Plugging a Gusher the Soviet Way...Nuclear

polifrog


I especially like the magical Disney like music toward the end.





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A Response to Carter Wrenn's Fair Tax Attack on Bill Randall (NC-13)

polifrog


Carter Wrenn' question to Randall.
And related tread here.

Mr. Carter,  prefaced his question by enlightening his readers to his lack of knowledge regarding the Fair Tax.  He then expects his readers to give credence to his question regarding Randall's stance on the Fair Tax. 

Fail 1.

On the other hand, if we were to ignore the idiocy in the question's preamble and focus just on the question we find that Mr.Carter is guilty of parsing words in an effort to make a political attack. 

Mr Carter makes the false assumption that eliminating the IRS equates to the elimination of the tax collection/enforcement arm of government. No one (Randall included) is arguing that there should be no tax collecting arm of government, but it serves the interest of Carter Wrenn to set up the question as such.   With this straw-man argument in place he plays politics and attacks Randall.

Fail 2.

This is a flawed question and as such is an embarrassment to Wrenn and it is  in his interest for it to be retracted.

Question to Carter Wrenn:
Why do you embarrass yourself with questions that are based more on the ends(political attacks) than proper educated argument?




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Breaking: Scientists Train Snails

polifrog

Via the BBC:

The scientists trained the snails not to surface...

They doped up the snails on Heisenberg's best blue then tested them for their memories. Those on meth remembered their training better than those that did not do meth.

The real news is that scientists can train snails.




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Cristie Sweet Talks Reality Based Americans

polifrog


Why couldn't my Congressman be like Cristie?

Instead Brad Miller chooses indignance over common sense. The result is a liberal weenie.



A related quote:
Ann Coulter: "Liberals have managed to eliminate the idea of manly honor. Instead, all they have is womanly indignation."


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Bill Randall -- Plagiarism?

polifrog




Although, lifting the eloquent words of another when you yourself don't carry a similar mastery of language is a human tradition when conveying thoughts and ideas that match your own, politics is the wrong forum. This is not a movie and there is no one is being wooed ... except possibly voters. Even though Scott Brown's ideas clearly match his own, this does not look good for Randall. This event shows that Randall is green and not as polished at conveying  an image as Reeves. Reeves' experience in this shows in his writing if not in public speaking.

Equally as true is the fact that this does not look good for Bernie Reeves. He could have handled this more professionally and not have provided leftist hacks like Bob Geary (indyweek) material with which to sharpen his snark and smear Conservatives.

So goes the runoff campaign in the Republican primary for Congress in the 13th District, NC. Awaiting the winner: Democratic Rep. Brad Miller, who must be chortling at Randall's plight.

Question: Is it plagiarism when you recite someone's else's right-wing dogma virtually word for word? Sometimes adding "Simply put" in front of the lifted phrases?

(Bold added but not the spelling errors)
It takes an extrema leftist to deem the words from a moderate like Scott Brown "right-wing dogma".

Thanks Bernie Reeves, your a professional and a credit to your party. Yes, Polifrog is practicing snark.

Bernie Reeves will not earn the votes of the Tea-Party folks he wishes to woo from Bill Randall with these tactics.  These are the tactics of an entrenched politician. These are the tactics that make politics a dirty word and part of why Tea Party members long for fresh representation.

In short, Reeves colors himself an entrenched politician and harms the liberty of the people by empowering Brad Miller in his less than professional attacks. Randall has similarly harmed the people by allowing this gaffe to occur.

Color Polifrog disappointed.




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(corrected for awkwardness) 

NC-13 --Brad Miller-- Endorsements

polifrog


Not good news for Randall...

Dan Huffman and Frank Hurley, who were eliminated in the Republican primary contest for the party's nomination to face Democrat Brad Miller in the general election for North Carolina's 13th Congressional District, have announced their endorsement for Bernie Reeves over Bill Randall in the party runoff.

Via yesweekly...




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Obama and The Gulf Oil Gusher

polifrog



Via hotair--

WaPo writers are touting the fact that he officially “owns” the spill now and Chris Matthews continues to hammer himcriticized him

on MSNBC, all of which I’m happy to play along with politically,
but I’m a little hazy on what precisely people want him to do
that BP isn’t already doing. Jindal over the weekend for being too slow in approving materials needed to
build oil barriers for the coast, so that’s one thing. But I
think our favorite liberal has it right: Most of The One’s negligence here happened before the BP rig exploded, not after.

During the Swine Flu scare Obama did something that made perfect sense. He reduced restrictions on the way hospitals served people. The intent was to allow hospitals to function more efficiently. Fortunately the Swine Flu never met our fears.

It seems to me a similar action should be taken in the Gulf. Actions attempted by individuals and states have been repeatedly stymied by the federal government.

--Costner and his brother have developed technology that separates oil from water. They have 30 of the machines ready to go yet can't put them to work due to federal red tape. According to Steven Baldwin on Rush.

--A company has done demonstrations of hay sopping up oil from water. I have seen none of this in action.

--Bobby Jindal wants to dredge a temporary island into existence to catch oil before it gets to the marshes. The federal government stands in the way.

It seems to me the best thing Obama can do is follow his own lead during the Swine Flu and and let those individuals who have an interest in fixing the mess...fix the mess.

As much as Obama hates it, he should allow Americans be Americans and employ their American ingenuity by standing his federal government down.




