How Bloggers Make Money

Find a niche . . .

http://www.businessinsider.com/this-is-how-bloggers-actually-make-money-2012-2

Living Alone Will Drive You Insane

Want to live alone? You’ll be paying for it in more ways than one.

In one of the more entertaining New York Times trend pieces we’ve read, the author sheds light on all the ways going solo can turn you crazy.

One in four Americans now live alone (one in two if you are talking about New York City), so that means one in four Americans have the freedom to do one or all of these things:

• Eat peanut butter naked in the kitchen at 2 a.m.
• Run in place during TV commercials
• Speak conversational French to yourself while making breakfast
• Sing Journey songs in the shower (well, we do that anyway)
• Remove only the clothes you need from the dryer, thus turning it into a makeshift dresser
• Wear white flax pantaloons around the apartment
• Never, ever close the bathroom door
• Put a Post-It note up reminding yourself to close the door when people come over
• Ask your cat’s opinion on your writing
• Eat six or seven times an hour, mainly cereal
• Drink champagne in the shower at 8 a.m.
• Play Madden for 10 hours straight
• Forget to put a skirt on and leave the house that way

Read more: http://www.learnvest.com/2012/02/living-alone-is-expensive-and-makes-you-crazy/#ixzz1ndM6JyK2

OBAMA TO CUT HEALTHCARE BENEFITS FOR MILITARY

The Obama administration’s proposed defense budget calls for military families and retirees to pay sharply more for their healthcare, while leaving unionized civilian defense workers’ benefits untouched.

The proposal is causing a major rift within the Pentagon, according to U.S. officials. Several congressional aides suggested the move is designed to increase the enrollment in Obamacare’s state-run insurance exchanges.

The disparity in treatment between civilian and uniformed personnel is causing a backlash within the military that could undermine recruitment and retention.

The proposed increases in health care payments by service members, which must be approved by Congress, are part of the Pentagon’s $487 billion cut in spending. It seeks to save $1.8 billion from the Tricare medical system in the fiscal 2013 budget, and $12.9 billion by 2017.

Many in Congress are opposing the proposed changes, which would require the passage of new legislation before being put in place.

http://freebeacon.com/trashing-tricare/

The value of a Catholic education and a #2 pencil

Little Susie was not the best student in Catholic School,  she usually slept through the class...

One day her teacher, a Nun, called on her while she was sitting there half asleep'.

'Tell me Susie, who created the universe?'

When Susie didn't stir, little Johnny who was her friend sitting behind her, took his pencil and jabbed her in the rear.

'God Almighty!' shouted Susie.

The Nun said, 'Very good' and continued teaching her class...

A little later the Nun asked Susie, 'Who is our Lord and  Savior?'

But Susie didn't stir from her slumber... 

Once again, Johnny came to her rescue and stuck her in  the butt. 'Jesus Christ!!!' shouted Susie.

And the Nun once again said, 'Very good,' and Susie fell  back asleep.

The Nun asked Susie a third question...

 'What did Eve say to Adam after she had her twenty-third  child?'

Again, Johnny came to the rescue.

 This time Susie jumped up and shouted, 'If you stick me with that damn thing one more time, I'll break it in half!'

The Nun fainted...

Great News - OBAMA URGES CHURCHES TO GET POLITICAL

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a new video by President Barack Obama that was cut to launch his “African Americans for Obama” campaign:
 
It is hardly newsworthy for President Obama to beckon African Americans to support his presidential campaign, but his clarion call to black churches to get on board represents a break with presidential politics: it is a deliberate challenge to the IRS stricture governing the role of religion in politics.
 
In the video [click here], President Obama explicitly calls on African Americans to go “to your faith community” to get the word out about his campaign. He even goes so far as to say that “congregation captains” should be organized to accomplish this goal.
 
This is good news. It means that the IRS harness on the clergy is officially off. Priests can now appoint “congregation captains” who will inform the faithful about attempts by the Obama administration to deny Catholics their First Amendment rights. By formally appealing to their parishioners to mobilize against the Obamacare legislation, priests will be faithfully implementing the president’s new initiative.
 
Bishops, of course, will be able to seize on this ground-breaking proposal by asking priests, nuns, brothers, school teachers—lay leaders of every cause—to get the word out about the draconian Health and Human Services edict.
 
