Yet another new law you need to know about

The U.S. government has just passed a new law called: "The Affordable Turkey Act..." declaring that every citizen MUST purchase a Turkey this Thanksgiving, no later than Thanksgiving itself, Thursday, November 28th, 2013. These "affordable" turkeys will cost an average of $430 -$545 each. This does not include stuffing, cooking pots, meat thermometers, hunting fees, feather plucking fees, a stove or other device used to cook it in, meat cutters, “removal of innards” fees, labor costs resulting from losses caused by passing out after eating yourself sick of turkey [i.e. 1lb dark meat = appx. 2 lbs white meat in estimated labor losses felt by your employer].

This law has been passed, because until now, typically only wealthy and financially responsible people have been able to purchase turkeys during Thanksgiving. This new law ensures that every American can now have an "affordable" turkey of his or her own, because everyone is "entitled" to a turkey during Thanksgiving. If you purchase your turkey before Thanksgiving, you will receive 4 "free" pilgrim vests; not including frequent dry-cleaning fees.

In order to make sure everyone purchases an affordable turkey, the costs of buying a Thanksgiving turkey will increase on average of 250-400% per year. This way, wealthy people will pay more for something that other people don't want, still can’t afford, or haven’t enough space in their stomachs or people in their home to eat it all. But to be fair, people who can't afford to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving will be regularly fined and children (under the age of 26) can just eat their parent’s turkey until they turn 27; then they must purchase their own turkey for Thanksgiving. If you already have a turkey, you can keep yours (just kidding; no you can't). If you don't want or don't need turkey this Thanksgiving, you are required to buy one anyhow. If you refuse to buy one or can't afford one, you will be regularly fined $800 until you purchase one, or face imprisonment. Failure to eat the turkey this Thanksgiving will also result in fines. People living on the beachfronts; ghettos; inner cities or areas with no access to grocery stores or hunting grounds are not exempt. Meat allergies, veganism/vegetarianism, PETA advocates, lack of knowledge nor desire to cook your turkey are unacceptable excuses for not eating your turkey this Thanksgiving.

A government review board (that doesn't know the difference between the turkey, duck, and bacon in a turducken will decide everything, including; when, where, how often and for what purposes you can eat your turkey, to include how many people you can share your Thanksgiving turkey with and determine if one is too old or healthy enough to be able to eat turkey. They will also decide if your turkey is acceptable to FDA or USDA standards or if you must purchase specific seasonings, condiments, recipes or other additions, (like a government issue can of cranberry sauce estimated at $25.00) or a newer and more fresh turkey. Those who can afford turduckens will be required to do so...it's only fair.

The government will also change the name of the “wishbone” to the “hopebone” as they will be determining the full extent of your fortune in the event that you snap off the larger half of said bone. Failure to comply with these rules – such as continuing to call it a “wishbone” – will also result in fines and possible imprisonment.

Government officials are exempt from this new law. If they want a Thanksgiving turkey, they and their families can obtain turkeys for free, at the expense of taxpayers. Unions, bankers and mega companies with large political affiliations ($$$) are also exempt. If the government can force you to buy health insurance, they can force you to buy a Thanksgiving turkey....or ANYTHING else.. It really is that simple.

By: Constitutional Watchmen

The Thanksgiving Day Store Opening flap

Oh the outrage that some major retailers will be open on Thanksgiving Day!  Many single and foreign born employees like the extra hours, and the people I know who work retail "bid" for their hours. Also, why are we concerned only about retail when restaurants, churches, hospitals are open and people are working, as are police, fire and utility workers, transportation (air, rail, ship) gas stations, movies and quick stop places? I don't plan to shop on Thursday, and certainly not on Friday. But it's a choice.

Retail stores are in a tight spot--for some retailers the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas is 20-40% of sales, and the dollar spent at Walmart isn't spent at Sears or Kohls, so most try to compete. Our gifts are so modest, it will make no difference if they are open around the clock. Retail stores are also competing with internet shopping, open 24/7. Stores with fewer sales have to charge more for each item--it's called profit margin, and for department stores it's about 3%, and less for specialty stores.

If you want to shop that store or see those movies the rest of the year, please allow them to do what they need to do to make a profit at Christmas and don't call them greedy. Retailers are not government agencies paid for with tax dollars or non-profits with tax breaks.  Profit is why they are there.

Many early settlers and conservative Christian groups did not celebrate Christmas at all because of its pagan origins and the drunken revelry that accompanied the holiday. My mother was born in 1912, and her family didn't exchange presents or celebrate. You have the choice—don’t’ shop on Thanksgiving if you want to spend the day with family and do limit your purchases so you can have a non-materialistic and spiritual holiday.

It’s still fun . . .

God didn’t answer Joe Biden’s prayer in 2005

Another way Obamacare will hurt your local economy

It isn’t just that employers won’t invest in expansion in order to avoid adding new employees, or that investors are waiting to see what happens, but the extra money needed to pay insurance premiums won’t be going to the restaurant, the hair dresser, the clothing store, the manicurist, the cable company, etc.  Kate Joy of Sonoma, California has to come up with about $790 more a month to cover the increase in her health insurance, which had been $499 (it had been less until California began requiring birth control for all) and has increased 150%.  Here’s her list of cuts. That’s mostly money that won’t be supporting businesses, workers, and taxes in Sonoma.

• Stop paying the extra payment on my mortgage: $100/month
• Stop eating out: $150/month
• Don’t go to the movies: $36/month
• Switch to getting a haircut every other month: $15/month
• Stop getting manicures: $40/month
• Stop monthly charitable donations to Wounded Warrior and Habitat for Humanity: $70/month
• Stop saving for an annual anniversary getaway: $60/month
• No Christmas gifts to extended family: $40/month
• Quit buying beef at the grocery store: $100/month
• Teeth cleaning only once per year: $30/month
• Cancel all magazine/newspaper subscriptions: at least $30/month
• Cut DISH service to cheaper plan: $50/month
• Cancel land line phone service: $70/month

Complete article here.

The article was about financial advice found in famous fiction

This was one of the comments on the article.

The greatest book of fiction has yet to be written.  That's only because its voluminous pages are still being made every single day, and appears will continue to do so daily for at least the next several years. 

In years forth, those historians whom are laboriously working to author the greatest book of fiction ever compiled from one man's public statements, will simply title the book:

"Campaign Promises and Other Guarantees Made By Barack Obama"

Denise Cantu

Today he would probably be considered a Tea Party President

Abort a disabled baby?

One of my proudest moments—guest blogger Milton

One of the proudest moments of my life was walking into the voting booth, twice, and not voting for Barack Obama. You see, unlike so many other blacks, I take my faith and the welfare of my family and country seriously.. Unlike most blacks... who put race above all else, I try to live by the words of Dr. King. I choose to judge people not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. With these established priorities in my life I proudly and willingly voted for a person who reflected my values.

Today we are witnessing perhaps the most blatant and concerted destruction of our Republic by people who lack virtue, decency and certainly a love of country. As Democrats led by Reid, Pelosi and Obama rape and pillage our country bringing it to a third world status, while I pray and work hard to prevent this from happening, if America does go in this direction I take some solace in the fact that I will be able to look my grandchildren in the eyes and tell them that for them and the nation, grandpa stood on the correct side of history and remained true to my faith, values and that I fought the good fight.

