Be INFORMED

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Anyone get Raptured?

  If you are reading this, then you are still here among the living. I am typing this, so I guess that I am also still living.

  If we had the rapture, then I have to give it a 2 on a scale of 0-10, because it wasn’t close to as exciting as it had been advertised. I want my money back. Also, I purchased a pair of angel wings, just in case, which I now have no use for. Of course, they came with a no-return policy. I was also hoping that I would not have to pay the power bill and the cable bill this coming week. No such luck there!

  Damned! No I’m depressed. Guess I’ll have a few beers and sulk a bit while making plans to do battle once again against the evil Republicans and their satanic ways.

The Rapture Begins

  I was just wondering. How long do I have to wait before it is official that I am not one of the chosen ones? How will I/you know anyway? What if the boss is gone on Monday when you get to work? Do you still get paid to do nothing, and who will be paying you if payroll is no longer around?

 

Keith Olbermann On Late Show…

   …with David Letterman discussed why he left MSNBC and talks about his new show premiering June 20 on Current TV. The show will be called Countdown, as was his past show  on MSNBC.

 

Breaking News: Rapture Report

Rapture Report: Christians Replaced with RepliChristians

  By Seneca Doane     Sat May 21, 2011  Original Post

I didn't believe it would happen -- and it's too late to repent now -- but the reports from the Western Pacific are pouring in: at least some Christians are being Raptured.  Their bodies are shooting right into the sky so they can enjoy everlasting life with their Creator.  (And no, it won't get boring.  He knows infinite tricks!)  The earthquakes and floods are happening as well, but unfortunately for us they're happening on the same astral plane as that of the ascending bodies -- so we can't see or feel them (or touch, smell, or taste them either.)  But I have been assured that they are there.  You can trust me because my wife is on vacation with her family in the Philippines, where 6 p.m. recently passed, so I've seen it through Skype.  (We already knew that she, like me, was headed for the Tribulations because, as an artist, she has been known to make graven images.)  Several family members are not there!

It turns out that Satan -- that busy planner -- has had a plan in mind, though.  (Please remember, this is science!)

Satan's Infernal Plan is simple: as "devout" (which apparently God has defined to include only smug, heartless and intolerant) Christians have been bodily taken up to Heaven, their clothes have not fallen to the floor.  Instead, Satan has replaced their bodies with imposters -- you might call them RepliChristians -- before the fabric could even wrinkle.  This is, of course, part of Satan's plan to lull us into not believing that the Rapture took place at all!  The same people are still going to be there in the same bodies saying the same old things -- they're just now going to be servants of The Fallen Angel.  Cunning!  One might even say: diabolical!

Now that the Rapture has taken place, we must all of course be on our guard to ward off the followers of The Evil One.  We're in the period of Tribulations, after all, where Satan will promote his plan to destroy the Earth and the Universe.  (The rest of the Multiverse will, so far as we know, be fine.)  So, above all, we must resist what these Agents of Satan now have to say!

What will they have to say?  Well, it will sound pretty familiar -- it's what they've always said.  All of the Christian commentary that seems to go against the Word of Christ, the Golden Rule, etc.  The hatred, the selfishness, the affected public piety, the hypocrisy -- nothing new.  Nothing new except this:  now we know that when we hear people saying it, it's not coming from the Christians we thought were in those bodies (who, if you're a little slow on the uptake this morning, have now, of course, been Raptured).  Because they're gone, these intolerant and anti-charitable sentiments must be coming from RepliChristians!  If you want to survive the Tribulations -- or even beat them back, you being part of the Left Behind Left -- you have to fight them!  You have to call Satan's agents on their evil plans!  If what these religious changelings preach sounds like the love of Mammon, slam 'em!

Rapture has occurred!  Either Rick Santorum is in Heaven and the person frothing out those filthy ideas is a simulacrasantorum, or else Rick Santorum is not in Heaven and we know that those ideas are not Godly after all!  After the Rapture, we know that whatever censorious Christians are still left are either fake or wrong.  (Other good Christians who preach benevolence and mutual support have apparently been left here to guide us.  Be nice to them.  They're missing out on a swell party because they didn't want to go without you.)

