COLLECTIVE MADNESS
“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."
Mel...one gutsy gal...has great taste in music...Nora Jones...Wow...There are very few in her league these days,,,Diana Krall, I think...
ReplyDeleteThat is Wynton Marsalis on trumpet!
ReplyDeleteWell, Duh
DeleteThe title said Wynton Marsalis.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDiana Krall "The Look of Love"
ReplyDeleteThe Libertarian
ABC - "The Look of Love"
DeleteI am told that imbibing Scotch in any appreciable quantity will kill me. A fine cigar (I don't tell them everything) couldn't hurt. What I would give for a double shot, neat, of Glenmorangie 18.
ReplyDeleteBurn It to the Ground
ReplyDeleteThe Libertarian
Sharp Dressed Man, Nickelback
ReplyDeleteShapeshifters - Lola's Theme
ReplyDeleteOr Teresita's Theme if you will. "You and I know, I'm a different person..."
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNora Jones, Cold Cold Heart
ReplyDeleteIt's Now or Never, Wet, Wet, Wet
ReplyDeleteSunday Kind of Love, Etta James
ReplyDeleteQuiet Nights, Diana Krall
ReplyDeleteEverytime We Say Goodbye, Diana Krall
ReplyDeleteIt is being reported that HHS has refused to comply with a Congressional subpoena.
ReplyDelete"The Health and Human Services Department told House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa that it won’t turn over documents related to the security of the Healthcare.gov website because it can’t trust him to keep secret information that could give hackers a roadmap to wreak havoc on the system."
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/hhs-darrell-issa-obamacare-aca-101097.html
'Obstruction of justice: Key Republican investigator says HHS secretary Sebelius is criminally liable for stopping staff from speaking about disastrous Obamacare website
ReplyDeleteThe Department of Health and Human Services wrote to Obamacare contractors telling them not to respond for Congress' document requests
Obstruction of justice is a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in federal prison
House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa is warning Secretary Kathleen Sebelius not to get between him and potential witnesses
HHS has already been subpoenaed for the documents Issa is seeking from the healthcare.gov website contractors, but Sebelius hasn't produced them
You Cheated You Lied
DeleteO-Care contractor to comply with Issa subpoena
ReplyDeleteHouse Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) announced Friday that an ObamaCare contractor would comply with a subpoena he issued, despite efforts by the Obama administration and some Democrats to keep the documents out of his hands.
After consulting with its legal counsel, MITRE Corp., a contractor working to assess security issues with the ObamaCare website, determined that it “has no alternative but to comply with the terms of a Congressional subpoena absent some form of judicial intervention.”
MITRE was the second ObamaCare contractor to say on Friday it would comply with the disputed subpoena, following CSSi.
“MITRE’s decision is a rejection of efforts by the White House to obstruct oversight,” Issa said in a statement.
You Cheated You LIed
DeleteAllen, Just thought of something interesting....
ReplyDeleteDeuce, Rat, Ms T and others put across the point that Israel is:
An Apartheid nation.
Has no right to be a nation since the majority are not "real" Jews.
The fake Jews of Israel murder their young.
Israel is more of a liability to the USA than any other.
Israel is a true nazi like nation.
SO maybe we should thank the bloggers at this blog for the information and then adopt a better position.
After all they have told us what Israel is...
So IF Israel were to expel all arabs for within it's borders what is the harm?
If Israel were to occupy (like America occupied Germany & Japan) the arab lands under it's control, execute it's rebel leaders, take charge of the arabs and impose on it Israeli laws and oversight? Take control of the arab's educational system? What would be the harm?
The people at this blog would STILL call Israel all of the above.
They really could not say Israel is a really really really apartheid nation.
Israel could legislate Jew only property laws and mimic the South Africans to the letter of the law.
What has Israel to lose?
It's worth a try... :)
What’s wrong with Science
ReplyDeleteAnd while we are at it... If Israel is going to be accused of "occupying" arab lands?
ReplyDeleteisrael should take over the gaza strip, expel the arabs into the sinai where the UN can set up new refugee camps.
what would the gazans say then? The zionist entity is really really really occupying our lands? LOL
There is no benefit to the concept "land for peace", it has been proven.
So if Israel is going to be accused of "stealing lands"? What difference does it make if it steals another few hundred square miles?
Solitary Man
ReplyDeleteOne Year After Newtown, Americans Not Interested in Gun Control
ReplyDeleteTrace Adkins - Wayfaring Stranger
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHow Government Officials Doom Gun Registration Laws
ReplyDeleteThe problem for gun control advocates is that they keep promising that no way will registration lead to confiscation of firearms, even as it does just that.
ReplyDelete“Netanyahu suggested to me that we relocate those Gazans to Sinai,
but I refused and told him to forget it,
neither I nor anyone bigger than me will be able to mess with the Egypt’s borders,”
Hosni Mubarak
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/09/15/Report-Egypt-s-real-uprising-began-in-2005-says-Mubarak-.html
Israel can go for the Greater Israel dream, for all I care, Nile to the Euphrates, Med to the Salt Sea, just as long as they don't do it on my nickel.
ReplyDeleteBig Iron - Marty Robbins
ReplyDeletePoll: Americans Want to Go Back to Previous Health Care System, Disagree With Obama on Size and Power of Government
ReplyDeleteSeventy percent of Americans oppose making young people pay more for health care to help fund health care for older or less healthy Americans. Six in 10 oppose requiring younger, healthier people to help fund insurance for those with pre-existing conditions. And 57 percent believe lower cost health care plans that provide fewer benefits than required by the Affordable Care Act should be allowed.
