3 Boxes of BS

Remember folks, we are paranoid to think that there could be a liberal bias in the media

The Democratic total of $1,020,816 was given by 1,160 employees of the three major broadcast television networks, with an average contribution of $880.

By contrast, only 193 of the employees contributed to Republican candidates and campaign committees, for a total of $142,863. The average Republican contribution was $744.

Since I’ve been suffering a major allergy / sinus infection; I thought I would post this:

(click to enlarge)

For some reason, it made sense to me when I thought of it. Now….well welcome to my world.

I can not wrap my mind around the way some people think. I try. I really do.

Seek First to Understand, then Be Understood.

For a very long time, I’ve used this as a guiding principle and I usually have success. Even if it takes a while.

But I’m failing miserably with the mentality displayed by so many Far Left Nanny Staters.

For example, (emphasis mine below)

3.5 million people without homes; 18.9 million homes without residents.

While an array of legal and logistical obstacles present themselves, the math is staggering. It’s time to sort out the regulations and rates that would facilitate the solution: turning empty houses into homes for those in need…..

I’m not advocating giving houses away — such a move would create a host of political and fiscal problems — but government should be working toward a solution to match up the empty homes with those who need a roof to live under.

A homeless population equivalent to the size of Los Angeles is unacceptable, and with over five times as many empty houses, we have not only a moral obligation but also an economic imperative to come up with a creative way to fix this travesty.

I have some questions that might just illuminate how bad of an idea this is.

1. Ever hear of the concept of private property Bub?

It’s not about taking a residence from someone who can’t pay his or her bills and giving it to another person who can’t make payments either, it’s about using resources we have in excess.

The problem with your idea Bub, is “we” don’t have the resources in excess. Someone actually owns that property, someone has their money tied up in it. Just because it isn’t being used at this moment does not mean you or anyone but the owner can arbitrarily decide how it gets used.

2. Ever hear of the Constitution Bub?

It limits just exactly what the government can do and I’ve read that document — no where is there power to allowed to do what you want.

3. Ever think about the cycle you mentioned Bub?

the market will follow the same cycle: demand, saturation and then glut.

Taking houses out of that cycle will keep prices artificially high — meaning fewer people will be able to afford housing. Isn’t that a little self defeating?

4. Ever hear of Reality Bub?

Without someone to take care of it, a property will decline steeply. But with someone living in the house…actually taking care of them…well, that’s a far better situation.

Most people (again the caveat is most people, there are a few this doesn’t apply to) aren’t homeless because of one bad decision, one careless mistake.

Most people are homeless because they continue(d) to make bad decisions over and over again.

Giving a house to someone /unable/unwilling to make good decisions doesn’t guarantee they will ‘take care’ of the house. Far from it.

Look around that the public housing that is currently available, look around at the shelters, look around where the homeless people stay.

Do you see those areas getting better or worse?

5. Ever think that most “homeless people don’t need or can’t afford a home to take care of, Bub?

One researcher who examined a sample of homeless persons over a 2-year period found:

• Most, or about 80 percent, exit from homelessness within 2 or 3 weeks. They often have more personal, social, and economic resources to draw from than people who are homeless for longer periods of time.
• About 10 percent are homeless for up to 2 months, with housing availability and affordability adding to the time they are homeless.
• Another 10 percent are homeless on a chronic, protracted basis, for as long as 7 or 8 months in a 2-year period. Disabilities associated with mental illnesses and substance use are common. On any given night, this group of homeless persons can account for up to 50 percent of those seeking emergency shelter.

90% of homelessness resolved within 2 months.

How is ‘giving them’  a house going to help?

Never mind the fact that, out of the long term homeless, many have mental illness or substance abuse issues that make them ‘less the ideal home owner candidates’ shall we say?

6. Ever stop and think there is absolutely nothing stopping you from doing this right now Bub?

Not a single solitary thing but your desire to spend other people’s money on your ideas .

Honestly, I think I’m going to start calling the Far Left the “Other People’s Money Party”.

Let’s examine the concept here in a different light — Skippy gets together with some of his like minded friends and pools their money. Skippy and friends goes to the people who own the vacant houses and offers them a good price. Skippy and friends invite homeless people to live in those houses.

