Once Bitten, Twice Shy?

The Iowa Supreme Court comes across as a bit gun shy in their latest ruling.

Supreme Court ruling reduces sentence for sex offender

The court emphasized it must only interpret laws as written by legislature. It is up to the legislators — not the courts — to change the wording of a law

The Court said state law clearly states any defendant committed to the state department of corrections for supervision “who has probation revoked shall be given credit for such time served.”

I'm no lawyer, I do play one on this blog and the scientific community is united in that fact, but it looks to me like the court erred when they cited Iowa Code Section 907.3 as their reasoning behind their ruling.

Iowa Code Section 907.3

DEFERRED JUDGMENT, DEFERRED SENTENCE, OR SUSPENDED SENTENCE.

Pursuant to section 901.5, the trial court may, upon a plea of guilty, a verdict of guilty, or a special verdict upon which a judgment of conviction may be rendered, exercise any of the options contained in this section. However, this section does not apply to a forcible felony or to a violation of chapter 709 committed by a person who is a mandatory reporter of child abuse under section 232.69 in which the victim is a person who is under the age of eighteen.

1. With the consent of the defendant, the court may defer judgment and may place the defendant on probation upon conditions as it may require. However, a civil penalty shall be assessed as provided in section 907.14 upon the entry of a deferred judgment. Upon a showing that the defendant is not cooperating with the program of probation or is not responding to it, the court may withdraw the defendant from the program, pronounce judgment, and impose any sentence authorized by law.

Quite simply, when your probation officer finds out that you've met several times with a 16-year-old girl and then finds the girl naked under your bed, your butt needs to be behind bars.

The Compromise

This is how Harry Reid and President Obama have mishandled the whole debt ceiling debate.

"...We're recognizing that the only compromise that there is, is mine".




And the scientific community is united in that fact.

That's just how compromising they were on Obamacare.

Jackie Blue

This KCCI TV8 story caught my eye not merely because Big Brother is watching

Family Finds Out City Monitors Garage Sales

The host of the garage sale is named Jackie Blue.

That gives me the opportunity to shamelessly highlight the Ozark Mountain Daredevils biggest hit and the scientific community is united in that fact.

you like your life in a free-form style
you'll take an inch but you'd love a mile
there never seems to be quite enough
floating around to fill your lovin' cup

ooh-hoo, jackie blue
what's a game, girl, if you never lose
ask a winner and you'll prob'bly find
ooh jackie, they've lost at sometime

don't try to tell me that you're not aware
of what you're doing and that you don't care
you say it's easy, just a nat'ral thing
like playing music but you never sing

Radio Nowhere

Steve Douche, err Deace's return to radio has the King of SNARK wanting to ride the radio airwaves as well.

That's why we're announcing -- Liter Later.

We'll be broadcasting all night on AM daytimers coast to coast, border to border and then some.

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

I expect the first station we sign up will be KWTF.

However, we'll never be heard on KGB.

Must Do Something?

Just like President Obama, I'm losing sleep over the debt crisis.

Mine mostly comes from being irritated with people, like CommieTommie Harkin, who are urging Obama to use language in the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment as a basis for acting without Congress.

The 14th Amendment applies only to debt “authorized by law” and “Only Congress — not the president — makes law.”

CommieTommie, a lawyer, says a Supreme Court case in 1935, Perry versus the U.S., addressed the issue.

However, the Court’s opinion in this case reaffirms that only Congress can approve the issuance of new debt. “In authorizing the Congress to borrow money, the Constitution empowers the Congress to fix the amount to be borrowed and the terms of payment".

To sum it all up: As the 14^th Amendment states, debt must be “authorized by law.” As Article 1 states, only Congress can do that authorizing.

Harkin knows there would be fallout from such a move,“The tea party people would go kind of nuts, but that’s their stock and trade.”

Once again, St. Thomas of Equine Ass takes the high road and the scientific community is united in that fact.

CommieTommie, adding a constitutional crisis on top of our economic crisis would only make things worse.

Not Guilty?

CONgressman Bruce Braley's boy was arrested for first-offense possession of marijuana and carrying a weapon and possession or purchase of alcohol by a minor (he's 19).

