Pay attention
How can we consider cutting Social Security and Medicare when the fiscal-cliff deal gave $78 million in tax subsidies to NASCAR for track upkeep? I hope some congressman or senator can explain this to us.
I say we need to pay attention to these clowns we have elected. I don’t believe President Obama introduced this as an add-on to the bill to help New Jersey and others who lost their homes.
Wise up; it’s our money they’re spending.
DOUG SPRY
Advance
Common-sense void
I’m neither a legislator nor politician so it’s hard for me to think like one. I have been a small-business owner for 21 years, where hard work and common sense are still two main drivers of success. Reading the Jan. 9 article on unemployment benefits in our state (“GOP plan could cut benefits in half”) certainly doesn’t bolster any faith I might have in the federal government.
For the federal bureaucrats/and or legislatures to dictate that North Carolina will not qualify for the employment benefit extension if the state lowers the benefit amount makes absolutely no sense. Our federal government only knows deficits and now is determined to demand the same of our state. This is just one more example of the common-sense void in Washington.
KEN BURKEL
Clemmons
Finish the Thought
Saturday, we asked readers to complete the sentence : “Now that Pat McCrory has been sworn in as governor …”
“… we can sit back and wait for the ALEC model legislative agenda to be presented and implemented, much to the detriment of the great state of North Carolina.”
ANNE GRIFFIS WILSON
“... he should get busy fulfilling his promise to help revitalize North Carolina's economy and education system — and leave the chronic naysayers in the dust of their petty criticisms.”
DEB PHILLIPS
"... we all hold our breath."
BOON T. LEE
“… it is time to walk the walk. Talk is over now.”
WILLIAM SAMS
“… the state can officially be turned over to billionaire financier Art Pope, and Duke Energy can take control of the Public Utility Commission and other offices required to raise residential rates to whatever they desire. The elderly and disadvantaged can finally be removed from the voting roles as the tea party wants, and the unemployed put on an Art Pope austerity diet.”
DAVID W. MOORE
“… and we are back to one-party rule in North Carolina, albeit Republican and not Democrat, maybe we can make North Carolina the best place in the Southeast for business.
“Follow the lead on Tennessee, Florida and Texas and eliminate income tax.
“We have the highest gas taxes in the South. Reduce them.
“Bring industry and fracking to the state. Open off-shore drilling. Create an economic engine to offset the disaster we have in DC.”
KEN HOGLUND
“… let us watch the utility commission's attitude toward utility rates and how Republicans keep the state from falling off a fiscal cliff.”
JIM BRANDON
“Now that we have a conservative to run things, I think the economy will start to improve.”
HAROLD DYSON
“… it is prophesied that foulness will now descend on our waters, the very air will stink of brimstone and the sun will be hidden by smoke. Women will shrink in the eyes of the law, as will the descendants of Ham and those who speak in different tongues. The lame and the poor shall suffer cold and hunger, yet no aid will come.
“Those able workers who have been cast out of the fields will have nothing to feed their starving families, they shall be thrown out even of their hovels, and they shall fear ill health. All this will be done in the name of righteousness.”
JAMES S. CAMPBELL
“… Art Pope, whom McCrory appointed as budget director, and was one of four national directors of the Koch Brothers’ Americans For Prosperity, will be running this state from behind the curtain. So if you like voter suppression, more cuts to public education, environmental cuts, cuts to social services, cuts to the amount unemployment pays out, then congratulations, you got your man.
DENNIS WINNICKI
Well, Stab, we agree on the infrastructure business, but I'm not sure that what we had in mind was improving NASCAR tracks.
ReplyDeleteThe "subsidy" mentioned in LTE #1 is nothing new. NASCAR track owners received subsidies worth $45 million in 2010 and 2011. The new $78 million one is only an estimate…it could wind up as much as $100 million.
More NASCAR subsidies are hidden in the defense budget…advertising support for drag racing, Indy car, NASCAR and motorcycle racing teams.
Most of this is the work of Republican representative Patrick McHenry of Charlotte. He defends the action as a job builder. I was unaware that NASCAR is in such bad shape that they needed handouts.