Homeless situation resolved without the government getting involved, without property being seized, without the laws and Constitution being violated.

But that isn’t what Skippy wants now is it?

From Richard Warnick at One Utah

Yes, like everyone in the middle class I have more than I need. Also, like everyone in the middle class under 65 I’m working without a net– I could lose those surplus assets almost overnight. For example, when Bush crashed the economy the assessed valuation of “my” house (that the bank owns) went down 40 percent!…

I pay Comcast about $100 a month for cable TV and Internet (which is outrageous).

To Sobeale discussing the flooding in Pakistan

I’m a little shocked and surprised that despite the growing humanitarian crisis in Pakistan, the disaster there hasn’t dominated our news cycle in the same way crises in other nations have. Where are the telethons and Twibbons and nightly stories of daring rescues and calls for massive aid to the flood-ravaged country. (emphasis mine – Bob)

Who responded to my comment with this:

Pretty weak, Bob S. Hypocrisy? Don’t think so. I’m a blogger writing about how it’s interesting that no one seems to give a damn about Pakistan and you call me a hypocrite for not organizing a telethon?

Right-o

Yes, I do Sobeale, I really do think it is hypocritical of you to complain about there not being enough in the news when you aren’t doing things to put the crisis in the news.

Yes, I think it is hypocritical of Richard to want to tax the ‘rich’ to provide a safety net he is unwilling to sacrifice a little to provide for himself.

Yes, I think it is hypocritical of Skippy to want to take other people’s money or property when he’s doesn’t seem to be willing to spend his own money.

So, if you think there is a problem; do you have a responsibility to act on it before you recommend spending other people’s money without their consent?

Please join the discussion.

Or Our Federal Government at Work Slacking off?

Really, folks — let’s think about our priorities here.
Federal agents have identified people in the country illegally, good.
They’ve processed the paperwork to start the deportation court proceedings, good.
Then the Obama Administration makes a decision to review those cases, Uh-Oh.

The Department of Homeland Security is systematically reviewing thousands of pending immigration cases and moving to dismiss those filed against suspected illegal immigrants who have no serious criminal records, according to several sources familiar with the efforts.

Every time I think the Obama Administration can’t do anything else to leave me dazed and confused, they prove me wrong.

Gonzalez said DHS attorneys are conducting the reviews on a case-by-case basis. However, he said they are following general guidelines that allow for the dismissal of cases for defendants who have been in the country for two or more years and have no felony convictions.

In some instances, defendants can have one misdemeanor conviction, but it cannot involve a DWI, family violence or sexual crime, Gonzalez said.

Given how often cases are plea bargained down, charges dismissed; this really doesn’t give me a warm and fuzzy sense of comfort.

Patterns of criminal behavior usually don’t just stop and change for the better so I’m a little concerned about such a generous criteria being used.

I wondered why the administration would do something like this, then I read these two paragraphs.

Gonzalez called the dismissals a necessary step in unclogging a massive backlog in the immigration court system. In June, there were more than 248,000 cases pending in immigration courts across the country, including about 23,000 in Texas, according to data compiled by researchers at Syracuse University.

In a June 30 memo, ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton outlined the agency’s priorities, saying it had the capacity to remove about 400,000 illegal immigrants annually — about 4 percent of the estimated illegal immigrant population in the country. The memo outlines priorities for the detention and removal system, putting criminals and threats to national security at the top of the list.

So instead of stepping up our ability to remove people who are in the country illegally, let’s put a cap on the number of people we deport each year….a paltry 4%????

I don’t see any other conclusion for this other then it is a step in the process to grant amnesty to illegal aliens.

Maybe the should take the time, energy and money being spend on BackScatter Vans and add a few more people to ICE or even change the law removing firearm licensing requirements and add those people to immigration control.

Please join the discussion.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

It isn’t just when it is convenient for the government to get a warrant, it’s all the time.

AS&E’s Reiss counters privacy critics by pointing out that the ZBV scans don’t capture nearly as much detail of human bodies as their airport counterparts. The company’s marketing materials say that its “primary purpose is to image vehicles and their contents,” and that “the system cannot be used to identify an individual, or the race, sex or age of the person.”

