« August 2007 | Main | October 2007 »
September 30, 2007
Radio Signal From Intelligent Beings Received From Deep Space
NASA has confirmed that the radio telescope at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, received a distinct radio tone from more than 7.4 billion miles in space and it was clearly created by intelligent beings.
Fact is, NASA not only confirmed the radio signal they sent it. (Gotcha) The tone from far beyond our own solar system came from NASA's old but reliable Pioneer 10 planetary space probe.
NASA launched Pioneer 10 in 1972 on what began as a five-year mission to photograph and study Jupiter and its moons. After taking its historic photographs, ground controllers ordered Pioneer 10 to use the gravity of Jupiter to accelerate and just fly on and on, and on, through our solar system and into space history. Today, 30 years into its five-year mission, Pioneer 10 travels on, speeding away from the sun, at 27,380 mph.
Posted by Post Scripts at 10:19 PM | Comments (2)
New Tax Proposals - Big Surprise!
by Tina Grazier
We asked for change and now...they are back! Those quirky tax and spend dems. You know, the ones with all kinds of compassion? Well, anyway, they’re revving their little tax vehicle engines in earnest now. But never fear, we’ll be keeping an eye on them here on Post Scripts:
Dingell, who as chairman of the House Energy Committee commands one of the most important legislative choke points in Washington, says he intends to hold hearings on a legislative package that includes:
A $50-per-ton tax on carbon emissions from coal, petroleum and natural gas.
A reduction of the mortgage interest deduction on homes between 3,000 and 4,199 square feet, and an elimination of the deduction for homes 4,200 square feet or larger.
But wait...there's more...
Dingell says he'd use the new revenue by reducing deductions for bigfoot homes to expand income-tax credits for lower-income Americans.
He'd divide gas tax revenues 60-40 between highways and mass transit, and use carbon tax revenues to bolster Medicare, Social Security and universal health care.
Dingell's proposal would exempt diesel fuels and large farmhouses from new taxes. Both exemptions are calculated to avoid fights with powerful lobbies that could vigorously oppose his carbon tax package.
Find the whole ugly tax story by Brian Dickerson, “Green Giant: Has Big John Dingell Changed His Spots?” posted on the website, free.com:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070930/COL04/709300606/1007/NEWS05
Posted by Post Scripts at 05:01 PM | Comments (0)
Making Smokers Pay for Child Healthcare Expansion
by Tina Grazier
There are times when I think we should just go right ahead and send those little men in white coats off to Congress to cart our legislators away for a nice medicated rest. This is one of those times.
Democrats recently got together and decided to do something dramatic…something that the people would lap up like thirsty pups at the water bowl after a good run…something that would help put check marks in the “D” box at the voting booth…something for the children.
First legislation was written to expand eligibility for child healthcare benefits. Next the funding aspect of the bill was addressed. They weren’t in a position to increase payroll taxes, and they didn’t want to be seen as adding to the deficit anyway, so what could they do? They needed a bad guy…a group that already had a really negative image so the public would buy it. Smokers! YES!! Smokers were the natural choice for least liked group. The proposed 156% increase on the federal cigarette tax is the result of this cowardly inclination. Senate majority Leader Harry Reid loved the idea...but some suggest this is a really stupid way to fund a health care program for kids...as reported by the AP:
"I'm very happy that we're paying for this," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in an interview Friday, noting that the plan would not add to the deficit. "The health of the children is extremely important," he said. "In the long run, maybe it'll stop people from smoking."
"I know there is very little sympathy for smokers these days," Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., said during the House debate. "But it is still a tax increase on the backs of the smokers. And in order to get enough money to pay for this, it would require 22 million new smokers."
Representative Jack Kingston is on to something.
How sane is it to fund a beloved program for the children with a source you hope (and know) will dry up as a result of the very legislation you passed to fund that program in the first place? How sane is it to target poor people who, statistics show, are more likely to be smokers?
A few facts:
Nearly one-third of all U.S. adults living in poverty are smokers, compared with 23.5 percent of those above the poverty level, according to government statistics. *** The American Heart Association reports that 35 percent of people with no more than 11 years of schooling are smokers. Those with 16 or more years of formal education smoke at a 12 percent rate. *** Non-Hispanic black men smoke at slightly higher rates than do non-Hispanic white men. But the reverse is true among women. *** State and federal governments received more than $21 billion in cigarette excise taxes in the 2006 budget year.
$21 billion from cigarette taxes already and they want more. Incredible. Americans have favored so called sin taxes for years but this proposal, making smokers carry the entire burden for a $35 billion program expansion, is NUTS never mind that ultimately it won't work.
Thankfully President Bush will most likely veto this crazy legislation; legislation that purportedly includes children of persons visiting illegally in our country, 21 year old children, and children of families not usually considered “poor”…but that’s another insanity for another day. Meanwhile, we'll just keep those guys in white coats on standby.
Find the AP story posted at FOX online:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,298663,00.html
Completely sane information, and a better approach to coverage for children in poor families, can be found at the Heritage Foundation website:
http://www.heritage.org/research/healthcare/schip/
Posted by Post Scripts at 03:02 PM | Comments (0)
September 29, 2007
SCHOOL SHOOTINGS IN THE USA
By Jack Lee
If there is one thing we have learned from mass shootings or attempted mass shootings is that it triggers similar actions soon thereafter. We've seen sporatic clusters of post office shootings, work place shootings and back to intermittent school shootings, the later now seems to dominate the headlines.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR - "An FBI threat-assessment report prepared in 2000 dubbed the phenomenon "leakage" — the signaling of a possible impending violent act, whether it be conscious our
unconscious actions that reveal plans, fantasies or thoughts of violence. A preoccupation with destruction in a student's writings and artwork, especially those focused around themes of hatred, weapons, prejudice and other destructive fascinations, may be harmless, or it may be a clue to an unhealthy obsessive behavior. The FBI's report cites a case in which a student soon to become violent was asked to bake something for a home economics class. He made a cake shaped like a gun.
Aside from announcement of a plan, the American Psychological Association's list of immediate warning signs includes a recurring loss of temper, frequent physical fighting, vandalism or property damage, use of drugs or alcohol, an increase in risk-taking behavior, animal abuse, and weapons possession.
Indeed, school shootings tend to be followed by intense debates over the prevalence of guns in the United States. A Surgeon General report on youth violence prepared in 2001 found that "from 1990 to 1995, the U.S. had the highest rate of firearm-related deaths among youths in the industrialized world."
Below is a timeline for US school shootings. There were also a handful of school shootings in Scotland, Germany, Bosnia and Canada. However, for the purposes of the article I focused only on the shootings in the USA.
August 1, 1966, Austin, Tx., Charles Joseph Whitman a student at the University of Texas at Austin shot and killed 14 people and wounded 31 others from the observation deck of the University's Main Building of The University of Texas. He was killed by Austin police.
July 12, 1976, Cal State Fullerton, Edward Charles Allaway, a custodian, shot nine people in the basement and first floor of the library with a .22-caliber rifle. Seven of the nine wounded victims died.
January 29, 1979, San Diego, Brenda Ann Spencer wounded eight children and one police officer and killed principal Burton Wragg and custodian Mike Suchar in a shooting spree at Cleveland Elementary School.
January 20, 1983 Parkway South Junior High School shooting - Saint Louis, Missouri, United States; David F. Lawler shot two of his classmates then turned the gun on himself and committed suicide. Randall Kroger, 15, was shot in the chest and died at 12:28 p.m. and 15-year-old Greg Saffo (Palmer) was injured in the shooting and sent to a local hospital.
January 17, 1989, Stockton Patricki Purdy, a transient armed with a semi-automatic AK 47 began shooting children on a playground for not apparent reason. He killed five children and wounded twenty-nine others and a teacher.
On May 1, 1992, Lindhurst High School in Olivehurst, 20 year old Eric Houston went to his former high school with a shotgun and a rifle. Houston held 80 students hostage until he turned himself in. He killed three students and a teacher and wounded 10 others.
Feb. 2, 1996 Moses Lake, Wash. Two students and one teacher killed, one other wounded when 14-year-old Barry Loukaitis opened fire on his algebra class.
Feb. 19, 1997 Bethel, Alaska, Principal and one student killed, two others wounded by Evan Ramsey, 16.
Oct. 1, 1997, Pearl, Miss.
Dec. 1, 1997, West Paducah, Ky. Three students killed, five wounded by Michael Carneal, 14, as they participated in a prayer circle at Heath High School.
Dec. 15, 1997, Stamps, Ark. Two students wounded. Colt Todd, 14, was hiding in the woods when he shot the students as they stood in the parking lot.
March 24, 1998, Jonesboro, Ark. Four students and one teacher killed, ten others wounded outside as Westside Middle School emptied during a false fire alarm. Mitchell Johnson, 13, and Andrew Golden, 11, shot at their classmates and teachers from the woods.
April 24, 1998, Edinboro, Pa. One teacher, John Gillette, killed, two students wounded at a dance at James W. Parker Middle School. Andrew Wurst, 14, was charged.
May 19, 1998, Fayetteville, Tenn. One student killed in the parking lot at Lincoln County High School three days before he was to graduate. The victim was dating the ex-girlfriend of his killer, 18-year-old honor student Jacob Davis.
May 21, 1998, Springfield, Two students killed, 22 others wounded in the cafeteria at Thurston High School by 15-year-old Kip Kinkel. Kinkel had been arrested and released a day earlier for bringing a gun to school. His parents were later found murdered at home.
June 15, 1998, Richmond, Va. One teacher and one guidance counselor wounded by a 14-year-old boy in the school hallway.
April 20, 1999, Littleton, Colo. 14 students (including killers) and one teacher killed, 23 others wounded at Columbine High School in the nation's deadliest school shooting. Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, had plotted for a year to kill at least 500 and blow up their school. At the end of their hour-long rampage, they turned their guns on themselves.
May 20, 1999, Conyers, Ga. Six students injured at Heritage High School by Thomas Solomon, 15, who was reportedly depressed after breaking up with his girlfriend.
Nov. 19, 1999, Deming, N.M. Victor Cordova Jr., 12, shot and killed Araceli Tena, 13, in the lobby of Deming Middle School.
Dec. 6, 1999, Fort Gibson, Okla. Four students wounded as Seth Trickey, 13, opened fire with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun at Fort Gibson Middle School.
Feb. 29, 2000, Mount Morris Township, Mich. Six-year-old Kayla Rolland shot dead at Buell Elementary School near Flint, Mich. The assailant was identified as a six-year-old boy with a .32-caliber handgun.
March 10, 2000, Svannah, Ga. Two students killed by Darrell Ingram, 19, while leaving a dance sponsored by Beach High School.
May 26, 2000, Lake Worth, Fla. One teacher, Barry Grunow, shot and killed at Lake Worth Middle School by Nate Brazill, 13, with .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol on the last day of classes.