Democrat representative Betty McCollum of Minnesota has been carrying on a one -woman campaign against this nonsense. She has received threatening communications, including a fax that is serious enough that it is under investigation by the Capitol Police. Her amendment in the House to stop the latest subsidy was defeated 281-148, pretty much along party lines.
Patrick McHenry? Give me skyboxes or give me death? What little people we elect.
DeleteI really don't consider NASCAR facilities as an infrastructure, though I realize in this part of the world, there is a considerable body of opinion that NASCAR is a public utility. Pat's job creation justification is specious. I suspect a few temporary jobs might be created, so he's most likely literally correct, but the cost per job would be higher than the above-mentioned boxes.
Like you, the infrastructure I have in mind includes real utilities like water and sewer systems, and roads and (especially) bridges, our power grid. Corrosion is an increasing problem, particulary with respect to bridges (remember the Interstate bridge collapse in MN).
I commend Rep. McCollum for her efforts, but note that her party delivers pork and perks to its own cash cattle.
We just all need to get together and attend the next event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Maybe our expenditures will trickle down to the greater economy. Those of use that can legally pack can do so to protect the Utopians among us from the track riffraff.
DeleteProblem with that, Wordly, is that a lot of the ruffians pack as well.
DeleteI note that the Panthers are requesting that the taxpayers pony up 125MM for stadium renovations. I don't know if the targeted taxpayers are Charlotte/Mecklenburg or NC generally (gee, why not SC, too?), but as much as I like the NFL, I don't see why we should go on the hook for that. Hmmm, I guess I should see how the Steelers' Heinz Field was funded.
The word "snow" has been mentioned on the news. If anyone is overwhelmed with the urge to dash off to the store to buy milk, bread, eggs...it is completely understandable. In Stab's case, include beer.
ReplyDeleteMost of that instinct is inside of older folks from the area, because the area used to get major snows. Once snowed in, people couldn't get out with their cars, so they had nothing to do except eat and try to stay warm. Now, it's usually just a dusting, and the roads are cleared in hours.
DeleteYou're showing your age whitewall.
I meant to drop by Lowe's and see if folks had cleaned out the bread, milk, eggs, batteries, etc., but was diverted. As for beer, I maintain several days' supplies in order to weather bad weather or a strike at River Birch or whatever. Actually, I am fully mobile during snow, so if anyone runs dry, let me know.
DeleteI suspect any accumulation will be pretty much melted by tomorrow PM. For Susan's sake, I hope there is enough to call off school tomorrow.
Snowy icy mornings are the one thing Mrs WW is glad to be rid of in retirement. She feels for Susan dealing with the not knowing period until the call is made.
DeleteWW, you left the most important item off your shopping list...toilet paper, and lots of it.
DeleteThe "instinct" is not confined to this area…it is universal…people in Canada do it…people in Denver do it…and it is a fairly recent development. Before WW II, people didn't do it, because most people lived within a short walk of a neighborhood grocery, and those that didn't used the buses and streetcars to go to the grocery store and they knew that those systems would be running. In fact, the WSTA buses will be running tomorrow, but your average troll would have no idea where to catch one.
The great grocery store rush is yet another consequence of suburbanization, so did not get fully into swing until the 1960s.
When I was a kid, on the rare occasion of a "big" snow, my father and others in the Ardmore neighborhood would put chains on their cars, throw cables in trunk and go to the steep hills…Academy Street, Hawthorne Road and Miller Street at Cloverdale and spend the day helping people get their cars up the hills. Offers of money were frequent, but inappropriate and not accepted.
The one local snow-in that lasted for more than a day or two in my lifetime began on Wednesday, March 2, 1960 and continued over the next two Wednesdays…now that was some snow. I was a student at RJR High School and we were out of school most of the month of March, so had to make it up well into June…for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
For a brief history of big snows in Winston-Salem, with a couple of historic pix, see my friend Fam's blog post from two years ago:
Snow? I recall that back in ’27…
I remember the 3 big snows of March. Fabulous sledding down Summit St, Pilot View etc. No worry of any cars, just an occassional yellow Quality Oil Truck equipped with the afore mentioned chains. One nearly took me out at the intersection of Jersey Ave and Summit St. I had a large Flexi Flyer sled and was moving down hill at a high rate of speed. The left front wheel of that truck missed me by a couple feet as he made his turn up Summit. Around here, Mrs WW keeps us well stocked with toilet paper. She is with that like she is with the amount of gas in our car. Below a half tank and she leans over my shoulder and asks if I can see the gas needle. I assure her I know where it is but I don't pay any attention to it until it gets near E. It's my job.
