Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

17 Cities Axed On D.C. Flight Routes

Detroit, Minneapolis, San Diego and 14 other cities will lose their direct American Airlines flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the newly merged airline announced Wednesday, blaming the cuts on slots it had to give up as a condition of its merger with US Airways.

American is also cutting three direct flights from New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

The airline said it will announce the timing of the changes “in the coming weeks.”

It has to surrender some of its slots at both airports and others nationwide under an agreement late last year with the Justice Department, which had sued to block the merger on the grounds that it would give the new American Airlines too much control over much of the nation’s aviation market. Many of those slots will probably be scooped up by low-cost competitors like Southwest and JetBlue — but whatever airlines win those slots will decide which cities to serve.
More


Old Sea Story

There's an old sea story about a ship's Captain 
Who inspected his sailors, and afterward told 
The first mate that his men smelled bad... 

The Captain suggested perhaps it would 
Help if the sailors would change underwear 
Occasionally.
The first mate responded, "Aye, aye sir, 
I'll see to it immediately!"

The first mate went straight to the sailorsBerth deck and announced, "The Captain 
Thinks you guys smell bad and wants you 
To change your underwear."

He continued, 

"Pittman, you change with Jones, 
McCarthy, you change with Witkowski, 
And Brown, you change with Schultz." 

THE MORAL OF THE STORY:
Someone may come along and promise 
"Change",
But don't count on things smelling any better.

First Grader Told To Stop Talking About Bible

The parents of a six-year-old girl said their daughter was humiliated when a teacher interrupted the child’s one-minute speech and told her to sit down because she’s “not allowed to talk about the Bible in school,” attorneys for the California family allege.

The incident occurred Dec. 19 inside a first grade classroom at Helen Hunt-Jackson Elementary School in Temecula, Calif. The previous day the teacher instructed boys and girls to find something at home that represented a family Christmas tradition. They were supposed to bring the item to school and share the item in a classroom presentation.

Brynn Williams decided to bring the Star of Bethlehem that adorned the top of her family’s Christmas tree. She also worked on a one minute presentation to explain that her family’s tradition is to remember the birth of Jesus at Christmas time.
More

Humane Society Of Wicomico County Hosts Its 2nd Annual Valentine’s Cotillion

Salisbury, Md. – The Humane Society of Wicomico County is hosting its 2nd Annual Valentine’s Cotillion on Saturday, February 15 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. The event will be held at the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center in the DaNang Room. Featured events include dinner, dancing and a silent auction. DJ Wookie will provide musical entertainment.

The event serves as a fundraiser for the Humane Society. Proceeds raised will assist in caring for the animals in the shelter. The Humane Society of Wicomico County is a 501(c) (3) non-profit corporation that depends on donations to care for the animals. Only a portion of the annual shelter budget is provided by Wicomico County and the City of Salisbury.

Tickets are $40 per person or a table of 8 is only $275. Purchase tickets before January 24 for only $35 per person or $250 for a table of 8. For tickets, please stop by the Humane Society at 5130 Citation Drive or contact Kayla atevents@wicomicohumane.org.

AFTER LOSING HIS WIFE TO CANCER, A WIDOWER DECIDED TO EAT ALONE AT A RESTAURANT FOR THE FIRST TIME — WHAT HE DID BEFORE HE LEFT MADE PEOPLE CRY

Lee Ballantyne lost his wife, Carol, just before New Year’s Eve. They had been married 43 years.

A week after her death, commencing with days and nights filled with many firsts, Ballantyne did something strangely novel: He ate alone at a restaurant.

At Cicco’s Ristorante north of Toronto, the widower saw something that brought memories of Carol flooding into his mind — a couple sitting next him who reminded Ballantyne of his marriage of nearly half a century.
More

Troopers Investigate Robbery Of Greenville Bank

Location: PNC Bank, 3840 Kennett Pike, Greenville, DE

Date of Occurrence: Wednesday, January 15, 2014, at 2:33 p.m.

Suspect: White male, approximately 5'9" tall, thin build, with a full beard, tattoo on left wrist, possibly a tattoo on right wrist.
Images from video surveillance attached.

Resume:
Greenville – Troopers are investigating a robbery of the PNC Bank, 3840 Kennett Pike, that occurred this afternoon.

The incident occurred at 2:33 p.m. when a white male suspect entered the bank and presented a demand note to a 33-year-old female teller. The teller complied and turned over cash, and the suspect fled.

No one was injured during this incident.

If anyone has any information in reference to this robbery, they are asked to contact the Troop 2 Robbery Unit at 302-834-2630 extension 6, or by utilizing the Delaware State Police Mobile Crime Tip Application available to download at: http://www.delaware.gov/apps/. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."

Dog And Owner Perform A Cute Grease Dance Routine

Crime Solvers 01/14 - 02/14

WHY ATHLETES CAN'T HAVE REGULAR JOBS

1. Chicago Cubs outfielder Andre Dawson on being a role model:
"I wan' all dem kids to do what I do, to look up to me. I wan' all the kids to copulate me."

