Fire Hydrant of Freedom

CCP, Very interesting video.  There is no long form or record at either of those two hospitals on that day or any other. The short form was issued based on the birth announcement made by the grandparents(?). My guess was going to be that something else embarrassing was going to come out of this such as no marriage, no father, different date, not that he wasn't born in America.  One rumor that ran through the internet research, perhaps the family picked up and moved suddenly to Hawaii because she was pregnant. That makes more sense than the real story of starting classes a month late and moving suddenly without explanation.  In that scenario, she knew the race of the father and linked up with a more worldly black to give the boy a story and a name.  Obama Sr. either was tricked or knew and went along with it with a little pride but no parental connection.  Aug. 4 1961 may not have been the actual birth date, altered to fit the story line of meeting Obama Sr. and I highly doubt they were ever married.  Would he have to certify he was not already married to get that?  Regarding records, remember that Hawaii had been a state for less than 2 years at this time though record keeping doesn't seem to have changed.  Maybe the grandparents hired medical professionals into their home for the birth, and then went ahead with this story when they were certain of the mixed race baby. Mixed race was likely a big deal to everybody in 1961.  That would explain all the chicanery and secrecy, the avoidance of further embarrassment, respecting the life secrets of his now deceased Mother, why his Obama Sr. never acknowledged until out of curiosity eleven years later.  

Again, none of it points to him being born elsewhere, just lacking documents, which is no crime to me.  If this whole bizarre story came out, as Michelle almost slipped when she said 'Barack's mother was very single and very alone when she had Barack', it would only in my opinion build political sympathy for him and against those scrutinizing the deep secrets of his mother's past.  If Stanley Ann was knocked up by a nameless Seattle black, that makes young Barry more American than even the Kenyan story.

State by state there could be laws passed and challenges made to placing his name on a 2012 ballot.  I predict those efforts will fail because no alternative story of being a native born citizen of somewhere else makes any sense or carries with it any evidence.

CCP, like you say, the story keeps giving off more and more reasons for suspicion so it is hard to let it rest, but he looks to me like a sworn-in President with a valid passport, a short form birth certificate, social security number, etc. so the burden to prove otherwise moves to the accusers IMO who have absolutely nothing.  She had no reason whatsoever that we know of to leave the country, (checking the map-what foreign country is near Hawaii?) and if she did the baby was still born to an American mom with Hawaiian residence who shortly moved back to Seattle.  If Obama was involved in a conspiracy with the Head of the Hawaii Health Dept. to concoct a story that they had examined a non-existent long form, then he is guilty of that, something less I would guess than a high crime and misdemeanor of the impeachable type, and likely impossible to prove.  If proof comes out suddenly (it hasn't and it won't) that he is unquestionably not eligible to be President, proceedings should be started immediately to remove him from office and ... drum roll please... President Biden can be immediately sworn in.  No one wants that.

There are many areas where the far left, distrustful of big business, and the far right distrustful of bug government, should be able to find agreement. All we seek is a fair and level playing field and that is at least partly their objective as well.  GSE's are inherently corrupt enterprises.  I cringe when I hear the term public-private partnerships or whatever version of that concept Obama was describing at the State of the Union.  Remember that Nader is far to the left of Obama, and even more so now that Obama is faking toward the middle.  The buyout he describes is unfair to put it mildly, buying 79.9% at $.000001/per share because 80% would have a reporting requirement! Then trashing the value of it for their own purposes. Using the clout of size to disproportionate squish those whose stake is financially smaller.  Same goes for unfair debt rearrangements in other government meddling, besides the illegality and unconstitutionality.  It doesn't seem to me that shareholders have control over companies, though I would prefer to disagree with Nader.  Ownership comes and goes but professional management is entrenched as long as things go acceptably well.  The only freedom or power the individual shareholder really has is to not buy the shares.

Notably missing in the State of the Union was any new attack on gun ownership.  Still the questions posed in this thread are important.  Pro-gun people should address the issue of making it more difficult for the known mentally disturbed to buy and carry.  GM points out that those with court ordered psych treatments are already covered.  There are gaps though if this Tucson nutcase could walk in and load up considering what everyone around him knew.  I don't know the answer regarding privacy of mental records or the civil commitment process which is nearly impossible before a threat becomes reality, but fewer mass shootings would be good politics for gun ownership.

