That was ugly

The Bearcats pulled one out although they shouldn't have. Maybe the ugliest college football game in history. No football game, at any level, should last 4 hrs and 15 minutes.

By the way, there's 48 seconds left in the game, you have the ball 4th and 10 on your opponent's 31 yard line, what the hell are you doing running a fake field goal that gives the opponent the ball on the 40 yard line? Stupid.

But regardless, it's a good day.

When I was a kid I remember reading about Bear Bryant and how he would give kids scholarships, not to play for Alabama, but to not play for Auburn or Georgia.

Ever since I read that article, I've always had my shorts in a bunch with the traditional college football powers; OSU, Notre Dame, USC, Oklahoma, Michigan, Alabama, etc. and I'm always in the hunt for those elusive upsets against those powers.

So it's always a good day when my Bearcats win. It's even better when Notre Dame loses to..... Navy? In addition, it's an awesome day when Kansas slaps 76 POINTS on...... Nebraska? It's never been sweeter on Saturday.

I'm celebrating big time.

Flight of the Conchords- Business Time

A little weekend humor

Go 'Cats

The Bearcats are off to South Florida today in what three weeks ago looked like a battle of undefeateds.

Since then both teams have lost two games and the loser is definitely out of the Big East crown.

Go Cats.

Another Friday Funny

Hat tip to Brain Shavings.

Issue 27

Next Tuesday, Hamilton County residents get to vote on a 1/2% increase in the county's sales tax to support construction of a jail and other crime programs.

This issue has made numerous unlikely bedfellows with guys like me agreeing with the NAACP (against) and Mark Dann siding up with Simon Leis (pro).

My recommendation is to vote no on this tax. Just as I indicated last month.

But Gordon, you are a law and order kind of guy why would you vote no.

Let's begin with the jail itself. As a libertarian, I'm always preaching roads, police and fire. This jail is part of the police. Why would I be against it? Because this jail is the first priority of government, not the add on. This jail should already be paid out of the county general fund; well before the Hamilton County Job and Family services budget gets it's first dollar. Instead the county is being blackmailed into approving the tax or else "we'll have all these criminals on the street!".

Why don't we get to vote on funding the less important roles of county government, instead of the first? County commissioners Portune and Pepper, if you can't keep criminals from victimizing the public, you shouldn't be in office.

Secondly, why do we need such a big maximum security jail in the first place? It seems to me that most of the county lock ups are non violent DUI's and drug abusers; hardened criminals go to the state pen. Why can't we just slap up a bunch of quonset hut style barracks for the non violent, low risk, jail population and leave the Queensgate and downtown jails for the more violent offenders. That would keep the cost of this jail to the low millions instead of the 100 million plus.

Third, in order to get the endorsement of the city of Cincinnati, this thing is more than just a jail; it's got all kinds of horrible government treatment programs slapped on it.

So as far as I'm concerned, I'll agree with Chris Smitherman for the only time in my life... this boondoggle is big 'ole hell no.

The Big Eleven government subsidy

The Big Ten Network is pushing the statehouse to force cable carriers to carry their network on a basic cable subscription as if state legislators have nothing better to do.

The Buckeye Institute has an analysis of the debate.

The BTN wants to charge local carriers $1.10 per subscriber for the service but they want the cable companies to eat that charge.

They charge non-midwest carriers $.10 for the network.

What gives?

First the BTN is horrible. It's football season, yet on a Saturday afternoon you can catch a compelling Indiana-Minnesota football match up at 12:00 and then, at 3:30 you'll be able to get a great Northwestern-Michigan St. field hockey game.

During the week, you can catch compelling reruns of games and analysis by retired coaches and players who are barely literate.

This weekend's game of OSU and Wisconsin is an anomaly to the normal broadcast schedule.

My suggestion. Give it up Big Ten. The NFL network can't make their network go, how can you?

Let's go back and start with counting the number of teams in your league. Then let's work on getting more than three national championships in the past forty years. After you accomplish those things, we'll talk.