In other words, by undoing the IRS muzzle on black ministers, Obama has also made it possible for bishops and priests to organize against his war on Catholics with impunity. The timing is auspicious.

10 Alternative Approaches to Afghans

"It's becoming clear that the more the United States apologizes to Afghanistan for burning a few Korans, the more Afghans leap into the streets. So White House Dossier has helpfully compiled for Obama a list of ten alternative approaches that the president could have taken to deal with the problem. ...

1. Dedicate a round of golf to the people of Afghanistan.

2. Send Michelle for a symbolic vacation to Jalalabad.

3. Ask the Afghans if they'd like the Russians back instead.

4. Head to a local Afghan restaurant and bow to the wait staff.

5. Offer to make Afghanistan's heroin 'The Official Heroin of the United States.'

6. Give Afghan children a permanent exemption from Michelle's 'Let's Move' school lunch offerings.

7. Provide unlimited, free doses of Prozac to the entire adult population of Afghanistan.

8. Change the lyrics of O Tannenbaum to O Taliban.

9. Set up a program to provide virgins to Afghan men who refuse to commit suicide bombings.

10. Demand an apology from Afghanistan for the more than 1,800 U.S. forces killed since the start of the war."

--White House Dossier's Keith Koffler

Our Dying Culture

"There is nothing good about illegitimacy. ...

In the 21st century, we pretty much affirm everybody's right to do as he or she wants -- no advice, no lectures or finger-pointing, just do it! It shows. An above 50 percent bastardy rate for under-30s is more than a scandal; it's a social crime. ...

The marriage structure -- one man, one woman, children of differing number -- is a society all its own. It binds and in binding, liberates by enabling. ...

A man and woman who make a covenant of lifelong union ... have a structure within which to live, and I don't mean a house. I mean something bigger: an undertaking within which sorrow and joys are to be duly enacted and -- the present point -- children to be conceived and raised. ...

Illegitimacy strips children of rights and dignity and exposes them to insecurities and anxieties (not least concerning who they really are) that they would less commonly encounter as members of the ordinary family tribe. ...

Do we ever think we're smart in the 21st century -- so smart that we can let go of rules and institutions, doing just what we like and no more?"

--columnist William Murchison

True Marriage

In the past decade, the Supreme Courts of Washington State, New York, and Maryland -- three very liberal states -- came down on the side of true marriage. Why? Each court said that the raising of children was a compelling state interest.
 

Each court -- of course -- is being radically transformed by liberal governors to facilitate their assault on the family. In Maryland, Attorney General Doug Gansler openly avows this as his governor's strategy. We who defend true marriage are equally committed to civil rights.

We strongly believe that marriage is a civil right -- and that overturning true marriage will cause grave harm to all Americans, not the least to the poor and to minorities."

--columnist Ken Blackwell

Nothing to do in Nebraska

For all my Nebraska friends

Proof that you can never underestimate the innovativeness of American Farm Boys:

At a high school in Nebraska , a group of boy students played a prank.
They let three goats loose inside the school.
But before turning them loose, they painted numbers on the sides of the
goats: 1, 2 and 4..
School Administrators spent most of the day looking for No. 3.

Now that's funny, I don't care who you are.....
And you thought there was nothing to do in Nebraska.

This is a frightening video

This is what is happening to America and our young people. Be sure to watch the entire video.
 
This is frightening, Watch the entire video.

Click here: TaboolaArticle

Fat Tuesday - King Cake

The History Behind the Mardi Gras King Cakes

     The King Cake is believed to have originated in France around the 12 Century.  These early Europeans celebrated the coming of the three wise men bearing gifts twelve days after Christmas calling it the Feast of the Epiphany, Twelfth Night, or King’s Day.  The main part of the celebration was the baking of a King Cake to honor the three Kings.  The cakes were made circular to portray the circular route used by the kings to get to the Christ Child and confuse King Herod who was trying to follow the wise men so he could kill the Christ Child.  In these early King Cakes, a bean, pea, or coin was hidden inside the cake.  The person who got the hidden piece was declared King for the day or was said to have good luck in the coming year. 

    In Louisiana, Twelfth Night also signifies the beginning of the carnival season which ends on Mardi Gras day.  The beans, peas, and coins have been replaced by a small baby to symbolize the Christ Child.  The person who gets the Baby Jesus is not only crowned king or queen for the day, but is expected to carry on the carnival festivities by hosting the next King Cake party!

