I'm keeping this one for the record.

Read before you die.

Dylan goes electric

The Lovely Mrs. Gekko has been on a Bob Dylan kick of late so she talked me into going to the Bob Dylan Show at Fifth Third Field in Dayton last night. I'm glad she did.

The line up of Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Bob Dylan proved to be the best show for the buck you'll ever see. Trust me. You don't have to be a big fan of their music to appreciate the craftsmanship of their trade.

Notes..............

Willie - It took all of about one minute of music before I got my first wiff of ganja. After the first three songs, I had an incredible craving for Cheetos and Pink Floyd. When the show was over, I kept having flashbacks to my lava lamp and black light posters.

When people watch guitar players, they tend to look at the left hand on the guitar. What separates the great ones is what they can do with their right hand. Nelson's son Jacob, takes a back seat to few when it comes to his guitar play.

Willie, I realize you are 76, but let's work on those triceps buddy. They looked like sheets hanging off a clothes line.



Mellancamp - I haven't see Mellancamp since September of 1980 when he opened for The Kinks as John Cougar and The Zone. Much my hair line, little was recognizable from that show.

Back then, there was no fiddle and/or an accordion. Now there's no Hot Night Cold Town. Like all the shows last night, Mellancamp did an excellent job of giving the fans the songs they wanted and yet moving on with a new style.

Have you heard the PSA where one in eight Americans struggles with hunger? I don't personally know an American that struggles with hunger but Mellancamp's violinist obviously does.

Give the poor girl a cheeseburger John.

Dylan - I was expecting a country/blues/acoustic
Lyle Lovett type of show from Dylan.

Boy, was I wrong. The band came out rockin'.

The only songs I knew by name were Highway 61, Like a Rolling Stone and All Along the Watchtower.

It actually probably helped that I never knew all his stuff, since I woundn't be waiting the whole night for him to play my favorites. Instead, I could just kick back and listen to the band kick ass.

None of the performers were what I would call showman. They all seem to spend more of their energy making the music right. And I would much rather have that than some drunk come out on stage with the "Thank You, name your city, Last night we ate at city's proclaimed best restaurant, and had something really good.

Tonight, the Gekko's are off the see The Fabulous Thunderbirds. If I can get over my contact high from the Willie fans from last night.

Hold on a second sweetie

It's a good thing it wasn't BJ Clinton............ they'd still be mopping up the drool.

Thanks reader Scott.

Biden in Northside

You may or may not have known that Joltin' Joe Biden was in Cincinnati yesterday, specifically, a neighborhood called Northside, to address a success of the stimulus money.

Here's a quick bite from my client, and reader, who's business is located in Northside........

Funny story.

Those of you from Cincinnati probably know that Biden appeared here yesterday. It was literally just a few blocks down the street from our shop. He was “crowing about the stimulus package”. The property he was speaking at is an old multi level factory some “well healed” investors want to turn into apartments and other spaces that we do not need. Of course the numbers would not work without this “help”. What a bunch of bullshit!

One of the local business guys who owns Ace Doran, a over the road heavy hauler, took one of his black, 45 foot van trailers and placed an orange sign on its’ side. Biden could easily see it from the podium while he was talking. In individual word lines it read “One Big Ass Mistake America”.

He spoke for a lot of us business people that are just fed up with all this crap because we know where this so call stimulus money is coming from.

If anyone happens to have a picture of that sign, please forward it. I'd love to get it on the blog.

Life in "Progress" city

Dating yourself

As part of finishing the "man cave" in the Gekko's basement, I was going through boxes of stuff I'd accumulated over the years and I ran across some old ticket stubs I thought had been tossed by my ex years ago.

Regardless, this is how you date yourself.

Tell one of your kids you saw Springsteen for $15.00..... or The Kinks for $8.00.... or The Police for $14.50.... Billy Joel for $12.50

I will only explain the Diana Ross concert over many beers.

By the way, are Vets Memorial and Fairgrounds Coliseum in Columbus still open?

That Kinks show had a warm up act by the name of John Cougar and the Zone. It seems slightly ironic that I'll be seeing Mr. Cougar (aka John Mellencamp) tonight warming up for Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson.

Animal Farm

From IBD.........

