ObamACAre: A Strategic Response for Individuals and Businesses – Our Middle Class Rescue Plan

I haven’t seen the book, but I know one of the authors.

After Bob (financial advisor) Matt (attorney and health insurance consultant) told me (Julie) what they learned from their respective expertise, I (American patriot) almost fell over myself to help them write and edit the book. Our audience is middle class, working poor, Christian, American citizens – or almost everyone in the whole nation! We simply must reach them with a way to counter the radical, regressive agenda plaguing the halls of power and influence.

Here is the pitch: All American employers and individuals need the proper knowledge before they make 2015 health care decisions … Dropped coverage, rising deductibles, tax penalties, financial cliffs all make the future of healthcare and compensation uncertain for families, especially in the middle class. How will you navigate this complicated environment to ensure you are doing the best you can? The healthcare system is in crisis. People need help.

The report is available as a printed booklet OR as a download. Both are $9.99. Please see more details here: http://centerpointstewardship.com/

Our new living room couch—Friday Family Photo

Monday we went shopping for a couch—stopped at 3 stores, and finally purchased one at Kittles we had seen last week. When they told us the delivery charge we decided to take it with us—we were sure it would fit in my van because we’d moved one of our couches to the lake house during the summer (which is why we needed a new couch). So for 2 days the couch was in the garage in the van.  Wednesday our son and another man came and moved our living room couch to the family room, and brought in the new couch.

This is the couch in the van.

This is the couch in the living room. This couch is larger (taller) so we may have to get a larger painting.

This is the couch with a brown sheet from a twin set.  The stretch elastic bottom sheet works really well over the back cushions.  And they have already paid for themselves.  Last night our cat throw up her supper on the sheets, so I’ve already washed them.  Usually she throws up on the white carpet.  They were very inexpensive (100% polyester) and are an exact color match.

I’m now looking for pillows that will have both blue (chair) and brown.

I bought a package today

Quite tasty.

Which is a bigger problem for native Americans, the Bureau of Indian Affairs or the name Washington Redskins?

“In 2011, the Department of the Interior's Inspector General (IG), Mary Kendall, testified to Congress about the "gross program inefficiencies at many levels of Indian Affairs and in tribal management of federal funds."³¹ The IG described, for example, how the BIA funded a fish hatchery at a reservation for 14 years and yet no fish were hatched. Eventually, a BIA official visited the reservation and found that the alleged hatchery was actually a real estate development that the tribes had been funneling taxpayer money into.

In another incident, the BIA spent $9 million for public ferryboat service in Alaska, but the money was redirected to a private tour boat operation.³² And in Montana in 2011, 10 people—including BIA employees—were indicted for a decade-long scheme that embezzled $1.2 million from a tribal lending program operated by the Fort Peck Tribe.³³

The IG found that in one BIA region, millions of dollars were wasted on road projects that were never competed. She noted that "internal management controls were so broken down that wage-grade employees were earning over $100,000 a year, with overtime, without explanation."³⁴ On one of the road projects, $2.4 million had been spent, but the IG couldn't find any of the work that was supposed to have been done.”

http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/interior/indian-lands-indian-subsidies

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/26/politics/american-indian-settlment/index.html

The BIA and the BIE have approximately 9,000 employees.

The 2014 budget request for the Operation of Indian Programs account is $2.2 billion, an increase of $37.2 million above the 2012 enacted level, excluding a proposed transfer of Contract Support Costs out of OIP to a stand alone account.

Intimate partner violence among minorities

Black females experienced intimate partner violence at a rate 35% higher than that of white females, and about 22 times the rate of women of other races. Black males experienced intimate partner violence at a rate about 62% higher than that of white males and about 22 times the rate of men of other races.

Native Americans are victims of rape or sexual assault at more than double the rate of other racial groups. For Native American victims of violence, the offender was slightly more likely to be a stranger than an intimate partner, family member or acquaintance.  Native Americans described the offender as an acquaintance in 34% of rapes/sexual assaults, and as an intimate partner or family member in 25% of sexual assaults.

http://www.americanbar.org/groups/domestic_violence/resources/statistics.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2014/10/02/nfl-meeting-with-black-womens-groups-on-domestic-violence-a-productive-beginning/

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/223691.pdf

Ebola—the virus has taken over the news

The news and talk shows are wall to wall Ebola. Conservative talkers are trying to make Obama look bad without saying so, and the Liberals are trying to ignore all the mess Obama has made in the Middle East, where we have ONE friend, Israel.

• Flu-associated deaths according to the CDC range from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people. They really have no way of knowing.
• CDC estimates that 27,000 unintentional prescription drug overdose deaths occur annually in the United States, 40% from opioids.
• A total of 9,582 TB cases (a rate of 3.0 cases per 100,000 persons) were reported in the United States in 2013. 65% were foreign born. There were 536 deaths from TB in 2011, the most recent year for which these data are available.
• Number of deaths from injuries annually in the USA: 187,464. 80.1 million saw a physician or visited the ER or were hospitalized from injuries. 33,783 Americans died in traffic accidents and 32,351 died from firearms, including suicides. 16,238 homicides (2010), 49% were blacks who are 12.5% of the population, and 93% were committed by blacks. There are 289,171 alcohol induced deaths, and  418,068 for drugs.

. . . So, Ebola is probably the least of our worries.

White couple suing because their daughter is bi-racial

Oh the horror! A bi-racial, AI baby for a white lesbian couple. So they sue. "They are concerned about raising her in the predominantly white community where they live." Yeah, sure. The liberal blame game. It's always someone else's attitude that is the problem. They could move; wonder if they thought of that?

Really, I wouldn’t be surprised if this weren’t a hoax.

http://cleveland.cbslocal.com/2014/10/02/2-white-lesbians-sue-after-becoming-pregnant-with-sperm-donated-by-black-man/

Indigenous peoples of what is now known as The United States of America

I'm waiting for those opportunists who think the word "Indian" or “tribe” is anachronistic, oppressive and racist to file a law suit against the federal government to change to “Pueblo-dwelling peoples” or “Navajo speaking people” or “indigenous peoples.”  Removing and updating government documents could employ a small army for years.  The word Indian appears in thousands of documents, even agency names like Bureau of Indian Affairs.  Just came across it in a gobble-de-gook summary of a section of the ACA aka Obamacare.