Sept. 26, 2000, New Orleans, La. Two students wounded with the same gun during a fight at Woodson Middle School.
Jan. 17, 2001, Baltimore, Md. One student shot and killed in front of Lake Clifton Eastern High School.
March 5, 2001, Santee, Calif. Two killed and 13 wounded by Charles Andrew Williams, 15, firing from a bathroom at Santana High School.
March 7, 2001, Williamsport, Pa. Elizabeth Catherine Bush, 14, wounded student Kimberly Marchese in the cafeteria of Bishop Neumann High School; she was depressed and frequently teased.
March 22, 2001, Granite Hills, Calif. One teacher and three students wounded by Jason Hoffman, 18, at Granite Hills High School. A policeman shot and wounded Hoffman.
March 30, 2001, Gary, Ind. One student killed by Donald R. Burt, Jr., a 17-year-old student who had been expelled from Lew Wallace High School.
Nov. 12, 2001, Caro, Mich. Chris Buschbacher, 17, took two hostages at the Caro Learning Center before killing himself.
Jan. 15, 2002, New York, N.Y. A teenager wounded two students at Martin Luther King Jr. High School.
October 28, 2002, Tucson, Ariz. Robert S. Flores Jr., 41, a student at the nursing school at the University of Arizona, shot and killed three female professors and then himself.
April 14, 2003, New Orleans, La. One 15-year-old killed, and three students wounded at John McDonogh High School by gunfire from four teenagers (none were students at the school). The motive was gang-related.
April 24, 2003, Red Lion, Pa. James Sheets, 14, killed principal Eugene Segro of Red Lion Area Junior High School before killing himself.
Sept. 24, 2003, Cold Spring, Minn. Two students are killed at Rocori High School by John Jason McLaughlin, 15.
March 21, 2005, Red Lake, Minn. Jeff Weise, 16, killed grandfather and companion, then arrived at school where he killed a teacher, a security guard, 5 students, and finally himself, leaving a total of 10 dead.
Nov. 8, 2005, Jacksboro, Tenn One 15-year-old shot and killed an assistant principal at Campbell County High School and seriously wounded two other administrators.
Aug. 24, 2006, Essex, Vt. Christopher Williams, 27, looking for his ex-girlfriend at Essex Elementary School, shot two teachers, killing one and wounding another. Before going to the school, he had killed the ex-girlfriend's mother.
Sept. 26, 2006, Bailey, Colo. Adult male held six students hostage at Platte Canyon High School and then shot and killed Emily Keyes, 16, and himself.
Oct. 3, 2006, Nickel Mines, Pa. 32-year-old Carl Charles Roberts IV entered the one-room West Nickel Mines Amish School and shot 10 schoolgirls, ranging in age from 6 to 13 years old, and then himself. Five of the girls and Roberts died.
Jan. 3, 2007, Tacoma, Wash. Douglas Chanthabouly, 18, shot fellow student Samnang Kok, 17, in the hallway of Henry Foss High School.
April 16, 2007 Blacksburg, Va. A 23-year-old Virginia Tech student, Cho Seung-Hui, killed two in a dorm, then killed 30 more 2 hours later in a classroom building. His suicide brought the death toll to 33, making the shooting rampage the most deadly in U.S. history. Fifteen others were wounded.
Aug. 10 2007 Stockton, Ca, A deranged women with a knife held a classroom of disabled students hostage before being captured by a police
officer.
Sept. 18, 2007 Columbia, SC Two 15-year-old Blythewood High School students were arrested Monday, accused of bringing an unloaded pistol to school. A school resource officer found the pistol in the waistband of a 15-year-old boy at about 11 a.m.
Sept. 28, 2007 Oroville, Ca., A 17-year-old student took nearly 24 classmates and a teacher hostage at gunpoint today. He has been charged with the intent to shoot another student.
Posted by Post Scripts at 11:48 AM | Comments (5)
6 Last Names that Reveal Pirate Ancestry
Shiver me timbers! If your surname is Morgan, Kidd, Teach, Rackham, Bonny or Read, there's a good chance there is a pirate lurking in your family tree. People who have these names could very well be related to Britain's most
famous pirates, reports London's Telegraph. Of course, proving that will take some genealogical sleuthing, a difficult task since pirates rarely kept permanent records of their nefarious backgrounds. Still, the payoff is well worth it. "What could be more exhilarating than finding you are related to one of Britain's most colorful characters?" Abigail Baker of the genealogy research organization Achievements Ltd., asked the Telegraph.
Posted by Post Scripts at 08:26 AM | Comments (0)
September 28, 2007
Las Plumas High School Hostage Story
Need to talk about what happened at Las Plumas High School in Oroville today? Send us your comments. We will post them here. It is important for people to share their stories:
1. "This situation is NOT about gun control! My very own son is a student at Las Plumas and was there Friday. I am not about to blame this high stress situation on guns. This situation is about parenting and having teenagers today!
We (my husband and I) own guns. However, even though our son was raised around them and has attended all classes relating to guns, we still keep our guns LOCKED UP! That is responsible parenting! The boy who was the gunman needed serious help. You do not know the full situation of the boy, therefore should keep your opinions closed mouthed untill you know the facts.
As one of the mothers who's child was THERE, I do feel he should be tried as an adult and all counts should stick. However, the last thing we need is this sad situation made into some "gun control" issue. This CLEARLY has nothing to do with gun control. And is not about responsible gun owners. I very much take offense to your accusations of "every gun owner is not responsible". This same thing could have happend with a kife!
What is really bad is people like you who view this as an oppertunity to raise a stink about guns. Why dont you, for just one minute, think about the world today and the pressure's on today's youth.
And for the record I am not defending this boy, as a matter of fact I am pretty pixxed off, however, that does not change the fact that this is about home life, no gun control.
Blaming guns for killing is like blaming pencils for misspelled words." Melanie
(slight change in text per editorial discretion)
2. "During the episode I was facilitating a violence prevention class as a guest speaker at Prospect High School in Oroville. Quite naturally the students in my class were upset while we were in "lock-down" (interestingly this term is a prison term and is used in our public schools.)
On the local evening news there was coverage of the last 2 student hostages sharing their participation in the situation. One of them spoke of talking the young gunmen to give up his weapon to her and she took it and threw it out of the room. The other young woman gave Greg Wright, the gunman her cell phone to communicate with the authorities.
I did not notice any mention of these two heroes in your coverage of this local story. We have two young and very courageous negotiators who deserve recognition. " By Diane S.
Posted by Post Scripts at 06:30 PM | Comments (6)
News Alert - Hostage Situation Resolved, No Injury
9/28/07 11:17 hrs. Oroville, CA. The hostage situation at the Las Plumas High School has ended. Media sources inform us now that only one person, believed to be a student, took several other students hostage in the bandroom and that one shot was fired in the air. After a brief negotiation, all students were released and it is believed no persons were injured. Other nearby schools went into lockdown as is part of the emergency response plan.
The situation has been resolved and one person is in custody. No further details are available at this time.
Posted by Post Scripts at 11:16 AM | Comments (3)
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:39 AM | Comments (0)
MONEY AND MARKETS
by Jack Lee
For those of you who pay attention to the market, you may recall I made a prediction the DOW was more likely to hit 12000 before 14000, it was 13915 when I last checked. So, it looks like I could be wrong, but MY reasons were right and that's what you STILL need to know. Yes, the DOW is knocking on the door of 14000 but it probably
won't happen today, we're down about 30 on the DOW mid morning, but more importantly there is nasty talk of a recession heading our way as global economies teeter.
The market looks like it's struggled and strained for all it's worth (literally) to climb those 800 points since my bearish prediction and now it's truly overbought and just points away from the symbolic threshold. A triple touch on the 14000 mark would signal a new horizon for many optimistic investors. But, then you read the contrarians who bring us back to reality. They remind us the nation's leading economic indicator, housing, has gone from bad to worse. You can't be THE leading economic indicator without your ripples in the pond affecting everything else in said pond.
If the stock market is going north and the housing market is going south, recession is looming, world economies are shaky...it's the setup for the perfect storm.
When Greenspan speaks people listen and today on the BBC, the former Fed Chief said this, "...the chance the U.S. sinks into a recession is less than 50%, although he is more uncertain of how strong world economies are. (That's bad)
With his latest musing, the ex-central banker said he sees a serious downturn as more likely than he did before. Previously, he had estimated that the odds of a recession were one in three. "
We need more clarity Mr. G. Between you and me I'm hedging my bets. Look, the market is at an all time high and world economies are looking more shaky than us and we're supposed to be about 50% to recession, says Mr. G. We're hovering slightly less than disaster in housing too. Two words, go short. If you don't know what that means, then you shouldn't do it, this is only for seasoned investors! You would be better off to be in T-bills or the Hussman fund (or other hedge funds) which does well in down times.
NOTE: The contents contained herein are for the readers enjoyment and no stock advice, warranties or guarantees are expressed or implied, readers should invest solely on their own due diligence.
Posted by Post Scripts at 08:58 AM | Comments (4)
September 27, 2007
Nicholas Sarkozy’s Positive American Bent
Not exactly “the wave” but moving in that direction.
by Tina Grazier
Speaking on the floor of the U.N. General Assembly Nicholas Sarkozy said the following:
"Weakness and renunciation do not lead to peace. They lead to war."
This is what Goerge Bush has said all along. People keep talking about the failure and incompetence of George Bush. Talking heads in the MSM seem to revel in reporting the dire news that America has lost prestige on the world stage and all because of the bungling George Bush…but is this really true? Comments and shifting policies from leaders in other countries, like the words of Sarkozy, would suggest something different. America may be considered too big for her britches, too rich, or too unsophisticated, but she certainly isn’t hated. When world events get scarey, she may even be considered “quite the good friend after all," and George Bush has been as constant as a heartbeat in that reality.
Charles Krauthammer has written an excellent piece, “Sarkozy’s Seismic Shift Has Given New Life to Bush’s Mideast Policy.” It’s posted at Investors Business Daily and speaks to this broader view of America, GWB, and the war. His piece focuses mainly on Sarkozy:
On the largest possible stage — the U.N. General Assembly — President Nicolas Sarkozy put Iran on notice. *** His predecessor, Jacques Chirac, had said that France could live with an Iranian nuclear bomb. Sarkozy said that France cannot. He declared Iran's nuclear ambitions "an unacceptable risk to stability in the region and in the world." *** Sarkozy is no American lap dog. Like every Fifth Republic president, he begins with the notion of French exceptionalism. But whereas traditional Gaullism tended to define French grandeur as establishing a counterweight to American power, Sarkozy is not adverse to seeing French assertiveness exercised in conjunction with the United States.
