PowerBall Winners and the 99%

English: A map showing U.S. states currently offering Powerball and Mega Millions, as of June 2009. Red states offer PowerBall, blue states offer Mega Millions, and fuchsia states offer both. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PowerBall winners are in the news, and, no, PowerBall is not a nickname given to me when I make one of my explosive posts.

But wait. Who buys lottery tickets? Isn't it mainly 99%ers?

'Cause I thought 99%ers were all about dispersement of wealth, not the aggregation of wealth into the hands of a few -- which is what this lottery is all about, isn't it? Isn't this reverse 99%er logic? Or does it really show that when the 99%ers attack 1%ers, it's really nothing more than envy?

Isn't every 99%er who buys a lottery ticket at some level a hypocrite? "I want to take from you and you and you and you and you... and give to me."

It's reverse wealth redistribution at work, and it reveals more clearly than any amount of rhetoric the real motives that lurk in the human heart.

At least, that's my take on it.

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Bigfoot Sightings and Mean-Spirited PMSH

Bigfoot (Photo credit: naturemandala)

Bigfoot is in the news. Turns out they're half-human!

The pressing issue: shouldn't they have rights, after all, they're only, er, almost human.

But, alas, Canada's mean-spirited Prime Minister Stephen Harper will refuse to recognize Bigfoot because he is narrow and intolerant and exclusionary.

This is the campaign issue the Liberals have been waiting for!!!

They should run on setting up a Bigfoot registry, at a cost not to exceed than two million dollars.

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Corporations Stadium: Do The Obamacare Waive!

English: President Barack Obama's signature on the health insurance reform bill at the White House, March 23, 2010. The President signed the bill with 22 different pens. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Imagine a stadium filled with the leaders of American corporations. Now imagine a waive starting in a small corner until it ripples out and becomes a giant waive encompassing the stadium.

Now think of that giant waive as Obamacare waivers -- a sea of waivers flowing from end to end. Pity the saps who don't get in on it.

The US seems unhampered by notions of equal justice. The US playing field is populated with politically favored groups. In the Obama admin, it's Democrat-supporting unions and others. The Obama admin, by granting waivers to Obamacare -- which is supposed to be the "law of the land" -- has embraced the injustice of special-interest favoritism big-time.

"Redistributive justice for you, but not for me."

Michelle Malken weighs in on the Big Obamacare Waive.

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The Left Responds to Applebee's on Obamacare

An Applebee's franchisee indicates he may lay off workers as a result of the financial impact of Obamacare.

The left's reaction to the potential harm to Applebee's franchise employees?

Boycott this Applebee's. Applebee's Franchisee, Says He Won't Hire Because Of Obamacare (VIDEO) huff.to/RoMrpa via @HuffPostSmBiz— Linda Bruce (@lindakaybruce) November 10, 2012

Yeah, that should help -- fire them all!

But, why stop there?

Applebee’s CEO Threatens To Fire Employees (Obamacare) thkpr.gs/S5HgIW | 2 Can Play this game LOSER! Calling 4 National #BOYCOTT— Sean Bond (@iam_seanbond) November 09, 2012 

Even better, fire them all!!!

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Obama grant exemptions to his "friends"? Why would anyone want/need an exemption if it doesn't have real economic impacts? Hmmm.  And why didn't the Left denounce those who were demanding opt-outs??!! Double hmmm.


And that's the way the non-franchised, non-unionized, non-Obamaized Ball bounces.

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You Want Your Obamanomics Straight-up, or "On the Rocks"?

While $22,000/month in storage costs go unpaid, the panels consume up to a third of the company's warehouse space. Legal costs have forced CDG to slash payroll and lay off at least three employees. A source with knowledge of CDG's woes told me this week the company is facing pressure by the Department of Energy to drop its petition to recoup those costs. The feds want CDG to swallow a $1.4 million tab to dispose of the bum solar panels.

In this case at least, "on the rocks".

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Four More Years of the Food Stamps Presidency

Over at the National Post Jonathan Kay suggests it's a dark day for American conservatism. I would say it's a dark day for America. 

America has rewarded a President who took debt levels to unheard of levels and food stamp recipients to record highs -- with promises of more of the same. Americans have chosen big government over personal responsibility and socialism over self-reliance. Once a people goes down this path, it's hard to reverse -- witness Greece. Socialism saps moral fibre and once that goes a nation no longer has what it takes to do what it takes to reverse decline -- they just run out the clock until they run out of future.

And that is the course America is now on.

The millions of Americans living on the edge of reduced incomes who had hoped for a self-reliant Republican-led recovery in America -- I'm thinking of several friends as I write this from Phoenix -- might just as well get used to it; there isn't going to be one. They might as well give up, give in, and get in line for the free phones and food stamps.

Of course, the giving up and giving in is what is evil and pernicious about socialism's allure -- it destroys one's moral fibre. That is how socialism wins -- one diminished, collapsed soul at a time.

And that's the way the Ball bounces.

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Four More Years!!!!!!

English: Barack Obama delivers a speech at the University of Southern California (Video of the speech) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As one combox poster posted: "Four More Years!!!!!!"

Four more years of what?

Record debt? High unemployment? High gas prices?

Four more years of being a weakening superpower on the precipice of decline and bankruptcy?

Four more years of record-high food stamps and disability claims among public sector workers?

Four more years of nullifying shareholders' rights to appease the unions?

Four more years of flouting federal laws and statutes to advance a political agenda?

