Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

Our Recent Essays Behind the Front Page

Much Sorry with Delays
Birth, Death and All That Stuff in Between
How to Honor Labor Day, Every Day
My Yom Kippur Miracle (Repost from 2010)
Good intro to fly casting
Peach update, with pie
NYC update
Easy for you to say: To the elites on mass immigration
For NYC on 9/11, Sailors' Snug Harbor
Pickled Peaches
Water Shoes
Labor Costs in U.S.
Your "identity"
Good news about The Great Courses
Uses of Hot Pepper Jelly/Sauce, Chutneys, and Jams
A Saturday Drive to Litchfield County, CT
How to Pick a Kayak
Civilized: Fruit forks and knives
Loads of kayaking on Cape Cod
Psychology Experiments' Questionable Results

Categories


All categories

Quicksearch

Links

Blog Administration

Open login screen

RSS Readers

Add to Google

Subscribe with Bloglines

Thursday, July 9. 2015

Thursday morning links

I worked as a carnie - and possibly for the mob


21 facts about the world's youngest female billionaire


D.C. Residents Say Take Down Jefferson Memorial, Rename Washington, D.C.


Will Moshe Soon Be Able to Marry Binyamin?


Display that Confederate flag, and practice saying "transgressive," or "I wanted to start a conversation about..."


Your Electric Car is Damaging the Environment


Nobel Prize-winning scientist says Obama is ‘dead wrong’ on global warming


How much $100 is really worth in every state


Which states are in the best and worst fiscal condition?


Related, the problem is The Credit Warp


Which
states are in the best and worst fiscal condition? - See more at:
http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2015/07/which-states-are-in-the-best-and-worst-fiscal-condition.html#sthash.9XV2mNk1.dpuf

Who-d a-thunk it? SF minimum wage increased 14% and local Chipotles just raised prices by 10-14%?


The making of a Hillary Clinton echo chamber


Carr: Her emails prove it, Hillary’s just like us


Krauthammer: Clinton engaged in “a fake campaign”


The Fate of the Republican Establishment


The human cost of Obama’s immigration policy


A Modest Proposal for the New York Times - Since they desperately want someone else to pay for Greece ...


"I urge my fellow-right leaning friends to root for the crazy socialists. Send Syriza some tri-corner hats."


Human rights abuses in Cuba will not slow normalization of diplomatic relations, U.S. says


Obama facing bipartisan criticism for meeting with Vietnam’s Communist Party head



Posted by Bird Dog in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 05:33 | Comments (27) | Trackbacks (0)

Trackbacks
Trackback specific URI for this entry

No Trackbacks

Comments
Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)

re rename Washington DC

I'm all for that.

How about Cesspool?

Or Grifteropolis perhaps?
#1 feeblemind on 2015-07-09 09:55 (Reply)
I agree. Naming such a city that houses such an affront to the freedom he fought so hard for is a travesty.
#1.1 mudbug on 2015-07-09 10:11 (Reply)
Well said, mudbug. Precisely what I was thinking.
#1.1.1 feeblemind on 2015-07-09 10:16 (Reply)
Ground Zero.
#1.1.1.1 John the River (Link) on 2015-07-09 10:18 (Reply)
The Dismal Swamp.
#1.1.1.1.1 Sam L. on 2015-07-09 13:59 (Reply)
Shi'Theadoplis
#1.2 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2015-07-09 10:57 (Reply)
I guess we may as well plan on renaming the White House too.....
#1.3 John McB on 2015-07-09 12:52 (Reply)
Been done.

The Red Shed.
#1.3.1 John the River (Link) on 2015-07-09 20:13 (Reply)
I fully expect a new flag, new Constitution, and new anthem in my lifetime. Perhaps even a new name for the country.
#1.4 ErisGuy on 2015-07-10 05:55 (Reply)
Re: human rights abuses slowing diplomatic normalization with Cuba

I doubt it. Obummer has had very little interest in human rights in the US so I doubt it interests him in Cuba.
#2 mudbug on 2015-07-09 10:15 (Reply)
Regarding the ridiculous idea of renaming your capital city, may I as a Canadian offer an observation?

If such a thing occurred, the date would provide historians as the exact moment when the US ceased to matter in the tide of human affairs.

When a country jettisons its cornerstone national myths, it abandons its identity.

