Battening Down The Hatches

Blogging will be even lighter than usual this weekend, in case you haven't seen it on the news there is a hurricane coming my way.

And it may be too late for this anyway but here's a list on what to prepare for.

Most my day yesterday was spent preparing for it.

Anyway, there's this for everyone else:



For the record, they're action figures, not 'dolls'.

Video: Andrew Klavan And Rules For Pundits

It's all very good advice.



Thanks to Jim.

Video: Sen. Marco Rubio At The Reagan Library

Wish there were more Senators like him in DC.



Joy has more here.

Thanks to Beth.

Nobel Prize Winner In Economics Equates Today's Earthquake To The Broken Window Fallacy. Updated: Could It Be A Parody?

What would you expect from Paul Krugman?

People on twitter might be joking, but in all seriousness, we would see a bigger boost in spending and hence economic growth if the earthquake had done more damage.

As one of the comments at the link puts it, "Japan's economy should be skyrocketing, then."

Why stop there? Get some flash "Economic Recovery" mobs ready to go smash some windows.

You know who benefits from this? The hometowns of whoever the NBA Championship, World Series and the Superbowl. Riots in the streets, turning cars over and burning couches.

This is the sort of economic recovery Detroit, Michigan revels in.

Kinda Related: You know who can use a good earthquake riht about now? Illinois.

Illinois lost more jobs during the month of July than any other state in the nation, according to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report. After losing 7,200 jobs in June, Illinois lost an additional 24,900 non-farm payroll jobs in July. The report also said Illinois’s unemployment rate climbed to 9.5 percent. This marks the third consecutive month of increases in the unemployment rate.

Update: Allahpundit at Hot Air has some doubts if it's really Krugman or some parody.

Is it real or just a goof? Kevin Williamson isn’t sure and neither am I, but given that this is the same guy who fantasized recently about the Keynesian awesomeness of an alien invasion, it’s at least a toss-up. All day long I’ve felt relieved that the quake caused only very minor damage, but now suddenly I’m bummed that the Brooklyn Bridge didn’t fall into the river. Maybe we can get DHS or the NYPD to blow it up? That’s a few thousand jobs right there.

Here's the deal. As with the space aliens comment, Krugman has said some stupid things in the past. The line between what's parody and what he really has said tends to get blurry.

Update II: It's fake but accurate:

[H]ere’s the man himself weighing in. It wasn’t his Google+ page. Duly noted, and I apologize for the error. But I hope he addresses the argument in the fake tweet on his blog. If World War II ended the Great Depression, why is it outrageous to think a Keynesian might see an economic boon to a natural calamity?

What a bummer.

5.8 / 5.9, Whatever It Takes

The east coast was hit with an earthquake today. Centered here in Virginia.

No serious damage noted yet. A gas leak in Fredericksburg at last glance.

It struck my house as if an oversize truck was rumbling down the road. Some shaking and rattling inside. Enough to freak out my daughters. Only after I told them we were having an earthquake.

Via Michigan State University's College of Natural Science.

One thing, everyone should be thankful that it was was mild as it was. Hence the fun and frivolity of it all.

According To Instapundit. . .

. . . This is what is causing the latest buzz around the internet.

Paul Ryan: Not Running For President

He's out before he was even in:

After a week of rumors that he was consulting with advisers and family members on a possible presidential run, we have learned from the Ryan camp that the House Budget Committee chair has decided not to throw his hat into the ring.

More at the Weekly Standard:

Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan has decided for a final time that he will not run for president in 2012, THE WEEKLY STANDARD has learned. Ryan, who began seriously considering a bid in late May after Indiana governor Mitch Daniels took himself out of the race, had consulted with top Republicans, including Karl Rove and Frank Luntz, as he contemplated his political future. And though many of those he talked with told him he would be a viable candidate in such a fluid race, even as a late entry, Ryan ultimately decided to continue his focus on debt and entitlement reform as chairman of the House Budget Committee.

I think he would have some credibility issues with the base if he ran. Not because of his Roadmap To America but from his record under the Bush years. He voted for No Child Left Behind and Medicare Part D and other government programs under George Bush. To now say that he's for fiscal responsibility seems more for political reasons rather than an actual Road to Damascus conversion to fiscal conservatism.