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Tom Friedman -- Jonesing For a Dictatorship

polifrog


Too often I forget to swing by The Anchoress, fortunately Instapundit gave me a heads up:

First Woody Allen mumbles something positive about an Obama dictatorship and I think "Whatever,"
Now Tom Friedman agrees:

I have fantasized–don’t get me wrong–but that what if we could just be China for a day? I mean, just, just, just one day. You know, I mean, where we could actually, you know, authorize the right solutions, and I do think there is a sense of that, on, on everything from the economy to environment.

To which Andrea Mitchell replied:

And, in fact, Tom, you’re absolutely right . . .

The Anchoress:

The leftist party that these people support is
currently in control of both houses of congress and the White House (and they are well-represented within the federal judiciary) and yet, it is not enough. The power is not pure enough, it is not invincible enough; their power is diluted because, dammit, those little people crowing about the constitution all over the internets are mucking things up!

She is so right.
Read it all.





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Killing ObamaCare Through Multiple Attacks

polifrog


ObamaCare a massive bill and as such binging about its demise may seem a Herculean task. The very size of ObamaCare, the fact that it reaches into every aspect of all our lives and imposes itself on the diverse interests of American citizens, makes it vulnerable to attack from many directions.

One of those groups preparing to wage war on ObamaCare is The Justice Foundation.

Directly representing the People in litigation that defends their Constitutional rights against the Federal overreach and infringement of their religious liberty present in the recently passed health care legislation.

They are attacking ObamaCare on the grounds of religious freedom and abortion.


If you are predisposed toward this line of attack please check them out.




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From the Smile File -- Remember November

polifrog


Palin, making me smile:

I can see November From My House.

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More of that Socialist Cow Bell:

polifrog


Interesting quotes making the rounds this weekend.

Christopher Booker:

We have still scarcely begun to wake up to the gravity of the crisis now upon us, not just for the eurozone but also for us here in Britain and for the entire global economy.

Angela Merkel:

the current crisis facing the euro is the biggest test Europe has faced for decades, even since the Treaty of Rome was signed in 1957

and

If the euro fails, Europe fails.

Richard Russell (Dow Theorist):

Sell everything, you won't recognize America by the end of the year.

Of course there is this piece of fun posted earlier:



Obama:

The international order we seek is one that can resolve the challenges of our times,

Obama apparently sees Europe and thinks we need more of that socialist Cow Bell right herein America. If we aren't headed for a second leg down in the image of the Great Depression, we are at best driving head long into an extended ObamaDebt fueled morass.

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Brad Miller NC-13 -- Interesting District 13 Stats

polifrog



These stats point to how unhelpful people like Dennis Berwyn are. In fact, the tone of his attacks on the Fair Tax sound like they read from a liberal talking points memo and leads me to question who he is really aligned with. Attacking the character of the candidates (Randall or Reeves) only serves to strengthen Brad Miller.

On to the Stats..

Via the NYTimes:

Times Rating	Solid Democrat
Incumbent	rad Miller (D) Has held this office for 7 years.
Primary Date	May 4
Runoff Date	June 22

May 4 Primary Results

Democrats		Brad Miller
Republicans		William Randall	5,873	32%
		Bernie Reeves	5,739	31%
		Dan Huffman	4,896	27%
		Frank Hurley	1,548	8%

Since no candidate received the required 50 percent of votes in the Republican primary, a runoff will be held on June 22. 

Previous House Election Results

	2002	2004	2006	2008
Democrat	55%	59%	64%	66%
Republican	42%	41%	36%	34%

Drawing the lines of your own district certainly helps in protecting your seat when governing through Broken Consent.





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Charles Djou Wins! Hawaii--

polifrog


Another midterm loss for the statists.

Republicans scored a midterm election victory Saturday when Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou won a Democratic-held House seat in Hawaii in the district where President Barack Obama grew up — the latest triumph for the GOP as it looks to take back control of Congress.

other posts on this topic

NC-13 Miller -- Hawaii's special election

Brad Miller NC-13 A Special Election in Hawaii

 

 

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Social States and Debt -- A reality

polifrog



I would gladly pay you Tuesday for a burger today... If we all do it we can call it free trade and hey, it's politically correct too!



If we aren't headed for a second leg down in the image of the Great Depression, we are at best driving head long into an extended ObamaDebt fueled morass.

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Brad Miller NC-13 -- Supporting Small Businesses With a Deluge of Paper and Regulation

polifrog


Remember the ObamaCare tax break on small businesses?  It was the sort of tax break Brad Miller could get behind.

Here  is that tax break in simplified flowchart form...

Brad Miller's belief that this constitutes support for small business is delusional.

Delusional politicians are Bad for America, Bad for North Carolina, Bad for small business, Bad for jobs, Bad for growth.




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Brad Miller (NC-13) Bad Economic Solutions During Difficult Times:

polifrog


Brad Miller cosponsored The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (H.R. 5116). According to Brad Miller on his office's congressional website:

“Before this recession, the industries that North Carolinians traditionally relied upon--textiles, tobacco, furniture-- suffered one loss after another,” Miller said. “Now unemployment in North Carolina is more than 14% in some parts. Most of those traditional jobs are not coming back. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that new jobs are going to come from science and research. New jobs are created by the development and adoption of new technologies and America must be leading the way.”

“Plain and simple, this bill will create jobs. It provides loans to allow small and mid-size businesses to keep their current employees and hire more. The Research Triangle Park, a leader in advanced energy, will greatly benefit from provisions that will create regional economies around existing areas of expertise, or innovation hubs,” Miller added.

Can it truly be argued that removing money from  American investors and savers, funneling those dollars through the grinding inefficiencies of governance only put what remains in the hands of industries that owe their existence to government is a strength for America?

