Average household income falls 3.2%, then falls to 6.7% under Obama's 'recovery'

Average household income fell 3.2%, THEN FELL to 6.7% under President Obama's proclaimed 'recovery'
Special thank you to Twitter's @bconsdr8 for this link: http://t.co/jX00uinT

California teacher bans students from saying 'bless you' after classmates sneeze

Watch: California teacher bans students from saying 'bless you' after classmates sneeze | National News: A California health teacher says his ban of the phrase 'bless you' after a student sneezes is not about religion, but about stopping disruptions in the classroom.

Parents and students at Will C Wood High School are outraged after a teacher has threatened to deduct points from students grades if they tell a fellow student "bless you" after they sneeze.

1st Amendment - Anti Obama Signs Challenged With Every Means Possible

NEW ORLEANS -- There are several political signs attracting all kinds of attention in one Uptown neighborhood.

On Wednesday, crowds gathered at the corner of Calhoun and Coralie streets, looking at several signs depicting President Barack Obama as either a dunce, a puppet or a crying baby in a diaper.

"We have to determine that there is a zoning law that prohibits perhaps the size of the sign, perhaps the way that it's erected, that it is leaning over onto public property," Guidry said. "Whatever we can use, we will, but of course, we do have to balance that with First Amendment rights."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Short Term Memory for Liberal Democrats.
How Soon They Forget ...

"It disrespects the nation -- and President Barack Obama represents our nation"


"He wouldn't do that to [President] Bush, I'm sure. It's just insulting. It's insulting"

"He represents everybody, not some people."


And don't 'forget' G.W. Bush is the only sitting President to have an assassination Movie made about him.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/01/AR2006090100858.html

http://www.jeffjacoby.com/2942/a-new-low-in-bush-hatred

Is a Communist Agenda Grinding America Down?

Review their goals and ask if you think they've been successful
http://www.uhuh.com/nwo/communism/comgoals.htm

Dean: Employers will drop coverage under Obamacare

The reason Democrats fought so hard to dismiss the McKinsey survey when it was released is because its conclusion undermines two major claims Obama made during health care debate: "If you like your health plan, you can keep it" and "It will not add one penny to the deficit."

Washington Times article here: http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/dean-employers-will-drop-coverage-under-obamacare#.TnkIMVmsHCk.twitter

Shout out to Twitters @bconsdr8 http://twitter.com/#!/bconsdr8 for this too TY!
Howard Dean reveals the #Obamacare goal for all to see & hear - YouTube http://ht.ly/6APdH #hcr #politics #aarp #tweetcongress

White House Defensive Against New Study Saying HCR Will Be Disruptive To Workers http://ht.ly/6ARjq #obamacare #4jobs #tweetcongress

New EPA Regulations Will Close 20% of Electricity Coal Production, RAISING RATES & KILLING JOBS

Over the next 18 months, the Environmental Protection Agency will finalize a flurry of new rules to curb pollution from coal-fired power plants. Mercury, smog, ozone, greenhouse gases, water intake, coal ash—it’s all getting regulated. And, not surprisingly, some lawmakers are grumbling.

Industry groups such the Edison Electric Institute, which represents investor-owned utilities, and the American Legislative Exchange Council have dubbed the coming rules “EPA’s Regulatory Train Wreck.” The regulations, they say, will cost utilities up to $129 billion and force them to retire one-fifth of coal capacity. Given that coal provides 45 percent of the country’s power, that means higher electric bills, more blackouts and fewer jobs. The doomsday scenario has alarmed Republicans in the House, who have been scrambling to block the measures.

Article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/getting-ready-for-a-wave-of-coal-plant-shutdowns/2011/08/19/gIQAzkZ0PJ_blog.html

Federal Governments Regulatory Overreach Smothering Economy

Last year, President Obama promised Americans a recovery summer. This year, he's given us a regulatory summer. He's thrown a giant wet blanket on economic recovery and has given Americans a summer of more burdens, more costs and more rules.

BARRASSO: Regulatory overreach smothering economy - Washington Times

Governments Unintended Consequences

Special thank you to this fellow Blog for the video: http://www.can-you-hear-us-now.com/

Study Reveals State Revenue Declining From Tobacco Sin Tax

Like many states, Arizona’s public finances are in miserable shape. And much of the state’s budget trouble can be attributed to a decade-old decision to finance an expansion of low-income health insurance coverage with revenue dependent on tobacco industry profits.