My download of the appellate decision was partial, so I meant that literally, 'what am I missing'.  The exceptions were what I was missing, thank you, but he doesn't seem to fall exactly in them.  We will see.  The long term lease-out of his Chicago home was IMO the deal killer.  Otherwise he is arguably a Chicago resident away on business for the country, maintaining residency, even if he was seldom if ever able to come home. It makes his DL and his residency a fraud.  We all know Chief of Staff is of high importance, I sure he argued strongly for the Chicago Olympic bid for example, but it is not elected office or military service.  Typist for the Chief of Staff is important work too; let's not judge the value of his work, just note that he chose to take work and residence in Washington when he needed to be in Chicago if he wanted this job with a one year candidate residency requirement.  I wouldn't want to be the political adviser who told him this would be no problem.

Year 3 of his Presidency, this is an actual headline: Obama looking for ideas to grow jobs.  Googling to find where I saw that, I found the same headline coming into State of the Union last year as well:
http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2010/01/06/news/mj2113672.txt
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/magazine/23Economy-t.html?pagewanted=all

Here's to hoping the next one isn't in his own Utopian fog as he takes the Presidency.  Clue: Government is financed as an economic parasite that feeds off of the host.  Since many functions of government  are necessary and need to be preserved, we should make every effort to stop killing off the host private sector entrepreneurial economy.
----

CCP: "Obama seems to take up the philosophy of his father"

Yes maybe by accident, really it is the radical leftism of his mother.  That is likely what drew her to the African student as much as race.  Obama's other mentors and colleagues had far more direct influence than his father: Bill Ayers, Rev. Wright etc.

The story behind the book 'Dreams of his father' as I recall was a hodgepodge of notes Obama put down until he stalled out with writer's block.  Someone else picked it up and drew a story line through it and also probably named it.  Pundits/analysts think that was Bill Ayers IIRC.  Everyone has a ghost writer or editor so that isn't a big deal, but neither is the book.  Obama never visited Kenya until after his father died.  I don't blame Obama for searching Africa for the economic success secrets that America lacked, I blame his voters.

People who lie or talk mostly out of both sides of their mouth sometimes anger me, but mostly bore me.  I don't  learn even what they are thinking by listening to them.  I just waste my own time trying to figure them out.  It is the chess game of how to catch him in a bad move, defeat him and change the direction that interests me.

I posted the Chua story, but didn't read the backlash. It was a little extreme, in the early part I thought she was joking.  I agree with this part of the previous post, we could all learn 'a little' from her.  Intensity to a point makes sense, but not that extreme.  No sleepovers? maybe.  No play dates ever? No sports allowed.  All parent determined. That sounds sick to me.  Allowing positive friendships to foster was important part of parenting IMO.

I grudgingly read Andre Agassi's autobiography where he expresses his hatred for the game that his readers and fans love.  His father was Iranian and driven to make his kid the best in the world at any and all costs including keeping out of school, hitting balls at all hours, tweaking the home ball machine to shoot at him at 140mph and sending him away at a young age.  With all the promos to the book I thought he was just an ungrateful kid.  Reading the book I just got more and more squeamish about the level of abuse he experienced and the childhood he missed.  As I wrote about CEO level obsessions, I don't think being number one at the expense of all other aspects and balances in life is the sweet spot.  

All of that said, 'a little' or even quite a bit more discipline like those Chinese mothers have would be very helpful for most kids floundering in American education.  Inner city schools have 50% dropout rates and we are not talking about college.  I would say that like successful management styles, as the parent, the coach or the educator, you want to get the kid moving in the right direction without always making them feel like it is being forced on them by someone else.

"for states to pass laws requiring that candidates provide proof of citizenship to be on a ballot"

proof of *natural born* citizenship

Pretty good idea to pass a law setting a process, since there doesn't seem to be any guideline on how to stop an ineligible candidate if all challenges were dismissed without a hearing.  The successful challenge would have to happen in a blue or contested state to make any electoral difference.

If he was born offshore to an American mother from Kansas, and McCain was born overseas but both parents were American - maybe the ground he was born on was an American base - it sounds to me like splitting hairs finer than what is explicit in the constitution.  If the mom had renounced her citizenship or even written something to change her address (and the newborn to be) to no longer reside in America, then maybe they have something, but that is not what is alleged as I hear it.  Just as on the flip side, I don't see how a birth from a foreigner in the US on vacation splits up the citizenship of a family.