With Regret

We idolized and memorialized Whitney Houston, yet looked the other way
concerning her well known substance abuse and tumultuous life with singer Bobby
Brown.

Charlie Sheen is 45 and his story is all over the news because he is a
substance abuser, an adulterer, sexually promiscuous and obnoxious.

Lindsay Lohan is 24 and her story is all over the news because she is a
celebrity drug addict and thief.

Something as frivolous as Kim Kardashian's stupid wedding [and
short-lived marriage] was shoved down our throats, While........

Justin Allen 23
Brett Linley 29
Matthew Weikert 29
Justus Bartett 27
Dave Santos 21
Jesse Reed 26
Matthew Johnson 21
Zachary Fisher 24
Brandon King 23
Christopher Goeke 23
and Sheldon Tate 27...

Are all Marines who gave their lives last month for you. There is no
media for them; not even a mention of their names.

Young Men who most likely came from rural America seeking a chance
to better themselves and to serve this county.

Honor THEM by sending this on.

I did, will you?

Rest In Peace, and THANK YOU,TROOPS.

Another Story About Little Johnny

I can't believe how smart kids are now a days. Johnny demonstrated that really good. Read the story.
 

The kids filed into class Monday morning. They were very excited. Their weekend assignment was to sell something, then give a talk on productive salesmanship.

 Little Sally led off: "I sold girl scout cookies and I made $30" she said proudly, "My sales approach was to appeal to the customer's civil spirit and I credit that approach for my obvious success." "Very good" said the teacher.

 Little Jenny was next: "I sold magazines" she said, "I made $45 and I explained to everyone that magazines would keep them up on current events." "Very good, Jenny" said the teacher.

 Eventually, it was Little Johnny's turn. The teacher held her breath.  Little Johnny walked to the front of the classroom and dumped a box full of cash on the teacher's desk. "$2,467" he said. "$2,467!" cried the teacher, "What in the world were you selling?" Toothbrushes" said Little Johnny. "Toothbrushes" echoed the teacher, "How could you possibly sell enough tooth brushes to make that much money?" "I found the busiest corner in town" said Little Johnny, "I set up a Dip & Chip stand, I gave everybody who walked by a free sample." They all said the same thing, "Hey, this tastes like dog crap!" Then I would say, 'It is dog crap. Wanna buy a toothbrush?' I used the President Obama method of giving you something crappy, dressing it up so it looks good, telling you it's free, and then making you pay to get the bad taste out of your mouth." 

Little Johnny got five stars for his efforts, bless his heart.

Still True 20 Years Later

From Rush Limbaugh's 1992 bestseller, "The Way Things Ought To Be":

"...Does anyone really believe we can improve our medical system by turning all of it over to the government? It would be run with the efficiency of the post office and the bedside manner of the IRS..."

 "...It was the Reagan years that squeezed the totalitarian lifeblood from the Eastern Bloc nations and the Soviet Union and brought the Marxist revolution to its knees..."

 "...We're getting to the point where the tax producers will someday be outnumbered by the tax eaters of society..."

Obama admits birth place

Obama admits not being born in Hawaii ..

Can one doubt his own admission? Where is Sixty Minutes?

Who would believe Obama is actually on this video admitting he was not born in Hawaii but was born in Kenya and is not even a citizen. Obviously he made these statements because he did not know at that time that a president must be a "natural born" citizen. OOOPS!

Circulate this before they yank it from the internet. Will some one tell me why this guy is not being impeached?? If you just watch the first 30 seconds your mouth will drop open. Obama admits he is not a citizen Hmmm...maybe the "birthers' are on to something.... THE AMAZING PART OF THIS TRAVESTY IS AMERICANS CONTINUE ALLOWING THEMSELVES TO BE RULED BY AN ILLEGAL ALIEN. Watch it before it is pulled! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwhKuunp8D8&feature=player_embedded His first speach is apparently just after his election to the US senate.

Light bulb changer

He totally doesn't get paid enough! I broke out in a sweat watching this!

Hang on to your lunch while watching this....

Yikes!!! I wonder what they pay this guy per hour.

1768 feet straight up ... wait until you see this!

