Living The Grand Life

Minus 5

2009-07-09T06:32:00.007-06:00

Thursday morning update: It's now -8
30% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-eight percent (38%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of –8.

Rasmussen Reports

Democrats Split on Stimulus as Job Losses Mount, Deficit Soars. Let's have anither stimulus?

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

That's Great Now Fix the Economy

http://www.thedailyshow.com/

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Economic Crisis

But as Obama reminds us - "It would be worse without me". Scott Ott at ScrappleFace has this bumper sticker for sale.

Or - maybe not.

Denny Crane on Sarah Palin

2009-07-08T06:32:00.000-06:00

Sarah just might pull a rabbit out of the hat. What makes it a "rabbit out of the hat" is that no one expects it. One can explain how it was done only after the fact. If any of the pundits really knew how things worked and what will happen, they wouldn't have to pundit for a living.

Denny Crane

Feed Me!

2009-07-08T04:35:00.002-06:00

My wife found a nest in our honeysuckle. It was built by an enterprising family of finches. She has photographed the nest, eggs and newly hatched chicks.

Finches: Their Diner and Nest of Four Eggs

House Finch: New Family Arrives

We can now see the gaping mouths that demand a response from the busy parents.

Whacko Jacko

2009-07-07T06:30:00.001-06:00

Funeral today - Sunny with a 90% chance of riots.

Sarah Palin

2009-07-06T05:26:00.005-06:00

I've made no secret of the fact that I like the politics and personality of Sarah Palin. She is the the opposite of the elitists who (think they) run the world. Funny thing about elitists, what makes them elitists is that they think they are better and smarter than you. Elitists can be Democrats or Republicans.

I take Palin at her word, that she resigned because the State of Alaska and her family could no longer tolerate the relentless attacks of the elitists. Once again:

** This past year Governor Palin won 15 different bogus ethics complaints filed against her.
** The state of Alaska spent $2 million defending the governor.
** It cost those Sarah Palin-haters nothing to file the bogus complaints.
** Fighting the complaints left Sarah and Todd Palin $500,000 in debt.

It was costing money and time and attention to fight the scurrilous attacks. I think she will continue in politics. I think she will be successful. I think at least one local blogger's head will explode as well as a whole bunch of national pundits. They all talk endlessly, but not one has actually done anything.

Here are some positive links:

Sarah Palin: The Best is Yet to Come

Sarah Palin Is Running A Marathon - Hugh Hewitt

Palin v. Pundits

RUN, SARAH, RUN - Bill Quick, New York Post

Speculation on a new Tea Party from Instatpundit readers.

The Force is With Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin -- All In

Tea Party Links

2009-07-05T05:43:00.004-06:00

Here are some Tea Party links from Instapundit. Scroll down for stories and pictures.

2009-07-04T07:12:00.003-06:00

Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...

America is an exceptional country. Celebrate your freedom. Have a happy and safe holiday.

Fishing with Obama

2009-07-03T07:30:00.007-06:00

Remember when Bush was in charge and the media screamed economic disaster? We had a “jobless recovery”. The economy was growing, people were making money, but jobs (always a lagging indicator) were not increasing fast enough for the NYT.

Well, Obama has created or saved something like eleventy billion jobs! We'd all be unemployed if Obama hadn't saved our jobs!

And, in an effort to spin as brightly we get:

"US Loses Just 345,000 Jobs in May, Raising Hopes":

"Economists expect the pace of layoffs to keep tapering off." (whoops-didn’t happen)

“The rise in the unemployment rate from 9.4 percent in May wasn't as sharp as the expected 9.6 percent.

"Even with higher pace of job cuts in June, the report indicates that the worst of the layoffs have passed." (We hope)

I was listening to all this depressing news on the radio yesterday. I was on my way up to the Grand Mesa to do a little fishing with my friend and fellow fish slayer, Linn.

Here is the Thursday fishing report.

The Grand Mesa is always spectacular, There are many clear mountain lakes. The temperatures were cool, with a little snow still under the trees.

