Takin' It To The Streets

If the issue weren't so damn serious, the thought of being chastised for organizing against Obamacare, by those who hailed a community organizer, would be laughable.

First, as a member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, residing at the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch, I believe I would have gotten the memo and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Second, Moron.org--err Moveon.org and labor unions, like SEIU, have remained in campaign organizing mode for quite some time.

I know firsthand some labor unions, like C.W.A, will use union paid time to pay members for missing work to attend rallies.

Obama and the Dummycrats have remained active with Organizing for America and count on mindless drones who need direction, “Just tell us where to show up and which congressman or senator we need to talk to.”

CommieTommie Harkin wants you to believe in a 'spiracy, "There was a nationally-coordinated meeting to interrupt (town hall) meetings and stuff like that.

That's what he told the press and those gathered at his townhall.

It makes it easier to discount people who don't believe government is the solution and they wonder why there's anger.

Beatcanvas has a take on the townhall too and he's got an ad for those hiring to help push for Obamacare.

The Rain, The Park, And Other Things

Not happy that the cold, rainy weather forced me to turn on the furnace for the first time this fall at the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch.

I see the city that is planning to cut 11-percent from its budget and some vital services to overcome a budget shortfall of about $7.7 million has the resources to devote a police vehicle throughout the night for the protection(?) of a bunch of idiots who can't come in from the cold and rain.

I'm not so sure what happened Sunday at Itchycoo Park, when some of the societal misfits that are Occupy Iowa/Des Moines were approached by teens for their money.

Protesters report assault early Sunday morning

I know it can feel like an assault when people who haven't earned it come and take something that is yours, but I believe the politically correct name is now redistribution of wealth.

I know some in the bowel movement that are the Occupy-errs are taking comfort in this Gandhi quote -- First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

How it works here at the Liter is that first we make fun of you and then we ignore you because you're losers and the scientific community is united in that fact.

On a recent drive I came across this vanity plate








I related it to Chris and she wondered why someone would want to also be known as lice?

That was the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw the plate, so there's another reason why we belong together.

Not Fair

I should not have a higher tax rate (25%) than the President of the United States (20.5%) or the Vice President (23.2%).

Obama's joint income is about $700,000 higher than the joint income at the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch and Biden's is almost $300,00 more.

A majority of their income is derived from sucking the tit of the taxpayer.

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

This week, knowing what his returns would show, Obama had the audacity to deride those who take advantage of loopholes and shelters all the while doing so himself (Obama Family Tax Shelter).

Obama's so called Buffett Rule would only apply to 22,000 wealthy household, but I don't have a gripe with them as long as it doesn't involve ill gotten gains.

Besides, those wealthy households — the fewer than 0.5 percent of Americans with annual incomes exceeding $1 million and tax rates of under 30 percent — could take advantage of tax-free investments such as municipal bonds to escape the Buffett rule's bite.

Just give up the gimmick Obama and Biden, lead by example, do the right thing and pay your fair share.

Graham Cracker

Only a pompous ass proclaims to speak for everyone, which is exactly what Graham Gillette (GG) did in a crumby Ragister column.

Memo to CEOs: We need to talk about fairness

In an open letter to American CEOs, this P. R. Consultant confesses --

We, the people of this country, are painfully aware our actions helped cause this recession. Easy-to-obtain credit fueled our growing appetite for bigger and bigger houses and fed our insatiable hunger to consume the devices, tools, appliances and thingamajigs your companies sell.

That's not how WE do things at the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch, so don't dump on us and lump us in with the phonies that frequent your world.

Gillette's column continues by stating Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said raising your taxes is not only a matter of fiscal responsibility, but also of fairness.

Why doesn't GG advocate raising taxes on the half of the country that doesn't pay income taxes and the 30 percent of American households that actually made money from the tax system by way of the refundable tax credit?

Because he's decided what's fair, not we and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Graham Gillette, and the Des Moines Register, not quite the best a man can get.