No!  This is not how America became great.


This, though, is what Brad Miller argues, against history, in his cosponsoring of H.R. 5116.


Because Brad Miller brought up NC's history in textiles, tobacco, and furniture a little history is in order. The supposition inherent in Brad Miller's comments is that NC had a strong economy through most of the 20th century due to it's reliance on textiles, tobacco, and furniture and to regain that economic strength we need government investment to seed new growth in new areas. The idea that this is a path to economic strength is wrong headed.

NC's historical reliance on textiles, tobacco, and furniture did not stem from government seed money as Brad Miller seems to suggest, but rather private investor seed money. NC's strength in these areas was a result of individual and private investment and in the case of tobacco, fortunate climactic positioning.

An underrated but more important factor in NC's strength was the fact that it was one state of many in a successful country and this web of states have been able to efficiently support one another economically through the magic of the "invisible hand" and free trade.

In pointing to the  success of NC in the 20th century as support for his form of Crony Capitalism, Brad Miller besmirches all  NC individuals who had an actual  hand in NC's economic strength during that period of NC's history.

Brad Miller's support for H.R. 5116 also indicates  his support for policies that threaten to lead America toward  a more Mercantilistic economy, more commonly called Crony Capitalism today.  American capitalism has already crushed Mercantilism once and Brad Miller's desire to install it as a fixture in American governance speaks to his lack of education.  Crony Capitalism weakens America just as it weakened, and continues to weaken Europe. Brad Miller does not seem to understand that if America is weakened NC is weakened as well.

Brad Miller is an embarrassment to economic thought, an embarrassment to America, an embarrassment NC and he should be an embarrassment to himself.






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Revere America Blasting ObamaCare:

polifrog



According to FOX31 KDVR.com George Pataki while in Denver Colorado,

"Today, Revere America is criss-crossing America to -again- awaken patriots to the fact our freedom is in danger," Pataki told reporters at a press conference in front of the Colorado State Capitol. "There is a difference. The threat is not soldiers with guns, but politicians
wielding votes in Washington," Pataki said.

Expressing dissatisfaction for ObamaCare is (lets simplify) a. good. thing. To that end RevereAmerica has a petition to repeal ObamaCare. They are good people doing good work.

WHEREAS the health care bill
recently passed by the United States Congress
and signed into law by President Obama
ignores the will of the majority of Americans
who vigorously oppose government controlled
national health care, and

WHEREAS this law includes an unprecedented overreach
of the federal government into the lives
of individuals and tramples on the Constitution, and

WHEREAS this law threatens the patient-physician relationship
and the highest standards of medical care, and

WHEREAS this law mandates
that citizens either purchase health insurance
or pay a fine to the federal government for not doing so, and

WHEREAS this law significantly jeopardizes jobs,
our economy and our children's futures
by adding nearly one trillion dollars to the national deficit
and substantially increasing taxes on families and businesses, and

WHEREAS in sum and total this law represents
an arrogant disregard
for the personal freedom of the people of the United States,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we
the undersigned citizens of the United States of America
support the repeal and replacement of this law with
responsible reforms to our nation’s health care system.

If it is your thing, sign their petition...
And remember November.



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Reason

polifrog

In unrelated news, multiple sources report hearing a clanking sound from Nick Gillespie's pants when he walks.

A true libertarian.


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Debate 2 -- Bernie Reeves & Bill Randall for NC - 13 (Brad Miller)

polifrog

It appears this is to be a televised debate by NBC-17 in conjunction with the League of Women Voters.

When...........................June 2, 2010 from 12:00PM to 1:00PM
Length.........................1 hour
On line version.............http://www.mync.com/
Submit Questions to....myvote@wncn.com
   
It appears that residents of the city of Raleigh have an advantage over those  in the rest of district NC-13, in that the broadcaster does not cover the entire area. 
 



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Video From Hail:

polifrog


From my perspective yesterday was a slow news day aside from a few primary returns in the late evening.

Today started with a fun video via Ace:



Seeing this reminds me of a day described in the Lewis and Clark journal that included a broken wagon wheel, bear attack,  flash flood, and a hail storm that knocked a man down three times before finding refuge under a wagon.

The American West..




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Shape Shiftin' Specter Goes Down:

poilfrog


There is change in the wind...

An American styled revolution.

Taken together, the busiest night so far of the primary season was indisputably unkind to the political establishments of both parties. 

But

any attempt to read into the results a probable trend for the fall campaign was hazardous — particularly as long as Democrats held to the seat Murtha long made his own.

Tea Party.



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Oklahoma House Overrides Governor's Veto of Opt out of ObamaCare Bill:

polifrog


Oklahoma's Governor Henry vetoed a bill that would have allowed Oklahoma to opt out of ObamaCare. Like Bev Purdue, he believes weakening the state he represents is good for his state.

Unlike NC, though, Oklahoma has a house that represents the people of the state and Oklahoma's house has voted to override their Governor's veto. Good. Unfortunately, in the Oklahoma senate the result may not be so positive.

The fact that Oklahoma has representatives enough to put their pro ObamaCare representatives on record as being pro ObamaCare is a wonderful thing, as many will likely loose their seats as a result.

NC does not have this advantage.






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Brad Miller NC-13 -- Bad for Small Business

polifrog



Brad Miller's economic policy mirrors Obama's: too big to fail, too little to matter:

White Castle reports that a single provision of Obamacare would cut its net income in half -- and then some. Jamie Richardson, a White Castle executive, says, "We’ve been working on this internally from a number of different perspectives. One [provision] that has [us] the most concerned is the $3,000 penalty that kicks in when an employee’s portion of a premium exceeds 9.5% of Household income."

