Firefighters Pay

If this is a risk equals reward system, as we like to think, a Marine Sgt. in Iraq would be making what a Firefighter makes and a Firefighter would be making what a Sears tire-changer makes.

GOP Convention

Politico reports that “most” of the GOP Convention will be “suspended” on Monday.
 
I wish it was just canceled – I spent an inordinate amount of time searching for :anything but the Convention” during the last convention, and can’t imagine suffering through another week of that.
 
HOWEVER, in preparation, I have loaded my DVR with almost 24 [...]

Sunday Morning News Shows

One thing appears certain – the advantage Biden has on foreign affairs, he loses to Palin on energy. In an interview Palin remarked that Biden had been wrong in voting against the Trans-Alaskan pipeline 30 years ago – the pipeline that has brought 15 BILLION gallons of fuel to the lower 48 – and he [...]

And I am Still Greener than Al Gore!

Has anyone noticed that the red-hot subject of Global Warming has cooled?
 
As usual, the politicians are way behind the power curve, but almost no one else seems particularly agitated by it, perhaps because there is no current evidence for “anthropologic Global Warming” beyond the predictions.
 
Florida is not yet sinking as per Al Gore’s breathless [...]

Jury Duty — NOT!

Jean just sent back my Jury Duty summons getting me an excuse for age and medical reasons – so it looks as if I will never serve on a jury.
 
I have tried. Lord, have I tried. I have had one Judge recognize me from the photo on my columns, and dismiss me, “With the [...]

Gov. Palin

Two lawyers (with a potential lawyer First Lady) running against two non-lawyers.
That makes it easier.

McCain’s Standing at Annapolis

Various Bloggers have remarked that McCain got into Annapolis through the political pull of his Admiral father, and stood near the bottom of his Annapolis class.
I have told this story before but it bears repeating. I had a roommate whose father was not just an Admiral but while at Annapolis was a College Football Hall [...]

The Governor’s Tax Plan

Apparently, the Governor’s tax proposal to offset part of the State Budget Deficit, is to raise the State Sales Tax by 1% for three years, then reduce the sales tax by 1.25% BUT to apply that new lower sales tax over a much wider group of products and more importantly, services.
 
The plan is to apply [...]

North County Hospital Bond

It looks as if will fail.
There is no statute forbidding all of those who support the bond issue from writing a check directly to the hospital district!
Write a check! Today! If 60% of the people actually do support the hospital plans, tens of thousands of checks for, say $100 or $200 each, will get things [...]

White Elephant Review

I wrote my first letter to the Editor of the NC Times railing against the “California Center for the Arts” before it was ever built. It was obvious.
 
The Russians under the Czars were embarrassed that they were considered untutored Boobs by the cultured Europeans, so the Czars bought tons of Renaissance Great Art – only [...]