So here we are in the time of Tribulations -- it feels like we've already been here a while -- but it's only for five months, right?  We're never going to get to recall Scott Walker!  (Actually, it's now "RepliScott RepliWalker.")  No, don't worry: we're going to be here a while.  Harold Camping (now either the Satanic RepliCamping or Harold Went-Into-Hiding) made a really elementary error.  Remember how his theory of the "days" before the Rapture turned on the phrase "a day is as a thousand years."  Well, DUDE!  If they say that Tribulations goes on for 5 months -- let's call it 150 days, that's 150,000 years!  So -- let's do something about global warming; we'll be here for a while.

There is one last small implication of the Rapture -- which, again, happened, but which Satan wants us to believe didn't happened -- that we'll have to address: immigration, voter registration and entitlement programs.

You see, those RepliChristians running around spouting that doctrine of hate and greed -- they aren't the same people who were here before.  Those original people are gone!  The "people" who pretend to be here in their stead are, in fact, not eligible to be present in the United States (technically, they should be deported back to Hell, but I'm not sure that we have an extradition treaty.)  So, we have to deport them to where we can and, meanwhile, we can't let them vote!  (They're not registered!  The original ones were the ones that registered!)  Similarly, we can't let them receive entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare -- because they are no more entitled than a Mongolian goatherder or Bolivian nurse who's never been to our shores.

We will have to work hard to figure out which of them are agents of Satan -- asking them such questions as "do you believe that God has chosen you to be rich?" and "do you think that others should have fewer rights than you do?" -- to identify those who are Agents of Satan.  I think the arresting them would be unfair, but denying these infernal impostors the vote and any government services until they prove beyond a doubt that they're who they claim to be seems fair.  Given that Satan could have replicated their bodies entirely down to the retinas, blood type and fingerprints, and could have given them false memories too, they may have a hard time in court.

So please spread the word: if someone was smugly claiming that they were RaptureReady yesterday, we have to assume that they were in fact raptured today.  Now we must defeat the Devil at his own game and defeat the foreign RepliChristians!  It's what the Christians who now sit and the feet of God would want us to do.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Saturday Satire:”Rapture Participants “ Updated

   Today is the day of the rapture. At 6 p.m. ( E.S.T ) all of those people who belong to the lord will be taken up into heaven while the remainder continue to go about their daily business. It is said that those making the trip upstairs will only be about 3% of the entire population, so how will we know if the rapture happened or not? You can bet your ass that many of the church leaders and their members are not going anywhere, so how will we know? the really funny part will be when the groups pushing this mess wake up on Sunday, still on earth, wondering why they were left behind. Counseling anyone?

 Rapture Flow Chart to see if you will be left behind.

Here's what's REALLY going to happen…

OK here’s my take on what the rapture REALLY is. (Inspired by e-mail with friends about the pooties and woozles left behind)

These self-righteous holier-than-thou pain-in-the-ass people get taken up into the sky to sit in some kind of hotel room or giant DMV waiting room and wait to get into Heaven.  Also, “raptured” at the same time;  The Pacific Ocean Garbage gyre, all of the leftover BP oil in the marshes, the Fukushima nuclear plant, Chernobyl, and any other crap polluting the earth. Woosh!,  up into the sky and taken away.

Those of us “left behind” get to enjoy all of the pets of these people (animals don’t have souls you know and therefore can’t be raptured) and a very clean idyllic world to live in.

G_d then forgets about the raptured ones sitting in the hotel/waiting room somewhere.  Guess they can entertain themselves watching Fox News.   by MEL in PGH

I don't think the government … that actually runs the country will be gone - they are much more reality-based, surely!  But, we won't have to have any elections because all the GOPers will be gone - er, well, maybe not....  We'll be left with the likes of John Ensign and Newt, dang!  It was a good thought while it lasted. by Merry Light

To funny to pass up. Oh, and have a good weekend. I’ll see most of you on Sunday or Monday, depending on how many of us are returned to earth for bad behavior.

Will there be counseling provided……for those who return on Monday, crushed and disillusioned?    by CJB

To All Employees,

The company recognizes that we cannot control your actions outside of the workplace, but we feel that we must address this issue this morning.  In an emergency meeting last night, management has requested that we address the following items for those employees that are planning on participating in “the rapture” this weekend.  We hope that you find the following information both informative and helpful as you work through your plans for today.

