Video: How big media partners with left-wing blogs

HT: HotAir

In France: A Boycott of Israel by Theft

I kid you not. And no authorities to be found anywhere to boot:

HT: DrewM over at Ace of Spades, who adds:

In a sickeningly appropriate twist, this little display of hate is right around the corner from a Nazi era deportation depot for Jews. Never again or something.

This incident reminds me...it's almost time for Youths of Undetermined Ethnic and Religious Origin Car Burning season.

UPDATE: HotAir posted a version with English subtitles:

Obama Wants To Cut 121 Programs - Media Ignores That Half Are Military

Yet another example of media bias, on several fronts today. First, this piece from the Detroit Free Press: Obama wants to cut or end 121 programs.

Uh - isn't cutting and ending the same thing? President Barack Obama plans to unveil today a fiscal 2010 budget full of details on his plans to save as much as $17 billion by cutting — and in some cases ending — 121 government programs.

The goal, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said, is “identifying and ending programs that are unneeded and don’t work.”

About half the savings would come from nonmilitary programs. Major cuts would include ending the Even Start program, which promotes family literacy, as well as a mine cleanup effort and the Education Department’s Paris attache.

Note that at this point the media just can't bring itself to say that half the cuts are to military programs. This is about as dishonest of a paragraph as you will see from the MSM. Later on, via Memorandum, the $3.4 trillion budget was revealed along with the relatively minuscule $17 billion in cuts, half of which come from the military. And therein lies more bias. Most major publications are not asking why only $17 billion is being cut as out national budget deficit goes through the roof this very year. Remember this graphic from the CBO?Which, by the way, is BAD! $17 billion wouldn't even be seen on the above graph without coke-bottle glasses. So much for "restoring a sense of responsibility" that Obama promised:

Ed Morrissey had a few comments about this over at HotAir:

Well, Barack Obama is a man of his word. (All right, all right, stop laughing.) According to the Associated Press, Obama has finished scouring the budget — and has found a whopping 0.5% of the budget to trim.

Apparently, we were all wrong. 99.5% of the federal budget is meat, and Obama found all the fat in that $17 billion. Just to remind everyone, $17 billion comprises just 4.25% of the increase in the federal budget under Obama. It amounts to somewhere around 2.2% of Porkulus. Obama just signed an omnibus spending bill that cost $410 billion, against which the cuts are about 4.25% as well. The pork-barrel line items in the omnibus spending plan alone amounted to almost half of what Obama just cut ($7.7 billion). And just to emphasize the point, the $17 billion amounts to 0.85% of 2009’s deficit, and only 1.7% of the lowest deficit projected by the Obama administration in any of the next ten years.

Oh SNAP! Gateway Pundit chimes in as well:

President Barack Obama proposed to cut almost $17 billion in programs, including tax breaks for oil and gas companies, while at the same time seeking an $81 billion increase for his socialist agenda. House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) urged the President to do far more than the “tiny amount” of cuts McClatchy News reports the Administration is highlighting adding regardless of the Democrats’ claims on “eliminating waste,” their budget spends too much, it taxes too much, and it borrows too much.

Yes it does.

International Auto Show May Be Coming To Novi, MI

The push continues. From the DetNews today: Mike Bishop works on auto show legislation for Novi move.

A leading Michigan legislator is working on draft legislation that would pave the way for the North American International Auto Show to move from Detroit to the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi.

Citing millions in revenue the event brings to the region, Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, confirmed he is in fact working on a bill, Matt Marsden, his press secretary, said. ...

Bishop's stated intentions come days after officials of the auto show, the Novi facility and Oakland County met to discuss the possibility of transferring the auto show to Novi for 2011. ...

The Detroit Auto Dealers Association has committed to keeping the auto show at Cobo next year, but Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson has said he's open to bringing it to the suburbs thereafter if a suitable location is found.

It would be a far better place to take my kids versus going all the way downtown only to be gouged by parking nazis. It's against the law to jack up parking rates in Detroit for special events, but they do it anyway. I haven't taken my kids to the auto show in a few years now. Should it move to Novi, I'll have all my kids with me.

Conyers Sabotaged Her Seat, Now Wants To Fight To Keep It

Figures. When Kwame Kilpatrick resigned in disgrace, the Detroit City Council President, Ken Cockrel Jr., automatically ascended to fill the mayor's post until an election could be called. With that ascension, Conyers in turn became the Detroit City Council President, a post she used to embarass temporary Mayor Cockrel with the Cobo debacle that likely cost Cockrel the mayor post as Dave Bing won the special election, thereby in turn returning Cockrel to the Presidency of teh Detroit City Council and displacing Conyers. In Essence, Monica Conyers has been her own worst problem.

