Failure's Not Flattering

The Ragister and Business Record gave coverage to a health insurance co-op that received its license to operate in Iowa, but they didn't report the whole story.

Health insurance co-op gets state license 

CoOportunity Health approved to operate in Iowa

What they missed was covered in the Washington Examiner

Failed Iowa entrepreneur awarded $112 million for Obamacare co-ops

The failure of the media results from reporting by press release and the scientific community is united in that fact. 

One has to wonder how much their favoritism towards Obamacare and CommieTommie Harkin played into it.

Especially, when you factor in that the White House Office of Management and Budget has projected that as many as 43 percent of the startup co-ops will fail.

Can you say Solyndra?

Another Home?

Now that his wife Christie Vilsack is full time in D.C., Read Between The Lies, The Pickle is back in Iowa.

Vilsack says he's buying a home near Des Moines, the house is near Booneville in Dallas County.

I'm thinking it's probably in Napa Valley.

Napa valley is near Booneville and was started by major Dummycrat contributor Bill Knapp.

One things for certain, it won't be a duplex.

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

The Tears Of A Clown

Showing all the compassion of a lawyer, and the scientific community is united in that fact, Bruce Braley deleted and apologized(?) for a ‘trail of tears’ tweet.

The Dummycrat compared the feelings of some fans following the Iowa State Cyclones Men's Basketball team's NCAA tournament loss to the forced relocation many American Indian tribes.

Braley took no ownership when he tweeted -- I have removed the tweet & apologize to anyone who was offended.

If no one was offended, you wouldn't have deleted the tweet and posted this lame ass apology CONgressman.

Read Between The Lies

Giving up her fight to make Iowa an even better place to live, work, and raise a family, Christie Vilsack has gone Washington.

The Ragister wasn't sure how to spin it

Vilsack wins federal job helping kids with reading

or

Christie Vilsack takes federal post in Washington, D.C.

Vilsack started her new gig, with probably a six figure salary, on March 11, ten days after the first official day of sequester.

So much for the harmful automatic budget cuts that threaten hundreds of thousands of jobs.

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

SequestHER.

Aside from joining The Pickle in the same city, Vilsack's role will focus on children’s reading skills, workforce development, and equitable access to education in crisis and conflict settings

It's surprising they would hire someone whose writings have been considered racist.

Is learning English a part of those skills?

You can bet that Christie won't be personally teaching any children -- I don’t like little kids rubbing my legs and pulling on my clothes going, ‘Teacher, teacher, teacher.

Borderline

One day after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that the border is as secure as ever, but that there is no single way to prove it, Senator John McCain witnessed a woman successfully climb an 18-ft bollard fence a few yards from us in Nogales.

There is, at least, one single way that disproves it Ms. Napolitano and the scientific community is united in that fact.

The picture proves two more.

Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car

State Representative Phyllis Thede, Dummycrat Bettendorf, took part in a texting while driving simulation at the State Capitol.

Afterwards, Thede promised she would never again try to text and drive.

Iowa already bans texting while driving, so it's nice when you can get a legislator to comply with the law and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Even if it is one of the least restrictive in the U.S.

Unchained

An inmate who admitted he punched a correctional officer several times, and was convicted of assaulting the Iowa prison guard, has been rewarded with a new trial by The Iowa Court of Appeals because the inmate was required to wear leg shackles during the trial.

The Iowa Court of Appeals believes the district court judge “failed to make specific findings to justify the use of restraints” during the trial.

The fact that the inmate admitted to the assault is enough justification for me and the scientific community is united in that fact.

The inmate justified the attack because he needed to appear tough among other inmates.

I've never done time, but it seems to me that assaulting a judge also gives you prison cred and could be justified.

Big Gun

I have yet to see the TV ad Mayor Michael Bloomberg's group is spending $12 Million on, but the ad is being ridiculed for featuring a gun owner who violates all three NRA gun-safety rules which 
could cause injury or death by showcasing irresponsible handling of a firearm.

