Blah, blah, blah… republicans good, democrats bad… we get it!

It’s like the last eight years never happened with these people. Hand all the money over to the wealthy and pray that this time trickle-down will work. Same lame-ass talk that idiotic republican voters have come to trust and believe in. Nothing new here.

Jindal is a true red republican, through and through. Obviously he’s gonna try to take Obama’s job away in 2012. And if we’re stupid enough to let that happen, we will most certainly deserve what we get.

Not as soon as I had hoped, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction! And it’s brutal news for those on the right who suffer from SCS, (Scaredy-Cat Syndrome).

I understand the logic behind a slow pullout. A quick retreat would only put the lives of many of our troops in jeopardy. And the good Lord knows, way too many have already died in this senseless, illegal republican war. But isn’t eighteen months a little excessive? Why not just a year? Why not just six months? BushCo drug out the war partly from lining the pockets of their well-off friends and partly for just being mindless idiots. But that’s not the case with the Obama administration. There must be some other vital information we’re not privy to.

Troops to leave Iraq in 18 months, officials say

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is expected to order all U.S. combat troops to leave Iraq by August of next year, administration officials said, closing the door on a war that has led to the deaths of at least 4,250 members of the U.S. military.

The pullout recommended by Obama’s security advisers would free up troops and resources for the war in Afghanistan, where Obama has said the threat to national security is acute. The Iraq withdrawal would be completed 18 months from now.

“We are now carefully reviewing our policies in both wars, and I will soon announce a way forward in Iraq that leaves Iraq to its people and responsibly ends this war,” Obama said in his address to Congress on Tuesday.

If you like a man who’s not all bark and no bite, who respects the position of second-in-command and will play by the rules, who doesn’t have an aggressive agenda for breaking America in half… then Vice President Joe Biden might just fit the bill.

I’m glad he said what he said, not just for the threat of using the stimulus money for it’s intended purpose, but also by stating they can, in some cases, refuse the money. This will give red state republicans a little extra noose in which to hang themselves.

You have to love the corner these hypocritical republican idiots have painted themselves into.

Biden warns states to use stimulus as intended

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden is warning that if states don’t use federal stimulus money as intended, the Obama administration may take the money back or mount a public campaign to embarrass them.

Biden, appearing Wednesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” will be overseeing implementation of President Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus plan. Biden says the money “cannot be squandered” and warns that states will be held accountable for what they do with the money.

Some Republican governors have criticized the plan as wasteful and several have said they may reject some of the funds.

Sarah Palin got busted robbing from the government and is now attempting to spin it to her benefit.

The new standard in which she speaks is that of “ethical” – a feat she’ll never be able to pull off. She’s a republican, for Christ”s sake!

Palin to pay Alaska nearly $7,000 for kids’ trips

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will reimburse the state nearly $7,000 for costs associated with nine trips taken by her children, her attorney said Tuesday.

Palin must reimburse the state within 120 days, according to a settlement agreement filed by a special investigator hired by the Alaska Personnel Board to investigate an ethics complaint filed against her.

The exact amount will be determined by the Alaska Department of Administration, said Palin’s attorney, Thomas Van Flein. He estimated the amount would be $6,800. [...]

“Although I am not required to do so, I will set a new standard on travel now by assuming the burden of these particular expenses,” Palin said.

Video of President Obama’s address to congress

Keb Mo’
“That’s Not Love”

Now is a good time to invest in dead bolts for your doors, if you haven’t already. Anything anywhere on your property that can bring quick cash is likely to “walk off” if you don’t secure it.

Copper is big in this area. Thieves are cutting down power lines for it! And it’s also a good idea to lock down your outside AC units. Thieves are taking those too, believe it or not!

Maybe now is the time to consider forming/joining a neighborhood watch, because things are only going to get worse.

As economy dives, crime fears spike

As the economy has fizzled, police departments have reported big increases in burglaries, thefts and vandalism. Neighborhood watch groups say that with police so busy and resources stretched thin, members know they have to be vigilant. [...]

With the economic downturn, neighborhood watch groups are proving to be a first line of defense in battling property crimes.

The Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based independent research organization made up of local and state police officials, released a survey in January showing that 44 percent of police departments reported increases in crimes they believed could be attributed to the economic crisis.

Of the departments surveyed, 39 percent reported an increase in robberies, and 32 percent said they had seen a rise in burglaries.

Those surveyed also reported a 40 percent increase in thefts, including those of GPS devices from cars and other “opportunistic” crimes.

The survey also revealed that while quality-of-life crimes are rising, budget money is falling. Of the 233 responding police agencies, 63 percent said they expected their total funding for the next fiscal year to be slashed.

“…the federal law is ambiguous and that the case should have been resolved in Hayes’ favor. Ten years in jail is too much to hinge on the will-o’-the-wisp of statutory meaning pursued by the majority.” -Chief Justice John Roberts

A damn good argument can be made about felons not owning guns. But ten years of jail time? Isn’t that a bit harsh, people? He was only in possession of firearms. He didn’t use them.

