Friday, June 16, 2006
Why Conservatives Can't Govern
I've been saying for a while that when you elect people to governmental office who have a basic philosophy that government can't do anything right, then you're going to get a government that cannot do anything right (see our current administration, for an example). Here's a guy a lot smarter than me who agrees:
If government is necessary, bad government, at least for conservatives, is inevitable, and conservatives have been exceptionally good at showing just how bad it can be. Hence the truth revealed by the Bush years: Bad government--indeed, bloated, inefficient, corrupt, and unfair government--is the only kind of conservative government there is. Conservatives cannot govern well for the same reason that vegetarians cannot prepare a world-class boeuf bourguignon: If you believe that what you are called upon to do is wrong, you are not likely to do it very well.
Exactly.
politics, government, conservatives, conservative
If government is necessary, bad government, at least for conservatives, is inevitable, and conservatives have been exceptionally good at showing just how bad it can be. Hence the truth revealed by the Bush years: Bad government--indeed, bloated, inefficient, corrupt, and unfair government--is the only kind of conservative government there is. Conservatives cannot govern well for the same reason that vegetarians cannot prepare a world-class boeuf bourguignon: If you believe that what you are called upon to do is wrong, you are not likely to do it very well.
Exactly.
politics, government, conservatives, conservative
Friday Puppy Blogging!!
Jefferson Stripped of Powerful Post
House Democrats punish corrupt congresscritter.
The session marked the culmination of a drive by the Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, to take action against the embattled Louisiana lawmaker, who maintains his innocence and has not been indicted.
“This is not about a court of law. This is about a higher ethical standard, and you know when it isn’t being met,” she told reporters several hours before the meeting.
Good for them!
The session marked the culmination of a drive by the Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, to take action against the embattled Louisiana lawmaker, who maintains his innocence and has not been indicted.
“This is not about a court of law. This is about a higher ethical standard, and you know when it isn’t being met,” she told reporters several hours before the meeting.
Good for them!
I'm Shocked! SHOCKED I Tell You!!
Audit finds "chaotic" accounting methods in the Allegheny County Sheriff's office.
An archaic accounting system that relies on note cards and filing cabinets has left the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office without the means to track revenue from thousands of tax-lien sales, according to a controller's audit released yesterday.
The sheriff's office also overcharged $2.5 million for fees associated with the sales between 2003 and the end of last year, and it has delayed payments to tax collection agencies, municipalities, school districts and the county's general fund.
County Controller Mark Patrick Flaherty said he had discovered no evidence of illegal activity. But weak oversight could invite corruption...
Of course, the sheriff maintains the highest standards of ethics and accountability, so we really don't have to worry about anyone taking advantage of slipshod methods.
allegheny county, sheriff
An archaic accounting system that relies on note cards and filing cabinets has left the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office without the means to track revenue from thousands of tax-lien sales, according to a controller's audit released yesterday.
The sheriff's office also overcharged $2.5 million for fees associated with the sales between 2003 and the end of last year, and it has delayed payments to tax collection agencies, municipalities, school districts and the county's general fund.
County Controller Mark Patrick Flaherty said he had discovered no evidence of illegal activity. But weak oversight could invite corruption...
Of course, the sheriff maintains the highest standards of ethics and accountability, so we really don't have to worry about anyone taking advantage of slipshod methods.
allegheny county, sheriff
And in the Center Ring of the Circus!!
Hey, if you can't get your way through the legal process, attack the arbitrator!
Former Allegheny County Coroner Dr. Cyril Wecht and his lawyers this morning accused the federal judge overseeing Dr. Wecht's pending corruption trial of favoring the prosecution and said they will seek to have him removed from the case.
Pass the popcorn!
wecht
Big Ben, The Untold Story
The most shocking story about Big Ben's accident! Must read stuff!
roethlisberger, steelers, football, motorcycle, accident, helmet
roethlisberger, steelers, football, motorcycle, accident, helmet
And In Former Pirate News...
Esteban Loaiza spends time in the pokey.