A little more than a decade ago, the state grew its low-income health insurance rolls, claiming the new enrollees would be paid for by revenue from a deal with tobacco industry. Now, with smoking rates (and tobacco industry revenues) falling, a budget crisis brewing, and a growing number of individuals eligible for Medicaid, the state has chosen to pare back its health coverage for low-income adults.

Starting July 8, the state’s Medicaid program will implement changes expected to reduce the program’s rolls by 117,000 single, childless adults over the next year. After much delay, the Obama administration last week finally granted Arizona permission to go through with the cuts, but only grudgingly. "We regret the action Arizona is taking," a federal Medicaid official told The Arizona Republic.
Read the entire article here:
http://reason.com/archives/2011/07/06/smoked-out

For the report click here:
http://www.arizonatax.org/publications/special_reports/Tobacco_Taxes.pdf

Political Cowards Love The Sin Tax

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-09-21-column21_ST_N.htm

Politicians have rushed to raise these new levies as if they're the policy equivalent of rescuing kittens. In the past fiscal year, 11 states have increased cigarette taxes, while five states upped their gas taxes. (Yes, even driving is seen as a sin in some quarters today.) Earlier this year, Colorado stopped exempting sugary drinks and fatty snacks from a 2.9% sales tax, while Washington state hiked taxes on beer and soda. And the proposals keep coming: Californians will vote in November whether to legalize and tax marijuana, more than 130 Maryland General Assembly candidates have signed a pledge to vote for a 10-cent tax on all alcoholic drinks, and in Oregon, the Public Health Division is pushing for a soda tax.

CEO Gives Obama a Piece of Her Mind

"I inherit a mess everyday, your job is to fix things and get people to work together for a common goal."

United States Post Office: The HUGE LIE

December 2010 was the first of two raises before talk began about a shortened work week, eliminating Saturday deliveries. They have also offered $20,000 bonuses to non union workers to retire early.
See all related links here:

http://ht.ly/5WOqm

http://ht.ly/5WNmz

http://ht.ly/5WNpb

http://ht.ly/4ZfI8

http://ht.ly/5gQtE
A very special THANKS to twitters @Bconsdr8 for the linked history!

The U.S. Postal Service has lost $5.7 billion so far this year and will require significant help from Congress to get back on track, USPS officials said Friday.
http://ht.ly/5WN2r

The Postal Service continues to face long-term financial challenges and despite significant cost reductions will reach its statutory borrowing limit by the end of the fiscal year and default on a number of obligations to the federal government, officials told reporters. USPS has a $5.5 billion payment to its retiree health benefits fund due Sept. 30.

The Federal Trade Commission includes a long list of implicit subsidies the Postal Service receives that are not available to private companies,” said Issa in the letter to APWU President Cliff Guffey. The letter notes that “the Postal Service is exempt from, among other items, federal, state, and local income tax, all state and local taxes (including property tax), and vehicle registration and titling fees.”

The letter also notes that USPS has access to borrowing directly from the United States Treasury at very low rates. As of the end of Fiscal Year 2010, the Postal Service had $4.1 billion in debt with an interest rate below 0.3% as well as an additional short-term revolving credit line of $3.4 billion at an interest rate of 0.206%.

These subsidies are worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually, Congressman Darrell Issa asked the union not to mislead the American people.

Ray Stevens On The Obama Budget Plan

Unhappy about Obama’s budget?
So is Ray Stevens!

Obama Administration to Provide $3 Billion in Housing Aid - CNBC

The Obama administration is providing $3 billion to unemployed homeowners facing foreclosure in the nation's toughest job markets.

The Obama administration said Wednesday it will provide $3 billion to unemployed homeowners.

The Treasury Department says it will send $2 billion to 17 states that have unemployment rates higher than the national average for a year. They will use the money for programs to aid unemployed homeowners. Another $1 billion will go to a new program being run by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Article Obama Administration to Provide $3 Billion in Housing Aid - CNBC

America's Armageddon Can't Interrupt This Presidents Birthday and Vacation

55% of Americans aren’t booking a summer vacation this year, “Don’t tell President Obama that. Even with no debt deal, he is still planning swanky vacation on Martha’s Vineyard.
Oh, and that August 2nd debt deadline that the President keeps referring to Armageddon? Well, the Commander in Chief has a birthday blow out planned for the very next day.”

Government Regulations to Include Light Bulbs

By the way: 228 Republicans voted Yes on H. R. 2417 to repeal the ban. Ten Republicans voted No. 183 Democrats voted No. But only five Democrats voted Yes.