Used with permission, from BQI Facebook (Black Quill and Ink).

What is offensive at the White House?

“In the Obama Administration, you can completely botch the Obamacare launch, run guns to Mexican drug gangs, let four people die in Benghazi on your watch, commit egregious transgressions against freedom of the press, and break the law by targeting political opposition with IRS, call for a race war against white people and still keep your job. But insult Valerie Jarrett in an anonymous tweet? Clean out your desk.”

Gay Patriot Blog

When Barack Obama did tell the truth--2001

“Politicians are said to speak the truth only by mistake. As his political career took off unexpectedly, Obama subsequently hid his views on redistribution, except in unguarded moments, such as “you didn’t build that” or “spreading the wealth around is good.” But on that day in 2001 in a Chicago public radio station, Obama candidly expounded his political and social philosophy as shaped by his critical-legal studies professors at Harvard and his experience as a community organizer in Chicago.

The 2001 “Obama Raw” interview remains the one definitive Obama soliloquy on the Constitution, redistribution, and economic justice.”

Radio audio here.

Forbes article here.

Lack of insurance doesn’t make people sick

There may be an insurance gap, gender gap or access gap for the mentally ill, but that isn't what made them ill. There may be some people who need cholesterol or high blood pressure medicine and don't get it because they bought groceries instead, but that's not what caused their high cholesterol. There may be men going to bath houses who don't know there is a drug out there for the disease they are about to plant inside the anus or mouth of another man, but it isn't ignorance or poverty that is causing their behavior.

Only capitalism can lift the masses out of poverty in developing countries

“Outside of the financial sectors in the United States and Europe, capitalism is more prominent than ever. Country after country is reducing the scale of its public enterprises and expanding the scope of the private sector. For the first time in almost 70 years, Mexico has opened it oil and other energy sectors to greater participation by private firms. The new leaders of China have expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of public enterprises, and have called for greater participation by private firms in many sectors, including financial markets.

The formerly mainly socialist government of the very poor nation Rwanda has been encouraging private companies to increase its role in the limited landlocked Rwanda economy. India is trying to reduce its many labor market and other regulations so that direct foreign investments will increase in India, and its own private firms will expand their activities. On the other side of the ledger, nations like Venezuela that has conducted a war on the private sector has seen poverty grow and its economy stagnate.

The reason behind these pro-capitalist activities is that more and more countries have realized that despite is many flaws, capitalism is the only system yet devised that brings hope of lifting the masses out of poverty and creating a robust middle class. Most people realize this, and have prevented political leaders from using the reaction against capitalism brought on by the financial crisis to try to radically transform a system that has brought so much wealth and health to the peoples of the world.”

Becker-Posner blog

The cost of college today compared to “my-day”

2013-14 Tuition, Fees, and Housing Costs for Manchester University (college) where I attended in 1957-58 for about $1,000.  

Tuition: $27,000; Fees: $920; Room: $5,500; Board: $3,750 (Full meal plan);  Total Direct Costs: $37,170 (about $39,000 if a different dorm and food plan is selected); add books, travel, personal items.

So why is college over 4x (adjusted for inflation) more than when I went?

• there were no government loans and few scholarships in 1957
• there were minimal amenities in 1957--no natatorium, no rec center, no plush dormitories--our entire dorm shared one phone
• there are many more regulations and mandates from the government in 2013 to add to costs
•   there are more costly scientific and technology equipment affecting everything from library to ordering food to tracking admissions in 2013
• there were stiffer entrance requirements in 1957 and many students in 2013 shouldn’t be in college.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324549004579068992834736138

http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/2013/10/why-does-college-cost-so-much-posner.html

“The curved glass wall of Haist Commons, a dining room and gathering space, is the most prominent addition to the building. Large open areas, balcony overlooks, and extensive use of exterior and interior glass walls help create bright, inviting spaces, connecting activity areas visually and providing views of the campus. The renovation brought the campus bookstore back into the union, allowing for combined staffing with the mailroom. The bookstore also shares a double sided fireplace with The Oaks Lounge.”

This student union was built in 1963; there wasn’t one in 1957. Even small church schools have to be competitive with amenities.

Always. It’s always about him.

Obama is twice as large as JFK in this official photograph.

• Gutsy call: President Obama disgracefully honors himself in speech, campaigns on Memorial Day
• All the president’s ego: conservatives mock Obama’s insertion of his name into other presidential bios
• Narcissist in chief: Obama honors Neil Armstrong with picture of himself
• President Obama marks end of combat operations in Iraq with another portrait of himself
• All about him: Obama’s birthday tweet to Biden is a pic of himself
• Narcissist in chief: President Obama honors Rosa Parks anniversary with picture of himself
• Disgrace: President Obama commemorates Pearl Harbor attack with photo of himself
• Narcissist in chief: Obama maintains laser-like focus on himself at Inouye memorial
• Obama’s narcissism during Inouye service even noted by Slate; White House posts Inouye photo starring Obama

Link to the links

Statistics run wild

Socialized or single payer health insurance will not change some health problems that are unique to the United States, says N. Gregory Mankiw in the New York Times.

For some clarity about life expectancy and health care let's look at research before Obamacare became the lightning rod. The murder rate, particularly among young black men, the obesity rate and lifestyle choices, traffic accidents, and our high immigration rates that include people with poor health, might indicate social patterns that need addressing, but they are not functions of the health care system.

Unfortunately, this bit of advice on health insurance was ignored. “Any reform should carefully focus on this group to avoid disrupting the vast majority for whom the system is working. We do not nationalize an industry simply because a small percentage of the work force is unemployed. Similarly, we should be wary of sweeping reforms of our health system if they are motivated by the fact that a small percentage of the population is uninsured.”

http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/2009/06/health-care-becker.html

"A study published in Lancet Oncology in 2007 calculates cancer survival rates for both men and women in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union as a whole. The study claims that the most important determinants of cancer survival are early diagnosis, early treatment, and access to the best drugs, and that the United States does very well on all three criteria. Early diagnosis helps survival, but it may also distort the comparisons of five or even ten-year survival rates. In any case, the calculated five-year survival rates are much better in the US: they are about 65% for both men and women, while they are much lower in the other countries, especially for men. These apparent advantages in cancer survival rates are large enough to be worth a lot to persons having access to the American health system. Several measures of the quality of life also favor the US. For example, hip and knee replacements, and cataract surgery, are far more readily available in the US than in Europe. The cancer survival and quality of life advantages enjoyed by US residents indicates that Americans get something for the large amount they spend on health care, but they do not indicate that the bang for the health buck is greater in the US, or even that the US health delivery system is reasonably efficient."

Obama’s insurance fix

Who is the bigot?

If you have the progressive view of marriage (it is an emotional attachment approved and defined by many in the 21st century), and I have the traditional view (it is approved by God and all of history and cultures), are you then a bigot if you think the 21st century marriage should be limited to two adults, but not three or four, or one adult and a minor, or a brother and sister, or three sisters, or five cousins, or a grandfather and granddaughter? If it is an emotional attachment and the people are committed and need the tax benefits, who are you to judge, if I can’t judge?  If my belief in traditional marriage doesn’t matter, why does yours?  Is it unfair for those with a different view to call you be a bigot because you deny them their loving relationship with societal approval?

