Recent Articles
Turtles Are Not This Smart*
by Blake on Jun 17, 2009 at 08:29 Posted in Political 27 Comments
* But they are at least as smart as the dumb people who thought up this boondoggle. This is indicative of the mindset of people who really do not know the value of a dollar, combined with the total ignorance of how turtles think and act, among other things. This is just one of the more ridiculous things that our money is being spent on. Look, I would have no problem with this project if I thought that turtles would actually use and benefit from this underpass built with several million of our dollars- of course, that would be an awful lot of turtles to make this project cost- effective.
The 13-foot tunnel near Tallahassee, Fla., runs under Highway 27 — a busy road that has the highest road-kill rate for turtles in the world, according to state officials.
Josh Boan, the Florida Transportation Department’s natural resources manager, said a large number of turtles and other wildlife are killed in the area. In addition to protecting wildlife, he said the project is needed for safety: turtles hit by vehicles can become flying projectiles.
foxnews.com
This is an example of government gone wild with regards to budgets. If turtles would or could use this, perhaps could almost wrap my mind around this, as I have spent countless amounts of time picking turtles off of roads where they are trying to get to the other side for whatever reason.
But the sad fact is that turtles are not reasoning creatures- they do not see this tunnel and think, “Cool, a better way to cross”, simply because they do not think on a cogent level. They are primatives in their thoughts, reacting to danger and comfort pretty much exclusively.
In studies, the turtle was shown to not even notice cars, since the speed of these cars were above the perception of these creatures. Nor have they ever been shown to have any logical thought processes- they are strictly instinctual creatures, so they will not travel to a tunnel to cross the road, because they are incapable of the thought it would take to make that connection. Therefore, all creatures who did employ this tunnel would truly do so by accident.
Don’t you think there could be better uses for what little money we really have, than to satisfy some delusional politician’s ecological feel- good nonsense at this time? I grew up catching snakes and turtles- I know how they think, and I am sympathetic to their plight, but this is so wrong- headed as to defy common sense on several levels. Turtles will cross the road whereever they come to the road, and that is a sad fact.<
So say goodbye to 3.4 million dollars of your money, used on something that will not help that which it is intended to do- but that is the story of America's government when it comes to spending our money- they just have to spend it, or they will have some kind of budgetary aneurysm, and they just have to spend it on worthless stuff that sounds great, but does nothing.
Can’t we just, for once, actually spend money wisely? Does the President and Congress have to act like drunken lottery winners, spending money just because they can?
This is money we can not spare, not even for turtles.
Tags: government waste ♦ insanity ♦ stupidity ♦ turtles
Obama Loses Sleep
by Big Dog on Jun 17, 2009 at 04:55 Posted in Political 36 Comments
Barack Obama says he loses sleep worrying about the massive US debt. Perhaps he should have been worried about it before he spent a fortune on a plan that has provided little in the way of results. Obama is now saying we have to be responsible but that unemployment will reach 10%. That would be 2% higher than he predicted but he insists things are turning around.
Not as far as I can see.
Perhaps Obama is losing sleep because all his poll numbers except his popularity are tanking. Perhaps he is beginning to realize that his actions were wrong and that running headfirst into a wall was not a smart thing to do. Maybe he is beginning to see that what he is doing might cost him seats in 2010 and his job in 2012.
Bill Maher expressed his dissatisfaction with Obama. If Obama is losing libs like this guy the end might be near.
Even his supporters are beginning to think he is a failure.
Free Choice isn’t Always the Right One
by Blake on Jun 16, 2009 at 10:01 Posted in Political 11 Comments
There is an assault on our rights of free choice here, in the name of health care, as the government is busy making a list and checking it twice- they’re darn sure going to ensure that you are nice, because liberal busybodies that they are, they just have to get in your face with their version of “what is right” in their minds. They might be right in their intent, but we are Americans, and we should still have the option to make “bad” decisions. This is a part of freedom, as well as a necessary part of a learning curve.
One of the most persistent parts of this assault on our freedom of choice has been the battle against tobacco. Tobacco has been the boogeyman since 1964, when the Surgeon General came out with the report linking tobacco with lung cancer, emphysema, and other side effects and diseases. In addition, this product is addictive, with nicotine the primary drug in the tobacco, so it becomes extremely difficult to rid oneself of the habit.
This business, however, is legal, much as the liquor business is legal, and the tobacco business employs millions of people throughout the growing, packaging, and shipping process. People for whom tobacco has been a way of life for literally generations. It’s all they do- all they know how to do.
Lord, the whole state was built on tobacco,” Roddie Hancock, 56, a cafe owner in Bailey, said as he swatted flies buzzing over the counter where he sold bread pudding and chew bread. Hancock grew up on a small tobacco farm and picked leaves as a child. He said folks here “don’t want the government having anything to do with tobacco.”
To make this point, Sharp, who is president of the North Carolina Agribusiness Council, traveled to Washington two weeks ago. He said he was shocked to hear that people deluged politicians’ offices urging passage of the bill to highlight the health effects of smoking.
“Even in the caves of Afghanistan, they understand that cigarettes can be dangerous,” Sharp said. “Everyone knows that.”
