Maggie's Farm

Europe starts confiscating private pension funds

Heh - it's already happened here in the US. Teachers and state workers in CT contribute into their pension funds with a matching portion by the state - supposedly those contributions are put into investment funds to future benefits. Not so.

The Legislature has, for many years, put these contributions into the General Fund and spent them - leaving the future liability unfunded or on a per year basis. It took the threat of a real strike by state workers (and teachers - they were that pissed off) to get the Legislature to sell bonds to fund the pensions that were due - including their own contributions which were not minor. Other states have done much the same so in a sense, it's already here.

In CT, we also have a 32 billion dollar liability in bank holding abandoned/found moneys - things like expired insurance policies, dead letter bank accounts, etc. These expired monetary properties are supposed to be held by the state for dispersal when the owners are found or a claim is made. Unfortunately, the Legislature has spent all of that too, plus the holdings for 2009/10 which adds another billion or so to the debt.

Note that our legislature has been true blue for many years. :>)

Palin isn't electable backed by RINOs or not. And there are reasons for it.

For starters, she has the most annoying voice of any politician ever - she sounds like a nagging shrew. Or Snookie without the Jersey accent. She seriously needs a voice coach to help her tone that down - a lot. Listening to her speak is like running fingernails down a chalkboard.

Palin has and projects a good deal of sex appeal - which automatically puts her in bad graces with women of all political persuasions. There is no Plain Jane about Sarah Palin. She's the girl all the other girls in high school hated because she was the best looking, most talented, etc.

She is a mother and has juggled that with her political responsibilities very nicely which is also a negative for most women - those who pretend that they are liberated and capable of balancing the many facets of life, love and profession and yet are completely and totally inept at it. She handled the whole Bristol kerfuffle adeptly and with no little inter-personal skill - another negative.

She is married to a good looking guy - outdoors type (like she is), she is fit (consider how old Trig was when she was nominated and how trim she was), she seems to breeze through the responsibilities of life easily and with little effort - everything to hate about her regardless of her political views.

Just these three things put her on a huge uphill climb to acceptability and I'm not sure its doable. Maybe for 2016, but not for 2012.

The simple truth is this - if Sarah Palin were a Democrat, she'd be in the same boat as she is as a Republican.

In my opinion, Palin would be much better off being the de-facto head of the Tea Party, keep her high profile endorsements and statements as they are, keep the folksy jocular attitude going and be the head of the RNC - in other words be a successful behind the scenes player and power broker - that is where she can help Republicans the most and have the most impact.

I am not expressing anything, or speaking for any group, other than that based on engaging in observing conservative and liberal women discussing Palin in various professional and social settings.

Well, originally, the term "junk" was a nautical term - basically old or used materials like not quite long enough pieces of rope, cracked but usable belaying pins, clothes, fittings, etc. In fact, the term junk shop meant the room in the ship chandlers building that held this stuff or "junk".

The Urban Dictionary describes junk as: "a little more than badonkadonk but less extreme than having an SUV in the pants."

How it became synonymous with male geniltalia, I have no clue. :>)