Friday Funny - Adam Sandler

Sandler on Letterman

The return of "Clintonesque"

The WSJ has a great piece about the return of Clintonesque in the campaign lexicon.

Excerpt

A bit later Tim Russert, the other moderator, tried again: "Senator Clinton, would you pledge to the American people that Iran will not develop a nuclear bomb while you are President?"

"I intend to do everything I can to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb," Mrs. Clinton replied, in a formulation that would make her husband proud. "But you won't pledge?" Mr. Russert asked.

"I am pledging I will do everything I can to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb," Mrs. Clinton repeated. Mr. Russert then tried a third time, with the same ambiguous result.

More....

Another reason to hate welfare

On the wall of Hsiao Yen Wang's apartment, a cramped, 17th-floor public housing unit on the city's Lower East Side, are photographs of her husband, David Guo, a cook who specializes in Fujian cuisine.

One photo stands out: Guo shaking Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's hand, a memento from a $1,000-a-person fundraiser for the New York senator held in New York's Chinatown last April.

The genesis of this article is about the Hildebeast's campaign contributions from the Chinese. But what caught my attention.... How does someone in subsidized housing have $1,000 to blow on a politician.

Here's an idea, why don't you pay for your rent with that money. Essentially the government subsidized the Clinton campaign with the subsidized housing.

More.....

Pot Kettle Black Award

It's been a while since I got to give out a PKB but Joe Biden just made it too attractive this week.

At the debate, Biden dissed Rudy's experience on foreign policy.

Senator Joe Biden, you dissing anyone's experience for anything is hilarious. Joe buddy, let me clue you in. You are a US senator. You are not qualified to put together my 6" BMT from Subway. The only thing you might qualify for is whoring, but even that might be an insult to whores.

By the way, I remember your incredible leadership qualities on the one thing you did run; the senate confirmation hearings on Justice Clarence Thomas. PT Barnum never put together a circus better than the one you presided over.

I think there's plenty of criticism one can level on Rudy. Just read a conservative blog or two. But for you Joe, I think you should just keep your criticisms to your fellow US senators.... they wouldn't have a clue what you're talking about.

Where are the hot accountants?

As I mentioned in the precious post, I was downtown at a seminar to catch up on my continuing education requirement for my CPA license.

Most of these affairs are dryer than the Sahara. So to occupy my time, I'm checking out the scenery in the room. Question. Is it possible for there to be a homelier group of people than accountants? You couldn't find a hot woman with a search warrant.

Why can't we have conventions like the auto business, with all those hot girls modeling in front of cars? Or the AVN?

The AICPA and OSCPA started a campaign a few years ago to attract people to the profession. I've got an idea, bring in some honeys for some big ole parties, that might attract a few people.

Downtown

I get to downtown Cincinnati during a weekday three or four times a year. When I used to work downtown (12 years ago), the streets and sidewalks were crowed and nearly resembled Manhattan (for at least a few blocks).

So I went downtown today for a seminar. Man what a ghost town. Instead of Manhattan, it resembles downtown Lancaster.

As much of a free enterprise guy I am, it is disappointing to see a bustling downtown decay to a town square.

It seems to me that if the mental giants on Cincinnati City council want to inject life into the city, they really need to shift the mix of properties from office/retail to residential. I shelled out 8 bucks for three hours of parking. People are just not going to drive 40 minutes out of the way so they can pay to park when they can simply drive into a suburban shopping mall for free.

Or they can just keep managing to the lowest common denominator of city life and that's exactly what they'll have.

Tonight;'s DUI Checkpoint

There's a DUI checkpoint tonight (beginning at 11:00 pm) in Blue Ash somewhere on or near Pfeiffer Rd.

So if you are a Bengal avoid wearing the Orange and Black tonight in Blue Ash... you'll probably be profiled as a high school football player.

As soon as I have the exact place I will post it.

