Archive for July, 2010

Brett Noel

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Joe Bell

It may be emotionally satisfying for Republicans to place the blame for the nation’s financial crisis solely at the feet of President Barack Obama and the congressional Democrats but it would be dishonest to do so. Undoubtedly the president and his party have made matters worse since taking the reins of power but nations do not embark on a downward trajectory without warning. President Obama and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi represent the logical destination of the path America has traveled for many years. They took the baton previous administrations – of both parties – carried and are continuing down the same road. America is not in the midst of a one party calamity.

The July 18, CNN interview with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell demonstrates why many conservatives are increasingly wary of the GOP. Several of his statements clarify the results of recent Gallup and Rasmussen polls.

Grand Party indeed.

A July 1, Rasmussen poll revealed 35.4 percent of Americans identify themselves as Democrats; 33 percent consider themselves Republicans; 31.6 percent identify themselves as unaffiliated.

In June, a Gallup poll found 42 percent of Americans consider themselves conservative while 20 percent consider themselves liberal.

McConnell, as leader of the Senate Republicans, may wonder why the GOP, which is considered the conservative party, cannot claim the full 42 percent of those who place themselves on the ideological right. A review of the CNN transcript and the Republican record of leadership provides the answer.

During the interview McConnell criticized the Obama administration’s “gargantuan spending spree.” The criticism is justified. Read the rest of this entry »

Bob Franken

Who knew Steve Jobs had so much in common with Sarah Palin? Or Michelle Bachmann or the others shouting from their Tea cups.

All of them despise the media for daring to shed harsh light on their crusades as they crush anyone in their way who might want to erect a few barriers of truth to confront their steamrollers.

I'm Steve Jobs and I approve this message. Kinda, sorta, not really

These hated troublemakers are the ones who insist on asking the tough questions and reporting the embarrassing answers and/or deceptions from those politicians and entrepreneurs who have gotten used to spreading their messages with no resistance whatsoever.

As the cliche goes, if the reflection is ugly, they want to break the mirror. In Jobs‘ case, when his corporate hands are caught in the IPhone 4 “Death Position”, blocking the antenna which causes the embarrassing loss of cellphone reception, he bitterly hurls attacks at the journalist pests, saying “…when you see someone get successful, you just want to tear it down”.

Read the rest of this entry »

Jill Ciminillo

I love playing the role of taxi driver when I have a test car. As a single woman, I sometimes have a very singular view of the cars I drive. But you put a firefighter or a mom in the passenger seat, and you get a whole new perspective.

This week, I had a mother or two car-seat-sized children in the jump seat, and she fairly oozed all over the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox. The very first thing she pointed out was the amount of rear legroom, which is perfect for a Snap N Go car seat. Or two as the as the case may be.

2010 Chevrolet Equinox

She currently drives a Lexus GX 460, and she said that 3-row behemoth doesn’t have this kind of room.

One downside of the huge legroom, however: It’s really hard to reach the toys if they fall on the floor.

She didn’t check out the rear cargo area, but I suspect the 31.4 cubic-feet of cargo volume is more than adequate to fit a stroller. It was certainly more than enough space for my gym bag, yoga mat and running gear. And the optional cargo cover ($245) is a must if you plan to leave anything in your car and park outside (says the girl who’s had her car broken into twice when a cargo cover wasn’t available).

Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Calabrese

Well! Treat unemployed Americans like infants who can’t take care of themselves, you’re some sort of compassionate hero. Treat them like adults who are responsible for their own destiny, you’re . . . er, well, you can read the comments for yourself.

Yesterday I wrote that most of the unemployed deserve their fate. This predictably provoked the sort of comments I usually only get when I criticize pot smokers. Today, I double down on my argument.

Calabrese, you heartless bastard!

Let’s start with a proposition: Every individual is responsible for making his or her own way in the world. There’s no shame in seeking help, and in fact, it’s often wise to do so. But the decisions you must make and the actions you must take in order to be able to provide for yourself ultimately come back to you.

