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INSERT INTO `content_type_blog` VALUES (1338,1338,'&nbsp;Kudos to <a href=\"http://www.gophouse.com/news.asp?District=93\">Rep. Opsommer </a>for <a href=\"http://www.gophouse.com/readarticle.asp?id=6692&amp;District=93\">taking a stand </a>against the horrible idea of requiring home schooled to be students<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">&nbsp; </span>to be registered with the state:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&quot;The government\'s role is to oversee public education, not what takes place in people\'s homes,&quot; said Rep. Opsommer. &quot;A student\'s parents will always be the most important factor in how well the student learns -- not the government. The individual freedoms granted to the people of this country extend to parents and their right to teach their children in the manner they see as most productive, and it is not the government\'s role to take over these decisions that families have historically been able to make for themselves&quot;.&nbsp;</div>\r\n</blockquote><br />\r\nIf, as many propose, we need to keep government out of our bedrooms, how about out of our living rooms and dining rooms too? I question the motivation of why the State needs to register these kids. Some, I\'m sure, are concerned about the quality of education that those kids are receiving . But most probably think that parents who home school are religious fanatics that are keeping little Johnny from the wonderful experience of a public school education. After all, government does such a great job with such things as running the economy and airport security that what\'s the worst that could happen?<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAnd can we someday expect the same type of treatment for parents who do not register their children with the State?<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Rep. Opsommer pointed to the danger of what can happen once the state has the authority to trump the decisions of parents. Last month in Detroit it was proposed that parents be jailed if they fail to attend parent-teacher conferences.&nbsp;<br />\r\n&nbsp;</div>\r\n</blockquote>Are we talking about a parent that has to work nights and can\'t make it, or a parent who is too busy watching Oprah? I doubt that legislation that would jail parent would care about the distinction.',2),(1343,1343,'<p>So let\'s start our holiday weekend with some entertainment and some education. First, the entertainment. <a href=\"http://detnews.com/section/miview\">The&nbsp;Michigan View</a>&nbsp;posted a YouTube video by <a href=\"http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/watercooler/index.php?blogid=1120\">Tim Hawkins</a> that is fantastic. It\'s a parody of &quot;The Candy&nbsp;Man Can&quot; called &quot;The Government Can.&quot; You\'ll want to sing along.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSecond, here is a &quot;truer&quot; Thanksgiving than most people are told in school, which I posted last year as well:<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThanksgiving is tomorrow and I, like most people, am looking forward to some great food and (most likely mediocre) Lions football. And, I suppose, time with the family too. But I wanted to take a few moments to write about our great American holiday, Thanksgiving.</p>\r\n<p>There are differing versions of the story of Thanksgiving. The most common is that the Indians saved the pilgrims by teaching the clueless settlers how to properly grow food. Others tell of evil and greedy men who seized Indian land and abused the innocent natives who lived in peace until the pilgrims arrived.</p>\r\n<p>Then there is the least known version of the story of Thanksgiving, and one that doesn\'t involve speculation. William Bradford, governor of the Plymouth colony, kept a diary of the early years of the colony and this diary provides a startlingly different look at events.</p>\r\n<p>Initially, the Plymouth colony existed as the workers paradise that social utopians would have loved. The workers labored for the benefit of all, the food they produced being put into a common store and shared by everyone. From each according their means, to each according to their needs, you could say.</p>\r\n<p>This had miserable and tragic results as many in the colony refused to do their share of the work and existed as takers, not producers. Because of the lack of productivity, the colonists starved, and only after Bradford distributed land to be farmed privately, with each family keeping what they produced, was the colony saved. You can read accounts at <a href=\"http://freedomkeys.com/thanksgiving.htm\">FreedomKeys.com</a> and the <a href=\"http://mises.org/story/336\">Ludwig von Mises Institute</a>. It is a fascinating story about human nature and economics and one avoided from being taught, purposely or otherwise.</p>\r\n<p>I hope everyone has a happy and relaxing Thanksgiving.</p>',2),(1353,1353,'<p>As I was returning to work with my hard-earned lunch from Taco Bell, I heard on the radio that there an <a href=\"http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/11/29/portland-terror-suspect-faces-arraignment/\">attempt to detonate a car bomb</a> at a Christmas tree lighting in Portland, Oregon. Portland? I thought they were very progressive out there - why would someone want to hurt them when all us nasty conservatives are in the middle of the country.</p>\r\n<p>The attacker was first described at a teenager. Hmm, must be teenage angst, or anger that Bristol Palin made it so far in &quot;Dancing with the Stars&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>Then I heard it was a Somali immigrant. Oh, probably protesting atrocities in Rwanda or not enough food or general incompetence by African dictators or an American president.</p>\r\n<p>Then I heard his name was Mohamed Osman Mohamud. Hmm, Mohamed. That type of name sounds familiar. Is he Catholic? Those &quot;progressives&quot; are always pointing to Timothy McVeigh, who at one point in his life was Catholic, so we can\'t profile based on religion. Probably not, though - Catholics normally don\'t have a last name the same as their first name. Timothy McVeigh Timothy? Nope, doesn\'t sound right. Couldn\'t possibly be Muslim, right? They are the religion of peace, as they demonstrate on a daily basis.</p>\r\n<p>Finally, I understood which religion he was - he was an environmentalist. He was protesting the death of a tree for the commercialized holiday of Christmas in the United States, the Great Satan, if you will. I knew I\'d get to the bottom of it!</p>',2),(1382,1382,'<p>This morning, while browsing a must-read site for me, <a href=\"http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/watercooler/index.php\">The Michigan View</a>, there it was, a <a href=\"http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/watercooler/index.php?blogid=1232\">post by Henry Payne</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Your motel tax bill - going up!<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>(Mackinac Center) - <a href=\"http://michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=513371\">Senate Bill 1515</a>, Increase hotel and motel tax, passed 70 to 32 in the House.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>To increase from 2 percent to 5 percent the amount of room tax that can be imposed on hotels and motels by any local convention and tourism marketing bureau.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Sadly, many Republicans voted for the bill, trying to capitalize on our tourism industry, apparently not realizing that many Michiganders stay in their own state for their vacations.</p>\r\n<p>On the plus side, our representative, Rep. Opsommer, did not vote for the tax increase. On the minus side, this is what passes for bipartisanship - both sides voting for bad bills.</p>',2),(1397,1397,'<p>In today\'s episode of &quot;<a href=\"http://detnews.com/article/20101214/METRO/12140426/Doctors-call-for-moratorium-on-fast-food-in-Detroit\">You Might Be A Socialist If</a>...&quot;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Detroit &mdash;A nonprofit medical group is calling for Mayor Dave Bing to impose a moratorium on new fast food restaurants. <br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>&quot;I\'m writing you to declare a public health emergency,&quot; the letter from Susan Levin, the group\'s [Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine] director of nutrition reads. &quot;&hellip;It\'s time to tackle Detroit\'s heart disease problem head on. A moratorium on new fast food restaurants could be a critically important step toward fighting this epidemic.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>And since Los Angeles fell to the forces of the nanny state in 2008, halting construction of fast food restaurants in certain areas, why not Detroit? A fat tax was attempted by the cheating, lying ex-mayor Kwawe, but luckily for people who don\'t enjoy living in an autocratic place like New York City, it failed.</p>\r\n<p>We all know about Emperor Bloomberg\'s decrees about salt and trans fats. I\'m waiting for him to announce that the only food allowed in NYC is vitamin paste - why waste time and money by eating foods you don\'t need absolutely need for survival? Next on his plate is sure to be a state-issued one piece black jumpsuit so New Yorkers can all dress and eat the same. Equality, nanny state-style.</p>\r\n<p>Wasn\'t there a line is some song about the Home of the Free? San Francisco families used to be able to go to McDonald\'s and buy a normal Happy Meal. We laugh because San Francisco is a bastion of liberal idiocy, and people that live there get what they deserve.</p>\r\n<p>But now, the beginnings of that idiocy are creeping into Detroit. Detroit is one of the worst places to live in the United States - theft, illegitimacy, murder, drugs, literacy, hopelessness. And now, busybody liberals are adding fast food to the list of issues in Detroit? This is what those people spend their time doing?</p>\r\n<p>And &quot;educated&quot; liberals are supposed to be the smart ones...</p>',2),(437,437,'<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><font size=\"3\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\">When you absolutely, positively, want to impress the 6th graders, remember to <a href=\"http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//100119/480/9131bc77c7534185bdbf267bb4ab8497/\">take your TelePrompTer to school</a>. I actually feel embarrassed for him. The President of the United States, the most powerful man in the world, and in particular one who is renowned for his public speaking ability, takes a speech aid to an elementary school. It would be amusing if it wasn\'t so discouraging to see.</font></font></font><font size=\"3\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><br />\r\n</font></font></font></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><font size=\"3\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><o:p></o:p></font></font></font></p>',2),(450,450,'<p><a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100127/NEWS01/301220019/1001/NEWS\">Bills introduced </a>into the Michigan House of Representatives are aimed right at we taxpayers (of course):</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The bills would raise the state&rsquo;s gas tax of 19 cents per gallon to 23 cents this year and to 27 cents in 2013. The diesel tax of 15 cents per gallon would increase to 21 cents this year and to 27 cents in 2013.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>What are those liberals doing! Just what we need, another tax hike from those villainous, no good, ...um, hmm, uh oh:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The new bills are sponsored by Republican Rep. Richard Ball and Democratic Rep. Pam Byrnes.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Yes, our very own Representative is involved in making it more expensive to live in Michigan. Not only would the money come directly out of our own pockets, but the cost of everything will go up, as the increase in the cost of the diesel that fuels the trucks that bring us our products will be passed onto us.</p>\r\n<p>That\'s trickle-up. Like trickle-down, but in a bad, gravity-defying way.</p>\r\n<p>It\'s bad enough that the Democrats are always trying to make life more expensive and restrict freedoms, but it\'s when our party, the one reputedly for smaller government and larger personal freedoms, gets into the act that things don\'t look good.</p>\r\n<p>I checked <a href=\"http://www.gophouse.com/news.asp?District=85\">Representative Ball\'s news </a>page, but didn\'t see any update touting the introduction of his legislation. His <a href=\"http://www.gophouse.com/contact.asp?District=85\">contact information is online </a>if you\'d like to say hello.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(452,452,'<p>Talk about eye-opening. The <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/11941\">Mackinac Center for Public Policy </a>has a post about the electric car, with a surprise twist:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Americans are optimistic by nature, at least until recently when they have become increasingly worried about the direction the country is headed and what that means for our children\'s future. Nowhere is our national optimism more apparent than in quest for perpetual motion through the electrification of the automobile. Quoting from an article that appeared in the Detroit Free Press: &quot;[C]ompanies are searching for a billion-dollar breakthrough in battery design. General Dynamics is working on a zinc-air cell battery. Ford is actively interested in a sodium-sulfur cell. Gulton Industries and General Motors are tinkering with lithium &mdash; nickel and lithium &mdash; chlorine. Westinghouse is in the act. The Edison Electric Institute is all charged up. All the activity is bound to pay off probably within the next five years &mdash; in the production of an electric car that would meet minimum design requirements.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>And for the pay off:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Sounds like something pulled right from today\'s headlines, doesn\'t it? Actually, the article was written by James Kilpatrick and appeared in the July 24, 1967, edition of the Free Press. Fast forward more than 40 years, and we are still being told the electrification of the automobile is our transportation future.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Companies have been working to perfect this technology for over 40 years, and the work goes on. I understand that the high priests of global warming have demanded such obeisance from the auto industry in order to satisfy the gods of their imaginary crisis, but until Americans actually want to buy electric vehicles in large numbers, gasoline-powered cars will continue to overwhelmingly dominate the roads.</p>',2),(454,454,'<p><a href=\"http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100129/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_distracted_driving_study\">Study: distracted driving laws don\'t stop crashes</a></p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>WASHINGTON &ndash; A new study from the insurance industry finds that state laws banning wireless calling or texting while driving have not resulted in fewer vehicle crashes.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>So how about our legislature not pass another ineffective and pointless law that will do nothing but help the lawmakers say &quot;See, I care about you&rdquo; at reelection time.</p>\r\n<p>Shall we take bets about whether or not this will actually happen, though? We have enough voters who want to live in a nanny state, a place where the government watches over the every move of every citizen for the &quot;public good&quot;, that even though the evidence proves texting laws are completely pointless, people will still want them.</p>\r\n<p>Should you drive while texting? Of course not &ndash; that\'s a stupid thing to do. But a law is not going to stop that sort of behavior, common sense does that. And as far as I know, possessing common sense is still not required by law.</p>',2),(463,463,'<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><o:p></o:p>Do you trust foreign governments more than the <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>? That is the question before us. President Obama seems to be siding with the former when deciding <a href=\"http://newsmax.com/Headline/obama-internet-iana-united/2010/01/31/id/348514?s=al&amp;promo_code=967E-1\">who should control the Internet</a>.</p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\">The Internet is an American invention, one which a large percentage of the world enjoys. But because the entire world uses it - even if it finds the Internet a critical part of their way of life - does not mean we should cede control of it to an unpredictable and fickle council of (sometimes) America-hating bureaucrats.<o:p></o:p></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\">We know how badly Obama wants the rest of the world\'s governments to like him, what with all the bowing and consistent bad-mouthing of the <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> whenever he travels abroad. Another way to achieve his goal is by sharing control of the systems that manage the Internet, currently done by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, an American entity, to foreign countries and government.</p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\">What could go wrong with an organization that counts <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\">Russia</st1:country-region> and <st1:place w:st=\"on\"><st1:country-region w:st=\"on\">China</st1:country-region></st1:place>, not known for their kindness towards dissidents and freedom of speech, having influence over - if not control of - the world\'s most powerful tool for communication?</p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><a href=\"http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=1670\">Cyber attacks that blocked Internet access </a>to and from <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\">Georgia</st1:country-region> in 2008 were coordinated with the armed takeover of a Georgian province by <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Greater control of Internet management means easier times manipulating the systems that determine who gets the information they need. Attacks like the one on <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">Georgia</st1:place></st1:country-region> would be more likely with international control, not less.<o:p></o:p></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\">What happens when thuggish regimes like <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">China</st1:place></st1:country-region>, along with nations that it can influence or control, want to block access to certain sites, or from certain countries, or forbid certain users? <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">China</st1:place></st1:country-region> and their ilk already censor information from their citizens. With control of the managing systems of the Internet, that censorship would be far reaching. Any group they or another powerful nation could potentially reek havoc on information sharing. God help <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> if the radical Muslim nations have influence on Internet policy. <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\">Syria</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\">Iran</st1:country-region>, and others want <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> wiped off the map &ndash; they certainly wouldn&rsquo;t have a problem blocking Internet access.<o:p></o:p></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\">We all know this is part of Obama\'s dream of global governance, along with such items as climate change and the <st1:street w:st=\"on\"><st1:address w:st=\"on\">World Court</st1:address></st1:street>. But voluntarily surrendering some or all of our control over Internet management is not in our nation&rsquo;s best interest. And isn&rsquo;t a president&rsquo;s job to protect the <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> and do what&rsquo;s best for us, its citizens?<o:p></o:p></p>\r\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><o:p></o:p></p>',2),(475,475,'<p>The opening paragraph of Kurt Vonnegut\'s short story <a href=\"http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html\">Harrison Bergeron </a>is a leftist&rsquo;s dream:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>THE YEAR WAS 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren\'t only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>There it is, the ultimate goal of the liberal: Equality not just under the law, but in all aspects of life. The current word for this goal is fairness.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://townhall.com/columnists/JohnStossel/2010/02/10/hurtling_down_the_road_to_serfdom?page=2\">John Stossel </a>shows two recent examples of the government trying to impose &quot;fairness&quot;:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>When colleges innovated by having students use Kindle e-book readers instead of expensive textbooks, the Justice Department sued them, complaining that the Kindle discriminates against blind students. The department also is suing the Massachusetts prison system because it makes prospective prison guards take a physical test. Since women don\'t do as well as men on that test, Justice claims the test discriminates against women.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Better to reduce the capabilities of everyone, increasing the cost as well, then have a few that could not use the latest technology and &lt;gasp&gt; have to use a textbook. And we should never, ever tell a 5&rsquo;2&rdquo; woman that she can&rsquo;t be a prison guard. (Why she would want to be, I don&rsquo;t know.) After all, who needs to be physically strong to be a prison guard? Those are just murderers, rapists, and thieves behind bars, perfectly lovely people.</p>\r\n<p>On the same track, <a href=\"http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2010/02/10/the_fallacy_of_fairness_part_ii\">Thomas Sowell </a>points out on the mindset of redistribution of wealth in the name of fairness:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Redistribution of material resources has a very poor track record when it comes to actually helping those who are lagging, whether in education, in the economy or elsewhere. What they need are the attitudes, priorities and behavior which produce the outcomes desired.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>And that is what is happening in the Detroit school system. Teacher pay and money per student are among the highest in the state, and the district graduates around 25% of the students. New computers aren\'t going to help Detroit students with so many societal problems in the city, but the government solution is to throw more money at the problem and say &quot;we\'re trying&quot;. There is a problem from the ground up that a few more dollars just aren&rsquo;t going to solve.</p>\r\n<p>Life\'s not fair, of course. Some are born rich, some are born to affluent parents while other are born to single mothers in the ghetto. This will never change. Some will have loving parents and some will have horrible, neglectful parents. But the government can&rsquo;t legislate fairness any more than they can legislate the temperature of the planet, no matter how much of our income it confiscates from us.</p>',2),(478,478,'One more reason <a href=\"http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/nolanfinleyblog/index.php?blogid=1354#ixzz0fKXz98hU\">Nolan Finley </a>is on my list of must-read bloggers in this single sentence:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>With lawmakers stuck in their homes, they have not been able to adopt new spending bills for their friends and supporters, contemplate new taxes or order new regulations that intrude on our individual rights.</div>\r\n</blockquote><br />\r\nCan we give Washington a snow year? Very little of use comes out of that city anymore. Gridlock used to be a bad thing, but these days, I\'ll take gridlock over the yet another freedom-killing bill any day.',2),(510,510,'<p>What do you do to help Flint, one of the most dangerous cities in the United States, and one wracked by economic problems for decades? <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/12117\">Buy green buses</a>, of course:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>[T]he city\'s bus station has sealed a deal to purchase two $1.1 million &quot;green&quot; electric buses that cost almost four times as much as typical diesel buses. The &quot;emission free&quot; buses can stay out on the road for up to four hours. Experts say buses are responsible for 0.34 percent of total passenger miles traveled in the Flint area.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>It\'s all about priorities:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>According to the state, Michigan has received nearly $100 million in federal stimulus funds to be spent on transit authorities. That is despite statistics that reveal 1 percent of all passenger miles in the state are traveled via buses.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>So with a 16.6% unemployment rate, a lot of people will be riding those fancy, $1.1 million buses to the unemployment agency.</p>',2),(517,517,'<p>Coming from a commissar near you, the <a href=\"http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-02-18-holiday-decorations_N.htm\">city of Aurora, IL presents</a>:</p>\r\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">An ordinance in the Chicago suburb limits outdoor seasonal displays to 60 days before and after holidays, so starting Thursday, people with lingering Christmas spirit will get 14-day notices to remove them. If they don\'t, they could be fined $50.</p>\r\n<p>Is it bad taste to have Christmas lights up for St. Patrick\'s Day? Maybe, but why is that my business? Why should I be concerned about what is on my neighbor\'s house as long as it doesn\'t endanger me? What about freedom of speech, the pursuit of happiness, and other American ideals?</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The ordinance &quot;absolutely&quot; raises a free speech issue, says Dan Kobil, constitutional law professor at Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio. &quot;The hanging of lights and decorations is a quintessential reflection of views,&quot; he says, &quot;and is clearly First Amendment expression.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote><blockquote>\r\n<p>Aurora resident Michelle Medina calls the ordinance &quot;strange &hellip; but a good idea.&quot; She\'s annoyed when neighbors leave up their Christmas decorations all year. When do hers come down? Jan. 1 or 2, &quot;no matter what.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Because if you do it, so should the rest of the planet. In fact, they should be forced to. We&rsquo;re from the government, and we&rsquo;re here to help.</p>',2),(549,549,'<p>Unions exist for one reason - to serve their members. (Well, one other thing - to give money to Democrats.) Their purpose doesn\'t include the welfare of the industry they supposedly serve, including schoolchildren.</p>\r\n<p>This is not to say that teachers don&rsquo;t care about students - that is not at all what I&rsquo;m saying. But the union representatives exist to squeeze every dime out of whomever they are negotiating with for the benefit of their members. In this case, those dimes come from you and I.</p>\r\n<p>According to the <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/12083\">Mackinac Center for Public Policy</a>, health care plans for Michigan teachers in 2008-2009 were 39 percent higher than the statewide average. The average teacher contribution to is four percent, so their union has been serving them well, at the cost of taxpayers. As Michael Van Beek notes:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Michigan taxpayers now spend $2 billion per year, or $1,250 per pupil, for school employee health insurance.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://townhall.com/columnists/JohnStossel/2010/02/17/education_too_important_for_a_government_monopoly\">John Stossel\'s column </a>last week dovetails with this idea of expensive per student cost with little benefit:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Since 1980, government spending on education, adjusted for inflation, has nearly doubled. But test scores have been flat for decades. <br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>Today we spend a stunning $11,000 a year per student -- more than $200,000 per classroom. It\'s not working.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>House Speaker Andy Dillon, a Democrat, has proposed including public employees (teachers included) be handled by the same state commission. Estimated to save $900 million (less, of course - government projections of money saved are always wrong, cough - stimulus bill - cough). Would is save money? Yes, it probably would. Occasionally, a Democrat has a good idea. Bravo, keep them coming.</p>\r\n<p>Mr. Van Beek has a better idea:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>If all school employees were enrolled in consumer-driven health plans, such as a high-deductible health savings account, Mackinac Center analysts estimate that schools could save at least $450 million in just one year. Over the course of a decade, those savings could grow to $26 billion. States like Indiana are already reaping the benefits from moving public employees into HSAs, yet only 19 Michigan school districts have HSA plans for their teachers.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>I highly doubt this idea will ever come to fruition because the Michigan Education Association, arguably the state\'s most powerful union, will oppose it. But it is important to keep these ideas coming. Eventually, we may have enough people in the legislature to make it happen.</p>',2),(559,559,'<p><a href=\"http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100224/ap_on_re_us/us_entire_school_fired_1\">Some good news </a>for students in Rhode Island:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. &ndash; A Rhode Island school district has voted to fire all the teachers at an underperforming school.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>The Central Falls School Committee voted Tuesday evening to fire every educator at Central Falls High School, including teachers, guidance counselors and the principal.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Of course, the teachers union is looking at their options. They\'ll sue, almost definitely - what do you want, incompetent teachers that go quietly?</p>\r\n<p>The school has a 50% graduation rate, which is about double the graduation rate of schools in Detroit. Give you any ideas?<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(582,582,'<p>It seems <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/12219\">Michigan has a new export </a>- bad socialist ideas.</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Gov. Ted Strickland [OH] signed an executive order more than a year ago on Feb permitting the providers to unionize, and he signed the first contract in January with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Ohio Council 8.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>[Communications director Joe] Weidner said no one will be forced to join the union, however, those who do not will still have to pay a fair share fee because AFSCME will have to represent them if any issues arise.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Maybe this is our way of competing with other states, by making them as hellishly overregulated as we are. &quot;Hey, no need to move to Ohio - they\'re just as bad as us!&quot;</p>\r\n<p>Hmm, the next pro-Michigan television campaign, perhaps? We\'ve had &quot;Yes! Michigan&quot;. And we\'ve had &quot;Great Lakes, Great Times.&quot; Now we have &quot;Stay right where you are - they suck too&quot;.</p>',2),(586,586,'<p>This long quote from <a href=\"http://townhall.com/columnists/WalterEWilliams/2010/03/03/who_poses_the_greater_threat\">Walter Williams </a>sums up my problem with liberals\' obsession with controlling markets:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>While American politicians and intellectuals have not reached the depths of tyrants such as Lenin, Stalin, Mao and Hitler, they share a common vision. Tyrants denounce free markets and voluntary exchange. They are the chief supporters of reduced private property rights, reduced rights to profits, and they are anti-competition and pro-monopoly. They are pro-control and coercion, by the state. These Americans who run Washington, and their intellectual supporters, believe they have superior wisdom and greater intelligence than the masses. They believe they have been ordained to forcibly impose that wisdom on the rest of us. Like any other tyrant, they have what they consider good reasons for restricting the freedom of others. A tyrant\'s primary agenda calls for the elimination or attenuation of the market. Why? Markets imply voluntary exchange and tyrants do not trust that people behaving voluntarily will do what the tyrant thinks they should do. Therefore, they seek to replace the market with economic planning and regulation, which is little more than the forcible superseding of other people\'s plans by the powerful elite.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>It\'s their arrogance that bothers me the most, their view that liberals know better than I how to spend my money, raise my child, or live a in lifestyle of my choosing. As <a href=\"http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/33029.html\">C.S. Lewis wrote</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n</blockquote>',2),(588,588,'<p>Today, the topic is government jobs. I\'ll start with a few links.</p>\r\n<p>First, from <a href=\"http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2010/03/crowding-out-in-pictures.html\">Carpe Diem</a>, follow the link to see a few interesting graphs showing the increase in federal government jobs. Since mid-2007, the number has increased five-fold.</p>\r\n<p>As a <a href=\"http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-12-10-federal-pay-salaries_N.htm\">USA Today </a>article from last year mentions, those jobs are really paying the bills:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Federal employees making salaries of $100,000 or more jumped from 14% to 19% of civil servants during the recession\'s first 18 months &mdash; and that\'s before overtime pay and bonuses are counted.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Nice work if you voted for the party in power right now.</p>\r\n<p>From the <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/12268\">Mackinac Center for Public Policy</a>, discusses the negotiated 3% increase of union State of Michigan workers, and how the legislature has just over a month to rescind that raise. Let\'s be serious, there will be no renegotiation - such a change would require a two-thirds majority, an impossibility in a union-dominated state like ours.</p>\r\n<p>Continuing with the theme of teachers is a link from the <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100305/CLINTON01/3070301/1002/NEWS01\">Lansing State Journal</a>, which I found from another <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/12273\">Mackinac Center </a>article:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>At a time when local teachers\' unions are struggling to maintain salary and benefits and the union\'s overall statewide membership is declining, many MEA negotiators and executive director Luigi Battaglieri also got hefty pay increases. And average pay for all employees at the MEA has risen 19 percent in recent years.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>But it\'s all in the name of doing the best job they can do says Doug Pratt, MEA director of communications:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;Do we compensate our officers well? Do we compensate our managers well? Yes,&quot; he said. &quot;We believe in attracting and recruiting the best possible candidates.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>I wonder what Mr. Pratt thinks of the bonuses received by AIG and other financial firms that caused such an uproar last year. They were just trying to attract and keep the best people they could, too.</p>\r\n<p>And just like the federal workers, it pays to work for the MEA:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Overall, MEA salary expenses are increasing. For the 2005-06 fiscal year, the average salary for each of the 346 MEA employees was $75,308. By 2008-09, 343 employees earned an average of $89,612 each - an increase of nearly 19 percent.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>I\'m in the wrong business. I often pass the MEA office on Saginaw Street in East Lansing. Perhaps I need to stop by, pretend I\'m a liberal, and squeeze taxpayer dollars out of teachers like their union reps do. It obviously pays to do so.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(613,613,'<p><a href=\"http://www.freep.com/article/20100314/NEWS06/100314027/1001/NEWS/Flint-officials-plan-to-lay-off-57-police-officers\">One more reason to avoid Flint</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Officials plan to lay off 57 police officers in Flint by the end of the month, a move that has some people concerned about public safety.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Well, not everyone is concerned about public safety. Namely, two groups: Criminals and those in the Flint mayor&rsquo;s office:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Mayor Dayne Walling announced the layoffs last month after contract negotiations with public safety unions came to a standstill. He says public safety relies on &quot;smart policing,&quot; not just the size of the payroll.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>So if his theory is correct, if you put Stephen Hawking in charge of the Flint PD, there will be no crime? I\'m not sure I follow.</p>\r\n<p>Let\'s be honest: The one type of job you don\'t cut in Flint is the police officer. Consistently ranked as one of the <a href=\"http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1646896/top_10_most_dangerous_cities_in_the.html?cat=17\">United States\' most dangerous cities</a>, if there is a city that needs a large police force, it\'s Flint.</p>\r\n<p>We have budget issues in Michigan, but I have a solution. A training program could be set up to transfer Detroit teachers to the Flint police department. The former are effectively useless in their current positions, and the latter (thanks to the mayor) desperately need bodies. It&rsquo;s as close to a win-win as we can get.</p>',2),(620,620,'<p>How do I love Ann Coulter?&nbsp;How do I count the way?<br />\r\n<br />\r\nWith YouTube videos, that\'s how. Here are links to four videos of her appearance at CPAC.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/F3cyuk7xxpk\">http://www.youtube.com/v/F3cyuk7xxpk</a><br />\r\n<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/LON1ojnh4QA\">http://www.youtube.com/v/LON1ojnh4QA</a><br />\r\n<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/NQvLCE-NXNs\">http://www.youtube.com/v/NQvLCE-NXNs</a><br />\r\n<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/sBNbfewjkfQ\">http://www.youtube.com/v/sBNbfewjkfQ</a><br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(625,625,'<p>If you\'ve seen this before... read it again, it\'s so&nbsp;true.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nIf a conservative doesn\'t like guns, he doesn`t buy one.<br />\r\nIf a liberal doesn\'t like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.</p>\r\n<p>If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn`t eat meat.<br />\r\nIf a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.</p>\r\n<p>If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.<br />\r\nIf a liberal is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.</p>\r\n<p>If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.<br />\r\nA liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.</p>\r\n<p>If a conservative doesn\'t like a talk show host, he switches channels.<br />\r\nLiberals demand that those they don\'t like be shut down.</p>\r\n<p>If a conservative is a nonbeliever, he doesn\'t go to church.<br />\r\nA liberal nonbeliever wants any mention of God and religion silenced. (Of course this only applies to Christian Religions.)</p>\r\n<p>If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.<br />\r\nA liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(628,628,'<p><br />\r\nAs <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/15/AR2010031503742_pf.html\">The Washington Post</a> puts it, &quot;House may try to pass Senate health-care bill without voting on it&quot;:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Monday that she might attempt to pass the measure without having members vote on it. <br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>Instead, Pelosi (D-Calif.) would rely on a procedural sleight of hand: The House would vote on a more popular package of fixes to the Senate bill; under the House rule for that vote, passage would signify that lawmakers &quot;deem&quot; the health-care bill to be passed.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Sleight of hand is appropriate - it\'s how this whole health care &quot;debate&quot; has gone. By debate, I mean Democrats lying about what the bill will actually do and calling Republicans the Party of No because they don\'t want to go along with them.</p>\r\n<p>Reminder: Republicans don\'t have the votes to stop it. Republicans have 40 votes in the Senate, enough to filibuster it, but there are plenty of RINOs that might be persuaded to sell us out.</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The tactic -- known as a &quot;self-executing rule&quot; or a &quot;deem and pass&quot; -- has been commonly used, although never to pass legislation as momentous as the $875 billion health-care bill. It is one of three options that Pelosi said she is considering for a late-week House vote, but she added that she prefers it because it would politically protect lawmakers who are reluctant to publicly support the measure. <br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>&quot;It\'s more insider and process-oriented than most people want to know,&quot; the speaker said in a roundtable discussion with bloggers Monday. &quot;But I like it,&quot; she said, &quot;because people don\'t have to vote on the Senate bill.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Fancy Nancy likes it because it frees Congressmen of that pesky thing called voting on a bill and putting their name on it. When they happens, lots of those Congressmen are gone in the next election.</p>\r\n<p>But Nancy, if you think people are mad now, you have no idea the rage people will feel when you pass a bill without even voting for it. If that happens, I have a feeling some of that &quot;stimulus&quot; money will go to Congressional bodyguards.</p>\r\n<p>Is it just me, or do the constant attempts by the Democrat to skirt the will of the people disgust you too?<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(630,630,'<p><a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100318/NEWS01/303180009/1002/NEWS01\">Let\'s celebrate</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Some fireworks that are currently illegal in Michigan could be legalized and sold to help raise money for state government under terms of budget-related legislation advancing in the state House.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Bottle rockets are fun, but the curmudgeon in me (am I old enough to be a curmudgeon?) doesn\'t want firecrackers going off around my house all year round. The weeks before and after the Fourth are enough.</p>\r\n<p>But what would a budget debate be without threats:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Democrats say if the plan does not get enacted the budget will be cut.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>There are the Democrats we know and love! Children will starve, the &quot;disadvantaged&quot; will be evicted, the sea levels will rise... unless Billy can buy an M-80.</p>',2),(640,640,'<p>Do you feel that a great burden has been lifted from your shoulders? I sure do. The government has arrived to help! No more worries about whether I\'ll get sick, or whether I can pay for it. The government will take care of it. The government will take care of me.</p>\r\n<p>Some of we ungrateful citizens didn\'t want &quot;intrusion&quot; into our lives. We had the misguided opinion that our health was our responsibility. But we\'ve learned our lesson. The government will take care of us.</p>\r\n<p>Some of us were outraged that we would have to pay for the killing of unborn children. But they aren\'t really children, just a collection of cells, a tissue mass. The government has shown us the error of our beliefs.</p>\r\n<p>There were those that railed against the out of control spending that would accelerate after bloated health care &ldquo;reform&rdquo; was passed. But that is just money. What&rsquo;s a little more out of our paychecks to help the good of the masses. From each according to their ability.</p>\r\n<p>This is a brand new day, a brave new world. No longer will we have to carry the burden of responsibility. Pain, suffering - the government will take them all away.</p>\r\n<p>The government is here to help.</p>',2),(722,722,'<p><br />\r\nSometimes people don\'t know the whole story. Like pay for public sector workers in Michigan. Different branches of the State are compensated differently, but overall salaries and benefits are on the rise. As the Mackinac Center for Public Policy <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/12433\">reports</a>, for 2009:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Average compensation per employee &mdash; which includes the value of benefits &mdash; was down 2.0 percent for private sector employees but increased 3.6 percent for Michigan\'s state and local government employees. <br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>That is a different story than the one being told by Democrats&nbsp;who&nbsp;rejected an attempt to roll-back the 3% increase scheduled to apply to certain State workers this year. Statistics are a funny thing.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(727,727,'<p>Michigan could be worse. At least we have a few plants left that are making cars, <a href=\"http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9EQEAHG0&amp;show_article=1\">unlike California</a>.</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>FREMONT, Calif. (AP) - The last car has rolled off the production lines at California\'s sole auto plant.</p>\r\n</blockquote><blockquote>\r\n<p>The plant made Toyota Tacoma trucks and Corolla sedans. The last Tacoma rolled off the assembly lines last week, and Corolla production ended Thursday.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>But have no fear, the government is here to save the day:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>State officials are pursuing federal grants to help those impacted by the closure.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Sure, the reason for the plant\'s closing is in large part due to state officials meddling into industries of which they have no understanding, but that\'s neither here nor there.</p>',2),(735,735,'<p>Listening to Bob and Tom this morning, they discussed their observation that our president throws like a girl. (I\'m using their words, but they\'re right.) And then Tom Griswold said this:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>I\'m surprised he didn\'t wait until dark, then let Nancy Pelosi sneak it across the plate.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>That accurately describes the Democrats strategy for passing legislation. The more people that learned about the assault on American health care, the more the idea was despised. In the end, they had to bribe their own members, such as Michigan\'s very own Bart Stupak, to get this passed. Modern democracy in action.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(741,741,'<p>From <a href=\"http://www.conservativeforum.org/authquot.asp?ID=723\">Alexander Fraser Tytler</a></p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>',2),(748,748,'<p><a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100409/NEWS01/304090006/Tea-Party-target-Stupak-won-t-seek-re-election\">Bye bye Bart</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. &mdash; Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak of Michigan tells The Associated Press he\'ll retire from Congress rather than seek a 10th term this year.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>Stupak has drawn stinging criticism from opponents of the recently enacted health care overhaul after leading a bloc of anti-abortion Democrats whose last-minute support was crucial to its approval by the House.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Bart is off to become a rich lobbyist, or maybe get handed a cushy position in Obama\'s regime. Hopefully he\'ll be able to do less damage to our way of life than he did as a Representative.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(759,759,'<p>As part of the &quot;Let\'s Make a Deal&quot; fiasco that is the Michigan government, one of the suggestions by our fearless leader, Gov. Granholm, is to cut the sales tax by half a percent and apply the sales tax to services as well as goods.</p>\r\n<p>We\'ve had bad ideas in this state, but...</p>\r\n<p>Take a glance at the list the <a href=\"http://detnews.com/article/20100213/POLITICS02/2130307\">Detroit News </a>has compiled on the subject. There are dozens and dozens of services this would apply two, and I\'ve taken a random sampling for your enjoyment. What is it with Democrats and trying to squeeze every possible cent from us? Is there anything I can do that I\'m not taxed for?</p>\r\n<p>As an aside, for the first item, are they going to have a government stooge sitting by a video game collecting a penny every time a quarter is put into a video game? I suppose that is one way to get the unemployment rate down.</p>\r\n<ul>\r\n    <li>Coin-operated video games</li>\r\n    <li>Downloaded software, books and music, movies, videos and electronic goods</li>\r\n    <li>Bulldozers, draglines and construction machinery</li>\r\n    <li>Diaper service</li>\r\n    <li>Check and debt collection</li>\r\n    <li>Temporary help agencies</li>\r\n    <li>Dentists</li>\r\n    <li>Local transit (intra-city) buses</li>\r\n</ul>',2),(760,760,'<blockquote>\r\n<p>I won\'t say that the papers misquote me, but I sometimes wonder where Christianity would be today if some of those reporters had been Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Barry Goldwater<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI think we all know where Christianity would be if the reporters&nbsp;of &nbsp;today quoted the Apostles.</p>',2),(761,761,'<p>Where did American prosperity go? <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100413/NEWS01/4130333/20-houses-demolished-many-more-to-go-as-Lansing-county-clean-up\">Not Lansing</a>:<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Soon, city and county officials will decide whether the parcel will be rehabilitated into a more appealing structure or taken down with approximately 225 others through a $23 million federal program aimed at putting a chokehold on blight threatening foreclosed properties.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>To remove unsightly homes from Lansing\'s struggling neighborhoods, demolitions started late last fall and will continue through the start of 2013. Twenty houses already have come down.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>And Flint, as you can imagine, is in even worse shape. But <a href=\"http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2010/01/25m_stimulus_grant_used_to_dem.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+StatelineorgRss-EconomyBusiness+%28Stateline.org+RSS+-+Economy+%26+Business%29\">it\'s not all bad</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;The $25 million [to bulldoze sections of Flint] doesn&rsquo;t solve all our problems, but it&rsquo;s a good start,&quot; city Administrator Gregory Eason said. &quot;This could be a very exciting future.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Mr. Eason is excited to destroy Flint. But if the alternative is to keep it standing, I think we can understand.</p>\r\n<p>Dan Kildee, who developed a <a href=\"http://motorcitytimes.com/mct/obama-considering-bulldozing-sections-of-flint/\">plan to level large portions of Flint</a>, gained the attention and approval of the Obama administration. What is good for Flint is good for America, apparently, since Obama is taking the figurative bulldozer to our economy.</p>\r\n<p>Detroit plans to destroy 500 homes. Over 100 schools are no longer used. Office buildings like the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafayette_Building\">Lafayette building </a>are torn down while plans for new buildings, like Quicken\'s headquarters, are halted.</p>\r\n<p>The Feds (i.e. taxpayers from other states) are giving hundreds of millions of dollars to Michigan to tear our cities down. We can\'t even destroy our own buildings here, things are so bad.</p>\r\n<p>This seemed unimaginable only a few years ago. In the United States, once, very recently, the most powerful country in the world, our cities crumble, and politicians proclaim we need to do with less. Where has the <a href=\"http://www.originofnations.org/books%2C%20papers/quotes%20etc/Reagan_The%20Shining%20City%20Upon%20A%20Hill%20speech.htm\">shining city upon the hill </a>gone?</p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>',2),(768,768,'<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;If one proves one\'s patriotism by suffering for one\'s country, then Canadian medicare patients are among the most patriotic people in the world. Thousands of them every year endure unnecessary pain and danger because of our dilapidated national health-care monopoly.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>&nbsp;- <a href=\"http://www.conservativeforum.org/authquot.asp?ID=401\">David Frum</a>.</p>\r\n<p>Will this be us in a few years? Will Americans be asked to &quot;sacrifice&quot; for the greater good by lowering our life expectancy for the good of the government? What would the Magic 8 Ball say? &quot;Signs point to yes&quot;, I would guess.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(769,769,'<p>Will the people rescue Kilpatrick?</p>\r\n<p>The title of this story could also have been, How many stupid Detroiters are there?</p>\r\n<p>Former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (hizzoner, if you will) needs money. His six-figure income isn\'t enough to pay restitution for his felony convictions, what with having to live the lavish lifestyle he does, and jail - once again - is likely in Kwame\'s future.