DeleteWho needs to buy toilet paper, when you're on 'buck' patrol, just take a roll.
DeleteYes, I remember those snows. I delivered papers then. It was a battle getting them delivered, but I got 'em out.
DeleteSHAZAM!
DeleteYou wait and wait for him to tell the truth just once, and finally he does. You just know that Tiny steals rolls of toilet paper from restrooms. Even the street people look down on scum who do that.
The response should be interesting.
DeleteI too am carefully monitoring.....
DeleteI don't recall those 1960 snows myself. Of course, I hadn't been born yet which might play a role in my memory lapse of those particular events.
Deletedotnet....a passable excuse for now. I had the same problem with OTs link to 1927.
DeleteTime has a way of inflating some events. In the case of those snows, inflation isn't possible. The temperature stayed below freezing the whole time. I think we ended with about 2 feet of snow on the ground.
DeleteTrue...probably the single event that all my school mates actually remember...some hardly remember being in school.
DeleteI had two paper routes, so rigged a harness so that I could pull the papers on my sled, also a Flexible Flyer.
We got tired of sledding, so took our cars out on a straight stretch of Country Club Road. We would build up speed for a block, then slam on the brakes and see how far we could skid, attempting to avoid people's yards and especially the trees in those yards. When that grew stale, we worked on seeing how many spins we could squeeze into a block.
I was in the process of setting a personal record when I glimpsed a WSPD patrol car on the side street. The officer got out and came over, shaking his head. "You guys are about as smart as a loaf of bread," he said. Suspecting that that was not meant as a compliment, we paid attention. "Why don't y'all go find something useful to do."
So, of course, we did. None of us has ever had more than a sip of beer, so we went and found an older guy (18 was the magic age back then)who bought us a case of Country Club, in those little eight ounce cans. Since we were going to be drinking Country Club, we went to the country club golf course, built us a roaring bonfire on one of the greens, and went to work getting drunk as an emperor, which I am told is ten times as drunk as a lord.
We may have been out of school for nearly a month, but we sure did learn a lot during that time.
In addition to a lot of yelling and groundings and other humiliations, we soon got to spend two long weekends resodding that green. Who says that youth is wasted on youth?
We spent some snowy evenings sledding on the FCC course, that long hill by Pine Valley. And yes, we guzzled beer, courtesy of the Bantam convenience store on NW Blvd, which would sell beer to infants. I never had to do any resodding,though, cleared out before names taken.
DeleteStab, you remind me of TS Eliot's mystery cat, Macavity:
DeleteAnd when the Foreign Office finds a Treaty's gone astray,
Or the Admiralty lose some plans and drawings by the way,
There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair--
But it's useless of investigate--Macavity's not there!
And when the loss has been disclosed, the Secret Service say:
"It must have been Macavity!"--but he's a mile away.
You'll be sure to find him resting, or a-licking of his thumbs,
Or engaged in doing complicated long division sums.
We usually got away with stuff, too, but in this case, we were too incapacitated. Today, we would have been arrested and gone to court. But the only policeman we ever saw was the one who found us drunkenly trying to drive home and delivered us to our parents.
From there on, the only "officials" that we dealt with were the golf pro at Forsyth and the greenskeeper who supervised the resodding. I'd say that we learned a great deal more than we would have at the mercy of the courts.
In fact, one of us found his calling out there on that green and became one of the top greenskeepers and sod experts in the country…wound up making more money than any of the rest of us and is probably the happiest man I know, and it's not the money that makes him so.
Macavity was a fine cat. And yes, I indeed tried to emulate him. Much of our mischief was impulsive, but I normally assessed escape routes and chances of detection/apprehension, seeking the ideal mix of enough distance to avoid association but enough proximity to observe results/reaction, not always possible, of course. When not, discretion was the better of, um, valor.