He's better off where he is now.

Another Episode Of Separated At Birth

This week, it's Rachel Maddow and Ben Folds.

Eerie coincidence, doppelgangers or long lost siblings? You be the judge.

More About The John King Shooting

Tom Blumer of News Busters noticed an odd detail or two missing from the Toledo Blade's report on the incident. The fact that the word "Scab" was spray painted on the side of John King's SUV (other reports say scratched but the picture looks like it's been vandalized with spray paint) wasn't mentioned and neither was John King's name.

If you knew nothing else about the event and only relied on the Blade's story, you would think that what occurred was some kind of random act of violence:

Lambertville man shot in arm after man tries to slash his tires

A man was shot in the arm Wednesday night when he interrupted a suspect trying to puncture his vehicle’s tires with a knife, authorities said.

... When confronted, the assailant shot a small caliber pistol at the victim, grazing his left upper arm. The victim was treated at the scene and was to seek medical treatment on his own, sheriff's deputies said.

The suspect was described as being in his mid-20s to early 30s, white, of medium build, and about 6 feet tall. He was wearing a dark-colored T-shirt, jeans, and a dark-colored baseball hat.

He appeared to be in his mid-20s or early 30s.

Note that the victim was not named.

Check out the rest to see how the Blade tried to brush under the rug the motivation of the crime.

Previously:

Man Shot In Arm By Union Member And Back-To-School Shoppers But Mostly Union Member

Video: Failed Comedian And Failed Sportscaster Talk About Herman Cain

Via The Other McCain.



If fisking MSNBC is considered to be punching down then what would hitting Curret TV be considered?

The issues that Janeane Garofalo has with Herman Cain is less ideological than it is her revealing her bigotry.

It's a soft bigotry but it's still bigotry.

Herman Cain, I feel like, is being paid by somebody to be involved and to run for president so that you go like ‘I love that, that can’t be racist. He’s a black guy, a black guy asking for Obama being impeached.’ Or ‘it’s a black guy whose anti-Muslim. It’s a black guy who is a Tea Party guy

Her noted objections aren't about policy but about the color of Cain's skin. She just can't handle a minority whose politics are different from hers. So what does she do? She closes off her mind to that possibility because it's obviously someone else fault why Cain is conservative.

And I feel like wouldn’t that suit the purposes of whomever astroturfs these things. Whether that be the Koch brothers or Grover Norquist or any anything. It could even be Karl Rove. ‘Let’s get Herman Cain involved so it deflects the obvious racism of our Republican party

Ah ha! The usual list of suspects is trotted out. Because to her, a black man can't have independent thoughts but must conform to the groupthink of the collective. Otherwise, someone has 'gotten' to him.

She can't handle it if they stray off of the Democratic Plantation. Hence her bigoted verbal whipping.

Related: Somehow, the animals always seem to know.

What The? Aliens Might Kill Everyone Because Of Global Warming?

So lets alter ever aspect of our lifestyle for some non-existent threat.

It may not rank as the most compelling reason to curb greenhouse gases, but reducing our emissions might just save humanity from a pre-emptive alien attack, scientists claim.

Watching from afar, extraterrestrial beings might view changes in Earth's atmosphere as symptomatic of a civilisation growing out of control – and take drastic action to keep us from becoming a more serious threat, the researchers explain.

This highly speculative scenario is one of several described by scientists at Nasa and Pennsylvania State University that, while considered unlikely, they say could play out were humans and alien life to make contact at some point in the future.

In the very best of hands.

Video: The Teaser For The Amazing Spider-Man

Rebooting the series from scratch.



There are a few things noticeably different from the Toby McGuire Spiderman.

This Spidey will have the normal web-shooters. Not the organic shooters like in the movies before.

The preview showed him saying goodbye to his folks before they died, in an effort to show his detached emotional point of view.

And it's looks like it might be a radioactive spider rather than the genetically modified spider that bit him.

As to see if it's theater worthy yet: The jury is still out.

Heh

This is why Drudge is Drudge.

Update: Linked by The Troglopundit.

Man Shot In Arm By Union Member And Back-To-School Shoppers But Mostly Union Member

The shooter also scratched the word, "Scab" on the victim's car. If it was a smash and grab, they wouldn't stop to key their name on the side of the SUV.