“With respect to the other seven exemptions, for reasons set forth below, we proposed that under the program provided for in section 1411(a)(4) of the Affordable Care Act, Exchanges would also issue certificates of exemption with respect to three additional categories (with exemptions also available through the tax filing process) based on membership in a health care sharing ministry, membership in an Indian tribe, and incarceration. In the four remaining exemption categories, however, we proposed that under the program established under section 1411(a)(4) of the Affordable Care Act, certificates would not be issued by Exchanges under section 1311(d)(4)(H) of the Affordable Care Act, and instead individuals would claim an exemption in one of those categories exclusively through the tax return filing process with the IRS.”  Federal Register July 1, 2013

“Dr. Michael Yellow Bird, Assistant Professor and Director of the Office for the Study of Indigenous Social and Cultural Justice in the School of Social Welfare at the University of Kansas, considers both terms, American Indian and Native American, to be “oppressive, ‘counterfeit identities.’” He prefers the terms indigenous peoples or First Nations peoples to either American Indian or Native American.” http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nc-american-indians/5526

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/04/departments/native-names-interactive

And God forbid you should ever say “hold down the fort,” or “on the warpath” or “low man on the Totem pole” or “Indian style.”

The residue of Silent Spring is still killing

Worried about Ebola?  Malaria will probably kill more while you’re reading this than the current Ebola epidemic.

“Published in 1962, Silent Spring used manipulated data and wildly exaggerated claims (sound familiar?) to push for a worldwide ban on the pesticide known as DDT – which is, to this day, the most effective weapon against malarial mosquitoes. The Environmental Protection Agency held extensive hearings after the uproar produced by this book… and these hearings concluded that DDT should not be banned. A few months after the hearings ended, EPA administrator William Ruckleshaus over-ruled his own agency and banned DDT anyway, in what he later admitted was a “political” decision. Threats to withhold American foreign aid swiftly spread the ban across the world.”  http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2010/02/16/the-green-death/

All methods of disease control eventually lose their effectiveness, so don’t send me progressive, liberal and greenie links,  but this was ripped out of the tool box of things that worked 50 years ago freeing Africans from a terrible scourge.  Millions have died or been crippled, and the victims are left with bed nets and local spraying of ponds and homes (and who knows what is in that brew). What works, really works quickly, is building hysteria over diseases that may not ever harm us, or not looking at all for the causes of the current illness sending children to the hospital coinciding with an unprecedented number of illegal immigrant children being spread around the country.

http://www.nature.com/news/ebola-outbreak-shuts-down-malaria-control-efforts-1.16029

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/26/malaria-deaths-ebola-diarrhea-pneumonia_n_5886652.html

A good thought

Eleven years of blogging

Can’t believe it’s October already

Syria is not Iraq

“The October 2002 joint congressional authorization to go to war was not just about fears of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Other worries prompted broad bipartisan support for the resolution. A majority of Democratic senators (as evidenced by their passionate speeches from the Senate floor) cited many of the resolution’s 23 writs. The latter were mostly concerned with things other than WMD: harboring terrorists, offering bounties for suicide bombers, giving refuge to at least one of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing suspects, committing genocide, attempting to kill a former U.S. president, and so on. Hillary Clinton should watch her own 2002 speech from the Senate floor.” Victor Davis Hanson

And here are all 23 writs (whereas. . . ) http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-107publ243/html/PLAW-107publ243.htm

The price of beef

Dinner Sunday and Monday was beef roast, potatoes, onions and carrots in the crock pot, fresh fruit, and carrot cake (I also count that as a vegetable). I only mention this to tell you I was horrified to pay nearly $10 for just under 2 lbs of a rather tough stringy cut of beef. Let's stop burning corn in cars; it mucks up the environment and causes food prices to soar.

http://time.com/61393/beef-prices-record-high-since-1987/#61393/beef-prices-record-high-since-1987/

http://www.postcrescent.com/story/money/2014/08/09/meat-prices-soar/13797437/

Think Tanks

Robert Kennedy Jr. wants to imprison over half the nation for disagreeing with him

“Scientific knowledge, by its nature, cannot ever be said to be so “settled” as to justify the silencing of critics. Still, even were the debate over climate change in some way to be resolved in perpetuity, the prospect of incarcerating those who dissented would be no less grotesque.”

“The United States government, Kennedy lamented in an interview with Climate Depot, is not permitted by law to “punish” or to imprison those who disagree with him — and this, he proposed, is a problem of existential proportions. Were he to have his way, Kennedy admitted, he would cheer the prosecution of a host of “treasonous” figures — among them a number of unspecified “politicians”; those bêtes noires of the global Left, Kansas’s own Koch Brothers; “the oil industry and the Republican echo chamber”; and, for good measure, anybody else whose estimation of the threat posed by fossil fuels has provoked them into “selling out the public trust.” Those who contend that global warming “does not exist,” Kennedy claimed, are guilty of “a criminal offense — and they ought to be serving time for it.” “

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/388595/robert-kennedy-jr-aspiring-tyrant-charles-c-w-cooke

Only 39.5% of 1,854 American Meteorological Society members who responded to a survey in 2012 said man-made global warming is dangerous.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303480304579578462813553136

Fake outrage as Democrat veterans attack Fox—are we surprised?

In a show of fake outrage, 60 veterans who work as Democrat politicians’ staff attacked a Fox News show, The Five,  in “An Open Letter to Fox News,”  because of a tasteless joke which the teller quickly had apologized for.

“Obama campaign workers, one ex-Obama White House aide, liberal activists, Democratic Party congressional candidates, Democratic Party state legislators, and more. The letter was sponsored by the Truman Project, a ten-year-old think tank with a focus on national security. Its board of directors includes Hunter Biden, the son of the Vice President. None of which was even whispered in the haughty “Open Letter” that was distributed to a media all too eager to go along with an attack on Fox News and two of the co-hosts on the Fox show The Five — Eric Bolling and Greg Gutfeld. Instead the letter was presented as a source of genuine outrage from average, non-partisan American veterans — while keeping the real identity of the signers secret.”

Add to this the 10 + a software program of Media Matters who have been bombarding advertisers about Rush Limbaugh and it is just more evidence of the left making a joke of free speech.

http://spectator.org/articles/60523/hit-job-fox-news

Faith based movies

The latte salute

Landmark $554 million settlement signed with Navajo Nation

The U.S. government has been bankrupting Indian nations for years through a bureaucracy that takes care of them cradle to grave. Native Americans who leave the reservation/tribe do just fine in income, careers and health. Not so those who live on the government teat. And it isn't just Bureau of Indian Affairs, it's also U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Education, and U.S. Department of Agriculture all of which have special and overlapping programs for native Americans. Their own schools, their own courts, their own police system, their own transportation and road system, their own child welfare agencies, their own medical service, plus all the foundations and charities that employ thousands "helping" the Indian. Truly, they are not treated like other Americans--they are over treated. And it hurts them, keeping them in child-like dependency, but with monetary gain for leaders and government employees.