Challenge Obama on his record and his governing agenda.

Bigdog,  Excellent article with specific and realistic recommendations/solutions.  (Same type of thinking at a much simpler level could be applied to education.)

GM, If going down this path was worthwhile I would want to see his first passport application with attachments. The intent of that rule (I assume) was to make sure a President didn't have international rather than American loyalties.  Whoops.

His current address is his evidence of eligibility for office; the challenge should have been when he first put his name on a ballot for President. The burden of proof goes to the other side(IMO) since he was accepted on the ballot in 50 states and administered the oath of office.  Looks to me like no one plans to provide any more documents.

Opponents can focus on these questions or focus on opposing and defeating leftist governing - hard to do both effectively. Personally I want him challenged and defeated over governing philosophy and anything/everything else IMO detracts from that message. 

If a document saying otherwise existed, this was the largest blunder ever by the Clintons for all their Nixonian research into people who threaten their power.  Bill Clinton is campaigning for an uncontested mayor race in Chicago when he thought he would be head of the UN by now, or hanging out with the first spouses of Spain and France. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1173949/The-day-Carla-met-match-Mrs-Sarkozy-upstaged-Spains-real-princess-glamour-showdown.html

Our congressional thread disappeared with the election.. Just a political moment ago Dems had the House and 60 seats in the senate.  For 2012 no matter how Obama does, it will be hard for Dems to either swing the House back or to not to lose more ground if not the majority in the Senate because too many Dem incumbents have to defend their seats in red states.

North Dakota recently had 2 Dem senators in a state Bush carried by 28 points.  Byron Dorgan withdrew last year and Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee Kent Conrad opted out for 2012 today.  A Republican former governor won Dorgan's seat in Nov. with a 55 point margin.

Kay Bailey Hutchison R-Texas is also stepping out but that just gives a large red state R party more time to find their best conservative candidate, likely to be to the right of Hutchison and likely to win.

Just like the lame duck, Obama's best chance to cut any favorable deal with congress on anything including a healthcare re-write or tax or entitlement reform going forward is now, before his  reelection contest.

There are a few people like Lincoln and Reagan that should post in with the founding fathers.  The late Nobel winning economist Milton Friedman would fit well with that company.  Here he speaks in 1978 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN.  You wouldn't know that he missed the debate of the last couple of years.  Real Clear Politics posts a few videos each day of opinion maker highlights of the last day and sneaked this video in with them yesterday:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/01/16/milton_friedman_on_socialized_medicine.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Counterpoint: The NY Times writes their editorial Saturday as if we hadn't already had the debate and the groundshifting election on this issue in the past year with their warning of 'The Truth and Consequences of Repeal': http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/opinion/16sun1.html

Excellent idea, Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy for states.  Extending the ability to reorganize to the states makes perfect sense.  If they are already relying on federal subsidy, then they are already insolvent  There has to be a relief valve.  Union guarantees in the private sector mean nothing if they implode the company.

Just the option or threat of bankruptcy can be a powerful negotiating tool.

CCP, Agreed.  The R-House needs to get good bills passed that can make it through a more centrist senate and sent to a leftist President that will call him out exactly on this question, head fake or move, on as many key issues as possible.  If he moves to the center, the country benefits and so do his reelection chances.  If he vetoes and holds a hard left line, he is exposed for what he still is coming into reelection. And if the bills are lousy or unpopular or don't make it through the senate, he gets cover.  

I didn't watch the memorial; I hear he was at his best.  He has a gift of delivering scripted oratory, but he has worn out his gift of muddling issues and positions.  I don't think he can regain that magic.  His future success in politics will rely on a real move to the center and having weak opponents.  His free pass with the media is only partly a free pass with the media.  They had it partly going again with this comeback kid stuff at the lame duck.

I do business in the black inner city.  He will win 95% of that vote again, but not with magical turnout or excitement levels this time.  Nothing has changed or improved there whatsoever, same old, same old.  They went from once a year to twice a year emergency assistance, temporarily with stimulus money - that is the ability to move around and get a free month's rent, and easier food stamp qualification, but unemployment is worse and education, behaviors and attitudes are all the same as any other recent time.  Businesses and jobs are not moving in, start ups aren't starting up.  Having tried this and failed (hard left governing and the excitement of a half black President) is worse for Democrats politically than not having tried it.