We did not catch 8 magnificent trout. Two of the fish we did not catch were Cutthroat
Trout. The other six were Rainbow Trout. All of the fish we did not catch we more than 15 inches and more than a pound in weight.

Dinner was delicious.

Tea Party links - July 4 events

2009-07-02T06:36:00.002-06:00

TEA PARTY PROTESTS
South Bend
Laurel, MS.
Times Square Tea Party

Also, a Google search of "Tea Party" show 77 entries for events around this 4th of July. Places like La Salle County, Westmoreland County, and Marshalltown, IA. They are happening all over the country in many small towns and communities. We'll see just how extensively the New York centric, big city media reports these events.

Slowly they turn

2009-07-02T06:25:00.002-06:00

The press is finally beginning to see a few patterns.

Even old Helen Thomas seems a little concerned. "The point is the control from here. We have never had that in the White House. And we have had some control but not this control. I mean I'm amazed, I'm amazed at you people who call for openness and transparency and you have controlled..."

Mad about Madoff

2009-06-30T08:51:00.002-06:00

A few questions about Bernard Madoff : "Why is it that someone who set up a Ponzi scheme gets more jail time than the majority of murderers?"

Jamie Wearing Fool notes this:

Throughout this case we've repeatedly noted Madoff's close association and enormous contributions to Democrats, notably Chuckie Schumer, who is conveniently unavailable for comment.

Your assignment for today, boys and girls: See if you can find a single news story today that notes Modoff was a Democrat sugar daddy.

Good luck.

Back during the Enron fiasco, it was noted often that Ken Lay and Enron executives had contributed to Republicans (as well as some Democrats). We simply wonder why the same level of scrutiny is applied to Madoff and his coziness with Democrats?

Tom, a reader from Alaska, noted that "Madoff gets 150 years for taking something like $170 billion of Americans' money, spending it frivolously and giving them nothing in return. For Madoff that works out to $130,000 per hour of jail time (assuming he could serve the whole 150 years).

Tom wonders just how long Obama would serve for the gazillions he spent with nothing to show for it. Just a thought...

Local news

2009-06-30T07:59:00.003-06:00

Grand Junction City Council rejects restrictions on solicitation. And, A Good Outcome

Thanks to all the people who contacted their council representatives, testified at the meeting, and wrote about this issue.

John Linko deserves special recognition for taking a leading role on this issue.

Too much news

2009-06-30T07:06:00.005-06:00

There is just too much news. It wears people out. They shift focus from the awful bill and policies worming their way through Congress to the celebrity death pool. Who's next?

First Ed McMahon, then Farrah Fawcett, and bam, before anyone really had time to react, Michael Jackson. And bam again - Billy Mays. We often hear that deaths occur three at a time. They do. Also in fours, fives, and sixes. In an infinate series we can count by two, threes, or hundreds. It doesn't matter. It is a never ending succession.

Speaking of Billy Mays, here’s a Billy Mays vid, Billy Mays on Cavuto, selling Obama’s Stimulus Plan … “For two easy payments of about 2 trillion dollars, we can get it done!”

And speaking of laughing at the Obama plan, even the White House Press Corp is laughing at Gibbs fumbling spin of how Obama is breaking his pledge of no middle class tax increases. Here is the video: Breaking the No-tax pledge.

It looks like Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court made a bad decision. The attorneys at Power Line sum it all up: What will she do for an encore?

Short of writing "get whitey," It's difficult to imagine how Judge Sotomayor could have fouled up the Ricci case any more than she did. Let's count the ways.
First, her panel issued a summary order in a case that ended up in the Supreme Court…
Second, Sotomayor's panel was sharply criticized by her mentor, Judge Cabranes…
Third, the Supreme Court reversed the panel.
Fourth, even the dissenting Justices blew off the reasoning of Sotomayor's panel…Fifth, the dissenting Justices made it clear they would have disposed of the case differently…

First there are problems Iran and North Korea. Now this: >Obama (and Clinton) stands with Castro, Chavez and Ortega

Hugo Chávez's coalition-building efforts suffered a setback yesterday when the Honduran military sent its president packing for abusing the nation's constitution.

