After receiving a lot of criticism for knocking Obama's budget plan but offering none of their own, yesterday House GOP leaders, notably John Boehner and Eric Cantor, brought out a budget of their own. Well, at least an outline of a budget. Eighteen whole pages! It was such a great plan that I had to go to several websites this morning to even see a mention of it. I finally found a short article about it in the Politics section of the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/26/AR2009032603694.html?nav=hcmodule
There are almost no details in this plan. No indication of a deficit amount, no rundown of how much each government department will receive under this plan, no specifics whatsoever. But wait!! There is one interesting number here.... 25%! That's the maximum tax rate the Republicans want people who already have a lot of money to pay. It is now 36%. That's a whopping 11% tax cut for the wealthy!! Whaddya know... the Republicans want the wealthy to get a huge tax cut! And they don't say how they're going to pay for it! No, seriously. I'm not making this up.
Maybe Boehner will come out next Wednesday, get in front of a microphone and yell "April Fools"!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
I give Dick Cheney a history lesson
I have to laugh. Really. I mean, this weekend we had Dick Cheney on John King's State of the Union program on CNN expounding on how Barack Obama's policies will make the United States less safe, that Bush kept the country safe after 9/11, yadda yadda yadda. Oh, boy, where do I start with this one?
First, as the Clinton administration was preparing to turn the keys over to W. and Dick Whats-His-Name, the incoming administration was given very pointed advice that al Qaeda was up to something, and that they needed to pay close attention to that organization. The Bush administration scoffed and promptly decided to ignore that warning.
Even after they were given a security briefing entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States" in August of 2001.
Second, we were attacked on September 11, 2001. Four airplanes were highjacked despite red flags waving that people were training to fly airplanes but didn't particularly care to learn how to land them. Very large buildings crumbled to the ground. The Pentagon ended up with a huge hole and an airliner in it. Thousands of Americans lost their lives. Remember that, Dick? And who was in the White House when we were attacked? Oh, yeah -- you and that guy who has kept us so safe.
Why is it they only refer to what happened after 9/11? As if those thousands of lives lost that day didn't count. Bush was eight months into his administration, not eight days and not eight weeks. That was his failure.
Oh, and Dick -- you're still a joke.
First, as the Clinton administration was preparing to turn the keys over to W. and Dick Whats-His-Name, the incoming administration was given very pointed advice that al Qaeda was up to something, and that they needed to pay close attention to that organization. The Bush administration scoffed and promptly decided to ignore that warning.
Even after they were given a security briefing entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States" in August of 2001.
Second, we were attacked on September 11, 2001. Four airplanes were highjacked despite red flags waving that people were training to fly airplanes but didn't particularly care to learn how to land them. Very large buildings crumbled to the ground. The Pentagon ended up with a huge hole and an airliner in it. Thousands of Americans lost their lives. Remember that, Dick? And who was in the White House when we were attacked? Oh, yeah -- you and that guy who has kept us so safe.
Why is it they only refer to what happened after 9/11? As if those thousands of lives lost that day didn't count. Bush was eight months into his administration, not eight days and not eight weeks. That was his failure.
Oh, and Dick -- you're still a joke.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Magazines I Love
I love magazines. I confess to having stacks of them in my bedroom. But in my defense, I keep a lot of them and revisit them now and again. If I don't want to keep them I pass them on to a friend, recycle them or give them to a charity.
I decided I needed to subscribe to the ones I buy frequently. It saves money in the end, when a single issue runs around $5 or more. I'm subscribing to three right now, and all of these are bimonthly (six issues a year). When I open my mailbox and one of my magazines is in there, it's almost like Christmas to me!
These are all environment-related, country living type magazines, but they all have something that just about any woman would find useful or fun. All of them fit into my new goal of simplifying my life, getting back to nature, doing some gardening and canning, and connecting more to the environment. I'll be putting links to their companion websites on this blog.
My favorite new magazine is Hobby Farm Home, a sister magazine to Hobby Farm. As much as I would like to, I don't own goats or chickens (if you do, look into Hobby Farm magazine)... I don't even have much of a backyard to speak of! But nevertheless I love this magazine, because it has all my favorite topics in it. Here's what was in a recent issue -- recipes using maple syrup, an article about tapping maple from trees, how to work vegetables into your garden alongside your flowers, an article on vintage ironstone dishes, tips for getting blue ribbons at county fairs with your baking, craft articles on how to make a garden journal and another on how to make a painted floor cloth -- you get the idea.