This, of course, doesn't sit well with Conyers. From the Detroit Free Press: Conyers gears up for a fight over control of Detroit City Council.

As Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. prepares to return to the Detroit City Council as its president, as stipulated by the city charter, current council President Monica Conyers is saying: not so fast.

She told local TV news media that "the charter only speaks to succession forward, it doesn't speak to what happens if the mayor happens to come back. ... That is something council is looking into, but we'll see what happens."

The Detroit News has a related article: Conyers gives conflicting signals on ceding Detroit City Council presidency.

Despite sounding like she wouldn't challenge Kenneth Cockrel Jr.'s return to City Council as its president after losing the mayoral special election, Conyers told a television station Wednesday she's asked the council's research arm to look into the issue.

However, council officials on Wednesday said they received no request. At Bing's victory party Tuesday night, Conyers said she'd return to mayor pro-tem behind Cockrel.

"All (Conyers) has to do is read the charter and she'll get it right," said Cockrel, who has been a target for Conyers' outbursts.

The Council saga continues. Is Conyers ready to give Detroit yet another black eye? Maybe she can pull the race card again and claim that Cockrel, who is also black, gets his seat back because of racism. Won't make any sense, but that has been the modus operondi for this moonbat.UPDATE: The freep has more this afternoon: Conyers, Cockrel trade jabs in encounter.

Detroit City Council President Monica Conyers appears increasingly serious about trying to prevent outgoing Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. from bumping her out of the top spot on council once Mayor-elect Dave Bing is sworn in.

Just after 11 this morning, Bing, Cockrel and Conyers arrived at the employee entrance to City Hall at the same time. The three exchanged pleasantries.

Then as Bing and Cockrel prepared to ride up the executive elevator to the mayor’s office, Cockrel recognized someone he knew in the lobby and went to say hello. Bing went up the elevator.

While Cockrel and Conyers waited for the elevator, the two initially exchanged polite banter and Cockrel said something about needing to make preparation to move his materials from the mayor’s office to the council president’s office. It wasn’t clear what Conyers said, but she apparently again suggested she might fight the loss of the council president’s job, based on what Cockrel said next.

“There’s nothing to argue,” he said.

Conyers responded, “Well, maybe you should read that then,” an apparent reference to the City Charter, which she has been saying provides no guidance about whether Cockrel returns to the council president post.

Getting curiouser and curiouser...

Welfare Recipients Get Free Cars In Massachusetts

Talk about hitting the jackpot! From the Boston Herald via drudge: Free cars for poor fuel road rage.

Gov. Deval Patrick’s free wheels for welfare recipients program is revving up despite the stalled economy, as the keys to donated cars loaded with state-funded insurance, repairs and even AAA membership are handed out to get them to work.

But the program - fueled by a funding boost despite the state’s fiscal crash - allows those who end up back on welfare to keep the cars anyway.

“It’s mind-boggling. You’ve got people out there saying, ‘I just lost my job. Hey, can I get a free car, too?’ ” said House Minority Leader Brad Jones (R-North Reading).

...20 percent of those who received a car ended up back on welfare, and while they lose the insurance and other benefits, they don’t have to return the car.

You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me. Governor Deval Patrick, by the way, was a most appropos keynote speaker at the annual MI Democrat Party dinner last month. Why the appropriateness of this particular speaker, you might ask? Well, here's a recent (March 9) headline from The Boston Herald: Gov. Deval Patrick ratings sink like a stone. From that piece:

Gov. Deval Patrick’s ratings appear to have taken a serious nosedive following months of tax hike announcements...

Roughly 68 percent of the 600 people questioned in the poll say they are dissatisfied with Patrick’s job as governor. That’s up 21 points from a poll in January.

Gee - what could possibly be driving down the ratings so much???

UPDATE: Memorandum has a link-around on the topic, including Gateway Pundit.

CDC: Number of wireless-only households at all-time high

More than a year ago, my wife and I sat down and went through our budget. In essence, we went Galt on as much as could be spared. One of the best decisions that we made back then was getting rid of our land line entirely and go with just cell phones. We had already switched from AT&T to Vonage, but why pay for a land line when we both have cell phones? Well, the fax was an issue, but I ended up going with a web-based fax service for $10 per month and love it! So we went from paying about $65 to AT&T (phone + fax) to about $40 with Vonage (phone + fax) to $10 for the online fax service with no land line whatsoever. Even better, we still use our wireless home phone headsets through bluetooth with our cell phones, which is a huge convenience. Ironically, we went with an AT&T offering for linking up our cell phones to the home headsets:Sometimes the bluetooth needs to be reset, but other than that, it's been better than Vonage was. Looks like we're not the only ones that have kicked the land line to the curb. The CDC data points to ever-increasing cell phone-only households. And why not? It makes sense financially and at least I haven't seen a downside to it.

