Here we are in the middle of a recession depression and Alexander Rodriquez is essentially getting out of paying taxes. The greedy ass baseball player, with a contract of being the highest paid player, has now figured out how to avoid real estate taxes that the rest of us have to pay.

When Rodriguez’s moves into his $6 million, five-bedroom penthouse his tax bill will be $1,150. In contrast, Stephen and Phyllis Franciosa pay $3,100 in taxes one their one-family home in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx.

The middle class is repeatedly hosed on taxes, yet those that make large sums of money don’t have to pay a dime?  Taxes should have to be paid equally across the board, which means everyone pays the same amount.  Taxes should be a flat tax.  To take it further, everyone should pay the same dollar amount and not have it based on a flat income percentage.  People have no right to vote to raise taxes when they are not going to be paying it.  The idea of raising taxes on people who make more than $200k is simple for many who make less than $200k most are happy to say yes.  What right do they have to vote away someone else's money?  For all intents and purposes they are taking it by force and putting it in their own pocket.

If you are receiving money from the public coffers, you have no business voting.  You are not actually paying or contributing to society, instead you are using force to make others support you.

Today a new reference on the definition of narcissism was added to Webster's.  Nancy Pelosi has now added her picture to Webster’s Dictionary.

"I have some friendly amendments," said Christine Pelosi, a political strategist, at the committee's session during the DNC Winter Meeting at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel Thursday afternoon. She is a member of the committee.
"You think I'm kidding," Christine Pelosi added, to surprised laughter from the room. The proposed changes, she indicated, came out of a discussion with her mother.

She actually rewrote the complements coming from her own party because they weren’t good enough.  This woman is delusional, she feels that she is beloved by all of America, and if she was any more self absorbed she could be the spokeswoman for Bounty. 

So a Massachusetts Democrat came out today and made probably the dumbest statement he possibly could have.

Sometimes it's necessary to get out on the streets and "get a little bloody," a Massachusetts Democrat said Tuesday in reference to labor battles in Wisconsin.

The Democrat’s are worried that their free gravy train is possibly coming to an end.  Unions are nothing more than mandatory democrat donation collectors.  When you consider that their numbers are dropping, that unions have fewer members than ever, and the American people are now seeing the unions for what they are.  With all of this happening, the Democrat’s are worried about how they are going to get their funding for future elections.

What we’re seeing now is their fear, they know it’s coming to an end if they can’t get the public to believe their lies again.  Well if they can’t get the lies to be believed, all they have left is violence.

Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada called Tuesday for the state's brothel industry to be outlawed, saying Nevada's connection with prostitution harmed its image and could damage its ability to bring in investment.

He’s taking one of the best parts about Nevada and trying to destroy it.  Of course he does this just after getting reelected for another six years.  He’s probably hoping that the serfs voters will forget by the time he’s up for reelection. 

It’s yet another example of the government sticking it’s head where it doesn’t freaking belong.  The thought of a business owner refusing to locate a business there because something is legal bugs the hell out of me.  What would you call someone who refused to open a business in an area because they allowed gay marriage.  Who cares, you aren’t being forced to use the brothel, but you have no business telling others how to live their lives.

It ends up that there is a animal problem in a high school in Louisiana.

Attempts to rid McDonogh 35 High School of bats that have been flying around the third floor are being hampered due to the fact that officials have been told these bats are an endangered species and can’t be exterminated.

Some people seriously lack the ability to think.  The bats present a health hazard to the students and those working in the building.  I’m sure if it wasn’t a public school, OSHA would be breathing down their necks to get money.  Think about that for a second, one agency would require their expedient removal for health and safety, the other would fine them for removing the animals improperly. 

Overall this environmental crap has gotten out of control, the health and well being of people come first.  Especially since it’s not as if the bats were nested there as we colonized America, the school didn’t even exist yet.  Maybe the winged vermin are on the endangered species list because they made some poor habitat choices, including picking a home where a two legged predator lives.

