Monthly Archives: May 2011

Price of Gas and the Daily Commute

Posted on May 19, 2011 | 3 comments

I’m a big BIG advocate of the market.

I tend to think that people, in search of their selfish self interests, will signal to the market what is and what isn’t, important.

Commutes are no different.

Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in Economics, Energy, Politics: North Carolina

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Unemployment Benefits End: 297 / 40 = $7.42

Posted on May 19, 2011 | 9 comments

First, we’re talking about $297.00 a week.

Don’t forget that:

About 45,000 people have lost extended benefits in the month-long standoff between Republican legislative leaders and Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue, up from an initial estimate of 37,000 people who lost the chance to receive 20 weeks of federal benefits after normal benefits and all other extensions have been exhausted.

Each week, about 2,100 people are running out of benefits, which would pay them an average of about $297 a week, officials said.

So, I just checked and this is what I found:

I’m not sayin’……I’m just sayin’.

9 Comments

Posted in Economics, Economy, Politics: North Carolina

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When You Bed With Leftists Expect Leftist Reactions: California and Facebook

Posted on May 19, 2011 | 9 comments

Zuckerberg.  Facebook.  Obama.  Taxes.

When you’re “cool with that” make sure you’re really REALLY cool with that.

Cause if you ain’t, life is a bitch!

California SB 242, proposed by Sen. Ellen Corbett, would force social networks like Facebook to allow parents access to their child’s account(s) and, more importantly, force all privacy settings to their maximum level by default. Parents can request that images or text be removed from any social network page “upon request … within 48 hours upon his or her request.”

Here’s the interesting part: any social network failing to perform these duties will get hit with a $10K fine per incident.

LOL.  I mean; LMFAO!

10k a pop.  Can you imagine what the folks at facebook.com are thinking as they read this news?

The details are incredible.  The chance of fraud unreal.

I just hope that Facebook can learn a valuable lesson here.

When you deal in the gutter with Liberal Leftists, expect those Liberal Leftists to ACT like Liberal Leftists!

Facebook to allow parents access to their child’s account(s) and…request that images or text be removed from any social network page “upon request … within 48 hours upon his or her request.

10k

$10,000

10,000 clams

per “clam”.

Go ahead Zuck, tell me how “cool with that” you are now!

9 Comments

Posted in Fun, Government, Idiots on Parade, Liberty, Politics: National, States Behaving Badly

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Global Warming: Open Thread For Alarmists

Posted on May 17, 2011 | 36 comments

Serious question:

What weather pattern would have to come to pass for you to abandon your belief in catastrophic global warming?

36 Comments

Posted in Global Warming

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Pino’s Law: I

Posted on May 17, 2011 | 11 comments

I think this is the first installment of Pino’s [okay, THAT pisses me off!  My spell check just flagged Pino as being misspelled.  Damn it.  It did it again!] Law.  I’m sure that can’t be correct.  I often cite things off the cuff that just seem like they should just be, well, law.

But after moocho searching, I can’t find any documentation of any such law.  So, here goes.

Pino’s Law: I

No matter how many travel coffee thermos you have in the house, ALL of them will be dirty and in the dishwasher 98.5% of the time.

I never used to bring coffee to work.  We had awesome coffee provided AND I was at my desk by 5:30-6:00.  Now, we have shitty coffee, if any, and I’m at my desk by 8:45 – 9:00.  I need coffee before 9:00.

So….I bought a coffee maker and some coffee and began to make coffee.  And then be late.  Late ’cause I had to drink my coffee before I got in my car.

THEN I discovered the wonders of individual thermos.  Wonder of wonders!

But it was always, ALWAYS dirty.

So, I bought another one.  And another one and another one……

And the flippen things are ALWAYS dirty!

Anyway.

Pino’s [damn spellcheck!] Law I

11 Comments

Posted in Fun, Pino's Law

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Baseball Was Better Yesterday Than It Is Today

Posted on May 17, 2011 | 2 comments

Harmon Killebrew

1936 – 2011

This one’s tough:

Harmon Clayton Killebrew, an iconic Minnesota Twin known for his prodigious home runs and humble demeanor, passed away Tuesday morning at his Scottsdale, Ariz., home at the age of 74 after a nearly five-month battle with esophageal cancer.

I’m sure it’s urban myth, but a favorite back home is the story of a reporter speaking with Killer during the height of the steroids controversy.  The young man asked Killebrew how many home runs he could hit if he were playing today?  Killebrew kinda looked past the reporter, pondered the question for a second, sighed and said, “Well, I think I could hit 15, probably a few more if I was lucky.”