Fiscal Policy: The $787 billion "stimulus" was supposed to stimulate all of America equally, right? As it turns out, as in George Orwell's "Animal Farm," all areas may be equal, but some are politically more equal than others.

A report in USA Today says that "billions of dollars in federal aid delivered directly to the local level to help revive the economy have gone overwhelmingly to places that supported President Obama in last year's presidential election."

Got that? Money that's supposed to "stimulate" our economy is in fact lining the pockets of Democratic Party supporters.

In 2008, 872 counties supported Obama during the election. Each received roughly $69 in stimulus per person. Of the 2,234 counties that voted for John McCain, the average was $34.

"There's no politics at work when it comes to spending for the recovery," insisted White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

Of course, he's right. No one actually sits down and directs the money to Obama supporters and away from McCain supporters.

They don't have to. It's baked in the cake. That's the way our national laws are written. They benefit supporters of Democrats, who tend to support big government, and disadvantage supporters of the GOP, who tend not to support big government.

Feeling stimulated yet?

More..........

There goes John Galt

If New Yorkers fantasize that doing business here in Los Angeles would be less of a headache, forget about it. This city is fast becoming a job-killing machine. It's no accident the unemployment rate is a frightening 11.4% and climbing.

I never could have imagined that, after living here for more than three decades, I would be filing a lawsuit against my beloved Los Angeles and making plans for my company, Creators Syndicate, to move elsewhere.

But we have no choice. The city's bureaucrats rival Stalin's apparatchiks in issuing decrees, rescinding them, and then punishing citizens for having followed them in the first place.

A must read here

Arranging deck chairs on the Titanic

Is this The Onion or is this real?

From the city of San Francisco................

He's already banned spending city money to buy bottled water and mandated composting citywide. Now, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is taking on something as basic as water and trash: food.

Newsom on Wednesday issued an executive directive he hopes will dramatically change how San Franciscans eat.

All city departments have six months to conduct an audit of unused land - including empty lots, rooftops, windowsills and median strips - that could be turned into community gardens or farms that could benefit residents, either by working at them or purchasing the fresh produce. Food vendors that contract with the city must offer healthy and sustainable food. All vending machines on city property must also offer healthy options, and farmers' markets must begin accepting food stamps, although some already do.

The mayor will send an ordinance to the Board of Supervisors within two months mandating that all food served in city jails, hospitals, homeless shelters and community centers be healthy.

And effective immediately, no more runs to the doughnut shop before meetings and conferences held by city workers. Instead, city employees must use guidelines created by the Health Department when ordering food for meetings.

Examples include cutting bagels into halves or quarters so people can take smaller portions and serving vegetables instead of potato chips.

You can't make this stuff up.

thanks to reader Jeremy.

more.............

How liberals leach off of conservatives

A few years ago, I was dating a liberal woman who lived inside the Cincinnati Public School system.

Our relationship was serious enough that we talked about raising kids and all that. What stuck with me about our conversation was our conversation on public schools.

Her "I wouldn't want to send our kids to private schools, I'm a supporter of public schools."

Me "Really, you mean you'd send your kids to CPS?"

Her "No, I'd probably move to Lakota or Sycamore schools."

So even though she was fabulously liberal she wanted no part of the school systems she and her liberal pals managed to turn into large piles of digested White Castles.

But she had absolutely no problem seeking refuge for her kids in Redville where conservatives make sure their public schools keep their kids one step ahead of illiteracy.

I tell that story as a pretext of a liberal relative who was giving me a bunch of crap for all the guns I own.

You know, I'd have a lot more respect for a liberal if they put one of these signs on all of the entrances to their home.

But they won't. Why? See criminals can't really tell if the owner of that home is a red neck, gun toting NRA member or a passive wimp just from the look of their home. (although the Obama sticker on a Prius in the driveway should give some criminal a clue).

As a result, liberals make out from having conservative, gun toting, god fearing neighbors.

What about free speech? You know liberals love to utilize their free speech rights but do next to nothing to ensure their protection. They benefit from all those largely republican military men and women who do all the fighting for them.

And think about all those Islamic terrorists who love bringing down buildings in this country. Did you ever notice they weren't out to bring down a shopping mall in Dublin, Ohio. They look to take out American decadence in our largely blue cities.

If they were to impose Sharia law around the world who do your think they'd look to stone first?