The EPA recently issued 946 pages of new rules to deal with .05% of the problem

Mr. Soon, a natural scientist at Harvard, is an expert on mercury and public health
issues. Mr. Driessen is senior policy adviser for the Committee For A Constructive
Tomorrow (CFACT).

ARTICLE: http://www.power4georgians.com/docs/WSJ%20Mercury%20Editorial.pdf

The 'Underwhelming' Truth About The Two Trillion Dollar Cut to The Budget

As lawmakers work to cut $2 trillion in federal spending, a new video from the Cato Institute puts that number in perspective.

Economy: 'Great deal of the pain' of downturn still to come

“A great deal of the pain of this downturn lies in front of us still,” Douglas W. Elmendorf, director of the Congressional Budget Office, told reporters as he laid out a daunting list of challenges on both the budget and the economy."
CBO: 'Great deal of the pain' of downturn still to come - Washington Times

Cancer: Where Is The FDA And Who Are They Supposed To Be 'Helping'?

If you doubt the integrity of the FDA, this will confirm your concerns.

Before It's News
Thank you to Twitter's @HomerWhite and @Bconsdr8 for bringing this video and tremendously important story to light.

Rick Santorum Enters The GOP Presidential Race

The former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum has joined the Republican 2012 presidential race, promising to run on a socially conservative ticket.

Santorum's anti-abortion and anti-gay views could attract support in Iowa, where evangelicals are numerous and where the first of the caucuses is scheduled to be held in February.

Although he has been campaigning in Iowa and other key election states for months, he made the formal declaration that he is standing in an interview with ABC television on Monday morning.

"We're ready to announce that we are going to be in this race and we're in it to win," Santorum said.

He has an outside chance in a field in which is still wide open. Mitt Romney, who stood in 2008, leads the polls but there is little enthusiasm for him so far among grassroot Republicans, especially rightwingers.

In a recent Gallup poll Santorum, 53, was placed well down the field, recording only 2%. But a good showing in the debates, with the next scheduled for New Hampshire next Monday, could change that.

He is a stubborn conservative, insisting, long after even the Bush administration had conceded the point, that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Santorum is from a Catholic family in Pennsylvania, his father an immigrant from Italy and his mother a nurse. He has seven children.

He helped pass a bill banning late-term abortions, and caused anger in 2003 when he said states had the right to ban gay sex or other behaviour "antithetical to a healthy, stable, traditional family".

Judges Challenge Health Care: There Is No Precedent

Democrats pushed the Affordable Care Act through Congress last year without any Republican votes and using extraordinary parliamentary tactics, but the tortuous process damaged the law politically, and opened it up to several attacks in the courts, including over whether Congress was acting under its power to regulate interstate commerce or under its broader tax powers.

Judges seem receptive to health care challenge - Washington Times

Pakistan Taliban: New life from bin Laden's death

Pakistan has been hit by a wave of violence following the death of bin Laden.



Pakistan Taliban: New life from bin Laden's death

Disappointing U.S. Data Confirms Slowing Recovery

Weak US data fuel fears of slowing recovery

The US economy has stumbled deeper into the mud of another soft patch, with revised data showing a weaker pattern of growth in the first quarter.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis kept its growth estimate at an annualized 1.8 per cent, dashing hopes that it would be revised upwards, and said that consumption growth was weaker than it previously thought.

The latest data suggest the recovery will continue to be slow and painful, with average growth of about 3 per cent. That is only slightly above the long-run trend and will mean only a slow reduction in unemployment.

Whole article: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/b53d97b2-8790-11e0-af98-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1NU91eoQP

$2M lottery winner getting food stamps

Michigan officials and legislators are moving quickly to change the rules that made it possible for the winner of a $2 million lottery to keep receiving food stamps, the Detroit Free Press reports.
LINK: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/05/lawmakers-rush-to-block-1m-lottery-winner-getting-food-stamps/1

Barack Obama will reach out to the Muslim world in his speech

Appointing himself to a leadership role in the Muslim world ... President Barack Obama will deliver a speech reaching out to the Muslim world, in the aftermath of the killing of Osama bin Laden and amid ongoing unrest in the Middle East and North Africa.

Article Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110511/pl_afp/usreligionpoliticsislamobama_20110511142406

U.S. Trade Deficit Widens by 6%

U.S. Trade Deficit Widens by 6%

U.S. companies sold the most goods and services overseas on records dating back 15 years, but a big jump in oil prices pushed the nation’s trade deficit higher in March.