Large numbers of highly educated suburbanites still lean left, but again, the magical sway he had with true independents there is gone.  He will have to earn every vote.  States like Ohio and Florida are lost for him at this moment with a short time to recover.  It has been 80 years since R's held more representative seats at the state level.  That shift happened on his watch.

p.s. Oil prices today and tomorrow are the fault of this crowd and the cowardly RINOs who joined them over the last 10-20 years, unless you believe that high energy prices destroying the capitalist economy is a good thing. Many including Obama believed that in opposition but now he stands accountable for (lousy) production and employment in our economy.  His Columbia and Harvard educated brain needs to get around the idea you don't get to have it both ways, a highly functioning economy with no energy production or usage.  Subsidized green jobs, cash for clunkers, buying auto makers, setting mileage standards out of reach, blocking ANWR, offshore, nuclear, Presidential visits to battery plants, blocking the growth of the grid, criminalizing CO2... these do not constitute a successful economic plan.

Yes, droughts freezes and floods, the Fed flooding dollars, how much fertile farm land is lost from food production by convoluted incentives to grow energy instead of food while leaving ready energy in the ground, and are we still really paying farmers to not grow at all??

We are collectively so slow and so stupid about correcting public policies regarding ongoing self inflicted wounds.

In the context of the torture distinction discussion I am hesitant to call misguided democratic policies fascism, but if/when we keep doing it until people are starving then maybe that is what it is.

Posting about Tim Pawlenty on the assumption that all of the 1st tier candidates are defective, including Obama. Romney - Health care, Newt - personal past, Palin - being Palin, Huckabee - longer story but I don't favor him.

Also on the assumption that we need someone with executive experience of some meaning, we don't have a governor from NY or Calif available, Texas - don't know. Takes us into the middle size states for some level of relevant executive experience.  Carter was from Georgia, Clinton Arkansas, Dukakis - Mass, etc.

Tim Pawlenty won in Dem state twice, even in the storm of 2006.  Governed with good popularity without selling out conservatism too badly.  Handled a few challenges like closing budget gaps without raising taxes and catastrophe of the bridge collapse.  Was a minority leader of the state House prior to Gov.  Mentioned here for underwhelming people, but again making the rounds where he has quite a bit of experience and is gaining familiarity.  Likable, common sense guy, sticks to his principles, very non-threatening to moderates and independents. Not a Martin Luther King of orators, but his political savvy and skills are very good and easily underrated.  Kind of the opposite of the vocal right that is so hated but without a major distinction in policies. Less polarizing.  Pawlenty was probably McCain's correct choice and adviser's first choice.  May very well be VP choice in '12 if he never comes up from 2nd tier for top of the ticket.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/01/12/pawlentys_book_highlights_humble_qualities_big_achievements___108511.html

January 12, 2011
In Book, Pawlenty Touts Achievements, Humility
By Scott Conroy and Erin McPike

Unlike the recent works published by his potential competitors for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, Tim Pawlenty's "Courage to Stand" is notable for its overt humility and avoidance of sweeping statements that might be perceived as hyperbolic.

The former Minnesota governor's attempt at a pre-presidential campaign tome is similar to those penned by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in that it is part biography, part vindication of his own political record, and part policy prescription for America's future. But he spills more ink describing specific examples of his leadership as chief executive of his state while taking a more humble approach.

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Scott Conroy and Erin McPike    RealClearPolitics
election 2012   President Obama
Sarah Palin   Mitt Romney
Tim Pawlenty

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It's not that Pawlenty is particularly shy about touting his accomplishments. It is instead a matter of tone. As the low-key Minnesotan puts it on page 97, "Because of human frailty, it's important that leaders avoid the temptation to be self-righteous. Confidence and strength are one thing; a false notion of personal perfection is another."

Pawlenty has been positioning himself as the "anti-Romney" in the nascent race by touting his blue-collar background as the son of a businessman in contrast to the wealth and privilege that Romney was born into, and that theme shines through in "Courage to Stand."

Although the author repeatedly touts his social and economic conservative bona fides, it is Pawlenty's accommodation and humility that permeates the book. "Today, two lightning-rod issues associated with social policy are abortion and gay marriage," Pawlenty writes. "I'm pro-life and in favor of traditional marriage, but when I talk about these issues, I watch my tone."

And in a sentence that could be perceived as a not-so-subtle jab at the tenor of Romney's book, "No Apology", Pawlenty writes, "Sometimes an apology is itself a sign of strength."

