Yer doin' it wrong - again

McGinn proposes $20 car tab fee to help pay for streets

Seattle's budget problems keep getting bumpier.

City transportation workers will repair fewer potholes this year due to a $7.8 million budget gap for the Seattle Department of Transportation. To help fill the budget hole, there will be one less crew out filling holes in the street, Mayor Mike McGinn said Wednesday.

SDOT is eliminating one pothole repair crew to save about $868,000. (SDOT = Seattle Department of Transportation)

$868,000?!?! Geez Louise, how much do those guys make? Yeah, I know, the cost of materials, tools, and vehicle expenses are also factored in to that figure, but still. One crew? $868,000? Really?

McGinn used the pothole example to explain his proposal to increase the commercial parking tax and impose a $20 vehicle licensing fee for next year's budget to help the city keep up with street maintenance. Some might think they've heard this before. After all, the Bridging the Gap levy passed in 2006 was supposed to provide extra money to catch up with the city's maintenance backlog.

But McGinn says SDOT's budget also shrunk over the past few years, offsetting extra revenue from Bridging the Gap.

Can someone explain to me how a shrinking budget offsets revenue? I mean, doesn't a shrinking budget typically mean that you are cutting expenditures, so therefore revenue would increase the amount of funds on hand?

McGinn said he'll propose boosting the parking tax by 5 to 10 percent, which would generate $10-$20 million annually. The licensing fee would raise about $7 million per year, he said.SDOT's cuts represent about 14 percent of its $55 million budget.

The funds generated are, of course, projected amounts. One thing that Dems never seem to get is that when you increase fees and/or taxes is that people are going to be less inclined, not more, to avail themselves of the product or service impacted by those higher fees and/or taxes. It's simple economics.

The other thing they don't seem to get is that by increasing the commercial parking tax, less people are going to be willing to come into the city to purchase goods, eat at restaurants, go to a movie or stage show, etc., thereby hurting local city businesses, resulting in less overall tax revenue for the city. If it costs more to do or get something, the less inclined people are going to be to do or get. Especially in this economy. Duh!

SDOT also will reduce preventative maintenance on street signals and curb markings

Speaking from a maintenance tech's point of view, spending less on preventive maintenance will only cost you more in the long run on repairs. Doing preventive maintenance allows you to find and correct problems before they cause a "catastrophic failure" in the system or device affected. It is usually cheaper to repair something than to replace it. And in this particular example of doing less preventive maintenance on traffic signals, there is the liability issue to keep in mind. For example, if a traffic signal has a "catastrophic failure" at the wrong time, and results in a traffic accident that would have been prevented if the signal had been properly maintained so that it was functioning properly, the city could be opening itself to a hefty lawsuit.

Mayor Mike McGinn - doin' it wrong - again

Independence Day, July 4th 2010

July 4th is traditionally a day when a large majority of immigrants to our great nation take the oath of citizenship. I would just like to say "Welcome, fellow citizens!" to those taking that oath today.

May your dreams that caused you to seek a new life here come true for you in every way.

UN funding two "cash cows"

And environmentalists are complaining about it - which, oddly enough, is a good thing here.

UN report fuels criticism of carbon-cutting scheme
UNITED NATIONS -- European and U.S. environmentalists demanded action Friday after an obscure U.N. advisory panel lent credence to their claims that industrialized nations are wasting billions of dollars on carbon-cutting projects.

The dispute revolves around the validity of some of the largest projects funded by the $2.7 billion U.N.-managed Clean Development Mechanism.

Basically, what is happening here is that the UN is paying companies in developing countries to destroy the chemical HFC-23, a "potent greenhouse gas", under one program of the Kyoto Protocol. Problem here is that the UN is also paying companies to produce another chemical, HCFC-22 under another program geared at "saving the ozone layer", and the production of HCFC-22 results in the by-product of - wait for it - HFC-23! This has been going on for over a decade now. You'd think that someone would have checked to see if there were any conflicts here, but obviously, that didn't happen.