My own opinion is that George Bush has always treated leaders of other nations, even those of our enemies, with respect. He has shown appreciation and gratitude for efforts, both great and small, that allies have made. He has been a good leader who represents our nation in the world with dignity and grace. His policies have not always fared well but he has worked hard to overcome mistakes and move forward without making excuses or placing blame elsewhere. His new policy in Iraq, the surge, is working and may very well lead to greater cooperation around the world. The election of Sarkozy by the French people may be a strong indication that the demeanor and constancy of George Bush have been appropriate for the times and have worked.
Further evidence of this can be found in positions that Brown, the new left-leaning PM of Great Britian, has taken in support of Bush policies on the war and in the continuing support of our allies. The newest evidence arrives in the form of sudden shifts in rhetoric from certain presidential candidates and congressmen.
The world may indeed be awakening to the possibility that we can win in the Middle East. They may be waking to the need for a united front in the war on terrorism. They are certainly becoming aware of the long war that radical Islamic forces represent. If our policy of removing dictators and replacing them with free democratic states can succeed, the greater threat to the world will eventually come to an end and the possibility for stability and lasting peace will have a chance to flourish in the region.
America is not perfect but she is and has been a good friend to the world. We are not great in the sense of being “greater than” but instead we offer our power to help secure freedom and wish only the best for all people of all nations. The new Foreign Minister of France, Bernard Kouchner, has said:
"permanent anti-Americanism" is "a tradition we (in France) are working to overcome."
Lets hope for all our sakes this sentiment represents a growing trend.
Find Mr. Krauthammer’s article here:
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=275777554834170
Posted by Post Scripts at 10:22 PM | Comments (0)
Sigma Kappa Girl Replies to Nerd Auction Story!
by Shannon
I am a member of one of the sororities that is considering joining this project. And personally I find your last statement EXTREMELY offensive. I would never have taken vows to join a group of women that aren't "worth knowing." It is exactly that kind of stereotype that I have been fighting against the last three years. So
to prove my point that my sisters are some of the most caring, intelligent, exceptional women you could ever meet, let me tell you my story:
In 2005, I went through sorority recruitment on a whim. I couldn't wait to come to college and recruitment was a good excuse to get here a week early. I never planned to actually join a sorority. The idea of me as a sorority girl was laughable.
I arrived at Sigma Kappa on the first day to find my boss from the daycamp I worked at standing outside the door as president. Jen wasn't the sorority girl type either. She's funny and kind and is determined to be an oncologist because her little sister had leukemia as a child. (I am happy to say that she has been in remission for over a decade now.) Jen gets great grades. She's the leader of everything and somehow she still finds time to be a great friend. What was she doing in a sorority?
By the end of the week I knew. I had talked to a dozen or more Sigma Kappas and all of them had so much in common with me. I was in love and stayed up half the night hoping for a bid. It came and hear I am in the first half of my junior year even more in love with Sigma Kappa than I was that first week.
Last semester I studied abroad in Nicaragua and as of ten days ago I hadn’t seen most of my sisters in over eight months. I had a wonderful time abroad and learned a lot, but I sure missed my Sigma Kappa’s. It was so nice to get their little Facebook messages that filled me in on everything they were doing and inevitably those messages ended with “I miss you.” But even with those little reminders, I didn’t realize how much I was missed until I walked through the door last Wednesday. Every one of my sisters came running up to give me a hug and say how glad they are that I’m back. I’ve never felt so loved and so important in my entire life. It was like every time I go back to Wisconsin to visit Grammy and all of my aunts, uncles and cousins and they greet me like they’ve been waiting for me to come back all year long. It was exactly like that, like my sisters have been waiting in anticipation of my return. It is so good to be home!
They are my chosen family and like a true family, they have always come through for me. December of my freshman year, just a week before I got home in time for a final good-bye, my grandfather passed away. He and I were very close. I had spent high school caring for him full-time, to the point that I did everything but sleep at my Grandpa's house. I got the news of his death right here at Sigma Kappa. Immediately, I was surrounded by sisters offering hugs, stuffed animals, and a shoulder, but the best thing any of them gave me were these words, “Honey, I’m sorry. I know there is nothing I can do but I love you.” When I returned to my residence hall the next morning puffy-eyed and exhausted from a night of crying in a hotel room, I was greeted by a large bouquet, a box of tissues, and a bag of Hershey’s Hugs accompanied by a card signed “Your Sisters.” In the coming days, they gave me ways to distract myself and time to mourn, but I will never forget those words.
And now it has happened again. Last weekend, my Grammy, the last of my grandparents, passed away last weekend. I know that she was ready to go, but it hurts really badly that there will be no more summers at Grandma's, no more shared milkshakes, no more stories circa WWII. My sisters have comforted me, admired my Grammy's photo, listened to my stories, took care of my responsibilities while I flew home for the funeral, and greeted me enthusiastically when I got home just yesterday.
I admire these women. I try to emulate them. They have been my strength in some of the hardest times of my life and my joy in the happiest. These women are more than just worth knowing, and I consider myself to be lucky and blessed to have them in my life.
Posted by Post Scripts at 10:14 AM | Comments (1)
September 26, 2007
Top Dem contenders juuuust can’t (or won’t) say for sure…
by Tina Grazier
Bringing the troops home continues to be a squishy issue for presidential hopefuls in the Democrat Party. A debate in New Hampshire, moderated by Tim Russert of NBC News, featured an opening question on the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. It yielded the following milk toast responses:
"I think it's hard to project four years from now," said Sen. Barack Obama
"It is very difficult to know what we're going to be inheriting," added Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton
"I cannot make that commitment," said former Sen. John Edwards
Cindy Sheehan, Code Pink, Moveon.OGRE and the Kos Kiddies are not going to be happy about this showing. Yes Cindy & company, I'm afraid it's true…the major contenders for the leadership role in your terrorist facilitator's group simply will not commit!
The terrorist's war on the United States, Israel, and the West will continue no matter who is elected as president...and no matter what plan he (or she) proposes…wouldn't it be smart to elect someone who actually wants to defeat them?
Posted by Post Scripts at 11:12 PM | Comments (0)
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF NEWS STORIES? Please send us your comments. If you don't wish to send in your email address just use x@x.com. We don't use your email for anything and it's kept secret.
General interest - science, daily life, animals, etc.
Political - national
Political - global
Local stories
Other
Would you like more pictures, less pictures or is it about right now?
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:14 AM | Comments (1)
No. 1 Sign You'll Develop Dementia Later
Obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol levels, lack of exercise and lower levels of education, the factors that place a person at high risk for cardiovascular disease, are also the top signs that a middle-age individual will develop dementia in old age. One of the best ways to predict your risk of dementia in later life is your weight in your early 40s.
The Associated Press and Reuters report that having just one of these risk factors in middle age doubles your chance of developing dementia later. If you have all three, your chances just increased a whopping six fold. That's the word from a new study conducted by researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, who have developed
the first-ever "risk score" in an attempt to predict future cases of dementia. "This has been done for other diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, but we've never before had a tool like this for estimating the risk of dementia," Dr. Miia Kivipelto, an associate professor at the Aging Research Centre in Stockholm and the study's lead author, told AP.
Is this the new anti-aging beverage? One drink--more than any other--will keep your brain young.
In this study, 1,409 middle-aged people in Finland were followed from 1972 to 1987. They were then re-examined 20 years later for signs of dementia. The four percent who developed dementia had the highest risk factors 20 years earlier. Kivipelto cautions that the results need to be verified by additional research in different populations, but says the risk score the team developed accurately predicted dementia occurrence with 70 percent accuracy.
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:05 AM | Comments (3)
September 25, 2007
Law of the Sea Treaty – “ LOST”
You might want to voice your concern
Posted by Tina Grazier
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=D89C776C-CFDE-4D1E-99C9-BD802240557B
Frank Gaffney sounds a warning alarm in his article, “Rubber Stamp?” published at FrontpageMag.com. Apparently the treaty in question was resoundingly rejected by Ronald Reagan in 1982 but it has recently gained significant support and is being pushed by President Bush.
On that day, (this Thursday) the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee will begin the first of two days of hearings on the ratification of one of the most momentous international agreements in memory: the United Nation’s Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST). **** If all goes according to the proponents’ plan, few Senators will have any idea what LOST entails before they are asked to vote for it. **** Should they superficially consider, and then consent to, ratification of the Law of the Sea Treaty, they will be accelerating dramatically the permanent erosion of their own authority – and that of the Congress more generally. **** The reason? LOST was designed three decades ago by the Soviet Union and its so-called “non-aligned” allies to foster supranational entities at the expense of nation states, particularly those with representative governments. The Senate of the United States would be as irrelevant to that sort of world order as national parliaments in Europe have already become, thanks to the transfer of virtually all rule-making authority to the European Union’s bureaucrats in Brussels.
For more information visit the following sites:
http://www.rejectlost.org/
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea - commonly known at the Law of the Sea Treaty, or LOST - is the darling project of the transnational progressives, or "transies." **** Their goal is nothing less than the establishment of world government at the expense of traditional sovereignty.
http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/home.aspx?sid=56&categoryid=56&subcategoryid=108&newsid=13947
The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), now being pushed by the Bush Administration for a quick vote, is already starting to get rave reviews from the press, with the Sacramento Bee saying that protecting the oceans of the world could be Bush's "legacy." **** As President Reagan understood, UNCLOS creates another dangerous U.N. bureaucracy, with a seabed "authority" to run ocean affairs, as well as a court system and a global tax. It is a mechanism created by the World Federalists as a major stepping stone on the road to world government. It is also designed to make it easier for the "international community" to thwart the exercise of U.S. military power in foreign affairs. One of the main authors, Elizabeth Mann Borgese, was a socialist who admired Karl Marx. But don't expect our media to report these facts to the American people. **** U.S. Navy officials, acting clueless and completely in the dark about the nature of U.N. bureaucracies, are actually lobbying on Capitol Hill for Senate ratification of the pact.
Reagan's U.N. ambassador, the late Jeane Kirkpatrick, was still rejecting it in 2004, supposedly after the treaty (it’s problems) had been "fixed."
You can register your opinion on the treaty by calling the Capitol at 1-800-828-0498 and asking to be connected to the offices of your senators.
Posted by Post Scripts at 10:36 PM | Comments (1)
The Dark Side of Healthcare
Published on FoxNews.com on September 20, 2007.
The public face of Hillary Clinton’s new health care plan is sunny, filled with choices for consumers and bright with promises for better health care for all. But a close examination of the proposal alongside other initiatives of Sen. Clinton in the past few years reveals a dark side she wants to hide from public view until after the election is over.
In her program, she speaks of how health care is the right of every “American” — but she has a rather expansive definition of “American.” In 2005, Hillary co-sponsored legislation in the United States Senate to offer free health insurance, under the State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to the children of illegal immigrants who have lived in the United States for five years. So, those who have dodged the immigration cops for five years successfully would be rewarded not only with legal status and a path to citizenship, but with immediate free health care for their children.