The victim was also a very successful owner of a non-union electrical shop. Tell me again how it isn't supposed to be intimidation?

Last Wednesday, however, the attacks on Mr. King became much more serious when he was awakened late in the evening at his home in Monroe County, Michigan and saw that the motion lights in his driveway had come on. When he looked out his front window, he saw a figure near his SUV and went outside.

As soon as he got outside his front door, King yelled at the individual who was crouched down by King’s vehicle. As soon as King yelled, the suspect stood and, without hesitation, fired a shot at Mr. King.

Luckily for King, as he yelled, he also stumbled. If it weren’t for that, however, John King’s injuries might have been much, much worse. In fact, he might have been killed.

Upon scrambling back into his house, King got to his cell phone and called 911. However, due to the pain in his knees and shoulder from falling, King was unaware that he had been shot in the arm.

Legal Insurrection, Red State and Ace have more.

Ed Schultz Of MSNBC Lies About Rick Perry's Statement

And in other news, the sun is hot and water is wet.

Ed Schultz admitted he was in error in deceptively editing a clip of Gov. Rick Perry, removing the meaning and context of the governor's statement. The deception was first revealed here at Breitbart.tv.

He did not apologize, and he did not explain to his viewers that the deceptively edited clip was used by Schultz to make a false allegation of racism against the Texas governor.

David Gregory: Politicians Know More About The Budget Than The American People

It's not that complex.

You spend less than you take in. The people who do spend more than their intake usually end up bankrupt, losing their homes or getting their kneecap busted by Guido, the local loan shark.



Gregory is making it more 'nuanced' than it appears (and giving the US Government way too much credit). Even people like Felonious Munk understands the debt ceiling. His words, in fact are "How do you approach the ceiling without knowing you're close to the ceiling?"

He calls Bachmann's plan "Reckless" but fails to mention that the bipartisan plan that did pass ended up with the Nation being downgraded by S & P.

But it's easier to spend others people money rather than to stop the spending.

Bumper Sticker Of The Week

The sticker in and of itself isn't that unusual:

The Suburbs: Where they rip out the trees, and name streets after them.

It's the only sticker that was vaguely political on the car.

The kicker was where the car was found. In a suburb of Richmond, Virginia.


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Behind The Scenes Of The New Batman Movie

A couple of videos for this Saturday morning.






More here at the Huff Po.

Friday Night Video: Something To Tug At The Heartstrings Of Any Father

Especially those who have daughters growing up still in the house.

Thanks to my wife for finding this for me.

Video: It's Andrew Klavan Friday. . . Again!

Not that there is anything wrong with that.



Thanks to Beth.

Video: Conan The Barbarian; The First Gorey Scene

As opposed just the first normal, opening scene.

Not for the squeamish because its Conan, he a barbarian, there are lots of of swords and axes swinging and, consequently, lots of legs and arms find their way separated from their bodies. So fair warning.



It's a remake but it looks rent worthy.

At Last: The Video Montage Of Each One Of Obama's Pivot's On Jobs

Where he keeps reaffirming his laser like focus on jobs, jobs, jobs until something shiny comes along.

From the Puff Ho of all places (link to Puff Ho, fair warning but worth a quick read).



You would think that once you lost the Huff Po, you lost the liberal establishment. Not so. Some of the comments are saying that Puff Ho has put on a mustache and gone the way of Fox News.

Some people still insist on tracing the woodgrain.*

Thanks to Viv.

*Exit question: Is Ender's Game too obscure for a sci-fi book regarding the woodgrain reference? It's one of the few references in literature where it illustrates the point I want to make.

Breaking: 11th Circuit Court Ruled ObamaCare Unconstitutional

One less brick in that wall.

An appeals court ruled on Friday that President Barack Obama's healthcare law requiring Americans to buy healthcare insurance or face a penalty was unconstitutional, a blow to the White House.

The Appeals Court for the 11th Circuit, based in Atlanta, found that Congress exceeded its authority by requiring Americans to buy coverage, but also ruled that the rest of the wide-ranging law could remain in effect.

Update: Drew at Spade's place has more.

