Tea Parties doing the hard work of local politics

Three news stories about Tea Party groups in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Michigan having a major impact on State and Local Races,

Lebanon County PA Tea Party Crashes the GOP

Extended Interview with Rhode Island Tea Party President Coleen Conley about State Races



Tea Party mindset overtakes Flushing Township, Michigan board

22 (Twenty two) People Shot in Chicago in 24 hrs

Where gun ownership is effectively illegal. And yet these lawbreakers will be cited as justification for further restricting the rights of law abiding citizens to own guns.

Link

At least 22 people were wounded in separate shootings around the city roughly between noon Saturday and noon Sunday, including a man who died this morning after he was shot in the head, Chicago police said.

At a news conference this morning, Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis said that nearly half of the shootings appear to be gang-related, including the fatal incident. Weis added that at least two of the other victims have refused to cooperate with police, "which makes the job of our detectives ... far more difficult."

One of the shootings was particularly disturbing because one of the female victims was eight months pregnant, the superintendent said. No one in custody for any of the incidents.

Mexican President signs off on Obama non-solution

The Facts: Washington Post Reports that on one section of the Arizona border 168,000 illegal border crossers were detained over the last 8 months. How many made it through? Probably a lot more than 168,000.

So the State of Arizona tries to solve their problem. The result? President Obama scolds the people of Arizona for being racist but says he will send 1,200 troops to border. And those troops are going to do what? They will not be stopping anyone because the President of Mexico doesn't think this is a good idea.

You can't make this stuff up.

Link

NOGALES, ARIZ. -- Along a rugged stretch of the Mexican border here in southern Arizona, U.S. authorities captured 687 illegal immigrants in a 24-hour period last week, three times the number captured near San Diego. During the past eight months, agents have apprehended 168,000 migrants along this sector of the border.

Link

"If the National Guard helps toward a common purpose of having a safer border and if they can do this without detaining Mexican migrants, I think this (planned deployment) could bring about positive results," said Calderon, speaking through an interpreter.

IRS gets $92 million for "Green" upgrade

The "green" upgrades included an art gallery and reflecting pool.

Link HT: Newsalert

Last month, critics blasted the project as a “boondoggle,” saying the $92 million would have been better spent fixing roads, bridges and dams. Supporters said renovating the site would be an incentive for bringing permanent jobs there.

Officials from the U.S. General Services Administration, the federal agency that channeled stimulus money to the IRS, said in a statement the Andover site was chosen to “put people back to work quickly” and transform “federal buildings into high-performance green buildings.”

Theo Jansen's Kinetic. Wind-powered Sculpture

Link

Tea Party Mindset takes over a small Michigan Town

Link

The uproar in Flushing Township started after the township board decided days after a failed police millage increase in May 2008 to put it back on the ballot in November. That peeved residents such as Ken Bueche.

“It was like my vote didn’t count,” said Bueche, 63, who supported Tea candidates. “It made me mad and I said it’s time to make a change.”

Subsequently, a majority of the board was ousted in August 2008 giving seats to Gardner, who teamed up with Tea-minded Mark Purkey, Bill Noecker and Don Schwieman.
They gained a fifth with incumbent Democrat Scott Minaudo, joined their voting block after the election.

Schwieman started moving away from the Tea ideals in 2009 and was recalled earlier this year after residents complained about his new policies and a drunk driving arrest.

He was replaced with Peck, a vocal proponent of cutting government spending.
The Flushing Township board has cut vastly, from the township park to the police department.

Hillary can lead the way and pay more taxes anytime

TeaPartyHD to Live Stream Ann Coulter Event

Link TeaPartyHD

TeaPartyHD is an ambitious project with the goal of establishing an online news network that is crowd sourced and crowd powered. This goal is reflected in the two slogans it has adopted: “Real News. Real Raw. Real Time” and “Your Voice. Your Values. Your Vote”. TeaPartyHD is looking for video contributors and content producers around the country who are looking for an opportunity to both showcase their work and help report the news in their area that the media can’t or won’t report. If you are interested in being an anchor for TPHD or if you or your organization is interested in having a channel of your own on the network, be sure to sign up for an email subscription as we will be moving quickly to establish our reporting network.

The evening’s event is brought to you by the National Fiscal Conservative PAC. In addition to the launch of TeaPartyHD there will be roll-out information on other new projects as well that will launch in the near future including The Greatest Debate, a tool empowering you to host your own debates, forums and townhall meetings;Votility, a tool to get and stay informed on the progress of all Federal legislation; and,Raising It Right, a tool for candidates, organizations and merchants to raise money online. All in all, this will be a full and exciting evening.

Business Week: Bonnarro a $30 million success story

Bonnarro, a huge Free Market success.

Link HT: Steve Bartin

That decision led to the founding of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, a 100-band jamboree that has been the top-grossing music festival in North America for eight years running. This year, from June 10-13, 75,000 fans will make the pilgrimage to a 700-acre farm an hour southeast of Nashville for what observers ranging from Rolling Stone to the concert chronicler Pollstar have called the best music festival in the country.