The Silicon Valley Mercury News reports:

We're by no means a wireless nation yet, but with a push from the recession, for the first time American homes with cell phones but no landline outnumbered those with landlines but no wireless devices.

The crossover occurred in the last half of 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with a nearly 3 percentage point jump in wireless-only households in the second half of 2008. The CDC released the new data on American cell phone usage Wednesday.

Just over 20 percent of American homes are cell phone-only now, while 17 percent of households have landlines but no cell phones. About 60 percent have both, and 1.9 percent have no phone at all.

About a quarter of the households with both types of phone service are "mostly wireless," making calls on cell phones and using landlines only for computers and faxes.

The jump in wireless-only households is the largest six-month increase the center has recorded since it began collecting the data in 2003, said Stephen J. Blumberg, a CDC health scientist and the author of the study.

The cell phone-only group still lags behind Europe, where in some countries half the population is cell phone-only.

"There is no evidence that the growth in the wireless-only population is slowing down," Blumberg said. "If anything, it may be increasing right now." He said he "wouldn't be surprised if we're (at European wireless levels) in five, maybe 10 years."

The trend is looking pretty darned linear as far as I can tell. I wouldn't doubt it that the current recession has added a lot more cell-only households just this year. Of course, with the pace of the CDC, we won't be purvey to that information until next year. That's government for you...

I searched through Google to see who was up on this and Ace of Spades seemed to be the only one who had something unique to say on it. I didn't see this when I first read through the Mercury News piece, but Ace is correct on this: Mission creep at the CDC. Says Purple Avenger:

The CDC is starting to look like the commerce clause in the US Constitution - bent, folded, spindled, and mutilated.

If Obama and Congress want to save a few bucks, maybe they should look into getting the CDC back on target and leave this sort of "study" to outfits like Gartner, and all the various pollsters.

It was bad enough with all the faked up firearms shit they wasted money on - even those could quasi-understood if you put your tin foil hat on, took a big gulp of left wing KookAid, and squinted your eyes a bit after gobbling 10 hits of blotter acid.

But, cell phone usage? Please...

Indeed...

UPDATE: The system we have at home, pictured above, is the AT&T TL92328 Dect 6.0 Bluetooth Enabled Cordless Phone.

Video: Strong Whirlwind Rolls Through Little League Game

If my kids saw this, half of them would poop their pants on the spot. But they wouldn't take their eyes off of it either. We just watched Twister a few weeks ago...

HT: RightWingVideo

Confidence! Computer hard drive sold on eBay 'had details of top secret U.S. missile defense system'

Hard drives need not be resold. They need to be destroyed. What these drives are doing on the secondary market is beyond me. From the U.K. Mail Online:

Highly sensitive details of a US military missile air defence system were found on a second-hand hard drive bought on eBay.

The test launch procedures were found on a hard disk for the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defence) ground to air missile defence system, used to shoot down Scud missiles in Iraq.

The disk also contained security policies, blueprints of facilities and personal information on employees including social security numbers, belonging to technology company Lockheed Martin - who designed and built the system.

British researchers found the data while studying more than 300 hard disks bought at computer auctions, computer fairs and eBay.

The experts also uncovered other sensitive information including bank account details, medical records, confidential business plans, financial company data, personal id numbers, and job descriptions.

This ought to instill confidence that our government knows exactly what it is doing in terms of security. Groan...

HT: drudge

UPDATE: Memorandum has a link-around.

Because Public Schools Need This: GAY DAY!

It used to be that public schools taught math, reading, writing, then history, art and the like. They had a core mission to educate the kids. No longer. The core mission has changed, and not for the better. From WND today: 'Gay' day coming to California public schools?

A California committee passed a bill proclaiming that the state's public school children will take a break from learning every year to celebrate Harvey Milk – a homosexual icon considered by some to be "a martyr for gay rights."

The California State Senate Education Committee passed SB 572 today on a 7-2 vote. The bill encourages all California public schools to "conduct suitable commemorative exercises … remembering the life of Harvey Milk and recognizing his accomplishments as well as the contributions he made to this state."

It requires no parental consent for student participation.

"If signed into law, SB 572 will mean an official day commemorating homosexuality, bisexuality, and transsexuality in California government schools, without parental permission," said Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com, which has been generating citizen phone calls and e-mails against SB 572.

