Moron Clause

You can take the following as you will. I am personally a constitutionalist and feel that our goverment should basically abide by the rules and regulations laid down by the founding fathers of our country. But If I could have a way back machine,(from the Bullwinkle and Rocky show) I would have urged the august body of gentlemen who drafted our constitution to specifically EXCLUDE lawyers from any position of service than the Supreme court.

Hubris

Today I have a few spare minutes to convey my observation on some of the worst offenders of the elitist attitude that has become the norm of our elected officials.
Sen. Stevens of Alaska have been standing trial federal government charges that the 84-year-old Republican accepted and concealed more than $250,000 worth of free home renovations and gifts from Bill Allen, the head of Veco Corp., a now-defunct oil-services company, and other friends.
The Trial is now in Jury Deliberation, But I am highlighting some of the elitist above the law attitude that the senator has shown during the trial.

The senator's testimony was the most dramatic -- and puzzling -- of the trial. He said Veco played no role in the extensive renovation of his once-modest A-frame Alaska cabin, which now has a new first floor, a wraparound deck and other amenities.

Mr. Allen, Sen. Stevens said, was a trusted friend who was supposed to find workers for the project and keep an eye on things, nothing more

Yet under a barrage of questions from prosecutors, Sen. Stevens acknowledged that multiple Veco builders spent time on the renovation, while a Veco engineer drew up the architectural plans. Sen. Stevens and his wife, Catherine, testified that they asked to be billed for everything and had no idea that Mr. Allen hadn't passed along tens of thousands of dollars of project costs.

"I can't pay a bill until I get it," Sen. Stevens said.

Yeah about all that.. When you have home renovation is only (i can't find the number)K, you have had dozens of workers, an engineer plus material (Keep in mind in Alaska,) You have to know that you are getting a GOOD DEAL from a buddy.

Now If you are an working class dirty blue shirt, that is one thing to get a good deal from a buddy. But if you are trusted as an official of the United States Senate, you need to be above and beyond the question and reproach and keep this at arms length

BUT Sen. Stevens and his wife, both lawyers, allowed the renovation to proceed without written contracts, estimates or checks on the workers.

Sen. Stevens said it was "the Alaska way" of doing business. He also struggled to explain other gifts, including a gas grill and a $2,700 Brookstone massage chair he received from a friend. The chair was just a loan, he said.

Yeah, Right, No paper, jut the "Alaskan Way"

This guy is nauseating in his disdain for the fact that he is being called on the carpet for what is probably not the first nor the last soft shoe bribe.

Personally, I hope the Jury finds him Guilty. At the very least, the people of Alaska should have rendered him ineligible to further represent them as a member of the senate.

Now here is the kick in the ass..

If U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska is found guilty of falsifying Senate financial disclosure forms over seven years but wins re-election, he could still serve in the Senate until that body votes to expel him.

Article 1, Section 5 of the U.S. Constitution provides, "Each House may determine the Rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member."

According to the U.S. Senate Web site, "since 1789, the Senate has expelled only fifteen of its entire membership. Of that number, fourteen were charged with support of the Confederacy during the Civil War. In several other cases, the Senate considered expulsion proceedings but either found the member not guilty or failed to act before the member left office. In those cases, corruption was the primary cause of complaint.

So, let's see, Judged by a jury of Peers, Not good enough, now you have to be so vile that the other politicians don't want you around. And it seems that you have to betray the republic in a time that someone cared about betrayal.


Next post Murtha

Just freekin speechless

I haven't blogged much as of late, The combination of living life, working and the never ending cascade of buffoonery in Washington DC, and Wall ST have left me in the dust to get up on my internet soap box and shake my fist at the absurdity.

We are a mere two weeks away from the Day that every American who is eligible should go and exercise their duty to the country and constitution and VOTE.

Get that few readers, learn the Facts on the Local, State and National levels and participate to elect the best choice to guide our country in the near term. Just because "Good Ole Boy" Congress man Billy Bob has held that seat for the last Twenty freakin years isn't the correct answer to the needs of our republic today.