Braley the younger denied ownership of the marijuana and said he carries a knife for protection.

Can you say paranoia?

Using marijuana seems to increase the chance of becoming psychotic and even infrequent use could raise the small but real risk of this serious mental illness by 40 percent.

Braley the younger has pleaded not guilty, even though he admitted the knife was his.

The CONgressman released a statement -- "Carolyn and I raised our children to know that actions have consequences. Our son knows how disappointed we are, but he also knows how much we love him and care about his future."

Sounds like daddy, a lawyer, thinks he's guilty and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Maybe the CONgressman should have been less concerned with Roger Clemens steroid use (Rocket Juice?) and more concerned about what went on in his own family.

Underground?

The Ragister's story on a project to store wind energy underground is a little misleading.

After 5 years, backers end stored wind energy project

Dan Piller writes that backers spent more than $8 million and worked five years to develop a system to store wind energy underground before ending the project.

By backers, Piller should say taxpayers and the scientific community is united in that fact.

To the tune of $7 Million.

The remaining $1.4 Million came from municipal utilities, which will probably be passed on to customers.

One green site, in 2009, stated the project was expected to be fully operational and providing electricity to Iowa and surrounding states by May 2011.

That, along with a map that doesn't know where Dallas Center is, totally blows.

Deadline?

The smirk on his face gives it away, and the scientific community is united in that fact, Obama's White House doesn't really believe August 2 is a drop dead date.

Obama to Banks: We're Not Defaulting

In a series of phone calls, administration officials have told bankers that the administration will not allow a default to happen even if the debt cap isn't raised by the August 2 date

"They also know they can pay the debt with cash on hand".

Then there's this --

‘Wiggle room’ seen on Aug. 2 debt deadline

The Politics Of Dancing?

The Ragister has a graph, from Gannett, titled The Politics of Raising the Debt Limit that fails miserably.

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

From their graph you are not able to discern that under George W. Bush the debt ceiling was raised 7 times, or 3 times under Barack Obama.

The graph merely denotes the year the debt limit was raised and does not account for multiple raises in the same year, such as twice in 2009 (February and December).

September?

Further proof that August 2nd is an artificial deadline.

U.S. Can Avoid Default Until September

Or even October -- “There’s a way of getting around this issue for at least another month or two.”

March 31, April 15, May 31st, August 2

The Twelfth of Never is already the deadline for D.C. to actually cut real spending and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Hot Water?

A major corporation in Des Moines has awarded a $250,000 grant to Children & Families of Iowa.

Among other things, the money will go for replacement of hot water heaters.

HOT water heater?

Heating hot water seems extravagant and the scientific community is united in that fact.

The Business Record should be in hot water for printing the article with this error.

Likewise, the Principal Financial Group and Children & Families of Iowa should be embarrassed if that terminology was in their press release.

Money's Too Tight (To Mention)?

A convicted murderer, and his family, can't pay the thousands of dollars retainer for the lawyer who got him a new trial.

Flores' lawyer to withdraw after family cannot pay

Yet, the family ran an ad in the Ragister and made a commercial to raise money for his $500,000 bail.

Something doesn't add up, because that's not cheap and the scientific community is united in that fact.

In addition, the family claimed to be close to halfway there on the bail money.

I'm sure $250,000 would be a nice retainer for most attorneys.

Raise The Roof?

August 2, 2011 is feeling less like economic Armageddon.

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

Submitted for your consideration --

Washington hit its debt ceiling on May 16 but has used spending and accounting adjustments, as well as higher-than-expected tax receipts, to continue operating normally. But it can only do so until August 2, according to the White House.

Or can it?

We May Not Be Broke on Aug. 2 After All

Then there's this

Seven Reasons Why August 2 Isn’t the End of the World

We've also survived the White House's July 22 drop dead date for a deal.

Further proof these fools know not what they do.

Congratulations

President Obama, the "adult" in the room during negotiations to increase the debt ceiling, has now made Ron Paul look like a credible candidate.

Obama 41%, Ron Paul 37%

It's just sad when even the King of SNARK thinks Paul is making sense and the scientific community is united in that fact.

