“The power under the constitution will always be in the people. It is entrusted for certain defined purposes, and for a certain limited period, to representatives of their own choosing; and whenever it is executed contrary to their interest, or not agreeable to their wishes, their servants can and undoubtedly will, be recalled.”

~ George Washington (1787)

Friday, November 30, 2012

This has to have left a mark....

....on anyone who voted Democrat this year.  Click to enlarge.


Friday Cartoons

Click to enlarge!


Friday news and opinions

Looking Ahead

Taxes, It's the Economy, Financial

Unions

Big Government, Corruption, Politics, Budget Battle

EPA, Big Government, Agenda 21

ObamaCareTax

Terrorism, Foreign Policy

Liberal Mindset, Socialism, Communism

Monday, November 26, 2012

Posting will continue to be light for a few days

Sorry -- got all those taxes to pay! 

Law Enforcement budget discussions in the news

With the 2013 county budget coming up for finalizing (discussed here in a previous post), the Union-Bulletin has printed a series of items opening discussions on the budget for the County Sheriff.

Briefly, that budget has been a point of concern for the Commissioners, especially given the cost overruns by Sheriff Turner in his 2011 budget, and the sharp disagreements between the Commissioners and Sheriff Turner during the 2011 run up to completing the 2012 Sheriff Budget.  Those resulted in an editorial by the Union-Bulletin on December 9, 2011, titled "Meetings between Commission, sheriff should be public".

(That editorial can be viewed here, if you don't have an account with the Union-Bulletin.)

The two articles are linked below (registration may be required, if you have used your monthly quota of free views).
The discussion concerning the requested budget increases is a difficult one, given the revenue decrease, as noted by the Union-Bulletin on November 22 (No easy answers for budget gap), a projected $1.9 million county wide budget gap, and several as yet incomplete labor contract negotiations.  As noted in that article:
A worst-case scenario would have elected officials and department heads having to deal with increased labor costs in 2013 with the money they’ve been allotted in 2012, commissioners said. With no other place to cut expenses, layoffs may be the only option.

“It’s not that we (commissioners) are telling them to cut people,” Dozier said. “If they (elected officials and department heads) can find a place to cut without layoffs, then do it.”

At Monday’s discussion, county Treasurer Gordon Heimbigner said county officials need to take on strategic planning to decide what are the “bare essentials for each office and where do we want to be in four years?” He said that just as federal officials have warned of being “close to a fiscal cliff, so are we.”
The budget is set to be completed in December.  Short of a major increase in revenues for the county, the question facing the Commissioners is balancing the budget for the entire county.  The Sheriff either has to live within what he gets, or somehow takes something out of another county agency's budget.  This is a very difficult problem for all concerned, especially considering the cash flow problems discussed at the special meeting in October (discussed here in a previous post), and unplanned but inevitable emergency needs.

If you are interested in attending the Commission meetings, for either information, or to offer your opinion, the public meeting are held each Monday, 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM, or you can check the county calender here.

Monday Cartoons

Click to enlarge, with more below the fold!


Monday news and opinions (updated)

Big Government

Corruption

ObamaCareTax

Education

Taxes

Socialism, Communism, Liberal Mindset

Second Amendment

Unions, It's The Economy

Politics

*: Updates

Sunday, November 25, 2012

The First American Communists

The author calls them Socialists, but that detail is immaterial when one considers that our current leadership has forgotten the words of George Santayana, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it":

It’s wrong to say that American was founded by capitalists. In fact, America was founded by socialists who had the humility to learn from their initial mistakes and embrace freedom. One of the earliest and arguably most historically significant North American colonies was Plymouth Colony, founded in 1620 in what is now known as Plymouth, Massachusetts. As I’ve outlined in greater detail here before (Lessons From a Capitalist Thanksgiving), the original colony had written into its charter a system of communal property and labor. As William Bradford recorded in his Of Plymouth Plantation, a people who had formerly been known for their virtue and hard work became lazy and unproductive. Resources were squandered, vegetables were allowed to rot on the ground and mass starvation was the result. And where there is starvation, there is plague. After 2 1/2 years, the leaders of the colony decided to abandon their socialist mandate and create a system which honored private property. The colony survived and thrived and the abundance which resulted was what was celebrated at that iconic Thanksgiving feast.
Read the rest, and pass it on.  

Further reading on the subject may be found at:
And the original history of the Plymouth Colony, as noted in the lead article, may be found in Google Books:

Wa-Hi Bond Committee meeting Scheduled

From the Walla Walla Public School District web site:

Walla Walla Citizens for Schools has named Craig Sievertsen and Shannon (Murdock) Bergevin co-chairs for the Walla Walla High School Bond Committee. Sievertsen and Bergevin will organize activities to help educate the community regarding the Walla Walla High School bond election scheduled for February 12, 2013.