But at least as pronounced as the contrasts with Romney's work are the differences between Pawlenty's book and Palin's 2009 No. 1 bestseller, "Going Rogue."

While Palin writes about her triumphant exploits as a starting guard on her state championship high school basketball team, Pawlenty seems unashamed to note that he never made it past the junior varsity level in hockey - yet he still exudes passion for the sport.

While Palin's book portrays a take-no-prisoners approach to politics, in which the former small-town mayor takes on the old bulls to defeat an incumbent Republican for the governorship, Pawlenty writes about how his career ambition was to become a dentist when he enrolled at the University of Minnesota. Later on, he opted not to run for the Senate race he intended to pursue in 2002 after getting a phone call from Vice President Cheney asking him to defer to Norm Coleman for the good of the GOP.

"Going Rogue" is replete with rampant score settling with former staff members and political adversaries, whom Palin almost portrays as modern-day Dickensian villains, while "Courage to Stand" has scarcely a negative word about anyone and praises Democrats ranging from Bill Clinton to John Mellencamp.

It's clear that Pawlenty strives to be perceived as genuine and relatable, and he would rather accept being labeled "boring" than risk becoming polarizing or accused of political posturing.

Perhaps more important is that the 50-year-old provides dozens of specific examples from his government experience thus far to cast himself as ready for the next office - and that will be a major theme in his likely presidential campaign in contrast to some of the front-runners, like Palin and Romney.

Romney's first book, "Turnaround" - published in 2004 - is a 384-page case study about his leadership of the Salt Lake City Olympics. He presents his many challenges and how he approached them, the national security aspect of the event and the funding and budgeting associated with the Olympics. A six-page epilogue discusses his ascension to the Massachusetts governorship. His second book in 2010 is devoted mostly to his national platform and largely glosses over his record in his one term as governor, as he chooses instead to sharply critique President Obama's performance.

Pawlenty's book, by contrast, pulls out a few examples of record-setting tax cuts and how he achieved them, as well as his handling of a nine-day government shutdown over a budget battle in 2005.

He also discusses his trade missions to China, which could prove to be a critical issue in 2012 - particularly with the likes of Romney and Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels potentially in the race.

And in a three-page passage deep into the part of the book that delves into his gubernatorial record, Palwenty walks through how he navigated a $1.6 billion deal with Essar Steel, a major corporation based in India that hoped to develop a manufacturing plant in Minnesota's Iron Range. Upon learning that the company was doing business with a plant in Iran, Pawlenty forced a choice on the company, showing how he prioritizes security matters with economic development and how he may approach diplomacy.

There's also a chapter devoted to the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis and his response to the tragedy. Pawlenty takes the time to point out that a Democrat in the state called one of his staffers during the first few hours of emergency response to say how he was going to use the disaster to denigrate the governor. Pawlenty, who refuses to name the Democrat "because what he did was so awful," calls it "one of the most disgusting examples of low politicking I've seen in my entire career."

He even exposes his doubts about running for a second term and his decision to ignore the advice of political consultants about going negative toward the end of his re-election race. And he artfully handles how his education in "Minnesota Nice" crept into his line of work.

But can Pawlenty's nice-guy Midwesterner image work in today's hot-button political culture? In an appearance on "The View" on Tuesday, Pawlenty turned to the most frequently referenced conservative president of the modern era to make his case.

"People shouldn't confuse being nice or thoughtful or civil with being strong," Pawlenty said before dropping Ronald Reagan's name. "He had strong views, but he presented himself in a civil, thoughtful, decent, kind manner. There were almost no instances where Ronald Reagan yelled, screamed, judged, condemned."

"anxiety about falling home prices is based on (1) limited sample... (2) confusing home prices with homebuilding, (3) forgetting that lower prices are as beneficial to buyers as they are harmful to sellers and (4) grossly exaggerating the importance of housing."

"the $6.4 trillion of home equity in the third quarter was only 11.9% of estimated household wealth, which was $54.9 trillion. The Journal's reference to "$12.2 trillion in stocks and mutual fund shares" leaves out retirement accounts, bonds, rental property, farmland, precious metals and family-owned businesses, among other things."

-Alan Reynolds cuts through the noise nicely.  It's too bad that reported economic data are so often full of flaws.  If we fix the employment and income situation, housing will take care of itself.  Foreclosures now have to do with jobs and income, not valuations IMO.