The trade deficit rose 6 percent to $48.2 billion, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. That’s the highest level since June 2010 and up from $45.4 billion in February.

Exports increased to $172.7 billion. The dollar’s decline in recent months has made U.S. goods cheaper overseas, and exports also have risen because of rapid growth in developing countries.

However, oil imports soared to $39.3 billion, an 18 percent rise from the previous month. It was the highest level since August 2008 and reflects steep price increases as well as greater demand.

The average price for a barrel of imported crude oil was $93.76 in March, up from $87.17 in February. Oil prices have risen even further since then, despite declines in recent weeks. Oil closed at about $104 per barrel on Tuesday.

LINK: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/11/us-trade-deficit-widens-march-pricier-oil/

President Obama wants to radically change this system so that it is based on a class-warfare model.

President Obama came out for lifting the cap on income on which the Social Security payroll tax is applied. If the cap is removed entirely, it will also mean a huge increase in the marginal tax rates that affect decisions to work, invest and save.
Read the entire article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704071704576277133474338552.html

It appears that President Obama wants to radically change this system so that it is based on a class-warfare model.

The UAE Makes Arrests To Keep a Lid On Discontent

UAE: Arrests among apparent precautions to keep a lid on discontent | Babylon & Beyond | Los Angeles Times http://ht.ly/4Hk73
Thanks/shout out to Twitter's 'Bconsdr8' for relaying the story.

70% of Americans say: America is on the wrong track

Since President Obama assumed office in January 2009, confidence in the nation’s current course has ranged from a low of 22% to a high of 35% measured in early April 2009.

Seventy percent (70%) of voters now say the country is heading down the wrong track. Since January 2009, pessimism about the country's direction has ranged from 57% to 72%.

Most Republicans (88%) and voters not affiliated with either major political party (74%) believe the United States is heading down the wrong track. Among Democrats, 36% say the country is heading in the right direction, while 49% say it's heading down the wrong track.

Entire story & thank you @bconsdr8 (on Twitter) for this link: http://ht.ly/4GnUc

U.S. Having Varying Responses to Mid-East Unrest

President Barack Obama accused Assad of seeking Iranian help to use "the same brutal tactics" unleashed against demonstrators almost two years ago.

For Iran, its ties with Syria represent far more than just a rare friend in a region dominated by Arab suspicions of Tehran's aims. Syria is Iran's great enabler: a conduit for aid to powerful anti-Israel proxies Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Should Assad's regime fall, it could rob Iran of a loyal Arab partner in a region profoundly realigned by uprisings demanding more freedom and democracy.

"Iran and Syria represent the anti-US axis in the region. In that respect, Iran wants to ensure that Syria remains an ally," said Shadi Hamid, director of research at The Brookings Doha Center in Qatar. "The problem is that Iran's foreign policy has become quite inconsistent."

Iran may still have other options in the region. It has ties with Iraq's Shiite-led government, growing bonds with Turkey and is making overtures to post-revolutionary Egypt.

Entire story http://www.scpr.org/news/2011/04/23/iran-edge-ally-syria-fights-survival/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+893KpccSouthernCaliforniaNews+%28KPCC%3A+News%29

USS Cole Bombing: Obama Drops Charges

Thank you to @bconsdr8 on Twitter for this link: http://ht.ly/4CZBU

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Rape used 'as a weapon' in Libya

VIDEO: Rape used 'as a weapon' in Libya - Africa - Al Jazeera English

Several doctors say they have found Viagra tablets and condoms in the pockets of dead pro-Gaddafi fighters, alleging that they were using rape as a weapon of war.

They say they have been treating female rape survivors who were allied with pro-democracy forces.

Furthermore, 175 people, including doctors, have been reported missing from Ajdabiya, and many have now been found to have been killed.

... My thoughts: Does anyone know who these so called Pro-democracy Arabs are?

See What $60,000 a year at Columbia University Buys

http://ht.ly/4bSrx
(Special thanks to twitters' @bconsdr8 for the link)

Thousands of Muslims torch Christian homes, churches in Egypt

According to the Assyrian International News Agency, several thousand Muslims have attacked Christian houses and places of worship in a town 30 miles from Cairo. The fate of the clerics who worked at the church is unknown - they may have been detained as hostages or burned to death in the fire.
The violence was the result of a Christian dating a Muslim woman

link: Thousands of Muslims torch Christian homes, churches in Egypt

Illinois' Northwestern University Succeeds With Shock Value But Little Else

 
Northwestern University President Morton Schapiro said today he is "troubled and disappointed" by the live sex toy demonstration on campus last week and has launched an investigation.