DeleteI also remember a Macavity from the Journal forum. He wrangled NoHo rather well.
DeletePay attention. I didn't know Doug Spry was still living. I knew him when he worked for Pleasants Hardware way back in the day when tobacco products were still "good for you". If we "paid attention", our nation wouldn't be 16.5 trillion dollars in debt.
ReplyDeleteI remember Doug at Pleasants, plus a guy named Mr. Workman. Ed Pleasants was a customer of ours, and we a customer of his business. This was back in days of store charge accounts, when dinosaurs roamed the earth and coal and oil were beginning to form.
DeleteYep, charge accounts, store discounts that were identified by the phrase "famous line" on the price line. I remember Workman and also a fellow named Mr Cartner( I think), also Mr Wood too. A couple of faces are in my memory but I can't put names to them yet.
DeleteWW, as I've said before, I learn something new every day on this forum...are you implying that tobacco products are not "good for you"? News to me.
DeleteI remember all those guys from Pleasants..a much missed business that we shall never see the likes of again. About the closest you can come today is the Ace place next to Harris Teeter on Cloverdale.
I needed a rubber hammer, so grabbed the most expensive one, about 12 bucks, and went to checkout. The guy said "There's one just as good over in the sale bin for a dollar." Thank you Ace.
Went to RJR with Eddie and Martha Pleasants...nice folks.
Those gents at Pleasants HDW were good people and "old school". I miss their kind and their time. My old Granddad used to walk up to the store, stopping first at the Basketeria grocery shop in the row of little businesses. By the time he got to Pleasants, he was worn out and would sit down a while and then get up to leave and somebody would ask- JW, what did you come for? Sometimes he couldn't remember, so he ambled off back home. Yes, in the "old days" tobacco was good for you 'cause everybody grew it or worked in it or smoked, dipped or chewed it". That settled it.
DeleteWhen I moved back from CA, the job market here was as lousy as it is now. To have something to do rather than nothing, I worked for Ace Hardware at Robinhood Plaza. It, too, is an old-fashioned hardware store. I finally returned to my natural environment, cubicles and offices, but that employment was a useful education.
DeleteWW, love that story…I expect that that happened a lot at Pleasants. There were always a couple of old guys sitting around shooting the bull.
DeleteI remember the Basketeria well. You could call and give them your order and they would deliver to your home. Or, you could call in your order and it would be waiting on the sidewalk when you got there.
That is starting to come back. Several grocery stores will let you order online, then pick up in the parking lot.
Downtown, we have a concierge service, based in the Nissen Building. For a fee, they will run almost any errand for you. Since the demise of our only decent downtown dry cleaning service, I have used them. Very efficient and not that pricey.
Everyone should have a job dealing with the public at least once in their lifetime. Truly an education in the nature of people. Today, I can do it some if I have to but would have little patience for a knucklehead with an attitude. My "other self" tends to make an appearance.
DeleteI remember people calling the Basketeria (or saying they did), and asking whoever answered if they had pigs' feet or knuckles. When the answer was affirmative, the caller would then suggest that the answerer wear shoes or gloves to keep people from noticing.
DeleteAs for working with the public, I have done so off and on over the years. Every once in a while, I get in touch with my inner Tyrannosaurus.
I fulfilled my duty as a public dealing employee at a Pizza Hut while going through 3 degrees. I don't know if I learned more from the customers or from the long list of characters masquerading as employees who comprised the annual 300% turnover. I did learn I'm more comfortable dealing with computers than with people.
DeleteNot me! It was always a lot more fun to say something derogatory about someone's mama to their face than to a computer's face. Darn computer just sits there.
DeleteCommon sense void. Well, that's government. After so long it becomes an "ineptocracy". People like you would not be welcome there. A threat to spoil the entire feed lot you would be.
ReplyDeleteSaturday, we asked readers to complete the sentence : “Now that Pat McCrory has been sworn in as governor"... Democrat monied interests are on the outside and already prematurely screaming like Girl Scouts at their first camp out and nobody has yelled "boo" yet.
ReplyDeleteDemocrats are like big babies. All they do is cry (about something), eat, and poop.
