Passport, please! Did a calico cat from New Jersey swim across New York Harbor?
The mystery surrounds a white, orange and black feline that arrived last weekend on Governors Island in New York.
Security guards found the cat on the island’s north shore. Its fur was salty, matted and caked with seaweed.
A Governors Island spokeswoman, Elizabeth Rapuano, tells the Daily News that workers there have a theory: They think the cat managed to swim to safety after being swept up in torrential rains in New Jersey. That’s over a mile away.
Time for Obama and his administration to admit addiction to spending — see his 2 recent budgets — and use the AA approach to controling this addiction. The govt has historically lived on 18% of GDP and no reason to increase it to 25 percent. Time to control spending addiction says Aptos psychologist.
Obama's Permanent Spending Binge
Maybe Obama and his administration need the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) approach to manage government addiction to spending?
Those AA 12 steps include: Admit the problem. Ask a Higher Power to intervene. Ask for forgiveness. Regularly confess the problem and work the 12 Steps…
Obama seeks permanent spending binge of 24% of GDP compared to 18% historically. Ryan’s plan removes spending binge. Why is Washington having the debate?
See below article from the Wall Street Journal:
by John R. Taylor
‘Americans are clamoring for a fact-based debate about the budget, but the numbers they’re hearing from Washington are terribly confusing. Here’s an example: Speaking at a Facebook town hall meeting here on Wednesday, President Obama sometimes talked about saving $4 trillion, at other times $2 trillion, and he varied whether it was over 10 years or 12 years, never mentioning any one year.
“A simple chart, like the one nearby, would greatly clarify the debate. It shows total federal government spending year-by-year for the two decades starting in the year 2000. Spending is shown as a percentage of GDP, which is a sensible and quite common way to assess trends: When the percentage rises, government spending rises relative to total income or total goods and services produced in our economy.
“For the past decade, the chart shows the recent history of government spending. For the next decade—the window for the current budget—it shows three different spending visions for the future.
“Senior Economics Writer Steve Moore critiques the President’s series of speeches attacking GOP budget plans.
“The uppermost line shows outlays under the official budget submitted by Mr. Obama to Congress on Feb. 14. The lowest line shows the House Budget Resolution submitted by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan on April 5, while the third line shows year-by-year outlays I estimated from the 12-year totals in the new budget proposed by the president on April 13.
The chart clearly reveals a number of important facts that are not coming up in town hall meetings. Most obvious is the huge bulge in spending in the past few years. In 2000 spending was 18.2% of GDP. In 2007 it was 19.6%. But in the three years since 2009 it’s jumped to an average of 24.4%.
Second, and perhaps even more striking, the chart shows that Mr. Obama, in his budget submitted in February, proposed to make that spending binge permanent. Spending would still be more than 24% of GDP at the end of the budget window in 2021. The administration revealed its preference in the February budget for a much higher level of government spending than the 18.2% of GDP in 2000 or the 19.6% in 2007.
Third, the House budget plan proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) simply removes that spending binge—it gradually returns spending as a share of GDP back to a level seen only three years ago.
“When I show people this chart they ask why Washington is even having the debate. They say: If government agencies and programs functioned with 19% to 20% of GDP in 2007, why is it so hard for them to function with that percentage in 2021, when GDP will be substantially higher and with many opportunities for reforms and increased efficiencies? And if GDP and employment grow more quickly, as they would if private investment increased as a result of lower government spending and debt, then that 19% to 20% share of GDP could provide much more in the way of public goods.
Fourth, the chart shows that the second Obama administration budget, submitted a week after the Ryan House budget, is substantially different from the first administration budget. It is highly unusual for an administration to decide to submit a second budget, and the effect of this revision is to move the administration’s spending vision closer to that of the House. But it still leaves a big chunk of the spending binge in place.
Fifth, and perhaps most important for economic growth, the chart shows that the House budget effectively deals with the deficit and brings the debt down as a share of GDP without a tax increase. Under the current tax system, revenues as a share of GDP were 18.5% in 2007, so that the budget deficit was only 1.1% of GDP that year. With higher real incomes moving people into higher tax brackets, it is quite likely that under the current tax system revenues will be higher as a share of GDP when the economy fully recovers, perhaps in the 19% to 20% range.
This means that the House budget plan, with spending in the same range, approximately balances the budget with no increase in taxes. This is good news for economic growth. In contrast, balancing the first or even the second Obama budget requires substantial tax increases—more than the administration has yet to propose.
