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Saturday, December 31, 2011

Virginia school indoctrinates children re: 99%

  Did you know you're perfect?
  Did you know that, left alone, children will write songs?
  Did you know that writing songs is easy?
  Did you know that, left alone, children will write songs about THE NINETY PERCENT?
  And losing a YACHT?
Some people have it all
But they still don’t think they have enough
They want more money
A faster ride
They’re not content
Never satisfied
Yes – they’re the 1 percent
 
I used to be one of the 1 percent
I worked all the time
Never saw my family
Couldn’t make life rhyme
Then the bubble burst
It really, really hurt
I lost my money
Lost my pride
Lost my home
Now I’m part of the 99
 
Some people have it all
But they still don’t think they have enough
They want more money
A faster ride
They’re not content
Never satisfied
Yes – they’re the 1 percent
 
I used to be sad, now I’m satisfied‘Cause I really have enoughThough I lost my yacht and planeDidn’t need that extra stuffCould have been much worseYou don’t need to be first‘Cause I’ve got my friendsHere by my sideDon’t need it allI’m so happy to be part of the 99
  You can see Mr. Reisler, the creator impetus of this amazing "song."
  From Weasel Zippers, we learn that Mr. Reisler "taught" a song at a Virginia elementary school.
  Can you say indoctrination?

Checks and balances: a reminder to Barack Obama

  Regardless of the "separation of powers," POTUS has decided that laws are not for him. He doesn't feel bound by.....the law. The Hill:
President Obama said Friday he will not be bound by at least 20 policy riders in the 2012 omnibus bill funding the government, including provisions pertaining to Guantanamo Bay and gun control. 
After he signed the omnibus into law Friday, the White House released a concurrent signing statement saying Obama will object to portions of the legislation on constitutional grounds.
  So as soon as he signs the law, he says he won't follow it.
  We might remind POTUS of the following:
Checks and balancesTo prevent one branch from becoming supreme, protect the "opulent minority" from the majority, and to induce the branches to cooperate, government systems that employ a separation of powers need a way to balance each of the branches. Typically this was accomplished through a system of "checks and balances", the origin of which, like separation of powers itself, is specifically credited to Montesquieu. Checks and balances allow for a system based regulation that allows one branch to limit another, such as the power of Congress to alter the composition and jurisdiction of the federal courts. 
  The American people voted last fall to keep those checks and balances in place. By voting in Tea Partiers in remarkable numbers, the American people voted to stop Barack Obama.
  He can say all he wants about an agenda, but he is not abiding by the will of the people or the Constitution.
  All hail Barack Hussein Obama.
  And goodbye, because that's what he's begging for. Dismissal.
  We don't have Caesars or kings in this country. 

$4 mil create one last long, deep breath for Michelle O

  From her padded cabana in an elite Hawaii resort on a $4 million vacation, Michelle Obama has issued an email, begging for 3 bucks. These spam emails from the Obama campaign are frequent and, as usual, they want the money now because it's so important that they finish their work.
  For most of us a couch and a movie provide the "long, deep breath" but for Michelle and her family, it takes $4 million of taxpayer money.
This holiday has felt a bit like one last long, deep breath before we plunge into 2012.
This time next year, I don't want us to have any regrets. I want to be able to say we rose to the task, and got it done. We've all got some work to do right now.
Over the next 11 months we've got an organization to grow, voters to register, and people to get fired up.
I hope you'll close out this year by donating $3 or more now to help make sure we're ready for the next one:
https://donate.barackobama.com/No-Regrets
Thank you so much, and happy new year,
Michelle
P.S. -- Also, when you donate today, you are automatically entered for a chance to be one of three supporters to have dinner with Barack and me.
  The use of the presidency to not only beg, but barter for exclusive access and dinners is distasteful, unpresidential and unbecoming.
  Unfortunately Governor Romney seems to be stooping to the same level, even though he's not yet a POTUS.
  Why he would do this is inexplicable, considering that it replicates the elitist behavior of someone he's trying to beat in an election.
  AND Romney is going for a buck, rather than three.
  Today Barack sent out a begging email:
New Year's Eve isn't a day people usually think about politics -- you probably have other things on your mind.
But tonight's fundraising deadline is our most critical yet.
So if you're wondering why you should donate now, here's why: Everything we've built together, and everything we still have to do, depends on 2012.
And 2012 starts at midnight tonight.
Make a donation of $3 or more before the deadline:
https://donate.barackobama.com/Midnight
Happy new year,
Barack
  Yesterday it was Rufus Grifford:
If you thought to yourself, "Again, Rufus?!" when you saw this email pop up in your inbox, I'm really sorry.
But I have just one thing to say before tomorrow's midnight deadline: These deadlines may seem arbitrary, but they're very real.
They affect so much -- from budgets to headlines to how big we can take our ground game in the states. When we say that every donation matters, it's actually true. We cannot win without the support of millions of people like you.
Trust me: Nobody here wants to be a bother. But we're counting on everyone who cares about this campaign and this president to chip in when it matters most.
Think you can donate $3 or more right now?
https://donate.barackobama.com/Saturday
Seriously, thank you.
Rufus
Rufus GiffordNational Finance DirectorObama for America 
  The Obama campaign has perfected the art of spamming people's mailboxes, even from vacation.