</p>\r\n<p>As the <a href=\"http://detnews.com/article/20100421/METRO01/4210397/Will-the-people-rescue-Kilpatrick?\">Detroit News </a>puts is:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>But a question remains: Would anyone, after all the scandal and drama, after tales of luxurious living and claims of poverty, pull out their checkbook for Kilpatrick, the man whose actions cost taxpayers $8.4 million in an attempt to hide his salacious text messages and crude behavior?</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Unfortunately, yes. This is Michigan, that is &ldquo;The D&rdquo;, and there are lots of people either gullible, the stupid, or whom Kwame has something on:</p>\r\n<p>Fitting the description of the first type of &ldquo;Friend of Kwame&rdquo; is Reverend Horace Sheffield. He was quoted regarding Kwame at a fundraiser for another corrupt Detroiter, Sam Riddle:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;Most people have been giving anonymously because of this continual vilification of the mayor, which is designed to eradicate is support, to drive them underground and make them afraid,&quot; he said. &quot;But they are there, if someone was to organize this. They\'d be there, and I\'m prepared to be there.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Yes, Kwame\'s problem is of his &quot;continual vilification&quot; by nefarious bloggers, not the fact that he lied, cheated, and misused public funds. Or was my pointing all that out part of the &quot;continual vilification&quot; of the honorable former mayor?</p>',2),(776,776,'<p>I came across <a href=\"http://seeclickfix.com/lansing/feeds\">SeeClickFix</a> this morning. The site allows citizens to report things like potholes and damaged street lights, or give suggestions on how to improve a city. Seems like a good idea to me, as I don&rsquo;t expect a city government to know about every crack in the sidewalk.</p>\r\n<p>However, a few comments listed in East Lansing were about aggressive drivers. So a site whose purpose is to improve a city is being used to report driving that does not please other citizens, complete with license plate numbers.</p>\r\n<p>What about loud music? Would a neighbor who listened to rap music be a worthy addition to the site? Pink flamingos in the lawn? What if someone backed out of the driveway and didn\'t look both way. Should that person be reported as a menace to society? Should their address and photo be posted like they were a sex offender?</p>\r\n<p>Big brother keeps getting bigger, helped by <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Useful_idiot\">useful idiots</a>.</p>',2),(779,779,'<p>From the <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100426/NEWS01/304260024/U.S.-Education-secretary-Detroit-Schools-at-bottom-of-the-barrel\">Lansing State Journal</a>:<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>DETROIT &mdash; U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has voiced concern about the very high dropout rates in the Detroit school district, but says it shouldn\'t count on the federal government to step in and save it.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>We all know how terrible the Detroit Public School system is. In 2007, Education Week claimed that the high school graduation rate was 27%. DPS claims they have a rate of 58%. Quite a difference. Either way, Detroit is, and will most likely remain, the worst school district in the nation.</p>\r\n<p>But can\'t we get Arne Duncan\'s philosophy of leaving the problem to the states applied to more than just high school graduation problems? Could be maybe, just maybe, be left alone to solve our own problems instead of the federal government micro managing every aspect of our country? Health care issues come to mind.</p>\r\n<p>Call me cynical, but I don\'t think Obama will be halting his wholesale takeover the United States anytime soon.</p>',2),(785,785,'<blockquote>\r\n<div>... responsibilities are the source of rights. <br />\r\n&nbsp;</div>\r\n</blockquote>Bennett, William J. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nAs fewer and fewer people pay taxes and receive more and more benefits, it appears that our rights start to come from government instead of our Creator. Does it seem to you that too many citizens fear lack of a government safety net than a lack of freedom to do as we will?',2),(786,786,'<p>The <a href=\"http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/7646540/Baby-boy-survives-for-nearly-two-days-after-abortion.html\">UK Telegraphs </a>reports that a baby attempted to be killed (aborted) survived a day after the doctors abandoned it to die. No happy ending, though:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The 22-week infant died one day later in intensive care at a hospital in the mother\'s home town of Rossano in southern Italy.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>But this is not being swept under the rug in Roman Catholic nation. Eugenia Roccella, the under-secretary of state in the health department, commented:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&ldquo;We must remember that a baby, once born, is an Italian citizen equal to all the others, and is entitled to all fundamental rights, including the right to health and therefore to be given full support.&rdquo;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>The baby was lucky enough to make it out of the womb alive, and then he was left to die. Hopefully, at the very least, someone will lose their career over this travesty.</p>\r\n<p>It\'s not like babies surviving abortion attempts doesn\'t happen:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>In 2005 a baby boy in Manchester was born alive at 24 weeks after surviving three attempts to abort him. He is now a five-year-old schoolboy.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Those are some pretty resilient &quot;unviable tissue masses&quot;, aren\'t they?<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(793,793,'<p>Fantastic, <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100429/NEWS04/4290344/Texting-while-driving-ban-to-become-law-in-Michigan\">another law</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Michigan\'s attempts to crack down on distractions on the road will include a ban on sending, typing or reading text messages or e-mails while driving starting July 1.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nGranholm is scheduled to sign the legislation Friday on a broadcast of &quot;The Oprah Winfrey Show.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Why? One comment on the LSJ site said Oprah supports Obama and Granholm is going to need a new job soon. Cynical, but certainly possible.</p>\r\n<p>There is also the possibility that the law is ultimately pointless, but it\'s one of those fashionable laws that are very vogue right now. And our fearless leader wants to look like she is a progressive executive to all the hyper-liberals watching from Washington D.C.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nJust like celebrity fundraising, it\'s about looking good, not really making a difference.</p>',2),(800,800,'<p>A <a href=\"http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jqDBGmaJF45-4xA1CXCFeBGQPBkQD9FF2SAO0\">typical liberal rally</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>SANTA CRUZ, Calif. &mdash; Close to 20 businesses were damaged after what started as a peaceful immigrants\' rights march in downtown Santa Cruz turned violent, requiring police to call other agencies for help, authorities said.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Estimates of the damage are between $50,000 and $1000. And that was just 250 people.</p>\r\n<p>I haven\'t watched MSNBC, CNN, the major broadcast networks - you know, the typical left-wing news sources - so I don\'t know if they have covered this or not. But can you image the national, even international, coverage if this had happened at a Tea Party rally? Even more comparisons to Timothy McVeigh and accusations that government protests are fueled by racism against a black president.</p>\r\n<p>But I like this statement:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;They\'re a group of people who seem to fancy themselves as revolutionaries, but what they really are are a group of morons,&quot; [Police spokesman Zach] Friend said.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Yes, I feel the same about liberals too.</p>',2),(808,808,'<p>How can you not love the friendly, <a href=\"http://detnews.com/article/20100508/METRO01/5080331#ixzz0nX7wJWbU\">civic-minded citizens </a>of Detroit?<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Less than a day after it opened, the Mexicantown Bagley Avenue Pedestrian Bridge was vandalized, Michigan Department of Transportation officials said.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>One of the vandals caught on camera is a blogger with the Detroit Free Press. You have to watch out for those bloggers.</p>\r\n<p>And what will be the harsh punishment for those caught vandalizing this brand new $5 million bridge?</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>[MDOT chief engineer Victor] Judnic said MDOT had no intention to take legal action against the vandals.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>&quot;We don\'t do that,&quot; Judnic said.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>I wonder what other laws aren\'t enforced in Detroit?</p>',2),(810,810,'<p>I\'m so happy that that whole Fannie Mae fiasco is over, aren\'t you. It would have been silly to pour all those billions of dollars into a company that would <a href=\"http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/finance/fannie-mae-lost--billion-quarter/\">continue to lose taxpayer dollars </a>like a bottomless money pit.</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Mortgage giant Fannie Mae bled another $13.1 billion during the first quarter, prompting the U.S.-owned company to request another $8.4 billion cash infusion from the Treasury Department.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>That\'s lovely. I wonder if Barney Frank will go on TV and regale us about how great Fannie Mae is, and how stable its finances are. No need to worry. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.</p>\r\n<p>That, combined with Obama\'s love for ACORN - they continue to receive funds even after being revealed as a fraudulent and corrupt organization - means there has been absolutely no real change in the financial policies that wrecked our economy. Feeling duped yet, Obama voters?</p>\r\n<p>Hope and change!</p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>',2),(830,830,'<blockquote>\r\n<div>Everyone wants to live at the expense of the State. They forget that the State lives at the expense of everyone. <br />\r\n&nbsp;</div>\r\n</blockquote>-- <a href=\"http://www.conservativeforum.org/authquot.asp?ID=162\">Frederic Bastiat</a>.<br />',2),(834,834,'<p><a href=\"http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7124638.ece\">A day with Bill Clinton </a>for only $5? Wow, where do I sign up?</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>In an e-mail sent to millions of people who supported Hillary Clinton&rsquo;s White House campaign, the former President asks: &ldquo;How would you like the chance to come up to New York and spend the day with me?&rdquo; For those who would like the One-Day-With-Bill prize, an online donation of as little as $5 will buy them the chance.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>On second thought, I don\'t think my wife would let me hang out with Bill for a day, knowing his reputation. And I certainly wouldn\'t let my wife hang out with him.</p>\r\n<p>Why on earth would the former President of the United States, once the most powerful man on Earth, be prostituting himself out for $5 a head? Money, of course!</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>By 2007, seven years after leaving the White House, the Clintons had earned a combined $109 million (&pound;73 million) through speaking engagements and bestselling memoirs. Even so, apparently they would prefer American voters to settle Mrs. Clinton&rsquo;s remaining $771,000 debt rather than paying it themselves.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>He is so much the liberal. The Clintons could certainly pay off their own debt, but they would rather you do it for them. He feels your pain - can\'t you feel his?</p>',2),(850,850,'No matter how disastrously some policy has turned out, anyone who criticizes it can expect to hear: \'But what would you replace it with?\' When you put out a fire, what do you replace it with? - <a href=\"http://www.conservativeforum.org/authquot.asp?ID=158\">Thomas Sowell</a>',2),(853,853,'<p>What would civil strife and tragedy be without the <a href=\"http://detnews.com/article/20100519/METRO/5190396/\">reverend</a>?</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Detroit -- The Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy on Saturday at the funeral for Aiyana Stanley Jones, the 7-year-old who died Sunday during a police raid on her eastside home.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>I would assume that after he is finished delivering the sermon and comforting the family, he will try to squeeze money out of the police department or the City of Detroit. After all, that is his M.O.</p>\r\n<p>And it\'s not just Sharpton in on this deal. Geoffrey Fieger (wouldn\'t he have been a fun governor?) has <a href=\"http://detnews.com/article/20100518/METRO/5180388\">weighed in</a>, mainly to sue the police department, because that is what he does. As Rahm Emanuel famously said, &quot;You never want a serious crisis go to waste.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>The shooting was horrible accident - of course there needs to be an investigation. My suspicion is with the cast of characters involved. No good will come of the involvment of Sharpton and Fieger.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(854,854,'<p>Laws are such annoying things when they get in the way when trying to appeal to special interest groups and steal votes. What is the Obama administrations tactic? Let\'s let one of the top Department of Homeland Security officials tell us, thanks to <a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/21/official-says-feds-process-illegals-referred-arizona/\">Fox News</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;I don\'t think the Arizona law, or laws like it, are the solution,&quot; [John] Morton told the newspaper. The best way to reduce illegal immigration is through a comprehensive federal approach, he said, and not a patchwork of state laws.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Well, since the Arizona law effectively says they will enforce federal law, then what\'s the problem? Oh, I know - common sense.</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Meanwhile, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said ICE is not obligated to process illegal immigrants referred to them by Arizona authorities.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>So the feds are effectively ignoring their own law. Yes, that sounds about right for this group of hyper-liberals.</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;They\'re telegraphing to every ICE agency in America that they really don\'t intend on cooperating with Arizona,&quot; Sessions said. &quot;The federal government should step up and do it. It\'s their responsibility.&quot;<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-AL, said it appeared the Obama administration is &quot;nullifying existing law&quot; and suggested Morton may not be the right person for his post if he fails to enforce federal immigration law.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>&quot;If he feels he cannot enforce the law, he shouldn\'t have the job,&quot; Sessions told Fox News. &quot;That makes him, in my view, not fulfilling the responsibilities of his office.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Exactly, we have a president that doesn\'t feel like enforcing laws that he doesn\'t agree with. I don\'t think it\'s exaggeration to say that he thinks that Tea Party-goers are the enemy of his United States while illegal aliens are his allies. Every day, he continues to earn his ranking as the worst president ever.<br type=\"_moz\" />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(863,863,'<p>I have found the <a href=\"http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20100523/FREE/100529940\">perfect event </a>for a nice evening out:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The White House says some tickets will be available for the public for Michelle Obama\'s visit to Detroit that is tied to her ongoing efforts to foster mentorship opportunities for young people.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>So if you, too, are finally proud of your country because enough Americans were duped into electing the first hard-core leftist president of the 21st century, then Detroit is the place for you. For more than one reason.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(864,864,'<p>Nobody can say that President Obama isn\'t a tough nut, can they? Look at this <a href=\"http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37309788/ns/world_news-asiapacific\">strong response </a>to the torpedoing of a South Korean ship by the North Koreans:<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Obama, in response to North Korea\'s pattern of &quot;provocation and defiance of international law,&quot; has ordered U.S. government agencies to review their policies toward Pyongyang.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Take that, commies! The United States will review our policies! Damn the torpedoes! <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Farragut\">Admiral Farragut </a>would be proud!</p>',2),(880,880,'<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>- <a href=\"http://www.conservativeforum.org/authquot.asp?ID=570\">Lord Acton</a><br />\r\n<br />\r\nObama and his lackeys like to pretend like they\'re the smartest kids in class, but they are really the dunces. <a href=\"http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll\">Americans are starting to realize that</a>.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(881,881,'<p>June 5, 1944. One day before D-Day, General Eisenhower <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower\">wrote this</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based on the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Contrast that with the current leadership of the United States and Michigan. Can you imagine Obama taking blame for such a devastating blow as a failed invasion? Or Granholm saying &quot;My bad&quot; because of any economic condition that has occurred in the last eight years?</p>\r\n<p>No, of course you can\'t, because they continue to blame their predecessors. Twenty years from now, Obama will still be blaming George Bush for the economic meltdown caused by horrible public policy that started in the 1970\'s. Granholm will be in the nursing home cursing John Engler.</p>\r\n<p>Perhaps our next governor will be able to step up and fix the problems instead of exacerbating them and pointing fingers. Perhaps our next president will have enough character to stop blaming and start pushing policies that help solve our problems, not expand them.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(884,884,'<p>Rick Haglan wrote a nice piece on <a href=\"http://domemagazine.com/features/cov0110\">The Dome Magazine\'s site </a>regarding a brief history of Michigan\'s attempt at economic development. And it seems like Groundhog Day.</p>\r\n<p>The Mackinac Center for Public Policy has written many times about the ineffectiveness of targeted tax cuts. And I agree - targeted tax cuts have not been effective in retaining the businesses that were promised. Just look at our current economic situation.</p>\r\n<p>But we have to balance economic certainties with political realities. Businesses will go to where they feel they can get the best deal and that, unfortunately, is not Michigan. How do we, as a state, compete with competing states that can offer lucrative tax deals to companies attempting to maximize profits? Can targeted tax cuts along with cutting business taxes in general lead to greater prosperity than just tax cuts alone?</p>\r\n<p>Maybe, but something has to be done, since our attempts to retain jobs by targeted tax cuts haven\'t worked. Look at the Big Three. Manufacturing employs twelve percent of the nonfarm workforce, half what it was thirty years ago. I doubt we\'ll see any slowing of this rate.</p>\r\n<p>Economic diversification has been the buzz phrase the last few years around here. Which brings us back to the targeted tax cuts. Michigan has tried to appeal to all types of business - high-tech, bio-medical, &quot;green&quot; jobs. But the loss of manufacturing jobs has outpaced the gains we\'ve made in the diversification of our workforce.</p>\r\n<p>Regardless of the political push for a diverse business environment, it simply hasn\'t happened. As the Big Three go, so goes Michigan. Our per capita income is among the worst in the country, and will continue to drop. We simply don\'t have the industries to support large numbers of high paying jobs anymore.</p>\r\n<p>The diversification manta has been pushed since the Blanchard years, and it continues to this day, but we\'re still seen as a manufacturing state, though our plants continue to leave. When you have more friendly environments to the south (i.e., non-union), as one Michigan-based store would say, why pay more?</p>\r\n<p>As the Mackinac Center has repeatedly said regarding the targeted tax cuts, the government is trying to pick winners and losers in business. Now, the &quot;winners&quot; are green jobs, such as manufacturing wind turbines and biofuels.</p>\r\n<p>But these jobs have to be supported by government subsidies because the market for them isn\'t there. Several ethanol plants have gone bankrupt and, without taxpayer subsidies, it is likely they all would.</p>\r\n<p>The legislators of Michigan should be concerned with creating a business environment in which everyone can benefit. Their track records of picking winners hasn\'t been a good one, and we\'re the ones settling the debt.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(889,889,'<p><a href=\"http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&amp;sid=aa0cI64Gx.4E&amp;pos=15\">How bad could it be?</a></p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>June 4 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama is poised to increase the U.S. debt to a level that exceeds the value of the nation&rsquo;s annual economic output, a step toward what Bill Gross called a &ldquo;debt super cycle.&rdquo; <br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>Dan Fuss, who manages the Loomis Sayles Bond Fund, which beat 94 percent of competitors the past year, said last week that he sold all of his Treasury bonds because of prospects interest rates will rise as the U.S. borrows unprecedented amounts. Obama is borrowing record amounts to fund spending programs to help the economy recover from its longest recession since the 1930s.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>The vultures are circling. This is Obama\'s brave new world, where the U.S. economy is as strong as <a href=\"http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/columnists/article7009605.ece\">Greece\'s</a>.</p>\r\n<p>On the bright side, <a href=\"http://www.salon.com/news/unemployment/index.html?story=/tech/htww/2010/06/04/may_jobs_report\">431,000 jobs were added in May</a>. On the not-so-bright side, 411,000 of those jobs were temporary census jobs. I have a plan - maybe we could all work for the census, standing around and pointing at each other. The government could pay for doing our civic duty, then provide us medical marijuana for our depression because we have pointless jobs.</p>\r\n<p>Keep hoping for change you can believe in. Or was it the change you hoped for? Or hoping to keep a little change from your tax dollars? Oh, I don\'t know - I can\'t keep all these airhead statements straight.</p>',2),(902,902,'<blockquote>\r\n<div>We must develop a fair appreciation for the real strengths and limitations of government effort on behalf of children. Government, obviously, cannot fill a child\'s emotional needs. Nor can it fill his spiritual and moral needs. Government is not a father or mother. Government has never raised a child, and it never will.</div>\r\n</blockquote><br />\r\n<a href=\"http://www.conservativeforum.org/authquot.asp?ID=503\">William J. Bennet</a>',2),(912,912,'<p>Once upon a time, weren\'t Senators supposed to work for the best interests of the states that elected them? Maybe some still do, but not our wonderful pair. <a href=\"http://www.nationalreview.com/planet-gore/204085/murkowski-vote-michigan-senators-sell-out/henry-payne\">They have just voted </a>against limiting the power of the EPA, who seeks to control greenhouse gas outputs. Our wonderful Senators&nbsp; have voted against the prosperity of Michigan and for Obama\'s desire (yes, those two are entirely opposite things.)&nbsp;(See <a href=\"http://www.nationalreview.com/planet-gore/204081/murkowski-amendment-fails/edward-john-craig\">NationalReview.com </a>for the complete list of Senators voting no.)</p>\r\n<p>Cap &amp; Tax is not some obscure little legislation that no one will notice. As Margo Thorning writes in the <a href=\"http://detnews.com/article/20100518/OPINION01/5180321/Climate-bill-will-stall-Michigan-s-manufacturing-engine#ixzz0qZdYMcUw\">Detroit News</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>According to a study from the nonpartisan American Council for Capital Formation, overall manufacturing output would decline 5.4 percent in a low-cost case and 6 percent in a high-cost case in 2030.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>We\'re still a manufacturing state, sort of, despite Governor Granholm\'s insistence on moving us towards the fairy tale realm of green jobs. So a 5-6% hit to our manufacturing output is some serious damage, even by Democrat standards. The estimation is between 66,000 and 90,000 jobs gone.</p>\r\n<p>And that\'s <em>after </em>Jenny has left the building!</p>\r\n<p>When are enough Michiganders going to wise up and elect people who represent their best interests? I know - when enough liberal have left the state.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(914,914,'<p>A panel of business leaders met on Mackinac Island (I\'m jealous) to discuss the state of business in Michigan, the increasingly business-less state. What were the main problems with innovation and doing business here? Taxes and <a href=\"http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20100604/FREE/100609923#\">complicated regulation</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&ldquo;If it\'s complex to start a business, if it\'s complex to get through the bureaucracy, it\'s an inhibitor,&rdquo; Compuware\'s COO Bob Paul said. <br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>&ldquo;You can go to single portal, and that\'s a good first step. But once you get in the single portal it\'s pretty complex. I think there\'s more work that can be done in Lansing to make it easier for people to grow their business and to bring business to the state.&rdquo;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Good luck with that one. It would be pretty hard to distract the Democrats from raising taxes on businesses and &quot;the rich&quot; (I.E. the employed). But hope springs eternal, and November is coming.</p>',2),(922,922,'<p>News flash: Obama <a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/15/administration-oil-spill-damage-claims-white-house-says/\">doesn\'t trust the oil industry </a>(or any other money-making industry):</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>President Obama will no longer trust the word of BP in determining whether its deep-water oil drilling is safe in other parts of the Gulf of Mexico, the White House said Tuesday.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>That\'s fair - BP, along with every sane person, doesn\'t trust Obama on anything he says either. But BP hasn\'t handled this crisis in any way that would inspire confidence.</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Obama is expected to address the nation Tuesday night on the Gulf oil crisis and will lay out a strategy for &quot;containing the oil that\'s leaking and cleaning up the environment,&quot; Gibbs said.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>He also will outline steps to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and explain &quot;how we make the people of the Gulf whole again through the economic claims process,&quot; he added.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>I\'m pretty sure his plan will include fairy dust and happy thoughts, since it will most likely not include drilling. Fairy dust, I believe, is more efficient that windmills, by the way. And at least we don\'t lose money with fairy dust.</p>\r\n<p>Look, the Gulf accident was just that - an accident. Yes, of course, it\'s horrible. It\'s also been horribly mishandled by BP and the U.S. government. These things happen. But let\'s not completely stop drilling because of this accident. Our economy depends on oil.</p>\r\n<p>But speaking of <a href=\"http://record-eagle.com/local/x371478374/Scripps-wants-to-ban-drilling-in-Lakes\">overreacting</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>[Dan] Scripps, who represents the state\'s 101st District, announced a plan Monday to permanently ban drilling in Michigan waters of the Great Lakes. A ban already is in place, but Scripps wants to put the measure on the November ballot so a ban can become part of the state Constitution.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>You can always count on Democrats to aggressively pursue policies that will damage our economy, but hey, those environmentalists love them, and that\'s what counts to the party of the worst president ever.</p>',2),(926,926,'<p>Let\'s say you\'re a business owner, and for decades, you made several mistakes that caused you to fall from your vaunted position atop your industry and plummet into bankruptcy. But you have turned things around and your company is once again profitable and things are starting to look rosy again. Now that your out of the red, would you start to make the same mistakes you did earlier? The <a href=\"http://detnews.com/article/20100615/AUTO01/6150374/1148/Unions--Restore-concessions\">AFL-CIO thinks this is a swell idea</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The powerful head of the AFL-CIO called on Detroit\'s recovering automakers Monday to give back concessions made by union workers to preserve the industry. <br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>&quot;The three major U.S. companies are making profits again,&quot; AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a speech on the opening day of the United Auto Workers\' constitutional convention. &quot;We salute their success, and we demand that they do right by the workers who have done right by them. <br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>Departing UAW President Ron Gettelfinger urged members, meanwhile, to keep the faith. &quot;Today, more than ever, we need to feel the passion of the labor movement,&quot; he told hundreds of delegates representing autoworkers across the country and, increasingly, employees in other industries.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>It\'s like a milquetoast version of Karl Marx\'s &quot;workers of the world unit&quot; battle cry.&nbsp; &quot;Feel the passion&quot; sounds more like a Sprite commercial than an urging for his lackeys to surge forward and demand concessions from the auto industry to once again plunge the U.S. auto industry into financial insolvency.</p>\r\n<p>But Ron wasn\'t done:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;The contempt for the UAW was so deep that some of them were willing to let the industry collapse in the hopes they could destroy us,&quot; he said.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>No one wanted the auto industry to die, least of all Michiganders, except perhaps the extremist environmentalists, and they are all Democrats.&nbsp; But many right-thinking people do have contempt for the UAW. Not the workers, the union leadership that drove up prices on our cars and pressured non-union auto companies from setting up camp here and bringing more jobs to our state.</p>',2),(930,930,'<p>Once again, <a href=\"http://anncoulter.com/cgi-local/article.cgi?article=373\">Ann Coulter </a>shows her brilliance writing about Alvin Greene, the&nbsp;&nbsp;Democrat nominee for the U.S. Senate race in South Carolina. Mr. Greene is a bit of a mystery, as is how he came up with the $10,000 filing fee. But mysterious candidates are not unknown to the Democrats:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Obama senior adviser David Axelrod said Greene was not a &quot;legitimate&quot; candidate and called his victory &quot;a mysterious deal.&quot; (Yes, how could a young African-American man with strange origins, suspicious funding, shady associations, no experience, no qualifications, and no demonstrable work history come out of nowhere and win an election?)</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>',2),(938,938,'<p>Did you see the <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100622/ELECTIONS03/6220320/Bernero-Dillon-trade-barbs-in-debate-for-Dem-governor-candidate\">Democrat debate </a>last night? Me neither. But apparently some people watched, and when Democrats open their mouths, nasty things come out of them:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;For Andy Dillon to talk about creating jobs is like a (British Petroleum) executive talking about environmental cleanup,&quot; Bernero said. &quot;We are growing jobs in Lansing despite Andy Dillon\'s best efforts in the Legislature.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>The Republicans will have to remember that barb, since apparently Virg will not make it out of the primary, according to current polls.</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>But the debate also provided both candidates face time with a Michigan voting public that largely doesn\'t know who they are. According to last week\'s poll, 65 percent of likely voters did not recognize Bernero\'s name, and 51 percent did not recognize Dillon.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>We here in Lansing know of Virg - it\'s hard to watch a local news broadcast without seeing him butting into some ribbon cutting or announcement. I remember viewing the <a href=\"http://www.cityoflansingmi.com/\">City of Lansing website </a>a while back and three out of the four rotating headline images featured Virg. I just checked, and the ratio was down to 2/5. He must be trying to cut back.</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Much of the debate revolved around the candidates\' economic plan for Michigan, which often drew jabs from Bernero, who criticized Dillon\'s work in the private sector. Dillon\'s stints included serving as president of Detroit Steel Co.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>I don\'t know what the criticism was, but for a career politician like Virg, having a job not funded by taxpayers is probably as alien to him as a tax cut is to Obama.</p>\r\n<p>Whichever candidate earns their party\'s nomination will have to overcome the stigma of belonging to the same party as Granholm and her disastrous reign as governor. I would wish them good luck, but that would be disingenuous.</p>',2),(941,941,'<p>You can know a man by the <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2010306230011\">friends he keeps</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>LANSING &ndash; The AFL-CIO and its affiliate unions have launched a statewide campaign to reach most of 900,000 workers and retirees to help Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero win the Democratic nomination for governor on Aug. 3, AFL-CIO president Mark Gaffney said today.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Not that his current rival, House Speaker Andy Dillon, is much better:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Dillon is endorsed by a handful of construction trade unions and is expected to receive the Teamsters\' endorsement. Those unions&rsquo; memberships are dwarfed in number by the AFL-CIO and its campaign coalition.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>It must be tough to be a union member these days, trying to pick the right candidate that will protect you from the big, bad meanies known as market forces. Which man will try to muscle through legislation to give you advantages over other hard-working men and women who don\'t donate union dues, the sole purpose of which is to fund Democrats? Difficult choices.</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Bernero, son of a UAW worker, gained national fame in 2008 and 2009 as an outspoken defender of a federal bailout for GM and Chrysler, and his defense of autoworkers and their pay levels.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>&ldquo;He was talking our issues before he began running for governor,&rdquo; said Jay McMurren, political coordinator for United Steelworkers District 2.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Uh, yeah, because he wants to be governor and knows that certain people would fall for his &quot;angry mayor&quot; shtick. Hook, line, and sinker, my friend.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(948,948,'<p><a href=\"http://www.nationalreview.com/planet-gore/230147/bp-escrow-fund-deficit-reduction-plan/greg-pollowitz\">Is anyone surprised</a>?</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Out-of-work Gulf Coast shrimper Todd Pellegal spent his first $2,500 check from BP quickly, paying off bills and buying groceries for his family.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>He never even considered putting some of it away for taxes.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>Now he&rsquo;s among the people up and down the Gulf Coast reeling from the oil spill disaster who are surprised &mdash; and frustrated &mdash; to find out the Internal Revenue Service may take a chunk of the payments BP PLC is providing to help them stay afloat.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Obama forcing oil workers to stop working in the Gulf + unconstitutional seizure of property from BP + taxing workers on money forced from private company into hands of private citizens to fill government coffers = awesome amounts of hope and change.</p>',2),(949,949,'<p>Joe Biden is worried. No, not that the price of hair plugs is going up. He is afraid of truthful criticism of Democrats, of course. From the <a href=\"http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/2010/06/biden-claims-a-gop-blitzkrieg.html\">New York Daily News</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Vice President Biden is out with an alarmed e-mail cash appeal warning that the GOP will mount a &ldquo;blitzkrieg&rdquo; against Democrats in the fall.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>Comparing GOP tactics to the fast-striking forces of Nazi Germany, Biden warns in a message sent by the DCCC today: &ldquo;As things heat up, you can expect House Democrats will be hit with a GOP blitzkrieg of vicious Swift-Boat-style attack ads, Karl Rove-inspired knockout tactics, thinly veiled attempts at character assassination and tea party disruptions.&rdquo;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Yes, the Vice President of the United States compared Republican campaign fund raising to Nazi tactics. Boring - they do that every election cycle.</p>\r\n<p>What I find amusing is that Joe Biden, who I saw once in person but wasn\'t close enough to catch his ignorance, is criticizing the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. The reason the Swifties were so effective is that they were right. John Kerry went from a war hero to an opportunistic anti-war zealot in a matter of weeks once the light of day was shined on his record. He &quot;reported for duty&quot; and was returned to sender.</p>\r\n<p>Truth to a Democrat is like sunlight to a vampire.</p>',2),(953,953,'<p>What is <a href=\"http://www.nationalreview.com/planet-gore/230514/obama-spill-schmill-wheres-my-energy-tax/chris-horner\">Obama\'s real focus </a>- the oil spill or the resulting legislation from the oil spill?</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Roll Call reports (subscription required) that during today&rsquo;s White House meeting &mdash; called by the president to try and advance his global-warming agenda by using the Gulf spill as the tail to wag that otherwise dead dog &mdash; Obama accused Tennessee senator Lamar Alexander of raising a &ldquo;talking point&rdquo; by seeking to discuss response measures the government might employ in the Gulf, and went on to say that the oil spill was not the topic of the meeting.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>Remember, the point of the meeting was supposed to be how to pass a spill-response bill, though the substance was revealed to be how to use the Gulf spill to pass a global-warming bill calling it a spill-response bill.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Now we connect the Obama energy policy (which is to fuel our economy on good wishes and faerie dust) and the energy policy here in Michigan. As Rahm Emmanuel said, never let a crisis go to waste, a sentiment shared by <a href=\"http://mlui.org/blogs/?p=1363\">State Representative Dan Scripps</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&ldquo;I never want to see our beaches, water or wildlife covered with oil like we&rsquo;ve seen down South,&rdquo; Representative Scripps said.&nbsp; &ldquo;We simply cannot risk oil drilling in our Great Lakes.&nbsp; An oil spill would decimate our fishing, boating, and tourism industries that so many residents rely on for their livelihood.&nbsp; Our waters are an integral part of our economy and our heritage, and we must take every precaution to protect them.&rdquo;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>No one wants to see an oil spill in the Great Lakes. I would say that no one wants double-digit unemployment here in Michigan, but that\'s not true - the environmentalists do -&nbsp; as the paragraph above&nbsp; shows.</p>\r\n<p>Drilling in the lakes would certainly bring money and jobs to Michigan. But that will never happen, so Rep. Scripps is simply grandstanding. He knows there is no chance of the Michigan legislature voting to allow drilling, but he wants the good press with his fellow leftists. Michigan is on its way to be a &quot;green jobs state&quot;, which means high unemployment because these technologies cannot survive without being heavily subsidized by government (i.e. taxpayers.)</p>\r\n<p>I was in Chicago recently and saw a bus touting a &quot;Pure Michigan&quot; ad. And I finally understand the Democrats economic policy for Michigan. Force as many people to leave as possible by making a hostile place to conduct business, thus having a pristine environment, and bring in tourists to enjoy it.</p>',2),(958,958,'<p>Only in <a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/05/nasa-chief-frontier-better-relations-muslims/\">Obama\'s America</a>:<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a recent interview that his &quot;foremost&quot; mission as the head of America\'s space exploration agency is to improve relations with the Muslim world.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Yes, you read correctly. One NASA\'s head\'s primary jobs is to improve relations with Muslims.</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;When I became the NASA administrator -- or before I became the NASA administrator -- he charged me with three things. One was he wanted me to help re-inspire children to want to get into science and math, he wanted me to expand our international relationships, and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science ... and math and engineering,&quot; Bolden said in the interview.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Note that none of those three items has anything to do with NASA\'s missions in space, through exploration and advancing our understanding of the universe. He wants to educate children (don\'t we have an cabinet-level position to do that already?) and reach out to foreign governments. when did the Secretary of State stop doing that? Wasn\'t there <a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/06/clinton-goofs-russian-translation-tells-diplomat-wants-overcharge-ties/\">a reset button </a>around here somewhere that she could press to stop the Muslims from trying to kill us?</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The NASA administrator was in the Middle East last month marking the one-year anniversary since Obama delivered an address to Muslim nations in Cairo. Bolden spoke in June at the American University in Cairo -- in his interview with Al Jazeera, he described space travel as an international collaboration of which Muslim nations must be a part.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Why do Muslim nations have to be part of the drive into space? Middle Eastern countries haven\'t made any significant contribution to science in hundreds of years, and now they are going to stop honor-killing their daughters and help humanity reach for the stars? Unlike Bill Clinton, Obama never said he didn\'t inhale, so maybe he can use that as excuse. Common sense continues to elude this administration.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(959,959,'<p><a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100707/NEWS01/307070011/Stamp-prices-going-up-again-46-cent-rate-asked\">This has happened </a>since, when, last year?<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Fighting to survive a deepening financial crisis, the Postal Service said Tuesday it wants to increase the price of first-class stamps by 2 cents &mdash; to 46 cents &mdash; starting in January. Other postage costs would rise as well.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>The agency\'s persisting problem: ever-declining mail volume as people and businesses shift to the Internet and the declining economy reduces advertising mail.</p>\r\n</blockquote><blockquote></blockquote>\r\n<p>So government\'s response to fewer customers is to raise prices. There\'s some sound economic policy. Let\'s pretend we\'re a business owner, and our &quot;Widget X&quot; isn\'t selling well, and we\'ve got lots of stock filling our warehouse. What should be done? Raise prices or lower prices?</p>\r\n<p>If you said &quot;raise prices&quot;, consider yourself a business dunce. Or a liberal. Same thing.</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;The Postal Service faces a serious risk of financial insolvency,&quot; postal vice president Stephen Kearney said, an indication that without significant changes a time could come when the agency would be unable to pay its bills.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Then let the USPS die. Times change. Hey, our freedoms are dying under Obama\'s reign, what\'s the big deal with killing off the post office? Something else will rise to take it\'s place - it\'s the nature of businesses that aren\'t government-sponsored monopolies.</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Officials also said they plan a new design for Forever stamps, which currently have am image of the Liberty Bell. New Forever stamps will have images of evergreen trees. All Forever stamps would remain valid.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>That\'s appropriate - replace the symbol of liberty and democracy with the symbol of the environmental movement whose policies require the destruction of our liberty.</p>\r\n<p>So why the need for a price increase? We have the usual excuse of economic downturn - get used to it in Obama\'s America - but we also have this:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The postal inspector general also contends that the Postal Service has been overcharged billions of dollars for retirement benefits for employees who worked for the former Post Office Department before it was converted to the Postal Service in 1970.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Kind of sounds like another Obama-owned business, General Motors, doesn\'t it?</p>',2),(964,964,'<p>Read her lips: <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/13132\">No new taxes</a>. Not because she doesn\'t want them, but Governor Granholm realizes that the Legislature will not pass any type of tax increase this year:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The Governor still defended her proposal. &quot;I think tax restructuring... is really important for the future of our state,&quot; the governor told the Free Press. However, she added, &quot;I understand there is no desire in the Legislature to talk about anything with the word tax in it.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Too bad for her that the Democrats will most likely take a beating this November, in large part because of Dear Leader in the White House. They don\'t want to risk any more seats in the Capitol building in Lansing by doing what they really believe in, which is shafting the middle class to pass money onto welfare cheats who will vote for Democrats. But that\'s good news for us here in Michigan because, according to the <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/12980\">Mackinac Center</a>, her tax rate increases would have meant 30,000 fewer jobs</p>\r\n<p>It\'s temporary relief, but in Michigan, we\'ll take what we can get.</p>',2),(971,971,'<p>Good news! <a href=\"http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/whatsnews.cfm#8287\">Obama is going to Vegas</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The White House has announced that President Barack Obama\'s added a second day to his visit to Las Vegas this week, where he\'s hosting a campaign rally for Sen. Harry Reid at Aria resort on Thursday</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>First off, I thought <a href=\"http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/02/las-vegas-mayor.html\">Obama hated Vegas</a>. Maybe he\'ll we hanging out with the newly single Tiger Woods when he\'s out there, who knows.</p>\r\n<p>Why is this good news? Because he\'s campaigning for Harry Reid. This should just about spell the doom of Dingy Harry, as an Obama endorsement is the kiss of death for a candidate. Hopefully, he\'ll make a stop in Michigan to wish Andy Dillon or Virg Bernero well over the summer.</p>',2),(972,972,'<p>The Detroit News has a new site called <a href=\"http://detnews.com/section/miview\">The Michigan View </a>where conservative commentators can expound on all things politics in Michigan.</p>\r\n<p>Henry Payne has written a few articles on the Republican gubernatorial candidates, and they aren\'t just rah-rah pieces. Today\'s article on <a href=\"http://detnews.com/article/20100709/MIVIEW/100709001/The-Businessman--Rick-Snyder\">Rick Snyder </a>makes several biting comments about his strategy and views of government.</p>\r\n<p>But it\'s another of Mr. Payne\'s article that got my attention. <a href=\"http://detnews.com/article/20100709/MIVIEW/100709003/Granholm--Tax-hike-failure-shows-lack-of--courage-\">In this article</a>, he takes Governor Granholm to task for her statement about the Legislature not having polical courage:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Governor Granholm said that a tax increase on services died because of a lack of &quot;political courage.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>Courage is taking your constituents&rsquo; money in the midst of the state&rsquo;s worst recession in a generation? Courage is taking 17 percent more of their income taxes in 2007? Courage is taking more money from struggling businesses under the Michigan Business Tax? <br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>No, courage would be a Democratic governor telling her union base that the Era of Entitlement is over. Courage would be telling them that a three percent pay hike is not appropriate at time when private employers are slashing jobs. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nCourage would be insisting that public unions enter the 20th century and accept equal benefits with the private sector. Courage would be balancing the budget without raising prices just as hundred of other businesses in Michigan have been forced to do.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>That\'s brilliant. Why is it courageous to stick it to the taxpayer? That\'s just a liberal taunt when they don\'t get their way. I want a leader who is going to do what\'s right, and what\'s right is not to bombard us with tax increases to fund an out of control government budget.</p>',2),(1007,1007,'<p style=\"margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt\"><a href=\"http://www.holidayinsights.com/other/icecreamday.htm\">One more reason </a>that Ronald Reagan is one of the greatest presidents ever:</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt\">&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt\">In 1984, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed July as National Ice Cream Month. He also established National Ice Cream Day as the third Sunday in the month.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt\">&nbsp;This Sunday in National Ice Cream day, so celebrate at your favorite ice cream shop.</p>',2),(1033,1033,'<p>Who knew what we really needed to solve our &quot;overcrowded&quot; classrooms was moving vans? From the <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/13243\">Mackinac Center for Public Policy</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Michigan public schools received and spent more money per pupil in 2008-2009 than in any previous year for which figures are available, according to new data from the Michigan Department of Education.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>For the bargain-basement price of $13,000, we can educate your child. Oddly enough, the $19.59 billion was $200 million less than the previous year, but so many students are leaving Michigan, the per student cost increased $200.</p>\r\n<p>Union teachers and bureaucrats must love this trend. Finally, we can spend the money where it should go - teacher benefits:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Per-pupil spending for instructional salaries and benefits rose by 3.1 and 3.7 percent, respectively. Overall instructional costs increased by 3.9 percent. School administration costs also increased: On a per-pupil basis, salaries and benefits paid to principals were each up by 2 percent, and overall spending on superintendents and top administrators increased slightly.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>If this trend continues, maybe we can have one teacher for every five students and the teachers will make $1 million a year, since there is so much whining, crying, and screaming whenever the hint of a cut to education funding pops up. I wonder what the next complaint for the MEA would be when all the Michigan students leave? Every teacher can only afford one Ferrari?