If you are planning on participating in “the rapture” on Saturday, May 21, 2011 we ask that you read the following notice carefully and comply with all provisions within.

Company policy states:
An employee may be considered to have abandoned the job if he or she has been absent from work for longer than three workdays without being on approved leave or without notifying the appropriate supervisor.  Such abandonment will be considered as a voluntary resignation.

Company management has determined that participation in “the rapture” is not considered an approved leave and we are assuming that you will be leaving your position for longer than three days without proper notification to your supervisor of your absence.  Therefore your termination will be considered a voluntary termination with less than two weeks notice. 

At a meeting earlier today, we have coordinated the efforts of our human resource team and your work supervisor, to assure a smooth transition.  Your management team is anticipating a smooth transition during this time, based on your cooperation with the human resources department and your work supervisor.

The human resource department is prepared to assist you with any change of beneficiaries on your insurance policies and retirement. Management has asked that you verify the beneficiaries on your account before you leave today to assure that the plans are correct and up-to-date. We had our insurance representative courier additional change forms to the office this morning. We request that you complete this task first thing this morning, so we can confirm that the forms are completed fully and accurately before you leave today.

We are currently in contact with our insurance representative that provides employee life insurance policies.  There appears to be a clause in the policy that may nullify the payment of any benefits from the life insurance, as we will not be able to verify “death”, which is necessary for life insurance disbursements.  We are hoping we will have clarification on this issue before the end of the day.  Please watch for additional information later today from your human resources department.

Please notify human resources where you would like your final check sent.  Since the company has not received the required two week notice for voluntary termination, you will not receive payment for any unused vacation time.  As a reminder, company policy does not allow you to use vacation time as part of your required two week notice.

Upon termination, our human resource department will send you a COBRA notification for continuation of your insurance plans - to the address that we currently have on file.  If you plan to continue insurance coverage under any of the COBRA eligible company plans, you will need to return this form within 60 days.  The total cost of premiums plus a 2% administration fee will be included in the COBRA notification.  The check for continuation of your coverage must be received within 60 days. Please note that your original signature must be on the COBRA documentation when it is returned to our office.

As a reminder, per company policy, you will be considered voluntarily terminated due to abandonment.  Therefore your coverage under all health and life insurance plans will be cancelled after you have missed the third working day without appropriate notice to your supervisor.

Management has requested that those employees who fly on company business, work with our human resource department to assure that all business related frequent flyer miles are transferred to the company, no later than 2pm this afternoon

*****
Your manager and workflow supervisor are here to help you throughout today.  If you have any questions - please contact them to assist you.

To help the company during this time of transition we ask that you take care of the following items before you leave the office today.

Please sync any personal data devices containing company information, such as business contacts, to your computer and download that information for the company’s future needs. 

Before you leave, please put your work assignments in a pile in the middle of your desk with the most urgent / important assignment on the top of the pile.  Please include a short description of each project / assignment, what has been completed on the project and what needs to be completed.  Please include a complete list of contacts for the project including full name, email address and telephone numbers.

Please leave your laptop on your desk when you leave today.  The laptop is company property.  Due to the circumstances do not take your company issued laptop home with you this weekend.

Please leave your company phone on your desk when you leave today.  This is company property.  Due to the circumstances do not take your company issued phone home with you this weekend.

In addition, please compile a list of passwords that we will need to be able to access each account that you use for business purposes including the unique user name of each account and any secret recovery words, such as pet, teacher, etc...  You are requested to leave this type-written list on the upper right hand corner of your desk before you leave today.

As you exit the building today, please give the receptionist
   your security card for the building
   your company ID
   your telephone calling card and
   your company credit cards.

Also, please give the receptionist the following written list.
   Your voicemail password
   Your computer password

The receptionist will have a form for you to sign to verify that you have turned in these items and information. 

As a reminder, there is a $25 fee for employee building security cards that are not returned to the company at time of termination. There is a $50 fee for voicemail/ computer passwords that are not reported at time of termination.  These amounts, if applicable, will be deducted from your final paycheck.

Please remove any personal food items from the company refrigerator and take them home with you before you leave for the weekend.

Since your absence will be considered an abandonment of your work position, future calls for references will be forwarded to the human resource department for handling.  Management has requested that human resources handle all future references by releasing the following information only:
   Your hire date and termination date
   Your position title and your last rate of pay.
   We will tell any future employers that you are not eligible for rehire with our company.