Another new favorite is MaryJanesFarm. This one I happened to run into at Border's, I haven't seen it anywhere else, but now I have a subscription so I don't have to go hunting for it! MaryJane Butters is the Martha Stewart of all things environmental and organic. Here's some of what was in the latest issue: glamping (glamour camping for us girls), making quirky jewelry from fishing lures, building a portable garden box for growing lettuces, organic recipes, organic bedding (including stuffed vegetable toys for babies from organic cotton, so cute! I want some), making a quilted bath mat from material dyed with Kool-Aid (I'm not making this up), a pattern for a rug crocheted from a new eco-friendly cotton yarn from Red Heart, instructions for making a portable foam chair that doubles as a cot, etc. etc. The issue before that was all bee-related... everything to do with bees, honey, even vintage bee embroidery patterns for tea towels.
My third subscription is to the old environmental standby, Mother Earth News. This one is certainly less girly than the other two, but if you're into the environment and want the latest news on alternative energy, environmentally friendly housing, tips for organic gardens, recipes, and other environment-related articles, then this is a good all-around magazine to subscribe to. There's also a wealth of info on their website if you're looking for products or information.
I decided I needed to subscribe to the ones I buy frequently. It saves money in the end, when a single issue runs around $5 or more. I'm subscribing to three right now, and all of these are bimonthly (six issues a year). When I open my mailbox and one of my magazines is in there, it's almost like Christmas to me!
These are all environment-related, country living type magazines, but they all have something that just about any woman would find useful or fun. All of them fit into my new goal of simplifying my life, getting back to nature, doing some gardening and canning, and connecting more to the environment. I'll be putting links to their companion websites on this blog.
My favorite new magazine is Hobby Farm Home, a sister magazine to Hobby Farm. As much as I would like to, I don't own goats or chickens (if you do, look into Hobby Farm magazine)... I don't even have much of a backyard to speak of! But nevertheless I love this magazine, because it has all my favorite topics in it. Here's what was in a recent issue -- recipes using maple syrup, an article about tapping maple from trees, how to work vegetables into your garden alongside your flowers, an article on vintage ironstone dishes, tips for getting blue ribbons at county fairs with your baking, craft articles on how to make a garden journal and another on how to make a painted floor cloth -- you get the idea.
Another new favorite is MaryJanesFarm. This one I happened to run into at Border's, I haven't seen it anywhere else, but now I have a subscription so I don't have to go hunting for it! MaryJane Butters is the Martha Stewart of all things environmental and organic. Here's some of what was in the latest issue: glamping (glamour camping for us girls), making quirky jewelry from fishing lures, building a portable garden box for growing lettuces, organic recipes, organic bedding (including stuffed vegetable toys for babies from organic cotton, so cute! I want some), making a quilted bath mat from material dyed with Kool-Aid (I'm not making this up), a pattern for a rug crocheted from a new eco-friendly cotton yarn from Red Heart, instructions for making a portable foam chair that doubles as a cot, etc. etc. The issue before that was all bee-related... everything to do with bees, honey, even vintage bee embroidery patterns for tea towels.
My third subscription is to the old environmental standby, Mother Earth News. This one is certainly less girly than the other two, but if you're into the environment and want the latest news on alternative energy, environmentally friendly housing, tips for organic gardens, recipes, and other environment-related articles, then this is a good all-around magazine to subscribe to. There's also a wealth of info on their website if you're looking for products or information.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Crime blotter
There are a few cases in the news lately that I have to give my two cents' worth about, so up on the soapbox I go!
First, singer Chris Brown beats up his girlfriend, singer Rihanna. Threatens to kill her. Puts her in a chokehold. And what does she do? She goes back to him. I'm sure, like all batterers, he convinced her he was sorry, he wouldn't do it again, yadda yadda yadda. They do that so they can get their victim close enough for a repeat performance. The only answer to being battered is "get your stuff and get out of my house, and if you come back me and my friend, Mr. Smith & Wesson, will be waiting." Rihanna is a single, successful woman who is perfectly capable of surviving on her own. There are no children involved. Why she went back to this despicable piece of garbage is beyond my imagination, but if I were her, I'd wise up and leave. My guess is this will not be the last time this will happen.
Speaking of despicable pieces of trash... Michael Vick, the NFL quarterback convicted of dogfighting crimes, is getting out of jail. Here's hoping there isn't a team in the country willing to put him on their roster.
There is another missing little girl, Haleigh Cummings, who has been getting a lot of airplay. But we shouldn't forget that there are a lot of missing children across the U.S.A. I would like to see shows that feature these kinds of stories spend a few seconds showing pictures of some other missing children. Let's hope Haleigh is found alive and well.