As live concerts have supplanted album sales as the music industry's chief moneymaker, Bonnaroo (which means "good times" in Creole) has flourished. Ticket prices range from $250 for a general-admission pass to $18,500 for a luxury package that includes an air-conditioned bus, on-stage VIP viewing platforms, and a chauffeured golf cart to shuttle between the two. Meanwhile, the promoters have 16 other profit centers on-site, including concessions, merchandise and, yes, paid showers. Last year the festival grossed around $30 million, approximately $18 million of which came from ticket sales. And since, according to Goodstone, Bonnaroo "funds itself on ticket sales," the other $12 million was profit.

Study: Poor spend 9% of income on Lottery

Link

The study neatly illuminates the sad positive feedback loop of lotteries. The games naturally appeal to poor people, which causes them to spend disproportionate amounts of their income on lotteries, which helps keep them poor, which keeps them buying tickets.

Couch Cushion Architecture: A Critical Analysis

Part1 and Part2

Unrepresented and ignored for too long in the architectural industry, today’s post pays respect to the wonders of couch cushion architecture. We’ve rounded up a (mostly) admirable collection of projects, taken from a randomly conducted search on the internet. Join us as we take a critical analysis of the architecture, methods and design philosophies of living room furniture re-appropriation.

Anonymous Group Targets Tea Party supporting business

Link

The group calls itself the "Committee Against Gallery Furniture."
It sent us a bilingual "Boycott Gallery Furniture" bumper sticker.
The group said the bumper sticker is just the beginning of a pushback against McIngvale and the Tea Party.

"Mattress Mac" said he’s frustrated by the anonymous campaign.

"I think that’s very sad that, you know, speaking out like that, trying to punish me and punish the people that who are speaking their Constitutional rights," McIngvale said. "If somebody wants to say they’re for higher taxation, so be it. You know, I have nothing against them. And I don’t think they should have anything against us who want lower taxes."

No one with the group was willing to reveal their identity or talk publicly.

Stimulus Weatherization in Delaware "riddled with problems"

Link

Investigators from the federal Department of Energy audited about three dozen weatherization projects in the Delaware program and found problems with all of them, said Henry Smith, deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services.

State and federal officials said they are now redesigning administrative controls in the program and re-inspecting about 1,100 homes that got $3 million worth of insulation, doors, windows, caulking and other weatherization measures since April 2009.

Socialist President watches the economy implode

And like all socialist presidents he responds by becoming more even more authoritarian.

Link

No matter: Chavez appears powerless to stop the unraveling of Venezuela’s economy -- and with it, his “revolution.” He will be left with a choice: surrender to his country’s mounting discontent, or rule entirely by force.

Unemployment > 9% means...importing workers?

Professor Perry asks if there is a correlation between high unemployment benefits and availability of workers? Are long term unemployment benefits causing unemployment to increase? In Washington State where unemployment is above 9%, they recently imported 1,000 workers from Jamaica.

Link

Question: How much lower than the current 9.9% would the jobless rate in the U.S. be today without the 99-weeks of unemployment benefits that can be as generous as $31,000 per year in some states? There is at least some evidence of "worker shortages" in Washington and Michigan, despite the "worst economic crisis since the Great Depression."

And the Chris Christie Hits just keep coming

HT: Powerline

How much Finance Industry Cash went to Committee?

Link

On average, senators who will participate in the conference committee have received 2.85 times as much money from the Finance/Insurance/Real Estate industry in the 2010 campaign cycle than a typical senator. The average for conference committee members is $739,374 while the average for the full Senate is $259,261, according to data from OpenSecrets.org.

As substantial as these top-line numbers are, they don’t tell the full story about how finance money might play into the conference committee. In the table below, you’ll see that there are almost two classes of negotiators — those receiving donations near and above $1 million, and those receiving levels well below the Senate average. We should be watching to see if votes on specific issues in the conference committee follow this division (that is, if the conference committee is televised).

Senate Conferees	‘09-’10 cycle $ from Finance
Sen. Christopher Dodd [D, CT]	$894,888
Sen. Charles Schumer [D, NY]	$3,896,839
Sen. Blanche Lincoln [D, AR]	$941,350
Sen. Tim Johnson [D, SD]	$102,149
Sen. Thomas Harkin [D, IA]	$35,060
Sen. Patrick Leahy [D, VT]	$159,200
Sen. John Reed [D, RI]	$39,050
Sen. Richard Shelby [R, AL]	$1,227,738
Sen. Judd Gregg [R, NH]	N/A
Sen. Bob Corker [R, TN]	$381,163
Sen. Saxby Chambliss [R, GA]	$49,850
Sen. Michael Crapo [R, ID]	$405,823

And you thought Tenncare was a disaster before

You ain't seen nuttin yet.

Link

WASHINGTON -- Five years into the recently passed health care reform law Tennessee could have nearly a half million more residents on Medicaid, according to a report released Wednesday.

And the state could be paying an extra $1.5 billion for those services over five years, the Kaiser Family Foundation report estimates.

Both numbers are somewhat higher than an estimate of 200,000 new participants and $1 billion over five years put out by TennCare officials in March.

When you are arrogant about your incompetence

The US Congress is dysfunctional, incompetent and corrupt and yet most members are blissfully arrogant about their inability to balance a budget et al. They are still quite confident of their moral and intellectual superiority. They are convinced that government is a righteous tool that should be used to force US to conform to their clearly superior moral vision.