Obama plays Taboo while the Middle East burns

  I've suspected that the mysterious Ulsterman/White House Insider is a fantasy diary written by a Republican congressional aide hoping to get a movie contract. 
  But then again, you wonder.
  Take, for example, the White House Insider's observation that Obama is pretty much isolated, watching tv, relying on Valerie Jarrett to make the important decisions, on surrogates to address foreign policy and for the press to do the heavy lifting of keeping Obama "above the fray." 
  (Don't you love that phrase? It implies moral superiority when the reality is a detached lack of concern.)
  Here is an excellent example.
  New York Times headline: Bipartisan agreement: Obama isn't schmoozing
  See the detachment there? 
  To schmooze is defined as idle chatter; gossip.
  Note that the POTUS doesn't participate in this reprehensible social behavior. Gossip is usually defined as meaningless often destructive nonsense.
  Thus, POTUS is admirable, if distant.
  The NY Times article goes out of its way to elevate 44, whose image needs repair because of his complete and deliberate separation from American life:
Mr. Obama, in general, does not go out of his way to play the glad-handing, ego-stroking presidential role. While he does sometimes offer a ride on Air Force One to a senator or member of Congress, more often than not, he keeps Congress and official Washington at arm’s length, spending his down time with a small — and shrinking — inner circle of aides and old friends. 
He typically golfs with a trio of mid- to low-level staff members little known outside the West Wing. He does not spend much time at Camp David, the retreat other presidents have used to woo Washington. His social life runs toward evenings playing Taboo with old friends and their families, Wii video games with his wife and daughters or basketball with Robert Wolf, a banker and the rare new best friend Mr. Obama has acquired since entering politics. He vacations with friends from Chicago on Martha’s Vineyard in August and in Hawaii at Christmas.
  See, he's above the fray. He plays card games with his kids. Wii. Still vacations in the old haunts, not fazed by the enormity of being the most important guy in the world.
  Imagine W or Reagan or even Clinton being described as playing children's games while the Middle East rages, unemployment is high and the people suffer.
  Hidden in the article are the words "aloof" and "recluse."
  From the previously mentioned WH Insider report:
Look, President Obama is incapable of making a decision.  Anyone who tries to argue against that fact is simply avoiding the truth.  We’ve had two years to prove that, right?  The man cannot decide on anything himself.  He waits to be told what to think.  That is how he functions, if you can call it that.  He’s a barely functioning president, and that is a big reason why the situation is so dangerous.  His primary source of direction is Valerie Jarrett, who has no real experience with this kind of leadership.  [SNIP] And so they take this weak man, who has been told what to say and think all of his life, and they continue to do just that – tell him what to think and say. But that’s where things are falling apart – Valerie Jarrett doesn’t really understand national politics, or international leadership – most people don’t.  
So the messaging that comes from the president is uncertain because it’s Jarrett’s uncertainty we are seeing.  Jarrett understands some of what is going on in the country, but Obama understands none of it, and so between the two of them, we get this president who is almost completely detached from the responsibilities of being President of the United States.  Take away the canned political speech, take away the like minded crowds of supporters, and President Obama is completely lost.  He has been running away from the job of president since day one hasn’t he?  Does anyone really believe that isn’t true anymore?
  Hm.
  Then there's the Benedetto article over at Real Clear Politics about the complicity of the press:
Obama’s ability to avoid tough questions, skate above the fray and look presidential while his potential successors appear to be futilely flailing is not by accident. It is by White House design, abetted by a press corps that seems content with being shut out by the president and being spoon-fed the message of the day, rather than clamoring for more chances to ask him questions during this critical time. 
Just over the last couple of weeks, several major world events cried out for presidential comment, but little was forthcoming other than a few statements, some of which were attributed not to the president but to administration officials, named and unnamed. 
  One wonders how bad things need to get for the media to start telling the truth and actually doing some real reporting.
  Considering that Obama recently summoned the leftist media to the White House for cookies and tea, we're pretty dependent on the right wing media and bloggers.
  On a completely different note, let's take a look back at a 2008 comment about the function of Pravda in Russia from a little blog named Singapore Dissident:
There was a joke in the former Soviet Union which goes like this. In Pravda, there is no "truth" and in Isvestia there is no "news", which by the way were the 2 main newspapers in Soviet Russia. In Russian, Pravda meant "truth" and Izvestia meant "news". Both, of course, were state owned and controlled newspapers in the former Soviet Union. But what you got was neither truth nor news, just plain propaganda. That the Soviet Union is doing well. Grain production has gone up ten fold. The country cannot be in a better shape. Everything is just perfect. Except that the Soviet Union in truth was crumbling. 

Planned Parenthood Reports $18Million Profit

Abortion industry giant Planned Parenthood released it annual report earlier this week. The organization had revenues of $1.04 billion and an excess of $18 million of revenues over expenses which would be called profit were Planned Parenthood not a not for profit entity. The group reports that 21 percent of its income came from private donors while 31 percent of its revenue came from “non-government health services revenue” ie abortions. The abortion business also reports spending $56 million in lobbying expenses, dwarfing the collective total size of some of the largest pro-life organizations.

From Life News: In its previous annual report, covering 2009, planned Parenthood did 332,278 surgical abortions or abortions using the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug and its clinics across the nation brought in $404.9 million in revenues. Abortions dropped to 329,445 in this latest annual report and clinic income dropped to $320 million.

Using an estimate from the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, a former Planned Parenthood research arm that still receives funding from the abortion business for its abortion statistics and research, the average cost of an abortion is $468. Multiplying the number of abortions times the average cost and factoring that against the total income Planned Parenthood’s clinics derived, approximately $154 million of its $320 million in clinic (or 48 percent) income is derived from abortions.

Live Action spokesman David Schmidt examined those figures in the previous annual report and determined that 38.4 percent of its clinic income is derived from abortions previously.

“Planned Parenthood likes to talk about how only 3% of their services are abortion,” he writes at the Live Action blog. “A simple example of how they come to this calculation would be Planned Parenthood aborting 3 children and giving out 97 condoms. They would say that out of 100 services, 3 or 3% were abortion when in reality the significance and cost of the 3 abortions is much higher than 3% of their efforts.”

“This is a far cry from the 3% number that they try to dupe the public with,” he says. “Doesn’t it say something that even Planned Parenthood, the leading abortion chain in America, tries to downplay their role in ending the lives of unborn children? Someone feeling a little guilty?”

Planned Parenthood gets 46 percent of its revenue from taxpayers.

America's New Top Export-Fuel

One would think the Obama administration would be shouting any good economic new from the rooftops but a truly historic economic trend will probably not even be mentioned by the President who ran on a platform of "green jobs". Congratulations Mr. President, for the first time in 60 years the US has become a net exporter of fuels. In fact, the top US export is fuels; gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Fuel exports accounted for almost $88 billion in the first eleven month of 2011. The recession has brought a lower demand for gasoline in the US and the US now has surplus refining capacity hence much of the oil it imports is now exported as fuel. The American consumer does not fare well under this scenario as gasoline prices remain high. Notice in the chart below that WTI (West Texas Intermediate crude-The American crude price) has departed sharply from the Brent crude (The European crude price). The cause of this divergence is still being debated but if it continues, as many predict, with more US oil and gas production it augers well for the manufacturing sector. With a competitive corporate tax the US stands to partake of a manufacturing renaissances. If only the US had responsible leadership!


Friday, December 30, 2011

Occupy Iowa Gets Booted From Coffee Shop

This is why I like the midwest. The people don't take bull___ from anyone. Not even Occupy Iowa gets a free pass from this restaurant owner.