“The $3.4 billion Cobell settlement, named for Elouise Cobell of Browning, Montana, resolves a class action lawsuit over billions of royalties lost from the accounts of individual Indians.”

http://www.nativetimes.com/index.php/news/federal/9470-payments-from-indian-trust-settlement-on-the-way

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865611873/Landmark-554-million-settlement-signed-between-feds-Navajo-Nation.html

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-holder-and-secretary-salazar-announce-1-billion-settlement-tribal-trust

Gone Girl

Haven’t read the book; won’t see the movie.  I’m not into thrillers.

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/22/gone-girl-movie-reviews_n_5860538.html

http://entertainthis.usatoday.com/2014/09/26/critics-agog-over-killer-gone-girl/

Every time we say good-bye

It's not too hard to find a movie I've never heard of, but last night I watched "Every time we say good-bye" with a very young Tom Hanks (1986). It was the time in his career as he was shifting from comedy to drama. It's a WWII romance that takes place in Israel and reviewers say it is predictable, but since I don't see many movies, I didn't think so. What makes this film somewhat more unusual is that about half is in Ladino with sub-titles, a Spanish based language spoken by Jews all over Spain, Eastern Europe and the middle east at one time. So I did have some fun researching that--I'd never heard of it. http://film.famousfix.com/tpx_624497/every-time-we-say-goodbye/

“Ladino, otherwise known as Judeo-Spanish, is the spoken and written Hispanic language of Jews of Spanish origin. Ladino did not become a specifically Jewish language until after the expulsion from Spain in 1492 - it was merely the language of their province. It is also known as Judezmo, Dzhudezmo, or Spaniolit.

When the Jews were expelled from Spain and Portugal they were cut off from the further development of the language, but they continued to speak it in the communities and countries to which they emigrated. Ladino therefore reflects the grammar and vocabulary of 14th and 15th century Spanish. The further away from Spain the emigrants went, the more cut off they were from developments in the language, and the more Ladino began to diverge from mainstream Castilian Spanish. “

http://www.sephardicstudies.org/quickladino.html

“Since the Expulsion [1492], Ladino has been spoken in North Africa, Egypt, Greece, Turkey, the former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, France, Israel, the United States and Latin America. At one time, an estimated 80 percent of Diaspora Jews were Ladino-speaking. However, the Holocaust wiped out about 90 percent of all the world's Ladino-speakers.”

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1085545/jewish/Will-Ladino-Rise-Again.htm

“David: What language was that you were speaking?
Sarah: Spanish.
David: How did you and Victoria come to speak Spanish?
Sarah: It is what we speak at home.
David: Oh, your family came from Spain?
Sarah: Yes.
David: Recently?
Sarah: About 400 years.
David: They must have some good memories.” Quote from the movie of Sarah explaining her language to David.

50,000 waited 2 hours in the sun, many elderly

This morning I watched Pope Francis celebrate Holy Mass with the Elderly in St. Peter’s Square. It honored the elderly and grandparents. One couple was from Iraq, married 51 years, and had been driven from their home and city, Qaraqosh (of the Diocese of Mosul). Their church had been having services and tolling bells for 2,000 years and now ISIS has destroyed it. Very sad. About 50,000 people from more that 20 countries attended along with a number of elderly priests who were also being honored. Here is the official text of the homily, in which the Pope says the younger generations are impoverished if they don't have a connection with their elders. I don’t know how many were given out, but large print editions of Mark were being distributed.

A very different take than Zeke Emanuel (Obamacare architect) who thinks 75 is a good age to check out. http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/09/28/pope_francis_elderly_are_key_to_health_of_free_society/1107471

Female lawyer in Mosul tortured and executed by ISIS

“Militants with the Islamic State group tortured and then publicly killed a human rights lawyer in the Iraqi city of Mosul after their self-proclaimed religious court ruled that she had abandoned Islam, the U.N. mission in Iraq said Thursday.

Gunmen with the group's newly declared police force seized Samira Salih al-Nuaimi last week in a northeastern district of the Mosul while she was home with her husband and three children, two people with direct knowledge of the incident told The Associated Press on Thursday. Al-Nuaimi was taken to a secret location. After about five days, the family was called by the morgue to retrieve her corpse, which bore signs of torture, the two people said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of fears for their safety.

According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq, her arrest was allegedly connected to Facebook messages she posted that were critical of the militants' destruction of religious sites in Mosul. A statement by the U.N. on Thursday added that al-Nuaimi was tried in a so-called "Sharia court" for apostasy, after which she was tortured for five days before the militants sentenced her to "public execution." Her Facebook page appears to have been removed since her death.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/25/samira-nuaimi-killed_n_5880900.html

She bears no responsibility according OSU rules

“On 9/27/14 at 10:26 a.m. a female OSU student contacted OSU Police to report a rape that occurred between the hours of 4 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. in the Park-Stradley residence hall. The suspect was invited to the residence hall after meeting the female survivor earlier in the evening. The suspect is described as a 22-23 year old white male, 5 feet, 8 inches, 150 pounds wearing a light blue long-sleeve dress shirt and khaki pants. The suspect said his first name was Corey and claimed to also be an OSU student. The investigation is open and ongoing.

Sexual assault is any sexual activity that occurs in the absence of consent and can include sexual activity with someone whose judgment is impaired by alcohol/drugs, whether ingested voluntarily or unknowingly. Responsibility lies with the perpetrator, not the survivor. No one deserves, ask for, or provokes sexual assault. Most perpetrators assault someone they know. Sexual assault occurs in all communities and people of all genders can be survivors.”

Fear of strangers, common sense and sensible alcohol intake can go a long way toward protecting ourselves, but in today's world, that would be blaming the victim, aka the survivor.

Ferguson vs. Hamas, Putin and ISIS

Our President has been known for his own personal narcissism, but I thought it a bit odd that he rushed in with a "me too," "we too," in the U.N. speech and compared a man being shot in Ferguson with Putin taking over the eastern Ukraine, Hamas lobbing rockets at Israel, and ISIS raping and killing in Syria and Iraq. We actually have a legal system that will look at the evidence of whether the Ferguson victim tried to attack the policeman, or if he was robbing a store, or whether the policeman acted wrongly. The poor Yazidis, Christians and Turkmens who have seen their children and husbands beheaded because they wouldn't convert really haven't been given that option. There simply was no moral equivalency in his absurd comparison.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/bruce-thornton/the-incredible-lightness-of-being-barack-obama/

http://online.wsj.com/articles/political-diary-obama-ferguson-and-the-u-n-1411680776

“Politico reported that it was "unusual" for the president to reference "domestic U.S. shortcomings during a speech devoted to international issues." Asked for an explanation, a White House official said the president wanted to acknowledge that the U.S. is "not perfect."

