Friday, October 24
Identity theft balloons:
"[Frank Abagnale, of Catch Me If You Can fame] I get frustrated when I see on the news that people are arguing over spending $87 billion for Iraq and they don't care that we're losing $600 billion to white collar crime annually. That $600 billion in fraud losses increases prices for goods, fees for services and interest rates. The consumer pays for these crimes out of their pocket. The $87 billion is a debit against our national debt."
"[Frank Abagnale, of Catch Me If You Can fame] I get frustrated when I see on the news that people are arguing over spending $87 billion for Iraq and they don't care that we're losing $600 billion to white collar crime annually. That $600 billion in fraud losses increases prices for goods, fees for services and interest rates. The consumer pays for these crimes out of their pocket. The $87 billion is a debit against our national debt."
Thursday, October 23
Privately insured drive rise in emergency room visits:
"'It's very difficult for the patient to be placed in a position of deciding what's urgent and not urgent,' he continues. 'If they have a fever and it turns out to be a kidney abscess, how would they know that?'"
Oh great! Now that I know that, the next time I get a fever, I'll wonder if it is just the flu or a kidney abscess. Just one more thing to worry about.
"'It's very difficult for the patient to be placed in a position of deciding what's urgent and not urgent,' he continues. 'If they have a fever and it turns out to be a kidney abscess, how would they know that?'"
Oh great! Now that I know that, the next time I get a fever, I'll wonder if it is just the flu or a kidney abscess. Just one more thing to worry about.
Ann Coulter: Bush official caught in church dragnet:
"In an emerging scandal, NBC News has produced tapes proving beyond deniability that the new deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence is ... a Christian."
The horror... the horror... We can't have people in government with morals or faith!
"In an emerging scandal, NBC News has produced tapes proving beyond deniability that the new deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence is ... a Christian."
The horror... the horror... We can't have people in government with morals or faith!
2 pickets face charges in attack
Don't you love unions? Don't you love the mob mentality they induce? Don't you love the mob violence unions advocate?
Don't you love unions? Don't you love the mob mentality they induce? Don't you love the mob violence unions advocate?
Wednesday, October 22
Lieberman urges tax code overhaul:
"Sen. Joe Lieberman sought to reinvigorate his quest for the Democratic presidential nomination Monday, calling for an overhaul of the federal tax code that would boost taxes for the nation's wealthiest taxpayers while further cutting taxes for middle income families."
This is a continuation of the Liberals following of Karl Marx's "Communist Manifesto". They use division, segregation, and class warfate to push the entire burden of the cost of the Imperial Federal Government's welfare state on a few successful people and removing millions of Americans off the tax roles. They also want to extend the IFG's welfare state to more Americans to make them dependent on the IFG and look to the IFG for everything instead of doing things for themselves. Everyone needs to pay their fair share and making the top 10% of income earners, who earn 46% of income, pay 67% of the taxes is not fair. Making half of all Americans pay 96% of taxes, and letting the other half get away with paying less than 4% of the taxes is certainly not fair.
"Sen. Joe Lieberman sought to reinvigorate his quest for the Democratic presidential nomination Monday, calling for an overhaul of the federal tax code that would boost taxes for the nation's wealthiest taxpayers while further cutting taxes for middle income families."
This is a continuation of the Liberals following of Karl Marx's "Communist Manifesto". They use division, segregation, and class warfate to push the entire burden of the cost of the Imperial Federal Government's welfare state on a few successful people and removing millions of Americans off the tax roles. They also want to extend the IFG's welfare state to more Americans to make them dependent on the IFG and look to the IFG for everything instead of doing things for themselves. Everyone needs to pay their fair share and making the top 10% of income earners, who earn 46% of income, pay 67% of the taxes is not fair. Making half of all Americans pay 96% of taxes, and letting the other half get away with paying less than 4% of the taxes is certainly not fair.
