Too soon to tell

The NFL draft was over the weekend and I tuned in a couple of times Saturday.

The first round was the longest in history, taking over 6 hours to complete.

I'm not familiar with the picks of the Green Bay Packers.

I do know I don't have to worry about Randy Moss being on the team.

The Oakland Raiders traded him to the New England Patriots.

It seems like division rivals the Detroit Lions (with WR Calvin Johnson) and Minnesota Vikings
(with RB Adrian Peterson & WR Sidney Rice) made themselves stronger.

I've heard that the San Diego Chargers are looking to trade back up running back Michael Turner and the Packers are rumored to be one of the teams interested.

I've watched him have some exciting, long runs to daylight.

Turner would be great in a backfield that lost Ahman Green and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Don't hate her because she's beautiful....HA!

Per Professor and Author Susan J. Douglas there are so many other reasons reasons, especially for women.

We sat around the dinner table, a group of 50-something progressive feminists, talking to a friend from England about presidential politics.

We were all for Hillary, weren’t we, he asked.

Hillary?

We hated Hillary.

...According to a Harris poll in March, 52 percent of married women said they would not vote for her.

Nearly half of adults say they dislike her personality and her politics.

...people seem to find her cold and don’t see her connecting with everyday people, and this is especially true for married women.

...Women don’t trust Hillary. They see her as an opportunist; many feel betrayed by her.

...Hillary...seems to want to be more like a man in her demeanor and politics, makes few concessions to the social demands of femininity, and yet seems to be only a partial feminist. She seems above us, exempting herself from compromises women have to make every day, while, at the same time, leaving some of the basic tenets of feminism in the dust. We are sold out on both counts.

Opportunist? I'm stunned!

Like how she's dropped the Rodham from her name, again.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has dropped the use of her maiden name "Rodham" in her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Clinton identifies herself as "Hillary Clinton" in her campaign press releases and on her campaign website. The lone mention of her maiden name is in a campaign biography that says "Hillary's father, Hugh Rodham, was the son of a factory worker from Scranton."

She continues to use "Hillary Rodham Clinton" in her New York-focused press releases and in the Senate.

Clinton appeared surprised last week when asked why her presidential campaign had dropped her maiden name. Clinton laughed, shook her head and replied: "I haven't, I haven't."

It appears likewise and the scientific community is united in that fact.

The previous times she's dropped Rodham were when Bubba made a comeback for Governor and his 1992 Presidential campaign.

Writing of Bubba and Hillarity reminded me of this quote...

"When I walk into the Oval Office in 2009, I'm afraid I'm going to lift up the rug and see so much stuff under there."

I know the love ick can go everywhere, but I'm certain the place has been cleaned several times over after Bubba and the big girl.

It was a Shakedown Cruise

Finally!

The Legislature's left town and taxpayers have a nary a penny to spare and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Thanks to a $5.8 Billion dollar budget that sees growth of $500 Million, or 9%.

How much was your raise?

Iowa's property taxes remain among the highest in the nation, according to a report released last year from the Iowa Taxpayers Association. Iowa had the 10th-highest property taxes for nicer homes in a typical rural community. It's 14th highest for those in Des Moines.

...Legislators agreed Saturday to launch a study that will be completed in time for the 2009 legislative session.

Dummycrat Representative Marcella Frevert said, "...numerous studies on tax relief had been conducted "and the only relief that ever happens is something that doesn't risk anyone losing an election."

"We know what needs to be done ... and we don't have the guts to do it and there is plenty of blame to go around."

Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal (Dummycrat) had the audacity to say...

"This is the most fiscally responsible budget in a decade."

It's a shakedown cruise
And I was just another tool
There ain't no easy way out
They're gonna shake you 'til you shout!

Aw shucks

What's the big deal?

The demise of a call-girl ring and pending trial of an alleged madam claiming thousands of clients has the US capital riveted by the chance powerful men may now be caught with their trousers down, with a senior state department official apparently first to fall.

... Friday, the U.S. State Department announced that Randall Tobias, the embattled head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), was resigning for unspecified personal reasons.

