Hang on to Your Wallets!

Well, we’re getting into the nitty gritty on health care, and SURPRISE! The Democrats are rubbing their greedy little paws together and deciding which tax increases they like best:

The final price tag for that effort could top $1 trillion, with cuts to Medicare and Medicaid covering the rest of the cost.
The tax options include:

Increasing the price of soda and other sugary drinks by 10 cents a can.

Applying a potential 2 percent income tax increase to single taxpayers earning more than $200,000 a year and households earning more than $250,000.

A new employer payroll tax could target 3 percent of employers' health care expenditures.

Taxing employer-provided health insurance benefits above certain levels.

Don’t you like the way Medicare and Medicaid somehow manage to cover “the rest of the cost?” Never mind that Medicare is already in the hole to the tune of nearly $30 trillion over the next 75 years. To me, the most revealing part of the article is this:

House Democrats planned to unveil a draft of their sweeping health care bill Friday. It would require all individuals to obtain health insurance and force employers to offer health care to their workers.

There you have the two words most beloved by those that want to run your life: “require” and “force.” Once they are in charge of paying for your healthcare, what else do you suppose will be required of you and forced upon you?

PETA is in rare form today. They keep outdoing themselves with silliness. First, they chided Barack Obama for swatting a fly:

Norfolk-based group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants the flyswatter-in-chief to try taking a more humane attitude the next time he's bedeviled by a fly in the White House.

PETA is sending President Barack Obama a Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher, a device that allows users to trap a house fly and then release it outside.

"We support compassion even for the most curious, smallest and least sympathetic animals," PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich said Wednesday. "We believe that people, where they can be compassionate, should be, for all animals."

Then, a few hours later, they had this idea for the site of a soon-to-close local dairy plant:

PETA has an idea for the Pet Dairy milk-production plant that’s closing in August: Turn it into a “cow empathy museum.”

The animal rights group sent a letter today to Gregg Engles, the CEO of Dean Foods Co., which owns Pet Dairy, asking to lease the building on Turnpike Road.

“The museum would convert a building built upon cruelty into a tribute to compassion and kindness,” wrote Tracy Reiman, PETA’s executive vice president.

Reiman said in the letter than the Cow Empathy Museum would have educational displays that highlight facts such as that cows “are forcefully impregnated every nine months...in order for humans to constantly milk them.” Interactive displays would include “being crammed into a crate to simulate the life of a calf raised for veal.”

I am sure tourists would stampede from Virginia Beach and Williamsburg to experience a “Cow Empathy Museum.”

I don't usually go in for people's lists of guidelines for living. But this list, by columnist Regina Brett, is better than most.

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful, or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy (clothes). Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time some time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

Car Lust

I'm getting me one of these! Ya gotta love the 2012 Pelosi GTxi SS/RT Sport Edition:

Here at the Gene Pool, we always like to find a silver lining:

The amount of out-of-state garbage entering Virginia dropped last year by 7.5 percent, one of the sharpest declines since the state became a major trash importer in the 1990s, according to a report released Monday.

But of course, in the media, a silver lining is nothing more than clever camo for the dark cloud:

Officials with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, who compiled the report, attributed the decline to the national economic malaise. They predicted imports would likely rise again when consumers have more money to buy more goods and, subsequently, more stuff to throw away.

You know, there's just no winning. Declining garbage is presumed to be good, except when it means declining economy, in which case it is a bad omen. And increasing garbage is presumed to be bad, even though it is a sign of good economy. What kind of bizarro world do these people inhabit?

My hat is off to the North Carolina State Legislature. This is an amazing piece of legislation:

The change would turn a cap on the gasoline tax at 29.9 cents per gallon into a floor - meaning it could go no lower than 29.9 cents through the middle of 2011.

Presto Chango!

Instantly "we will never charge you more" becomes "we will never charge you less." Stroke of the pen, law of the land. Whoo Hoo! I am not a North Carolina resident, but this sort of lawmaking exemplifies my disdain for all things instituted by governments. What was the validity of a legislated tax cap, if it can be simply renamed a tax floor later on down the road?

What a disgrace.

So Barack Obama is now in charge of Government Motors. They say the mark of leadership is effective delegation. Since King Barack can't run GM day-to-day, who has our Dear Leader appointed to the post? That would be Brian Deese

It is not every 31-year-old who, in a first government job, finds himself dismantling General Motors and rewriting the rules of American capitalism.

But that, in short, is the job description for Brian Deese, a not-quite graduate of Yale Law School who had never set foot in an automotive assembly plant until he took on his nearly unseen role in remaking the American automotive industry.

But that's okay, right? Even if he's only 31 a "not-quite graduate" of an Ivy League law school, he's qualified to run a multi-billion, multi-national automobile corporation, and rewriting the rules of capitalism, right? Suuuure he is.