Tuesday, October 21
CONTROVERSY SWIRLS AROUND CBS REAGAN FILM; SCRIPT REVEALED:
"The film's producers, Zadan and Meron, acknowledge their liberal politics, as do the stars of the television movie, James Brolin and Judy Davis. But Meron tells the TIMES: 'This is not a vendetta, this is not revenge. It is about telling a good story in our honest sort of way. We all believe it's a story that should be told.' "
So, you're telling me that a couple Liberal film producers with Liberal actors and a Liberal network president (who fawns over the Clintons and lunches with Fidel Castro) can do a HONEST job of depicting the best post-WWII president, who just happens to be their "opposite number"? When they say that their film is not going to be hack job and it is "not a vendetta" and "not revenge", this is clearly yet another Liberal lie.
"The film's producers, Zadan and Meron, acknowledge their liberal politics, as do the stars of the television movie, James Brolin and Judy Davis. But Meron tells the TIMES: 'This is not a vendetta, this is not revenge. It is about telling a good story in our honest sort of way. We all believe it's a story that should be told.' "
So, you're telling me that a couple Liberal film producers with Liberal actors and a Liberal network president (who fawns over the Clintons and lunches with Fidel Castro) can do a HONEST job of depicting the best post-WWII president, who just happens to be their "opposite number"? When they say that their film is not going to be hack job and it is "not a vendetta" and "not revenge", this is clearly yet another Liberal lie.
Monday, October 20
Eliyon Technologies
According to Clark Howard, this site can be used in the event that you have a dispute with a company and their "Customer No-Service" does not help you. With this site, he says, you can find contacts to individuals at the company and contact them directly, avoiding "Customer No-Service."
According to Clark Howard, this site can be used in the event that you have a dispute with a company and their "Customer No-Service" does not help you. With this site, he says, you can find contacts to individuals at the company and contact them directly, avoiding "Customer No-Service."
Savage killer, model inmate wins his parole:
"The small-town banker was shot in the head, neck, shoulder and leg. The killer then straddled Flynt and bashed his head repeatedly against a wall. He also beat Flynt's head and face so badly with a .22-caliber pistol that the barrel was bent.
Flynt's killer was caught and sentenced, first to death and later to life in prison.
In December, that killer is set to go free...."
"The small-town banker was shot in the head, neck, shoulder and leg. The killer then straddled Flynt and bashed his head repeatedly against a wall. He also beat Flynt's head and face so badly with a .22-caliber pistol that the barrel was bent.
Flynt's killer was caught and sentenced, first to death and later to life in prison.
In December, that killer is set to go free...."
Speechcodes.org
Listing for the University of Florida. BTW, according to FIRE, U.F. has at least one policy that both clearly and substantially restricts freedom of speech.
Listing for the University of Florida. BTW, according to FIRE, U.F. has at least one policy that both clearly and substantially restricts freedom of speech.
Friday, October 10
Outrage Grows Over College Dems Racial Slur Against Indian Candidate:
"...[O]ffensive memo sent by College Democrats president Ashley Bell. In a message distributed to his organization's membership he called Louisiana's gubernatorial candidate 'Bush's 'Do Boy'.' He also accused the Republican party of 'tokenism'.
Additionally, Bell inaccurately referred to Jindal as 'Arab American', when in fact, the Republican is the American-born son of Indian immigrants. In a subsequent message, he corrected his misidentification of Jindal's ethnic background, but did not retract his offensive epithets."
Must be nice to be a teenager and be confident that you know everything that there is to know. It also must be nice to be a Liberal and tell lies and make racial epithets without the media or other Liberals becoming upset. If it had been a Republican who made racial epithets about a Liberal candidate, the media would run the Republican out of town on a rail. But because it was a Liberal know-it-all who said it, the media will bury the story.
"...[O]ffensive memo sent by College Democrats president Ashley Bell. In a message distributed to his organization's membership he called Louisiana's gubernatorial candidate 'Bush's 'Do Boy'.' He also accused the Republican party of 'tokenism'.
