Sixty-five percent (65%) of voters nationwide now hold populist, or Mainstream, views of government. That’s up from 62% last September and 55% last March.
Mainstream Americans tend to trust the wisdom of the crowd more than their political leaders and are skeptical of both big government and big business (see crosstabs). While Republicans and unaffiliated voters are more likely to hold Mainstream views than Democrats, a majority of those in the president’s party (51%) hold such views.
It's why they are mounting a smear campaign against common decent people who simply disagree with the way the nation is headed (and the methods in which it is being run). Nothing criminal about it, nothing immoral about it, and there is damned sure nothing racial about it.
We have been told ad nauseum that feelings are important and not to be ignored. Well....from this usually accurate poll... we can hypothesize that this is how most of the country feels.
When we consider these numbers as factors in calculating fairness, how does it compute that 35% of the population gets to dictate to the majority? How does THAT make you feel?
But before you do, just know and understand that they would have liked to have heard racial slurs. They wanted to hear them. But from the video, I honestly cannot hear anything. From that vantage point, there were no examples of what was alleged.
Here's what I think:
I think they tipped off the news media, told them they'd be trying to provoke a response from the Tea Partiers. The media ran to the site and started the preconceived, preplanned story with nothing but an accusation. The government officials seen on the tape set it up.
They threw a ball. Then, the media ran after it. They chased it out of the muck faster than a retriever chasing his favorite ball. It's classic.
If anything was said, I do not know how it could have been heard in a crowd that large and vocal. We certainly don't hear it in this video. So far we haven't heard anything. More evidence that they cannot defend their decision, so they must resort to ridiculing and telling lies.
Well, the Final four is set. Lucas Oil Stadium is ready. The sporting world and its media will be descending on Indianapolis next weekend. One team (and their fans) will be waiting for them, the 4200 student body of Butler University. To get to the game, they need only load up for a ten minute bus ride.
Here is my take on the remaining four teams:
Butler Bulldogs
After watching them beat a very good, well-coached Kansas State basketball team, it became apparent they could possibly win it all. That doesn't mean they will win it, but they could and that's more than we could say about other small schools that make it this deep in the tourney. They pressure the opposing teams defensively very well and love to control the tempo on offense.
These guys can find more ways to win against a various array of teams, they do not get rattled when they are down, and they are well-adept at practicing patience. One of their players, Gordon Hayworth, won a state high school title with less than a second to go. It was on an off balance prayer shot that would have intimidated most players, but not him.
Their 33 year old coach, Brad Stevens, looks as young as his players. But he handles this team like a seasoned veteran, who had been in this position before. He hasn't, but you'd never know it by watching him. Before he was tapped for this job, he worked in Eli Lilly's marketing department...just another joe trying to make a living in the rat race. Now he's living his dream job.
Like I said, I think these guys have the talent, the discipline, and the drive to win it all. But they must beat two more well-coached and disciplined teams to get the job done. It won't be an easy task, but everywhere they go for the next week they will see "Go Dogs" signs and will feel the karma, from the people of Indy cheering them on.
West Virginia Mountaineers
These guys are very well coached, also. It should come as no surprise that they were able to outplay the less experienced and more impetuous Kentucky squad, anchored by freshmen. But there is no substitute for experience and discipline at this level. Without it, these guys would be at home right now.
They do shoot the three point shot well, but do have their troubles on the FT line. I can never figure that one out.
To have a chance, they will need to make the clutch free throws. They must continue to shoot threes well to force the opponents to come out and guard them. In addition to this, they must use their smothering defense to continue creating turnovers that lead them to score points.
One thing I can say for a certainty, this is the only team from the Big East capable of playing championship basketball this year. I think this was, in part, because of the contract the conference has with ESPN. I think the extra exposure has skewed the overall image of this year's teams, making them look better than they really are.
Michigan State Spartans
Another team with a good coach, one that probably has no business being this far along. If it were not for Coach Izzo, these guys would have been gone in the second round.I didn't get to see much of the game against Tennessee, but I did catch the end. And from what I saw, the Vols had their chances to win the game and just couldn't manage the ball well enough, when it counted most.