It's also alleged that former U. S. Naval Commander Harlan Ullman, co-developer of the military "shock and awe" tactics, was a customer.

Deborah Jean Palfrey, aka the D.C. Madam, has denied she ran a prostitution ring. Her company, Pamela Martin and Associates, was simply a "high-end adult fantasy firm which offered legal sexual and erotic services across the spectrum of adult sexual behavior and did so without incident during its 13 year tenure."

There you go, Ms. Palfrey's employees did not have sexual relations with those clients and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Their bodies, yheir choices.

Even if she's lied, no one's died.

You've got to accent' uate the positive

Hillarity is defending her sometimes Southern accent.

...she sees her sometimes Southern accent as a virtue.

"I think America is ready for a multilingual president."

Speaking with a phony ass Southern accent doesn't make you multilingual...y'all.

And the scientific community is united in that fact...si.

I always thought of Hillarity as more cunninglingual.

Das Vidania.

Call me irresponsible

I'll be the first to admit I'm not up on all the blogging rules or etiquette.

However, I would never consider posting an anonymous letter here.

Iowa Guy's Blog posted a letter, and a Google check found over 40 others, supposedly written by a pregnant marine who was just notified her marine husband had been killed in Iraq.

The letter is filled with the F bomb and derides President Bush and Conservatives for supporting the war in Iraq.

The letter was posted on Craig's list, in the Bay area on April 10, and is pure, unadulterated bullshit!

And the scientific community is united in that fact!

Anyone with such strong feelings would have put their name to it Cindy Sheehan.

Plus, the mainstream media would have been on the story like stink on...

These fiberals want it to be true sooo badly (see today's earlier post TOUCHE').

So What Else Is New

Damn!

I missed the Dummycrat debate last night.

Actually, because I didn't watch it doesn't mean I missed it.

After all it was the "do as I say, not as I do crowd".

Want proof?

A flock of small jets took flight from Washington Thursday, each carrying a Democratic presidential candidate to South Carolina for the first debate of the political season.

...No one jet pooled, no one took commercial flights to save money, fuel or emissions.

As I recall, this week began with Earth Day and several candidates speaking out about "Gore-Bull" warming in Iowa.

Writing of Al Gore, here's his latest...

The sixth annual Tribeca Film Festival opened Wednesday night at a gala hosted by former Vice President Al Gore as the festival expanded its social mission with a slate of global warming-themed films.

The festival, which was founded after the Sept. 11 attacks to rejuvenate Lower Manhattan, opened with the premiere of nine short films produced by SOS (Save Our Selves), an organization to raise awareness on climate change.

I think SOS really stands for Same Old Shit.

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

Touche'

I saw this and told the blogger, In A Word, I was going to have to use it...

If only the liberals would fight the war on terror like they fight the Republicans...

And the scientific community is united in that fact!

Then I came across this at OpinionJournal-Best of the Web Today.

James Taranto had characterized Democratic antiwar "ideologues" as wanting "American defeat for its own sake"

then corrected it to...They believe American victory is undesirable and defeat is preferable.

Blowing Smoke

The Financial Times has this...

Companies and individuals rushing to go green have been spending millions on “carbon credit” projects that yield few if any environmental benefits.

...The growing political salience of environmental politics has sparked a “green gold rush”, which has seen a dramatic expansion in the number of businesses offering both companies and individuals the chance to go “carbon neutral”, offsetting their own energy use by buying carbon credits that cancel out their contribution to global warming.

Can you say Al Gore?

Any true eco-nut would reject this as just another rich fiberal way to salve their guilty conscience and the scientific community is united in that fact.

I've said it before, it reminds me of how the rich used to buy their way out of war (like the Civil War) by paying someone else to go.

Katie bar the door

Howard "The Scream" Dean blamed the networks, mentioning CBS, for politicians who talk in sound bites and don't stray from their script.

Dean told a meeting of the Mortgage Bankers Association the solution to the problem was...

"I suggest you have candidates in to meetings like this and bar the press."

...Dean said politicians live in fear that their words will be twisted for the sake of headlines.

Dean is right about the sound bites part of the problem.