You can Google “polyamory” and find many websites of people looking for your participation and approval.  They are using the same argument about civil and government rights and societal approval you are.  Many African and Muslim cultures approve and encourage child brides, as well as the genital mutilation of young girls as the threshold for marriage. (The men think they’ll be less likely to be infected by disease if they marry a young virgin.

Tightwad tips I don’t use

I don’t know if anyone remembers the book byAmy Dacyczyn (sounds like decision), “The tightwad Gazette” (1993).  I was looking through it this morning while I rode on my exercycle watching TV (I was multi-tasking, but had to stop to write this.) Here are two I won’t do. 

1) Turn the return envelopes you don’t need inside out and use the plain side.  At the cost of a box of envelopes (and the fact that few people even mail things these days), this sounded like a huge waste of time, and time is money too. What I have done is buy a box of Christmas cards at 36 for a dollar, and just use the envelopes (since we make our own, we don’t need commercial cards).

2) Empty the vacuum cleaner bag by opening the bottom and reuse it by carefully stapling the bottom glued fold. Whoa!  I remember emptying the cloth bag on a newspaper of the old Hoover an aunt passed along to us in 1960.  The amount of dust that is reintroduced to the air (or your lungs) just isn’t worth it.  Besides, the cat hair in the bag would make this difficult.  Amy really doesn’t describe how to get the dust out of the used bag.

I never took a photo of the Hoover Aunt Marg gave us, but it sort of looked like this one I found on the Internet.  Until you actually do a search on the images, you have no idea how many models there are. I think we might have given the old Hoover to our son for his first apartment. I’m sure it was over 50 years old by that time.

Human hair is a natural deer repellant—just thought I’d throw that in just in case you’re saving money by giving the family home hair cuts.

Big oops!

An openly homosexual teenager, who was given a position as an “adviser” to Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton and honored by President Barack Obama at a White House “gay pride” dinner, has been indicted on more than a dozen counts of sexual misconduct with a minor under the age of 15.

Caleb Laieski, 18, has been nationally recognized for his advocacy, after overcoming anti-gay bullying that led him to drop out of high school. He was prominently featured in an anti-bullying documentary, earned a gig acting as a youth and diversity advocate for Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton's office, and even met with President Obama and Vice President Biden to talk about LGBT youth issues.
Recently, however, Laieski was indicted by a grand jury on the sex-crime charges, in a case in which Laieski's alleged to also be a victim.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/20131118anti-bullying-activist-indicted-sex-abuse.html

November 22, 1963

“Will we ever know the truth about Nov. 22, 1963,”  they ask? Why yes. Lee Harvey Oswald, a Communist American recently of the USSR, shot and killed John F. Kennedy in a motorcade in Dallas. The media jumped on the idea immediately that it was right wing nuts and that much hasn't changed in 50 years of public tragedies. That Sunday when I was watching TV, I saw Jack Ruby kill Oswald, the only person who could explain why. And the conspiracy theories have been hatching regularly since. This gives the perps their 10 minutes of fame and a book deal. It's a cottage industry.

Got insurance?

Friday Family photo—a rerun

http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2006/07/2673-friday-family-photo-thirty-years.html

The Bruces and the Bruces, 1976, Huntington Beach, California

Naked hypocrisy in the Senate

Today Harry Reid wants to squash Republican's right to filibuster, but he had a different tune in 2005.

"The filibuster is far from a “procedural gimmick.” It is part of the fabric of this institution. It was well known in colonial legislatures, and it is an integral part of our country’s 217 years of history.

The first filibuster in the U.S. Congress happened in 1790. It was used by lawmakers from Virginia and South Carolina who were trying to prevent Philadelphia from hosting the first Congress.

Since 1790, the filibuster has been employed hundreds and hundreds of times.

Senators have used it to stand up to popular presidents. To block legislation. And yes – even to stall executive nominees.

The roots of the filibuster can be found in the Constitution and in the Senate rules. . . “

Obama and Biden too supported the filibuster in 2005 when it benefitted them.  Biden,

“…I say to my friends on the Republican side, you may own the field right now, but you won’t own it forever. And I pray God when the Democrats take back control we don’t make the kind of naked power grab you are doing.”

Senator Obama in 2005:

"Everyone in this chamber knows that if the majority chooses to end the filibuster—if they choose to change the rules and put an end to democratic debate—then the fighting and the bitterness and the gridlock will only get worse."

Put Beth Moore’s new book on your Christmas list

Do you have some Beth Moore fans on your Christmas list? "Whispers of hope; 10 weeks of devotional prayer" (B&H Publishing Group, 2013, $14.99) might be a good choice. I just received my copy, and I really like the plan. You remember how Beth loves assignments and workbooks? With each of the 70 days, there are assigned scripture, Beth's personal and anecdotal musings, and then pages with 4 line...s each for your own thoughts on Praise, Repentance, Acknowledgment, Intercession, Supplication for Self, and Equipping. Whether you write something down isn't as important in my view as the nudge to include these areas in your prayer life.

"I'm certain of two things: prayerless lives are powerless lives, and prayerful lives are powerful lives." Beth Moore

                        

Presidents’ famous words

Breakfast casserole in a crock pot

I’m not sure why this would be any easier than baking it in the oven, but maybe some people want to sleep in.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag 26 oz. frozen hash browns
• 12 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon ground mustard
• 1 16 oz. roll sausage maple, sage or regular sausage.
• Salt and pepper
• 16 oz. bag shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

• 1. Spray crock pot and evenly spread hash browns at the bottom.
• 2. Crack 12 eggs in a large bowl.
• 3. Mix well (and slowly) using a whisk.
• 4. Add the milk.
• 5. Go ahead and sprinkle in the ground mustard.
• 6. Add salt and lots of fresh pepper. Mix well and set aside.
• 7. Cook the sausage on high heat, drain and set aside.
• 8. Add sausage on top of hash browns.
• 9. Add cheese.
• 10. Mix it up well.
• 11. Pour the egg mixture over everything in the crock pot. Using a wood spoon, even everything out so it's spread evenly.
• 12. Turn the crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. Some fun variations of this recipe. Before cooking (during prep) you can add: chunks of sourdough bread, diced chiles, salsa, diced green onions

Is this a great country? Praise for our immigrants

In November 2005 I wrote a blog about trying to find a place to have my morning coffee on Thanksgiving Day, but everything except White Castle was closed, and their employees were all immigrants. Someone commented that it was ironic that immigrants were working so Americans could enjoy the holiday. To which I answered:

"Yes, that would indeed be the liberal view. The conservative view is that this is the land where immigrants are still welcome, where even when their English is barely passable, they can work if they want to, that they were given the choice, and were probably paid double time for a holiday, even though to them it was just another day. And the happiest guy in the store was probably the developmentally disabled employee, because he really wants to make a contribution to society and White Castle is giving him that opportunity.

And the Asian lady probably has a daughter in college, and the Hispanic who now rides a bicycle to work in the dark is saving for a car, something he'd never be able to afford in the old country.

Is this a great country or what?"

The OSU Marching Band

Some Incredible Numbers about the OSU Marching Band aka TBDBITL.

