"Yeah... You're Probably Right."

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Tuesday October 30, 2012 · 4:54 PM PDT

2012/10/30 · 16:54

So there I was sitting in my office trying to get caught up on some paperwork when one of our maintenance workers/custodians came in to do some work. He's a pleasant guy who likes to talk but I had a lot of work to do so I hesitated to say anything. But then again, I didn't want to seem rude so I said "Hi Mike, how're you doing?"

"Oh pretty good," he said. "How about you?"

"Busy," and I left it at that.

"Did you have a good weekend?" he asked.

"Mmhm," I said without looking up trying to indicate that I had things to do.

Undeterred, Mike pressed on. "I went to the movies this weekend. Saw 2016: Obama's America."

He had my attention.

kissfan

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Sunday August 12, 2012 · 9:24 PM PDT

2012/08/12 · 21:24

Four years ago I diaried about an event that would prove to be a harbinger of things to come: Bobblection 2008. At the time, the St. Louis Cardinals Single-A affiliate Quad Cities River Bandits held their first ever Bobblehead election and then Senator Barack Obama, like he would a mere three months later, defeated John McCain in a landslide.

Tonight: Round two.

I realize my title gives away the outcome, but follow me past the squiggle for the pics and details.

kissfan

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Wednesday August 17, 2011 · 8:36 AM PDT

2011/08/17 · 08:36

On today's front page, Laura Clawson draws attention to President Obama's response to a teacher's question regarding collective bargaining. Although Laura does a great job, as do many in the comments, of taking the President to task for the second part of his answer, I want to focus on one specific part of his response that I think a lot (and by a lot I mean almost all) of people don't fully understand.

...this is an area where there’s got to be burden sharing as well. If a public sector employee is able to retire at 55 with 80 percent of their wages, and the average public sector employee has got a 401(k) that they’ve just seen decline by about 20 percent and they have no idea how they’re going to retire...

In this short little statement, President Obama seems to be forgetting about something we public employees know all too well.

kissfan

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Tuesday July 26, 2011 · 12:18 PM PDT

2011/07/26 · 12:18

Via ThinkProgress comes news of the Michele Bachmann campaign's open and aggressive snubbing of a local media outlet for daring to ask about reparative therapy being practiced at the clinic owned by Bachmann and her husband, Marcus.

In a prior satellite interview (video here), WQAD's (ABC's Quad City affiliate based in Davenport, Iowa) Rae Chelle Davis asked Bachmann about an undercover report allegedly showing reparative therapy being practiced at one of the clinics owned by the Bachmann's. While candidate Bachmann was avoiding the question, Bachmann staffers were threatening to cut the feed should Davis ask a follow up. To her credit, Davis followed up anyway.

During the satellite interview, behind the scenes, it got ugly. In the News 8 control room, campaign staffers threatened WQAD producers that they would cut off the feed if Rae Chelle repeated the question. A follow-up question was asked on the issue. The Congresswoman's answers were aired nationally on ABC World News Tonight and Nightline.
Link

kissfan

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Sunday March 27, 2011 · 10:01 AM PDT

2011/03/27 · 10:01

Last night in Iowa, Rep. Steve King (R-Batshit Crazy) held an event to " help conservatives shape the debate as Republicans begin looking for a candidate to run against Obama." Among his guests were the usual crew of GOP flunkies - Gingrich, Barbour, Cain and, of course, Michele Bachmann.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, a tea party favorite, got the noisiest reception when she told about 500 people gathered in Des Moines that voters are ready to overturn the federal health care law and oust President Barack Obama during next year's election.
"The ultimate arrogance, in my opinion, is Obama-care," the Minnesota congresswoman said. "That's why I am so absolutely confident in 2012. Americans have made the decision that we're going to take our country back."

Poll

169 votes Show Results

Michele Bachmann

169 votes Vote Now!