Not so blind item: there is a certain high-profile case where the accused is guilty, guilty, guilty. The evidence in this case is massive and unambiguous. But the defense attorney is not going to have his client plead this out, not because it's not in his client's best interests, but because he wants the P.R. of a big splashy trial. He should have his license to practice law revoked. He might want to think about a little thing called justice. I'm not saying that defendants aren't entitled to a fair trial, but when the evidence is this overwhelming the most responsible thing to do for your client is to try to work out some kind of plea deal.
All states should immediately outlaw having primates, including chimpanzees, as pets. They should also outlaw having animals such as tigers, jaguars, alligators, and any other animals whose only home should be the wild. The horrible case of the woman who was tragically mauled by a 200-lb. chimpanzee is a huge red flag. And by the way, the injuries this woman suffered are so awful that I can't even list them all here or I will have nightmares. Let me just say that I would not want to live in that condition. I hope her family can make the appropriate decisions for her, and they might be hard to make, but to consign this poor woman to a life with no quality of life would double this tragedy, in my opinion.
I was listening to NPR the other day when a woman who owned several species of monkeys as well as a jaguar was on defending owning these animals. She had them in enclosures (separately) and said the monkeys were "living like monkeys." THEY'RE IN CAGES, LADY!!! BY THEMSELVES!! HELLO!!!!! Monkeys (and jaguars) live in social units with other monkeys and jaguars. This is NOT appropriate, and these creatures are NOT "living like monkeys." Sheesh. Take it from somebody who found a Ball python in her backyard because some doofus who had it as a pet couldn't keep it contained. Some animals are NOT meant to be pets, and accidents with these guys can and will happen. (Not two weeks later a Ball python bit a toddler in a local park, by the way.)
Go adopt a dog or a cat from a local shelter instead. Fish are also nice.
First, singer Chris Brown beats up his girlfriend, singer Rihanna. Threatens to kill her. Puts her in a chokehold. And what does she do? She goes back to him. I'm sure, like all batterers, he convinced her he was sorry, he wouldn't do it again, yadda yadda yadda. They do that so they can get their victim close enough for a repeat performance. The only answer to being battered is "get your stuff and get out of my house, and if you come back me and my friend, Mr. Smith & Wesson, will be waiting." Rihanna is a single, successful woman who is perfectly capable of surviving on her own. There are no children involved. Why she went back to this despicable piece of garbage is beyond my imagination, but if I were her, I'd wise up and leave. My guess is this will not be the last time this will happen.
Speaking of despicable pieces of trash... Michael Vick, the NFL quarterback convicted of dogfighting crimes, is getting out of jail. Here's hoping there isn't a team in the country willing to put him on their roster.
There is another missing little girl, Haleigh Cummings, who has been getting a lot of airplay. But we shouldn't forget that there are a lot of missing children across the U.S.A. I would like to see shows that feature these kinds of stories spend a few seconds showing pictures of some other missing children. Let's hope Haleigh is found alive and well.
Not so blind item: there is a certain high-profile case where the accused is guilty, guilty, guilty. The evidence in this case is massive and unambiguous. But the defense attorney is not going to have his client plead this out, not because it's not in his client's best interests, but because he wants the P.R. of a big splashy trial. He should have his license to practice law revoked. He might want to think about a little thing called justice. I'm not saying that defendants aren't entitled to a fair trial, but when the evidence is this overwhelming the most responsible thing to do for your client is to try to work out some kind of plea deal.
All states should immediately outlaw having primates, including chimpanzees, as pets. They should also outlaw having animals such as tigers, jaguars, alligators, and any other animals whose only home should be the wild. The horrible case of the woman who was tragically mauled by a 200-lb. chimpanzee is a huge red flag. And by the way, the injuries this woman suffered are so awful that I can't even list them all here or I will have nightmares. Let me just say that I would not want to live in that condition. I hope her family can make the appropriate decisions for her, and they might be hard to make, but to consign this poor woman to a life with no quality of life would double this tragedy, in my opinion.
I was listening to NPR the other day when a woman who owned several species of monkeys as well as a jaguar was on defending owning these animals. She had them in enclosures (separately) and said the monkeys were "living like monkeys." THEY'RE IN CAGES, LADY!!! BY THEMSELVES!! HELLO!!!!! Monkeys (and jaguars) live in social units with other monkeys and jaguars. This is NOT appropriate, and these creatures are NOT "living like monkeys." Sheesh. Take it from somebody who found a Ball python in her backyard because some doofus who had it as a pet couldn't keep it contained. Some animals are NOT meant to be pets, and accidents with these guys can and will happen. (Not two weeks later a Ball python bit a toddler in a local park, by the way.)
Go adopt a dog or a cat from a local shelter instead. Fish are also nice.
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