When it comes to health care overall, 57 percent of Americans disapprove of the job President Obama is doing,
David Essex - Turn Me Loose
DeleteIt's Not Isolationist For America To Mind Its Own Business
ReplyDeleteIs it really a bad idea to oppose lobbing Tomahawk missiles at people?
52 percent say that the U.S. “should mind its own business internationally and let other countries get along the best they can on their own.”
J.J. Cale - Mama don't allow
DeleteChinese scientists accused of trying to steal US seed samples
ReplyDeleteProsecutors say two agricultural scientists passed trade secrets to Chinese delegation who were found to have seeds in luggage
Why Is Everybody Always Pickin' On Me
DeleteYou give your self way to my credit.... You can't EARN more than 100 grand at best... So your the % of your taxes that goes to Israel? Cant be more than .0001 cent.
ReplyDeleteAnd to be precise? You don't have a nickel the taxpayer doesn't GIVE you since you suck off the government for a living...
Hosni MubarakFri Dec 13, 10:58:00 PM EST
ReplyDelete“Netanyahu suggested to me that we relocate those Gazans to Sinai,
but I refused and told him to forget it,
Hosni aint in charge anymore... Or did you not get the memo.
And as for "relocating" the gazans to sinai? It aint going to be "relocation", it's going to be a stampede...
LOL
Get over it.
After all, what will you call israel then?
LOL
loser.
Deuce claims that the IDF lines up the palestinians and executes them...
ReplyDeleteWhat a sight that would be if Deuce's wet dream came true...
Oh wait, the syrians already do that...
Il Divo - Adagio
ReplyDeleteGregorian - My Immortal
...for like harshing my mellow, man...
Delete:-)
Will the winner please turn out the lights.
ReplyDeleteSend Me An Angel, Scorpions
I was lounging in the den when I heard the front door open, and thirty seconds later Quirk appeared, exhausted, grass stains on his pants, and scratches on his hands and neck and face.
ReplyDelete"Bobbo....."
I rose walked up to the first level and closed and locked the front door.
"Bobbo, I ....."
Clearly exhausted, he stammered...."Refuge one more time?"
"Bobbo!"
"Ah, Quirk what have you done?"
"The crew sent the wrong signer."
"How in hell did you get the contract for the Mandela fiesta?"
"That was easy, but they sent the wrong guy."
Just then Hamdoon in his smoker walked in and seeing Quirk he turned and walked back up the stairs.
"Where have you been hiding Quirk."
"Out in the bush."
I really couldn't believe it. His latest fraud, International SignersRUs had gotten the damned Mandela contract. The wrong guy? I knew they hadn't a man there who more than the meaning of the middle finger.
Hamdoon and I talked the situation in the morning and decided the gibberish signer was the perfect pick for an Obama speech, and Quirk is cleaned up now and recovering with us now.
If you are out there, Mel, the best to you.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYou don't own me - Lesley Gore
ReplyDelete"I Only Want to Be with You" Dusty Springfield
ReplyDeleteRobert Goulet "If Ever I Would Leave You"
ReplyDeleteGreensleeves, Tudors
ReplyDeleteSUNNY!!
ReplyDeleteCanada vs. Santa Claus
http://houseofsunny.tv/2013/12/13/new-sunny-tv-ep-17-canada-vs-santa-and-other-news-headlines/
Crazy, Nora Jones
ReplyDeleteSweet Dreams, Patsy
ReplyDeleteShe's Got You, Patsy
ReplyDeleteAntonio Banderas - Cancion del Mariachi
ReplyDeleteWhole Lot of Shakin'
ReplyDelete"En Aranjuez con tu amor" - Fernando Lima
ReplyDeleteSarah Brightman y Fernando Lima - Pasión
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours, Melody.
ReplyDeleteMelody! You must step in - allen is going bezerk!
Delete:)
DeleteThe recipe for perpetual ignorance is:
Be satisfied with your opinions
Content with your knowledge
Secure in your beliefs.
el auténtico anónimo
AnonymousSat Dec 14, 01:57:00 AM EST
DeleteMelody! You must step in - allen is going bezerk!
"Going", you say? :-)
Madame Butterfly, Flower Duet
ReplyDeleteThanks for shairng this video which looks effective and interesting too..
ReplyDeletebuy youtube views
What regularly gets my dander up about liberals is that such folk don't give a flying jump at a rolling rat's anus about their children. Governments which are unwilling to tax their citizens to provide the services these citizens clamor for inevitably have to borrow money. This works to solve today's funding issues but leaves a toxic legacy for the citizens' children and their children when the debt has to be paid back. In essence, it's little different from signing up your kids to indentured labor so you can have your holiday in Cabo this
ReplyDeleteyear. And it's particularly galling when they take that borrowed money and ship it to governments overseas so they can build apartment blocks in occupied lands.
"What regularly gets my dander up about liberals is that such folk don't give a flying jump at a rolling rat's anus about their children."
DeleteReally?
Take what you need, but pay as you go.
DeleteDid you ever take out a mortgage?
DeleteIf so, Why?
Was it, possibly, so your children could grow up in their own home, rather than an apartment?