The Obama administration's economic policy seems to involve dividing businesses into two categories: too big to fail, and too little
to matter.

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BP Gulf Spill - Exxon Valdez - Ixtoc Spills and Narrative

polifrog


Via Fabius Maximus:


Sometimes a simple chart can enlighten one to the vast unenlightened creature we call media.

For instance, the Valdez spill was 10.8 million gallons while the largest spill was 284 million gallons (Highest and Lowest estimates averaged). That is 26.25 times more than the Valdez spill!

There are 34 oil spills larger than Valdez.  

How's that for not fitting the narrative?

Why is it not common knowledge that the largest spill recorded occurred in the Gulf, the very same place that is so much in the news today? And occurred as a deep water spill rather than the often referenced  Veldez surface spill?

The press is counter productive in its reporting of the current spill and the fact that the national narrative in oil spills repeatedly starts with Valdez is more a testament to the press feeding frenzy that was the Valdez incident than reality based reporting.


The Chart:

It would seem that looking into the ecological effects of the largest spill in history (IXTOC 1) rather than the most publicised spill (Valdez) would be far more productive considering that it also occurred in the Gulf and was also a deep water spill rather than a surface spill.

There is much more info on the ecological effects of the Ixtoc spill at the link. The report is surprising to the extreme in the lack of impact on the environment found.



From IXTOC I Oil Spill Economic Impact Study

(Excerpts  below lifted from fabiusmaximus)

From the Executive Summary

• “None of the indirect economic effects exceed $1 million . These estimates, based upon the available data, support a statement of no significant indirect economic impact in the study region that can be attributed to the oil spills .”
• “Although the study has its limitations, such as inherent variability in the biological and environmental factors and the lack of previous examinations of the relationships between the various environmental and economic variables, the main conclusion of the oil impact assessment is that the oil spills had a limited effect on the biological activity on the important commercial species as measured by the ex-vessel value .”

Summary and Conclusions
… In terms of potential economic impacts, the most important consideration for Texas is the shrimp fishery, which represents over 95 percent of the value of landings . Evidence does not exist that indicates the oil spills affected the biological activity of shrimp or other important commercial species . Analysis is still underway that may reveal some evidence of potential long-term significance, but to date there is no biological basis for projecting a significant negative impact on commercial landings . Information gathered from industry participants and knowledgeable observers indicates that no measurable impacts occurred on landings or value of landings . While some small impact on fishing patterns was suggested, it was not significant in terms of measurable industry-level effects .
Analysis of secondary data relating to commercial landings supports the direct observations obtained . Data for the study period, where available, indicate that commercial landings have been well within the range of natural variation . Brown shrimp landings, off considerably in 1979, are most plausibly explained by the predictable effects of unusual environmental conditions earlier that year . After considering natural variability, there is no evidence in the secondary data to indicate a decline in landings of any commercial species due to the effects of the oil spills .
There is no significant direct economic effect of the oil spills on the commercial fishing industry of Texas measurable at the regional or major subregional levels . Additionally, there are no measurable indirect economic effects.  that stem from the impact on the commercial fishery sector.
This study clearly indicates that the effects in this case were of such a minor nature (at least in the shortrun) that no assessment using any reasonable amount of resources would have improved the ultimate estimate significantly . It further suggests that the decision not to conduct a large-scale primary data collection, relating to commercial fishing impacts, was appropriate .

Interesting




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A Bad Few Weeks for ObamaCare....

polifrog



A short and efficient post that gets to the point....

ObamaCare has had a rough couple weeks. Apparently all the naysayers were really the truth tellers. How can it possibly be?

Areas covered:

• Providing Coverage vs. Paying Penalties
• Escalating Cost Estimates
• European Meltdown of Economies based on Entitlements
• Unfunded Entitlements, Empty Promises, and Unsustainable Costs
• Failure
• Sometimes Failure comes with a Warning
  

The above is a good quick read with proper documentation.




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Beufort County Commissioners Voted to ask NC to Join ObamaCare Suit

polifrog


ObamaCare is a national horror and only by pushing for change on both the national level as well as the local level can we affect change.


Unfortunately, our NC Gov. Bev Purdue continues to stymie common sense and choose political irrelevancy through her preference for being on the wrong side of history. Bev Purdue is as much of a problem in NC as Brad Miller.

Imagine, a NC Governor supports abdicating 1/6 of NC's economy to the federal government, a federal government that at the same time pushes the costs of ObamaCare onto the State of NC through Medicade and high risk pools.  Bev Purdue actively hurts NC through her support for ObamaCare, an unbelievable action considering her oath of office.

"I do solemnly and sincerely swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the State of North Carolina, and to the constitutional powers and authorities which are or may be established for the government thereof; and that I will endeavor to support, maintain and defend the Constitution of said State, not inconsistent with Constitution of the United States, to the best of my knowledge and ability; so help me God."

Bev Purdue, faithfully flipping NC the bird through ObamaCare.

For now, it is always wonderful and invigorating to find and see local resistance,

Via Beufort Observer Online:

At their monthly meeting May 10, 2010 the Beaufort County Commissioners voted 4-3 along party lines, to recommend to the Governor, Legislature and the Attorney General that North Carolina join a law suit that has now been filed by fifteen other states to challenge the constitutionality of ObamaCare.

And if you wish to hear and see resistance to government overreach in action see the below video...

I think a visit to Beufort  County is in order.