Michele Bachmann

Lying

62 votes

Too Stupid To Know the Truth

106 votes

The Real (non-Conservative) Reagan

kissfan

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Sunday February 06, 2011 · 1:18 PM PST

2011/02/06 · 13:18

In light of what would have been Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday, there's been a lot of talk about his legacy around here. Now I'm not talking about the myth that today's Republicans like to push, but the reality that today's Republicans like to ignore. Just yesterday I reposted a five-year-old diary about Reagan's pathetically inappropriate response to the AIDS epidemic. Later in the day, Clarknt67 did amuch better job of raking Reagan over the coals and mitcho told us about Reagan the attempted puppy mauler while Mike Stark did his usual bang up job of pointing out the truth about Reagan's real presidential legacy. Despite all this talk though, I still get the feeling there's still something missing.

kissfan

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Saturday February 05, 2011 · 3:37 PM PST

2011/02/05 · 15:37

I don't believe I have ever done this before, but I am reposting a diary that I originally wrote nearly five years ago. With the planned celebrations of what would be Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday, I think it's important that we remember the man and not the myth that Republicans have constructed and will no doubt be portrayed in the media. Written on June 5, 2006, to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the discovery of AIDS, I believe this diary paints a far more accurate picture of Reagan the man than does the fawning adoration of the current Republican party.

So, reposted in full over the bump (minus the now defunct links), it's "Reagan's Other Legacy."

kissfan

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Wednesday February 02, 2011 · 1:07 PM PST

2011/02/02 · 13:07

As an homage to one of the greatest hate-mails of all time, allow me to prove to you that global warming is a hoax "thrugh something called the scientific method:"

(note to self: don't forget to add the snark tag)

1 a) FACT: Global warming makes the globe warmer

1 b) FACT: Warmer temperatures makes snow turn into water therefore making snowfall impossible

1 c) FACT: It snowed really freaking hard at my house last night

1 thusly global warming IS A HOAX; whether you like it or not. logic dictates this.

So listen up all you Al Gore loving, envirofreaks. GLOBAL WARMING IS A HOAX! Follow me over the jump for the indisputable proof.

kissfan

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Tuesday February 01, 2011 · 1:15 PM PST

2011/02/01 · 13:15

As I sit here in Illinois enduring the Blizzard of 2011 (aka - Snowpocalypse, Snowmagdedon, SnowMG, the Snowtorious B.I.G.), I'm sipping coffee and watching the birds outside my kitchen window. I realize that I could really use a better camera, but what the hell. So without further comment, I offer you the Blizzard Birds for your ornithological pleasure.

kissfan

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Wednesday January 12, 2011 · 8:21 PM PST

2011/01/12 · 20:21

Amidst the growing pressures of a financial crisis, Illinois' Democratic Governor Pat Quinn took drastic action last July to address the state's $13 billion (with a "b") debt. He, like many other governors across the nation,took a scalpel to the state budget.

$241 million - 3.3% from education including cuts in transportation, grants, and the state board of education
$100 million - 4.5% from higher education including cuts to universities and community college grants
$17.4 million - 2.7% from aging including changes in eligibility for care
$312.6 million - 7.7% from human services including cuts from state hospitals and grants affecting the disabled
$162 million - 2.1% from healthcare
$17 million - 11% from public health
$6 million - 0.69% from children and family services
$15.4 million - 5.4% from state police
$41.9 million - 3.6% from corrections

All told, the cuts totaled $1.4 billion and couldn't even come close to closing the gap.

kissfan

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Friday December 24, 2010 · 1:56 PM PST

2010/12/24 · 13:56

Taken from my kitchen window during a Christmas Eve snowfall. My apologies for the crappy camera. Hopefully, Santa will bring me a new one.

kissfan

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Monday December 20, 2010 · 6:23 PM PST

2010/12/20 · 18:23

As Joan has already keenly pointed out on the front page, Steve Kroft presented a stunningly slanted report during last night's episode of 60 Minutes giving anti-union blowhard, and Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie free reign to distort, twist and lie about the current financial woes facing his, and many other, states. And if you haven't read it, Media Matters does a fine job of calling CBS out on the mat for it.

But as much as I admire Joan and Media Matters for their dedication to calling bullshit, they, like many others when talking about pensions, have overlooked six very important letters - G.P.O./W.E.P.

Follow me over the bump to find out why these six letters make a world of difference when it comes to public pensions.

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"Yeah... You're Probably Right."

Obama Wins... AGAIN!!!!

Obama and Public Pensions - What He Seems To Be Forgetting

Bachmann Campaign "openly and aggressively" deny local media access

Michele Bachmann - Lying Or Just Too Stupid To Know The Truth?

The Real (non-Conservative) Reagan

Reagan's Other Legacy

"Global Warming" Is A Hoax (And I Can Prove It!)

Blizzard Birds (Caution Photo Intensive)

A Grown Up Response To A Grown Up Problem

Christmas Eve Bird Photo Diary

About those "gold-plated" pensions