Mr. Taylor, a professor of economics at Stanford and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, is the author of “Getting Off Track: How Government Actions and Interventions Caused, Prolonged and Worsened the Financial Crisis” (Hoover Press, 2009).
Copyright 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit
www.djreprints.com
More In Opinion Join the discussion 477 Comments, add yours More In Opinion »
EmailPrinter FriendlyOrder ReprintsShare: facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
StumbleUpon
Viadeo
Orkut
Fark
Reddit
del.icio.us
MySpace
Man required to pay $100 fine for a 40 year old ticket which was dismissed = justice for sale.
Dike, goddess of fair judgements & justice, lost!
A Rhode Island man has finally settled a warrant issued for a traffic violation in Massachusetts nearly four decades ago.
Michael Young, of Warwick, R.I., asked a judge in Attleboro District Court on Tuesday to dismiss a driving to endanger charge issued in September 1974.
The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro reports that Judge Daniel O’Shea noted that half the people in court had not even been born at the time of the traffic violation. He granted Young’s request, dismissing the case with payment of $100 in court costs. The court just had to get its lousy $100. The defendant should have demanded a jury trial unless they dropped the $100.
written by FirenzeSage48@gmail.com
———————————————————-
Some information about the judge:
Judge Daniel J. O’Shea is the new Attleboro District Court first justice. The full press release follows:
Lynda M. Connolly, Chief Justice for the District Court Department of the Massachusetts Trial Court, appointed Honorable Daniel J. O’Shea as First Justice of the Attleboro District Court, effective March 30, 2010.
Judge O’Shea graduated cum laude from the New England School of Law, and was admitted to practice in Massachusetts in 1990. Before his 2005 appointment to the District Court by Governor Mitt Romney, Judge O’Shea was an Administrative Judge and Senior Judge at the Department of Industrial Accidents. Other legal experience includes his time as a Staff Attorney for the Commonwealth Energy System and Adjunct Faculty positions at Suffolk University, Stonehill College, Anna Maria College, Quincy College and his alma mater Norwich University. He also serves on the Appellate Division of the District Court.
In making this appointment Chief Justice Connolly stated, “Judge O’Shea brings a solid record of achievement to the position of First Justice. He is bright, capable and hardworking, and he has extensive administrative experience. Judge O’Shea is an accomplished judge and is someone who will work collaboratively with the various entities in the community that interact with the Attleboro District Court.â€
The First Justices of the District Courts are selected from among the entire pool of District Court Judges by the Chief Justice of the District Court, subject to the approval of the Chief Justice for Administration and Management. First Justices serve five-year terms which are subject to renewal at the end of that period.
The Attleboro District Court serves the communities of Attleboro, Mansfield, North Attleboro and Norton and is located at 88 N. Main Street, Attleboro, MA 02703.
Think of the United States like a home owner’s association. Over time the home owners agree to more debt paid for by a credit card that gets max-ed out. And interest on the debt grows. Seventy three times the debt limit has been raised.
Since Obama has been President the U.S. has taken on enormous debt. The solution is not to raise the debt ceiling and spend even more. We have to pay our debts and importantly reduce the debt.
The video below by Ask Heritage shows why we as citizens must say NO more debt and tell Congress that its time to REDUCE debt.
Don’t let the government kick the ball down the street. Understand the issues and speak up.
Batman needed to clean up Gotham City –aka Californai —
Gov. Jerry Brown ordered state agencies on Wednesday to do a better job collecting money after an audit discovered that 11 state agencies had failed to gather $13.3 million in debts, mostly from employees who received cash advances.
In California the gift of public funds is a felony.
Oh and is this a surprise? At the top of the violator list were the Highway patrol and the Franchise tax board. FirenzeSage48@gmail.com
Man really bites dog after dog captured him for theft. Man sues saying dog violated his civil rights. Man in prison for 8 years.
Man really bites dog & gets 8 years
A 33-year-old man who bit back after he was caught by a Phoenix police dog is suing the police.
Erin Sullivan alleges the dog violated his civil rights and used excessive force to capture him after he ran from officers in Glendale during a burglary investigation last year.
Police say Sullivan bit the dog back, injuring it. Poor ole Sully is Quarantined for 8 years.
A mother of child with special needs (Asperger’s Disorder) emailed me asking for help. She lives in Redlands, CA. Her child has an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, is hearing impaired and has epilepsy. The child is in elementary school.