Link

Americans are frustrated with nearly everyone in Washington - including President Obama, Congress, and the Democratic and Republican parties - and have become increasingly pessimistic about what the future holds, according to a new CBS News poll.

Seven in ten Americans are dissatisfied with the way things are going in Washington, including 22 percent who say they are "angry" about the situation. Just 15 percent overall approve of the job being done by Congress.

Video: Mother of All Protest Buffets in San Francisco

Link

We are FREE Enterprise, a video contest

Vote for your favorite video HERE.

The kind of healthcare innovation we must have

But the kind of innovation that is easily killed by nanny government or a doctor's lobby that will go to any lengths to protect their monopoly.

Link

Nancy Kjellberg's allergies were insufferable again, with sharp sinus pain and her nose so stuffed up it was hard to breathe.

She didn't want to go to the doctor. This time, she didn't have to.

Kjellberg, 59, simply charged $25 to her credit card and spent a few minutes answering an online survey at Zipnosis.com. Hours later, she received a diagnosis electronically and picked up antibiotics at her pharmacy, without ever talking to the clinician in person or on the phone.

"I would rather be doing other things than going to the doctor's office," said Kjellberg, a retired production planner who lives in Big Lake, Minn. "If you have ever had any of these things, you pretty much know what's wrong with you."

Private Pay Shrinks to Historic Lows

The ability of taxpayers to fund government is shrinking.

The idiots in Congress believe the "solution" is to grow the size of government. This will not end well.

Link

Paychecks from private business shrank to their smallest share of personal income in U.S. history during the first quarter of this year, a USA TODAY analysis of government data finds.
At the same time, government-provided benefits — from Social Security, unemployment insurance, food stamps and other programs — rose to a record high during the first three months of 2010.

Those records reflect a long-term trend accelerated by the recession and the federal stimulus program to counteract the downturn. The result is a major shift in the source of personal income from private wages to government programs.

Lamar Alexander and Mitch McConnell need to decide

Is the Republican Party the appropriations party?

Link

Yet take a close look at the people sitting around the table at the Senate Republican leadership meetings. There are nine senators at that table -- and all but three are members of the powerful and exclusive club that decides how American tax dollars are doled out: the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Outside the halls of Congress, Republican politicians are divided into moderates and conservatives. But in the culture of the Senate, the real distinction is not between left and right but between appropriators and the rest. Appropriators hold the purse strings and dispense government largesse. They cut the backroom deals and decide who does and does not get an earmark. They are courted by lobbyists and feted by industries eager to get a piece of the government pie. They are the ones who gave us the "bridge to nowhere" and other infamous special deals. In other words, they represent everything that the grass-roots movement for fiscal discipline sweeping our country detests.

Brandon Lewis creates www.StoptheTaxIncrease.com

to stop the 64 cent property tax hike in Chattanooga.

Link

Chattanooga business owner Brandon Lewis goes global with his fight against the proposed property tax increase. He said, "We're asking for a no cents tax increase because this makes no sense whatsoever."

Lewis launched www.StoptheTaxIncrease.com and it's Facebook counterpart to organize Chattanoogans to get no votes from their city councilmen.

Mayor Ron Littlefield responded Monday. He said, "We'd all love to stop the tax increase if we could provide the additional services, the additional police officers and all that is required by that tax increase."

Littlefield's proposed tax increase would make Chattanooga's mill rate the third highest in the state for comparable cities and counties. That means homeowners in Knoxville would pay less per $1,000 of home value than these homeowners here on Jefferson Street in Chattanooga.

What is this Tea Party thing All About?

Tea Party Movement: The Basics

Great acapella Gospel from Prairie Home Companion

The Steep Canyon Rangers, "I can't sit down"

39% of Tennessee federal filers pay no income tax

Tennessee is ranked 11th, only 10 States have a greater percentage of non-filers.

Link

According to the latest IRS figures for 2008, a record 52 million filers—36 percent of the 143 million who filed a tax return—had no tax liability because their credits and deductions reduced their liability to zero. Indeed, tax credits such as the child tax credit and earned income tax credit have become so generous that a family of four earning up to about $52,000 can expect to have their income tax liability erased entirely.

Hey, that's what Obama is doing to our healthcare

"Preventive confiscation"

Link

CARACAS – Venezuela’s National Guard seized roughly 120 tons of merchandise Thursday from the country’s largest food company, the guard’s commander said.

The “preventive confiscation” came after authorities say they detected inconsistencies in reports from the Empresas Polar conglomerate about the content of several warehouses in the western city of Barquisimeto, Gen. Luis Bohorquez Soto told state television.

He said the guard seized more than 91 tons of wheat flower, 12 tons of butter, five tons of rice and more than 5,000 liters (1,320 gallons) of cooking oil, among other products.

Good article on Kroger card data mining

Link
For example, 40% of all U.S. households have one of Kroger’s loyalty cards.

Mining the data for Kroger is dunnhumbyUSA, a downtown Cincinnati firm in which the nation’s largest grocery chain owns a 50 percent stake.

Stuart Aitken, dunnhumbyUSA’s chief operating officer, refers to data mining as consumer insights.

"We’re looking for the motivations and the understanding behind what consumers do and buy," he said. "Essentially what you’re looking to do is reward the behavior you seek."