DeleteDid you ever pay "extra" for a house, because it was in the "right" school district?
DeleteAre you serious, Rufus? A mortgage, or any loan, is a tool, allowing you to leverage future earnings to solve a cash flow problem at a certain point in time, and the asset isn't consumed, it holds and even grows in value, while providing a place to live. But borrowing money to meet a shortfall in tax revenue generated by entitlements is basically eating your seed corn.
DeleteIf the "entitlement" (btw, you just moved the goalposts) is Pre-K, education, or childhood health/food programs?
DeleteAnd, you're arguing that it's the Dems that are anti-tax?
DeleteDid I miss something? Was Bush clamoring for a tax increase to pay for his war in Iraq?
4 of the largest 10 American Corporations paid No Federal Income Taxes last year (during a year of all-time high corporate profits.) Must have been a bunch of Democrats, eh?
DeleteIt's bipartisan.
DeleteYesterday, China announced new measures to prevent its 1% from tax sheltering off-shore.
The game is international and governments pretend to care, other than N. Korea where there apparently no recognized accounting standards.
There's this one state where all the power comes from hydro, but in this one county the water in the watershed was diverted to swimming pools because the citizens saw a few rich people with swimming pools, and insisted they had an entitlement to one too. And soon the water in the reservoir behind the dam fell below the penstock inlet, so the county had to ask other counties nearby to send some of their surplus water over through canals just so they could keep the lights on. And to keep the books balanced, they printed all these pieces of paper that said, "I owe you one swimming pool's worth of water". But in the next generation, when the county without swimming pools want their water back, the first one will need to rob Peter to pay Paul, and it will be difficult, because all these other counties in the vicinity will have jumped on the swimming pool fad as well, and eventually there will be a crisis, and everyone in the first county will lose the water in their swimming pool just to pay back the IOUs, because you can print IOUs but you can't print water.
DeleteRufus IISat Dec 14, 09:29:00 AM EST
ReplyDeleteAnd, you're arguing that it's the Dems that are anti-tax?
Did I miss something? Was Bush clamoring for a tax increase to pay for his war in Iraq?
No, it was not necessary. The private sector, democracy and Yankee know-how was going to produce a paradise for the Iraqis and pay for it with oil profits. The rest of the Muslim world was to have been shocked, awed, chagrined, emulsified and satisfied that this was to be the future and would either capitulate or celebrate the new era.
Bush did repeatedly ask for special appropriations from time to time, which would be refunded by receipts from a rejuvenized Iraqi oil industry. Right. Eventually, even this fiction was abandoned.
DeleteStella {Goldschlag} Kübler Isaacksohn.
Deletewas a Jewish woman born in Germany who collaborated with the Gestapo during World War II, exposing and denouncing Berlin's underground Jews.
Kübler was very successful at finding her former schoolmates and handing their information over to the Gestapo.
The number of her victims varies from between 600 to 3,000 Jews.
Kübler's charisma and striking good looks were a great advantage in her pursuit of underground Jews.
The Nazis called Stella "blonde poison".
Stella {Goldschlag} Kübler Isaacksohn was a Fifth Columnist..
You have to be patient.
ReplyDelete:)
DeletePatience is one thing, but some of us are running out of time. :)
At your current grade level, such a nuanced plan may not be obvious to you.They will get it right if we attack Iran. They know what they are doing. After all, they are from the government.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's for sure.
DeleteNuance is, definitely, well above my pay grade. :)
Nuancy boy.
Deleteyou knew we were on the right track when the suit in the construction boots fired the Iranianarmy and sent them home without a pay check. What could possibly go wrong?
ReplyDeleteThe only thing worse would have been if he had fired the "Iraqi" army, and sent them home without a paycheck.
Delete:-) It is early and some of us are old.
DeleteChaim Mordechai Rumkowski.
Deletewas a Polish Jew and businessman who was appointed as the German Nazi-nominated head of the Ältestenrat ("Council of Elders"), or Jewish authorities in the Łódź Ghetto.
Some remember him for his haunting and tragic speech,
" . . . . Give Me Your Children" . . . .,
in 1942, when the Germans insisted on deporting 20,000 children to death camps.
He was also remembered as an autocrat and tyrant who built a personal empire within the ghetto.
He made work the basis of survival and created profit for the Germans
Chaim Mordechai Rumkowski was a Fifth Columnist.
that is funny, no glasses and an iPhone and my normal obsession with Iran. :)
DeleteYou really are such a dumb shit. I am sorry to say. Not recognizing these things. with all due respect/
ReplyDeleteAs long as I'm "duly respected." :)
DeleteBut, let me say this: Until your "Household" can legally print its own money, please don't compare the Federal Budget to your "Household" budget. They ain't the same, and your argument, immediately, becomes nonsensical.
DeleteI should have added, and Borrow in its Own Currency.
DeleteAnnual Inflation Since 1914
Deleteby Tim McMahon on October 25, 2010
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has been tracking the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) since 1913. Thus they have been able to calculate the Inflation rate since 1914. And over that period we have seen some major periods of both inflation and deflation as you can see from the chart.
The early years (the teens) were marked by high inflation.
The early 1920′s started with deflation and low inflation.
The 1930′s of course had the Great Depression and was primarily a period of deflation.
World War II ushered in times of massive government spending and nationwide austerity as commodities were rationed and most of the production was directed toward the war effort.
the 1950′s were a period of healthy growth.
