The Pope wants to hear from you

Pope Benedict XVI says priests should start using web sites and blogs, Facebook and YouTube. At Pope2You.net you can go on Facebook and send the Pope a message. Since I'm a Lutheran, I probably won't do that, but it sure is a jazzy web page. And you can choose from 5 languages.

How can bankers justify outrageously high bonuses?

What an odd question!

How do you justify your work contract? Your "merit raise," your paycheck, your perks that others don't have, your nice office, your club membership, your four week vacation when new hires only get one or two?

Why are you paid more than the janitor, the retail clerk, the UPS driver, or your pastor? Who's flogging your greed? What did you sign on for?

Google was invented by a Russian immigrant. He hadn't even finish college. Why should he be incredibly rich and famous and you're flipping burgers, or teaching third graders, or mucking stalls. Got me. But it's a good place to start (by creating suspicion, fear and envy) if you want to destroy the economy. Figure it out.

It's morning in America

Thank you, Glenn Beck, for that inspiring keynote speech at CPAC. Loved the chalk board.

Update: I won't embed them, but Maggie's Notebook has the full 60+ minutes, plus two smaller 6-8 minutes videos. Particularly watch where he really lays it out for the Republican Party, comparing what they need to do with what Tiger needs to do.

It’s tax time

We pay for a CPA. Do you?



HT Taxman blog

The media's induction of Joe Stack into the Tea Party movement

Although there was no clue in his suicide note that Joe Stack (flew his plane into an IRS building in Texas) was anything other than deranged and unhappy with the government (also set his home on fire with his new wife and stepdaughter in it), some in the leftstream media immediately began linking him with various tea party groups. If anything, considering his Marxist and anti-capitalist remarks, he was left of center.

". . .the Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart wrote at the Post Partisan blog, "There's no information yet on whether he was involved in any anti-government groups or whether he was a lone wolf. But after reading his 34-paragraph screed, I am struck by how his alienation is similar to that we're hearing from the extreme elements of the Tea Party movement." NewsBusters.org

Regardless, he was first of all deranged, and those come in all political shades. But where is Capehart's analysis of the mental state and political biases of Amy Bishop, who killed her brother 25 years ago, then fled the scene and held people hostage trying to steal a car, assaulted a woman in a restaurant in 2002, fought with neighbors, planned a gender bias law suit, read aloud in class from textbooks instead of teaching, listed her children as co-authors of a paper, and finally shot a roomful of colleagues, three of the dead being minorities. According to people who knew her and spoke to the press, she was a leftist fanatic. Off-putting even to other liberals.

Capehart + Amy Bishop--I find nothing on Google that he's written about her political connections. I don't know. . . Does this seem a good way to build readership or save the dying newspaper industry? Capehart needs a new line of work.

The public employee retirement plans theft

Lately Glenn Beck has been focusing heavily on the economic problems of the various states. We hear a lot about California; not so much about Illinois. Last night he hit Illinois hard. The state has "borrowed" (stolen) money from all its public retirement funds to support and pay for other programs. I think he showed five. That's illegal to do if you're in business. But has it helped Illinois' budget? Apparently not. How many people do you know who got out of debt by drawing cash from their credit card? I know Pinecrest in Mt. Morris is in trouble because the state can't make its Medicaid payments. Here's the letter I got from the University of Illinois:

"Due to an excessive delay in the payment of our appropriation by the State of Illinois and uncertainty over what lies ahead, your university is facing unprecedented fiscal challenges. In the coming weeks and months, we will be taking a critical look at all aspects of our campus operations, re-examining everything from our administration to small academic units assembled years ago to meet specific needs. An extensive review process will underwrite each decision we make, and every decision will be strategic - designed to transform your university to meet the challenges of the future.

We know that you will have great interest in our work and the resulting decisions, and we invite you to stay connected to the process. Indeed, as we explore the options available to ensure our continued excellence, you may well hear that we are reviewing your college or program. We have created a Web site called Stewarding Excellence @ Illinois as a resource for everyone in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign community. By visiting the site, at http://oc.illinois.edu/budget, you can stay informed of the latest information and activities, and we invite you to offer your ideas through the site's virtual suggestion box.

A final note: we hope also you will urge the Governor and members of the Illinois General Assembly to reach an early solution to the fiscal crisis that now holds Illinois in its grip. As we move forward we pledge to you that all of our decisions on the financial challenges facing this campus and the University of Illinois overall will be guided by our land-grant mission of excellence in teaching, research and public engagement."

Unfortunately, what can the General Assembly do now but raise taxes during a time of high unemployment? A time when instead of focusing on jobs, our federal government just tried to grab more of the economy by taking over health care.

Several times, Beck said, "These people should be in jail," referring to the Illinois legislators who did this. Wonder if he meant Obama who was part of the Illinois General Assembly when some of the theft went on (although he probably wasn't there for the votes)? Beck also noted how many states and municipalities are in trouble because of unfunded federal mandates--and there will be more from EPA. No blame for the present administration for that--these go way back. But there are more to come as the EPA just by-passes Congress.