 

Fiskers Catch Fire and Sonics Are Missing Brake Pads

I wrote in an earlier post that "The Republican candidate who will get my vote is the candidate who promises to sue every DOE loan recipient into personal bankruptcy and see to it that our Nobel Prize winning Secretary of Energy is doing hard labor in Leavenworth until he is 90." Henrik Fisker was an European auto designer who had never manufactured so much as a veg-o-matic. He had no production plant. He had only the friendship of obese Al Gore yet the Department of Energy was willing to invest $529 million into his plan to produce an electric baubles for the rich and famous. For their money the taxpayers got an attractive auto but with a MPG-e rating in line with a ten year old Ford F-150.

Now we find that, like Government Motors' Chevy Volt, the Fisker Karma is prone to catch fire. A recall has been issued for 239 vehicles with the explanation that:

“Within the high-voltage battery, certain hose clamps may have been positioned incorrectly during assembly. If positioned incorrectly, the battery compartment cover could interfere with the hose clamps, potentially causing a coolant leak from the cooling hose,” NHTSA said in its recall notice Thursday.

“If coolant enters the battery compartment, an electrical short could occur possibly resulting in a fire.”

Gimme a break! $96,000 and the damn thing will catch fire if a hose clamp fails. Of course with the rigorous manufacturing standards that would never happen unless GM built the Karma. GM announced today that it was recalling 4300 Chevy Sonics for "possible missing brake pads". They go on to say that missing brake pads could increase stopping distance. Really? No one ventured a guess on how a car could get out of the plant without brake pads. The old GM probably had a Vice President of Brakes to prevent just such missteps. Had this been Toyota Senator Carl Levin would probably want to water board the CEO until he got that answer. Suffice it to say Obama's venture into the auto business has been a colossal flop.

Occupy's Short Sell

Anne Sorock of the Frontier Lab has written a very insightful study of the Occupy movement. Using the tools and techniques of a consumer analyst Ms Sorock delves into the motivations that drive the Occupy movement. She has made living by predicting that brand y will outsell brand x, even though both products are basically identical. To know how to market say, a Crest to outsell Ipana one has to know the motivation of the consumer. Are they motivated by the desire for fresher breath or whiter teeth? To know the answer one has to ask the consumer and one of those techniques is the in-depth interview of what one hopes is a representational sample. Frontier Labs did many of these in depth interviews with both the Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Chicago movements. Frontier Labs has published it findings in a pdf file, Short Selling America, that you can download here. Ms Sorock is also interviewed by by Rob Bluey of the Heritage Foundation in a podcast available here.

Although the report maintains a neutral and detached demeanor the profile of the Occupier that emerges is not very flattering. For instance Frontier expects the movement to last for while longer simply because it is needed by the Occupiers. There is no end game. The goal is not to achieve an objective; the goal is to have a demonstration. Unlike the Tea Party that uses peaceful demonstrations to achieve political ends the Occupy movement uses demonstration for the camaraderie and a narcissistic, moral preening that comes from being associated with a cause one deems to be noble. The Occupy crowd shuns real political power because it would entail responsibility. The Tea Party demands greater personal responsibility the Occupiers crave security. The verbiage used by the Occupiers such as "income inequality" and "crony capitalism" are articulated only because they have broad popular resonance not because these issues are dear to the hearts of the Occupiers.

The research reveals two segments of Occupy protesters, divided not along demographics but along their deeper reasons for supporting the protests. These two segments, the Communitarians and the Professionals, support the Occupy solution because it satisfies six core values?many which flow from a decrease in individual responsibility and a focus on present-day satisfaction. The Professionals come together with the Communitarians, capitalizing on the latter?s lack of meaning, purpose, and community in their lives, in order to achieve self-centered ends.

Key insights from the report:

• The Communitarians' deep-values set includes Community, Purpose, and Security

• The Professionals' deep-values set includes Prestige, Validation, and Control

• The promise and responsibility of ?The American Dream? do not overlap with either values set

• The most viable segment for conversion to other political movements are the Communitarians,

The Communitarians fit Eric Hoffer's description of the True Believer " a guilt ridden hitchhiker who thumbs a ride on every cause from Christianity to communism. He is a fanatic, needing a Stalin (or a Christ) to worship and die for." They are the majority that provide the muscle and voice to the movement, most of them are in their twenties and almost all of them come from non religious homes. They are beset with real economic problems and they are unable to find employment that is not below their status. Remember their values are Community, Security, and Purpose. In other words they have no sense of belonging and no purpose in life. They are pitiful people willing to be used if only they can feel wanted.

The Professionals are older and not all of them are ideologues. They find fulfillment in Occupy because it has drawn so much attention. It is a theatrical success. Organizing demonstrations is their forte and they derive satisfaction when they can marshal the gullible Communitarians; not too differently than a high school band director prides himself on a good half-time show. Again their values are; Prestige, Validation, and Control. In other words they value the ability to control the Communitarians because it gives them prestige among their peers and validation is bestowed by an uncritical mass media.The report finds very little genuine political affinity to Marxism or Anarchy but it warns that the motivation is not at all benign.

By concentrating solely on the surface level pronouncements of the Occupy movement, one can easily be fooled, as the core Occupiers? motivation hinges less on the political ends than on emotional, self-directed fulfillment. The Communitarians and the Professionals are the face of a partnership between the foot soldiers and the operatives of an attempt to change the entire U.S. system of government, rights, and values. It is vital that the public understand the movement?s deep motivations so as to avoid conflating signs and slogans with support for traditional American values.

Unlike the Tea Party which is other directed, the Occupiers are inner directed. When asked why they are involved in their movement the Tea Party respondents reply for the sake of their grandchildren or the good of the country. The Occupier are all about themselves. They are involved because it makes them feel good about themselves. The Frontier Lab has done a great job!

