Thought for Lent

Found at Happy's place:

God is not proud ... He will have us even though we have shown that we prefer everything to Him. --C S Lewis

Yup.

For You Ladies

Well, all two of you who read this blog.

If it is my Constitutional right and freedom to kill my child through abortion, then I’d rather be a slave to my Catholic Faith. If it is my right and freedom to dress and act provocative, then I’d rather be considered a prude. If it is my right and freedom to sterilize myself through contraception, then I’d rather be fruitful. If it is my right and freedom to become some “thing”, a sexual object, then I’d rather become some “one”, deserving of dignity. ---Leah Darrow

Ms. Darrow was a contestant on "Next Top Model" (hit the link to see a pic) and recently decided to re-affirm more important things--thus the above quotation.

HT: CMR

Homosex Adoptions: Not Too Good

This may eventually get into MSM, but don't bet on it.

A study presented at the symposium in Mexico, “Homosexual Adoption: What Science Has Discovered,” revealed that most children adopted by same-sex couples display “greater levels of stress,” and suffer from “suicidal tendencies and attempts.”

The symposium was organized by the Mexican Institute on Sexual Orientation, “Renacer,” in order to provide scientific information about homosexuality, homosexual adoptions and their impact on child development.

During his presentation, George A. Rekers, Professor of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science at the University of South Carolina, said that “boys and girls adopted by lesbian and homosexual couples show a greater level of stress than that which is already generated by their status as orphans or children abandoned by their biological parents.” He added that this situation “produces diverse trauma and behavioral disorders that can even lead to suicidal tendencies or attempts.”

“According to various studies containing testimonies from children of homosexual parents, most them of admit to suffering strong emotions, such as fear, anxiety, apprehension, shame and anger in trying to hide from their friends and relatives the homosexuality of their father or mother,” he continued.

Adoptive families

Likewise, addressing the issue of homosexual “marriage,” the study pointed out that “they are significantly and substantially less stable and shorter on average compared with marriages between a man and woman.” Consequently, “homes with a homosexual adult inevitably contribute to substantially higher rate of changes in adoptive homes.”

“Due to the high incidence of psychological disorders among children who enter the adoptive care system,” those “living with a practicing homosexual in the adoptive home,” are especially “ vulnerable to psychological damage and an increasing inability to adapt,” Rekers said.

It's only one study, so far.

HT: Acts

Lunatic of Austin a TeaParty Guy? Nope.

Malkin notes that it took about 30 seconds for the slurs to begin.

...within minutes of the story breaking, a furious, left-wing blogger at the popular Daily Kos website – where countless Democrat leaders have guest-posted – fumed: “Teabagger terrorist attack on IRS building.” The article immediately cast blame on the anti-tax Tea Party movement: “After months of threats on the United States government, and government institutions, the Anti-Government forces known as the teabaggers have struck with their first 911 (sic) inspired terrorist attack.”

Umnnnhhhh....sorry. The guy was just a lunatic (and a rabid anti-Catholic.)

This nutball had deadly grudges that transcended partisan lines.

Citing the Communist Manifesto with approval?

Not in the TEA Party stylebook, folks.

"........please turn off the lights....."

You know the first part of the above quote.

Sykes highlights an ominous factoid:

Wisconsin had 6,700, or 4.3%, fewer private businesses in early 2009 than it did at the same time in 2006, according to the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX).

Lakeshore highlights another one:

Wisconsin: Net loss of 4,809 households. Biggest losses went to Texas and Minnesota. --IRS data 2007/2008

"Doh! Where's My Gun"?: DHS Edition

Wow.

Nearly 180 Department of Homeland Security weapons were lost -- some falling into the hands of criminals -- after officers left them in restrooms, vehicles and other public places, according to an inspector general report.

The officers, with Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, "did not always sufficiently safeguard their firearms and, as a result, lost a significant number of firearms" between fiscal year 2006 and fiscal year 2008, the report said.

Leaving your 9mm as a tip in a restaurant? Priceless.