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Runoff Debate Between Bill Randall and Bernie Reeves for Brad Miller's Seat NC-13

polifrog


My son took these videos of the closing remarks by both Bill Randall and Bernie Reeves at their runoff debate on May 13, 2010.

Debate Impressions Here.


Bill Randall:




Bernie Reeves:


Two good men to choose from.


Better quality video of the debate via ubetcha13 is slowly making its way to youtube....

Part 1:



Part 2






Part 3




Part 4





Part 5


Part 6



Part 7




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Randall / Reeves Debate -- NC-13 -- Impressions

polifrog


Tonight I met both Bernie Reeves and Bill Randall. They are competing for the seat (NC-13) currently held by Brad Miller.The photos were taken by my son Trey.

Some quick impressions.

Bernie Reeves has both a depth and mastery of the issues that I was previously unaware of. Add to that his smooth delivery and comfort in the public eye while on stage and what we have in Bernie Reeves is the makings of an excellent candidate. In only one instance did Reeves make a misstep outside his normal polish. He allowed a flash of what I, at first, deemed anger, but later feel was frustration, slip past him.

Unfortunately I feel I should speak to that issue. Reeves had a quibble with the time Bill Randall had taken to answer a question and also that Bill Randell had delivered closing statements in addition to his answer to the original question. The moment of frustration revealed itself when a Randall supporter called Reeves a cry baby or something to that effect. The person was across the room from me so the comment was indistinct. Reeves observed aloud that he must be in a room full of Randall supporters. True or not, that was the moment his frustration flared. I heard, at least one case of hushed shock. Unfortunate. It occurred to me that at that moment Reeves may have been considering a possible loss to Randall. Perhaps he simply forgot he was on camera. (Skip to the 2:00 mark through the 4:50mark in the video below.)



Bill Randall was the third person my son and I met at the event. He was greeting people at the door and he even gave my son a fist bump. Cool. My son will remember that. Bill Randall, like Reeves, is an excellent speaker. This is true, though, only when he feels he fully understands the material he is speaking to. There were, unfortunately, many times when Randall was outclassed in comparison to Reeves if one measured the differences between the two solely in terms of depth of knowledge. Randall, though, showed in each answer that he understood the fundamental principles upon which to reach the right conclusion. I saw no apparent missteps by Randall with the exception of some moderate distraction between questions.

In the end the two candidates agreed far more than they disagreed. Not a surprise. And on points scored Reeves came away with a victory.

Reeves is the more polished more establishment candidate with established supporters and is a formidable and impressive debater with knowledge on tap. Unfortunately it is that plethora of knowledge that frightens me with Reeves. He reminds me of long time representatives with a wealth of experience that, invariably, tends to lead those representatives astray. Knowledge and its mastery is not an anchor from which leadership is reliably sourced and those who choose to lead from it get lost in the greys of that knowledge and too often drift from their core beliefs.


This expressed itself in a question on oil drilling and the impact the BP oil spill has on the two candidates position on drilling. Reeves answered that he had changed his opinion and could no longer support drilling. To me he seemed to loose his anchor, and instead gave a politically expedient answer.

By comparison, Randall held strong to his conviction and expressed that we should learn from the accident and avoid repeating it in the future with the understanding that there is currently no future without oil. An answer based on conviction and deft.

In the past I would have supported Reeves without a second thought, but I feel burned by establishment conservatives. Unfortunately Reeves feels very establishment and perhaps too easily set drifting between compelling arguments.

I want conviction, a Plymouth Rock.

News 14 report here.





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Martin Nesbitt -- NC Majority Leader : On the NC Budget

polifrog




I saw the quote yesterday on Bloomberg:

"We don't have money to fix most problems, so there's not a whole lot of reasons to stay around here," said Senate Majority Leader Martin Nesbitt, D-Buncombe.

This is his response to North Carolina's $800 million to $1 billion budget shortfall?

Of course,

Democratic leaders, who control both chambers, have made clear they don't want to stick around too long after the budget adjustments are made and signed by Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue.

This is what passes for democrat leadership in NC governance during a recession.

But, there was an apology of sorts issued at the close of the 20 minute session:

"Welcome back to your summer home," Basnight, D-Dare, told colleagues. "Hopefully we do not spoil our vacations that may occur or may not occur."

To sum up.

1) NC has a $1 billion  budget shortfall.
2) The Legislature meets after a 9 month break.
3) The legislatures don't want to stick around.
4) They bring the session to close after 20 minutes over concern for their vacation.
5) And NC's Majority Leader sums up the session with...

"We don't have money to fix most problems, so there's not a whole lot of reasons to stay around here,"

Apparently the only solution is more money.  Without that there is no point in giving more than 20 minutes of attention to the $1billion budget shortfall!

It seems a discussion of cost cuts might interfere with vacations?

Failed Governance!




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Bill Randall (Running for Brad Miller's NC-13) Interviewed

polifrog


Bill Randall Interviewed by Curtis Wright:

Curtis Wright interviews Bill Randall from Carolina Talk Network on Vimeo.


Excellent questions, excellent answers.




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Climate Change on Jupiter Took Only Three Months

polifrog


As we all know, global warming (now climate change), is a bad, bad thing. NOVA told us so. Because climates are a naturally static.
Except when they, well.....change over time.

Jupiter experienced climate change over a period of 3 months.




Earth is like a microdot compared to Jupiter, so that cloud band is a massive climactic change.

Apparently climate change naturally occurs on Jupiter in a matter of months and that is without SUVs and carbon...

Just saying.