Greed and the occupiers

Fed layoffs: minorities hardest hit

  So we have this burgeoning federal/state government work force, most of whom have seen nothing in the way of reduction to their salaries and benefits.
  We have a huge debt that the everyday guy is forced to acknowledge has everything to do with maintaining the benefits and salaries of that burgeoning work force.
  The country is teetering on the edge of doom, needs to be fiscally responsible and Dems have started the poor mouthing already to prevent cuts, which are really just reductions in increases. The federal government never really cuts anything. It might, if we're lucky, reduce the annual increase from 7% to 6%, but only with kicking and screaming.
  It always amuses me that people who have good insurance (for which some pay little to nothing), guaranteed income, union protection, excessive days off and a paycheck that exceeds the average American's are out in the street protesting, poor mouthing, abusing the lower paid taxpayer and generally complaining that they couldn't possibly afford to pay the same price the non-government employee taxpayer does for insurance.
  Now Julianne Malveaux, columnist for USA Today, commentator and women's college president, is out with a proclamation that you meanie conservatives better not cut government employees' wages because.....it will hurt minorities most!
Black workers will bear the brunt of these sacrifices.
One in five black workers are public employees, compared with one in six non-black workers. Why? Blacks earn more and advance more quickly in the public sector. For these reasons, blacks are 30% more likely than whites to work in government, as teachers, nurses, social workers, administrators, bus drivers and deliverers of municipal services. Public service jobs are an important source of work, especially for black women, 23% of whom are public employees.
  In the interest of fairness and racial equity,let's look at her comments. Her initial complaint is that the post office is going to have to cut jobs so, naturally, we go to the racism complaint.
  Coupla questions, Julianne.
  How efficient is the post office?
  Why are they underwater financially?
  Why do so many nuts work at the post office?
  Are you always treated well when you visit the post office? Because I'm not. In fact, I've generally been treated very rudely. And slowly. At many post offices, everything is very.....slow.
  I've seen you on that teevee thingie, Julianne, and you appear to me to be an illogical racist. 
  And a h8ter, to boot.
  Aren't you the one who wished publicly Clarence Thomas to die? That was before the Giffords shooting, though, so I guess it was okay for liberals to wish death on people. 
  Oh, wait. It's still okay for liberals to wish death on people.
  It's conservatives who aren't supposed to do that.
  We could go down that list of teachers, nurses, social workers, administrators, bus drivers and deliverers of municipal services (like the snow plow operators in New York City, for example) and figure out why those entities are in trouble and need to cut back.
  1. Union protection of ineffective employees
  2. Union pressure to continually increase salary and benefits of its employees.
  3. Unions.
  4. Unions.
  5. Unions.
  Having witnessed your rants on that teevee thingie, Ms. Julianne, I pretty much know you have your issues, shall we say.
  But couldn't you come up with something more original than....
Cutbacks: Minorities, women and children hardest hit.

Santorum Newters Gingrich In Latest Poll

With hard work and very little money former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum has pulled into third place, ahead of Newt Gingrich in the latest CNN poll. The poll shows Romney leading with 25, Paul second with 22, Santorum in third with 16 and Gingrich fourth with 14. The rest of the field rounds out with Rick Perry getting 11 percent and Michele Bachmann with 9 percent. Santorum is up 11 points this month while Gingrich has fallen an astounding 19 percent. Even with this good news it's hard to be optimistic about Santorum's future. Momentum helps but money and organization which Santorum lacks are essential.

Tom Smith Takes Early Lead In Pa Senate Race


Tom Smith, the Tea Party group founder who is now vying to be the GOP's senatorial candidate to beat Bob Casey in Pennsylvania has released the results of an internal poll that shows him leading with 22 percent of the polling sample of likely Republican primary voters. Only former State Rep. Sam Rohrer with 15 percent is in double digits. Smith was first on Pennsylvania television with a $320,000 ad buy which seems to have served him well. Rohrer enjoys statewide name recognition as a result of his primary run for governor. From Tom Smith's campaign release:


“Smith’s early lead is indicative of his strong biography and message that is resonating with Republican voters. The campaign’s ability to get that message out through paid media has been important to the lead,” Republican strategist and pollster John McLaughlin said of the findings.

“We’re overjoyed by the positive response we continue to receive from voters across Pennsylvania,” said Campaign Manager Jim Conroy. ”Tom’s tireless work ethic, ability to connect with the electorate and commitment of resources demonstrates his seriousness about being the Republican to face Senator Casey.”


Good Luck! And let's see if Mr. Smith can go to Washington!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Going Nuclear on SOPA


Most of us are aware that the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its Senate companion bill, Protect-IP give the Feds unacceptable power to censor the web. Google founder Sergey Brin goes even further declaring that these bills "would put us on a par with the most oppressive nations in the world." If you don't want to live in a nation that is among the most oppressive in the world now is the time to act. You must, if your freedom is important to you , call and email your elected representatives and explain to them that the day they vote for these oppressive bills will be the worst day of their lives. This list will give you the contact information needed to contact your two Senators. This link will help you contact your Congressman. Bookmark those pages forward that information or this post to everyone in your address book. Post the information on FaceBook.

You are not alone! Many of the biggest names on the internet are considering the "nuclear option". If carried out, on January 24 the home pages of Google, Amazon, Facebook, and their Internet allies will simultaneously turn black with anti-censorship warnings that ask users to contact politicians about a vote in the U.S. Congress the next day on SOPA. If your Congressman or Senators vote for either of these bills it means they have put the interests of the motion picture and music industries above yours. Make them pay in the primary election if they have an opponent or in the general election in November.

So what will be the impact of a drug 10 times stronger than Vicodin?

  Maybe you've heard of the new drug that's 10 times stronger than Vicodin, soon to be   released and dreaded by drug counselors because of its intense addictive qualities.
  From the NY Daily News, we learn the concerns regarding Hydrocodone:
"You've got a person on your product for life, and a doctor's got a patient who's never going to miss an appointment, because if they did and they didn't get their prescription, they would feel very sick," Andrew Kolodny, president of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing said. 
"It's a terrific business model, and that's what these companies want to get in on," he added.
  Over at The Guardian, we can read about all the cutbacks that accompany socialized medicine as in England, which is exactly what the "paid for" Obamacare is all about:
Doctors cite hospital bed closures, cuts to occupational health support and reductions in community health services as examples of recent cost-cutting measures.  
The coalition's pledge to protect the NHS is in fresh doubt after four out of five doctors said they had seen patient care suffer as a result of health service cuts during 2011.  
  Then let's move back a couple years. American Spectator reminds us what Obama told an audience:
In a nationally televised event at the White House, Obama said families need better information so they don't unthinkingly approve "additional tests or additional drugs that the evidence shows is not necessarily going to improve care." 
He added: "Maybe you're better off not having the surgery, but taking the painkiller." 
  Here's the video. Am I cynical to think that this new drug is exactly what Doctor Obama ordered?
  That our doctors, then, will say take a pill instead of receiving treatment?
  Not too farfetched, I'd say.