It is incredible what people do for a living!!!!!!!!!!

Just wait for the cartoon intro to finish, then hold on to your seat.

       click on the link:

www.liveleak.com/e/07b_1284580365

Social Security

Have you noticed, your Social Security check is now referred to as a"Federal benefit payment"? 

I'll be part of the one percent to forward this. Our government gets away with way too much in all areas of our lives, while they live lavishly on their grossly overpaid incomes! KEEP passing THIS AROUND UNTIL EVERY ONE HAS READ IT..... 

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT THE ONLY THING WRONG WITH THIS CALCULATION IS THEY FORGOT TO FIGURE IN THE PEOPLE WHO DIED BEFORE THEY COLLECTED THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY!!!! WHERE DID THAT MONEY GO? 

This was sent to me, I am forwarding it because it does touch a nerve in me.


Remember, not only did you contribute to Social Security but your employer did too. It totaled 15% of your income before taxes. If you averaged only $30K over your working life, that's close to $220,500.

If you calculate the future value of $4,500 per year (yours & your employer's contribution) at a simple 5% (less than what the government pays on the money that it borrows), after 49 years of working you'd have $892,919.98.

If you took out only 3% per year, you'd receive $26,787.60 per year and it would last better than 30 years (until you're 95 if you retire at age 65) and that's with no interest paid on that final amount on deposit! If you bought an annuity and it paid 4% per year, you'd have a lifetime income of $2,976.40 per month.

The folks in Washington have pulled off a bigger Ponzi scheme than Bernie Madhoff ever had.

Entitlement my foot, I paid cash for my social security insurance!!!! Just because they borrowed the money from the fund - which was promised never to happen - and never paid it back,doesn't make my benefits some kind of charity or handout!!



Congressional benefits ---- free healthcare, outrageous retirement packages, 67 paid holidays, three weeks paid vacation, unlimited paid sick days, now that's welfare, and they have the nerve to call my social security retirement entitlements?

We're "broke" and can't help our own Seniors, Veterans, Orphans, Homeless.

In the last months we have provided aid to Haiti , Chile , and Turkey . And now Pakistan ......home of bin Laden. Literally, BILLIONS of DOLLARS!!!

Our retired seniors living on a 'fixed income' receive no aid nor do they get any breaks while our government and religious organizations pour Hundreds of Billions of $$$$$$'s and Tons of Food to Foreign Countries!

They call Social Security and Medicare an entitlement even though most of us have been paying for it all our working lives and now when it's time for us to collect, the government is running out of money. Why did the government borrow from it in the first place?Imagine if the *GOVERNMENT* gave 'US' the same support they give to other countries.

Sad isn't it?

99% of people won't have the guts to forward this.

Obama's Mysterious Passport

Obama’s Passport
While I've little interest in getting in the middle of the Obama birth issue, Paul Hollrah over at FSM did so yesterday and believes the issue can be resolved by Obama answering one simple question: What passport did he use when he was shuttling between New York , Jakarta , and Karachi ?

So how did a young man who arrived in New York in early June 1981, without the price of a hotel room in his pocket, suddenly come up with the price of a round-the-world trip just a month later?

And once he was on a plane, shuttling between New York , Jakarta , and Karachi , what passport was he offering when he passed through Customs and Immigration?
The American people not only deserve to have answers to these questions, they must have answers. It makes the debate over Obama's citizenship a rather short and simple one.

Q: Did he travel to Pakistan in 1981, at age 20?
A : Yes, by his own admission.

Q: What passport did he travel under?
A: There are only three possibilities.
1) He traveled with a U.S. ... Passport,
2) He traveled with a British passport, or
3) He traveled with an Indonesia passport.

Q: Is it possible that Obama traveled with a U.S. Passport in 1981?
A: No. It is not possible. Pakistan was on the U.S. .. State Department's "no travel" list in 1981.

Conclusion: When Obama went to Pakistan in 1981 he was traveling either with a British passport or an Indonesian passport.

If he were traveling with a British passport that would provide proof that he was born in Kenya on August 4, 1961, not in Hawaii as he claims.. And if he were traveling with an Indonesian passport that would tend to prove that he relinquished whatever previous citizenship he held, British or American, prior to being adopted by his Indonesian step-father in 1967.