This guy reads my blog

Meet Brian Adams. Brian pleaded guilty this morning to two counts of aggravated murder.

He now gets to spend the rest of his life in the state penitentiary.

Now the ABA should be happy. You may remember last month, when the ABA requested that the guv suspend executions until he got to review the policy.

But there really is no need. You see, Brian must have read my blog because he committed two counts of aggravated murder and didn't get the death penalty. For those that need a refresher here's how you avoid an Ohio death sentence.

1) Don't commit crime.
2) If you have to commit crime, don't commit aggravated murder.
3) If you have to commit aggravated murder, don't do it in Hamilton County. Joe Deters refuses to plea bargain death penalty cases; unlike Cuyahoga County, where you can probably plea bargain an aggravated murder charge to time served with the right PD.

OK. So Brian, didn't follow the first two. But he did follow #3. Clermont County took the death penalty away for his guilty plea.

See ABA, it works every time.

Have a scary Halloween

This is truly scary

A GOP Trap?

The only part of the democratic debate that I caught last night was the Hildebeast stammering around the driver's licenses for illegals. By the way, is she for it or not?

In any event, one thing that I kept thinking as I watched the exchange on the question, the GOP nominee better be really careful as not coming off as being too macho around Hillary. I don't think it's going to take a whole lot to get women sympathetic to a woman being aggressively maligned.

Since it's Halloween, let's use this metaphor.

Think of being a really macho guy saving Jamie Lee Curtis from Mike Meyers and Jamie Lee is standing there waiting to be attacked when she develops sympathy for 'ole Mike (from the story Donald Pleasance told her about his poor childhood). You come busting into the room and put a blow torch to his eyes.

She'll know it was the right thing but she'll feel sorry for him anyway. It's why I'll be shivering tonight watching Halloween I, II, III, 18 and 75; it will become clear that we may never be able to kill off the Hildebeast.

Tax Tip

I've posted my Wednesday tax tip on the residential energy credit if you want to check it out.

Are the poor really poor?

In a post last month, I pointed out that income was a bad measurement in determining poverty.

A better measurement is to measure assets owned by the poor.

Walter Williams in true Walter Williams fashion points out the same issue.

Excerpt

In 1971, only about 32 percent of all Americans enjoyed air conditioning in their homes. By 2001, 76 percent of poor people had air conditioning. In 1971, only 43 percent of Americans owned a color television; in 2001, 97 percent of poor people owned at least one. In 1971, 1 percent of American homes had a microwave oven; in 2001, 73 percent of poor people had one. Forty-six percent of poor households own their homes. Only about 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded. The average poor American has more living space than the average non-poor individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens and other European cities.

Nearly three-quarters of poor households own a car; 30 percent own two or more cars. Seventy-eight percent of the poor have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception; and one-third have an automatic dishwasher.

One of the things Williams touches on in his column is self inflicted poverty.

What do you think distinguishes the high and low poverty populations? The only statistical distinction between both the black and white populations is marriage. There is far less poverty in married-couple families, where presumably at least one of the spouses is employed. Fully 85 percent of black children living in poverty reside in a female-headed household.

To add to WIlliams, I once read somewhere (I can't locate the source) that if a person graduates from high school, marries before having children and doesn't do drugs the likelihood that family will ever live in poverty is less than .5%.

So I would offer hat poverty is not an economic term as much as an emotional state of mind.

Buffett wants to pay more.

Warren Buffett is complaining that he doesn't pay enough in taxes.

Well Warren, how about writing a check to the US Treasury and sending it in. No one is going to stop you, so quit bitching about it.

Is there anything more pathetic than a billionaire bitching about.... anything.

You can't make this up

Dennis Kucinich, democratic candidate for president, questions Bush's mental health.

This coming from a guy who's seen a UFO.

What's next? Ted Kennedy complaining that Bush is a bad driver. Larry Craig calling him gay. John Edwards calling him a metrosexual.