Michelle O and her $1000 SKIRT

  Michelle O certainly has expensive taste in clothes, although she tries to hide it by throwing in an "everyman" Gap or J Crew now and then.
  We mentioned the $2 thousand dress yesterday.
  Now it's $1000 skirt.
  The Daily Mail has  a pic and a story here:
  Maybe I don't know much about fashion, but that ain't no $1000 investment. It looks like it has penguins all over it. And the fit? Yowza.
  She has  a penchant for expensive vacations, the most recent of which she's on now at $4 million.
  Then there were the $540 sneakers to the food bank.
  And this incredibly stylish $154 t shirt to go biking:
  See, this is the problem when you fashion yourself a style icon.
  It's like the Emperor's new clothes. No one wants to tell you how bad you look so you just keep on with it.
  Nancy Reagan took heat for insensitivity when it came to "sacrifice." Certainly Hillary was under the gun radar for everything.
  But even Y'ALL must admit $4 million on this vacation alone, $183,000 an hour to fly separately to Hawaii and $10 million for top shelf vodka, massages and vacations is a BIT MUCH.
  Wouldn't ya say?
  Thoreau had some interesting things to say about fashion. (This is simply an historical quote, not meant to be racist in any way):
We worship not the Graces, nor the Parcae, but Fashion. She spins and weaves and cuts with full authority. The head monkey at Paris puts on a traveler's cap, and all the monkeys in America do the same.

Bachmann's State Chair Defects to Paul

Michele Bachmann's state chairman Kent Sorenson has endorsed Ron Paul just hours after appearing at a Bachmann event. Sorenson described Paul as the most conservative surviving top-tier candidate, praised his opposition to military adventurism, and urged an enthusiastic rally in Des Moines to help put Paul in the White House in 2012. Poor Michele Bachmann. One would think Sorenson could have stayed out of sight until after the caucuses. The Bachmann camp is claiming that Sorenson was bought off. If that charge is credible this betrayal could backfire on Ron Paul. Voters have a sense of fair play and buying allegiance crosses that line. Anger at Paul may not help Bachmann but it would definitely hurt Paul. More.

Ethanol Subsidies Allowed to Expire

An important story was missed by the media as they fulminated against John Boehner and the House Republicans. After thirty years of pouring money down the bio fuels rat hole the ethanol subsidies have been allowed to expire. The subsidies cost the taxpayers $6 billion annually. Also the tariff on Brazilian ethanol was ended. The bio fuel subsidies have attracted a host of congressional enemies from Senator Tom Coburn to Senator Dianne Feinstein. Critics also have included environmentalists, frozen food producers, ranchers and others. The ethanol mandates which were renewed 2007 dictate increased use of ethanol in gasoline blends despite warnings from the auto industry that increasing the ratio of ethanol to gasoline might damage engines. The synfuels industry may now boast that it receives no taxpayer dollars while it benefits from increasing mandated demand. It's ironic that on the eve of the event that made ethanol subsidies politically viable, namely the Iowa caucuses, that this bold new idea would meet its demise.

To call the program a failure is to gainsay its many true accomplishments. It for instance, launched the presidential campaign of Al Gore when he endorsed the idea just prior to the Iowa caucuses in 2000. It provided former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschele with a chauffeur driven limousine to do the public's business in the so called private sector and enriched former Speaker Newt Gingrich by some $60,000 when he worked as a consultant to a lobbyist- not a lobbyist to a consultant as he quick to point out. The careful blending of corn ethanol and tax dollars provided the intellectual justification for government's investments in other daring and bold ventures such as Solyndra. Lastly, by driving up food prices it gave the one percent a much needed leg up, albeit as usual, it was at the expense of the ninety-nine.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Who, oh, who will win District 9?

  Well, it's happened. Dennis I broke my tooth on a sandwich Kucinich has decided not to move out west to run for a seat in a different state. 
   Instead he's filing to run against Marcy. Since the repositioning of District 9, the Blade speculates that it is friendlier to Kaptur.
  Joe Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber, is also running for the seat. Though Dems love to mock Joe, don't assume he isn't an adequate candidate. I've heard him speak and he is impressive. Of course, my standards for office do not include smooth talking lobbyists or knowing the minutiae of Uzbekhistan or the policy procedures of the finance committee before you get on it. OTOH, I'm not particularly impressed with witches or their ilk. 
  And, on the third hand, Dennis's encounter with the UFO makes him an ideal candidate to represent District 9.
  You know. District 9.
  Where the aliens are condemned to live.
  Oh. And about that broken tooth over which Kucinich sued.
  The reason, Dennis said, was that he didn't have dental insurance so, you know, somebody should pay other than him for his tooth.
  Which is an interesting point, considering that House members have dental coverage.
  And, as it turns out, just about every other perk you can imagine.

Michelle Obama Sports a $2k Dress

Looking devilishly fetching, foxy Michelle Obama sported a $2000 sun dress while attending church. It's from the Sophie Theallet Beauty is Diverse collection. Ms Obama appears to be a size twelve at least if one looks at her shoes.

Not to out done by the spouse, President Obama hit a new personal high. After golfing at a Marine Corps base Monday, Obama has so far totaled 32 golf outings this year, topping the totals in each of the first two years of his presidency. That's hope and change we can believe in!

Judicial Watch Names Ten Top Corrupt Politicians for 2011

Judicial Watch has published its list of the ten most wanted corrupt politicians for 2011. Listed in alphabetical order are:
Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL); Former Senator John Ensign (R-NV); Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL); Attorney General Eric Holder; Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL); President Barack Obama; Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA); Rep. Don Young (R-AK); Rep. Laura Richardson (D-CA); and Rep. David Rivera (R-FL).

Dishonorable mentions lists:
Former Senator John Edwards (D-NC); Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA); Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA); Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano; Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA); Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY); Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY); and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

The make of the list is very bipartisan. Judicial Watch provides the reasons why each was chosen for their rogues gallery.