Now, knowing human nature, it is absolutely no surprise to me that these companies have been accepting money to produce one product, while at the same time accepting money to destroy the resulting by-product of the original product. I mean, how many people would say, "No thank you!" to someone who offered them "free money", and lots of it? Not many, that's for sure!

For once, I'm in agreement with environmentalists (oh, the irony of it all!) - this double funding needs to stop!

Is Russia our friend?

In a word, no.

10 alleged Russian secret agents arrested in US

WASHINGTON -- The FBI has arrested 10 people who allegedly spied for Russia for up to a decade - posing as innocent civilians while trying to infiltrate U.S. policymaking circles and learn about U.S. weapons, diplomatic strategy and political developments.

An 11th defendant - a man accused of delivering money to the agents - remains at large.

There was no clue in the court papers unsealed Monday about how successful the agents had been, but they were alleged to have been long-term, deep cover spies. Among them were four couples living in suburbs of New York, Washington and Boston. One woman was a reporter and editor for a prominent Spanish-language newspaper in New York whom the FBI says it videotaped contacting a Russian official in 2000 in Latin America.

These deep-cover agents are the hardest spies for the FBI to catch and are dubbed "illegals" in the intelligence world because they take civilian jobs with no visible connection to a foreign government, rather than operating from government jobs inside Russian embassies and military missions. In this case, they were spread out and seeking a wide swath of information.

The last time Russia was even remotely a friend of the US was during WWI, before their military collapse and withdrawal from that war, and certainly before the Bolshevik's took over. Once the Bolshevik's took over, the Russians have done everything in their power to gain whatever information they could about us - whether military or industrial information - and it continues to this day.

Don't ever let anyone tell you that the Russian government is our friend. It's an out and out lie.

Sen. Robert Byrd has died

All I will say is, it's about time the KKK wasn't represented in the US Senate any more.

RIP Lt. Col. William Holloman

Who is William Holloman? A member of the Tuskegee Airmen, who flew during WWII, and he also served in Korea and Vietnam.

Not only that, but he was [o]ne of the airmen most responsible for preserving, protecting and promoting the history of the veterans, ensuring that the respect, belatedly, did come and that it helped change society ...

Thank you Lt. Col. Holloman for your service to your nation both during, and after, your military career. You served during a time when your devotion to duty, and love for your country was called into question simply because of the color of your skin. What you did took great courage, both in the air against our enemies, and on the ground against the fear and prejudice that was present (and still is in many ways, unfortunately), which reflects great credit upon you, sir.

To absent comrades - Lt. Col. Holloman, 1925 - 2010

Thanks folks, but ...

I want to say a quick thank you to everyone who has been keeping my five year old post about Alice Cooper at the top of the Google search results page, but I have done other posts too, you know. ;)

If what you really want is a direct link to Alice Coopers web site, click here.

Another sad day for Seattle sports fans

Ken Griffey, Jr. has hung up his spikes.

Without "Junior", there would be no Seattle Mariners, there would be no Safeco Field, there would be no joy in "Mudville" during the summer months.

Thanks, Ken, for all of the wonderful memories you provided us over the years. Your leaping catches in center field to rob yet another hitter a home run, and probably most significantly, your full-speed-ahead race from first base on the double by Edgar Martinez to the slide at home that improbably beat the New York Yankees in 1995.



Thank you so much, Ken.

Memorial Day

All gave some, and some gave all.

Today marks the day that we observe Memorial Day, the day we pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our great nation. In that regard, I want to pay tribute to one individual in particular today, Corporal John Henry Pruitt, US Marine Corps.

A member of the 78th Company, 6th Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, during World War I, Cpl. Pruitt single-handed attacked 2 machineguns, capturing them and killing 2 of the enemy. He then captured 40 prisoners in a dugout nearby. For this action Cpl. Pruitt was awarded our nations highest award, the Congressional Medal of Honor, and was also awarded the Army Medal of Honor. This gallant soldier was killed soon afterward by shellfire while he was sniping at the enemy.