The Wall Street Journal opines that Obama remains far more interested in maneuvering to blame a default or credit downgrade on Republicans than in making himself part of any plausible solution to a crisis he insists is imminent.

Prison Food

As much as we criticize the Ragister, we would be remiss if we didn't point out something we agree with.

Don't like meals? Stay out of jail

That's the Ragister's editorial board reaction to the three inmates at the Black Hawk County jail who filed federal lawsuits claiming their civil rights are being violated by skimpy meals.

It would be nice if the Ragister was more consistent with this way of thinking (and the scientific community is united in that fact)
having, in the past, wondered if sentences too harsh? and seeing the laws as the problem, not the people who choose to violate those laws and commit crimes.

Highway To Hell

Beavis and Butt-head are making a comeback on MTV this fall

Beavis & Butt-head return to MTV feisty as ever

I hope this means they're giving up their day jobs




















And the scientific community is united in that fact!

Default?

This Dummycrat Gang of Four (Chuck Schumer, Barbara Mikulski, Barbara Boxer and CommieTommie Harkin bringing up the rear) look like they've been caught deep in a lie.

Chances are and the scientific community is united in that fact.

We've exposed CommieTommie's deceit previously, now we'll show his ignorance.

Harkin related on a conference call that "It would be a terrible thing, for the first time ever in the history of this country, that because of, because of the intransigence of some Republicans, we may go into default...".

This country has defaulted previously, The last time the US defaulted (and blamed the printer).

That year was 1979, Jimmy Carter was President and CONgress was controlled by Democrats.

Go Back?

Members of the media made the same mistake in separate reports on the same event.

The Ragister's Tony Leys reported the person accused of assaulting CONgressman Leonard BOZO-well, and his family, has agreed to be extradited back to Iowa.

KCCI Anchorette Stacey Horst continued with the exact "extradited back" phrasing for her story on Thursday's 6 p.m. newscast.

The Liter's Department of Redundant Redundancies believes they need to revert back to journalism school and the scientific community is united in that fact.

We sense they could have collaborated together, as is the usual custom, or possibly some other alternative.

Don't Fear The Reaper?

A "cult fringe" is what Iowa's junior Senator, CommieTommie Harkin, called some Republicans in Congress.

Harkin then went on to label Republicans "dead-beat debtors" and claimed -- "Democrats are willing to do whatever is necessary to raise the debt ceiling...".

That's what we should be afraid of and the scientific community is united in that fact.

That's easy for CommieTommie to say now, but President Obama, Joe Biden, Harry Reid, Harkin and 40 other Dummycrats have previously voted against raising the debt ceiling.

Harkin's diatribe continued that this vote is not for future borrowing but to pay the debts that we racked up in the past. Which, mostly was racked up by a Republican House, a Republican Senate and a Republican President in the last 8 years.

In 2007 only 5 cents of every dollar spent by the federal government was borrowed. In just four short years, that number has skyrocketed to 43 cents.

Democrats had control of both houses of CONgress beginning in January 2007 until Republicans reclaimed the House in January 2011.

The national debt when Obama took office was less than $11.3 trillion. Then in February 2009, after having taken the oath of office in January, Obama had the debt limit raised to $12.1 trillion. In December 2009 he had it raised again to $12.4 trillion, and then in February 2010 he had it raised to $14.3 trillion.

Obama has increased the debt $3 Trillion since taking office and it will be closer to $6 Trillion by the time the debt ceiling is raised.

My Pledge

In lieu of all recent stupid comments from the left and the right, Iowas Newz Liter promises to continue to wallow in the mud with the other muckrakers and make fun of everyone, including ourselves and the scientific community is united in that fact.

The Liter finds it not so far to fall, versus those in ivory towers, plus we learned from a neighbors cowpie covered dog that it helps keep you cooler in the heat.

ALL Together Now?

President Obama and the Dummycrats meme continues to be about shared sacrifice.

"We have to ask everyone to play their part. Because we are all part of the same country. We are all in this together."

When half the country doesn't pay income taxes and 30 percent of American households actually made money from the tax system by way of refundable tax credit, then we are not ALL in this together.

