My Blog

Blog

  • CCW in Illinois? Without State Action?

    In the only state that doesn’t let its residents walk around with concealed firearms, a northwest Illinois county could become the testing ground for gun enthusiasts who want a clean sweep for their Second Amendment rights.  …

    The county has scheduled a pair of hearings this month to determine whether it should allow people to carry guns within Winnebago borders. The proposed ordinance – which was written after officials received a petition with more than 11,000 signatures this year – would contradict state law.  …

    Webster, a local tree nursery owner and a longtime National Rifle Association member, wrote the proposed ordinance himself after receiving the petition in August. It would let people carry guns in Winnebago if they had proper training and possessed a Utah permit, which is recognized in neighboring Midwestern states and has no residency requirements.

    via Chicago Tribune.

    People are clever.  Even in Illinois.  I have a Utah CCW, and a Florida.  I also have a few other tricks up my sleeve which means I’m generally able to carry most of the time.  But this is good news for law abiding citizens of Winnebago County.

    This sort of movement could move statewide.  I can see a result whereby it was legal to carry in some counties but not all.  Such a decision would force the state to act.  This is basically what happened in Ohio, California, and few other states prior to those states creating their own CCW laws.

    Going to be confusing for awhile here.  But this is a step in the right direction.

  • Bus-Only Lanes Hurt Everybody

    CTA super-express buses that will operate on 21-mile stretches of Ashland and Western avenues will have the benefit of using full-time bus-only lanes, under a still-evolving concept the transit agency and the city will present this week at three open houses, starting Tuesday.

    via  Chicago Tribune.

    This is just an extension of the ongoing war on vehicles & one of the dumbest ideas ever.  It makes no sense to make life more difficult for cars; which just so happen to be how most people get around.  Why punish the majority for the minority?  Some people literally must drive b/c they have to take children to school before work or otherwise travel on routes not covered by public transit.

    Damen in one lane.  Halsted is one lane.  California is one lane.  It makes no sense to destroy the only two North-South arteries.  Between the bike lanes and the center islands it is getting impossible for vehicles to get around.  This includes police, fire, and EMS vehicles as well.

    Lastly, what is the problem trying to be solved here?  That buses travel more slowly in traffic is not new.  It’s been that way since the invention of buses.  People on buses however can read, play with their phones, talk on the phone, send txt messages, and do all sorts of things that people in cars cannot (safely) do.  This is the advantage of taking the bus over the car… that, and the cost.

    Chicago can be a great great city.  Truly world class.  But it will not become so by declaring war on vehicles which the majority of people use to get around.

  • Obama Comments on Minaj vs. Carey; No Comment on Economic Outlook

    The President of the United States has weighed in on the greatest feud of our time. And by that we mean yes, Barack Obama has commented on the on-set tensions between “American Idol” hosts Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey.  …

    Naturally, a feud of such magnitude was top of mind when the president called in to radio host Michael Yo’s “The Yo Show,” and in a display of diplomacy we’ve come to know well from Obama, the president does not take a clear side on the feud, but he’s optimistic everything will be OK in the end.

    via The Clicker (NBC Infotainment).

    This is insane.  It’s just plain unpresidential.  I used to like Barack Obama; sure we disagreed on things.  But I figured he was a lot like Bill Clinton.  Charming, intelligent, kind of a life of the party sorta guy.  But now I’m starting to think that he’s just a narcissistic boob.

  • U.S. Postal Service is Dying, Why You Should Care

    The USPS has been teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. A key reason was a 2006 law that required the postal service to make annual payments of about $5.5 billion for 10 years to pay for future retiree health benefits.  …

    In the three months that ended June 30, the agency reported net losses of $5.2 billion.

    via CNN.

    People like to point out why the post office is suffering a slow cancerous death.  eMail, electronic bill pay, faxes, etc.  But that’s all garbage.  The U.S.P.S. is dying because it failed to meet the realities of the marketplace and because it overpays it’s workers,  a/k/a  bad management.

    Compare the USPS which LOST $5.2 billion in the 2Q 2012 to UPS which made $1.12 billion in the same period.  Or FedEx which made $459 million in the 3 months ending 08/12.

