SoCalDem
SoCalDem's JournalJohn Boehner & his hinky henchmen
It's vaguely reminiscent of a TV movie:
They cook up a ransom scheme, but they accidentally kidnap the black sheep of the family and no one will pay ransom.
The leader (Boehner) probably would just like to drop the hostage off on a dark road somewhere to find his way home, but his hinky henchmen want to at least chop off a few fingers for starters, and maybe down the line one of them may want to escalate things..
They all know that they will be blamed for their daring act, but no one is thinking things through anymore..
None of them trusts any of the others, and the hinky henchmen might just turn on the leader (Boehner)..The hostage knows who they are, and will probably tell on them, but so far they are not ready to get rid of their hostage.
Curing "Pork"
Not talking here about delicious BBQ..
Each senator/congressperson is naturally going to want to bolster their approval "back home", so why not just allocate some discretionary funds available to them for the "folks back home"...
Base the amount on the number of constituents represented by that legislator.
Make it PUBLIC information, available online, and just leave it up the THEM how it gets spent....but they have to account for every penny.
AND..
at the same time, make it LAW, that spending bills will be "pork-free" and as much as possible, be single-issue legislation that has to be of benefit to ALL citizens, and to the detriment of NONE.
If it's a transportation bill, there is no "girly-bits" legislation tacked onto it..
"A 16-year-old student armed with a shotgun..."
CBS/AP/ January 10, 2013, 5:49 PM
Student shot at Calif. high school by classmate; suspect talked into surrendering by staff
(video)
http://tinyurl.com/ap4fr7r
A 16-year-old student armed with a shotgun walked into class in a rural California high school on Thursday and shot one student, fired at another but missed, and then was talked into surrendering by a teacher and another staff member, officials said.
The teen victim was in critical but stable condition, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood told a press conference. The sheriff said the teacher suffered a minor pellet wound to the head but declined treatment.
The gunman had as many as 20 rounds of ammunition in his pocket, the sheriff said.
When the shots were fired, the teacher tried to get the more than two dozen students out a back door and also engaged the shooter in conversation to distract him, Youngblood said. A campus supervisor responding to a call of shots fired also began talking to the gunman.
snip
Up close & way too personal at a fire this week
Our son works at this apartment complex, the fire alarm in the office lit up & sounded off, (many false alarms, but he always has to go check personally before the FD shows up) he was confronted with an inferno in progress.. He and 2 others proceeded to kick in doors to check for pets & warn anyone who might not be able to get to the door. The 12 unit building had 11 tenants.
The wind was howling that day too. ..
Everyone (including pets) got out, but the building was a total loss.. Our son is still a bit sore from the adrenalin-powered door-busting, but is happy that everyone is safe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=GZ3nutLg5Jc
Missoni Executive’s Plane Search Intensifies in Venezuela
Missoni Executive’s Plane Search Intensifies in Venezuela
By Sonia Sirletti, Jose Orozco & Celeste Perri - Jan 6, 2013 3:00 PM PT
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-06/missoni-executive-s-plane-search-intensifies-in-venezuela.html
Venezuelan authorities intensified a search for the plane carrying fashion executive Vittorio Missoni that vanished off the country’s coast three days ago.
More than 385 people are involved in the search for the plane, which hasn’t been heard from since it went missing Jan. 4, according to a government statement. The plane was carrying Missoni, 58, the executive responsible for marketing at the eponymous Italian fashion house known for its zig-zag knitwear, as well as his partner and four others. Authorities aren’t dismissing any hypothesis, the Venezuelan government said.
Founded in the 1950s by Vittorio’s parents Ottavio and Rosita, Missoni SpA is run by Vittorio, his brother Luca and their sister Angela. With designs worn by celebrities including Madonna and Jennifer Lopez, the fashion house has expanded its store networks and diversified out of clothing by designing hotels and tableware. A lower-priced line, M Missoni, was introduced in 1998 to broaden the brand’s customer base.
snip
The future Social Security problem we SHOULD be worrying about
SS is based on your earnings over time..
As more and more people are working for less and less, their future benefits will also be a lot less than will be necessary for them to stay above the poverty line.
And since FICA is calculated as a percentage of income, as salaries have eroded and will continue to erode, Medicare solvency is never going to "get better".
People who have never had a job that pays more than $10-15 an hour will have to face old age with next to nothing.
The benefits currently being paid out were earned from wages paid during a time when many people worked union jobs and paid to people who may have also still had the benefit of a pension.
This is the real time bomb, and may be behind the rush to cut & slash now..
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