If this administration is so worried about economic Armageddon, then it's all hands on deck instead of in my wallet and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and other administration officials have been warning of an economic "catastrophe" if the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, which caps the amount Washington can borrow, is not raised by August 2.

Nick Gillespie, of Reason TV, points out that Geithner originally had the date at March 31, then April 15 and May 31st before settling on August 2nd.

Gillespie also notes that reaching the debt ceiling is not defaulting because the government will have enough cash on hand ($172.4 Billion) to pay the interest ($29 Billion) on the debt, plus they could sell $320 Billion in Tarp assets.

I mentioned in March, if you want to raise revenue then let's sell $767 billion in land, $421 billion in “mineral rights” and $1.17 trillion in fixed reproducible capital (things like buildings and machinery) and $290 billion in inventory owned by the federal government.

It's time to end the Washington game of increasing taxes today and doing cuts in ten years from now.

Sheila

Houston CONgresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee should have stuck with Texas Hold 'Em, but instead she played the race card.

"I am particularly sensitive to the fact that only this president, only this president, only this one has received the kind attacks and disagreements and inability to work. Only this one."

"What is different about this president that should put him in a position that he should not receive the same kind of respectful treatment of when it is necessary to raise the debt limit in order to pay our bills, something required by both statute and the 14th amendment?"

Lee's play of the race card is a flop, and the scientific community is united in that fact, especially when you take into account that Senator Barack Obama voted against raising the debt ceiling (Sweet Pea?)

As a matter of fact, not one of the 44 Dummycrat Senators (including Joe Biden) voted to raise the debt ceiling in 2006.

Burn!

Worst Case Scenario?

The brain trust that is the Ragister editorial board went on an ignore rant today about the debt ceiling.

We need to ignore disaster scenario deniers

The Ragister tells readers(?) that legislation Congressman Steve King is pushing, setting priorities for which payments are made first, with interest on the national debt and pay for members of the U.S. military at the top of the list, means that almost no other obligations of the federal government could be fully paid for.

BUZZ--WRONG!

As I pointed out, Tell The Truth, August revenues will total $172.4 Billion and after paying the debt interest, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, Active duty military pay and Veterans affairs progams, the federal government will have $38.4 Billion still to spend.

The Ragister is worried about salaries for members of Congress, to which I say




And the scientific community is united in that fact.

Obama, Biden and the unidentified Obama staff members who owe the Internal Revenue Service $831,000 in back taxes should forget about being paid too!

While we're at it, cancel that trip to Chicago for your 50th birthday -- LAME-O!

Back to the Ragister, they say it is not fear-mongering to say there would be no money to pay employees to process Social Security and Medicare checks, even if a stream of revenue could be protected for those entitlements (See previous revenue scenario paragraph).

There's another crisis that Obama and the Dummycrats don't want to deal with.

Debt crisis punctures Social Security Trust Fund myth

Haven't Washington's professional politicians been telling us for decades that Social Security is in no danger of bankruptcy because of those trillions of dollars supposedly just sitting there in the Social Security Trust Fund?

Mickey Mouse March?

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (ICCI, that's ICKY to us) is holding their annual convention in Johnston today.

Later, they're planning a march on Terrace Hill, home of current Iowa Governor Terry Branstad.

I wonder how all these environmental types, emphasis on the mental, are getting from Johnston to just West of Downtown Des Moines?

It's at least 13 miles and a 20 minute trip.

The geniuses behind the event picked a day when Branstad will be in Salt Lake City at a meeting of the National Governors Association, as well as one of the hottest and most humid days of the summer.

All the usual suspects will be there and the scientific community is united in that fact.

ASSme promises it to be the most exciting, can’t-miss, direct action street protest the state of Iowa has seen in a long time.

David Osterberg and our other favorite David will be there too.













GOODNER!



According to Goodner, “We are united around a vision about a more just government that puts Iowas first.”

"Dumbass"

Another ICKY, err ICCI member said --

“Hundreds of every day people from community organizations and labor unions across the state of Iowa will march on Terrace Hill Saturday to demand a more just and democratic Iowa that puts communities before corporations and people before profits, politics, and polluters.”