Whatever the truth of the matter, the American people need to know how he managed to become a "natural born" American citizen between 1981 and 2008.
Given the destructive nature of his plans for America, as illustrated by his speech before Congress and the disastrous spending plan he has presented to Congress, the sooner we learn the truth of all this, the better.

If you Don't care that Your President is not a natural born Citizen and in Violation of the Constitution, then Delete this, and then lower your American Flag to half-staff, because the U.S. Constitution is already on life-support, and won't survive much longer.
If you do care then Forward this to as many patriotic Americans as you can, because our country is being looted and ransacked!

Obama's Citizenship Case Reaches the Supreme Court

VERY QUIETLY OBAMA'S CITIZENSHIP CASE REACHES THE SUPREME COURT

In a move certain to fuel the debate over Obama's qualifications for the presidency, the group "Americans for Freedom of Information" has Released copies of President Obama's college transcripts from Occidental College ... Released today, the transcript school indicates that Obama, under the name Barry Soetoro, received financial aid as a foreign student from Indonesia as an undergraduate. The transcript was released by Occidental College in compliance with a court order in a suit brought by the group in the Superior Court of California. The transcript shows that Obama (Soetoro) applied for financial aid and was awarded a fellowship for foreign students from the Fulbright Foundation Scholarship program. To qualify, for the scholarship, a student must claim foreign citizenship.

This document would seem to provide the smoking gun that many of Obama's detractors have been seeking. Along with the evidence that he was first born in Kenya and there is no record of him ever applying for US citizenship, this is looking pretty grim. The news has created a firestorm at the White House as the release casts increasing doubt about Obama's legitimacy and qualification to serve as President article titled, "Obama Eligibility Questioned," leading some to speculate that the story may overshadow economic issues on Obama's first official visit to the U.K. In a related matter, under growing pressure from several groups, Justice Antonin Scalia announced that the Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to hear arguments concerning Obama's legal eligibility to serve as President in a case brought by Leo Donofrio of New Jersey . This lawsuit claims Obama's dual citizenship disqualified him from serving as president.. Donofrio's case is just one of 18 suits brought by citizens demanding proof of Obama's citizenship or qualification to serve as president.

Gary Kreep of the United States Justice Foundation has released the results of their investigation of Obama's campaign spending. This study estimates that Obama has spent upwards of $950,000 in campaign funds in the past year with eleven law firms in 12 states for legal resources to block disclosure of any of his personal records. Mr. Kreep indicated that the investigation is still ongoing but that the final report will be provided to the U.S. Attorney general, Eric Holder. Mr. Holder has refused to comment on the matter...

LET OTHER FOLKS KNOW THIS NEWS, THE MEDIA WON'T!

It's Not Really About Religious Liberty

Why the Obama Healthcare Debate is not really about Religious Liberty?

Posted by Dr. Taylor Marshall 

 
When Christ commissioned the Holy Apostles, did he ask them to seek to be tolerated by the world? Should we grovel before the judges and seek a tolerated place at the table? Has that ever worked in Church history?

No, Christ came proclaiming a kingdom and the prophet Daniel foretold how the Son of Man's Kingdom would overcome all the kingdoms of this world. We cannot make a pact with President Obama or any national leader. We must storm the gates. We must proclaim the truth regarding marriage, contraception, and abortion. The shield of Faith must be held out in front of us, and we had better grasp the sword of the Spirit. Asking for state tolerance is a white flag of surrender.

I don't want an America where Catholicism is tolerated. I want an America where natural law and natural rights are observed and the reign of Christ the King is publicly acknowledged.

We cannot keep seeking tolerance under the umbrella of an evil empire. 

http://cantuar.blogspot.com/2012/02/were-missing-opportunity-why-obama.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+taylormarshall+%28Canterbury+Tales+by+Taylor+Marshall%29&utm_content=FaceBook

We Were Fooled

            I remember asking dad about Castro when I was about 9 years old. I asked, "Is Castro a good guy or bad?"

            Dad said...he couldn't tell!! This was about 1955. We were living in Louisiana ...at the time. Dad was in the Army there.

            Cuba was fairly close to the US and in the news a lot. The Cubans were asking the same question!
            Ike (Eisenhauer) was president.

            This past July, we had the pleasure of sharing a summer barbecue with a refugee from Cuba . Our dinner conversation was starkly different than most.