Over 330 dunnhumby employees crunch numbers on a daily basis trying to identify the people Kroger wants in its stores as much as possible.

Video: Little Dog Robot gets Smarter over rough terrain

Link

American Express won't be a stooge for NC politicians

Thank YOU American Express!! They are refusing to stick it to North Carolina Taxpayers just to make some politicians look good. This is what I call corporate responsibility. "Economic development" bureaucrats everywhere are shakin in their boots, they may have to go out and get a real job.

Link

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) -- American Express is planning to bring a $400 million data services center to North Carolina, and it will do so without the types of incentives many companies look to pry from state and local governments.

Multiple media outlets reported Friday the company decided this week to build the facility in eastern Guilford County. It will ultimately employ up to 150 people.

American Express already has a Greensboro call center that employs 2,000 workers. Local officials had considered offering up to $13 million in incentives to entice another facility.

A company spokeswoman declined to comment on the decision.

County Commissioner Paul Gibson praised American Express. He thinks they're building the facility without incentives because it's a good business location.

How to Fight Local Tax Hikes and Win

This is the handout for my Tennessee Tax Revolt presentation at the Tennessee Tea Party Convention in Gatlinburg this weekend. Hope to see you there. Please download and print and distribute to anyone who wants to get more involved in local tax and budget decisions in Tennessee.

TTR-TaxActivistToolkit

Tea Party News Headlines for Friday May 21

A Sampling of Tea Party Headlines across the US

Paul tries to defuse controversy on discrimination
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100521/ap_on_el_se/us_rand_paul_civil_rights

Tea Party Express Urges Danny Tarkanian to End Senate Campaign
http://www.8newsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12518821

Plans continue for Tea Party rally (DE)
http://thedailystar.com/localnews/x433571133/Plans-continue-for-Tea-Party-rally

Rockford Tea Party Shows Support for Local Candidates (IL)
http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/94354639.html

NY-23: Tea Party backs Hoffman; Republican Party backs Doheny
http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/15699/ny-23-tea-party-backs-hoffman-republican-party-backs-doheny

Tea party favorite enters race for Souder's seat (IN)
http://www.king5.com/news/politics/94472734.html

Tea Party Boise's Reaction To Palin (ID)
http://www.kivitv.com/global/story.asp?s=12518873

Joe 'The Plumber' endorses Icet (MO)
http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=460005

Palin backs candidate in Washington Senate race
http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/05/20/1486281/palin-backs-candidate-in-washington.html

Tea Party to protest at Owens forum (NY)
http://pressrepublican.com/breaking2/x433571179/Tea-Party-to-protest-at-Owens-forum

Van Hollen: Tea party 'suspicious' of GOP
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37556.html

The Chicago Way, Cook County Census Scam

HT: Newsalert

Politics, schmolitics...HERE is REAL Breaking News

Link

The J. Craig Venter Institute just concluded a press conference where they announced the results of a 15 year project to make what could be called the ultimate medical gadget, a living, replicating cell.

"Wealthier" Mass Hospitals to "contribute" $100 mil

If Hugo Chavez took over healthcare in Massachusetts, it would look something like this:

Link

BOSTON — Wealthier hospitals would be required to make a one-time $100 million contribution to ease insurance premiums for smaller businesses under a bill approved Tuesday by the state Senate.

The bill would let businesses with 50 or fewer workers form cooperatives to purchase insurance at a lower cost. Another provision presses insurers to spend at least 90 percent of premium dollars on care and 10 percent or less on administrative costs.

Senate President Therese Murray said the bill, which passed on a 33-4 vote, will ease instability in the insurance market, smooth out annual fluctuations in premiums and require insurers offer affordable small business plans.

Politicians don't "HANDLE" the economy

Every pollster always asks: Do you approve of the way Barack Obama or George Bush or whoever, is handling the economy?

WHAT A STUPID QUESTION!!! Politicians don't handle anything besides their own self-interests which always involve getting elected and then re-elected for as long as they have breath in their lungs. They certainly don't "handle" the economic decisions of 300 million people all of whom have very different interests and goals.

Politicians should be concerned primarily with one task: Protecting the freedom of citizens to handle their own family economy and otherwise leave us the hell alone.

Tea Party News Headlines for Thursday May 20

A Sampling of Tea Party Headlines across the US

Tea Party movement: Who are these libertarian rebels?
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tea-party-movement-who-are-these-libertarian-rebels-1977597.html

June 8 Races Next Big Test of Tea Party Strength
http://www.rollcall.com/issues/55_136/politics/46445-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

Why Voters Will Get a Lot Angrier
http://www.usnews.com/money/blogs/flowchart/2010/05/19/why-voters-will-get-a-lot-angrier.html

Upsets targeted by 'Tea Party'-type groups
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2010-05-19-tea-party_N.htm

Tea Party Solidifies Its Status as Political Force After Success in Primaries
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/19/tea-party-power-display-tuesday-election/

Morris Tea Party groups grill freeholder candidates at forum (NJ)
http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20100520/COMMUNITIES/305200005/1005/news01

Tea Party set to attend GOP town meeting (CT)
http://www.thehour.com/story/486716

Local Tea Party Supporter Drums Up Change (CA)
http://www.ksbw.com/news/23614904/detail.html