Their quality is so high that, according to OSU information, in the weeks following the "Tribute to Michael Jackson" show, stories about OSUMB have been carried by over 1,000 media outlets around the world, and the University's Facebook page saw an 11,000% increase in traffic. Perhaps the most staggering statistic is that the University estimates that the total number of people who heard about OSUMB in the past few weeks exceeds 6 Billion (yes, that's a "B"). That's over 80% of the world's population.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20748064,00.html

http://deadspin.com/the-ohio-state-marching-bands-michael-jackson-tribute-1449315662

http://thelantern.com/2013/10/ohio-state-marching-band-attracts-attention-today-michael-jacksons-mom/

“If this show convinces an extra fan to stay and watch their show at halftime, or even an extra child to pick up an instrument in elementary school, it’s worth it,” Kosta Nicolozakes said (plays baritone in the band).

Message from a gay Catholic

“When I first came out in the 1980s, it was common for gay rights apologists to blame the promiscuity among gay men on "internalized homophobia." Gay men, like African Americans, internalized and acted out the lies about themselves learned from mainstream American culture. Furthermore, homosexuals were forced to look for love in dimly lit bars, bathhouses, and public parks for fear of harassment at the hands of a homophobic mainstream. The solution to this problem, we were told, was permitting homosexuals to come out into the open, without fear of retribution. A variant of this argument is still put forward by activists such as Andrew Sullivan, in order to legitimate same-sex marriage. And it seemed reasonable enough twenty years ago. But thirty-five years have passed since the infamous Stonewall riots of 1969 in New York, the Lexington and Concord of the gay liberation movement. During that time, homosexuals have carved out for themselves public spaces in every major American city, and many of the minor ones as well. They have had the chance to create whatever they wanted in those spaces, and what have they created? New spaces for locating sexual partners. . .

“But at this point, how is it possible to blame the promiscuity among homosexual men on homophobia, internalized or otherwise? On the basis of evidence no stronger than wishful thinking, Andrew Sullivan wants us to believe that legalizing same-sex "marriage" will domesticate gay men, that all that energy now devoted to building bars and bathhouses will be dedicated to erecting picket fences and two-car garages. What Sullivan refuses to face is that male homosexuals are not promiscuous because of "internalized homophobia," or laws banning same-sex "marriage." Homosexuals are promiscuous because when given the choice, homosexuals overwhelmingly choose to be promiscuous. And wrecking the fundamental social building block of our civilization, the family, is not going to change that. . .

Over the years, I have attended various gay and gay-friendly church services. All of them shared one characteristic in common: a tacit agreement never to say a word from the pulpit -- or from any other location for that matter -- suggesting that there ought to be any restrictions on human sexual behavior. If anyone reading this is familiar with Dignity or Integrity or the Metropolitan Community churches or, for that matter, mainline Protestantism and most of post-Vatican II Catholicism, let me ask you one question: When was the last time you heard a sermon on sexual ethics? Have you ever heard a sermon on sexual ethics? I take it for granted that the answer is negative. Do our priests and pastors honestly believe that Christians in America are not in need of sermons on sexual ethics?”

Ronald G. Lee (the original article was written in 2006)

Billary and BO

“For now, Clinton is popular, a Democratic icon, and Obama is relying on him for a life raft in the current storm. Clinton knows something about comebacks, and if Obama can recover, Hillary is the beneficiary. Clinton can’t say it, not yet, but he thinks Hillary will be a better president than Obama, heck, maybe better than he was.”  Eleanor Clift, Nov. 20

It was a short week because of the holiday

• Last week, 66 new final regulations were published in the Federal Register. There were 78 new final rules the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every two hours and 33 minutes.
• All in all, 3,186 final rules have been published in the Federal Register this year.
• If this keeps up, the total tally for 2013 will be 3,604 new final rules.
• Last week, 1,689 new pages were added to the 2013 Federal Register, for a total of 68,313 pages.
• At its current pace, the 2013 Federal Register will run 77,278 pages, which would be good for fifth all time. The current record is 81,405 pages, set in 2010.
• Rules are called “economically significant” if they have costs of $100 million or more in a given year. No such rules were published last week, keeping the total at 35 so far in 2013.
• The total estimated compliance costs of this year’s economically significant regulations ranges from $6.42 billion to $11.82 billion.
• So far, 289 final rules that meet the broader definition of “significant” have been published in 2013.
• So far this year, 629 final rules affect small business; 86 of them are significant rules.

http://www.openmarket.org/2013/11/18/ceis-battered-business-bureau-the-week-in-regulation-90/

http://cei.org/10kc

Total costs for Americans to comply with federal regulations reached $1.806 trillion in 2012. For the first time, this amounts to more than half of total federal spending. It is more than the GDPs of Canada or Mexico.

2013 is on track to be the 5th largest in regulations, with 2010 being the winner.

How abortions after 18 weeks are performed

Written by Abby Johnson, who formerly worked for Planned Parenthood, and also had an abortion. From her FaceBook page, November 20, 2013

The mother goes in for her initial ultrasound to date the pregnancy. Also at this visit, Laminaria (seaweed sticks) are inserted into the cervix. These sticks will begin the dilation process.

The next step begins with the doctor inserting a large (amniocentesis like) needle through the mother's belly into the amniotic sac. The doctor will inject a lethal dose of Digoxin into the fluid. The baby will gulp the fluid which is laced with the Digoxin. (Abortionists will say that the Digoxin is inserted directly into the baby's heart, but this is very rarely the case.) The overdose will begin. It could take up to 48 hours for the baby to die. During this time, the mother may feel her baby thrashing around in her womb.

On day two, the mother will go back to the facility for a follow up ultrasound and for insertion of more Laminaria. The doctor will need the woman's cervix dilated to at least 8cm. During the ultrasound, if the baby is still alive, they will inject additional Digoxin into the amniotic sac.

Day three. Delivery of the stillborn baby begins. They will hook the mother up to medication (Pitocin) to begin labor. After labor begins, the mother will be sedated. Nurses and other staff with physically push on the mother's abdomen in order to deliver the child. After delivery, the child will be weighed, measured, and incinerated.

After no more than 2 hours in recovery, the mother is sent home with two different antibiotics (Cephalexin and Doxycycline), pain killers (Ibuprofen and Hydrocodone), anti nausea medication (Phenergan), and a blood coagulant (Methergen) to help stop the bleeding.

Font Fail

D.E.A.R.

Watched a really excellent program on Alzheimer's on EWTN. The segment I saw was using DEAR as an acronym and the R was for rest and relaxation and the importance of forgiveness in controlling stress, which increases the body's level of cortisol. The other letters were D for diet, E for exercise, A for something like brain aerobics. Dr. Fortanasce and Dr. Landry hosted. I did find some YouTube presentations by Fortanasce, but the entire 13 week program is on EWTN.

The D.E.A.R program goal is to prevent Alzheimer's disease is those with no genetic pre-disposition and to delay it 10 to 15 years in those with a genetic pre-disposition. The four month clinic program is based on a 4-step medically-proven plan from The Anti-Alzheimer's Prescription, by Dr. Vincent Fortanasce.

