My Blog

Blog

  • Illinois Credit — Worst in the Nation

    Illinois fell to the bottom of all 50 states in the rankings of a major credit ratings agency Friday following the failure of Gov. Pat Quinn and lawmakers to fix the state’s hemorrhaging pension system during this month’s lame-duck session.

    Standard & Poor’s Ratings Service downgraded Illinois in what is the latest fallout over the $96.8 billion debt to five state pension systems. The New York rating firm’s ranking signaled taxpayers may pay tens of millions of dollars more in interest when the state borrows money for roads and other projects.

    “It’s absolutely bad news for taxpayers,” said Dan Rutherford, the Republican state treasurer.

    Illinois received its bottom-of-the-pack ranking when it fell from an “A” rating to “A-minus.”

    via Chicago Tribune.

    Well there you have it.  The Machine, the Illinois combine has driven us straight into the gutter.  The cost of the billions and billions of debt is going up and up.  The taxpayers are stuck with the bill.

    It’s old news but I’d like to review this for the record.  I have only three (3) Republicans that represent me.  Every single other elected official that represents me is a Democrat.

    Alderman Bob Fioretti – D
    Mayor Rahm Emanuel – D
    Chicago City Clerk – D
    Cook County Clerk of Courts – D
    Cook County Treasurer – D
    Cook County Assessor – D
    Cook County Recorder of Deeds – D
    Cook County States Attorney (DA) – D
    Cook County Board Member – D
    Cook County Board President – D
    IL House Seat, Derrick Smith (Current under indictment) – D
    IL Senate Seat, Patricia Van Pelt – D
    IL Governor, Pat Quinn – D
    IL Lt. Governor, Sheila Simon – D
    IL Attorney General, Lisa (I won’t investigate my father) Madigan – D
    IL Comptroller, Judy Baar Topinka – R
    IL Treasurer, Dan Rutherford – R
    IL Sec. of State, Jesse White – D
    US House, Danny Davis – D
    US Senate, Mark Kirk – R
    US Senate, Dick Durbin – D
    US President, Barack Obama – D

    What is that?  3 of 22?  If you just take the State folks it’s 2 of 17.  2 of 17.  That’s 11.76% of my elected persons are not Democrats.

    So let me ask you, if I was looking to blame someone for the mess that we’re in where would be a good place to start?

  • France’s Richest Man Moves to Belgium

    The richest man in France has officially transferred his multi-billion pound fortune out of his homeland to Belgium.

    Bernard Arnault, head of luxury goods group LVMH, insists he has moved his assets for ‘family inheritance reasons’.

    But others are convinced that the 63-year-old has joined other tycoons and celebrities in wanting to avoid taxes – including a 75 per cent top rate on income – introduced by Socialist President Francois Hollande.

    via Mail Online.

    This story does not exist to any U.S. media outlets.

    The left wing media does not want anyone to think the Laffer Curve actually exists.

    So now instead of getting a decent amount of money in taxes from this guy — they had to get greedy and push the tax rate to 75% — and now they get NOTHING.

    There’s a quote going around today:

    The problem is Socialism is that sooner
    or later you run out of other people’s money.
    — M. Thatcher

  • Truth About Bears… and People

    Bears at DHS

  • Military Leaders Vetted to Fire on US Citizens

    I have just been informed by a former senior military leader that Obama is using a new “litmus test” in determining who will stay and who must go in his military leaders. Get ready to explode folks. “The new litmus test of leadership in the military is if they will fire on US citizens or not”. Those who will not are being removed.

    – Dr. Jim Garrow – January 21, 2013

    via Facebook.

    Just so we’re clear, this Dr. Jim Garrow is no kook.  He’s a Nobel Peace Prize nominee.  He’s worked for years trying to end the gendercide in China.

     

  • The Bible Reveals the Name of the Anti-Christ

    Ok, this is a little (more than a little) out on the ledge for me… but it was just too bizarre not to share.  It’s pretty short.  You can make up your own minds.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlT9SYR6jq4]

  • Vintage Cigarette, Weight Gain, And Gun Ads

     

    Vintage Cigarette, Weight Gain, And Gun Ads - Business Insider

    Vintage Cigarette, Weight Gain, And Gun Ads – Business Insider.