Please watch your email during the day for additional requests that may come from our human resource department.

If you have any additional questions, that have not been covered in this letter, please contact the human resource department.

Originally posted to MNDem999 on Fri May 20, 2011
Also republished by Community Spotlight.

Friday Funnies Part 1: Terminator Edition

  Yes indeed! It has been a bad week the Arnold. So, to celebrate his coming-out party, I’ve searched the web for the best jokes and cartoons just for you.

Copyright © 2011 Creators Syndicate

image

Jay Leno: "You know what Arnold Schwarzenegger and Meg Whitman have in common? They both got in trouble for stiffing the maid. And today Arnold was offered the job as the new head of the International Monetary Fund."

"Arnold kept this secret for more than 10 years. You know how he did it? He moved the woman and child into an apartment right down the street from the Pakistani military academy."

Craig Ferguson: "Arnold Schwarzenegger fathered a lovechild back in 2003. To be fair, Arnold has been taking financial responsibility for the child: education, health care ... everything he's taken away from every other child in California."

Jimmy Kimmel :  "There have been rumors going around for years now about a half Austrian, half Mexican baby – who could bench-press a Ford Expedition."

 

 

Florida Taliban Leader Rick Scott Signs Florida Voter Suppression Bill To Keep Voters From Polls. You, Mr. Scott, Are The Fraud

  …and this comes as no surprise since voter  disenfranchisement  is the only way that the Republican Party American Taliban can win an election. This group of crooks knows that they will not win the 2012 presidential election and that many of the House members will also be gone if the minorities, collage students, and the lower income can make it to the voting polls. So, to gain even more power, they use the usual non-existent  “ voter fraud “ excuse to make voting almost an impossibility for many citizens.

  Rick Scott:

St. Petersburg Times:

Not surprisingly, Gov. Rick Scott signed into law on Thursday pernicious election changes designed to benefit Republicans and suppress voting by minorities, college students and low-wage workers.

Miami Herald:

The League of Women Voters says it will suspend voter-registration activity in Florida because the bill requires such groups to register with the state and face fines of up to $1,000 for mistakes.

DailyKos

This law goes to the heart of the Democratic base.  It will force women, minorities, and college students from getting actual ballots.  They will be forced to use shady Provisional ballots....according to Politifact, the MAJORITY OF THESE BALLOTS ARE NOT COUNTED!!!

  • Women can no longer update their names at the polls if they changed their marital status.  They've been able to do this for almost half a century with NO issues. They will be forced to go provisional.
  • College students will no longer be able to update their new address.  Their votes will also be provisional... and unlikely to count
  • Minorities should be worried as well:
    There are many other new regulations, several depriving voters of their chance to work out problems at the polls. For instance, if voters are challenged for any reason, they would be required to cast a provisional ballot. And they could not receive legal help while in line, as before.

  But wait! This bill goes as far as saying that the news media and bloggers can no longer take video/audio of voters  at the polling places. WTF!

   So what are they going do when I am at my polling place with a recorder, bar me from voting? Arrest me? That, I would like to see.

Gov. Scott said its all about preventing fraud.  Except no one.. .not any of the elections supervisors, not the Secretary of State, can find any instance.  The Tampa article mentioned only 31 cases even investigated in the past several years.  So spare me.

In addition, if this was REALLY about fraud, why go after early voters?  The biggest chance of fraud is ABSENTEE BALLOTS.. but these were left alone.  WHY?  Guess where the GOP gets a lot of votes from?

Yeah.

This is about voter suppression.  One FL Teabag lawmaker even admitted it was about making voting as hard as possible.

Rick Scott has already passed an archaic rule requiring nonviolent felons to wait five years after completing their sentences before applying to have their voting rights restored.  Even though HE KNOWS this will purge THOUSANDS of innocent (and disproportionately black) voters from the rolls misidentified as felons like we did in 2000. 

I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS TO GO DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT:
1. 
Contact the DOJ.  Some of our election laws are subject to review because of the Voting Rights Act.  This is a clear case of disenfranchisement.  OBAMA! HOLDER!  WAKE UP!