Sievertsen is a 1991 graduate of Walla Walla High School. His father Al Sievertsen was a teacher, coach and assistant principal at Walla Walla High School spanning 40 years. Craig Sievertsen is the Senior Vice President and Manager of Small Business and Consumer Lending at Banner Bank in Walla Walla. He and his wife Julie have four school-aged children.

Bergevin is a 1987 graduate of Walla Walla High School. Her father George Murdock was Deputy Superintendent for Walla Walla Public Schools before taking a Superintendent position in the Pasco School District where earned Washington state Superintendent of the Year honors in 1997. Shannon Bergevin is the owner and operator of Express Employment Professionals in Walla Walla. She and her husband Robert have two school-aged children.

Sievertsen and Bergevin have planned the first Citizens for Schools meeting. The public is welcome to attend.

Citizens for Schools Meeting
- Monday, Nov. 26
- 6:30 p.m.
- Whitman College (Memorial Building Room 328)

For more information, contact Craig Sieversten at: 509.301.5205 or Shannon Bergevin at: 509.522.1326.
The proposed bond is for $48 million, with a $21.6 million match from State funds, for a total cost of $69.6 million.   Details on the proposed improvements to Wa-Ha are here.

Another school bond in the making

If your property taxes go to the Walla Walla Public School District, you might be interested in this:
 
WALLA WALLA — The Walla Walla School District is looking to form a committee that will study facility needs at Lincoln High School, with the goal of making a recommendation for improvements.

The Walla Walla School Board has called Lincoln a top facilities need, but has stopped short of seeking money for any improvements in the form of a bond. The district is instead focusing on a bond to remodel and improve Walla Walla High School. The Wa-Hi bond, which would raise $48 million locally, will go to voters in February.
The district is continuing to look at Lincoln, however, with the plan to more specifically identify the school’s needs. Questions about whether the school should remain at its current location, or be remodeled or torn down and built anew, have yet to be answered clearly.
The district is unsure whether there is strong community sentiment toward preserving the 1920s buiding (sic) on Fourth Avenue. It is also unclear whether Lincoln students would be better served in a new location.
The Lincoln committee would look to answer all those questions this spring.
The rest is at the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin site, which requires registration or payment to access.  Fair use prevents a complete copy&paste of the article.

The article does note that the committee will be selected in December, with the first meeting in January.  Unstated in the article is how the committee will be chosen, and from what body the members will be chosen from.  The district web site notes that the committee findings will go to the school board in June 2013.  

If you wish to contact the school district, here is their contact page.

Indeed, none dare


The money quote:
Don't go running to a judge when this doesn't pan out. The courts do not overrule changes in government policy just because citizens find their promised free lunch isn't forthcoming. Nor will it be fruitful to appeal to politicians' sense of "fairness." Politicians can be relied on to do what will get them re-elected. And, believe it or not, that is the good news.

The rest is here.

Sunday news, opinions, and thoughts

Looking Ahead

ObamaCareTax

Socialism, Communism, Liberal Mindset

It's The Economy

Big Government, Corruption

Sunday Cartoons

Click to enlarge!


Friday, November 23, 2012

Washington State has the lowest estimated increase.....

.......but that's a mixed blessing.

With the election behind it, the 112th Congress has a couple of months during the lame duck session to turn its attention to pressing fiscal issues. Large changes to both taxes and spending are scheduled to take place at the end of the year unless Congress acts.[1] On the tax side, the biggest potential change is the expiration of all Bush-era and Obama tax cuts.

Additionally, the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) has yet to be patched for the current tax year, let alone next. Congress could pass a retroactive patch (which it has done in the past) that would apply to the current year as well as next year; however, if it does not, the AMT exemption level would revert to what it was twelve years ago, and certain credits (such as the Child Tax Credit) would no longer be allowed against AMT liability. If this were to happen, millions of middle-class taxpayers could see a substantial tax increase, which for some could be even larger than the change from the end of the Bush-era tax cuts.

Finally, the 2% temporary cut to employee-side social security payroll taxes is also scheduled to expire at the end of this year—a potential third tax increase that would affect the vast majority of taxpayers.
And this does not include non-payroll taxes.

So, buckle up.  It could be a bad time, tax wise.  The only positive aspect of this is the irony that the top 5 states went for the Democrats.

Friday Cartoons

Click to enlarge!


Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

Enjoy this period of giving thanks for what we have, and for the company of friends and family. If you're traveling, stay safe!

Blogging will be light the next few days while I do the same.

Tuesday news & opinions (State and local)

I can only agree with the lady...

....when she writes:  
...I know the horror of it is going to be on my mind as we all take some time to reflect on what we have to be thankful for over the coming all-American holiday — because one of the very highest items on my gratitude-list is not having been born into the crushing, wretched misery that always accompanies institutionalized communism.
And this is why she wrote that:  Communist China can’t plug the leaks in the Great Firewall fast enough

Wednesday Cartoons

Click to enlarge!