<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(1035,1035,'<div class=\"rteleft\">Finally, an honest assessment of where the funds for the &quot;stimulus&quot; plans are coming from:</div>\r\n<div class=\"rtecenter\"><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<img alt=\"Stimulus Sign\" width=\"500\" height=\"475\" src=\"/sites/default/files/images/StimulusSign.JPG\" /></div>',2),(1036,1036,'<p>Oh, to be an &quot;<a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/13246\">artist</a>&quot;:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The Traverse City Record-Eagle yesterday reported that filmmaker Michael Moore expects to receive between $650,000 and $1 million in state film subsidies for producing part of &quot;Capitalism: A Love Story&quot; in Michigan.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>So he filmed part of his movie in Michigan and now he gets some money from the government. What does he plan to do with this money? The article continues:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>[T]he Record-Eagle reported that Moore has &quot;a new project - revitalizing derelict, depressed downtown theaters in communities across Michigan.&quot; The fact that he would use taxpayers\' money to pay for his philanthropy was barely noted.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>As the MCPP says, it\'s easy to be generous with other people\'s money. I\'d be more impressed if the super-rich Moore, who made his money by distorting the truth and harassing businessmen, used his own money for the public good. Maybe on his next project...</p>',2),(1040,1040,'<p>Time for a quiz. Look at each of these newly introduced bills that I grabbed from the <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/13165\">Mackinac Center for Public Policy</a> and try to guess the party of the Representative or Senator who sponsored the bill. It\'s fun and informative:</p>\r\n<ol>\r\n    <li>Senate Bill 1388 (Establish &ldquo;Arizona&rdquo; illegal alien law)</li>\r\n    <li>Restrict Attorney General from joining certain lawsuits [like federalized health care]</li>\r\n    <li>Create government &ldquo;New Economy Commission&rdquo;</li>\r\n    <li>Require more film subsidy application records disclosure</li>\r\n    <li>Allow Detroit pension fund loans to city</li>\r\n    <li>Ban additional state subsidies to firms in renaissance zones</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<p>And here are some extra line breaks so you don\'t peak...</p>\r\n<p>The answers are:</p>\r\n<ol>\r\n    <li>Republican</li>\r\n    <li>Democrat</li>\r\n    <li>Democrat</li>\r\n    <li>Republican</li>\r\n    <li>Democrat</li>\r\n    <li>Republican</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nYou probably got most of those right. If not, try spending more time on <a href=\"http://www.clinton-countygop.org/\">our site</a> or the <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org\">MCPP</a>, both great sources of information. Heck, even if you did get them all right, read those sites - you\'ll learn something every day.<br />',2),(1041,1041,'<p>This is for Ingham County, but it may be of interest to some of you.</p>\r\n<p>I was researching candidates for the upcoming elections, and remembered seeing a few signs for <a href=\"http://jamoforjudge.com/\">Jim Jamo</a>. So, I looked him up. Right on the front page I saw:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>We are pleased to announce the Ingham County Sheriff, Gene Wriggelsworth, the UAW Region 1-C Capital Area CAP Council and the Greater Lansing Labor Council AFL &ndash; CIO have joined numerous local Judges, Attorneys and Community Members in endorsing Jim Jamo for Ingham County Circuit Court Judge. Visit the News &amp; Events page for further information.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>The first endorsement, Sheriff Wriggelsworth, I have no issue with. But the second and third are from unions. And any candidate endorsed by unions is generally one I avoid. Sometimes it comes down to which candidate has the fewer union endorsements.</p>\r\n<p>Judges are supposed to non-partisan, but we all know that\'s bunk. Having the unions behind him makes him a liberal, or at least a Democrat. Boo! Boo!</p>\r\n<p>Looking at other candidates, Clinton Canady <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/99999999/ELECTIONS/305120010/Elections-2010-Ingham-County-list-of-candidates\">gave money to Obama</a>, so that makes him a liberal. And he was endorsed by Rosemarie Aquilina, and since my liberal in-laws had a sign for her during the last election, she must be a liberal, too. Anecdotal, yes, but I\'ll stick with my gut.</p>\r\n<p>To see a list candidates for races across the region, see <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/99999999/ELECTIONS/305120010/Elections-2010-Ingham-County-list-of-candidates\">The Lansing State Journal</a>.<span id=\"1280512710403S\" style=\"display: none\">&nbsp;</span></p>',2),(1046,1046,'<p>This is not really news, but apparently the federal goverment doesn\'t have better things to spend money on <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100802/NEWS01/308020014/-1/rss13\">but this</a>:<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>DETROIT &mdash; Federal officials are planning an environmental impact study ahead of a light-rail system stretching north along Woodward Avenue from downtown Detroit to Eight Mile Road.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n<p>The study and anticipated construction date of the $450 million to $500 million project were announced Monday.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n</p>\r\n<p>About $125 million in private and public funds have been raised for the 3.4-mile first phase from downtown to West Grand Boulevard. Phase two would be completed by 2016 and link Grand Boulevard to Eight Mile</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>$125 million for less than four miles of track. For that kind of money, you could buy a car for everyone who was going to ride it - and many, many who will not - which would be far more useful, as cars can go to more than a handful of destinations.</p>\r\n<p>And besides, are there plenty of other places where the residents of Detroit can go to <a href=\"http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=969_1273612164&amp;c=1\">spray their graffiti</a>? Why do we need an expensive train for them to deface?</p>',2),(1047,1047,'First off, is anyone else frightened by the thought of a Virg Benero governorship? Besides further crippling our state with continued bad economic policy, he\'d probably put pictures of himself all over the state, and maybe even print his own money. (Those of&nbsp;us around Lansing know you can\'t help but be&nbsp;inundated with Virg pictures.)&nbsp;But at least the official Lansing site only has one picture of him on the front page right now, down from several million.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nOnto my point. From the <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/13261\">Mackinac Center for Public Policy</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>United Van Lines has released mid-year data on where it takes its clients to and from in the 48 contiguous states. Once again, Michigan finds itself in the number one position. That is, 61.6 percent of all Michigan-specific UVL traffic is outbound. Fortunately, this is down from 70 percent during the same the same time frame last year. Unfortunately, that drop may be a function of having nowhere to go.&nbsp;</div>\r\n</blockquote>And who says the Democrats aren\'t for private business?&nbsp;Their policies sure are helping UVL\'s bottom line.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nYes, Michigan! The feeling\'s forever... until you\'re driven out because you can\'t find a job.',2),(1056,1056,'<p>There is apparently a <a href=\"http://detnews.com/article/20100806/METRO/8060389/Police-say-serial-killer-stalking-African-American-men-in-Flint\">serial killer targeting blacks in Flint</a>. So what should we do? First, don\'t panic. Second, let the police do their job. Three, blame racism:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Officials with the Flint branch of the NAACP said the safety of black people isn\'t taken seriously in the city. Frances Gilcreast, the local president, said it\'s alarming to learn about serial killings after 12 attacks have occurred. She knew nothing until noon Thursday when she saw a TV news report, she said.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Perhaps Frances should watch the news more often. But let\'s here what Rev. Phil Schmitter has to say:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;As the economy has worsened in this city, so has desperation and we have been making an effort to fight increased gun violence. So much anger and desperation in people, real or imagined, can result in blaming someone else. Stuff that was latent becomes overt when you are looking for someone else to blame for your miseries. I would be very surprised if race wasn\'t an element here.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>I would say we need to read between the lines, but there are no lines -&nbsp; the Reverend is saying that the killer is an angry unemployed white guy, killing blacks because they are black. Except for the white guy he attacked, too. But maybe that guy was listening to rap music or was wearing a black shirt, who knows.</p>\r\n<p>But before we start a race war, let\'s look at some <a href=\"http://www.hhscenter.org/bonbstat.html\">statistics</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>While African Americans comprise 13.5% of the U.S. Population, 43% of all murder victims in 2007 were African American, 93.1% of whom were killed were African Americans.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Maybe, just maybe, the killer is killing because he is a crazy psychopathic monster and not because Obama is president (as bad as that is) or that feels &quot;oppressed&quot; because, as a white, he\'s the minority in Flint. How about we just worry about stopping him?</p>',2),(1063,1063,'<p>A very short post to relay <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY8nJJ2GiNo\">this link </a>I found on the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. The link leads to a YouTube video of George Will speaking at the CATO&nbsp;Institute earlier this year, and it is a fantastic piece - otherwise, I wouldn\'t have linked to it. Watch and enjoy.</p>',2),(1068,1068,'<p>Anything strange about this contact information blurb at <a href=\"http://mimoments.com\">http://mimoments.com</a>?</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Michigan Travel Ideas <br />\r\n1716 Locust St. <br />\r\nLN-330 <br />\r\nDes Moines IA 50309 <br />\r\nUnited States</p>\r\n<p>Website: <a href=\"http://www.michigan.org\">http://www.michigan.org</a></p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>(The direct link is <a href=\"http://wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/36090/sponsor\">http://wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/36090/sponsor</a>.)</p>\r\n<p>Michigan Travel Ideas is based out of Iowa! And people complain about manufacturing jobs heading to Mexico, but we can\'t even find a travel agent with some free time on their hands here in Michigan?</p>\r\n<p>Another point about this page:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Travel Michigan, a division of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, is the State of Michigan&rsquo;s official agency for the promotion of tourism. Travel Michigan markets the state&rsquo;s tourism industry and provides valuable visitor information services.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Hey, the MEDC, the <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/\">MCPP\'s </a>favorite agency, paid for a Michigan tourism site based out of Iowa. Michigan companies can\'t get any love from a state agency to promote Michigan?</p>',2),(1082,1082,'<p>Yay, more &quot;stimulus&quot; money to put us further into debt to help Democrats stay in office! And our own cheerleaders are near <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/13353\">fainting with joy</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Sen. Debbie Stabenow were quick to praise the new &quot;edujobs&quot; bill passed by the House Tuesday as part of a &quot;stimulus II&quot; package (and despite it lacking a legal title). Among other legislation it will dole out $310 million to Michigan public schools, with the hopes of &quot;saving&quot; 4,700 teacher jobs.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Hip hip hooray! The MEA can now continue its campaigning for Democrats fully-funded.&nbsp; Our class sizes can continue to shrink as more children leave Michigan for state with competent leadership. You don\'t want to get the teachers too stressed - they may <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/8284\">illegally strike again</a>.</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>In response to the passage, Gov. Granholm pointed out that the legislation adds nothing to the $13 trillion national deficit, since it\'s funded with cuts to other federal government programs &mdash; like food stamps. The Governor insists that the $310 million will be for &quot;real people&quot; though, rather than merely feeding the government school bureaucracy.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Ha! Schools have become bureaucracies to employ teachers that coincidently teach children, or, in the case of Detroit schools and their horrible graduation rates, schools are the sources of future employment for the Department of Corrections. No one believes that the money will actually benefit students; it will benefit the teachers union and other Democrat constituencies.</p>\r\n<p>Occasionally, when they think no one else is listening, liberals are honest with each other. In the <a href=\"http://townhall.com/columnists/MichelleMalkin/2010/08/11/the_lefts_special_interest_human_shields/page/2\">words of Bob Chanin </a>of the National Education Association:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;Despite what some among us would like to believe it is not because of our creative ideas. It is not because of the merit of our positions. It is not because we care about children and it is not because we have a vision of a great public school for every child. NEA and its affiliates are effective advocates because we have power.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Isn\'t honesty grand? Let\'s transition from honesty to&hellip; not honesty. Contrary to what you may think, and what common sense dictates, I like listening to Senator Debbie expound on topics, so let\'s see what else she has to say:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Sen. Stabenow lauded the bill for its ability to keep class sizes down, saying it\'d be the &quot;difference between 25 or 50 kids in the classroom.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Of course, that\'s a complete lie. The number 4,700 is being bandied about as the amount of teacher jobs saved. Even if the Democrats were being honest and almost 5,000 teachers lost their jobs, that would not double the class size. But honesty is not what Democrats are known for, though pandering to their slavishly union voters is.</p>\r\n<p>I\'ll give her the benefit of the doubt and say the statement is ignorant. Sen. Stabenow once claimed she could verify global warming because her <a href=\"http://community.detnews.com/apps/blogs/henrypayneblog/index.php?blogid=2041\">flights were rougher</a>, so I wouldn\'t put a lot of stock into what she says. But it sure is fun to hear her blather!</p>',2),(1096,1096,'<p>Today, let\'s talk about Nancy Pelosi, one of America\'s most embarrassing public figures, right up there with the laughably ignorant and outrageously corrupt <a href=\"http://sweetness-light.com/archive/waters-investigate-racist-tea-parties\">Maxine Waters</a>. When she doesn\'t like someone\'s point of view, she <a href=\"http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2010/aug/17/audio-rep-pelosi-calls-investigation-wtc-mosque-op/\">wants an investigation</a>. Her latest targets are those that don\'t want a mosque building near Ground Zero in New York city:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;There is no question there is a concerted effort to make this a political issue by some. And I join those who have called for looking into how is this opposition to the mosque being funded,&quot; she said.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Not only is she unable to fathom my there would be strong objections to building a place to glorify the religious beliefs of those who killed thousands of Americans.</p>\r\n<p>I like Rush Limbaugh\'s idea: Try to build a Wal*Mart near Ground Zero, then see what happens. The Democrats and other freedom-haters would have an absolute fit. Our try putting a Nativity scene on the White House lawn. The Internet would shut down from the liberals\' angry rhetoric.</p>\r\n<p>Why is it Democrats only believe in the First Amendment when they are the ones doing the speaking?</p>',2),(1102,1102,'<p>Did you really think the United Auto Workers would really change? Can a leopard change it spots? Because the union was losing money, they had put up their &quot;retreat&quot; near Onaway up for sale. But, since things are looking up with the Big 3, it is <a href=\"http://detnews.com/article/20100818/AUTO01/8180315/1148/UAW-s-King-takes-north-Michigan-resort-off-market#ixzz0wzMbXSHW\">no longer for sale</a>. Hey, even arm-twisting pseudo-mobster union bosses need a break once in a while:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The United Auto Workers has put a hold on trying to sell its $33 million Black Lake retreat in northern Michigan. <br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>The Walter and May Reuther Family Education Center was taken off the market at the request of UAW President Bob King and the union\'s new executive board, said John Karver, a senior vice president at CB Richard Ellis, the real estate firm handling the listing.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>And why wouldn\'t things be looking rosy for the unions? The UAW has a union-friendly president in Obama, and they\'re hoping for a union-friendly governor in Bernero. Why give up perks that make the union bosses look like the overpaid thugs they are if they don\'t have to?<br />\r\n&nbsp;<br />\r\nThey\'ll continue to push for card check legislation (a.k.a. the Funnel Democrats More Money Act of 2010), making it easier for union thugs to intimidate voters. After all, Attorney General Eric Holder let members of the New Black Panther go free from charges of <a href=\"http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203550604574361071968458430.html\">voter intimidation </a>of which they were so obviously guilty that even Debbie Stabenow could see it (though she\'d never admit it). Yelling &quot;You are about to be ruled by the black man, cracker!&quot; seems sort of blatant to me.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>In addition to golf and leisure, the center offers weeklong conferences on political action, civil rights and leadership.&nbsp;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>&nbsp;You too can learn about intimidating voters and campaigning for Democrats, if you would only agree to give up some of your wages to pay for completely unnecessary middlemen to negotiate your salary for you. You can even participate in the 2-minute hate where you scream at various Republicans such at George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and Rush Limbaugh. Does relaxation get any better than screaming obscenities at people you don\'t like?<br />\r\n&nbsp;<br />\r\n(That &quot;2-minute hate&quot; thing is a reference to George Orwell\'s 1984. You can tell I went to college because I make semi-obscure literature references.)<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The center, renovated in the 1990s, has a gym with two full-size basketball courts, an Olympic-size indoor pool, exercise facilities, table tennis and pool tables, a sauna, beaches, hiking and biking trails, sports fields, a boat launch ramp and rooms and condominiums.&nbsp;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>&nbsp;Oh, it has a basketball court? Maybe they\'re keeping it in the hopes that Obama will pay them a visit. After all, he does seem to be more interesting in his jump shot that in seriously tackling our economic issues. Hopefully, he\'s better at the former because he\'s a complete failure at the latter.&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>[The UAW] spent $9.7 million on lobbying and political activities in 2009, compared with $10.6 million in 2008. And it reduced union administration costs from $32.4 million to $26.9 million.&nbsp;<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>That\'s a pretty low number for spending money on Democrats. You could only bribe a handful of Senators and Representatives with that small amount of money. Yep, times are tough all over.</p>',2),(1107,1107,'<p>Obama\'s news <a href=\"http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2011799,00.html\">continues to be bad</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Nearly one third of the country thinks adherents of Islam should be barred from running for President &mdash; slightly higher than the 24% who mistakenly believe that the current occupant of the Oval Office is himself a Muslim.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Well, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck&hellip; What could possibly give the impression that he\'s a Muslim? His first television interview ever as president was with a Arab news organization. He gives speeches in Muslim nation where he derides the United States. He cheers for a center of worship for the religion of the attackers who brought down the Twin Towers. Heck, even Ted Kennedy thought his name was Osama. As in, bin Laden. He claims to be a Christian, yet still doesn\'t attend a church over a year into his presidency, a surprising thing for an American president, even a Democrat. The final straw will be if he starts yelling &quot;Death to America&quot; during his radio addresses. Then even <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_Kos\">Markos Moulitsas</a> will have to admit something wasn\'t quite right.</p>\r\n<p>To be fair, maybe he hasn\'t found just the right cauldron of America haters and practitioners of black liberation theology in Washington like he had in Chicago. If he really wants to hear like-minded anti-American hate mongers, he could try listening to Nancy Pelosi, as painful as that would be.</p>\r\n<p>Back to the Muslim issue. He may not consider himself a Muslim, but a lot of Muslims do, as this 2008 <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/12/opinion/12luttwak.html?_r=3&amp;pagewanted=print\">New York Times article </a>describes:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>As the son of the Muslim father, Senator Obama was born a Muslim under Muslim law as it is universally understood. It makes no difference that, as Senator Obama has written, his father said he renounced his religion. Likewise, under Muslim law based on the Koran his mother&rsquo;s Christian background is irrelevant.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>I hear Muslims don\'t like apostasy. They have interventions and groups hugs for that sort of thing. Just kidding! They actually do beheadings. But to each there own, right? Coexist, as the bumper sticker reads on the cars of the brainwashed. More polling:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>And while more Americans are open to the idea of having a mosque built in their neighborhoods than near Ground Zero, it\'s still not an overwhelming majority; 55% of respondents say they would favor the construction of an Islamic community center and mosque two blocks from their own homes, and an equal number say they believe most Muslims are &quot;Patriotic Americans.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>I have to take issue with the &quot;Patriotic Americans&quot; issue statement, though. I have a Muslim a few doors down from me, and he has a Virg Bernero sign in his front yard, which means he\'s not really a patriotic American, he\'s a Democrat.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(1113,1113,'<p>Let\'s hope Virg doesn\'t get this kind of idea: <a href=\"http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/philly-requiring-bloggers-to-pay-300-for-a-business-license-101264664.html\">Philly requiring bloggers to pay $300 for a business license</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Between her blog and infrequent contributions to ehow.com, over the last few years she says she&rsquo;s made about $50. To [Marilyn] Bess, her website is a hobby. To the city of Philadelphia, it&rsquo;s a potential moneymaker, and the city wants its cut.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>In May, the city sent Bess a letter demanding that she pay $300, the price of a business privilege license.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>How dare she! How dare that woman try to make a few dollars without the government able to seize their fair share to give to people that did nothing for it. She\'s got some nerve, making that $50.</p>\r\n<p>It\'s just like that ungrateful 7-year old that tried to run a <a href=\"http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/08/portland_lemonade_stand_runs_i.html\">lemonade stand in Oregon</a>:. Luckily, a government official was there to save humanity:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>After 20 minutes, a &quot;lady with a clipboard&quot; came over and asked for their license. When Fife explained they didn\'t have one, the woman told them they would need to leave or possibly face a $500 fine.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Didn\'t she know that she needed a permit to sell lemonade? Selling lemonade without a government permit? Just a fine? Throw her in jail!</p>\r\n<p>When are people going to learn that our overbearing government and stupid regulations are for our own good? We can\'t think for ourselves. Thank goodness that bureaucrat in Oregon came to shut that girl down - she could have used a bad lemon in her lemonade, and then where would those poor, unsuspecting patrons have been?</p>\r\n<p>Speaking of overbearing regulation, here is <a href=\"http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(f5yemhmhky0ibcbekbedhv45))/mileg.aspx?page=GetObject&amp;objectname=2010-HB-6234\">2010 House Bill 6234 </a>(Clarify deer feeding ban detail )</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Introduced by Rep. Mark Meadows (D) on June 1, 2010, to clarify that the law restricting or banning wild deer or elk feeding does not ban the &ldquo;incidental&rdquo; feeding of these animals when feeding wild birds or other wildlife. Reportedly the bill was introduced after a Northern Michigan man who broadcasts the action at his birdfeeder on his website was served with an arrest warrant by the Department of Natural Resources because deer sometimes are seen eating the fallen seeds.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Sweet, now people that have birdfeeders will not be subject to fines just in case deer eat from them. Just what the Founders intended. Why they didn\'t include restrictions on feeding deer in the Constitution, I have no idea.</p>',2),(1140,1140,'<p>Want to get fired up about the November election? Listen to <a href=\"http://www.therightscoop.com/mark-levin-we-cant-just-rally-we-must-be-political-activists-to-save-our-country\">this clip from Mark Levin</a>.</p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>',2),(1144,1144,'<p>Our esteemed president must be having mixed feeling about <a href=\"http://www.wlns.com/global/story.asp?s=13088848\">this story</a>, if he\'s even been made aware of it before golf rounds: <br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Dozens of undocumented workers, recently part of the Marshall oil spill clean up, have been arrested in the state of Texas. The report claims that two busloads of workers chartered by Hallmark Industrial, a subcontractor of Enbridge, were fired early Tuesday and sent south.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>Authorities in Chambers County Texas say they pulled over the two busses and arrested 59 men, 40 of whom were illegal aliens. They say another 40 were able to escape. The arrested workers were taken to a holding facility in Houston.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>On one hand, environmental disasters are bad, but for Obama, they\'re good, because then he gets to push his &quot;I&nbsp;hate oil&quot; agenda and drive our economy completed back to the stone age by forcing the use of windmills and solar panels. And the fact that illegals were arrested means that Obama has that many fewer potential voters, and he is going to need all the help he can get.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBut really, how many of those illegals are going to be sent back to Mexico, or wherever they\'re from?&nbsp;Not many, if any, I would guess. The federal immigration bureaucrats will&nbsp;schedule a court appearance,&nbsp;then release them from the holding facilities, and the illegals will merrily ignore their date with our justice system, as they merrily ignored our laws concerning entry into this country.</p>',2),(1149,1149,'Do you read Thomas Sowell\'s column?&nbsp;If not, you should. He has great insights, like <a href=\"http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2010/09/07/political_fables\">this one</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>President Obama says, &quot;Don\'t give in to fear. Let\'s reach for hope.&quot; The voters reached for hope when they elected Obama. The fear comes from what he has done since taking office.</div>\r\n</blockquote>',2),(1150,1150,'<p>I\'m not making this up: Feds Name &quot;<a href=\"http://www.wlns.com/Global/story.asp?S=13118153\">Carp Czar</a>&quot;:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>An environmental activist and former state official from Indiana has been put in charge of the campaign to prevent Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Yes, the United States has a fish czar. Apparently, there are not enough bureaucrats in the EPA and the other innumerable federal agencies to look into the fish problem, so we needed a new czar.</p>\r\n<p>I don\'t like barking dogs, and I\'ll bet there are millions of people who don\'t either. I thing we should have dog czar. And cigarette butts on the road bother me. We definitely need a butt czar. Or perhaps we already have one of those.</p>',2),(1162,1162,'<p>This just in: <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100914/NEWS01/9140330/Lansing-s-Main-Street-to-be-renamed-for-Malcolm-X\">Lansing city government is clueless and bored and easily intimidated</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The City Council voted 5-2 Monday to change the name of Main Street to Malcolm X Street.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>Main Street runs along Interstate 496 and was where a significant population of Lansing\'s blacks once lived. New signs should appear within the upcoming months, costing the city approximately $2,000.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>And isn\'t $2,000 a small price to pay to honor a violent black supremacist? His angry message surely resonates more with the young people of today than Dr. King\'s peaceful message.</p>\r\n<p>A question to ponder: So since &quot;a significant population of Lansing\'s blacks once lived&quot; on Main Street, will the Detroit city council be renaming Michigan Avenue to David Duke Avenue? He was an angry white person, and it seems only fair, since a significant number of white people once lived on Michigan.</p>',2),(1163,1163,'<p><a href=\"http://www.clinton-countygop.org/content/when-does-exaggeration-become-lie\">I\'ve said before </a>how much I enjoy hearing Debbie Stabenow speak. And you know, she is the gift that keeps on giving. Take, for example, <a href=\"http://detnews.com/article/20100912/MIVIEW/100912001/Stabenow--Female-pols-superior-to-men\">this piece of brilliance</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;I like to think women in the Senate bring a very practical approach,&quot; Stabenow told a Grand Rapids audience at Grand Valley State University Women\'s Center\'s &quot;Women in Politics&quot; series. &quot;We tend to be the ones who work across the aisle.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>How the Republic survive until the arrival of the Great Compromisers, I\'ll never know. But I think that Senator Stabenow is a wonderful example of the magnanimity of voters. Wait, check it - I meant ignorance.</p>\r\n<p>What\'s also wonderful is the open-mindedness of liberals like Senator Stabenow. I respect the fact that she doesn\'t put people into categories, like saying women are practical and willing to work with people of opposing viewpoints. Which means, I suppose, that male legislators are completely impractical cads who are only concerned with themselves and their narrow-minded views.</p>\r\n<p>In the words of Rush Limbaugh, bipartisanship means Republicans giving in to whatever the Democrats want. And I\'m against bipartisanship. Men...</p>',2),(1177,1177,'<p>Obama is finally buckling under the weight of opinion polls. No, he was not trying to get the awful, freedom-killing healthcare bill repealed. As <a href=\"http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100919/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_church\">Yahoo! News </a>reports:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>WASHINGTON &ndash; President Barack Obama and his family attended an hourlong service Sunday morning at a church just across the street from the White House.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>There were no reports of vile retoric being spewed by the pastor, as was the case in Obama\'s Chicago church.</p>\r\n<p>And in case you were wondering, yes, Barack held Sasha\'s hand as they crossed the street. Now that is serious journalism.</p>\r\n<p>But after the recreational visit to church, it was time to get back to work:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>On Sunday afternoon, Obama played golf at Andrews Air Force Base.</p>\r\n</blockquote>',2),(1183,1183,'<p>Just like flowers need rain and sunshine, <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100921/NEWS03/9210325/Millions-in-incentives-sought-to-transform-old-Lansing-City-Market-site\">property developers need other peoples\' money</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The vacant spot where the old City Market once stood could be a construction site next year.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>Developer Pat Gillespie is seeking nearly $4.1 million in state and local tax incentives for his proposed $23.1 million mixed-use Marketplace project.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>The site is eligible for financial incentives under the state\'s brownfield program because it contains environmental contamination.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Oh, that darned organic fruit! The juice leaked into the cement and caused an agricultural disaster. I\'ve always been suspicious of the &quot;organic&quot; industry, and my fears have been proved to be well-founded.</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;The project is not feasible without the incentives,&quot; Gillespie said.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>If it\'s not feasible, and you can\'t make a profit, then don\'t do it. This isn\'t rocket science. Why should I pay you for a private enterprise that will not benefit me?</p>\r\n<p>But why wait? Just because <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100921/NEWS03/9210316/0/NEWS03\">homebuilder\'s confidence is at an 18-month low</a>, and neither Michigan nor the U.S. as a whole has a competent economic recovery strategy, surely that\'s no reason the developer can\'t try to bilk the taxpayers out of more money.</p>\r\n<p>The developers at Eyde aren\'t going to rest until they\'ve gotten <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20109180318\">their share of corporate welfare</a>, either:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The East Lansing Developer in August announced the project did not receive a $2 million federal brownfield grant - a key part of a proposed financing package of roughly $21 million in tax breaks, grants and a government-backed loan.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>But don\'t worry, they\'ve still got their hand out, reaching for our pockets:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>But Eyde hopes it\'ll have better luck in a second round of grants awarded next spring in order to start construction by summer 2011, said Mark Clouse, chief financial officer and general counsel for Eyde.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Will we ever return to a time when people risked their own money in the hopes of succeeding? Of course not.</p>',2),(1195,1195,'In Michigan, we certainly <a href=\"http://www.wlns.com/global/story.asp?s=13197990\">do some things right</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div><span orgfontsize=\"14px\" style=\"font-size: 14px\">A national award goes to Michigan\'s online unemployment program. The state\'s online problem resolution system for unemployed workers was recognized for demonstrating extraordinary service to its local community. <br />\r\n</span></div>\r\n</blockquote><span orgfontsize=\"14px\" style=\"font-size: 14px\">We do get lots of practice in dealing with the unemployed, that\'s for sure. And now, we\'re putting our well-earned experience to work for us with our fancy award. Well done, Michigan!<br />\r\n</span>',2),(1201,1201,'<p>The <a href=\"http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100923/ap_on_re_us/un_un_world_summit_ahmadinejad\">U.S. delegation walked out of the U.N. speech</a> of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday after he said some in the world have speculated that Americans were behind the Sept. 11 terror attacks, staged in an attempt to assure Israel\'s survival.</p>\r\n<p>I can\'t imagine Obama walking out on a world leader while they were insulting the United States - he does it all the time. Ahmadinejad probably gets lots of his talking points from Obama.</p>\r\n<p>And let\'s not forget that a nominee for Obama\'s position as &quot;green jobs czar&quot;, Van Jones, was outed as a <a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,546602,00.html\">9/11 truther</a>, claiming, like Ahmadinejad, that the terrorist attacks were assisted by the U.S. government.</p>\r\n<p>Wasn\'t that show &quot;<a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080202/\">Bosom Buddies</a>&quot; about Obama and Ahmadinejad? Maybe it should be a remake. At least it would be easy to keep straight which was the tall one and which was the short one.</p>',2),(1228,1228,'<p>For a group of people that claim to hate rich people so much, they sure do a lot for them.</p>\r\n<p>As has been declared by our royal rulers, the Democrats, we shall eat cake! If &quot;we&quot; are wealthy businessmen who happen to be in the <a href=\"http://detnews.com/article/20100930/MIVIEW/9300432/No-joke--Biden-reveals-The-Great-Stealth-Stimulus-Scheme\">&quot;green&quot; technology business</a>, that is:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Burning tax dollars like monopoly money, Governor Granholm and President Obama have &quot;invested&quot; millions in A123, a Michigan battery company even as industry experts say that electric vehicles are not the future of transportation that politicians claim.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Yes, a technology that Americans have continually rejected is what the government is forcing us to pay for through tax subsidies. We have had two such &quot;green&quot; plants announced in Michigan within the past few months, one in Holland one and in Livonia. Isn\'t it nice to know that inefficient, unwanted technology will be made right here in are own backyard? After all, if a cars and parts being built were successful, like the Jeep Cherokee or the Ford F150, then they wouldn\'t need government subsidies, would they?</p>\r\n<p>Where are they getting this money as the U.S. continues it\'s plunge into second-rate status? The &quot;stimulus&quot;, of course. And Joe Biden is really, really excited about blowing through the money of future taxpayers:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>[A]bout one-sixth of the total cost [of the stimulus] is an all-out effort to exploit the crisis to make green energy, green building and green transportation real; launch green manufacturing industries; computerize a pen-and-paper health system; promote data-driven school reforms; and ramp up the research of the future. \'This is a chance to do something big, man!\' Biden said during a 90-minute interview with TIME.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Green technology is expensive and ineffective. Only the wealthy can afford the ugly subcompact cars that Obama and his buddies love. The Volt, which isn\'t nearly as ugly as the Prius, will cost over $40,000, and it goes about 15 feet before needing to be recharged, so it\'s the adult equivalent of the Barbie Jeeps you see zooming down the suburbs at 5 MPH. The fact that any grown-up would actually drive one amazes me.</p>\r\n<p>But that\'s America. You get a choice of which vehicle you want to drive&hellip; as long as you choose the right one.</p>',2),(1244,1244,'<p>Virg Bernero wants to halt home foreclosures.&nbsp; Not with common sense economic policy or telling would-be homeowners that they don\'t yet have the financial resources to own a home. No, no, Virg has <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20101007/ELECTIONS03/310070037/Bernero-shocks-Economic-Club-by-blasting-banks-over-foreclosures\">other things in mind</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Bernero said a priority as governor would be to withdraw $1 billion in state money from J.P Morgan and Chase banks for their refusal to ease up on foreclosures and invest the money in Michigan-based banks and credit unions.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>&ldquo;Snyder talked about optimism and bringing people together, Bernero came out throwing blame,&rdquo; said David Smith, a vice president of investments for Stifel Nicolaus. &ldquo;He said the words Wall Street five times and &lsquo;big banks&rsquo; 12 times,&rdquo; Smith said.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Well, yeah. That\'s what the &quot;angry mayor&quot; shtick is all about. He puts himself up as a man of the people, willing to fight for the little guy, when all he is going to do is fight <strong>against </strong>the big guy and give the winnings to his union buddies.</p>\r\n<p>It is not sitting well with everyone, and not just those bankers that Virg is demonizing:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Mani Khavajian, 29, of West Bloomfield normally votes a straight Democratic ticket, but he\'s not so sure this year. He voted for Snyder in the Republican primary.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>I think, thankfully, you\'ll see a lot of that this year.</p>',2),(1256,1256,'<p>What does Detroit need most? If you guessed more businesses, more police officers, or less corruption, you would be wrong in the eyes of Marie Donigan, a State representative (Democrat) from Royal Oak, among others. <a href=\"http://detnews.com/article/20101014/MIVIEW/101014001/Detroit-boondoggle--$500-million-for-light-rail\">Light rail </a>is what Detroit needs most. But she understands the challenges:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>But Marie Donigan, a state rep from Royal Oak, says &ldquo;it&rsquo;s not a whacky Birkenstock idea.&rdquo; (Well, not when it&rsquo;s OUR money she wants to spend.) She admits, however, that &ldquo;it&rsquo;s going to take a huge effort to educate the the public&rdquo; to use the product.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>See, you need to get your mind right to this idea to bring people to a city that doesn\'t deserve to have people brought to it.</p>\r\n<p>&quot;We&rsquo;ve got 44 ambulances,&quot; says Detroit News award-winning reporter Charlie LeDuff about the city&rsquo;s broken EMS system. &quot;Twenty-two by law are supposed to be running. We got 17-18 on any given night because they&rsquo;re broken. . . . LIGHT RAIL?!!&quot;</p>\r\n<p>Now there is a man after my own heart. A light rail system in Detroit will NEVER make money. EVER. But that\'s not the point. The point is to reward Detroit for throwing votes to Obama, and to make Detroit seem like a thriving, recovering city, Michigan\'s jewel. At one point, it was. But that was decades ago, and it will never again regain that status.</p>\r\n<p>If you really want a light rail, put it someplace where it would be useful. That pretty much excludes anyplace in Michigan, but if our elected officials insist on spending good money after bad, at least put it in <a href=\"http://www.visitgrandrapids.org/\">Grand Rapids</a>, an honest to goodness growing city with great potential for future growth. I was in Grand Rapids over the weekend. It has grown since the last time I was there earlier in the year, with more construction started. An actual thriving city in Michigan.</p>\r\n<p>But Grand Rapids doesn\'t have the critical mass of Democrat voters or a self-caused sob story, so it is out of the running.</p>',2),(1267,1267,'<p>Virg is not doing so well in the polls, good news for Michigan. But there are lots of special interests who want to see him do well, such as the trial lawyers. As I was driving home yesterday, I passed Church Wyble\'s office on Saginaw. I believe their slogan is &quot;We\'ll legally steal money from companies for you if you give us some of it.&quot; And predictably, being trial lawyers, there was a Virg Bernero sign, a fellow fan of legal theft.</p>\r\n<p>(In case you don\'t think that <a href=\"http://www.churchwyble.com/\">Church Wyble</a> are leftist hacks, there are links to several sites promoting ignorance and intolerance. Sorry, sites that support Democrats. And they have to the nerve to put them under their &quot;Valuable Resources&quot; section. Maybe I should sue them for mental distress.)</p>\r\n<p>I\'m sure that the bottom-feeding trial lawyers are giving money to Virg, and that\'s good - that is money that will not be used for candidates that have a chance. Think Geoffrey Fieger without the haircut or Dr. Death baggage.</p>\r\n<p>And being a Democrat, Virg, of course, has the support of the United Auto Workers. But again, I\'m happy they are sending money Virg\'s way instead of where it could do some damage. As <a href=\"http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/watercooler/index.php?blogid=902\">Jack McHugh</a> posted on his blog, &quot;Can\'t think of a better use of UAW PAC dollars. Pour more!&quot;</p>',2),(1283,1283,'<p>Oh, <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20101027/ELECTIONS03/10270329/Bernero-Snyder-might-sell-Mackinac-Bridge\">that Virg</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Democrat Virg Bernero said Tuesday that Republican rival Rick Snyder might try to sell the Mackinac Bridge if elected governor, drawing a quick denial from the GOP nominee.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>&quot;I am stunned that Rick Snyder would consider selling one of the symbols of the state,&quot; Bernero told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. The Lansing mayor then flew to a &quot;save the bridge&quot; rally near the 5 -mile-long bridge, which links Michigan\'s two peninsulas at the convergence of Lakes Michigan and Huron.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>The claim that Snyder wants to sell the bridge is nonsense, of course, but that of course wouldn\'t stop a desperate Virg from... what\'s the word... Distorting? Lying? Take your pick, they are often the same thing.</p>\r\n<p>The good news is we\'re about to see a lot fewer Virg signs on the streets. The bad news is that Lansing is still stuck with him.</p>\r\n<p>But on the subject of Virg signs, I drove down Oakland on the way to work downtown, and between Marshall and Larch, I noticed about twenty Rick Snyder signs. And not a single Virg sign in that stretch. It is encouraging that so many people in Lansing, Virg\'s base of operation, are not willing to give him a promotion.</p>\r\n<p>So take it from Lansing - don\'t vote Virg.</p>',2),(1298,1298,'<p>The Michigan Republicans now control the Capitol, the House, the Senate, and the Supreme Court. For supporters like us, this is a great thing. We are exuberant that finally, we are going to get a chance to make a real difference without the Democrats constantly opposing common sense reforms.</p>\r\n<p>But what this also means is that we have no excuses for failure. We do not want to be like the awful Democrats at the federal level, who have acted in a destructive manner against our budget and against our health care system. We must be different.</p>\r\n<p>Soon-to-be Governor Snyder (that sounds much better than Governor Bernero, doesn\'t it?) has his work cut out for him, but he knows it. But we now don\'t have the luxury of blaming Democrats. It falls on the Republicans now to do what they said they were going to do - fix Michigan. The Democrats can\'t stop our reforms just like the Republicans couldn\'t stop Obamacare. Take that for what\'s is worth.</p>\r\n<p>Mr. Snyder, you do have a mandate to fix Michigan. Use it well.</p>',2),(1317,1317,'<p>Tonight on <a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/hannity/index.html\">Hannity</a>, President George W. Bush will be discussing his new autobiography &quot;<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Decision-Points-George-W-Bush/dp/0307590615\">Decision Points</a>&quot;. I\'ve been hearing bits and pieces of President Bush over the past few days, and it\'s so good to hear a real leader speaking. He is so different from an under qualified, over-hyped community organizer with a messianic complex. I\'m not naming names or anything...</p>\r\n<p>But if I were, Obama is in Indonesia, where he will hopefully stay for a while. It was his home early in life, after all, and I\'m sure they would make him more than welcome. And because he left the country, his approval numbers went up. Perhaps he should take the hint.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(1328,1328,'<p><a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20101115/NEWS04/311150012/Snyder-to-appoint-Muchmore-as-chief-of-staff\">Is anyone else uneasy</a>?</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>LANSING -- Dennis Muchmore, a longtime Lansing lobbyist and former director of the state&rsquo;s largest conservation organization, will serve as chief of staff in the administration of Gov.-elect Rick Snyder.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>A political moderate, Muchmore came to Lansing in the 1970s to work on the staff of former Democratic state Sen. John Bowman.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>So we have Andy Dillon at treasurer and a staff member of a Democrat state Senator as chief of staff. I would like to believe that Governor-Elect Snyder is picking the best people for the job, but when he is picking Democrats, I can\'t believe that\'s the case.</p>',2),(1333,1333,'<p>Some random thoughts on the new, highly invasive airport security procedures.</p>\r\n<p>So now when I go to the airport, I can choose to have an intrusive groping session (sorry, pat down) instead of going through the intrusive x-ray scanner. Can I request a hot female TSA employee instead of a dumpy old guy to run their hands over me?</p>\r\n<p>Can I expect to see Hooters girls / Chippendale guys applying for the position of professional groper? That would make the travel experience better for everyone.</p>\r\n<p>Will sex offenders be able to pat down travelers? When will Bill Clinton be applying?</p>\r\n<p>In strip clubs, you\'re not allowed to touch the girls, but going through airport security, the girls (and guys) are allowed to touch you. That hardly seems fair.</p>\r\n<p>Who wants to be a TSA employee? I\'m sure there are lots of more fulfilling jobs where people hate you a lot less, like telemarketer or Internet spammer or former Speakers of the House.</p>',2),(1408,1408,'<p>The link from <a href=\"http://anncoulter.com/\">Ann Coulter\'s site</a> intrigued me: Earn 5x more and pay 49x more in taxes. So I followed the link to <a href=\"http://johnrlott.blogspot.com/2010/12/is-tax-system-fair.html\">John Lott\'s blog</a> and there it was, the punishing effects of the U.S. tax code on achievers, complete with screen shots from TurboTax.</p>\r\n<p>And appropriately, the post started with a quote from Bill Clinton about how those who benefit the most should pay the most. I\'m not sure what he\'s talking about, since those who earn the most benefit the least - they don\'t receive government largesse like the lowest earners do.</p>\r\n<p>But, it\'s Bill Clinton, and he\'s know for, uh, stretching the truth.</p>',2),(1422,1422,'Watching&nbsp;Fox News this morning (because watching MSNBC would cause me to lose IQ points), there was a new alert&nbsp;- now, thermoses are dangerous to have on airplanes.&nbsp;I\'m not sure why - you can\'t take liquids on planes anyways, thanks to a failed terrorist attack. (Why is it that failed attacks restrict the law-abiding citizens from traveling comfortably?) So couldn\'t we at least wait until an incompetent terrorist (thank goodness for those) tries to blow up a plane with a thermos?<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe Department of Homeland Security should just come out and say it:&nbsp;We are not willing to both protect your security and preserve your constitutional rights. We know the profile of the attackers, but because of political correctness, we\'re not going to do anything about it. But that motto is probably too long to put on a badge.',2),(1431,1431,'<p>Governor-elect Snyder is certainly spoiling for a fight. One of his <a href=\"http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/watercooler/index.php?blogid=1330\">plans</a> includes:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>to &quot;\'comprehensively\' tackle the cost of public employee compensation and benefits at all levels of government. School managers and others say the K-12 districts could save more than $300 million annually by requiring some 200,000 local school employees to pay 20-percent of the cost of their health benefits,&quot; reports Peter Luke of MLive.com.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>One thing you don\'t do in Michigan is tell unions to pay more for their insurance. That would be like telling Government Motors to make more cars that people want, not overpriced go-carts like the Volt. The teachers union will certainly tell the soon-to-be governor that saving money is all well and good, when it doesn\'t involve them. After all, the Michigan Education Association needs to keep <a href=\"http://www.michiganafp.com/2010/03/mea-staffers-salaries-rise-as-local-teachers-sacrifice/\">giving their staff workers pay increase</a>. Priorities, people.