Well, neither is Mr. Obama's analogy.”

A good historical summary of what we are facing

“In view of its ideology, fanaticism, ruthlessness, the size of the territories that it has already occupied, and its regional and perhaps even global ambitions, ISIS can be regarded as the greatest threat since the Second World War and one that could change the map of the Middle East and the post-Sykes-Picot geography of the entire region, and challenge Western interests in the Persian Gulf and beyond. “

http://blog.transnational.org/2014/09/the-threat-of-isis-should-be-taken-seriously/

Laws to protect the married

I've read that there are over 1100 laws that concern married people--although I've yet to meet a married couple who got married for health benefits or power of attorney or the tax benefits. If these laws are such great reasons to marry why don't men and women living together or confirmed bachelors think they are such great benefits, outweighing all other (like cost of divorce), and why not let parents marry their children, sisters and brothers marry, landlord and renter, etc. because think of the benefits--wouldn't need to hire lawyers to set up all those messy contracts for your estate, loans and mortgages, pension and health.

Polygamists are also waiting in line for society to recognize them--and to get all those benefits. It's probably cheaper for men than serial divorces. Homosexuals are about 3% of the population and transgendered and those thinking about it less than 1%. Although the ones who marry make the evening news, especially if they sue people who make cakes and rent their property for weddings, most are choosing to be free of those laws and keep their own wealth, pensions, homes, etc. just like many men who have fiancés, but not wives.

Brit claims she’s obese because the government doesn’t give her enough money

If you read any article by the poverty pimps or academics in the USA, the same case is made. We don't give enough money to the poor to buy healthy food so therefore they buy high calorie, high fat, highly processed food with SNAP. That's just silly. Ounce for ounce, healthy food is much cheaper than processed. You can buy 10 lbs of potatoes for the cost of 16 oz. of potato chips. Oranges, apples, bananas, etc. are far cheaper than bags of fruit flavored snacks. She’s also never heard of walking—the greatest exercise ever.

I googled a comparison cost of living site, and although UK is socialist, almost everything is higher than in the U.S. (food is about 11% higher), except renting a tennis court for an hour and disposable income--those are lower. But even so, she could do better by contributing some of her own labor and preparing real food.

“It would be good if the government offered a cash incentive for me to lose weight. I’d like to get £1  for every pound I lose,” 25-year-old Christina Briggs said.

Briggs said losing weight is currently impossible because she doesn’t have enough money to buy healthy food or join a gym.

http://www.nationalreview.com//article/388887/350-pound-woman-im-obese-because-i-dont-get-enough-taxpayer-money-katherine-timpf

 

And tattoos are expensive, too.  What’s a poor girl to do?

Whether you believe in the weather

ISIS destroying churches and mosques

“ISIS has destroyed churches, religious shrines and mosques in the provinces of Kirkuk and Nineveh, including the tombs of the prophets Jonah, George, Daniel as well as a number of ancient churches in the provinces of Salahuddin and Nineveh. In Mosul ISIS has destroyed or occupied all 45 Christian religious institutions (AINA 2014-07-29).

The Green Church was considered the most famous church of Tikrit and the most beautiful. It was built by the Metropolitan of Tikrit, His Holinesss Dinkha II, and was called the church of Saint Ahoadamah in remembrance of the Patriarch who was killed by the Persian King Khosrow I.

Buried in the Church were the founder Mar Dinkha II, and his successors Daniel, Thomas, Basilious III, and John II.

In 1089 the church was ordered destroyed by the Muslim governor and it was looted and damaged, but was later restored and returned to Assyrians.”

http://theorthodoxchurch.info/blog/news/2014/09/extremist-destroy-7th-century-church-mosque-in-tikrit-iraq/

http://www.aina.org/news/20140925012701.htm

Here’s a nod to fall—Pumpkin Butter for your toast

Pumpkin Butter

Pumpkin lovers will love this simple low fat pumpkin butter recipe which is so versatile to use, and deliciously good for you.

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups pumpkin puree, or 1 (29 ounce) can (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup apple cider or juice
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2-3 cinnamon sticks
• 1-2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Combine pureed pumpkin, vanilla, apple juice, spices, cinnamon sticks and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently. Adjust spices to your taste. Makes 3 3/4 cups

Definitely me.

September, always a favorite month

When I was in school, September was always special—I loved getting back into the routine—seeing old friends, new books, fresh pencils and paper.  Now it’s a little different.  We come home from Lakeside Labor Day week-end and get everything unpacked, laundered, and put away, then begin with fall routine at church , committees, aerobics class and volunteering.  And because our anniversary and my birthday are within 8 days of each other there seems to a flurry of fun things to do. So that I don’t forget, and can bring the memories out like beads to admire, here is my September summary:

3rd: First aerobics class begins for the fall. Back to PDHC to volunteer after a summer off.

4th:  New class on Thursday nights at UALC Lytham taught by Pastor Eric Waters, The Divine Drama

5th:  Watching our old deck come down and our new deck go up.

7th:  New series in Sunday School class Lytham, UALC, with Steve Bruns

11th:  Trip to Blennerhassett Island in West Virginia with our Conestoga group.

12th:  Dinner at Rusty Bucket with our daughter.

17th: Dinner for PDHC at Villa Milano

19th:  Dinner with members of the UALC Visual Arts Ministry at Rusty Bucket with Ken and Connie, Steve and Tamra, Mary, and us. Free decadent dessert (for me) passed around the group.

20th: Trip to Mansfield, Ohio for Ohio Watercolor Society travelling show with Ned and Rosalie.

21st: Sunday brunch at our daughter’s home—with wonderful left overs for Monday—egg and potato/cheese casserole with ham, fresh fruit mix, biscuits, Irish coffee.

22nd: Lunch with Nancy at Old Bag of Nails.

25th: Emerson Burkhart show at Ohio History Connection with our Conestoga group with Joan and Jerry

26th: Dinner at Rusty Bucket (looks like we’re in a rut) with Joan and Jerry. Shopping for new kitchen appliances—double wall oven, microwave and dishwasher. Sticker shock, but needs to be done.