Like I said, Izzo is the reason this team is here. They have some good players that play some pretty decent defense. But the heart and soul of this team mostly comes from the guidance of a very good strategist and motivator.
He will need him to get his players to take Butler seriously, if they are to have any chance of moving on. As well coached as Kansas State and Syracuse were, their players did not respect the Bulldogs enough to pour their hearts into it. That is the challenge that Izzo has ahead of him, we'll see if his team listens.
Duke University Blue Devils
What can I say? I respect the Duke program. They have good students, they play hard, and they have talent. But they got a cakewalk in their bracket. Thank the pathetic NCAA committee for that.
They beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff, California, and Purdue (without their best player) to get into the game with Baylor (another team that had an easy path). None of these teams are powerhouses. It usually seems to happen that way, when you play for Coach K.
Don't get me wrong, I respect Coach K as a good coach who runs a squeaky clean program. But not only do his teams get favorable seedings, they usually get benefit of favorable calls when the game is on the line. And I thought this was the case against Baylor. Baylor should have played hard right through it and should not have jacked up so many hurried shots as the game was winding down. But the officiating did stink down the stretch.
I say they will have their hands full against West Virginia come Saturday. If they beat them, I will be forced to concede they are capable of winning it all. But if I were West Virginia, I would come ready to play so hard that the refs could/would not dare attempt to manipulate the outcome. They must take the officials right out of the game. they must play like hell and do not let up the entire 40 minutes.
So here we go, the stage is set. That's my two cents. What do you all think?
I never shared his politics or any other opinions of his on culture, style, or life in general. But way back almost 40 years ago, he was truly a rock artist with a musical style all his own.
Reginald Kenneth Dwight is the name given to him at birth. Here are a couple of my favorite songs from his heyday. The first is from his Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player LP:
This one is off of his self-titled album:
For Mrs. Sunsett, this duet with Kiki Dee is her favorite:
Ending it up with another rock and roll piece from arguably his best work, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road:
Okay. I have heard enough of this crap. I have had my fill of listening to bastards like this:
It is plain to most intelligent people who have integrity and those who thirst for truth. Good people cannot condone this kind of behavior, on either side of the spectrum.
I am not in a particularly humorous mood today, so there will be no Friday Funnies.
I will say this very clearly, with no fears or reservations. I want it to be utterly clear just where I stand. I do not now, nor have I ever, supported malicious acts as a means of protest. I do not condone threats of violence on any elected official, for any reason.
In case someone did not understand me, let me say again that I am not supporting any act that threatens any of our government officials. None. Not one.
All it takes is a handful of crazies to create the impression that the political opposition is complicate in the criminal acts that I have condemned. The vast majority of those who do not support this current government or its leftist policies, are not the kind of people who approve of this either.
And the Democratic leadership knows it.
All it takes is an opportunist bunch of politicians who cannot resist embellishment to score political points, and a complicate media that gives them the forum to do so. They want this to be a big deal, so they can justify taking more extreme measures down the road, to solidify their power and control over those who are not in lock-step with them.
So, let's be clear once again. If anyone who stumbles along this blog is tempted to allow their righteous indignation to turn into the kind of rage that leads to violence and criminal threats, just stop it. Stop it now.
There are politicians (like Jim Clyburn, and the President of the United States of America) who find it politically expedient to taunt and dare the crazies to do things like this. They would rather add fuel to the fire, they want discord.
The modus operandi of this current government has been (and still is) to create the illusion that something is far worse than it really is. And what's worse, they use that strategy as a means and a platform to campaign to show people, that they alone are the ones who can put a stop to it.
They never met a problem that couldn't be generated into a crisis. There has never been a crisis they couldn't fix.
All the while, they use fear and intimidation to coerce people to get in line. They use ridicule as a science to berate and goad people into angry responses so they can crack down with more authority. And it only works when people let these bastards manipulate them into their traps.