I am not endorsing either party or candidate here.. I am not really a fan of either's overall vision or overall policy. They have all sold the American soul down the river to special interest in the name of Money and to Keep their position of elitism in the beltway.

Our Country needs Men and Women who are willing to serve and put aside thier Ego for the greater good of our republic. Unfortunately the ballots in the nation are far short of these.

Now, for something completely different...

This is an actual account as relayed to paramedics at a chili cook-off in New Mexico.

Note: Please take time to read this slowly. If you pay attention to the first two judges, the reaction of the third judge is even better.

For those of you who have lived in New Mexico , you know how true this is.

They actually have a Chile Cook-off about the time Halloween comes around.
It takes up a major portion of a parking lot at the Santa Fe Plaza .
Judge #3 was an inexperienced Chile taster named Frank, who was visiting from Springfield, IL.
Frank: 'Recently, I was honored to be selected as a judge at a chili cook-off.The original person called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table, asking for directions to the Coors Light truck, when the call came in. I was assured by the other two judges (Native New Mexicans) that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy; and, besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted and became Judge 3.' Here are the scorecard notes from the event:



CHILE # 1 - MIKE'S MANIAC MONSTER CHILE

Judge # 1 -- A little too heavy on the tomato. Amusing kick.


Judge # 2 -- Nice, smooth tomato flavor. Very mild.


Judge # 3 (Frank) -- Holy crap, what the hell is this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway. Took me two beers to put the flames out. I hope that's the worst one. These New Mexicans are crazy



CHILE # 2 - EL RANCHO'S AFTERBURNER CHILE

Judge # 1 -- Smoky, with a hint of pork. Slight jalapeno tang.



Judge # 2 -- Exciting BBQ flavor, needs more peppers to be taken seriously.



Judge # 3 -- Keep this out of the reach of children. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver. They had to rush in more beer when they saw the look on my face.



CHILE # 3 - ALFREDO'S FAMOUS BURN DOWN THE BARN CHILE



Judge # 1 -- Excellent firehouse chili. Great kick.



Judge # 2 -- A bit salty, good use of peppers.



Judge # 3 -- Call the EPA. I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now. Get me more beer before I ignite. The Barmaid pounded me on the back, now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. I'm getting sh*t-faced from all of the beer.



CHILI # 4 - BUBBA'S BLACK MAGIC



Judge # 1 -- Black bean chile with almost no spice. Disappointing



Judge # 2 -- Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a chile.



Judge # 3 -- I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Sally, the beer maid, was standing behind me with fresh refills. This 300 lb.woman is starting to look HOT .. just like this nuclear waste I'm eating! Is chile an aphrodisiac?



CHILE # 5 - LISA'S LEGAL LIP REMOVER



Judge # 1 -- Meaty, strong chile. Jalapeno peppers freshly ground,adding considerable kick. Very impressive.



Judge # 2 -- Chile using shredded beef,could use more tomato. Must admit the jalapeno peppers make a strong statement



Judge # 3 -- My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can no
longer focus my eyes. I farted, and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chile had given me brain damage. Sally saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from the pitcher. I wonder if I'm burning my lips off. It really ticks me of that the other judges asked me to stop screaming. Screw them.



CHILE # 6 -VARGA'S VERY VEGETARIAN VARIETY

Judge # 1 -- Thin yet bold vegetarian variety chile. Good balance of spices and peppers.



Judge # 2 -- The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, garlic. Superb.



Judge # 3 -- My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulfuric flames. I crapped on myself when I farted, and I'm worried it will eat through the chair. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except that Sally. Can't feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my butt with a snow cone



.CHILE # 7 - SUSAN'S SCREAMING SENSATION CHILE

Judge # 1 --A mediocre chile with too much reliance on canned peppers.



Judge # 2 -- Ho hum, tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chile peppers at the last moment. **I should take note that I am worried about judge number 3. He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably



.Judge # 3 --
You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost sight in one eye, and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with chile, which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava to match my shirt. At least during the autopsy, they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop breathing. It's too painful. Screw it; I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air, I'll just suck it in through the 4-inch hole in my stomach.