HT: Lott

Porkulus Spend Goes (D), Unemployed Get Stiffed

Not that it's surprising, but it seems that Porkulus spend was twice as heavy in (D) districts as in (R) districts.

But what is truly disgusting is this finding:

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University reviewed the distribution of $157 billion in stimulus dollars based on publicly available reports and found that there was “no statistical correlation” between the amount of money a district got and its income or unemployment rate.

“You would think, right, that if the administration believes in its theory that government money can create jobs, they would spend a lot of money in districts that have high unemployment,” study co-author Veronique de Rugy said. “We found absolutely no relationship...."

What "interests of the people"?

Bill "Blowhard" O'Reilly: "What 2A?"

O'Reilly has been very impressive, if you like blowhard Big Gummint folks.

He especially likes keeping the rabble under control during emergencies, or something.

Got his head handed to him here on just that issue.

The REAL Partisans in Madistan

Who are the REAL partisans in Madistan? Rep. Nygren (R), narrates a story about a bill. In the story, the Democrat Party covers itself with shame (or worse--take your pick.)

...My bill sat on the desk of the Democrat leadership in the Assembly for months; since October of 2009 in fact. Eight session days came and went with no vote on my bill. Why? Because there was a Republican author (me) on the bill. I know this is the case because Democrat lawmakers admitted it to me. The leadership of their party wanted the bill for themselves.

I was not about to let this noble piece of legislation die because of party politics. So, in an effort to pass the bill, I gave the legislation to a Democrat Representative and endorsed that new bill. I again worked to pass the bill and this week my efforts paid off. The new bill was brought forward to be voted on in the full Assembly.

I thought the party politics were over, but to my dismay they came to play again. The Democrat leadership refused to pass the Assembly version of the bill that included my endorsement and instead passed the Senate bill that did not include my name as an author.

I am pleased that the bill passed because it is a good piece of legislation. I voted for it in the end because it was the right thing to do for my constituents....

Nygren also asserts that the reverse was NOT true when the (R) boyzzzz held the majority.

Not that long ago, 'the interests of the people' were paramount.

HT: FoxPolitics

Shadow Gov't Statistics' Unemployment Number

Shadow Government Statistics has been around for a while. Basically, this guy uses measurements which the Feds have stopped using--not only for unemployment, but also for inflation and other key measures. (He thinks that the Feds 'massage' the numbers. So do I.)

Anyhoo, Shadow's line is the dark-blue one. Note that it tracks very well with the 'official' numbers, but that it's a lot more dismal.

HT: FirstThings/Goldman

Lay Waste to Your Fortunes: Doyle and Obama

According to Steve Jagler, the Doylet Line ChooChoo is a 'done deal.'

$825 million, spent because that's what Obama and Doyle want to do. Makes no difference to them who will pay the US debt incurred, nor the State debt incurred. Makes no difference to them who pays the operating expenses (which will be deficits.) Makes no difference to them that the Doylet Line won't have a lot of passengers to/from Madison. And it makes no difference to them that highway and road maintenance funds will become harder to get (except at the point of a gun, their favorite, and only method of raising stealing money.)

55 permanent jobs, around 4,000 temporary ones to build it.

$825 million plus expenses, forever.

WallyWorld Same-Store Down. Ugh

And the report is for a quarter, not a week, or month.

Sales by U.S. stores open at least a year fell 1.6 percent in the three months ended Jan. 31, the Bentonville, Arkansas- based company said today in a statement.

Christmas was included in that quarter!

Ticker notes that WallyWorld mentioned 'price deflation' as one of the causes.

He goes on:

I can confirm this is everywhere. Places that I don't expect to run sales at all are. Big. 2-for-1 (what is called "bogo" in the business, or "buy one get one"), 70% discounts and other similar schemes. The local Publix food retailer has, over the last couple of months, stepped up big with the discounting...

That word, "deflation" will come up again and again.