UPDATE: Direct # for Dept. of Voting Rights at DOJ: (202) 307-2767

2.  Contact the FLORIDA DEM PARTY.  Tell them to start acting like an opposition party by leading a citizen-led initiative to our Constitution to overturn this mess.  And another one that there can be NO more changes to our election laws that restrict voting unless its put before the people! 

This is so outrageous that even I am certain we can get 600,000 signatures in the time allotted.  The govenor's office admitted they fielded a record number of calls... all of them opposed to this law.  Obviously, he cares not what the citizens want.  (PS, fellow citizens, drop him [and your legislator] a line and let them know what you think about voter suppression.)

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Newt Gingrich: PAC Fundraising…

  …is not doing to well as of late.

   it has been reported that the Newts former  American Solutions PAC only managed a meager $1,040 during the month of April, which breaks down to an average of only $34.66 per day.

TPM

"The $1,040 raised in April was money that trickled in late from one mail piece we sent out at the beginning of the year," Dan Kotman of American Solutions told TPM in an email.

"We haven't spent time fundraising for American Solutions PAC recently, but we fully expect our activity to increase later on as the new election year approaches and we will once again be supporting conservative candidates who support our values -- just like we did in 2010," he said.

  The only problem that this PAC will have is that there are apparently no candidates who support to many of those Gingrich values.

   Newt should save himself some face and just crawl back into the pit that he crawled out of in the first place.

The Republican political world has grown past his kind  of rhetoric and they developed their own rhetoric which will not work to well with Newt. Plus, the GOP  have those Tea Carpet Baggers to contend with and they  do not like Newt  nor do they trust him, which is a positive for them.

   Then there is the fact that the biggest contributor to the PAC is in a world of crap themselves. That would be Sheldon Adelson, chairman of the Las Vegas Sands Corp.

MSNBC

Adelson and his gambling company have been plagued by legal troubles in recent months. The Sands recently disclosed that it is being investigated by the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission for possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Adelson, who has an estimated net worth of over $23 billion, has personally pumped $7 million over the past five years into Gingrich’s main political advocacy organization, American Solutions for Winning the Future. His contributions account for more than 10 percent of all the organization's funds and have helped the former speaker promote his conservative causes and stay in the public eye.     ...More

  After him pissing off the Republican leadership with his “ Meet the Press “ interview on Sunday, it is a safe bet that Newt’s aspirations are D.O.A.!

Palin Will Not Be President…

   …and former Florida Representative Alan Grayson has 10 reasons why she won’t.  Some will say that Mr. Grayson is being mean spirited, but he is right when he disparages Palin’s low level of I.Q.   Complete Article

(1)  Palin doesn’t know who is buried in Grant’s Tomb.

(2)  Palin couldn’t tell you when the War of 1812 was fought.

(3)  Palin has no clue about the color of George Washington’s white horse.

(4)  Palin wonders on what day Latinos celebrate the Cinco de Mayo.

(5)  Palin isn’t sure what weighs more, a pound of bricks or a pound of feathers.

(6)  Palin has no idea in what month the October Revolution took place.

(7)  Palin is baffled by the question of who came up with the Monroe Doctrine.

(8)  Palin would very much like to know who fought in the French and Indian War.

(9)  Palin is puzzled as to who wrote “The Autobiography of Malcolm X.”

(10)                     Palin is at a loss regarding what were JFK’s initials.

Well, one thing is for sure.  Sarah Palin will never figure out how to get to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

I’m not saying that Sarah Palin is dumb.  But I’m not saying that she’s not.

American Taliban: Newt Gingrich

"Newt Gingrich is running and just came out with his new book: 'The Adultery of Hope.'" –Jay Leno

As the late-night talk shows have stated over the past few days, the Republican Party American Taliban have no clear person in mind for the Taliban nominee for presidential contender to compete against President Obama in 2012. As you can imagine, the current crop of fools have been supplying much material to comedians from all over the globe, including even the news shows on cable. With the Newt entering the race, talk shows everywhere have been having a field day with his off the cuff remarks about Medicare and his comment calling Rep. Ryan’s budget plan “ radical.”  Mr. Gingrich has been catching hell from the GOP for his comments on Meet The Press. Even the American Taliban leadership have been on his ass for criticizing  his own party. The GOP, like the Communist Party, does like dissent.

Gingrich Spoke The Truth and got hammered by GOP for doing it

Newt will be providing comic material for the Internet and television shows for a long time. Stay tuned.