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Bill Randall and Bernie Reeves to Debate Tomorrow (Thursday)

polifrog


Bill Randall and Bernie Reeves are scheduled to debate Thursday night.
More information here.

I intend to attend with my son.  He is 11 and this should prove to be an excellent  learning experience for him.


---If there is an internet connection available polifrog will post  live comments  on polifrog.  I hesitate to call this live blogging, though.  If there is no internet connection available there will be no posts during the debate.

---If I find that there is a link with live streaming of the event it will be posted.

---I will definitely post video and comments that night and into the  small hours of the next morning.




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More Bad News for Brad Miller -- NC-13

polifrog

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Democrat Alan Mollohan became the first member of the U.S. House to be ousted this spring primary season after his opponent mounted a campaign that questioned the 14-term congressman's ethics and support for [ObamaCare].

Mollohan was ousted due to a vote for ObamaCare after 28 years in the house.

Here's to hoping Brad Miller follows his lead.



Emphasis added
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Brad Miller NC - 13 --- Seeking Solace in Silence?

polifrog


Comfortable incumbents are chatty. Brad Miller has not been chatty.

It has been nearly two weeks since my last (google, bing) alert has given me a heads up on a new Brad Miller quote through his parroting press. Even through the primaries Brad Miller has been silent.

Why?

Perhaps there is an element of professional courtesy, but perhaps Brad Miller is seeking solace in silence due to a slew of bad polling.

Perhaps Brad Miller is not comfortable.




Here's to hopping.

Brad Miller NC-13 -- Wrong on Prosperity

polifrog


Brad Miller and Obama are wrong on prosperity. Both are dragging the nation toward the failing model of a socialist state... Greece.

Currently Greece is on the receiving end of demands in exchange for a bailout.

The IMF is only one part of the bailout, but through just the IMF American tax payers are possibly on the hook for up to 50 Billion dollars in loans to bail out Greece for running their country in just the way Brad Miller and Obama wish to run America. Not only does the American tax payer have to pay for the increasing costs of health-care due to ObamaCare, but potentially the health-care of Greece as well. Of course, this 50 Billion seems paltry compared to the 115 Billion more than 'advertised' ObamaCare will cost the tax payer.

But what demands are being foisted on Greece?

Among the most significant features of the plan, a Greek government official said, would be a measure making it easier for the government to lay off some of the many thousands of public sector workers, whose low levels of productivity and high wages are a big contributor to Greece’s debt problem. Until now, the government has not been able to lay off civil servants, whose employment rights are in effect constitutionally guaranteed.

Another reform high on the list is removing the state from the marketplace in crucial sectors like health care, transportation and energy and allowing private investment. Economists say that the liberalization of trucking routes — where a trucking license can cost up to $90,000 — and the health care industry would help bring down prices in these areas, which are among the highest in Europe.

Yea, privatize health-care.

The above corrective measures expected of Greece is nothing less than a laundry list of Brad Miller's liberal policies of which the end result is Greek failure.

Clearly Brad Miller embodies the relentless pursuit of debt and Greek styled misery in America.




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Campaign ad -- Pelosi Attacks...

polifrog


Take back our congress!

Stop governance through Broken Consent!

Stop the Pelosi....



Firing Brad Miller will help stop the Pelosi...




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Brad Miller NC-13 -- Is a Burden to NC's Small Business

polifrog


Those legislators who voted in support of ObamaCare don't often wish for to look beyond the surface of the bill. If one does one finds it is littered with small grenades by the bill's standards, but small business, they are anything but...

From now on, people engaged in business will have to fill out 1099 forms for any expenditure over $600. Buy a pickup truck for your landscaping business? Now you have to send a 1099 to the car dealer. Buy more than $600 in office supplies from Office Depot? Now you have to send a 1099 to Office Depot. Buy a computer for your office? 1099. Pay more than $600 a year to FedEx? 1099.

also...

tucked into the health-care law is a provision that imposes a 3.8 percent federal tax on the proceeds from the sale of your home.

and,

Sallie Mae, the company that processes student loan applications, just announced 2,500 layoffs because of a little-known provision in the health-care reform law that implements a government takeover of the student loan program..

Brad Miller, needlessly killing NC business through his support for ObamaCare, a bill filled with non health-care related law that crushes growth through needles burdens and intrusion into our daily lives...




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Undoing ObamaCare

polifrog


Via the NYT:

Some legal scholars, including some who normally lean to the left, believe the states have identified the law’s weak spot and devised a credible theory for eviscerating it.


The power of their argument lies in questioning whether Congress can regulate inactivity

...

attorneys general and governors from 20 states, all but one of them Republicans, have now joined as confident litigants in a bid to topple its central pillar. In the process, they hope to present the Supreme Court with a landmark opportunity to define the limits of federal authority, perhaps for generations.

Of course, defunding the beast would be the first and simplest step.

In the long run, the evisceration of the commerce clause's modern interpretations through the power of the courts would serve to strengthen the country at the expense of government growth.




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Is the Market Dead?

polifrog


This past Thursday the DOW fell by around 1000 points within minutes. There is still no explanation as to what precipitated it, but once started there was a downdraft created as the automated trips of machine selling took over.

Where were the people?

According to Nathan A Martin, The Markets are Dead ...

The convulsions of the past week are simply after death reflexes. Thursday’s rout occurred when the selling volume triggered a stop in high frequency traders’ machines – there were no bids left and the market simply disappeared in a flash. What does this tell you? That the only participants in the market were the high frequency machines – they have displaced real people almost entirely.

Humph.



