We are the Borg. Resistance is futile. No kidding -- zoom all the way to the end and check it out if you can't bear to watch the whole thing.
At what point, I wonder, will the wretched excess become so awful that even Obama's more adult, halfway rational supporters will start to feel embarrassed?
Here's a takeoff on the video.
(Via The
Is this one of those cases in which a public official lets down his guard and accidentally blurts out the truth? Because of people wanting to vote early or file for tax extensions, the city-county parking garage took in about $30,000 in October, about $10,000 more than the monthly average. But the 932-space garage had only an average December, and January is expected to be sub-par, so the facility is going to be a money-loser again this year, which is a continuing concern to one official:
Some Hoosier lawmakers discover an economic-development incentive:
State Reps. Jackie Walorski (R-Jimtown) and Wes Culver (R-Goshen) want cargo trailers sold to out-of-state consumers to be exempt from Indiana's gross retail tax.
[. . .]
Indiana has public access laws that say we have the right to attend most government meetings and see most government information, since it is, you know, our government and our information. But officials don't always obey the law, because there are no real penalties. Maybe that will change now:
Rats. Obama and Roberts re-did the oath, so now we won't have four years of "he's not really president, so nothing counts" hysteria the way we did after the Supreme Court "stole the election" for Bush in 2000.
After a flawless recitation that included no Bible and took 25 seconds, Roberts smiled and said, "Congratulations, again."
Today is the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, one of the worst Supreme Court decisions in history. Why would even "right to choose" advocates celebrate such an abomination? But NOW apparently is. The headline on this AP story is a little misleading -- "U.S. abortion debate altered by Obama presidency" -- but the story itself gets it right:
Moving is one of the worst experiences of human existence. Everything you've spent years accumulating and arranging to perfection suddenly has to be packed up and hauled away. It's a process that consumes weeks, and often you have to think so much about the new place -- how can I possibly fit this couch in that living room, and didn't there seem to be more cupboard space when we signed the papers? -- that any semblance of a normal life in the old place is impossible.
I worked at McDonald's throughout much of my high school era, and a manager once told me I should seriously think about a career with the chain. Naturally, I dismissed such an absurd idea. Nell Pierce-Boykin of Stockbridge, Ga., was smarter and has just retired at 72 from Mickey D's:
Another reason we can't do without newspapers. This hardhitting article in USA Today tells us how to wash our hands!
Popular alcohol hand gels aren't as effective as soap and water, but they're better than nothing, Smith says.
Soap and water help dislodge dirt, bacteria and viruses so they "can go down the drain," he says. With gels, "the bacteria has nowhere to go."
Yesterday, I expressed the opinion that the pilot of the flight that landed in the Hudson, though he saved the day, wasn't really a "hero" -- he was in the right place to do what he was supposed to do and did it. Now comes a local example of what a hero is, two men who went out of their way to save a man in a burning car, though they could have been caught ina an explosion by doing so:
Larry DeBoer, Purdue University professor of agricultural economics, explains to Clark County officials that the "circuit breaker" system of property tax caps now in play in Indiana means officials in all taxing districts of a county are going to have to work together:
What a crock. What is the assumption here, that everyone has memory loss or attention deficit as they get older?
Are you always forgetting important dates and occasions? Good news! Soon a memory enhancing pill will be available over-the-counter to help you out.
The portable TV next to my computer terminal is tuned to the Inaugural. Three quick thoughts:
1. The announcer sounds like one of those guys telling us about the daredevil races: "Be sure to come to the track this Sunday, SUNday, SUNDAY, for THRILLS, SPILLS and CHILLS." When the vice president-elect came down, I almost expected to hear: "Biden, BiDEN, BIDEN."
2. They chickened out on "Barack Hussein Obama" and went with Barack H. Obama.
3. No hats, again. Sorry, haberdashers.
The horse died, Mike; leave it alone:
Sen. Mike Delph (R-Carmel) today filed what he calls "one of the toughest illegal immigration bills in the country" aimed at punishing those who harbor, transport or employ illegal immigrants in Indiana.
I know the Inauguration is the hottest story around, and every newspaper and TV station in the country is scrambling for any angle to make the coverage special, but this does seem like a reach:
While many folks amass in the cold of Washington, D.C., or gather in front of television sets to witness the swearing-in of President-elect Barack Obama today, one former Anderson resident received a personal invitation to attend a presidential inauguration more than 30 years ago.
Some people are horrified that tickets for Barack Obama's Inauguration have been --gasp! -- scalped:
“I believe the scalping of inaugural tickets runs contrary to the spirit of this historic Inauguration,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the Rules Committee chairwoman who has introduced legislation to bar their sale.
Other sites will give you all the political trivia, such as the inaugeration and the war on terror and how many billions the president will want to spend on any given day. But you should check here periodically for the really important Obama Watch stuff. On the negative side today, the president intends to commit an atrocity, and if he truly wants to connect with ordinary Americans, he should reconsider:
Before any Fort Wayne officials get the bright idea to copy this, they might want to look into the legality of restricting parking on publicly financed streets:
Parking in front of your neighbor's house overnight is now against the law in Richardson.
Gov. Mitch Daniels, looking at a tight budget for the next couple of years, is proposing only two new building projects -- expansion of a couple of correctional faclities in order to add 1,200 beds to the state's prison capacity. This doesn't over too well with some Democrats:
The state beverage of Albama is Conecuh Ridge Alabama Fine Whiskey. Nice! It's milk in Arkansas and Delaware and a lot of other states. Boring but defensible. It's orange juice in Florida, naturally. It's tomato juice in Ohio, tea in South Carolina and Kool-Aid in Nebraska.