Rand Paul Opponent on Chris Matthews
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/37241047#37241047

Applying tea party ideas to local politics (CA)
http://www.ocregister.com/news/tea-249554-party-council.html

Tea party shut out in bid to unseat the GOP-endorsed candidates (PA)
http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/the_intelligencer/the_intelligencer_news_details/article/27/2010/may/20/tea-party-shut-out-in-bid-to-unseat-the-gop-endorsed-candidates.html

Tea Party meets in Romeo (MI)
http://macombdaily.com/articles/2010/05/20/news/doc4bf51392a25fc769196281.txt

Video: Wedding party takes the plunge

So THERE: Government doesn't trust Citizens either

Link

One typical respondent, President Barack Obama, said he found it hard to trust the judgment of U.S. citizens after recent events, including their decision to elect a president who promised health care reform and then come out against health care reform.

"How can I have hope for a nation that regularly protests tax cuts that directly benefit them?" Obama said. "Look, I'm not always perfect at my job, either, but I think I could make a halfway coherent comment on a YouTube video if I had to. Isn't that basically all they do?

Added Obama, "At this point, the only positive thing I can say about the American people is that I'm pretty sure they've never rigged an election in their favor."

Tea Party News Headlines for Wednesday May 19

A Sampling of Tea Party Headlines across the US

Paul Vows to Remain True to the Tea Party
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/us/politics/19paul.html

Myrtle Beach Tea Party endorses Kobrovsky (SC)
http://thesunnews.typepad.com/opinionblog/2010/05/myrtle-beach-tea-party-endorses-kobrovsky.html

CNN: Rand Paul's victory also a win for Tea Party
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/05/18/kentucky.senate.preview/index.html

The Tea Party's Other Victory in KY
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/05/18/2322028.aspx

Organizers hopeful for a turnout of about 2,000 people at Gatlinburg Tea Party (TN)
http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9023186

Democratic Party of New Mexico "Tea Bagger" email slams Martinez
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/democratic-party-new-mexico-tea-bagger-email-slams-martinez

VIDEO: Tea Party/Americans for Prosperity picket office of Senate President Sweeney (NJ)
http://www.nj.com/gloucester-county/index.ssf/2010/05/video_tea_partyamericans_for_p.html

Tea party seeks Battle Creek connection (MI)
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20100518/NEWS01/305180017/1002/Tea+party+seeks+Battle+Creek+connection

St. Louis Teapartier Gina Loudon Wants You to BUYcott Stuff Associated With Arizona
http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2010/05/st_louis_teapartier_gina_loudon_urges_buycott_of_arizona.php

The tip of the Tea Party iceberg
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/05/the_tip_of_the_tea_party_icebe.html

Primaries test incumbents' durability, tea party
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100518/ap_on_el_se/us_primary_rdp_22

Plausible deniability: Al Gore at a tea party in Monterey
http://www.santacruzlive.com/blogs/dmillereditor/2010/05/18/plausible-deniability-al-gore-at-a-tea-party-in-monterey/

Libertarians Hope Tea Will Fuel Movement In Maine
http://wbztv.com/wireapnewsme/Libertarians.hope.to.2.1700819.html

Study: About Half of Head Start workers commit fraud

Will there be follow up to this study? Will anything change?

No, taxpayers will continue to be ripped off.

Link

Undercover investigators trying to enroll a handful of fictitious children in federally funded Head Start child care centers found that in about half of the cases, workers fraudulently misrepresented parents' incomes, addresses and other information to allow kids to qualify for a slot.

In one instance, according to the investigators' report, a Head Start worker in New Jersey handed back one of two pay stubs and told an investigator posing as a parent, "Now you see it, now you don't."

Prompted by anonymous tips to a fraud hotline, investigators with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) looked at centers in six states — California, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Wisconsin — and the District of Columbia. In 13 of 15 cases, they tried to enroll children whose family incomes made them ineligible. In two more, families qualified, but the GAO wanted to find out whether Head Start would count children as enrolled even if they never attended the program. In all, investigators found fraud in eight cases.

Chattanooga Mayor asks for 64 Cent Property Tax Hike

A 33% Tax Hike.

Link

Mayor Ron Littlefield’s proposed tax increase would raise property taxes by 64-cents, funding a $198.6 million budget, records show.

The mayor is asking for expanding the Chattanooga Police Department, hiring additional firefighters for the new fire hall at Enterprise South, an expanded contract with Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department to handle recently annexed areas and restoration of hours at recreation center hours, records show.

The last property tax increase was Sept. 11, 2001 when the council approved about a 50-cent tax hike. The average property tax rate for a $131,000 home would go up from $635 a year to $844 a year, if the tax rate is proposed, records show.

The current tax rate is $1.939 per $100 of assessed value and the proposed rate would go to $2.578 per $100 of assessed value, or a 33 percent tax increase, city records show.

Say NO to Fish Roe-Save TN Taxpayers $16.9 million

Join the Tennessee Center for Policy Research in saying no to this boondoggle project in Speaker Kent Williams House District.

Link to TCPR Facebook Group

Governor Bredesen and House Speaker Kent Williams want to build a $16.9 MILLION fish hatchery in Williams' district with YOUR tax dollars. Call your legislators this week--while they are debating whether or not to spend your money on this wasteful project--and tell them to "SAY NO TO FISH ROE!"