Nor, for that matter, had he given much thought to what ailed an industry that had been in decline ever since he was born. A bit laconic and looking every bit the just-out-of-graduate-school student adjusting to life in the West Wing — “he’s got this beard that appears and disappears,” says Steven Rattner, one of the leaders of President Obama’s automotive task force — Mr. Deese was thrown into the auto industry’s maelstrom as soon the election-night parties ended.

Great! Where I come from, a "not quite graduate" at 31 is a freaking failure. And there's nothing like a come and go beard to justify control an entire industry, is there?

Coming soon, a 31 year old not-quite graduate of Harvard journalism school with a way-cool "soul patch" will be placed in control of the entire health care industry!

More Government Intrusion

The Norfolk tax assessor wants to look around my house for more things to tax.

"Beginning April 20, the Norfolk Real Estate Assessor's office will begin a five year field review program that will include a physical inspection of every residential and commercial property in the City of Norfolk.

"Field reviews will be conducted Monday thru Friday from 9:00 am - 5 pm. The neighborhood inspections will take place from April through July for the next five years. Prior to initiating the inspection of a particular property, the appraiser will make the appropriate introduction at the door. If the owner/occupant is not home, an exterior review will be conducted and a notice will be left informing the owner of the visit...."

Apparently, the city think it isn't get its fair share of the interior investment some of its citizens have made on their property. They already collect a yearly property tax on our vehicles and homes, but they won't be happy until they can further levy our granite countertops and hardwood floors.

We have decided that unless they arrive with a uniformed officer and a search warrant, they aren't coming in here. The whole situation is nicely tidied up by the columnist:

I asked the assessor if it was fair that those accommodating types with tidy houses and fresh paint might see their assessments raised, while their more slovenly neighbors might not.

Not going to happen, Bunn said. Her employees are looking for structural improvements.

Such as?

Mahogany trim or granite countertops.

Oh, I see. In Norfolk, it's not enough that you paid income taxes on the money you used to buy the granite. Or that you paid a sales tax on the stone itself. And the installation.

The city is now itching to slap you with a countertop tax.

They want to run your life

This is heinous. They want to tax beer. Because if you like it, they are all into controlling your behavior. Oh, you don't drink beer? No matter, the leftists have plenty of other "lifestyle choices" they are prepared to tax.

Taxes on wine and hard liquor would also go up.
And there might be a new tax on soda and other sugary drinks blamed for contributing to obesity. A tax of 3 cents per 12-ounce drink would raise about $50 billion over 10 years, according to congressional estimates. Diet drinks, however, wouldn't be taxed.
The idea behind the proposed increases is to tax lifestyle choices that contribute to rising medical costs. Obesity puts people at risk for diabetes and heart problems. Alcohol abuse is a risk factor in several types of cancer, liver disease and psychological problems.

Are they seriously proposing taxing lifestyle choices that contribute to rising medical costs??? Where will that concept end? Once the government has a financial interest in your health and activities, they have you by the short hairs. Coming to you soon will be a government surcharge on scuba diving, sky diving, motorcycle riding, rugby clubs, surfing, and any other activity that might result in injury and subsequent cost to the hallowed federal government. If there was ever a reason to oppose government healthcare, this one is tops.

Star Trek - Don't Boycott unless you're Romulan

The new Star Trek is more fun than owning your own replicator. Well maybe not...

Despite utilizing a tired but true Sci-Fi conceit, the movie is fun, and the actors are great (especially the new McCoy).

There is a nice balance of humor & action to keep old Trekkies happy and win a few new converts.

For the hardocore Trekkers there are even some long overdue depictions of Star Trek lore to keep fans of the original show and movies interested.

Scotty beam me up. Also the new Uhura - a Jersey girl...

From the American Thinker come these confessions of a recovering liberal:

In February of 2008, I saw a new client, a bright and sensitive young woman who came in looking like she just escaped a war zone. In some ways she had; she had innocently shared with others at her job that she voted for Hillary rather than Obama. Immediately she was being targeted for abuse that put her in fear for not only her job, but her life.

We both suddenly became aware that something had grown really dark in the Democratic Party. I started hearing about many other incidents where loyal Democrats were being physically and emotionally threatened for supporting Hillary. A woman in Berkeley had her front window broken because it displayed a poster of Hillary. Randi Rhodes, an Air America talk show leftist, called Hillary a f______ witch. (Rhodes was recently promoted to a national talk radio show, illustrating another disturbing trend: the deafening silence about what Rush Limbaugh has dubbed the new "thug-ocracy.)

An acquaintance had her car broken into, and the only item stolen was a NoObama bumper sticker. A South Park episode featured an episode where a nuclear weapon was being aimed at Hillary's genitals. My local greeting card store sold very flattering cards about Obama, insulting ones about Hillary, and a Hillary "nutcracker." When I complained, the young male manager literally laughed in my face.