"It's absurd that government schools teach children not to smoke or use drugs, yet would teach children as young as kindergarten that homosexuality is good and healthy and maybe even for them.

The whole thing is troubling, but perhaps most so is the aspect of doing this without parental permission. Such is the liberal thinking. They know better what's best for the kids than the parents. This is just another example of why we need a parental right amendment, which is being championed by Michigan's own Pete Hoekstra. Why such an amendment is necessary should send a chill up everyone's spine, as both the U.S. and State Constitution do not give these bureaucrats any right to do these things. Then again, when has that ever stopped a liberal before?

-He alone, who owns the youth, gains the Future - Adolf Hitler, 1935

Coming To A State Near You: Islam Day! Threesome Marriage Too!

I kid you not. The politicians in Hawaii of all places is pushing this through. From the AP via Yahoo! News via HotAir: Hawaii lawmakers back the creation of 'Islam Day.'

Hawaii's state Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill Wednesday to celebrate "Islam Day" — over the objections of a few lawmakers who said they didn't want to honor a religion connected to Sept. 11, 2001.

The Senate's two Republicans argued that a minority of Islamic extremists have killed many innocents in terrorist attacks.

"I recall radical Islamists around the world cheering the horrors of 9/11. That is the day all civilized people of all religions should remember," said Republican Sen. Fred Hemmings to the applause of more than 100 people gathered in the Senate to oppose a separate issue — same-sex civil unions.

The resolution to proclaim Sept. 24, 2009, as Islam Day passed the Senate on a 22-3 vote. It had previously passed the House.

I'm shock, SHOCKED I SAY! They actually have 2 Republicans in the Hawaiian Senate? Were they political affirmative action appointments or something? And those that oppose same-sex civil unions have bigger fish to fry as this story regarding Hawaii is hitting the blogosphere: Threesome marriage! Why not just open marriage and let the PETA types marry animals already? (Vulgarity in the video. You've been warned)

UPDATE: Memorandum has links to the Islam story, including Atlas Shrugs.

UPDATE#2: Memorandum has a link-around on the threesome marriages as well.

UPDATE #3: Fausta's Blog has a good take on the marriage issue:

Moral arguments aside, I can not for the life of me, begin to imagine why anyone would want to make a lifetime commitment to TWO, not one, simultaneous spouses. Images of endless whiiiiiny arguments at the dinning table come to mind.

Look, if everybody involved is
a. twenty-one years or older
b. acting of their own free will and not coerced
c. there is no violence
d. making sure their financial assets are protected
e. there are no children involved
and you want to indulge in whatever perversion floats your boat, that’s your decision.

Just don’t call it marriage.

UPDATE #4: American Power is on the story as well.

Detroit Free Press Admits That Granholm Tax Increases Are Responsible For Budget Mess

The editorial today didn't suggest lowering taxes even as Michigan is losing population and revenues are down. But at least they didn't advocate for tax increases. Take that next step, guys and gals! You know - the whole "live withing your means" argument that we protested for through the tea party movement. Anyway, it's a baby step in realizing the truth. Maybe. From the freep editorial today: Consider revising, not raising, taxes.

There may be a better tax structure for Michigan. Certainly there could be a simpler one. But this is no time to raise taxes in Michigan. This is rather the time to adjust state government to serve a Michigan with fewer people and less money.

Oh so close! Almost slipped and said "reduce the size of government to match the population." More:

...state tax revenues are expected to fall 23.5% this year, a drop not seen since the Great Depression -- interest is being spurred by hope in some quarters of raising taxes to sustain government as it is, which is not necessarily how it ought to be. State taxes were increased about $1.5 billion last year, which got us where we are -- cutting spending and commandeering up to $1 billion in federal stimulus funds to balance the books.

Granholm is open to tax changes but insists they be "revenue neutral," poli-speak for no added dollars from the people of Michigan.

This might be the very first instance, to the best of my knowledge, of the freep admitting that Granholm's tax increase just the other year got us to this point. Although they peg the increase at $1.5 billion, they do not take compliance costs into account, which would push the number up to around $1.75 billion, if not more. And "revenue neutral" isn't newspeak for 'no added dollars.' It's newspeak for 'stealth additional tax.' As I pointed out some time ago in a prior post dealing with a change in the gas tax (More tax increases on the way in Michigan? But... the Governor promised!), Granholm was caught with this:

Granholm said she wants the new tax to be "revenue neutral" at the start -- meaning it wouldn't increase taxes right away.