US Consumer Confidence Low

Special Guest Posting by Captain Obvious:

Confidence among U.S. consumers plunged in August to the lowest level since May 1980, adding to concern that weak employment gains and volatility in the stock market will prompt households to retrench.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer sentiment slumped to 54.9 from 63.7 the prior month. The gauge was projected to decline to 62, according to the median forecast in a Bloomberg News survey.

The biggest one-week slump in stocks since 2008 and the threat of default on the nation’s debt may have exacerbated consumers’ concerns as unemployment hovers above 9 percent and companies are hesitant to hire. Rising pessimism poses a risk household spending will cool further, hindering a recovery that Federal Reserve policy makers said this week was already advancing “considerably slower” than projected.

“The mood is very depressed,” said Chris Christopher, an economist at IHS Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Massachusetts. “Consumers are very fatigued and very uncertain. In the short term, people are going to pull back on spending.”

Could consumer confidence be low because of policies like this?

The economic stimulus, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, provided $2.4 billion in grants to advanced vehicle batteries technology. From that amount, $300 million in grants went to Johnson Controls to manufacture batteries.

According to the White House, thus far the firm has added 150 jobs because of the grant. That means the government spent about $2 million per job, but only if no more jobs are added.

Attempted Car Jacking Ends On The Correct Note For The Suspect

They use to hang horse thieves, didn't they?

A would-be carjacker died Monday night after allegedly being shot by the car's owner on the city's west side, police said.

A preliminary investigation found the 19-year-old suspect took a man's car at a gas station about 8:30 p.m. near McNichols and Evergreen, Sgt. Eren Stephens said.

The driver, who had a concealed pistol license, then pulled out a gun, Stephens said.
[. . .]
Shots were fired; the suspect was struck at least once and continued driving the victim's car until it hit a tree, she said.

The teen was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His name was not released.

Video: "Ted Ceanneidigh" (Pronounced 'Ted Kennedy') Applies For Medicaid Despite Proof Of Steady Income

If anything, James O'Keefe and company have proved how feckless many government employees really are.

This is the sixth video they have done at various locations throughout the country and the results have been pretty much the same. Medicaid employees willing to help the applicant to skirt the law in order to apply (Other videos at the link).

In the latest video, an undercover reporter attempts to apply for benefits Medicaid offices in Biddeford and Portland, Maine.

The reporter identifies himself as “Ted Ceanneidigh” (Ted Kennedy) and says his family has a pharmaceutical and fishing business and he talks about his Corvette. He also says that his assets are in cash and precious metals. Precious metals, he says, are less traceable. The Medicaid case worker coaches him by saying, “If you can’t prove income, you don’t have income.” She also says “Don’t say anything about your Corvette.”

At this point, it's should be obvious this is the standard operating procedure for the people working at these offices. Their job is tied into-- basically-- giving away someone else's money.

If they deny an applicant and then receives a complaint from that applicant, then the employee needs to justify the denial. It's easier to just approve the applicant and go on with your hassle free day. Applicants approved, no problems and their job is done.

I think I internalized part of that from Ace's earlier post about these O'Keefe's video stings but it makes sense in the context of how a bureaucracy like Medicaid works. Trying to give credit for where credit is due.

As Peter Gibbons tells the Bobs from the movie Office Space, "That's my only real motivation is not to be hassled, that and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired."



There's an abbreviated version at the start of the video followed by the entire, unedited version of the investigation.

Post-Recall Wisconsin From The TrogloPundit On The Ground

There are a couple of things I've learned (or have been reaffirmed) is that it's always a 'Mandate' or 'Voters sending a message' when the Democrat wins.

It's never news with a Republican wins.

Lance has this:

To recap yesterday’s recall elections: Democrats picked off the two state Senate districts they were supposed to pick off. Republicans held onto the four they were supposed to hold.

One side won four purple-red districts and kept the majority. The other won two purple-blue districts and came close to the majority.

Click on over to see what it is being spun as.

Guess Who Made A Lot Of Bread Off Of The Recent Downgrade?

This is a couple of days old and that means it's old news in the Blog-O-Sphere but Ace recycles a bit now and again and that goes, "I want to talk about it now."

Give you a hint. He speaks with a funny accent. Even though he's a naturalized citizen, he still hates this country. And he has a fondness for Dr. Evil type sweat suits.

