Art, Underwear and Taking Offense

"The lesson here is plain, but some people are refusing to get it. Susie’s feelings do not define the limits of Jane’s speech. State-supported campuses run afoul of the First Amendment when they act as the state and enforce speech codes. The only people who are never confronted with uncomfortable ideas are those who do not allow others to say anything without their approval."

Art, Underwear and Taking Offense

By Terry Noel at Common Sense Liberty  02/15/14

Females at Wellesley College apparently got their panties in a twist over some art depicting a man in his underwear. The issue appears to be that it makes some people “uncomfortable.” To be fair, it may not have been all females who signed the petition to have it removed. I am sure some males are rendered uncomfortable as well, much as I am when I see those ridiculously cut-up UnderArmour models.

Just kidding. I am perfectly comfortable with being past the age where people want to sculpt me in my underwear.* I am also comfortable with art that depicts things I don’t like, don’t understand, or disagree with. In fact, I cannot imagine feeling threatened by art, unless it’s a performance piece with machine guns spraying real bullets into the crowd at the end.

These days, however, it is not good enough to talk about a piece of art that disturbs some people; we must get rid of art that evokes discomfort. Thus the petition to rid the campus of Underwear Man** now, well before he is scheduled to depart anyway this summer.

Obama draws another line in the sand

Again, Obama makes makes a threat with no one believing it carries any weight.  This, just a few days after Obama asked aides "about various options that may or may not exist" regarding the three year old crisis in Syria, where Obama warned the Syrian government not  to  cross his red line.  The Syrian government crossed the red line with no real consequences.


Obama on Ukraine: ‘There will be consequences if people step over the line’

By David Nakamura and Aaron Blake  Washington Post  02/19/14

President Obama said Wednesday that the Ukrainian government would face "consequences" if it crosses the line in cracking down on protesters in Kiev.

Obama said the government is "primarily responsible" for ensuring the protests remain peaceful, but also warned that protesters need to demonstrate without resorting to violence.

"I want to be very clear, as we work through these next several days in Ukraine, that we’re going to be watching closely, and we expect the Ukrainian government to show restraint, to not resort to violence in dealing with peaceful protesters," Obama said. "We've also said we expect peaceful protesters to remain peaceful, and we'll be monitoring very closely the situation, recognizing that with our European partners and the international community there will be consequences if people step over the line."

Obama added of the consequences: "And that includes making sure the Ukrainian military does not step into what should be a set of issues that can be resolved by civilians."

It's not the first time Obama has referenced a "line" when it comes to civil unrest in a foreign country. Obama infamously set the so-called "red line" in Syria, but once the Syrian government crossed that line, Obama found little support in Congress for military action.

The FCC Wades Into the Newsroom

More of our government inserting itself where it does not belong.

"But everyone should agree on this: The government has no place pressuring media organizations into covering certain stories.?


The FCC Wades Into the Newsroom

By Ajit Pai  The Wall Street Journal  02/10/14

News organizations often disagree about what Americans need to know. MSNBC, for example, apparently believes that traffic in Fort Lee, N.J., is the crisis of our time. Fox News, on the other hand, chooses to cover the September 2012 attacks on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi more heavily than other networks. 

The American people, for their part, disagree about what they want to watch.

But everyone should agree on this: The government has no place pressuring media organizations into covering certain stories.

EPA 'clean coal' rule would increase power prices by 70 or 80 percent

"Dr. Julio Friedmann, the deputy assistant secretary for clean coal at the Department of Energy, told House lawmakers that the first generation of carbon capture and storage technology would increase wholesale electricity prices by '70 or 80 percent.'"

By Michael Bastasch  The Daily Caller  02/13/14

Printed in the Wyoming Business Report


EPA 'clean coal' rule would increase power prices by 70 or 80 percent

An Obama administration official has said that the new clean coal rules could increase electricity prices by as much as 80 percent.

Dr. Julio Friedmann, the deputy assistant secretary for clean coal at the Department of Energy, told House lawmakers that the first generation of carbon capture and storage technology would increase wholesale electricity prices by "70 or 80 percent."

The Obama administration's plan to fight global warming includes limiting carbon dioxide from new power plants. In order for new coal-fired power plants to be built, however, they would need to install costly carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology.

Feds sank more than $180,000 into Corvette museum devoured by sinkhole

We are 17+ billion dollars in debt!!!!!

By Caroline May  The Daily Caller  02/19/14

The federal government sank more than $180,000 of taxpayer dollars into driving simulators for the Corvette museum -- which fell victim to a sinkhole earlier this month.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky received $180,050 in federal Transportation Enhancement funds to develop and deploy a driving simulator.

The project was authorized in November 2007 for $198,00 but ended up costing $225,063 -- relying on federal funding and an additional $45,013 in local funds -- and was fiscally closed in April 2012.