Simply click the link below, type in your address and city, then contact your representative and senator to speak out against using your tax dollars on the fish hatchery boondoggle during these tough economic times!

http://www.capitol.tn.gov/legislators/

Here's a sample letter you can use:

Dear Senator/Representative,

I am writing to strongly oppose the proposed fish hatchery in Governor Bredesen's 2010-2011 budget. At a time when people are losing their jobs and retirement, it's entirely inappropriate to spend nearly $17 million to hatch fish--something that happens quite well in the natural world without government intervention.

As a shepherd of Tennesseans' hard-earned tax dollars, please take a stand against this wasteful boondoggle. Thank you for your service to the people of Tennessee.

Sincerely,

Your Name

OK Hail Storm Video, forget baseballs, think grapefruit

Government slowly but surely ruins our Healthcare

Massachusetts Health insurers post losses, blame state rate caps

Texas doctors opting out of Medicare at alarming rate

No, you can't keep your health plan

Tea Party News Headlines for Tuesday May 18

A Sampling of Tea Party Headlines across the US

Video: Tea Party Takeover and Populist Rage
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=10674536

WITH VIDEO: Tea party organized by new group draws large crowd in Milford (MI)
http://theoaklandpress.com/articles/2010/05/17/news/local_news/doc4bf09c595f814653074792.txt

Tea Party ballot push called trick (MI)
http://www.freep.com/article/20100517/NEWS15/100517017/1001/RSS01

Tea Party prepping for Obama's visit to SF. Asks supporters not to
bring Nazi, Hitler signs. Really.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?&entry_id=63602

Grayson says tea party won't be big voting bloc (KY)
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/05/17/grayson_says_tea_party_wont_be_big_voting_bloc/

The List: Top 5 national political trends to be tested by Tuesday's elections
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=63752

The Tea Party in North Carolina
http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2010/05/tea-party-in-north-carolina.html

Lou Dobbs Will Headline Tea Party Convention
http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/94036119.html

Tea Party Activists Gather In Southern Washington
http://news.opb.org/article/7344-tea-party-activists-gather-southern-washington/

Video: Gingrich: Tea Party is toughness GOP needs
http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/gingrich-tea-party-is-toughness-gop-needs/6uc3t3y

More evidence that we are in deep fiscal doo

Link

The feds assume a relationship between the economy and tax revenue that is divorced from reality. Six decades of history have established one far-reaching fact that needs to be built into fiscal calculations: Increases in federal tax rates, particularly if targeted at the higher brackets, produce no additional revenue. For politicians this is truly an inconvenient truth.

The nearby chart shows how tax revenue has grown over the past eight decades along with the size of the economy. It illustrates the empirical relationship first introduced on this page 20 years ago by the Hoover Institution's W. Kurt Hauser—a close proportionality between revenue and GDP since World War II, despite big changes in marginal tax rates in both directions. "Hauser's Law," as I call this formula, reveals a kind of capacity ceiling for federal tax receipts at about 19% of GDP.

What's the origin of this limit beyond which it is impossible to extract any more revenue from tax payers? The tax base is not something that the government can kick around at will. It represents a living economic system that makes its own collective choices. In a tax code of 70,000 pages there are innumerable ways for high-income earners to seek out and use ambiguities and loopholes. The more they are incentivized to make an effort to game the system, the less the federal government will get to collect. That would explain why, as Mr. Hauser has shown, conventional methods of forecasting tax receipts from increases in future tax rates are prone to over-predict revenue.

Tea Party News Headlines for Monday May 17

A Sampling of Tea Party Headlines across the US

NPR: NRA Looks To Build On Tea Party Movement
http://www.wbur.org/npr/126877728

Frisco Tea Party petitions for arts vote (TX)
http://www.allenamerican.com/articles/2010/05/17/allen_american/news/770.txt

Norwalk Tea Party urges conservatives to be counted (CT)
http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Norwalk-Tea-Party-urges-conservatives-to-be-489229.php

Steeped in Maryland's tea party
http://www.gazette.net/stories/05142010/polinew201515_32557.php

Video: GOP Sen. Bennett Blasts Tea Party
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/sen-bennett-loss-tea-party-candidate-10662341

Talking Politics: The TEA Party Movement (IL)
http://www.wsiltv.com/p/videos.php?videoID=6069&newsID=10178&type=top&vidType=smMov

Tea time: How big an impact will tea partiers have in November and beyond? (CO)
http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20100517/NEWS/100519697/

TEA Party forum on elections planned this week (WI)
http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20100517/SHE0101/5170373/1062

Poll: Paul up big in KY
http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2010/05/paul-still-up-big.html

In Three Primaries, a Vital Test of the Tea Party's Strength
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10137/1058798-84.stm

US Cultural Hegemony: Billy Bass goes to Paris

Link

TN Government secrecy is WRONG and must be stopped

Why do all four Gubernatorial candidates, Republican and Democrat, favor unjustifiable secrecy? Because they want to be able to buy votes with taxpayer money just like their predecessors. They will stand up at the big grand opening press conference and tell us how they "created jobs" when in fact all they did was to bribe large corporations with boatloads of taxpayer money. However, some members of the press will believe them and praise them for economic development. This is NOT economic development, it is BRIBERY.