Four more years of contributing to moral decline and promoting government dependency?

Who in their right mind would want "four more years" of the Audacity of "Nope"?

Even Obama isn't running on his record.

Why Has Romney Been Surging?

MILFORD, NH - JUNE 15: Republican Presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney speaks to the media about President Barack Obama's announcement today of a change in the immigration policy that will allow illegal immigrants brought into the country as children to remain in the United States and apply for work permits as he campaigns during an event at the Milford Ice Cream Social on June 15, 2012 in Milford, New Hampshire. Mr. Romney is starting a five day swing through battle ground states as he battles President Barack Obama for votes. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Why has Romney been doing better than expected in an election that was characterized as an Obama cinch?

Simple.

For the unemployed, under-employed, and those who are plain under water, Romney is offering them a change of course that gives them hope that the next four years might be better than the last four.

Romney is the hope-and-change Presidential candidate.

Is It "Ima" or "Imma" Assassinate Romney?

Is It "Ima Assassinate Romney" or "Imma Assassinate Romney"?

I've seen both spellings used.

We may not be able to dispel the murderous impulses of the Obama left, but can we not at least try to school them in correct spellings, as in, you know, "no wanna-be assassin left behind"?

The media was in heat about phantom threats to assassinate Obama four years ago. Where's their outrage over actual expressed threats to assassinate Romney now?

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Obama's Bayonet Jab: Gotcha or Gaffe?

I'm surprised that the media is touting Obama's bayonets and horses line as a high-point "gotcha" rather than a gaffe.

Romney's point was "this is the number of ships that the Navy -- not me -- says it needs to do its job".

Obama's response stuck me as a huge swipe against America's navy and the men and women who serve in it. Here was their commander-in-chief saying in effect, "you're obsolete". That should boost morale.

As another commentator noted, if ships are so obsolete, why is China building them like crazy?

I should also point out that for decades the US has used its ships to keep the shipping lanes of the world free and open to trade. It has done this without fanfare, and without cost to the rest of the world. When it comes to the US or the UN to get the job done, who ya gonna call?

Each and every one of us has reason to be thankful for the US Navy -- it has helped secure whatever prosperity each of us currently enjoys.

A strong navy or remaindered reset buttons -- America's choice.

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Will Obama Bow Before Romney?

You've seen the pictures of Obama bowing before world leaders.

If Romney becomes President of the United States will Obama bow before him?

Just wondering.

"Should Obama Resign?"

Official photographic portrait of US President Barack Obama (born 4 August 1961; assumed office 20 January 2009) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 "Should Obama Resign Tonight?"

Roger L Simon thinks he should.

Only a man with a leftover undergraduate ambivalence about Western civilization would have dealt with the Benghazi catastrophe in such a fashion in the first place. Barack Obama responded to the terrorism like a Columbia junior stoned on a reefer, particularly one from his era. He took another toke and moved on. And then when he was told he couldn’t do that, he got angry at the people telling him.

The Obama admin's response to Benghazi was disingenuous and dishonorable. But, it was, unfortunately, not beyond the way politics works. What is most distressing is that it was the wrong response. The Middle East is looking at the US and asking, "is the US strong or weak?". The Obama admin gives off the vibes that it seriously wants to be considered weak -- starting with its unwillingness to characterize Benghazi for what it was -- a planned terrorist attack, and a successful one at that.

Now, back to the question. Resign tonite? Goin' out on a limb -- not gonna happen!!

And that's the way the Ball bounces.

Obama's "Acts of Terror" Rose Garden Speech

Countries in which Islamist terrorist attacks have occurred on or after September 11, 2001. Based on Image:BlankMap-World6, compact.svg with information from Image:WOT map4a.PNG. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Obama characterized the Sept. 11 Benghazi mortar attack as:

"an attack"

"this outrageous and shocking attack"

"senseless violence"

"this attack" (twice)

"this terrible act"

"brutal acts" -- indicating he is broadening his speech from the Benghazi attack to speak in a more generalized sense

He does not characterize the Benghazi attack as "this act of terror" "this act of terrorism", "this terrorist act", or "this act by terrorists".


Speaking generally about 9/11 and other such attacks, he does use the phrase "acts of terror". However, when Obama used the phrase "acts of terror" rather than the more straightforward "terrorist attacks" he was carefully distancing himself from terrorists and terrorism. He was leaving the impression that he had said something which in fact he had not said.

This is the pit that Romney came close to falling into. Romney clearly understood the phrase "acts of terror" to imply premeditation and planning. Obama was using the term much more loosely; he was equivocating and obfuscating. This is entirely in keeping with his administration's reluctance to call a spade a spade -- recall how his administration characterized the Fort Hood massacre -- absolutely refusing to refer to it as an act of terrorism, or even an "act of terror".

Note also that Obama characterizes the attack as "senseless violence". Acts of terrorism are by definition not senseless; they are done to support the achievement of some political or social goal; they certainly make sense to the perpetrators. This is a further indication that Obama was seeking to put distance in his speech between the administration's characterization of the attack and the usual connotations associated with acts of terrorism by terrorists.

For two weeks the Obama administration tried to deny what was obvious to anyone who cared to consider the matter: the Benghazi attack was premeditated, planned, and carried out as a deliberate attack on the US. It was an act of terrorism, by terrorists. What makes matters worse is this: they knew it. And for this the Obama administration needs to be held to account.

Writing from Istanbul, that's the way the Ball bounces.


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