Parenting a child with these kinds of problems can be overwhelming. As there are many parents who face these difficulties, perhaps a general post may be helpful both for this one mother and for other families. Most importantly, know that there is help, there are resources and you don’t have to do this job alone.
The mother wants an advocate to assist her in the IEP process. She asks for immediate help.
She — and anyone in California — can call me for a free 15 minute consultation concerning psychological issues. Call 831 688-6002. Leave name, number and brief information as to situation. I will e-mail back a time to call me.
Before calling, find the most recent three year psycho-educational assessment done for the child. Every three years in California the school psychologist, Resource teacher and other professionals write reports summarizing progress. Those reports typically contain invaluable information. I will ask questions about those reports and may ask you to FAX it to me.
For more information about me, Dr. Cameron Jackson, go to Monterey Bay Forum, www.freedomok.net look at the top where it says Autism. Also look under the Categories for Autistic Spectrum Disorders. I wrote those posts.
I have 5+ years experience as a school psychologist in California and I am a licensed psychologist who specializes in assessment of children and adults. I am particularly interested in Autistic Spectrum Disorders.
Here is some general information that may be helpful to this mother and other parents with children with special needs, developmental disorders and autistic spectrum disorders:
1) The parent has the right to call an IEP meeting, again and again. This parent should find out what the IEP coming up is about and get an agenda ahead of time. Let the school know in writing that you as parent plan to request a series of meeting until all issues get resolved. Send the letter to Special Education Director, Principal, School Psychologist. Keep a copy for your file. Do not sign any IEP unless completely satisfied.
2) This child with some form of autism, epilepsy and hearing impaired is probably best served with an IEP under Other Health Impaired. And not served well under Specific Learning Disability (SLD). Autistic-Like is an education category that might be appropriate IF the therapy component is in place. From what the mother told me there is no appropriate therapy going on to address social deficits.
So this parent needs to know what Category the child receives services under and to request that the Category be changed to Other Health Impaired. All the mother needs is a brief letter from her doctor.
3) By California law, this child is entitled to a Free and Appropriate Public Education — called FAPE. It is not appropriate to put a fifth grade student into a first grade class for example. And, if the school district does not have appropriate public school classes then the district may be on the hook to provide a non-public school placement. Yes the schools and every public agency has budget woes. So, this parent needs to get some self education via the Internet as to what FAPE means.
From the tone of the email this mother sent, it appears that she feels lost in the system. Perhaps this mother can connect with the school psychologist for assistance. Also, there are a number of non-profit organizations that focus on assisting families with special needs. This mom might do well to explore which ones are in the Redland’s CA area. Up in the Santa Cruz-San Jose area for example there are two organizations: SPIN and PHP.
One possible advocate in Redlands, CA: When I Googled Redlands, CA Special Education an article popped up about a school counselor who wants to improved the IEP process. Her name is Yurida Nava and information about her is in the article below. I do not know anything more about this person than what is written below.
Student Encourages Advocacy for Special Education Students
November 23, 2009While working as a school district translator, Redlands School of Education counseling student Yuridia “Yuri†Nava says she became concerned some special education students were not being well served by their school counselors.She says the counselors often attended Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings with students, but did not always advocate for the students during discussions about which services they should receive, what education goals should be set and how their day-to-day school life should function.
“The counselors were there, but I felt they were not really a voice for the students – the IEPs were sometimes finalized in ways that were not in the best interest of the students,†Nava said.
Now, Nava is working to change those shortcomings by calling attention to the problem. One step in that effort came in November, when she presented her research during the California Association of School Counselors conference in Temecula.During the conference, she shared her research exploring the preparation levels of counselors working with special education students. As part of her study, counselors in two school districts were surveyed about their knowledge of the IEP process and whether they were prepared to help special education students and families.
She said she found that most counselors did not recognize their role in advocating for special education students. Some counselors also did not fully understand the IEP process and the role that they should play, she said. Nava – an aspiring counselor who would eventually like to get her doctorate – said she credits assistant professor Janee Both-Gragg with encouraging her to conduct and present the research.
“The professors, including Dr. Both-Gragg, are like fuel – they fuel the passion that you brought when you came here. They prepare you and encourage you to do more than you ever imagined,†she said. “I’m so excited and thankful to be presenting at the conference and I know I wouldn’t have made it to this point without their support and belief in me.â€
Should the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco be fenced in so people cannot jump off it? The debate goes on….
Golden Gate Bridge
A 16-year-old girl jumped or fell off the Golden Gate Bridge on Sunday and survived.