So the TSA today actually harassed a US Representative from Alaska to the point she’s returning home by boat instead of by plane. 

An Alaska state lawmaker is making her way back to the state Capitol after refusing a pat-down search at a Seattle airport, a spokeswoman said.

While our congress critters should be put through this same mess that the rest of us are.  However one should always be sure to never bite the hand that feeds you.  Most likely though our all knowing leaders will just exempt themselves from this hassle while they ensure their serfs constituents are continually abused.  It just another example how every incident involving TSA starts with “The Stupid Asshole”.

I updated the blogger roll today.  I’ve been meaning to for a long time since previously all I had were people I had actually met.  If you’ve added me to your blogger roll, drop me a message so I can return the favor.

The short lady with the grey hair sent this to me this morning.

It’s a great instructional video on government.

This is epic.

Info can be found here.  You can download the music here.

So the unions in Wisconsin are currently going ape because the elected representatives have finally learned that if money going out is greater than money coming in, it is unsustainable.  However some of the law makers fled to prevent the law from moving forward.

For those who can’t understand how bad this explosion of debt across the country is, here’s a video regarding the Federal Deficit and proposed spending cuts.

It’s amazing what happens when you restrict firearms so much.  People have to resort to hiring people who are “exempt” from the law to protect them.  They outlaw particular types of tools effective for the job, and this is the result. 

I guess it was all just a job creation plan for California that started way back, they just saw this recession depression  coming.

Joe has gotten to talk to someone who was involved in the Manhattan Project. I highly suggest reading his presentation, it’s a great read for a nice first person account regarding the development of the implosion bomb.

When you see the following regarding someone’s experience with the backscatter X-Ray machine and someone opting out, it should be obvious why they’re doing it.

Or it was, until a male TSA agent walked behind us and hollered: "Hey, I thought she was mine! I was gonna do her!"

And that, buddy, is exactly why I'm opting out instead of standing in the see-through picture machine. Thanks for validating my choice.

Remember, they claim the necessity is for our safety, but given who the TSA hires and comments like this, it’s to get their rocks off.

H/T to Uncle.

In San Diego evidently a cabbie either fell asleep or blacked out, he then crashed into 25 people, critically injuring six.

Twenty-five people were hurt in the shocking accident in the Gaslight District, with six of those suffering critical injuries, including a 42-year-old woman whose leg was amputated below the knee, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

There has been no screaming for outlawing automobiles in the wake of this event.  Unlike in the wake of Arizona.  Actually the press is so light on it, it was discovered and posted in the GBC by someone in Australia.  There has not been a single mention though of requiring additional safety devices as a result of this accident.  Despite there being systems which can detect inattentiveness of the driver.

It becomes obvious that safety isn’t the real goal.  People might claim it to be, but obviously if it was they would be screaming for changes with regards to automobiles after this accident. 

H/T: jigsaw

Our fearless leader feels that he has the right to call himself “The Gipper”.  The only person, other than The Gipper himself, who has the right to call himself the Gipper is Ronald Reagan. 

The Gipper, for those who do not know, was a young college football player for The University of Notre Dame by the name of George Gipp.  He died at a young age from strep throat at a time when antibiotics weren’t available yet.  On his death bed this is what he said to his coach:

I've got to go, Rock. It's all right. I'm not afraid. Some time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys, ask them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy.

Ronald Reagan, before he was President, was an actor who portrayed George “The Gipper” Gipp in the film Knute Rockne, All American and was referred to as The Gipper.  Reagan later used the line “Win one for the Gipper” in a political slogan in 1988.

His most famous use of the phrase was at the 1988 Republican National Convention when he told Vice President George H. W. Bush, "George, go out there and win one for the Gipper."

Obama has, in no way, earned the name “The Gipper” and how dare he try to refer to himself as such.

So evidently there was a way for Janelle to opt out of the Union.  However there was still a small caveat, the 3% that would go to the dues still has to go elsewhere.  More specifically it has to go to a charity of her choice.