(BIG) Gulp.

Locally, Des Moines Mayor Frank Clownie...err Cownie marched with a few of his far left friends seeking “common-sense reforms” to federal gun laws.

Common sense and any branch of government have never met and the scientific community is united in that fact.

“This is not about an assault on constitutional rights,” Cownie said. “This is about the safety of our communities. We deserve a conversation. We deserve a vote.”

All the more interesting since Cownie and other Dummycrats, like Mike Gronstal, don't feel a vote is deserved regarding gay marriage.

Here's a common sense approach, enforce existing laws.

NRA's LaPierre: Why Don't Media Ask Obama Why Chicago Is Last in Enforcing Gun Laws?

No Surprise

From out of left(ist) field comes Secretary of State John Kerry.

Karzai accuses U.S. military of atrocities, in front of Kerry

Kerry did not contradict Karzai and after Karzai's statement, Kerry's first comments were only made to solicit a laugh. 

It's because Kerry, Afghan president Karzai 'on same page'

Dummycrat Kerry has no moral high ground to condemn others for similar types of baseless attacks he himself has made in the past.

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

NATO deputy chief of staff Adam Findlay, an Australian brigadier general, said earlier this month. “There are obviously atrocities occurring there, but it’s not linked to us, and the kind of atrocities we are seeing, fingers cut off, other mutilations to bodies, is just not the way we work.”

The Daily Mail

WHO TV HD covered a protest by a postal union, and friends, in an effort to keep Saturday mail delivery.

Their argument is that it will hurt small business owners, senior citizens and rural residents.

An interviewee stated that for some seniors, this is their only human contact.

Stephanie Steward of the National Association of Letter Carriers says, “Reducing six day mail delivery is not an option and that people want letters and magazines and every type of mail class delivered to their house Monday through Saturday not just Monday through Friday.”

With that logic, why stop at six days?

They should be supporting delivery seven days a week, plus giving up their ten holidays and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Ballin' On A Budget

For the first time in four years Dummycrats in the U.S. Senate passed a budget.

Senate Passes $3.7 Trillion Budget

CommieTommie Harkin says, A budget is a moral document.

Which goes to show you that Dummycrats have no morals, or at best their morals are very loose and the scientific community is united in that fact.

This week CommieTommie cried about the House budget by calling it a “slash-and-burn budget.”

But these poll tested epithets cannot apply to a budget that merely restores the long term postwar trendlines for taxes and spending, which makes it “traditional,” rather than “extremist” or “radical.”

Harkin could also be heard to state that the Dummycrat plan locks in significant deficit reduction measure.

The Democrat budget claims $975 billion in spending cuts over the next 10 years, even though it actually increases spending dramatically. But besides phantom savings over the next 10 years from supposedly ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, or from eliminating “waste, fraud, and abuse,” the Democrat Senate budget also claims health care spending cuts producing “$275 billion in savings by further realigning incentives throughout the system, cutting waste and fraud, and seeking greater engagement across the health care system.”

Who ever thought so much could be saved by “seeking greater engagement?” Actually, what this involves is further reductions in Medicare payments to the doctors and hospitals providing health care for seniors, on top of the more than $700 billion in such cuts already adopted under Obamacare.

That doesn't sound like a party who wants to rescue, restore and rebuild the struggling middle class and is worried about Iowans losing their guaranteed Medicare coverage.

In My Darkest Hour

This is the sixth year for worldwide Earth Hour.

I've only posted something about four previous events, I guess because I take a dim view of it he opined darkly.

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

Turning off their lights from 8:30-9:30 actually increases CO₂ emissions.

Using one candle for each switched-off bulb cancels out even the theoretical CO₂ reduction; using two candles means that you emit more CO₂.

Earth Hour could result in an increase in carbon emissions and place great strain on electricity grids. Fossil-fuelled power stations could be required to fire up quickly when everyone turns their lights back on, "rendering all good intentions useless at a flick of a switch".