• the GLBT team
• media members
• NOW members

But once again, it's those cavemen military types who ultimately protect the very people who wouldn't lift a finger to defend themselves.

Of course, you could also mention the largely democratic welfare deadbeats who suck the tit of hard working conservative types.

So I'd like to proclaim July 10th Buy a conservative a beer day. It seems to be the least you could do for all the ass carrying we do for you guys. Because one day, John Galt's going to start getting a little tired of listening to your crap while he's pulling your rickshaw. It's closer than you think.

More life in "Progress" City

Here's one of these red neck swim clubs where the hillbillies won't let blacks enter.

Wait. You mean to tell me that red necks don't belong to swim clubs. They belong to creeks with inner tubes.

Oh, I see, the club president was an active Obama supporter.

I guess that explains why they keep projecting their racism on others.

Life in "progress" city

Nothing like riding a commuter train at high speed while the operator catches some z's

Senator Madoff

From reader Bernie.....

President Obama vs Senator Obama

The new tax haven.... Canada?

So you're a "progressive" who thinks that corporations don't pay enough in taxes.

What do you think of companies relocating to avoid corporate taxes, including that tax avoidance scheme in.........Canada?

In a clear indication that Canada is starting to be considered a low-tax place to do business, Tim Hortons Inc. announced Monday plans to shift its base of operations from Delaware to Canada for tax purposes.

Further, analysts indicate this is also a sign of unease among corporations regarding the U.S. business environment, where taxes are likely heading upward to deal with trillion-dollar deficits and proposed health-care reforms; and the White House is looking to crack down on companies that invest abroad.

The move by Tim Hortons makes good on a promise contained in the company’s filing with U.S. securities regulators earlier this year, in which it said it was exploring such a reorganization because it could potentially drive down its effective tax rate closer to Canadian statutory levels.

In Canada, the federal corporate tax rate is headed to 15% in 2012, and the federal Conservative government has called on the provinces to get to a 10% business levy by the same timeframe – for a combined 25% rate on corporate income. Alberta is already at 10%, British Columbia will be there in 2011, Ontario by 2013, and New Brunswick will go down further, to 8%, in 2012.

Windsor..... we're not just a strip joint destination anymore.

More...........

Mourning California

From Iowahawk

Millions of fans from around the globe gathered along Sunset Boulevard to pay final respects to California today, as a slow moving funeral procession transported the eccentric superstar state’s remains to its final resting place in a Winchell’s Donuts dumpster in Van Nuys. The self-proclaimed ‘King of Pop Culture’ died last week at 160, in what coroners ruled an accidental case of financial autoerotic asphyxiation. The death sent shock waves across the world and sparked an outpouring of grief by rabid fans.

“I don’t care what the tabloids and the Wall Street Journal say,” said a weeping Illinois. “I still love you, Cali!”

The 640-mile long funeral parade route was lined with flowers, candles, teddy bears, and IOUs from millions of mourners and debtors who made the somber journey to watch the passing of the state that had once ruled the box office and industrial charts. Among them were current chart-toppers who cited California as a key influence.

“If it wasn’t for California, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” said Arizona of Westside 3, the popular Sunbelt trio who recently benefited from the late state’s generous gift of fleeing taxpayers and businesses. As a tribute to their mentor, Arizona vowed the group would start spending money “like crack-addled hip hop stars.”

“California’s financial and musical legacy will never die,” said band mates Nevada and Oregon.

Read the rest.....

Animal Farm

The relentlessly sanctimonious Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now may not deserve its carefully cultivated image as a defender of the poor.

That's because the group has become the leading cheerleader for a controversial real estate development that is slated to use eminent domain to remove the poor people it claims to represent.

ACORN, which has long prided itself on fighting the so-called gentrification of neighborhoods as rising property values force the poor to move, has also taken money from the project's developer and signed a binding agreement forcing it to stand behind the project no matter what.

In the world of corporate shakedowns it is commonplace for liberal activist groups to use the money they extract from a supposed "donor" to fund operations, but it is very unusual for a group to take money in exchange for betraying those it is supposed to represent.

More..........

Sarah Palin's $6,000 purse

That witch Sarah Palin is walking around Moscow with a $6,000 purse while people over here are working just to keep their health insurance......

Talk about luxury in the woods!

