The One and his congressional allies (e.g. *spit* Pelosi, Reid and Waxman) are hell bent on passing this 1,000-page legislative turd before they all take a well-needed break from all that hard work being a congresscritter. Seeing as how much of the law wouldn’t kick in for another three years, what’s the rush?

As my constitutional law professor from Maine used to say, “To ahsk the question is to ahnswer it.” Obviously, they know that, if the American people at large know what’s in the bill, it will never be passed. They also know that, once the American people learn what is in the bill, any congressperson who votes for it may well have to leave Washington to find a real job.

Just in case you might be interested, take a look at some of the gems that currently are in the bill.

You also should take a listen to Fred Thompson interviewing Betsy McCoy, New York’s former Lieutenant Governor. She talks about how the bill provides for the “healthcare” of those of us who are on the wrong side of fifty. Ouch!

Thanks to my buddy Brian, the Air Force Vet, for the Fred Thompson link.

Yeah, it’s Friday, and I don’t feel like doing any heavy lifting. Rather, I thought I’d listen to what I believe is one of the ass-kickin’est songs ever recorded.

I only got to work once with a second drummer, and for a very short set at that. It was hot shit, lemme tell ya. Damn, just thinking about it still gives me goosebumps.

Enjoy!

The FBI bust of 44 people in New Jersey on corruption and money laundering charges made national news, as well it should have, given that corruption that is as rampant as is the case in New Jersey is relatively foreign to people from other states. Louisiana and New York may seek to claim the title, but in Jersey crooks are like cockroaches in a tenement house.

Not surprisingly, most of the politicians and government officials, including the recently-elected mayor of Hoboken, are creatures of Hudson County, a place of which I have said on many occasions has made corruption an art form. (I should note here that Bob Menendez, before he became our U.S. Senator, was the Boss of Hudson County. Just an observation.)

The money laundering cruds arrested were rabbis and their “civilian” counterparts in Brooklyn and Jersey. I haven’t had time to dig into the details of the money laundering schemes, but I presume they were at least arguably sophisticated. By contrast, the politicians and officials displayed pure thuggery and boundless arrogance. I assume they were so brazen in their extortion because they felt certain of never getting caught. After all, they were risking everything in exchange for money that might only fund a weekend or two in Atlantic City.

And now, their lives have turned to shit. They were publicly hauled away in cuffs and they’ll learn the joy of dealing with a bail bondsmen who won’t be interested in the cruds’ proclamations of innocence, but rather will only want to talk about taking a mortgage on their homes (or parents’ home) to secure their bail bonds.

The formerly fat, arrogant and happy politicians and Hudson County officials will learn how few friends they really have. Their new best friend will instantly become their criminal attorneys (They’ll be your friend for $375 per hour), as they contemplate the possibility of spending time in a federal lockup. Some of these idiots are in their 50’s and 60’s. What the hell were they thinking?

Is it big news in Jersey? Well, maybe for a few days, but not for much more. You see, the FBI could arrest 44 crooked politicians and government officials per day and they would not exhaust the supply in my lifetime.

The cold, hard truth is that this kind of crap exists because the people of New Jersey elect cruds and tolerate their corruption. We get what we deserve.

Do yourself a favor and read this heartwarming and heartbreaking story. It all unfolded in the suite next to the one I was in at yesterday’s game. These days it’s rare to read a story in which everyone is a good guy. I didn’t write about it, because I didn’t think I could do it justice, but then a colleague pointed me to the article.

My thoughts are with this man and his family, and my admiration goes out to everyone who made his day a very special one.

Yes, I spent the day at the new Yankee Stadium watching the game. It was not, however, your average day at the ball park, because I was among those who were guests in one of the luxury suites. I took the above cell phone picture from the outside part of the suite.

The inside of the part of the suite is a large air-conditioned room with multiple tables and video screens and an endless supply of snacks (peanuts, popcorn etc.), and open, well-stocked bar. We were also provided with an excellent buffet lunch, which, of course, included real stadium hot dogs, which was followed by a large selection of gourmet desserts. The section of the stadium that contains the suites has the atmosphere of a hotel, rather than a ball park.

It is definitely a civilized way to watch a ball game.

Bonus: The Yankees won.

Are you experiencing a bout of constipation? Maybe your laxative of choice isn’t hitting the long ball. Maybe you’re not a fan of laxatives, and you’ve vowed to forego the cheeseburger and fries for lots of water and fiber for a day or so.

Not to worry. PRS guarantees that spending thirty seconds with the U.S. Debt Clock will produce a virtual drug-free and fiber-free tshit tsunami.