Indeed, when Democrats and liberals speak of the 50,000,000 uninsured Americans, more than one fifth of those are illegal immigrants. Thus, about one in five of the beneficiaries of her program for universal health insurance are illegal aliens. (Illegal immigrants are a disproportionately large segment of the uninsured population because legal immigrants and citizens who live in poverty are eligible for Medicaid, but illegal immigrants are not.)
Would Americans like to reward those whose only connection to our country is that they flouted our laws to come here with free health insurance for themselves and their children? Doubtless Hillary knows the answer is no, so she is determined to hide that aspect of her plan from the public.
Hillary speaks of the importance of stopping health insurance companies from raising premiums on those who are sick. But she does not mention the inevitable flip side of her proposal — to raise premiums on those who are well. On the one hand, she would cover all those with chronic conditions with low cost health insurance and, on the other, would stop insurance companies from “cherry picking” healthy and young people for their insurance plans. The net effect would be a major increase in health insurance premiums for the vast majority of Americans.
In effect, her plan would turn “insurance” into “subsidy.” The concept of insurance is that one pays a relatively low premium to guard against catastrophic expenses that are outside of our ability to meet financially. But Hillary’s program would really be nothing more than a cash transfer from the healthy to the sick, not an insurance program at all.
Hillary says that her program would provide “universal” coverage for all. In order to achieve universality, one must make the program compulsory. The bulk of the uninsured do not want to have to pay for insurance. They are healthy and don’t want the added burden of health insurance. That is why about half of those who are eligible for free or low cost insurance under the State Child Health Insurance Program have not signed up. Their parents don’t want to.
So Hillary’s program, as she freely admits, would require health insurance as a pre-condition of employment. Not having health insurance would be a violation just as driving a car without automobile insurance is illegal. The resulting coercion would force millions to pay for coverage they do not want and feel they don’t need. But to pay for her national program, Hillary needs everyone to be covered so she can use their revenues to subsidize the coverage of those who are ill.
But the main defect of Hillary’s program is that it leaves out any attempt at cost control. With health care absorbing 16 percent of our economy, Bill Clinton’s warnings of economic disaster if its share of our national income passed 12 percent back in 1993 sound almost quaint today. Cost control is a vital part of any plan for universal coverage. Indeed, without it, extending coverage just offers a blank check to patients and providers which would drive even higher the share of our economy that goes to health care.
It was Hillary herself who explained this concept to Dick in 1993. The reality has not changed. Hillary will be forced to control costs as the implicit and vital element of any health care reform. This control of costs belies her contention that she would leave the health care system untouched except to extend coverage to those who now lack it. Because she would need to limit utilization and lower costs, she would be forced to ration health care and to impose government mandated and controlled managed care on all Americans.
For the first time, the word “no” would come into our system. Do you need open heart surgery? Are you a poor risk because of smoking or diabetes or age? No longer would the bureaucrat at the other end of the phone say “we won’t pay for it” or “you don’t need it” or “we can’t fit you in at our facility.” The answer would simply be no — even if you pay for it yourself, you may not have one. It is this type of coercion that drives Canadians over the border to the U.S. in search of medical options denied them at home under their socialized medical structure. Now it would operate on both sides of the border.
Finally, Hillary seeks to finance the system by ending tax breaks for the wealthy, by which she means any household with $250,000 or more in income. Never mind that she has spent that money several times over. But why use income taxes to finance her system? Why not do what Democrats and Republicans are now pushing in Congress — to finance it by raising cigarette taxes? That way we get a double impact: higher tobacco prices cut smoking, particularly among teenagers, and reduce health costs and the revenues pay for her expansion of the system. The current Congress is passing legislation to raise cigarette taxes 61 cents per pack to pay for a $35 billion expansion of the State Child Health Insurance Program. Why not raise them $2 per pack to raise the $110 billion Hillary says her health care proposal will need?
In selling her program, Hillary seems to imply that she was under the hypnotic control of her advisers (presumably Ira Magaziner) in 1993 when she designed her previous health care reform. Now she says she is in charge. “I’m the decision maker now,” she told The New York Times. “I have a plan that is 100 percent my plan.” But what was the 1993 initiative but her plan, concocted in secret and foisted in toto on a Congress which wouldn’t pass it?
Now she says she would not “have approached [health care reform] in the same way” as she did in 1993. Now she will be informed by “a greater dose of humility and empathy and understanding of what it takes to get things done in our political system.”
That and a determination to conceal the true implications of her proposal until after she is elected.
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:33 PM | Comments (1)
Nerd Auction
by Tina Grazier
The idea was to encourage more girls to get involved with computers...but of course it expanded into a plan to meet girls, get a makeover, and possibly a date...or two...or three...but how?
Professor Moon Lee's public relations class at Washington State University determined that the nerdy computer club needed a good promotional plan...
"They made suggestions to work with specific groups such as sororities. Sorority groups tend to have a very good social network," said Ben Ford, President, Linux Users Group (LUG) *** "When they said we should have a social with a sorority, I thought that was a joke." *** "The problem is that we're all still nerds. Let's face it, guys. If anyone's going to bid on us, we'll need some spicing up," he wrote. "And who better to help with that than sorority girls who like nothing better than a makeover?"
The auction idea came to Ben in the shower where all great ideas are hatched:
...choose a handful of brave nerds to take one for the team." *** "The girls get to have their way with them and we'll document each makeover." *** "We'll make a snazzy video and show it over dinner. After the dinner, we'll auction off the now studly nerds." *** the auction (will be) open to the general student population and co-sponsored by a sorority.
"You can buy a nerd and he'll fix your computer, help you with stats homework, or if you're really adventurous, take you to dinner!" said Ben on the club Web site.
Professor Carl Hauser gives the idea some, ahem...perspective: "In our computer science program as well as in programs across the country, the percentage of women is at an all-time low... Nobody understands what this is all about."
Geesh Professor...YOU may have acedemic needs but for these guys there's so much more at stake...get a clue!
I'll tell you one thing for sure, this plan is more likely to attract attention than a silly little poster pinned to a telephone pole in the quad. My hat's off to them for a very creative plan. BIG BONUS: They'll soon know for sure whether there are any women in those sororities worth knowing!
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:26 PM | Comments (3)
Four Republicans Vote With Dems
by Jack Lee
Four Senate Republicans voted with Dems to bring the troops home early. The measure still failed. The dissenting votes came from Collins (R-Me), Coleman (R-Minn), Sununu (R-NH), and Smith (R-Ore). Each one is facing a tough race in the 2008 elections. If it were not for that who knows how they might have voted, but I would like to think they would have supported their Republican counterparts who courageously stood their ground. I can only think these voted because of what was best for their own political careers and that is a shame.
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:24 PM | Comments (1)
Human skulls are 'oldest Americans'
A group of skulls unearther over a 100 years ago near Mexico city were known to be old, but the skulls have only recently been radio carbon tested and one was found to be 13,000 years old, the oldest yet found. Previous bones have been tested back to 12,000 years. This latest find is providing fresh light how humans colonize the Americas.
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:17 PM | Comments (0)
Ten Things You may Not Want to Know
This little critter lives on your body. Note the stubby legs. Demodex folliculorum has eight stumpy legs and a tail.
1. The average human body comprises enough fat to make seven bars of soap, enough iron to make a medium sized nail, enough potassium to explode a toy cannon, enough lime to whitewash a small chicken coop, enough sugar to fill a jam jar, and enough sulfur to rid a dog of fleas.
2. A complete skeleton is worth between $5,000 and $7,500 to a medical student; your skull alone would fetch only about $450.
3. Your mouth produces about one quart of saliva per day.
4. Demodex folliculorum has eight stumpy legs and a tail, is about a third of a millimeter long, and loves nothing more than to recline in the warm, oily pits of your hair follicles. Most adults have this mite, usually on the head, but especially in eyelashes. And often, they're in nipples.
5. You have approximately 4,000 wax glands in each ear.
6. The average adult stool weighs about 4 ounces. And half of the bulk of your feces comprises the dead bodies of bacteria that live inside your intestines.
7. The average male foot exudes half a pint of sweat each day.
8. If it weren't for the slimy mucous that clings to and lines the walls of your gut, your stomach would readily digest itself.
9. The average person will pass about 11,000 gallons of urine in a lifetime.
10. A man weighing 200 lbs. would provide enough meat to feed 100 cannibals in one sitting.
Posted by Post Scripts at 08:43 PM | Comments (0)
A Comment About Elections
by Cliff W.
Jack, I have enjoyed reading the evolving story regarding your gearing up to run. As a political consultant who has run five to six political campaigns every election (that is primary AND general cycle) it is always interesting to me to observe those who chose to undertake a campaign without professional guidance. They typically express their concerns regarding costs or reservations about being "professionally managed." They go on to craft a rational for
proceeding based on the premise that they would prefer to save costs by running a "grass roots" or another favorite term is "home grown" campaign. All of which may sound like a gool old-fashioned campaign.
Their underlying assumption is that they can do the job of a trained, experienced professional. I stongly suggest that you resist the assumption that you or your committee is prepared to undertake this venture without professional guidance. Candidates who have done so generally share one thing in common... Failure. The bottom line is, if you don't succeed, you don't legislate. You may have the best of ideas and greatest intentions, but if you fail - what did they matter? Modern campaigns are not what they were 20 - 30 years ago. It would be foolhardy to undergo surgery without a medical professional doing the job. Most automobiles today are too complicated for the shade-tree mechanic. Don't let your campaign's success fall victim to the presumption that you can do this yourself or that you can get it done on the cheap.
Let's assume you are just doing a limited mail program as you have already outlined. You are going to need to target med-high propensity Republican voters in the seven counties of the 3rd AD. Do you presently own campaign software that will allow you to run demographic/propensity target universes or print phone sheets and walk sheets? If not, are you likewise going to shun purchasing "professional" campaign software? You can go "home grown" and get the data from the several counties in Excel or some other format, however, do you have the ability/background to normalize the data? Even if you do, can you code it for demographic sortation or geocoding?
The bottom line is, there are many elements to running a strong campaign, not the least of which is developing a strong campaign plan and budget that includes all message vehicles, Direct Mail, Email, Web presence, Radio, Broadcast TV, Cable and that does not even get us to ground operations. The one thing that I can guarantee is that if you take and amature approach - you are assured and amature result. You REALLY need to reevaluate your decision to make a go of this without a professional consultant.
Posted by Post Scripts at 03:52 PM | Comments (1)
September 23, 2007
It Was in the Wheels of Airplane!
Huge rattlesnake found while doing preflight of US Coast Guard Plane shown in background. This why you always send your co-pilot out to do pre-flights!