While the primary focus of the D.E.A.R program is Alzheimer's prevention; following these simple lifestyle and dietary modifications can also prevent or lesson the symptoms of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, joint and spine disease and many other health issues. Our program is not just about living longer, it is about living better.

http://www.healthybrainmd.com/the-dear-program.html

Bashir and MSNBC and Palin

I'm not going to sign the petition to fire Bashir, the creep on MSNBC who thought Sarah Palin should be tortured because she used the word slavery in talking about our debt. No, let MSNBC go down with him. Just don't watch them. Vote with your remote!  He's entitled to be stupid and MSNBC should pay the price for not setting better journalism guidelines.

And more

PEPFAR and sex workers with U.S. money

In 2003, when signing the legislation passed to create the program "President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief" President Bush called PEPFAR "a medical version of the Marshall Plan." And it was. From 100,000 victims receiving anti-retroviral drugs, about 2 million were receiving them 5 years later, half of whom were babies. 21 billion was spent in over 80 countries from 2004-2011. It was so successful in saving lives, that it had bi-partisan support in 2008 for expansion.

As of September 2012, PEPFAR reports that it has supported antiretroviral treatment for more than 5.1 million, care for 15 million, including 4.5 million orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), and in FY 2012, by providing antiretroviral prophylaxis to 750,000 HIV positive pregnant women, enabled 230,000 babies to be born HIV-free. Numbers sound great, so does success rate, right? Other than the small pox and polio campaigns to vaccinate millions of children back in the 40s and 50s, I can't think of too many health efforts this successful.

Hold on to your hats. The Supreme Court has ruled that the anti-prostitution pledge (required of partners in PEPFAR to get the grant money) violates the First Amendment by requiring recipients to adopt and espouse, as their own, our government's view of moral disapproval of commercial sex work. So grant recipients can promote and condone prostitution. The idea is that sex workers need services, too. Yes, I'm sure they do. But I think this is outrageous, especially considering what is happening to OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS, and our tax money is used to assure that African sex workers have free speech. JAMA, Sept. 18, 2013 pp. 1127-28

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleID=1733774

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2012/jul/24/prostitution-us-aids-funding-sex

http://www.amfar.org/pepfar-receives-glowing-report-but-funding-at-risk/

"Nearly 60% of HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa occur among women."  How to fog up the issue.  These women are getting HIV from men who have sex with men and men who have sex with prostitutes who get it from men who have sex with men. FGM contributes to the transmission of HIV, but I don’t see any discussion of that. http://www.pepfar.gov/press/strategy_briefs/138405.htm

http://womensenews.org/story/genital-mutilation/070810/health-activists-link-spread-hiv-aids-fgm

http://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/africa1203/6.htm

http://www.ednahospital.org/hospital-mission/female-genital-mutilation/

Typo, but you get the idea

Rhymes with hemorrhoid.

November 19, 1863, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

President Obama is just not doing well with this Gettysburg Address thing. First he bails on attending the 150th event in Pennsylvania, offending even some of his strongest supporters (he had a meeting with some Wall St. CEOs scheduled for today, although he'd been invited over a year ago), then it comes out when he recorded the speech for Ken Burns to "mash" with other Presidents and celebs (a really odd collection including some of my least favorite TV reporters), he does so without the "under God" phrase, so Jimmy Carter got that part. Really, what is wrong with this man, who literally spoke from Lincoln's grave to get elected in 2008? It's like he carries a stick to poke us in the eye regularly.

Amen to that!

Do you need a reasonably priced small gift for Christmas, a book maybe?  For someone who is a word nerd, and just a little bit religious?  I’m suggesting “Amen to that! The amazing way the Bible influences our everyday language,” by Ferdie Addis, Reader’s Digest, 2014. 165 pp. (5 x 7 inches, hard cover) $14.99.

I just received it today for review, and am having such fun browsing. Each familiar saying (that perhaps you didn't know came from the King James Bible) includes the appropriate verse reference and several paragraphs of explanation, history and how it is used today. There is also a nice bibliography and index, which are the heart's desire for most librarians (Romans 10:1), even those who are 3 score and 10 (Psalm 90:10).

So for that special someone who is “the apple of your eye,” or “the salt of the earth” for whom there’s “nothing new under the sun,” try this one.

Before and after the tornado

Washington, Illinois.  Between 250 and 500 buildings were damaged or destroyed and about 120 people were injured in Washington, where winds reached an estimated 170 to 190 miles per hour on Sunday, November 17.

Ten things I miss about being a kid—Monday Memories

I’m not one of those people who looks back in nostalgia about childhood—I always wanted to be an adult, as long as I can remember.  Obviously, children are naïve about adulthood—believe they’ll have more freedom and control.  And that’s the truth—it’s just not as they imagine.  Here’s a few things I do miss as I age.

1.  I miss being able to run up and down stairs, taking them two at a time. As a child, I don’t think I ever walked when I used stairs, and I’ve always lived in a house that had stairs. I could also put my leg over my head and around my neck—not a particularly useful talent, but no one else could do it.

2.  I miss horses—the smell, touch and feel.  As a child that was my obsession.  I would hang out at the Ranz barn sitting on them and grooming them, I would ride friends’ horses, I would draw pictures of horses, I collected little horse statues, and I pretended my bicycle was a horse named “Red.” The bicycle was blue.

3.  I miss being the best artist in my age group and among my friends. My mother made sure I had plenty of paper, and 65 years later I still have some of the art supplies she gave me (dried up, but I don’t throw them away).

4.  I miss being able to eat all I wanted.  My mother really didn’t keep a lot of extra food in the house, and snacking was so sensible it would make a 21st century child weep—sliced raw potatoes, raw cabbage, or a slice of bread sprinkled with sugar.  But I never worried about putting on weight, which after age 18 was always on my mind. 

5.  I miss the sound of my mother’s voice as she read to my brother and me—Little House series (some published in the 1930s),  My Book House, or other quality books—even the Little Engine that Could, and Chicken Little.  Mother was great with accents and dialog, and always made the stories vivid. I already knew how to read, but it was more fun when she did it.

6.  I miss Christmas excitement—lying on the floor shaking packages to see if I could guess what was in them.  Hoping for new doll clothes made by my mother from left over fabric of my clothes.  Knowing some things would be practical clothing items didn’t dull the thrill. Traveling to relatives for a big dinner and seeing cousins was part of it, and I’ve forgotten all the squabbles about who would sit where and how long we had to wait. Looking forward to Grandma’s check each year (all year) and planning how to spend it came after she stopped buying us individual gifts like art supplies and magazine subscriptions.

7.  I miss winning the races.  Although I was never athletic and didn’t like to sweat, there was a time, around age 8 when I could outrun everyone in my class, even the boys.  Then I learned it’s not a good idea to outrun the boys, but OK to be ahead of the girls.

8.  To this day, I’m not competitive and don’t care much for games, because someone always loses, but I miss playing cards, jacks, racing around outside at night with the neighborhood kids playing King of the Hill, Mother may I, and Hide and Seek. We had a big yard, and other the kids came to our house—I don’t think I ever went elsewhere at night.

9.  I miss riding my bicycle to the next town in the summer for a five cent ice cream cone because they were ten cents in our town, and riding into the country to collect tadpoles in the creek with my brother.  Not sure what we did with them or how long they lived.

10.  I miss bringing dogs home or finding puppies and bringing them home, “Can I keep him, Mom?” There was Lassie 1 and 2, Jerry, Pretty, Curly, and Lady.