Then we had an epiphany.  We’re going to just have the 3% go to the Second Amendment Foundation.  I guess that's a compromise since I already send money their direction anyway.  I would send it to someone that works against the unions, but I am not aware of any organizations that do so.  

I highly recommend sending donations their way, they have produced very good results.

The vote on the Patriot Act extension was today and there was a small surprise at the end.

With the three provisions set to expire February 28, lawmakers voted 277-148 in favor of legislation to renew them until December 8, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed under House rules.

It is disappointing that it was not a complete and utter blow out, but it’s still nice to see they couldn’t scrounge up the votes.  Of course Obama is crying that it is necessary to protect our borders and national security.  The only thing that Act has done is allow the government to abuse its citizens.  Hopefully that pile of garbage will stay dead and expire, though they will probably find a way to resurrect it.

I did a bunch of backend work over the weekend and have been continuing with trying to do some other changes I would like.  I changed the Trackback mechanism and am now using a different module.  I got tired for it putting the pingbacks in the comments.  If you see anything that’s broken let me know.

I’m currently working on a theme change which should allow the trackbacks and the similar content links to exist between the post and comments. I’m not sure if the theme change is going to be successful.

I’ve also done some reordering to the menu blocks trying to make things more user friendly.  If you have any ideas on something you would like to be different let me know.  Yes, I do this for me, but I don’t mind trying to increase usability if it’s a simple change.

I just received an email from Joe Schmick:

For your information, HB 1016 just passed the House with a vote of 88-4. I voted in support of the bill. It will now go to the Senate for their consideration.

If you haven't written your Washigton State Senators yet, now is the time to do so. You can use my letter as a starting point.

Update:

Unsurprisingly the 4 nay votes were from the Peoples Republic of Puget Sound.

If you live in their districts, remember what they think of you come next election.

It creates a bunch of Sad Panda’s. 

When the law first went into effect, opponents argued there would be more crime and weapons assaults. That has largely proven to not be the case, Lorain County Sheriff Phil Stammitti said.
“We haven’t had any big problems since the law took effect in 2004,” Stammitti said.

Un amazingly the ability to get concealed weapons permits has not resulted in a rash of road rage shootings, a raise in violent crime, or simple arguments resulting in more shootings.  I what I loved seeing most though was this in the article.

Here in Lorain County, since 2004, a total of 5,416 concealed carry licenses have been issued. In 2010 alone, the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office issued 852 new licenses, according to data provided by the Attorney General’s Office and Sgt. Diana Nicholl. In 2009, 798 licenses were issued. The number of new applicants has grown annually since 2006.

Seeing that number increase year over year is a wonderful thing.  Yet some still think we are children and should be treated as such.

“Liberty is the power to do everything that does not interfere with the rights of others: thus, the exercise of the natural rights of every individual has no limits save those that assure to other members of society the enjoyment of the same rights.” –Thomas Paine, Plan of a Declaration of Rights

[I do not understand what is so difficult about this for people to understand.  Maybe it is because I was raised in a very libertarian household.  What I do in my house, on my property, with my friends is my business.  No one, not my neighbors, not the city, not the state, not the federal government has any right to stop me except in the case of my interfering with the rights of others.  The hard part though is the definition of the word right has been twisted and mangled to the point where people don’t really understand what a right is any more.  Even more than that though, potentialities are commonly called actualities when they are NOT.

A right to have something provided is not actually a right.  You can have rights to be able to do XYZ, but you do not have a right to XYZ.  Because if you did have a right to XYZ, it means that someone else rights must be violated to provide it to you. 

It is obvious though that when you step back, many liberties have been destroyed in this country.  The damage from prohibition still lingers as people still attempt the same approach with other materials they dislike.  The substitute for alcohol has been firearms and other drugs.  Materials that truthfully are no one’s business but the claim for potentiality provides the power.  I could care less if my neighbor wants to sit in their house and get high.  I could care less about who has a relationship with whom.  The bottom line is no one should be regulating what I can and cannot do that does not infringe upon the actual rights of others.