Additionally, Bell inaccurately referred to Jindal as 'Arab American', when in fact, the Republican is the American-born son of Indian immigrants. In a subsequent message, he corrected his misidentification of Jindal's ethnic background, but did not retract his offensive epithets."
Must be nice to be a teenager and be confident that you know everything that there is to know. It also must be nice to be a Liberal and tell lies and make racial epithets without the media or other Liberals becoming upset. If it had been a Republican who made racial epithets about a Liberal candidate, the media would run the Republican out of town on a rail. But because it was a Liberal know-it-all who said it, the media will bury the story.
Fool.com: Hello, Ruby Tuesday [Motley Fool Take] October 7, 2003:
"As casual dining goes, Ruby Tuesday (NYSE: RI) gets little respect. Come clean, now. You have never said, 'Let's go eat at Ruby Tuesday, tonight!' You just wind up there after you realize that it's demoralizing to hang around with a beeper for an hour or so at Outback Steakhouse (NYSE: OSI) or Cheesecake Factory (Nasdaq: CAKE) on a Saturday night. You just settle for Ruby Tuesday."
I've only dined at Ruby Tuesday less than a handful of times in my life. They were always underwelming in taste and value. At least Denny's is open 24 hours, Ruby Tuesday doesn't even have that going for it. The last time -- and it will be the last time -- I went to a Ruby Tuesday, it was the second worst dining experience in my life. After we were seated, everyone around us was being served except us. The table next to us was seated after us and they received their drinks and we had not even had our order taken yet. I had to hunt down and ambush the manager to demand to be served. On top of that, the food was particularly underwelming. Naturally, I left no gratuity. I don't plan to go there ever again anyway.
In case you, kind reader, are of the waitron persuasion, be assured that I have low expectations from my waitron. For mediocre service I'll pay 15%. Good service will get at least 20%. If I have to get my own beverage, only maybe 10%. If I have to get the manager to get service, zero.
I've only not left a gratuity four times in my life. Twice were on purpose for truly aweful service. Twice by accident, but on one occasion I was able to go back the next day and make restitution.
"As casual dining goes, Ruby Tuesday (NYSE: RI) gets little respect. Come clean, now. You have never said, 'Let's go eat at Ruby Tuesday, tonight!' You just wind up there after you realize that it's demoralizing to hang around with a beeper for an hour or so at Outback Steakhouse (NYSE: OSI) or Cheesecake Factory (Nasdaq: CAKE) on a Saturday night. You just settle for Ruby Tuesday."
I've only dined at Ruby Tuesday less than a handful of times in my life. They were always underwelming in taste and value. At least Denny's is open 24 hours, Ruby Tuesday doesn't even have that going for it. The last time -- and it will be the last time -- I went to a Ruby Tuesday, it was the second worst dining experience in my life. After we were seated, everyone around us was being served except us. The table next to us was seated after us and they received their drinks and we had not even had our order taken yet. I had to hunt down and ambush the manager to demand to be served. On top of that, the food was particularly underwelming. Naturally, I left no gratuity. I don't plan to go there ever again anyway.
In case you, kind reader, are of the waitron persuasion, be assured that I have low expectations from my waitron. For mediocre service I'll pay 15%. Good service will get at least 20%. If I have to get my own beverage, only maybe 10%. If I have to get the manager to get service, zero.
I've only not left a gratuity four times in my life. Twice were on purpose for truly aweful service. Twice by accident, but on one occasion I was able to go back the next day and make restitution.
Thursday, October 9
Thomas Sowell: Great myths about the great depression: Those who judge by intentions may say that this was a good thing. But those who judge by results point out that none of the previous depressions -- during which the federal government essentially did nothing -- lasted anywhere near as long as the depression in which the federal government decided that it had to 'do something.'"