Update: The appliances at Best Buy came to right around $3600 with 5 year warranties. I wish we had 5 year warranties. New microwave, new double wall ovens, and new dishwasher. Now we have to shop for some wall tile for a back splash and new fixtures for the sink.

And of course, some spectacular weather, cool in the morning, high 70s by evening, perfect for walking our lovely grounds.

Would you, or your mother, have stayed in this job?

I was looking for the ratio of USDA employees to farmers, and found a wide variation.  Everything from 9 employees to 1 farmer to 1 employee to 25 farmers.  But I did come across this comment at one entry:

“My mum was a USDA employee. I remember visiting its offices and being intrigued by the displays of different corn species USDA claimed to have contributed to inventing. My mum did not like USDA much. She had a job as a chemist running gas chromatography of tobacco, though her true love/advanced degrees were in bacteriology. The problem was, the program was insanely designed to make her do the same test over again every year for no reason whatsoever. Because nothing about tobacco from any of the cigarette companies ever changed. It was just a badly drafted law. But, she escalated from low to super-high civil service level over the years, and had a ton of time to raise her children on that useless job. So, I’m not complaining…. Still, she utterly DESPISED her boss who maintained the idiocy that kept her job and thus his (and her) budget for his stupid useless fiefdom, going on and on for 20 or more years, for no earthly reason at all. She was deeply pained by the extremely unethical nature of it all and had she had access to a whistleblower statute, I have no doubt that she would have used it.”

I have quit jobs in my “vast” employment record for much less.  (And I’ve also been fired for not being teachable in crappy jobs.)  I might have stayed long enough to look for a better job, but 20+ years working with tobacco, with a despicable boss for his empire building when my degree said I could do better?  No way!

But back to the ratio.  Here’s what senator Coburn said about it: “The USDA currently employs over 120,000 individuals in 16,000 offices and field locations.  The agency notes that if it were a private company, it would be the sixth largest in the United States. Today there is one USDA employee for every eight farmers (those that list farming as their principle source of income), or overall, one USDA employee for every 18 farms.

Meanwhile, back at the U.N. party

The President’s speech at the U.N.

I didn't hear the president's speech today--some say it wasn't too bad, just too long. Also he said the U.S. is getting better--better than we were in 2004. Well, he's been president 6 of those 10 years, and I don't think things are better at all.

• The economy was booming in 2004 and his recovery has been tepid.
• He dropped the ball on the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and now we've got a nastier enemy which just today he finally called out as Muslim;
• it appears the U.S. was gun-running to Syrian rebels, possibly ISIS, in the Benghazi fiasco.
• He's turned his office and the Attorney General into a race battle--even mentioned Ferguson to the U.N.--but not hundreds of veterans dying while waiting for treatment in our only truly socialist health system.
• Our internal revenue service is now tied to our medical records and has already proven that it can get really nasty when your politics are different than the president's;
• thousands of Americans will have their tax refunds garnished because they figured their insurance incorrectly;
• he's shredded our first amendment spying on journalists and making nuns pay for contraception;
• he's tried to gin up hatred for the 2nd amendment even though gun violence is down;
• he's lied about the dangers of rape on college campuses as a sop to radical feminists claiming we've got third world conditions there;
• he destroyed a health insurance tradition that served 85% of the people;
• more people are on food stamps than ever and they can now be used at fast food and for pot;
• he has whined and complained about the GOP and President Bush to the point of being embarrassing for a public figure making him look weak and helpless;
• he lied so many times about Obamacare, we've lost track--the most recent revelation was it does cover abortion something he promised the Democrats wouldn't happen;
• he called Islamic terrorism at Ft. Hood workplace violence, thus depriving the survivors of full benefits.
• And finally, a man whose campaign could use every technology gimmick known to get him elected, couldn't get a computer system to work for his legacy even after spending over a billion--Obamacare.

No, things are definitely NOT better than 2004, except for the super rich--they are definitely richer than they were in 2004.

Are women really victims as Democrats claim?

Women earn 57 percent of bachelor's degrees, 63 percent of master's degrees and 53 percent of doctorates. They constitute the majority of the U.S. workforce and the majority of managers. Single women without kids earn 8 percent more than single men without children in most cities. Women make up almost half of medical school applicants and nearly 80 percent of veterinary school enrollees.

Why do Democrats continue to depict women as morons and victims? Because it works. The women who are really hurt are those taking Uncle Sam as a step-daddy and boyfriend.

http://townhall.com/columnists/jonahgoldberg/#!

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/03/06/womens-college-enrollment-gains-leave-men-behind/

Testing welfare recepients

Drug testing for welfare so that government aid isn't misused and the gov't isn't enabling bad habits? Then let's drug test farmers for all the USDA perks and church staff for all the grants and hand outs they take from the government to run the programs the Bible tells them to do out of love for Jesus. Let's drug test school boards and teachers for all the federal aid without which they can't run their schools. Let's drug test academics before they get all their grants, 60% of which goes directly to administrative costs. Not a popular view, I know, but hypocrisy on the left or right is worrisome. The only reason to accept government money is if you want more government control.

Democrats want choice only to kill the unborn

Democrats claim to be pro-choice, but that's only when it comes to killing babies in the womb. They don't want you to have the right to choose your kids' school, work without joining a union, buy a gun, pay people whatever you contract to pay them if they choose to work for you, buy things you want to buy without regulations constantly interfering and so on. They also don't want you to express your religion in public, or even in private if it conflicts with one of their favorite projects. They want you to change your vocabulary, what you eat, and where you hang the American flag. They want to destroy businesses if the owners don't buy their party line. No, Democrats are statists. And only the state has freedom.

http://townhall.com/columnists/johnstossel/2014/09/24/two-antichoice-parties-n1895570

Yes, Republicans also recommend restricting choice—like not killing the unborn or people over 75. Or not sending young men and women into battle with their hands tied with silly REO regulations.  Like not decimating the poor with legalized gambling.  Some choices are better than others.

The EPA is a rogue agency

Jay Lehr helped birth the environmental movement of the late 1960s and the founding of the EPA in 1971, but now says, "The takeover of EPA and all of its activities by liberal activists was slow and methodical over the past 30 years. Today, EPA is all but a wholly owned subsidiary of liberal activist groups. Its rules account for about half of the nearly $2 trillion a year cost of complying with all national regulations in the U.S. President Barack Obama is using it to circumvent Congress to impose regulations on the energy sector that will cause prices to "skyrocket." It is a rogue agency . . .

http://heartland.org/policy-documents/replacing-environmental-protection-agency

“It's time for the national EPA to go. The path forward is now clear and simple: A five-year transition from a federal government bureaucracy to a Committee of the Whole composed of the 50 state environmental protection agencies.