Athletics pitcher Esteban Loaiza faced drunken driving and speeding charges after exceeding 120 mph on a freeway in his Ferrari, prosecutors said Thursday.
Loaiza, 34, was jailed early Wednesday after he failed a sobriety test near San Lorenzo, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Mike Wright. He was released from jail later that day...
Loaiza, 1-3 with a 6.89 ERA, took the mound Thursday against the Mariners, his second start since coming off the disabled list.
No wonder he'd been drinking!
Credit Llipgh for the catch!
baseball, crime
Athletics pitcher Esteban Loaiza faced drunken driving and speeding charges after exceeding 120 mph on a freeway in his Ferrari, prosecutors said Thursday.
Loaiza, 34, was jailed early Wednesday after he failed a sobriety test near San Lorenzo, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Mike Wright. He was released from jail later that day...
Loaiza, 1-3 with a 6.89 ERA, took the mound Thursday against the Mariners, his second start since coming off the disabled list.
No wonder he'd been drinking!
Credit Llipgh for the catch!
baseball, crime
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Knock and Announce?
Not sure how I feel about this.
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that police armed with a warrant can barge into homes and seize evidence even if they don’t knock, a huge government victory that was decided by President Bush’s new justices....
In a dissent, four justices complained that the decision erases more than 90 years of Supreme Court precedent.
“It weakens, perhaps destroys, much of the practical value of the Constitution’s knock-and-announce protection,” Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for himself and the three other liberal members.
On one hand, the need to quicky execute a warrant to seize evidence before it can be destroyed can't be overstated. Also, will the bad guys react violently if they know police are outside the door? On the other hand, I know I'd react violenty if someone was breaking down my door and I didn't know it was the police. Knock and announce just doesn't seem like that great a burden.
Your thoughts?
police, crime, law, knock and announce, supreme court
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that police armed with a warrant can barge into homes and seize evidence even if they don’t knock, a huge government victory that was decided by President Bush’s new justices....
In a dissent, four justices complained that the decision erases more than 90 years of Supreme Court precedent.
“It weakens, perhaps destroys, much of the practical value of the Constitution’s knock-and-announce protection,” Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for himself and the three other liberal members.
On one hand, the need to quicky execute a warrant to seize evidence before it can be destroyed can't be overstated. Also, will the bad guys react violently if they know police are outside the door? On the other hand, I know I'd react violenty if someone was breaking down my door and I didn't know it was the police. Knock and announce just doesn't seem like that great a burden.
Your thoughts?
police, crime, law, knock and announce, supreme court
Pennsylvania's Ahnold?
When Arnold Schwarzenegger ran for California governor, he talked about cleaning up Sacramento and showing those legislators who is boss. Of course, The Governator found out that actually governing is much harder in reality.
So is Pennsylvanian Lynn Swann Schwarzenegger Lite? Cutting the legislature by 40% is a position that many Pennsylvanians, including me, wholeheartily embrace, along with a number of generally popular, reformist positions. Unfortunately, Swann appears a little short on the practical details.
Generally, I like political neophytes and reformers, mainly because WE are the government, and a professional political class is somewhat contrary to that principle. However, you either have to be a quick study once elected, or have a thourough knowledge of how government really works to be effective. That of course, raises a paradox. How do you become politically effective while remaining a political neophyte??
politics, pennsylvania, election, governor, swann, rendell
So is Pennsylvanian Lynn Swann Schwarzenegger Lite? Cutting the legislature by 40% is a position that many Pennsylvanians, including me, wholeheartily embrace, along with a number of generally popular, reformist positions. Unfortunately, Swann appears a little short on the practical details.
Generally, I like political neophytes and reformers, mainly because WE are the government, and a professional political class is somewhat contrary to that principle. However, you either have to be a quick study once elected, or have a thourough knowledge of how government really works to be effective. That of course, raises a paradox. How do you become politically effective while remaining a political neophyte??
politics, pennsylvania, election, governor, swann, rendell
Rival Fans Trash Ben
The P-G has a sampling of non-Steeler fan reactions to Ben Roethlisberger's motorcycle accident. Read em, they're certainly the crude reactions of sore losers, but the funniest comment is from a UPMC doctor.