“15!?!”,  responded the reporter?  “Only 15?  Are the pitchers that tough today?  You just don’t think you could hit ’em?”

Killer kinda grinned at the reporter “Son, theyre no tougher today than when I was YOUR age.  But you have to know, I’m 65!”

Damn!

RIP Mr. Killebrew

2 Comments

Posted in Fun

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Gay Marriage: Government Is Getting Closer

Posted on May 17, 2011 | 4 comments

To be sure, there’s a lot of work to be done.  But the “state” is getting closer and closer each passing year.

We’re seeing courts rule that gay marriage is protected; is a civil right.  To restrict the contract of marriage at a state or government level is simply not consistent with the role of that state.  We wouldn’t expect governments to restrict marriage within the context of religion.  Nor do we expect the state to restrict marriage on the basis of race.

It is with that in mind that I applaud the Navy in their decision:

The Navy will allow its chaplains to officiate same-sex marriages once the military’s ban on gay marriage is officially lifted this summer, according to a new memo written by Navy’s head chaplain, Rear Admiral Mark Tidd.

…

The memo reads: “Regarding the use of base facilities for same-sex marriages, legal counsel has concluded that generally speaking, base facility use is sexuality orientation neutral. If the base is located in a state where same-sex is legal, then base facilities may normally be used to celebrate the marriage.”

Awesome!

It’s about time.

And not only did the Navy get it right on the brush strokes, but they got some details down too:

Navy marriages on Navy bases typically involve Navy Chaplains, but the memo goes on to say the chaplains involvement is not mandatory and he or she could decline to participate if gay marriage is not “consistent with the tenets of his or her religious organization.”

I firmly believe this decision is consistent with the idea of extending personal Liberty to all.  Why in the world do we think the state ought restrict a legally binding contract enacted by two adult and consenting human beings?  Liberty means Liberty.  Even if, in fact, especially when, you may not agree with the application of such Liberty.

And for the religious conservative – Should the state forbid the marriages of atheists?

4 Comments

Posted in Liberty, Politics: National, Republicans Can Be Leftists Too

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The Middle Class – Part I

Posted on May 17, 2011 | 3 comments

For a long time now I’ve been interested in “The Middle Class”, or as I call it, The Big MC™ .  What it is, what it means and how it’s been used over the years. My fascination comes from two sources; my own personal experience and then the use of The Big MC in today’s Liberal shaping of the term.

America’s greatest allure is that through the promise of Liberty any individual is able to achieve that goal of leaving the days of back breaking labor to the days of our fathers and giving a better life to our children. It is our birthright as a nation that our citizens are able to have a better tomorrow rather than a better yesterday. It’s our hope, our collective yearning, that our drive to and from the salt mines will bring better days, has framed our national dialogue.

It is both ironic and horrifying that the same should be used as a wedge to drive us apart and serve to prevent that very dream from it’s manifest.

Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in Economy, Liberty, Middle Class, Politics: National

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Governor Purdue: Spend More on Education – Tax More on Citizens

Posted on May 17, 2011 | 6 comments

North Carolina government continues to debate the budget.  Even as the state’s deficit grows, the governor refuses to step back from spending.  And the number 1 line item in the budget?

Education.

This is governor Purdue’s explanation:

“We cannot go backward on education. It’s part of who we are as a people in this state and it’s what has differentiated us as a leader in the South,” Perdue said, according to her staff. “We are North Carolina, and we have chosen to become that because of our generational legacy of education.”

We cannot go backward.  Backward.

In what way and manner is she thinking we’ll go backward?

Spending?

Sure, but more spending doesn’t equate to better education.

She is preaching the old Democrat canard; Defend the defined solution – Don’t debate the problem.

See, the Democrats feel that the only way to improve education is to spend more.  Therefore they feel that as long as they are able to defend the fact that we want to improve education, and who doesn’t, we should only continue to spend more and more.

Yet not one once of study goes into the fact that education outcomes don’t always depend on money.

6 Comments

Posted in Education, Government, Idiots on Parade, Politics: North Carolina

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Infant Mortality Rate: Numbers Matter

Posted on May 16, 2011 | 3 comments

I think it’s important.

Plus, as we get closer and closer to election time, we’re gonna be discussing this more and more.

Plus, the debate is raging over at Poison Your Mind concerning it.

What is it?  What are we debating and how can there be a debate?

Well, it is Infant Mortality rates and how they can be used to measure a nation’s health care system.  Rightly or wrongly.

Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in Health Care, Politics: National, Rocket Surgery

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