Colorado Obamacare ads

Advertisements for the ACA commissioned by Colorado Consumer Health Initiative and ProgressNow Colorado Education target the younger generation to join the Affordable Care Act's healthcare exchanges by depicting women as sex hungry floozies and men as beer drinking, partying idiots.  But it was the President and all the Democrats who didn’t read the bill who misinformed and lied; perhaps the ads were closer to the truth?

Amy Runyon-Harms, executive director of ProgressNow Colorado, defended the advertisements.

“The whole intention of these ads is to raise awareness, and that’s what we’re doing. It’s great that more and more people are talking about it,” said Runyon-Harms, who notes the ads only appear on social media and will not, for example, be displayed on billboards or buses. http://www.news-herald.com/general-news/20131113/aca-ad-lets-hope-hes-as-easy-to-get-as-this-birth-control

Bashir on Palin

Paula Priesse comments on the ugly outburst allowed on MSNBC by a liberal that would get a conservative fired if the tables were turned.

“. . . imagine if Sean Hannity said someone should defecate or urinate in Nancy Pelosi’s mouth? Martin Bashir suggested on MSNBC Friday that this be done to Sarah Palin. And yet again total silence from NOW. This is our world today, Paula Deen gets crucified and loses her cooking show for saying the N word years ago, but filth like Bashir still has a job. Palin’s crime? Depicting the massive federal debt as a form of slavery. Bashir also called Sarah “America’s resident dunce” and a “world-class idiot,” as compared to Mensa members Pelosi, Boxer, Jackson Lee & Wasserman Schultz. What drives lib bottom feeders like Bashir berserk is that far more often than not “America’s resident dunce” has been proven correct. Obamacare anyone? So let little Marty throw his tantrums, conservatives like Palin & Cruz will continue living rent-free in his head by being right on the issues. P”

I just can’t imagine why some liberals are so ignorant that the word “slavery” to them means what happened to Africans in the United States, instead of what happened to Indians in Brazil, or English sailors in North Africa, or Europeans that the Romans conquered, or people who are in debt to China, or to their credit cards, or their emotions,  or even the millions of sex slaves and labor slaves included in the trafficking in persons laws in the United States, a figure that outnumbers anything that happened in the 18th century.

If it weren’t for inflammatory, evil, ugly and uninformed statements, Bashir wouldn’t have any reputation at all—I’d never heard of him until he proposed someone defecate in Palin’s mouth so she would understand the world slavery.  Has he ever heard of a dictionary?  It doesn’t have to be about what just happened in this country. I had to Google him to even find out who he was.  Rush Limbaugh called a loose woman a slut, and the left tried to get him fired.  But they love Bashir who has made disgusting remarks about many Conservative women.

Our State Department defines bondage  due to debt as a form of slavery.  This is from the 2013 report published under John Kerry’s signature .  Perhaps Bashir has a treat for him, too?

“One form of coercion is the use of a bond or debt. U.S. law prohibits the use of a debt or other threats of financial harm as a form of coercion and the Palermo Protocol requires its criminalization as a form of trafficking in persons. Some workers inherit debt; for example, in South Asia it is estimated that there are millions of trafficking victims working to pay off their ancestors’ debts. Others fall victim to traffickers or recruiters who unlawfully exploit an initial debt assumed as a term of employment.

Debt bondage of migrant laborers in their countries of origin, often with the support of labor agencies and employers in the destination country, can also contribute to a situation of debt bondage. Such circumstances may occur in the context of employment-based temporary work programs when a worker’s legal status in the country is tied to the employer and workers fear seeking redress.”

Bad weather November 17

Also the 49th anniversary of the birth and death of Patrick Howard Bruce, Urbana, Illinois, November 17, 1964.

Comparing lies and their results

If abortion doctors understand and admit it, why don’t you?

“Abortionists admit they’re killing babies, that older babies are still alive when drawn-and-quartered, and that late-term abortions are dangerous to mothers, etc., etc., etc. Why do pro-choicers ignore, deny, or minimize what their very own medical professionals say about abortion?”

Link, but look out, it’s gruesome.

The T word vs. the B word

"On Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013, the United States Department of State announced the designation of Boko Haram and Ansaru as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). Boko Haram first carried out terrorist attacks in 2009, and Ansaru splintered from Boko Haram in 2012. The Department of State’s announcement of the official designation notes several highly lethal recent attacks carried out by Boko Haram and Ansaru against both domestic and international targets in Nigeria."  (START)

So it's OK to use the T word again. As far as I know, the Ft. Hood shootings by Major Nidal Hasan are still workplace violence, denying the victims important benefits. Because we all, rightly so, assumed the government would be taking care of them and their families, there wasn't even special fund raising on their behalf. It's the B word. Betrayal.

Muslims doing good

In Your Fatwa Does Not Belong Here (2013), the Algerian law professor Karima Bennoune of UC Davis collects the untold stories of Muslims who are speaking out against the violence and terror propagated in the name of Islam.

People often ask, "Why don't Muslims speak out against the violence perpetrated by their religion?" After all, the overwhelming majority of victims of Muslim violence are Muslims. Bennoune's oral history collects the stories of Muslims who are repudiating violence, almost always at great risk to their personal safety. Her book is based upon interviews with 286 Muslims from 26 countries.

"Finding a principled position in this political universe," Bennoune admits, "is not easy." Some people work within Islam to reinvigorate its history as a life-affirming religion. Others appeal to universal human rights that transcend all religions. They often find themselves stuck between two bad alternatives — secular autocracy with dictator-thugs like Mubarak, and political theocracy with violent extremists like the Taliban.

These brave Muslims have resisted the temptation to give up. They have not stopped doing and speaking good.

From the blog Journey with Jesus

Available at Amazon

Who’s the wacko bird now, John?*

“(Reuters) - UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N) dropped thousands of doctors from its networks in recent weeks, leaving many elderly patients unsure whether they need to switch plans to continue seeing their doctors, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

The insurer said in October that underfunding of Medicare Advantage plans for the elderly could not be fully offset by the company's other healthcare business. The company also reported spending more healthcare premiums on medical claims in the third quarter, due mainly to government cuts to payments for Medicare Advantage services.

The Journal report said that doctors in at least 10 states were notified of being laid off the plans, some citing "significant changes and pressures in the healthcare environment." According to the notices, the terminations can be appealed within 30 days.”

* John McCain referred to Senator Rand Paul, Senator Ted Cruz and Rep. Justin Amash (all Republicans) as “wacko birds” back in March 2013.

Some colleges also dropping student health coverage

Obamacare's new regulations would force the cost of the insurance at Bowie State in Maryland to rise from $50 to $900 a semester. Officials at one one of the nation's oldest and most elite historically black colleges are citing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as the reason they have cancelled a school-wide affordable health care plan they had offered students. International students will also lose their insurance, and they are not eligible for the exchanges.

http://www.bowiestate.edu/campus-life/henry-wise-wellness-center/student-health-insurance-plan-/

The faux fix

Allowing people to "keep" plans that no longer exist in a state where the insurance company no longer offers the product whether for a year or 10 years sounds pretty foolish to me whether Obama is offering the fix or the House Republicans are. The way our politicians flip flop, who would trust them when they say it is OK on Thursday to buy something already illegal on Wednesday?

Who’s smarter now?