            This refugee came to the United States as a young boy in the early 1960's. His family was more fortunate than most, as they were able to bring a suitcase...and $100 when they fled Castro's newly formed revolutionary paradise.

            Our dinner consisted of all-American fare: hamburgers, potato salad, watermelon and fresh ears of sweet corn. This is a menu shared with family and friends nationwide...while celebrating the birth of our beloved America ...on the Fourth of July.

            We began with a simple discussion about our country, and the direction it has taken since Barack Obama came to power. We shared the usual complaints about the sour economy and liberal social engineering emanating from the rulers in Washington.

            But then he said it. The sentence came naturally. I assume it was unplanned. But it carried the weight of a freight train. "You know when Castro took power, none of us knew he was a Communist".

            We sat stunned. He continued, "Yes, we all thought he was a patriot, a nationalist. Before the revolution he didn't sound like a radical."

            The comparison at this point was easy, and I interjected, "You mean just like Barack Obama?"

            He responded; "Yes, just like Barack Obama."

            He continued, "We were all shocked as the government just continued to grab more power. First they said the revolution is over, so please turn in your guns. We all complied."

            I remember my uncle saying after it started, “Castro will only nationalize some of the big industries. He will never come and take our family hardware store!!”; But that is exactly what happened. Castro started with the sugar mills and the large industries, but they eventually came and knocked on the door of our family hardware store. My family had run this store for generations. They said we now own the hardware store, you work for us. And that nice, large four-bedroom home you own...it is now our property also, and...you can move yourself and five children into two rooms of the house, because others are moving in with you."
----
            The lesson learned from this discussion, is a lesson most Americans refuse to hear. Political leaders can lie about their agenda and once in office...they can take totally unexpected turns.

            If you had asked us three years ago if we thought General Motors would be nationalized, we would have never believed it. We could never contemplate a country where the rule of law, the most fundamental building block of a justice society...would be evaporating, just like it did in Castro's Cuba in the early 1960's.

            But the news of injustice keeps increasing. Black Panthers are not charged with wrong doing by the U.S. Department of Justice...because their crimes are against whites. The bondholders of GM are stripped of their assets...without due process by the government! Governmental leaders are bribed in full daylight...only to have all investigation of the crimes stifled...by the Attorney General.

            The U.S. borders are over run with crime and illegal activity, and the leaders in D.C. act as if it is important to protect the lawbreakers...whilethe innocent are killed and over run. When local communities attempt to enforce the law, they are ridiculed...and threatened as racists and bigots. They are sued by the very administration...entrusted with enforcing the law.

            Without the rule of law, the U.S. Constitution is a sham!! Without the rule of law, our beloved America is swiftly becoming a country where only the well connected and politically powerful will be safe. As Michelle Malkin has so eloquently explained in her recent book...a culture of corruption has replaced honest government.

            The only way this problem will be fixed, is by massive citizen action. All honest citizens that want to be treated fairly, must come together...and demand that the favoritism, the bribes, the uneven enforcement of law...end now!! And yes, it can happen here.

Texting

From a Teacher... short and to the point.

In the world of hi-tech gadgetry, I've noticed that more and more people who send text messages and emails have long forgotten the art of capital letters.

For those of you who fall into this category, please take note of the following statement:  "Capitalization is the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse, and helping your uncle jack off a horse."
 
"Is everybody clear on that?"

How To Become A Tough-Guy Legend

On January 9th, a group of Pekin , Il bikers were riding west on I-74 when they saw a girl about to jump off a Peoria bridge, so they stopped.

The leader, George, a big burly man of 53, gets off his bike, walks through the gawkers, past the State Trooper, and says, "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to commit suicide," she says.

While he didn’t want to appear "sensitive," he didn't want to miss a be-a-legend opportunity either, so he asked ... "Well, before you jump, why don't you give me a kiss?"

So, with no hesitation at all, she leaned back over the railing and did just that ... And it was a long, deep, lingering kiss, followed immediately by another one.

After she's finished, George gets approval from his group, the onlookers, and even the State Trooper. Then he says, "Wow! That was the best kiss I have ever had, Honey! That's a real talent you are wasting, Sugar Shorts. You could be famous if you rode with me. Why are you committing suicide?"