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:34 PM | Comments (2)
September 22, 2007
Iraq: Blackwater Guards Fired Unprovoked
by Jack Lee
I wanted to reprint this AP story because of what Iraq's President is demanding and because Iraqi's are making the allegations over the shootings which seems fishy because of the video tape among other things. Something isn't right here, but you be the judge:
BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraqi investigators have a videotape that shows Blackwater USA guards opened fire against civilians without provocation in a shooting last week that left 11 people dead, a senior Iraqi official said Saturday. He said the case was referred to the Iraqi judiciary.
Iraq's president, meanwhile, demanded that the Americans release an Iranian arrested this week on suspicion of smuggling weapons to Shiite militias. The demand adds new strains to U.S.-Iraqi relations only days before a meeting between President Bush and Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said Iraqi authorities had completed an investigation into the Sept. 16 shooting in Nisoor Square in western Baghdad and concluded that Blackwater guards were responsible for the deaths.
He told The Associated Press that the conclusion was based on witness statements as well as videotape shot by cameras at the nearby headquarters of the national police command. He said eight people were killed at the scene and three of the 15 wounded died in hospitals.
Blackwater, which provides most of the security for U.S. diplomats and civilian officials in Iraq, has insisted that its guards came under fire from armed insurgents and shot back only to defend themselves.
Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said Saturday that she knew nothing about the videotape and was contractually prohibited from discussing details of the shooting.
Khalaf also said the ministry was looking into six other fatal shootings involving the Moyock, N.C.-based company in which 10 Iraqis were killed and 15 wounded. Among the shootings was one Feb. 7 outside Iraqi state television in Baghdad that killed three building guards.
``These six cases will support the case against Blackwater, because they show that it has a criminal record,'' Khalaf said.
Posted by Post Scripts at 06:37 PM | Comments (1)
Supporting Our Country
by John Freitas
I was at the Chico Masonic Family Center tonight the Masonic Lodge held a "Constitutional Observance" dinner. A Marine Staff Sergeant, who has served two tours in Iraq, gave a talk on, well, our country, why he became a Marine and the Iraqi People. This man risks all for us. Aside from being a Marine, he is a Husband and a Father. And he is proud to do it. He served during the original invasion and again in Falluja. He spoke of the courage of the Iraqi people and how his experience gave him a better appreciation of his country.
I don't see how, we as a country, can let a man in, who has and is facilitating the attempted murder of the Marine I listened to tonight murder of our soldiers in Iraq.
I realize we have allowed the UN to park their butts in our country, and the price of that is that people like Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chavez get to come to our country and thumb their noses at us. But I think it has become too big of a price to pay. If we are going to allow the 21st century "league of nations” continue to park on our shores, perhaps we should set the ground rule "no one who facilitates the death of U.S. children can come to the US to speak to the UN..They loose their privilege. Rent a hotel somewhere else and meet with the UN there. Perhaps Israel. I think the Mossad would know how to receive this asshole.
I couldn’t even imagine what would have happened in 1943, if Adolph Hitler wanted to make a trip to Hawaii and "lay a wreath" on the wreckage of the USS Arizona. I certainly don’t think there would have been much debate about whether we should let him come or not.
What has happened to us? We march out to protest our own soldiers, but we let this guy come to our country!!!
Posted by Post Scripts at 01:40 PM | Comments (2)
Money & Campaigning Under the Legal Radar
An ugly tale of American politics by Tina Grazier
The continuing talk of ill-gotten gains in politics is enough to make most people turn away in disgust. I’m no exception. If I could, I’d wave a magic wand and smile with glee as the guilty got exactly what they deserve, measure for measure, and the innocent would be left alone to continue in their work. Magic wands don’t exist however, so it seems the long FBI investigations, court delays, lying, compromising, dirty tricks and deals will continue into the foreseeable future. As headlines rage and negative feelings abound I’d like to know one thing, why don't campaign laws protect against the following:
AFL-CIO to spend $200 million on 2008 Associated Press, by Staff
WASHINGTON— The AFL-CIO and its unions said Friday they will spend an estimated $200 million on the 2008 elections, with the nation's largest labor federation devoting $53 million exclusively to grass-roots mobilization. In addition, the AFL-CIO said it would deploy more than 200,000 volunteers leading up to the election, with special focus on battleground states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Unfortunately I was unable to access the story, so I don’t have any more information on this, but the fact remains the money will be spent with zero hoopla made over it…zero hand wringing about BIG UNETHICAL UNION and also without lengthy investigations and indictments. Union money will get great headlines; headlines that almost BRAG about the HUGE sums being spent and "free" work done by “volunteers.”
The next example is a more dangerous one:
George Soros: The Man, The Mind And The Money Behind MoveOn, by INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Through networks of nongovernmental organizations, Soros intends to ruin the presidency of George W. Bush "by any legal means necessary" and knock America off its global pedestal. "His view of America is so negative," says Sen. Joe Lieberman, who, like Gen. David Petraeus, has been a target of Soros' electoral "philanthropy." "The places he's put his money are . . . so destructive that it unsettles me." Soros' aim seems to be to make the U.S. just another client state easily controlled by the United Nations and other one-world groups where he has lots of friends. *** Best known among these groups is MoveOn.org, a previously small fringe-left group to which Soros has given $5 million since 2004. Bulked up by cash, the group now uses professional public relations tactics to undercut the Iraq War effort, with its latest a full-page New York Times ad that branded Gen. Petraeus "General Betray Us."
Soros' efforts go beyond spin. He has also bankrolled groups involved in the manipulation of elections, an activity that has increased since his money came into the picture. (three such organizations have been fined or sanctioned) *** Soros says he has ended funding to voter-drive organizations, but he still heads a secretive rich-man's club called "Democracy Alliance" that has doled out $20 million to activist groups like ACORN. *** It's also noteworthy that the Soros-funded MoveOn.org advocates "paper-trail" electronic voting in the U.S., the same kind used in Venezuela, where allegations of electronic fraud and ballot secrecy violations have ended confidence in the system and sealed Chavez's dictatorship.
We are in a political war like never before and the future of our nation is at stake. The next president and congress will be in a position to decide the direction of the war on terror, future Supreme Court appointments, and perhaps most importantly, whether our nation will remain a democratic republic or become more socialist and controlling. It is incumbent upon all of us to notice the political games playing out in the news as well as the words being spoken by candidates.
Republicans are vulnerable in one significant area. The base is adamant…break the rules and you are out. The opposition doesn’t have this problem to any great degree. But they know this Achilles heal exists for republicans and they will do anything to make big headlines involving republicans accused of wrongdoing. We can expect investigations, outrageous allegations, and cases being delayed and dragged out in court. One of the groups Soros funds is the ACLU, a group with a strong liberal/socialist bent. Lawyers in general make up a big democrat lobby…oh, perhaps you didn’t think of them as a lobby? Phfff! Not only do they lobby...they write the laws, loop holes and all.
Soros cash flows liberally under the legal radar:
Soros' Open Society Institute gave $20,000 for the legal defense of radical attorney Lynne Stewart. She was convicted in 2002 of abetting jailed terrorists after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
It's probably no coincidence that Soros was a big backer of campaign finance reforms that have allowed nominally nonpartisan groups like MoveOn.org to strike with the kinds of tactics they are using.
Does all of this mean I think that “guilty” republicans should be given a pass or for that matter, your vote? Absolutely not! What I am asking is that we develop two things: 1. an enhanced ability to evaluate and parse the news, and 2. a healthy dose of good old American skepticism. It doesn’t hurt to ‘hold fire” until we can “see the whites of their eyes” either. We must time our battles carefully or risk losing the bigger war.
Innocent until proven guilty plays an important part in our judicial system. Since the press holds court every day with sensationalized headlines and 24-7 “Breaking News” it’s even more important to be mindful of that important aspect of the law and to make an effort to find the complete story on our own. It also doesn’t hurt to ask, even rhetorically, what is it about our campaign laws that allow some money to be celebrated and other money to be deemed “unethical”?
Find the full IBD story on Soros here:
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=275181103776079
Posted by Post Scripts at 12:06 AM | Comments (2)
September 20, 2007
Lopsided Medicare Billing Patterns
South Florida bills billions for HIV
Washington Times, by Jim McElhatton
Doctors and clinics in three Southern Florida counties account for most of the billions of dollars charged to Medicare nationwide for HIV and AIDS drugs and services, billing records show. Federal health care regulators call the lopsided billing patterns ''egregious'' and warn that South Florida — particularly Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties — is a potential hotbed for health care fraud, waste and abuse.
Hmmmm…Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties in Florida…aren’t these the counties of the hanging chads? Cheats, liars and now if true...practitioners of deceit
Posted by Post Scripts at 11:21 PM | Comments (0)
Class-Action Lawyers Indicted
by Tina Grazier
A seven year investigation has led to the indictment of a prominent New York law firm co-founder, attorney Melvin Weiss. Mr. Weiss is accused of conspiring to pay kickbacks to people who agreed to be plaintiffs in class-action suits against large corporations. The article at sfgate.com, “Lawyer indicted for conspiracy in class-action kickback scheme,” by Robert Jablon reports that the following companies were among those targeted:
AT&T, Lucent, WorldCom, Sears, Roebuck, Microsoft, Prudential Insurance and Lincoln Savings & Loan.
The law firm, Milberg Weiss Bershad & Schulman was also indicted for secretly paying millions to get people to take part in over 225 shareholder class-action suits. Several partners and lawyers in the firm have plead guilty to charges including a senior partner, Steve G. Schulman, who has agreed to plead guilty to a racheteering conspiracy charge. Quoted from the article:
"The indictment outlines a decades-long kickback scheme that was deliberately concealed from courts across the nation that were overseeing significant class-action cases," said George S. Cardona, acting U.S. attorney in Los Angeles. **** "The scheme furthered personal greed at the expense of the integrity of the courts and the interests of absent class members," he said.
If convicted of all counts, Weiss could get up to 40 years in federal prison. Schulman agreed in a plea deal to forfeit $1.85 million to the government and to pay a $250,000 fine.
Find the story at sfgate.com here:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2007/09/20/state/n142721D84.DTL&type=printable
Posted by Post Scripts at 10:45 PM | Comments (2)
The Incredibly Controlling Hugo Chavez
Call him cuckoo -- Chavez changes time in Venezuela
Reuters, by Saul Hudson
CARACAS - President Hugo Chavez wants Venezuelan clocks turned back half an hour and he wants it done in record time -- next Monday. *** Chavez dismissed criticism that moving the time only a half hour was quirky, questioning why the world had to follow a scheme of hourly divisions that he said was dictated by the imperial United States. The change will put Venezuela on its own time zone, shared by no other country.
Gives time management a whole new...signification!
Posted by Post Scripts at 12:07 AM | Comments (3)
A Cure in 2 Years?
