Tax cuts don't create jobs

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Truth, Justice and more Truth...

This just in: The Perfect Meatloaf pan costs more than you think.

I saw a commercial that has a meatloaf pan (with a cookbook) for the low, low price of just $19.95.  If you act now, you can get two pan and two cookbooks for that same low price.  This is 2 for the price of one.  (all you pay is additional shipping and handling)

My first thought was, "What am I going to do with two meatloaf pans?  I don't think I've ever made meatloaf in my life so I'm almost certainly not going to cook it twice in one night."

My second thought was, "What am I going to do with two identical meatloaf cookbooks?"  I guess I could give one away as a present.  "Happy Birthday!  It's a meatloaf book."

I went to the website for the answer.  Apparently, you get both for $19.95 but the shipping and handling comes to another $15.90.  My guess is the "shipping" part of that is about $3.

Onward...

The French guy Strauss-Kahn is now being accused of sexual assault in France.  I know where there's smoke there is probably fire.  This guy looks like he can't keep his fly up.  At the same time, the maid-accuser can't seem to find the truth in anything.  This should fill CNN's "hard news" schedule for the next several months.  Just in time too, since the Casey Anthony drama-show is winding down.

Tell me what this means to you: "The American people don't want more taxes"

I know I don't want to pay more taxes.  However, there are things that I want more.  For example: Education.  In Minnesota, the state that is now out of business, the GOP's position was that the state could get more revenue if they delayed payments to schools.

Did you know that in 1958, Jerry Brown's tuition at Berkeley was $11 a semester.  Now it's $12,000.  The reason it is so high is because the state has no revenue help defray the cost.  When the GOP says spending is out of control, they are saying, "Stop paying for education, or police."

Cutting a trillion dollars out of the budget means $1 trillion not going to teachers and such.  Cutting a trillion dollars means the end to our Space Program (the last shuttle flight is this week)  The GOP would have you believe they just cut out $1 trillion in handouts.  That is simply not the case.  The only handouts being given are to the rich people that put them in office to begin with.

How much research will a millionaire fund with his tax break?  How many scholarships will he give out?  How many teachers will he pay for with this extra money?  How many spacecraft will he launch?

The answer is - None.  There are new boats to be bought.

How about this one: "Raising taxes kills jobs."

This is so far from being a true statement that you should be allowed to throw tomatoes at whomever utters it.

During the Clinton administration, he averaged about 2.5% job growth over 8 years.  During the George W. Bush administration, bolstered by his "Job Creating Tax Cuts" he averaged .05% job growth. This was the worse since the great depression.  Clinton's job creation rate was 50 times greater than Bush's...without the tax cuts.

Call your Republican representative and ask him or her when you can expect jobs to start showing up.

Enough of that...

In Japan, the elderly are volunteering for cleanup duty at the nuclear power plants damaged by the tsunami (<-a surprisingly easy word to spell if you remember the "s").  They have less life left so they are stepping up to the plate so their children will have a better life.

Wish we would do the same...

Top executive pay went up 23% last year.  Thank goodness they got a tax cut on top of that.  Can you imagine how many Perfect Meatloaf pans they can afford?  This is certain to cause a hiring binge at the Perfect Meatloaf pan factory.

I'm going to make a prediction:  Cowboys and Aliens will be the big hit of the summer.  So far, all of the movies have basically been remakes.  This year, there were 19 sequels.  The Cowboys and Aliens will stand out for its originality if nothing else.

Drug lords in Mexico painted a wall with a threat to attack DEA agents in the United States.  I can't believe that one of the biggest battlegrounds on the planet is right next door and we don't seem to notice.

This just in: Thailand's new PM is a babe!  I'm just saying

Your quote for the day: “Let us not be content to wait and see what will happen, but give us the determination to make the right things happen.”  - Horace Mann

I know it's a holiday but I have a world to save.

Up, up and away...

Jim

For you Family Guy fans - Here is a clip from a Star Wars episode.  The Ewoks attack and end up being used in a pillow fight.  I thought this was hilarious.

"Everyone Lies" - Dr. House...

This just in: Buying gold on TV may not be the great investment that Glenn Beck would have you believe.

I was watching a commercial yesterday.  It talked about a coin that had 99.99% pure 24K gold in it.  This coin was a bargain at $50; especially when you consider that gold is currently over $1,300 an ounce.  It even mentions that there is 14 milligrams of gold in the coin.  Now, I had my calculator at hand and was in the mood for a bit of math.  (I know, I'm a bit of a nerd sometimes).  It turns out that $50 for 14 milligrams of gold is the equivalent of paying $101,000 and ounce!

Elsewhere...

I saw a video on the news this morning that was amazing.  A bomb squad guy in Thailand was investigating a suspicious car.  He was suited up like that guy in The Hurt Locker (a great movie).  Anyway, he touches the car and BOOOOOM!

The car is destroyed and the guy is blown off his feet.  A moment later he gets up and walks away.  I wanted to stand up and clap. (video at end of this blog)

Think about how heroic this person is.  Now think about how our elected officials have turned politics into a sport (<-I got that from a man in Minnesota talking about their government shutdown.)

By the way, I have grown tired of talking about the budget.  I have posted an essay called The Big Lie  so that I don't keep boring you with the same stuff.  If you want, you can find it on the menu bar above.  I will try to restrict myself to "snippets" in the future.