To those who say this would fail to adequately protect the public's health or the environment, I urge you to reflect on the poor job currently being done by EPA, and then to meet some of the men and women staffing state EPA offices and see for yourself the sophistication, commitment, and resources they have to do the job. You will not remain doubters for long. And to those who like this plan but think it is utopian or impossible, I can tell you as someone who was there at the beginning of EPA, who helped write the laws and advised its founders, that this can be done quickly and efficiently.

All that is missing is the political will.”

http://www.desmogblog.com/jay-lehr

Ron Arnold, Freezing in the Dark: Money, Power, Politics and the Vast Left Wing Conspiracy, 2007.

Wilfred Beckerman, Through Green-Colored Glasses: Environmentalism Reconsidered, 1996.

Larry Bell, Climate of Corruption: Politics and Power Behind the Global Warming Hoax, 2011.

James T. Bennett and Thomas J. DiLorenzo, Cancer Scam: Diversion of Federal Cancer Funds to Politics, 1998.

Alex B. Berezow and Hank Campbell, Science Left Behind: Feel-Good Fallacies and the Rise of the Anti-Scientific Left, 2012.

Rupert Darwall, The Age of Global Warming: A History, 2013.

James V. DeLong, Out of Bounds, Out of Control: Regulatory Enforcement at the EPA. Washington, DC: Cato Institute, 2002

Jeff Gillman and Eric Heberlig, How the Government Got In Your Backyard, 2011.

Indur M. Goklany, The Precautionary Principle: A Critical Appraisal of Environmental Risk Assessment, 2001.

Geoffrey C. Kabat, Hyping Health Risks: Environmental Hazards in Daily Life and the Science of Epidemiology, 2008.

Wallace Kaufman, No Turning Back: Dismantling the Fantasies of Environmental Thinking, 1994.

Aynsley Kellow, Science and Public Policy: The Virtuous Corruption of Virtual Environmental Science, 2007.

S. Robert Lichter and Stanley Rothman, Environmental Cancer A Political Disease? 1999.

Christopher Manes, Green Rage: Radical Environmentalism and the Unmaking of Civilization, 1990.

A.W. Montford, The Hockey Stick Illusion: Climategate and the Corruption of Science, 2010.

Daniel T. Oliver, Animal Rights: The Inhumane Crusade, 1999.

James M. Sheehan, Global Greens: Inside the International Environmental Establishment, 1998.

Julian Simon, Hoodwinking the Nation, 1999.

Rich Trzupek, Regulators Gone Wild: How the EPA Is Ruining American Industry. New York, NY: Encounter Books, 2011.

Where is Hannah Graham?

I'm trying to remember if I ever heard of a college co-ed being assaulted when I was in college--if they were, we didn't hear about it. But also, we were locked in at 11 p.m.

Also, no men/boys were allowed beyond the lobby area.  If you needed a man to help you move in, or move out, you yelled, “Man on first” or “Man in the hall,” so no one would come out of her room not fully dressed.

I suppose there were some women who “slept over” at a man’s apartment, but she would have falsified her absence report, which we filled out when going home.

http://clashdaily.com/2014/09/3-mistakes-hannah-graham-made/

Why is it considered blaming the victim to caution young women to look out for their own safety, to not dress provocatively, to not drink too much, and to never walk the streets after mid-night. Maybe feminists really don’t care?

Gun violence is down, but most don’t know it

“(CNN) -- Gun-related homicides and crime are "strikingly" down from 20 years ago, despite the American public's belief that firearm crime is on the upswing, a new study said Wednesday.

Looking back 50 years, a Pew Research Center study found U.S. gun homicides rose in the 1960s, gained in the 1970s, peaked in the 1980s and the early 1990s, and then plunged and leveled out the past 20 years.

"Despite national attention to the issue of firearm violence, most Americans are unaware that gun crime is lower today than it was two decades ago," the researchers say.

A Pew survey of Americans in March found 56% believed gun-related crime is higher than 20 years ago and only 12% said it's lower. The survey said 26% believed it stayed the same and 6% didn't know.”

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/08/us/study-gun-homicide/

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/380108/lying-about-school-shootings-charles-c-w-cooke

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/06/11/gun-violence-and-mass-shootings-myths-facts-and-solutions/

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-08-20/the-stark-statistics-on-young-black-men-and-gun-violence

The government is making us losers with gambling as a source of income

"Today, we would seek to speak for the ‘‘losers.’’ The ‘‘losers’’ are those citizens sacrificed by our government in its failed experiment of sponsoring and promoting gambling to extract as much money as possible from the public. . . . ‘‘When I asked one I.G.T. artist if he ever plays, he acted as if I had insulted him,’’ wrote New York Times reporter Gary Rivlin in his cover story on slot machines for The Times Sunday Magazine. ‘‘Slots are for losers,’’ he spat, and then, coming to his senses, begged me to consider that an off-the-record comment.’’ Hon. Frank R. Wolf, VA, House of Rep., September 19, 2014, speech on evils of gov't supported gambling, Congressional Record,

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2014-09-19/pdf/CREC-2014-09-19-pt1-PgE1502.pdf

Economically: No great nation has ever built prosperity on the  foundations of personal debt, addiction, and the steady expansion of ‘‘businesses’’ that produce no new wealth. . . .

Ethically: A decent government does not finance its activities by playing its most vulnerable citizens for suckers, thus rendering the lives of millions expendable, exploitable, and unworthy of protection.

 Spiritually: We mock the higher values that any good society depends on—honesty, mutual trust, self-discipline, sacrifice, concern for others, and a belief in a work ethic that connects effort and reward—when government tells its citizens every day that it is committed to providing ‘‘fun’’ instead of opportunity; that a rigged bet is the way to achieve the American dream . . .”

Once a week I drive by the “Hollywood Casino” on the west side of Columbus on my way to volunteer at the pregnancy center.  I’m always shocked when I hear Christians talk about going there for fun and entertainment. Misplaced values.

What Obama doesn’t know, didn’t know

This comment  appeared under the name of Frederick A. Green in a response to Bret Stephens Sept. 22, 2014 WSJ editorial What Obama knows.  I thought it was a good list; I’ve looked around and can’t find that it is viral. I checked his name, and he seems to comment at the Wall St. Journal.

“Obama and Holder know nothing about Fast and Furious.