Michelle Obama showed off her more expensive taste in fashion by carrying a $5,950 VBH black alligator manila clutch while strolling the wooded landscape outside of Moscow, Russia this week.

Uhhhh Gordon, that was Michelle Obama.

No way we all know she's not some fashionista, she's out for the poor ole working family.

More.....

Life in "Progress" City

From the enlightened city of Akron, where there hasn't been a republican run the city since Woolly Mammoth was the fashionable fur of the day........

Akron police say they aren't ready to call it a hate crime or a gang initiation.

But to Marty Marshall, his wife and two kids, it seems pretty clear.

It came after a family night of celebrating America and freedom with a fireworks show at Firestone Stadium. Marshall, his family and two friends were gathered outside a friend's home in South Akron.

Out of nowhere, the six were attacked by dozens of teenage boys, who shouted ''This is our world'' and ''This is a black world'' as they confronted Marshall and his family.

The Marshalls, who are white, say the crowd of teens who attacked them and two friends June 27 on Girard Street numbered close to 50. The teens were all black.

''This was almost like being a terrorist act,'' Marshall said. ''And we allow this to go on in our neighborhoods?''

You do when you're a "progressive" city. What the hell is wrong with this guy?

More.........

Who did they vote for? #415

Meet one of the thousands of Michael Jackson fans to show up in LA to mourn his death.

Unfortunately, the service cost the city 1.4 million in increased security the city didn't have.

The memorial service for singer Michael Jackson cost the city of Los Angeles $1.4 million, the mayor's office said Wednesday.Costs included putting extra police on the streets, trash pickup, sanitation, traffic control and more for the Tuesday event, spokeswoman Sarah Hamilton said.

Three thousand police officers -- almost one-third of the Los Angeles police force -- were on hand to ensure the Jackson events proceeded smoothly, Los Angeles Assistant Police Chief Jim McDonnell, said Tuesday.

The city, which is $530 million in debt, set up a Web page asking Jackson fans to donate money to help with the expenses.

So let's get some facts here.

• These are fans of a bizarre weirdo who made a pilgrimage to LA to mourn his death.
• They chose to go to LA to mourn the death of someone they didn't even know instead of going to work.
• These fans were all willing to just ignore all the allegations and charges for his abuse of children.

Now last fall, did this voting bloc of Michael Jackson fans swing to the Obamunists or that old crusty guy?

Good luck getting the money from this pack of these losers; doesn't that make them democrats by definition?

Thanks reader Jeremy

More....

Miller High Life Delivery Guy Rant

If you like this guy, you'll like this.

Spoiled punk

If this is real, the dad here should beat this crap out of this kid.

He gets a truck for free, I had to pay for a 1972 Ford Pinto with license plates for floorboards. Geeeez

Congratulations Mike Brown

ESPN just released a fan ranking of the 122 sports franchises and, in a shocker, the Bengals weren't 122.

But they came in strong at a solid 118 beating only the Detroit Lions, NY Knicks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the LA Clippers. Man, how horrible are those franchises?

The conventional wisdom is that Mike Brown is a good business man. Really? How good of a businessman do you have to be to make money selling ice cold lemonade in Hell?

The fact is Mike Brown is a bigger douche bag than Bernard Madoff, stealing a billion dollars from a community and giving us a big pile of excrement to help showcase our area.

The day he dies, the city will celebrate much like Blackhawk fans did when Bill Wuertz died.

Funny

Life in "Progressive" state

They called it Paradise
I don't know why
You call some place Paradise
Kiss it good bye.

From the "progressive" state of California, who hasn't had conservatives run the state since Teddy charged up San Juan Hill......

A group of the biggest U.S. banks said they would stop accepting California's IOUs on Friday, adding pressure on the state to close its $26.3 billion annual budget gap.

The development is the latest twist in California's struggle to deal with the effects of the recession. After state leaders failed to agree on budget solutions last week, California began issuing IOUs -- or "individual registered warrants" -- to hundreds of thousands of creditors. State Controller John Chiang said that without IOUs, California would run out of cash by July's end.

But now, if California continues to issue the IOUs, creditors will be forced to hold on to them until they mature on Oct. 2, or find other banks to honor them. When the IOUs mature, holders will be paid back directly by the state at an annual 3.75% interest rate. Some banks might also work with creditors to come up with an interim solution, such as extending them a line of credit, said Beth Mills, a California Bankers Association spokeswoman.