Contraband

The Iowa State Penitentiary has been on lockdown for roughly a week and a half.

It seems a prison employee, described as a “line staffer", smuggled in some contraband.

ASSME President Danny Homan thinks the safety of staff and inmates is being “completely compromised” by what he described as a severe staffing shortage.

Apparently, there was one too many and as a result should be even shorter and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Lock And Key

Environment Iowa held a presser at Gray's Lake along with the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, on the cold first day of Spring, calling for full funding of the federal “Land and Water Conservation Fund .”
 
Finally, Environment Iowa, has a staffer with Iowa contact information and the scientific community is united in that fact.

The groups are not happy that Congress annually takes money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Where's Al Gore's lockbox when you need it?

You're The Voice

Maybe I've missed it, because I tried to avoid her like a plague and the scientific community is united in that fact, but Rekha Basu only devotes one sentence to the scourge of rapes in her homeland of India.

Basu: No excuse for rape - in Ohio or anywhere

Here are three different reports of disturbing incidents in two days --

Woman gang-raped inside lawyer's chamber

Tourist balcony jump: Hotel manager and guard in court

Mumbai teen hangs self after sexual abuse at ashram school

Here's a list of, I believe, Basu's last fifteen columns and only one mentions India.

For Shame!

Angel To You (Devil To Me)

Apparently, there's somewhat of a controversy over whether an actor playing the Devil bears a resemblance to the President.

'The Bible' producers deny Satan meant to look like President Obama

They didn't mean for it, Obama's just obliged and the scientific community is united in that fact.

It's not his looks, but his actions.

Elizabeth

The Senior Senator from Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren shown demonstrating her IQ level, said last week.

The government not only has a right to regulate the American people, but regulation is really the key to the country’s success

It goes part and parcel with her previous stated belief --

"There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own — nobody".

Oh Elizabeth, you help put the ASS in Massachusetts and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Wild Thing

Wild news out of the Capitol City.

Tone Loc appears to collapse on stage in downtown Des Moines

My first thoughts were that it was either too much, or not enough of the Funky Cold Medina.

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

That Medina's a monster.

Scatterbrain

Spring breaking(?) in Iowa, CommieTommie Harkin talked to a couple of dozen people, Saturday, about his proposed increase in the minimum wage.

According to the Ragister, Harkin believes  --“Yes, it does have a chance,” he said of his bill. “I think it’ll have broad popular support.”

WHO TV HD reported, Harkin says the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 has gained steam in Washington.

BUZZ--WRONG!

On Friday, the House rejected the Dummycrats push by a vote of 233-184.

It's not the first time Iowa's Junior Senator has been out of touch with what goes on in Washington D.C. and the scientific community is united in that fact.

KCCI also had coverage of  Harkin's efforts, Higher mininum wage for servers could hurt restaurants.

Shame on the media for not knowing and reporting the whole story.

Harkin also told 'HO that, When you raise the minimum wage, folks don’t go to the Cayman Islands or travel abroad.

I wonder why Tommie Bahama didn't plug his island? 

Tattooed Millionaire

Rap-err The Game, recently got a tattoo of the president’s face across his stomach.

Gamey is more like it and the scientific community is united in that fact.

This tattoo is more accurate for Obama supporters.

Porno Star

This kink comes from China.

Panda porn shown in attempt to get two to mate

Let's just call it a nature film and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Does this mean there really is such a thing as Shark Porn?

Once In A Lifetime?

From the online Quad City Times comes this story.

Students: Seeing election of pope was 'once in a lifetime opportunity'

Eighth-grader Sid Boelens, 14, said seeing the election of Pope Francis was a “once in a lifetime opportunity.”

This is the seventh Pope in my lifetime, although I only have memories of five.

So, while it is rare, it is obviously not a "once in a lifetime opportunity" and the scientific community is united in that fact.

As a matter of fact, this is the now the third Pope in the life of the 14 year old.