"So, if I follow correctly, the smartest president ever is not smart enough to ensure that his website works; he’s not smart enough to inquire of others as to whether his website works; he’s not smart enough to check that his website works before he goes out and tells people what a great website experience they’re in for. But he is smart enough to know that he’s not stupid enough to go around bragging about how well it works if he’d already been informed that it doesn’t work. So he’s smart enough to know that if he’d known what he didn’t know he’d know enough not to let it be known that he knew nothing. The country’s in the very best of hands." Mark Steyn http://www.nationalreview.com/article/364093/thus-spake-obama-mark-steyn

Where does that uninsured figure come from?

In the last 5 years I've seen the "uninsured" figure ranging from 35 to 45 million.  First, for my foreign FaceBook and blogger friends (and my Democrat trolls), all Americans have access to health care, and a small percentage to not have insurance or private funds to pay for that care.  Second, the high figure of uninsured is based on our U.S. Census, which counts people, not citizens, so about 10 million of whatever figure you chose, are not Americans. Third, that figure is a snapshot of a point in time and includes people between jobs, students leaving college coverage, or workers moving into their own business who haven't yet purchased what is appropriate for their needs. Fourth, it includes people (about 14 million) who are eligible for one of our many government plans for special groups, but they just haven't signed on. They find it easier to just go to the ER or a free clinic. And then there are those with higher incomes who pay out of pocket, and like it that way (about 17 million). Fifth, about 18 million are under 34, the healthiest age group who are willing to gamble (because that's how youth are) nothing can happen to them and they'd rather spend the money at the mall or the bar. Some of these groups overlap and are counted twice--young, leaving college, changing jobs, and/or well off due to family circumstances.

The two worst features of our BO (before Obamacare) health insurance system (not health care, which is very good) is that it is tied to employment (big tax breaks for employers and workers—which our current administration sees as a loop hole) and not portable, and that it is so highly regulated by state governments that only the really big players have a say in it.  For instance, the problem of not being able to sell across state lines so the citizen can freely select the best policy.

It shouldn't have been difficult to correct those faults and insure the people who were showing up at the ER, skipping vaccinations, and too ill or deranged to work, but that would not have given the federal government any additional power, nor have satisfied the desire of many Americans to be relieved of all guilt and demand to look out for the little guy by letting the government do it all.

http://spectator.org/articles/41931/myth-46-million

The underpinning lie—the 40 million

"On Tuesday, about 40 million more Americans will be able to finally buy quality, affordable health care, just like anybody else. Those marketplaces will be open for business on Tuesday no matter what -- even if there’s a government shutdown. That’s a done deal." Barack Obama, Sept. 27, 2013

The lie here isn't what we all know followed, a massive meltdown and confusion of unbelievable proportions, but the "40 million will finally be able to buy affordable health care."  Many of those 40 million (that figure is rather squishy, since it seemed to get larger each time I saw a reference) were already able to buy insurance--certainly not the plan the government has decided we all need--but it was out there. Many were illegal aliens since the Census on which this figure is based includes people, not citizens.   Many chose not to participate in an employer's plan, or to not sign on for Medicaid, or to not work.  Some wanted just catastrophic and chose to pay out of pocket for their day to day care. Now with subsidies provided by the responsible ones who did buy insurance, their insurance is "affordable?"  Is $99 a month affordable if the man pays no taxes, has no skills, is homeless or mentally ill? What is he supposed to do?  Sell his EBT card?  Is if affordable if he's passed on to Medicaid in states that aren't allowed to run a deficit, and Obama's word can't be trusted not to change at the next press conference?
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2013/09/27/obama_to_congress_do_not_shut_down_the_government.html

In his press conference on Thursday when he announced the same delay for which Tea Party were demonized just a month earlier, he also lied.  And pretended to have been unaware of the problems of 5 million losing their insurance and doctors.  Some media sources, all friendly, called this a mea culpa and an apology, but I never heard one word where he accepted the blame.  As on everything else in these last 5 years, he just says he didn’t know, or found out late, or heard it on the grapevine.

One of the few people who actually got to see and talk to the president during the run up to the Oct. 1 rollout was Valerie Jarrett, his right hand, who wrote on the WH blog July 2. "We are on target to open the health insurance marketplace on Oct. 1 where small businesses and ordinary Americans will be able to go to one place to learn about their coverage options and make side-by-side comparisons of each plan’s price and benefits before they make their decision.” Also, in July it was decided to delay the employer mandate until after the mid-terms so Democrats wouldn't be hurt. Now he's decided (and it's probably not any more lawful than his other decrees to change the law) to postpone the individual mandate until after the elections, again because Democrats have to run for reelection among some very unhappy people who have lost their insurance.

Will insurance companies comply with disobeying the law?

The "original" Obamacare (even with 36,000 pages of regulations) had something for the insurance companies--profit from millions of new customers (young, healthy, etc.). Obama meets with them today to offer all they can eat at a crap sandwich buffet.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/11/15/obama-insurance-ceos-obamacare/3574161/

Stomach flu—Norovirus

Use soap and water, not hand sanitizer to protect from the flu virus.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers may stop bacterial infections and even cold and some flu strains in their tracks. But when it comes to norovirus, they don’t do much good. That’s because alcohol in the sanitizer can rupture the "envelopes" around viruses like the flu, according to the New York Times. Norovirus doesn’t have such an envelope, so the alcohol doesn't destroy it.

A CDC study of long-term care facilities published in 2011 found that those where the staff primarily used hand sanitizer to disinfect were six times more likely to have a norovirus outbreak than those where staffers lathered up with soap and water.

http://www.rd.com/slideshows/stomach-flu-prevention/#ixzz2keSzMDzF

50 shades of grey porn--yuk

Two Belgian university professors recently decided to submit the 10 most borrowed books at the Antwerp library to bacteriology and toxicology tests.

Traces of cocaine were found on all 10 books. The traces were small enough that readers would not feel the effects, but significant enough that they could test positive for cocaine.

But the real case of life imitating art was revealed when the scientists discovered traces of the herpes virus in the pages of the erotic tale Fifty Shades of Grey.

Brietbart.com

How we got Common Core, spoken by a high school student

Good information.  Did you know the Common Core background?  Untested.  Not even from the Department of Education. Few educators.  Why should Bill and Melinda Gates have more to say about the education of your children than your teachers, your local school board, your state board of education and the Department of Education? It’s right here: “develop next-generation instructional tools and assessments.” 

“. . . the Gates Foundation underwrote the organizations writing the Common Core standards: the National Governors Association, Student Achievement Partners (David Coleman), the Council of Chief State School Officers, and Achieve. She sums up what she found: "In total, the four organizations primarily responsible for CCSS -- NGA, CCSSO, Achieve, and Student Achievement Partners -- have taken $147.9 million from Bill Gates." Huffington Post, 10/10/13

“The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation intends to continue investing in the assessments and tools that will make the standards real and productive—primarily those targeted for classroom use. This commitment is crucial to our goal of substantially increasing student achievement. One way we hope to further this important work is by investing $250 million over eight years to develop next-generation instructional tools and assessments that will help states and school districts implement the standards. We will also fund research that uses hard evidence to identify ways that states can adjust standards and assessments to better help students succeed.”

http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/CatholicEducationDaily/DetailsPage/tabid/102/ArticleID/2678/BREAKING-National-Catholic-Educational-Association-Responds-to-Common-Core-Concerns-and-Gates-Foundation-Grant.aspx

Are you listening, Syrians?