Ronald Reagan gets credit for adapting his message to the sound bite so it could fit unedited into the evening news.

He's wrong about barring the press.

The real reason politicians don't stray from the script is because they fear looking like the ass that Howard Dean became with his caucus scream.

And the scientific community is united in that fact...HYAH!!

Flashback

Alice Cooper has been announced as a grandstand act at this year's Iowa State Fair.

The Ragister calls Cooper a "classic shock-rocker", his special guest will be Blue Oyster Cult.

I'm old enough to remember the days when Alice was a "shock-rocker" and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Oddly, I just related this story to my friend Phil on Tuesday...

It was in the month of February in the early 1970s and my dad's father had passed away.

Italians were buried out of Tonini Funeral Home on Des Moines' south side and Mando Tonini was the owner and resident, his family lived above the parlor, Digger O'Dell (always eying you for your coffin, it was eerie).

Mando also started Des Moines' first limousine service, a smart use of his funeral fleet when they were not in service.

All of my grandfathers grandsons were his pallbearers and rather young, I was a junior in high school.

On the way to the cemetery we asked Mando if he'd chauffeured any famous folks and he mentioned some names.

We asked if he was going to chauffeur Alice Cooper, who had an upcoming concert at Vet's.

Mando asked, "Alice Cooper, who's she?".

We then related how Alice was a guy and his act included a snake.

Here it is over 30 years later and Alice Cooper is tame, he even has his own golf tournament and restaurant "Alice Cooper'stown", and playing the Iowa State Fair with Blue Oyster Cult.

At least there'll be plenty of cowbell there.

Myth Understanding

CommieTommie Harkin spoke, yesterday, at a Equal Pay Day Rally.

"It’s great to be here, this afternoon. It’s great to be with fed up, fired up, charged up Americans who have come here with a simple demand: justice and fair pay for working women. So tell me: This is the 21st century, for heaven’s sake. Is it time for women to get equal pay with men? Say yes!

We are demanding equal rights for women in other countries. Is it time for us to practice what we preach, and to demand equal rights for women here in the United States?! We have been patient for too long. It’s time to be impatient. It’s time to stomp and shout. It’s time to demand that Congress act, now."

That is why I have reintroduced the Fair Pay Act in the 110th Congress. My bill requires each individual employer to provide equal pay for jobs that are comparable in skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions..."

How is that different than current law, the Equal Pay Act of 1963?

Read for yourself comrade...

The Equal Pay Act requires that men and women be given equal pay for equal work in the same establishment. The jobs need not be identical, but they must be substantially equal. It is job content, not job titles, that determines whether jobs are substantially equal.

Specifically, the EPA provides:

Employers may not pay unequal wages to men and women who perform jobs that require substantially equal skill, effort and responsibility, and that are performed under similar working conditions within the same establishment.

Let me see if I get this straight.

Since the inception of the Equal Pay Act, Congress has been dominated by Dummycrats for well over 30 years and CommieTommie's solution to act now is to reintroduce the current legislation?

Talk about a waste of everyone's money.

CommieTommie continues...

"Today, millions of female-dominated jobs – social workers, teachers, child-care workers, nurses, and so many more – are equivalent to male-dominate jobs. But they pay dramatically less.

We had a hearing on this issue two weeks ago in my committee. One of the witnesses, Dr. Philip Cohen of the University of North Carolina, compared nurses’ aides, who are overwhelmingly women, and truck drivers, who are overwhelmingly men. In both groups, the average age is 43. Both require “medium” amounts of strength. Nurses’ aides, on average have more education and training. But nurses’ aides make less than 60 percent of what truck drivers make."

Comparing nurses aides and truck drivers?

Only a moron would do that and the scientific community is united in that fact

You can't compare the median wages of all men and women.

Per "Women's Figures: An Illustrated Guide to the Economic Progress of Women in America"

Men pursue jobs that are more dangerous, like truck driving, and receive higher pay for that.

92% of all job related deaths involve men.

Women who never had children made 98 cents for every $1 men made.

Also, check out "The Wage Gap Myth" & "'Gender Pay Gap' is pap".

