Maggie's Farm

Christmas shopping: All I bought yesterday was some wine. Nothing expensive, but I hate to show up at places with nothing in my hand. And it's snowing hard again this morning. Snow in the city is a lovely thing, and all gals look good in long black wool coats and furry hats.

Winter Solstice at Newgrange.

Christmastime is mating season? No. Every day is mating time.

Not my forefathers' Cape Cod. Who let these people over my bridge?

Mugabe holds his annual 124 cow feast.

Pre-industrial CO2 levels were same as now. How come nobody says so?

The war against Rush begins. He's too popular, too smart, and too amusing.

Kristof:

We liberals are personally stingy. Liberals show tremendous compassion in pushing for generous government spending to help the neediest people at home and abroad. Yet when it comes to individual contributions to charitable causes, liberals are cheapskates

Hilarious. Steyn on Bailoutistan

Hilarious. Terrapass at Powerline. A greenie scam if there ever was one.

Government TARP funds used to pay bonuses? I have a problem with that.

Wierd medical story du jour

China after 30 years of reform. Forbes

The NYT loves the soda tax. How about a chai latte tax for them? Maybe a kiche tax too.

Ace prediction: No complaints about Obama deficits

This is like many of our towns in the USA too: Recycling stuff goes to landfills. No market for garbage. If there were, they'd pay us for it.

The '97 tax break on home capital gains, and the housing bubble.

Good point at Conspiracy re card check. I wonder this: If 51% wanted to get rid of a union, could they?

I know the law is the law, but should you go to jail for dirty pictures? How different is that from going to jail for having dirty thoughts?

What governments do - NYS:

“Taxing the wealthy is probably going to be part of the solution if the deficit gets any worse, and all indications are that it probably will,” Mr. Paterson said during a wide-ranging conversation late last week. “If the deficit starts to grow again, then we’re out of moves. I’ve cut as much as I could.”

The governor said that increasing taxes on the rich should be “the last place you want to go, because it automatically kicks in less job creation and leads to people leaving the state, but that risk could become a reality if we have further deficit problems.”

With the state’s financial outlook growing bleaker, a sense that a tax increase for the wealthy is inevitable seems to be taking hold among lawmakers in Albany, where many Democrats have expressed support for such a step.

"I cut as much as I could." BS. "Don't tax you. Don't tax me. Tax the guy behind the tree." That is how states commit suicide - by punishing the earners. NYS is one giant political boondoggle. NYC is a good place to visit, but working here is like serfdom to the city and state unless you are so rich that you don't care.

Image via Theo