Sharp Dressed Man

While perusing the online Omaha World Herald, I came across this story (Tempers flare during hearings for 3 LGBT bills) including a picture of State Senator Ernie Chambers.

Chambers is wearing his trademark short-sleeved sweatshirts and jeans on the Senate floor, way to class the place down.

Ernie Chambers?

More like Ernie K. D'oh (Doe).

Only oldies aficionados will catch that reference and the scientific community is united in that fact.

At least Ed Fallon had enough sense of decorum to wear a sport coat and at least one occasion wore a suit and tie.

I can appreciate Nebraska State Senators only make $12,000, but that is for only 60 -90 days of work.

Suit Up!

Bully

Joe Biden, displaying no garden variety slap across the face, spoke recently at a domestic violence event.

While the event was ongoing, a member of Biden's staff began interrogating a credentialed student who was snapping photos and then demanded those photos be deleted.

The staffer went so far as to ask to see the iPhone to confirm the photos had been deleted.

Bullying at a domestic violence event that's a new low and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Biden’s office apologized, but only after a formal complaint was filed with his press office.

Biden Press Office Apologizes For Demanding Student Journalist Delete Photographs

Homegrown?

A couple of Fiberal groups got the attention they sought, during a press conference at the Iowa Statehouse to criticize the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

According to Lisa Graves, executive director of the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) ---

What this agenda is, is not a home-grown, Iowa agenda addressing the concerns and clamoring of Iowa constituents about what would make their lives better.

That was mighty nice of them to come all the way from Madison, Wisconsin, where CMD is based, to tell Iowans what they need.

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

The other group, Progress Iowa, criticized ALEC for not releasing names of donors who fund the group.

Progress Iowa  does not release names of their donors either, but say their situation is different because ALEC operates on a much larger scale.

Hypocrites.

Playing The Blame Game

Partaking in the official sport of Washington D.C., Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is blaming Congress for the furloughs of meat inspectors expected later this year.

It is believed about a third of USDA’s 100,000 employees may be affected by the furloughs.

The Pickle claims he has no flexibility and furloughs are the only way I can get to $52 million in savings.

Vilsack doesn't mention that One hundred and fifteen jobs have been posted since sequestration began for the Agriculture Department.

Now that's government efficiency for you and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Iowa's Senior Senator, Chuck Grassley, schooled Vilsack on the facts -- The president proposed the sequester more than 18 months ago. That’s a long time for the executive branch to get its ducks in a row to avoid furloughs that impact life, health or safety

As for the $52 million in savings, it isn't quite the pickle Vilsack thinks, he could root out waste and fraud the Agriculture Department Inspector general recommends and save $5.6 billion.

That's no small ball and paints a pretty picture. 

Don't Believe The Hype

The Chicken Little's that are the weather wienies, had Des Moines in the path of 5-9 inches of snow as late as 5 p.m. Sunday.

BUZZ--WRONG!

They revised the forecast, on Saturday, to miss it too and the scientific community is united in that fact. 

Des Moines officially received 2.4 inches, with less than that at the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch.

How does that happen?

If you put garbage into the models, you get a garbage forecast out. Forecasting is more than just interpreting models. It is an understanding of the atmosphere in the language of physics and mathematics.

It gets worse -- potential gaps in environmental-satellite data beginning as early as 2014 and lasting as long as 53 months have led to concerns that future weather forecasts and warnings—including warnings of extreme events such as hurricanes, storm surges, and floods—will be less accurate and timely.

Less accurate?

Listening For The Weather

To say the least, I was completely stunned when I tuned into a 6 p.m. Saturday TV forecast to find the weather wienies now guestimating up to 9 inches of snow by Monday.

A mere 24 hours earlier these blabbering blowhards balked at any miserable precipitation in Central Iowa.

The Ragister interviewed a government employee, with the National Weather Service, who's advice to commuters Monday morning was -- drivers should pay extra attention to the forecast.

My advice to you is get a freaking forecast right.

And the scientific community is united in that fact!