2. New Orleans Saint RB George Rogers when asked about the upcoming season:
"I want to rush for 1,000 or 1,500 yards, whichever comes first.."

3. And, upon hearing Joe Jacobi of the 'Skin's say:
"I'd run over my own mother to win the Super Bowl,"
Matt Millen of the Raiders said: "To win, I'd run over Joe's Mom, too."

4. Torrin Polk, University of Houston receiver, on his coach, John Jenkins:
"He treat us like mens. He let us wear earrings.."

5. Football commentator and former player Joe Theismann:
"Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein."

6. Senior basketball player at the University of Pittsburgh :
"I'm going to graduate on time, no matter how long it takes.."
(Now that is beautiful)

7. Bill Peterson, a Florida State football coach:
"You guys line up alphabetically by height.."
And, "You guys pair up in groups of three, and then line up in a circle."

8. Boxing promoter Dan Duva on Mike Tyson going to prison:
"Why would anyone expect him to come out smarter? He went to prison for three years, not Princeton .."

9. Stu Grimson, Chicago Blackhawks left wing, explaining why he keeps a color photo of himself above his locker:
"That's so when I forget how to spell my name, I can still find my clothes."

10. Lou Duva, veteran boxing trainer, on the Spartan training regimen of heavyweight Andrew Golota:
"He's a guy who gets up at six o'clock in the morning, regardless of what time it is."

11. Chuck Nevitt , North Carolina State basketball player, explaining to Coach Jim Valvano why he appeared nervous at practice:
"My sister's expecting a baby, and I don't know if I'm going to be an uncle or an aunt. (I wonder if his IQ ever hit room temperature in January)

12. Frank Layden , Utah Jazz president, on a former player:
"I asked him, 'Son, what is it with you? Is it ignorance or apathy?'
He said, 'Coach, I don't know and I don't care.'"

13. Shelby Metcalf, basketball coach at Texas A&M, recounting what he told a player who received four F's and one D:
"Son, looks to me like you're spending too much time on one subject."

14. In the words of NC State great Charles Shackelford:
"I can go to my left or right, I am amphibious."

15. Former Houston Oilers coach Bum Phillips when asked by Bob Costas why he takes his wife on all the road trips,
Phillips responded: "Because she's too ugly to kiss good-bye."

Christian References Offend Critics At Carroll County Commissioners Meetings

You might expect to hear prayers in a church or at a memorial service, and in Carroll County, you'll hear them before every meeting of the Board of County Commissioners.

"I might say, 'Lord, I ask you that you might give us guidance and wisdom that we may make good decisions for the people of our county. I offer this prayer in the name of my personal savior, Amen,’" said Commissioner Richard Rothschild. “Now my personal view of that ... is that is not proselytizing."

But a pair of Carroll County citizens disagrees, and they filed a federal lawsuit to stop the practice.

One of them, Neil Ridgely, worked for the county for 15 years.
More

To This Day, No One Knows What Financial Firms Are Sitting on

As powerful as it may be, the Fed is not the market. And since the Fed failed to restore trust in the system by forcing all bad debts to light, the financial world has grown increasingly volatile and broken as investors grow increasingly distrustful of the system and begin to pull their money from it: see market volumes continuing to plunge.

Nowhere is the lack of trust more apparent than in the financial sector. Indeed, it was a lack of trust between banks (inter-bank lending) that caused the credit markets to jam up in 2008, which resulted in the Crash.

That lack of trust continues to this day. In the post-Lehman collapse, instead of forcing real derivative and credit risk out into the open, the Federal Reserve and regulators instead suspended accounting standards and allowed financial firms (and other corporate entities) to continue to lie about the true state of their balance sheets.

As a result of this, the financial sector remains rife with fraud and impossible to accurately value (how can you value a business that is lying about its balance sheet?).

More

AG Urging Target Customers To Use Free Credit Monitoring System

Maryland officials say almost one million people were impacted by the Target security breach involving credit and debit cards before Christmas.

The Attorney General of Maryland is now urging Target customers to use a free credit monitoring program that the retailer is offering.

Doug Gansler tells WBAL Radio that if you are a Target customer it is likely your personal information was compromised. As many as 110 million people may have been affected nationwide as a result of the breach.
More

Surprise! Walmart Health Plan Is Cheaper, Offers More Coverage Than Obamacare

New Obamacare health insurance enrollees may feel a pang of envy when they eye the coverage plans offered by Walmart to its employees.

For many years, the giant discount retailer has been the target ofunions and liberal activists who have harshly criticized the company'shealth care plans, calling them “notorious for failing to provide health benefits” and "substandard.”

But a Washington Examiner comparison of the two health insurance programs found that Walmart's plan is more affordable and provides significantly better access to high-quality medical care than Obamacare.

More

Policing Privacy: New Package Of Md. Bills Sets Limits On Crime-Fighting Devices

Technology has changed quickly in the last few decades. And law enforcement has adapted with it, using that technology to combat crime. But now some Maryland lawmakers say it is time to set some limits in order to protect citizens’ privacy.