Everyone needs to stop and stop right now. It is childish, it is wrong, and it's not the kind of America that most decent people want.
If anyone thinks that this healthcare facade is about anything but control, they need to listen to this audio. It's short and pretty much to the point.
If anyone is listening, they are finally being truthful about their intentions. They told us during the campaign and they are telling us now.
I have been inundated with an overwhelming workload the past two days. For this reason, I haven't had much time to analyze the obvious repercussions that will follow the passage and signing of one of the worst laws to ever get manure shoveled out of the halls of Congress and onto the heads of the American people.
Evidently, Victor Davis Hanson has time to sort it out and did so quite well in this essay. It is long....but well worth the time it takes to read it.
Like Mr Hanson and a host of others, I am one of those people who truly believe that this bill is not about healthcare coverage for the poor, anymore than cap and trade is about preserving the environment. It is about increasing power, control, and the authority of the federal government over the American people. It accomplishes this by increasing the dependency of the people upon said government, just like many other programs forced upon us by the nanny state.
Now, the Leftist technocratic robots (who cannot form a remotely intelligent opinion outside of the socialist/statist box) will have us all believe that we are racists, as well as selfish and greedy jerks who care nothing about the poor. They will have us believe that we are insensitive and that we want people to fail, so we can capitalize on their misfortunes.
One only needs to read this piece of garbage to see that this is a bitter, hateful, and malicious bunch of hacks who engineered this trash into law. Instead of humility and gratitude, they seek to destroy people who merely do not agree with their socialist ideology.
As I sit here and ponder the future outcome of this massive wholesale trashing of the American people's rights and institutions, one thing is clear and will certainly come to pass:
The Democrats will lose big this November and the shoe will once again be on the other foot.
Now that the bar has been lowered to include the blatant disregard of the will of the majority of the American people, there will be a time, when they will live according to that same disregard -- when they once again are in the minority. And when that time comes to pass for all to see, please remember something:
They made their bed and they will be required to lay in it.
It's going to be a couple of difficult (and possibly long) days ahead. As a result, my blogging here and my reading at your blogs might be limited.
Besides that, the low-life, scum-sucking, and lying Congress has gone against the will of the majority of the people and passed the pathetic bill anyway. So what else is there to say?
The acme of the career of this week's act was a four year "flash in the pan", at least as far as overt commercial success is concerned. They rode the wave pretty good while the surf was up.
It's true they continued writing and performing well into the 90s with a cult following. But it is their classic hits (everyone has heard many times over) that still get significant airplay on classic rock outlets, there are many obscure tunes that I thought made for some good listens.
If you liked these guys as I did, here are a couple you might like:
Ask Steppenwolf fans their favorite song and I'd bet willing to bet 65-70% would say, "Born To Be Wild".
While I thought it was okay, I found that I always liked this one best:
Words are powerful entities. They can influence those who do not understand the concepts, behind them.
By now most of us know the latest stunt being considered by the corrupt and foolish Democratic leadership, in a sneaky and underhanded attempt to ram the healthcare bill through to the President's desk. Details and commentary can be found here at the Washington Post.
After laying the groundwork for a decisive vote this week on the Senate's health-care bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Monday that she might attempt to pass the measure without having members vote on it.
Instead, Pelosi (D-Calif.) would rely on a procedural sleight of hand: The House would vote on a more popular package of fixes to the Senate bill; under the House rule for that vote, passage would signify that lawmakers "deem" the health-care bill to be passed.
I could spend a lot of time using cute quips to parse the article, but that would not be the way to effectively make a sound argument. The bottom line in all of this is quite plain to me, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out.
One of the objectives of the progressive movement is to isolate issues by controlling the narrative. They do this by trying to use a multitude of over inflated words....so they can cloud up the simplest of concepts. They also can use them to overstate the severity of a problem, or they can just use them to communicate false information.
They can use our responses to their weak arguments, against us and our positions. They can counter the words of our narrative and by the time you figure out how to respond to that, you find you have allowed yourself to get off message.