Too bad California was so "progressive" they put those pay day lenders out of business; they could use those guys now.

More....

What's so "progressive" about bankruptcy?

Are you a liberal or conservative?

From reader Bernie

Are you a Liberal or a Conservative?

Here is a little test that will help you decide.
The answer can be found by posing t he following question:

You're walking down a deserted street with your wife and two small children.

Suddenly, an Islamic
Terrorist with a huge knife comes
around the corner, locks eyes with you,
screams obscenities, praises Allah,

raises the Knife and charges at you.

You are carrying a Kimber 1911 cal. 45 ACP, and are an expert shot.

You have mere seconds
before he reaches you and your family.

What do you do?

............................................................. ....

Liberal's
Answer

Well, that's not enough information to answer the question! Does the man look poor or oppressed?
Have I ever done anything to him that
would inspire him to attack?
Could we run away?
What does my wife think?
What about the kids?
Could I possibly swing the gun like a club
and knock the knife out of his hand?
What does the law say about this situation?
Does the pistol have appropria te safety built into it?
Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, and what kind of message does this send to society and to my children?
Is it possible he'd be
happy with just killing me?
Does he definitely want to kill me, or would
he be content just to wound me?
If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my
family get away while he was stabbing me?
Should I call 9-1-1?
Why is this street so deserted?
We need to raise taxes, have
paint and weed day and
make this happier, healthier street that
would discourage such behavior.
This is all so confusing! I need to
debate this with some friends for few days and try to come to a consensus.

........................................................................

Conservatives's
Answer:
BANG!

United Breaks Guitars

Reason # 76 why I hate to fly.

Reason # 65 get there two hours early to be stuffed into a rail car like cattle.

Impact of porkulus

The Obama administration hoped spending $787 billion in stimulus would jump-start the economy, build new schools and usher in an era of education reform. So far, government auditors say, many states are setting aside such grand plans and simply trying to stay afloat.

The Government Accountability Office, in a report to be released Wednesday, says the stimulus is keeping teachers off the unemployment lines, helping states make greater Medicaid payments and providing a desperately needed cushion to state budgets.

But investigators found repeated examples in which, either out of desperation or convenience, states favored short-term spending over long-term efforts such as education reform.

In Flint, Mich., for example, new schools haven't been built in 30 years but the school superintendent told auditors that he would use federal money to cope with budget deficits rather than building new schools or paying for early childhood education.

So I guess, outside of that turtle crossing in Florida, we won't be seeing any built by Obama signs anywhere in the future.

More..............

I'm still waiting

Walter Williams on the Senate's slavery apology.........

Last month, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed Senate Resolution 26 "Apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African-Americans." The resolution ends with: "Disclaimer. -- Nothing in this resolution (a) authorizes or supports any claim against the United States; or (b) serves as a settlement of any claim against the United States." That means Congress apologizes but is not going to pay reparations, as least for now.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have expressed concerns about the disclaimer, thinking that it's an attempt to stave off reparations claims from the descendants of slaves. Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Barbara Lee, D-Calif., said her organization is studying the language of the resolution and Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss, said "putting in a disclaimer takes away from the meaning of an apology. A number of us are prepared to vote against it in its present form. There are several members of the Progressive Caucus who feel the same way."

Hey senate, while you're throwing around apologies, I'm still waiting for apologies that attack my sensibilities and general health as a human being.

• The Cincinnati Bengals
• Michael Jackson news coverage
• Bad pizza
• Old Style beer
• Coldplay
• Leisure suits
• Ford Pinto's
• Baldness
• Old Spice aftershave
• Hillbillies
• Detroit
• Don Rickles
• Asparagus
• White Zinfandel
  

I realize that you, nor I, had anything to do with those bad ideas at the time but I think it requires an apology and reparations.

More....

Network News Preview

A preview of tonight's network evening news..........

- Michael Jackson died and the funeral was today.............

- Sarah Palin went to the restroom at 12:45, will that jeopardize her 2012 presidential ambitions.....

That's tonight on your evening news.

Be sure to tune in to these can't miss stories

Obama Health Reform and Wait Times Visualization (In Lego!)

Busting out

An interesting take on how public unions have managed, organized crime like, to "bust out" government...........