I was raised constantly hearing the following, “There are three types of people in the world.  Those who want to be slaves, those who want to be slave owners, and those who wish to be neither.”  I was raised to be in that third class.  I wish more people actually wanted to live in this third region.  If it wasn’t for groups one and two, this place would be a hell of a lot more fun.  -B]

It was announced yesterday that TSA employees are going to be allowed to Unionize. 

The question of whether unions can negotiate on behalf of airport security workers has been a repeated topic of partisan debate on Capitol Hill, at times threatening to hold up major pieces of legislation or even the Senate confirmation of the agency’s director.

So now the agency which disparages, disgraces, and abuses the law abiding American public as a bunch of children to be abused will now be allowed to collectively barging by disrupting air travel through out the United States.  They have created a monopoly by denying any new alternative private airport screening operations.  Now with a monopoly over the entire system, they can proceed to shut down commercial air-travel for the entire country.  This isn’t like a pilot strike where you can seek a ticket from an alternative airline, if the check point is shut down no one is moving anywhere.  I foresee when the first strike occurs, numerous lawsuits occurring because of the self imposed monopoly. 

Unions are a skid mark in the underwear of our country, they have long outlived their purpose, and have proceeded to create inflated wages for those who do not really deserve it.   People should be paid on the quality and amount of work they do, not because they have enough people working with them and can cause lost revenue for the company.  Anyone who goes on strike has abandoned their job, and a replacement can be hired immediately, there should be nothing outlawing this, however some states have.  In this economy there are many who could take that position, and economics then state your pay isn’t worth as much.  The supply of people capable of doing your job currently out weighs demand.  If you want a raise, earn it, do something unexpected, volunteer for a risky project, find a way to save the company money.  Doing it by extortion should result in your immediate termination. 

The union at this point is supposed to focus on working conditions.  If you don’t like the working conditions find another job.  Strikes will probably occur because they don’t like passengers talking back and would like laws past outlawing it.  Shutting down all the travel across the country is a quick way to achieve your objective is it not?  People stranded will be yelling to give them their demands.  Currently passengers are subjected to court for saying no, and they win; that will probably change. 

Who was the moron who though this would be good or beneficial for the American public? 

“Neither despise, nor oppose, what thou dost not understand.” –William Penn, Some Fruits of Solitude

[America would be a much more comfortable and wonderful place if the tree of liberty was truly allowed to flourish without people attacking the branches that they dislike for lack of understanding.  It is amazing the number of people who would wish the Gun Culture away because the do no understand it and cannot fathom why it would exist. 

Even more though than the what William Penn wrote, I submit the following change, “Neither despise, nor oppose, what dost not affect thou.” That which affects you must be an actuality, not a potentiality.  For just because a bat could be used in a brutal assault, should not cause them to be outlawed from possession.

Why does the government prevent me from using a suppressor for my own benefit?  Because someone else at some other time despised it, opposed it, and outlawed it.  True criminals still have the pleasure of use, but I as a law abiding citizen have been robbed of this branch of liberty by those who do not understand it.  May new fertilizer come to the tree of liberty, that it may grow and flourish again.  -B]

I talked the other day about the idiocy of the “internet kill switch.”  While browsing today I found out how bad their claim of necessity was.  It’s the ultimate in creating “FUD”.

The bill, one aide said, would give the president the power to force “the system that controls the floodgates to the Hoover Dam” to cut its connection to the net if the government detected an imminent cyber attack.

At which point I’m going oh, really now.  Here’s why:

Anyone who works around process control and automation knows that the computer networks used are separate and isolated from the internet.  Why would they already be isolated you ask, because the government isn’t as afraid of an attack as much as the business.  Utilities for instance very rarely lease lines or use communication paths they don’t own.  They have shielding cables that also have fiber optics in side.  They run communications at the same time they run the power lines. 