So why do some football fans react in such a crazed manner in the wake of a potential tragedy?
Dr. Paul Friday, the director of clinical psychology at UPMC Shady Side, said the posters of these comments are people with psychological problems whose brains never fully developed...
"The people who are blogging in Cincinnati, they're the ones whose brains never fully develop," Friday said. "They don't perspectivize human tragedy. They don't learn to think effectively. These people are not normal.
HAH!! Take that Cincinnati!! You've been long-distance diagnosed, in the finest Fristian medical tradition!!
Meanwhile, Big Ben is out of the hospital.
roethlisberger, steelers, football, pittsburgh, cincinnati, bengals
So why do some football fans react in such a crazed manner in the wake of a potential tragedy?
Dr. Paul Friday, the director of clinical psychology at UPMC Shady Side, said the posters of these comments are people with psychological problems whose brains never fully developed...
"The people who are blogging in Cincinnati, they're the ones whose brains never fully develop," Friday said. "They don't perspectivize human tragedy. They don't learn to think effectively. These people are not normal.
HAH!! Take that Cincinnati!! You've been long-distance diagnosed, in the finest Fristian medical tradition!!
Meanwhile, Big Ben is out of the hospital.
roethlisberger, steelers, football, pittsburgh, cincinnati, bengals
Entertaining...and Free!!
The political/legal circus that is The Wecht Trial!
The judge overseeing the federal prosecution of former Allegheny County Coroner Dr. Cyril H. Wecht yesterday said he will hold a contempt hearing after the trial for Dr. Wecht's lawyers for "repeatedly ignoring" his orders on how the case will proceed.
Its going to be a fun summer for Wecht Watchers! Oh man, if I were any good at Photoshop...there's a funny cartoon in the phrase 'Wecht Watchers"
wecht, pittsburgh, allegheny county, corruption
The judge overseeing the federal prosecution of former Allegheny County Coroner Dr. Cyril H. Wecht yesterday said he will hold a contempt hearing after the trial for Dr. Wecht's lawyers for "repeatedly ignoring" his orders on how the case will proceed.
Its going to be a fun summer for Wecht Watchers! Oh man, if I were any good at Photoshop...there's a funny cartoon in the phrase 'Wecht Watchers"
wecht, pittsburgh, allegheny county, corruption
More Timewasting
A 10 hour debate on a non-binding resolution? Doesn't Congress have better things to do?
politics, iraq, healthcare
politics, iraq, healthcare
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Note To Self
They look similar from the side, but they are NOT interchangable. Not great loss putting creamer in a hot frying pan, but egg substitute in hot coffee doesn't work very well.
Predictions
In the waning days of the Bushistas, the following people will be pardoned, even if not yet convicted or facing indictment.
Scooter Libby
Dick Cheney
Karl Rove
Ken Lay
John Negroponte
Anyone else to add to the list?
Scooter Libby
Dick Cheney
Karl Rove
Ken Lay
John Negroponte
Anyone else to add to the list?
Egad!
Hurricane fraud.
The government doled out as much as $1.4 billion in bogus assistance to victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, getting hoodwinked to pay for season football tickets, a tropical vacation and even a divorce lawyer, congressional investigators have found...
FEMA also could not establish that 750 debit cards worth $1.5 million even went to Katrina victims, the auditors said.
Among the items purchased with the cards:
—an all-inclusive, one-week Caribbean vacation in the Punta Cana resort in the Dominican Republic.
—five season tickets to New Orleans Saints professional football games.
—adult erotica products in Houston and “Girls Gone Wild” videos in Santa Monica, Calif.
—Dom Perignon champagne and other alcoholic beverages in San Antonio.
—a divorce lawyer’s services in Houston....
To demonstrate how easy it was to hoodwink FEMA, the GAO told of an individual who used 13 different Social Security numbers — including the person’s own — to receive $139,000 in payments on 13 separate registrations for aid. All the payments were sent to a single address.