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(1452,1452,'<p>For some laughs with a little politics thrown in, try <a href=\"http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/01/1992746/dave-barrys-2010-year-in-review.html\">Dave Barry\'s year-end </a>recap. Here are two examples:<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Congress tried every remedy it knows, ranging all the way from borrowing money from China and spending it on government programs, to borrowing MORE money from China and spending it on government programs. But in the end, all of this stimulus created few actual jobs, and most of those were in the field of tar-ball collecting. <br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>And...</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>U.S. intelligence intercepts a top-secret cable from Iran to North Korea, apparently written in code, stating: &ldquo;Thanks for selling us the buclear beapons.&rdquo; In response, the U.S. threatens to impose harsh new sanctions that, in the words of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, &ldquo;will make the previous harsh sanctions that we threatened to impose seem like only moderate threatened sanctions, and this time we are not kidding around.&rdquo;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>All good humor has a hint of truth in it. Or, in this case, is 100% correct.</p>',2),(1453,1453,'<p>Obama would love to do this, as <a href=\"http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/watercooler/index.php?blogid=1386\">Henry Payne explains</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;Beijing municipal authorities have introduced stringent restrictions on new vehicle registrations on 1 January in the capital in an effort to ease congestion and air pollution. The city authorities announced they will only allow 240,000 new vehicle registrations this year - roughly one-third of last year\'s total.&quot;<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>&quot;A monthly average of 20,000 new vehicle registrations will be allowed this year, or some 17,600 passenger vehicles per month. Individuals can submit just one vehicle registration application and must prove they are local Beijing residents, or foreigners who have been working in Beijing for at least a year. A monthly \'lucky draw\' will be held to determine the successful applicants, the first scheduled to be held on 23 January&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>First limiting families on the numbers of children they can have, now they\'re limiting cars, too. (And we can\'t forget about that pesky free speech thing.) Those autocratic Chinese sure are making Obama jealous with all their &quot;green&quot; ideas.&nbsp; I wonder if the Chi-Coms will be implementing a &quot;Cash for Clunkers&quot; program, too. After all, authoritarian leaders should share ideas on how best to put their thumb on their populations.</p>\r\n<p>Meanwhile, back in Reality Land, trucks have and SUVs have saved the auto industry in Michigan. While sales of the pansy little hybrids continue to drop, <a href=\"http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/watercooler/index.php?blogid=1382\">the larger vehicles continue to rise</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Chrysler Group reported U.S. sales of 1.1 million vehicles in 2010, up 17 percent compared to 2009 on the strength of its popular Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango SUV products&hellip; Ford sales were up 19 percent from 2009 on the strength of double-digit truck and car sales. And GM\'s resurgence came on the back of 17 percent growth in its Chevy car and truck lines and a big 32 percent boost in GMC truck sales.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>That is very good news, as one of Michigan\'s major industry is gaining momentum, no thanks to the green weanies and their relentless drive to make Michigan irrelevant, regardless of their speeches about Michigan being a leader in &quot;green&quot; (i.e. overpriced, underpowered) technologies.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(1474,1474,'<p>Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government.</p>\r\n<p>What? Hard-hearted SOB! Nazi! Republican!</p>\r\n<p>These are some of the names I\'d be called for uttering such a phrase in the presence of your average Obama voter.</p>\r\n<p>I have to admit that I stole that line - it\'s actually a quote from James Madison, the Father of the Constitution. He flat out vetoed a bill that called for the construction of canals and roads because the bill was unconstitutional. As <a href=\"http://townhall.com/columnists/WalterEWilliams/2011/01/12/what_our_constitution_permits\">Walter E. Williams</a> asks:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Here\'s my question to any member of the House who might vote for funds for &quot;constructing roads and canals, and improving the navigation of water courses&quot;: Was Madison just plain constitutionally ignorant or has the Constitution been amended to permit such spending?</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Ah, when presidents read and understood the Constitution... Of course, President Madison had an unfair advantage over all of today\'s politicians - he was instrumental in writing it. People today have it much easier,&nbsp; they just have to read and understand it. Doesn\'t seem that hard, and yet here we are, with trillions in debt and trillions more on the way.</p>\r\n<p>And get a load of this:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>In 1854, President Franklin Pierce vetoed a bill to help the mentally ill, saying, &quot;I cannot find any authority in the Constitution for public charity. (To approve the measure) would be contrary to the letter and spirit of the Constitution and subversive to the whole theory upon which the Union of these States is founded.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>I think we can agree that President Pierce would also be called a Nazi by certain left-leaning Obama-voting people.</p>\r\n<p>There is a brand new House rule that states:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;A bill or joint resolution may not be introduced unless the sponsor has submitted for printing in the Congressional Record a statement citing as specifically as practicable the power or powers granted to Congress in the Constitution to enact the bill or joint resolution.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>I love the sentiment, but the reality is that Democrats aren\'t the only big spenders who consider the Constitution an anachronism. Still, hope springs eternal, and let\'s hope that the new Congress has better sense than the last one.</p>',2),(1494,1494,'<p>I missed the State of the State address - the wife and I were at Dusty\'s Taproom in Okemos - so I started reading to see what I missed.&nbsp; Just a few brief thoughts.</p>\r\n<p>The <a href=\"http://www.michigan.gov/accountability\">dashboard</a> sounds like an interesting idea to get a broad view of how Michigan is doing. It\'s simplistic, but that\'s part of the point. You will not have to go searching through dozens of web pages to get basic stats about the health of the government.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://detnews.com/article/20110120/MIVIEW/101200419/The-State-of-the-Nerd\">Henry Payne</a> had some other thoughts:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>For the first time in eight years, Lansing insiders felt their governor had a grasp of reality. The reality that the budget is deep in the hole. The reality that tax cuts - not tax hikes - attract business. The reality of two-year budgeting. The reality that Michigan\'s future is manufacturing and supporting the industries it has - not dreamy musings of thousands of &quot;Green Belt&quot; jobs that might - someday, somehow - transform Michigan into a utopian future. <br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>But the speech\'s best moments were punctuated by hard numbers and pro-business plans. A May 31 budget deadline. Elimination of the Michigan Business Tax in exchange for a 6 percent flat corporate tax.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>That\'s a much better idea than the MBT should be a big help. I was curious about the MBT and went on the <a href=\"http://michigan.gov/taxes/0,1607,7-238-47449-183551--F,00.html\">Michigan.gov</a> website. Take a look at just one of the answers to a frequently asked question (it\'s ugly) and you\'ll see why a flat tax will be much more welcome than what we have now.</p>',2),(1502,1502,'<p>From <a href=\"http://detnews.com/article/20110124/POLITICS02/101240363/Granholm-to-teach-at-UC-Berkeley--contribute-to-&lsquo;Meet-the-Press&rsquo;\">The Detroit News</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Former Gov. Jennifer Granholm and her husband are headed to the University of California-Berkley to teach in the university\'s Goldman School of Public Policy this coming spring semester, according to Politico.com.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Couldn\'t have Cal-Berkley offered a job a while ago and saved us some pain here in Michigan?</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;We want to be able to have the nation draw lessons, good and bad, about what can happen if the United States doesn\'t take a more active role&quot; in creating jobs, Granholm told the website.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>What does she know about job creation? Michigan lost hundreds of thousands of jobs while she was reigned. Unless the class is going to be a &quot;don\'t do what I did&quot; sort of class, I cannot see the point</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Granholm said she is done with politics and ready &quot;for a new thing,&quot; according to the Politico.com interview.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Thank goodness, Michigan and the country are safe. Unfortunately, another generation of college students will be inundated with job-killing liberal ideology.</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Granholm also plans on writing a book with Mulhern about her work running the state [ed: into the ground]. It is to be published in September by Public Affairs, according to the website.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Unless the book contains the phrase &quot;I\'m sorry I was so bad&quot; then it will be a waste of print.</p>',2),(1519,1519,'<p>Detroit is getting a little <a href=\"http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20110113/FREE/110119916/-1-2-million-program-launched-to-grow-midtown-population#\">spending cash</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Midtown Detroit\'s three anchor employers, the state and a Detroit-based foundation are funding $1.2 million in incentives to encourage employees of the three anchor employers to live in the area.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Now, the State of Michigan is contributing some, but not all, of the money. The incentives should help bring in population to Detroit, a least a little bit. And the fact that it\'s not all of our money being dumped into the toilet - which is what is going happen - is better than all of it being our money.</p>\r\n<p>But why? What\'s the point? To bring in a few hundred people, maybe? Detroit is a wasteland and it will not get any better any time soon, so a few teeny tiny tax incentives are not going to get the job done. Maybe those young, up and coming residents can be edgy and say that they live in Detroit, not the suburbs. Oh, how their friends will be impressed.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/watercooler/index.php?blogid=1562\">Henry Payne</a> mentioned in an unrelated blog post that 85% of Detroit\'s family have no father in the home. Yes, 85%. So those tax incentives for young, middle class workers will do nothing for Detroit\'s biggest problem, a complete breakdown of moral values. More wasted money in the D.</p>',2),(1538,1538,'<p>I use Twitter, and one of the people I follow is <a href=\"http://twitter.com/sanuzis\">Saul Anuzis</a>, former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party. Commenting on Obama\'s brave stance of cutting $100 million from the federal budget:<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Obama ordered cuts of a whopping $100 million from the $3.5 trillion federal budget = mine &amp; your budget $4,000.00 down to $3,999.88!</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>So what are you going to do with your twelve cents?&nbsp;The possibilities are endless, but I&nbsp;think I\'ll buy a dozen rides on Sandy, the toy mechanical horse at Meijer. See, Obama has brought my daughter a small joy. What a great leader.</p>',2),(1553,1553,'<p>Just so you know, <a href=\"http://www.michigan.gov/dhs/0,1607,7-124-5455_57934---,00.html\">not all parts of the state are down and out</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The Michigan Department of Human Services is hiring more than 500 highly qualified graduates to work in children\'s protective, foster care, adoption, juvenile and home licensing services.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>I am, for the moment, a consultant working in a State office, and there have been no staff reductions here. There have been a few early retirements, but those positions have been filled by new hires, plus this department is looking to hire several more employees in the near future. So the number of people working here is actually increasing while the population of Michigan decreases.</p>\r\n<p>Maybe its like the myth of classroom size - the smaller the ratio of students to teachers, the better the education. Maybe since our population is shrinking, the government to non-government ratio will mean better service! So as long as people keep leaving the state, we\'re in for some world class service.</p>\r\n<p>I can\'t say that all departments are growing, and I know of others with hiring freezes and pay cuts. I suppose some of it depends on how much political clout the department heads have. But empty cubes are few and far between here.</p>',2),(1572,1572,'<p>Richard Nixon made lots of mistakes, but his worst was the creation of the EPA. In addition to regulating carbon dioxide - you know, what you exhale - they also regulate milk spill clean ups. No, I\'m not kidding.</p>\r\n<p>But Rep. Candice Miller is trying to bring some <a href=\"http://candicemiller.house.gov/2011/02/miller-eliminate-epas-designation-of-milk-as-an-oil.shtml\">common sense</a> to the madhouse that is the EPA:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>WASHINGTON &ndash; U.S. Congresswoman Candice Miller (MI-10) today reintroduced legislation directing the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to change their designation of milk as an environmental hazard. Under the EPA&rsquo;s current rule, milk is considered the same as oil, and if dairy producers do not comply with the EPA&rsquo;s rule then they will be subject to punitive damages. Last year, the EPA announced a one-year extension specifically to address requirement for milk and milk product containers within EPA&rsquo;s Oil Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure program, which directs producers to have an oil spill prevention plan by November 10, 2011 &ndash; however, to date a finalized rule exempting milk has not been made. Miller&rsquo;s legislation will prohibit enforcement of the EPA&rsquo;s regulations on dairy and dairy product producers, processors, handlers and distributers, and it would require the EPA to implement this exemption within 30 days of the legislation&rsquo;s enactment.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Hard to say if she\'ll suceed - Obama\'s administration is filled with radical idealogues. But can we end the government hostility towards everyday items like lightbubs and milk? Really, is this the best use of their time, annoying the U.S. citizens that put them in Congress?</p>',2),(1573,1573,'Ann Coulter was in rare form in today\'s article. Do yourself a favor and read the <a href=\"http://anncoulter.com/cgi-local/article.cgi?article=410\">whole thing</a>, but here is one of my favorite lines:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Liberals angrily cited the high unemployment rate in Egypt as a proof that Mubarak was a beast who must step down. Did they, by any chance, see the January employment numbers for the United States? The only employment sectors showing any growth at all are medical marijuana cashiers, Hollywood sober-living coaches and &quot;Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark&quot; understudies filling in for maimed cast members. <br />\r\n&nbsp;</div>\r\n</blockquote>',2),(1588,1588,'<p>As I was walking near the Capitol yesterday, I had to maneuver through union&nbsp; protesters who had been bussed in <em>en masse</em> to show their unhappiness with plans to&hellip; do something. One thing most Michigan politicians know is to not touch the benefits of union employees, no matter how financially unsound those plans may be. Otherwise, you will get a Capitol lawn full of people angrily demanding their right to pay dues to union thugs who will do something with that money.</p>\r\n<p>But unions, which were vital to protecting the safety of working early last century, have long since passed a point of usefulness. The SEIU, at well over 2 million members [Dr. Evil laughter], &quot;protect&quot; health care workers, janitors, and government workers. Those professions don\'t involve the risk of being ground up by large machinery on a factory floor because of unsafe working conditions. The biggest danger most of the SEIU members is Carpel Tunnel Syndrome. Does this require sending a chunk of their paychecks to people who are going to embezzle their money?</p>\r\n<p>The real reason for the existence of the unions in this day is to give money to Democrats, who then use the money (besides buying vacation home in the Dominican Republic, a la Charles Rangel) to give union employees sweetheart deals with taxpayer money.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/watercooler/index.php?blogid=1765\">Henry Payne</a> puts it this way:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>What every Democrat knows is that the source of Democratic power in this country comes from union dues extracted from union members &quot; increasingly employed in government &quot; and then recycled back into political campaigns and collective bargaining negotiations to make unions ever more powerful. It\'s a nice racket, except that is was unsustainable.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Thus the explosion of protests in Wisconsin, and the rumbles of protest in Michigan. You don\'t mess with union benefits because that hurts Democrats. You certainly don\'t become a &quot;right to work&quot; state because that also hurts Democrats. Why send some of your money to union thugs when you don\'t have to?</p>\r\n<p>Whatever happens in the final bill, I applaud Governors Snyder and Walker (Wisconsin) for their pushes&nbsp; against the status quo. Whenever you have unions sending in their members to complain loudly, you know you are on the right track.</p>',2),(1607,1607,'Good news! From <a href=\"http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/watercooler/index.php#ixzz1FfO4EYSY\">The Detroit News</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div style=\"border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none\">In a victory for thousands of Michigan workers this week, Governor Snyder\'s Department of Human Services ended the forced unionization of home day care providers enacted by Democrats in 2006.</div>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<div style=\"border-bottom: medium none; text-align: left; border-left: medium none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; text-decoration: none\">This was a terrible infringement on the rights of private citizens running their own businesses, and I\'m glad Governor Snyder has quickly ended it. Imagine owning a business and then having the government take union dues from you, forcefully. That what was at the heart of this issue.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nA Granholm-era bad idea that died a death it deserved.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</div>',2),(1655,1655,'<blockquote>\r\n<div>&quot;It\'s modern-day slavery.&quot;<br />\r\n&nbsp;</div>\r\n</blockquote>That is a quote from <a href=\"http://www.twincities.com/ci_17619356?nclick_check=1&amp;_requestid=14385412\">Adrian Peterson</a> while visiting Africa, a whole continent dominated by civil war, never-ending strife, and ethnic cleansing. But he wasn&rsquo;t referring to anything happening in Africa. No, he was referring to the brutal conditions in that horrible place call the United States.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSpecifically, he was railing against the horrors of the National Football League, where the owners of the teams make so much more money than the players. Imagine that, a business owner earning more than his employees. Outrageous, isn&rsquo;t it? Perhaps Adrian doesn&rsquo;t have an MBA, but neither do I, and this doesn&rsquo;t seem that hard to figure out.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBut let&rsquo;s have some sympathy for Adrian. He is set to make over $10 million next year, and what he probably wants is Charlie Sheen money. Charlie wants $3 million an episode, so maybe Adrian would feel more pleased if he made $3 million a game. And you can&rsquo;t buy your own island with a measly $10 million a year, what with the cost of mansions and sports cars these days. And don&rsquo;t get me started on flashy chrome rims.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThis is exactly the type of issue that tore the nation apart in 1861, and what hundreds of thousands of Americans died for: The right for spoiled athletes to complain that they are not rich enough.',2),(1670,1670,'<p>If only Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter followed the <a href=\"http://detnews.com/article/20110323/POLITICS02/103230400/Granholm-enjoys-post-gov.-life--won&rsquo;t-criticize-Snyder\">same rule that Jennifer Granholm adheres to</a> (so far):</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>In a 30-minute interview with The Detroit News in Washington on Tuesday, Granholm recalled President Ronald Reagan\'s &quot;11th commandment&quot; &mdash; to not speak ill of a fellow Republican. <br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>She said she has her own &quot;12th commandment.&quot; <br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>&quot;You don\'t criticize your successor. You just don\'t do that,&quot; Granholm said, declining to weigh in on several of the governor\'s controversial proposals. &quot;(Snyder\'s) doing the best he can, and he\'s got some different ideas than what I do, but obviously we all want the state to succeed.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>It\'s refreshing to have an executive that doesn\'t constantly takes shots at his or her successor. I\'m glad she is following the George W. Bush model of post-leadership than the pathetic model presented by past Democrat presidents.</p>',2),(1695,1695,'<p>I had no idea the dangers my daughter&nbsp; were facing. Thank goodness for <a href=\"http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wkar/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1784298/Top.Stories/Educators..police.urge.lawmakers.to.preserve.early.childhood.education.funding\">WKAR</a>, and for <a href=\"http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/watercooler/index.php?blogid=2012\">The Watercooler </a>for directing me to the article. According to a study:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>It found children who did not attend the early ed program were 86 percent more likely to face a jail sentence by age 40 than the kids who did attend.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Wow! My 3-year old dodged a bullet there. Because both my wife and I work, we put our daughter in daycare a few days a week, and that seems to be the only thing stopping her from leading a life of crime. It couldn\'t possibly be that she has a stable home with two parents, otherwise, I\'m sure WKAR would have mentioned that.</p>\r\n<p>Keeping that state-funded childcare, people, lest the prisons fill up.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(1709,1709,'For those of us who live in Clinton County, we have good news from a recent report. The Lansing State Journal reports that Clinton County is the sixth healthiest county in the state, according a new study. Ingham County was thirtieth, and Eaton was eleventh. You can see the report at http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20110407/NEWS01/104070321/Study-finds-Clinton-County-sixth-healthiest-state.\r\n\r\nThere are several factors, including access to healthy foods and crime rates, but regardless, we\'ve got it better here, and maybe that is why we had the highest growth rate of any county in Michigan according to the last census, with a growth rate of 16%. That is impressive, even more impressive than the rates of pay increases for federal workers under Obama.\r\n\r\nSo come to Clinton County - we have plenty of room.',2),(1728,1728,'<p>We\'ll teach you to have an <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20110417/OKEMOS01/104170358/Meridian-Township-s-Zoning-Board-rules-tire-store-s-American-Flag-too-large\">oversized symbol of America</a>, residents and business of Meridian Township:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The township\'s zoning board of appeals voted 5-0 last Wednesday to reject Belle Tire\'s request for a variance to fly an American flag larger than the 35 square feet permitted by the township.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>I\'m glad I bought my tires at Belle Tire. I didn\'t do it because they had a big flag - I did for that old-fashioned capitalist reason that they has the best price - but I\'m all for business that proudly display the symbol of America.</p>\r\n<p>This is what Haslett resident Chitra Smith &quot;thinks&quot;, and I use the term loosely:<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&nbsp;&quot;Hyper-commercialism is trying to get its nose under the tent by wrapping itself in the flag. Not quite desecration, but truly abuse of a hallowed national symbol.&quot;<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>You can picture the &quot;Hope and change&quot; and &quot;Coexist&quot; bumper stickers on her car, can\'t you?</p>\r\n<p>I\'m not sure I\'ve ever thought that seeing a big flag at a car dealership was abuse of a national symbol. Perhaps she saw that term when she reads her Saul Alinsky book and thought it would sound good to a reporter. I wonder what other terms she uses to denigrate the crass bourgeoisie.</p>\r\n<p>[Meridian Township assistant planner Martha ] Wyatt said Belle Tire was asked to either put up a 5 -foot by 7-foot flag, or ask for a variance from the zoning board of appeals. The township has allowed the larger flag to fly until the zoning board of appeals decided the matter last Wednesday.</p>\r\n<p>That\'s big of them. In their defense, Meridian Township does have a lot of Democrats, and Democrats are usually easily offended by any sign of the American way of life, like the American flag or cars that run on gasoline or disagreeing with a president for driving the country into the ground.</p>\r\n<p>On the bright side, at least Belle Tire is being &quot;allowed&quot; to display an American flag, unlike the 13-year old in California that put a flag on his bicycle, and was <a href=\"http://www.theblaze.com/stories/calif-school-orders-boy-to-remove-american-flag-from-bike/\">told by the school to remove it</a>. The flag apparently causes racial tension in California. So it could be worse - we could live in California.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>',2),(1738,1738,'What do you know - <a href=\"http://foxnewsinsider.com/2011/04/27/document-president-obamas-long-form-birth-certificate/\">Obama was born in the United States</a>! I was sure that, with his political views, he was from Cuba, maybe a long-lost Castro brother.',2),(1767,1767,'<p>The <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20110504/NEWS01/105040329/Lansing-rejects-tax-increase-save-fire-police-jobs\">article</a> started like this:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>By nine minutes after 10 o\'clock Tuesday night, the mood in the AFL-CIO building had turned sullen.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>I don\'t know about you, but for me, I\'m already happy. Whenever the unions are sad, that has to be a good thing. And there must have been cameras present because Virg was there:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Bernero, indeed everyone in the room, had thrown their energies behind a ballot measure that would have allowed the City Council to pass a sizeable property tax increase and saved dozens of police and fire jobs and two fire stations in the process.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Is there anything sadder than a Democrat that didn\'t get the tax increase they wanted? Darn those taxpayers and them wanting to keep their money! We certainly need police and fire, but why is that whenever there is a budget shortfall, they are the ones to take the hit? And why is it that Lansing, with a declining population (like most cities in Michigan), needs more and more money for fewer and fewer people.</p>\r\n<p>Citizens of Lansing, <a href=\"http://clinton-countygop.com/content/move-clinton-county\">move to Clinton County</a>. We have plenty of room, and you will pay less taxes, and it will be quieter. I\'m speaking from experience.</p>',2),(1790,1790,'<div style=\"margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt\">From <a href=\"http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2011/04/michigan-economy-doing-better-than.html\">Mark J. Perry\'s blog</a>:</div>\r\n<div style=\"margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt\">&nbsp;</div>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div style=\"margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt\">[S]ome companies are now relocating from California to Michigan!&nbsp;According to this report from Joe Vranich, 70 companies left California from January 1 through April 15 of this year, and the #3 destination behind Texas (14) and Arizona (6) was Michigan, with four relocations (tied with Nevada).&nbsp;And just last Thursday an Irving-based company (Blackford Capital) announced that it\'s the fifth California company heading this year for greener and more business-friendly pastures in Grand Rapids, Michigan.&nbsp;That\'s &quot;disinvestment event #78&quot; so far this year according to Vranich, who regularly tracks the companies moving out of California.</div>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<div style=\"margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt\">&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div style=\"margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt\">The post also mentioned that renting a U-Haul from Los Angeles to Grand Rapids is more expensive than renting one from GR to LA, meaning that demand is greater heading to Michigan than to California.</div>\r\n<div style=\"margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt\">&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div style=\"margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt\">What happened on January 1st of this year? Hmm&hellip; football games? Yes, but that probably didn\'t have anything to do with it. Oh, I know, Governor Snyder was inaugurated. And he didn\'t even need to take a trip to Japan to bring jobs here.</div>',2),(1791,1791,'<p>You can always count on liberals to <a href=\"http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/161939-senate-rejects-gop-bill-to-expand-offshore-drilling\">vote against American prosperity</a>:<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The Senate on Wednesday rejected Republican-backed legislation intended to speed up and expand offshore oil and gas drilling.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nEvery Senate Democrat voted against the motion to proceed along with five Republicans: Sens. Jim DeMint (S.C.), Mike Lee (Utah), Richard Shelby (Ala.), Olympia Snowe (Maine) and David Vitter (La.).&nbsp;<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>I\'ll have to take the author\'s word that the five Republicans are actually Republicans. Olympia Snowe is a confirmed RINO - I\'m not sure about the others. Apparently, their loins weren\'t girded for battle. Maybe their spouses are environmentalists and they had no choices, since it couldn\'t have been for rational reasons.</p>\r\n<p>So we\'re still going to be pursuing the Democrats energy policy - cars run on rainbows and houses powered by unicorns. We\'ll call it the Jennifer Granholm method of governance.</p>',2),(1796,1796,'<p>Pure brilliance from across the pond. James Delingpole wrote a great post for <a href=\"http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100088971/obama-oh-puh-lease/\">The Telegraph</a>. I urge you to read the whole thing, but here are two highlights. First:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>I&rsquo;ve argued before that Tony Blair and Barack Obama have an awful lot in common. Both are lawyers; both are snake-oil-salesman; both claim to be post-partisan, and Third Way and consensual; both play the acceptable, moderate-seeming public face of a regime chock full of Communists, class warriors, single issue rabble rousers, malcontents, communitarians and eco-loons hell bent on destroying every last vestige of what once made their country great. And both do (or did) the things dodgy political leaders always do when the going gets tough at home and their domestic audience finally wises up to how totally useless they are: they hop on the plane and pose as international statesman instead.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>And second:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Obama is just doing now what all bullies and losers start doing when they realise how unpopular they are and that everyone is abandoning them. They suck up to anybody and everybody. They whore themselves piteously before enemies they once considered beneath their contempt. Fain will they fill their bellies with husks that swine eat &ndash; but which no man will give them: and serve them jolly well right, too!</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>You have to love the British.&nbsp;Not only is the post witty, it is, more importantly, true. When the going gets tough, Obama goes on a date night or goes golfing or goes to Ireland. Granted, I\'d rather have him there than here - he does less damage that way - but it does cost an awful lot of taxpayer money to fly him on his weekly vacations.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n(Hopefully our next&nbsp;president will acknowledge that we do have a&nbsp;Special Relationship with the British instead of bowing to Saudi kings and hugging South American dicators.)</p>\r\n<p>Mr. Delingpole&nbsp; accurately describes&nbsp; Obama\'s administration. We know of one honest to goodness Communist - Van Jones - that was almost part of the regime. How many actually slipped through? It happened to FDR, but in the case of Obama, I would suspect that extreme leftists are the norm, not the exception.</p>',2),(1840,1840,'<p>Watch out, camels - <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia-pacific/australian-camels-in-sights-of-federal-law-that-could-have-them-shot-for-methane-emissions/2011/06/09/AGT1SvMH_story.html\">you have been targeted</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Kill a camel, earn cash for cutting greenhouse gases: That offer may be coming soon in Australia, where vast numbers of the nonnative, methane-belching animals have been trampling the Outback for more than a century.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>&ldquo;Potentially it has tremendous merit, because feral camels are a dreadful menace across the whole of arid Australia,&rdquo; Dreyfus told The Associated Press on Thursday.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Mark Dreyfus is the government&rsquo;s parliamentary secretary for climate change. I believe he is also in charge of herding unicorns, runs the leprechaun job training program, and handles other make-believe departments right along with his duties of combatting climate change (i.e. global warming).</p>\r\n<p>So Mr. Dreyfus\'s idea is that because camels are a &quot;dreadful menace&quot;, why not shoot them and then say it benefits the planet? If you want to shoot them because they\'re a &quot;dreadful menace&quot;, fine, but can we please stop saying everything that liberals want to do is for the good for the planet?</p>\r\n<p>I\'m making a wild assumption that Mr. Dreyfus is a liberal. I can\'t imagine a conservative with as a &quot;parliamentary secretary for climate change&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>Since camels are such as &quot;dreadful menace&quot;, will we here in Clinton County be able to rid ourselves of our &quot;dreadful menaces&quot;? I\'m not talking about Democrats (well, maybe a little), I\'m talking about our bovine population.&nbsp; Will our herds of cows have to be culled for the benefit of Mother Earth? Will skilled hunters riding in camouflaged Prii (plural of Prius) &quot;take out&quot; those &quot;dreadful menaces&quot; that roam the fields of Bath and Dewitt and St. John\'s?</p>\r\n<p>Bessy, you have been warned.</p>',2),(1868,1868,'Interested in seeing Ann Coulter live and in person?&nbsp;Of course you are. Well, go to <a href=\"http://afpmianncoulterlansing.eventbrite.com/\">this site</a> and get your ticket to the free event - she\'ll be in Lansing on Thurday, June 23rd. That\'s tomorrow! Go, reserve.',2),(1878,1878,'<p style=\"margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt\"><a href=\"http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Obama-ready-to-release-oil-apf-2233806614.html?x=0&amp;.v=1\">Obama has released 30 million barrels of oil</a> from the strategic reserve. The reserve was designed in the 1970s to hold vast amounts of oil in case of national emergency. And, to Obama, we are facing a national emergency - his poll numbers are down.</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt\">&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt\">&quot;We are taking this action in response to you idiots who don\'t consider the president an all-powerful, all-wise, all-loving demigod,&quot; Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Thursday. &quot;All our attacks on the American economy are for your own good.&quot;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt\">&nbsp;OK, not really:</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt\">&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt\">&quot;We are taking this action in response to the ongoing loss of crude oil due to supply disruptions in Libya and other countries and their impact on the global economic recovery,&quot; Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Thursday.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt\">&nbsp;But doesn\'t the first version sound much more honest?</p>',2),(1882,1882,'<p>How would this play among our race-baiting political party, the Democrats:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&ldquo;Common sense policies are now legal in college admissions in Michigan and that means thousands of white students who would have been excluded from our best undergraduate and graduate programs will now be admitted,&rdquo; Washington said.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Probably fine, since Democrats don\'t see anything wrong with racism against the majority. Democrats exist by lying to minorities, promising to give freebies to any group that votes for them, pandering to unions, downplaying American exceptionalism, and generally being untruthful to make them appear that they care about something other than themselves.</p>\r\n<p>What really happened was that Proposal 2, which banned affirmative action in college admissions, voted on and approved by the voters of Michigan, <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20110701/NEWS01/307010015/Michigan-ban-race-college-admissions-illegal\">was struck down</a> by the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Three judges decided that hundreds of thousands of Michigan citizens were idiots.</p>\r\n<p>We live dangerously close to&nbsp;an oligarchy, a government by a powerful few. Our&nbsp;republican form of government continues to weaken as unelected judges casually strike down laws they disagree with. So, we\'re at the mercy of horrible judgments and extreme left-wing hacks.</p>\r\n<p>When a justice of the Supreme Court made a ruling that he didn\'t like, President Andrew Jackson <a href=\"http://quotationsbook.com/quote/45577/#axzz1Qs9ZX52x\">said </a>&quot;John Marshall has made his decision: now let him enforce it!&quot;</p>\r\n<p>Oh, where is that Andrew Jackson attitude when we need it?</p>',2),(1909,1909,'<p>From the <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20110719/NEWS01/307190027/White-House-backs-bill-overturning-Defense-Marriage-Act\">Lansing State Journal</a>:<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p><br />\r\nThe White House is supporting legislation to overturn the federal Defense of Marriage Act.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>That\'s the law that defines marriage as between one man and one woman.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>You know, the common sense definition of marriage. That explains by the hyper-liberal Obama has come out against it, because marriage has been a human institution for thousands of years, so the hoper and changer must destroy it. After all, you can\'t be progressive if you\'re doing the same thing they were doing a few millennia ago.</p>\r\n<p>He must have seen the recent poll that a majority of Americans now favor gay marriage. I believe that the pollster asked 75 homosexuals and Lady Gaga their opinions, so that explains the results.</p>\r\n<p>A concern cited by the Obama Regime (sorry, Administration) was that the law was unconstitutional.&nbsp; When has that stopped Obama from doing anything? His masterpiece, the freedom-killing, money-sucking monstrosity of Obamacare is not even close to constitutional, but there was nary a blink of an eye at that.</p>\r\n<p>Though not reported by AP, interior decorators and fans of Rosie O\'Donnell the world over celebrated the announcement.</p>',2),(1945,1945,'<p>In an <a href=\"http://news.yahoo.com/perception-reality-obama-needs-now-083605736.html\">article in Time</a> by Patti Davis, President Reagan\'s daughter, meanders through the idea that the big problem with Obama is image:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>What has happened to President Obama? Obama was the guy who commanded the stage, had an instinct for seizing the moment. His image was towering, his timing impeccable. But lately, it seems more clear than ever that what he really needs is another Mike Deaver, who served as White House chief of staff under my father, Ronald Reagan.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Ah, memories of The New York Times\' David Brooks <a href=\"http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gladnick/2009/09/01/david-brooks-broken-bromance-obama-now\">expounding</a> on how Obama would make a good president because of the crease in the former community organizer\'s pants. Interesting criteria. And since that prediction has been horribly wrong, perhaps that will be the only attempt at presidential prognostication by pants. Perhaps we\'ll go old school and use Tarot cards and tea leaves.</p>\r\n<p>The point is, like the once long-haired Andre Agassi said in those 90s commercials, Patti Davis is wrong: Image isn\'t everything. Ronald Reagan wasn\'t a great president because of how he looked or what he stood in front <em>of</em>, it was what he stood <em>for</em>. His image engineers certainly played a part, but it would have been pointless if he had the confused and misguided political sense of Elmer Fudd. Or Barack Obama.</p>\r\n<p>But each member of the Presidential Image Adjustment Bureau has to work with what they\'ve got. For Obama, they have to work with fading style and no substance, and that is good news for the country. Hope has left the building, and here\'s hoping that in January of 2013, Obama does, too.</p>',2),(2013,2013,'<p>Unions bosses like Bob King sure have their thumb on the <a href=\"http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/nolanfinleyblog/index.php?blogid=1418\">pulse of America</a>, don\'t they?</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>The real problem, the United Auto Workers president says, is not a shortage of resources, but that the country is leaving those resources in private pockets.<br />\r\n&nbsp;<br />\r\nHigher taxes, King says, will fuel an economic boom, alleviate social misery and bring fairness to our land.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>He also claims that America is not broke. I suppose being dozens of trillions of dollars in the whole is not that bad for a liberal who thinks we are just a corporate jet tax away from balancing the budget.</p>\r\n<p>In fact, America is broke. As Mark Steyn puts it, we are &quot;the brokest nation in history&quot;. Greece and Ireland, two European economies in meltdown status, have nothing on us. They are just billions in the hole. Ha! Billions - amateurs. Even Jennifer Granholm put Michigan over a billion in debt, and she hardly even tried. A green jobs program here, a jobs-crushing business tax there, and you can hit the billion mark quite easily.</p>\r\n<p>But back to the illustrious Mr. King\'s remarks. He claims that the real problem is money is in the pockets of private citizens, not government bureaucrats.&nbsp; If only you would fork over more of your hard-earned cash, the union would be saved! I\'ll bet both he and Obama would love to implement President Roosevelt\'s <a href=\"http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700171335/Ominous-parallels-between-Obama-and-failed-economic-policies-of-FDR.html\">proposal</a> of a 99.5% tax on incomes over $100,000. His reasoning: Why not? Sounds very Obama-esque, doesn\'t it?</p>\r\n<p>So what would you do if, say, we had a 99.5% tax on incomes over $100,000, and you got a raise to $110,000. The scraps of that income bump would be enough for a few meals at McDonald\'s, but not much more. But we are approaching the &quot;to each according to his needs&quot; method of governing, and when the government arrives to give you what it think you need, hold onto not only your wallet, but your house, your furniture, and your meds.</p>',2),(2097,2097,'By now, we\'ve all heard about the $535 million (or <em>only </em>$528 million, depending on who you listen to) loan from the U.S. taxpayers via stimulus money to Solyndra, rumored maker of solar panels, and the subsequent bankruptcy of said company.&nbsp; Old news, but I read an <a href=\"http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-28/solyndra-s-733-million-plant-had-whistling-robots-spa-showers.html\">article</a> that the enormous plant had all kinds of awesome amenities, including robots whistling Disney tunes, which were my favorite feature. Personally, I would have had them hum Musak&nbsp; of 80\'s hip hop artists like LL Cool J, but that would have been over the top.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nLuckily, after that fiasco, the U.S. government, which approved the loans to Solyndra, has learned it\'s lesson. No more unicorns and rainbows ideas of energy production, just tried and true staples like coal and oil.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nHa! <a href=\"http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SOLAR_ENERGY_LOANS?SITE=AP&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&amp;CTIME=2011-09-28-19-59-35\">Just kidding</a>, of course.:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Energy Department on Wednesday approved two loan guarantees worth more than $1 billion for solar energy projects in Nevada and Arizona.</div>\r\n</blockquote>They could have at least reused the bankrupt plant in California. And we have plenty of empty factories in Michigan. It\'s not like we would be the ones using the solar panels, so the face that we receive far fewer sunny days that Arizona or Nevada shouldn\'t matter. In fact, I\'ve read that Lansing has more cloudy days than the infamous Seattle. (As I write this, it\'s raining.) But wind we have - we were &quot;blown away&quot; by Governor Granholm, after all.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nA billion for solar panels here and a billion for bridges to nowhere there and pretty soon you\'re talking about a thoroughly, hopelessly bankrupt country begging the Chinese for yet a little more cash, just to get us through this next decade. Then we\'ll get clean and sober and pay our debts. Promise. Pinky swear.<br />\r\n<br />',2),(2111,2111,'<p>I was just thinking &quot;You know Scott, what Detroit really needs a race-baiting community-organizing type to come into the city and stir things up for no good reason. Besides the president.&quot; And voila, we have <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20110930/NEWS01/109300321/Jesse-Jackson-joins-protest-against-Saturday-s-cash-assistance-cutof\">a visit from Jesse Jackson</a>:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>Activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson and U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, led about 200 marchers at the state\'s midtown Detroit offices Thursday in a protest against a new law that will kick thousands of residents off welfare on Oct. 1.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>Starting Saturday, cash assistance benefits will end for about 41,000 Michiganders - including an estimated 29,000 children - who have received it for four or more years.</p>\r\n<p>How cruel, only being on the dole for four years! Mean old Republicans! Mean old Governor Snyder! What\'s the big idea, trying to get this state back into some semblance of economic prosperity. Republicans just don\'t like poor people. The next thing you know, we\'ll be importing sharks to put into the pools of Detroit schools.</p>\r\n<p>And I was just thinking to myself &quot;Scott, why don\'t they get jobs? Sure, high-paying jobs are certainly scarcer across the state, but there are still jobs out there if you want to work.&quot; But like magic, Gwen says this:</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&quot;It\'s easy to say get a job, but where are the jobs?&quot; said protester Gwen Gaines, a member of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p>I know, I\'m as surprised as you are - we have an organization called the &quot;Michigan Welfare Rights Organization&quot;. But they fight for the rights of people like Angela Nelson:</p>\r\n<blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>\r\n<p>[Angela] Nelson, 50, a mother of five, received cash welfare assistance &quot;on and off&quot; in her adulthood, amounting to about 10 years.</p>\r\n<p><br />\r\nWith four of her children and three grandchildren living with her, the Wayne County Community College student doesn\'t know how she\'s going to pay bills.</p>\r\n</blockquote><blockquote></blockquote>\r\n<p>10 years of welfare assistance. Four children. Three grandchildren. In the same house with her. I wonder if her children work and help out? If they\'re old enough to have children of their own, surely they are old enough for a job? We don\'t have details, of course - the point of this article is to point out how mean the Republicans are and the sad state that so many people find themselves in.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBut 10 years of welfare? Four children. Three grandchildren. In the same house with her? I&nbsp;think there are bigger problems&nbsp; in our society when four years (or ten, in some cases) of free money taken forcibly from other people is not enough.</p>',2),(2213,2213,'I was watching CSPAN this morning (it\'s not something I normally do) to hear a bit about what Eric Holder knew about &quot;Fast and Furious&quot;. You know, the program where the US government provided guns to Mexican criminals, and those same criminals (gasp!) used them to kill people. From what I gathered, it was Bush\'s fault - no surprise there.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI did learn something, though - listening to Chuck Shumer for any amount of time is a stomach-turning experience.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBut enough about CSPAN. My post is really about this: In case you haven\'t heard, a G20 meeting is going on over there in the Old Country. Usually, it\'s big news because the anarchist thugs come out of the woodwork and cause havoc, but it\'s smaller news now because the anarchist thugs are on location at various &quot;Occupy&quot; events across the nation. I\'m a little disappointed there is no &quot;Occupy St. Johns&quot;, but maybe there weren\'t enough Starbucks, or the anarchist thugs couldn\'t get good reception on the iPhones.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nGeez, I rambled again. Without further ado, <a href=\"http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4145266,00.html\">my point</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Microphones accidently left on after G20 meeting pick up private conversation between US, French presidents. Sarkozy admits he \'can\'t stand\' Israeli premier. Obama: You\'re fed up with him? I have to deal with him every day!</div>\r\n</blockquote>So some casual conversation between two allies, one the head of an aging, failing socialist state and the other the head of young, failing socialist state. Nothing to see here, nothing to report here. But further on we have this tidbit:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>The surprising lack of coverage may be explained by a report alleging that journalists present at the event were requested to sign an agreement to keep mum on the embarrassing comments. A Reuters reporter was among the journalists present and can confirm the veracity of the comments.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Well, of course it does. In fact, Obama has that kind of agreement with journalists on a daily basis. Do you remember when Ashton Kutcher made that <a href=\"http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gladnick/2009/01/20/demi-moore-ashton-kutcher-produce-obama-celebrity-pledge-video\">awful pledge</a> to obey Obama\'s hard-left causes because he was the rightful ruler of the universe, the true messiah, and a swell fella to boot? I\'m pretty sure journalists have to take the same oath, the final step being kissing the&hellip; ring of Obama in the White House. Which is a lot better than what they normally kiss while reporting Obama\'s truly awful presidency.