There are lots of ways to earn money. You can secure and maintain employment. You can start and build a business. You can function as an independent contractor. It’s up to you what you do and how you do it. Obviously, you need to make your choice with due consideration to your actual abilities, but this, too, is part of your responsibility. I am good at writing. (OK, a lot of yesterday’s commenters don’t think so, but it’s working for me so far.) If I try to make my living as an engineer, that is not going to work very well. And it’s my responsibility to know that.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Calabrese

Whose fault is it if you’re unemployed? Chances are, it’s your own damn fault. Not that anyone could make President Obama understand this, but it’s true and you know it.

And when it comes to the question of whether you should get yet another extension of your unemployment benefits, you know perfectly well that Obama’s characterization of you as just an unlucky, hard-working guy is Bolshevik.

Meow! Bob, you're gonna be late for work again! Oh, what's the use?

Forget for a moment that Obama’s own budgets are saddling the nation with annual deficits in excess of $1 trillion for the next decade. Forget for a moment that when you sign up for unemployment benefits, you are told they will come in a limited duration, after which you had better be earning your own money somehow.

These things matter. The federal government cannot continue indefinitely extending unemployment benefits that are not designed to be paid indefinitely.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bob Batz

I hate those “how to” stories I see all the time on TV and in newspapers and magazines.

You know the ones I’m talking about. They promise to show readers how to do everything from cook a turkey to paint a living room.

Don't need 'em.

Just yesterday there was a story in my favorite daily newspaper with the headline “HOW TO GET MORE OUT OF WATCHING TV.”

Hey, I already know how to do that. I simply throw on my worst pair of blue jeans, don my favorite t-shirt – the one with the slogan “I listen to the voices in my tackle box”- and pop the top on an ice cold beer.

That same newspaper also featured a story recently with tips on how to buy a towel. Hey, I’m not the brightest bulb in the gymnasium but I think I know how to buy a towel.

Read the rest of this entry »

Gregory D. Lee

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) recently charged the “Tea Party” with racism, citing its “continued tolerance for bigotry and bigoted statements,” according to Benjamin Todd Jealous, the president of the NAACP.  You have got to be kidding.

It's in the name.

Back when the NAACP was formed, all blacks referred to themselves as “colored people.” The term was not inserted into the name to promote the social and economic well being of whites, Hispanics, Asians, or American Indians. Other races were specifically excluded. The mere existence of such an organization tends to prove it’s a racist organization because it exists solely to promote blacks.

Contrast the NAACP with the Tea Party. True, the majority of its members are white, but the party does not exist to promote whites.

Read the rest of this entry »

Herman Cain

The NAACP is doing the dirty work for the failed policies of the Obama Administration and the Congressional Democrats. Accusing the Tea Party movement as being racist shifts (S) the attention from the mishandling of the Gulf oil tragedy, the failed $862 billion stimulus spending bill, the lack of private sector job growth and an economy stuck on stalled.

Behold the blue-eyed Aryan devil. Wait a minute . . .

The NAACP’s accusation also shifts attention away from the problems in the black community which they ignore (I) in their name calling (N) rhetoric, such as increased high school drop-out rates, increased incarceration rates, increased out-of-wedlock birth rates and unemployment rates among blacks that are 50 percent higher than the national average.

Read the rest of this entry »

Joe Bell

America is a confused nation. The simplest questions that were once considered answered are today debated with a seriousness that would rival Moses upon his return from the mountain. There is even a sense of bewilderment over a question that was decided thousands of years ago: What is marriage?

On July 8, a federal judge in Boston struck down the 1996 federal law that defines marriage as a union between a man and woman. Judge Joseph Tauro said the Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law by President Bill Clinton, violates the rights of same sex couples as well as the federal tradition that permits states to establish their own marriage laws. Same sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts in 2004.

This decision illustrates a misunderstanding of the issue on at least two points. First, marriage should not be a state issue – it belongs in the federal arena. Second, Tauro and those who support gay marriage approach the topic from a civil rights perspective even though it is not a civil rights issue. Read the rest of this entry »