He released a statement saying the university is looking into the appropriateness of the demonstration, where about 100 students in a psychology class witnessed a naked woman being penetrated by a sex toy.

Schapiro called the decision by Professor J. Michael Bailey "extremely poor judgment.

For the entire article click below:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chibrknews-northwestern-president-criticizes-sextoy-demonstration-20110303,0,7493639.story

Arizona Senate Approves Sweeping Immigration Bill

An Arizona legislative committee on Tuesday narrowly approved a sweeping bill that would target illegal immigrants in public housing, public benefits and the workplace.

The Senate committee also approved a bill that would deny automatic citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants, a measure designed to set up a possible U.S. Supreme Court case on the issue.

Republican state Sen. Russell Pearce, who authored Arizona's controversial illegal immigration law last year that touched off a nationwide debate on whether states can enforce federal immigration laws, sponsored the latest measure.

"If you're in the country illegally, you don't have a right to public benefits, period," he said.

Passing the bill would place a "dark cloud over Arizona that will make SB1070 tame in comparison," said Jaime Farrant of the Border Action Network, an advocacy group, referring to last year's controversial law.

The new sweeping measure, approved on a 7-6 vote, advances to the full Senate after a legal review and discussions by party caucuses. Democrats by themselves don't have the votes to block Pearce's bill.

The measure toughens requirements for employers checking work eligibility of new hires, allowing for their business licenses to be suspended if they don't use the federal E-Verify system. Workers caught using a false identity to get a job would face mandatory six-month jail sentences.

It also requires schools to collect information on the legal status of students and report them to law enforcement if their parents don't provide the necessary documents or the documents appear false.

The bill also seeks a 30-day minimum jail sentence and the seizure of vehicles belonging to any illegal immigrant convicted of driving in the state.

In housing, it requires public agencies to verify the immigration status of renters and to evict everyone living in a unit if one is found to be an illegal immigrant. For health care, the bill changes some of the document requirements for the state's Medicaid program.

The bill turns public officials into immigration officers and "launches an unprecedented attack on minorities and people of color," Farrant said.

But the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Republican Sen. Andy Biggs, said the bill was a response "to economic and social costs that we face with the onslaught of illegal aliens in our state."

"We need to have the moral courage to deal with this issue when there is a vacuum at the federal," he said.

The bill drew vocal opposition from Democrats who said Pearce _ the Senate's president _ isn't focused on Republicans' stated top priority: the economy.

"This is totally the wrong time for the leader of our Senate to throw our state into another state of chaos," said Democratic Sen. Paula Aboud of Tucson.

The topic brought protesters to the state Capitol, where about a dozen uniformed police officers were stationed in and around the building. Police said four people were arrested and cited for disorderly conduct after disrupting a Democratic senator's news conference about her bill stiffening penalties for a human smuggling crime.

Sponsors of the automatic citizenship bill approved by the Senate panel hope it will prompt a court interpretation on an element of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees citizenship to people born in the country or who are "subject to the jurisdiction" of the U.S.

Bill proponents said the amendment shouldn't apply to the children of illegal immigrants because such families don't owe sole allegiance to the U.S.

An hours-long debate centered on whether the measure would save Arizona money by keeping children of illegal immigrants from potentially burdening the state with the costs of benefits that go to citizens.

"Constantly I'm asked by my constituents, 'Why is it that when illegal aliens sneak into this country their children are automatically citizens?'" said the bill's Republican sponsor, Sen. Ron Gould of Lake Havasu City.

But the leader of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce said lawmakers should focus their efforts on measures similar to the jobs bill they recently approved.

"We believe this case is one which would not get very far, and we are very, very, concerned about the economic consequences of this measure," said Glenn Hamer, the Chamber's chief executive.

An accompanying proposal was also approved by the committee that would establish an interstate compact that defines who is a U.S. citizen and asks states to issue separate birth certificates for those who are citizens and those who are designated as not citizens.

Similar proposals defining who would get automatic citizenship have been introduced by lawmakers in Indiana, Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma and South Dakota. Backers expect another dozen states will take up the issue this year.

The committee also approved a bill to require hospitals to report to law enforcement any patients who lack valid health insurance and who cannot show they're in the country legally.