BD, Thanks for the reminder/clarification on the theater exception.  You still may get out better if the people closest to the exits would calmly whisper why they are leaving and to pass it on.    We just removed more than 63 congress people without shooting, so the violence message here is also false.  Especially false to claim validity to murdering a young girl.  

GM,  I thought of that and fear an overreaction too.  I will reconsider my proposals as this unfolds. I write with the confidence of knowing no one ever takes my advice and I assume there already are plenty of laws.  If you aim and wrongfully kill it is murder. If you advocate killing a federal judge, from a position of authority, pretending to represent God and church, then that is a crime or could be construed that way if it in fact happens(?)  But shooting into a crowd and killing any and all until you run out of ammunition is terror, and we are fighting terror on many fronts.  We decided to fight it pre-emptively because there is no effective alternative.  Cheering on a senseless acts of terror and openly and seriously encouraging more of it is not religion or protected free speech (from this armchair amateur untrained jurist).  It is not synonymous or analogous to expressing strong views on issues or using war or death analogies in sports or political competitions or in humor or casual speech.  I may not trust our government to draw the line, but there is a line.  Hiding behind a church or a Mosque is what our enemies do.  I have visited many churches and this is not what they teach or how they attained a protected status in this country.

Prentice, Excellent story regarding the armed tackler. Tragic that someone prepared like him wasn't standing closer when it happened. 

Bigdog: Like hollering Fire in a crowded church, that group deserves no protection for that behavior IMO.  I hope  intent to incite criminal violence and terror acts like this is a crime.  If not I would start by revoking their tax exempt property status.  Then they can spend their time, like the rest of us, having to work to pay property taxes, before they travel to celebrate brutal acts of terror and carnage.  http://www.snco.us/Ap/R_prop/Listing.asp?PRCL_ID=0973503030001000

Whatever law enforcement tools we want to come down hard on extreme Islamic organizations supporting terrorism, same should apply to these religious phonies.  They were an annoyance and an embarrassment when they celebrated the deaths of our heroes killed overseas.  But this is direct support of criminal and terror acts IMO right here at home and Guantanamo might be a better setting for their protest.

If political view is the question (it isn't), both the fake church and the screwed up activist sound more to me like the Reverend Wright's "God Damn America" and "America's Chickens...have come home to Roost!" than it sounds like anything I heard in a tea party speech or Christian sermon: 'Peace be with you'.

GM: "showing signs of serious mental illness". I too would look mostly at the 5 inches between his ears for what went wrong, not the political movement or obsession of the moment.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/07/AR2011010706741.html
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/01/07/passport-applications-soon-gender-neutral/#ixzz1Abs8dcgC

"Parent One, Parent Two to replace references to mother, father on passport forms."

  - I still don't think this will 'recognize' all the 'different types of families'.  Is anyone really ready to designate themselves as Mommy Two?  Sounds like a first alternate in case the first string mommy is not available. 

“We find that with changes in medical science and reproductive technology that we are confronting situations now that we would not have anticipated 10 or 15 years ago” - Brenda Sprague, deputy assistant Secretary of State for Passport Services.

  - No. Males are not impregnating males and females are not impregnating females. Are they? http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2008/feb/08020103  Plumbing and electrical supply stores understand gender distinctions better than our all-knowing, all-caring government.

“Changing the term mother and father to the more global term of parent allows many different types of families to be able to go and apply for a passport for their child without feeling like the government doesn’t recognize their family,” said Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of Family Equality Council.

  - Why are we so narrow and judgmental to limit the relationship to a child with up to two parents?  Is this some outdated, animal/species tradition we are arbitrarily protecting?  What if 3 or more or an entire community want to adopt a child (it takes a village) and there is no form to accommodate them.  Not even a box to check and say 'additional parents listed on the attached pages? Discrimination!  And the child gets stigmatized for not having a place to designate Parent Seventy seven like he/she is not a parent at all.   If this is about medical possibilities, what about a designation for your up-line clone?  That is not a parent.  I try to be facetious but they probably have the rest of these possibilities already written for next year's form.

Are we still tracking gender of the applicant?  Why? With only two choices?  In 2011??  With medical 'advances' are there not more than two gender possibilities?  Aren't 'stigmatizing' in-betweeners and gender neutral people?