Ready?

George Soros.

It's all speculative right now, much the same way OJ is still out there, searching for the real killers.

What Do You Know, The Tea Party Was Right About The Debt Deal After All

Doug has this over at The Daley Gator.

In case you didn’t hear- and you would have to have been living in a box for the past 72 hours not to — America’s AAA credit rating was lowered to AA+ status for the first time in history on the fifth of August, and the primary reason for this move couldn’t be more painfully obvious.

Standard & Poor’s downgraded the credit rating of the United States because, even if most Americans don’t understand what baseline budgeting is, credit agencies do, and they aren’t fooled by the media’s insane mischaracterizations of the “historic debt ceiling deal” reached in Congress several days ago.

To begin with, practically every story written about the debt fight over the past few weeks has included some reference to an ‘imminent debt default’ if our government failed to reach some sort of agreement on extending the debt limit yet again. This term — or something like it — was used as a scare tactic by both the Democrat party and the mainstream press, who knew damned well that such a default was NEVER going to happen, regardless of whether Congress and the President came to an agreement on the debt ceiling matter.

The only way the U.S. would have defaulted on its debt-payment responsibilities is if President Obama had decided to not make good on them for purely political reasons. According to the Treasury Department, existing federal revenues were more than sufficient to cover these costs, as well as Social Security, Medicare and military expenditures.

Read the rest because the Tea Party was right and you know it.

Video: Reason TV And The California Open Carry Law

How Fear, Not Fact, Informs the Gun Rights Debate.

California has among the strictest gun laws in the country, and couple of local politicians are seizing the opportunity created by the Arizona shooting to make them even stricter.

While most states operate under a "shall-issue" concealed carry weapons (CCW) permitting regime, meaning that anyone who passes a basic background check can get a CCW, California uses the "may-issue" rule, which means the decision is left to the sole discretion of the county sheriff. The result? Approximately 0.1% of California citizens have CCWs, which is almost 20 times lower than in the average shall-issue state.
[. . .]
Open Carry advocate Sam Wolanyk, who once successfully sued San Diego county when police arrested him for open carrying, says that the focus on lawful gun owners is misguided.

"It doesn't matter if you stacked up 50,000 felonies," says Wolanyk of the Loughner situation. "You can't stop a crazy person from doing crazy things."

Be sure to read the rest

Can The "Tea Party Downgrade" Label Stick?

For the person who follows politics, it shouldn't.

The administration’s knee-jerk responses are somewhat inconsistent: if S&P was wrong to downgrade the debt, and the downgrade was based on a mathematical error, then it is hard to see how the downgrade can also be the Tea Party’s fault. (In the legal world, this is known as pleading in the alternative: when sued for borrowing a neighbor’s pot and breaking it, the defendant answers that he never borrowed the pot; the pot was never broken; and the pot was already broken when he borrowed it.)

Of the administration’s alternative theories, the most ludicrous is the claim that the Tea Party, the one group dedicated to doing something about the nation’s spending and debt crisis, is somehow to blame for it.

Via Insty.

Video: Marco Rubio On The Floor Of The Senate Dismantals John Kerry

Metaphorically speaking, of course.



I know, it's a bit old but yet, there's a timeless quality to it.

Thanks to Ted.

Mary Katharine Ham Shows How To Save Money: The Washington DC Way

When I presented my case to buy an iPad to my wife, I used this exact same argument. She didn't agree. Anyway, I think she might be part of a secret terrorist sect. I caught her balancing our checkbook just the other day.



Via Insty.

Michigan Moves To Kick Freeloaders Off Of Their Food Stamp Program

Via Drudge.

I don't know if this is something that students would riot over. Riots are more of a Michigan State thing and it was over booze. This is over food stamps.

Michigan has removed about 30,000 college students from its food stamp program — close to double the initial estimate — saving about $75 million a year, says Human Services Director Maura Corrigan.

Federal rules don't allow most college students to collect food stamps, but Michigan had created its own rules that made nearly all students eligible, said Brian Rooney, Corrigan's deputy director. As a result, the number of Michigan college students on this form of welfare made the state a national leader. For example, Michigan had 10 times the number of students on food stamps as either Illinois or California, Rooney said.