Things went from bad to worse when Sarah Palin entered the scene. When Geraldine Ferraro ran for Vice President, there was no debasement of her character, no sexual threats. But with Palin, a full scale "wilding" ensued that chillingly reminded me of the random sexual attacks on women by gangs of men in New York. She was called every vile name in the book by both male and female liberals.

Actress Sarah Bernhardt hoped a gang of black males would rape her. When Palin's church was torched with children inside, the press was missing in action (somehow I imagine the press would have been all over this if Obama's church were torched). Not only was the misogyny disgusting, but the classism was abhorrent. The Democrats, by ridiculing Palin's voice and her education, were acting like arrogant snobs. The party had changed, I had changed, and the differences looked irreconcilable.

Gels nicely with the lovely note left on Laurel's blog recently. There is a mean, nasty, intolerant streak on the left, and don't you dare cross them.

Geek Alert

Brian Drake thinks we should all boycott the new Star Trek movie.

You won’t be at the opening if Brian Drake has his way. At petitiononline.com Mr. Drake and about five dozen supporters have been warning Paramount, which is releasing the film on Friday, that they plan to stay away unless the studio donates a portion of its opening weekend receipts for the exploration of outer space. (“Save the planet by leaving it!” suggests an associated Web site, spaceordie.org.)

“I’m 40, and I grew up watching ‘Star Trek,’ ” said Mr. Drake, who was laid off from his job as a machinist and now works at a Wal-Mart near his home in Gallatin, Tenn. “I’d kind of like to be with Captain Kirk by now.”

In related news, I'd kind of like to be with Yeoman Rand by now, but I live in the real world.

Oh, the Terror!

Update: Swine flu has been confirmed within 3 miles of our house. We remain unconcerned. And tired of the media feeding frenzy.

It's the Swine Flu!! And it's right here in southeast Virginia! The terror is palpable:

Virginia officials say they have turned up two confirmed cases of swine flu.

On Thursday night, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine confirmed that two cases of the potentially deadly virus have been found in the state. He said an “adult male in the eastern part of Virginia and an adult female in the central part of Virginia,” who had traveled to Mexico, contracted the illness. [...]

Both individuals had mild illnesses and are recovering well, according to a news release from the Virginia Department of Health. Neither required hospitalization.

OH. MY. GOD. Mild illness and speedy recovery. However will we survive this killer pandemic?

The New York Times has an article regarding Dick Cheney’s ongoing defense of the Bush administration. I find this theory fascinating:

It is the kind of scene that Americans have come to expect from their elder statesmen: a quiet, unassuming return to private life after giving up power. Except, that is, for the quiet and unassuming part.

In the three months since leaving office, Mr. Cheney has upended the old Washington script for former presidents and vice presidents, using a series of interviews — the first just two weeks after leaving office — to kick off one last campaign, not for elective office, but on behalf of his own legacy.

Americans have come to expect a “quiet, unassuming return to private life after giving up power”?? Maybe they expect such a thing of Republicans, but certainly not of Democrats. Say what you will about them, but Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Al Gore upended the Times so-called “script” long before Dick Cheney did.

Dispatch from the Party of Tolerance

Yesterday, Laurel made a post on her blog showing Alison at the Virginia Beach Tea Party. No further commentary, just a couple pictures of our seven month old. Less than 24 hours later, a tolerant, generous, loving liberal, who neither of us have ever heard of before and is, to the best of our knowledge, a complete stranger, had left this comment:

Paranoid. Racist. Wildly ignorant. What we saw on display at these Teabagging parties is exactly what ails the Republican party as it attempts to remake its sorry image. It is a political party that is wholly dependent on a slice of voters who don't have a clue about civics, history, or whether they look like raving Christianist jackasses in public.

We already saw that with the mobs attending the McCain/Palin rallies who were eager to share their bigoted, deranged views with anyone carrying a video camera. They are now enshrined on YouTube for Edition 2 of the State of the GOP Base.

Listening to these folks go on and on about taking the country back was absolutely hilarious. Taking the country back? Are you kidding me? Where were you people four years ago when the rest of us were trying to stop George W. Bush from raising taxes on working families to pay for a war we didn't need to be in? Where was the outrage then? Spare me.

Wow, that's a lot of insults in such a short essay. Let's count the love:

Racist

Ignorant (and wildly so)

Paranoid

Clueless

Raving

Christianist (whatever that is)

Jackass

Bigoted

Deranged

Can't you feel the love? Imagine the joy of spending any time with a person bitter, angry, and pompous enough to leave so much bile on a stranger's blog. On a post about a baby. Over politics. Never mind trying to discuss any of her "ideas," because she never offers any. All we know is that she doesn't like Republicans, and thinks that is all she need communicate. What she may actually know about "civics" and "history" we will never know or be able to discuss, for she offers nothing beyond calling us ignorant on the matter.

For anybody interested, this woman's enlightened and important musings can be found here.