Mourning in America....NOT

  If you have the misfortune of being a political junkie (and if you're reading this, um, you probably fall into that category), you might be just a tiny bit BORED (silent scream) with all the coverage of the importance of the Republican Iowans' opinions of who they favor!!!!!
  You might also be bored with all the "strategizing" and wonky opinions on who, who, who will win the Iowa caucus. And who, who, who is ahead in the latest poll.
  Let's be honest.
  Years ago when we only had a few tv stations and they all went off the air about 10, we wouldn't have been hearing all the "opinion" that passes for "news" these days.
  To fill 24/7 tv hours, obviously the stations including Fox News, have decided that some of the MORON opinionators' OPINIONS are not only NEWS but BREAKING NEWS!!!!!
  It's difficult for those of us who truly value the process, who are concerned what's happening to the country and who really, really don't want Obama to ruin what's left of the country, our exceptionalism and the meager jobs we have left.
  If you are sick of having everything regulated to the point that the United States government is actually going after Americans who work overseas for whatever the United States government thinks they owe in TAXES, then you might be where I am.
  Personally I don't really care what people do as long as they don't hurt, scare or infringe the rights of others. The whole "legalize marijuana" shtick of the libertarians is pretty annoying, considering they don't seem to have much else to hang their hats on.
  And the nutty Ron Paulbot crowd that drones that same message is not only annoying, but disturbing, considering we have to value SOMEONE else in the world, like ISRAEL, don't we?
  I mean, seriously.
  Where do you draw the line, once you start pulling back into your turtle shell and only loving yourself? Do you let the Iranians have nukes? With that nut in charge?   Seriously, Ron Paul?
  And all the negative "Where are our good people?" crap we're getting from conservative commentators is getting really old too. Mark Steyn. The end of America. Rich Lowry. Where's the front team. Glenn Beck. Buy your food insurance because the worst is coming.
  Please.
  Do we HAVE to let the Democrats define the agenda, claiming the end is nigh? Do we have to slip into negativity to the point that we can hardly listen to the radio or telly or read a freakin' column anymore?
  Please.
  In my mind, I am working to make it Morning in America.
  You're making it Mourning in America.
  And I'm sick of it.
  Stop.

Newt Gingrich, Semper Fidelis !

So Newt was for Romneycare before he was against it? In several debates Newt Gingrich has defended his support of the individual mandate present in both Romneycare and Obamacare as a 1990's clever ploy the Heritage Foundation devised to battle Hillarycare. It was just a transitory endeavor that served him well at the time, something like marriages number one and two. Who could have guessed that Newt's ardor for the individual mandate contained in Romneycare unlike marriages number one and two had stood the test of time and apparently beat passionately in his political heart. Now with all the embarrassment of a an infidelity, a true fidelity sustained in the caring environment of an internet archive leaps at Newt's political jugular. From Newt's Notes:


We agree entirely with Governor Romney and Massachusetts legislators that our goal should be 100% insurance coverage for all Americans. Individuals without coverage often do not receive quality medical attention on par with those who do have insurance. We also believe strongly that personal responsibility is vital to creating a 21st Century Intelligent Health System. Individuals who can afford to purchase health insurance and simply choose not to place an unnecessary burden on a system that is on the verge of collapse; these free-riders undermine the entire health system by placing the onus of responsibility on taxpayers. The Romney plan attempts to bring everyone into the system. The individual mandate requires those who earn enough to afford insurance to purchase coverage, and subsidies will be made available to those individuals who cannot afford insurance on their own. We agree strongly with this principle, but the details are crucial when it comes to the structure of this plan. Under the new bill, Massachusetts residents earning more than 300% of the federal poverty level (approximately $30,000 for an individual) will not be eligible for any subsidies. State House officials had originally promised that there would be new plans available at about $200 a month, but industry experts are now predicting that the cheapest plan will likely cost at least $325 a month. This estimate totals about $4000 per year, or about 1/5 of a $30,000 annual take-home income.
That was written in 2006. Having been caught up in an act of public deception Gingrich has, like Paul, denied authorship of all the damaging newsletters that do not mesh with contemporaneous political thought will continuing to cite warnings, pronouncements, and witticisms that do. Gingrich displays unquestionable loyalty to ideas if not wives. Semper Fidelis!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Ohio's Fracking Sandman

If you thought as I did, that sand was sand think again. Ohio's sandman, Rob Sidley has a special sand that it fetches from $60 to $80 a ton. It is almost 100% silica, is round in shape, very hard and in much demand as fracking sand. When a well is fracked high pressure water is used to crack the shale formation to allow gas or oil to escape. To keep the shale from closing the fracture once the hydraulic pressure has been removed sand and sometimes ceramic material is forced into the fracture to act as wedges. The sand must be exceedingly hard to withstand the pressure. The round shape means the sand will flow almost like water as would say a tube of BB's. The one hundred percent quartz feature makes the sand almost impervious to reaction with water or other chemical. Sidley's family owned company is located in Thompson, Ohio. It takes from 6000 to 8000 tons of sand to frack just one well so this man is in an enviable position. This story is a good read and you can find it at Ohio Com.

Merry Kwanzaa, Private Slovik!

President Barack Obama took time from his busy vacation schedule to show his contempt for Christianity and to inject race into the holiday spirit. No mention was made of Christmas, there was no Christmas address to America but on the day after Christmas the Race Hustler in Chief took time to send a special White House message to all of those observing Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is a made up holiday created by a California felon, serving time for torturing two women, even forcing a soldering iron into one of the women's mouth. It would in the words of Al Sharpton it perform the valuable service of “de-whitizing” Christmas. Resist we much!


Michelle and I send our warmest wishes to all those celebrating Kwanzaa this holiday season. Today marks the beginning of the week-long celebration honoring African American heritage and culture through the seven principles of Kwanzaa — unity, self determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

We celebrate Kwanzaa at a time when many African Americans and all Americans reflect on our many blessings and memories over the past year and our aspirations for the year to come. And even as there is much to be thankful for, we know that there are still too many Americans going through enormous challenges and trying to make ends meet. But we also know that in the spirit of unity, or Umoja, we can overcome those challenges together.

As families across America and around the world light the red, black, and green candles of the Kinara this week, our family sends our well wishes and blessings for a happy and healthy new year.
Much has been made of the Obama election team's intention to jettison the white working class but deliberately antagonizing that group with the President's peculiar brand of state sponsored bigotry invites a personal animosity that even a trillion dollar campaign cannot easily overcome. So Obama has embarked on a crusade to "de-whitize" Christmas. Never mind the fun I could have with this theme on Father's Day and while Christmas means many things to different people such as Private Slovik and Barack Obama, Kwanzaa is nothing but faith based racism and Obama is little more than a race hustler. Merry Kwanzaa, Private Slovik!

Senator Ben Nelson Movin' On

Senator Ben Nelson of "corn husker kickback" fame has announced that he intends to spend more time with his family and move on. Don't let the door his you in the ass, Ben. Behind the Senator's words is the abject reality that he is a political corpse. True, the $300 million the "corn husker kickback" would have brought to Nebraska is well beyond the going rate of thirty pieces of silver nevertheless Nebraska voters feel betrayed. We will take special glee in seeing many of his Democratic Senate colleagues joining him in retirement in just 12 short months, when they too will be able to spend more time with their families. And a Merry Christmas to you too, Ben.