Video: Did Rachel Maddow Purposefully Mislead Viewers On 'Meet The Press'?

Yeah, the question is more rhetorical than anything.

Watch Breitbart.tv expose how NBC News' Rachel Maddow cherry-picks facts to make the S & P downgrade appear to be a partisan slap at Republicans. She also theatrically reads from a document on the air making it appear as though she is reading directly from S & P's statement.

This is a device Maddow uses often on her show. She takes a dramatic pause and reads from a paper on her desk which subliminally suggests to the viewer that what she is saying has some extra level of validity.

Video: Allen West's Response To John (Who Served In Vietnam) Kerry's Statement On The "Tea Party Downgrade"

Late Friday, Standard & Poor downgraded the country's credit and like clockwork, the usual suspects came out and blamed the Tea Party for it. Even a moron was able to foresee this.

What happened with the Tea Party was rhetoric. No bills passed with the full support of the Tea Party faction in Congress. The budget that finally was passed and was signed by Obama was a bipartisan bill.

That is what S & P was responding to. It's asinine to think otherwise. Which explains John Kerry.

Which brings us to today with Rep. Allen West.



My favorite take away from the clip? When West is talking about Timothy Geithner: "When you open that refrigerator door, the lights don't come on."

John Kerry (who served in Vietnam) is shoveling the usual crap Democrats like to do. He's voted in the past to increase spending time and time again and when the over-spending catches up with him, he cries out that taxes need to be raised to keep up. It's disingenuous and disgusting but what do you expect out of guy who dumps his rich wife for an even richer wife?

The Camp of the Saints has a pretty good round up about just Who is John At-Fault, including this from Protein Wisdom:

That the establishment GOP seems feckless in its attempts to get its message across is part of the Big Government kabuki dance: neither Republicans or Democrats who have become part of the career ruling class have any real desire to shrink government. The Republicans are willing to slow its growth occasionally — and they do believe in lower taxes; but as the Bush years should have taught us, they’re just as willing to spend as the Democrats, because giving gifts with other people’s money — and being praised for it — is the absolute easiest form of cheap grace on earth.

The entire establishment political class is corrupt. And it has declared open war against those Americans still left who believe in fiscal responsibility and a constitutional check on federal powers. Both the establishment Republicans and the Democrats (and their ancillary and parasitic attendants in the media and the inside-the-beltway political machinery) have shown themselves immediately willing to scapegoat the one anti-big government faction willing to insist on making the difficult choices necessary to save the country from the bloated, cynical, complacent pig class who presumes to run it in our name — though never in the way we wish. And that’s because party doesn’t really matter any longer, as I’ve been saying for years now.

Breaking: S & P To Downgrade US

From Jake Tapper:

A government official tells ABC News that the federal government is expecting and preparing for bond rating agency Standard & Poor’s to downgrade the rating of US debt from its current AAA value.

Officials reasons given will be the political confusion surrounding the process of raising the debt ceiling, and lack of confidence that the political system will be able to agree to more deficit reduction. A source says Republicans saying that they refuse to accept any tax increases as part of a larger deal will be part of the reason cited. [Emphasis mine]

No, because a bipartisan budget was passed which was crap. Not because the Republicans (at least the Tea Party faction) wanted real cuts in spending. Not projected cuts in future spending 10 years down the road where no other Congress is bound to make those cuts.

This at CNBC:

U.S. government officials are bracing for the rating agency Standard & Poor’s to downgrade the country’s credit as early as this evening, according to someone familiar with the matter.

Throughout Friday, markets were rife with speculation that S&P, which has had a negative outlook on the U.S. since April 18, would downgrade the country’s credit from its current triple-A level.

On July 14, S&P put the government on a credit watch with negative implications, meaning there was at least a one in two chance the U.S.’s long-term debt would be downgraded within 90 days.

Thanks to Jason for the last link.

Public Unions In Wisconsin Now Find Their Coffers Slowly Being Drained

Given a choice in the matter and 30 - 50% of their membership have pocketed their money.

Go figure:

Leaders of the major unions say it’s too early to talk about how many are paying by writing checks or arranging automatic withdrawals from bank accounts, but two locals contacted by the State Journal reported early successes and continuing efforts to win 100 percent participation.