DeleteI believe Reagan once said that government is like a baby, all wants and needs at one end, and no sense of responsibility at the other. Tilting at "government" is out of fashion, though modern-day R's don't know that, but if you substitute "Republicans and Democrats" for "government," you'll have it about right. See comments re Pat McHenry/NASCAR above.
DeleteThat comment is one of my favorite "Reaganism's" and is the reason that we have always had anarchists.
DeleteSome would prefer chaos to organized thievery.
PJ O'Rourke said it was basically a matter of pick your poison (my words): R's let business rob you blind; the Dems did it thru IRS.
DeleteThen deficits didn't matter to either party, thus a variant on the organized thievery.
Let us not forget that it was the Reaganites who said that deficits don't matter. Why did anyone believe them?
DeleteThe chickens always come home to roost.
Oh yes, but lots of folks of all stripes voted for the deficits that didn't matter. And they're still not mattering, to the point that President Obama wants no linkage between ceiling increase and spending modifications.
DeleteYeppers, the Rev. Wright is a very smart man.
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxzWhaqFy7s
Good afternoon folks!
ReplyDeleteLTE 1: "I hope some congressman or senator can explain this to us." As O.T. noted, that "some congressman" would be one Patrick McHenry (R) 10th District. His phone number is listed on the house.gov site. McHenry is one of those who would increase defense spending to $1TT while completely eliminating all other fed spending except for that going to the 10th district and congressional pay.
LTE 2: Well, the blame for this actually lies with NC instead of DC. NC cut the unemployment insurance rates when the UR was quite low with the thought that a low UR was here to stay. Naturally, that came back to bite them. The fed rules for continuing to receive the extension are quite clear, so if the NC legislatures do decide to reduce unemployment benefits, then they are the ones to blame when the extension is rescinded, not the fed govt.
Finish the thought: well, so what? It does nothing to change the fact NC has a lot of unemployed workers who do not possess the skills / education requirements to meet the needs of employers. I find it quite ironic to note all of the drastic changes to tax codes and education that are being proposed by those who call themselves "conservative". The R's do have the power to do whatever they want. The problem is that if they screw up in their zeal to create their version of a utopia here, it is the most vulnerable who will be suffering for a very long time.
Democrat stealing a TV gets confronted by an armed homeowner:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c4#/video/crime/2013/01/15/dnt-armed-homeowner-confronts-thief.ksat
Some of the above threads run out of "reply" space too early. I tried to get some more on one of the threads....even used my cat's paw on it and still couldn't open it. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteNRA's ad, 'dumb', to bring out Obama's hypocritical position on armed guards in public schools.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50139165n
_______
Then why are liberals like NYC's Mayor Bloomberg so upset about it?
Because at this point, a lot of people are fed up with the lies of the NRA and dumbass sissy gun jabberers like you, that's why.
DeleteAR this, and AK that.....the main reason liberals aren't trying to take away 'all' guns is because of the Constitution. If they thought they could change that, they'd do it too.
DeleteEach year, roughly 7,000 blacks are murdered. Ninety-four percent of the time, the murderer is another black person. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, between 1976 and 2011, there were 279,384 black murder victims. Using the 94 percent figure means that 262,621 were murdered by other blacks. Though blacks are 13 percent of the nation's population, they account for more than 50 percent of homicide victims. Nationally, black homicide victimization rate is six times that of whites, and in some cities, it's 22 times that of whites. Coupled with being most of the nation's homicide victims, blacks are most of the victims of violent personal crimes, such as assault and robbery.
ReplyDelete___________
This group has the most problem with abusing gun ownership, but let's not address the problem where it predominately lies, let's take away 'everyone's gun rights'. Right, liberals?
Since you hate black people so much, one would think that you would be rejoicing at these statistics.
DeleteNow if only gay and foreign people and women would start killing each other, you'd be living in heaven on earth.
You are a parasite on the species homo sapiens.
“Statistics suggest that as a young, black man, you have a greater chance of being shot and killed in Philadelphia than you would have if you were a soldier serving in the conflicts in Afghanistan or Iraq.”
Delete________
Shhhhhhhhhh! Let's don't talk about that, right CNN and Obama?
And that ain't by an assault weapon folks.