Lip Service

CenturyLink's planned upgrade, from copper to fiber-optic, for the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch
did not go according to their plan, but went exactly as I figured and the scientific community is united in that fact.

What was supposed to be, at worst, a brief interruption turned out to last 11 1/2 hours.

The promised new modem kit did not come, and as it turns out I did not need it because my current modem only needed to be reconfigured.

That was completed, in a matter of minutes, via a call to the modem's manufacturer.

So we're back and better than ever, the same cannot be said for CenturyLink.

Fried Day

Steak was on the grill at the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch, because that's how real Americans do steak, as we celebrated a Packer victory and our annual tradition of not attending CommieTommie Harkin's steak fry.

Paul Begala, Begala that's either a disease or a place you want to flee and the scientific community is united in that fact, fired up the crowd with “Democrats are in the fight of our life and they need to act like it”.

Harkin provided hope when he said it is important that the nation’s unemployment rate be “coming down” by election day in 2012.

“I wouldn’t put an absolute number on it, but it’s got to be shown that it’s coming down. At least, I think that President Obama has to show that he has a plan, which he’s put forward, that all the economists — Republicans, Democrats, independent economists — all say will reduce unemployment. Not tomorrow. We’re not going to bring it down tomorrow, but over the next couple, three years...".

All the economists say Obama's plan will reduce unemployment?

Couple, three years?

Then it won't be Obama's problem anymore.

They've already had two and a half years, how much longer will it take?

Here's Iowa State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald last month -- “It took 10 years to get out of the Great Depression. You can’t turn this thing around that fast...".

Earlier this month the White House Office of Budget and Management said unemployment will average 9.1 percent through this year and 9 percent in 2012. Moreover, the unemployment figure is not expected to drop below 7 percent until 2015.

What happened to the weekend with Bernie?

Out Of My Hands

Move forward people, nothing to see here as I have completed the 2K10 Census.

You're Welcome America!

For the occupants of the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch, the form totaled 18 questions and 1 demand (Print name of Person 2).

Interestingly, the address these forms were mailed to doesn't jibe with the address the U.S. Postal Service assigned us a few years back.

I thought government agencies were communicating better since 9/11?

I did not know, until yesterday, that Census Day was April 1st (No Fooling) and that was the deadline to mail the form back.

It was reported that way by WHO DT, KCCI and the Ragister, but nowhere on anything I received did it tell you to mail the form that day.

That deadline (?) was not on the form itself, it was not on the enclosed letter, it wasn't on the envelopes and it wasn't on their follow up postcard and the scientific community is united in that fact.

It's not a deadline per the Bureau...

While April 1 is officially designated as Census Day, the Census Bureau will continue to accept 2010 Census questionnaires by mail through mid-April.

Now to just mail it back.

I Got A Name

Everything I get from Ron Paul goes right to the recycling bin, including his latest mailer

New Ron Paul mailer tells Iowans he’s ‘despised by the Washington establishment’

We're not exactly thrilled with him at the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch either, and the scientific community is united in that fact, because my name is not Republican Voter.

To whom it may concern, that's about as personal as OCCUPANT.

Obviously your campaign bought a voter list, it had to contain more than just the address.

Learn to mail merge!

Hugh-morous?

Hugh Espey (isn't that a sports channel award?), has an opinion piece in the Ragister that states -- The Democrats lost, not because they were guilty of "liberal overreach" and did too much, but because they did not do enough.

The sad part, and the scientific community is united in that fact, is he's serious.

Espey is the executive director of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (ICCI, that's ICKY to us) and they say they have the data to prove it in my Senate District 37.

ICKY, err ICCI claims to have knocked on over 4,500 doors and talked to more than 2,000 voters. Folks overwhelmingly agreed with us on our core issues, and told us they were voting Republican - not because they supported the Republican agenda - but because they didn't feel Democrats were addressing bread and butter issues.

They didn't set foot on the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch and their data is less than scientific in a district that had 27,873 votes cast.