Derek Valcourt has more on a new package of bills designed to control what police can and can’t do with technology.

The recent NSA Revelations launched a national conversation about government spying and data collection. Now some Maryland lawmakers say it’s time to put limits into state law for the first time in 25 years.

More 

The Idol Of Equality

To put equality ahead of liberty is to war against human nature.

In his famous admonition about the tyranny of the majority, Tocqueville went on to warn that “Liberty is not the chief and constant object of their desires; equality is their idol: they make rapid and sudden efforts to obtain liberty, and if they miss their aim resign themselves to their disappointment; but nothing can satisfy them except equality, and rather than lose it they resolve to perish.”

If we keep Tocqueville’s advice in mind, we can appreciate why and how the present war against personal liberty in service to mandated equality may become the greatest danger of the 21st century. The theaters of battle already extend to every segment of American life; and every weapon is employed, from government coercion to the progressive media to the Orwellian effort to change the meaning of language itself.

Millions of Americans have lost the liberty to select their own type of health insurance, purchased on their own volition to best match their own assessments of their particular needs. Obamacare — the federal government’s redistributive effort to equalize health care for all — sought to destroy the liberty of many millions in order to ensure a state-directed sameness in care for all. Note also how a redistributive plan that spiked costs, reduced care, and so far has taken away more health coverage than it has provided is named the “Affordable Care Act.” Better to call it the the “Unaffordable Uncaring Edict.”

More

Income Inequality

Democrats plan to demagogue income inequality and the wealth gap for political gain in this year's elections. Most of what's said about income inequality is stupid or, at best, ill-informed. Much to their disgrace, economists focusing on measures of income inequality bring little light to the issue. Let's look at it.

Income is a result of something. As such, results alone cannot establish whether there is fairness or justice. Take a simple example to make the point. Suppose Tom, Dick and Harry play a weekly game of poker. The result is: Tom wins 75 percent of the time. Dick and Harry, respectively, win 15 percent and 10 percent of the time. Knowing only the game's result permits us to say absolutely nothing as to whether there has been poker fairness or justice. Tom's disproportionate winnings are consistent with his being either an astute player or a clever cheater.

More

NFL Bans Daniel Defense Super Bowl Ad Response

LANGUAGE WARNING

BREAKING NEWS: F-18 crashes off coast of Virginia Beach

A single-seat Navy F-18 jet crashed 45 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, the U.S. Coast Guard confirms.

Spokesman Petty Officer David Weydert confirmed the pilot was rescued by a fishing vessel in the area. The pilot's condition is unknown at this time. PO Weydert said the USCGC ALBACORE was near the crash site, but the case will be handled by the Navy. A Navy helicopter has already responded to the scene. 
More

The Benghazi Transcripts: Top Defense Officials Briefed Obama On ‘Attack,’ Not Video Or Protest

Minutes after the American consulate in Benghazi came under assault on Sept. 11, 2012, the nation's top civilian and uniformed defense officials -- headed for a previously scheduled Oval Office session with President Obama -- were informed that the event was a "terrorist attack," declassified documents show. The new evidence raises the question of why the top military men, one of whom was a member of the president's Cabinet, allowed him and other senior Obama administration officials to press a false narrative of the Benghazi attacks for two weeks afterward.

Gen. Carter Ham, who at the time was head of AFRICOM, the Defense Department combatant command with jurisdiction over Libya, told the House in classified testimony last year that it was him who broke the news about the unfolding situation in Benghazi to then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The tense briefing -- in which it was already known that U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens had been targeted and had gone missing -- occurred just before the two senior officials departed the Pentagon for their session with the commander in chief.

More

BROWN TELLS LAWMAKERS THAT REPORTS GAVE NO WARNING OF BOTCHED HEALTH CARE ROLLOUT

ANNAPOLIS – Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown told members of the General Assembly on Tuesday that the numerous updates and reports he received as overseer of Maryland’s health care reform failed to alert him to the major glitches that would mark the Oct. 1 launch of the state’s health care exchange website.

Brown, who had touted the state’s early progress in health care legislation following the passage of the Affordable Care Act, testified before both the House Health and Government Operations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee in support of emergency health care legislation that would retroactively benefit residents who were kept from signing up for coverage due to site malfunctions.

“On Oct. 1 and the weeks following the launch, I was deeply disappointed and frustrated [that] the exchange was significantly underperforming … for thousands of Maryland families who need coverage, who expected coverage and relied on us to deliver through the exchange,” Brown told delegates.
More

WASHINGTON POST: OBAMACARE'S LIMITS ON DOCTORS WILL 'MAKE PEOPLE FURIOUS'

Washington Post health care reporter Sarah Kliff said Monday that the next wave of Obamacare outrage will hit as Obamacare enrollees discover that their choice of doctors and hospitals is about to shrink dramatically.

"Obamacare's narrow networks are going to make people furious – but they might control costs," wrote Kliff.