We have so far to go to ever become truly inclusive, but getting away from sexist terms like of mom and dad is quite a start.

Great list Ragsbo, great post!  My favorite:

"Kick the UN out of the USA and use that real estate for something useful."

Personally, I would scale it back instead, pay one share not the lion's share, offer them Peoria not NY, let countries bring about 3 people each, no UN staff, let them meet and pass all the non-binding resolutions they want while we turn more to OECD or an association of democracies to work on larger issues.

The full cost of UN incompetence, over-reach and counter-productivity is hard to measure. The facade of the UN resolutions Saddam accepted in 1991 caused the war we are still fighting IMO.  Now they seek carbon regulation and world taxes.

6 dead including a 9 year old girl, 18 injured, short range in a crowd.  Should not need DNA or expert testimony, nor should his reasons matter.  I would like to see him tried and hanged by sundown before others can copy.  Whatever his motive or message is, this should not earn him a soapbox to tell it.

We (who survive) will live our lives in and out of metal detectors and cameras with emptied water bottles because of nutjobs like this one.

Prentice,  Illegals voting is outrageous.  So is having the Census count them as residents for representation.  Go one step further: The safe havens that attract and protect them but don't let them vote receive disproportionate representation for themselves.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but lost in this discussion is that Texas has NO INCOME TAX.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_income_tax
And that compares HOW with California, NY or my home state??

If Texas added a 1% income tax, the top rate in Calif. would still be roughly 1000% higher.

Regarding Krugman, what a bunch of BS to compare budget struggles and leave that small fact out!

I happen to believe income tax is the best tax (if low, flat, simple and fair) because that is where the money is.  Unfortunately once you open that door, endless escalation and abuse of it is your future.

Property taxes don't come with a source of money to pay them so eventually they take your property unless you have an enduring source of - income.  Still it sounds like property taxes aren't much worse in Texas than California where by contrast they collect $54 Billion off the personal income tax alone (2008). http://www.lao.ca.gov/2009/tax/revenues_0209/revenues_020609.aspx  Calif had Prop 13, the beginning of tax revolt, but I don't know where that stands now.

"Estimated at 10.5% of income, California's state/local tax burden percentage stands at 6th highest national
"California's 2011 Business Tax Climate Ranks 49th "
http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/topic/15.html

Besides leaving no state income tax out of a state budget comparison, Nobel Laureate Prof. Krugman suddenly drops California (at 12%) out of his comparison when he refers to Texas' below average unemployment rate as being no big deal. 

I would not buy a used car from this man.

I guess it is leadership and persuasion skills.  It took amazing organizational skills to even get these really long bills written by staffers well enough to be acceptable to her majority caucus and to the negotiators from the senate to pass health care, financial regulations, cap/trade, etc. etc. in such a short time.  The ability to have skilled and motivated staffers working around the clock to get these done.  The ability to know exactly what buttons to push to keep a caucus of 200+ on the same page.  We keep calling it ObamaCare but it seems like it was staffers within the Pelosi camp who got all this done.

What she did not do is bring the American people with her.  Last March I fully expected (and so did she) that the wishy washy public would gradually flow over to their side and accept another great big government monstrosity growing into our lives.  Maybe the turn of the public without any leadership against this program was the real story of last year.  If health care was the holy grail, maybe they should have gone cautious and responsible with everything else as they slid it through, rather than all-out, round-the-clock leftism.

With their more controversial issue coming soon I just wanted to compliment Sports Illustrated for getting something right last month, picking one of our little buddies from girls sports as Sportskid of the Year 2010:
http://www.sikids.com/photos/29241/2010-si-kids-sportskid-of-the-year-jessica-aney/1

Jessie has been my sports hero for about 3 years.  You have to see the photo with her family (#9) to realize how small these girls are.  If anyone of adult size had the efficiency of movement and utilization of strength she has, the power and control generated would be unimaginable.  The top men tennis pros came to town for an exhibition last year but everyone left there talking about the earlier play of the 11 year old girls. Her best friend and doubles partner was world champion at 9 and flown around the world to compete while we met Jessie at a small tournament near their hometown.  Totally humble, unaffected and into her craft, she taught herself a one-handed backhand while the others all need two. At 11 or barely 12 playing high school level she beat the top player from each of the top three schools to reach the state finals in tennis, and her best sport is hockey.  Bet on gold for team USA the first time she plays hockey in the Olympics.