Tuesday news & opinions (National)

ObamaCareTax

 The Constitution, Bill of Rights, Big Government

Second Amendment

 Looking Ahead

Big Government, EPA, Corruption

It's The Economy, Financial

Foreign Policy

Media

 Unions

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

A good debate!

But he'll be back

Allen West concedes

Tuesday Cartoons

Click to enlarge!


Tuesday News and Opinions.....with some thoughts

Big Government, EPA, Corruption

The Constitution, First Amendment, Second Amendment

Foreign Policy

Taxes, It's The Economy, Financial

Liberal Mindset, Socialism, Communism, Education

ObamaCareTax

Media

Politics, Elections

Unions

Monday, November 19, 2012

A failure of strategy, not argument

Here's an interesting counterpoint to the post-election analysis:

"One problem that we should shoot down immediately is claim by the LA Times writer that the GOP is in need of a cure. That's just not the case. We lost by between 300,000 to 400,000 votes in swing states. That's an amazingly close election. It does not represent a repudiation of Republican ideas at all. We lost an election, not an argument."

It's a highly recommended read.

Monday Cartoons

Click to enlarge!


Monday news and opinons

Looking Ahead

Foreign Policy, Corruption

Budget Battle, Socialism, Corruption

It's the Economy

  Politics

ObamaCareTax

 Liberal Mindset, Socialism, Communism

First Amendment

Second Amendment

Humor

*: Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.  Registration required for more than 5 views per month.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

You don't say!

From Breitbart comes this intriguing headline:


With this fascinating conclusion:
.....these numbers show that many on extended unemployment often turn down part-time jobs or work they may not think pays enough so long as they can rely on federal benefits, which can be a disincentive to look for immediate work.
Stop paying people enough money to not work, and they return to the labor force.  Amazing, huh?

Imagine that......

The White House says it believes Israel "has the right to defend itself" against attack and that the Israelis will make their own decisions about their "military tactics and operations."
As always, read the whole thing.

Sound Advice

From the Freedom Foundation:

OK, let’s have a quick show of hands. How many of you have gone from one year to the next without a pay raise?
For that matter, how many have seen your income reduced in a down economy? And although you certainly didn’t enjoy it, weren’t you relieved you still had a job at all when compared with your co-workers who’d been laid off?

Consider then, the plight of Washington state’s public-sector workers, whose employer – like yours, maybe – is having a hard time making ends meet. In fact, based on numbers released this week by the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, the state is projected to take in $900 million less than it expects to spend during the next biennium.

Which isn’t to suggest the state is strapped for cash. In fact, the same projections show state revenue increasing by $1.5 billion for 2013-2015 and by $3.1 billion for 2015-2017.

It just isn’t increasing as the demand to spend it.

So what would it take to bring the budget back into balance? How about asking state workers to share a little of your pain?
The rest contains a decent proposal for helping balance the budget, and cut spending.....by not increasing spending.  But it won't  be a popular one.

So, contact your state legislators (use this handy web site), and let them know what you think about the next budget.  Now is your chance to do so, before it's approved.

Sunday Cartoons

Click to enlarge!


Sunday news, opinions, and thoughts

Looking Ahead


Big Government, EPA, Corruption

The Constitution, Bill of Rights

Unions, Liberal Mindset

Foreign Policy, Corruption

Taxes, Budget Battle

ObamaCareTax

Elections, Politics

It's the Economy

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Local news (UPDATED)

Saturday Cartoons

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Saturday thoughts, opinions, and news

Looking Ahead

Big Government, EPA, Corruption

Foreign Policy

Taxes, Budget Battle

ObamaCareTax

Politics

It's The Economy

Unions

Liberal Mindset, Socialism
Media

Friday, November 16, 2012

Friday Cartoons

Click to enlarge.


Friday news, thoughts, and opinions

Foreign Policy

Terrorism

Politics, Taxes, Budget Battle

ObamaCareTax

It's The Economy

Unions

Media

Second Amendment

Big Government, EPA

Thursday, November 15, 2012

How Raising Taxes Will Not Balance the Budget: More Evidence


Alas, common sense is not only uncommon, it's under lock and key at some Federal prison.

Confirmed: Obama is a cult leader

A real book (I guess; it's written, so I guess that makes it a "book") by a... college professor who instructs young students in how to think properly.

She teaches at -- or, rather, collects a paycheck from -- Florida A&M.

Here's her description of her book:
 Yes, Barack had worked tirelessly on behalf of the American people, especially those who elected him in 2008. His followers needed to re-elect him to a second term, so that he could continue to accomplish the promises he made, thus, realizing his vision of America as a more perfect political union or “heaven here on earth.”
Read the rest.  Even if it's extreme, it's insight to the minds of our opponents, and what they are instilling in people around the country.