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Brad Miller NC-13 -- Passing Law Before it is Defined:

polifrog


One would think a representative would sign off on law that was not only understood but fully defined. That is not the case for Brad Miller. Understanding what a law is and what it may become does not seem to matter to Brad Miller.

ObamaCare supporters touted a new requirement of within ObamaCare for insurers to carry adults of up 26 years old on their parents policy. As awful as the infantilization of adults is, the requirement seemed simple enough.

Now enter policy:

"The new policy applies only to health insurance plans that offer dependent coverage in the first place: while most insurers and employer-sponsored plans offer dependent coverage, there is no requirement to do so," the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement Monday.

This is an example of law being defined after its passage and is an excellent example of the way Brad Miller and his friends Reid, Pelosi and Obama impart the change they desire on our country.

The announcement is part of the administration's effort to translate the new health-care law into more specific regulations. The full meaning of the sweeping legislation will not be known until the regulations are issued.

It is increasingly clear Brad Miller voted for ObamaCare without caring how it effected the people of NC. What is not clear is what Brad Miller has foisted upon this nation, as ObamaCare has not fully metastasized.

I suspect this is simply another form of governance through Broken Consent, an example of passing a law in the guise of something that is more palatable to the people than the reality that would not be accepted.

Unacceptable governance by Brad Miller.




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Obama Laments the All Too Informed Uninformed...

polifrog

President Obama spoke at a commencement address at Hampton University Virginia this morning. According to Obama Americans are distracted by information....

"With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations, -- none of which I know how to work -- information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation," Obama said.
...

"All of this is not only putting new pressures on you, it is putting new pressures on our country and on our democracy."

But within the very same speech laments the uninformed citizen through the thoughts of Jefferson...

"What Jefferson recognized... that in the long run, their improbable experiment -- called America -- wouldn't work if its citizens were uninformed, if its citizens were apathetic, if its citizens checked out, and left democracy to those who didn't have the best interests of all the people at heart.

"It could only work if each of us stayed informed and engaged, if we held our government accountable, if we fulfilled the obligations of citizenship."

What is one to make of such contradictory utterances?

My first thought is that Obama's heart is more accurately reflected in his own words rather than Jefferson's.

But if we accept the two thoughts as equally weighted and that Obama appreciates an informed electorate, then it seems that only certain information qualifies as appropriate to Obama, the kind that he agrees with, the state sanctioned sort of 'news'.

One comes away with a sense of wistfulness, a desire for information control that other leaders employ in more remote parts of the world in these contradictory statements.



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Charles Blow...Stuck on Racist

polifrog

I don't have time to write the same reply to the same article.



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The Source of Tea Party Strength...

polifrog

is that the liberal/conservative statist tag team of picking up where the other left off that has run out of other peoples money.

.... The real problem is that Washington — and Brussels globally considered — is running out of Other People’s Money (OPM). The Tea Parties are not the cause but the expression of the underlying problem. By all the standards of power the Tea Parties are a nothing. But that is to misunderstand their nature. The political elite can infiltrate the Tea Parties, revile it in the press and put it down as hard as they can, but like like the weighted doll it will rebound incessantly because the deficit, unemployment and the declining confidence in the elite system will keep pushing it up. The Tea Parties are the elite’s dark political dual. The only way they can vanquish the doppelganger is to leave the stage themselves. . . . Although the elite may go out clinging with their fingernails to the carpets of their offices their real enemy will always be not the Tea Partiers but the repo men. It’s the lack of money that will be their ultimate downfall.

Read the whole thing.
(h/t instapundit)



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From the Smile File

polifrog








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Brad Miller NC-13 --- Demonstrating a Lack of Mad Econ Skills...

polifrog



Obama and Brad Miller argued that through the miracle of government regulation, taxation, resource allocation and general smartyness of government officials, health-care costs would magically fall, you know, if all those health-care dollars were just passed through the government till.

It would reduce the deficit. It would lessen the costs of heath-care for businesses. It would lessen the burden of health-care costs on all our wallets.



They were wrong.

Edison International said Friday that its first-quarter net income fell as it recorded a charge to reflect the recently enacted federal healthcare overhaul.

Thank you, Brad Miller, may we have another?

In a stunning revelation Wednesday, several top U.S. corporations are seriously considering dropping employee health insurance coverage in light of what they see as the inevitable consequence of ObamaCare--skyrocketing costs.

...the companies maintain that ObamaCare will result in a dramatic increase in expenses for providing employee coverage, with added costs skyrocketing to multi-billions of dollars.

Thank you, Brad Miller, may we have another?

Massachusetts medical-device companies say they’ll cut back on operational costs - and jobs - after a planned 2.3 percent tax on their products is implemented in 2013, according to a new survey.



The tax - imposed to help pay for the massive health-care industry overhaul and expansion - is “of the greatest concern” to a majority of its members, the survey found.

About 70 percent of the survey respondents said future innovation will be hurt by a new federal “physician sunshine bill.” The bill will require medical-device firms to report their marketing expenditures on physicians, and a recently passed gift-ban law in Massachusetts.

Thank you Brad Miller, may we have another?

Internal documents recently reviewed by Fortune, originally requested by Congress, show what the bill's critics predicted, and what its champions dreaded: many large companies are examining a course that was heretofore unthinkable, dumping the health care coverage they provide to their workers in exchange for paying penalty fees to the government.



That would dismantle the employer-based system that has reigned since World War II. It would also seem to contradict President Obama's statements that Americans who like their current plans could keep them. And as we'll see, it would hugely magnify the projected costs for the bill, which controls deficits only by assuming that America's employers would remain the backbone of the nation's health care system.