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI wonder if the media signed a similar agreement not to report these types of &quot;faux pas&quot; with President Bush? Now where is that Magic 8 Ball&hellip; &quot;Signs point to no&quot;. I would tend to agree.<br />',2),(2274,2274,'Happy Thanksgiving! This is the holiday where the pilgrims gave thanks to God (not to the Indians) for providing for them, but you don\'t hear much about that. But now, we can also give thanks to Janet Napolitano, because she is looking out for your turkey. After all, if it weren\'t for the Department of Homeland Security, the <a href=\"http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/dhs-issues-turkey-fryer-warning\">dangers of the deep fryer</a> would be ravaging the nation.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nWait, what is DHS doing talking about fryers? Shouldn\'t they be looking out for terrorists or directing TSA agents to molest children? Oh, that is sooo 2001. We have bigger fish to fry&hellip; just don\'t do it in a deep fryer. Perhaps baking a nice tofu turkey and some organic sprouts would be best.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&hellip;<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSo an Occupy Wall Street hooligan <a href=\"http://gawker.com/5861988/the-99-percent-passes-obama-a-note\">passed a note to Obama</a>. I thought for sure the note would say:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&quot;We love what you\'re doing with the country. Keep it up! Love, the dregs of society.&quot; <br />\r\n<br />\r\nBut no, it was some comment about how Obama keeping silent was hurting the cause of the proletariat.&nbsp; Look, OWS guys, Obama is on your side, so quit being so hard on the guy. It\'s hard work destroying the country in four years, give the guy a break. Sure, the 1911 revolution in Russia was relatively fast, but that style just isn\'t going to work here.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&hellip;<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBack to fish. A man caught an 881 pound tuna, but the <a href=\"http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/man-catches-881-pound-tuna-seized-feds-194650751.html\">feds seized it</a> because of some permit issues. Give me liberty, or give me a fish, and then take it away because liberty doesn\'t include that type of fish. So even if you teach a man to fish so he can eat for a lifetime, he may not be able to keep it. But that is what food stamps are for.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nHappy thanksgiving - I hope your deep fryer doesn\'t catch on fire and the feds don\'t seize your turkey!<br />',2),(2345,2345,'I\'m going to use a soft touch on this article because goons sent by union bosses are scary people. But in the category of &quot;What were they thinking&quot; (as opposed to my original way of putting it, &quot;86% of UAW Local 602 are clueless&quot; - I\'m glad I didn\'t put it that way, that really sounded mean), the union voters, in all their wisdom, have decided that <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20111209/BUSINESS01/112090329/Local-602-overwhelmingly-approves-strike-authorization-GM-plant\">striking would be a great idea:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n</a><br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div><br />\r\nUnited Auto Workers Local 602 President Bill Reed said 86 percent of  workers voting approved a strike authorization measure. Voting wrapped  up this morning.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n...<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&quot;We\'ve sat and listened to the needs of the business, and we feel that what we\'re asking for is more than fair and equitable and we\'d like to have their respect to recognize us and come back to the table and talk,&quot; said Local 602 President Bill Reed.</div>\r\n</blockquote><br />\r\nLeft out was the implicit threat of GM executives knees being in imminent danger of being broken.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI have no idea what the sticking points are. I would assume that since GM has been profitable for the first time in years because of poor business decisions (ahem, the Volt) and the horrible weight of union contracts of years past, it is time, once again, for The Man to pay the big bucks for the highly skilled labor that could not easily be moved out of the country and done in Mexico at a fraction of the price. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nNote to liberals: That was sarcasm.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI would like to address the union workers. I have never been part of a union, but really, it\'s not bad out here in the wilds of the non-union workforce. We don\'t scramble for scraps and huddle around fire barrels to keep warm. I happily enjoy the fact that none of my money is taken out of my paycheck for union dues, though I do admit that I pay federal taxes, and both your union dues and my federal taxes eventually end up at the same place, the pockets of Democrats.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nWhat happens is that if you are a valuable member of the company, each year at review time, you are given a raise if you have proven yourself to be able to increase the companies ability to profit. Sometimes, if the company has not done well in the year previously, there are no raises or they are small. It happens. There are no contractual disputes, not votes are taken. If I was really annoyed at my company, I could search for a different employer.&nbsp; On the other hand, I can be fired immediately if I performed poorly, or I could be fired without cause. Them\'s the breaks.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThis decision doesn\'t appear to be well-timed. I suppose the union leadership gave a great &quot;ra ra&quot; speech, or quoted Marx, or put something in the Kool-Aid, or whatever it is they do. But voluntarily giving up work in a down economy (Obama\'s economy) doesn\'t sound like a well thought out decision. Not something those of us living in the wilds of scary capitalism would do.<br />',2),(2363,2363,'Recently, I railed against unions voting to not work, preferring standing around with signs over creating products and services that could help the economy. Today, my plan is to rail against people in unions <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/16124\">who didn\'t choose to be in union</a>s:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>The &ldquo;take&rdquo; so far from Michigan\'s forced unionization of supposed home health care workers for the Service Employees International Union is $28 million. That tally is going up on a monthly basis. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nYes, the SEIU, Obama\'s personal campaign funding mechanism (along with Wall Street firms - take that Occupy Wall Street) gets dollars from day care works. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy provides a little background on forced unionization issue:</div>\r\n</blockquote>The &ldquo;forced unionization&rdquo; began when Jennifer Granholm was governor. It involved the creation of the Michigan Quality Community Care Council, which was used as a sham employer for the so-called home health care workers. The term &ldquo;home health care workers&rdquo; is in many cases misplaced. Many of those who were shanghaied into the union roughly six years ago are actually parents or other relatives who take care of developmentally disabled adults.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nHmm, a scheme to funnel money to unions was done under a Democrat. How unexpected.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nWhat isn\'t expected, though, is how long legislation to stop future occurrences of this is taking to get through the Capitol. The bill, House Bill 4003 (introduced by Dewitt\'s Paul Opsommer, by the way, has passed in the House, but it is moving through the Senate more slowly. However, <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/16092\">MCPP reports</a> that it has moved out of committee and is now before the full Senate. (I now have the tune &quot;I\'m just a bill, yes I\'m only a bill&quot; from <a href=\"http://www.schoolhouserock.tv/\">Schoolhouse Rock</a> going through my head.) So more damage from the Granholm years is hopefully about to be undone. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nIn other union news, in the Peoples Republic of Ann Arbor, we have research assistants who apparently never want to leave school, and are thus attempting to <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/archives/2011/121311DFP-judge.pdf\">form a union of their own</a>, and they\'re getting closer:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>A group of University of Michigan graduate student research assistants now must persuade a judge to allow them to form a union.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe Michigan Employment Relations Commission, on a 2-1 margin, voted this morning to send the question to an administrative law judge for a hearing. If the students win there, they will be allowed to have an election.</div>\r\n</blockquote>(It was two Granholm appointees against one Snyder appointee, by the way.)<br />\r\n<br />\r\nLook, U of M students, if you want to give money to Democrats, you can just send them money. You don\'t have to form a union to collect dues and then send them their cash. Really, just cut out the middle man.<br />',2),(2393,2393,'The planet is saved! The planet is saved! From the <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20111221/NEWS01/112210320/New-rules-shutter-some-coal-plants\">Lansing State Journal</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>WASHINGTON - More than 32 mostly coal-fired power plants in a dozen states will be forced to shut down and an additional 36 might have to close because of new federal air pollution regulations, according to an Associated Press survey.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe EPA has estimated 14.7 gigawatts, enough power for more than 11 million households, will be retired from the power grid in the 2014-15 period when the two new rules take effect.</div>\r\n</blockquote>I believe this goes hand-in-hand with the liberals\' desire to use rainbows and unicorns as our nation\'s primary means of generating electricity. I can just see a typical left-wing meeting at the Department of Energy:\r\n<div class=\"rteindent1\"><br />\r\nClueless liberal #1:&nbsp;Coal and oil are evil. What can we do to save the planet and make our economy more like Zimbabwe?<br />\r\n<br />\r\nClueless liberal #2: We can forbid expansion of domestic oil supplies, shut down coal-burning power plants, and harness the power of positive mental energy.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nClueless liberal #1:&nbsp;Brilliant! I haven\'t been this exciting since I read Michael Moore\'s latest fitness book.<br />\r\n&nbsp;</div>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>In May, [LBWL] broke ground on the $182 million natural gas-powered electric and steam generation plant in REO Town. The plant will house 180 BWL employees.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nOnce it goes online in 2013, the plant will replace the coal-fired Moores Park Steam Plant. It also will generate 100 megawatts of electric power. Eckert, by comparison, generates 350 megawatts of power.</div>\r\n</blockquote>So the new plant will generate less than a third of the energy that the existing plant generates. I\'m sure no one will mind if their house is the one that doesn\'t get enough power. Nosiree, no problem there. I wonder if you can volunteer your house to suffer rolling blackouts. You know, Obama voters, you should really do that. It\'s for the environment, and you love Mother Earth, don\'t you?<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI am often in downtown Lansing, and I must have missed the plumes of black smoke billowing from the smoke stacks beside the Grand River. Missed the roads covered with ash and the people collapsed in the streets, gasping for breath because of the evils of coal. But it\'s probably because I don\'t have a PhD in &quot;Liberalism&quot; or &quot;How to bilk the taxpayers by pretending mankind is destroying the planet&quot;. I knew I should have got that degree...<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBut, in order to appease the gods, we must sacrifice economic common sense on the alter of the environment. Some things have to go: Light bulbs, cars,&nbsp; toilets that flush, freedom. You know, small things.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBasic economics lesson, part 1. What happens when you make a resource scarcer? It becomes more expensive.&nbsp; Next part of the lesson. Who is less able to afford hikes in electricity rates, the rich or the poor?&nbsp; The poor. Part three. The government will then see a problem in the poor can no longer afford the rates to power their homes, a problem created by the government. What will they do? Offer subsidies. Final part: Who will pay for the subsidies? The &quot;rich&quot;. Bonus points for also including China, who will buy more debt to cover another idiotic government program.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Some believe the change is long overdue. The two rules will cut toxic mercury emissions from power plants by 90 percent, smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution by half, and soot-forming sulfur dioxide by more than 70 percent.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Oh, thank goodness for the straw man argument - &quot;Some believe the change is long overdue&quot;. I\'m sure the owners of Solyndra and other money pit solar panels companies believe that change is long overdue so they can get hundreds of millions of dollars in government grants. Obama has passed out about $1 billion in &quot;grants&quot; to these companies. The good news is that only <a href=\"http://clinton-countygop.com/content/its-d%C3%A9j%C3%A0-vu-all-over-again\">one of the three has gone bankrupt</a>, a loss of over $500 million to the US taxpayers, so the other $500 million or so is still in play.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nIs that the change you hoped for?<br />',2),(2409,2409,'With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy&hellip; If you\'ve ever thought &quot;You know, those Occupy Wall Street fellas have a point&quot;, you might be a liberal.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI walked through Grand Rapids last week and passed the location of &quot;Occupy Grand Rapids&quot;. Ironically, it was a church. I say ironic because liberals spend so much time attacking God that they find shelter at His place of worship.&nbsp; Nietzsche was wrong - God isn\'t dead, but liberals with coherent and reasonable strategies for political reform are.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBut as I walked by, I noticed that there weren\'t any people at OCG. What does it say about a movement that is unoccupied? Probably what it says about all of the Occupy sites - they are willing to put their heart and soul into showing their disgust at Wall Street, just so long as it\'s convenient, and not too chilly. And there is enough coffee. And their favorite episode of &quot;Queer Eye for the Straight Guy&quot; is not on TV.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSure they are frustrated at the government - who isn\'t? But unlike the Tea Party, the Occupiers are not looking to live a life with as little intrusion as possible. The Occupiers want as much government as possible, except when it comes to their causes. The government should regulate every aspect of health care for every citizen, except abortions - it\'s a woman\'s right to choose. Marijuana should be legal, but guns should not. No blood for oil, but perhaps a scrape or two is worth it for solar panel manufacturing plant, as long as the plant doesn\'t interrupt the sleep pattern of the three-horned five-toed green frog.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI can\'t conclude without pointing out bullet point four on the <a href=\"http://occupygrandrapids.wikispaces.com/GA+Minutes+Dec2011\">OGR wiki site</a> - &quot;Cash box is missing since Tuesday&quot;. Doesn\'t that sound like just like an liberal-run country? Like Occupy Grand Rapids\'s cash box, the United States\' cash box is missing, too. If only OGR realized it was their dream of life&nbsp; a nanny state becoming closer to a reality that caused our cash to disappear.<br />',2),(2426,2426,'OK, that\'s not what the quote attributed to Marie Antoinette goes, but this is 21st century America. From the <a href=\"http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/in_blunderland_hKpNQkHfvpEWe4F51kI4dP\">New York Post</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>A White House &ldquo;Alice in Wonderland&rdquo; costume ball &mdash; put on by Johnny Depp and Hollywood director Tim Burton &mdash; proved to be a Mad-as-a-Hatter idea that was never made public for fear of a political backlash during hard economic times, according to a new tell-all.</div>\r\n</blockquote>About ten years ago, I remember a scandal involving Tyco CEO <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Kozlowski\">Dennis Kozlowski</a> throwing a huge Roman-style birthday party for his wife involving scantily clad servers and elaborate theming.&nbsp; The problem with this particular $2 million party (and how can you have a party for under $2 million?) was that half of it was paid for with company money. That was one of the piece of evidence against Kozlowski, who was eventually given prison time for his other misdeeds.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe relevance of that side trip? Those Tyco stockholders paid for Dennis\' party, the American taxpayers paid for the Obama party. Had I owned Tyco stock, I may have been irritated at the thought of a company official blowing my cash on an ice sculpture of David. As a taxpayer, I\'m definitely annoyed that the man treats taxpayers like serfs on his estate.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nPerhaps I\'m jealous. After all, I can\'t go to Hawaii or Europe and take an entourage of people with me. My family doesn\'t have the option of taking <a href=\"http://lonelyconservative.com/2011/08/michelle-obama-took-separate-jet-to-marthas-vineyard-to-squeeze-in-a-few-extra-hours-of-vacation-time/\">separate jets</a> when my wife wants to leave for Martha\'s Vineyard a few hours before I want to go. But at least for her trip to Spain, renting 60 rooms at a hotel, Michelle will pay at least <a href=\"http://www.politico.com/click/stories/1008/flotus_will_split_hotel_bill.html\">some of the money</a>. Maybe she understands what it\'s like to be a victim of her husband\'s policies. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nMaybe not.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThough I complain about paying for the expensive parties and vacations he takes (and don\'t think we aren\'t paying for the jets to get them there and the Secret Service personnel to watch over them), I would actually like him to take more vacation. When he is on the golf course, it\'s harder for him to wreck the American economy.<br />',2),(2455,2455,'While perusing the always informative <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/16301\">Mackinac Center for Public Policy</a>, I came across a post with some recent bills being passed through the Michigan Senate. I have taken a few and group them into threes. The first three are bills being sought by one political party, the second three by another. See if you can guess which party senator submitted the bills.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe first three:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<ul>\r\n    <li>Senate Bill 775: Expands the allowable guns allowed south of &ldquo;rifle line&rdquo;</li>\r\n    <li>Senate Bill 802: Require state agencies to post their proposed spending in an online spreadsheet</li>\r\n    <li>Senate Bill 803: Require voters to prove their citizenship</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nThe second three:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<ul>\r\n    <li>Senate Bill 779: Impose criminal penalties for making toy guns look real</li>\r\n    <li>Senate Bill 819: Restrict the amount of time diesel engines can idle</li>\r\n    <li>Senate Bill 857: Ban barber pole display by unlicensed hair cutters</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nThe first bill involve allowing the expanded use of legal firearms in hunting, the second bill requires greater government accountability, and the third protects a sacred right of the United States against fraud. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe fourth bill protects us from the danger of orange caps on the ends of toy guns, the fifth bill is for those who still believe man-made global warming is real, and the sixth is to make sure the proper fealty is paid to the government in the form of fees.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI\'m not going to tell you which bills were submitted by Democrats and which were submitted by Republicans. If you want, you can check your answers at the <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/16301\">MCPP web site</a>, but I\'m sure you already know the answers.',2),(2478,2478,'For the National Review print edition, I give you this quote from Travis Kavulla in his article &quot;Regulated Unto Death&quot;:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>If energy prices rise only for America or a particular state, as is the case when cost is tied to a new environmental regulation rather than anything fundamental in an energy resource\'s supply, the difference between the cost of production in our nation or a state and the cost for an economic rival elsewhere grows</div>\r\n</blockquote>And when you force reliable and cheap energy producers to pay higher costs for regulations that don\'t do anything to help health or the environment, up goes those costs. And It doesn\'t help that the federal government is shoveling cash at <a href=\"http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2012/01/cbs-news-12-clean-energy-companies.html\">industries that perhaps shouldn\'t be receiving that money:</a><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div><a href=\"http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2012/01/cbs-news-12-clean-energy-companies.html\"><br />\r\n</a>CBS News counted 12 clean energy companies that are having trouble after collectively being approved for more than $6.5 billion in federal assistance. Five have filed for bankruptcy: The junk bond-rated Beacon, Evergreen Solar, SpectraWatt, AES\' subsidiary Eastern Energy and Solyndra.</div>\r\n</blockquote>So our &quot;brightest bulb&quot; government officials attack and demean real energy resources like coal and oil and instead embrace the &quot;rainbows and unicorns&quot; solutions of wind and solar. Don\'t get me wrong, windmills have their place... on 19th century farms, and as decorative pieces in gardens. And solar panels are great for the paranoid fellow out in the Arizona desert trying to live &quot;off the grid&quot;. But for everyone who is well-adjusted, give us the reliable and plentiful fossil fuels.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAnd by now, you\'ve heard that Obama has made a <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/2012/01/18/gIQAwoVE8P_story.html\">pipeline from Canada illegal</a> until after the 2012 election:<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>However the administration will allow TransCanada to reapply after it develops an alternate route through the sensitive habitat of Nebraska&rsquo;s Sandhills. Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns will make the announcement, which comes in response to a congressionally-mandated deadline of Feb. 21 for action on the proposed Keystone pipeline.</div>\r\n</blockquote>I can\'t decide if he is delusional or autocratic. They\'re both probably correct, come to think of it.&nbsp; He dreams of a nation with citizens forced to drive hybrid Chevettes or take high-speed trains, but in the short term, he has to get reelected. And to keep his base (rabid left-wing extremists and welfare cheats) happy, he has to make rabid, left-wing extremist decisions. Thus, a no-brainer decision to increase domestic oil supply with a country that doesn\'t want to kill us or force us to live under Sharia law becomes a victim to politics.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nFurther down the rabbit hole we go.<br />',2),(2499,2499,'You know, I find myself agreeing with those reasonable fellows at Occupy Wall Street - rich people should pay their fair share. And I think that we need to start with <a href=\"http://news.investors.com/Article/599002/201201260818/obama-white-house-staff-back-taxes.htm\">Obama\'s aides</a>:<blockquote>\r\n<div><br />\r\nA&nbsp;new report just out from the Internal Revenue Service reveals that 36 of President Obama\'s executive office staff owe the country $833,970 in back taxes. These people working for Mr. Fair Share apparently haven\'t paid any share, let alone their fair share.</div>\r\n</blockquote>And apparently, hope and change hasn\'t reached the other federal government officials. Those <a href=\"http://news.investors.com/Article/599002/201201260818/obama-white-house-staff-back-taxes.htm\">pesky income taxes</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe report finds that thousands of federal employees&nbsp;owe the country more than $3.4 billion in back taxes. That\'s up 3% in the past year. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nIf tax evasion is good enough for Tim Geithner, it\'s good enough for other federal employees. Lead by example.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nRush Limbaugh noted last week that over 8,000 people in the country pay $280 billion in taxes. So for a thought experiment, let\'s double the amount of taxes they pay (to make Warren Buffet happy), and so now the government seizes an additional $280 billion from them. That extra money squeezed from the rich, who aren\'t paying their fair share (of course) would fund the country for an additional 18 days. 18 days is all $280 billion will run this country.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBeing a liberal means never having to think. As long as you feel deeply about something, that\'s good enough. With apologies to Tina Turner, what\'s hypocrisy got to do with it?<br />',2),(2602,2602,'<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img width=\"324\" height=\"220\" src=\"/sites/default/files/electric_highways_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" /><br />\r\n<br />\r\n</span><span style=\"font-size: larger;\">I love science fiction and as a &ldquo;Trekie&rdquo; from the 60&rsquo;s I have always embraced the innovative futuristic ideas that they presented.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">However at some point reality has to meet the cost of innovation. As a country we are mired in 15 trillion dollars of debt and we have a president and congress that are always willing to add to it with no sense of accountability of what happens when the debt comes due.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">I mention this because this morning I read an article from domemagazine.com that contains the following statement by the author.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0);\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: large;\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &ldquo;One recent innovation that caught my attention isn&rsquo;t so much about the car as it is the road itself. Researchers at Stanford have proposed a game-changing idea: an electrical highway that will charge your electric car battery as you drive.&rdquo;</span></strong></em></span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0);\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: large;\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &ldquo;That&rsquo;s right, no stopping or plugging in required. In other words, they&rsquo;ve invented the car equivalent of a Starbucks drive-thru, but a whole lot faster and a great way to alleviate the &lsquo;range anxiety&rsquo; and inconvenient recharging issues that deter many people from considering an electric vehicle.&rdquo;</span></strong></em></span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<a href=\"http://domemagazine.com/foreigncorrespondent/ar022112\"><span style=\"font-size: larger;\">http://domemagazine.com/foreigncorrespondent/ar022112</span></a><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">I wonder how much will these magic highways cost to build? How many will there be? Where will they be built? Who will pay for the cost of the technological advances?</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">It begs the question: Who can afford vehicles that run 30 miles on a charge and cost $43,000 ($33,000 with the proposed Obama kickback from Government Motors) from you and me as the taxpayer?</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 255);\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Oh that&rsquo;s right -- MONEY IS NO OBJECT! WE CAN JUST PRINT MORE OR BORROW IT FROM CHINA!</span></strong></em></span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">This scenario fits in perfectly with Emperor Obama&rsquo;s fantasyland plan for the bankruptcy of America!</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<br />',2),(2671,2671,'<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium;\">&nbsp; In the last decade the Libertarian voice has gotten louder and stronger.&nbsp; It\'s commonplace on Fox News to have at least one Libertarian on a panel on any one of their various talk shows.&nbsp; People like Judge Napolitano, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), and Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) are constant warriors in the fight against liberal progressivism, lending their voices to the GOP in hopes to stop the overwhelming tide of socialism that is about to swallow the U.S.A. in one gulp. &nbsp; Even better, some Libertarians have secured their own talk shows on the major news networks; like John Stossel, who continually interjects the Libertarian philosophy in issues that range from personal liberties to national security.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp; A few months ago a fellow TEA&nbsp;party activist and Republican told me that Libertarians were a danger and a threat to Republicans and their party ideals.&nbsp; This statement completely boggled my mind, as I&nbsp;couldn\'t grasp how a conservative couldn\'t appreciate the message of liberty, individual freedom, and prosperity.&nbsp; Libertarians aren\'t deserving of the label of crazy beatniks.&nbsp; It is often these Libertarian-minded Republicans that stand up for our freedom and rights when other Republicans are prepared to send them down the river Styx.&nbsp; <br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp; A great example is Rep. Justin Amash who has bravely fought against dangerous legislation and has been an outspoken advocate for the freedoms of the American people.&nbsp; When NDAA was introduced by Sen. Carl Levin and heralded by Sen. John McCain as being brilliant and necessary legislation, see&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD0GthpIgQw\">www.youtube.com/watch</a>;&nbsp; Justin Amash<a href=\"http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/12/us_rep_justin_amash_gathering.html\">, www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/12/us_rep_justin_amash_gathering.html</a> was one of the loudest opposers to this bill.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp; In this time of a fractured GOP and a crucial election year, the time to unite the party is now.&nbsp; <br />\r\n<br />\r\n&nbsp; Embrace the Libertarian Invasion!<br />\r\n</span><br />',2),(2731,2731,'So Obama admitted he was a <a href=\"http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/president-obama-affirms-his-support-for-same-sex-marriage.html\">pro-gay marriage supporter</a>. Is anyone actually surprised? I certainly was not, though this will be a battle of the bases. The Democrats are worried that support among blacks will weaken because of Obama\'s &quot;coming out of the close&quot; for this issue (I couldn\'t resist), which is valid, but I don\'t think it will matter much. The other demographics that Democrats are concered about - white women, Hispanic midgets, Eskimo fire eaters, etc - have known all along that he swung that way. (OK, sorry again.)<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBut now we know that he has definitely secured the vital Haight-Asbury consituent. Congratulations, Barack - well done.<br />',2),(2733,2733,'<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">The man that would bring transparency and accountability to Washington has done just the opposite. The man that promised to unite the country has been the &ldquo;Greatest Divider&rdquo; our country has ever seen.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">He polarizes segments of society, one against the other for pure political gain. The man has an insatiable hunger for power and will use any and all means to accomplish his goals in transforming our Republic into a socialist state through his hollow promise of &ldquo;Hope &amp; Change&rdquo;.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">Ultimately, as Saul Alinsky defined it, &ldquo;Its&rsquo; a battle between the &lsquo;have and have nots&rsquo;&rdquo;. As a true disciple of Alinsky, President Obama and his progressive minions are poised to make their final push to &ldquo;fundamentally transform our country&rdquo; to his Marxist &ldquo;Utopia&rdquo; by taking from the &ldquo;haves&rdquo; and redistributing to the &ldquo;have nots&rdquo;.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">When he accomplishes his mission he can eliminate his two-term limit and become our &ldquo;King&rdquo;.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 128);\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: larger;\">Can the Narcissist-In-Chief truly have such a Thought?</span></strong></em></span><br />\r\n<br />',2),(2734,2734,'<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">The man that would bring transparency and accountability to Washington has done just the opposite. The man that promised to unite the country has been the &ldquo;Greatest Divider&rdquo; our country has ever seen.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">He polarizes segments of society, one against the other for pure political gain. The man has an insatiable hunger for power and will use any and all means to accomplish his goals in transforming our Republic into a socialist state through his hollow promise of &ldquo;Hope &amp; Change&rdquo;.</span><br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\"><br />\r\nUltimately, as Saul Alinsky defined it, &ldquo;Its&rsquo; a battle between the &lsquo;have and have nots&rsquo;&rdquo;. As a true disciple of Alinsky, President Obama and his progressive minions are poised to make their final push to &ldquo;fundamentally transform our country&rdquo; to his Marxist &ldquo;Utopia&rdquo; by taking from the &ldquo;haves&rdquo; and redistributing to the &ldquo;have nots&rdquo;.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">When he accomplishes his mission he can eliminate his two-term limit and become our &ldquo;King&rdquo;.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0);\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: larger;\">Can the Narcissist-In-Chief truly have such a Thought?</span></strong></em></span><br />\r\n<br />',2),(2766,2766,'Conservatives don&rsquo;t understand why liberals (better know as progressives because it sounds less harmless) think spending money the government doesn&rsquo;t have is better than cutting the tax burden on businesses and keeping taxes lower on everyone.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe following is a perfect example of their flawed thought processes:<br />\r\n<br />\r\nLast year Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on MSNBC made the following statement on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0);\"><em><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &ldquo;I should point out that when you talk about the SNAP program, or the food stamp program, you have to recognize that it&rsquo;s also an economic stimulus,&rdquo; . . . &ldquo;Every dollar of SNAP benefits generates $1.84 in the economy in terms of economic activity. If people are able to buy a little bit more in the grocery store, then someone has got to stock it, shelve it, package it, process it, ship it. All of those are jobs. It&rsquo;s the most direct stimulus you can get into the economy during tough times.&rdquo;</strong></em></span><br />\r\n<br />\r\nIt isn&rsquo;t just the SNAP food stamp program that hurts the economy. Unemployment entitlement and the societal acceptance of aid to unwed mothers with dependent children has also created an attitude of entitlement that fosters irresponsibility.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAs we near the tipping point when the people who use the entitlements cast more votes to elect the people who are willing to dole them out, we must be diligent in keeping that from happening.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 128);\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: larger;\">The next election could very well determine the fate of the republic. </span></strong></em></span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 128);\"><span style=\"font-size: larger;\"><em><strong>Failure to elect constitutional conservatives will allow the progressives to complete their agenda of turning our great nation into a European style socialist state.</strong></em></span></span><br />\r\n<br />',2),(2773,2773,'A <a href=\"http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/05/tax_breaks_michigan_republican.html\">Republican plan</a> in the Michigan House may lower our taxes by a small amount:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Under the plan, the personal income tax rate would decrease from the current 4.35 percent to 4.25 percent, effective Oct. 1. That is three months ahead of the scheduled rollback now called for in state law and would result in relatively small savings for taxpayers, particularly those of middle or low income.</div>\r\n</blockquote>But I believe &quot;relatively small&quot; still means paying less than we are now, right? Though Warren Buffet may like paying more in taxes, I don\'t, so a 0.1% decrease in my tax rate is better than a 0.1% increase. Let\'s compare the attitudes of the Republicans and the Democrats in the Michigan House on this issue. First, the Republicans:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&quot;Every dollar state government has is a dollar earned by a hardworking Michigan taxpayer,&rdquo; House Speaker Jase Bolger, R-Marshall, said in a statement. &ldquo;We have a responsibility to spend taxpayer money wisely and return any additional money rather than finding new ways to spend it.&rdquo;</div>\r\n</blockquote>Now, the Democrats:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&quot;The Republicans proved they still can\'t relate to the average Michigan middle-class family by offering a tiny tax cut that wouldn\'t help an individual let alone a family,&quot; said Rep. Richard Hammel, the leader of the House Democrats.</div>\r\n</blockquote>So a little extra money isn\'t going to help an individual or family?&nbsp;I\'d be happy in my representative walked up to me and handed me a $5. It wouldn\'t make a big difference in my life, but every little bit helps. If I can keep a tenth of a percent of my income and stop it from going into yet another wasteful government program, so much the better.&nbsp; If the new rule saves me $50 (or whatever it will save me), that\'s $50 I can use for a dinner at Red Cedar Grill and not sent to the Michigan Department of Bureaucracy for Bureaucratic Matter.<br />',2),(2853,2853,'<div class=\"OutlineElement Ltr SCX168810285\" style=\"margin-left: 0px;\">\r\n<p class=\"Paragraph SCX168810285\" style=\"font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 8pt; font-family: \'Segoe UI\',Tahoma,Verdana,\'Sans-Serif\'; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; text-align: left;\"><span class=\"TextRun SCX168810285\" style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri,Sans-Serif;\">One  of the good things about subscribing to the CCRP newsletters is that I  get to hear about all kinds of silly laws that are trying to make their  way through our legislature. So in a <a href=\"http://www.clinton-countygop.org/content/should-michigan-legislature-pass-%E2%80%9Cplastic-bag-tax%E2%80%9D\">recent issue</a>, another crazy liberal  ideas was revealed - Rep. Geiss (D) (a Democrat, of course) introduced a bill&nbsp; to impose a 1-cent  per bag on plastic bags used when you make a purchase at retail  establishments</span><span class=\"EOP SCX168810285\" style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri,Sans-Serif;\">. <br />\r\n</span></p>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"OutlineElement Ltr SCX168810285\" style=\"margin-left: 0px;\">\r\n<p class=\"Paragraph SCX168810285\" style=\"font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 8pt; font-family: \'Segoe UI\',Tahoma,Verdana,\'Sans-Serif\'; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; text-align: left;\"><span class=\"TextRun SCX168810285\" style=\"font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri,Sans-Serif; background-color: window;\">Is  there any aspect of our lives that a liberal will not try to regulate?  I\'m astounded at the type of people that get elected. Rep. Geiss is  actually serious about regulating plastic bags. Really. Honestly. There  are people out there that are making a moral issue out of sacks. One  will one penny on every plastic bag do for anything, other than to make  Rep. Geiss feel like she has made a difference with the environmental  zealot demographic?</span><span class=\"EOP SCX168810285\" style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri,Sans-Serif;\"> <br />\r\n</span></p>\r\n</div>\r\n<div class=\"OutlineElement Ltr SCX168810285\" style=\"margin-left: 0px;\">\r\n<p class=\"Paragraph SCX168810285\" style=\"font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 8pt; font-family: \'Segoe UI\',Tahoma,Verdana,\'Sans-Serif\'; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; text-align: left;\"><span class=\"TextRun SCX168810285\" style=\"font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri,Sans-Serif; background-color: window;\">Perhaps if we had a bill to tax stupid ideas coming out of the Capitol, we would actually make some progress on the debt.</span><span class=\"EOP SCX168810285\" style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri,Sans-Serif;\"> <br />\r\n</span></p>\r\n</div>',2),(2895,2895,'Happy Independence Day! Of course, I think of the Founding Fathers and the Declaration of Independence, but I also think of the battles that the colonists fought to fight the British. And I can envision the commanders at places like Bunker Hill, as the British advanced, extorting his men to fight for freedom, liberty, and so that lesbians and the man that impregnated one of them could be accepted equally as parents! Give me equal representation for three-way parenting or give me death!<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSure, the last one didn\'t make it into the history books, but if Jefferson and the rest would have taken the time to think of the complex, bizarre family structures of 21st &quot;America&quot;, then surely they would have included an amendment to recognize that a child could have more than two parents.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nLuckily, we have Mark Leno, Democrat (of course) from San Francisco (of course).<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&quot;The bill brings California into the 21st century, recognizing that there are more than \'Ozzie and Harriet\' families today,&quot; <a href=\"http://abcnews.go.com/Health/GMAHealth/california-considers-bill-multiple-legal-parents/story?id=16705628#.T_TfV8UjfA4\">Leno brayed</a>. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nThat\'s true. We have all kinds of families, not just the husband and wife that we used to have. We have baby-daddy and baby-mama, we have &quot;16 and Pregnant&quot;, we have Harriet and Harriet, we have Ozzie and Ozzie, we have Ozzie and Harriet and Ozzie, we have &quot;I have no idea who is the father&quot;, the latter of which is a favorite on Jerry Springer.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<br />\r\nDo you remember one of the arguments against same-sex marriage, that it would lead to an &quot;anything goes&quot; definition of marriage. And the liberal response was contempt. These are just normal people that want the same right that everyone else has, they said. Well, now we have a law saying that a child could legally have three (or more) parents. Time to bring back polygamy! Who\'s with me? After all, what could possibly go wrong?<br />',2),(2908,2908,'<p>Obama continues to blame George W. Bush for everything. And it was effective among his liberal base. A recent poll of likely Democrat voters, when asked &quot;Was George W. Bush responsible for the War of 1812&quot; found this&nbsp; result:</p>\r\n<p>42% said yes<br />\r\n1% said no, but claimed 9/11 was an inside job that Bush knew about<br />\r\n57% said &quot;What was the War of 1812, and will it affect my government checks?&quot;</p>',2),(2959,2959,'Obama is getting out and <a href=\"http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/local_news/president-obama-lands-in-tri-state-traffic-delays-can-be-expEcted\">meeting his base</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<div class=\"rteindent1\">President Obama met with former Cincinnati mayor and talk show host Jerry Springer before his speech. Springer said he supports the president\'s re-election.</div>\r\n<br />\r\nJust like all the various fund raisers with George Clooney and Sarah Jessica Parker. He also had time to call Sandra Fluke to make sure she was getting all the condoms she needed, and had just a moment to make a video for the NAACP, since he had to go to another fundraiser, and he knew there was no chance the people at the NAACP were going to vote for the other guy. What\'s his name&hellip; You know, the one who isn\'t a failed president&hellip; oh yeah, Mitt Romney. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nBut I guess when you get 98% of a particular voting bloc, you can take them for granted.<br />',2),(2978,2978,'Finally, something I can agree with Obama on - his opposition to increasing the minimum wage. What was that, you say? Yes, Obama opposed the an automatic, mandatory increase of the minimum wage. <a href=\"http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2012/07/obama-opposes-min-wage-increase-in.html\">In American Samoa</a>, that is:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>President Obama has signed into law legislation to freeze American Samoa\'s minimum wage until 2015. The president signed the bill Thursday, which delays a 50-cent increase that would have gone into effect in September.</div>\r\n</blockquote>And why would he do such a thing:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Employers and a government financial report have suggested automatic increases were harming the U.S. territory\'s economy.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Meanwhile, back at the Hall of Justice. No, wait, I was thinking of the Super Friends. Meanwhile, back in the mainland:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) and more than 100 of his House Democratic colleagues [of course] proposed legislation last Thursday that would boost the minimum wage over three years from $7.25 to just under $10 an hour.</div>\r\n</blockquote>I\'m sure our newly enlightened president will veto this as well. Ha! No, of course not. Obama\'s job is to get reelected, not protect and defend the United States against enemies and economic disasters (such as himself). His best chance to get reelected is to make a show of helping the &quot;little people&quot;. Just because his solutions don\'t help them, and hurt the job creators to boot, is a bonus to the elite leftists current applying the brakes to our economy. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nI think that is a double word score in Obama\'s version of &quot;Scrabble&quot;...<br />',2),(3035,3035,'My first thought was &quot;<a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/08/business/global/frances-les-riches-vow-to-leave-if-75-tax-rate-is-passed.html?_r=2&amp;hpw\">When did Obama change his name and move to France</a>?&quot;:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>President Fran&ccedil;ois Hollande is vowing to impose a 75 percent tax on the portion of anyone&rsquo;s income above a million euros ($1.24 million) a year.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe French finance ministry did not respond to requests for an estimate of the revenue the tax might raise. Though the amount would be low, some analysts note that a tax hit on the rich would provide political cover for painful cuts Mr. Hollande may need to make next year in social and welfare programs that are likely to be far less popular with the rank and file. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nIn that regard, the tax could have enormous symbolic value as a blow for egalit&eacute;, coming from a new president who has proclaimed, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like the rich.&rdquo;</div>\r\n</blockquote>Do that guy sound like a typical &quot;Occupy Wall Street&quot; thug or what?<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Taxes are high in France for a reason: they pay for one of Europe&rsquo;s most generous social welfare systems and a large government. As Mr. Hollande has described it, the tax plan is about &ldquo;justice,&rdquo; and &ldquo;sending out a signal, a message of social cohesion.&rdquo;</div>\r\n</blockquote>Scary how Obama-esque that is. But Mr. Hollande (I\'m not sure if he has an opus) was a piker compared to what FDR was doing with his 90% tax rate on the highest levels of income. Of course, Obama has a few more month, so let\'s not give him any more anti-rich fantasies than he already has.<br />',2),(3070,3070,'There is only one thing you really need to know to vote &quot;no&quot; on Proposition 4, &quot;CITIZENS FOR AFFORDABLE QUALITY HOME CARE&quot;: That it is backed by the SEIU. But in case you would like a little more information, <a href=\"http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Statewide_Bal_Prop_Status_145801_7.pdf\">here is the text</a> of the seemingly harmless proposition:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Purpose: Proposed constitutional amendment to establish the Michigan quality Home Council, provide certain information to consumers, require training of providers, require training of providers, and provide limited collective bargaining rights.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Back when Michigan had double digit unemployment rates, and held the title of highest unemployment rate in the country - you know, when Granholm was governor - the SEIU successfully pushed to steal &quot;dues&quot; from home healthcare workers. After all, unions have fallen on hard times, and since the number of willing members has declined, they decided to get unwilling members. After all, their money is just as good. But that gravy train should have been stopped by an act from the Republican-controlled Michigan house, but for reasons that escape common sense, the Michigan senate (also controlled by Republicans) <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/16645\">has not yet passed it</a>. I\'m still trying to figure out how John McCain and Olympia Snow sneaked into the Michigan senate...<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBut as we know, don\'t try to get between a union thug and their money. So instead of illegally stealing money, now they are going to try to legally steal it by fooling enough people into voting for Proposition 4. After all, how dare a parent taking care of a disabled child do so without paying union protection money, er, dues.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAs are most thing proposed by the SEIU, the proposition is pointless. <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/17541\">The Mackinac Center points out</a> that there is nothing in the proposition that is not already in existence, except the part about monetary tribute from Michigan citizens to the Democrat reelection campaign, a.k.a. the SEIU.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nRemember, friends don\'t let friends vote for money laundering schemes in the form of propositions.<br />',2),(3094,3094,'I know what you\'re thinking: How can I help harm the economy of the State of Michigan? Wait, you\'re probably not thinking that unless you\'re excited about voting for Obama again. Anyways, we have a new way to take that pesky money out of our pockets: <a href=\"http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Statewide_Bal_Prop_Status_145801_7.pdf\">Proposition 3</a>. As The <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/17565\">Mackinac Center</a> has explained, three of the &quot;benefits&quot; of Prop 3 are:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n10,540 fewer jobs in 2025<br />\r\nLower disposable income in Michigan by $1.42 billion<br />\r\nAn increase of $170 to $190 in residential energy costs by 2025<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAnd how would these exciting things happen? By embracing the farce of &quot;renewal energy&quot;. The wording of Prop 3 includes:<br />\r\n<br />\r\nRequire electric utilities to provide at least 25% of their annual retail sales of electricity from renewable energy sources, which are wind, solar, biomass, and hydropower, by 2025.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBecause the fastest way to have consumers accept &quot;renewal energy sources&quot; is to force it upon them. Never mind the fact that solar panel companies go bankrupt more than Lindsey Lohan goes to jail, including <a href=\"http://www.rechargenews.com/energy/solar/article303407.ece\">Michigan-based company ECD</a>.&nbsp; But not to worry. Even though it will cost more to produce than electricity based on cheap and abundant coal and natural gas, your electricity bill will not go up&hellip; too fast.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAllow annual extensions of the deadline to meet the 25% standard in order to prevent rate increases over the 1% limit.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSee how generous the Commissars of Energy are? They are will to steal your money slowly. I believe this equivalent to putting a frog is a pot of cool water, then slowly turning up heat so they don\'t know they are starting to boil. Pay no attention to your shrinking wallet, friends, nothing to see here.