During this period, the inflation rate remained low with a brief dip into deflation in 1955 as the economy stumbled, but this blip is almost undetectable on the chart.
The 1960′s ushered in more growth as the United States embarked on a period of unlimited expectations as we developed electronics and plastics and decided to put a man on the moon.
Inflation picked up slightly but primarily remained below 5%.
In the 1970′s the economy stagnated and the inflation rate soared to double digit levels climaxing in 1980 with the price of gold reaching over $800/oz.
As the inflation rate subsided in the 1980′s so did the price of gold.
Throughout the 1990′s and the 2000′s the inflation rate has remained relatively moderate staying below 5%.
The deflationary year of 2009 is so small it looks like one of the “tic marks” on the chart.
However, even at those low levels inflation will accumulate and compound.
During the thirty year period from January 1980 through January 2010
we experienced 178.52% inflation.
So we can tell from our, “How much it would cost after Inflation Calculator”
on the same page that something that cost $100 in 1980 would cost $278.50 today.
So even though the annual rate of inflation may be low,
the total combined compound inflation after 30 years is still significant,
as prices almost tripled during that period.
http://inflationdata.com/articles/2010/10/25/annual-inflation-since-1914/
DeleteAnnual Inflation Rate
2010 was 1.6%
2011 was 3.2%
2012 was 2.1%
2013 is 1.6% through and inclusive of October
http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/current-inflation-rates/
"Inflation" is the Friend of the government that prints its own money, and Borrows in same.
DeleteVery Bestest Friend.
AND, Medical Costs increasing Less than 1% during a time when general inflation is running 2% (and, Tax Collections are increasing by 5%) throws all of those "entitlement doomsday" scenarios right out the window.
DeleteSpeaking of 'Paying for It'
ReplyDeleteTea Party steps up war of words against Boehner over budget vote
Tea party activists are pushing back hard against Speaker John Boehner for attacking conservative groups that are opposed to bipartisan budget legislation approved this week by the House, claiming he has "declared war on the Tea Party" with his blunt criticism.
In a fundraising email to supporters, Tea Party Patriots referred to the Ohio Republican as a "ruling class politician" who only pretends to be a conservative while remaining a "tax-and-spend liberal,"
The Hill reported Friday.
The group, which supported efforts to defund the Affordable Care Act, accused Boehner of passing a "back-room budget deal which increases discretionary spending, does nothing to reform entitlements, and fully funds ObamaCare."
The organization called the deal "an out and out betrayal of the American people."
All three top Republican leaders were among 169 members of the rank and file in voting for the measure, which cleared the House on Tuesday on an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 332-94.
In advance of the vote, Boehner unleashed a stinging attack on conservative groups campaigning for the bill's demise, saying they lacked credibility. He also blamed them for leading the party into the partial government shutdown this fall.
Boehner's remarks appeared aimed more broadly at Tea Partyers who say true conservatives never compromise, and at groups that try to oust established Republicans seeking re-election.
House actions under his speakership, Boehner said, "have not violated any conservative principle, not once." He then dismissed the activist groups, saying, "I don't care what they do."
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/12/14/tea-party-steps-up-war-words-against-boehner-over-budget-vote/
With Social Security continuing to run a surplus, and Medical costs increasing at a rate Less than general inflation, it's kind of interesting to speculate if those old, white retirees will ever begin to question the tea partiers' assertions of a need for "entitlement" reform.
DeleteSS is a Ponzi transfer scheme, with no opt-out, and Rufus chortles that it's running a "surplus".
DeleteThe SS Trust Fund contains nothing but U.S. Bonds, and it increases Every Year.
DeleteA little over $2.7 Trillion, I think it was, the last I looked.
Not ezzackly the definition of a "Ponzi scheme."
Social Security has no surplus, Rufus.
DeleteThere are NO Taxes dedicated o the Social Security Program.
It is not a self standing feature of the United States government.
SOCTUS - Fleming v Nester - 1960
amongst others.
Here, in a clickable link
I understand "Fleming v Nester," Rat. BUT, as long as the Conservatives insist on including the SS Trust Fund in their calculations of U.S. Debt, I will insist on referencing the Growth of the Trust Fund.
Delete
DeleteTwo wrongs don't make a right
Someone else's wrongdoing will not be corrected by doing wrongdoings, yourself, in a responsive effort to compensate for the preliminary wrongdoing, as your wrongdoing will only create an environmental factor that necessitates a response from the antagonist which will only result in the further escalation of the cycle of wrongdoings.
The next thing you are going to be telling us ...
that ...
"The End Justifies the Means".
Talking about costly errors, scientists (as opposed to fine arts majors) are discovering that human beings have little impact on climate. Strangely enough, the sun and earth have a relationship determining climate, lying way outside the impact of puny human beings.
ReplyDeleteAt one time there were vineyards in England, and the Vikings named their North American landfall "Vineland" for a reason.
Study: Earth was warmer in Roman, Medieval times
Fifth Column
DeleteFifth Column
DeleteThanks for the link.
DeleteFifth Columnist
DeleteFifth Columnist
Henric Ştefan Streitman was a Romanian Jew, a journalist, translator and political figure,
who traversed the political spectrum from socialism to the far right.
He was a physicist, social commentator and publisher,
known for both his polemical stances and his erudition.
Streitman turned to Nazi collaborationism during World War II,
serving the NAZI cause becoming president of the Central Jewish Office.