Whatever else, I am not a shopper, so I don't notice sales, or 2-for-1 deals. It may be showing up in SE Wisconsin, too.

State Pension Funds in Trouble

Hooboy. The fun never stops.

States may be forced to reduce benefits, raise taxes or slash government services to address a $1 trillion funding shortfall in public sector retirement benefits, according to a new study that warns of even more debilitating costs if immediate action isn't taken.

The Pew Center on the States released a survey Thursday of state-administered pension plans, retiree health care and other post-employment benefits in all 50 states that blamed a decade's worth of policy decisions for leaving them shortchanged.

Fortunately,

Florida, Idaho, New York, North Carolina and Wisconsin began the current recession with fully funded pension systems, while eight states have left more than one-third of their pension liability unfunded.

The roads may fall apart, but.......

Archdiocse of DC Quits Foster Care Biz

Exactly what they said they'd do.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has been forced to give up the foster care program it ran with the aid of public funds, after repeated warnings that there would be no other choice should the D.C. City Council insist that the archdiocese recognize gay "marriage" partners in its employment practices.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Catholic Charities handed over the foster-care program intact to the National Center for Children and Families on February 1. Catholic Charities, whose foster program included 43 children, 35 families and seven staff, runs more than 20 social service programs for the District of Columbia and receives $20 million in city funding.

Let's hope that the children get through this.

Another Fallout From Climate Hoax

Another one bites the dust.

The U.N. climate chief Yvo de Boer has resigned to join a consultancy group as an adviser, the U.N. climate secretariat said on Thursday, two months after a disappointing Copenhagen summit.

..."It was a difficult decision to make, but I believe the time is ripe for me to take on a new challenge, working on climate and sustainability with the private sector and academia," de Boer said in the statement.

Don't let the door hit you in the ass.

"Peak Oil"? Maybe Not

From the Examiner.

Exxon Mobil (XOM) announced today that in 2009 the company's proven reserves increased by 133% of the amount of oil produced. Exxon now has 23.3 billion oil-equivalent-barrels of reserves comprised of about half liquids and half gas. It's the largest amount in the company's history.

Amazingly, Exxon, who has been accused in the past of being too conservative in terms of exploration and development, has been finding more oil than it produces for each of the last 16 years....

Conservation is still best.

The Efficacy of Porkulus: Drag Down Growth, Not Much Else

At the expected place, much crowing and screeching about the wonderful effects of Porkulus. He leads off with DNC talking points, by the way, which are fatuous.

Somehow, the cited NYT article failed to mention this information:

In a new paper presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Economic Association, Carmen Reinhart of the University of Maryland and Kenneth Rogoff of Harvard study the link between different levels of debt and countries’ economic growth over the last two centuries. One finding: Countries with a gross public debt debt exceeding about 90% of annual economic output tended to grow a lot more slowly. For advanced countries above the 90% threshold, average annual growth was about two percentage points lower than for countries with public debt of less than 30% of GDP.

The results are particularly relevant at a time when debt levels in the U.S. and other countries at the center of the financial crisis are rapidly approaching the 90% threshold. Gross government debt in the U.S., for example, stood at 85% of GDP in 2009 and will reach 108% of GDP by 2014, according to IMF projections. The U.K.’s gross government debt stood at 69% of GDP in 2009 and is expected to reach 98% of GDP by 2013.

“If history is any guide,” the rising government debt “is very troubling for the U.S. and other advanced economies,” says Ms. Reinhart.

Oh, that's not all that the NYT writer excised from the writings of Reinhart/Rogoff.

Around the world over the last century, the typical financial crisis caused the jobless rate to rise for almost five years, according to work by the economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff. On that timeline, our rate would still be rising in early 2012. Even that may be optimistic, given that the recent crisis was so bad. As Ben Bernanke, Henry Paulson (Republicans both) and many others warned in 2008, this recession had the potential to become a depression.

Which, we suppose, is just fine IF one is employed by Government--the principal beneficiary of Porkulus dollars nationwide.