Narrowing a network means limiting patient choice of doctors and hospitals in an effort to cut costs. A McKinsey and Co. study says that 38% of Obamacare plans allow patients to choose from only 30% of the 20 largest hospitals in their geographic regions, with another 32% leaving patients 31%-70% of these.

Even Obamacare supporter Timothy Jost, who writes for Health Affairs, concedes Obamacare enrollees will be "unhappy to learn that their doctors are not available and shocked to discover charges from out-of-network specialists when they go to in-network hospitals."

More

2014 Firefly Music Festival Lineup Announcement


Firefly Website

GOVERNOR O’MALLEY INTRODUCES BALANCED BUDGET FOCUSED ON JOBS


Spending proposal closes half billion dollar shortfall with no new taxes or fee increases; continues strategic investments in education, health, public safety and sustainability
ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 15, 2014) – Governor Martin O’Malley and Lt. Governor Anthony Brown today released the FY 15 budget, a fiscally-responsible, jobs-focused spending plan for Maryland. Click here for the complete set of budget documents. 
The Administration’s balanced budget proposal:
  • cuts $457 million this year, bringing total cuts to $9.1 billion since 2007;
  • closes the projected $584 million revenue shortfall with no tax increases or fee increases;
  • makes more progress towards eliminating the $1.7 billion structural deficit that Gov. O’Malley inherited in 2007, and puts Maryland on track to totally eliminate that structural deficit by 2017; and,
  • ensures there is $800 million in the Rainy Day Fund (5% of the General Fund balance), and leaves a $37 million fund balance.
These actions secure Maryland’s status as one of only 7 states that maintained a AAA bond rating from all three ratings agencies during the global recession.
“This jobs budget puts us on the path to eliminating our inherited structural deficit by 2017, with no tax or fee increases, ” said Governor O’Malley. “This fiscally-responsible budget builds on the tremendous progress we’ve made as a State, strengthening our economy by supporting 48,000 jobs, protecting our  #1 in the nation schools with record investments in education, and upgrading our transportation infrastructure with modern investments.”
“Over the past eight years, Maryland has made great strides in building a stronger economy, creating jobs and growing the middle-class,” said Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown. “This budget makes the right choices by investing in our schools, including expanding pre-k, improving public safety and continuing our work to expand access to quality health care for all Marylanders while maintaining fiscal responsibility.” 
A Fiscally-Responsible Approach:
The proposal, as submitted, successfully eliminates the projected $584 million decline in revenues in the FY14 and FY15 budgets. Budget balancing actions in the FY 15 budget amount to $621 million, with $457 million in spending reductions and no taxes or fee increases. Almost three quarters (74 percent) of the solution to the budget gap is cuts to planned spending. The budget proposed today secures cash reserves for the State with a $37 million general fund balance and another $800 million in the State’s Rainy Day Fund.  
The proposed budget brings total cuts to State spending to $9.1 billion dollars since 2007. Additionally, budget growth is held to the lowest levels in a generation, and the size of the executive branch is reduced to 1973 levels. In fact, this is the 8th consecutive budget submitted in compliance with Spending Affordability Guidelines set by the Maryland General Assembly.
Jobs-Focused, Modern Investment:
The Administration balanced spending cuts in the FY15 budget with strategic investments in education, infrastructure, and innovation, creating jobs and positioning Maryland to compete and win in the 21st century global economy.
Maryland is among 17 states to recover more than 100 percent of the jobs lost during the recession with over 34,000 jobs created in 2013.  And while there are significant spending limits, this is a jobs budget – accelerating investments in innovation sectors like clean tech, green tech, biotech and life sciences, cyber and basic R&D. This budget supports 48,000 new jobs to modernize infrastructure by replacing and repairing aging schools, roads, bridges, and highways.
Our Shared Priorities: 
By taking a balanced approach to fiscal responsibility, the O’Malley-Brown Administration has made better choices to protect our shared priorities of stronger schools, quality affordable health care for more Marylanders, safe neighborhoods and communities for Maryland families and a cleaner, more sustainable environmental future for Maryland:  
Investing in Education
  • The FY 15 budget builds on Maryland’s #1 school ranking and paves the way to global competitiveness for our children. Funding for public school construction totals $286 million, bringing the O’Malley-Brown Administration average annual investment to the highest ever at $345 million.
  • The FY 15 budget also includes $4.3 million in new funding to expand pre-kindergarten opportunities for Maryland children, bringing total funding for public schools to a record $6.1 billion (an increase of 37% as compared to FY07).
  • Since 2007, Maryland has done more than any other state in the nation to hold down the cost of college. This year will continue that trend with a 6.4% increase in funding for the university system, and a cap on the University System of Maryland’s tuition increase at 3%, including a freeze at Morgan State University and St. Mary’s College. Gov. O’Malley is also investing $297.5 million in community colleges (including a 4.9% increase in direct aid).
Commitment to the Public’s Safety
  • Investments in security enhancements; upgraded camera and video recording equipment; and K-9 units for contraband at correctional facilities.
  • Record police aid for local jurisdictions.
  • Implementation of modernization plans for the State Police vehicle fleet.
Sustainability
  • Record funding for the Bay 2010 Trust Fund non-point source projects, and an additional $25 million in capital funding for Trust Fund projects addressing stormwater events.
  • Fully funding the cover crop program and an additional $ 9.1 million for oyster restoration; and,
  • Over $100 million in enhancements to wastewater treatment plants.  
Health Families, Stronger Communities
  • FY15 budget provides insurance for more than one million people, expanding access to more than 500,000 more Marylanders since 2007.
  • Investments to support more than 700 placements for developmentally disabled individuals; and,
  • Highest level of funding during the O’Malley Brown Administration for cancer-research through Academic Health Centers.  