Ausi, Ausi, Ausi

News Corp Chairman & CEO Rupert Murdoch made a rumble at the Milken Institute Global Conference.

Murdoch told the audience...

"I'm a supporter of President Bush, but I do believe he's a bad -- or inadequate -- communicator."

... Bush is "persuasive, strong and articulate" but that "he seems to freeze whenever a television camera appears."

Motioning to Paul Gigot, editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal, Murdoch said, "Apart from your newspaper and mine, there's a sort of monolithic attack on him every day of the year."

..."The atmosphere is absolutely toxic," Murdoch said of the partisanship of U.S. politics and much of the media.

...Murdoch also lamented a U.S. populace that can't agree on how serious a threat militant Islam is, and he suggested skepticism about the danger of man-made global warning.

And the scientific community is united in that.

...Murdoch said that "alleged climate changes" and other problems are far more manageable than is the threat of Islamic terror, which will worsen significantly if Iran is allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

"It's a tragedy that we're not more united" in the war on terror.

Ausi Ausi Ausi Oy Oy Oy

Issues with issues

Barry Obambi, The Black Superman, has a new web site geared specifically to Iowans.

iowa.barackobama.com

Under the issues tab he has Protecting our Homeland listed 8th out of 11 issues.

Homeland Security ranks behind:

Strengthening America Overseas

Plan to End the Iraq War

Cleaning Up Washington's Culture of Corruption

Meeting America's Energy Needs

Honoring Our Veterans

Improving Our Schools

Creating A Healthcare System that Works

Homeland Security ranks barely above:

Strengthening Families and Communities

Protecting the Right to Vote

Reconciling Faith and Politics

Barry sits on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and he breaks down Protecting Our Homeland into:

Protecting Our Chemical Plants

Keeping Track of Spent Nuclear Fuel

Evacuating Special Needs Population in Emergencies

Reuniting Families After Emergencies

Keeping Our Drinking Water Safe

Protecting the Public from Radioactive Releases

I agree with Rudy Giuliani...

if a Democrat is elected president in 2008, America will be at risk for another terrorist attack on the scale of Sept. 11, 2001.

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

“I listen a little to the Democrats and if one of them gets elected, we are going on defense,” Giuliani continued. “We will wave the white flag on Iraq. We will cut back on the Patriot Act, electronic surveillance, interrogation and we will be back to our pre-Sept. 11 attitude of defense.”

He added: “The Democrats do not understand the full nature and scope of the terrorist war against us.”

“This war ends when they stop coming here to kill us!”

Rudy, Rudy, Rudy!!!

More Imus fallout

In the spirit of Political Correctness...

Santa Claus will not be able to chortle "Ho, Ho, Ho" anymore.

Also, there will only be 49 contestants in future Miss Black USA pageants...

No one should be forced to wear a sash stating "IDAHO"!

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

Out of the mouth of boobs

Hillarity Clinton made many laugh with her recent announcement that she would make Bubba a roaming ambassador to the world.

"He has said he would do anything I asked him to do..."

Like keep his pecker in his pants and not cheat?

"I'm very lucky that my husband has been so experienced in all of these areas..."

Your lucky he's never brought home an STD or baby Bubba's...that we know of.

Hillarity, like John Edwards, was trying to claim the mantle of champion of the middle class.

"Rich people didn't make American great," Clinton said.

They didn't give 'em good grammar neither.

The Black Superman Barry Obambi had a little faux pax too.

He was asked by a woman who's nephew is heading to service in Iraq...

"I can't breathe," she said, her voice breaking with sobs. "I want to know, when am I going to be able to breathe? Are you going to get us the hell out of there? Promise us you will get us out of there. That's the most important thing."

Barry's response...

"I can only imagine how you feel, as a father and as a parent..."

HUH?

Let me say that again backwards...HUH?

What kind of Freudian slip is "As a father and as a parent"?

Here's a link, from a former radio comrade, for all those who support Hillarity for President.

http://piv.pivpiv.dk/

And the scientific community is united in that fact!