Henric Ştefan Streitman was a Fifth Columnist.
Republicans aren't off the hook. They demand both tax cuts and a balanced budget, all without touching their sacred cows (usually defense contractors or bases in their districts).
ReplyDeleteNor are the Dems; they just stood by while the pubs threw 1.3 Million unemployed Americans into the dumpster, and their support for a higher minimum wage has been nothing more than a very tepid bit of lip-service.
DeleteThe magma pool under Yellowstone National Park has been found to be several time larger than previously thought. In addition there are several other smaller 'super volcanoes' over Utah/Nevada way.
ReplyDeleteWhat this means is that even Mrs. Teresita Redinger over by Seattle might well get wiped out if the big one blows.
The one advantage I can see about such an event would be that it would finally shut her up from smuggling a few swipes at Israel into a thread about music.
Other than that it would be a true bummer.
See Drudge report today for the article.
DeleteWe must all apologize to Melody for such uncouth behavior on Mrs. Teresita Redinger's part.
All together now: We apologize, Melody.
We're going to Yellowstone again this year (last was 2009), for our 25th Anniversary.
DeleteThis is my favorite part.
http://www.cleanposts.com/images/5/5f/Falls1.jpg
Niece and I may go to Yellowstone too.
DeleteI know just where that is - but can't retrieve the name of the river.....the Yellowstone River?
Quirk's favorite part of thepark is the bar at the Lodge.
He was caught two seasons ago fishing in the restricted areas, and has been banned from the Park for five years.
DeleteWe cannot banish dangers, but we can banish fears.
We must not demean life by standing in awe of death.
David Sarnoff
I know just where that is - but can't retrieve the name of the river.....the Yellowstone River?
DeleteWhat gave it away, the yellow stones?
Hardeharhar, Missy Smarty Pants, but there are three falls in Yellowstone.
DeleteIs not that the one going on the north and east exit route?
This was Quirk's 3rd violation, Mrs. Redinger.
ReplyDeleteThree strikes and you're out for five years.
Do not interrupt the conversations of others, David.
You have been told that by your mother before.
Rather you start your own teeny weeny little thread.
Remember?
Government Takeover
ReplyDeleteOf all the last-minute delays, website bungles and Presidential whims that have marred the roll-out of Obamacare's subsidized insurance exchanges, what happened on Thursday, December 12 will standout as one of the most lawless acts yet committed by this administration.
.
DeleteMore from the slimy incompetents in this administration. We will see how this extortion affects the costs consumers pay. Next October should prove interesting.
.
Maybe the Democrats will just delay Buckwheat Care indefinitely, which is, you know, what the GOP has been trying to do.
DeleteFifth Column
ReplyDeleteFifth Column
ReplyDelete.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the minimum wage issue is too small to get too excited about. IMO, there are more efficient ways to help the working poor. However, there are some reasonable arguments on both sides of the issue. George Will offers some here (all on one side of the issue of course). IMO, about half of them are based on faulty assumptions but the other half make sense, his points about the affect on high school graduation rates and the trend toward automation in the fast food industry which represents almost half of the minimum wage jobs for instance.
He also makes the point that the minimum wages creates a base unions use to drive up the general wage rate in the country. Will sees this as a negative, I don't.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/george-f-will-raise-the-minimum-wage-its-iffy/2013/12/13/f9a8d81a-6363-11e3-a373-0f9f2d1c2b61_story.html?hpid=z3
.
SCIENTISTS FIND SECOND, 'HIDDEN' LANGUAGE IN HUMAN GENETIC CODE
ReplyDelete:-)
DeleteLemme guess, it starts "In the beginning God created heaven and earth".
DeleteOne
DeleteTeresita RedingerSat Dec 14, 11:51:00 AM EST
DeleteLemme guess, it starts "In the beginning God created heaven and earth".
That would be phenomenal, but the story does not say...probably same old quartet... :-)
This comment has been removed by the author.
Delete.
DeleteWhat I found most interesting was the comments about one of my favorite bête noirs, Monsanto and their GMO's.
After a little checking I found this
The Independent newspaper reports that there is a notice in the cafeteria of the Monsanto pharmaceutical factory is High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, advising customers “as far as practicable, GM soya and maize (has been removed) from all food products served in our restaurant. We have taken the steps to ensure that you, the customer, can feel confident in the food we serve.”
Read more at http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ffd_1339087911#S0ZYTOfICIgLS8uT.99
It is also interesting to note that Bill Gates, one of the big proponents (and investors) in GMO's doesn't supply GMO's in his cafeterias either.
http://templestream.blogspot.com/2012/02/gates-and-rockefeller-cafeterias-reject.html
.
A person could do worse than to be a Satanist. For instance, in the Garden, Yahweh told Hava not to eat the fruit, or even touch it, lest she die in the same day. Satan told her it was safe to touch, and if she ate it, she would not die for eight or nine centuries, and also she would rise to a level of awareness that encompassed human morality. Hava decided to investigate this claim, using Adamu as a control subject, in case the effects of the drug were gender-specific. After the drug trial, both subjects did not die, and they rose to a level of awareness that encompassed human morality. So Yahweh's claim was falsified, and Satan's claim was affirmed.
DeletePlease don't comment on what you know nothing about.
DeleteYou Know It Is Going To Be A Bad Day When...
ReplyDeleteThe bird singing outside your window is a buzzard.
