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Archive for June 2013

The Daily F Bomb, Friday 6/7/13

Interrogatories

Do you still have any old media lying around your house, like floppy disks, cassette tapes, VHS tapes, etc.? Why? 😉

If something needs repair in your house or if you need to install something, do you have all the necessary tools on hand? Do you have enough tools to build things from scratch?

How old is your current residence?

Would you rather restore, renovate, or remodel?

The Twitter Emitter

The Conscience of a Liberal

Yes, I used that word, ‘liberal.’  I identify as one after all.  I have already made clear why I prefer that term to the one currently in vogue, ‘progressive.’  Now I lay out what, exactly, as a liberal I believe.  This has all been out there before, but I feel the need to reiterate it.

I believe in democracy and the will of the people.  We are nation governed by people and ruled by laws.  That means when conservatives and Republicans win elections they inherently have my consent to govern on that basis and I will accordingly defend their right to do so.  While I will forcefully oppose the elements of their agenda I consider bad, I will nonetheless support their right to enact it so long as it is consistent with the Constitution.

I believe regulated capitalism is the best economic system for prosperity and societal development and advancement.  There must be regulations in place to curb its excesses, but, overall, it is better than any other system that has been put out there.  When properly regulated, the invisible hand postulated by Adam Smith can, and will generally, be effective.  It is not always pretty, and it is certainly not perfect, but many people will innovate based upon the perceived economic benefits to be reaped by accurately judging society’s wants and needs.

I do not believe corporations are inherently evil.  They are mere pieces of papers; fictional constructs designed to limit the liability of investors to the size of their investment.  That limited liability encourages investment.  It helped promote significant economic growth here and in other nations.  As with other elements of a capitalist economic system when its excesses are not curbed it can, and will, cause significant damage.  That, however, is not an argument to eliminate the concept of limited liability, or capitalism for that matter.  Instead it is merely a reason to pursue effective and reasonable regulations.

A Tale of Two Companies

“Could Costco make more money if the average wage was $2 or $3 lower?” Richard Galanti, Costco’s chief financial officer, mused in an interview with Businessweek. “The answer is yes. But we’re not going to do that.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…  

Imagine that … a company that recognizes that paying decent wages takes priority over corporate profits.  The shock to me, having known that CostCo paid more, was just how much CostCo on average does pay.

This Summer… Steven Seagal is… THE DIPLOMAT!

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Because of his black belt in karate and things, he has gotten to know many of the leaders of Russia, including Putin, and was able to use that influence to make sure that we got to talk to the very top people so that we could try to find ways of expanding our areas of cooperation,

said Representative Dana (Impeach Bubba!) Rohrbacher.

Christie Names NJ AG Jeff Chiesa as Interim Senator

Chris Christie has appointed NJ Attorney General Jeff Chiesa as the interim replacement for Sen Lautenberg’s seat.  The two have a long history together.  From Chiesa’s Wikipedia Bio:

In 1988, Chiesa joined the Cranford law firm of Dughi, Hewit & Palatucci (now known as Dughi & Hewit). There he met Chris Christie, who had joined the firm in 1987.

In 2002, he followed Christie to the office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey …

In 2009, after Christie was elected Governor of New Jersey, Chiesa headed his transition team. Christie then named Chiesa his chief counsel.[2] He served in this position until being nominated by Christie to succeed Paula Dow as Attorney General on December 12, 2011.

Here’s his Offical Bio on the State of NJ Website.

Texas Redistricting Field Hearings: June 6-12, 2013

On Tuesday, tom 47 posted a comment quoting State Rep. Yvonne Davis’s (HD-111, Dallas) email emphasizing the importance of our participating in the field hearings that have been scheduled during the Texas Legislature’s special session on redistricting:

It is important to note the federal district court repeatedly expressed that these interim redistricting plans are temporary plans. Not only are the interim redistricting plans temporary in nature, the courts only ordered the plans to provide for timely 2012 primary and general elections in Texas.

The interim maps do not go far enough to reflect the minority population in Texas. Therefore, I encourage you to attend any one of the hearings and urge the select committee to draw and adopt fair, nondiscriminatory plans that accurately reflect the population of Texas. […]

So let’s encourage our elected officials to vote for maps that are fair and representative of our state’s diversity. Empower the Vote Texas explains how (my emphasis):

Better – Attend a public hearing and register against HB/SB 1, HB/SB 3, and HB/SB 4 (the bills that would make the interim maps permanent). All you have to do is fill out a card and your position becomes part of the official record of the hearings. A good option if you can attend but are uncomfortable testifying.

AWESOME – Testify at one of the public hearings! There is nothing more compelling than hearing from voters about how legislation impacts you. Come let the committee members know how the current maps don’t fairly represent your community.

Texas House of Representatives

The House Special Select Redistricting Committee has scheduled public hearings in Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston:

Dallas: Thursday, June 6 , 2013 @ 2:00 P.M.

DART Headquarters

Board Room – 1st Floor

1401 Pacific Ave., Dallas, TX 75202

Notice of Public Hearing

San Antonio: Monday, June 10 , 2013 @ 2:00 P.M

VIA Metro Center

Terry Eskridge Community Room

1021 San Pedro Ave, San Antonio, TX 78212

Notice of Public Hearing

Houston: Wednesday, June 12 , 2013 @ 2:00 P.M.

University of Houston – Main Campus

Michael J. Cemo Hall, Room 100 D

4800 Calhoun Rd., Houston, TX 77004

Notice of Public Hearing

If you attend a House hearing, sign in AGAINST HB 1, HB 3, and HB 4.

Public testimony will be limited to 5 minutes. If submitting written testimony, please provide 25 copies to the committee clerk with your name on each.

~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~

Texas Senate

The Senate Select Committee on Redistricting has scheduled public hearings in Austin, Corpus Christi, and Houston:

Austin: Thursday, June 06, 2013 @ 9:00 AM

Capitol Extension, Room E1.036

Two overflow rooms will be available in E1.016 and E1.028

Live broadcast

Notice of Public Hearing

Corpus Christi: Friday, June 07, 2013 @ 5:00 PM

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

University Center, Lone Star Ballroom

6300 Ocean Drive

Corpus Christi, Texas 78412

Notice of Public Hearing

Houston: Saturday, June 08, 2013 @ 11:00 AM

University of Houston

Michael J. Cemo Hall

4800 Calhoun Road

Houston, Texas 77004

Notice of Public Hearing

Austin: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 @ 9:00 AM

E1.036 (Finance Room)

Two overflow rooms will be available in E1.016 and E1.028.

Live broadcast

Notice of Public Hearing

If you attend a Senate hearing, sign in AGAINST SB 1, SB 3, and SB 4.

Note the live broadcasts of the Austin hearings.

Invited and public testimony will be taken. Public testimony may be limited to three minutes. If submitting written testimony, please provide 30 copies to the committee clerk with your name on each.

This is short notice, but our participation in these redistricting field hearings will, at the very least, signal that we’re paying attention as Texas Republicans attempt to rush through adoption of the court-drawn interim maps, which were based on the 2011 Republican-drawn maps that a federal court rejected because they intentionally discriminated.

The Daily F Bomb, Thursday 6/6/13

Interrogatories

What movies did you ever see at a drive-in?

Are you handy with a yo-yo?

How many words do you know in Russian? Do you at least know your way around a menu?

Were you ever a boy/girl scout or a reasonable facsimile thereof (like campfire girls)? How long? What made you quit?

The Twitter Emitter

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