Foreign Policy Issues

If you like the administration's foreign policy stances, or if you don't, you will find Washington Post writer Richard Cohen's opinion piece on Syria and the effects of the policy very interesting.

The first line: "The Obama Doctrine in Syria does not seem to be working."

The last paragraph: "Washington's dawdling has become the hallmark of Obama's foreign policy. He can make all the speeches he wants, but his confusion and indecision is what other leaders notice and history will remember. Now, so very late, he has asked for options. Here's one: Do something!"


Don't just sit there

By Richard Cohen  The Washington Post  02/19/14

Published in the Winston-Salem Journal

The Obama Doctrine in Syria does not seem to be working. The country has fallen apart. Matters have gone from bad to worse. The secretary of state suggests that things are so bad that Barack Obama has asked for "options." Three years into the war and the president wants a plan.

In all probability, Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator, is not cowed by Obama threatening options. He continues to bomb his own people -- barrel bombs, cluster bombs -- and starve recalcitrant cities and regions into submission. The death toll has been hideous and Obama would like to do something about it, but he cannot until the options are drawn up, which they have not been. So the people must starve until, possibly, a caravan of options arrives.

Welfare In America: A $1 Trillion Tab And Rising

Our exploding debt due to unprecedented spending tends to blur the fact that some people really need help. We are at risk of not being able to help anyone if we do not get our spending under control, including the mentioned welfare programs, along with virtually every other government program and agency spending.

By Stephen Moore  02/13/14 investors.com

Republicans in Congress are being accused of fighting a "war on the war on poverty," in part because of a tiny cut in the food stamps program last week. Democrats charge that these "cuts" will take food from the mouths of hungry children, and they claim this is an example of how Congress has shred the safety net for the poor.

Never mind that this is the food aid program that has tripled in cost and doubled in participation in just the last decade. Even during the economic recovery, the number of recipients — one in seven Americans — continues to grow.

Durbin’s claim that 10 million now have health insurance because of Obamacare

Our Senator Durbin appeared on Face the Nation on Sunday.  His figures on the number of newly insured under Obamacare are not supported and received Four Pinocchios by the Washington Post. He stated that the Republicans will say anything to criticize Obamacare and then provided misleading figures to support his view.

Durbin: "The bottom line is this. Ten million Americans have health insurance today who would not have had it without the Affordable Care Act -- 10 million. And we can also say this. It is going to reduce the deficit more than we thought it would."

Washington Post: "Yet here is the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate trotting out the same tired talking point. So let’s review what’s wrong with this figure, especially if someone is using it to claim that these people are all newly insured."

"In the meantime, given the fuzzy nature of the numbers and the wide publicity devoted to the recent surveys, Durbin has little excuse for going on national television and claiming that every one of these people had been previously uninsured. This has now become a Four Pinocchio violation."

To see the article, click here.

To see the video, click here.

Durbin’s claim that 10 million now have health insurance because of Obamacare

By Glenn Kessler  Washington Post  02/10/14

“Bob, let’s look at the bottom line. The bottom line is this: 10 million Americans have health insurance today who would not have had it without the Affordable Care Act. Ten million.”
– Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Feb. 9, 2014

Sometimes, talking points persist even in the face of new evidence negating the previous claims.

The Fact Checker has written often about the problems with claims based on the number of new insurance enrollees under the Affordable Care Act. Yet here is the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate trotting out the same tired talking point. So let’s review what’s wrong with this figure, especially if someone is using it to claim that these people are all newly insured.

Interest on debt to nearly quadruple over decade - CBO

Our elected officials show no concern for the future.  We are moving steadily to the point of no return.  This projection is for a period of ten years.  What do you think the numbers will be when my children are my age?  Or my grandchildren?

By Jeanne Sahadi @CNNMonry 02/04/14

For the next few years, deficits are looking pretty good. But the interest owed on the country's cumulative debt is set to nearly quadruple over the next decade.
The Congressional Budget Office projects that interest will be $233 billion this year, or 1.3% as a share of the economy.

By 2024, it will reach $880 billion, or 3.3% of GDP. That means interest will account for the lion's share of the $1.1 trillion deficit projected for that year and will come close to what will be spent on Medicare.

Interest costs will jump for two reasons. The first is the improving economy, which is expected to push what have been historically low interest rates to higher, more typical levels.

The second reason is that the underlying debt will remain very large and continue to grow.

Most cancers in our world pandemic are preventable -- here's how

Good stuff

By Dr. Otis Brawley at CNN.com 02/04/14

Editor's note: CNN conditions expert Dr. Otis Brawley is the chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, a world-renowned cancer expert and a practicing oncologist. He is also the author of the book "How We Do Harm: A Doctor Breaks Ranks About Being Sick in America."

(CNN) -- The World Health Organization is sounding the alarm: cancer is rapidly becoming a global pandemic.