Obama knows nothing about the VA scandal.

Obama and Holder know nothing about the New Black Panthers intimidating voters.

Obama, Mueller, Shulman, Miller and Lew know nothing about the IRS targeting conservative groups. Lerner knows, but she’s not saying.
Obama and Holder know nothing about securing telephone documents of almost two dozen AP reporters and a Fox News reporter.

Obama, Rice and Clinton know nothing about Benghazi.

Obama knows nothing about the sharp rise in health care costs under ObamaCare—increases he said would not happen.

Obama knows nothing about why insurance policies are canceled after he said numerous times that policy holders could keep the plans they like, and he knows nothing about why people can no longer go to the physicians of their choice.

Obama and Mayorkas knows nothing about inspector general's allegations of conflicts of interest, misuse of position, mismanagement of the federal foreign investor-visa program and appearance of impropriety.

No one in the Obama administration knows anything about the inspector general’s report that Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman verbally instructed Elliot Mainzer, the individual [Poneman] chose to serve as acting administrator of Bonneville Power Administration, that no BPA employees were to talk with anyone, including Congressional investigators, regarding allegations that hiring guidelines unfairly disadvantaged military veterans.

No one knows anything about the FEC seeking information from the IRS about American Issues Project… except Lerner, but she’s not saying.

Obama knows nothing about spying on our allies’ leaders.

Obama knows nothing about why insurance policies are canceled after he said numerous times that policy holders could keep the plans they like.

Obama knows nothing about the VA scandal.

Obama knows EVERYTHING about trading five high-ranking Taliban terrorists for a U.S. Army deserter.

Obama says these are “phony scandals.” Ron Ziegler called Watergate a “third-rate burglary."

Orange peel nutrition

It’s not a scientific study, but since I’ve been preparing orange peel for eating (about 2 years), I haven’t had any sore throats or colds.  The peel is more nutritious than the fruit, but I enjoy the orange, too.  I haven’t been able to find any information on how cooking the peel degrades the nutritional value.  On the other hand, I assume any testing was done on cooked peel.  Using the peel of one orange (in sections) I heat it in a cup in the microwave, change the water, and repeat about 3 times. I cut each section into small strips.  Then I soak it over night in sugar water, drain, and sprinkle with sugar and refrigerate.  It’s not like orange peel candy, much softer and still slightly bitter.  However, I don’t eat much at one time.  Maybe one small strip a day.

Man blamed global climate change

She can probably make more selling marijuana than reporting the news

“Viewers of KTVA's Sunday night newscast learned all about the Alaska Cannabis Club, a medical marijuana group. And then, they learned something else: The reporter who presented the story to the station's viewers is also the owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club.

Charlo Greene then quit her TV job on live television after promising to dedicate "all of my energy toward fighting for freedom and fairness, which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska."

She added: "And as for this job, well, not that I have a choice, but, [expletive] it, I quit." “

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2014/09/22/alaska-reporter-quits-on-live-tv-after-a-segment-about-the-medical-marijuana-club-she-runs/

The all white, all Spanish language cable channel

I was watching Despierta America on Univision this morning while peddling my Power Spin. That channel has a terrible "shadism" problem--didn't see a single dark skinned, Indian, black, brown or Asian person either as host, contestant, guest or in a commercial. Even the exercise segment was led by a blonde. The President of Mexico sends his brown and poor to the U.S. so that fair and light skinned Mexicans of primarily European descent can retain power and money. Univision is headquartered in NYC owned by a conglomerate of investors and in viewership is on a par with the top 5 English language networks. I wonder why there is a different standard for diversity and multiculturalism?

http://entretenimiento.univision.com/shows/despierta-america/

Having lunch today with a good friend of 40 years.

 

July 2014 at Lakeside

 

1986 in aerobics class

The real Snerdley

“James Golden considers his 26 years working with Rush Limbaugh to be the greatest professional blessing he could ever imagine. Originally from Queens, New York, James met Rush while working for a major media network and hasn’t looked back since.

Most Rush listeners know James as either “Snerdley,” the call screener, or the “Official Obama Criticizer.” Golden was in Washington recently for a CURE meeting and that’s where we got the chance to sit down with him for this exclusive 30 minute video interview.

For the first half of the interview, Golden waxed passionately about race in America, and how America’s first black president has only harmed race relations in this country.

Recalling when strong, two parent families were the norm for blacks, when hard work and merit allowed blacks to rise in society, and when homicide wasn’t the major cause of the death for young black males, Golden said with genuine regret, “Isn’t it a shame that for most of black people, the good old days were the days when things were segregated legally in this country?”

He concludes, “What liberalism has done to black communities is horrific.” “

http://dailycaller.com/2014/09/21/rush-limbaughs-call-screener-what-liberalism-has-done-to-black-communities-is-horrific/

Our new deck

It should be nice enough this evening to eat on our new deck. Our old one was nearing 40 years old, wasn't up to code, and had some rot and insects. We used Pro Deck and are very pleased with the company and product. It is a composite material and will not need to be stained.

Very nice crew who worked hard and cleaned up the mess.

Finished product, missing some trim pieces that they’ll come back for.

Our anniversary flowers that were at the church service last Sunday.

The back yard with trees and creek; the unit in photo is just a bit west of ours.

The night Ted Cruz was booed off the stage—by Christians

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz speaking at an event intended to bring light to the vicious persecution of Christians began his speech at the In Defense of Christians’ gala on September 10 as keynote speaker ":

“Good evening. Today we are gathered at a time of extraordinary challenge. Tonight we are all united in defense of Christians. Tonight we are all united in defense of Jews. Tonight we are all united in defense of people of good faith who are standing together against those who would persecute and murder those who dare to disagree with their religious teachings.”

Murmurs around the room, which had begun with the senator’s greeting, grew louder when Cruz continued:

“Religious bigotry is a cancer with many manifestations. ISIS, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, and their state sponsors like Syria and Iran, are all engaged in a vicious genocidal campaign to destroy religious minorities in the Middle East.

Sometimes we are told not to lump these groups together, that we have to understand their so-called nuances and differences. But we shouldn’t try to parse different manifestations of evil that are on murderous rampage through the region. Hate is hate and murder is murder.”

Instead of hearing Cruz’s remarks as a rallying cry to unity for those who are facing the same enemy, a small but very vocal group booed and heckled. Shouts of “Stop it!” and “No!” arose. Although Cruz persisted for some minutes, he cut short his speech and walked off the stage after saying that

“my heart weeps that the men and women here will not stand in solidarity with Jews and Christians alike who are persecuted by radicals who seek to murder them.”