The bill originally barred non-emergency treatment without proof of legal status but was amended to only require reporting.

Supporters said it still would help reduce health care costs and burdens on taxpayers. Critics said it could deter some people from seeking needed care.

The measure passed the Senate 17-13. Scottsdale Republican Carolyn Allen joined Democrats in opposing the measure sponsored by Mesa Republican Sen. Russell Pearce. It now goes to the House.

Pearce's bill would ban police departments from adopting policies that prevent officers from asking people about their immigration status.

The bill also would make it a state crime to be in Arizona illegally or to transport or conceal an illegal immigrant.

And it seeks to curb day-labor employment by making it a crime for an illegal immigrant to solicit work in a public place or for anyone to hire someone from a vehicle.

The bill now heads to the House.

Rassmussen Poll: Public Still Not Buying ObamaCare

Opinion Journal: Still Not Buying ObamaCare 2/7/2011 12:43:22 PM

Today's Rasmussen poll finds that Americans still favor repeal of the President's health-care reform.

UC Irvine: 11 Arrested and Muslim Student Union Charter Gets Revoked

"This case is being filed because there was an organized attempt to squelch the speaker, who was invited to speak to a group at UCI," District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said in a statement. "These defendants meant to stop this speech and stop anyone else from hearing his ideas, and they did so by disrupting a lawful meeting. This is a clear violation of the law and failing to bring charges against this conduct would amount to a failure to uphold the Constitution."

Each defendant is charged with one misdemeanor count of conspiracy to disturb a meeting and one misdemeanor count of the disturbance of a meeting, according to a news release from the District Attorney's Office. If convicted, each faces a sentence that could include probation with community service or fines or up to six months in jail.

They are scheduled to be arraigned on the charges March 11.

UCI has revoked the Muslim Student Union's charter for one year.

Question: should the Government who's hell bent on separation of church and state have the post office issuing Stamps that celebrate Islam?
SEE THIS http://ht.ly/3RlGV
Thank you to Twitter's @bconsdr8 for this story

Liberal state lawmakers across the country are looking at raising and creating new "sin" taxes

Cash-strapped state lawmakers across the country are looking at raising "sin" taxes on everything from traditional vices, like smoking cigarettes and imbibing alcohol, to more recently vilified habits like drinking sugary sodas and hitting the tanning salon.

• In Mississippi, state Rep. John Mayo, citing the state's place at the top of national obesity ratings, is sponsoring a bill that would add about 25 cents in new taxes to a can of soda.

• In New York, state Assemblyman Felix Ortiz, Brooklyn Democrat, wants a new "fat tax," a surcharge on the purchase of sweets and snacks.

• In Maryland, dozens of state lawmakers are getting behind a plan to raise $200 million in revenue with new taxes on beer and wine, but in the face of strong opposition from the state's business community.

Other states and jurisdictions are looking at taxing the use of plastic shopping bags, raising fees for casinos — even in gambling meccas such as Nevada — and taxing tanning salons. In California, proponents of easing restrictions on marijuana cited the tax revenue legal pot could bring in. Some states have even considered new taxes on buyers of pornography and patrons of strip clubs.

Thank you to @bconsdr8 on twitter for this link to the Washington Times Story: http://ht.ly/3FenW

Muslim Radicalization a "Very Real Threat" by the Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security

Congressman launching probe into local Muslim radicalization
http://ht.ly/3ERDs

The new chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security is preparing a controversial investigation next month into what he calls a "very real threat" — the radicalization of young Muslims by local religious leaders.

Many officials have praised cooperation from Muslim religious leaders in the United States and blamed the growing number of young American Muslims willing to contemplate terrorism on radicals overseas reaching out through the Internet.

But Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said he had heard an increasing number of stories from federal law enforcement officials that U.S. Islamic leaders have not cooperated with police or are fomenting young Muslims.

"There's a systematic effort to radicalize young Muslim men," King said. "It would be irresponsible of me not to have this investigation. If it was coming from some other demographic group, I would say the same thing."

Twenty-Three Christians Executed by Muslims in Nigeria

January 9th 2011
Four Christians helping orphans in Nigeria are beheaded, you identify what YOU want to call their attackers.
http://ht.ly/3ALV2

January 11th 2011
Nigerian Muslims armed with Machetes attack and kill 19 Christians
http://ht.ly/3Dl6c

Have Christians misunderstood this president as he's extolled Islam as a great religion? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCAffMSWSzY&feature=player_embedded