Cancer cure 'may be available in two years'
Telegraph (London, UK), by Nic Fleming
Cancer sufferers could be cured with injections of immune cells from other people within two years, scientists say. US researchers have been given the go-ahead to give patients transfusions of ''super strength'' cancer-killing cells from donors. (Snip) in laboratory experiments that immune cells from some people can be almost 50 times more effective in fighting cancer than in others.
We certainly have prayed for something like this.
Posted by Post Scripts at 12:01 AM | Comments (1)
September 19, 2007
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at Ground Zero?
Nope…not on this hallowed ground.
by Tina Grazier
Ahmadinejad wants (desperately?) to visit ground zero while in New York where he is scheduled to speak to the UN General Assembly. His request serves as a window into the basic nature of this man; this small man with the haughty, insolent spirit. My first inclination is to remind him of what comes before destruction. But he would just smile that haughty smile and dismiss me. It will be interesting to see what he has to say next week when he speaks at the UN. He might have a word for the two prominent republican presidential candidates who had this to say about his desire to visit the Trade Center site:
"Ahmadinejad's shockingly audacious request should be met with a vehement no," Romney said in a statement. "It's inconceivable that any consideration would be given to the idea of entertaining the leader of a state sponsor of terror at Ground Zero. This would deeply offend the sensibilities of Americans from all corners of our nation."
"Under no circumstances should the NYPD or any other American authority assist President Ahmadinejad in visiting Ground Zero," Giuliani said in a statement issued by his campaign. "This is a man who has made threats against America and Israel, is harboring Bin Laden's son and other al-Qaeda leaders, is shipping arms to Iraqi insurgents and is pursuing the development of nuclear weapons. Assisting Ahmadinejad in touring Ground Zero -- hallowed ground for all Americans -- is outrageous."
Romney apparently also asserted earlier in the week that the UN should revoke the invitation for Ahmadinejad to speak saying that he should be indicted instead.
The DNC found it more important to accuse Romney of being disingenuous in his remarks. How very typical.
It’s great to see these men step forward to take a hard stand against the Iranian president, a man who has vowed to wipe Israel off the map and who takes incredible delight in his overt offenses after issuing murderous threats against Americans. This is, indeed, a very small man...in both size and character.
It‘s been reported that his request has been denied on the basis of “ongoing construction” and “security considerations.” That's very officious…all fine and dandy...but, one would imagine the good people of New York, and in particular those who lost loved ones, friends and associates, the police and fire departments, and the Port Authority people, would have a much stronger, more visceral response. I know I did...not on this ground sir, not on this hallowed ground!
Posted by Post Scripts at 11:23 PM | Comments (3)
STOP PORK SPENDING!
by Jack Lee
It's an outrage! Earmarks also known as "pork spending" is another perversion of government. It is an abuse of power, yet it is commonly used by our state and federal legislators for their own pet projects and/or to buy votes. It is usually for something normally so far outside the scope of government priorities that it would never make it out of a committee as a stand alone bill. Common sense and good ethics says that all earmarks should be banned starting in 2008. Taxpayers are fedup.
If it's so worthy of our money, then I say, have the courage to put it in as a bill by itself and see what happens when it comes under full scruitiny!
Did you know in the first 6 months of their majority control in Congress Democrats issues 32,000 pork spending attachments to bills? Thousands are attached to bills in the state every year and every year it gets worse.
Pork or earmarking is a way to introduce spending for a legislator's home district project by writing it into a bill, often at the cost of getting his or her vote. For example, lets say Senator X would like to have a monument of himself built in his hometown and their is an important bill on tax reform coming up. He says he will only vote for the reform only if a trailer or addendum is included that will provide one million for a statue of himself. Because Senator X is very influential and his vote is necessary to have this bill passed, the Senators then concede and give him his million dollars for a statue. This is just an example I made up, but reality says there are more absurd reasons than this that get far more money! (see page 2)
If you said this was extortion, you would be right!
Let's say, if certain Senators seeking a favor offered to do something nice for Senator X in his home district, like a statue of himself, you could safely call THAT a bribe! In either case its perfectly legal and its also absolutely wrong!
1. It's wrong because of how it was done because often times these attachments slip in under the radar of the public.
2. It is wrong because it sets up more of the same kind of spending.
3. It's wrong because it creates the perception of dirty politics and it turns off voters.
4. It's wrong because it damages the credibility of elected officials and undermines the confidence of the people. It is wrong because it is an abuse of power!
5. It's wrong because it is wasteful and secretive spending.
How many more reasons do you need to say enough is enough? I wonder why legislators haven't tried to do something about this long ago? They fact that they haven't ought to raise serious questions about their competence and character.
STOP ALL PORK SPENDING NOW. Call your Congressman, Assemblyman, Senators and demand better! If enough of you demand better, we will get better or are you content with the way things are now?
Congressman Wally Herger (Chico, CA) 530-893-8363
Assemblyman Rick Keene (Chico, CA) 530- 895-4217
Senator Sam Aanested (Chico, CA) 530-895-6088
Forget Calling Boxer or Feinstien - they're lost causes.
From Fox News ..............
Pork — that is, excessive spending for members’ pet projects, which usually grease the skids for special interest and hometown support — increased 9 percent in fiscal year 2002 to $20 billion. The number of pork projects increased 32 percent to a total of 8,341.
For the second year in a row, Alaska led the nation in pork with $451 million in spending, followed by Hawaii with $353 million, and West Virginia with $215 million — all thanks to powerful members on the Senate Appropriations Committee, CAGW said.
CAGW categorizes more than 600 pet projects in the "2002 Pig Book" by committee and says every project meets one or more of the following criteria: they are unauthorized or unsupported by the president, proposed by only one member, and serve one special interest, are unhindered by any congressional hearing and are not competitively awarded.
Some of the latest "Pig Book" installments include:
— $62.4 million for commerce projects in Alaska, home of Senate Appropriations Committee ranking member Republican Ted Stevens, including $750,000 to prevent Atlantic salmon from escaping state streams and $4 million for sea lion recovery projects.
— $23 million in agricultural projects for the state of Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member Thad Cochran, R-Miss., including $800,000 for imported red fireants.
— $268 million in defense projects in the state of Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, including $1 million for an alternative fuel program for the Hickman Air Force Base and $2 million for the state National Guard anti-drug program.
— $80 million for energy and water projects in the state of Senate Appropriations Chairman Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., including $7 million for a positron emission tomography facility at West Virginia University.
— $78.5 million in labor and health and human services projects in Iowa, home of Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee chairman Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, including $100,000 to encourage children to hold fairs displaying their inventions and $3 million for the Iowa Communications Network.
Schatz said he is tired of hearing members of Congress squabble over anti-terrorism funding requested by President Bush.
"We would not have to go looking for that money if we didn’t have all of this pork — which is the greater priority right now in the minds of Congress, war or pork?"
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:30 AM | Comments (1)
September 18, 2007
Bridge Repair Funding Bills
Lame excuse for massive pork barrel spending!
Posted by Tina Grazier
The newest transportation bills are chock full of oink!
"We consider it seed money for projects that were sought by home-state senators and local communities," said Alex Glass, a spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who chairs the committee that drafted the $104.6 billion transportation and housing bill. "We don't consider it to be an either/or choice."
The House version of the bill, passed before the Interstate 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis on Aug. 1…with more than 1,400 earmarks worth nearly $2.2 billion.
The U.S. Senate bill does contain an extra $1 billion for bridge repair. But the amount set aside for pet transportation and community projects would be more than double that: In all, 843 new congressional "earmarks" totaling $2.5 billion.
Washington-based Club for Growth, which promotes economic freedom, recently analyzed 50 amendments offered this year to strip pork spending from bills.
Members of the GOP voted to strike waste a little less than half the time, 43 percent.
The average Democratic score was 2 percent, which means members of that party almost always supported wasteful spending.
Find the articles:
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/091807/opi_200317123.shtml
http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?a=308255&z=16
Please vote wisely in 2008
Posted by Post Scripts at 11:09 PM | Comments (1)
Vintage Geezers
by Tina Grazier
This story is a classic:
Geezer Power: Older Men + Younger Women = Longer Lifespan
ABC News, by Lee Dye
Scientists think they've found one of the reasons why humans defy evolution theory and live well beyond their reproductive life. It's all those old guys latching on to younger women and passing their good genes down to their kids. No kidding….*** Older men helped increase the birth rate in the population as a whole, because more old guys were remaining useful, and it also meant gramps was passing along a pretty good set of genes.
OK…all you science types out there…if you can also explain the staggering benefit that derives from geezers purchasing sports cars my universe will be complete!
Posted by Post Scripts at 10:19 PM | Comments (0)
Odd Thoughts from A Retiree's Wandering Mind
I planted some bird seed. A bird came up. Now I don't know what to feed it.
~~~
I had amnesia once -- or twice.
~~~
I went to San Francisco. I found someone's heart. Now what?
~~~
I had amnesia once -- or twice.
~~~
I went to San Francisco. I found someone's heart. Now what?
~~~
Protons have mass? I didn't even know they were Catholic.
~~~
All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy.
~~~
If the world were a logical place, men would be the ones who ride horses side saddle.
~~~
What is a "free" gift? Aren't all gifts free?
~~~
They told me I was gullible and I believed them.
~~~
Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to merge his car onto the freeway.
~~~
Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone.
~~~
One nice thing about egotists: they don't talk about other people.
~~~
My weight is perfect for my height -- which varies.
~~~
I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.
~~~
The cost of living hasn't affected its popularity.
~~~
How can there be self-help "groups"?
~~~
If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales?
~~~
Show me a man with both feet firmly on the ground, and I'll show you a man who can't get his pants off.
~~~
Is it me -- or do buffalo wings taste like chicken?
Posted by Post Scripts at 03:47 PM | Comments (0)
How Enron Worked the President
(This is an interesting bit of information that you don't hear much about.)
A.. Enron's chairman did meet with the president and the vice president in the Oval Office.
B.. Enron gave $420,000 to the president's party over three years.
C.. It donated $100,000 to the president's inauguration festivities.
D.. The Enron chairman stayed at the White House 11 times.
E.. The corporation had access to the administration at its highest level and even enlisted the Commerce and State Departments to grease deals for it.
F.. The taxpayer-supported export-import bank subsidized Enron for more than $600 million in just one transaction. Scandalous!
G.. BUT .. the president under whom all this happened WASN'T George W. Bush.
SURPRISE!
It was Bill Clinton!
Pass this on so the whole country will know.
The media won't take it public!
ARE WE READY FOR MRS. CLINTON? Not ME !!!!