So what's the message? Well, let's look at it closely.
It has taken over a year for a bill to come out and it's still not passed. That tells us, it's not a good bill.
But that isn't enough.
Pelosi, Reid, and Company sought to use reconciliation to jam it through. Until the parliamentarian said it wasn't right, they were more than happy to pursue that course of action without any regrets. They called it opening the gate, but the gate was shut. So now they are parachuting over the fence with this newest scheme.
It just goes to show the utter desperation of those who are losing this argument, and the lengths they are willing to go just to make a bad bill into a bad program. It makes them look childish and immature, like someone who cannot lose gracefully and concede defeat. It also makes them look bitter and vindictive, like someone who can't get their way.
More importantly, it shows other things.
If they are willing to make every effort to pass this bill using this method (or any other that will not require their members to go on record, and give it an up or down vote), it cannot be good for the overall health and well-being of the republic. It can only mean trouble.
They are telling us they are more in line with Soviet style government reform, than any provision made in the United States Constitution. If they do not do this the way the system has intended, they are showing us some major outward signs that their agenda is notin the best interests of the United States. They are demonstrating loudly and clearly that they want to reserve the right to overrule the will of the people at any time of their choosing --- thus exercising some measures of dictatorial totalitarianism.
If this is the case in this issue today and they are allowed to do it without protest, what will they do when it is time to cede power after losing it through an election? Will they come up with some obscure parliamentary procedure? Will they try to seize control by using obscure wording to claim a Constitutional crisis (and seize "temporary" power as a result of the fake perception of said crisis)?
It's something to think about, America. I would suggest thinking about it long and hard, before you cast your votes for progressives again. Because it is the White House who has command over the military. And if this were to become a stark reality, what commands would he give to it in the event of such a chain of events taking place?
It's finally here, the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Except for the NFL playoffs, this is my favorite sporting event. I like it because it's one loss and home--no second chances, no mulligans, no best of seven series.
For the next three weeks, the sporting world will be prognosticating on the outcomes and results of the games, as well as the predictions for upsets. It will be the topic of much conversation at workplaces everywhere, many will enter pools to win money.
And so it goes that once again, Butler University was screwed by the committee. I know they do not play in a power conference, but they were undefeated in Horizon League play. They won every regular season conference game, the conference tourney, and got rewarded with a #5 seed. They will be playing the one team that can do some major damage in the tourney, #12 seed UTEP.
Duke, as always, gets an easy break. Their regional is by far the easiest, and in no way should they have been seeded higher than West Virgina. So once again Duke fans have nothing to gripe about and this just shows why so many people root against them.
I did see the Big 12 final, the Kansas-Kansas State game on Saturday. Both teams played well, Kansas just had a little more oomph.
Georgia Tech gave overrated Duke a lot of fits in the ACC final, yesterday. I won't be surprised to see Duke exited in the Sweet 16 round.
One team that may do some credible damage will be New Mexico. They have some good team players and hustlers on that team and are well-coached.
Anyway, PYY will do its best to cover the high points of the 2010 Big Dance. So stay tuned for top-notch opinionated coverage, right here.
I don't mind saying that the debate on healthcare is beginning to bore me, intensely. So while we wait for new developments from the "ram it down your throat" Congress, I thought we'd kill some time with a far more more important topic, food. If enough people are interested, I may even make this a semi-regular feature.
Now I don't know for sure, but I'd be willing to bet Mary Ellen (our regular reader and quintessential Italian cook) has a better recipe than this one. But this is quick, easy, and involves very little effort. And it tastes good.
Place beef roast in crockpot, cover with water. Cover with lid and cook several hours on low or high, until meat is so tender it falls apart.
Remove meat long enough to cool, so it can be shredded. Once cool, gently tear apart the roast and place it back into the beef broth, in the crockpot. Add parsley, oregano, garlic powder, and Lipton's Onion Soup packet.
Simmer in crockpot for another 2-3 hrs.
Serve piping hot on your favorite bread. I like kaiser rolls, sub rolls, or sliced Italian. Be sure to put some juice on the bread for full effect of the Italian Beef experience.