Likewise, another person used a damaged property address located within the grounds of Greenwood Cemetery in New Orleans to request disaster aid. Public records show no record of the registrant ever living in New Orleans.
Instead, records indicate that for the past five years, the registrant lived in West Virginia — at the address provided to FEMA, the GAO said.
This is what happens when you have an administration that staffs critical positions with cronies.
The government doled out as much as $1.4 billion in bogus assistance to victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, getting hoodwinked to pay for season football tickets, a tropical vacation and even a divorce lawyer, congressional investigators have found...
FEMA also could not establish that 750 debit cards worth $1.5 million even went to Katrina victims, the auditors said.
Among the items purchased with the cards:
—an all-inclusive, one-week Caribbean vacation in the Punta Cana resort in the Dominican Republic.
—five season tickets to New Orleans Saints professional football games.
—adult erotica products in Houston and “Girls Gone Wild” videos in Santa Monica, Calif.
—Dom Perignon champagne and other alcoholic beverages in San Antonio.
—a divorce lawyer’s services in Houston....
To demonstrate how easy it was to hoodwink FEMA, the GAO told of an individual who used 13 different Social Security numbers — including the person’s own — to receive $139,000 in payments on 13 separate registrations for aid. All the payments were sent to a single address.
Likewise, another person used a damaged property address located within the grounds of Greenwood Cemetery in New Orleans to request disaster aid. Public records show no record of the registrant ever living in New Orleans.
Instead, records indicate that for the past five years, the registrant lived in West Virginia — at the address provided to FEMA, the GAO said.
This is what happens when you have an administration that staffs critical positions with cronies.
Sorry Cyril
Senate Shows Some Sense
PA's Senate actually showed some sense, eliminating language from a proposed Constitutional Amendment that would have prohibited civil unions.
Is this a reasonable compromise? A prohibition (already part of PA law) on same sex marriage (marrigae being a loaded term here), while opening the door, perhaps, on recognizing civil unions in Pennsylvania??
civil unions, gay marriage
Is this a reasonable compromise? A prohibition (already part of PA law) on same sex marriage (marrigae being a loaded term here), while opening the door, perhaps, on recognizing civil unions in Pennsylvania??
civil unions, gay marriage
Dumb Dumb Dumb
Talk about clueless.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger lacked both a helmet and a valid Pennsylvania motorcycle license when he crashed Monday, according to Pittsburgh police sources, but he did have a prior warning: The Steelers told him last year that continued riding might affect his contract.
Time to park the bike, Ben.
Steelers, football, Roethlisberger
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Whoopie!!
The benefits of beer!!
For many men, a finding by Oregon researchers sounds too good to be true: An ingredient in beer seems to help prevent prostate cancer, at least in lab experiments.
The trouble is you'd theoretically have to drink about 17 beers a day for any potential benefit.
Couple that with this news:
Two studies, each on the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program cohort in California, originally demonstrated that coffee drinking might protect against liver cirrhosis. In the first study, 59 cases of liver cirrhosis were diagnosed and it was shown that subjects who drank four or more cups of coffee per day had 80% less chance of developing liver cirrhosis than non-coffee drinkers.
Hmmmm I got the four cups of coffee down, but 17 beers?? I have my work cut out for me!
For many men, a finding by Oregon researchers sounds too good to be true: An ingredient in beer seems to help prevent prostate cancer, at least in lab experiments.
The trouble is you'd theoretically have to drink about 17 beers a day for any potential benefit.
Couple that with this news:
Two studies, each on the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program cohort in California, originally demonstrated that coffee drinking might protect against liver cirrhosis. In the first study, 59 cases of liver cirrhosis were diagnosed and it was shown that subjects who drank four or more cups of coffee per day had 80% less chance of developing liver cirrhosis than non-coffee drinkers.
Hmmmm I got the four cups of coffee down, but 17 beers?? I have my work cut out for me!
Coulter