Thanks also, to my brother-in-law Chris, here's the image the Danish have of America under Bubba...

Wandering eyes and roaming fingers.

Oh Crap!

Proving she's blond and soaked up too much sun, Sheryl Crow has suggestions to save the environment...

"I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting."

..."only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where two to three could be required".

...Crow has also commented on her website about how she thinks paper napkins "represent the height of wastefulness".

She has designed a clothing line with what she calls a "dining sleeve".

The sleeve is detachable and can be replaced with another "dining sleeve" after the diner has used it to wipe his or her mouth.

The Smoking Gun obtained a copy of Crow's contract for her tour...

when the global warming warrior hits the road, her touring entourage (and equipment) travels in three tractor trailers, four buses, and six cars. Now that's a carbon footprint!

In her defense, Crow...toured the US on a biodiesel-powered bus...

In the words of Laura Ingram...Just shut up and sing!

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

Unbelievable

From the Ragister...

Presidential candidate John Edwards continued to stress the need for equality for all Americans on Sunday, highlighting the growing disparity between classes in the country during a campaign stop here.

"Every single one of us, every single person in this room, has equal worth..."

...For Marvin Heller of Cedar Falls, however, Edwards' views on the shrinking middle class was right on target.

A millionaire trial lawyer with a $6 Million dollar 28,000 square foot mansion that sits on 102 acres and an over $2.5 Million dollar 2,800 square foot beach mansion only cares about how he can make more off of the middle class.

The scientific community is united in that fact.

Mary Stier, Mary Stier

I wanna talk about me

I wanna talk about i

Wanna talk about number 1 oh my, me, my.

What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see.

I wanna talk about me mmmm me, me, me, me, me

I wanna talk about me mmmm me, me, me, me, me

Gannettoid and Ragister Publisher Mary Stier is taking to the stage as part of the "Smart Talk" Women's lecture series that is generously sponsored by the Ragister.

The series is usually reserved for more famous fiberal women, but there was such a large public outcry for Stier to stand up and speak out...

Stier said strangers would stop her in the frozen food aisle at Hy-Vee or elsewhere around the metro area.

"They'd say, 'We think that an Iowa woman should speak, and we think you should be the first one,' " she said. "And they'd say, 'We know you, but we don't know you. We want to know you.' "

Yeah Sure!

Stier is set to share about a life changing moment.

Judging from the pictures its her different looks over the years.

Stier will also share other thoughts, all captured in a "a sleek black moleskin booklet".

She might touch on the trials of becoming a publisher at age 30 - "I scraped my knees...".

Say, this could get interesting!

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

What I find most amusing about America's Most Prestigious Women's Lecture Series, its put on by a MAN...BOB BENIA PRODUCTIONS INC.

Hooray for the rocks & the dirt

I turned on the news this Earth Day morning and I noticed one Channel was highlighting all the Earth Day festivities around Central Iowa people could take in.

There's a good idea, driving to all the Earth Day events!

Last week Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie drove by himself from one Gore-bull warming event in Ames to another in Des Moines.

He justified it by saying he drove a hybrid vehicle.

The scientific community is united in the fact it would have been better if he rode a bike.

Ah eco-nuts!

A couple of things that really irritate me about these phonies is that America is always the villain.

Is it coincidence that Earth Day falls on the birth date of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin?

Also, the eco-nuts never acknowledge the improvements made in the environment.

For example, In a previous post I mentioned the books I read in Maui.

One book, "The Only Game In Town" by Faye Vincent, had a story from one time Pittsburgh Pirate Ralph Kiner.

Kiner talked about his arrival in Pittsburgh in 1947 and how at 10 in the morning the smog and soot in the air was so bad that he though it was midnight.

Eco-nuts.

Gore-bull warming.

As V. I. Lenin said, "Useful Idiots".

Give me a head with hair

It was just last month that John Edwards told Beliefnet.com...

Jesus would be most upset with the selfishness of Americans...

AND

"I think that Jesus would be disappointed in our ignoring the plight of those around us who are suffering and our focus on our own selfish short-term needs. I think he would be appalled, actually."