 

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The Gingrich Economic Plans…

   …are nothing new from this Republican American Taliban member that have not already been tried and proven to have failed. You know the pitch: less taxes, permanent placement of the Bush/Obama tax cuts which will expire ( hopefully ) in 2012, and so forth.

  Newt also has a plan that will make the United States the most desirable place in the world for new business investment. Guess what the ideas entail?

 … a bold series of tax cuts, including: Eliminating the capital gains tax to make American entrepreneurs more competitive against those in other countries; Dramatically reducing the corporate income tax (the highest in the world) to 12.5%; Allowing for 100% expensing of new equipment to spur innovation and American manufacturing; Ending the death tax permanently.

     A corporate income tax rate of 12.5%? Give me a break! The majority of businesses in America already pay little or no tax. What does another tax break do for a business that already pays zero?

But wait! There’s more!

Move toward an optional flat tax of 15% that would allow Americans the freedom to choose to file their taxes on a postcard, saving hundreds of billions in unnecessary costs each year.

  Yes, and most of that lost revenue would be made up in a vast assortment of fees because the public hasn’t figured out that those fees are taxes in a different form. You are more than likely paying more in fees that you are in regular taxes.

  The Newt has many more ideas to help big business while putting the major burdens on the average Joe.

    Read some more of his ideas here, the Gingrich site.

Jon Stewart Fires Up On The O’Reilly Factor…

  …over the FoxNews tirade  over the White House having rapper Common appear at a poetry reading last week. Stewart stomped all over the racist O’Reilly on Monday. And as an added bonus, video number three on others with lyrics which could be questionable.

   Check out the 2 part video.

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Arnold Schwarzenegger Another Republican Hypocrite..

   … who, in 2005,while the governor of California vetoed a same-sex marriage bill and and he did it again 2 years later in 2007. Then came proposition 8 in 2008, when Arnold had a change of mind and he decided that he would fight the ban on same-sex marriage.

The New Civil Rights Movement

“Schwarzenegger said he was confident a ban would never pass in California and called the effort ‘a waste of time’,” USA Today wrote in April, 2008. Prop 8 passed that year, by a 52 — 48 margin.

In 2007, after Schwarzenegger vetoed a marriage equality bill for the second time, Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California said, “This will be part of his legacy. He single-​handedly is standing in the way of lifting the cloud of discrimination for millions of Californians.”

  He also had the nerve to put down single-parent mothers who didn’t have a male at home with them because it just isn’t right to have a one-parent family, to which I agree. But, that isn’t always an option in this day and age.

From Salon:

"The parents are the single most important influence on a child, followed by education and the peer group," he told Christina Valhouli. "The number of single parents in the U.S. has quadrupled since the '60s, and there has also been an increase in violence and school shootings. All that stuff has increased largely because of a lack of parenting, and many households only have one biological parent -- so many of them are fatherless. It really creates a big problem."

   Maybe someone needs to tell the cheating bastard that in many cases, the father being in the home is the problem in the first place. Just as in your case, Ahnold.

 

Bin Laden’s Porn Magazines

   We all know that Osama Bin Laden had a pretty good selection of pornography magazines and videos when the Navy SEALS raided his compound and gave him a one way ticket  bullet  to the dirt bowl.

    Coded messages in the magazines are one reason cited as a possibility for having so many in his collection. So gentlemen, this could be an excuse for you when your own porn is found by the girlfriend or wife.

 

Monday, May 16, 2011

Texas Fiscal Prowess Just A Vision, Not A Fact

  If one listens to the Republican Party  ( Tea Party ) then you’d think that the state of Texas has their budget all in order and that they did it by cutting taxes. That is a load of crap.

  By   LaFeminista     Mon May 16, 2011     Original

Texas “the national laboratory for bad government”

~Molly Ivins.

Looks like the Tea Party are going to find out if their policies work in Texas.

Pretty radical stuff, no increase in revenue and a 25% cut in the State budget, I suggest all Americans keep an eye on Texas

Spending cuts to public schools, already among the nation’s most poorly funded, could mean some 100,000 teacher layoffs, pre-K programs decimated and schools closed
Huge cuts to Medicaid could push an estimated 60,000 senior citizens out of their nursing homes.
As the 2009 Texas Legislature galloped out of Austin, Fox News’s Neil Cavuto interviewed a triumphant Governor Perry, trumpeting Texas’ fiscal marvels. At the bottom of the screen, the scroll read: Texas Cuts Taxes; Still Balances Budget and Socks Away $9 Bil.

