July 5, 2011 by vortmax.

David Brooks, who is definitely no liberal, writes the following article:

The Mother of All No-Brainers

 If the Republican Party were a normal party, it would take advantage of this amazing moment. It is being offered the deal of the century: trillions of dollars in spending cuts in exchange for a few hundred million dollars of revenue increases.

A normal Republican Party would seize the opportunity to put a long-term limit on the growth of government. It would seize the opportunity to put the country on a sound fiscal footing. It would seize the opportunity to do these things without putting any real crimp in economic growth.

The party is not being asked to raise marginal tax rates in a way that might pervert incentives. On the contrary, Republicans are merely being asked to close loopholes and eliminate tax expenditures that are themselves distortionary.

This, as I say, is the mother of all no-brainers.

But we can have no confidence that the Republicans will seize this opportunity. That’s because the Republican Party may no longer be a normal party. Over the past few years, it has been infected by a faction that is more of a psychological protest than a practical, governing alternative.

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July 5, 2011 by vortmax.

It sure seems that the GOP has come to this:

Read the rest of this entry »

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June 20, 2011 by vortmax.

Jon Stewart appeared with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday this weekend.  Wallace tried to nail down Stewart, trying to call him partisan, but Jon Stewart came back with a larger point that Wallace just didn’t seem to grasp:

“You can’t understand, because of the world you live in that there is not a designed ideological agenda on my part to affect ideological change, because that is the soup you swim in… Ideological regimes can’t understand that there is a free media somewhere, because they take marching orders.”

It’s a fascinating interview, with Jon Stewart finally making the point that his kind have been around forever.  That comedians have always pointed out absurdity wherever it exists.  If Jon Stewart is like anyone, it’s more a Mark Twain or a Will Rogers.”Only the jester dare utter the truth.”

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June 18, 2011 by vortmax.

NY State Sen. Roy McDonald (R-Saratoga) had this to say:

“You get to the point where you evolve in your life where everything isn’t black and white, good and bad, and you try to do the right thing,” McDonald, 64, told reporters.

“You might not like that. You might be very cynical about that. Well, f— it, I don’t care what you think. I’m trying to do the right thing.

“I’m tired of Republican-Democrat politics. They can take the job and shove it. I come from a blue-collar background. I’m trying to do the right thing, and that’s where I’m going with this.”

We need more independent-minded folks in office.  To hell with those that demand loyalty to “the party.”

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April 19, 2010 by vortmax.

On this day, April 19, 1995, my son was born at 7:47 a.m.  I was looking forward to a happy day of being a new father.

At 9:03 a.m., that opportunity was denied.

Timothy McVeigh detonated a bomb at the Murrah Federal Building.  I vaguely remember the low rumble.  I distinctly remember the screams of horror from the room next to me as the woman saw her child’s caretaker wheeled out of the YMCA building across from the Murrah center.

If I could, I would go back in time.  I would confront Mr. McVeigh, beat him until he was incapacitated, rip his testicles off, and put my foot on his neck until he was dead.

Yes, I hold a grudge.

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February 11, 2010 by vortmax.

There’s another viral email circulating.  As with any viral email, the information it presents is exaggerated to support a certain political point of view.

Subject: FW: What a Class Act
Bush Asked to Leave Ft.Hood

I sent my cousin in Fayetteville, N.C. (retired from Special Forces) that picture of Geo. W. visiting the wounded at  Ft.   Hood  .. I got this reply:

What is even better is the fact George W. Bush heard about Fort Hood, got in his car without any escort, apparently they did not have time to react, and drove to Fort Hood.  He was stopped at the gate and the guard could not believe who he had just stopped.  Bush only ask for directions to the hospital then drove on.  The gate guard called that “The president Is on  Fort   Hood  and driving to the hospital.”  The base went bananas looking for Obama.  When they found it was Bush they immediately offered escort and Bush simply told them to shut up and let him visit the wounded and the dependents of the dead.  He stayed at Fort Hood for over six hours and was finally asked to leave by a message from the White House.  Obama flew in days later and held a “photo ” session in a gym and did not even go to the hospital.  All this I picked up from two soldiers here who happened to be at Fort Hood when it happened.