I finally figured out the end game - the public-sector unions are busting out the commonwealth of Massachusetts.

You know how a bust-out works. The Sopranos did one in season two. The bust-out scene in “Goodfellas” was even better.

You don’t have to be a gangster to bust out a joint, just crooked and greedy. What happens is, shady parties worm their way into a legitimate enterprise and then slowly strip it of all assets, reducing it to a hollow shell, driving it into bankruptcy . . . busting it out.

I finally figured out the end game - the public-sector unions are busting out the commonwealth of Massachusetts.

You know how a bust-out works. The Sopranos did one in season two. The bust-out scene in “Goodfellas” was even better.

You don’t have to be a gangster to bust out a joint, just crooked and greedy. What happens is, shady parties worm their way into a legitimate enterprise and then slowly strip it of all assets, reducing it to a hollow shell, driving it into bankruptcy . . . busting it out.

Read the rest

HT instapundit

Tail wags dog

An really thorough and excellent series on urban finances over at City Journal.

This part focuses on the ability of city leaders to balance budgets in this tough economic times.....

Mayor Michael Bloomberg says that balancing New York City’s budget in tough times requires “shared sacrifice,” by which he means combined tax increases and spending cuts. Yet as is often the case in New York, the biggest sacrifice is expected of taxpayers—this time, nearly $1 billion in tax hikes on top of what is already the heaviest tax burden among major cities in the nation (see “Life in Taxopolis,” coming soon).

The city’s budget-cutting, by contrast, is exceedingly modest. In fact, Bloomberg isn’t really cutting the city’s budget in the fiscal year that begins July 1; he’s merely slowing (slightly) its rate of growth. According to the Independent Budget Office, city-funded spending to provide services will rise $1.6 billion, to $46.9 billion, in the new year. That’s a 3.3 percent increase, once you include expenditures in the coming year that the city has already paid with surplus funds from the Wall Street boom. By contrast, Bureau of Labor Statistics data show, inflation in the greater New York area is running at zero percent. In other words, in the middle of a deep fiscal crisis, city spending is rising significantly faster than inflation—part of a pattern that goes back to the beginning of the Bloomberg administration. Over Bloomberg’s tenure, the city has, thanks to annual spending increases, expanded the budget on an inflation-adjusted basis faster than any mayor since John Lindsay, whose spending pushed New York to the edge of bankruptcy (see “New York’s Next Fiscal Crisis,” Summer 2008).

Bloomberg has a reputation in some circles as a cagey fiscal manager, but he owes that reputation mostly to Wall Street, which flooded the city with massive tax revenues—enough for him to offer fat contracts to public unions, add to the city-worker headcount, and still have money left over. But now, facing the possibility of a long-term Wall Street decline, the mayor will need to earn his reputation by real budget-cutting and restructuring of city services. He could start by reducing city spending growth to zero next year, something that Rudy Giuliani achieved in his first tough year in office.

In fact, Bloomberg could do that in one fell swoop by negotiating a wage freeze for city employees, who are scheduled to get 4 percent raises because of his generous contract deals. The Citizens Budget Commission has estimated that a one-year freeze, a concession that has become common in the private sector, would save $1.2 billion. That’s enough to halt spending growth and prevent a tax hike next year.

Is such a wage freeze politically feasible in the face of strenuous public-sector union opposition? Yes, if Bloomberg—or, should he improbably lose this year’s election, his successor—threatens an alternate series of steps that, combined, would likewise make the city’s finances sustainable. The first: shrinking New York’s bloated workforce. In his budget presentations, the mayor typically lists employee-benefit costs, such as pension and health benefits, as “uncontrollable,” since they’re subject to state mandates and fixed by contract negotiations. But one way New York City adds to those costs is letting the city-worker headcount drift up. Since 2003, it has grown by some 41,000 workers, including over 16,000 paraprofessionals made full-timers at the Department of Education and the Department of Parks. At an average cost of more than $100,000 per worker in salaries and benefits, workforce size matters.

Read the rest here.........

Where are the jobs?

James Pinkerton.....

The economy is shaping up to be Barack Obama's Katrina. If President George W. Bush was blamed for his slow response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 -- there was plenty of blame to go around, of course, but the disaster was on Bush's watch--then Obama will get the blame for his slow response to the current recession. The difference, of course, is that Katrina afflicted a city and a few states, while the recession afflicts the whole country.