DeleteRush I don't hate black people. You're the hater in here. Why don't you tell us why you hate white Christian males so much?
DeleteIt's amazing that all these liberal bigots have the audacity to call others haters.
DeleteHeinz Field cost 281MM of which the Steelers paid 76.5MM (sigh). The stadium was part of a project that includes the Pirates' baseball stadium and a convention center, with the project total cost 809MM, which was criticized by some as corporate welfare. The Pitt Panthers also play in the stadium, but I guess they simply pay rent. The Steelers also promised to remain in Pittsburgh at least till 2031. The JH Heinz company paid the Steelers 57MM for naming rights thru 2021. The football team may have good and bad years on the field, but the organization did pretty well for itself otherwise.
ReplyDeleteOmigod, Stab, I never thought about this before...the home field of your beloved Steelers is named for a...dare I say it...Democrat.
DeleteHard to find an R in Pittsburgh to name anything after. And the city is also a big u . . ., u . . . , uhhhhh, union town, on top of that. As a matter of fact, I think Art Rooney, Irish Catholic he, was a staunch Dem. And the Rooneys were decidedly less than confrontational during the players' strike years back. A QB asked Dan Rooney what Rooney wanted him to do about the strike. Rooney told him to stay away like the other players, did not want bad feelings among the players.
DeleteThe people in Pittsburgh are very friendly, make southerners seem standoffish. And, some years back, businessmen responding to some poll, voted Pittsburgh to have the prettiest ladies. I concur, with the exception of my household and the lovely women in this forum. That is reason enough to forgive a place its union sympathies. And remember, I lived in hopelessly unionized CA. There are prices to be paid.
Senator Heinz was a Republican, although he'd probably be a Democrat today. His faction of the GOP has been pretty well purged.
DeleteThat's right, come to think of it, he was a Republican, and yes, that branch of the party has been lopped off.
DeleteHeinz field is natural turf, which a lot of folks do not like. But, the players and coaches do, so it stays natural turf. The Rooneys are player-oriented. Also, it probably yields fewer injuries.
Laugh if you want Arthur. Your generation will be the ones paying.
DeleteHee Hee...isn't youthful ignorance beautiful?
Tim -- and I'm only asking because I care -- did you get dropped on the head as a kid? A lot?
DeleteIf I recall correctly, Tiny's mother was a star basketball player, about 6-7 with a moustache.
DeleteShe was a great dribbler, so probably practiced by dribbling Tiny around the back yard.
Also, if I am not mistaken, she was the first female athlete to come out of the closet, years before Martina came out. Her lover was the mother of Ellen DeGeneres.
Stab
DeletePittsburgh was one of the two cities that surprised me the most upon first visit. I expected both to be grimy industrial cities, yet thanks to the EPA, they are not. And the people in both places are great. I'd slightly favor Milwaukee because of the continuous lakeside ethnic street festivals in the summer…one week it's Italian, the next week Norwejian, the next German, with local German beers that put the imports to shame.
The NFL did a ten year study (2000-2009) on the two injuries that cost the most downtime in the league. They found that ACL tears occurred 67% more often on artificial turf and high ankle sprains 30% more often.
Synthetic turf has improved dramatically over the years, but a 2010 survey of NFL players found that 82% thought that synthetic turf was more likely to contribute to injuries, particularly in severity, than grass. Head injuries are a particular concern.
And a number of studies have shown that artificial surfaces develop much higher temperatures than grass, which alone is an important safety factor.
Here is a different twist on outsourcing: an overpaid programmer outsourced his own job to someone in China, paid him appx 50K a year out of his own 6-figure salary to do his coding for him. Freed of his duties, the programmer sat at his desk, watching cat videos, surfing eBay, etc. Apparently, his Chinese contractor did good work, as the programmer received good performance reviews. The programmer is in his mid-40's, family guy. I bet that drive home was not long enough after he was canned.
ReplyDeleteStab, the story only gets better:
Delete"The better to fund his Bartleby-style not-doing, Bob had even taken simultaneous jobs at other companies and outsourced that work in similar fashion. In total he was earning several hundreds of thousands of dollars in return for a fee of $50k to his Chinese company. Bob is surely, then, the model worker of an age that tells everyone they must be prepared to have "portfolio careers" and exhorts us to admire executives who manage to cut their "cost base" by arbitraging global labour costs. The fact that Bob was sacked just shows that, in reality, the political rhetoric is not meant to be taken seriously, but is a euphemistic sticking plaster for the rapacity of corporate attitudes to "human resources".