She replied, "My parents don't like me dressing up like a girl"

The Real Trouble With the Birth-Control Mandate

BY JOHN H. COCHRANE

When the administration affirmed last month that church-affiliated employers must buy health insurance that covers birth control, the outcry was instant. Critics complained that certain institutions should be exempt as a matter of religious freedom. Although the ruling was meant to be final, presidential advisers said this week that the administration might look for a compromise.

Critics are missing the larger point. Why should the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) decree that any of us must pay for "insurance" that covers contraceptives?

Critics are missing the main point. There are good reasons that your car-insurance company doesn't add $100 to your premium and then cover oil changes.

Who Was That Guy?

As reporting by Bloomberg and ABC this week has made clear, the contraception mandate was fiercely opposed within the Administration, including by Vice President Joe Biden. The larger tragedy is that none of them objected to government health care, which will always take choices away from individuals and arrogate them to an infallible higher power in Washington.

Who was that guy who repeatedly claimed that if you like your health plan, you can keep your health plan?

Oh yeah, Obama.

Big Government Gets Bigger

BY ARTHUR B. LAFFER

After the 2008 election, Democrats controlled both houses of Congress and, of course, the presidency. They used that victory to push through an agenda as radical as any seen in this country since FDR—unprecedented deficit-financed stimulus spending, more regulations, a new health-care entitlement, etc.

In 2010, the Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives and seven Senate seats in a startling reversal of fortune. But instead of rethinking their agenda, Democrats in Washington have doubled down, marching in lock-step toward ever bigger government.

Pope Benedict's Message to U.S. Bishops

"It is imperative that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realize the grave threats to the Church's public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres."

~~ Benedict XVI

 Barack Obama = Radical Secularist

ObamaCare's Great Awakening

Obama tells religious believers to go to hell. The public notices.

The political furor over President Obama's birth-control mandate continues to grow, even among those for whom contraception poses no moral qualms, and one needn't be a theologian to understand why. The country is being exposed to the raw political control that is the core of the Obama health-care plan, and Americans are seeing clearly for the first time how this will violate pluralism and liberty.

Mr. Obama's allies among Catholic liberals are also professing shock—even the Catholic Health Association's Sister Carol Keehan, who lobbied for ObamaCare, and Notre Dame's Father John Jenkins, who invited Mr. Obama to speak on campus in 2009. But if they now claim they were taken for a ride by the secular left, the truth is that theywanted to be deceived in the name of their grander goal of government-enforced equity. The Catholic left was one of ObamaCare's great enablers.

This is also a teaching moment for Mitt Romney, who has joined the calls to defend "the right to worship in the way of our own choice," as he put it in a Colorado speech on Monday. "This is a violation of conscience. We must have a President who is willing to protect America's first right, our right to worship God," he added.

This is fine as far as it goes, but as usual the GOP front-runner is missing the larger policy and moral issue. The HHS diktat isn't something unique to President Obama. It is the political essence of government-run medicine. When politics determines who can or should receive what benefits, and who pays what for it, government will use its force to dictate the outcomes that it wants—either for reasons of cost, or to promote its values, which in this case means that "women's health" trumps religious conscience.

This is fine as far as it goes, but as usual the GOP front-runner is missing the larger policy and moral issue. The HHS diktat isn't something unique to President Obama. It is the political essence of government-run medicine. When politics determines who can or should receive what benefits, and who pays what for it, government will use its force to dictate the outcomes that it wants—either for reasons of cost, or to promote its values, which in this case means that "women's health" trumps religious conscience.

The White House is now trying to cauterize the political damage and saying it is open to some "compromise" on its own contraception decision. But the rule is already final. HHS tried to sell it as a compromise when it was announced, and in any case HHS would revive this coercion whenever it is politically convenient some time in Mr. Obama's second term. Religious liberty won't be protected from the entitlement state until ObamaCare is repealed.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204369404577209112780407698.html?mod=opinion_newsreel

Teachers' Union Chief: Life is Not Fair

Union chief with $300G-plus salary on school voucher debate: 'Life's not always fair'

A New Jersey teachers union chief whose salary tops $300,000 is under fire for saying in a recent interview that "life's not always fair" while arguing against vouchers to send poor students to private schools. 