I hope that if President Assad, the Syrian Kurds and the Syrian rebels were monitoring yesterday's press conference with President Obama, they realize he can't be trusted, will promise anything about things he knows nothing about and was out of the room when it came up, and will do anything he can to politically advance his cause, but not theirs.

"He knows everything. And yet he seems to know nothing. He’s passionate about the details of domestic policy but wasn’t privy to the details of his own legacy law. He’s an academic with a command of every issue at once but seemingly only finds out what his administration is doing in news reports. He’s so brilliant every normal endeavor he’s tried has bored him, but he couldn’t bother to entertain himself with more than one monthly meeting on the make-or-break program of his presidency. He’s the captain of the Culture of Competency who has overseen the most incompetent rollout of an entitlement program in history." Mary Katherine Ham, at Hot Air, Nov. 14.

Ohio adoption laws discriminate

No one has to tell me about the discrimination and injustice of adoption laws in Ohio. But maybe you didn't know--there are adopted citizens born in Ohio who are discriminated against and then there are regular type citizens, who have all the usual rights. And the adopted citizens are in 3 classes, 2 free, and one in bondage:

The Ohio Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics, houses birth and adoption records of persons born in Ohio and adopted anywhere in the United States. Below is the list of Adoption laws and procedures that are used in Ohio:

•Adoptions Prior to January 1, 1964 - Adoption records open to people who were born and adopted in Ohio, with proper identification.
•Adoptions Between January 1, 1964 and September 18, 1996 - Adoption records are sealed and only opened by a probate court order (H.B. 84)
•Adoptions After September 18, 1996 - Adoption records are open to adoptive parents when the adopted person is between 18-21 years of age. If the adopted person is 21 years or older, the records are open to the adoptee. Records will only be opened if the required documentation and releases are on file.

Why should someone born in 1996 or 1957 have more rights than someone born in 1964 or 1995? Supposedly, it's about privacy, about promises made to some nameless person 30-50 years ago. I don't believe that. I say, follow the money. Someone in the legislature in 1963, or someone with money and influence, didn't want to be found, was afraid for his reputation or feared his "legal" children would face an inheritance challenge at some point in the future. If you have a better answer, I'd like to hear it justify such an unfair, discriminatory law that crosses all races (except American Indians who have special rights of their own), genders, life-styles, religions and economic classes.

http://www.odh.ohio.gov/vitalstatistics/legalinfo/adoption.aspx

Who’s the maverick now?

At Huffington Post, a left wing source, just 2 months ago: "Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) ripped Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) after he gave an anti-Obamacare speech that lasted over 21 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. The speech, which was not techinally a filibuster because it did not delay any votes, was labeled an "extended oratory" by McCain, who spoke on the Senate floor Wednesday. McCain said he took issue with some of the content of Cruz's speech, including a Nazi comparison." At the very least, McCain needs to apologize and hand over his "maverick" mantle to Cruz.

Obama tells insurance companies to sell illegal products

“This is a staggering display of a reckless president cavalierly instructing states to ignore federal law. President Obama is shifting the blame by saying it's up to states and state insurance commissioners to fix the massive problem his signature law has created for millions of Americans who are losing their health insurance. President Obama did succeed at one thing today: making a bad situation worse with a ‘fix’ that will create more confusion for consumers and threatens to destabilize the health insurance industry. Obamacare is an abject failure; it's time to overturn this ill-conceived, job-killing nightmare that ultimately will bankrupt this country.” - Governor Rick Perry http://bit.ly/gl50dhc3

Imagine you’re the buyer.  Obama has told the insurance companies to sell an illegal product. Would you buy it, and then later if you had a problem, who would you go to?   He didn’t change the law; didn’t ask Congress.  Just told them to ignore the law because he said so.  Well, he’s said a lot of things the last 5 years that were lies, so who is going to fall for this one. 

Obama is a bully about insurance

If I own a sensible van and avoid driving like a jack rabbit, I save money on gasoline. If I do my own food preparation and don't eat every meal in a restaurant, I save money on food. If I shop at Kohl's or Macy's instead of Crucinelli or Savannah, I save money on clothes. If I don't color my hair, I save money at the hair dresser. If I'm careful about water and electricity usage my utility bills are low. But if I don't smoke or drink, keep my BMI and exercise at a healthy level, am monogamous, prefer reading a book to deep sea diving, have a college education and attend church regularly, Obama believes I should not be allowed to pay less for my health insurance than someone who has a life style and behaviors very different from mine. And if I choose to pay for my own health care, select my own doctor, and insure only for crisis or emergency situations, Obama demeans my choice and calls that insurer substandard and bad.

The President’s faux fix

I listened to the news conference (which sounded like a commercial for the Affordable Care Act) and almost gagged. At last, some of that transparency we were promised.

Remember when Obama lied about his mother losing her health insurance? He told some more whoppers today. If insurance was as bad as he says, the media would be interviewing these people daily to shore up his argument. I doubt that he's been persuaded by citizens losing their insurance, or even Democratic politicians who have to run in 2014. He promised in the short run the insurance companies would have all these new customers because people would be forced to buy it thereby making huge profits, and I'm guessing that's where the pressure is coming from.

http://blog.heritage.org/2013/11/14/obamas-cancellation-fix-violating-law-short-term-public-relations-move/

President Obama has told Obamacare’s critics that the law is “settled” and “here to stay.” But today he is saying he’ll violate the law to put a Band-Aid on it for another year. That’s in addition to the one-year delay in the employer mandate and numerous other “fixes” and delays.

Winter came early

this year.  We just aren’t ready.  It seems we just got back from Lakeside.  Tuesday morning we awoke to white puffs on trees and bushes still bursting with fall color, or at least they were on Monday.  Then the sun came out, but the temperature didn’t rise much.   My childhood friend, Lynne, sent this poem.  Expresses very much how I feel.

The tree has blossomed overnight,
For every twig is frozen white
And garlanded with crystal sprays
That sparkle in the sun's bright rays
And on the window I can trace,
Where silver branches interlace,
A picture on the pane embossed:
A fairy orchard white with frost.

Lynne Fleming Wilburn

Peeping while you are sleeping . . .

Dan McCall, a young graphic artist, was interviewed on the Glenn Beck show last night.  He’s in trouble with the government for this t-shirt which says the NSA is the only part of government that actually listens.

With the help of consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, he is suing the NSA for violating his First Amendment rights.

Megyn Kelly interviews Dr. Emanuel twice on Fox

If you wanted to throw something at the TV watching Megyn Kelly's interviews with Zeke Emanuel, you'll love what he said in 2008--his audacious views and rationing beliefs were all out there, and he was Obama's main advisor on this death trap called PPACA. Oh yes, and he claims it's Fox News and Republicans' fault. Sorry, Zeke, but as you blame, your own words point 3 fingers back to you and the advice he got from you.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970203706604574374463280098676

http://therightscoop.com/round-2-megyn-kelly-interviews-ezekiel-emanuel-again-and-hes-blames-fox-news-for-failure-of-obamacare-rollout/

It’s not a failed “roll out;” it’s a terrible law.