In March a 17-year-old boy from Windsor jumped as an apparent boast and also survived.
The debate has gone on for years whether to suicide proof the Bridge. Another part of the question about how much society should interfere in the personal lives (or deaths) of its citizens.
Margo Hendricks, Univ. of CA at Santa Cruz professor in Literature for 20 years, says that racism is alive and well on the campus during her tenure. Statistics on Ratemyprofessors.com show that retiring UCSC professor Hendricks is viewed as unorganized, self centered and fails to listen.
Racism at Univ. of CA at Santa Cruz?
“The fact that racism has been alive and well on the campus during my tenure at UCSC has never escaped me,” she [Margo Hendricks] wrote. “Students, staff and faculty of African American descent (regardless of color) experience subtle and not so subtle attacks in the classroom, in evaluations, and personnel actions.”
Thus spake Margo Hendricks who provides no evidence to support her rant, but expects millions or billions to be spent to alleviate her complaint.
Of note the website “Ratemyprofessors.com” is almost universal in the view that she is unorganized, self centered, and fails to listen.
A recent rally at UCSC demanded a more diversified student body so that ethnic groups at the school reflect the same percentage as the population as a whole.
This is the same campus, UCSC, that awarded Black Panther Huey Newton a PhD, [cop killer tried several times for murder and later convicted of embezzling money from programs he created for black children] and employs in positions of authority Stalinist thinking Angela Davis and sister Bettina Aptheker.
Racist graffiti is unfortunate but hardly cataclysmic. Some paint remover would solve more problems than a giant new affirmative action plan.
by FirenzieSage48@gmail.com
————————————————–
For persons who do not know who Huey Newton is, here is some info:
Huey Newton proved to be as violent as the party he helped to create when he was thrust into the national limelight in October 1967; accused of murdering Oakland police officer John Frey. In September 1968 Newton was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to two to 15 years in prison. In May 1970 the California Appellate Court reversed Newton’s conviction and ordered a new trial. After two more trials the State of California dropped its case against Newton, citing technicalities including the judge’s failure to relay proper instructions to the jury.
After his release from prison Newton overhauled the Black Panther Party, revised its program, and changed its rhetoric. While he had been imprisoned, party membership had decreased significantly in several cities, and the FBI had started a campaign to disrupt and eventually bring down the Black Panthers. Abandoning its Marxist-Leninist ideology, Newton now concentrated on community survival programs. The Black Panthers sponsored a free breakfast program for children, sickle-cell anemia tests, free food and shoes, and a school, the Samuel Napier Intercommunal Youth Institute. However, as before, the Black Panthers were not without controversy. Funding for several of their programs were raised as the result of the co-operation of drug dealers and prostitution rings.
Newton tried to shed his image as a firebreathing revolutionary, but he continued to have difficulty with the police. In 1974 several assault charges were filed against him, and he was also accused of murdering a 17-year-old prostitute, Kathleen Smith. Newton failed to make his court appearance. His bail was revoked, a bench warrant issued, and his name added to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted list. Newton had jumped bail and escaped to Cuba, where he spent three years in exile. In Cuba he worked as a machinist and teacher. He returned home in 1977 to face murder charges because, he said, the climate in the United States had changed and he believed he could get a fair trial. He was acquitted of the murder of Kathleen Smith after two juries were deadlocked.
In addition to organizing the Black Panther Party and serving as its minister of defense, Newton unsuccessfully ran for Congress as a candidate of the Peace and Freedom Party in 1968. In 1971, between his second and third trials for the murder of John Frey, he visited China for ten days, where he met with Premier Chou En-lai and Chiang Ch’ing, the wife of Chairman Mao Tse-tung. While there he was offered political asylum. Newton studied for a Ph.D. in the history of social consciousness at the University of California in 1978. In 1985 the 43-year-old Newton was arrested for embezzling state and federal funds from the Black Panthers’ community education and nutrition programs. In 1989 he was convicted of embezzling funds from a school run by the Black Panthers, supposedly to support his alcohol and drug addictions. By this time the Panthers had turned to less violent activism. On August 22, 1989, Newton was gunned down by a drug dealer, ironically in the same city streets of Oakland that saw the rise of the Black Panthers 23 years ago. Bill Turque in Newsweek described a sad but appropriate farewell: “A small florist’s card, resting with bouquets of red gladiolus’s and white dahlias on a chain-link fence near the shooting scene, summed it up: ‘Huey: for the early years.'”
