Some Things Don't Get Better

Just a tasty tidbit - a little reminder that we still have to figure out what to do about the political and economic disasters heading our way, now that we've pissed away practically every chance we had at being able to do anything about the actual causes of the coming disasters.

And in case you've been wondering about "the cooling period" or the "warming pause" over the last several years?   Well, it appears the ocean's been doing its job; soaking up the kajillions of calories or BTUs or whatever you like to call all that "missing" heat, only to deliver it right back to us in the form of a typhoon that pushes a 20-foot tidal surge with winds gusting 170 mph.

Isn't it the least bit puzzling that we have a "once-in-a-lifetime storm" every few years now?

Nature bats last, dumbass.

TACLOBAN, Philippines (AP) -- As many as 10,000 people are believed dead in one Philippine city alone after one of the worst storms ever recorded unleashed ferocious winds and giant waves that washed away homes and schools. Corpses hung from tree branches and were scattered along sidewalks and among flattened buildings, while looters raided grocery stores and gas stations in search of food, fuel and water.

Officials projected the death toll could climb even higher when emergency crews reach areas cut off by flooding and landslides. Even in the disaster-prone Philippines, which regularly contends with earthquakes, volcanoes and tropical cyclones, Typhoon Haiyan appears to be the deadliest natural disaster on record.

Today's PSA

Sauce For the Gander

Don't know much about Ms Miller, but it sounds like she'd have been a good one to talk to about a lot things.

And just to be clear - I don't think I can be a "feminist" any more than a woman can be a "masculinist", but all of us could at least try to see things from a perspective other than our own once in a while.

hat tip = Tennessee Guerilla Women

Uhm...'Scuse Me

...but you said my premiums would be going thru the roof(?)

This is just a quick and dirty look, and I should tell you right now that I haven't checked this out at all. (Democratic Underground posted the link)

So there's a whole big pile of caveats and yeah-buts left to sort thru, but still - WTF, Bubba?

Today's Quote

"This is the question 'the right' has to answer:  Do you want smaller government with less handouts, or do you want a minimum wage?  Because you can't have both.  If Colonel Sanders isn't going to pay the lady behind the counter enough to live on, then Uncle Sam has to, and I for one am getting a little tired of helping highly profitable companies pay their workers."  --Bill Maher

Piercing The Veil

In all the huffing and puffing about the significance of a few off-year elections, there's one or two little items that got lost in the shuffle.

Here's Charlie Pierce, on trying to see beyond the trees, and into the forest - or something.

This was a raid, plain and simple. These pensions are not retirement plans. They are deferred compensation. They are money that workers are owed because they and their unions were willing to compromise on salaries in exchange for moe money after the workers retired. This is the kind of thing that has been going on all over the country for quite some time under the guise of "unfunded liabilities," which, in most cases, are "unfunded" because the people who were supposed to fund these plans reneged over decades to do so. (It is also a scam beloved of new brotastic centrist Governor Chris Christie, among others.) It is generally sold by the grifters promoting it as a rank appeal to worker jealousy. (That garbageman has a pension and you don't? No fair! And everybody forgets to ask why private-sector workers don't have pensions any more.) As such, it has worked extremely well. It certainly should have sold itself in Cincinnati. Instead, mirabile dictu, the voters saw through the charade and shredded it at the polls.

--and--

This was an assault on money owed to city workers, money that got itself squandered by, among other people, the vulpine bastards on Wall Street. The vote in Cincinnati was a carefully selected test case for ripping off workers for the benefit of large financial services institutions. That it failed was one reason to cheer last night. The next time someone tells you the Tea Party is a vehicle of protest for ordinary Joes and Janes, feel free to laugh in that person's face.

We Aim To Please

Pick a Bias Confirmation; any Bias Confirmation.

In case you were wondering just how squishy and soft the late great WaPo has gotten.

The Day After

So yesterday here in Ol' Viginny, we got us a few Democrats elected Governor, Lt Governor; and possibly Attorney General (the Dem is leading by a coupla hundred votes in that one).

It's seen as a semi-bigtime repudiation of the Radical Right, but the change is confined to the top spots - important and pretty satisfying in itself, but not exactly the "transformational phenomenon" a lot of people were looking for; not when the House of Delegates appears not to have changed one little bit.

A quick look at the Delegate races, and we still have 65 Repubs and 33 Dems with 2 races still too close to call as of about 5:00 this morning - and both of those were shaded in favor of the GOP candidate.

So we'll see if McCauliffe has the chops to get anything done, and/or the balls to jam thru some agenda items using just the Governor's letterhead.

Bringing it way down to a tight focus, we did manage to piss off the local Repubs somethin' awful by handing the incumbent a pretty sound thumpin' (12 or 13 points).  Brad Sheffield is our brand new representative for the Rio District, Albemarle County Board of Supervisors - way to go, Brad.

But maybe we should be talking more about why there were 45 seats in the House of Delegates that went uncontested this time around. 29 Repubs and 16 Dems had no opponents at all.  It seems almost half of our "representatives" can reasonably be considered Delegates-For-Life(?)  In a state that advertises itself as the nursery of American democracy and the birthplace of presidents; in a country that's constantly thumping its chest and crowing about bringing out the greatness in everybody by going toe-to-toe with the best possible competition; blahblahfuckin'blah - that's kinda fucked up right there, guys.

But hey - we're all happy cuz...you know - Hillary, right?

Local Precinct Pic

This is a picture of the Republican tent outside my precinct  (Earlysville Volunteer Fire Company).  I hadn't notice until one of "our" Dem voters pointed it out, but there's no electioneering signs for either Ken (Kenny The Kooch) Cuccinelli or for Mark (The Dark Legacy) Obenshain.

I have to wonder if there's any kind of statement being made here when 2 out of your 3 top guys aren't represented(?)  And how is it that you leave out Cuccinelli and Obenshain, but you're OK with a freak like Jackson?

Politics is weird, man.

Today's Entrepreneurial Inspiration

Cuz we need to wake up and recognize that with a little hard work and American know-how (and a coupla billion tax dollars), an elementary school can be just as safe as any other combat zone.



They piss on our heads; they tell us it's raining; and then they sell us umbrellas.

No soul and no honor.

hat tip = Addicting Info