<br />',2),(3120,3120,'We have six proposals to vote on this year. There are several doozies, including Proposal 2. There are four provisions, and I\'ll discuss three of them. To see the full text, you can view it on the <a href=\"http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Statewide_Bal_Prop_Status_145801_7.pdf\">State of Michigan\'s site</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Grant public and private employees the constitutional right to organize and bargain collectively through labor unions.</div>\r\n</blockquote>OK, just that text gives me the willies. Including &quot;unions&quot; anywhere near the constitution seems like a bad idea. But let\'s move on:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Invalidate existing or future state or local laws that limit the ability to join unions and bargain collectively, and to negotiate and enforce collective bargaining agreements, including employees&rsquo; financial support of their labor unions. Laws may be enacted to prohibit public employees from striking.</div>\r\n</blockquote>How do you like that one? Invalidate future laws that unions don\'t like - it\'s the legal version of thugs giving you an offer that you can\'t refuse. Maybe we could get a similar law for taxes - future legislators can\'t tax (legally steal) more of our money to redistribute to others.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Override state laws that regulate hours and conditions of employment to the extent that those laws conflict with collective bargaining agreements.</div>\r\n</blockquote>So let\'s discuss conditions of employment, which are rules that employees must follow in order to keep their job. For instance, if a condition of employment is that a teacher can\'t come to work drunk, then that would be repealed. The <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/17662\">Mackinac Center</a> brings up this interesting, and sickening, case:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>teachers are able to come to school drunk up to five times before they can be fired. It lets them teach while high on drugs up the three times before dismissal. The contract states that the first offense of a misdemeanor sale of tobacco, alcohol or illegal drugs results in three day unpaid suspension and mandatory counseling. It is only after the second violation that the teacher could be fired.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Now, that is a contract between the teachers\' union and the Bay City Public Schools system right now. Teachers can come to work drunk. Multiple times. They can sell drugs. And not be fired. I don\'t want to generalize (but I\'m going to), but anyone who doesn\'t see a problem with that has some serious reality issue. And I\'m not just talking about Joe Biden.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe Detroit Free Press says the above the contract is currently unenforceable because of existing state law, but such a state law would be invalidated by Proposal 2 giving free rein for unions to pass absolutely crazy contracts like the one Bay City Public Schools system.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAnd remember, <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/17662\">future laws aren\'t the only ones affected</a> by Proposal 2:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Attorney General Bill Schuette listed 170 different laws that would be altered or overridden by the amendment. The lawyer for Proposal 2, Andrew Nickelhoff, didn&rsquo;t contradict him, telling reporters, &ldquo;We can guess at how Protect Our Jobs might affect existing legislation and we could spend all day doing that, but in the end, it&rsquo;s just going to have to be decided (in the courts) on a case-by-case basis.&rdquo;</div>\r\n</blockquote>170 existing laws overidden because of the desires of a destructive special interest group pouring millions of dollars from across the country in their attempt to seize some of their former glory. Unions are taking serious swipes against common sense with Proposal 2, along with encouraging thievery with Proposal 4. Let\'s hope common sense prevails and both of those union-backed proposals are defeated.<br />',2),(3134,3134,'I&nbsp;don\'t know if you\'ve heard, but we have an election coming up in a few weeks. Kind of a big one. But since pitching Obama isn\'t the only goal of the election (Stabenow is still, for some reason, also still in office), here are two useful links.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nFirst, the <a href=\"http://www.clinton-county.org/Portals/0/clerk/elections/Official%20Candidate%20List.PDF\">Official Candidate List</a> from Clinton County has a list of (you guessed it) all candidates in Clinton County. I&nbsp;find this useful for the lesser-known candidates, like those for college trustees. Decisions are made at all levels that effect your life and pocketbook, so it is useful to know who you voting for across the board.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSecond is the list of <a href=\"http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Statewide_Bal_Prop_Status_145801_7.pdf\">propositions</a>. We have six this year, and I\'ve blogged about a few of them. The link will show you the complete list and wording of each one. There are a couple that are bald-faced attempts by the unions to benefit themselves over the vastly non-unionized population of Michigan, so check them out.<br />',2),(3140,3140,'Are you excited to vote in this election? Unlike last year, I am excited. Last year, Rush Limbaugh\'s advice was get drunk and vote for McCain. Though I didn\'t go that far, I reluctantly voted for the Republican candidate. This time, I\'m a stoked Stoecker. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nAnd I\'m not the only one that is ready to go. A <a href=\"http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/19905504/michigan-poll-obama-and-romney-in-dead-heat\">Fox Detroit</a> article says that Obama and Romney are in a dead heat in Michigan. In Michigan! The home of the unions, the home of Detroit. So I\'m happy on two fronts. First, that a Republican is performing so well here. And second, several polls lately have <a href=\"http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/10/22/caller_s_analysis_of_skewed_poll_samples\">sampled Democrats more heavily</a> than Republicans, so that tie may actually be a Romney lead. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nOf course, my excitement was a little tempered by the fact that <a href=\"http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-axl-rose-speaks-to-jimmy-kimmel-in-rare-tv-interview-20121025,0,2327568.story\">Axl Rose endorsed Obama</a>, even though Axl, in addition to missing an \'E\' in his name, doesn\'t vote. I wonder what Slash thinks - I don\'t know if I can go into the voting booth without that crucial information.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nHard to believe that the 4-year campaign by Obama is almost over. I say 4-year campaign because he never actually stopped campaigning to govern. But hopefully, a grown-up will inhabit the Oval Office next year. And, to use <a href=\"http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/10/obama-says-kids-know-romney-is-dishonest-147184.html\">Obama-speak</a>, that\'s no bull****.<br />',2),(3143,3143,'Daniel Howe has a <a href=\"http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121026/OPINION03/210260359/Fate-proposals-will-define-our-state-s-future\">good post on the proposals</a> we have before us in less than two weeks. The special interests are really gung-ho on modifying our state constitution, especially with several changes that exist only to bolster unions. I really hope people are paying attention to the choices we have before us - if you\'re not up on them, see the <a href=\"http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Statewide_Bal_Prop_Status_145801_7.pdf\">State of Michigan site</a> to view the wordings of each of the six proposals. The leftists have a full frontal attack on common sense in this election, and we\'ll have to beat back the barbarians at the gate at the ballot box.<br />',2),(3159,3159,'I haven\'t touched on the justices running for the Michigan Supreme Court, so I\'m going to do that now. I saw two interesting stories, both of which seem to gel with your typical liberal. First, Bridget McCormack. You have to wonder about American attorneys who represent terrorists. And apparently, we not only have those types of attorneys in Michigan, <a href=\"http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012121030047\">we have one running for the Supreme Court</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>According to published reports, McCormack has been publicly identified as an attorney for only one Guantanamo prisoner, a man from Tajikistan who was captured in Afghanistan and was allegedly working with a terrorist group called the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.</div>\r\n</blockquote>I like the phrase &quot;only one&quot;. I mean, it\'s only one America-hating, American-killing terrorist. What\'s the big deal? Vote Democrat.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe second article discusses your average donkey party behavior. Diane Hathaway (currently on the Supreme Court) is accused, along with her husband, of <a href=\"http://www.freep.com/article/20121030/NEWS05/121030051/FBI-investigates-Michigan-Supreme-Court-Justice-Hathaway-possible-mortgage-fraud\">playing a mortgage shell game</a> with her houses:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>The deal, according to law enforcement officials, allowed Hathaway to erase more than $500,000 in mortgage debt on the home by moving other properties around to relatives, and then unloading the $1.5-million house in a short sale.</div>\r\n</blockquote>So really, nothing that you don\'t see Harry Reid or Obama doing. I like this article so much I\'m going to quote it again, the emphasis is mine:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Hathaway, who was nominated to the bench by the Democratic Party, came under scrutiny following a May news report by WXYZ-TV, which revealed that Hathaway and her attorney husband Michael Kingsley transferred <em>at least two of their homes</em> to relatives before a bank allowed them get rid of their home on Lakeview Court in a November 2011 short sale. According to the news report, months before the short sale took place, the couple transferred two of their homes through quit claim deeds to Hathaway&rsquo;s stepchildren, One of the homes was in Florida, the other on the ritzy Windmill Pointe Drive in Grosse Pointe Park.</div>\r\n</blockquote>&quot;At least two of their homes&quot;. That implies that she has more than two. Wow, talk about a 1 Percenter. We had better tell Occupy Wall Street about this so they can occupy Grosse Pointe Park where one of those fancy homes is located.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSo there are two of your Democrat-nominated Supreme Court justices, exactly the type of people you want sitting as the final arbiter of Michigan law.<br />',2),(3167,3167,'Something is happening tomorrow, isn\'t it? Yes, I believe there is an election on Tuesday. For Republicans, of course - Democrats, you vote on Wednesday. And with your vote, you are automatically enrolled to have dinner at a restaurant of your choice with soon to be ex-President Obama.*<br />\r\n<br />\r\nUnlike last year, I am excited to vote. I have my Romney sign, I have my Romney sticker, and I have the chance to defeat Jimmy Carter II. I was in grade school when Carter was in office the first time, and since I didn\'t live in Illinois, I couldn\'t vote. But I distinctly remember singing a song with the lyrics &quot;Jimmy Carter has a way of messing up the USA.&quot; It was a beautiful song, and I think we could quite easily substitute Barack Obama in there.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nEvery election is important, but this one doubly so. I\'ve never felt that the fate of the country turned on a single election day, but I do this time. Lady Liberty is a tough chick, but she can only take so many shots before she falls, and Obama has been giving her quite a fight these past few years. It\'s time for her to take it to him.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAnd we have several important <a href=\"http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Statewide_Bal_Prop_Status_145801_7.pdf\">proposals</a>, such the union-funded 2 and 4, but shameless attempts to grab power from the people and the lawmakers. We have 3, which will indisputably cause energy prices to rise. And even 1 (emergency manager law), 5 (requiring a 2 /3 vote on tax increases), and 6 (the bridge prop) are very meaningful. So we have a busy day tomorrow. Be prepared, be patient in those lines, and let\'s hope for real hope and real change.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n* Obama will not be in attendance, but Obama\'s assistant to the assistant teleprompter programmer will be happy to meet you.',2),(3179,3179,'Have you ever read the book &quot;I Am Legend&quot; by Richard Matheson? Not the movie with Will Smith - it\'s completely different. In the book, humanity has mutated into vampires and must sleep underground during the day, and only the main character, Neville, is a normal human. Throughout the book, the vampires are trying to capture Neville, and in the end, they do. As Neville is about to be executed at the hands of his tormentors, he realizes that, to this new race of humans, he is the bogeyman, he is the legend of which everyone hates.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI turned on Fox News on November 7th to hear news of the catastrophe. No, not Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Obama, a Category 6 storm that has blown us into perpetual debt and national mediocrity. I saw Mitt Romney give his concession speech, speaking that our (Republican) ideas will live on, etc. etc. Yet our ideas lost. Again. Why is that?<br />\r\n<br />\r\nOn election night, a statement Bill O\'Reilly resonated with me. He spoke of the changing demographics in this country, not just racial, but sociological. People in this country want stuff, and will vote to keep that stuff. Rush Limbaugh made a similar statement, saying people aren\'t going to vote against Santa Clause. And to millions of people, that is what Obama is. He passed out <a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/09/28/viral-video-touting-obama-phone-puts-spotlight-on-16-billion-federal-program/\">phones in Cleveland</a> and <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ojd13kZlCA\">opened his stash in Detroit</a>. Who can make the sun shine? Why, the <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhhkF3dqXR0\">Obamaman</a> can! He can wrap it up in hope and make the world feel good.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAnd that is what got me down. I realized for the first time that I was in a shrinking group of people that believes that anyone can be successful without hard work, perseverance, and the freedom to purse dream. At the opposite end are those who think they are entitled to &quot;stuff&quot;. They have not gotten a fair chance, they think, and they want stuff, too. And if they can\'t afford it, well, then that\'s not fair, and the government should fix that. All must be fair in 21st century America, whatever their definition of fair is.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSo the candidate of the takers has won two presidential elections, so I have to ask myself, am I the legend? I have this idea of providing for myself and family through hard work, but tens of millions of people don\'t, and their growing voice will soon overwhelm those who work and provide. What\'s the solution to that?<br />',2),(3187,3187,'I\'m starting a new feature on this blog called &quot;C\'mon Man Monday&quot;. This is based on my favorite feature of ESPN\'s &quot;Monday Night Countdown&quot;, where players who do stupid thing are called out by the commentators. So I am going to do it with politics.&nbsp; And my inaugural post is for the voters of Detroit.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nIt\'s usually not a good idea to overgeneralize, especially in politics, but I\'m going to do it anyways: The majority of voters in Detroit are not capable of making rational decisions regarding the future of their city, and certainly not about their state .<br />\r\n<br />\r\nStrong words, right? Well, here is the <a href=\"http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/11/07/detroiters-elect-ex-con-brian-banks-as-state-rep/\">proof behind my bold statement:<br />\r\n</a><blockquote>\r\n<div><a href=\"http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/11/07/detroiters-elect-ex-con-brian-banks-as-state-rep/\"><br />\r\n</a>Among the new group of state lawmakers to emerge from Election Day on Tuesday is Brian Banks, who has been convicted eight times for felonies involving bad checks and credit card fraud.</div>\r\n</blockquote>The eight-time convict beat the Republican (he was white. Can I mention that?) by a margin of 2 to 1. I\'m actually surprised it was that close. And a white Republican in Detroit? I didn\'t even know there were any.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nShall we speculate (I\'m not supposed to do that, either) that, conservatively, 99% of these people also voted for Obama? Yes, let\'s speculate. And how many of those people that voted for Mr. Banks, the ex-con, are unable to read? After all, according to a <a href=\"http://theweek.com/article/index/215055/detroits-shocking-47-percent-illiteracy-rate\">Detroit Regional Workforce Fund study</a>, 47% of Detroit adults are illiterate. So in order to vote, I would guess that they just saw an &quot;O&quot; at the beginning of B. Hussein Obama\'s last name, or poll workers taped nickels next to his name so Detroit voters could figure out which box to check.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nTo everyone in Detroit, literate and illiterate, for electing a convict to the state House of Representatives &hellip; c\'mon man.<br />',2),(3208,3208,'The voters of Illinois have spoken, and <a href=\"http://www.suntimes.com/16234631-761/sneed-exclusive-jesse-jackson-jr-in-plea-deal-talks-with-feds-sources.html\">they like their crooks</a>. This doesn\'t come as any kind of surprise, of course, with Jesse Jackson,&nbsp;Jr. getting 64% percent of the vote in the last election. And why wouldn\'t you vote for him:<blockquote>\r\n<div><br />\r\nJackson, who returned to Mayo Clinic after undergoing outpatient treatment in the seclusion of his home in Washington, D.C., is not only being investigated for allegedly using campaign funds to decorate his Washington home &mdash; [&hellip;]he may also have used campaign funds to buy a $40,000 Rolex watch as a gift for a female friend. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nIf Jackson, a 17-year veteran of Congress, opts to plead guilty to a federal felony &mdash; or goes to trial and is found guilty &mdash; he&rsquo;d have to resign from the office he just won with a commanding 64 percent of the vote. A new election would then have to be called.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Oh my, we would hate that. Because then, Illinois would vote in someone like Detroit did with the illustrious <a href=\"http://clinton-countygop.com/content/cmon-man-detroit\">Mr. Banks, the ex-con</a>, and possibly future con the way things are going.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBut we have some new information!&nbsp; Congressman Jackson may be willing to forgo his seat in Congress because of his own malfeasance, but there is just <a href=\"http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83909.html\">one eentsy weentsy more thing he wants</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>As a federal investigation into his alleged campaign finance misconduct continues, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) is willing to give up his congressional seat provided he also receives a disability package upon leaving, according to a new report.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Of course! Why wouldn\'t the son of Jesse Jackson try to bilk the American taxpayers out of a few more million dollars! Another report claims that would be his only source of income, but surely his dad could pass a little ill-gotten gains Junior\'s way. If this guy weren\'t from Illinois, among the most corrupt states, I\'d be sure he was from Detroit.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSo, to Illinois voters for voting in a criminal&hellip; c\'mon man.<br />',2),(3215,3215,'In the 17th century, the pilgrims gave thanks to God for their prosperity, and today we celebrate the same holiday with food, family, friends, and football. (Those are my favorite F-words.) I have much to be thankful for: Having a box of Twinkies in the pantry. Michelle O. hasn\'t forced the nation to eat tofu turkey. Michael Bloombook hasn\'t been made health dictator.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSo raise your salt shakers and salute our freedoms with all the blessing we have to enjoy.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nGod bless America.<br />',2),(3225,3225,'It\'s not nice to use the term &quot;idiocy&quot; because it implies the target of the comment is an idiot. But when someone <a href=\"http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2012/11/26/jamie-foxx-calls-obama-our-lord-and-savior#ixzz2DKou43ep\">compares a 4th-rate president to the messiah</a>, I think that is grounds to use the term:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>JAMIE FOXX: First of all, give an honor to God and our lord and savior Barack Obama. Barack Obama.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Was Jamie Foxx joking?&nbsp;Maybe he was, but with so many people thinking that Obama is the messiah, it\'s hard to say. Jamie certainly doesn\'t need any <a href=\"http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/10/08/obama_donors_get_obama_phone_kickbacks\">free phones like they have in Cleveland</a>, so his comment probably wasn\'t aimed in that direction. But maybe he was looking to record a cover of the <a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/24/lyrics-songs-president-obama/\">Barack Hussein Obama song</a> that indoctrinated schoolchildren sang. That must be it.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSo to Jamie Foxx, for making one of the dumbest statements in history... C\'mon man.<br />\r\n<br />',2),(3266,3266,'Never let a crisis go to waste. That is what Rahm Emmanuel said, and Bob Costas is a devotee of that worldview. After the murder - suicide of Kansas City Chief linebacker Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend, Little Bob used this event to promote the idea of a gun in every home to that innocent men and women can defend themselves against vicious murderers. Oops, wait - that never happened. Instead, he said, in addition to other <a href=\"http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-bob-costas-jovan-belcher-20121203,0,6138532.story\">meaningless drivel</a>, this:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&quot;Handguns do not enhance our safety. They exacerbate our flaws, tempt us to escalate arguments, and bait us into embracing confrontation rather than avoiding it. In the coming days, Jovan Belcher\'s actions, and its possible connection to football, will be analyzed. Who knows? But here is what I believe, If Jovan Belcher didn\'t possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.&quot;</div>\r\n</blockquote>Jovan was a professional football player. Linebackers can bench press 300 pounds. He certainly didn\'t need a gun to kill someone - he could have done that with a toothpick. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nSo, to follow Little Bob\'s &quot;logic&quot;, if only we had gun control laws like they do in safe cities like Chicago, New York City, and Washington D.C., we would be alright. If all guns in Detroit would disappear, bunnies and kittens would run through the perfectly safe streets of a beautiful panacea, government-regulated lemonade stands on every corner. Because people don\'t kill people, guns do. Guns possess the owner to do things like violently shoot girlfriends, rob gas stations, and vote for Republican.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBut we also can\'t dismiss the statement about Jovan\'s murder and &quot;its possible connection to football&quot;. I.e. concussions. Yes, big guys playing football on Sunday afternoons leads to murder. Apparently, if the NFL was replaced by the Quiet Ball League, pain and suffering would end. I\'m guessing that is what he means by his nonsensical statement. I wonder what the trauma of punters and their violent action of kicking a football has on the psyche of small children - maybe we should get a government grant to study that.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nLet me offer an alterative theory to the wacked-out idea that football and guns caused the death of Kasandra: Jovan was a murderer who did an evil act because some people do evil things. Anyone else tired of hearing how it thanked his coach and owner for the opportunity they gave him? How about more coverage of the fact that he killed a woman. Jovan wasn\'t a victim, he was a predator.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSo to Bob Costas and all the other liberal airheads who will use any tragic event to push forward their liberal ideology&hellip; c\'mon man.<br />',2),(3289,3289,'In downtown Lansing (where I&nbsp;work), there has been quite a kerfuffle. The legislature and governor are about to pass the Right to Work legislation, forbidding closed-shop workplaces. It is not surprising that the the union thug leadership isn\'t happy with this development, nor are their Democrat masters.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSo what is a union thug to do? Why, squat in the Capitol and yell, of course. Do they know what they are yelling about? Not really. They are paid to show up and yell, not think or understand the issue they deride. (Sidebar: How many union thugs know what &quot;deride&quot; means?)<br />\r\n<br />\r\nIf you are a union thug and happen to be reading this (ha!), here is why you are ordered to have your tantrum. Your handlers take your union dues and give them to Democrat politicians. Your use to Democrats is your money, but you haven\'t figured this out. You think your money goes to improving the lot of the worker, the proletariat, but it actually goes to bettering the lives of the people that use you. (Sidebar: Do you think that union thugs know what &quot;proletariat&quot; means?)<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSo to the union thugs whining in the Capitol whining about an issue of which they have no undestanding... C\'mon man.<br />',2),(3299,3299,'Another love-fest from the peaceful protesters of Michigan\'s unions. I really expected more from them - more violence, that is. As it was, <a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/12/11/fox-news-contributor-punched-in-face-at-pro-union-protests-in-michigan/\">a comedian was punched</a>, <a href=\"http://www.theblaze.com/stories/union-thugs-destroy-hot-dog-stand-of-alleged-romney-supporter-in-lansing-and-taunt-him-with-racial-slurs/\">a hot dog vendor\'s cart was overturned</a>, <a href=\"http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2012/12/sick-union-thugs-destroy-afp-tent-on-michigan-capitol-lawn-then-cut-it-divvy-up-the-spoils-video/\">the Americans for Prosperity tent was torn down</a>, and who knows what else. But the Capitol wasn\'t burned to the ground, as far as I know. And though a Democrat legislator <a href=\"http://www.redstate.com/kfobbs/2012/12/11/there-will-be-blood-vows-michigan-democrat-leader-after-obama-visit/\">threatened that there would be more violence</a>, there haven\'t been any deaths.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nOf course, <a href=\"http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/18046\">26,000 kids were without their teachers</a> - nice job, MEA. Once again, you showed your true colors, putting angry protests before educating children.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI rode my bike down to see the protests. It was quite impressive, with all the people&nbsp; who should have been working chanting idiotic things like &quot;This is what democracy looks like.&quot; Standing around chanting is what democracy looks like? And there was the line of drummers and chanters circling the capitol like they were going to blow their horns and down would come the walls, ala Jericho. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nBut in the end, the union protests were pointless. The Right to Work legislation passed and now people have a choice to either join a union and have their money embezzled and/or sent to Democrats, or not join and be harassed and threatened by union goons. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nBut kudos to all the legislators that had the common sense to vote for this legislation.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAnd great job to those <a href=\"http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121212/POLITICS02/212120459\">awesome people who supported Clint Tarver</a>, the owner of the hot dog stand, who suffered $400 in damages. A web site raised $15,000 to help&nbsp; him undo the damage that the union thugs did.<br />',2),(3320,3320,'Winston Churchill is my favorite historical political figure. His tenacity in the face of hardship is legendary, and his <a href=\"http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/winstonchu161337.html\">famous quote</a> says it all:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div><br />\r\nWe shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Who does this remind you of in modern day politics?&nbsp;If you said &quot;John Boehner&quot;, you have been taking too much of the &quot;for medical purposes only&quot;&nbsp;marijuana. You know, the kind where you can find a shop selling it or paraphenlia for it on every corner.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nMr. Boehner is the anti-Churchill. When faced with an intractable enemy determined to destroy prosperity and freedom, the Speaker of the House - third in line for the presidency - took the courageous decision to... <a href=\"http://www.cnbc.com/id/100318475/Boehner_Opens_the_Door_to_Tax_Hikes_on_the_Wealthy\">give in</a>. But just a little! So far.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>... Boehner on Friday offered $1 trillion in higher tax revenue over 10 years and an increase in the top tax rate on people making more than $1 million a year. The House speaker is also offering a large enough extension in the government\'s borrowing cap to fund the government for one year before the issue must be revisited &mdash; conditioned on Obama\'s agreeing to the $1 trillion in cuts.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Awesome. Show of hands - who thinks that J.B. will take a firm stand on that tax hike for people earning over $1 million dollar a year and not eventually completely cave on the $250,000 number that Obama wants? And who thinks that when the Democrats roll over J.B., that they will completely ignore any promises for spending cuts?<br />\r\n<br />\r\nLet\'s be honest: A tax hike on people making $1 million a year - or $250,000 a year - is meaningless symbolism and will not stop - not even slow down a teeny tiny bit - our trip to financial oblivion. Any solution besides massive changes in our welfare / entitlement programs is absolute folly and utterly than useless.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSo to J.B. for choosing golf dates with the president over principals and common sense... c\'mon man.<br />',2),(3352,3352,'Glad <a href=\"http://www.myfoxny.com/story/20342042/greeks-earning-42000-euros-to-be-taxed-at-top-rate\">this would never happen here</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>ATHENS, Greece (AP) &mdash; Greeks earning more than &euro;42,000 ($55,000) per year will now be taxed at a new top rate of 42 percent, under a major new tax reform bill submitted to the country\'s parliament late Thursday.</div>\r\n</blockquote>The new tax rates, part of the austerity measures demanded by the country\'s international rescue lenders, were submitted to parliament hours after the finance ministers from the 17 European Union countries that use the euro agreed in Brussels to restart rescue loan payments. Greece is in line to get &euro;49.1 billion ($64 billion) between now and March, with &euro;34.3 billion of that amount due in the coming days.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThat sounds awful, the way a company or country could tell another country how to structure its tax system. What kind of country would let itself be owned like that, with out of control spending? That\'s terribly obtuse of its leaders to do such a thing.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&quot;Today ends a long and difficult period of anxiety for Greece,&quot; Samaras told Greek reporters in Brussels.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Well thank goodness for that. Now that government theft... sorry, tax rates... have been raised to take almost half of what a middle class earner would make, all is well in the Aegean, the birthplace of democracy.<br />',2),(3413,3413,'Clinton County\'s very own Tom Leonard gets some coverage in the <a href=\"http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130107/POLITICS02/301070330/Bitterness-exists-Legislature-restarts\">Detroit News</a> in an article about bad feeling on the part of Democrats on the way Right to Work was passed in December. Will&nbsp; the bad behavior of those dastardly, Snidely Whiplash-type Republicans have repercussions in 2013? Tom\'s response:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&quot;It is my hope and prayer that we can put the issues they had behind us and move forward,&quot; said Rep. Tom Leonard, R-DeWitt Township.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Me too. Commenting on his hope of getting things done in Lansing with bipartisan support:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&quot;What I\'ve said is, \'Fortunately, I wasn\'t a part of some of those battles. I get to come in with a clean slate,\'&quot; Leonard said.</div>\r\n</blockquote>That\'s not going to matter. Tom has an &quot;R&quot; after his name, so he will most definitely be lumped in with the rest of the evil Republican juggernaut who has oppressed the working man for the benefit of Big Business. Anyone who runs as a Republican, votes for a Republican, or agrees with anything Rush Limbaugh has ever said is psychologically deranged in the eyes of the Left. So even though Tom wasn\'t there, he will be a target.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe Republicans had the audacity take on one of the Democrats\' big fundraising mechanisms, the unions. That kind of insult has not gone unnoticed, so prepare for the Democrats big offensive. I\'m not sure of all the details of their attack yet, but it will involve their two main tactics, lying and character assassination. Count on it.<br />',2),(3434,3434,'A shakeup is happening at the <a href=\"http://www.freep.com/article/20130108/NEWS15/301080133/Michigan-Supreme-Court-Justice-Diane-Hathaway-to-retire-after-complaint-about-private-real-estate-transaction\">Hall of Justice</a>, and I\'m not just talking about <a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/04/28/superman-renounces-citizenship-00th-issue/\">Super Man renouncing his U.S. citizenship</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>LANSING -- Michigan Supreme Court Justice Diane Hathaway announced her retirement from the bench Monday after the Judicial Tenure Commission filed a complaint and sought her immediate suspension, alleging she committed &quot;blatant and brazen&quot; misconduct violations in connection with private real estate transactions.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nMonday\'s complaint gives the most detailed account to date of alleged efforts by Hathaway and her husband, attorney Michael Kingsley, to misrepresent their net worth so they could qualify for a short sale on their home in Grosse Pointe Park.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe short sale in Michigan allowed the couple to erase nearly $600,000 in mortgage debt on a $1.5-million home on Lakeview Court in Grosse Pointe Park, which eventually sold for $850,000.</div>\r\n</blockquote>It\'s tough all over. Making only $164,000 (plus whatever her attorney-husband makes), how is someone supposed to pay for a $1.5-million house? Justices can\'t live in $200,000 hovels, after all. Perhaps there should be a government program to support well-paid elected officials living in mansion so those underserved overworked, underpaid officials don\'t have to commit crimes to live luxuriously. Oops, sorry - &quot;allegedly&quot; commit crimes. Whew, covered myself.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI know what you\'re thinking: How will this poor justice, who only makes $164k a year, survive in the cold, harsh world? First, Obamacare will make sure she will never be without health care, so don\'t you worry, and keep on paying those taxes to help poor (soon-to-be-ex) Justice Hathaway. But for her every day needs, she should do OK:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Hathaway is leaving office before facing possible discipline, but according to the retirement system\'s website, even forced removal from office would not necessarily have adversely affected her eligibility for pension benefits.</div>\r\n</blockquote>We can all sleep well tonight.<br />',2),(3473,3473,'And <a href=\"http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/16/dennis-kucinich-signs-as-fox-news-contributor/?src=recg\">the eighth seal was opened</a>, and behold:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Dennis Kucinich, the former Democratic congressman from Ohio, is the Fox News Channel&rsquo;s newest contributor.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Yes, Fox News has other liberal contributors. I don\'t watch them too often because their attempts at logic make my head hurt. But Mr. Kucinich is a different kind of crazy, and I\'m not just talking about <a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,306616,00.html\">seeing a UFO</a>. I\'m talking about his &quot;Department of Peace&quot; idea. The best way to get peace is to project an image of strength, but the United States will not be doing that for the next several years, so we\'re out of luck.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI liked what commentor &quot;stubs&quot; added on the New York Times article regarding Kucinich: <br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>What an inspired choice! I can only hope the folks at Fox go for more diversity and add Maxine Waters to the mix. Allowing the two of them to talk on national television should greatly advance the conservative cause.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Exactly. I would also love to see Sheila Jackson Lee. Maybe she could finally figure out <a href=\"http://www.examiner.com/article/is-sheila-jackson-lee-really-that-stupid\">which heavenly body Neil Armstrong planted the flag on</a> and become a scientific contributor for the news network.<br />',2),(3502,3502,'<div>Ready to be blown away? <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20130205/NEWS01/302050051/Granholm-could-get-chance-cabinet-position\">Read on</a>:<br />\r\n&nbsp;</div>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Jennifer Granholm&rsquo;s selection as a White House cabinet member could boost Michigan&rsquo;s fortunes and raise its visibility within President Barack Obama&rsquo;s administration, political pundits say.</div>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<div>Whoa, I\'m awestruck. Our fearless ex-governor has been mentioned as possibly becoming Secretary of Energy because of her efforts to bankrupt the state. I mean, push green energy. Well, same thing. Luckily, most people in Michigan were smart enough to vote no on Proposal 3, the horrible renewable energy bill that would lead to consistently higher energy rates, so we haven\'t fallen into the &quot;Green Trap&quot;. Yet. The 37% who voted for it probably couldn\'t read (a large chunk of Detroit), or are named Michael Moore.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nWould having a secretary with a history in Michigan politics be a bad thing?<br />\r\n&nbsp;</div>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&ldquo;A cabinet-level position has to be a great advantage for the state,&rdquo; [Bob Kolt, a Democratic political consultant] said. &ldquo;Jennifer Granholm has a tremendous knowledge of all things Michigan and its priorities, and that can only pay off for Michigan.&rdquo;</div>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<div>Uh, yes, it would be a bad thing, if that candidate were leading Michigan while the state was in the &quot;we suck the most&quot; phase of national unemployment rates for years. Remember that time? Yeah, Granholm was in charge. As far as I know, she\'s still blaming John Engler for that.&nbsp; Or is it George W. Bush? Perhaps she\'s also blaming William Woodbridge, Michigan\'s first Whig governor, for not promoting biomass plants in the then-newly-acquired Upper Peninsula. Poor WW, getting a bad rap.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nNot all has gone well for her, though, for the green pastures of a job with the federal government. She was passed over for the Attorney General position, which is a shame. AG Holder was largely responsible for the weapons sent to Mexican criminals in the &quot;Fast and Furious&quot; operation leading to the death of Mexicans and Americans alike.&nbsp; &quot;Slow and Sedate&quot;, Granholm\'s plan to smuggle hockey sticks and beer into Canada, would have been much better received. And let\'s not forget the disappointment of having Al &quot;Is it getting hot in here or is just my bloviating&quot; Gore selling his network for which she worked to the oil-backed, planet-killing Al-Jazeera. That\'s gotta sting.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSo to Barack Obama, for considering a candidate with no measurable success in what you want to hire her for&hellip; c\'mon man.</div>',2),(3532,3532,'I was in the Traverse City area weekend before last and had the honor to get my hands on a copy of the Traverse City Record Eagle. And what a stellar issue! Let\'s discuss the five cover stories that assaulted its readers.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe big story was about the city\'s winter festival, complete with picture. Excellent, local news about a popular event, as it should be. I even went to the aforementioned festival, and it was quite lively. And cold, so I went inside and had a beer.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAlong the top banner was teaser for biking around Traverse Coty. Biking as in using a bicycle.&nbsp; In winter. This sounds like a horrible idea to me. One of the things Northern Michigan is&nbsp; known for is its snow, and biking and snow don\'t mix. But when you\'re trying to save the world one tank of gas at the time, common sense is the first victim. I mean, people do really crazy things to save gas, like buy a Chevette. I mean, a Prius. But if enough people are lionized for sacrificing their comfort to two-wheel it around town, they maybe, just maybe, you\'ll feel guilty enough to do it, too. Not the person that wrote the story, but for you, being cold, sweaty, and wet is fine.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAnother front page story was about a state senator still using the title &quot;state senator&quot; in correspondences. Alright, that seems a bit odd, but is that front page news? Well, it is when it\'s a Republican! What madness could convince someone to use a title that is no longer theirs? That would be like a left-wing hack (say, Michael Mann), using the term Nobel Prize recipient. How crazy would that be? But it may turn out to be slightly embarrassing (for some reason) to a Republican, so that makes it front page material.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nIn the bottom corner we have an article title &quot;Tax increases affecting more&quot; about the evils of raising taxes by Governor Snyder. Remember, when Democrats raise your taxes, it\'s a good thing. Without it, puppies and children and old people will starve. When Republican do it, it\'s so that big business can pay less. I don\'t like paying more in taxes for anybody because modern taxation is a pointless exercise in income redistribution. If I could get a receipt for where my taxes are spent, like on my paycheck, when there is a line-by-line description of who just stole my money, I\'d probably be even more appalled then I already am.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAnd we come to my favorite one, &quot;Living small is getting bigger&quot;. Yes, tiny homes are trendy. McMansions? Oh, those were so 90\'s. The REAL trendsetters live in teeny tiny houses and do without, both in size and taste. And you should, too. Having two bathrooms is so pass&eacute;. Cozy is the new buzzword, and if you can have a &quot;cozy&quot; house with solar panels that will never pay for themselves because you live halfway to the North Pole, well, so much the better.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nTraverse City is a beautiful place. And as long as you\'re a liberal, you\'ve got a great paper. If you don\'t think Barack Obama is a right-wing fan of Rush Limbaugh, though, the Record Eagle is probably not the paper for you.<br />',2),(3576,3576,'This is why Michigan needs a part-time legislature: <a href=\"http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/03/08/michigan-house-approves-bear-cub-handling-bill/\">Michigan House Approves Bear Cub Handling Bill</a>.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nOur governing body has debated this issue. It has spent time determing how old a bear can be, and how much the bear can weigh, for it to be safe to be around humans.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>The Senate approved the bill last month, and the measure will be returned to that chamber for final approval of an amendment that would ensure the law applies only to existing facilities.</div>\r\n</blockquote>But luckily for all humanity, this only applies to existing facilities, so those hordes of bear cub petting zoos will not be popping up across the state. I would have prefered they put live bears in Detroit city council chambers, but since our legislators have so much time to spend on bear issues, maybe they\'ll get to that one next month.<br />',2),(3579,3579,'If Bath Township raised my property taxes (which they did), am I allowed to sue for mental anguish? After all, finances are tight, and that extra money could have gone for gas or groceries of Spongebob Squarepants pajamas. But now that money is gone, and I am emotionally crushed for its loss. What if a policeman ran over my cat (which they didn\'t)? Could I then call Sam and take the township to court? I would imagine Obama voters would say yes. But I\'m not here to mock Obama voters - I\'ll save that for the next post. No, I\'m here to praise the <a href=\"http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130321/METRO/303210456\">Michigan Supreme Court</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div><br />\r\nIn a 4-0 decision Thursday, the court says Beckie Price of DeWitt can\'t be awarded money for mental anguish for the destruction of property. The court says there\'s no precedent for it.</div>\r\n</blockquote>A deliveryman accidently filled Ms. Price\'s home with heating oil (I hate when that happens), for which the insurance company paid the full cost of the home, if not more. But because it was so traumatic to get $260,000, she was given an additional $100,000.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nYes, I would agree that losing one\'s house is a traumatic experience. The mistake was financially made right with the $260,000 insurance company payout. But society has now deemed that anything unpleasant must be met with a cash settlement. &quot;<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_Calm_and_Carry_On\">Keep Calm and Carry On</a>&quot;? No way - that is so 1940\'s England. &quot;Panic and Sue&quot; is the 2010\'s American way.<br />',2),(3592,3592,'Let me ask you this question: What does Detroit need? If you answered a race-baiting blackmailer, you win! Yes, <a href=\"http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130322/METRO01/303220417/Jesse-Jackson-s-time-major-mass-civil-action-Detroit\">Jesse Jackson paid a visit</a> to the former Paris of the West to bring his special brand of togetherness to the adoring masses of Detroit:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&quot;It\'s time for a major mass civil action in the city of Detroit,&quot; Jackson said in the auditorium of Detroit\'s Coleman A. Young Municipal Center amid wild applause. &quot;Detroit cannot be reduced to a rummage sale to the highest bidder.&quot;</div>\r\n</blockquote>Amen, reverend! Of course, with political figures in the city regularly convicted of corruption, perhaps Detroit <em>can </em>be sold to the highest bidder, but only if they pay in cash. And speaking of corruption:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&quot;(The emergency manager law) has not only not served to repair cities\' finances&hellip; but have sometimes worsened them,&quot; said [Rep. John] Conyers, who along with Rep. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, is asking the Government Accountability Office to investigate the impact of emergency managers in Michigan as the state prepares to take over Detroit\'s finances on Monday.</div>\r\n</blockquote>The perhaps-honorable John Conyers is married to the definitely dishonorable Monica Conyers, ex-councilwoman, <a href=\"http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130318/METRO01/303180326\">back from &quot;Camp Cupcake&quot; because of corruption</a>. But she\'s completely honest now and working at a collision repair shop, so she\'s doing more honest work this week than her husband or Jesse Jackson have done in decades.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nIn a related story, the line between politics and religion blurred when religious leaders in &quot;The D&quot; met in the King Solomon Baptist Church, firing up their constituents and random passers-by to oppose the possibility of financial sanity in their beloved, dysfunctional, corrupt, failed city. Just look at the <a href=\"http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130323/METRO01/303230369\">pictures of the excited crowd</a>, thrilled that they could live in the same squalid city they\'ve had for most of their lifetime.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nHave you ever seen incompetence so powerful it was palpable? That is your Detroit city council, the laughingstock of governing bodies for decades. Common sense, be gone!<br />',2),(3624,3624,'I love these legislative updates that the <a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/18497\">http://www.mackinac.org/18497</a><a href=\"http://www.mackinac.org/18497\">www.mackinac.org/18497</a> puts out. So here are some brief thoughts on a few of the items on their list.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<strong>Senate Bill 251 (Allow less than unlimited auto crash injury insurance)</strong><br />\r\n<br />\r\nWow, I actually agree with a Democrat on something, which is to allow a person to buy insurance with less than unlimited liability coverage. That would give consumers more choice and should keep costs down. I\'ll bet Sam Bernstein will be lobbying hard against this one. I\'m surprised a Democrat introduced it.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<strong>Senate Bill 276 (Require community service work by welfare recipients)</strong><br />\r\n<br />\r\nThis has no chance of passing, but I love the idea. If you are getting help for nothing in return, you should provide help for nothing in return.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<strong>House Bill 4363 (Ban local governmental body &ldquo;phone-in&rdquo; voting)</strong><br />\r\n<br />\r\nAnother &quot;duh&quot; piece of legislation - the fact that we even need such a thing shows how certain elected officials don\'t take their responsibility. Actually showing up to cast a vote? That might interrupt the viewing of quality programming like, well, anything on MTV. And what if the only time a citizen were trying to bribe a councilperson, and the only time said official were available, was during times they were supposed to be debating an issue? Man, how is a corrupt official supposed to make a (dis)honest living?<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<strong>House Bill 4455 (Restrict and regulate unmanned aerial drone vehicles)</strong><br />\r\n<br />\r\nI don\'t know if this bill applies to Dearborn as well, but the bill bans weapons-carrying drones in Michigan. I don\'t think this could actually supersede federal law instigated by the king in Washington D.C., but Rep. McMillan\'s heart is in the right place - namely, that U.S. citizens not be spied upon and bombed by our own country. We\'re a blue state after all, but we do have a lot of rural territory, and not everyone\'s mind is right out in the country. Best to keep an eye on us.<br />',2),(3700,3700,'Hats of to the <a href=\"http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130411/POLITICS02/304110362/Next-frontier-Cheeks-Kilpatrick-Panel-exploring-existence-alien-life\">Detroit News</a> for this fantastic title: Next frontier for Cheeks Kilpatrick: Panel exploring existence of alien life<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe (ahem) esteemed former congresswoman, and proud mother of His Honor, Detroit\'s own Kwame Kilpatrick, has got a new gig - searching for life beyond our own planet. Yes, a group here on earth will be trekking among the stars, or at least in their imagination, for proof that the truth is out there:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Dubbed the Citizen Hearing on Disclosure, the public panel pledges to expose evidence of &quot;extraterrestrial vehicles&quot; and a government effort to deny sightings of such craft commonly called UFOs.</div>\r\n</blockquote>If you are like me, you probably wondered why Mrs. Kilpatrick would be involved in such a far-out, cheeky idea as looking for alien life and government conspiracies. (Granted, aliens visiting earth is a saner idea that the 9/11 Truthers have, but still.) Wonder no more:<br />\r\n<br />\r\nKilpatrick will be joined by five other former members of Congress for the hearings. Each will be paid about $20,000 and their expenses will be covered, Bassett said.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nYes, for hosting 30 hours of congressional-style hearing (not congressional hearing, but congressional-style hearings), Mrs. Kilpatrick&nbsp; will be paid a fair amount of cash and get the opportunity to visit strange new worlds. Or at least the East Coast. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nShe is not the only one, either. This is a bi-partisan event, showing that both Republicans and Democrats can reach out and touch the face of crazy when there is cash involved.