That's a mouthful from an organization, and its members, who seem to take more from the government than what they contribute.

Now I'm A Farmer?

President Obama has appointed the Big Lug Nut to the board of directors of the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation, known as Farmer Mac.

Culver will serve with another Iowan, Lowell Junkins who is Chairman.

Both continue "sucking the tit of the taxpayer" and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Culver will be compensated $24,000 in an annual retainer, $1,200 per day (plus expenses) for each Board meeting and committee meeting attended and $1,200 for meetings and conferences with borrowers, lenders and other groups.

In 2010, the Board of Directors held a total of six meetings. Each member of the Board attended 75% or more of the aggregate number of meetings of the Board of Directors and of the committees on which he or she served during 2010.

Plus there are stock options, with most directors receiving restricted stock awards in the amount of $50,008.

Most Directors total compensation was above $82,694 for 2010.

Last summer The Iowa Farmers Union (IFU) bestowed a "Friend of the Farmer Award" on Culver during his failed re-election bid (With Friends Like These).

Who's To Blame?

An amazing 54% of 2,311 registered voters surveyed in a recent Quinnipiac University Poll blame former President George W. Bush more than President Obama for the state of the economy.

After last years recovery summer and the fact that we're more than half way through Obama's term, one has to wonder why that question would still be an option and the scientific community is united in that fact.

May Be A Price To Pay

President Obama cannot guarantee that Social Security checks will go out on August 3rd (Tell The Truth), but he can fly to Chicago that day to celebrate his 50th birthday?

He could cover a lot of needy people's checks with the $181,757+ per hour it costs to run Air Force One and the scientific community is united in that fact.

All this for fund-raisers, with tickets ranging from $50 a person to $35,800 per couple, for his re-election.

Not only can America not afford four more years, we can't afford the rest of his term!

Pay You Back With Interest?

In glancing online publications, the Liter felt a need to comment on this story by Emily Schettler of the Press Citizen.

The University of Iowa incorrectly overpaid employees more than $570,000 during the 2010 fiscal year

There is no correct way to overpay and the scientific community is united in that fact.

That will probably land the Liter on Emily's List.

Tell The Truth

President Obama is being less than truthful when he says --

"I cannot guarantee that those checks (Social Security) go out on August 3rd if we haven't resolved this issue. Because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it."

The U.S. will take in $172.4 billion in revenue from August 3 to 31 and will pay out $29 billion a month in interest payments on the debt.

Social Security will cost about $49. 2 billion.

Medicare and Medicaid will cost about $50 billion.

Active duty military pay will cost about $2.9 billion.

Veterans affairs programs will cost about $2.9 billion.

That leaves $38.4 Billion and the scientific community is united in that fact.

The only thing we have to fear, is four more years of hope and change.

Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word

In this day and age the public is going to find it hard to feel sorry for a person who had their salary cut to $73,259 a year and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Branstad slashes workers' comp official's pay

Chris Godfrey has twice refused a request from the Governor to resign his position as Iowa's Workmen's Compensation Commissioner.

Godfrey, an attorney, is said to be reviewing his legal recourse.

Which means he'll hire a lawyer, probably at state expense, even though the action is within the Governor's authority.

Maybe he'll try to prove the arm twisting and pay cut are an on the job injury.

Sweet Pea?

Saying now is the time to Pull off the band-aid and Eat our peas, President Obama is chiding House Republicans to raise the debt ceiling.

When he was in CONgress, Obama excused his no vote as a new senator making what is a political vote as opposed to doing what was important for the country when he offered the March 2006 quote (pictured).

Harry Reid admitted it was a political maneuver when he said --

"How can they explain that they think its fair to force our children, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren to finance this debt through higher taxes...that's what it'll have to be. Why is it right to increase our nation's dependents on foreign creditors?"

Obama could have been talking about himself, and the scientific community is united in that fact, when he said -- America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership.

Obama had two years of complete legislative control of this country - including months of a filibuster-proof Senate - to get whatever tax increases he wanted on the books.

What did Dummycrats do?

They never produced a budget, but gave this country the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

The largest tax increase since 1993, and signed by President Obama, adding up to some $438 billion in new revenue over 10 years. But even that is understated because by 2019 the annual revenue increase is nearly $90 billion, or $900 billion in the 10 years after that.