The only part of his piece that's rooted in reality -- Dems deserved to lose.

Sing

Two different halves of football combined for one interesting last minutes outcome.

When the lights went out, I broke into Dandy Don Meredith -- Turn out the lights, The party's over

Now I'm just wondering if Johnny, from Airplane, was just kidding around in the electrical room.

Other highlights(?) included Beyoncé sings – live this time.

I never doubted she could sing, after all her lip sync was to her own voice and not Milli Vanilli-esque.

Why are you there if you're not going to sing live?

Don't worry that it's not
Good enough for anyone
Else to hear
Just sing, sing a song 

I'm sure it's much cheaper to just play a recording and put up your picture and the scientific community is united in that fact.

For the residents of the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch, the ads were mostly wide left.

Four stood out for us -- You can never go wrong honoring Americans in the military (Jeep), with Paul Harvey (Dodge Ram), or the Budweiser Clydesdales. We also appreciated the chutzpah of the boy going stag to the prom (Audi).

Grandma's Hands

Sad news from the Valley of the Sun came today as my Mother's Mother has passed away at 99.

This Iowa farm lady (pictured on one of a few visits she made to the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch) was...

Amazing -- she flew back to visit my Mom as her daughters life was drawing to a close.

Wise -- her knowledge came from life and was well beyond the grade school education she was not allowed to complete because she was a girl.

Strong -- she kept going and persevered after burying her husband (in the early 1960s) as well as three of her 12 children.

Although I always loved my Grandmother, there was a time when I was young that I did not like her.

She was still living on the farm, which I did not enjoy because I was a big city of Des Moines kid, and she would yell at the dozens of grandkids for continually running in and out of the house.

I told her one time, on one of my visits to the Phoenix area, that I didn't like her much when I was growing up.

She smiled and said that was okay because she didn't care that much for me then either.

We both laughed hard at that.

Grandma loved that I had moved to the country.

I will miss her stories and insight, and I am sad she won't be able to celebrate 100 this fall, which I new she wanted, but she went peacefully and is reunited with her husband and children.

Property

I'll be off to the county seat to protest my new property assessment for the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch.

For 2011, the county raised our assessed value nearly $20,000.

However, we refinanced earlier this year and received an appraisal over $5,000 less than our 2009/2010 assessed value.

A $25,000 difference?

That's too fuckin' high, Marshall Lucky and the scientific community is united in that fact.

The county tells me that I should be able to sell my house for the assessed value, but they're never willing to buy it.

The Ragister rails that -- In its zeal to cut property taxes, the Legislature does not fully appreciate that property taxes are the lifeblood of Iowa schools, cities and counties. The tax supports teachers, police officers, firefighters and other public employees who keep the streets clean, collect the trash and round up stray dogs and cats. Schools, parks, roads, jails, courthouses, sewers, swimming pools and libraries are the foundations of a strong economy, clean air and water, safe streets and good quality of life.

I don't have any kids, other than roads I don't get a lot of benefits for my bucks at the Ranch.

Short Bus

In the past, Back Up The Bus, I've noted the only time I listen to the radio is when I'm mowing the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch.

In November, I added working out in my home gym (read that as a hand me down NordicTrack Skier from the in-laws).

I don't usually listen to the radio because I think the medium sucks since I left and the scientific community is united in that fact.

It's probably more accurate to blame it on my vast number of albums and cd's.

I listen to 100.3 The Bus, because they're mostly automated.

Someone at the station needs to kick their computer in its CPU.

Yesterday, after "the bus driver" proclaimed "we play everything", they aired You May Be Right by Billy Joel.



I have no problem with Billy Joel, but that was the 3rd time I'd heard it in a week (Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday).

They followed that up with Refugee from Tom Petty, I don't mind Tom Petty as long as I don't have to look at him, but again it was the 3rd airing in a week.



The previous week it was Eddie Money's Shakin' and they aired it twice in 48 hours and in the same 4 p.m. day part.