A play on words, no? But in the end, it's not revenue neutral - it's a tax increase! The freep goes on to make a mountain out of a mole-hill - basically running a pep rally for Granholm:

After Tuesday's guillotine-like approval by legislative committees of the latest $304 million in budget cuts proposed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, there was renewed talk in Lansing about overhauling the state's tax structure.

"Guillotine-like?" Let's see, we have a $1,320 million budget hole and the Governor cuts $300 miliion. Am I missing something here? Incidentally, Jack McHugh just wrote a post exposing that same dishonesty: “Draconian” $304 million budget cut is 1.05 percent of state revenue. Just a few snippets from that post:

The $304 million amounts to 1.05 percent of state revenue from state sources, which is around $28.9 billion.

Question: If you had to cut 1.05 percent or 4.5 percent from your family budget would it really be a life-altering hardship?

It is said by some that this oversimplifies, and that it really is hard to cut the budget. It’s not hard. You just have to be willing to think outside the box and reject, “But that’s not the way we’ve done it in the past!” If you are willing, then here’s how to cut $1.9 billion.

That link, by the way, takes you to one of Jack's post back in 2007, where there were these suggestions (more at the link):

• Adopt the Hay Group report recommendations on rationalizing public school health insurance, including requiring co-pays and preferred provider networks. This could save: $422 million.
• According to a Rio Grande Foundation report, if 5 percent of prisoners are placed in privately-managed prisons, the state saves 14 percent on overall prison spending because government-managed prisons have an incentive to "sharpen their pencils." Savings: $192 million.
• Cut transit funding in half. By eliminating protectionist regulations that restrict alternatives, empty buses driven by public employee union members can be replaced by private sector innovations like jitneys, commercial van pools, "call-and-ride" services, car-sharing and more. This will improve service for transit users at a much lower cost: $112 million.
• The state spends almost $15 billion on Medicaid and welfare, more than $6 billion of which is from state taxes and fees. Medicaid in particular is a command-and-control monstrosity rife with perverse incentives. Reforming it in ways that give recipients an incentive to economize and take better care of themselves could save hundreds of millions of dollars, while actually giving recipients greater freedom and choice. If just 1.6 percent of the expense in these two programs could be reduced in this way, the state would save: $240 million.
• Thousands of private sector workers have given back painful wage and benefit concessions to save their jobs. The average state employee receives salary and benefits worth nearly $75,000, compared to approximately $58,000 in the private sector. Comparisons of specific job classifications produce similar comparisons. State workers should be grateful for their much greater job security and benefits, and more than willing to assume some of the burden through concessions. $300 million.
  

There are many more, but those are the ones that stuck out to me - partly due to the big savings. Just those almost by themselves plug the current hole - permanently. Of course, that's not the modus operindi of the Granholm administration. She is spreading around pain instead to both poison the "shrink government" movement as well as make further cuts unpalatable. Hopefully, most Michigan taxpayers are on to the ploy. The State needs to live within its means. The public sector works for the public, not the other way around!

John Edwards' Mistress Demands DNA Test For Baby

In 2007, the Democrat party here in Michigan had a most apropos keynote speaker in one John Edwards. The "two Americas" John Edwards. The same John Edwards who was cheating on his terminally-ill cancer-stricken wife, knocked up his mistress, all the while she (the wife) was out campaigning for him in her condition. THAT John Edwards.

As if there's really a question of paternity at this point. You kind of get the feeling that promises were made and (surprise, surprise) not kept. What makes this story newsworthy (and I guess blogworthy), is the political aspect in that the MSM didn't report the original affair and were embarrassingly scooped by the National Enquirer! It's exhibit 'A' for liberal media bias. From that rag mag:

Rielle Hunter - the longtime secret lover of the disgraced 2-time presidential candidate - wants definitive proof that Edwards is the father of her 14-month-old love child Frances and is working with a lawyer to take legal action, say sources.

The blonde divorcee - who gave birth in February 2008 - was slammed in the explosive new book Resilience written by the ex-senator's cancer-stricken wife Elizabeth.

The ENQUIRER was the first to expose the extramarital affair in 2007, and Rielle's sudden move to determine paternity is a clear signal that she is no longer willing to protect the philandering politician, who still has not admitted that he's the father of her baby. Edwards recently confirmed he's also the subject of a federal probe into possible campaign funds misuse in paying off hush money to Hunter.

Elizabeth Edwards was on Oprah not long ago and it was rumored that a condition of her appearance was that Hunter's name not even be uttered. Yikes!

HT: Conservativegrapevine, memorandum, drudge

Detroit News: Cap-And-Trade NO! Carbon Tax YES!