Here’s the only mention I found of it from any news source (Fox News from Nov. 7th, 2 days after the incident):

Former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura secretly visited Fort Hood last night and spent “considerable time” consoling those who were wounded in Thursday’s shooting spree, Fox News has learned.

The Bushes entered and departed the sprawling military facility in secret, having told the base commander they did not want press coverage of their visit, a source told Fox News.

What President Bush did is to be commended, but it wasn’t some impulsive, “not having time to react” same day act as the email implies.  And I highly doubt the Obama administration asked him to leave.

Here’s the obligatory Snopes entry on the email.

The claim that when President Obama visited Fort Hood he merely “held a photo session in a gym” is false. President Obama traveled to Fort Hood and spent four hours there on 10 November 2009, attending a memorial service for the victims of the shooting and meeting with the families of the dead and the wounded.

Once again, I ask that any email one receives that smears anyone, be they democrat, republican, or independent, please take the time and effort to verify the information in the message.  We need accurate information, not lies designed to fool the gullible.

Posted in Stupid emails, Politics | 1 Comment »

February 9, 2010 by vortmax.

From the Dallas Morning News:

Even anti-government icon Ron Paul can’t escape the conservative “Tea Party” fervor stretching across the county.

Paul, the Gulf Coast congressman whose 2008 presidential run excited libertarians nationwide, even though he didn’t get much traction overall, is considered by many to be the “father of the Tea Parties.” But he has three opponents in the March Republican primary – more than he has faced in his past six primary campaigns combined.

But here’s where it gets ludicrous:

“The word I keep hearing is ‘ineffective,’ ” said Gay, a school business administrator. “This district is not really being represented as it could be.”

Tea Party associations aside, many of the challengers’ criticisms echo concerns of Paul’s past opponents: that he is too focused on his national ambitions; that his views are too extreme; that he doesn’t support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; that he votes “no” on everything, including federal aid for his district after Hurricane Ike.

These “Tea Party” candidates are standing up in favor of even more government spending and PORK, therefore claiming it’s a Tea Party principle.

Hypocrites.

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November 16, 2009 by vortmax.

It’s that time of year again.  The time of year when the airwaves bombard us with commercialized carols and red and green ad displays.  It’s also that time again for the “War on Christmas” emails to begin circulating.

I have not received any such email, but I hear the gist of one of them is this:

President Obama is going to call the National Christmas Tree the “National Holiday Tree,” and that the Obamas are going to have a “White House Holiday Tree” instead of a White House Christmas tree.

Let me say that is complete and utterly false.

First, per the National Parks Service, the nation will still have the traditional National Christmas Tree.  So consider part 1 of the above email debunked.

Second, per the Washington Post, Michelle Obama has specified the type of “Official White House Christmas tree” she wants.  Thus part 2 of the purported e-mail is also proven false.

Finally, my favorite fact-check site, Politifact, has also debunked this false claim, labeling it a “Pants on Fire” lie, complete with sources that refute the email’s claims (including a reference to a similar e-mail about President Bush doing the same thing, which is equally ridiculous).

For those of us in the Christian faith, we understand what the true meaning of Christmas is.  The blessing of the birth of Jesus Christ will never be forgotten, no matter how many jingles, ads, or hyperbolic chain e-mails we receive.

Posted in Computers, News, Politics | 1 Comment »

October 31, 2009 by vortmax.

Once again, Jon Stewart nails it:

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September 29, 2009 by vortmax.

This weekend, the largest free clinic ever in the US was held in Houston’s Reliant Center:

It’s an epidemic here in Texas and Harris County — people without health insurance. On Saturday, the uninsured lined up to get their needs met.

More than 2,000 people came to Reliant Center to see doctors for free. Many of the people we talked to can’t afford health insurance, especially in the rough economy. Some say it shows the need for health care reform.

Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn advocates using charity as the final option for health care.  So does  Virginia Congressman Eric Cantor, as seen in a previous post.

Coburn and Cantor are obviously not people who have had the indignity of having to beg for something (other than more donations to their campaigns), yet they expect the uninsured to rely on just that.  Become indigent, become poor, even sign up for a government-run health care system (Medicaid).  And, if all those fail, “hope” that the goodness of others will keep them well enough to stay healthy and become productive members of society.

In my opinion, begging is not an option.  It’s humiliating and no guarantee of getting health care.  If someone can convince me that it is, I’ll be happy to hear them.

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