Brad Miller is a grade school economist who does not base his support for a bill on the rational, but rather on what feels right at the time. No reading, no understanding. It just, you know, FEELS RIGHT.

Let Brad Miller know that hurting America and NC-13 hurts individuals, the same individuals he professes to help and send him back to school to learn some basic ECON.




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Financial Reform (screw the rubes)

polifrog



According to CNS....

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), senior Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, said that provisions in the new financial regulatory bill violate privacy rights

...

privacy concerns stem from the new information-gathering authorities the bill would give to the federal government, allowing it collect any information, including records from Automatic Teller Machines (ATM) and the addresses of depositors, from any financial institution at any time.


One such entity, the Office of Financial Research, is empowered to collect “any data or information” from any financial organization or federal regulator. One of those regulators, Shelby pointed out, would be the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (BCFP), which is empowered to collect a person’s ATM receipts and the addresses of depositors.

“The Democrats’ new bureaucracy poses a threat to our privacy,” Shelby said, “Under section 1022 of their bill, the new bureau would collect any information it chooses from businesses and consumers including personal characteristics and financial information.

The fleecing of the rubes continues, because, well, they're not too big to fail.




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A failure of Obama's European socialist mode...

polifrog


Witnessing the end result of Obama's (Rim-jobber's) European socialist model.


Lurching toward failure.




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NC-13 Miller -- Bernie Reeves, Bill Randall to debate...

polifrog


Reeves and Randall to Debate prior to the June 22 runoff election .. They are vying for the NC-13 seat currently held by Brad Miller.


When ------ May 13, 2010 at 6:30 PM
Where ----- Newton Square, 230 Newton Road (Raleigh, NC)
Cost ------- $13 if you eat -- $4 if not
Register--- Here

Runoff vote scheduled for June 22. Vote!

If Polifrog finds an internet feed of the debate it will be posted.



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Nc-13 Miller -- Hawaii's special election

polifog


Polifrog has been watching with some interest the special election in Hawaii. As there is little or no polling directly done in NC-13, elections carried out in other areas of the country can be an indication of the political winds.

Hawaii is a Democrat stronghold much like Massachusetts and like Mass. may elect a conservative representative.

It should be noted, though, that the there are two Democrats running and they are dividing the liberal vote, but it should also be mentioned that one of the Democrats (Case) is a self described fiscal conservative.

This is a three way congressional race...winner takes all. No primary.
Results to be announced May 22.

Now it appears the Democrat Party may be pulling out of the race, AP...

Despite spending more than $300,000, frustrated House Democrats may abandon efforts to win a special election in Hawaii after quiet diplomacy failed to end a high-level party feud that threatens their prospects.
At first glance, the political stakes involved are scant — the winner is assured of serving in Congress only until this fall's midterm elections, when all 435 House seats are on the ballot.
But the psychological impact of a Republican victory in the state where President Barack Obama was born could be considerable. GOP officials say they are on a path to take control of the House this fall, and seize every opportunity to claim momentum.

Every. Win. Counts.




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From the Smile File

polifrog

I have this idea of building a tiny slide out, maybe a bit larger than a drawer, for a cat bed. My idea is to cut a square about 2' x2' and put a plexi-sided slide out into it for my cat to sleep in up off the bed, and also look at all the critters outside. Has anyone ever done a small slide out (in reality a push-out)? I don't know how to use a design program though I think it would be much easier to explain with drawings.

Response.

Sorry, I don't get it, I'm a dog person. So you want to put your cat in a box and push him outside to view wildlife?

What more proof do you need that we are a country of wealth.




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Conservatives Take Great Britain

polifrog

I'm sure our Great Britain loving President Obama (Rim-jobber) will get on smashingly with the new coalition...

Update:
I was wrong... Obama (Rim-jobber) has already disparaged Cameron, calling him a "Lightweight". (Once again via gatewaypundit)



Visit the BBC site here for more updated information and a nifty interactive map.




(Image lifted from gatewaypundit as I don't have mad image skills)




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Cool Weather Patterns

polifrog


I noticed an interesting weather pattern last night, so I grabbed the pics from NOAA and stitched them together.



Turned out OK.




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Nashville Forgotten

polifrog




No looting.
My




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Obama -- Governing toward failure

polifrog


Our President is not walking, but running toward Socialism.


Europe ... Socialist ... Greece ... Socialist ... Debt ... Socialist... Crash ... Socialist ... Molotov Cocktails ... Socialist ... Riots ... Socialist ... Obama ...


WHY?


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Brad Miller NC-13 -- Wrong again...Keeping your insurance is not your choice

polifrog


We were told we would be able to keep our insurance if we wanted to and that costs would go down. Opponents said the incentives would obviously lead to company's dropping corporate health care options. The opponents were correct.

In a stunning revelation Wednesday, several top U.S. corporations are seriously considering dropping employee health insurance coverage in light of what they see as the inevitable consequence of ObamaCare--skyrocketing costs.

The reality does not fit Obama and Brad Miller's misdirection during the ObamaCare debte, in fact...

The companies state that after their legal experts poured over the thousands of pages in the new law, it will cost them less to pay the fines for not providing healthcare coverage for employees than continuing to provide employer-paid health insurance benefits.

...

The report points to internal documents from AT&T, Verizon, John Deere, and several other large corporations which show that executives are, in fact, looking at the option of dropping healthcare coverage for employees due to what they are sure will be unsustainable increases in costs. These costs will be so prohibitive that it would benefit the corporations to pay the government fines instead:

Brad Miller, simply wrong.




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