The Gypsy fortune teller offers to refund your money.
You accidentally wash your hair with "Nair".
You call the Suicide Prevention Hotline and they put you on hold.
You find a completely empty parking lot when you get to work at 9:00 AM.
You get a paper cut from a get-well card.
You go to put on the clothes you wore home from the party and there aren't any.
You have an asthma attack on the way to work, and you confuse your inhaler with with your Mace.
You have to borrow from your Visa to pay off your MasterCard.
You put your bra on backwards, and it fits better.
You think your toothpaste tastes funny, and upon closer examination find out that it's Preparation-H.
You turn on the news and they're displaying emergency routes out of your city.
You wake up to discover that your waterbed broke; then you remember that you don't have a waterbed.
You walk to work and find your dress is stuck in the back of your pantyhose.
Your four-year-old tells you that it is almost impossible to flush a grapefruit down the toilet.
Your horn goes off accidentally and remains stuck as you follow a group of Hell's Angels on the freeway.
Your income tax rebate check bounces.
Your only son tells you he wishes Anita Bryant would mind her own business.
.
Delete:)
.
:-)
DeleteYou walk down the aisle in an immaculate tux, only to discover on the video that your fly was open.
Rufuz sed: "With Social Security continuing to run a surplus..."
ReplyDeleteRuby sed: "SS is a Ponzi transfer scheme, with no opt-out, and Rufus chortles that it's running a 'surplus'.
Rufus sed: "The SS Trust Fund contains nothing but U.S. Bonds, and it increases Every Year."
Ruby sez: "Only a leftard would call a stack of IOUs surplus assets. Social Security consists of transferring income from earners to non-earners. To make up the shortfall without raising withholding now (on baby boomers who vote), there's a stack of Treasuries, which, when cashed, will result in the transfer of more income from earners to non-earners. The chicanery makes Microsoft look like a paragon of honest bookkeeping."
Ruby sez: "Only a leftard would call a stack of IOUs surplus assets.
DeleteShhh, don't tell the Chinese.
I worked (and fought) to build the world you live in, and now you call me a "non-earner?"
Blow me.
It doesn't matter who you are or how noble your service, a stack of IOUs are not tangible assets.
DeleteKnow thyself
DeleteBlow yourself
You crude idiot.
U.S. Treasury Bonds are Not Assets?
DeleteAnd you call Me an Idiot?
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DeleteTo compare the treasuries we sell to the Chinese to the chits we call 'special bonds' that we transfer to the SSA 'account' is silly. The latter amounts to a couple of keystrokes with nothing behind them but the will of Congress while the former is backed by the full faith and credit of the US.
.
.
DeleteOne is a legal obligations the other is a political one.
.
Okey, Dokey, then.
DeleteYou're saying that the U.S. Government Debt is $12.3 Trillion, Not $17.2 Trillion.
Public Debt - Debt to the Penny
DeleteThat would put Government Debt at 73% of GDP. Not bad.
DeleteTo compare the treasuries we sell to the Chinese to the chits we call 'special bonds' that we transfer to the SSA 'account' is silly. The latter amounts to a couple of keystrokes with nothing behind them but the will of Congress while the former is backed by the full faith and credit of the US.
DeleteBoth of them amount to a loaded gun held to the heads of taxpayers, and have not the slightest resemblance to objective wealth.
You're an idiot. The only President to ever pay off the debt was Andrew Jackson, and he put us into a monster depression, as a result.
DeleteWhatever you've been reading, you need to put it down, and back away. It's complete, divorced-from-reality nonsense.
DeleteAbout 4.5 Million people earn the minimum wage, or less. There are also Millions of workers that earn slightly more than the minimum wage that would get a nice raise if the minimum was raised to, say, $10.00 - Walmart employees come to mind.
ReplyDeleteLet's say, 10,000,000 people got a raise of, oh, $2.00/hr; that would be an extra $40 Billion/yr sloshing around in the economy. Kind of like adding Two Million $20,000.00/yr jobs, or selling another Two Million Cars. Not the biggest thing in the world, but definitely a start.
I never tire of pointing out that $40 billion in funny little markers doesn't equate to $40 billion in actual wealth.
DeleteI guess your company paid you in gold bars, eh.
DeleteYou've become completely deranged.
"Fauxitized," as it were.
Mrs. Redinger is absolutely right.
DeleteThe whole economy can even go to hell and the wealth remains in the land, buildings, mines, farms, houses,etc just as before.
The money stuff can be fixed, the others not so much.
Unless you are Israeli and have a talent for making deserts bloom......
There are about $200,000.000.000.00 in unfunded obligations.
DeleteMorons United.
DeleteThere is no wealth in land if you don't have the money to pay the property taxes - and, the property taxes are, Exactly, what the guys with the guns (the government) say they are.
The guys with the guns (again, the United States government) has, ezzackly, at any given time, the "obligations" that it chooses to acknowledge - and not a penny more.
DeleteDamn Rufus, 'the guys with the guns' don't say what property taxes shall be.
DeleteI don't pay any property taxes to the US Government.
Mine go to my County, and the rates are set via the Idaho Legislature, which is run, thankfully, by farmers and ranchers, after being voted in by the farmers and ranchers.
What was the highest grade level you attained in the Mississippi school system, again?
When they send guys like me (or, at least, like I used to be) in, those farmers and ranchers don't run shit, bobo.