You’re welcome.

via Doug Ross

In this post I noted the need to recycle or otherwise properly dispose of squiggly light bulbs, because they contain mercury, unlike good old mercury-free incandescent light bulbs, which can be tossed in the trash. It seems that the widespread use of these lousy bulbs may have created a “ticking green time bomb.”

As is pointed out in the linked article, most people don’t recycle or properly dispose of burned out squiggly bulbs. Indeed, in California, where proper disposal of the bulbs is required by law, it is estimated that less than 10% of the bulbs are properly disposed.

Former chairman of the American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Health and Safety has noted:

If you have a municipal urban landfill and have a population of 450,000 households disposing of one or two CFLs [squiggly light bulbs] a year – you do the arithmetic. Put one-half milligram of mercury per bulb, it amounts to a significant loading, and mercury does migrate into groundwater.

Mercury migrating into the groundwater. Not good, Peeps. Not good at all.

Consumers who actually want to use squiggly light bulbs are often faced with the daunting task of finding a disposal or recycling center, with the result being that, more often than not, the bulbs are tossed into the trash.

The plan to legally mandate the use of these lousy bulbs on a national basis (which predates The One) will most certainly lead to yet more federal regulations to mandate proper disposal of the damned things.

This yet another example of the federal government caving in to enviro-kooks without thinking shit through.

Link via Doug Ross

Swiped from SondraK commenter, Lloyd.

Yesterday we received our “free” squiggly light bulb. It was left on the door to the House by the Parkway in a box hanging from the door handle by way of a clever cardboard hanging thing, which contained the following message:

WE MISSED YOU! But don’t miss out on the savings! Install this bulb and save up to $30 in electricity costs over the lifetime of the bulb. Don’t get left in the dark – simple actions matter!

The delivery of my “free” light bulb was part of “Project Porchlight,” which is sponsored (i.e. paid for) by New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.

Let me say this about that.

Dear “Free” Light Bulb People:

I don’t want the damned thing. I hate these squiggly light bulbs and the ridiculous propaganda that comes with them. I don’t intend to use my “free” squiggly light bulb or any other squiggly light bulbs until there are no incandescent light bulbs available in the stores or on the black market (which will certainly spring up).

I’d throw the damned thing away, but noooooooo, because the damned thing has mercury in it, thankyouverymuch. I suppose I could burn up some gasoline driving my “free” light bulb to a recycling center. Better yet, how about you burn up some gasoline and drop by to pick the damned thing up. Please let me know when you’ll be in the neighborhood, and I’ll leave the damned thing hanging on my front door where you left it.

Sincerely,
Jimbo
The House by the Parkway

I received a Newsletter from my Congressman, who regularly runs unopposed in this Gerrymandered congressional district. I thought I would share a few of the gems in the Newsletter.

In bragging about voting for the “Porkulus Bill,” he states:

“The law [the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act a/k/a “Porkulus”] is expected to create or save 3.5 million American jobs, including 100,000 here in New Jersey. This plan makes an important investment in our economy by providing much needed resources for roads, bridges, mass transit, flood control, clean water projects, and other infrastructure projects.”

Ha! I guess this went to the printer before the good Congressman realized that the administration finally had to back off the “create or save” baloney. The 3.5 million job figure is damned near as comical as the “100,000” jobs in New Jersey. I know several out-of-work people who would love to find just one of those 100,000 jobs. Roads, bridges, flood control projects? Where? Not anywhere around here that I’ve noticed. The Waste of Space should learn not to just copy and paste The One’s bullshit talking points.

“There is an emphasis on ‘green jobs’— that is, jobs that help promote cleaner air, a healthier environment, and the development of solar power and other alternative forms of energy while decreasing our dependence of foreign oil.”

Hell, maybe all those windmill and solar panel factories are being built in some other part of the state. I know some folks who would happily work in a windmill factory. I wish he would have given a phone number.

“To help ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and effectively, the Recovery Act also contains unprecedented accountability, transparency measure and strong oversight measures.”

Well, that’s downright hilarious. Besides, this is farookin’ NEW JERSEY. The slugs in Trenton and their political pals are drooling at the prospect of boatloads of “free money.”

A part of the Newsletter contains a short constituent survey. All of the questions are of the variety, “How much do you love the President and the Congress?” However, one question leaped out at me:

“Would you pay higher taxes to receive free health care?”

I damned near busted a gut on that one. Free health care? Free? This is coming from a grown man, who managed to get himself elected to congress. Free? The part about “higher taxes” is also a scream. In major portions of his Gerrymandered district, probably 90% of the people pay no taxes, and they are already getting what, to them, is “free healthcare.”

Oh, and the Waste of Space sent this to me using the franking privilege. Well, waddya know … FREE MAIL!!!