First, the bad news. After the tainted tomatoes and peppers the government is banning beef and chicken coming out of Mexico.
But it gets worse. The USDA did their audit in June and July and we are just now finding out about this in September. They just halted shipments on August 29th. No urgency here, folks! In fact, the audit report will be out within the next 60 days or so. Ho-hum. (Now, if they could find lead in the meat, we’d have all sorts of headlines and congressional hearings.)
And to make it even worse, the Mexican government isn’t even protesting. Usually they whine and send official letters to Washington. This time they are VOLUNTARILY suspending shipments. It must be really bad.
Mexico produces/processes about 2% of our beef and poultry.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
The smoke is killing me!
The EPA has announced that starting in 2011 your lawnmower will be subject to air pollution controls and standards. New lawnmowers will need to have equipment installed that will reduce emissions by 35%.
And estimates are that a new walk-behind mower will cost us 18% more than regular models.
(And your power boat is also a target of the new regs. “The rule requires a 70 percent reduction in emissions from recreational watercraft.”)
But here is the astounding fact. This new regulation will prevent “more than 300 premature deaths” each year.
Wow, such a body count!
You don’t see Washington talking about the 25 a DAY who die at the hands of illegal aliens in the United States. You don’t see anyone inviting Danielle Bologna to a congressional hearing to tell people what happened to her husband and two sons in San Francisco.
Or the Shaw family. Or Sandy Innis, the mother of Patricia Henneken.
That would be a grim reminder of the failure of the federal government.
Instead, we’ll put catalytic converters on our Lawn Boys. (Oooh, can I say “boy” or is that pejorative? Sorry if I offended anyone.)
And estimates are that a new walk-behind mower will cost us 18% more than regular models.
(And your power boat is also a target of the new regs. “The rule requires a 70 percent reduction in emissions from recreational watercraft.”)
But here is the astounding fact. This new regulation will prevent “more than 300 premature deaths” each year.
Wow, such a body count!
You don’t see Washington talking about the 25 a DAY who die at the hands of illegal aliens in the United States. You don’t see anyone inviting Danielle Bologna to a congressional hearing to tell people what happened to her husband and two sons in San Francisco.
Or the Shaw family. Or Sandy Innis, the mother of Patricia Henneken.
That would be a grim reminder of the failure of the federal government.
Instead, we’ll put catalytic converters on our Lawn Boys. (Oooh, can I say “boy” or is that pejorative? Sorry if I offended anyone.)
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Palin Screen Test
Last night was quite a performance by VP nominee Sarah Palin.
And "performance" is the right word for it. I have not heard any news story saying, "Palin insists on writing her own speeches."
So, I'm going to assume that someone else wrote it for her. It was delivered very well. She was confident. The words seemed to be coming from her heart. I didn't detect any hesitation or body language that would belie her true beliefs.
She covered it all:
*A special needs mom.
*A military mom praying for her son.
*Self-deprecating (pit bulls and lipstick).
*Success in the executive branch of politics.
*Kitchen-table tastes, sort of like Jerry Brown in California trading in the limo for a brown sedan.
*Love of her family, with great shots of the little babysitter.
*Loyalty to McCain.
*Taking shots at Obama.
I couldn't help but think of Candice Bergen in Sweet Home Alabama when Palin took after the Democrats. She was tough and deadpan, but not shrill. (She was also the villain.)
She hasn't got a picture-perfect family life. This isn't Ozzie and Harriet. She's faced the challenge of a baby with disabilities. She's got a daughter who has made some wrong choices. She's just like all sorts of swing voters who have their own problems.
Her best lines IMHO were these:
"...in small towns, we don't quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren't listening. We tend to prefer candidates who don't talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco."
"...I got rid of a few things in the governor's office that I didn't believe our citizens should have to pay for. That luxury jet was over the top. I put it on eBay. I also drive myself to work. And I thought we could muddle through without the governor's personal chef..."
"There is only one man in this election who has ever really fought for you ... in places where winning means survival and defeat means death ... and that man is John McCain."
So, was it an act? Well, Reagan was a good actor who turned out to be a pretty good president. Folks who have spent time with her say she's the real deal. Can she think on her feet?
These are questions that will get answered as she goes through the meat-grinder of debates, interviews, and off-the-cuff statements to the press.
She looks promising as one who understands us commoners and is willing to add a fresh perspective inside the Beltway. On her own she would run the risk of another Jimmy Carter presidency, but as VP with a veteran politician as her boss she can be an advocate without being destroyed by the machine.
So far, so good.
And "performance" is the right word for it. I have not heard any news story saying, "Palin insists on writing her own speeches."
So, I'm going to assume that someone else wrote it for her. It was delivered very well. She was confident. The words seemed to be coming from her heart. I didn't detect any hesitation or body language that would belie her true beliefs.