That's pretty much the gist of the editorial today out of the DetNews. Because - you know - ruining our economy with a complicated system of allowances and trades is far too complicated to explain to the average American oaf who will see their electric bill skyrocket by up to $1,400 annually. Much easier to just tax them into the ground so that "he'll know, HE'LL KNOW, that it is I, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, who encompasses his doom!" Er - or something like that. Anyway, from today's editorial:

The cap-and-trade idea is of questionable effectiveness, while a direct carbon tax is easily understood, easy to apply and would be effective in bringing down our carbon dioxide emissions.

In fact, a carbon tax is probably the only approach that will work. But our nation needs a carbon tax that won't hurt the economy.

Uh - is Michael Schneider suffering from the swine flu while writing this piece? How would taxing every form of energy we use not hurt our economy? And work as far as what? Non-existent global warming while we're freezing over here? He goes on:

Fortunately, this is easily done. All fuel and energy should be taxed directly according to their associated carbon emissions.

The net annual proceeds from taxing individuals would then be returned by providing an equal income tax credit to everyone.

Let me get this straight:

Well, not so equal if you keep reading:

With this system, people and businesses who are average in their consumption of energy would see no change in their net taxes.

They'd pay more at the pump, but get it all back as an income tax credit.

Consumers who are more energy efficient than average would see their net taxes decrease, while high consumers of carbon-based energy would pay more.

So it's a carbon-redistribution scheme, transferring wealth from producers to non-producers by means of yet another refundable tax credit this time based on energy usage. By the way, Schneider didn't come up with this idea. Climate kook James Hansen did, as was reported just yesterday by WUWT: Jim Hansen calls Cap and Trade the “Temple of Doom”. When Al Gore's BFF is coming up with your ideas, it's best to run away!

Obama's SCOTUS Checklist

This is what I do when my kids are doing their homework:Making the possession of fireworks or sparklers a felony was too large to fit in. Oh well...

Giant Spider Invade Australian Town

When my wife and I were in Australia some years ago, one piece of information I kept from her, until after the trip, was the number of dangerous creepy-crawlers there. It seemed that any list in any book in any Australian book shop had dangerous critters. The top 10 deadliest snakes list was populated with Australian species. Top 10 deadliest spiders as well. Heck - even the platypus that we saw on a walkabout is deadly as it has poison spurs in its hind legs.

One of the more disconserting things my wife saw around the Cairnes region (pronounced "cans" by the locals), was a gigantic spider feasting on a small bird. Luckily, she didn't see the one in this FoxNews story:

Australia is known around the world for its large and deadly creepy-crawlies, but even locals have been shocked by the size of the giant venomous spiders that have invaded an Outback town in Queensland.

Scores of eastern tarantulas, which are known as "bird-eating spiders" and can grow larger than the palm of a man's hand, have begun crawling out from gardens and venturing into public spaces in Bowen, a coastal town about 700 miles northwest of Brisbane.

We were nowhere near the region in question, but such a specimen would be a sight to behold. Back here in Michigan, I take my kids to some of the local nature centers, one in particular with a Goliath Tarantula. It's quite a specimen. Mice are a favorite for feeding time:

"Hand of Hope" Baby Turns 10 Later This Year

This picture got ginormous press back in the day. NARAL and planned parenthood were not happy about it either:I saw this over in the 'Features & Faces' section of FoxNews, which is normally full of celebrity stories that I tend not to post much about. Why this story was in that section is beyond me, but anyway, from FoxNews: Ten Years Later, Boy's 'Hand of Hope' Continues to Spark Debate.

Nearly 10 years after a stunning photograph of his tiny hand traveled the world, Samuel Armas has a firm grip on what "The Hand of Hope" means to him.

"When I see that picture, the first thing I think of is how special and lucky I am to have God use me that way," Samuel told FOXNews.com. "I feel very thankful that I was in that picture."

On Aug. 19, 1999, photographer Michael Clancy shot the "Fetal Hand Grasp" — his picture of a 21-week-old fetus grasping a doctor's finger during innovative surgery to correct spina bifida. Nearly four months later, on Dec. 2, Samuel Armas was "born famous."

The photo, which first appeared in USA Today on Sept. 7, 1999, quickly spread across the globe as proof of development in the womb and was later cited during congressional debates on the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, which passed in 2000.

"It's just a miracle picture, a miracle moment," Clancy told FOXNews.com. "It shows the earliest human interaction ever recorded."

Samuel, now 9 and living in Villa Rica, Ga., said the photo likely gave countless "babies their right to live" and forced many others to debate their beliefs on abortion, something he's proud of.