To the sandwich, you can also add pepperoncini peppers and/or a slice of provolone or mozzarella cheese while hot - so it will melt over the meat.
Now there's a concept for us to consider. I was in my early 30s when I came to grips with my own mortality. Before that, I gave it some but not a lot of deep thought.
Life is so precious, so robust, and so invigorating. But at the same time it is so very fragile.
I say all of this because 23 year-old daughter's car was creamed by a semi yesterday. By all rights, she should be dead. Those who have seen the car have said so.
Thankfully she is not. She is resting at her mother's home with nine staples in the back of her head, a mild concussion, and some very bruised ribs. She is now more understanding of why her dad always ends every conversation with the ever mindful phrase, "be careful".
This is why the music post is so late.
I almost didn't do it all. But as I pondered whether to or not, I thought of a song that helped me through a very tough loss 32 years ago, this month. This is when I got the call that my 16 year-old brother had been killed. It was not easy and still leaves an emptiness in my heart to this day.
So, today it feels like the Sunsett family has dodged a bullet. There had to be a guardian angel on duty, or our world would have been devastated once again. And if that would have been the case, this blog would have fallen silent for a very long time.
Other than the "Tickle Me Massa" story it's been a pathetically slow news week. So, naturally this video is the appropriate choice for this week's funny.
In my many years, I have seen countless instances of family members refusing to accept that a loved one is dying a painful miserable death, and they want every possible thing done to keep them from dying. They even go as far to demand that if that dying person's heart were to stop beating at anytime during their hospital visit, the medical and nursing staff would then be required to resuscitate that person. They somehow think that by sticking a tube down into their lungs and pressing on their chests (only to have them die a day, week or month later) is going to buy them more time, while some miracle occurs.
Now let's take a look at the sick and dying bill the Congress has been trying to revive, over and over.
July 28: Healthcare endgame on Capitol Hill (Reuters)
August 21: Analysis: Health care endgame near but uncertain (AP)
October 14: Senate, administration begin healthcare endgame as Dem leaders express unity (Hill)
October 25: Senators say health care bill endgame is in sight (Politico)
October 27: End Game: So When Will Health Care Really Happen? (TPM)
October 30: Health reform inches closer to endgame (WaPo)
November 23: The Health Care Endgame (NPR)
Let's think about this for a moment. The Democrats have control of both houses of Congress and the White House. All of last year, they had a filibuster-proof super majority in the Senate. And yet, they could not get a bill passed and sent to the President for a signature.
Doesn't this indicate to anyone besides the majority of the American people that this is not a good bill? Maybe it's time to stop heroic measures on this one and allow it to die an honorable death.
Addendum: Not so far off topic is this video that clearly speaks for itself:
I have had my differences with Sen Byrd over the years on certain issues, but he got this one right.
I have been stretched way too thin to produce a cogent post the last couple of days. Hopefully I can get one together this evening. Until then, use this as an open thread.
Allow me one moment to say unequivocally that after complete and thorough analysis of the films that were nominated, I feel quite comfortable stating that I don't give a damn who wins.
Only two of the ten competing movies were any good at all. So, it's a safe bet they will not win.
Among the many bits of wisdom my friend Mustang attempts to impart to me, one of them comes into play in this week's musical presentation. When it comes to music he says he may not know much about styles or genres of modern music, but he knows what he likes. We know that from the Colonel's yesterday's swoop though PYY, he doesn't like the Black-Eyed Peas.
So being the kind of guy that I am, I will not stray into BEP's waters. But that doesn't mean we can't have a little funk around here.
Here are some tunes from artists one short generation after soul artists like Smokey Robinson were tearing up the charts. These are but a few of which I would like to share.
The first artist has won several awards along the way in his career. His mother played Helen Willis on the 70s sitcom The Jeffersons, his father was a big shot in the NBC news department. But IMHO, his most interesting relative was his uncle -- who was a Korean War hero.