All the while having his campaign pay for $400 hair cuts.

The scientific community is united in the fact that John Edwards is a hypocrite!

Now he says, "It’s embarrassing to me...” and “I’m actually embarrassed by it".

He's only embarrassed that it was made public.

Edwards also said, “It doesn’t change who I am, what I believe in...”

That's what lottery winners always say too as they're picking up their multi-million dollar check.

John Edwards will be the same hypocrite at his $6 Million dollar 28,000 square foot mansion that sits on 102 acres or his over $2.5 Million dollar 2,800 square foot beach mansion.

At least he wasn't in Air Force One holding up traffic at LAX like Bubba did in '93.

Well blow me down

MidAmerican Energy is obsessively, relentlessly bringing more wind powered turbines to our state.

According to the Ragister they plan on...erecting one wind turbine at the Iowa State Fairgrounds to produce electricity and draw attention to wind energy in Iowa.

That should be quite the erection.

MidAmerican currently operates 323 wind turbines at three sites in northwest, north-central and west-central Iowa. These 323 turbines can produce up to 459.5 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 144,000 homes.

That's extremely underwhelming.

I was not happy when I looked out the lanai from the condo in Maui and saw the blight that was 20 turbines on the West Maui mountain.

If the eco-nuts want this, fine.

The question needs to be at what cost?

The turbines in Maui brought these problems...

introduction of an invasive plant,
bare land that is eroding
removal of construction debris
recent brush fires in the area

If wind power is so wonderful it should be able to support itself and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Per MidAmerican... wind energy does get a federal tax credit that makes it economically feasible.

Crash & Burn

The hard drive on my computer went out Tuesday.

I went out and purchased a new machine today and finally have it set up for the basics.

Computers can be such a pain, and the scientific community is united in that fact.

The old machine was 6 years old, so it's going to take my a little while to get used to all the new bells and whistles.

Wannabe

Is Mari Culver a Mini-Hillary?

Per the Ragister...

Newly disclosed records show that Iowa first lady Mari Culver helped a client of her private law office apply for an appointment by her husband to a state agency...

The first lady's role in the application process is significant because the appointment of Jan Reis of West Des Moines was withdrawn by the governor in the midst of the controversy due to potential conflicts involving a lawsuit by Reis - a lawsuit in which Culver's wife is one of her lawyers...

The newly disclosed records sketch out the first lady's role in Reis' quest for a job in the Culver administration. They include:

- Reis' resume, which was attached to the appointment application she submitted to the governor's office. The resume includes a handwritten notation at the top, "via Mari."

- A chronology of the Reis appointment, drafted in late March by Charles Krogmeier, head of the Iowa Department of Management, who interviewed applicants for various positions in the new Culver administration. Regarding Reis' application, Krogmeier wrote that Reis' "name came to us from Mari as her friend." Krogmeier verified the accuracy of the notes last week, saying, "I knew (the application) somehow came to us from, or through, Mari."

The governor's spokesman, Brad Anderson, said in an interview that Mari Culver also called her husband's deputy chief of staff, Elisabeth Buck, to alert her to the fact that Reis would be sending over her resume.

At least it didn't take years to find the records and they didn't just miraculously appear in the families private residence.

What's next, her own little health care committee?

I wonder how she does in the future's markets?

You have to watch out for those Dummycrat lady lawyers and the scientific community is united in that fact!

Nutbush City Limits

The same week that saw me return from Maui to 3 plus inches of snow in April, the Gore-bull warming goofballs gathered again.

In Michigan they gathered in snow, rain and temperatures that were 10 degrees below normal.

When asked about the weather, an organizer said...

"I think that's an easy excuse, but if we're really reasonable about it..."

That's just it, YOU'RE NOT!

Watching the news I saw what looked like 10 people at a downtown Des Moines rally.

The report said turnout was higher than they had hoped...HA!

The Ragister reported there were more than 100...Ooh!

The TV news interviewed Ed Fallon, who pulled an Al Gore, by saying humans are the main cause of Gore-bull warming and the scientific community is united in that fact.

THEY'RE NOT!