The local representing Jefferson County highway workers reported 70 percent are on board with a $35 a month payment, while just under half of Grant County support service workers have chipped in the $35 to $40 a month their local has requested. [Bold mine]

Be sure to read the rest.

If the root of the fight over public unions in Wisconsin wasn't obvious enough to begin with, it should be crystal clear now. It wasn't over worker's rights. It wasn't over their claims of Gov. Walker trying to establish himself as a dictator or anything else equally absurd. It was about one thing.

Money.

Because the unions pay the dues, the union heads funnel those dues to Democrat candidates and the Democrats enable the unions. It's a vicious circle.

No matter how much they decry the 'evils of money' and hoist themselves as the champion the 'little man', they cling to money like a deer tick on a hunting dog's leg.

Bumper Sticker Of The Week

Prof. Jacobson has the photo.

I can't fathom the disconnect from reality that the driver has.

The 'Coexist' sticker flies in direct opposition to the other sticker (which has to be seen to be believed).

But it is telling who they sympathize with and who they consider their enemy.

Jonah Goldberg Goes To The Dark Side

At least we have cookies here.

Until the budget deal this week, the federal government borrowed 40 cents for every dollar it spent.

And the budget deal didn't do very much to change that. It "cut" $2 trillion over 10 years, which means Uncle Sam will overspend slightly less. If we hold to the deal -- and who among us doubts that Congress won't keep its word? -- spending will "only" increase by $1.8 trillion over 10 years. That's because in the topsy-turvy, laugh-clown-laugh world of so-called baseline budgeting, we've been talking about trimming the rate of increase. Think of Uncle Sam walking in a wind tunnel leading to insolvency. The cuts increased the headwind he has to walk into, but they don't do anything like force him to turn around.

More importantly, there are no structural reforms. It's the difference between trimming the grass and re-landscaping the lawn.

Maybe we just needed to pass the Boehner Plan to see what was in it.

Video: Chuck Schumer Uses 'Gun To The Head' Rhetoric In Press Conference

It's official: The "Hostage Taking" meme is the narrative in the Democrat Party. It obviously polled well in their focus groups.

Am I the only one who finds Schumer irony impaired? He's one who has vociferously argued for raising taxes on people. Using the point of the federal government's arm to extort money from the populace.  Yet has no problems saying that the Republicans are holding a gun to his head.  Projection isn't just a river in the desert. 



The "New Tone" not only dead, it was reanimated back to life then killed again, used a voodoo spell to bring it back as a zombie only to be dammed back to hell, summoned back to life if only to have someone splash it with holy water to exorcise it back to Hades then found it's reincarnated form only to kill it again.  And the cycle begins anew. 

Chuck U. Schumer is to civility is what Arthur Dent is to Agrajag. Except Schumer is well aware of what he is doing.

Via the sidebar at Ace.

Update: Linked by The Troglopundit and at The Other McCain in the sidebar.

Update II: Doug Ross drops a line here with his linkfest. Jimmie at The Sundries Shack was nice enough to include me in his round up as well.

Video: Montage Of Liberals Pundits Calling Tea Partiers "Terrorists"

Because not going perpetually into debt is something only a member of the Taliban would do, right?



Via Weasel Zippers.

Video: Rep. Emanuel Cleaver Calls Republican Bill "Satan Sandwich"

Because nothing says "civility" unless it's by comparing Republicans to the Prince of Darkness then asking why they aren't nicer to you within the same breath.



Via Weasel Zippers and The Daley Gator who have the transcript.

Thaddeus McCotter Lays It On The Line About The New Debt Deal Being Complete Garbage

Presidential Candidate and Congressman from Michigan explains why the bill smells like a bad foot fungus. He didn't say that exactly but sometimes you need to fill in the blanks.



It's worth the listen because he describes how the Super Committee will work and why it the Republicans will be over the barrel with it.

Seriously, the GOP needs to get this guy in front of the cameras more often to explain their cause to the public.

That being said, his vote for the budget bill (via Michelle Malkin) was more for party unity rather than principal. That's the only thing I can see why he voted for this bill which he is describing as 'unbalanced'. Politics.

One take away is that at least he knows it's a turd sandwich and isn't trying to sell it as a french dip made from Wagyū beef on a kaiser roll. So there's that.