How Hillary's 'Hit List' Struck Fear In The Hearts Of Democrats

A new book jointly written by The Hill’s Amie Parnes andPolitico’s Jonathan Allen, HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton, details how the Hillary Clinton campaign composed a political hit list of those who had betrayed Clinton in the 2008 presidential campaign and supported Barack Obama instead.

The book asserts that the list was finalized in June 2008 after months of keeping score of those who stuck with Hillary and those who stabbed her in the back. The job of finalizing the list fell to Kris Balderston, deputy assistant to Bill Clinton during his presidency and later Hillary’s legislative director and deputy chief of staff in the Senate, and Adrienne Elrod, who interned in the White House in 1996 and moved on to senior posts on Capitol Hill.

More

Will IRS Bully People To Sign Up For Obamacare?

The individual mandate, Obamacare's requirement that all Americans have health insurance that includes "minimum essential coverage," has been in effect for two weeks now. No one has noticed because nothing has happened. But it will.

The mandate is the heart of Obamacare; without it, supporters believe, the system won't work. So the Obama administration hopes millions of Americans will voluntarily comply with the mandate and purchase government-approved coverage. If they don't do it voluntarily, they'll be punished.

Starting next year, the government will collect a penalty — the administration calls it a "shared responsibility payment" — from Americans who don't go along with the Obamacare edict. The penalty starts small — just $95 per adult and $47.50 per child this year — but could conceivably reach thousands of dollars per family per year once the fee scale is fully in effect.

More

Viral Video: Prankster Hides Snake In Abandoned Purse

Record Growth For Privacy Search Engines In Wake Of NSA Revelations

“Snowden Effect” Sees Web Browsers Steering Clear Of Big Names

When you “Google” something, you do not necessarily have to Google it, particularly if the NSA has backdoor access to your search terms. That’s what record numbers of web users are discovering as they flock to privacy oriented search engines in the wake of Whistleblower Edward Snowden’s ongoing leaks.

In 2013, the search engines StartPage.comand Ixquick.com saw their traffic numbers double, with more than 5 million total daily searches, amounting to over 1.25 billion searches for the year. Now the operators of those services say they are bracing for record numbers of new users in 2014.

“Every time Edward Snowden shares a new revelation about government spying, we get an influx of new users,” said company spokesperson and privacy expert Dr. Katherine Albrecht. “He has promised to reveal more in 2014, and from what we’ve heard, he’s got two more years of content, at least.”

Albrecht, a regular guest on the Alex Jones show told Infowars “Consumers are rightfully outraged that governments are eavesdropping on those services and commandeering access to those databases.”

More

1,582-Page Spending Bill Hinges On NSA Giving Congress 5 Years Of Records

The 1,582-page (apparently bipartisan) omnibus spending bill announced last night adds up to a cool $1.1 trillion. As Bloomberg reports, lawmakers notes "not everyone will like everything in this bill," and we can see why. There is no IMF funding, nothing that "blocks Obamacare," the IRS gets a reprimand - barring them from targetng groups based on their ideological beliefs, preserves language that blocks Federal funding for abortions and spending any money to legalize marijuana. But, perhaps the most critical aspect of the bill is the NSA is required to give Congress number of phone records collected, reviewed during last 5 yrs, including estimate for records of U.S. citizens (among other things). Will that be one step too far for the administration?

More

American Government Backed Murderous Mexican Drug Cartel For More Than A Decade

The U.S. government has – at least at some times in some parts of the world – long protected drug operations. (Big American banks also launder money for drug cartels. See this, this, this and this. Indeed, drug dealers kept the banking system afloat during the depths of the 2008 financial crisis.)

And opium production is at an all-time high under the American occupation of Afghanistan.

Something similar has been happening in Mexico …

More

The Number Of Working Age Americans Without A Job Has Risen By Almost 10 Million Under Obama

That headline is not a misprint. The number of working age Americans that do not have a job has increased by nearly 10 million since Barack Obama first entered the White House. In January 2009, the number of "officially unemployed" workers plus the number of Americans "not in the labor force" was sitting at a grand total of 92.6 million. Today, that number has risen to 102.2 million. That means that the number of working age Americans that are not working has grown by close to 10 million since Barack Obama first took office. So why does the "official unemployment rate" keep going down? Well, it is because the federal government has been pretending that millions upon millions of unemployed workers have "left the labor force" over the past few years and do not want to work anymore. The government says that another 347,000 workers "left the labor force" in December. That is nearly five times larger than the 74,000 jobs that were "created" by the U.S. economy last month. And it is important to note that more than half of those jobs were temporary jobs, and it takes well over 100,000 new jobs just to keep up with population growth each month. So the unemployment rate should not have gone down. If anything, it should have gone up.