 I mean myth in its truest sense here: "a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon". And I mean no slur on American national mythology. Every country has its own.
#3 JJM on 2015-07-09 10:54 (Reply)
it was all over for you people when we stole Gretzky.
#3.1 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2015-07-09 11:25 (Reply)
That's OK.

You got stuck with Jim Carrey too.
#3.1.1 JJM on 2015-07-09 12:16 (Reply)
Your points are well taken, JJM.

However, I would suggest that abandoning our national identity is exactly what the Left wants. Recall they said the Constitution was written by a bunch of 'dead white guys'. They have said we should be one nation among many and we should 'lead from behind'. They spit on and denigrate everything that is/was great about America, myth or not, and there is nothing little people like us can do about it.

Our comments about renaming DC are just gallows humor. We all know that.

But anymore? I can see DC being renamed something insipid like Rainbow City, and I would speculate it's getting near the point where we cease to matter in the tide of human affairs.

I hope I am wrong. I wish I wasn't so pessimistic.
#3.2 feeblemind on 2015-07-09 11:33 (Reply)
speak for yourself. this isn't gallows humor to me. I'm ridiculing an asshatted idea. Shi'Tonya City is just as good.

the only thing I'm worried about is how conservatives are turning into worried little snowflakes.
#3.2.1 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2015-07-09 11:47 (Reply)
The story about Chipotle means nothing to libs. In fact, they want restaurants to raise prices in order to pay a 'fair wage.' So this revelation about Chipotle will not stop their demands for a higher minimum wage.

What makes more sense is to point out the worker will get more per hour, but his money will now buy less because prices will go up across the city. This is something subtle that has to be tracked. For example, prices of many things the lower-income people buy for their everyday existence before and after the minimum wage goes into effect. And then you have to show how their purchasing power has stayed the same even though their wage has increaed.

Those kinds of facts and figures aren't as 'sexy' as the simple (and bad) math the libs do all day long.

They think, "So what if I have to pay a dollar more for my burrito? At least the Chipotle worker is now making $X more per day!" They will NEVER look at the cost of goods going up as harmful to the actual minimum wage worker.
#4 MissT on 2015-07-09 12:00 (Reply)
From abc news:

Former President George W. Bush charged $100,000 to speak at a charity fundraiser for U.S. military veterans severely wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, and former First Lady Laura Bush collected $50,000 to appear a year earlier, officials of the Texas-based Helping a Hero charity confirmed to ABC News.

The former President was also provided with a private jet to travel to Houston at a cost of $20,000, the officials said.

One of the wounded vets who served on the charity’s board told ABC News he was outraged that his former commander in chief would charge any fee to speak on behalf of men and women he ordered into harm's way.

“For him to be paid to raise money for veterans that were wounded in combat under his orders, I don’t think that’s right,” said former Marine Eddie Wright, who lost both hands in a rocket attack in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004.

“You sent me to war,” added Wright speaking of the former President. “I was doing what you told me to do, gladly for you and our country and I have no regrets. But it’s kind of a slap in the face."

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-veterans-charity-george-bush-charged-100000/story?id=32251253
#5 feeblemind on 2015-07-09 12:01 (Reply)
it's not a slap in the face.

being a wounded Marine doesn't make him an intelligent one. according to the news report, he was on the charity's board of directors (he's not listed as a current board member), he should have made a stronger case to the other board members (who are either veterans or people with an established record of assisting veterans) for not needing the millions of dollars that Bush generated for Helping a Hero. in fact, this wouldn't have saved the charity a single dollar, since Bush's speaking fees were paid by a third party. his thinking is inexplicable. the only thing the board should be looking at is the bottom line.

QUOTE:
A lawyer for Helping a Hero, Christopher Tritico, said he could not answer why former President George W. Bush did not speak for free.

“I think it's a valid question for the former President,” he said. “It's not a valid question for a charity who raised an extra million dollars.”

According to the charity’s yearly reports to the IRS, it raised about $2,450,000, after expenses, from the 2012 gala where President Bush spoke. The following year, the gala netted the charity substantially less, about $1,000,000.