Full disclosure: I outsourced the writing of this column to a trilingual Beijing University student, spent the whole time that she was composing it messing around on Twitter, and plan to spend the majority of my princely fee on vintage Veuve Clicquot and lobster."
___Stephen Poole, The Guardian
I doubt if the drive home was all that bad. And should "Bob" actually want another job, I can think of many, many organizations who would welcome him with open arms.
Its OK for giant corporations to lie and steal and outsource jobs, but it's not OK for the common worker? Ha, ha, ha.
Dr. Manny: Don’t make doctors gatekeepers for gun control
ReplyDeleteFoxNews
___________
Why in the world would the Democrats want to make doctors ask about guns in a person's house when they are treating a patient?
Because it doesn't make any sense, that's why. Democrats are experts at that.
Oh, I see you've got a .45 cal hole in your leg, I'm against guns, so find someplace else to treat you.
Illegal comes in with a broken leg. Do you have any guns? No. Okay, I'll put a splint on your leg.
Pathetic!
You'd think I was making this stuff up like Rush does half the time. But this is all true, sadly.
DeleteDr. Manny? Are you kidding me? Dr. Manny.
DeleteNo doubt, Tiny was slow from birth, but since his mother took him to TV doctors, he only got worse.
Let's hope that when he finally comes to trial for stupidity, the case will be heard by Judge Judy.
Live the fantasy!!!
Good end, Bad end, two bits a dollar! All for gay marriage, stand up and hollar! Yeaaaaaaah!
ReplyDeleteHee Hee you gotta love it.
Rah-rah!!!
DeleteSis-boom-bah!!!
DeleteOh, and the original cheer goes:
Delete"Two bits, four bits, six bits, a dollar..."
So in Tiny's example, the "two bits" should have been "six bits"; but then how would he know that?
Not to mention that the second part does not scan metrically...I'll leave that for his feeble "mind" to figure out.
I will give him free the information that "two bits" is a quarter. Even our dumbest cheerleader, and we had one or two, knew that.
The term "bit" originates from the fact that in colonial America, the dominant currency was the Spanish dollar, or "piece of eight", which was worth 8 Spanish silver "reales". So the reale came to be known as a "bit", 1/8 of a dollar.
While plowing in this area farmers still occasionally turn up both "pieces of eight" and reales and immediately jump to the conclusion that Desoto must have crossed their farmland during his explorations. Not so. Everybody had them…Spaniards, Englishman, Dutchmen and Indian chiefs.
The "lucky coin" of the R.J. Reynolds family, still in their possession, is a Spanish reale minted in Lima, Peru around 1714, passed down by R.J.'s great grandfather, Captain Joshua Cox, of the British army, a hero of the French and Indian War. It is called "The Joshua Coin".
NYC Mayor Bloomberg:
ReplyDelete"Nothing the president is proposing would have stopped the massacre at Sandy Hook," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, said in a statement.
"That's probably true," Bloomberg acknowledged on Thursday. "But that doesn't mean that having fewer guns around isn't a better idea."
_________
Bloomberg is an utter boob. He even admits Obama's proposals aren't going to work.
Ha, ha. Everybody in this forum knows who the real boob is.
DeleteI have suggested to the President that he create a profile based on you, then deport everyone that matches.
The USA would take a great leap forward, say at least half a century of real progress, on the day that that was accomplished.
Snow started petering out about 25 minutes ago downtown. Now stopped. We've got about two inches.
ReplyDeleteIt was beautiful while falling.
Schools will probably be closed tomorrow. County services, by policy, will be functioning, which means that my friend Fam will have to go to work, ha, ha. He was scheduled to lecture to the DAR at Centenary, but they will probably cancel, thus missing yet another great talk.
The juvenile court folks won't cancel, so will be stuck hearing from me, poor things.
At least the rain has finished and a sunny weekend is in store. Great for walking and enjoying friends.