Posted by Post Scripts at 03:16 PM | Comments (3)
Stocks Soar, DOW Up 335 Points!
by Jack Lee
Most folks expected the Feds to cut the prime rate between .25 and .50 basis points, but when the news broke today that it was the upper end of expectations, this added fuel to an already moving market and stocks really took off. A big decision by the Federal Open Market Committee fueled a big day for the stock market, said Briefing.com. Those gains were built on top of a "better-than-feared" earnings report from Lehman Bros (LEH) investment bank. LEH jumped 5.87 pts! Best Buy (BBY) was up 2.92% on good earnings and a reassuring PPI report for the month of August.
The Dow, Nasdaq and S&P all rallied better than 2.0% today.
Posted by Post Scripts at 01:58 PM | Comments (0)
Clinton Fundraising Scandal Redux?
“Once bitten twice shy” just doesn’t apply
by Tina Grazier
The Hsu fundraising scandal swirls lightly around the edges of Hillary’s presidential campaign but it should be getting a lot more attention. Of course...it won’t. Still, our loyal readers deserve to be informed and should know exactly why this story would have giant “legs” in the press...if they adequately covered democrat scandals.
Investors Business Daily features a story on the editorial page, “She Hsu’d Have Known Better,” that reminds us of the fundraising scandal in the 1990's involving Chinese donors and Charlie Trie during her husbands re-election bid:
Rewind to 1996, when Hillary headed her husband's legal defense fund during his re-election bid. **** On April 4 of that year, she received a damage-control briefing from fund trustees and a top White House aide about more than $600,000 in questionable donations bundled by Yah Lin "Charlie" Trie, a Chinese bagman who ran a restaurant in Little Rock, Ark. **** The largest chunk of the haul — $463,000 — raised flags among fund trustees, because it was delivered by Trie in two manila envelopes stuffed full of sequentially numbered money orders from different parts of the country. All bore the same handwriting.
The whole thing was kept pretty much under wraps until after the election, but investigations by the FBI and Congress finally revealed Hillary and Bill’s full knowledge of events. The following notes by Harold Ickes’ were taken at a briefing attended by Hillary Clinton:
"Charlie Trie — Money orders — Don't report names if $ are returned," Ickes wrote. "Could return all $ & ask people to resend it if they want." **** "BC/HRC to put it out of his mind and wait until after the election."
The current scheme is not just a fundraising coincidence for Senator Clinton. As the article says, it’s “déjà vu.” Consider:
She was briefed about the prior scandal by an aide who's advising her campaign today. **** Harold Ickes is again involved, this time as her campaign adviser. **** Terry McAuliffe, who was responsible for the Chinese donations in ’96, is heading her fundraising campaign. **** Hillary's presidential campaign knew since at least June that there were serious questions about China-born Hsu. **** She agreed to return the $860,000 but only after the scandal broke in the press. **** She has declined to publicly identify the 260 donors, and may ask for some of the funds back.
It’s funny how air headed the “smartest woman in the world” can be when it suits her.
Find the IBD article here:
http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=1501&status=article&id=274920911474350
And please, vote wisely in 2008.
Posted by Post Scripts at 12:25 AM | Comments (0)
September 17, 2007
Post Scripts Gets Slammed By Reader
As noted on the ER's public blog critique..."Postscripts - Updated on a regular basis with plenty of right-wing political information. Authors Jack Lee and Tina Grazier love to invite "liberal" minded people to participate and then bombard them on how wrong they are. Every once in awhile they throw in some humor". Dahlia_T Jefferson
Yes Dahlia, we do supply plenty of information and if you want to lable that as right wing, that's up to you, but we just call it factual and we envite you or anyone to point out to us when we're wrong. That's a standing challenge on anything we write. If we're wrong, we'll admit it, fix it or retract it, we don't have big egos.
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:55 PM | Comments (9)
Thousands Celebrate Mexico's Independence!
by Jack Lee
ER - "Many non-Hispanic Americans were probably unaware that Mexico celebrated its independence Sunday, but it was hard to miss the festivities downtown, where an estimated 3,000 people crowded into City Plaza. "It's about our work; it's about having fun. But, it's also about remembering our heroes, those who gave us our independence," said Rocio Valdez"
THAT'S JUST GREAT, BUT WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME 3000 PEOPLE CROWDED INTO THE CITY PLAZA TO REMEMBER AMERICAN HEROS THAT GAVE US INDEPENDENCE?
On the 4th of July we usually have some crafts and a few fund raising booths at One Mile. Somebody gives a short speech on something and maybe a few hundred people will hang out for a few hours.
Seems like people today are more interested in celebrating a foreign countries heritage than our own. I can't recall us ever having a parade to celebrate OUR heros. This is still America, but based on the events celebrating our patriotism you sure wouldn't know it, but we never miss a chance to knock America or Bush.
Don't get me wrong, if anybody wants to celebrate their heritage, be my guest, I have no problem with Cinco De Mayo or whatever, it's a FREE COUNTRY. Just don't forget it! And show your priorities by what you celebrate! America is the last Superpower and we saved the entire world during WWII and changed the course of history ... top that!
I have a dream...that some day, all people, of all races and all creeds, will gather in Chico to speak English and celebrate our American heritage! I have a dream.... that on that day, our local High School bands in flashy uniforms will be parading down Main street. I have a dream....they will be playing our National Anthem and John Phillip Souza marches. I have a dream... our honored Vets and soldiers will be marching to the cheers of thousands lining their path as they wave American flags and a few old folks will cry tears of joy and remembrance.
Of course that's just a silly dream.
The reality is we would have far more luck getting the rabble on the left to come out screaming, "Impeach Bush-Cheney, No Blood For Oil," with wackos and their little kids carrying signs, "Who Would Jesus Bomb?" And they would gladly dance as they drag our flag in the dirt or paint over it with Peace Signs. Some flags would no doubt be set ablaze to the cheers of many in MoveOn.org, A.N.S.W.E.R., etc.
Sometimes I just hate reality!
Posted by Post Scripts at 11:52 AM | Comments (3)
California Ballot Propositions 2008 (Sneak Preview)
Presented by Jack Lee
ELECTION SPECIAL!
Propositions that are on the February 5, 2008 Presidential Primary Election Ballot
Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute 1238. (07-0004, Amdt. #1S)
Limits on Legislators’ Terms in Office. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
Proponents: Robin B. Johansen and Kari Krogseng c/o James C. Harrison (510) 346-6200
Reduces the total amount of time a person may serve in the state legislature from 14 years to 12 years. Allows a person to serve a total of 12 years either in the Assembly, the Senate, or a combination of both. Provides a transition period to allow current members to serve a total of 12 consecutive years in the house in which they are currently serving, regardless of any prior service in another house. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: This measure would have no direct fiscal effect on state or local governments. (07-0004.) (Full Text)
Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute 1182. (SA2005RF0123)
Transportation Funding. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.
Proponent: James Earp, c/o Richard D. Martland (916) 446-6752
Prohibits retention of funds earmarked for the Transportation Investment Fund in the General Fund for use unrelated to transportation after 7/1/08. Requires repayment by 6/30/17 of transportation funds retained in the General Fund in years prior to 2007-08. Eliminates General Fund borrowing of specified transportation funds, except for cash-flow purposes (repayment required within 30 days of adoption of budget); current law allows borrowing for three
years where Governor declares transfer would cause significant negative fiscal impact on governmental functions and Legislature enacts authorizing statute. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: No revenue or cost effects. Increases stability of funding to transportation in 2007-08 and thereafter; reduces somewhat the state’s flexibility to use specified transportation funds for other (nontransportation) activities. (SA2005RF0123) (Full Text)
Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute 1226. (06-0030)
Community Colleges. Funding. Governance. Fees. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.
Proponents: Dennis Smith and Scott Lay c/o Eugene Hill (916) 442-2952
Establishes in state constitution a system of independent public community college districts and Board of Governors. Generally, requires minimum levels of state funding for school districts and community college districts to be calculated separately, using different criteria and separately appropriated. Allocates 10.46 percent of current Proposition 98 school funding maintenance factor to community colleges. Sets community college fees at $15/unit per semester; limits future fee increases. Provides formula for allocation by Legislature to community college districts that would not otherwise receive general fund revenues through community college apportionment. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Potential increases in state spending on K-14 education of about $135 million in 2007-08, $275 million in 2008-09, and $470 million in 2009-2010, with unknown impact annually thereafter. Annual loss of fee revenues to community colleges of about $71 million in 2007-08, with unknown impacts annually thereafter. (06-0030.) (Full Text)
Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute 1238. (07-0004, Amdt. #1S)
Propositions that are on the November 4, 2008 General Election Ballot
Bond Measure - SB 1856 (Chapter 697, 2002). Costa.
Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century.*
*Note: The Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century was originally scheduled to appear on the November 2, 2004, General Election ballot. Subsequently, Senate Bill 1169, Chapter 71, Statutes of 2004, provided that it appear on the November 7, 2006, General Election ballot. However, most recently, Assembly Bill 713, Chapter 44, Statutes of 2006, provides for the submission of this Act on the November 4, 2008, General Election ballot instead.
Pending signature verification...
1239. (07-0002, Amdt. #1S) - Workers’ Compensation. Statutory Amendment.
Summary Date: 4/12/07 Circulation Deadline: 09/10/07 Signatures Required: 433,971
Proponent: William S. Morris (209) 667-1948
Entitles workers injured “because of” their employment to receive medical treatment ordered from an unlimited number of licensed medical practitioners as chosen by the worker and without regard to the nature or location of practitioner. Eliminates need for preapproval of treatment provided that worker gives employer written notice of injury and employer does not file documents contesting liability. Eliminates employers’ right to challenge treatment, pharmaceuticals, or diagnostic evaluations. Provides for payment of services within 60 days and in accordance with established schedule of charges. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Increased annual state and local government costs—potentially in the mid-hundreds of millions of dollars—for workers’ compensation benefits for their employees. (07-0002.) (Full Text)
Currently in circulation for signatures and not yet qualified....
1240. Redistricting...
1241. Redistricting...
1244. Reimbursement of ...
1245. Ban on Legislators' ...
1246. Training for ...
1247. Marriage. Elimination ...
1248. Government Acquisition...
1249. Mandatory Reporting of Pregnancies...
1250. Requirements for Presidential ...
1251. Eminent Domain ...
1252. Candidate Vote Requirement ...
1253. Marriage. Elimination ...
1254. Limit on Marriage ...
1255. Limit on Marriage ...
1256. Internet Poker...
1257. Tangible Ballot...
1258. Referendum Petition to ...
1259. Referendum Petition to ...
1260. Referendum Petition to ...
1261. Referendum Petition to ...
1262. Reduces Public Pension ...
1263. Redistricting ...
1264. Marriage. Elimination....
1265. Treatment of Farm ...
1266. Wealth Tax...
1267. Nuclear Energy...
1268. Presidential Electors ...
1269. Personal Income Tax...
1270. Dietary Supplements...
1271. Children’s Hospital...
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:02 AM | Comments (3)
Election Update & How Incumbents Get Re-Elected
by Jack Lee
I decided to run for the State Assembly back in early July of this year. Since then I've been fairly quiet about it here in part because of the "Fairness Act" which would require I give equal time to my opponents. However, just recently a supreme court ruling has exempted blogs from that law.... Don't panic, I'm still not going to use this site as my personal soap box, it would be wrong to abuse our relationship that has been built on news and information you can really use! What I would like to do instead, now that I am more "liberated" to talk on issues close to my campaign, is to bring you items like the propositions noted above and campaign related news items. (An informed voter is a smart voter, right? Right!)