Kudos to Rick Locker and Tom Humphrey for highlighting this illegal practice, at least it SHOULD be illegal.

What is really going on? Politicians negotiating in total secrecy (secret even from the legislators who appropriate the money) with huge multinational corporations to give away the hard earned taxpayer money of Tennesseans so these large corporations will have an advantage over existing Tennessee businesses who have actually been creating jobs for many years.

This is ABSURD and RIDICULOUS!!!

Socialist President orders takeover of more companies

Link

Venezuela's socialist president said in a televised that his government was going to take over Matesi because "we couldn't reach an amicable and reasonable settlement with the owners."

Tea Party News Headlines for Sunday May 16

A Sampling of Tea Party News across the US

BREAKING: Fake Tea Party Run by Democrats in Michigan Trying to Become official Third Party!

http://theblogprof.blogspot.com/2010/05/breaking-fake-tea-party-run-by.html

Keli Carender takes Tea Party's mixed messages to the streets (WA)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw/2011785868_pacificpteakeli16.html

Socialists host Tea Party on campus (WA)
http://www.su-spectator.com/news/socialists-host-tea-party-on-campus-1.1481346

Local 9-12 Project members discuss liberty, Constitution (MD)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/bs-ho-neighbors-912-project-20100515,0,7787200.story

Tea Party-Backed Repeal Of The 17th Amendment Gets Republicans Into Trouble
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/tea-party-call-to-repeal-the-17th-amendment-causing-problems-for-gop-candidates.php

Video: Chris Matthews on Maine GOP Platform Change
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/ns/msnbc_tv-hardball_with_chris_matthews#37117596

Unions fuel third party to punish Democrats (NC)
http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/05/16/1476983/unions-fuel-third-party-to-punish.html

Will Tea Party have a big impact on Oregon primaries? Only if there
are some surprises
http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/05/will_the_tea_party_have_a_big.html

Rendell aims to be skunk at tea party
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37295.html#ixzz0o6EOxr96

Ohio's first Election Day "tea party" fizzles: Brent Larkin
http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/05/ohios_first_election_day_tea_p.html

Tea, eggs and issues (GA)
http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/7444982/article-Tea--eggs-and-issues?instance=home_news_bullets

Tea Party, Democrats fight over NASA funding
http://galvestondailynews.com/blog.lasso?blog=d2556230fe897004

Tea Party News Headlines for Saturday May 15

A sampling of Tea Party Headlines across the US

Video: Will the Tea Party movement change California politics?
http://www.kcra.com/video/23562754/index.html

Palin endorsing Susana Martinez in NM gov race
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=12486961

Tea party: Dark side of conservatism
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37217.html

Video: Interview of Jim Pinkerton, The Tea Party Makes You Feel Good About America
http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/28094?in=00:40&out=02:54

How Rand Paul became the Tea Party's Obama
http://www.salon.com/news/paul_grayson_kentucky_senate_republicans/index.html

Companies Dodge $60 Billion in Taxes Even Tea Party Condemns
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=a7td7E8_4EeI&pos=10

Kentucky Senate race looks set to boost the 'tea party,' Rand Paul
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0514/Kentucky-Senate-race-looks-set-to-boost-the-tea-party-Rand-Paul

Tea Party gets behind a candidate (ID)
http://www.670kboi.com/Article.asp?id=1806364&spid=

Palin, Jenny Sanford help underdog in SC gov race
http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1134ap_us_sc_candidate_sisterhood.html?source=rss

Sarah Palin at National Rifle Association lobs laughing crowd with 'redneck' jokes
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/05/14/2010-05-14_sarah_palin_at_national_rifle_association_lobs_laughing_crowd_with_redneck_jokes.html

Saturday political forum draws 31 candidates (AL)
http://www2.dothaneagle.com/dea/news/local/article/saturday_political_forum_draws_31_candidates/153342/

TEA party set for Tuesday (IL)
http://www.bcrnews.com/articles/2010/05/13/r_zaqxzepuqvgabkelr90bow/index.xml

The Government War on Drugs, an abject failure

Politicians campaign as the education (President, Governor, Commissioner etc) and yet public education remains a huge problem failing millions of children each year.

Politicians campaign to secure the border and yet the border is as porous as ever.

Politicians campaign for fiscal responsibility and yet our deficits grow by the day.

Does anyone see a pattern here?

Link

MEXICO CITY — After 40 years, the United States' war on drugs has cost $1 trillion and hundreds of thousands of lives, and for what? Drug use is rampant and violence even more brutal and widespread.

Even U.S. drug czar Gil Kerlikowske concedes the strategy hasn't worked.

"In the grand scheme, it has not been successful," Kerlikowske told The Associated Press. "Forty years later, the concern about drugs and drug problems is, if anything, magnified, intensified."

This week President Obama promised to "reduce drug use and the great damage it causes" with a new national policy that he said treats drug use more as a public health issue and focuses on prevention and treatment.