She covered it all:
*A special needs mom.
*A military mom praying for her son.
*Self-deprecating (pit bulls and lipstick).
*Success in the executive branch of politics.
*Kitchen-table tastes, sort of like Jerry Brown in California trading in the limo for a brown sedan.
*Love of her family, with great shots of the little babysitter.
*Loyalty to McCain.
*Taking shots at Obama.
I couldn't help but think of Candice Bergen in Sweet Home Alabama when Palin took after the Democrats. She was tough and deadpan, but not shrill. (She was also the villain.)
She hasn't got a picture-perfect family life. This isn't Ozzie and Harriet. She's faced the challenge of a baby with disabilities. She's got a daughter who has made some wrong choices. She's just like all sorts of swing voters who have their own problems.
Her best lines IMHO were these:
"...in small towns, we don't quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren't listening. We tend to prefer candidates who don't talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco."
"...I got rid of a few things in the governor's office that I didn't believe our citizens should have to pay for. That luxury jet was over the top. I put it on eBay. I also drive myself to work. And I thought we could muddle through without the governor's personal chef..."
"There is only one man in this election who has ever really fought for you ... in places where winning means survival and defeat means death ... and that man is John McCain."
So, was it an act? Well, Reagan was a good actor who turned out to be a pretty good president. Folks who have spent time with her say she's the real deal. Can she think on her feet?
These are questions that will get answered as she goes through the meat-grinder of debates, interviews, and off-the-cuff statements to the press.
She looks promising as one who understands us commoners and is willing to add a fresh perspective inside the Beltway. On her own she would run the risk of another Jimmy Carter presidency, but as VP with a veteran politician as her boss she can be an advocate without being destroyed by the machine.
So far, so good.
Sarah's good...
…but you can’t beat the immaculate conception of Barack Obama, the son of two men.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSwy-UV76OM&NR=1
Those wacky liberals.
I’m guessing Biden is wishing he were a woman after last night’s performance by Palin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSwy-UV76OM&NR=1
Those wacky liberals.
I’m guessing Biden is wishing he were a woman after last night’s performance by Palin.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
We've insulted them again
My local newspaper carried a two-inch blurb at the bottom of the page today, something about the GOP platform and not counting illegal aliens in the census. So I had to find the entire story and read it. Indeed, the Repubulicans only want to count people who are here LEGALLY. How weird is that?
Well, La Raza spokesman Munoz says such an idea is “unconstitutional and insulting.” And McCain was doing so well among the Hispanics. Now this.
The last time a Hispanic was insulted in this town was when political gadfly Heaton insulted Sheriff Perez by asking him to explain Kane County Jail’s relationship with Immigration.
My, they get insulted easily. Do they think this indignation somehow changes the reality?
Anyway, back to the Census. The U S Census Bureau rang in on the issue of excluding illegal aliens from the count by saying: “Our mandate is to count all residents regardless of legal status.” (Well, they don’t do a very good job of it since their estimate of 11 million is off by at least 50%.)
The platform language was designed to disenfranchise illegal aliens by excluding them from the house seat apportionment calculations. Whether they vote or not, large concentrations of illegal aliens create representation in Congress.
Here’s the platform language that was so “insulting.”
"The integrity of the 2010 census, proportioning congressional representation among the states, must be preserved. The census should count every person legally abiding in the United States in an actual enumeration."
Of course, the census makes no effort to determine status in the survey itself. They do some calculations based on known values such as naturalized citizens and green card holders. Then they assume all the rest are illegal. Not very scientific.
If they were to ask immigration status, what would be the value of the answer given the target audience? What respect do illegals have for this country? Not much.
But the Census Bureau keeps trying. In fact they have requested that Immigration suspend enforcement activities during the census so as not to frighten illegal aliens. (FYI, there was an informal agreement to suspend large scale raids during the 2000 census.)
Immigration spokesman Kelly Nantel answered in no uncertain terms: "I don't want there to be any question in the American people's mind as to whether or not ICE would suspend enforcement efforts. The answer to that is emphatically no."
And the Latino activist group National Hispanic Leadership Agenda fired a shot across the bow of the GOP ship with this plea to McCain: “We urge you to lead your party's platform away from the deportation and detention path that deprives newcomers and the nation of immigrants' positive economic and societal contributions.”
Can we somehow muddle through this without Karl Rove? If ever there was an issue separating the elites from the delegates, this is it.
Well, La Raza spokesman Munoz says such an idea is “unconstitutional and insulting.” And McCain was doing so well among the Hispanics. Now this.
The last time a Hispanic was insulted in this town was when political gadfly Heaton insulted Sheriff Perez by asking him to explain Kane County Jail’s relationship with Immigration.