  • A Few Thoughts On Gun Control « Eudaimonia

    This will be detailed and thorough, and I apologize in advance for its length. I also need to clarify that I am not a statistician, lawyer, political analyst, or sociologist. I am merely curious, capable at finding information, and trained in scientific analysis. If there are errors in this, they are not intentional.

    via A Few Thoughts On Gun Control « Eudaimonia.

    Amazing amount of information here.

  • Local Vet Vocal at Anti-Gun Rally

    This is a local vet who had some interesting things to say to a professor who didn’t think the Constitution was relevant anymore.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C44B55YYLQ]

    More to the story can be found here.

  • Gun Violence and Race

    Chicago is home to some 2,707,120 people (U.S. Census.)  We’re also told that about 32.9% are black while 45% are white.  That equates to about 890,642 black people and 1,218,204 white people in Chicago.  So far, nothing unusual.

    Over at the Red Eye (a Tribune Media property) they have a worksheet showing the murder victims in Chicago.  The results show 392 black victims and 116 white victims.  Some algebra we calculate that the homicide rate in Chicago (by all causes, not just guns) is:

    44.01 / 100,000 for black people, and 9.52  / 100,000 for white people.

    For the record, the U.S. homicide rate (by all causes, not just guns) — for the entire country — is 4.8.

    Chicago’s homicide rate (by all causes, not just guns) for everyone is 18.98.

    If Chicago was it’s own country, the homicide rate among black’s in Chicago would rate between Belize (41.4) and Venezuela. (45.1.)

    If Chicago was it’s own country, the homicide rate among white’s in Chicago would rate between Bolivia (8.9) and Nauru (9.8.)

    Chicago is a dangerous place for everybody (as compared to the U.S. countryside) but is nearly 5 times more dangerous for blacks as for whites.

    The Atlantic took this a bit further; looking only a GUN homicides:

    The pattern is staggering. A number of U.S. cities have gun homicide rates in line with the most deadly nations in the world.  If it were a country,

    New Orleans (with a rate 62.1 gun murders per 100,000 people) would rank second in the world.

    Detroit’s gun homicide rate (35.9) is just a bit less than El Salvador (39.9).

    Baltimore’s rate (29.7) is not too far off that of Guatemala (34.8).

    Gun murder in Newark (25.4) and Miami (23.7) is comparable to Colombia (27.1).

    Washington D.C. (19) has a higher rate of gun homicide than Brazil (18.1).

    Atlanta’s rate (17.2) is about the same as South Africa (17).

    Cleveland (17.4) has a higher rate than the Dominican Republic (16.3).

    Gun murder in Buffalo (16.5) is similar to Panama (16.2).

    Houston’s rate (12.9) is slightly higher than Ecuador’s (12.7).

    Gun homicide in Chicago (11.6) is similar to Guyana (11.5).

    Phoenix’s rate (10.6) is slightly higher than Mexico (10).

    Los Angeles (9.2) is comparable to the Philippines (8.9).

    Boston rate (6.2) is higher than Nicaragua (5.9).

    New York, where gun murders have declined to just four per 100,000, is still higher than Argentina (3).

    Even the cities with the lowest homicide rates by American standards, like San Jose and Austin, compare to Albania and Cambodia respectively.

    via The Atlantic Cities.

    Incredible.

    Back to Chicago…

    Of the 441 gun homicide victims in Chicago 347 (or 78.68%) were black; 91 (20.63%) were white.  Blacks are victims of gun homicides at over twice the rate to their population.  White are victims less than one-half the rate to their population.

    I’m willing to bet you that if we looked into all of these cities on The Atlantic list that we would find similar results.  In this country we have a serious gun violence problem in the black community.  It needs to be dealt with.  It is unfair and unjust that peaceful people — of any race — have to live in communities plagued by violence.  But because of the unique nature of this problem a wide-sweeping federal solution will never work.

    Taking guns away from law abiding citizens in the sticks will not solve the inner city gun problems.

  • I’m Back!

    Christmas plus work plus a trip to Vegas plus plus….

    Nearly caught-up.  Let’s get going again!