CHILE # 8 - BIG TOM'S TOENAIL CURLING CHILE

Judge# 1 -- The perfect ending, this is a nice blend chile. Not too bold but spicy enough to declare its existence.

Judge # 2 -- This final entry is a good, balanced chile. Neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge #3 farted, passed out, fell over and pulled the chile pot down on top of himself. Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor feller, wonder how he'd have reacted to really hot chile?



Judge # 3 -- No report.

BOHICA

Well our esteemed leaders in Washington DC feel that American voters have the attention span of carp.

There was an overwhelming response by the public to the first bill that the house attempted to pass to bail out the Wall St and banking greed heads. This caused a majority of members to show restraint and voted NO to indebting American Taxpayers for the next generation to save the Paycheck of Good ole boys.

Now the August body of the Senate is now doing one better.
Not only are they throwing a kings ransom at a financial fiasco that is entirely due to loose lending practices, greed, shortsightedness, greed, failure of the government to properly regulate banking and real estate practices, Greed, and oh did I mention Greed.
They are just ramming the Same Fiasco down our throats, (cause we were only mad about it on Monday, It is now Thursday and at night. So this won't count)

To make the Bill "Sweeter" here is a tidbit of what is included to fleece the taxpayer

# Creation of a seven-year cost recovery period for construction of a motorsports racetrack: Track owners currently follow a seven-year depreciation schedule and write each year's depreciation off their taxes. The IRS wanted to increase the depreciation timetable to 15 years, which would mean the track owner's depreciation would be cut in half. The measure in the keeps the seven-year depreciation schedule for two years and would cost taxpayers $100 million.

# A refund of excise taxes to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands for rum: A $13.50 per gallon excise tax is placed on rum imported into the United States. The measure extends to December 31, 2009, a refund of $13.25 per gallon tax back to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, which are both U.S. territories. The refund has been in place since the early '90s. The measure would cost taxpayers $192 million.

# Income averaging for amounts received in connection with the Exxon Valdez litigation: The measure would allow the plaintiffs who won damages from Exxon Mobile for the oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez to average the award over three years rather than treating it as income in a single year. The measure was backed by Alaska Rep. Don Young and would cost taxpayers $49 million.

# Secure rural schools and community self-determination program: The program replaces revenue rural communities used to enjoy from the sale of federal forest land. The measure is sponsored by lawmakers from Oregon and Idaho. The program would cost taxpayers $3.3 billion.

# Deduction of state and local sales taxes: The measure allows citizens who do not pay state income taxes to deduct the amount of sales tax they pay over a year from their federal income tax for two additional years. States that benefit include Texas, Nevada, Florida, Washington and Wyoming. The measure would cost taxpayers $3.3 billion.

# Provisions related to film and television productions: In order to keep movie production in the U.S., production companies would be allowed to deduct the cost of producing the films from their taxes. Rep. Diane Watson, D-California, has been one of the program's biggest supporters. The measure would cost taxpayers $478 million over 10 years.

# Extension and modification of duty suspension on wool products, wool research fund and wool duty refunds: The measure helps U.S. worsted wool fabric makers and clothing manufacturers. The bill extends provisions through 2014 or 2015 that were originally sponsored by Reps. Louise Slaughter, D-New York, and Melissa Bean, D-Illinois, in 2007. The measure would cost taxpayers $148 million.
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# Extension of economic development credit for American Samoa: The measure would extend for two years provisions meant to help economic development in the U.S. territory of American Samoa. The measure would cost taxpayers $33 million.

# Transportation fringe benefit to bicycle commuters: The measure would allow employers to provide benefits to employees who commute to work via bicycle, such as help purchasing and maintaining a bicycle. The measure would cost taxpayers $10 million.

It seems these clowns are in a race to sell it all out to the highest bidder.
Makes you hang your head in shame, We should have done better at the voting booth.

Keep this in mind when you vote. Not only for the Prez, but all levels of the govt.