This study features Colorado and Kansas public employee retirement plans, so it's not just Illinois and California.

Friday Family Photo--Caleb's Graduation

Our great nephew, Caleb, grandson of my husband's sister, graduated from basic combat training on February 19. 165th Infantry Brigade at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. His brother, sister and family, his parents, and grandparents attended.



Here I am with Caleb about 20 years ago. They do grow up fast--and big!

Techno Jeep--Does this remind you of some church services?

This song is called “Techo Jeep” by Julian Smith. It was recorded live using only a 1991 Jeep Cherokee Laredo. Not too hummable, but then neither is a lot of music these days. Might work for exercise class, though.

Hoover was hardly a conservative

He was a progressive, and FDR followed his path until it was set in concrete and took 10 years and WWII to recover. This letter was in today's WSJ by George C. Leef. According to various bios on the internet, he's a libertarian and did run for office in Michigan back in the mid-80s.

"The standard leftist narrative about our history holds that President Herbert Hoover was a die-hard laissez-faire advocate who wouldn't budge from his capitalist convictions even as the nation's economy spun into the Great Depression. The truth is that Hoover was a "big government conservative" who believed that aggressive federal economic intervention would speed recovery and reduce suffering. He specifically rejected the advice of Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon that the best policy would be the same as President Warren Harding had pursued after the sharp 1920-21 recession: to cut taxes, cut federal spending and allow market adjustments to proceed unimpeded.

FDR did not take the country down a different path, but accelerated rapidly down the failed, counter-productive statist path Hoover had chosen. The parallels between the Hoover-Roosevelt era and the Bush-Obama era are striking."

I've been saying this for years, and I'm not even a libertarian. George W. Bush spent like a Democrat, especially on social programs, and it took Obama to get even more reckless. But at least GWB had the economic sense to encourage more tax money for the government coffers instead of discouraging it with punitive regulations, cap and trade, higher taxes, and finger wagging threats.

Sky News Reporter Kay Burley

Not only is she a lapsed Catholic who didn't know why Joe Biden had a mark on his forehead on Ash Wednesday, the start of the most important Christian season, but she made things worse with her "apology" after staff explained to her what she'd done during a break. The commenters on this story are even more obtuse.

Amy Bishop file found

You can read the scan here. It's really chilling. One thing I noticed right away was that her mother called the police instead of an ambulence for the wounded (not yet dead) brother. Also, Amy Bishop was lucky (although not her colleagues 25 years later) to have not been shot by the police as they attempted to disarm her and she refused to put down the shotgun after she fled the murder scene (the family kitchen).

Update: From the Chronicle of Higher Education, "Her colleagues agree that she could be unusual. William Setzer, chairman of the chemistry department, recalls that she would interrupt meetings with bizarre tangents, “left field kind of stuff.” Robert O. Lawton, a biology professor who was in the room during the shooting but escaped unscathed, also thought she could be strange, but said she wasn’t the strangest academic he’d run across in his long career.

Another professor, however, has long been wary of Ms. Bishop. He asked The Chronicle not to use his name because, considering recent events, he is worried about his own safety. The professor, who was a member of Ms. Bishop’s tenure-review committee, said he first became concerned about Ms. Bishop’s mental health “about five minutes after I met her.”

The professor said that during a meeting of the tenure-review committee, he expressed his opinion that Ms. Bishop was “crazy.” Word of what he said made it back to Ms. Bishop. In September, after her tenure denial, she filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging gender discrimination. The professor’s remark was going to be used as possible evidence in that case." [Since she killed or critically wounded most of the people on her committee I doubt that he will remain anonymous for long.]

This really is delightful

Hmmm, hmmm, hmm. Chocolate raspberry. One of my favorite combinations. Lots of processed food doesn't live up to its advertising. Especially, low fat, low calorie. Most of it is also low taste. I bought Yoplait Delights Parfait, Chocolate Raspberry flavor, and I must say it really is very tasty and you'll feel like you've actually had a dessert instead of a cheap imitation that will leave you hungry.

Media got their talking points

It was announced on its one year anniversary that the stimulus is working--the Obama Biden dog and pony show said so. This morning the two newspapers I checked--Wall Street Journal and USAToday--obviously received their talking points. Both papers were just full of it--happy clappy, hopey changey articles. Whoopee. It's over. New housing starts. Our great leader has saved us from a Depression! More businesses hiring. They really spread it thick. Still, it's odd isn't it, that so little money has actually been spent, and yet they claim it's working? And didn't they say that in June and September too? I thought TARP was supposed to stop us from tumbling into the Depression. Oh, and USAToday threw in not one but two H1N1 articles about very serious complications for children with other health problems, just in case people were a bit suspicious of all the scare tactics and shortages in that program.