Speaking and traveling fees for the former President were paid by the charity, but the amount was underwritten by a private donor, the charity lawyer said.
#5.1 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2015-07-09 12:58 (Reply)
Is is a valid question of W. One would hope and expect that at least some of it was donated to some good cause, but we're not likely to know if he did.
#5.1.1 mudbug on 2015-07-09 13:13 (Reply)
it's a personal question that he doesn't have to and shouldn't ever answer.

a man's charitable life -- and no one here know what he does in toto -- is between his conscience, God, and perhaps the IRS.
#5.1.1.1 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2015-07-09 15:20 (Reply)
I agree completely. People who are truly charitable do not publicize it. Unfortunately, that can lead to less than charitable optics such as the situation we're discussing.
#5.1.1.1.1 mudbug on 2015-07-09 15:49 (Reply)
blame the media. the reporter looked for disgruntled vet who wanted to rage on.
#5.1.1.1.1.1 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2015-07-09 16:25 (Reply)
I would speculate Bush makes more money in a year I will make in a lifetime and yet he still feels the need to skim donations from the little people. It’s just despicable. One expects it from the Left, but I thought there was a tad more decency on the Right. But that assumption is false. It's all about the looting.
#5.1.2 feeblemind on 2015-07-09 13:14 (Reply)
your income is of no interest to anyone.

"skimming" and "looting" are crimes, you're accusing Bush of a felony because what? you're jealous? you don't know how charities work? something on your conscience? I can't figure out your motive here.

what part of "underwritten by a private donor" do you not understand (trick question, you understand nothing). the charity didn't pay Bush anything, someone else provided the funds. the charity netted (that means, they took in more money than they paid out) over a million bucks.

is that a little more clear? buy Accounting for Dummies if it isn't.
#5.1.2.1 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2015-07-09 15:29 (Reply)
Shouldn't people be angry at the charity for paying the $100K and agreeing to the plane trip costs? Instead, they are penalizing the speaker. Doesn't make sense to me.

Just like Hillary receiving huge sums from universities...the university should be getting the angry phone calls about wasteful spending of student fees rather than Hillary. She made a demand. They met the demand.

Maybe Bush typically charges 3 times what he charged this group for a speech. Maybe the charity begged him to appear and sweetened the pot with the free flight. Who knows.
#5.2 MissT on 2015-07-09 15:11 (Reply)
if you read the story, you'll see that the charity didn't pay Bush anything, a private party paid his fees and travel.

a charity like that has a board of directors who are charged with properly running the organization, making sound decisions on where to spend money. paying a speaker's fee and netting 10x or 20x the amount laid out is a damn fine investment.

the same thing happened when the Hildabeest charged Univ.Nevada Las Vegas $200,000 and whatever she charged the Boy Scouts afterwards for an appearance. The college and the scouts MADE A LOT OF MONEY. it was worth the cost. this is how charities work. this shouldn't be a surprised to anyone (well, almost anyone).
#5.2.1 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2015-07-09 15:36 (Reply)
GOP leaders fear damage to party’s image as Donald Trump doubles down

Heh. A$$wipes. I hope they are sh*tting their pants.

From the article:

The head of the Republican National Committee, responding to demands from increasingly worried party leaders, spent nearly an hour Wednesday on the phone with Donald Trump, urging the presidential candidate to tone down his inflammatory comments about immigration that have infuriated a key election constituency.
The call from Chairman Reince Priebus, described by donors and consultants briefed on the conversation and confirmed by the RNC, underscores the extent to which Trump has gone from an embarrassment to a cause for serious alarm among top Republicans in Washington and nationwide.

...

Priebus’s decision to reach out to Trump came after days of talks with Republican donors and officials about how best to manage Trump’s outsize presence on the airwaves. Many financiers who are influential at the RNC have been fuming about Trump’s ascent and told Priebus that he must ensure that the RNC’s efforts over the past year to win more of the Hispanic vote is not harmed.
#6 feeblemind on 2015-07-09 12:39 (Reply)

Add Comment
(Your e-mail will not show in your comment)

By commenting on this site you agree to the site rules listed here. Email
addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for email notifications.

Quick reference guide: [i] italics [/i], [b] bold [/b], [u] underline [/u],
[url] (web address) [/url]. More tips here.

Enclosing asterisks marks text as bold (*word*), underscore are made via _word_.
E-Mail addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for E-Mail notifications.

To prevent automated Bots from commentspamming, please enter the string you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly.
CAPTCHA

BBCode format allowed
 
 
A Chris Southern Consulting website.