More

Alleged Military Pension Fix Leaves 90% Of Cuts In Place…Illegals Still Get Refunds

Advocates for Military Retirees got a mixed bag in the legislation in congress right now. The Omnibus bill does restore the pensions for disabled soldiers but not the millions of active military or previously retired soldiers. It does however make sure illegal aliens can get refunds they are not entitled to thanks to Harry Reid and the democrats.

“I was pleased that the House-Senate package includes a provision restoring the pensions for disabled veterans, after we called attention the fact that wounded warriors would be impacted by the budget deal,”

“However, the deal fails to restore pension payments for millions of active duty and retired military personnel and leaves more than 90 percent of the original reductions in place,” Sessions said. “For a currently-serving officer nearing retirement, this cut could exceed $120,000 in pension payments, reducing the cost of living adjustments by more than 60 percent.”

More

Glorious Day For The Leftist Diversity Enforcers: Dem Congressman Sean Maloney To “Marry” His Boyfriend…

U.S. Representative Sean Patrick Maloney of New York will become the second-ever sitting member of Congress to marry a same-sex partner, confirming plans on Tuesday to wed his companion of 21 years.

Maloney, 47, a Democrat who represents a district about 70 miles north of New York City, got engaged to his partner, Randy Florke, on Christmas Day, according to the congressman’s spokeswoman Stephanie Formas. They have three children together, she said.

More

The First-Term Economic Records: Bush vs. Obama

Miss me yet?
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Treasury Department, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Social Security Administration

JOBS - At the end of President Bush’s first term, total non-farm employment in the U.S. consisted of 104,000 fewer jobs than when he took office in January 2001. At the end of President Obama’s first term, total non-farm employment in the U.S. consisted of 970,000 fewer jobs than when he took office in January 2009.

UNEMPLOYMENT - At the end of George W. Bush’s first term the U-6 unemployment rate was 9.3 percent, up from 7.3 percent in January 2001. At the end of President Obama’s first term, the real unemployment rate, meaning the number of unemployed or underemployed Americans, was 14.4 percent or 23 million people, up from 14.2 percent in January 2009.

DURATION - During President Bush’s first term, the average duration of unemployment was 17 weeks. During President Obama’s first term, the average duration of unemployment was 34 weeks.
More

NY Common Core Website ‘Engage NY’ Directs Kids To Lewd Sex Survey Site: “Are You A Slut?”

Warning, this story contains some graphic verbage. This is what family in New York are going through with Mario Cuomo’s Common Core program. The concern isn’t just for children in New York, but nationally. Homework from the Engage New York website has turned up in class rooms in other states like Mississippi.

One New York mother found that a link on the Engage New York website for Kindergarten led to a graphic and developmentally inappropriate website that contained a sex survey that asked questions that many would regard as graphic. The sex survey was a link to help students prepare for test taking and had been active since October 2012. Breitbart states,

Carol Burris, New York’s 2013 High School Principal of the Year, reports at Valerie Strauss’s Washington Post blog that Anna Shah, the mother of a kindergarten student, discovered highly offensive materials on the Student Services Page of the Engage NYCommon Core materials site. When Shah reported her discovery to NYSED, the page was taken down, though the link had reportedly been active since October of 2012.

More

Texas Judge Orders Home Schooled Children Removed From Christian Parents Home

Texas home school families need to take note of this case. While the parents won, and should never have had their children taken, it is still an lesson in how the attitudes and beliefs of social workers can override the law. It seems to me that these judges and case workers need some kind of in-service training on home school laws.

Mr. and Mrs. Tutt are a Christian family who has their own children and foster children. They home school. Unlike most couples, they are equipped to handle special needs children who are particularly difficult to place. They recently had a temporary placement, a small child with autism, who wondered off. While he was found a short way from the home (the father was looking for him) by a police officer, Child Protective Services (CPS) followed up the investigation with a home visit.


“According to a recent article from the Texas Home School Coalition (THSC), a CPS caseworker investigated the Tutt family’s home and concluded by saying, “There is no problem here.” However, the caseworker also remarked,“Nobody in their right mind would want to stay home all day with so many children!” and ordered Mrs. Tutt to enroll in parenting classes and take a psychological examination.
Despite the fact that Mrs. Tutt showed CPS workers numerous parenting class certificates and paperwork certifying her mental health, a local judge ordered the Tutts’ seven children to be removed from the home. In November, armed constables seized the children and kept them under government custody for nearly two months.”