Why is a business more afraid of an attack than the government could be?  Lets say someone causes a protective system to fail to operate, at which point a fault is caused in the power grid.  The result is a transformer exceeding it’s rated voltages, ultimately ending in a failure of the transformer.  A transmission level transformer easily costs millions of dollars and can take 18 months to 2 years for delivery since they are no longer manufactured in the United States.  All that time, that transmission line is out of commission.  If this transformer is tied to a generator, that generator is now no longer able to produce and sell electricity from that generator for 2 years.  Not to mention utilities have to comply with NERC-CIP regarding infrastructure security.

More are also screaming that these claims are “FUD”.  Nevada’s Bureau of Reclamation, responsible for the dam, are extremely pissed as well.

“I’d like to point out that this is not a factual example, because Hoover Dam and important facilities like it are not connected to the internet,” Peter Soeth, a spokesman for the bureau, said in an e-mail. “These types of facilities are protected by multiple layers of security, including physical separation from the internet, that are in place because of multiple security mandates and good business practices.”

So the thought of someone hacking in like Live Free or Die Hard is completely unrealistic.  Seriously, that movie is like any other movie from Hollywood, leave your suspension of disbelief at the door.  Unsurprisingly the morons in Congress do not seem to understand that Hollywood is not Reality.  Of course though the statements from our Congress critters cause people to believe that the loss of their freedom is justified due to this possible catastrophe.  [snark]They are so much smarter and wiser than we are, we must need to surrender our freedoms if they ask us to[/snark].

So please, remember if a politician is asking for something, seriously question the motivations, and most importantly, question any “examples” of dangers they use.  TSA and DHS hasn’t caught any terrorists unless you include the domains they confiscated.  The FBI and the DOD followed political correctness so hard that they allowed Ft. Hood to occur.  So why the name of Zeus's Butthole would we hand over the power to shut down the internet.  We have seen what governments really do with that power.  Anyone who supports this bill is a Tyrant, no doubt, because, “Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom, It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.”   Reject “FUD” for what it is.

People ask me why I object so abhorrently about the no-fly list, and why I am dead set against a list of people restricted from owning firearms.  Today I found the shining example of why it’s so horrible from the UK.

“An immigration officer put his own wife on a terrorist watch list – ­so she could not get home from a trip to Pakistan.”

…

“The officer worked with a unit that puts terror and criminal suspects on the watch list of people “not conducive to the public good”. He simply had to log on to a computer database to add his wife as a ­potential suspect.”

This women was deprived of her right and liberty to return home without due process of law.  Someone was allowed to discriminate against her and prevent her from free travel.  As for a list of people restricted from owning firearms, it already exists as the NICS system.  The NICS system is severely flawed and prevents those who can lawfully obtain firearms from getting them.  All it takes is being charged and you’re forever black balled.  Lists are just a way to discriminate without due process while looking like those running it are protecting us.

The ATFs gun smuggling program has finally gotten the attention of our elected representatives. 

"These extremely serious allegations were accompanied by detailed documentation which appears to lend credibility to the claims and partially corroborates them," Grassley wrote.

This whole sequence of events reads like the plot out of Enemies Foreign and Domestic.  No spoilers here so go read it, suffice it to say, I’ve heard this play before hopefully this one ends better.  Especially since the ATFs budget is up to get slashed. 

The proposed ATF cutbacks, which would amount to nearly $160 million out of a $1.25 billion budget request - a 12.8 percent reduction that would also be 3.6 percent below the current budget - are outlined in a preliminary budget document obtained by The Washington Post. ATF spokesman Scot Thomasson declined to comment, because the budget process was not complete.

This agency continually harasses law abiding citizens who are doing no harm to anyone but merely minding their own business.  Doing that though gets them more press time and funding that nailing someone with a pack of camels from across state lines. On the upside it appears that their plan to use smuggling as the justification to increase their budget may have royally backfired now that it had congressional attention that they were moving material across the border.

H/T to Alan.