My, they get insulted easily. Do they think this indignation somehow changes the reality?
Anyway, back to the Census. The U S Census Bureau rang in on the issue of excluding illegal aliens from the count by saying: “Our mandate is to count all residents regardless of legal status.” (Well, they don’t do a very good job of it since their estimate of 11 million is off by at least 50%.)
The platform language was designed to disenfranchise illegal aliens by excluding them from the house seat apportionment calculations. Whether they vote or not, large concentrations of illegal aliens create representation in Congress.
Here’s the platform language that was so “insulting.”
"The integrity of the 2010 census, proportioning congressional representation among the states, must be preserved. The census should count every person legally abiding in the United States in an actual enumeration."
Of course, the census makes no effort to determine status in the survey itself. They do some calculations based on known values such as naturalized citizens and green card holders. Then they assume all the rest are illegal. Not very scientific.
If they were to ask immigration status, what would be the value of the answer given the target audience? What respect do illegals have for this country? Not much.
But the Census Bureau keeps trying. In fact they have requested that Immigration suspend enforcement activities during the census so as not to frighten illegal aliens. (FYI, there was an informal agreement to suspend large scale raids during the 2000 census.)
Immigration spokesman Kelly Nantel answered in no uncertain terms: "I don't want there to be any question in the American people's mind as to whether or not ICE would suspend enforcement efforts. The answer to that is emphatically no."
And the Latino activist group National Hispanic Leadership Agenda fired a shot across the bow of the GOP ship with this plea to McCain: “We urge you to lead your party's platform away from the deportation and detention path that deprives newcomers and the nation of immigrants' positive economic and societal contributions.”
Can we somehow muddle through this without Karl Rove? If ever there was an issue separating the elites from the delegates, this is it.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Happy Labor Day
This one has been making the rounds for a year or two, but today it seems worth repeating:
A Somalian arrives in Minneapolis as a new immigrant to the United States.
He stops the first person he sees walking down the street and says, “Thank you Mr. American for letting me in this country, giving me housing, food stamps, free medical care, and free education!”
The passerby says, “You are mistaken, I am Mexican.”
The man goes on and encounters another passerby. “Thank you for having such a beautiful country here in America!”
The person says, “I not American, I Vietnamese.”
The new arrival walks further, and the next person he sees he stops, shakes his hand and says, “Thank you for the wonderful America!”
That person puts up his hand and says, “I am from Middle East, I am not American!”
He finally sees a nice lady and asks, “Are you an American?” She says, “No, I am from Africa!”
Puzzled, he asks her, “Where are all the Americans?”
The African lady checks her watch and says…”Probably at work . . .”
(Author unknown)
A Somalian arrives in Minneapolis as a new immigrant to the United States.
He stops the first person he sees walking down the street and says, “Thank you Mr. American for letting me in this country, giving me housing, food stamps, free medical care, and free education!”
The passerby says, “You are mistaken, I am Mexican.”
The man goes on and encounters another passerby. “Thank you for having such a beautiful country here in America!”
The person says, “I not American, I Vietnamese.”
The new arrival walks further, and the next person he sees he stops, shakes his hand and says, “Thank you for the wonderful America!”
That person puts up his hand and says, “I am from Middle East, I am not American!”
He finally sees a nice lady and asks, “Are you an American?” She says, “No, I am from Africa!”
Puzzled, he asks her, “Where are all the Americans?”
The African lady checks her watch and says…”Probably at work . . .”
(Author unknown)
Whatchamacallem
WBEZ is the Chicago NPR station. They did a little on-line poll. I'm not sure it's going as well as they thought.
As of a few minutes ago it went like this:
How should Chicago Public Radio refer to out-of-status immigrants?
Illegal alien (89%, 1,776 Votes)
Illegal immigrant (7%, 138 Votes)
Undocumented immigrant (4%, 90 Votes)
Total Voters: 2,004
Wanna join the fun?
Here's the link:
http://apps.wbez.org/blog/?p=470
Update: Well, in case you tried it and it didn't work, the poll is CLOSED. I think the comments still work but the moderator is "progressive" so don't expect your words to stick around very long. Yet another example of the rights of the left I suppose.
As of a few minutes ago it went like this:
How should Chicago Public Radio refer to out-of-status immigrants?
Illegal alien (89%, 1,776 Votes)
Illegal immigrant (7%, 138 Votes)
Undocumented immigrant (4%, 90 Votes)
Total Voters: 2,004
Wanna join the fun?
Here's the link:
http://apps.wbez.org/blog/?p=470
Update: Well, in case you tried it and it didn't work, the poll is CLOSED. I think the comments still work but the moderator is "progressive" so don't expect your words to stick around very long. Yet another example of the rights of the left I suppose.
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