More

'Lone Survivor' Takes On CNN's Jake Tapper Over Whether His Deadly Afghanistan Mission Seemed 'Hopeless'

The website Box Office Mojo reports the Afghanistan war movie “Lone Survivor” opened to an estimated $38.5 million this weekend, which is second all-time in January behind 2008's sci-fi monster film “Cloverfield.”

On Friday afternoon, CNN anchor Jake Tapper interviewed the “lone survivor” of the title, Marcus Luttrell, and actor Mark Wahlberg, who plays him in the movie. Luttrell reacted strongly to Tapper’s suggestion that after watching the movie, he felt the mission that cost him his friends seemed hopeless: [See video below. MP3 audio here.]

More

Here’s What It Looks Like When A Tobacco Company Says 'I’m Sorry'

Get ready for a full-page New York Times ad-apology from tobacco companies.

After 15 years of fighting the federal government over lies to the public about the health risks of smoking, the nation's biggest tobacco companies are ready to apologize.

Philip Morris USA, R.J. Reynolds, Lorillard, and Altria are preparing full-page ads to run in the Sunday editions of the country's top 35 newspapers, as well as online ads for those papers' websites and prime-time television spots to run for a full year on CBS, ABC, and NBC. The corporations are also required to run corrective statements on their websites and cigarette packages.

More

Elections Chief Ruled On Governor’s Race Fundraising Without Board Approval And With Little Legal Advice

The Maryland State Board of Elections never approved an official ruling that allows Howard County Executive Ken Ulman, running for lieutenant governor with current Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, to raise money during the legislative session even though Attorney General Douglas Gansler and his running Del. Jolene Ivey cannot.

Under state election law, the state board is charged with managing and supervising “the conduct of elections in the state,” including preparing summaries of election law that relate to campaign finance activity.

But in the circumstances surrounding a controversial fundraising election law affecting the governor’s race, Chief Election Administrator Linda Lamone, who is appointed by the five-member board, never asked the board to review a fundraising guidance letter she sent Dec. 19.
More

BREAKING NEWS: Senate Intelligence Committee Releases Comprehensive Benghazi Report

Senate Intelligence Committee report on Sept. 11, 2012, attack on US facilities in Benghazi finds attacks 'were preventable,' faults State and Defense departments, and cites failure of Obama administration to 'bring the attackers to justice.'

More

In Economic Freedom, Now We’re No. 12!

Heritage’s Index of Economic Freedom has the U.S. slipping for the seventh straight year

The United States is on a steady skid downward. The latest milestone in America’s decline is especially demoralizing: The U.S. has slouched from among the world’s Top 10 freest economies. In fact, we’re No. 12 — down two spots from No. 10 last year.

This bad news emerges from the 2014 Index of Economic Freedom, released this morning by the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal.

More

ObamaCare Bailout Train Gains Steam

What will the White House say about young consumers spurning ObamaCare? What will insurers say about growing anger over a promised bailout if, as expected, the new law causes chaos in the industry? When will urging and tweeting and cajoling of young Americans turn into un-hipster, non-ironic threats of fines? Somebody better call “Pajama Boy,” because the first demographic snapshot of ObamaCare signups looks like a mess. The shorthand: President Obama’s signature entitlement program needs 40 percent of its enrollees to be paying customers in the prime 18-34 age range. Otherwise, the risk pool will be too shallow and insurers will have to jack up rates even more on everyone else in order to stay solvent. The first numbers show only 25 percent of enrollees are in the most desirable demographic. The administration has until the end of March to herd people into the program, but if older, sicker and more costly customers continue to so heavily outnumber the young, “risk corridors” (a.k.a. bailouts) built into the law are sure to see some traffic.

[Daily Caller shares the story of former ObamaCare supporter Steve Freissunfortunate experience with Healthcare.gov.]

More

79% OF OBAMACARE ENROLLEES QUALIFY FOR SUBSIDIES

Nearly four in five Americans who have enrolled in Obamacare need taxpayer-funded subsidies to pay for their premiums.

According to the White House, 79% of those enrolled in Obamacare need subsidies because they cannot otherwise afford the premiums that have, in some cases, nearly doubled. Only 21% did not need subsidies.

More

Wyoming Executions: Lawmaker Wants To Bring Back Firing Squad

A Wyoming lawmaker is pushing legislation that would mandate the use of firing squads to execute inmates on death row if lethal injection is unavailable.

Republican state Sen. Bruce Burns announced Monday that he’ll introduce the bill in the upcoming legislative session that starts Feb. 10., the Associated Press reports. Burns said he considers the gas chamber, currently the legal alternative to lethal injection, to be cruel, unusual, and too expensive.

More

Fed Up Tea Party And Conservative Critics Attack John Boehner Over 'Ideologically Bankrupt' GOP

Potential political woes are multiplying in the hallowed halls of the U.S. Capitol. The Tea Party Leadership Fund PAC has declared that House Speaker John Boehner is an enemy of conservatives, and is acting, well, according. There’s a public petition against the Ohio Republican, an advertising buy, a new website - all coordinated by a group that claims to be the nation’s largest political action committee for the grassroots movement.