In its World Cancer report, the U.N. agency notes the disease causes one in eight deaths worldwide. It's estimated 14 million were diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and 22 million will be diagnosed by 2032.

The most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide are cancers of the lung, breast and colon. The most common causes of cancer deaths worldwide are lung, liver and stomach cancer. In certain areas of Africa and Asia, cervical cancer is the leading cause of death in women.

What's behind the increase? Aging and growth of the world population, as well as the spread of cancer risk factors into low- and middle-income nations.Those include use of tobacco, obesity, lack of physical activity and poor diet. The report refers to those as "an industrialized lifestyle;" they cause about half the cancer deaths in the United States and Western Europe.

Florida Court Allows Taking Of Private Land To Build A Major League Soccer Stadium Based On A Broad Application Of "Public Use" Doctrine

Although allowed by a Supreme Court decision, this proves that you don't really own what you think you own.  A group of people that "know better" can come and take it.

By Marc Edelman at forbes.com 02/03/14

Article

Last Friday, the Orlando Sentinel and News 13 Orlando both reported that a Florida Circuit Court upheld the City of Orlando’s decision to take private property located on West Church Street to build a soccer stadium for Orlando City SC, which is Major League Soccer’s newest expansion team.

The City of Orlando had defended its power to seize the land under “eminent domain,” which allows for municipalities to take private property when doing so serves a public purpose and the municipality provides just compensation to property owners.

According to the Orlando Sentinel article, the Florida court found a sufficient “public purpose” for the taking, even though both Major League Soccer and Orlando City SC are private entities.

8 Financial Planning Tips to Keep in Mind This Year

Good investment advice.

By Ric Edelman  From CNBC 02/02/14 posted at entrepreneur.com

Article

If you're like most Americans, you probably didn't make a new year's resolution to get started with long-term financial planning.

A staggering 84 percent of respondents to a New Year's Resolution Survey from Allianz Life Insurance said that financial planning was not among their 2014 resolutions at all—the highest percentage ever to reveal that in the survey's history.

Parents upset over game played at middle school

Below appears to be another example of questionable topics or instructional methods used in our schools. In an effort to prevent bullying, the school asks students as young as fifth grade some pretty personal questions. The parents did not know of the "game" and it appears from the article that parents do not like the game. 

By Gabrielle Mays at Fox 11 in Green Bay, WI

Below is the article.

MARINETTE -  Lori Saunier is one of nearly a dozen parents who have expressed their displeasure over a game played at Marinette Middle School.

“This kind of stuff, I mean, this can’t happen again. These are our little kids. We’re parents. We should’ve been protecting them. You should’ve gave us the benefit of the doubt of contacting us,” said Saunier, mother of 7th grade student.

On Wednesday, fifth through eighth grade students played the game called “Cross the Line”.

Scenes from a militarized America: Iowa family ‘terrorized’

The link is to an article and related video of a police raid in Des Moines.  While I am not ready to condemn the actions of the police department, it is another example of the growing "militarization" of the police.  We, as citizens, need to be aware and to continue to monitor the actions of our police.

In addition to the fact that the raid, related to credit card fraud, yielded none of the people or evidence the police were looking for, three actions are troubling.

First, there was no attempt at knocking or announcing their presence by the police.  Second, the police ripped out a security camera.  Third, the police do not comment when questioned, citing an ongoing investigation.

We rely on the police to protect us and to maintain order through upholding our laws, etc.  However, there are proper methods of carrying out the mission.  We must be vigilant and respond when the actions of the police actions are questionable or when our rights are encroached in the name of safety.

Article by Bradley Balko of the Washington Post

Article

Watch this video, taken from a police raid in Des Moines, Iowa. Send it to some people. When critics (like me) warn about the dangers of police militarization, this is what we’re talking about. You’ll see the raid team, dressed in battle-dress uniforms, helmets and face-covering balaclava hoods take down the family’s door with a battering ram. You’ll see them storm the home with ballistics shields, guns at the ready. More troubling still, you’ll see not one but two officers attempt to prevent the family from having an independent record of the raid, one by destroying a surveillance camera, another by blocking another camera’s lens.

Embattled IRS plans employee bonuses for 2013 work to ‘boost morale’

Our Federal government is completely out of control.

By Stepen Dinan  Washington Times

Citing the need to boost employee morale, the Internal Revenue Service's new commissioner said Monday that he will pay out millions of dollars in bonuses to agency employees, reversing a decision his predecessor made to save money amid the sequester budget cuts and other belt-tightening last year.

The agency remains under fire for targeting tea party groups, but Commissioner John Koskinen said the bonuses are needed to retain and attract good employees in a time of cutbacks.

"This is money best spent on our existing employees," he said in an email to agency employees. "The performance award payouts are in recognition of that great work done in very trying circumstances. I firmly believe that this investment in our employees will directly benefit taxpayers and the tax system."