    Years ago I read Jim Rogers‘ book Investment Biker.  In it he tells the story of being in the USSR and mailing some packages back to the UK.  Long story short, the communist government charged less to mail letters and package than it cost.  This was because it was popular with the people.  The people wanted to be able to send letters cheaply and the government obliged.  But it was but one example of several (cited in the book) showing how and why the USSR would fail.  A government cannot continue to offer services for less than what they cost.

    No entity can continue to offer services for less than their cost.  The USPS is not exception.  It must either figure out how to charge enough for the service it provides or get out of the business.  But right now the taxpayers are on the hook to massive amounts of USPS debt.  That’s not right.

    Lastly, you should care… greatly.  The government is now just starting to take over the nations health care.  It too will be run with the same level of efficiency and forward thinking as the USPS, or maybe the State of Illinois DMV.

    Health care in this country will follow the USPS in bankruptcy.  And that’s not going to be good for anyone.

  • Marines Guard Embassy … in Barbados

    When terrorists attacked the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11 of this year and killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans, there were no U.S. Marines deployed in Libya to defend U.S. diplomats, diplomatic facilities and classified information and equipment.

    However, says the State Department, a Marine Security Detachment was deployed on that day to carry out those duties at the U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados.

    “U.S. Marine Security Guards serve at the U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown, and at other diplomatic missions around the world, to protect and safeguard American diplomacy,” Rebecca Ross, the U.S. Embassy to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Counselor for Public Affairs, said in a statement to CNSNews.com.

    via Hot Air Headlines.

    I’m speechless.

    Go on John Stewart… say something funny.

    Keep laughing Uncle Joe.  You only make yourself appear more foolish.

  • Benghazi Security Cut; Vienna Gets Chevy Volts

    While our consulate in Benghazi was guarded by unarmed Libyan contractors making $4 an hour, our embassy in Vienna received an expensive charging station for its new electric cars to help fight climate change.  …

    [There were] 230 security incidents in Libya between June 2011 and July 2012. With 48 taking place in Benghazi, two at the U.S. diplomatic compound where Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans were murdered on Sept. 11, 2012….

    According to Nordstrom, the State Department not only refused his requests for greater security, but also actually reduced the number of Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agents assigned to foreign service officers based in Libya. Security was left to one DSS agent, four armed members of the 17th of February Martyrs Brigade and unarmed Libyan contractors employed by the British-based Blue Mountain Group.via Investors.com.

    This is a national embarrassment.

  • Dem Dems are a really really violent bunch. Someone needs a group hug.

  • I don’t know if this is funny or scary. I can tell you the comments on Twitchy are hilarious.

  • DNC, Obama Campaign: It’s “Okay” to Vote Twice

    When undercover reporters visited various [DNC] locations across the country they received the same response from Obama campaign staffers – that it’s basically okay to vote multiple times if you happen to be registered in two or more states.

    In Houston, Texas, for example, the Project Veritas reporter made her intentions known, and rather than being rebuffed for her planned illegal activity, she was provided assistance with obtaining the proper forms to be registered in two states and was told to say “I don’t know” if the double-voting ever became an issue.

    Similar situations unfolded at other DNC funded community organizations.

    via SHTFplan.com.

    Is anyone surprised??

    The MSM, a/k/a Ministry of Truth, asleep at the wheel.

  • Biden: Doesn’t Know his Own Votes

    “By the way, they talk about this great recession like it fell out of the sky–like, ‘Oh my goodness, where did it come from?’” Biden said. “It came from this man voting to put two wars on a credit card, at the same time, put a prescription drug plan on the credit card, a trillion dollar tax cut for the very wealthy.”

    “I was there, I voted against them,” Biden continued. “I said, no, we can’t afford that.”

    Then Sen. Biden voted for the Afghanistan resolution on Sept. 14, 2001 which authorized “the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for the recent attacks launched against the United States.”

    And on Oct. 11, 2002, Biden voted for a resolution authorizing unilateral military action in Iraq, according to the Washington Post.

    via Washington Free Beacon.

    Uncle Joe just got confused.