This 1991 smash hit blends some old Motown style with modern technology -- for a much more distinctive sound. If I had to come up with something concrete to say about this one, I'd have to say the background string and brass arrangements are what makes this one so appealing:
Next.... we have a song that I always thought was so damned catchy. It is infectious.
It comes via a guy from Orlando, who once won a Golden Gloves Championship in the lightweight division. He did a stint in the Army to box. But I guess he didn't like the soldiering part because he was administratively discharged before his enlistment was up, all for going AWOL (something that irks me to no end).
But I think he can sing a little. He has a great blend of musical funk, accentuated by some raw vocals. I know his 1988 mega hit was a Billboard #1, so I am not the only one that dug his sound:
Finally, of the three artists featured here in this post, I'd have to say I like this one the best. I had thought that he once had a car wreck, but I later found out that he has an auto-immune disorder that causes his facial scarring. As superficial as the entertainment establishment is, I am glad they didn't ignore his incredible talent.
He has several good songs that I like and feel are quite worthy to post here. And others may vehemently disagree with me, but I think this tune was his best.
Here a a great live version of what I think is a timeless classic:
If you visit San Francisco and eat out in a restaurant, you might find a little extra charge on your bill. From the Chicago Tribune comes this story:
Nothing succeeds in the travel industry like a bad idea. The latest hidden mandatory add-on is a "health" charge added to restaurant bills. As far as I know, this scam cropped up first in San Francisco, but you can count on it to spread.
The rationale for this one is to cover the employers' mandatory contribution to the City's "Healthy San Francisco" health-coverage system. The charge actually is levied on employers, but at least some restaurants are adding a few dollars or percentage points to each customer's bill to cover this charge.
The restaurants' excuse for assessing this charge separately is to let customers know how much they're paying for employees' health coverage. That's the same excuse hotels use when they add "resort" or "housekeeping" fees to unsuspecting guests' room bills. It's the same excuse airlines would use to exclude fuel surcharges from their advertised fares if the Department of Transportation would allow them. And it's sheer nonsense. Employees' health insurance is no less of a cost of doing business than rent, property taxes, food costs, security services and all the other inputs businesses require to operate. To single out health care for a separate surcharge is unwarranted.
I can understand the outrage....to a degree. But let's look at something may not be so apparent to the person who wrote this article.
I have worked in businesses both large and small, over my many years in the workforce. The cost of doing business is the cost of doing business. Whatever cost a business owner or corporation must pay to keep the doors open is part of the overhead, and it always gets passed onto the customer. This includes taxes and fees levied by all levels of government.
In this case, the restaurants in SF are passing this city tax (and it is a tax) to cover the additional cost forced upon them. The only difference is they are not building it into the price of the items on the menu. They are showing it for all to see.
This is why additional taxes on corporations and businesses in a time of recession only creates inflation, which can (and often does) result in more recession. This is why a tax on commerce of any kind, is a tax on the consumer.
Let's look at this in healthcare terms:
Whenever government sticks its nasty snot-dripping noses into our lives, it infects every thing it touches. Whether bacterial or viral, it spreads like wildfire and weakens the system.
Pathological liars make such a habit of lying, they often forget the lies they tell. Now, I wouldn't be so bold as to say that President Obama is a pathological liar. But after watching this video, I must wonder just what kind liar he is:
We cannot establish that President Obama is a pathological liar. But we can say with a certainty that he is a liar, if he presses forward with the prospect of Reconciliation. My guess is he is so desperate to fulfill his goal of transforming this nation into a European style entitlement model that he really doesn't care what he once said.
My grandmother once had a saying, "promises are like pie crust, easy made and easy broken". She wasn't an educated woman by any standard, but she was wise and knew the concepts of life well. If she were alive today she'd no doubt see another fine example of her often used cliche, that is, if the events of the past year hadn't killed already by now.
UPDATE:
Desperate times call for desperate measures, sometimes. It appears that Obama is doing everything he can to sell this lemon and promising the world to do it.