And the Airport Scanners weren’t supposed to be able to get that much detail or store images either — why don’t you try pulling the other leg!

“From a privacy standpoint, I’m hard-pressed to see what the concern or objection could be,” he says.

How about until there is sufficient enough evidence that I’ve committed a crime what is in my car, my house or on my person is none of your frakkin business Bub???

Technology will always advance but the principles of privacy and limited government reach will always remain the same.

That is why the fight for our rights has to be fought now and every day.

Please join the discussion.

On the evening of July 30, armed men entered the village of Ruvungi, in North Kivu Province.

“They told the population that they were just there for food and rest and that they shouldn’t worry,” said Will F. Cragin, the International Medical Corps’ program coordinator for North Kivu, who visited the village a week after their arrival.

“Then after dark another group came,” said Mr. Cragin, referring to between 200 and 400 armed men who witnesses described as spending days and nights looting Ruvungi and nearby villages.

The gun control crowd — those I call anti-rights advocates – are very big on the whole ‘give them what they want and don’t fight back’ idea.

I have notice they tend to say so from the safety of their  homes – protected by the firearms of their neighbors, the law enforcement and the military.

And what did those villagers get from following the anti’s advice?

A mob of Rwandan rebels gang-raped at least 150 women last month during a weekend raid on a community of villages in eastern Congo, United Nations and other humanitarian officials said Sunday.

“They began to systematically rape the population,” he said, adding, “Most women were raped by two to six men at a time.”

The attackers often took the victims into the bush or into their homes, raping them “in front of their children and their families,” Mr. Cragin said. “If a car passed, they would hide.”

Wonder why they would hide from a car, could it be they feared someone who would fight back?

When the thief is in the house, there isn’t time to run out, buy a firearm and learn to use it.
When the rapists are brutalizing your wife, daughter, friends and neighbors; there isn’t time to run out, buy a firearm and learn to use it.

The Right to Keep and Bear Arms should be protected instead being subjected of ridiculous restrictions (can you say Chicago and Washington D.C.?).

Because no one should have to be subjected to things like what happened in that village without the opportunity to fight back.

Please join the discussion.

First up — It’s hot, it’s been hot.

22 out of the last 23 days have been over 100 degrees; the day that didn’t make it was 99. It’s officially hot enough for everyone; now can we get some cooling around here?

Yesterday was not a lot of fun in the evening (the hottest part of the day) when I got to try my hand at being a considerate car thief.

One of the younger household members locked her keys in her car. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to break into the car without breaking windows, so we ended up calling a tow company to do it. I’ll write up a full blog post on how to break into a car later.

Second — it’s hot, really hot and they are starting school.

I’m middle aged, I recognize it. I don’t try to hide this fact, I don’t try to idealize my past but I really think the previous generations had a little more intelligence then the current crop of administrators are showing.

It’s expected to reach 106 degrees today, the hottest day of the year! And today is the first day of school for most districts in the area.

Can anyone tell me it makes since to start school at the middle/end of August????

Seriously folks, starting school after Labor Day was a good thing for many reasons — not the least of which was the weather.

I understand multiculturalism, I understand inclusiveness — but I also think we are getting carried away with celebrating holidays — especially in the school system.

October is the only full month in the school year without a holiday. And it’s not just the recognized holidays, most months have either ‘early dismissal’ or a student holiday due to ‘staff development’.

Teachers have a rough job, I know that but let’s put the school year back to where it made sense — starting after Labor Day and ending at the end of May, eh?

No Recoil Therapy for me this weekend — Did I mention it’s been hot?

By the time I was up and going Saturday, I decided discretion was the better part of valor. Since I could see the discrete temperature marking on the thermometer under the indicator was already 95 degrees or more, I wimped out.

I don’t mention it often because I see it as just a part of life, but sometimes my asthma does effect what I want to do, this was one of them. I don’t do well in the heat, especially when it climbs into the triple digit figures, so I didn’t heat the range this weekend.

I hope to get out this next weekend.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my ramblings. I don’t say that often enough but I really do appreciate people taking time out of their day to visit.