Yep and ended with a $23 billion shortfall.

Texas has long be heralded as an economic miracle by the right, looks more like an economic disaster to anyone who has stopped wearing rose tinted glasses...

David Walker, the county attorney in the conservative Houston suburbs of Montgomery County, testified that his county had just built a treatment center to divert mentally ill offenders from jail. “If there must be budget cuts, let’s not cut human beings,” he said. “My Lord Jesus tells me, ‘What you do unto the least of my brethren, you do unto me.’….If it means raising taxes, then raise mine first.”

Not a chance David they are swinging the ax and still trying to find ways of making $250,000 yachts tax exempt.

Bill Hobby, the former lieutenant governor, was marveling at the extremes to which the Texas Republicans have gone. “There’s an evil mutant gene in the Republican Party,” Hobby said. “I don’t know if there’s any cure for it. I guess you can only hope the disease runs its course before it kills the patient.”

Let's hope for the rest of America this madness is limited to Texas, and to Texans I hope they get through this mess in one piece.

This is the right's American Dream in all its glory, crank up a deficit by giving away the riches of the State to a few; then try and stem the flow of blood by hurting the poor.

Imagine this on a national level, let us hope the first results of this feeding frenzy of greed are plain for all to see before next years elections. This is what they want for the whole country and it is a step back into the 19th century.

Republicans Changing Medicare Reform Message

  Thus far the Republican Party American Taliban have been having a difficult  time in conning the American people into accepting their Medicare reform plan as put forth so far. So, what is their solution to get America believing that their plan will not kill Medicare? Different wording, of course.

Talking Points Memo has said that the American Taliban budget mastermind Rep. Paul Ryan and his other partners in crime will be re-launching their Medicare plan under a different meme.

House Republican leaders plan to relaunch their proposal to turn Medicare into a privatized voucher program. Leading the charge will be the GOP budget's architect, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), who is scheduled to deliver an address on the topic at the Economic Club of Chicago on Monday....

Ryan will have to choose his message carefully in order to reassure the conservative base that the GOP's appetite for cuts is undiminished while reassuring moderate Republicans in swing districts that the issue won't wreck their re-election prospects....

Republican freshmen, who powered the GOP to the majority last year, did not abandon the budget, but became increasingly alarmed that criticisms of their plan were gaining traction. At one point a group of Republican lawmakers held a press conference calling for a bipartisan truce on attacks over entitlements. As participants conceded in a joint letter, many of them had run campaign ads reassert their support for the plan. But Speaker John Boehner hinted the same day that "political realities" made it difficult to gain traction. The Medicare proposal looked close to dead after a crucial House chairman, Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI), announced he would not advance Ryan's plan through his Ways and Means committee.

      New messaging from the Repugnicans would imply that they will come up with some form of the same bull only in different speak hoping that Americans really are still stupid enough to like their idea.  Gee, I hope not.

Political Cartoons

  I have appointments and a few other things to deal with today so this site will be doing much of nothing until late afternoon. I leave you with a few of the past weeks political cartoons to peek at.

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R.J. Matson / St. Louis Post Dispatch, Politicalcartoons.com

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John Cole / Scranton Times Tribune, Politicalcartoons.com

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Nate Beeler / The Washington Examiner, Politicalcartoons.com

 

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Nate Beeler / The Washington Examiner, Politicalcartoons.com

 

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Cam Cardow / Ottawa Citizen, Politicalcartoons.com

 

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Day Of Sight-Seeing

  Today is one of those days in which I feel like doing nothing of consequence, so I am not going to. Actually, I am going out into the streets of Manhattan just to check out my surroundings in order to get accustomed to the area. I came up here to work until mid summer, at which time I will then be going back down to Florida, if my luck really sucks.

  So, today there will not be much in the way of anything new at this site unless something major happens, like the Tea Party and the Republican Party being classified as a terrorist group. I never leave without my laptop, so if I get bored with the Wall Street area, I’ll find something to complain to you about.

   Have a nice, safe day everyone!