Obama, asked about the picture's impact on life, said that the answer is above his pay grade. Nah, just kidding. Who in the MSM would ever ask him such a question? Here's what Sam looks like now:

So he's a Christian and a Boy Scout. So thrice a domestic extremist (also apparently anti-abortion). Sam better watch out as he just popped up on the DHS radar. Better get a look at the picture now before the White House classifies them like the Air Force One flyover pics over NYC. The article goes on:

"It's very important to me," Samuel said of the photograph. "A lot of babies would've lost their lives if that didn't happen."

Julie Armas, Samuel's mother, said her eldest son has a "very strong sense of right and wrong" and understands the impact of his unconventional first baby photo.

"He identifies it more in terms of a pro-life message more than anything," she told FOXNews.com. "This photo happened and God used it to show people that this baby in mom's tummy is alive. He's pleased that his photo conveyed that message."

The photographer of that picture by the way, was pro-choice but then switched to being pro-life and is in fact an activist now:

Clancy, who was a freelancer for USA Today when he photographed Samuel's fully-formed hand, now works as a motivational speaker at pro-life events. Prior to the picture, Clancy said, he was pro-choice.

"And that's what I'm going to do, keep telling this story," he said. "It can change people's hearts. What started off as an assignment turned into a responsibility to keep telling the story behind it."

A crucial part of the story, Clancy argues, is whether Samuel reached through the 8-inch opening in his mother's uterus and grabbed Dr. Joseph Bruner's hand, or if the doctor manipulated the hand during surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee.

"I could see the uterus shake violently and then this little fist came out of the surgical opening," Clancy recalls. "It came out under its own power. When Dr. Bruner lifted the little hand, I fired my camera and the tighter Samuel squeezed, the harder Dr. Bruner shook his hand."

Who would be so much of a ghoul as to dismiss that baby as not worthy of life? Well, I know at least one person:

Pic of The Day - The King Of Detroit

HT: moonbattery

Can we just throw The One in with W in a big arena? Two men enter, one man leaves? I'd put my money on W any day...

Gay Marriage Opponent Topless Photo Leaked By The MSM

Shocked, SHOCKED I say!HT: IowaHawk via Ace of Spades. Ace adds:

The nipples have been covered, but pretty much otherwise you can see everything.

I don't know what they're talking about -- those boobs like flawed enough to be perfectly natural. A little runty and saggy, really. Not the perfectly sculpted specimens I'd heard so much about.

Dumb b****, allowing a photo like that to be taken.

Bwahahahahaha...

Irony: Red Cross says U.S. airraiding villages and killing civilians

I kid you not. The irony stems from Obama's own words. Via Instapundit:

From the AP via the Detroit News:

The international Red Cross confirmed Wednesday that civilians were found in graves and rubble where Afghan officials alleged U.S. bombs had killed dozens. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Washington "deeply, deeply" regretted the loss of innocent life.

Women and children were among the bodies in two villages targeted by airstrikes, the International Committee of the Red Cross reported Wednesday, after sending a team to the district. The U.S. military sent a brigadier general to the region to investigate.

A former Afghan government official said up to 120 people died in the bombing Monday evening.

Says Glenn:

But the antiwar movement isn’t showing the degree of moral grandstanding that it showed when Bush was President. This I-told-you-so from Moe Lane is worth repeating.

Yes it is.

Is Denise Richards A Worse Singer Than Rosanne Barr?

Via TrogloPundit, here is Denise Richards verbally running fingers along the chalkboard:

As compared to Rosanne:

Yikes. It's so hard! They're both so bad! That being said, I'm with Trog - I'll take Richards any day...

UPDATE: Welcome Instapundit readers! Have a look around before ya leave, eh?

College Student Shoots, Kills Intruder - Saves 11 Lives

Reason #2,345,791 that we need the 2nd Amendment unfettered by judicial or legislative fiat. From WSBTV in Georgia reports:

A group of college students said they are lucky to be alive and they’re thanking the quick-thinking of one of their own. Police said a fellow student shot and killed one of two masked me who burst into an apartment.

Channel 2 Action News reporter Tom Jones met with one of the students to talk about the incident.

“Apparently, his intent was to rape and murder us all,” said student Charles Bailey.

Bailey said he thought it was the end of his life and the lives of the 10 people inside his apartment for a birthday party after two masked men with guns burst in through a patio door.

“They just came in and separated the men from the women and said, ‘Give me your wallets and cell phones,’” said George Williams of the College Park Police Department.

Bailey said the gunmen started counting bullets. “The other guy asked how many (bullets) he had. He said he had enough,” said Bailey.

That’s when one student grabbed a gun out of a backpack and shot at the invader who was watching the men. The gunman ran out of the apartment.