Here is an interesting photo of two spider webs.  The one on the left was made by a youngspider while the one on the right was made by an old spider.  I'm wondering if the older spider is less capable or if it has learned that even an ugly web still catches flies so why bother making it pretty.

I have a question for you:

Which is worse...(a) to rape someone or (b) to falsely accuse someone of raping you?

This maid that is accusing Strauss-Kahn has admitted to lying about being raped in the past.  She also went on to clean the room she was "raped" in after the event.  There are now so many holes in her story that the smart money says this case is going to go away.

If she lied, and that is a big "if", then she has caused the president of the IMF to lose his job.  She has caused the front-runner for the presidency of France to fall out of the race.  She has brought public humiliation to a man who did nothing.

If she lied...

Today in Minnesota, 20,000 public employees lost their jobs.  All of the state parks are closed.

I think the public should have a button that is issued to every voter.  Once 51% of the voters push that button, all of the politicians are thrown out on their ears.

Here is a shout-out to Mark.  He's a friend of mine that keeps taking advantage of the fact that I am an Oakland A's fan and he is a Red Sox fan.  We used to bet every year before I noticed a trend...I always lost.  I still owe him from at least one bet.

Mark, I'll pay up when my interest in baseball returns.  So long as teams are able to buy championships, I'd rather watch ex-movie stars sell purses on QVC.  Thanks for your patience.

Onward...

The military is working on micro-aircraft that can carry cameras.  Can you imagine lettinga bucket full of these things loose in a war zone?  You'd be able to see everything and the enemy would never know you are there.

The NBA has joined the NFL in a lockout.  I can't bring myself to care much about either program.  Millionaires arguing about millions.

Mitt Romney is on the news saying, "I never said that Obama made the recession worse."  Every news channel that shows this statement then goes on to show three clips where Romney says, "Obama made the recession worse."  He plays with the facts almost as much as Michele Bachmann.

Pat Robertson says that Gay Marriage is a warning that God is going to destroy America.  Where do these guys get this stuff?  Is God sending him text messages or is it possible that Pat is just making some of this stuff up.

Have a happy and safe 4th!

Look for my silhouette against the backdrop of fireworks.  I'll be the one with the cape.

Up, up and away...

jim

Here is the bomb video...

http://youtu.be/xBNcYvVytkI

The Denial is not a river in Egypt...

This just in:  The GOP is now openly admitting to holding the Debt Ceiling hostage.

I watched yesterday as they stated that threatening to not raise the debt ceiling was the only "leverage" they had to get the budget concessions they want.  At the same time, they acknowledge that the debt ceiling is otherwise not related to the current budget.

I believe I made this very point over a month ago.

I also said that the "tax break for the rich" portion of the GOP plan was the real issue, not Medicare.  Medicare was just a bit of "misdirection." This has also turned out to be the case.  Medicare, and all entitlements, should be looked at.  But now everyone (but the GOP) is agreeing with me when I say, "Revenue is the issue, not spending."

A quick break for a funny picture...

News Flash:  For months, I have been saying that the Republican Party is intentionally blocking the country's economic progress in order to increase their chances of a victory in 2012.  Yesterday, for the first time, I have heard that same idea suddenly occur to several congressmen and political analysts.

So there you have it.  Here is where you can get tomorrow's news today.

Onward...

Here is a link to comedian Steven Wright's one-liners.

Here are a couple of products I saw advertised on TV within 30 minutes of each other:

WONDERFILE: This is a blanket with pockets in it.  You can unfold it on your desk (covering the entire thing) and see pockets where you can put stuff.  They even show a business man packing up his "blanket" for the night.  I'm wondering why this is better than a briefcase.

PAJAMAJEANS: These are jean-looking pants that are really "comfortable."  They are comfortable because they expand with you.  This will allow you to by a pair of pants at a smaller size and then stretch them over the "real" you.  I would call these SELFESTEEMJEANS.

TOTAL PILLOW: This is a donut shaped pillow that can be twisted into shapes to fit your need.  What caught my attention was the "wait there is more" comment.  By ordering now,you can get a plastic bag filled with a gel.  You can heat this or freeze it and then use it as a compress.  I'm thinking, "How is this different from a bag of water?"  And then they go one to say, you can get two for one if you order now (say quickly ->plus additional shipping and handling.)

Elsewhere...

A study of the 26 states that are the worse off financially have found that for the last decade, they have been spending 2-3 times what they are taking in.  Their debt is made up of 75% pension obligations and 25% bonds.  Last year, unfunded pension obligations rose by 50%.

This has given rise to a new term: State Arbitrage.  As states try to raise revenue, people will simply leave to a neighboring state.  We have seen this in California for years; not so much with people but with companies.   They tax the big employers so they just move elsewhere.  In some cases, they still keep their headquarters here but all of the jobs move to a more friendly place.

On a brighter note: Glenn Beck is gone...

And Bill Clinton likes Michele Bachmann.  This is really pissing off the Republican Party as they know she is not a real candidate.  I really, really want her to be the GOP nominee.  I already have a list of gaffes.  For example, she claims our Founding Fathers fought to eliminate slavery.  When this was pointed out to her as false, she said that Quincy Adams, a small boy at they time, grew up to fight slavery so there...now you shut up.

One last "interesting" picture to get our minds off the economy and politics.

I've noticed a slight drop in readership since school ended.  That's okay.  I will continue to save the world while you are escaping from it.  I'll see you when you get back.

Here is your quote for the day: "Worry is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere"  Erma Bombeck

Time to get some air.

Up, up and away...

jim