Making sense of IDC

http://www.indefenseofchristians.org/idc/statement-idc-president-following-disruption-idc-gala-dinner/

Adrian Peterson

The Adrian Peterson situation has brought on a lot of discussion--all except how to be a good father. Is it depositing sperm and making support payments? How many children does he have with how many baby mommas? His home is a mansion, he's a millionaire, but the kids (no one seems to know how many) all live with their mothers. I believe he'd never met his 2 year old child (paternity test) who died last year (that man, the boyfriend of the child's mother, has been charged with murder).

A father looks back—my nephew Robert--Friday family photo

As I look back on the 28 years since I had my first child, Christopher, and then the 17 years since I was blessed with twins, Alex and Sydney, I think about all the times I held them, giving them a really big hug to calm their fears, or to make them feel safe. Little did I know then that the one who really needed the hug, the one who needed to know love, was in fact me. Nothing in the world feels as good as a big, tight hug from your kids, and I really miss that. The military, out of state schools, and a busy school and work schedule keep me and my kids from having that special moment every time I desire or need it, but I want them to know, just how incredibly important they are to me and how much their simple act of a hug has on their dad. You guys are my world. Love you more than life itself!  (from a Facebook post, used with permission)

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day

"Just as some Christians doubt so much of the Gospel, so too, even more Christians doubt the presence and power of evil in our world. Yet Paul is very clear about the cause of what is happening throughout our world and even here in our own land." Bishop John Bradosky preaching on Ephesians 6:10-20 NALC Convocation at The Citadel in Charleston, SC

If they are having trouble with believing in the power of evil, they should turn on the news.

NALC Convocation

Saving the unborn, one mother at a time

We attended a lovely dinner last night at Villa Milano (lasagna to die for)  with about 800 other people who care about the unborn to hear Father Frank Pavone. I sat next to a lovely young woman who had grown up in foster care who told me her story of thinking she had no other option than abortion for her now 7 year old precious daughter. By mistake she went to one of our PDHC locations instead of Planned Parenthood and was counseled by a wonderful volunteer and they have remained friends for 8 years. She also needed material aid, food, transportation, parenting help and a job, which God provided through loving Christians--so she was one lucky gal, and of course, the baby was too. And she was a blessing to me, too, I told her because sometimes we volunteers get discouraged and wonder if we make a difference.

My husband wasn’t all that thrilled about going, but I reminded him I’d have to drive alone both in rush hour traffic to get there, and in the dark to get home.  But he really enjoyed himself, thought the food was good and the speaker terrific, and when we were all asked for support, he leaned over and suggested quietly that I double our  agreed on amount.

On the left, feeling good is the goal, not change

“For leftists, the answer to domestic violence isn’t to deal with any of the issues that could lead boys to become abusing men. The answer, instead, is to lecture Americans about the use of the word “sissy” – not because that solves the problem, but because it makes those on the left feel warm and fuzzy inside. Similarly, the left will tell Americans that the name of the Washington Redskins matters far more to Native-Americans than the nearly half of Native-American youths who drop out of high school; they will explain that “microaggressions” are the true problem faced by blacks in America, not lack of education, poverty or unwed motherhood.”

The conversation we won’t have about raising men, Ben Shapiro

The stock market isn’t the whole story

On one of my feeds I saw a poster proclaiming all the economic successes of Obama since January 2009 (can't find it now).  And there's no doubt, those with investments have done well (mainly because of quantitative easing), and unemployment figures are nearing what he promised would happen in 2010.  However, the young, female and minority voters who voted heavily for him, still haven't benefited from his policies.

"Five years into an “economic recovery,” real median household income “is now 3.1 percent below that of June 2009 when the ‘great recession’ officially ended .. .  Single women with and without children present saw their incomes fall by roughly 5 percent.  Those age 25-34 experienced an income decline of 4.4 percent. Black heads of households saw their income tumble by 7.7 percent, while the income of Hispanic heads of households fell 5.6 percent. . The poor and unskilled saw their incomes fall by 7.4 percent for those with less than a high-school diploma and 8.2 percent for those with only a high-school diploma." [Stephen Moore, Patriot Post, Sept. 17, 2014]

For my trolls

A unique book club—all women and one football player

A mouse in the house

Our cat is 16 years old, somewhat arthritic, and sleeps most of the day--but she was back to her roots protecting us last night, stalking and running--apparently a mouse is in the house. We live in a wooded area, and this time of year they sneak in when they can. The cheese was removed from the trap, but it didn't spring. We're not sure who ate it--the cat or the mouse. Sort of like watching politics, isn't it?

Americans do come together, but . . .

If it is something that binds Americans together, the liberals/progressives are protesting it, suing it, fighting it and smearing it on social media. The Star Spangled Banner, the Pledge of Allegiance, a common language, an American flag on a locker in a police station or on a t-shirt, a motto on our money, prayer before community meetings, a local celebration based on our religious traditions. They say they want inclusiveness, but really, they want more people to think they are victims and to exclude God.

 

 

 

 

His word is worthless—even when made to Democrats

Another promise and more laws broken--"absolutely no abortion coverage under [my plan] Obamacare. Our president, Sept. 9, 2009.

If he hadn't lied through his teeth, there would be no Obamacare. A law, an executive order, and a very explicit promise. Worthless. Leftists never change--do it now, ask later. Remember, he controlled both houses then--the promises were made to pro-life Democrats. http://www.speaker.gov/press-release/boehner-gao-report-confirms-taxpayers-fund-abortions-through-obamacare

The Taliban 5 swap was illegal

President Obama’s decision to exchange captive Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five Guantanamo Bay detainees violated federal law, according to a legal opinion the Government Accountability Office sent to Congress Thursday. That’s because the administration failed to notify Congress at least 30 days before the transfer, as required under a law passed in February. The Pentagon notified Congress of the deal on May 31, the same day the transfer was made. And because Congress did not authorize spending for the exchange, it also violated the Antideficiency Act, a law intended to protect Congress’s power of the purse. The Department of Defense spent $988,400 on the transfer, the Pentagon told the GAO. An intentional violation of the Antideficiency Act is a crime punishable by up to two years in prison, but those criminal penalties are rarely enforced. -

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/08/21/bowe-bergdahl-release-illegal-legal-opinion/14408807/

This is not “news,” but a refresher.  I wonder if the beheadings had happened first, if the Bergdahl swap would have happened. I don’t know if the 5 will go to ISIS, but if they don’t, there are 999 other groups to recruit them.