A great music blog

Music isn't one of my hobbies or strengths, but I still enjoy reading David Meyers' blog about the local Columbus music scene. Columbus is a musical crossroads (also the title of one of his books), and David is a meticulous researcher and entertaining storyteller. His recent reminiscences about Earl Wild formerly of Columbus and Ohio State who died January 23 at age 94, and Pat Wilson and her autobiography Yesterday's Mashed Potatoes which you can look through on Google, are a great read.

Partisan politics--Bayh's announcement

Apparently, a broken and dysfunctional Senate is a repeat theme, according to the Star Ledger editorial. Fifteen years ago Bill Bradley of NJ decided against a 4th term, citing the same reasons as Bayh of Indiana did this past week, although he leaned left (probably thought Clinton was too conservative) and Bayh leaned right (wasn’t an enthusiastic Obama team player). Forty three members of the the Senate or House have announced retirement, from both parties. It's always the other guys' partisanship when you're not the one winning. George Voinovich, a much criticized RINO from Ohio, being a good example from the other side.

A reader of the Star Ledger (NJ) writes in response to that hand wringing, pro-Democrat editorial: “There must have been no "mindless partisanship" when Hamilton and Burr dueled to the death over politics, or when the country near collapsed in civil war over trying to politically end slavery, or when the Republican Congress stifled Wilson’s attempts to start a congress of nations by personal attacks that caused him to have a stroke (or mental breakdown no one knows). Or when FDR attempted to circumnavigate the Republican senate by stacking the courts.”

Someone in la-la lib land needs to catch up on American history, and I suggest 30 days of watching Glenn Beck, or your ignorance back. When he recommends a book on history, politics or economics, it goes to the top of Amazon’s list.

The party of NO and the party of KNOW

The party of NO. That would be politicians and voters who support:

No life for those children who aren't perfect or wanted; or who are inconveniently conceived; or who have Downs Syndrome; or who are the wrong sex.

No life for the elders or parents who have outlived their usefulness to society and are gravely ill.

No freedom of speech except their own.

No freedom of religion except their own.

No need for the Constitution.

No need for trust or honesty, masquerading as moderates to get votes.

No need for free markets.

No need for capitalism.

No need for investment in business.

No need for private sector growth to employ more people.

No need to think about unintended consequences.

No need for border control.

No need for military courts for terrorists.

No respect for women politicians who didn't ride into town on their husband/father's coattails.

No understanding of history.

No right to decide how to use your own wealth.

No human of greater value and worth than any animal.

No school choice except for their kids.

The party of KNOW, on the other hand, is just about any other party--conservative, libertarian, Republican, Populist, Tea Party--who KNOWs what's going on in Washington, DC and will support candidates and legislation with their values.

Obama's stimulus is a dribble

It's awfully hard to find a WSJ news story critical of Obama's first year, or positive about Bush's 8 years. (Only the editorials are conservative in case you aren't a reader of this business periodical.) But today's U.S. News section (A2) is close--it actually points out the failures of ARRA without calling them that.

But think about the economy as if it were sex. Would you prefer the same old, same old (speaking of socialism here) that didn't work even when it was young, and now old and tired, dribbling out a little at a time? Or would you enjoy some focused attention with promises kept, not distracted by the condition of your health? And how well do you perform with constant threats and criticism?

Today is Ash Wednesday

If you live or work in the NW Columbus suburban area and wish to attend a service with communion and imposition of ashes, you're invited to one of the services at the three campuses of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church. The earliest, at 6:30, is over. At Lytham Rd. there is a 12:10 p.m. traditional service (liturgy), a 6:00 family service and a 7:30 traditional service. At Mill Run at 6:30 p.m. there is a family service, and a 7:30 contemporary service. At Hilltop at 7 p.m. there is a worship service with communion. Check the link for addresses, and maps.

Still providing misinformation on libraries

The Upper Arlington Progressives still don't understand that "free circs" are not the responsibility of public libraries to distribute. They are rehashing 2005 again. The public meetings in 2005 were "packed" with outside, non-tax paying (in UA) liberal interest groups to force the library to maintain piles of sex-peddling free circs in the lobby. For those of you not in the biz, a "free circ" is basically boiler-plate articles with some original content, and like all newspapers and magazines they are completely dependent on advertising, but they are provided "free." They are also known as "fish wrappers." The result? The libs won, and the situation made worse when the free circs were moved inside to specially made cabinets. The objectionable sex publications were already cataloged and available in the magazine/newspaper section of the reading room, proof the protesters were just making a political move.

Don't let the word "progressive" in the name fool you. There's never anything new or original in socialism. Certainly not progress.

Sadie's the total package!

The Scottie was judged Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club championship. "She's the total package," marveled Elliot Weiss, of Eagle, Idaho, who judged the Best in Show round before a cheering, capacity crowd at Madison Square Garden.

"This is the complete dog ... That's what you want a Scottie to look like," said Weiss. (Reuters)

Now if the rest of us could all look as good and behave as well as those dogs! But if you need a four legged friend and companion, consider a shelter dog. They will truly appreciate you! Don't forget the training, either, so others can enjoy your pet!