All gave some, and some gave all.

All men and women who have worn the uniform have given some, for which I am eternally grateful, but today is the day we honor those who have given all, such as Cpl. Pruitt. This nation is what it is today because of such men and women who selflessly made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom. I am truly humbled to know that there have always been, and always will be, those who will do what is necessary without thought of self, without thought of medals, without thought of "glory".

To them the Bible verse, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.", truly applies

One other thing of note today

I almost forgot!

One year ago, Rick Santelli came out with possibly one of the greatest rants of all time. Why do I say that? Because it inspired the nation wide Tea Party movement, which is bringing real hope, and will bring real change to America this coming November.

Thanks, Rick!



Via Ace

Two things of note today

One is, today is the anniversary of the shot heard 'round the world, as the first shots were fired in Lexington that led to the birth of this nation.

I am so privileged to have been born in this country. I can't imagine what my life would have been like if I had been born elsewhere. Is my life easy? Not always, but in comparison to the lives of others, I'd have to say, yeah, it is. Ever since I really woke up to what it's like to be an American (thanks in part to President Ronald Reagan), I have tried my best not to take for granted what a privileged life I do have. I admit that I haven't always been successful at that, but with recent events, my determination has become stronger than ever as I see some attempting to diminish what we all have here. To honor those who stood for freedom on that day in Lexington, and later in Concorde, let us all strive to hold what we have and make it better, and prevent those that wish us to live in a diminished country from achieving that dubious goal.

The other is, today is also the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. Timothy McVeigh perpetrated one of the worst domestic terrorist acts in US history when he exploded that bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 people, 22 of them children (3 were unborn). In jis twisted mind, McVeigh was striking back at a corrupt government that he felt had overstepped its bounds (in the totally inept mishandling of the Waco, Texas situation with David Koresh and his Branch Davidian group)..

Today we see a government that is truly overstepping its bounds, trampling the Constitution seemingly at every turn, and ridiculing the citizens of this country for having the temerity to say "STOP!", as if they were stupid little children who don't know what they are talking about. Well, contrary to the elitists "popular beliefs", we do know what we are talking about, and you are right to fear us. But, except for the odd nutjob who doesn't care who he hurts as long as he hurts "someone", you elitists don't have to fear physical violence, ala McVeigh. Rather, you should fear for your political future, as we tell you exactly how we feel about your "hope" and "change" agenda this coming November when we vote you, and your agenda, out of office.

We have had 234 years of peaceful "regime change", as the Founding Fathers envisioned and set up, and that is how it should continue. I earnestly hope and pray that you elitists won't do anything rash to hamper that process.

Via specialrpt posting in quicknews, and Ace

The law of unintended consequences bites Dems in the ...

Via Allahpundit at Hotair, via LC Subotai Bahadur, is a story in the NYT that would be pure comedy gold if it didn't concern the HCR rape of the American health industry bill, signed into law three weeks ago.

Why the law of unintended consequences has been invoked here is, that the new health care law will affect almost every American in some way. And, perhaps fittingly if unintentionally, no one may be more affected than members of Congress themselves.

In a new report, the Congressional Research Service says the law may have significant unintended consequences for the “personal health insurance coverage” of senators, representatives and their staff members.

For example, it says, the law may “remove members of Congress and Congressional staff” from their current coverage, in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, before any alternatives are available.

And the money quote from the article, something that everyone who voted for this piece of excrement bill should be made to answer -

The confusion raises the inevitable question: If they did not know exactly what they were doing to themselves, did lawmakers who wrote and passed the bill fully grasp the details of how it would influence the lives of other Americans? [Emphasis mine]

In a word, that would be a "No". How could they when they couldn't be bothered to read the stupid thing to find out just what exactly was in it? Oh, and who do we have to thank for this possibly not quite so unintended consequence?