It seems that President Mel Zelaya miscalculated when he tried to emulate the success of his good friend Hugo in reshaping the Honduran Constitution to his liking.
-----
It remains to be seen what Mr. Zelaya's next move will be. It's not surprising that chavistas throughout the region are claiming that he was victim of a military coup. They want to hide the fact that the military was acting on a court order to defend the rule of law and the constitution, and that the Congress asserted itself for that purpose, too.
--
Mrs. Clinton has piled on as well. Yesterday she accused Honduras of violating "the precepts of the Interamerican Democratic Charter" and said it "should be condemned by all." Fidel Castro did just that. Mr. Chávez pledged to overthrow the new government.

The White House is reluctantant to intervene when Iranian citizens revolt aginst a thugocracy, a regime that has declared war on the U.S. But, they suppport left wing dictators that ignore their own country's constitution.

More here: Obamas-no-meddling-policy-applies-Iran-not-Honduras and here: "Heads They Win, Tails We Lose" Diplomacy

A city "emergency"

2009-06-28T12:10:00.002-06:00

John Linko does a great job of explaining the City of Grand Junction's emergency ordinance that targets panhandlers. The fact that the city has essentially outlawed the freedom of assembly and the freedom of speech for the rest of us, seem to have missed their attention.

Read his post and contact a councilman. The Least Of These and the Warrant-Go-Round

A New Sheriff in Town?

2009-06-27T15:38:00.010-06:00

Palisade Police Chief Carroll Quarles officially announced his candidacy for Mesa County Sheriff Wednesday.

Quarles made his formal announcement at a gathering of family, friends, and supporters. The Palisade park was the center of good food and music.

Quarles has served as Palisade’s chief of police for 14 years. He has a total of 38 years of law enforcement experience.

He has often stated his respect for current sheriff, Stan Hilkey, and promised to continue Hilkey's county-wide support to other law enforcement agencies.

The Palisade Chief is a strong supporter of second amendment rights. For years he has taught the law enforcement component of the NRA pistol/personal home protection classes. That is the program that is a first step to acquiring a Colorado concealed carry permit.

He can sing, too. Click on the video below.

Phony health numbers.

2009-06-27T07:56:00.002-06:00

Here is a article worth reading. David Harsanyi, from the Denver Post, has a column in the entitled, How to lie with statistics — again.

Did you know that around 300 million Americans went without food, water and shelter at some point last year?
I am a survivor.
If you were blessed with the prodigiously creative and cunning mind of a politician, that kind of statistic — meaningless, but technically true — could be put to good use.

For example, we always hear about the number of Americans without health insurance (not without health care). Here are some real numbers.

...the uninsured figure counts every American (and illegal immigrant) who has been uninsured for any time frame during a year, even if they happen to be between jobs or changing insurance plans or on family visit to Guatemala.
According to the CBO, 45 percent of the uninsured are uninsured for four months or less, which seems like a pretty positive number to me.

Cap and Tax - The Vote

2009-06-27T07:42:00.003-06:00

Salazar votes against climate bill: “I cannot support dramatically increasing utility rates on my constituents at a time when I feel the economy is just starting to stabilize across the state,” he said."

Three cheers for Rep Salazar! Now let's stop this bill in the Senate.

Senate contact information

Cap and Tax

2009-06-26T08:46:00.002-06:00

Tell your Congressman to vote no on the Cap & Trade legislation, H.R. 2454. It is coming to a vote today.

If you live in Grand Junction: Congressman John Salazar - 970-245-7107

Email/webpage: http://www.house.gov/salazar/contact.shtml

Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.” — Barack Obama, January 17, 2008, San Francisco Chronicle

Obama: My Plan Makes Electricity Rates Skyrocket

Tar and Feathers

2009-06-24T19:50:00.002-06:00

SC GOV. ADMITS AFFAIR...

Barney Frank asks FANNIE and FREDDIE to relax Mortgage lending rules...

Dodd Flu Pork Puts Vaccine Development In Hands of Financially Risky Firm.

A pox on all their houses.