Unemployment is 9.5 percent and rising fast, certain to go higher than 10 percent. And what is the federal government doing about it? Not much. And so House Republican Leader John Boehner makes a good point when he asks, "Where are the jobs?"

On Sunday, Vice President Joe Biden said that the Obama administration had "misread" the economic indicators. So what are they likely to do about it? More of the same--which is to say, not much.

The problem the Democrats have--and come to think of it, the country has it, too--is that even if you want to build something, you can't do it. That is, you can't do it without plowing through years' worth of lawyers and environmental-impact-statement-writers, nor without enduring endless hearings and lawsuits where every last NIMBY gets a whack at the project. And so even before this terrible recession, America's capacity actually to build anything--build a highway, build a bullet train, build a power plant -- had been crippled.

So piling on new money does no good, because the old money hasn't been getting spent. Getting spent, that is, on bricks and mortar and technology, as opposed to lawyers and consultants. In the past, "stimulus" was a way to put blue collars and hardhats back to work. Yet now, the only people being stimulated are white-collar lobbyists and litigators.

Throughout the city of Cincinnati there are a number of parks with monuments donning the WPA or CCC on them. For a long time I was a Keynesian; believing that government spending can spark a recovery.

However, after going through my liberal sobriety for the past 15 years, I now understand that the government cannot do anything without a thriving economy.

Think about it, Let's assume the Obamunists give a shovel ready job to every unemployed Amercian today. Where will the money come from? We'll borrow it.

OK, Where does the money come from to pay back the debt. It comes through a growing economy where businesses are making money and people are employed thus paying taxes.

Governments cannot and will never be able to sustain jobs without the live blood of money; specifically taxes. No private sector; no money. Yet the Obamunists seem hell bent on destroying job opportunities by creating an anti business climate in this country.

When The Obamunists get that, we'll truly be on the road to recovery.

more..............

Job Drain - "Progressive" style

Imagine being a business owner Summer, 2009. Your business is struggling but still modestly profitable. You would like to be on the forefront of the economic recovery and hire some workers in anticipation of that recovery.

Would you throw on additional payroll when..........

1. You don't know what the impact of increased costs associated with energy (as a result of cap & trade) will be.
2. You don't know what the impact of a nationalized health care system is going to mean for you, your suppliers and your vendors.
3. You know that taxes will be going up but you don't know how much.

So what do you think the odds are of business sticking it's neck out this summer and adding domestic payroll?

Let's assume that all these issues are resolved this summer by the Obamunists, do you think that companies will be more likely or less likely to ship production overseas (aka JOBS), where these companies don't have to deal with such issue?

Want to know why a recovery isn't about to happen any time soon? Then you aren't paying attention.

Where's Hollister?

Over the weekend I saw about 50 young people wearing Hollister T-shirts.

I don't know where Hollister is but it must not be very selective if everyone is wearing their crap.

If you ever see Gordon in public, here's one thing you'll notice. He doesn't wear anything with a label (ie. he doesn't pay $15 for an $6 T-shirt) unless paid by the company for advertising. Then he has no problems looking like a NASCAR driver.

Apparently, the economy is not too bad.

Going Green with Cap and Trade!

No thanks to liberals

From reader Jeremy on Joe Biden in Iraq.........

Biden later joked to U.S. troops over the significance of holding the ceremony in a palace that was once a symbol of the former dictator's iron-fisted regime.

"That S.O.B. is rolling over in his grave right now," he told troops.

I assume that's a misquoted thanks to George Bush.

More........

Life in the state of "Progress"

From the state of Michigan, where republicans are considered an endangered species.

My daughter has joined the growing number of Michigan college graduates who are leaving the state because the only place they can find jobs is in other parts of the country. She and her husband moved to Iowa, where she will begin a teaching job in August.

She joins thousands of other Michigan college graduates who aren’t staying in their home state after they receive their college degrees.

So much for Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s goal of increasing the number of college graduates in Michigan to revive the state’s economy. While the number of college graduates has increased from 38,615 in 2004 to 41,250 in 2008, the number of students leaving the state has wiped out those gains.

In fact, a 2007 survey of Michigan college graduates showed half of them left the state within a year.

What's so "progressive" about brain drain?

More...........