Dear Barack Obama, I've kept my tires inflated like you said to

... but we still have $4.00/gallon gas. Posted in response to Obama lecturing the United States about our energy policy.

Initiative 1122- Do not sign/ vote no

In first glancing at the initiative, I was all for it, ie stopping the State of Washington from issuing drivers licenses to illegal aliens. The sponsors should have stopped there.

However they didn't, the initiative sponsors seem to be oblivious to the headache immigration enforcement is for small businesses. This initiative mandates checking with the government on the legality of every citizen. It is absolutely moronic to saddle small business with the task of immigration enforcement for which the state and federal governments are refusing to do themselves. As a small business owner, I just spent 3 hours of my Sunday morning wading through mind numbing IRS forms, I do not need another requirement, especially when it's pretty obvious that my employees are US citizens. Moreover, if the State of Washington would require and enforce proof of citizenship on drivers licenses, I the small business owner would not have to, I could simply check their drivers license.

Sit down for an hour with a guy/gal in their first small business venture and ask them how much they love the paper work they get to fill out with 20,000 different useless and inept government agencies. Even further, how about just securing the damn border?

I'm not keen on every honest American having the government be notified every time we floss our teeth because Washington DC refuses to secure our borders. Suffice to say, I am VERY against this initiative as it is written.

Initiative 1122 Text:

This measure would require state and local agencies to enforce federal immigration laws, and to verify immigration status before issuing driver’s licenses and many public benefits. All public and private employers would have to use “E-Verify” programs to check immigration status of employees. Non-complying private employers could be penalized and lose licenses. Nonprofit organizations offering employment services would be required to verify eligibility for employment. Voter registration of jurors who claim non-citizenship would be cancelled.

Great moments in bad Obama speeches about Libya

Obama is going to address the nation about Libya on Monday.

I suggest he regain momentum by starting his speech with the same strawman argument he used in pushing health care. The statement is every bit as viable in foreign policy as it was with health care reform.

"There are those in the Republican ranks who say we should do nothing..."

Then he should exit the press conference immediately saying "No questions....unless its about my NCAA picks, I've got a 9:00 am tee time."

Save Wisconsin: Donate now

I'm shamelessly lifting this from Legal Insurrection (one of my top 10 favorite reads). What Republicans are doing in Wisconsin takes 9 lb balls. Hooowah. Let's show them some support.

Wisconsin Republicans Ask For Help: "We are in the fight of our lives"

Via Legal Insurrection via JSOnline: The Committee to Elect a Republican Senate (CERS), the main campaign committee for Senate Republicans, is trying to raise money for the eight Republicans who face a recall."We are in the midst of a crucial time," a fund-raising letter says. "CERS is waging a counter-battle against the unions and other well funded liberal special interest money fueling these recall elections." The letter adds: "We are in the fight of our lives. We can assure you the Senate Republicans are up for the fight, but we need to know you stand behind us."

The donation page is here. Since people in Wisconsin are subjected to acts of intimidation for donating to Republicans, it is critical that people outside Wisconsin help.


Jacobson just did, I did too.

Socialized Medicine: death panels in action

Two recent headlines bring this to mind

1- The case in Canada of the infant where Candadian doctors and government refused to allow the family to seek medical help elsewhere (ie the United States, where Obama's death panels aren't in action ).

2- This case in the UK. Baby was born @ 22 weeks and though the baby was alive and fighting, doctors as a course of death panel procedure determined it was outside of protocol to help the baby live.

There are scenarios in both cases where some families may choose to let nature take it's course, but shouldn't that be the families decision and NOT the government appointed death panel?

Objectivity on Nuclear Energy

I am VERY pro nuclear. I see the Japan earthquake / Tsunami as an opportunity to assess how robust and disaster tolerant our nuclear facilities really are and improve that infrastructure. In any field of engineering, a design gets improved only in the face of failure or intense competition.

If thousands of people were to be sickened or killed by the fallout of the Japanese nuke plants overheating, by all means we should re evaluate current and future implementations.

Does that logic apply to the Hoover Dam busting open due to a terrorist attack or or act of nature and killing thousands in Nevada?

Does that logic apply to the millions of Americans we have living on the coast lines who will be wiped out if a Tsunami hits our west coast?

The facts of the situation on the ground in Japan are that thousands are dead, not because of a nuke plant blowing, but because they lived too close to the ocean, in areas which had Tsunami alarms much more reliable than any of those on our coast lines. The nuke plants, though in dire circumstances, have performed remarkably well considering the magnitude of the disaster. The fact that experts and disaster teams have had a week to triage the situation is a testament to how robust the plant is. Yes, it can and should be better. But the world should look at this objectively.

So death due to a Tsunami is an acceptable risk to take in order to have a good view, but nuclear energy is not because of fear of what has never happened.

Note: Chernobyl doesn't play into this calculation as that plant was not at all of the same design and the Ukrainians had the plant held together with chewing gum, duct tape and poorly trained monkeys.

Here's a link that is a must read (they had me at craptastic MSM coverage) by some people who know a thing or two about nuclear power and radiation.

http://www.blackfive.net/main/2011/03/japanese-reactors-update.html#tp

Civility Alert

I defy anyone to find a similar thread of conservatives or tea partiers talking this way about Obama.

If someone on the right said they wanted to bash Obama's head in with a hammer or baseball bat as is described the college educated enlightened youthful libtards on this thread about Palin and Bush, the Secret Service would come a knocking.

http://verydemotivational.memebase.com/2011/02/21/demotivational-posters-with-a-hammer/#comments

So Brad Shannon... who exactly is filled with hate?