Everyone, including Sharp. He said he quit smoking five years ago — it was too unhealthy and expensive — but still keeps a black ashtray on his desk, next to the adding machine and jar of blister-fried peanuts.
washingtonpost.com
Tobacco is already taxed beyond belief, and the mindset regarding the tax is a bit troubling- people who advocate the tax say that it will cut down on smoking, and cause people to quit, which means less tax money for the government coffers- so how will they make up for the shortfall? In addition, we as a people are losing the right (some would say good to this) to make bad decisions- this is a necessary part of freedom here- not everyone is capable of making the right decision. It might even be said that what is right for one is not right for another.
While I personally have quit cigarettes four years ago, after having tried for forty years, I still have a problem with the government coming in and saying that they care about the people while taxing the snot out of a legal product.
The $89 billion tobacco industry will be required to disclose the ingredients in cigarettes and other tobacco products and will face severe limitations on how they are advertised and promoted.
The legislation stops short of allowing the FDA to prohibit tobacco or to eliminate nicotine, the addictive drug in tobacco.
Congress has been battling for more than a decade over regulating tobacco, coming close several times but faltering in the face of procedural hang-ups or opposition from the tobacco lobby or the White House. Over the years, changing social attitudes toward smoking have helped transform the suggestion of regulating tobacco from controversial to common sense.
washingtonpost.com
Next, will be the hamburger and fries you like to eat, and of course, the amount you eat. What you eat will become more healthy, whether you like it or not. Obesity will be the next target, possibly with some tax on certain foods on a menu. If you exceed a certain amount of calories, you get a food tax above and beyond the present sales tax. Or if your body fat index exceeds government guidelines, you pay more for health insurance. We already have this with regards to smoking tobacco, and your obesity will play into insurance costs.
What a shame- look, as I have said, I quit smoking, but I do like to eat, and sometimes I like to eat cheeseburgers and fries- should I be penalized for choosing this legal food? We should still have the freedom to do so without governmental interference. The same should be true with smoking- yes, it is a bad even harmful habit, it is distasteful and, as my daughter observed, stinky- but it is still legal, and the free market should make the decision on this product.
Restaurants should be able to decide whether they are smoking or non- their patrons will make the decision for them, and economics should dictate what bars and restaurants do in their business. People should retain the right (or the stupidity) to make bad decisions- this is how most of us learn in life. Very few people actually learn from the mistakes of others, and so what this becomes is a constant Darwinian “learning curve”- if your mistake is not too severe, you survive and learn.If the government keeps you from making these mistakes, you might never learn from them.
And that’s no way to become adults in this world- you have to learn what it is you have done wrong, before you can do it right.
Tags: freedom ♦ government interference ♦ responsibility ♦ taxes
Obama Warns Against Scare Tactics While Using Them
by Big Dog on Jun 16, 2009 at 05:10 Posted in Political 3 Comments
Barack Obama warned that people must be aware of scare tactics that have been used in the past to scuttle attempts at overhauling the US health care system. Obama said we have seen such tactics in the past.
“we know there are those who will try to scuttle” the program no matter what. He said that “because these fear tactics have worked, things have kept getting worse.” Breitbart
This is the same guy who warned that we must do something by year’s end. This is the guy who said we had to act now. We cannot have an expert panel with lengthy discussions because we must do it now. We can’t wait a year longer. He uses scare tactics, just as he did with the stimulus, to push his agenda even as he decries scare tactics.
This comes as Obama was soundly booed by members of the American Medical Association, a group opposed to his plans for health care in this country. The AMA opposes a government run plan and they have a long history of dealing with Medicare to back up their concerns.
Hospitals are also opposed to his proposed cuts in Medicare and Medicaid.
Obama also lacks support for the plan form his own party:
President Barack Obama’s health secretary on Sunday pushed for a new government-run healthcare program, an idea facing skepticism even in his own party, and a senior Senate Democrat flatly said votes are lacking in Congress for the proposal. al-Reuters
Perhaps the opposition can put the brakes on this mess and give the people of this country a chance to take a good hard look at what is being proposed and what alternatives might yield a better result.
If Obama ends up taxing the employer provided health benefits he will have a great deal of opposition and it might end up limiting him to one term.
Tags: boos ♦ fear ♦ health care ♦ Obama
If Letterman Is Sincere, Let it Be
by Big Dog on Jun 16, 2009 at 02:20 Posted in Political 10 Comments
I remember when Don Imus made an off the cuff remark about a woman’s basketball team. The outcry of racism was loud and the race baiters called for his head. He apologized day in and day out and he met with the team to apologize. He groveled on Sharpton’s radio program and he still ended up being fired.
At the time I wrote that Imus had made a mistake and he apologized and that the apology should be accepted. I indicated that he should not lose his job because he showed true remorse for what was a distasteful joke. His apology, while possibly accepted, did no good and he was fired.
David Letterman made some seriously distasteful jokes (that were well scripted) that called Sarah Palin’s daughter a hooker and made sport of the idea of her being raped. Letterman handled the flap over it very badly and the voices calling for him to be fired are getting louder.
Yesterday Letterman made what appeared to be a heartfelt apology. I only read the transcript but it seems that this time there was no sarcasm or half hearted apology. Though it was filled with excuses it seems that he got the message.
If the Palin family is satisfied that Letterman is sincere and that he gave an adequate apology then the matter should be over and he should not be fired. As much as I think it would be fair after what happened to Imus, I would be a hypocrite if I expected him to be fired after apologizing when I did not hold Imus to that standard.
If Letterman is sincere and the Palin’s are content then let’s move on.
Sarah Palin could go on Conan’s show and boost is ratings way above Letterman’s but there are ways for us to voice displeasure with his content as well and the best way would be to stop watching his show.
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