Poll: 50% of Washington State Drivers will break new law

Link

Q: Sometimes, a cell phone user who is driving will receive a call while they don't have a hands free device available, and the user will go ahead and answer that call. Have you ever done this?
A: Yes 76% No 23%

Q: After the new law goes into effect, will there ever be a situation where you will go ahead and answer a call without a hands-free device?
A: Yes 50% No 43%

Is the Current Federal Budget Deficit a "Crisis"? YEP

Link

The Lessons of History

One point that stands out is that the years of dramatic reductions in the ratio of debt to GDP were years in which the United States ran primary surpluses. The only other chapter in history where the debt to GDP was reduced was the Inflation Shock. Even then, it was not reduced by much, and this chapter was followed by the Bond Market Vigilantes chapter, in which investors punished the government for its prior inflationary transgressions.

In short, there is no precedent for reducing the ratio of debt to GDP by simply growing our way out of it. Instead, policy choices must be made in order to restore a primary surplus.

In fact, looking at the deficit as a percent of GDP may understate the difficulty of the policy choices. Americans pay more in taxes to state and local authorities than do the residents of many other nations. As a result, the share of GDP available to be taxed by the federal government is not as high as elsewhere.

In any event, in a non-recessionary economy, the federal government's ratio of revenue to GDP is generally around 20 percent. While a $1 trillion primary deficit represents less than 7 percent of GDP, it represents about 30 percent of full-employment revenues. Eliminating a primary deficit of that magnitude will not be easy, particularly when the major expenditure components are entitlements, which are under pressure to expand rather than contract.

I do not think it is overstating things to describe our current budget situation as a crisis.

Its going to take more than Lebron to save Cleveland

Link


EMBED-We Are Lebron Video - Watch more free videos

NPR: Economic Woes Threaten Chavez's Socialist Vision

Good ole socialism. Everybody shares in the misery because all the people who WERE producing goods and services have been demonized and vilified and regulated and taxed to the point that production is no longer logical.

So, in the midst of huge reserves of natural resources, there is poverty everywhere.

Many places in the US are already experiencing this same socialistic, egalitarian squalor and many more will unless we change leadership. Chris Christe for President.

Link

Venezuela's economy is in trouble despite the country's huge oil reserves. Blackouts plague major cities. Its inflation rate is among the world's highest. Private enterprise has been so hammered, the World Bank says, that Venezuela is forced to import almost everything it needs.

The situation is creating a serious challenge to President Hugo Chavez's efforts to transform his country into a socialist state.

Take, for instance, the Three M metal works, tucked into an industrial zone in San Cristobal, the capital of Tachira state in western Venezuela.

Lawrence Brownlee sings at the Supreme Court

Yesterday, see report HERE. Here he sings Tonio's aria with all of it's high Cs and nails them all. More on Lawrence Brownlee HERE.

20,000 Pieces Of Mail Found In Mailman's Philly Home

Link

One of those affected was desperate to receive a $900 check in December 2007. The letter just arrived on Thursday.

"I got mail today from 2007. Paychecks, things like that that I needed. Stuff from the Social Security Administration, I.R.S.," resident Kevin Carpenter said.

Carpenter asked the worker he knew as "Dave the mailman" to be on the lookout for the check.

"I asked Dave and Dave said he hadn't seen it, but as soon as he got it, he would call me," Carpenter explained.

Some of mail found in the postal carrier's home dated back to 1997.

Tea Party News Headlines for Friday May 14

A Sampling of Tea Party Headlines across the US

Group protests Univ of TN's plan to give Gore honorary Ph.D
http://www.volunteertv.com/home/headlines/93741619.html

Political Wisdom: Still Trying to Make Sense of Tea Party
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/05/14/political-wisdom-still-trying-to-make-sense-of-tea-party/

Tea Party More Popular Than Both Political Parties
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/05/tea-party-more-popular-than-both-political-parties/56649/

Tea Party PAC endorses candidates (PA)
http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/92/2010/may/03/tea-party-pac-endorses-candidates.html

The Truth Behind The Oklahoma Tea Party
http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=12480361

Tea Party to stage Norwalk rally (CT)
http://www.thehour.com/story/486464

Local news covers AZ Tea Party Banner Live
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/elections/prop_100/tea_party_propl_100_sign_05132010

Appeal planned over Tea Party candidate Ashjian's US Senate candidacy (NV)
http://www.rgj.com/article/20100513/NEWS07/100513028/1321/NEWS

Tea Party protestors take aim at Fannie and Freddie
http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/13/news/companies/fannie_freddie_teaparty.fortune/index.htm

Tea Party to hold meeting on Annexation (NC)
http://www.mountainx.com/blogwire/2010/tea_party_to_hold_meeting_on_annexation

Staten Island Tea Party to host candidates forum tonight (NY)
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/05/staten_island_tea_party_to_hos.html

Tea Party Co-Founder From Nevada City (CA)
http://www.kcra.com/politics/23548667/detail.html

Candidates cool to Maine 'tea party' platform for GOP
http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100514/NEWS02/5140363/1003/NEWS02

Steeped in Maryland's tea party
http://www.gazette.net/stories/05142010/polinew201515_32557.php

Tea Party slate emerges (MI)
http://heraldpalladium.com/articles/2010/05/13/local_news/1421249.txt

Sarah Palin endorses SC candidate for governor; Haley, like Palin, popular with tea party
http://www.myq2.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-us-sc-governor-race-palin,0,5034093.story