Related: Rep. Renee Ellmers pens an editorial for Townhall explaining her vote.

Another Day, Another Democrat Sex Scandal

This time he's from The Garden State. What would you expect from where 'The Jersey Shore' is being shot?

Cumberland County Freeholder Louis Magazzu apparently pulled a[n Anthony] Weiner and was caught.

See what I did there?

When National Review Online Attacks. . .

Or at least Jonah Goldburg. Tip of the Hat to Robert Stacy.

I hate the “if this were Bush” game so we’re in luck. Instead imagine if this was Dick Cheney calling the Progressive Caucus (or whatever they’re called) a “bunch of terrorists” on the day Giffords returned to the Congress. Would the mainstream media notice or care? Would Meet the Press debate whether this raises “troubling questions” about the White House’s sensitivity? Would Andrea Mitchell find some way to blame Sarah Palin for Dick Cheney’s viciousness? Would Keith Olbermann explode like a mouse subjected to the Ramone’s music in Rock and Roll High School? Something inside me hidden away shouts, “Hell yes they would!”
[. . .]
And yet you know the next time there’s the slightest, remotely exploitable tragedy or hint of violence, the same reporters, editors, producers, and politicians are going to insist that blood was spilled because of the right wing’s rhetoric.

Well, go to Hell. All of you.

It brought to mind this clip from the John Wayne classic,

"Nobody Hate's Republicans Right Now More Than Conservatives"

With the budget being passed today-- albeit over 800 days late-- not too many people are going to know the outcome of it. Naturally, the bill has to be passed in order to find out what's it in to paraphrase Nancy Pelosi.

I'll admit, I've been a bit out of pocket for most of the day so what I hear was only a 3 second blurb at the top of the hour.

I do have a nasty suspicion that the bill is a definite compromise (where both parties walk away feeling screwed but thinking the other guy was screwed over more so) than a good old fashion barter (where both parties walk away feeling richer than before).

No final wisdom (Wisdom? Here? HA!) just the link to The Other McCain's place for this:

You might think a notoriously reckless driver like Hunter S. Thompson would have wised up to this Clintonian scam, but his deep-in-the-bones hereditary hatred of Republicans was incurable. And I’ve often wished I’d had the chance to meet the guy and explain to him what I’ve come to understand: Becoming a conservative doesn’t mean you have to quit hating Republicans.

In fact, looking around the blogosphere — or listening to Mark Levin on the radio — the past few days, I’d dare say nobody hates Republicans right now more than conservatives do.

Dan Mitchell On The Debt Ceiling Deal

Yes, the threat of taxes being raised is very real.

Politicians last night announced the framework of a deal to increase the debt limit. In addition to authorizing about $900 billion more red ink right away, it would require immediate budget cuts of more than $900 billion, though “immediate” means over 10 years and “budget cuts” means spending still goes up (but not as fast as previously planned).

But that’s the relatively uncontroversial part. The fighting we’re seeing today revolves around a “super-committee” that’s been created to find $1.5 trillion of additional “deficit reduction” over the next 10 years (based on Washington math, of course).
[. . .]
there is a risk of tax hikes, just as I warned last week. Indeed, the five-step scenario I outlined last week needs to be modified because now a tax-hike deal would be “vital” to not only “protect” the nation from alleged default, but also to forestall the “brutal” sequester that might take place in the absence of an agreement.

Please read the entire thing.

By the way, Dan Mitchell is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, so he understands how Keynesian economics (dosn't) work better than the economists who studied Keynes.

This is from about two years ago but it's still timeless.

Video: The New Batman Teaser Trailer

The Dark Knight Rises.



Don't have too much more to add other than Nolan's vision of Batman has been the best adaptation of the comic book to make it to the theater.

Video: ReasonTV At The "Save Our Schools" Rally

Via Insty.

There was a Save Our Schools rally in DC over the weekend. Reason TV was there and this was what they have.



I don't think any of those present were able to follow along with what Michelle Fields was asking. When asked about school choice they would fall back into the mantra of rich vs. poor and other class envy rhetoric.

Matt Damon had this to say in a follow up statement.

My other takeaway from this: Someone needs to kick the old guy doing the beatnik/drum circle/coffee house poetry rap onstage in the shins.