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n(Full disclosure: I like Star Wars, Star Trek, and The X-Files and, if asked, I would be on this commission. And I would delay my mocking of the group until after I was paid my $20,000.)<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSo what\'s the point? Well, Stephen Bassett, executive director of &quot;Paradigm Research Group&quot; (no, I had never heard of them either), has been looking for truth in all the wrong places, but he has high hopes with his new ex-elected officials sort-of all star team. After all these years of government secrecy about Area 51 and all those other hidden alien artifacts stored away in government facilities (right next to the Arc of the Covenant, which Indiana Jones found), things are hopefully going to change:<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBassett said he hopes the hearings will generate enough attention for the government to change its mind.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&quot;There is a government policy of denial,&quot; Bassett said. &quot;And once that policy ends, we are going to learn the truth about this phenomenon pretty quickly.&quot;</div>\r\n</blockquote>Hope and change, my friends, is everywhere. So adjust your tin foil hat and hold on tight.<br />',2),(3710,3710,'Three cheers for Clinton County\'s own Dallas, Essex and Bengal townships:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>The latest roadblock to increasing green power generation comes from three mid-Michigan townships that are trying to put limits on a 40-turbine, $120 million wind farm planned by Chicago-based Forest Hill.</div>\r\n</blockquote>That\'s a &quot;roadblock&quot; that I\'ll be happy to see. Green energy is a farce with hundreds of billions of dollars being wasted on the rainbows and unicorns scheme by leftists in their scheme to combat the imaginary problem of man-made global warming. (I hope I said that well.) Anyway, you know there are lawyers involved, so let\'s see what Jon Bylsma, attorney for the group attempting to ugly-fy our county, says about the people who don\'t want a windmill farm here:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&quot;There is a very organized, loud minority of folks that go from wind project to wind project opposing them,&quot; says Bylsma.</div>\r\n</blockquote>The townships, I may add, are not (unfortunately) attempting to ban windmills, they are attempting to cap them at 380 feet. To give you some perspective, Lansing\'s tallest building, the Boji Tower, is 297 feet. So these are not small eyesores that are trying to be installed, they are monstrously big eyesores.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe <a href=\"http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130422/OPINION01/304220306\">Detroit News opinion piece</a> raises a good point with it\'s last paragraph:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>State policy and local regulations must be reconciled if the goal of a mixed menu of energy sources is to be met. Lawmakers should take up the issue and decide whether achieving the 10 percent mandate is important enough to force local communities to open the door to windmills.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Exactly. Lawmakers should decide whether the fallacy of the green energy sources and the rights of the citizens is more importance. Michigan has mandated 10% of its energy must come from &quot;green&quot; sources by 2015, but the people spoke during the last election when Proposal 3, which mandated that energy companies produce at least 25% of their power from &quot;green&quot; energy sources, was easily defeated.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe will of the people seems quite clear on this, and our representatives should honor those wishes and the idea of federalism, not go down the road of Obamacare and ramming unwanted legislature through the legislature that we will all regret.<br />',2),(3779,3779,'If we profile people who look different from us, the terrorist win. If we don\'t build a mosque near the hole formerly known as the World Trade Center, the terrorist win. And apparently, if we don\'t let TSA employees look at us naked, the terrorists win, too. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nHaven\'t you heard that the scanners that allow any semblance privacy and dignity by showing our privates were being removed? Well, that ain\'t so. On a recent trip to France, my wife and I had the wonderful pleasure of revealing ourselves to government employees. Not French officials, of course. French airport security was a painless experience that had us sailing through with a simple stroll through a metal detector. We didn\'t even have to take off our shoes. Apparently, the French haven\'t learned to properly overreact to failed terrorist attacks like we have. Oh, those French. (And they weren\'t rude, either.)<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBut in the federal government\'s attempts to bend over backwards to not offend anyone (i.e. Muslims), they offend everyone. My mother can count on having her bags searched. Old people can be sure of having their colostomy bags squeezed and poked. And everyone shuffles forward like cattle because it\'s better to suffer under inappropriate searches that risk the ire of the benevolent system.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBut I have to give the TSA credit. A sign in the security line said that children under 12 will no longer be molested by strangers. Apparently, there were enough YouTube videos showing children being groped to realize that maybe&nbsp; they should back off of grabbing Dick and Jane. Oh to be a kid again.<br />',2),(3827,3827,'While strolling through beautiful downtown Lansing, I noticed the charging stations for electric cars, such as the Chevy Volt. And I realize that I am really missing the boat on driving one of these old-fashioned cars that require me to pay for my own fuel. These rich liberals that buy Volts have the right idea, draining the money from their fellow citizens like they do.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nFirst off, the purchase of a Volt is subsidized by the government. You can get up to <a href=\"http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxphevb.shtml\">$7,500 tax credit</a> for your toaster on wheels, in addition to any additional bonuses that your state may give you. The government really wants the Volt to be a winner, though <a href=\"http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/10/autos/chevrolet-volt-rebates/index.html\">Chevrolet only sold 1,600 of them</a> last month. Any other model with atrocious sales numbers like that would have been dropped, but when Obama loves you, you don\'t have to worry about pesky things like sales and profits.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nIn addition to free money from taxpayers with better taste in cars, Volt owners get a $5,000 rebate from GM. That\'s not too bad. Which will come in handy if you need a battery replacement outside of your warranty period, as <a href=\"http://gm-volt.com/2008/09/03/lutz-each-volt-factors-in-the-cost-of-a-battery-replacement/\">the batteries may cost up to $10,000</a>. You could buy a lot of gas with that. But as long as you\'re still in the warranty phase (10 years / 150,000 miles, and who is going to own a Volt long enough to exceed that), Government Motors will cover that, too.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nIf you don\'t need to go more than 40 miles, who needs gas? Especially with taxpayer-subsidized outlets, powered by those mean, nasty, coal-fired plants that liberals hate so much. If the Volt came with an Obama phone and a glove compartment full of EBT cards, it would be the perfect left-wing car.<br />',2),(3897,3897,'When I was a kid, I remember playing with G.I. Joe. I had a bunch of the toys, and my friends and I would fly our jets around the house. A friend would shoot a heat-seeking missile at my jet and I would say that my jet has flares. Then they would change the missile type and say it was a laser-guided missile. So I would say my jet has strobe lights to blind the missile. Then it would be a remote-controlled missile, and then my jet mysteriously could block the signal.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThis is basically the American justice system today. Take the George Zimmerman trial. I have no idea of his guilt or innocence - that is what the jury is for. Or what they used to until the news networks took over that job. The first phase, the criminal trial, didn\'t go the way the media liked. Poor angelic, sainted Trayvon Martin, who I believe was on his way deliver Meals on Wheels the night he died.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nOf course, what is the proper response to a judgment that the mob doesn\'t agree with? <a href=\"http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-zimmerman-trial-protesters-storm-walmart-in-crenshaw-area-20130715,0,2522648.story\">Storm Walmart</a>, of course. Ah, memories of the O.J. trials. When O.J. was acquitted, there was happiness and joy in the streets - the mob was ecstatic. But when the police officers were acquitted in their own trial for allegedly using excess force, riots, looting, and general mayhem ensued, and we were asked, &quot;Can\'t we all just get along?&quot; I\'ll bet Reginald Denny is staying away from South Central intersections these past few days.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSo the Zimmerman trial didn\'t go the way that the mob / government wanted. After all, if Obama had a son, <a href=\"http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-trayvon-martin-race-obama-20130715,0,6833091.story\">he\'d look like Trayvon</a>. So now Phase 2 of &quot;Get George&quot; begins - the push for a civil rights trial. After all, it\'s not double jeopardy if you charge them for something different, right? There will be no justice until the government wins. Or all the Walmarts are burned down, either one.',2),(3952,3952,'<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">Do you wonder if &ldquo;they&rdquo; are really watching everything you are doing online.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">I had that question answered a couple of weeks ago when I was online.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">The first incident occurred was when I was surfing for articles on the internet to post on the Clinton County Republican Party website.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">&nbsp;I had located one about an online social media company (name being withheld here because this could be suppressed also).&nbsp; The story centered around the fact that the social media company had closed this individuals account they had posted unacceptable content. </span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">The questionable content contained a negative statement about the online social media provider and its suppression of free speech on their site.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">As an experiment I logged into the site in question and wrote a brief comment on censorship, and attempted to post a link to the &ldquo;free speech&rdquo; suppression article to their social media site.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">I immediately received a message back that the content I had just posted WAS NOT acceptable. </span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">The second incident took place the next day. I was posting an article to our website about NSA surveillance and I had created a graphic to use with the story content and named it spy.jpg. I uploaded the text and the graphic to our internet host provider and our website went down immediately.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">I attempted to resolve the issue but eventually I had to contact the hosting company. After they looked into the problem they told me that the word &ldquo;spy&rdquo; is a targeted term that has been flagged as suspicious so our site was taken down as a precaution.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">I didn&rsquo;t ask what the other words or phrases were that I shouldn&rsquo;t be using -- I am sure they wouldn&rsquo;t have told me.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0);\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: larger;\">Just remember what our &quot;ELECTED&quot; leaders keep telling us. It&rsquo;s all for our own protection that we are being surveilled - TRUST US!</span></strong></em></span><br />',2),(3990,3990,'&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Governor and the Michigan Senate republicans continue their Kabuki dance over Medicaid Expansion in Lansing and around the state, as we seem to be approaching the final scene in this political play later this month.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Over the last few months we have seen the drama unfold with the passage of HB 4714 in the House after pressure was applied by lobbyists and the Governor. That was soon followed by more pressure on the senators again by the Governor with his Obamaesk medical professional staff in their scrubs sullenly lined up behind him. <br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Lobbyists and the progressive media continued to play their part, as it was scripted, demanding a vote from the senators and telling them to come back from &ldquo;vacation and vote&rdquo;. <br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; State of Michigan Department of Community Health employees were called in to help by lighting up the twittersphere with tweets for people to call their senators and tell them to vote for the expansion.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Governor came back early from a trip to Israel to apply his &ldquo;Relentless, positive, action&rdquo; on the non-conformist (free thinking) senators who hadn&rsquo;t bent to his will.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; All this was to no avail -- Majority leader Richardville invoked the Hastert rule not allowing for a floor vote because a majority of the republican caucus was not in favor of passage.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Over the summer the Governor and Lt. Governor took their Medicaid Expansion show on the road to the senate districts where the deviant senators were from.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The drum beat to come back and vote continued from the Governor, the democrats, and the media but Richardville wouldn&rsquo;t relent.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Finally a meeting was held between the Governor and Richardville and they all agreed to play nice, for a while.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Now that summer has almost come and gone the stage has been set for what may well be the final act of the Medicaid Expansion drama.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The final act of the play may well take place on August 27 when the Senate reconvenes to address the issue. To muddy the waters two alternative private market plans (SB 422, and in SB 459 &amp; SB 460) have been introduced for possible consideration along with the original plan that was passed by the House earlier this year (HB 4714).<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer says she is concerned about whether there will even be a vote.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; One rumor has it that Senator Richardville may allow all three Medicaid options to come up for a vote knowing the two alternative plans are doomed to defeat before they ever get serious consideration. Ultimately, will Richardville bend to the &ldquo;Nerd&rsquo;s&rdquo; will and go against tradition to ignore the Hastert rule and allow a vote on the HB 4714 even though the caucus is not in agreement?<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Like any good drama the final act always has a surprise. I don&rsquo;t want to give it away, but inside politics might be in play - imagine that!<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is suggested there may be a senator that may sell his soul for &ldquo;25 pieces of silver&rdquo; in seeking the Senate Leadership position in the next term of the Senate. This senator might consider changing his position and vote for expansion of Medicaid in exchange for his assistance in passing the expansion. The benefit to him would be to get assistance in becoming the new majority leader in 2015.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the end if Medicaid Expansion passes in the senate the Governor, the lobbyists, and the special interests will have won and the &ldquo;People&rdquo; who believe in our country and what it was founded upon will have lost.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As we wait to see the final act I hope &ldquo;The People&rdquo; of Michigan have sent &ldquo;People of Principles&rdquo; to represent them in Lansing, and that they will not bend to the pressure of the special interests.<br />\r\n<em><strong><span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Let&rsquo;s Pray they will do the &ldquo;Right Thing&rdquo;!</span></strong></em><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<br />',2),(3991,3991,'&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Governor and the Michigan Senate republicans continue their  Kabuki dance over Medicaid Expansion in Lansing and around the state, as  we seem to be approaching the final scene in this political play later  this month.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Over the last few months we have seen the drama unfold with the  passage of HB 4714 in the House after pressure was applied by lobbyists  and the Governor. That was soon followed by more pressure on the  senators again by the Governor with his Obamaesk medical professional  staff in their scrubs sullenly lined up behind him. <br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Lobbyists and the progressive media continued to play their part,  as it was scripted, demanding a vote from the senators and telling them  to come back from &ldquo;vacation and vote&rdquo;. <br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; State of Michigan Department of Community Health employees were  called in to help by lighting up the twittersphere with tweets for  people to call their senators and tell them to vote for the expansion.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Governor came back early from a trip to Israel to apply his  &ldquo;Relentless, positive, action&rdquo; on the non-conformist (free thinking)  senators who hadn&rsquo;t bent to his will.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; All this was to no avail -- Majority leader Richardville invoked  the Hastert rule not allowing for a floor vote because a majority of the  republican caucus was not in favor of passage.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Over the summer the Governor and Lt. Governor took their Medicaid  Expansion show on the road to the senate districts where the deviant  senators were from.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The drum beat to come back and vote continued from the Governor,  the democrats, and the media but Richardville wouldn&rsquo;t relent.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Finally a meeting was held between the Governor and Richardville and they all agreed to play nice, for a while.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Now that summer has almost come and gone the stage has been set for  what may well be the final act of the Medicaid Expansion drama.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The final act of the play may well take place on August 27 when the  Senate reconvenes to address the issue. To muddy the waters two  alternative private market plans (SB 422, and in SB 459 &amp; SB 460)  have been introduced for possible consideration along with the original  plan that was passed by the House earlier this year (HB 4714).<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer says she is concerned about whether there will even be a vote.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; One rumor has it that Senator Richardville may allow all three  Medicaid options to come up for a vote knowing the two alternative plans  are doomed to defeat before they ever get serious consideration.  Ultimately, will Richardville bend to the &ldquo;Nerd&rsquo;s&rdquo; will and go against  tradition to ignore the Hastert rule and allow a vote on the HB 4714  even though the caucus is not in agreement?<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Like any good drama the final act always has a surprise. I don&rsquo;t  want to give it away, but inside politics might be in play - imagine  that!<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is suggested there may be a senator that may sell his soul for  &ldquo;25 pieces of silver&rdquo; in seeking the Senate Leadership position in the  next term of the Senate. This senator might consider changing his  position and vote for expansion of Medicaid in exchange for his  assistance in passing the expansion. The benefit to him would be to get  assistance in becoming the new majority leader in 2015.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the end if Medicaid Expansion passes in the senate the Governor,  the lobbyists, and the special interests will have won and the &ldquo;People&rdquo;  who believe in our country and what it was founded upon will have lost.<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As we wait to see the final act I hope &ldquo;The People&rdquo; of Michigan  have sent &ldquo;People of Principles&rdquo; to represent them in Lansing, and that  they will not bend to the pressure of the special interests.<br />\r\n<em><strong><span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Let&rsquo;s Pray they will do the &ldquo;Right Thing&rdquo;!</span></strong></em><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<br />',2),(4033,4033,'<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">Eleven year ago a previous president had &ldquo;undeniable evidence&rdquo; that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction resulting in a prolonged war costing us dearly. </span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">Fast forward to 2013 and we find President Obama going down that same path. He boldly declared that the use of chemical weapons in Syria would constitute a &ldquo;red line,&rdquo; and warned Assad that such actions would not go unchecked. </span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">It had appeared last week that Obama had put all of the elements in place to send in the missiles and save the day.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">For some reason now he is feels he needs to seek authorization from Congress because the &ldquo;coalition of the willing&rdquo; he thought he would get support from has not materialized.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">So as we sit back and watch as Congress and the President debate the issue we hope they realize where we have been in the past (Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq, and Afghanistan) and what the results of those conflicts were.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">And hope they ask themselves:</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">1. Are we sure that Assad gassed the civilians or did the rebels do it themselves?</span><br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">2. What will be the consequences of our involvement by taking sides?</span><br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">3. What will be the result of the regime change and who will fill that void?</span><br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">4. How will it impact the power balance in the region - who will fill Syria&rsquo;s void (Iran)?</span><br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">5. How will it impact the global economy?</span><br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">6. Will we truly not put &ldquo;boots on the ground&rdquo;?</span><br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">7. Isn&rsquo;t this a U.N. responsibility, and if so why are we taking the lead?</span><br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">8. Why aren&rsquo;t the Arab/Muslim nations in the region taking the lead?</span><br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">9. How long can we continue to be the world policeman?</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">Is it too late to brush the line out of the sand? PROBABLY NOT!</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">I think Sarah Palin&rsquo;s had the answer in an earlier statement she made:</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0);\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: xx-large;\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &ldquo;Let Allah Take Care of It!&rdquo;</span></strong></em></span><br />\r\n<br />',2),(4034,4034,'<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">Eleven year ago a previous president  had &ldquo;undeniable evidence&rdquo; that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction  resulting in a prolonged war costing us dearly. </span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">Fast forward to 2013 and we find  President Obama going down that same path. He boldly declared that the  use of chemical weapons in Syria would constitute a &ldquo;red line,&rdquo; and  warned Assad that such actions would not go unchecked. </span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">It had appeared last week that Obama had put all of the elements in place to send in the missiles and save the day.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">For some reason now he is feels he  needs to seek authorization from Congress because the &ldquo;coalition of the  willing&rdquo; he thought he would get support from has not materialized.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">So as we sit back and watch as Congress  and the President debate the issue we hope they realize where we have  been in the past (Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq, and Afghanistan) and what the  results of those conflicts were.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">And hope they ask themselves:</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">1. Are we sure that Assad gassed the civilians or did the rebels do it themselves?</span><br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">2. What will be the consequences of our involvement by taking sides?</span><br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">3. What will be the result of the regime change and who will fill that void?</span><br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">4. How will it impact the power balance in the region - who will fill Syria&rsquo;s void (Iran)?</span><br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">5. How will it impact the global economy?</span><br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">6. Will we truly not put &ldquo;boots on the ground&rdquo;?</span><br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">7. Isn&rsquo;t this a U.N. responsibility, and if so why are we taking the lead?</span><br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">8. Why aren&rsquo;t the Arab/Muslim nations in the region taking the lead?</span><br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">9. How long can we continue to be the world policeman?</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">Is it too late to brush the line out of the sand? PROBABLY NOT!</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">I think Sarah Palin&rsquo;s had the answer in an earlier statement she made:</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0);\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: xx-large;\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &ldquo;Let Allah Take Care of It!&rdquo;</span></strong></em></span><br />\r\n<br />',2),(4084,4084,'<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Tahoma\">The world I grew up in the 50\'s and 60\'s has long since passed. Over the last 50+ years we have &ldquo;evolved&rdquo; or &ldquo;devolved&rdquo; depending on your perspective.</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Tahoma; min-height: 22.0px\">&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Tahoma\">Our once moral country is slowly disappearing under the guise of &ldquo;secular humanism&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Tahoma; min-height: 22.0px\">&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Tahoma\">President Washington&rsquo;s decision to not seek a third term was a clear indication that our new country would not follow the path of the European countries that were ruled by Kings.</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Tahoma; min-height: 22.0px\">&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Tahoma\">Washington expressed his feelings our our new republic in a open letter that appeared in the newspapers on September 19, 1796 about where our national strength comes from and what the pillars of our country&rsquo;s founding were based upon.</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Tahoma; min-height: 22.0px\">&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Tahoma\">The following is an excerpt from that open letter:</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Tahoma; min-height: 22.0px\">&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Tahoma\"><span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0); \"><em><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&ldquo;Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and Citizens. The mere Politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connexions with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked, Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.&rdquo;</strong></em></span></p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Tahoma; min-height: 22.0px\">&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Tahoma\"><span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0); \"><em><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &ldquo;It is substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule, indeed, extends with more or less force to every species of free government. Who, that is a sincere friend to it, can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric? &ldquo;</strong></em></span></p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Tahoma; min-height: 22.0px\">&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Tahoma\">Washington and the Founding Fathers would be appalled at what our Republic has become!</p>',2),(4109,4109,'<a href=\"http://www.freep.com/article/20130926/NEWS01/309260199/white-house-bankruptcy-aid-for-detroit-blight-removal\">Detroit gets free money</a>! Time to celebrate!<blockquote>\r\n<div><br />\r\nWASHINGTON &mdash; Nearly $300 million in aid for Detroit &mdash; from federal and state coffers, private businesses and charitable foundations &mdash; will be announced Friday as Obama administration officials visit the city to discuss what can be done to help eradicate blight, improve transportation, encourage new business and make residents safer.</div>\r\n</blockquote>I think a better way of stating this is that $300 million will be taken from future taxpayers and given to Democrats currently in power. Though I am a fan of blight eradication (destroying Detroit one decrepit house at a time), I think a better way - and a much cheaper option - would be to get the community involved. After all, many Detroiters have a fondness for burning things, and Devil\'s Night is coming up, so the solution is obvious. Then, the 150 firefighters the article claims will be funded by this $300 million can get some on the job training. I am seeing a win-win here.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>In recent weeks and months, local leaders &mdash; from former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer to UAW President Bob King &mdash; had visited the White House to talk about what could be done for Detroit, with a federal bailout out of the question.</div>\r\n</blockquote>They would know what to do with the money - throw it at unions to eventually be returned to Obama and his friends. It\'s called money laundering and Detroit leadership has to be very excited at the prospects of hundreds of millions of dollars that can be siphoned away from the people of the city and into the suburb-living bosses. Perhaps their theory is to give everyone Obamaphones and call it good. Real change for the better is way too hard, and you might not reelected if you do it.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nTo help out my Democrat friends in Detroit, it would probably be most efficient just to stuff the cash and hand it over instead of going through the long, drawn out process of pretending to shuttle it between government agencies and then get it to them. Just trying to help.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>In the months to come, for instance, the White House&rsquo;s chief technology officer is expected to lead a team of experts to Detroit to make recommendations on how to improve city systems, Sperling said.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&ldquo;Detroit historically had some major problems deploying grants and other resources, and so there could be a fair amount sort of stuck in the pipeline,&rdquo; said [Rick] Snyder, who was in Washington on Thursday. &ldquo;Financial systems, accounting systems for the city of Detroit? They are a disaster.&rdquo;</div>\r\n</blockquote>Of course they are, but so is the leadership. How many city councilmembers have been convicted of various felonies? And let\'s not forget that the root cause of Detroit\'s problem is not money, thus money will not solve them. A collapsed family and social structure is why Detroit is in such bad conditions. A lot of jobs (and with it, tax dollars) have come to Detroit over the past years, but the vast majority of those people don\'t live in Detroit because&hellip; well, duh. It\'s Detroit.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAnd not to nitpick, but &quot;Detroit&quot; and &quot;disaster&quot;&nbsp;are synonyms. No need to use them together.<br />\r\nSo let\'s take this news for what\'s it\'s worth - nothing. Like most of Obama\'s promises.<br />',2),(4219,4219,'It seems like the MEA wants to make this lady an <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20131022/NEWS01/310220025/Michigan-kindergarten-teacher-files-suit-against-MEA-over-union-requirement\">offer she can\'t refuse</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>COOPERSVILLE &mdash; If she doesn&rsquo;t pay her union dues, a kindergarten teacher says the Michigan Education Association is threatening to turn her over to a collection agency and ruin her credit.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nMiriam Chanski, 24, says she informed the MEA in May she was quitting the teachers&rsquo; union, didn&rsquo;t want their representation, and would no longer be paying dues.</div>\r\n</blockquote>I\'m surprised she hasn\'t been threatening physically - you don\'t mess with union thugs. If I were Miss Chanski, I would be bracing for a horse\'s head in her bed in the next few weeks. But maybe that is not the MEA\'s way. Come to think of it, that sounds more like a UAW tactic.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAll kidding aside, I admire Miss Chanski\'s desire to escape paying for services she probably never used. Perhaps she doesn\'t need the union\'s protection. Perhaps she has never had yelled obsentities about a Republican in her classroom. Maybe she doesn\'t have a vocal hatred of organized religion. Maybe she, you know, effectively teaches kids and keeps it at that.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBut unfortunately, Miss Chanski didn\'t fill out the right form, and so her money will continue to be funneled to Democrats:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&ldquo;In September, the president of our union came into my classroom before school and told me she was aware I had wanted to opt out of the union and asked if I had sent in another form in August,&rdquo; recalled Chanski. &ldquo;I told her I was unaware of another form to send in, I was unaware of the August dates, and she told me at that point if I had not sent in that form, I might have missed my chance to opt out of the union.&rdquo;</div>\r\n</blockquote>So we will see. The party of corruption isn\'t going to give up its ill-gotten loot easily, so it will take persistence and probably lawyers to make her escape a successful one. I wish her the best, and hope she doesn\'t own any horses.<br />',2),(4316,4316,'<em><strong><span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0); \"><span style=\"font-size: larger; \">&nbsp;&ldquo;You have to pass the bill to find out what&rsquo;s in it!&rdquo;</span></span></strong></em>\r\n<div><em><strong><span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0); \"><span style=\"font-size: larger; \">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; -Nancy Pelosi</span></span></strong></em></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: larger; \">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Nancy Pelosi made this statement with her Botex smile fixed on her face probably knowing full well that &ldquo;Obamacare&rdquo; was by far the most intrusive piece of legislation ever to be enacted by congress and signed into law.</span></div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: larger; \">&nbsp; &nbsp; Talk show host and constitutional lawyer Mark Levin, in his book The Liberty Amendments reveals the fiendishness of the law and how the Marxist elements of our country residing in Washington D.C. knew it would be a game changer &ndash; but they didn&rsquo;t want us to know.</span></div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: larger; \">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;For an enlightening of how the law was crafted and its impact on all of us for now and in the future read the following comments by Mark Levin.</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><em><strong><span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0); \"><span style=\"font-size: larger; \">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &ldquo;When congress passed Obamacare it attempted by statute to confer fundamental legislative powers on the executive branch, and even sought to prohibit future congresses from altering its unconstitutional act. Specifically, Congress created the fifteen-member Independent Payment Authority Board (IPAB), which ostensibly is responsible for controlling Medicare costs. The board submits a proposal to Congress, which automatically becomes law, and the Department of Health and Human Services must implement it, unless the proposal is affirmatively blocked by Congress and the president. Even then, it can be stopped only if elected branches agree on a substitute. Obamacare also attempts to prohibit citizens from challenging the board&rsquo;s decisions in court. Moreover, Obamacare seeks to tie the hands of future Congresses by forbidding Congress from dissolving the board outside of a seven-month period in 2017, and only by a supermajority three-fifths vote of both houses. If Congress does not act in that time frame, Congress is prohibited from even altering a board proposal.&rdquo;</span></span></strong></em></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: larger; \">&nbsp; &nbsp; As we look ahead to the 2014 elections you have to wonder if the &ldquo;low information voters&rdquo; will realize that the end of the Republic could well be at hand or will they wake up and become involved to make our elected officials accountable for their actions?</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0); \"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: larger; \">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Perhaps the fact that we have seen millions voting themselves into complete dependence on a tyrant has made our generation understand that to choose one\'s government is not necessarily to secure freedom.&quot;</span></strong></em></span></div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: larger; \"><em><strong><span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0); \">&nbsp; &nbsp;-- Friedrich August von Hayek</span></strong></em></span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>',2),(4337,4337,'<span style=\"font-size: large;\">The Food and Drug Administration is at it again &ndash; what a surprise! </span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large;\"> The newest incursion into our everyday lives will be when their new rules take effect in 2014 that will require vending machine operators to list the calorie count for each of the items contained within their vending machines.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large;\"> I know when I walk up to one of those machines my first thought is,</span><span style=\"font-size: larger;\"><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: x-large;\"> <em><strong><span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &ldquo;boy it sure would be nice to know what the number of calories is in each of those items before I make my purchase decision&rdquo;. </span></strong></em></span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n</span><span style=\"font-size: large;\"> But currently it&rsquo;s like a game of roulette and you can only get that information after you make the purchase and then you get the sticker shock. That is followed by immediate guilt, and possible need for counseling from a nutritionist that will be assigned by the Affordable Care Act navigator.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large;\"> Maybe their endgame is to run the vending machine operators out of business. Or maybe we should just put a sign on each vending machine that reads, &ldquo;Vending Machines May Be Hazardous To Your Health!&rdquo;</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large;\"> Isn&rsquo;t it wonderful that the federal government is always trying to protect us from ourselves?</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<div class=\"rtecenter\"><em><strong><span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0);\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-large;\">HAPPY</span></span><span style=\"font-size: xx-large;\">&nbsp;<span style=\"color: rgb(51, 153, 102);\">NEW</span> <span style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 255);\">YEAR</span>!</span></strong></em></div>\r\n<br />',2),(4354,4354,'Can we get this <a href=\"http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20131211/METRO01/312110021#ixzz2nHxBeDBW\">type of protection</a> from Washington?<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Detroit&mdash; The city is hiring an armored car company to handle the daily collection of bus-fare revenue after officials discovered a disorganized cash-counting operation within the Department of Transportation, The Detroit News has learned.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Oddly enough, there seems to be some chaos when it comes to counting cash in Detroit. Who knew?<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&ldquo;There literally is a room where employees sit around a table and just count money. It wasn&rsquo;t well organized,&rdquo; said Gary Brown, the city&rsquo;s chief restructuring officer. &ldquo;There was money on the floor, and in bags, and the money&rsquo;s been there a couple weeks.&rdquo;</div>\r\n</blockquote>The city unions didn\'t seem too concerned. For one, the employees who will be taken out of the cash counting racket will be moved to another position. Perhaps they can work on the &quot;Kwame Kilpatrick for Mayor&quot; campaign, which will start in about 20 years, earlier if Kwame behaves himself in prison. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nI have to admit that I\'m mildly surprised that the union wasn\'t more vocal about this. After all, a private company is taking over a job that public sector employees are doing now, even if those employees are just being reassigned, not fired. But now and then Detroit surprises me, mainly when I\'m walking through Greektown and someone jumps out at me, but sometimes in good ways, too.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSo perhaps Congress can hire a private company to safeguard taxpayer money to keep it away from the political class. I\'m much prefer Brinks safeguarding my money than Mr. Obama\'s cronies.<br />',2),(4436,4436,'I was wondering recently how the government could best waste my money. There are lots of ways. The War on Poverty, the lost, costliest, most ineffective war in history - that is a good waste of money. Perhaps funding <a href=\"http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0311/Reid_Save_federal_funding_for_the_cowboy_poets.html\">cowboy poetry </a>- who doesn\'t love a good poem&hellip; with cowboys. But for my money, a great way is pointless investing is green energy. Like the booming solar energy construction in the Southwest. Oh, <a href=\"http://lasvegassun.com/news/2014/jan/16/solar-powers-future-not-bright-after-initial-build/\">wait a minute</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Five years after the Obama administration&rsquo;s renewable energy initiative touched off a building boom of large-scale solar power plants across the desert Southwest, the pace of development has slowed to a crawl, with a number of companies going out of business and major projects canceled for lack of financing.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nOf the 365 federal solar applications since 2009, just 20 plants are on track to be built. Only three large-scale solar facilities have gone online, two in California and one in Nevada. The first auction of public land for solar developers, an event once highly anticipated by federal planners, failed to draw a single bid last fall.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Yes, not a single bid for land for the 21st century equivalent of the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestead_Act_of_1862\">Homestead Act</a>. Because in Obama\'s America, why give to people who could improve the land and their lives when you could make a vapid political statement to appeal to environmental fascists and useful idiots while rewarding big donors? It\'s the perfect Democrat policy. If somehow they could work racial division / amnesty into the picture, it would be ideal.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBut the big investors of green energy aren\'t stupid. They see that the profits in this industry are illusionary, propped up only by tax dollars:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&ldquo;Nobody&rsquo;s going to break ground on any big new solar projects right now &mdash; utilities want to see how farms coming online this year fit into the grid, and developers are waiting for more certainty about state policies and federal tax credits.&rdquo;</div>\r\n</blockquote>I like the honesty. The developers aren\'t going to break ground unless they have guaranteed funds from the moneys forcibly removed from the pockets of millions of taxpayers. This is big business these days. &quot;I would invest my own money,&quot; your typical green energy developer would say, &quot;but if I can NOT use my own money, and take donations from politicians trying to curry favor with clueless left-wing voters, I think I\'ll do that instead.&quot;<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI have no doubt that eventually, government will get its way and force the development of solar panel farms despite what common sense dictates, but this is a good example of how little the demand for this apparent &quot;energy of the future&quot; actually is.<br />',2),(4451,4451,'<a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/viewart/20140128/NEWS08/301280009/Obama-hiking-minimum-wage-new-federal-contracts\">Because he can:</a><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>WASHINGTON &mdash; President Barack Obama will sign an executive order setting the minimum wage for workers under new federal contracts at $10.10 an hour, the White House said Tuesday. The president will announce the increase during his State of the Union address.</div>\r\n</blockquote>So what is the end game here? This will clearly hurt the private sector companies that supply low-skill workers by raising their cost of doing business with the government. And raising minimum wage reduces employment overall - that is common knowledge. Is Obama trying to force those companies to be less competitive in the hopes of a government union to take over those jobs? Could be.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAnd here we have &quot;tea party favorite&quot; Representative King weighing in on the issue of &quot;welfare cheats favorite&quot; Obama assaulting the separation of powers:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, a six-term conservative and tea party favorite, said that Obama&rsquo;s proposal is unconstitutional. &ldquo;We have a minimum wage. Congress has set it. For the president to simply declare I&rsquo;m going to change this law that has passed is unconstitutional,&rdquo; King said Tuesday on CNN.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Seriously, Representative King? Is there anyone left that thinks the constitutional scholar Obama actually cares what it says? I\'ll bet the people on CNN had a good laugh at that, because I doubt they can about the constitutionality of what Obama does, either.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nWhat I would love to see is a leader that cared more about the American economy and the problems it faces as a whole than&nbsp; they did about small groups of people whose votes they are trying buy. More of my money earned in Michigan is now going to janitors in Washington. As Yakoff Smirnoff would say, &quot;What a country!&quot;<br />',2),(4482,4482,'Obama is in town today to sign the food stamp and farm bill, because you need to fly hundreds of miles to sign a piece of paper further putting our country into debt. Hey, he spends millions on vacations, why not waste a little in Michigan, too. If you line the processional route, maybe he will throw out newly-minted pennies out the window. No guarantees, though.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSo I want to go over proper etiquette for His Majesty\'s visit:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<div class=\"rteindent1\">You must avert your gaze in his presence. Looking directly at him is a show of racism for not having proper deference.<br />\r\nYou must bow until he passes you. Bowing shows your great appreciation for his existence - only racists don\'t bow to him.<br />\r\nYou cannot disagree with his policies. Clearly, disagreeing with Obama is not only horribly offensive to his sensibilities, it is also racist.<br />\r\nYou must be patient for all the havoc that a royal visit entails. Impatience with a presidential visit must be tolerated, and a visit by The One is a great show of magnanimity, coming to a state with a Republican governor. And besides, only racists are impatient with Obama.<br />\r\nYou should dislike Republicans during the 2-Minute Hate. Not hating Republicans means you disagree with&nbsp;Obama, and we know what kind of person <em>that </em>is.<br />\r\nYou must smile and cheer while not looking directly at Obama.&nbsp;Not smiling and cheering implies you do not approve of Obama. Disapproval of Obama is clearly racist.</div>\r\n<br />\r\nI hope we will also follow these rules, because not following the rules while Obama is president is racism.<br />',2),(4577,4577,'Luckily for the Democrats, the illegal immigrant voters are balancing out the just plain illegal voters that they are losing by revealing that their voters are dead. Take poor Pia Farrenkopf, for instance, whose dead, mummified body was recently found in her Pontiac home. It is estimated that she died in 2008. So explain <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20140311/NEWS01/303110008/New-mystery-Pontiac-How-could-mummified-body-vote-2010-?nclick_check=1\">this</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Voting records in Oakland County show Farrenkopf, who has not been positively identified by the Medical Examiner&rsquo;s Office, is shown as voting in the November 2010 gubernatorial election.</div>\r\n</blockquote>So whoever is the heir-apparent on the socialist ticket against the Republican next election will be one vote short of their expected count. Better keep those laws requiring valid ID from being enforced.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nDisclaimer: I have no idea how Ms. Farrenkopf voted, but let\'s go with the assumption that the Democrats area cheating - it\'s a safe assumption.<br />',2),(4604,4604,'<a href=\"http://news.yahoo.com/mozilla-says-ceo-resigns-amid-gay-marriage-controversy-195338477.html\">This was not fabulous news</a> for free speech and common sense:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Mozilla Chief Executive Brendan Eich has stepped down, the company said on Thursday, after an online dating service urged a boycott of the company\'s web browser because of a donation Eich made to opponents of gay marriage.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Mr. Eich must have done something truly terrible to stoke the ire of the normally quiet, unassuming 2-3 percent of the population that is gay. Perhaps he stood in front of the houses of rich homosexuals like <a href=\"http://www.ihatethemedia.com/seui-buses-protesters-bankers-homes\">SEIU thugs bussed protesters to bankers houses</a>. Or maybe he stood outside the funeral of some homosexuals and shouted about how &quot;God hates fags&quot; like those crazy Westboro Baptists at military funerals. Or maybe he Tweeted how much he hated &quot;Will &amp; Grace&quot;.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nOr maybe not:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Eich donated $1,000 in 2008 in support of California\'s Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in the state until it was struck down by the Supreme Court in June.</div>\r\n</blockquote>So the Supreme Court recently <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-strikes-down-limits-on-federal-campaign-donations/2014/04/02/54e16c30-ba74-11e3-9a05-c739f29ccb08_story.html\">struck down a law that limited campaign contributions</a> legally (Democrats have done it illegally for years, which is why they are so angry), but if you don\'t give that money to the right causes (save the whales, green energy, subsidizing Melissa Ethridge CDs), then it doesn\'t matter - you are the enemy. He gave a small amount of money (for Mr. Eich, $1,000 is a small amount) and now he is the subject of the Left\'s 2-Minute Hate.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAnd to add insult to injury, what started this all was that a dating site that I have never heard of urged users to boycott the Mozilla browser, Firefox, which Mozilla doesn\'t charge for - like all browsers, it\'s free.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe Leftist\'s war on common sense and individuality continues unabated.