The book "FDR's Folly" will be going on my reading list. Sounds like it will make a good counter-balance to Liberal propaganda that we can tax and spend our way into prosperity.
The book "FDR's Folly" will be going on my reading list. Sounds like it will make a good counter-balance to Liberal propaganda that we can tax and spend our way into prosperity.
Independent Florida Alligator - Group blasts Office Depot:
"Cardboard signs denouncing Office Depot's environmental policies lined 13th Street on Wednesday as UF environmental activists joined a nationwide effort to combat forest destruction."
That's the problem with hard-core Liberals. They protest against forest destruction yet they use cardboard signs. They must not know that cardboard signs are made of wood pulp, and wood pulp comes from trees, trees that were grown specifically to be harvested for paper. In addition, although I can't prove it from the Office Depot website, I recall that they have a promotion that if you bring in your inkjet cartridges and laser printer toner cartridges to be recycled, you can get free (or discounted) recycled printer paper.
The first, and last, time I used recycled paper was years ago. The problem with recycled paper is that it is beige, especially when compared with fresh paper which is usually bright white. If they could get recycled paper to be bright white instead of the color of newspaper paper, then that would help. Also, if recycled paper wasn't so expensive! For example, in this week's Office Depot circular, they have Office Depot brand multi-purpose paper (20 lb, 90 bright, fresh wood) for $3.84 per ream. Compared to Office Depot brand inkjet paper (24 lb, 99+ bright, fresh wood) for $5.92 per ream, and Office Depot brand laser printer paper (28 lb, 96 bright, recycled) for $8.44. Although the recycled paper is heavier, it is not as white and significantly more expensive than fresh paper.
Speaking for myself, if recycled printer paper and fresh printer paper cost the same and were the same shade of bright white, then I would go with recycled. But when recycled is considerably more expensive and beige, then it should be up to the market to decide what they want, not a few tree-huggers.
"Cardboard signs denouncing Office Depot's environmental policies lined 13th Street on Wednesday as UF environmental activists joined a nationwide effort to combat forest destruction."
That's the problem with hard-core Liberals. They protest against forest destruction yet they use cardboard signs. They must not know that cardboard signs are made of wood pulp, and wood pulp comes from trees, trees that were grown specifically to be harvested for paper. In addition, although I can't prove it from the Office Depot website, I recall that they have a promotion that if you bring in your inkjet cartridges and laser printer toner cartridges to be recycled, you can get free (or discounted) recycled printer paper.
The first, and last, time I used recycled paper was years ago. The problem with recycled paper is that it is beige, especially when compared with fresh paper which is usually bright white. If they could get recycled paper to be bright white instead of the color of newspaper paper, then that would help. Also, if recycled paper wasn't so expensive! For example, in this week's Office Depot circular, they have Office Depot brand multi-purpose paper (20 lb, 90 bright, fresh wood) for $3.84 per ream. Compared to Office Depot brand inkjet paper (24 lb, 99+ bright, fresh wood) for $5.92 per ream, and Office Depot brand laser printer paper (28 lb, 96 bright, recycled) for $8.44. Although the recycled paper is heavier, it is not as white and significantly more expensive than fresh paper.
Speaking for myself, if recycled printer paper and fresh printer paper cost the same and were the same shade of bright white, then I would go with recycled. But when recycled is considerably more expensive and beige, then it should be up to the market to decide what they want, not a few tree-huggers.
The Smoking Gun: Archive:
"Meet Winston Lamar and Drew Nash. The dopey Floridians were arrested early this morning after Lamar flashed a BB gun and the duo swiped beer from a Stuart gas station. Their first mistake was letting the Speedway worker grab the gun from them. Then they departed with the brew, but left Lamar's ID behind. Not content with those miscues, Lamar, 22, later called the store and asked if he could swing by and retrieve his belongings. Sure, said clerk Marie Blanco. But when Lamar and Nash, 21, returned, they were met by Martin County Sheriff's deputies, who transported Dumb and Dumber to the local lockup."