DeleteAsk Lee who "ran" the South after Lincoln's boy, Sherman, got through with them.
Deletegreat video of peaceful rock throwers...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZC7A-Lr4Eo&feature=em-subs_digest
As for that goofy story up above: The government is Urging, not "forcing," insurers to give those people in the high-risk pools a little grace period on their first payment.
ReplyDeleteLordy, lordy, lordy.
WWJD - "What Would Jesus Do?"
Screw'em?
Kill'em All?
Take the Holy Sword and render them asunder?
Gimmee a break.
Jesus would have been a total flop in modern medicine.
DeleteNo patience, for one thing. Always on the go.
And when he failed to heal, he blamed it all on the patient.
"Not enough belief"
Is that not so?
Rufus IISat Dec 14, 12:31:00 PM EST
DeleteAs for that goofy story up above: The government is Urging, not "forcing," insurers
Forbes is well respected. Think Don Corleone "urging"...IRS, FBI etc etc etc...Who wants the problems? It's cheaper and safer to pay the racket.
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ReplyDeleteChina completed the first soft landing on the moon’s surface in 37 years Saturday, becoming only the third country to pull off the feat
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/china-successfully-completes-first-soft-landing-on-moon-in-37-years/2013/12/14/fad6ffb4-64c6-11e3-af0d-4bb80d704888_story.html?hpid=z3
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Meanwhile the US moon program is Kaputnik.
DeleteYeah, we got kind of bored with it 44 years ago.
DeleteWhat's China going to do next? Invent the 8 Track Tape?
DeleteI don't want to go to bed by the light of a yellow Chinese moon.
DeleteI'm afraid you're not going to get much sleep, bobo.
DeleteA recent report claims that Homeland Security has ordered 8,000,000,000 rounds of 9mm ammo. If distributed to every single person on active duty in all five branches of service, each would have about 6,000 rounds. Is there something wrong with that picture?
ReplyDeleteWhy even George Zimmerman only had 105 rounds when last arrested.
DeleteGeorge, love ya, man, but a word of advice, doorknob. Next time you feel an urge to do something incredibly stupid, grab the doorknob and leave. Really, George, who draws down on their lady friend?
George,
DeleteTry roses.
Not necessarily.
DeleteSounds like a good deal when the Republicans take over, as soon they shall.
The lady friend is now begging Georgie to come back. She likes 'a strong man'.
Delete:)
Have the latest charges been dropped yet?
Last I read that was about to happen.
Hard to convict when there is no one to testify against Georgie.
Yeah, he'll kill someone else, eventually; and then you can be real proud.
Delete.
ReplyDeleteSkyfall
,
The House of Representatives has added a restriction to the Defense Authorization Act of 2014 prohibiting the transfer of prisoners from Guantanamo to Yemen, effectively forcing Gitmo to stay open. But that's okay, Obummer just drones their ass these days, weddings, bar mitzvahs, you name it.
DeleteNothing's ever really as it seems
ReplyDelete;-)
Well look what the cat dragged in!
Delete.
DeleteMelody's melodies. Always nice.
Good to see you stop in, Mel. I don't know if you've been back since we got the new redo. We are the Libertarian now. Deuce brought in a new gay decorator, the elephants have been moved to an animal park in California, and the Men and Women rooms are now Hommes and Femmes. They sprayed the place for testosterone and now most of us don't know which one to use.
What do you think of the redo? The place isn't the same without you stopping in now and then and telling us about the last road trip (or the future ones) and any new tats (actual or considered) there might be.
Hope you stop in some more over the holidays. If not, Merry Christmas to you and yours. Don't do anything crazy on New Years Eve.
(Stop in sometimes later at night. Sam would love your music.)
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Delete“Sometimes you can see things happen right in front of your eyes and still jump to the wrong conclusions.”
― Jodi Picoult
Melody,
ReplyDeleteJust for you, dear lady.
Someone Like You
Never-Ending Road
ReplyDeletePresident Tells Insurers to Aid Ailing Medicare Drug Plan
ReplyDeleteBy ROBERT PEAR
With tens of thousands of people unable to get medicines promised by Medicare, the Bush administration has told insurers that they must provide a 30-day supply of any drug that a beneficiary was previously taking, and it said that poor people must not be charged more than $5 for a covered drug.
The actions came after several states declared public health emergencies, and many states announced that they would step in to pay for prescriptions that should have been covered by the federal Medicare program.
Republicans have joined Democrats in asserting that the federal government botched the beginning of the prescription drug program, which started on Jan. 1. People who had signed up for coverage found that they were not on the government's list of subscribers. Insurers said they had no way to identify poor people entitled to extra help with their drug costs. Pharmacists spent hours on the telephone trying to reach insurance companies that administer the drug benefit under contract to Medicare.
Many of the problems involve low-income people entitled to both Medicare and Medicaid.
In a directive sent to all Medicare drug plans over the weekend, the Bush administration said they "must take immediate steps" to ensure that low-income beneficiaries were not charged more than $2 for a generic drug and $5 for a brand-name drug.
In addition, it said insurers must cover a 30-day emergency supply of drugs that beneficiaries were taking prior to the start of the new program.
In an interview yesterday, Dr. Mark B. McClellan, administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said that "several hundred thousand beneficiaries who switched plans" in December may have had difficulty filling prescriptions in the last two weeks.