Here's a campaign related news item: Term limits has qualified for the ballot in February and my competing campaigns are fund raising like mad, even though they may be forced to fold up their tents and go home if term limits passes. I think it's a dirty trick to take people's money for their campaign unless they understand their donations may be for nothing come February. Most seats won't be termed out, like Assemblyman Rick Keene in the 3rd District, in fact the incumbents like Keene will get 6 more years in office (if they run for re-election and they almost always do, Keene said he would). Incumbents almost can't be beat, unless they carjack somebody at gunpoint and even then I'm not so sure. They typically have about 5 times the campaign money and the name recognition and that might account for why 96% of Congress gets re-elected.
The actual primary election is not until June, but like I said, it could all be over by February for most challenger-candidates. The election schedule has everybody a little confused. So remember, we have 3 election dates in 08: Feb 5th - Presidential primary, June 3rd - State Primary and Nov. 4th - State General Election.
Note: The last day to register to vote in February is January 22, 08 (all dates reported are according to Sec. of State's Office and these dates may be subject to change)
Now read why it's so likely that an incumbent will get re-elected in Part II:
Consider this from Wikopedia on incumbency advantages....
The Incumbency Advantage Candidate-centered voting is a major advantage to incumbent members of Congress. Incumbents, in general, receive far more exposure on television and in newspapers than those challenging them. With greater media exposure and substantial influence over public policy, incumbents are also able to raise far greater sums of money with which to campaign. For these reasons and more, incumbents who run for reelection are very likely to win. In 2002, 398 House members ran for reelection, and only 16 were defeated, while a mere three out of 26 senators running for reelection lost. With a reelection rate of 88 percent for the Senate and 96 percent for the House, it is fair to say that congressional elections are not just candidate centered but incumbent centered as well.
Incumbency advantages involve the ability of congressman to make themselves popular with the voters in their district. Thus they can insulate themselves from regular party voting. Regular party voting is voting your partisan identification. A congressman that makes himself personally popular doesn’t have to worry about the ebb and flow of popularity for Democrats or Republicans as a whole. Thus they can insulate themselves from challengers. Assessing the Incumbency Advantage Most incumbents who run for re-election get reelected. Since WWII, 92% of incumbents who ran for reelection got reelected. The incumbency advantage can be a bit overstated, though. Not much competition. – Quality challengers (not some fresh face out of law school) do not typically choose to run when there is little chance. ( example: Claire McCaskill vs Jim Talent.) Incumbents who are vulnerable don’t have to run for reelection. The vulnerable incumbent can (and often do) retire. Thus they self-select out of reelection.
Causes of Incumbency Advantage Experience – an incumbent by definition is experienced. He or she has already won at least one election. They have an inkling on what to do to get elected. Franking – congressional privilege that allows congresspersons to send out mail to their constituents FOR FREE. It’s in the Constitution. Challengers don’t get to send out free mail to the district or state. Free Media – local media like covering congressman. Furthermore, they can go on national TV shows, they have an office in Washington that can create media releases. Money – congressman bring federal spending into their local areas to benefit the district (which thus increases goodwill in the district for you). Naturally challengers can’t do this. Casework – when individual constituents have a problem and call their congressman. It’s an easy, non-controversial way of making voters happy. People helped (no matter what party) will be more likely to vote for him and they will tell their friends. A large proportion of their staff is dedicated to doing casework. Campaign finance – the ability to raise money. They have a big advantage over challengers because they are already in congress with a vote over legislation and thus interest groups will attempt to influence them (whatever their party).
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incumbency_advantage_%28politics%29"
Posted by Post Scripts at 08:17 AM | Comments (1)
September 16, 2007
Tort Law and Reform
What is the problem and how do we fix it?
by Tina Grazer
Bring up tort reform and you get an argument that ends in stalemate. The opposing sides are “never say die” partisans representing two distinct groups of people. Lawyers, union leaders, consumer advocates and most democrats argue that tort reform would give too much power and leeway to business while putting the consumer at risk. Business leaders, medical professionals, insurance companies and most republicans argue that frivolous lawsuits and excessive rewards are affecting the price of goods and healthcare and putting many doctors out of business. Both arguments seem valid and as usual the public is ill-served in the ongoing argument. But tough problems are what our representatives in congress are paid to unravel and address. We expect in the process they will find solutions that are workable and that serve all Americans.
Jack’s post sent me off on another web journey and I discovered a Business Week article from March 2005 that at least offers some positive suggestions in the form of a four part plan. I reference it here to give you, the voter, some background from which to judge candidates' positions should the subject come up in future elections. The more we understand the issues the easier it becomes to weed out the weasels.
Tort reform, then, is more than simply an economic policy debate. It's also about justice -- the ultimate values issue. How people feel about the subject directly depends on how they feel about things like individual responsibility and the public obligations of private companies.
…the real crisis lies in the proliferation of specific types of bogus cases -- ones in which nobody has been injured, no malfeasance has occurred, or regulators have already taken care of the problem. Despite their claims of being selfless safety advocates, plaintiffs' attorneys in 2005 are analogous to chief executives in 1999: Most of the players are making an honest living. But an unacceptably high percentage of them are stretching the rules.
Business Week's four-part solution to the problem is based on a set of pragmatic principles, with some parallels to those being used to clean up Corporate America. Like CEOs, lawyers should, first of all, be paid for performance. They shouldn't be allowed to take home multimillion-dollar paychecks if clients get pennies. Second, they shouldn't be able to cash in when they're merely piling on to government crackdowns. Third: When attorneys break the rules, the punishment should sting. *** The right way to reform the U.S. tort system is not to put most plaintiffs' lawyers on the streets but to ensure that they do a better job at their two key roles: compensating victims and deterring corporate wrongdoing. The crisis is not that ambulance chasers are wrecking the economy, but that too many entrepreneurial personal-injury attorneys have found illegitimate ways to earn money.
The Business Week four part plan:
1. Pay for Performance - This fix would eliminate a big chunk of the most abusive cases. The main target would be cases like a 1996 false advertising suit against Intel Corp. (INTC ), which awarded 500,000 people the right to claim a $50 discount off a new microprocessor. Only 150, or 0.0003%, took advantage of the offer. The plaintiffs' lawyers, meanwhile, walked off with nearly $1.5 million.
2. Penalties That Sting - The Christie's-Sotheby's story raises a point often overlooked: The players in the best position to resolve the problem are often judges, not legislators. Judges can figure out when attorneys in their courtrooms are acting in bad faith. In contrast, politicians can only police the system from afar by rewriting laws, which always produces unintended consequences.
3. Curb the Duplication - The third reform targets one of Corporate America's biggest complaints: duplicative litigation. This problem arises in a wide variety of settings. Think of the lawsuits involving cigarettes, Vioxx, or the Windows operating system. The companies at the center of the storms -- Philip Morris (now Altria Group (MO )), Merck (MRK ), and Microsoft, (MSFT ) respectively -- each faced administrative inquiries, individual cases, and class actions filed by private lawyers, state attorneys general, and federal regulators.
4. Exiting the Tort System - These three changes would solve many of the tort system's genuine problems, but not all of them. There are rare issues that need to be removed from the courts -- with all of their elaborate procedural rules -- and directed into specialized administrative tribunals. One of them, clearly, is asbestos. Aggressive plaintiffs' lawyers are overloading the judiciary with thousands of dubious cases that don't even involve sick people. Congress' plan to create a trust fund to handle this problem makes sense. *** Asbestos is the easy case. The tougher one is medical malpractice. Evidence of massive systemic malfunction is starting to accumulate. Only about 2% of the people who are genuinely injured even bother to file lawsuits, according to most studies. When people do go to court, only 40% of every dollar spent on litigation goes to victims. Then there's the spreading damage to doctors. For some specialists, medical malpractice premiums can eat up between 20% and 50% of annual income. That's why neurosurgeons are avoiding trauma cases and orthopedic surgeons are eliminating emergency room calls.
The bottom line for me is that we need representatives who are serious about designing solutions that work for all Americans and American institutions and businesses. We are tired of payback legislation for special interests that favor some and do harm to others. We are tired of political posturing that ends in deadlock. There are workable solutions to problems…but we need legislators who are interested in serving the public. In today’s political climate it’s highly unlikely that anything positive will be advanced. Politicians seem more concerned with their own political well-being, and the ongoing battle for political power, than they are with the real problems that face the public. As the article has shown it is possible to define the problem and come up with workable solutions. We need a congress willing to make it so.
The Business Week online article is very good. It not only explains the issue in great detail but also gives a history regarding tort law. Those of you who are interested can find it here:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/toc/05_11/B39240511tortreform.htm
Posted by Post Scripts at 12:20 AM | Comments (0)
Remember These Guys?
Well they're back...and just as nutty as ever. Saturday marked the beginning of what I fear will be an ongoing, annoying, and disruptive part of the election process over the next few months. It isn't enough for these types to express their views...they must be obnoxious while doing it.
As Americans they are privileged to have many arenas in which to voices their opinions. Taking to the streets, causing the need for law enforcement that could better spend it's time elsewhere, and disrupting the activities of others is not a responsible adult way to communicate. Let us hope that we have grown wise to such childish tactics and will swiftly discredit them.
It would be most unfortunate to let a small rag tag group of unruly nuts decide our position in the war. I will not be among those to stand by quietly and let it happen again.
Posted by Post Scripts at 12:12 AM | Comments (0)
September 15, 2007
Losing, Protesters Turn Rabid in DC
by Tina Grazier
It hasn’t been a good week for the anti-war crowd. General Patraeus clearly made mince meat of sanctimonious congressmen determined to discredit him and his report on the progress in Iraq. So Saturday's anti-war protesters, led by retired protester Cindy Sheehan, Ramsey Clark, and Ralph Nader, no doubt started out their day in The Capitol feeling a bit disgruntled.
The DC march began peacefully enough but soon raucous chanting turned the "peace march" into an unruly, disrespectful mob. The protest ended with 189 arrests and a couple of injuries to both protesters and police officers. Demonstrators had planned a “die-in” reminiscent of the sixties antiwar radicals at Berkley, perhaps at the request of the retired Cindy Sheehan, who recently called for more radical protests in cities and on college campuses around the country. Guess she’s come out of retirement.
Swell.
Posted by Post Scripts at 11:01 PM |