The rest of you can suck eggs.

The Doylet Line ChooChoo, Chapter 354

News item from Madison.

Pleasant View Road is little more than a dirt path in places right now. Drive west on Mineral Point Road past Target and it is easy to miss the beginning of Pleasant View’s southern extension, which will connect it to Valley View Road and the city’s burgeoning southwest side.

But stand at the intersection of Pleasant View and Mineral Point at 5 p.m. on any weeknight and look east toward Madison... Cars turning left from Mineral Point onto Junction Road (County M) to head south back up nearly to the Beltline at rush hour, and it’s not unusual to have to wait through two light cycles before making a left turn anywhere at the intersection.

And that’s before most of the area west of Junction Road has even been built up, which will bring even more traffic. The majority remains farmland, waiting for the recently approved University Research Park II to be built as one of the city’s largest new economic development projects. Neighborhoods that surround the research park site are still in their infancy, with developers’ signs dotting the landscape for future houses and apartments.

The Doylet Line ChooChoo's proposed Madison stop is about 10 miles from this location.

And when you go to the linked story, you'll notice that Madison will spend a LOT of State (and local) money to build the roads.

Of course, they'll only get State money if the Doylet Line ChooChoo doesn't suck up ALL the transportation funds--or if Milwaukee's 894/45/94 rebuild doesn't.

Doesn't take long for you to get the drift of this post, does it?

Drat. Scalia Says "No."

Justice Scalia writes to a screenwriter who inquires about secession.

I am afraid I cannot be of much help with your problem, principally because I cannot imagine that such a question could ever reach the Supreme Court. To begin with, the answer is clear. If there was any constitutional issue resolved by the Civil War, it is that there is no right to secede. (Hence, in the Pledge of Allegiance, "one Nation, indivisible.") Secondly, I find it difficult to envision who the parties to this lawsuit might be. Is the State suing the United States for a declaratory judgment? But the United States cannot be sued without its consent, and it has not consented to this sort of suit.

Oh, well. Maybe this is resolved better with the old saw: "It is better to apologize than to ask permission."

Of course, you only have to apologize if you lose.

Wisconsin Leggies Will Disenfranchise Wisconsin Voters

UPDATED TITLE to reflect "bi-partisan" support. No party has a monopoly on ........ahhh...........foolishness.

Hildebeeste flogged this idea several years ago, and our leggies love it. Briefly, it's a good way to annul the votes of Wisconsin citizens in a Presidential race.

A bill the Democrats are attempting to ramrod through the state legislature, Assembly Bill 751, would create a national popular vote for the U.S. presidency, essentially undermining the Electoral College. The bill was introduced late February 15 and the Assembly Elections Committee scheduled a public hearing for February 17 at 1 p.m. The legislature is pushing this dangerous bill through at breakneck speed. AB 751 is part of a national effort to disenfranchise voters that is gaining ground at an alarming rate (with a troubling connection to the notorious liberal money-bags, George Soros).

There IS a good reason for the structure of the Electoral College.

With the Electoral College, your vote is a higher percentage of the total votes from the state and has a greater impact on the presidential election. With a national popular vote, the states with the highest populations determine the president, and then Wisconsin is forced to ratify their vote, regardless of whether that candidate was the choice of the majority of Wisconsin voters.

IOW, the Electoral College is organized to reflect the House/Senate structure; while North Dakota has only one House member, it also has TWO Senators--exactly the same number of Senators as has California.

The reason for this national-gerrymander? Simple. The Coasts would determine the Presidency, and (surprise!!) the Coasts are reliably Blue States.

Perhaps Reps. ROYS, KAUFERT, BERCEAU, BLACK, NEWCOMER, CLARK, DEXTER, FIELDS, GRIGSBY, POCAN, SINICKI, TOLES, A. WILLIAMS, ZEPNICK and A. OTT, along with Senators RISSER and WIRCH should simply move to New York State and make it official: that's the population they prefer to represent.

HT: Jo Egelhoff