I love Eddie Money, but The Bus seems to be running on fumes.

The Chords

After 14 1/2 years, the dryer at the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch went kaput, so Chris and I purchased a new one yesterday.

During the payment process we discovered that this new, in a box, dryer does not come with an electric cord, that's an extra $14.99.

Which makes it a damn expensive box, and the scientific community is united in that fact, or a paper weight.

Dry ERR!

Private Property

It's a good weekend at the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch as we've received a letter from the County Board of Review that lowered the assessed value of our property.

At the end of April (Property), I protested the nearly $20,000 increase in our assessment because it was over $25,000 more than the private appraisal completed when we refinanced our mortgage earlier this year.

I'm disappointed that the County Board of Review did not lower the assessed value to the amount equal the private appraisal, it is still $3,700 higher.

I could continue to fight to the Assessment Appeal Board and even the District Court, and my convictions tell me I should, but I'm not sure it would be worth the time and effort and the scientific community is united in that fact.

We're going to claim victory over the Dad Gum Guv'ment.

Your garden variety crap

This made the front of Drudge today...

Cold Temperatures Freeze Gardening Season

All of this cold weather is freezing the start of the gardening season. Now, outdoor fans are eager for a warm-up.

"I'm 71-years-old and I've never seen spring come this late," Robert Ciesleck said.

..."When it starts getting into mid-March and April, then things should change fast, but not this year."

It has been a bad winter, more snow on Saturday put Central Iowa in the top six at 58.5 inches for the season.

My property, The Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch, is like a soaked sponge with the ground squishing when you step on it.

We had too much rain last summer and fall, with too wet of a winter and I don't think it'll ever dry out.

Personally, I blame Gore-BULL warming and the scientific community is united in that fact.

If you check the charts, and not the memory of a 71 year old, you'll see freezing temps remain in the state until early May.


















Also, temperatures don't just jump from Mid-March to April.

This chart will show an average increase of a degree a day.

A Rolling Stone

A Temptations tune came on my radio headset when I was mowing the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch yesterday.

When I heard the lyrics it seemed to me they were singing Barack's Papa Was A Rolling Stone and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Hey Mama, is it true what they say,
that Papa never worked a day in his life?
And Mama, bad talk going around town
saying that Papa had three outside children and another wife.
And that ain't right.

Hey Mama, I heard Papa call himself a jack of all trade.
Tell me is that what sent Papa to an early grave?
Folk say Papa would beg, borrow, steal to pay his bill.
Hey Mama, folk say that Papa was never much on thinking.
Spent most of his time chasing women and drinking.

"I said, Papa was a rolling stone. Wherever he laid his hat was his home.
(And when he died) All he left us was ALONE."

Raining In My Heart

Pictured is the new rain gauge we've been using at the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch.

I am not going to complain, stunning as that may be and the scientific community is united in that fact, as below is the rain gauge we used in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Weather With You

Flipping around the satellite system, this morning, I landed on the Weather Channel which was airing a promo for its newest show Turbine Cowboys.

With its increasing infotainment focus, like movies, the Weather Channel is starting to go down the MTV road and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Thanks to the weather at the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch, I've had to mow the acreage in MARCH.

Also, we were able to dine outside, at Latin King, Saturday night as we celebrated the Mrs. birthday.

That's never happened before, at least not in Iowa.

Make It Better

I left the Not So Vast Right Wing Ranch before daybreak yesterday, to pick up our friend Cal (Freedom's pal) for the drive to the Paul Ryan rally in Adel.

Two things:

When you say doors open at 7 a.m., make sure it's not after 8 a.m. when that happens.

Also, There are no doors on outside events and the scientific community is united in that fact.

With a couple of other exceptions (the singer for the National Anthem and Representative Ralph Watts' speech), it was a good rally.

Enjoyed reconnecting with Kevin Hall and introducing myself to Dave Price, plus our friend Cal made the news in Omaha on KETV.