In California, officials estimate that 200,000 of the state's 1.1 million low-income Medicare beneficiaries had trouble getting their medications.
Despite these problems, Dr. McClellan said, Medicare is now covering one million prescriptions a day. With the latest corrective actions, he said, "all beneficiaries should be able to get their prescriptions filled."
In the past, such predictions proved to be premature. New problems appeared as old ones were solved, and some insurers were slow to carry out federal instructions.
Since the program began on Jan. 1, many low-income people have left pharmacies empty-handed after being told they would have to pay co-payments of $100, $250 or more.
About 20 states, including California, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and all of New England, have announced that they will help low-income people by paying drug claims that should have been paid by the federal Medicare program.
"The new federal program is too complicated for many people to understand, and the implementation of the new program by the federal government has been awful," said Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, a Republican. On Saturday, he signed an emergency executive order making the state a "payer of last resort" for the out-of-pocket drug costs.
DeleteThe Bush administration said it was rushing to provide insurers with correct information about the extra subsidies available to low-income people enrolled in their plans.
"We sent files to all plans providing complete information on dual-eligible beneficiaries" entitled to both Medicare and Medicaid, Dr. McClellan said. "The plans now have all the information in one place."
The new drug benefit is the most significant expansion of Medicare since creation of the program in 1965.
The president of MemberHealth, which offers three national Medicare drug plans, has apologized to pharmacists for problems that plagued the new benefit.
"We expected much more of ourselves, and certainly our performance in the first two weeks was a disappointment," the company's president, Charles E. Hallberg, said in a letter sent Friday to pharmacists. "For that, I want to personally apologize to each of you."
Mr. Hallberg said that druggists "have experienced unacceptable wait times for customer service because we were unable to keep up with the extraordinary call volume."
In an interview, Mr. Hallberg said that 700,000 people had enrolled in his drug plans, marketed under the name Community Care Rx.
Any of the 42 million Medicare beneficiaries can sign up for the new drug coverage. Federal officials say that a surge in enrollments occurred in late December. About 6.2 million low-income people who had drug coverage under Medicaid were automatically enrolled in Medicare drug plans, and some of them have switched to other Medicare plans.
The handling of the drug benefit threatens to become a political liability for Republicans, as older voters and people with disabilities complain that they have been denied essential medications.
Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, a Republican who is chairman of the National Governors Association, declared a public health emergency.
In Wisconsin, Gov. James E. Doyle, a Democrat, said: "It is outrageous how the federal government has mishandled this program and put thousands of lives at risk. As an emergency measure, the state will step in to ensure that no seniors go without lifesaving medicines."
The Senate Democratic leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, said the mismanagement of the program had had "devastating consequences for seniors." In a letter signed by 34 other Democrats, Mr. Reid said, "We want to know why so many of our constituents have fallen through the cracks." Democrats had predicted many of the problems, he said.
The concern was bipartisan. Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire, said many people had been "turned away at their pharmacies or told that they must purchase the drugs up front and seek reimbursement later."
"These are very vulnerable people who do not have the means to pay for their prescriptions and who cannot go without their medications," Mr. Gregg said.
How Soon They Forget
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteWho is going to pay for these?
DeleteMost Frequent Procedures Performed in
U.S. Hospitals, 2010
Melody, Quirk at first thought it had been renamed The Libertine, a word applied to those uncouth who lack the normal self restrain and control generally thought necessary for those in polite society.
ReplyDeleteHe was posting like hell there for awhile until I had to point out to him it was The Libertarian, which is kinda a stupid political outlook.
Thereafter for awhile his postings dropped off radically, but now, as if sobered up for a change, he is posting more normally.
Are you kidding me? I stop by several times a week, it never fails, I miss all the posts that get deleted by the blog admin. nothing has changed
ReplyDeleteRed is not my color. : \
Re: Red
DeleteHow soon they forget. :-)
I like sam. He waxes.
ReplyDeleteHi Allen
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DeleteOh, one other thing Mel, on your way out stop in the 'powder room'. I think it's the one called 'Femmes' though it gets hard to tell when you are drinking, both rooms are done all in black marble with light gold veins running through and each has mood lighting that is kept low and classical music that starts up when you walk in the door.
But the real thing you will want to see are these things they call a bidet. I know. Crazy. Anyway they kinda look like a toilet but none of us have quite figured out what it's for or how to use it. It appears pretty sweet but they didn't leave a schematic or instructions. Rat insists it is simply a fancy drinking fountain but then he is a pretty small guy. Rufus tried to take a dump in it but hurt himself on this fountain like thingy that kinda sticks up. So, at any rate, just be careful.
Deuce's latest innovation is that he is bringing in Squatty Potty Ecco Toilet Stools for each of the stalls. The
Squatty Potty
appears to be the next great thing. It has a patented ergonomic design that Howard Stern claims make him feel more cleaned out than he has ever been in his life.
The companies slogan is "Healthy Colon:Happy Life".
It's a little hard to argue with that but some of the older guys are a little concerned about the possible dangers of climbing up on a 7" or 9" stool while you pants are hanging around your knees and you are shit-faced drunk.
We'll See.
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DeleteI would wax too, if I knew what that meant.
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Melody,
Delete:-) I hope all is going well for you. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (and any other two holidays of your choice).
Re: Squatty Potty
DeleteThis will not end well, unless you are a personal injury lawyer. Will Obamacare cover damage to both the squatty and the potty?