“John Boehner has declared war on conservatives demanding lower taxes and limited government,” says talk radio host Rusty Humphries, spokesman for new campaign. “Today we declare war on him. We intend to send a message to his fellow ‘Republicans In Name Only’ that such ideologically bankrupt leadership must come to an end.”

More

The $1 Trillion Omnibus Spending Bill Is Out: Now Find Out What's In It

Late yesterday, Washington lawmakers dropped a massive, 1,582-page spending bill that will fund the entire government for fiscal year 2014.

Known as the omnibus spending bill, the gigantic legislative text works off a budget deal that set spending at $1.012 trillion—$45 billion more than previous spending caps that were agreed upon by a bipartisan majority in 2011.

In other words, your tax dollars will fund this bloated spending bill, which adds to the nation’s debt of $17 trillion.
More

'Pastafarian' Politician Sworn Into Office While Wearing Spaghetti Strainer On His Head

The Pomfret, N.Y., town council member is also a minister in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

It's something of a faux pas for politicians to be sworn into public office while wearing kitchen appliances. So this must be a first: Christopher Schaeffer—a new Town Council member in Pomfret, N.Y.—was sworn into office Thursday while wearing a spaghetti strainer on his head.

Here is the proof, from Dunkirk's Observer.

The strainer comes with a purpose. Schaeffer is a self-professed Pastafarian, and a minister of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The church plays off traditional, organized religion by rallying around a supposed Flying Spaghetti Monster in the sky.

When Ignorance Is An Excellent Excuse

It’s time for our lawmakers to end overcriminalization.

In the wake of media reports that 40,000 new federal, state, and local laws will go into effect this year, there’s no better time for Americans to revisit the old maxim that “ignorance of the law is no excuse.” An unknown number of these new provisions are criminal laws that can deprive us of our liberty and brand us for life. No ordinary American can be expected to know every law, new and old, on the books, not even every criminal law. Anyone concerned about Americans’ being locked up for innocent behavior should resolve to help end overcriminalization.

Overcriminalization strikes at the heart of our constitutional order. In Bouie v. City of Columbia the U.S. Supreme Court explained the constitutional doctrine of “fair notice,” which holds that a criminal law “must give warning of the conduct it makes a crime.” Traditionally, this requirement was satisfied if (1) the prohibited act was inherently wrongful — such as murder, arson, theft, robbery, or rape — or (2) an individual did something that he or she knew was illegal, even if it was not inherently wrongful.

More

SFD Calls For Service 1-14-14

  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 23:52:10Nature: Syncopal EpisodeCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 23:27:03Nature: Pi AccidentCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 21:53:24Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 19:17:23Nature: Chest PainCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 17:04:51Nature: Smoke InvestigationAddress: 408 Coles Cir Salisbury, MD 21801
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 16:50:42Nature: Medical AssistAddress: 800 S Salisbury Blvd Salisbury, MD 21801
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 16:49:11Nature: OverdoseCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 16:30:08Nature: SeizureCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 15:51:23Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 15:27:38Nature: Difficulty BreathingCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 13:42:53Nature: Difficulty BreathingCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 11:41:31Nature: Pi AccidentCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 11:02:41Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Parsonsburg
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 10:40:54Nature: Chest PainCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 10:06:46Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 10:01:04Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 09:18:53Nature: Difficulty BreathingCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 08:23:49Nature: Abdominal PainCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 08:15:42Nature: Pro Qa EmsCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 07:31:53Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 05:38:47Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 01:07:48Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday January, 14 2014 @ 00:05:15Nature: Psychiatric EmergencyCity: Salisbury

Notice Of Closed Session

PUBLIC NOTICE

THE SALISBURY CITY COUNCIL WILL MEET AT 1:30 P.M. ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2014 TO ENTERTAIN A VOTE TO CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION TO CONSULT WITH COUNSEL TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE ON A LEGAL MATTER AND TO CONSULT WITH STAFF, CONSULTANTS, OR OTHER INDIVIDUALS ABOUT PENDING OR POTENTIAL LITIGATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ANNOTATED CODE OF MARYLAND §10-508(a)(7)(8). (COUNCIL IS SCHEDULED TO RECEIVE A QUARTERLY UPDATE ON LITIGATION)

THE CLOSED SESSION WILL BE HELD IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS, ROOM 301 OF THE GOVERNMENT OFFICE BUILDING (125 N. DIVISION STREET) AT WHICH TIME THE PUBLIC CAN OBSERVE THE MOTION, ANY DISCUSSION AND THE VOTE TO CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION AS NOTED ABOVE.

IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE ADJOURNMENT OF THE CLOSED SESSION, AT APPROXIMATELY 2:30 P.M., THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED WORK SESSION WILL BEGIN. THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO ATTEND.

Liberal Money Bomb


2 Hour School Delay In Delmar, Wicomico & Worcester County

With a half day, I'm not even sending my little guy in to school today.