The provision governing members of Congress can be traced to the Senate Finance Committee. When the panel was working on the legislation last September, Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, proposed an amendment to require that elected federal officials and all federal employees buy coverage through an exchange, “rather than using the traditional Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.”

Kudos to you, Senator! Now we just have to pressure Congress to not "fix" this, so that they are all forced to deal with the real life issue of obtaining health insurance for themselves and their families, just like the rest of us.

Perhaps because of this (but probably not), those in Congress will actually take the time to draft coherent legislation, that all other members get to actually read and debate, and that the American electorate will get to comment on.

Oh, wait ... I'm looking ahead to November. Sorry.

A Real American who Offers Genuine Hope

We need this guy! Right now!



H/T pistos

Polish leader, 95 others dead in Russia jet crash

MOSCOW (AP) — Polish President Lech Kaczynski and some of the country's highest military and civilian leaders died on Saturday when the presidential plane crashed as it came in for a landing in thick fog in western Russia, killing 96, officials said.

Russian and Polish officials said there were no survivors on the 26-year-old Tupolev, which was taking the president, his wife and staff to events marking the 70th anniversary of the massacre of thousands of Polish officers by Soviet secret police.

The crash devastated the upper echelons of Poland's political and military establishments. On board were the army chief of staff, national bank president, deputy foreign minister, army chaplain, head of the National Security Office, deputy parliament speaker, civil rights commissioner and at least two presidential aides and three lawmakers, the Polish foreign ministry said.

My heart goes out to those who perished, their friends and family, and to the Polish people.

May they all rest in peace.

Jane Fonda still thinks she is a victim of a "myth"

In a recent interview with Larry King on CNN, where the subject of a book written by a Jane Fonda (aka "Hanoi Jane") apologist was discussed, Hanoi Jane reasserted her position that she is the victim of right-wingers perpetuating a "hateful myth" about her, the "myth" being that she was wrong in her actions on her trip to Hanoi during the Vietnam War..

I have one question for Hanoi Jane. What part of you allowing yourself to be used by the North Vietnamese government in a photo op bit of propaganda, showing you sitting at the trigger controls of a 37mm anti-aircraft cannon, wearing a North Vietnamese Army helmet, close to the main POW prison known as the Hanoi Hilton, is a myth? That is a well documented - by the North Vietnamese government - reality!

You, as a famous American actress, daughter of Henry Fonda, one of the biggest American film stars of all time, gave aid and comfort to the enemy (aka treason) of that time, hurting our efforts to assist the people of South Vietnam against the aggression of the North, also causing harm to those held captive by the North, as well as causing harm to our combat troops in the South, and you call yourself a victim?

The only victims here are the millions of Vietnamese people who suffered greatly at the hands of the Communists after the fall of South Vietnam, along with the combat troops who endured much hardship because of your visit, as well as the POWs who were treated even more viciously after you left North Vietnam, not you! As a matter of fact, after you returned to the United States, somehow you managed to carve out a pretty successful career, making millions of dollars in the process, in spite of your tarnished reputation. I would hardly call that being a victim of anything.

As for your claim that it is right-wing haters that are perpetuating a "myth", I highly doubt that ALL combat veterans of the Vietnam War are right wing, which is basically what you are claiming. I want you to know one thing Hanoi Jane. In spite of your past feeble "apology", I don't hate you - I loathe and detest you, but I don't hate you, as hate in my mind carries the implication of violence leading to violent death. I personally don't want you to die a violent death, as that is morally reprehensible, but upon your death, I will not shed a single tear of sadness.

Times On Line to start charging this summer

ONLINE readers will be charged £2 a week to read The Times and The Sunday Times on the web from June, News International announced today.

That would be the London Times, not the NYT ... just to clarify.

That's disappointing in that much of the stories on ClimateGate have been in the Times, plus other articles of interest.

So, it would be much appreciated that if you get a paid subscription, and post something you find in the Times, that you would copy/paste the story - or at least the relevant parts - so that those of us who do not have a paid subscription will know what the heck you are talking about.

Kthxbye.