New Jersey Education Association Executive Director Vincent Giordano made the comment on the local "New Jersey Capitol Report" program over the weekend. During the interview, he was challenged by the host on why low-income families should not have the same options as other families when their child is in a failing school. 

"Those parents should have exactly the same options and they do. We don't say that you can't take your kid out of the public school. We would argue not and we would say 'let's work more closely and more harmoniously,'" Giordano said. 

 When told some families cannot afford to finance the shift to private school without government help, Giordano said: "Well, you know, life's not always fair and I'm sorry about that." 

The interview clip swiftly spread on the web, along with reminders about Giordano's healthy salary. 

The Newark Star-Ledger reported in 2010 that his salary was nearly $422,000, and total compensation roughly $550,000 when deferred compensation and other benefits are counted. 

NJEA spokesman Steve Baker, though, said those reports are not accurate. He said the director's salary is "in the three-hundred thousands, and the low three-hundred thousands." 

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/08/union-chief-with-over-300g-salary-on-voucher-debate-lifes-not-always-fair/#ixzz1loIzuz7L

Is It Fair?

By STEPHEN MOORE

President Obama has frequently justified his policies—and judged their outcomes—in terms of equity, justice and fairness. That raises an obvious question: How does our existing system—and his own policy record—stack up according to those criteria?

Is it fair that the richest 1% of Americans pay nearly 40% of all federal income taxes, and the richest 10% pay two-thirds of the tax?

Is it fair that the richest 10% of Americans shoulder a higher share of their country's income-tax burden than do the richest 10% in every other industrialized nation, including socialist Sweden?

Is it fair that American corporations pay the highest statutory corporate tax rate of all other industrialized nations but Japan, which cuts its rate on April 1?

Is it fair that President Obama sends his two daughters to elite private schools that are safer, better-run, and produce higher test scores than public schools in Washington, D.C.—but millions of other families across America are denied that free choice and forced to send their kids to rotten schools?

Is it fair that Americans who build a family business, hire workers, reinvest and save their money—paying a lifetime of federal, state and local taxes often climbing into the millions of dollars—must then pay an additional estate tax of 35% (and as much as 55% when the law changes next year) when they die, rather than passing that money onto their loved ones?

Is it fair that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, former Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel and other leading Democrats who preach tax fairness underpaid their own taxes?

Is it fair that after the first three years of Obamanomics, the poor are poorer, the poverty rate is rising, the middle class is losing income, and some 5.5 million fewer Americans have jobs today than in 2007?

Is it fair that roughly 88% of political contributions from supposedly impartial network television reporters, producers and other employees in 2008 went to Democrats?

Is it fair that the three counties with America's highest median family income just happen to be located in the Washington, D.C., metro area?

Is it fair that wind, solar and ethanol producers get billions of dollars of subsidies each year and pay virtually no taxes, while the oil and gas industry—which provides at least 10 times as much energy—pays tens of billions of dollars of taxes while the president complains that it is "subsidized"?

Is it fair that those who work full-time jobs (and sometimes more) to make ends meet have to pay taxes to support up to 99 weeks of unemployment benefits for those who don't work?

Is it fair that those who took out responsible mortgages and pay them each month have to see their tax dollars used to subsidize those who acted recklessly, greedily and sometimes deceitfully in taking out mortgages they now can't afford to repay?

Is it fair that thousands of workers won't have jobs because the president sided with environmentalists and blocked the shovel-ready Keystone XL oil pipeline?

Is it fair that some of Mr. Obama's largest campaign contributors received federal loan guarantees on their investments in renewable energy projects that went bust?

Is it fair that federal employees receive benefits that are nearly 50% higher than those of private-sector workers whose taxes pay their salaries, according to the Congressional Budget Office?

Is it fair that soon almost half the federal budget will take income from young working people and redistribute it to old non-working people, even though those over age 65 are already among the wealthiest Americans?

Is it fair that in 27 states workers can be compelled to join a union in order to keep their jobs?

Is it fair that nearly four out of 10 American households now pay no federal income tax at all—a number that has risen every year under Mr. Obama?

Is it fair that Boeing, a private company, was threatened by a federal agency when it sought to add jobs in a right-to-work state rather than in a forced-union state?

Is it fair that our kids and grandkids and great-grandkids—who never voted for Mr. Obama—will have to pay off the $5 trillion of debt accumulated over the past four years, without any benefits to them?