Zonation!

Thursday Cartoons

Click to enlarge!


Thursday news, thoughts, and opinions

Foreign Policy

ObamaCareTax

Looking Ahead

It's The Economy, Financial, Taxes

Politics, Corruption



Media

Communism, Socialism

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

"I am relieved at the outcome of the election"

I am relieved.

Now that a week has passed, and people have processed things a little, I can admit publicly what I have to date only said to a few close friends.

I am relieved at the outcome of the election.

This is not to say I am pleased. Regardless of what he said while addressing the University of Notre Dame, Barack Obama has amply demonstrated his willingness to ignore the rights of religious entities to exist and to operate—in ways that go well beyond formal acts of worship—according to their founding precepts. His administration has demonstrated its continued intention to “fundamentally transform the United States of America,” as he put it on November 1, by expanding the reach of government.

As the president might say, “make no mistake”: We do not come back from this election, and by “we” I mean America as we have known it; not with the present culture.

At National Review Online, Charles C. W. Cooke writes eloquently of this truth, but where he feels despair, I feel set free. This election has shattered, finally the illusion that if “good conservatives just keep fighting,” somehow “another Reagan” was going to come along and restore the “shining city on a hill”. For too long I have watched friends remain enthralled to the notion that a single man or woman equipped with rhetorical skills, a bit of spine, and right-thinking would be able to resurrect what is remembered by some modern conservatives as a golden age.
Read The Rest. It is well worth your time to do so.

Wednesday Cartoons

Click to enlarge!


Wednesday opinions, thoughts, and news

ObamaCareTax

Media

The Constitution, Bill of Rights

Politics

Elections

Taxes, EPA

 Socialism, Communism

Looking Ahead

Foreign Policy

It's the Economy

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

The conservative European view, redux

Someone over there has it figured out. It was translated into English from an article in the Prague newspaper Prager Zeitungon:
"The danger to America is not Barack Obama, but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency.  It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president.  The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails America.  Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince.  The Republic can survive a Barack Obama, who is, after all, merely a fool.  It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools, such as those who made him their president."

This quote actually dates back to April 2010, but is no less valid today than back then.  It's something to keep in mind for the years ahead.

Source: Republican Party of Oneida County.

Did anyone from Walla Walla attend?

This Saturday, the Midwest Marxist Conference was held at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. The event was teeming with teachers who spoke about the new found bond between the radical socialists and their Teachers Union. The all-day event, which collected money to support Chicago Socialists and featured a communist bookstore, provided students on-campus along with the radical left community to plan the next phase in their activism.
Becca Barnes, a Chicago Teachers Union teacher and organizer with Chicago Socialists, proclaimed at the beginning of the conference that “the struggle here in the United States has entered a new phase. Nowhere have we pointed the way forward more clearly than here in Chicago with the teachers union strike.”
After the opening plenary, breakout sessions addressed more specific topics like the history of the Democratic party, education, and case studies in Russia. In these sessions, speakers continued to celebrate the use of education as a mechanism to insert Marxism into public institutions. In one session, the idea of targeting their message to students, even over “the working class,” was debated.
Read the rest here.

Tuesday Cartoons

Click to enlarge!


If you think that the Republic is dead.....

....then you should read The Frogman's Prophecies.  A partial quote:
...... it seems to me that some of you, in the emotion of that unexpected electoral defeat, forgot this simple fact: America is always outnumbered.

This unique nation, founded not on feudal or religious fault lines but on a radical philosophy of individual freedom isn’t the norm in this world: it is an anomaly. If you needed a quick and simple reminder on the basis for American exceptionalism, there you go.

America is always outnumbered and, until the rest of the world sees the guiding light and builds shining cities on America’s model—if that day ever comes—America will always be outnumbered.

Yet it doesn’t matter: America’s strength isn’t in numbers, it’s in her soul.
Read the whole thing.  Including the last line.

And then decide.

Tuesday news & opinions

It's The Economy, Big Government, EPA

Budget Battle, ObamaCareTax, Taxes

Election (National and State)

 The Constitution, First Amendment, Second Amendment

Patriotism, Core Values

Foreign Policy

Socialism

Corruption

Monday, November 12, 2012

Walla Walla City Council meeting for November

 This will be held at 7 PM, on November 14th, at City Hall.

The proposed agenda is here,  mostly liquor licenses and routine business, but there will be discussions relevant to the 2013-2014 maintenance and operations budget, and property tax increases to pay for two voter approved levies.  The links below go to staff prepared briefing papers, and their recommendations for the city council.  It's a good read ahead, if you are planning to attend.
 I can't make this meeting; if anyone does, please send a message to w2teaparty -at- gmail.com. (Change "-at-" to "@").