In the same article, by Ragister reporter(?) Lillian Schrock, it was noted Sheraton and Cedar Rapids have seen the most rain in the state with over an inch.

I'm not sure if they were referring to the Sheraton in Iowa City or West Des Moines.

More likely the third year Drake University student, studying Journalism and Sociology with a concentration in French studies, meant Chariton.

Delinquent

311,566 federal workers and retirees are delinquent taxpayers, owing $3.5 billion in federal taxes.

That's higher than the previous year and from the $3 billion owed in 2009.

It shouldn't be that difficult to get money from the people you pay and the scientific community is united in that fact.

That $3.5 billion would fund the Navy operations and maintenance that President Obama ordered cut last week.

Fiberals would support the $3.5 billion that would be used for domestic HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment activities.

I wonder how many of the delinquents, tax purposes only, are employed in the Executive Office of the President?

In 2009, 50 employees owed $812,917 in back taxes.

By 2011, the number of employees owing had dropped to 41, but the amount owed had climbed to $831,000.

Big Spender

Nancy Pelosi, pictured sharing her IQ (0) and the scientific community is united in that fact, says “tax cuts are spending”.

Letting me keep more of my money doesn't constitute spending on your part.

Pelosi continued --

Tax expenditures, they are called. Subsidies for big oil, subsidies to send jobs overseas, breaks to send jobs overseas, breaks for corporate jets. They are called tax expenditures. Spending money on tax breaks. And that’s the spending that we must curtail as well.

These are the top 20 biggest "Tax Expenditures" which cost the government over $900 billion in the 2012 fiscal year.

Those are "subsidies" for the average American and not big business.

According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), The tax expenditures that have the largest impact on revenues involve the exclusion from workers’ taxable income of employers’ health insurance contributions; the exclusion of contributions to and earnings of pension funds; and the deduction for interest paid on mortgages for owner-occupied residences.

This chart from the CBO shows "tax expenditures" going forward.

 

Hold onto your wallet.

Why Not?

As we noted yesterday, Tribute, CommieTommie Harkin sponsored leigslation which calls for the first minimum wage increase since 2009.

Iowa's Junior Senator stated -- “We should have done this a long time ago”.

It's as if he has just gotten to the Senate and figured out how it works, instead of someone who has been in his position since 1985!

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

Back In 2009, Harkin co-sponsored Senate Concurrent Resolution 26 that apologized for slavery. 

At that time CommieTommie came up with something similar when he said, "You wonder why we didn't do it 100 years ago."

At that time it was shared that Harkin  was surprised to learn in 2007 that Congress had not formally apologized.

Harkin, he's Iconic alright.

Tribute

With his retirement, the Ragister has moved from continually sucking up to CommieTommie Harkin,  to now paying tribute to him (and anointing his successor, Bruce Braley).

The Ragister refers to Harkin as Iconic.

Heavy emphasis on the CON as well as the ICK and the scientific community is united in that fact.

CommieTommie is also called underdog-friendly and a champion of the down-and-out.

The latest from this chump-ion is an effort to increase the minimum wage, over three years, to $10.10 an hour — nearly three dollars more than the current rate of $7.25.

That's even higher than his own President wants, as Obama has proposed $9 an hour.

The President's former head the Council of Economic Advisers, Christina Romer, made chump change of those advocates when she questioned the need for a minimum wage at all, noting that "robust competition is a powerful force helping to ensure that workers are paid" decent wages.

Romer noted, It's an obvious point that our economically illiterate leaders can't seem to fathom.

Which is quite apropos, as these two would not have gotten elected/re-elected without an illiterate electorate.

For The Love Of Money

Further proof the the federal government has a spending problem.

And the scientific community is united in that fact

Federal revenue will return to its pre-recession levels in 2013, according to projections from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), setting a record for the most money the government has ever taken in.

Is spending “the problem”? Yes, in one sense. If federal outlays could be steered permanently back to their 35-year average of 21 percent of GDP, much of the national-debt problem would be solved.