Via doubleplusundead

November can't come soon enough!

BHO signed the "Health Care Reform" bill this morning, and that changes everything, and not for the better.

This bill, if allowed to stand by the courts, will mean that:

- the relationship between the American people and the federal government will have forever been changed, as a vast majority of us will end up being dependant upon the government, rather than our own resources, which is never good (look at France and Greece for "good" examples of what happens) ;
- over time, more and more employers will opt out of providing employer-sponsored health care for their employees, which in turn will make people clamor for a "solution to this problem" from the government, which will in turn lead to a single payer system through the government, leading to a vast swathe of the insurance industry going out of business;
- with employers being forced to provide health insurance for every employee (including part-timers) or face a fine for not doing so, many employers will simply let people go in order to lower their costs, and unemployment is too high right now (I should know, as I fall in that category right now);
- with higher unemployment, the bad economy that we are all facing now will only get worse.

To sum up, this bill needs to be repealed as soon as we can possibly do it, if the courts fail to strike it down as unconstitutional. That action won't happen today or tomorrow, and that's why I say that November can't come soon enough!

Microsoft exec pitches Internet usage tax to pay for cybersecurity

As reported here, [a] top Microsoft executive on Tuesday suggested a broad Internet tax to help defray the costs associated with computer security breaches and vast Internet attacks, according to reports.

Speaking at a security conference in San Francisco, Microsoft Vice President for Trustworthy Computing Scott Charney pitched the Web usage fee as one way to subsidize efforts to combat emerging cyber threats -- a costly venture, he said, but one that had vast community benefits.

"You could say it's a public safety issue and do it with general taxation," Charney noted.

The guy that proposed this little wonder idea probably makes enough money that another little tax wouldn't even be noticed by him (his accountant might, but not him). Hey, Charney! Instead of levying another tax on people who are fed up to here with taxes, why doesn't your company make a product that isn't vulnerable to cyber attack?

Full disclosure here - my computer has Windows XP Pro on it, and of all of the MS operating systems I've used over the years, from the old DOS days to now, this is the best one I've used (will not go near Vista, and haven't had a chance, or the money to try Win 7 yet). But, even though I think it's a really good OS, your company is constantly having to create patches for vulnerabilities. I quit counting after the 40th patch downloaded to my computer.

Here's an idea, one you guys probably have never thought of. Instead of trying to put those hackers that keep finding holes in your products in jail, why don't you hire them to test your product before it gets shipped to market? Have them document every hole they find, so the code writers can eliminate the holes, and when everyone is done, you'll have a fairly secure product.

Oh, wait ... that's too logical for those pie-in-the-sky idiots that work across the lake from me. Never mind.

A few comments on the health care "forum"

Since I currently have quite a bit of time on my hands, I've been kind of keeping tabs on the "debate" that has been going on today over health care "reform".

So far, the Repub's have been staying on message, and on specific topics per speaker. Apparently, they all got together and hashed out what each of them was going to focus on, which imo, is a splendid idea, and seems to be working quite well.

One thing that has the conservative bloggers "up in arms" is the fact that BHO and a couple other Dems spoke for around thirty minutes, but cut our guy off at less than fifteen minutes. Not fair, but at least to me, not unexpected.

One guy on our side of the "debate", Rep. Paul Ryan (who gave a clear "road map" a while ago that the Dems have been trying to denigrate) has really shone, and in the clip below, he takes BHO to the woodshed, and BHO has to just sit there and take it. Good stuff.



Via Ace.

This kind of stuff doesn't help

Disabled children -- God's punishment, lawmaker claims

Disabled children are the Lord's punishment for women who "abort the first born," a Republican state legislator from Virginia has argued in calling on state officials to eliminate state money going to Planned Parenthood.

Trying to make the case for cutting off funding to Planned Parenthood is all well and good, but this kind of stuff doesn't help, as all it does is allow the opposition to point and say, "SEE! We're right! They ARE a bunch of religious nut cases! What did we tell you?".

Sigh ...