 

Sink SOPA and Blackburn

One would not think that a piece of legislation that attempts to deal with trademark and copyright issues as does the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) could be so divisive. Everyone agrees that piracy is theft and that it should stop but when small minds tackle large problems they can create "solutions" that are worse than the problem they set out to remedy. SOPA is Obamacare for the internet. Maybe Dodd-Frank for the internet is a better moniker since the entertainment industry's chief lobbyist is former Senator Chris Dodd who retired from the Senate rather than answer questions about his apparent ethical lapses in his dealing with the financial meltdown that would have arisen during an election campaign.

SOPA is the perfect bill for Washington insiders to flex their muscles, embarrass their constituents, and do great damage to the many to protect the few. When reading transcripts from committee hearing, the reader is astounded at not only the members' collective ignorance but the haughty contempt for those who do understand the technical ramification of the proposed mayhem. We have seen this arrogance before. It comes not from an illusion of intellectual superiority but rather from a corruption of personal character that is rooted in power. Because we have the votes to pass it we shall. This arrogance and love of lording ones power over the electorate has already led to the degradation of the automobile and consumer appliance industry as manufactures are forced to manufacture autos, washing machine, dish washers that use less energy but that don't work either. Yes, there is the green lobby but Washington Republicans enjoy giving the voters a rabbit punch now and then just because they can.

The real disappoint in the SOPA squabble is Tennessee Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, who one suspects at the behest of the Nashville music industry has cast her lot with the pro-SOPA forces. Et te, Marsha? You think the danger of giving Eric Holder the power to censor the internet is compensated by the protection it will offer the copyrighted music of Billy Ray Cyrus? Congresswoman Blackburn spoke at the "Stand with Gibson" rally sponsored by the Tea Party in Nashville last summer which my wife and I attended. Since then both the congresswoman and Gibson Guitar have both gone pro-SOPA. I wish I had never made the drive. Erick Erickson at Red State would like to see Blackburn primaried out.

"I love Marsha Blackburn She is a delightful lady and a solidly conservative member of Congress," he wrote. However, because Blackburn is a SOPA cosponsor, Erickson pledged to "do everything in my power to defeat her in her 2012 re-election bid." Erickson proposes an alliance with the left to recruit primary opponents for anyone who votes for SOPA.

Not only is SOPA opposed by the right, it has many and vociferous opponents on the left. This fight has never been about ideology but rather Washington, Hollywood, and Nashville versus the rest of us. Congressman Darrell Issa says the bill is dead in the House. Lets hope he's right.

Obamacare: "little known provisions".....

  As POTUS requests even more money, we learn that the completely "paid for" health care plan has even more "little known" provisions.
  From the AP:
Starting in 2012, the government will charge a new fee to your health insurance plan for research to find out which drugs, medical procedures, tests and treatments work best. But what will Americans do with the answers? 
The goal of the research, part of a little-known provision of President Barack Obama's health care law, is to answer such basic questions as whether that new prescription drug advertised on TV really works better than an old generic costing much less.
  It'd be so great to have biking paths everywhere!
  That's in the health care bill.
  And it'd be so great to have calories on every menu!
  That's in the health care law.
  And it'd be so great to have gyms and healthy alternatives in businesses!
  That's in the health care law.
  Breast feeding rooms in businesses.
  National health education programs.
  "Free" school clinics.
  Easier lawsuits against nursing homes.
  A requirement that insurers spend at least 80% on patients.
  Sound great? 
  Who's going to want to run a company that can't make a profit? 
  The government, of course.
  Which gets to determine who gets treatment.
  This is why doctors, silent for so long, are against Obamacare:
That increase is in large part thanks to Obamacare. Instead of relieving high insurance premiums, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that American families in the non-group market will see their premiums rise $2,100.
They’re already trending higher. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, average family premiums in 2011 topped $15,000 — a 9 percent increase from 2010. Prior to Obamacare’s passage — from 2009 to 2010 — premiums went up just 3 percent. 
  Other "little known" Obamacare provisions can be found around the web. 

The dangers of CFLs

 New reports reveal that the required CFL lightbulbs can cause fires. The Daily Mail:
Compact fluorescent lamps, which will gradually replace traditional incandescent bulbs, are a fire hazard that could burn down your home, experts have warned.The lamps (CFLs) use electricity to heat an element in the lamp’s base that leads the mercury vapor gas in the coils to emit light. But when a CFL can no longer produce light, the electronics in its base will still try to function, sometimes leading to overheating, smoke and fire. 
  Popular Mechanics spotted this problem a few years ago. Did you know....
* Problem: The bulb failed because it was installed in an inappropriate lighting fixture, one that it wasn't rated for.* Solution: Read the bulb package's fine print. Some bulbs are meant to be used only in downward-facing fixtures, others in enclosed and recessed, three-way or outdoor fixtures. Additionally, there are CFLs rated to be oper­ated by a device such as a dimmer, timer or photoelectric eye. 
 And did you know CFLS don't dim, can't stand the cold, can cause skin problems, emit EMFs?
  And did you know CFLs contain dangerous mercury?
But the bulbs contain small amounts of mercury, a neurotoxin, and the companies and federal government haven't come up with effective ways to get Americans to recycle them.
"The problem with the bulbs is that they'll break before they get to the landfill. They'll break in containers, or they'll break in a dumpster or they'll break in the trucks. Workers may be exposed to very high levels of mercury when that happens," says John Skinner, executive director of the Solid Waste Association of North America, the trade group for the people who handle trash and recycling.
  And don't think you can just throw those dangerous bulbs in the trash. They have to be recycled. That's a lot of mercury leeching into landfills. The government recommends that you visit earth911 to find out where you should recycle those bulbs. Earth 9/11. Or 9.1.1. Earth emergency. Get it?
  And those CFLs that are supposed to last longer and thus cost more? Don't.
  In case you break a bulb, here are the government's recommendations:
CLEANUP AND DISPOSAL OVERVIEW
The most important steps to reduce exposure to mercury vapor from a broken bulb are:
1. Before cleanup
  a. Have people and pets leave the room.
  b. Air out the room for 5-10 minutes by opening a window or door to the outdoor environment.
  c. Shut off the central forced air heating/air conditioning (H&AC) system, if      you have one.
  d. Collect materials needed to clean up broken bulb.
2. During cleanup
  a. Be thorough in collecting broken glass and visible powder.
  b. Place cleanup materials in a sealable container.
3. After cleanup
  a. Promptly place all bulb debris and cleanup materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area until materials can be disposed of properly.  Avoid leaving any bulb fragments or cleanup materials indoors.
  b. For several hours, continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the H&AC system shut off.
  OTOH, the government itself IS concerned about that mercury leeching into the system. So concerned that they are shutting down power plants, a move that will drastically increase the cost and availability of power in this country:
Simply put, EPA grossly exaggerated the health benefits of its proposed mercury rules – and then claimed additional mercury benefits based on double counting of reductions inparticulate matter. It also ignored the adverse effects that its rules will inflict. Not only is EPA’s anti-mercury campaign scaring mothers and children into not eating nutritious fish that is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. It is also raising electricity heating, air conditioning and food costs, impairing electrical reliability, costing jobs, and thereby harming the health and welfare of countless Americans.
  So, oh, well.
  We may not have enough power to run any light bulbs the way we're going now.
  But, don't worry. Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama will have their million dollar vacations, where they will surely have light to help them write more onerous regulations for the little guy.