There is some controversy about a movie that has been nominated for some Oscars this year. The name of the flick is Hurt Locker and the flack the flick is taking is primarily centered on how many veterans think it is realistic. Knowing Hollywood and its poor record of recreating wars on screen, I have my doubts.
Full Metal Jacket was one example. If it were not for the basic training scenes, this one would have ended up just another Stanley Kubrick acid trip. At very least we can call it "distorted reality".
Some soldiers and veterans say the movie, a favorite for the best picture Oscar, portrays them as renegades and doesn't depict combat accurately. But film critics have praised its authenticity.
So help me understand something here, as it very well could be that I am just some dense bozo with a blog or someone who doesn't understand what the elitists understand.
How many film critics have ever actually been in combat? I mean who are these people? What are their names? In what theater did they serve, and what damn units were they in?
Because from where I sit, if a film critic thinks it is an accurate portrayal of what life was really like in Iraq, I think they should halt, identify themselves, and then advance to be recognized. They should tell us where they were in Iraq and what their jobs were, so as to lend some credibility to their opinions.
Otherwise, they are nothing more than a bunch of ignoramuses.
Ignorant people are people who do not know things. But many of them are people who know they don't know... and do not act like they know. There is a certain integrity in them.
In contrast to this demographic, there are people who think they know about things and yet, know nothing at all. These are the people who are are truly lower than the lowest whale dung, which sinks to the bottom of the ocean floor. In them, there is no integrity and no validity to what they may say about the things they know nothing about.
This is the category that I place these film critics. Looking closer we can see another example of distorted reality, within the spaces between their ears.
Addendum:
Greg put a link in the comment section, to a NYT essay that pretty much says it's crap. It's a great read, if you have a moment.
In the past, I have made no secret of my distaste for race-baiting tax cheats like Charlie Rangel. And frankly, I am not the least bit inclined to start now.
As it turns out, Rangel has done the unpatriotic thing by failing to pay his taxes; still, he chairs the House Ways and Means Committee. Not only that, he has recently been found guilty by the House Ethics Committee of major ethics violations; still, he chairs the House Ways and Means Committee.
We all know that Rangel likes to wrangle his way out of his crimes of corruption. He did it after the discovery of his little IRS problem, and appears to be more than pleased to be doing it right now, even after this most recent finding. And still... he refuses to give up his chairmanship.
Congressman Charles Rangel was far from humbled after the ethics committee admonished him for taking corporate-paid Caribbean junkets in violation of the House ethics code. Rather, the New York Democrat berated the panel’s leaders on the House floor.
The moment was characteristic of Mr. Rangel’s arrogance throughout the investigation, which continues into more serious allegations about his official behavior. It is one more reason why Speaker Nancy Pelosi — who championed ethics reform — should stop protecting him and relieve him of his crucial role as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.
This newspaper has had its share of differences with Rep. Charlie Rangel over the years, but one word we never thought to associate with the Harlem lawmaker is “coward.”
Yet what other term is appropriate when a 79-year-old political veteran, the dean of the New York delegation and chairman of one of the most powerful panels on Capitol Hill, ducks responsibility for a pretty obvious personal ethical lapse by throwing his staff under the bus?
That’s Rangel’s story in the face of the House Ethics Committee’s report Friday declaring that he violated House rules by taking corporate-sponsored trips to the Caribbean in 2007 and 2008.
So now it's up to Nancy Pelosi to demonstrate that she meant what she said when the Democrats won control of the House. Remember that promise?
Somehow, I am not going to hold my breath, because Nancy Pelosi has been known to lie her ass off on numerous occasions....just like Charlie. In fact, there's not a hell of a lot of difference between either one of them, when you get right down to it. Both are about the lowest of an already low bottom feeding parasitic crowd, who do not know how to earn money by the sweat of their brows.
And just so we all are clear here's something else for the record:
The staff here at PYY does not believe Mr. Rangel to be a coward, Ms. Pelosi is the coward. Mr. Rangel is a race-baiting, tax-cheating, coward. I think that pretty much sums it up.