Unless I missed something important here, Roberts and Scalia called this one right. Feel free to point out the errors of my way though. Maybe I just need a bit more clarification. This head cold from hell may be clouding my thinking.

Court upholds conviction in guns case

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the conviction of a West Virginia man for violating a federal law barring people convicted in domestic violence cases from possessing firearms.

In a 7-2 vote, the court ruled that a federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., wrongly threw out the conviction of Randy Edward Hayes. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the majority opinion. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Antonin Scalia dissented.

The federal government, gun control groups and women’s rights advocates worried that a ruling for Hayes would have weakened the federal law enacted in 1996 that applied the 40-year-old ban on gun possession by a felon to people convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors.

Senator Shelby: asshole of the week. ( I’m going to have to start numbering the assholes, as there’s so many more than 1 per week!)

So what’s the problem? Some democrats and nearly all republicans believe that health care is there only for those who can afford it. For as long as there has been an America, many people have had to do without. No different today. Just more people doing without. If it’s been okay all this time to allow some amongst us to suffer just so those in the field of medicine could continue capitalizing on the rest of us, then what has changed?

I’ll tell you what’s changed. It used to be mainly people in rural areas or out on the streets that had to do without seeing a doctor. The haves far outnumbered the have-nots. And the haves didn’t give a flying fig about the have-nots either. But the times, they are a-changin’. The middle-class folk are really starting to feel the pinch. And as more employers drop health insurance, you’ll be hearing more and more complaints and cries for help from the once “somewhat privileged” hypocrite brigade.

Health care costs to top $8,000 per person

Sinking economy making reform much harder, new report shows

WASHINGTON – A new government report on medical costs paints a stark picture for President Barack Obama, who is expected to call for a health care overhaul in a speech Tuesday night to a joint session of Congress. [...]

Health care costs will top $8,000 per person this year, consuming an ever-bigger slice of a shrinking economic pie, says the report by the Department of Health and Human Services, due out Tuesday. [...]

The White House says Obama believes that out-of-control costs are the main obstacle to securing coverage for all.

“Health care costs are crushing middle class families and the small businesses that fuel job growth in this country,” said White House spokesman Reid Cherlin. “President Obama believes that if we’re going to get our economy back on track, we have to act quickly to address this pressing issue.”

The following just seems relevant, for some odd reason:

I sympathize with their plight. But in all seriousness, if pilots were to walk away from their jobs, where could they go to find employment that offered equal or better pay and benefits?

Slave nation. They’re pretty much stuck where they’re at and the wealthy airline owners know it.

Sullenberger: Pay cuts driving out best pilots

WASHINGTON (AP) — The pilot who safely ditched a jetliner in New York’s Hudson River said Tuesday that pay and benefit cuts are driving experienced pilots from careers in the cockpit.

US Airways pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger told the House aviation subcommittee that his pay has been cut 40 percent in recent years and his pension has been terminated and replaced with a promise “worth pennies on the dollar” from the federally created Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. These cuts followed a wave of airline bankruptcies after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks compounded by the current recession, he said. [...]

Sullenberger and other crew members testified about the accident in which all 155 people aboard Flight 1549 survived.

Sullenberger’s copilot Jeffrey B. Skiles said unless there are labor-management reforms “experienced crews in the cockpit will be a thing of the past.” And Sullenberger added that without experienced pilots “we will see negative consequences to the flying public.”

If it were Rupert Murdoch that was gunned down in a cartoon, would you be offended or insulted? Or would you crack a smile and perhaps dance a little jig?

First, he’s only addressing those who were “offended” and “insulted.” Rupert Murdoch should know better than most that there are plenty of people out there who were not offended or insulted. That was the intended audience, after all.

Second, he says the post will work to be more sensitive. “Sensitive” is one of those catch-words that hold a special meaning for Rupert Murdoch and people like him. It’s a feministic slap at liberals, i.e., real he-man conservatives can handle racially motivated cartoons and such… but we have to be more sensitive to those sissy, limp-wristed liberals!

Rupert could stand a good couple-dozen slapping downs by the limp-wrist brigade in my opinion. And I will be glad to lead the charge!

Nope, sorry folks, that was not an apology. That was just a smirk by the devil himself.

Murdoch sorry for NY Post cartoon seen as racist

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Post Chairman Rupert Murdoch apologized Tuesday for a cartoon that critics said likened a violent chimpanzee shot dead by police to President Barack Obama.

In a statement published in the newspaper, Murdoch said he wanted to “personally apologize to any reader who felt offended, and even insulted.” He said the Post will work to be more sensitive.

Murdoch said the cartoon was intended only to “mock a badly written piece of legislation.”

The cartoon, which was published Wednesday, depicted the body of the bullet-riddled chimp Travis and two police officers. The caption said: “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”