"Meet Winston Lamar and Drew Nash. The dopey Floridians were arrested early this morning after Lamar flashed a BB gun and the duo swiped beer from a Stuart gas station. Their first mistake was letting the Speedway worker grab the gun from them. Then they departed with the brew, but left Lamar's ID behind. Not content with those miscues, Lamar, 22, later called the store and asked if he could swing by and retrieve his belongings. Sure, said clerk Marie Blanco. But when Lamar and Nash, 21, returned, they were met by Martin County Sheriff's deputies, who transported Dumb and Dumber to the local lockup."
Wednesday, October 8
Fool.com: Help! I've Been Ripped Off! [Commentary] October 1, 2003:
"Also, a company shouldn't want to risk you passing along your horror story to your network of friends, associates, lackeys, and goon squads."
As the saying goes: A happy customer tells their friends. An unhappy customer tells EVERYONE.
"Also, a company shouldn't want to risk you passing along your horror story to your network of friends, associates, lackeys, and goon squads."
As the saying goes: A happy customer tells their friends. An unhappy customer tells EVERYONE.
Tuesday, October 7
Bruce Bartlett: Vacation:
"[France] reduced maximum work time to 39 hours per week in 1982 and 35 hours in 1998. Of course, the socialist government mandated that workers receive the same weekly wages. Government inspectors were sent around to businesses to make sure that employees left for home after putting in their 35 hours.
The action was taken to increase jobs. France has long had an unemployment rate far higher than the United States. It is now 9.6 percent there versus 6.1 percent here. "
"[France] reduced maximum work time to 39 hours per week in 1982 and 35 hours in 1998. Of course, the socialist government mandated that workers receive the same weekly wages. Government inspectors were sent around to businesses to make sure that employees left for home after putting in their 35 hours.
The action was taken to increase jobs. France has long had an unemployment rate far higher than the United States. It is now 9.6 percent there versus 6.1 percent here. "
Monday, October 6
Clark Howard Show Notes Wednesday, October 1:
"You may have heard of the Direct Marketing Association, the largest telemarketing organization. A reporter at the Hartford Courant found out that eleven of the big wigs at the DMA have registered for the “Do Not Call” list. They said they registered because they don’t want to be bothered either. Yet this company is in court, fighting the list, at the same time. "
"You may have heard of the Direct Marketing Association, the largest telemarketing organization. A reporter at the Hartford Courant found out that eleven of the big wigs at the DMA have registered for the “Do Not Call” list. They said they registered because they don’t want to be bothered either. Yet this company is in court, fighting the list, at the same time. "
Sunday, October 5
Dave Barry: So what's their hang-up?
I was able to call the American Teleservices Association phone number (listed in the article) only once. On that call, the main voice mailbox 104 was full. I then tried 105 and 106 but they were full too. I tried to call back later but I have only gotten busy signals. Either they are being barraged with phone calls of the 50 million people who don't want to be called, or the ATA pulled the plug. Anyway, great rebuttal article by Dave Barry. I especially like how the telemarketer spokesweasel said that shutting down the telemarketing industry -- and making telemarketers get real jobs -- would be "like an asteroid hitting the earth.'' Well.. maybe a very small asteroid hitting a part of the earth that truly deserved it, like Sacramento, California.
I was able to call the American Teleservices Association phone number (listed in the article) only once. On that call, the main voice mailbox 104 was full. I then tried 105 and 106 but they were full too. I tried to call back later but I have only gotten busy signals. Either they are being barraged with phone calls of the 50 million people who don't want to be called, or the ATA pulled the plug. Anyway, great rebuttal article by Dave Barry. I especially like how the telemarketer spokesweasel said that shutting down the telemarketing industry -- and making telemarketers get real jobs -- would be "like an asteroid hitting the earth.'' Well.. maybe a very small asteroid hitting a part of the earth that truly deserved it, like Sacramento, California.