Just because you say it all the time doesn't make it true O.J. Simpson!

I am going to try and use that quote in every blog posting and every conversation, and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Poor Ed.

I used to respect him, but he seems to have fallen on hard times.

He gave up a safe seat in the Iowa House, where he doubled or tripled his annual income to over $18,000 when first elected, because he got goofy and thought he could be governor.

I wonder if that's what broke up his marriage?

His wife has a steady job... as a harpist with the Des Moines Symphony.

What a Fool Believes

The Ragister's Mark Hansen is a MORON!

He wasn't a good sportswriter and he's even worse as a metro columnist.

Take today for example...

Rising property assessments aren't always bad news

What!?!

Polk County property tax assessments are going up an average of 6.9% and even higher in Des Moines, averaging 9.2%.

He tries to make homeowners feel better with a melange of mediocre messages...

Higher taxes could follow, but not necessarily.

These assessments come every two years, which means a 6.9 percent increase over that time period is pretty much in line with inflation.

The new assessments won't go into effect for another 18 months...

The worst of all is...

Rising property values aren't all bad, especially if you're selling. In fact, you'd much rather have property rates rising than falling.

This is the same argument they try to give at the County Treasurer/Assessor's office when you go to file a protest.

You should be able to sell your home for its assessed value.

My property is currently assessed at over $270,000.

I've offered to sell it to the County every year since 1997 and they won't take it.

My taxes will be going up again too!

In my rural area all the county takes care of is the roads, and that service has gone down in the 11 years I've lived here.

Per the column...

the Tax Foundation ranks Iowa property taxes 18th in the country and describes them as "fairly high."

These lovers of higher taxes, at the Ragister and elsewhere, should be made to put their money where their mouth is!

There's nothing stopping Gannett, the Ragister, Publisher Mary Stier, the editorial board, Mark Hansen or any other moron from paying more.

If they'd do that, it might ease the burden on the rest of us.

Imus sleeps in In The Morning

I used to watch Imus in the Morning on MSNBC.

As a former radio personality, I liked the fact you could watch them in studio.

I prefer more how C-SPAN does their talk coverage, the camera stays on when they're in news and commercial breaks.

I liked the big names that came on Imus' show and he had some talented people around him.

I quit watching four years ago because Imus himself isn't funny and I got tired of his self importance and his self promotion.

Here's what got Imus in trouble..."That's some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, they got tattoos ... That's some nappy-headed hos there."

Interestingly enough if a man who's an admitted alcoholic and drug user would have checked into rehab again, he'd probably still have his show(s).

I think the ironic part of the whole overblown Imus/Rutgers fiasco, is that these girls are of the age where MTV and modern culture play a huge role in there lives.

Ho's, Bitches and Ink are a predominant part of that culture.

One of the main reasons I don't watch basketball anymore is I'm tired of all the inked up idiots.

To me there is no such thing as a good looking tattoo.

I personally don't care whether you're Black, White, Asian or Hispanic.

If you've tattooed your body, I do think less of you.

Here's what I wrote on June 14, 2006...

Lydia The Tattooed Lady

In a well written editorial (Damn, sarcasm doesn't always come across in writing), the Ragister appears to be supporting those who choose to ink up their bodies.

In my view that ranks #2, right below smoking and just above piercings.

I'm all for it, it's a way to identify the smart people from the not so smart. I know it says "professional" in the business world, I'll leave it to your mind as to what kind of "pro". Have you ever seen a tattoo on an elderly person? All wrinkled and faded, Nasty!

I wonder how many survivors of the Holocaust went out and got other tattoos to "accessorize", in the words of the Ragister, the numbers the Nazi's marked them with?

PS: The Title of this column comes from a song Groucho Marx used to sing

Oh Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia?
Lydia The Tattooed Lady.
She has eyes that folks adore so,
and a torso even more so.
Lydia, oh Lydia, that encyclo-pidia.
Oh Lydia The Queen of Tattoo.
On her back is The Battle of Waterloo.
Beside it, The Wreck of the Hesperus too.
And proudly above waves the red, white, and blue.
You can learn a lot from Lydia!