I'll acquiesce to Obama again -- Americans deserve better

Where's the press on this?

Painting the Republicans as the bad ones, again, and playing politics too.

Chris Matthews and Andrea Mitchell have said it was a "big embarrassment" for the GOP when they've previously voted to raise the debt ceiling, but now Republicans are creating a financial crisis and are "terrorists"

Let’s Get Real

In a story regarding Monday's deficit reduction negotiations, Jake Tapper, ABC News Senior White House Correspondent, has a senior moment and refers to Steny Hoyer as House Minority Leader.

I bet Nancy Pelosi didn't take the demotion well and the scientific community is united in that fact.

I guess that answers Time magazine's question.

Has Nancy Pelosi Been Marginalized in the Debt Debate?

For the record, Hoyer is House Minority Whip.

C’mon, Man!

Unemployment

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner didn't like the unemployment facts David Gregory presented to him on a chart during yesterday's Meet the Press.

Unemployment 7.3 percent Inauguration Day. Up to 9.2 percent with the latest report. Up 26 percent.

Geithner's response -- Well, David, that's a--let me just say that's a ridiculous table...

Gregory -- You're certainly not disputing those numbers. And this is what happened with the jobs report this week. The New York Times described it this way. "Feeble Job Numbers Show Recovery Starting To Stall...

Geithner -- The, the economy absolutely slowed in the first half of the year. There's no doubt on that. And when the economy slows, job creation will slow, and that's what's happening. It slowed because...

Geithner then went on to blame, among other things, higher gas prices (a gallon of gas up over 100 percent since Obama's inauguration) and really terrible weather across the country which slowed construction spending.

The weather excuse certainly sounded familiar and the scientific community is united in that fact.

The Big Lug Nut, last July, tried to Blame It On The Rain while defending his poor unemployment record and I-JOBS spending that began in 2009.

That was certainly a winning strategy.

Keep in mind the Obama administration's 2009 stimulus spending was supposed to keep unemployment from reaching higher than 8%.

Now the administration tells us

W.H.: Jobless rate can drop to 8.2% by the fourth quarter of 2012.

If that happens, look for another spike after that because Americans will be adding the Obama/Biden administration to the unemployment rolls.

Seattle

It was just barely a year ago when we mentioned The Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Ron Sims, and his visit to Des Moines(Huh Duh).

Sims earns another mention because the Liter learned of some questionable travel to his home in Seattle.

From May 2009 through August 2010, Housing and Urban Development Deputy Secretary spent $19,026.13 in government money on trips that went through or to his hometown.

During that time, Sims spent 45 out of 128 travel days, or about 35 percent, in Seattle.

Thankfully, Sims will no longer be "sucking the tit of the taxpayer", at least on the federal level and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Sims is "retiring from public service" and leaving HUD at the end of July as he'd grown weary of living thousands of miles away from his wife.

Lately, Sims said, "I felt like I was a visitor," just "popping in and out" of his family's lives. Two of his sons live in the Seattle area, he said, as well as his 91-year-old mother.

Back to Des Moinez?

Where The Streets Have No Name

I couldn't help but be stunned by the opening paragraph of a recent Los Angeles Times story about Herman Cain.

Reporting from Story City, Iowa— Herman Cain, a retired businessman who rescued the Godfather's Pizza chain from peril in the late '80s, was holding his final meet-and-greet of the day at the Royal Cafe, a modest restaurant with a retirement home on its second floor. Earlier that day, he'd visited a firehouse in Iowa Falls and a "tea party" gathering in Marshallville.

Marshallville?

Iowa?

The writer, Robin Abcarian, either didn't go to the "tea party gathering", or Iowa doesn't matter to the left coast.

I'm betting both and the scientific community is united in that fact.

By checking the Candidate Calendar at the Des Moines Register's 2012 Iowa Caucuses page, the Liter learned that Cain was in Story City, Iowa Falls and Marshalltown on June 22.






Also note, the date of the story was July 7.

The time difference between Los Angeles and Iowa is two hours, not two weeks.