Health care quotes

2009-06-24T07:50:00.005-06:00

Samizdata All the existing [medical care] schemes, including the present American mixed corporatist/socialist model, represent a transfer from the young and healthy to the old and chronically sick (and to the medical cartel, of course). The way it's used in practice, the phrase "having health insurance" means having the right to place oneself on the receiving end of these transfers. No honest discussion of the situation is possible until the entirely false and misleading concept of "health insurance" is dropped.

Maggie's Farm The main reason Americans spend more on medical care is not about life expectancy - it's about two simple things: quality of life, and the trial lawyers.
--
First, in how many countries can you get a shoulder repair or a new knee or hip in a week? Annual screening colonoscopies and mammographies? Guys with advanced ALS on home ventilators? And how many countries generate the new treatments that the US does? (We do 90% of them.)
--
Re the trial lawyers, where else in the world do you get a $7000 work-up if you walk into the ER with a migraine headache? Where else in the world do obstetricians pay $350,000/year in malpractice insurance because the law permits suits for bad results, not just practice errors.

Poll: Few think Obamacare improves care
The Washington Post-ABC News poll showed just 16% believe Obamacare will improve their health care while 31% say it will make things worse.

An overwhelming majority (78% and up) are concerned that Obamacare will reduce their health treatments and will increase their costs while increasing the bureaucracy.

Now you know why ABC gave President Obama an hour of prime time tonight for his health care infomercial.

NO ABC

2009-06-23T08:00:00.003-06:00

Sorry KJCT, but you know how it is - lie down with dogs and get up with fleas.

I will be boycotting ABC- that's KJCT channel 8 in Grand Junction - for the foreseeable future.

ABC Self-Nationalizes For Obama

This Wednesday, on every show from "Good Morning America" (kicking things off with an interview with the president) to "World News Tonight" (broadcast from the Blue Room) to a prime-time special called "Prescription for America" (and emanating from the East Room), the network will puff the Obama administration's trillion-dollar plan to nationalize U.S. health care.

The all-day, White House-based coverage itself amounts to a nationalization — this one of a major media outlet in support of an administration that will return the favor for access at the cost of objectivity and the public's right to know.

Senator Penry 1 - Governor Ritter 0

2009-06-23T07:36:00.004-06:00

State a quarter-billion in debt

Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry predicted the 2009-2010 budget would remain balanced for a mere 45 days when the legislative session ended May 6. Forty-seven days later, the state revenue forecast confirmed his fears.

Let the Dem excuse machine begin the spinning.

But don't forget the effects on the economy of:

*Messing with the Tax Payers Bill of Rights (TABOR) spending limits
*Ignoring TABOR and raising property taxes by freezing the school mill levies
*Raising taxes on cars by calling them fees
*Raising taxes on consumers' healthcare by hiding it in a hospital fee
*Regulating the gas and oil industries out of the state.
*Increasing the number of state workers and increasing the payroll costs
*Increasing the state benefits by allowing same-sex partner benefits.

There are probably more, but this is more than enough to make the point. The Democratic Governor and the Democratic Legislature have the same fantasy view of economics that is found in the Democratic Congress. When activities are taxed and regulated, people stop doing those activities. The Dem fantasy that they can raise taxes and increase regulation, without a dynamic affect on behavior, is a fantasy that will lead to ruin.

New hat.

2009-06-22T06:48:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone had a good Father’s Day. I certainly did. How can one go wrong with a rubber chicken, a pair of novelty boxer shorts, and a new hat? Thank goodness I no longer have to even think about ties.

Julie, the daughter from S. Carolina, always hits exactly the right note. She and her husband sent a new wide-brim, sun-blocking hat. It will be perfect for fishing. They also sent some great baking mixes for my new adventures in cooking.

Government run health care

2009-06-21T07:04:00.003-06:00

I report - you decide. This is a screen grab from today's front page of the New York Times. Sometimes I wonder if they read their own paper.

Iran Update

2009-06-20T12:39:00.003-06:00

Gateway Pundit has updates, pictures and videos.

Rocks against armed thugs is a demonstration of amazing courage. It is also a clear demonstration of the fundamental reason the founding fathers wrote the second amendment.