<br />',2),(4637,4637,'A Russian jet flew past a US warship in the Black Seat a dozen times, passing less than a mile from the ship. As you would expect, <a href=\"http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_UNITED_STATES_RUSSIA_SHIP\">the US gave a stern response</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&quot;This provocative and unprofessional Russian action is inconsistent with international protocols and previous agreements on the professional interaction between our militaries,&quot; said Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman.</div>\r\n</blockquote>That\'s right! That was unprofessional! You tell him, Colonel! That will show those Russians, who have recently basically seized parts of the Ukraine and are clearly starting to rebuild the Soviet Union, that the US means business. What those meanies need is a milquetoast response. And pay no attention to that Russian frigate that has been following the US warship. It\'s is probably just drafting, trying to save fuel. Being environmentally friendly.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThis incident was OK because the jet &quot;appeared to be unarmed.&quot; But if those bully Russians arm their jet, next time we will go from a lukewarm response to a firmly worded response. And if they do it a third time, we may even put <a href=\"http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/17/white-house-targets-russian-officials-others-new-s/?page=all\">sanctions on Russian officials</a> who don\'t even have assets outside of Russia. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nLong live Obama and his brave minions!<br />\r\n<br />\r\n(As an aside: Poor Colonel Warren. Having to be a military spokesman for this administration must suck. This is probably not what he wanted to do when he grew up.)<br />',2),(4752,4752,'So <a href=\"http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140520/METRO01/305200020/M-1-track-groundbreaking-Detroit\">the M-1 Rail project is getting closer to fruition</a> in Detroit. Thank goodness - I thought for a minute there would be taxpayer money going to something useful. How else can you go along the 3.3 miles along Woodward the streetcar can go except cars, buses, bike, and transported by ambulance / hearse. There are lots of opinions on this issue, but I like Pat Baldwin\'s enthusiasm:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure they&rsquo;ll build the first phase,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It kind of reminds me of the People Mover situation. It kind of goes nowhere, but it goes just a little somewhere. And the idea was to have it expanded and it never did. I just don&rsquo;t want the M-1 Rail to get stuck like that.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&ldquo;I think some powers that be are resistant to having mass transit,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think we can become a true cosmopolitan city without it.&rdquo;</div>\r\n</blockquote>I\'m sure the incredibly high murder rate, vast amount of homelessness, continuing population decline, and war-zone appearance will do nothing to hinder Detroit\'s rising to be a cosmopolitan city, either. But maybe curing those is in next year\'s budget. After the street cars are properly designed:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>The design of the streetcars has yet to be chosen, but they will be double-ended with doors on both sides with 12 stops through several stations that will be built to fit the aesthetics and historical value of the area.</div>\r\n</blockquote>I\'m wondering if the streetcars will include graffiti, or if they will wait for the good citizens of Detroit to do that job for them. And if we\'re making a wish list, I think each car should have portions to resemble burned out and abandoned buildings, to really set the tone of the trip.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>At the end of each stop, the trains won&rsquo;t turn around; rather, the trolley operator will move from one end to the other and drive it the other way. Some parts of the route will stop at stations and run in the center</div>\r\n</blockquote>This is the most dangerous part of the trip for the driver, when he is exposed to the riders, increasing the chance of muggings. Another wish list item: A Robocop in each car.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>[Matthew Cullen, president and CEO of Rock Ventures and a member of the M-1 board of directors] said the financial pieces are nearly in place as they are finalizing the remaining commitments for the money. Money is needed not only to build the rail line and rebuild parts of Woodward, but also to maintain the operation.</div>\r\n</blockquote>And don\'t forget, the powerful, influential people that have to be paid off to make this project happen. I wonder if the budget includes embezzlement funds and union &quot;dues&quot;. And maybe the M-1 Rail website can include a link to Uber when the streetcars operators are on strike.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nLike I said, what else would they spend the money on? Improving roads?<br />',2),(4856,4856,'<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; With the anniversary of our Nation&rsquo;s birth just a few short days away it is sad that a significant number of the people who live in this country know very little about the 4th of July. They don&rsquo;t know why the people left England to risk death, and the struggles they had to face to guarantee us the liberties we take for granted today. And sadly many don&rsquo;t even care as long as they have their iPod, iPad, video game, or any of the other innumerable distractions that remove them from reality.</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Many may parrot the infamous words of Hillary Clinton, <br />\r\n<br />\r\n</span></div>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0);\"><strong>What difference does it make?&rdquo;</strong></span></span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The sad truth is it does matter. As a society we have become so self-centered and distracted by meaningless drivel we have let the foundation of our republic slowly be eroded over the years by progressive politicians, judges, and justices.</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Little do our society&rsquo;s lemmings realize we are poised precariously at the tipping point when the last nail will be hammered into the coffin of our once vibrant and unique form of government know as the American Republic.&nbsp;</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;That event could well take place within the next few years if our country&rsquo;s voters fail to recognize how far we have drifted from the basic tenets of freedom of, &nbsp;<span style=\"color: rgb(255, 0, 0);\"><em><strong>&ldquo;Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness&rdquo;</strong></em></span> as declared in the Declaration of Independence.</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The first event that could continue the demise of our republic is the 2014 mid term elections. The second event will be the 2016 Presidential and congressional elections.</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;At stake will be control of the U.S. Senate and House followed by the election of our next president in 2016.&nbsp;</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Failing to elect &ldquo;Constitutional Conservatives&rdquo; in these upcoming elections will cause the already precipitous decline to be concluded with the next President possibly nominating and the Senate confirming as many as three new Supreme Court Justices. As a nation the selection of more progressive Justices by a Hillary Clinton will be a bellwether event placing our original constitution on the trash heap of the past.</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; Our future is in our hands! We should each be doing all we can to save our republic while we still have time. You will determine the future of our country by your vote.</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><em><strong><span style=\"color: rgb(255, 0, 0);\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; What will you choose?</span></span></strong></em></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div class=\"rtecenter\"><span style=\"color: rgb(255, 0, 255);\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Have a GREAT INDEPENDENCE DAY and GOD BLESS AMERICA!!</span></strong></em></span></div>\r\n<div class=\"rtecenter\">&nbsp;</div>',2),(4886,4886,'<blockquote>\r\n<div><span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0);\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">&ldquo;Perhaps the fact that we have seen millions voting themselves into complete dependence on a tyrant has made our generation understand that to choose one\'s government is not necessarily to secure freedom.&rdquo;<br />\r\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; --Friedrich August von Hayek</span></span></div>\r\n</blockquote><br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large;\">Are you going to vote in the upcoming August primary election on August 5?</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large;\">The answer, on average, for about 80% or more of registered voters is &ndash; PROBABLY NOT!</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large;\">What a testament as to why our country is in the political morass we find it in today.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large;\">If you were to ask most registered voters if they are going to vote in a mid term election this year they would say NO! They would&nbsp; have any number of excuses as to why they choose not to participate in picking their preferred political party affiliated candidate to run in the general election.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large;\">The truth is, probably most of the primary ballot&rsquo;s candidates are running unopposed so the primary voter&rsquo;s participation would be of little consequence. </span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large;\">However, as is the case this year, the republican primary voters in the 4th congressional district will be picking who they want to run as their candidate in the November general election.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large;\">The winner among the three candidates on the primary ballot will most likely ultimately become the 4th congressional district&rsquo;s next congressman.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large;\">So are primary elections important? ABSOLUTELY! </span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large;\">When 20% of the registered voters can control the result of who wins in the general election that&rsquo;s a big deal. That means that 80% of the people had no voice in their representation as to who will go to Washington.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large;\">Remember voting is a right that people have given their lives for and that many countries in the world do not have the luxury of having.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0);\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: large;\">THE BOTTOM LINE: Get informed and remember to vote on August 5. You can be among the 20% who will have the responsibility of electing our next congressman.</span></strong></em></span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<div class=\"rtecenter\"><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\">LETS MAKE SURE WE PICK THE RIGHT ONE!</span></div>\r\n<br />',2),(4928,4928,'<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">A recent mailing in Watertown and DeWitt Townships, and the city of DeWitt was seeking to get voters in certain precincts to cast their votes in the August 5 primary election for the &ldquo;True Conservatives&rdquo; that will be on the ballot to become precinct delegates.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">The mailing came from a group known as the &ldquo;Michigan Advocacy Trust&rdquo; and it lists the people who are the &ldquo;True Conservatives&rdquo;&nbsp; on the ballot people should be voting for.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">The group is listed as a &ldquo;527&rdquo; group and is defined as an &ldquo;administrative account of the 23rd Michigan State Senate Republican District Political Party Committee of Ingham County Michigan - It is a separate account maintained for paying administrative expenses of the sponsoring political party committee and other exempt functions permitted but not reportable under the Michigan Campaign Finance Act&rdquo;.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">It seems strange the &ldquo;Michigan Advocacy Trust&rdquo;&nbsp; has become involved in a local precinct delegate race in Watertown Township in Clinton County&nbsp; and that they have determined who the &ldquo;True Conservatives&rdquo; really are. </span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">How do they have this &ldquo;intimate knowledge&rdquo; on local potential precinct delegate candidates and have been able to &ldquo;proclaime&rdquo; these people to be the &ldquo;Anointed Ones&rdquo;. </span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">I also wonder where this group gets their funding to produce these printed pieces?</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">As with all things political there is always an agenda and for those of you that don&rsquo;t know what it is, it all revolves around the upcoming state convention in Novi on August 23.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">At the state convention the convention delegates will select who will be running for various positions on the November general election ballot. Among those is Governor Snyder&rsquo;s running mate. </span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">According to Republican Party rules the convention delegates select the Governor&rsquo;s running mate on a ballot and it is just usually a rubber stamp of who the Governor has personally chosen.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">However, this year a challenger has decided to run against current Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley at the convention. The rules allowed for this to happen but the State Party chose to change those rules to make it so that anyone choosing to run against Calley wouldn&rsquo;t be able meet the &ldquo;new conditions&rdquo;.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">As it turned out the challenger was able to meet these new requirements anyway.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">I believe in rules and consistency and that everything should be fair and above board. We don&rsquo;t have to all agree, but we should all demand that if you have rules you follow them.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">If the state party wants to remove the rule that the Governor&rsquo;s running mate must be his &ldquo;exclusive choice&rdquo; then change the rules for the next election cycle and not in mid-stream. </span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">We all know politics is a dirty business and power and control is the goal. You know the old saying, &ldquo;The ends justify the means&rdquo;.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s time for the leaders to be leaders not manipulators and schemers. </span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">I am extremely disappointed in the antics party leaders, establishment republicans, and the deep pocket contributors have gone to and continue to go to, to maintain a stranglehold on the party.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">In the end we will all be the losers as we see our republic destroyed by individuals who may be well intentioned, but fail to see that their myopic agenda is driving the people away that they most need.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">It is imperative we all work together to make a difference and quit the targeting of people who do not hold your exact views.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">I just ask that for those of you who are proclaiming to be the &ldquo;Real Conservatives&rdquo; &ndash; look in the mirror and do some self-introspection as to what that really means and ask if you should vote for yourself?</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">Remember the famous words of Cicero:</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><em><strong><span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0);\"><span style=\"font-size: larger;\"> &ldquo;A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear.&rdquo; </span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n</span></strong></em><br />',2),(4947,4947,'Where there is a whiff of common sense, the <a href=\"http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2014/07/atheists_mona_shores_high_scho.html\">liberals descend to try and beat it into submission</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>An attorney with the Freedom from Religion Foundation, a self-described association of atheists and agnostics, sent a letter to Mona Shores Superintendent Dave Peden warning him that Mona Shores High School\'s association with the baccalaureate ceremony violated the U.S. Constitution.</div>\r\n</blockquote>Of course, the superintendent bravely faced down those interlopers that would try to interfere with a tradition in their district, telling them to mind their own business and go kiss some primordial muck! Ha! Just kidding - he rolled over and claimed mercy from the semi-stern letter he received:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>In a response to Attorney Rebecca Markert, Peden thanked her for bringing the issue to his attention. He wrote that the district\'s attorney made recommendations on how the district can avoid the &quot;aura of affiliation&quot; in the future.</div>\r\n</blockquote>&quot;Aura of affiliation.&quot; Only to liberals and atheists and (apparently) school superintendents is having an &quot;aura of affiliation&quot; to church a bad thing. Having an &quot;aura of affiliation&quot; with the local S&amp;M club is probably wonderful to them. But don\'t you dare have an optional school event mention God for fifteen seconds. How dare you push your religion on me! Don\'t you remember the Crusades? The Salem Witch Trials? Touched by an Angel? What kind of horror could that fifteen-second prayer do to young, impressionable minds?<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Markert said the complainant is a member of the Freedom of Religion Foundation. She declined to provide any more information about that person, saying &quot;some people aren\'t out in the community as far as being an atheist.&quot; She said the foundation has about 21,000 members, including 540 in Michigan.</div>\r\n</blockquote>So how many of those 540 Freedom of Religion Foundation in Michigan were going to be affected by prayer in a school in a community of 22,000 people, to an event where only 1/3 of the students typically attend? My guess is zero. This complainant may or may not live in the area, and apparently, is ashamed to be &quot;outted&quot; as an atheist. I mean, what would the family say. &quot;He seemed so normal, with his Prius and his Obama t-shirt and his &quot;Coexist&quot; bumper sticker and Darwin-fish logo. We never suspected he didn\'t believe in God.&quot;<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAnd don\'t you love the name? Freedom of Religion Foundation. I wonder if they hold their cult-like meetings where they worship the one-celled organisms humans are supposed to have derived from.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&quot;In our experience, sometimes we get superintendents, especially in Kentucky and Tennessee who say \'We knew this was wrong but the community wanted to have it done and we wanted to proceed on it until somebody called us out,\'&quot; she said.</div>\r\n</blockquote>In my experience, liberals will say and do anything to get their way. Perhaps even lying to a news site to make their opponents look bad. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nI work with a Jewish woman. When we have work-catered meals (which is several times a week), there are several things she can\'t eat because of her beliefs. You know what she does? Doesn\'t eat the bacon, and doesn\'t complain that it\'s there. She acts like a grown up. The opposite reaction, the Freedom of Religion Foundation approach, would be to whine that there was something she didn\'t like and try to get bacon banned.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nHere is my view: If you don\'t believe in God, that\'s your problem, not mine, but I hope you learn sooner or later what the truth really is. Sooner is better. In the meantime, how about you respect the customs and institutions of a community instead of pushing their views on them. I\'m sure you\'re all about locally-sourced vegetables. How about locally-sourced traditions?<br />',2),(4965,4965,'<div><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Tomorrow is Primary Election Day!</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: large;\">It is predicted that this election turnout could be one of the smallest in recent memory &ndash; even less than 15% of the registered voters.</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: large;\">What a sad commentary on the state of our nation!&nbsp;</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: large;\">All we have heard for the last several weeks are political ads! Most of these ads have been laced with half-truths about the opposing candidates.&nbsp;</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Why do candidates have to tear the other person down to make them look more appealing? It&rsquo;s the same old game where the voter looks at the 30 second ad or listens to the sound bites and picks the &ldquo;lesser of the evils&rdquo; to vote for.</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: large;\">If you are going to vote on August 5 in the primary take a couple of minutes and find out who the candidates really are! Know where they stand on the issues.&nbsp;</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Don&rsquo;t vote on personality or who has the most or best endorsements &nbsp;-- vote on principles!&nbsp;</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><em><strong><span style=\"color: rgb(153, 51, 0);\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Vote for the candidate who will be a &ldquo;Public Servant&rdquo; not a &ldquo;Politician&rdquo;!</span></span></strong></em></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: large;\">In Michigan&rsquo;s Congressional races, the primary election in several cases, will determine who the next congressman will be &ndash; so 15% of the registered voters will be deciding who will be the winner in November, essentially nullifying the votes in the General election.</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><em><strong><span style=\"color: rgb(153, 51, 0);\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">This person could be our congressman for the next decade &ndash; make the right choice!</span></span></strong></em></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: large;\">In the 4th Congressional District take a look at the three candidates before you vote:</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Peter Konethcy -- &nbsp; <a href=\"https://www.peterkonetchy.com/\">https://www.peterkonetchy.com/</a></span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Paul Mitchell &nbsp;-- &nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.paulmitchellforcongress.com/\">http://www.paulmitchellforcongress.com/</a></span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: large;\">John Moolenaar &nbsp;-- &nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.johnmoolenaarforcongress.com/\">http://www.johnmoolenaarforcongress.com/</a></span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Let&rsquo;s all help to restore responsible government at all levels!</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div class=\"rtecenter\"><span style=\"color: rgb(255, 0, 0);\"><em><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\"><strong>Remember to vote TOMORROW, August 5.</strong></span></em></span></div>\r\n<div class=\"rtecenter\">&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>',2),(4991,4991,'<div><span style=\"font-size: larger;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The Clinton County Republican Party (CCRP) Convention was held Thursday, August 14th to an overflow crowd, which normally would be a good thing. In this case, however, it turned out to be another example of &ldquo;dirty politics.&rdquo; At issue was the selection of county delegates to the State convention for the purpose of selecting some State wide candidates for the November ballot.&nbsp;<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<br />\r\n</span></div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: larger;\">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The vote was controlled by a large block of voters (all were certified as precinct delegates) who apparently voted identically for the same 19 individuals (number of elected delegates that the County can send to the State party convention). Most of the delegates that were elected and the voters who elected them had never before attended any CCRP meeting or event. &nbsp;This block vote appears to have been orchestrated by a group from Ingham County (and abetted by Clinton County residents) for the purpose of insuring that Lt. Governor Calley is re-nominated as the Lt. Governor Republican Party candidate at the State Convention. The above group organized a &ldquo;secret&rdquo; campaign to insure that the &ldquo;right&rdquo; County candidates would be elected as State delegates. &nbsp;A list was prepared of the &ldquo;good&rdquo; candidates and these new precinct delegates (most of which had never before been involved with the county party) duly voted for the list. Thus, the convention was stuffed with precinct delegates that either believed as the group organizers or would do as they were told. So many new voters were present and by all voting for the same individuals they were able to control the ballot. &nbsp;Swept aside were the mainstays of the County Party, those who had freely given of their time and money in support of the CCRP. &nbsp;Thus, the &ldquo;fix&rdquo; was in and those deemed desirable, were elected. Obviously, it meant nothing to the organizers of this movement or these new precinct delegates that the people who are the life blood of the county party were pushed aside. We all know that this type of dirty politics is a fact of life at the national level, but at the County level?? Amongst so called friends and neighbors?? At a time when the party needs to be united to combat the very bad things going on in this country we have a group of individuals pulling this garbage. It stinks and will cause a backlash that they will regret!<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<br />\r\n</span></div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: larger;\">Bruce Harte</span></div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: larger;\">Bath</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>',2),(4994,4994,'<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">As they say -- All Is fair In Love &amp; War?</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">With the GOP state convention just 3 days off the battle for the Lieutenant Governor slot on the November ballot with Governor Snyder still looms as the primary focus of the convention.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">The sad thing is the Lieutenant Governor position is just one of several critical decisions that will be made on Saturday by the convention delegates.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">They will be choosing who will be on the November ballot for university boards, where conservative voices have been few and far between. They will also be selecting who the &ldquo;conservative&rdquo; Supreme Court nominees will be on the non partisan ballot. Attorney General Bill Schuette and Secretary of State Ruth Johnson will also be seeking renomination, as well as State Board of Education candidates where conservative voices of reason are direly needed.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">The convention should be more appropriately titled the &ldquo;Calley Renomination Convention&rdquo;.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">What saddens me is that openness and transparency, that supposedly the republicans demand of the democrats, is glaringly lacking in our own party.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">I believe in a fair fight and an even playing field -- but the Nakagiri vs. Calley fight has pitted the high-powered money interests of the Republican Party against a self funded &ldquo;constitutional conservative&rdquo; who believes the Lieutenant Governor should be his own man and not a rubber stamp of the state party or the Governor.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">You have to ask where have the principles of fairness have gone when heavily funded groups like the Michigan Freedom Fund and the Michigan Advocacy Trust become involved at the county level in determining who the state convention delegates should be based upon the sole issue of getting Brian Calley renominated.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">I don&rsquo;t know the numbers but I would guess the &ldquo;Calley Team&rdquo; probably spent several million dollars to get their message out while Nakagiri spent around $13,000 with $10,000 being his own money.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">It saddens me that people I believed in, and that I thought had principles, have shown it&rsquo;s all about power and getting to the next rung on the political ladder.</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">As voters we must hold our elected leaders accountable&nbsp; for their actions and make sure we send honest and honorable people to represent us at all levels of government!</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">Until we do that we will continue to see government as usual!</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0);\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: larger;\">&ldquo;The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.&rdquo;</span></strong></em></span><br />\r\n<span style=\"color: rgb(128, 0, 0);\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: larger;\">Edmund Burke</span></strong></em></span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<span style=\"font-size: larger;\">&nbsp;&nbsp; For an article on the upcoming state republican convention and how the state party and the Governor have put so much energy into trying to control the county parties all over the state to assure Brian Calley&rsquo;s renomination go online at:</span><br />\r\n<br />\r\n<a href=\"http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140820/POLITICS02/308200030/Michigan-GOP-braces-tea-party-showdown\"><span style=\"font-size: larger;\">http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140820/POLITICS02/308200030/Michigan-GOP-braces-tea-party-showdown</span></a><br />\r\n<br />',2),(5005,5005,'&nbsp;Michigan seems to love old technology in the guise of new. Windmills are all the rage, and windmills have existed since the first century Anno Domini. Now, we see them being built en masse in a vain attempt to replace useful energy sources like coal and nuclear.\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div>And now we have the <a href=\"http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140808/METRO05/308080029/M-1-Rail-work-force-first-major-Detroit-freeway-closure\">Detroit M-1 light rail project</a>. By light rail, I mean trolley. San Francisco and New Orleans have trolleys, and they are iconic. So why not Detroit? Detroit does have very talented graffiti artists that will gives those streetcars that distinctive &quot;D&quot; feel. As those beautifully decorated cars travel down Woodward, the residents of the struggling city can watch the art show as it moves down the 3-mile track. Apparently, buses aren\'t cool enough to ride, so we need another subsided way for people to go a few miles down the road.</div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div>But don\'t think we\'re wasting money. It\'s only $137 million for that 3-mile track. What else would we spend $137 million on? I suggest carbon frame bikes for all the people downtown. If you get them really nice racing bikes ($2000 apiece), we could get 68,000 of them, and that would help people exercise and lower the city\'s health bills, since Detroit (and Michigan is general) is among the fattest states. And, at least when the weather is good, they could certainly reach wherever they were going faster than the trolley.</div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div>OK, I admit, I have alternative motives for suggesting the bikes. There would be so many of them stolen and pawned that I could go to Detroit and get a nice bike for cheap.</div>',2),(5010,5010,'<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">With the dust still settling from the Republican State Convention, there is a lot of talk among the &ldquo;conservative&rdquo; base of the state party about what they will do in the November general election in regard to voting for the top of the GOP ticket.</span></span></div>\r\n<div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Even though Lieutenant Governor candidate Brian Calley and challenger Wes Nakagiri stood on stage with the Governor as a gesture of unity, Nakagiri walked away knowing that &ldquo;money&rdquo; and &ldquo;the machine&rdquo; always wins.</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Considering how many moneyed special interests played a part in Calley&rsquo;s landslide win, and the amount of money that was spent to assure Calley&rsquo;s win, Nakagiri was fighting a losing battle from the start. What other outcome could have been expected with Calley and company spending an estimated $5,000,000 in comparison to Nakagiri&rsquo;s $13,000.</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">If you break down the numbers with Calley garnering 65% of the vote from 1,365 of the 2100 voting delegates, you can see that he spent $3,662 per delegate vote. Nakagiri on the other side received around 735 votes that worked out to $17 per delegate vote.</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">The question now becomes what does the November election portend for the future of the Republican party in Michigan and for Governor Snyder and Terri Lynn Land at the voting booth?</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">There is no question the &ldquo;Tea Party/Liberty&rdquo; wing of the party is not going to go down without a fight. They have a bad taste lingering in their mouth about the tactics that were implemented by the influential big money interests of the party and the maneuvers of the state party to accomplish their orchestrated agenda.</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">The final outcome will depend on what transpires between now and the general election in November. It will all hinge on what ultimately transpires in the Michigan legislature and the Governor&rsquo;s agenda leading up to the November general election. Until ten we will continue to see more of the Governor&rsquo;s &ldquo;positive, relentless, action&rdquo; that he so often touts.&nbsp;</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Already various interest groups are jockeying to their controversial pieces of legislation passed knowing that arms can be twisted, and deals made before the term limited legislators are gone from Lansing.</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Among the legislation that could suddenly jump to the top of the House and Senate Calendars upon their return from summer break could well be the &ldquo;Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act&rdquo; to address the LGBT issues regarding discrimination, the reintroduction of the Michigan Obamacare Exchange, and an increase in taxes and/or fees to address road funding.&nbsp;<br />\r\n</span></div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">If these issues are fast tracked through by the Governor and passed, the &ldquo;Tea Party Wackos&rdquo;, as they are often referred to, may well stay away from the ballot booth, not vote for Governor, or even vote for Democrat Mark Schauer in November.</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">In the end a significant wing of the Republican Party has been alienated and told that we want your vote but not your voice. The problem is, if you don&rsquo;t give them a voice you may very well not have their vote. But who cares Calley got on the ballot and it only cost around $5,000,000 or so!</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">There&rsquo;s always 2016 &ndash; Right?&nbsp;</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Seems like we have heard that saying before!</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Until election day it&rsquo;s a waiting game to see what happens as politicians ply their skills in the high stakes game that will ultimately impact all of us in many ways!</span></div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div>&nbsp;</div>\r\n<div style=\"font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal;\">&nbsp;</div>\r\n</div>',2),(5041,5041,'<p style=\"margin:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt\">Technology is wonderful. Never has it been so easy to <a href=\"http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2014/09/michigan_concerned_with_accura.html\">steal so many votes</a> from so many people so easily:</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt\">&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"margin:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt\">LANSING -- The Michigan elections bureau has issued a warning about problems with a new <a href=\"http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2014/09/tim_skubick_dems_greedily_eye.html\">Democratic Party program that lets voters apply online for absentee ballots</a>, saying clerks are getting applications for voters who live outside the jurisdiction and signatures that do not match voter records.&nbsp;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"margin:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt\">Do you think they are getting applications from people who are not actually the voters for whom the application is for? Maybe? Possibly?</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt\">&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"margin:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt\">The state Democratic Party could not immediately be reached for comment early Tuesday morning. The project could help in its effort to boost turnout in November among Democrats - especially younger voters, women and African-Americans - who vote in presidential elections but not off-year races.&nbsp;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"margin:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt\">And it could boost votes because of the rampant voter fraud that would certainly result. Hey, don\'t want the hassle of actually having to leave your house to select the leadership of your state as long as the checks keep coming to your mailbox? No problem - the Democratic Party will take care of that detail for you. You let us vote for you, and we\'ll keep those checks coming. Easy peasy.</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt\">&nbsp;</p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"margin:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt\">The party announced in July that Detroit would become Michigan\'s first municipality to allow voters to submit an absentee ballot application online. Lansing, Flint and Ann Arbor were expected to participate in time for the August primary or the Nov. 4 general election.&nbsp;</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"margin:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt\">Let\'s see. Detroit: Democrat. Lansing: Democrat. Flint: Democrat. Ann Arbor: Democrat. I wish I could see a similarity between those four cities, but it eludes me.</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt\">&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p style=\"margin:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt\">I like that Democrats are really with the times. It\'s soooo much easier to steal votes if you don\'t actually have to get your hands on the ballot boxes. It\'s a healthier way, too - let\'s think this through. The election thieves may get Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from putting all those fake ballots into the boxes, and Obamacare death panels may accidently not realize you&rsquo;re a Democrat, and deny your medical care. This is much less risky. Let\'s have some compassion for the criminals. I mean, Democrats.</p>',2),(5125,5125,'Alaska has its famous &quot;Bridge to Nowhere&quot;. Washington D.C. has its &quot;Foreign Policy to Nowhere&quot;. Now Detroit has its &quot;<a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/michigan/2014/10/11/critics-many-new-detroit-wheelchair-ramps-go-nowhere/17123483/\">Sidewalks to Nowhere</a>&quot;:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>Along one half-mile stretch of crumbling sidewalks in Detroit, there are 52 new sets of wheelchair ramps. Some provide access to an empty lot where a middle school was razed in 2009. On many corners, sidewalks end after the ramps.<br />\r\n<br />\r\n&quot;You drive down some of these streets, and there are blocks of no houses but pretty new curbs,&quot; said Sherman Hayes, 84, a retired nurse who lives nearby. &quot;Look at all these ramps to nowhere. It makes my blood boil.&quot;</div>\r\n</blockquote>A man after my own heart, disgusted at the malicious waste of money. If I may make a suggestion:&nbsp; Don\'t vote for Democrats anymore. It\'s bad for the physical safety and mental stability of all human beings.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBack to the point. Look, rules are rules. And if there is something bureaucrats are good at, it is enforcing rules, regardless of if those rules have relevance to the current situation or not. Detroit has spent $30 million dollars so far on sidewalk ramps, and it will take $60 million more to finish the job. What else would Detroit use that money on? Food? Socks? Fire extinguishers? (Devil\'s Night is right around the corner.)<br />\r\n<br />\r\nOf course, you couldn\'t actually make the changes to intersections where the sidewalks actually go somewhere, or perhaps do this in neighborhoods where there are people who need them, or where there are people at all. That would require a dangerous dose of common sense to ruffle the king-sized blanket of regulations that continue to smother us. I think, instead, what will happen is the continued &quot;investment&quot; of taxpayer money to fund lovely new handicap accessible walkway to cracked, weed-infested sidewalks to nowhere.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThey\'re from the government, and they\'re here to help.<br />',2),(5146,5146,'The election is coming up, and the campaigns are in full swing. Democrats are doing their best to lie. Or is their goal to persuade by lying? It\'s nuanced, I\'m sure.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nOn I69, just east of the Clinton - Shiawassee border (which is as securely defended as the Mexico - U.S. border, by the way) there are huge red billboards reading something like &quot;Remember, Governor Snyder raised your taxes&quot;. Or was it &quot;Governor Snyder sacrificed children to Beezlebub&quot;? I can\'t remember which it was - honestly, the unions (who are the ones posting those messages) would say either thing to get rid of an effective Republican governor. If only we could get Granholm back. Oh, I miss the days of having the highest unemployment in the nation. Couldn\'t we entice the Canadian to return us to those heady days of mediocrity?<br />\r\n<br />\r\nSo we don\'t return to those days, I wanted to give you some election year tips.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nFirst, the CCRP has its own list of candidates that don\'t suck at <a href=\"http://www.clinton-countygop.org/content/2014-candidates\">http://www.clinton-countygop.org/content/2014-candidates</a>. I\'ve not met them personally, but I\'m sure they\'re lovely people who you would not only like to vote for, but also to have over for dinner. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nSecond, don\'t vote for anyone who has been in a commercial hawking personal injury law services. The name &quot;Bernstein&quot; comes to mind for some reason.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThird, if you have forgotten the first two points, you can determine who not to vote for my driving down Saginaw in East Lansing. The MEA is a great place to see which candidates would ruin our state. If you don\'t regularly drive through that area (congratulations, by the way), you can also drive by any UAW or other union office to see their list of people you definitely wouldn\'t want governing you. I consider this the best service unions do for us these days.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nFinally, Republicans vote on Tuesday, November 4th. Democrats, you vote on Wednesday, November 5th. The change is so that the Democrats know exactly how many votes they need to steal, which is made easier if they know how many votes the Republicans got the day before.<br />',2),(5193,5193,'Voter #38 at Precinct 4, I\'m talking about you.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nWhile standing in line to vote a couple of Tuesday\'s ago (I won\'t say which gubernatorial candidate I voted for, but he won), the election official asked the Schauer voter in front of me for ID. She said that she didn\'t need to give him an ID, and he said that was correct, she would just need to sign an affidavit saying she wasn\'t actually a liar. (I made that last part up, but that is what an affidavit does.) <br />\r\n<br />\r\nShe then gave him her driver\'s license and said that the news sounded like the ID was required. What that has to do with the election official collecting IDs I have no idea - I don\'t think he controls what is on television. But he confirmed that, no, you don&rsquo;t technically need an ID.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nWhy did she put on this show? I don\'t know that, either. Perhaps she was making a statement about people who didn\'t have a free government ID to say they were legally able to vote. Perhaps she was standing up for the rights of people with bad memories who, even though no one walked to this particular precinct, may have forgotten their driver\'s license. Perhaps she was an idiot. I\'m not going to guess at the reason. I\'ll let you determine that she was an idiot on your own.',2),(5194,5194,'In case you missed the speech, Obama gave a pep talk to illegals. I\'ve condensed it for you below:<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI, uh, have a dream.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI, uh, have a dream that someday, and, uh, that day is now, that people will not be judged on the content of their characters, but whether or not they will vote for Democrats.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nIt is, uh, not important where a voter comes from, or, uh, even if they\'re a citizen. So long as know the difference between an &quot;R&quot; and a &quot;D&quot;, that is the important part. ID isn\'t required to vote, and only gets in the way. Who needs a wallet thick with a driver\'s license when, uh, that same space can be used by cards to withdraw money so graciously given to you by taxpayers. Or, uh, as we like to call them in Washington, uh, suckers.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI want you to ask, uh, what would you like your country to do for you? Well, your country needs something from you first, and that is to continue to vote Democratic. These benefits don\'t come free, they&hellip; oh, ha, sorry. Yes, they do come free to you. Freedom isn\'t free, but, uh, you don&rsquo;t have to pay for it.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAnd, uh, may your divine entity of choice, or no entity if that is your choice, bless Los Estados Unidos.<br />',2),(5234,5234,'Occupy Wall Street warriors, prepare for battle!<br />\r\n<br />\r\nYes, once again, the capitalist pigs have oppressed the proletariat. While the worker toils in the proverbial mines, the leaders enrich themselves at the worker\'s expense.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThis must not stand!<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAs we speak, the forces of goodness and light are preparing their pitchforks and readying their torches for their assault on <br />\r\n1216 Kendale Boulevard in East Lansing. The headquarters of the MEA will be under siege by tomorrow! The apolitical, non-partisan, completely neutral Occupy Wall Street freedom fighters will descend on the leaders of this evil organization and punish them for <a href=\"http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/education/2014/12/08/michigan-education-association-leaders-raises/20082425/\">their crimes</a>:<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>The teachers union\'s 2014 report, received Nov. 25, showed higher gross salaries for President Steven B. Cook, Vice President Nancy Strachan and Secretary-Treasurer Rick Trainor than in its prior year\'s report.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nCook\'s gross salary was $203,144, up $20,446 or 11%, while Strachan\'s gross salary was $144,700, up $20,097 or 16%, according to the reports. Trainor received the biggest pay hike &mdash; $48,385 &mdash; earning a gross salary of $158,296, according to the 2014 report. MEA Executive Director Gretchen Dziadosz received a $13,591 or 6% pay bump to a gross salary of $224,858, according to the documents.</div>\r\n</blockquote>All this for the union losing 41,000 members. Those poor workers are probably now homeless, dumpster-diving just to survive on the scraps left by the rich and other Right To Work-loving villains. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nWhat do these vile bourgeois scum at the MEA have to say for themselves?<br />\r\n<br />\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div>&quot;The MEA does not publicly comment on the salaries and benefits of its officers and staff,&quot; said Nancy Knight, the MEA\'s director of communications and public policy.</div>\r\n</blockquote>No transparency! No transparency! I expect Michael Brown\'s ex-con stepfather to yell &quot;Burn this place down!&quot; at the steps of the MEA headquarters. Surely, the union leadership deserves it. The workers will rise up this time, for sure! But in a civilized way - no rapes and assaults like in Zuccotti Park. Those were probably conservatives masking as fine, upstanding Occupy Wall Street heroes, after all.<br />',2),(5273,5273,'Let\'s celebrate the new year with taking time out of our busy days to mock Californians! Yay, I love this time!<br />\r\n<br />\r\nFirst up, <a href=\"http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/01/01/long-lines-expected-at-dmv-friday-as-undocumented-immigrants-apply-for-licenses/\">illegal aliens are now allowed to drive legally</a>. What fantastic news. For too long, people who have illegally entered the United States have had to drive in the shadows, always worried that their illegal driving would get them arrested and deported for their first crime of illegally entering the country. Now, these paragons of virtue can legally crowd the freeways of California even more while not paying taxes and using up services for a virtually bankrupt state.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nApparently, being naked in someone else\'s room isn\'t consent enough for Californians. Or perhaps it was because there are so many college students that are drunk out of their minds that lawmakers felt the need to protect those incapable of realizing they cannot make rational decisions. Of course, that doesn\'t explain why California lawmakers make the decision they do, but maybe that is coming this year. I can\'t wait for the &quot;Yes Means Yes Unless Yes Means No Except Sometimes Yes Still Means Yes Law&quot;.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nDogs are allowed on restaurant patios. Now there was an issue just crying out for attention. What about Furries? Are they allowed on patios? And what about cats? If cats aren\'t allowed to eat with owners on patios, then clearly we have discrimination. California is like Selma in the 60s. Where is Al Sharpton? Probably embezzling funds, but he needs to get on this issue.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nReally, California, you make it too easy, but it still is fun.<br />',2),(5274,5274,'El presidente (to speak the language of one of his preferred constituent groups) will be in a city molded by Democrat policies for over 50 years, Detroit. The message he will deliver at the Ford plant at which he is speaking is probably going to be &quot;<a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/07/15/obama-dashes-american-dream-suggests-nobody-achieves-success-alone/\">you didn\'t build that</a>&quot;. That, or he is going to ask for campaign donations and money for golfing, two things he is better at than his actual job. Well, maybe except for the golfing part, at least <a href=\"http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2014/10/31/Michael-Jordan-Obamas-a-hack-on-the-golf-course/4371414753063/\">according to Michael Jordan</a>.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe speech will be held at Michigan Assembly, a plant currently <a href=\"http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/ford/2015/01/05/president-obama-ford/21292663/\">shut down</a> due to lack of interest. The plant builds small cars and hybrid vehicles. An no, Obama is not shopping for a new car - only chumps pay for their own vehicles. That is what campaign donations are for. The plant will reopen, however, soon to once again produce cars people don\'t want. Unless you\'re Ed Begley, Jr. But then, I think Ed is the only reason that the tin foil hat factories stay in business.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI\'m really hoping that there will be lines of people asking Obama for money, whether it be councilwomen wanting a little &quot;<a href=\"http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/20264712/detroit-councilwoman-to-obama-we-supported-you-now-support-us\">tit for tat</a>&quot; or just your average Obama voter on the street, after <a href=\"http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=detroit+obama+stash&amp;FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&amp;mid=87C8EDF63132D69578C887C8EDF63132D69578C8\">Obama\'s stash</a>. His adoring supporters await with open arms and eager hands.<br />',2);

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