Monday, December 26, 2011

TSA plans VIPR expansion

Our favorite government entity, the TSA, is expanding.
We've discussed the VIPR teams before.
They've been expanding their operations. From the LA Times:
According to budget documents, the department spent $110 million in fiscal 2011 for "surface transportation security," including the TSA's viper program, and is asking for an additional $24 million next year. That compares with more than $5 billion for aviation security. 
TSA officials say they have no proof that the roving viper teams have foiled any terrorist plots or thwarted any major threat to public safety. But they argue that the random nature of the searches and the presence of armed officers serve as a deterrent and bolster public confidence. 
"We have to keep them [terrorists] on edge," said Frank Cilluffo, director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute atGeorge Washington University in Washington. "We're not going to have a permanent presence everywhere."
 So in the name of keeping the terrorists on edge, the TSA is routinely stopping people in dramatic shows of concern for "security."
  With the cute motto of "Your safety is our priority"! we can be sure that that's true, particularly no that the TSA is unionized.
  The TSA touts the accomplishments of its "everyday heroes," who roam the streets and even save people who collapse from heart attacks!
  Tennessee is a primary center for VIPR activity.
  Think you're safe because you're in your car?
  Not so much.
  And then there's more.
So it is not too far-fetched to believe the TSA could determine highway travel is another type of travel that needs to be monitored, although it could prove to be a logistical nightmare. There are thousands of trucks stops around the country. 
Although you may encounter TSA on the highways one day, rest assured, there is one place the TSA has no intentions (at least not yet) of going: 
"We are not getting into the business of body cavity searches," Pistole said back in 2010. "That's not where we are."
  Regardless where they are right now,they're expanding their operations and asking for a 50% budget increase in 2012. 
  Because that's what government entities do.
  They expand.

Selfish, selfish people

From a tweet, meet the most selfish people in the world.
And the most clueless.
THESE ARE THE NINETY NINE PERCENT!!!

The 99% threaten Nancy Pelosi

  If you're a political junkie, you know that the only conversation lately has been the rambunctious Republican primary candidates' perormances.
  Seriously I really can't take much more of it.
  On one hand, we have lots of dour and sour Republican commentators claiming that "our A team is not on the field."
  Which is interesting, considering that several candidates have built highly successful careers creating jobs, which is the primary concern in the country right now, and which is why our current POTUS is going to be running on more class warfare, which is so healthy for the country apparently we need more of it. 
  This tactic is being employed by at least one other country's leader who claims that the protesters are no worse than greedy bankers.
  IBD tells us that the OWS movement is alive and well and driven by a miraculous "energy," not, apparently, all those union dollars that have sustained the movement, paid for Craigslist "volunteers," provided tents, food, hotel rooms...well, you get the picture.
Yes, America's youth are the voice of the 99%, Americans inspired by the Arab Spring revolutions. American youth are fueling "the greatest social-justice movement to emerge in the United States since the civil rights era." 
But never lose sight of the real war here. Yes, there's a war between the richest 1% of Americans who have seen their income grow 265% the past generation while the incomes of the other 99% have stagnated or fallen. Yes, the wealth gap is bigger now than it was in 1929 just before the market crashed.
  That article decries the 265% increase in wealthy incomes, without mentioning what it means to be "poor" in America, as defined by the class warriors.
  Did you know that 68% of the poor in America own personal computers? 84% have air conditioning? 76% own cell phones? 
  But the problem is that the wealthy, a diminishing group who are fleeing certain states and even the country, has had their incomes grow greater than the ninety nine percent.
  It's what others have, after all, and not what YOU have that you need to consider.
  In Nashville, America's youth, the 99%, who are, yes, still camped out, spent Christmas Day fighting, literally. 
  One of the protesters (the fattie, pictured here) claims to be pregnant which didn't seem to faze the woman who nailed her.
  IBD quotes the youthful protesters' Soros sponsored leaders' demands. Naturally they're excessive, punitive and "equalizing" in the sense that the producers' wealth will be transferred to the non-producers.
"(A) 'Robin Hood' tax on all financial transactions and currency trades; a ban on high-frequency 'flash' trading; the reinstatement of the Glass-Steagall Act to again separate investment banking from commercial banking; a constitutional amendment to revoke corporate personhood and overrule Citizens United; a move toward a 'true cost' market regime in which the price of every product reflects the ecological cost of its production, distribution and use;" and they are in favor of "perhaps even the birth of a new, left-right hybrid political party that moves America beyond the Coke vs. Pepsi choices of the past."
  But I should point out here that the extremely rich politicians, our overlords, will be losing some cash in this deal too.
  Like Nancy Pelosi, for example, who is also vacationing in Hawaii at a $10,000 a night hotel. 
Pelosi spent the last two Christmas holidays in Kona at the same hotel in an elaborate suite that rents for $10,000 a night. 
The Four Seasons Resort Hualalai’s details its luxurious setting and amenities on its web site: “Gloriously revitalised, this natural tropical paradise offers more than ever to explore – with a newly expanded Spa, beachfront dining, fashion boutiques and new Deluxe Suites, in addition to Jack Nicklaus signature golf. Set on the Big Island’s exclusive Kona-Kohala Coast, this showpiece resort captures the essence of Hawaiian design, culture and tradition.”
  We already heard about Obama's $4 million vacation.
  But not Pelosi's, who cost local residents a few bucks ($34,000 per vacation) in security in the past because she's, you know, so important. 
  So, Nancy, you should know that the 99% are after you and your $10,000 sacrificial vacation.
  Relax.
  We're paying for your protection.