The student then ran to the room where the second gunman, identified by police as 23-year-old Calvin Lavant, was holding the women.

“Apparently the guy was getting ready to rape his girlfriend. So he told the girls to get down and he started shooting. The guy jumped out of the window,” said Bailey.

He was found later just one building away. The other guy is still on the loose but police said they are close to nabbing him. Had this student not had a gun, the girls would have been raped, and everyone at that party murdered in cold blood. THIS is why we need the right to bear arms! Pundette says:

If this gets any national media attention who knows what the msm will do to this hero. By this afternoon we may learn that Charles Bailey didn't have a permit, wasn't a real student, and is hardly ever called Charles.*

*Correction: Sorry - I jumped to the conclusion that Charles Bailey, the student interviewed for this story, was the hero. It doesn't look that way. So far, he's unnamed in the reports. (But my Joe the Plumber analogy is still clever, right?) I'll update when the student's name is released.

Actually, it was clever, P! HT: memorandum for the story, The Jawa Report for the pic of the best type of attempted rapist/murderer - a dead one.HT: moonbattery for the visual

A Bad Economic Model: Children's Author Soliciting Support For Planned Parenthood - On MOTHERS DAY!!!

Talk about killing your own audience! Wouldn't this be like Gerber giving cash to George "Baby Killer" Tiller? The Black Panthers giving money to the KKK? NAMBLA soliciting money for James Dobson's Focus on the Family? Cats supporting dogs? Autobots making replacement parts for Decepticons? Atreides sending weapons to the Harkonnen? Romulans and Klingons taking long, hot showers together to the wee hours of the morning? Anyway, from LifeNews comes the ghoulish story of the day: Children's Author Judy Blume Seeks Donations to Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz.

Famous children's author Judy Blume is no stranger to controversy, but she's added to herself to a list of people who will be remember for something more devastating. Blume has lent her name the solicitation of donations for Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business.

In a new missive ironically celebrating mothers day, Blume suggests sending a donation to the pro-abortion group to honor mothers.

"Say thanks this Mother's Day with a gift that honors her courage by making a donation to Planned Parenthood in her name. I guarantee you that she'll be pleased. I know I would be,' Blume writes.

"There is no organization that I know of that supports motherhood and all that it means more than Planned Parenthood. That's why I'm honoring moms everywhere with my gift to Planned Parenthood today," Blume adds.

Because nothing says "Happy Mothers Day!" like a cash gift to the local butcher shop that fillets babies in the womb while still conscious. How ghoulish is this?

Obama: Gays At Easter YES! National Day Of Prayer NO!

Picking winners and losers as usual. Just got the winner/loser thing reversed or something. I had just written a post regarding Obama's snubbing/boycotting of the National Day of Prayer, a day where many Christians will undoubtedly pray for Obama in obedience to God's Word. After I wrote the post, I was thinking and it came to me that Obama made no such boycott on Easter, but did do things differently. I searched around and sure enough found story after story on what I had remembered: White House Invites Gay Families to Easter Event.

The White House is allocating tickets for the upcoming Easter Egg Roll to gay and lesbian families as part of the Obama administration's outreach to diverse communities.

Families say the gesture shows that the new Democratic administration values them as equal to other families. And for many, being included in the annual tradition — dating to 1878 — renews hope that they will have more support in their quest for equal rights in matters such as marriage and adoption than under the previous administration.

Apparently, Christians are not considered 'diverse' enough or something. So gay agenda YES! Christian agenda NO! Winner. Losers.

UPDATE: Memorandum has a link-around.

Obama To Snub National Day Of Prayer!

Not that this is shocking, but will this end up hurting him politically? Sure doesn't look good. Remember, this is also the most pro-abortion President in history by far. In his very short time in office, the most radical pro-abort to ever sit in the Oval Office did the following:

• signed an EO opening up taxpayer funding for destroying embryos for research, even though the effort is moot (more here)
• directed the Department of HHS to overturn regulations that protect medical professionals from being forced to perform or refer for abortion (more here)
• second act in office was to authorize US dollars to fund abortions oversees (more here)
• voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act (more here and here), thereby outright condoning infanticide (this was before he was elected President, but something that no one should forget). Apparently, not just once but 4 times!
  

In short, the man has "ghoul" written all over him. In any case, onto today's news via The Washington Times (HT: WND): Obama to be prayer day no-show.

President Obama is distancing himself from the National Day of Prayer by nixing a formal early morning service and not attending a large Catholic prayer breakfast the next morning.

All Mr. Obama will do for the National Day of Prayer, which is Thursday, is sign a proclamation honoring the day, which originated in 1952 when Congress set aside the first Thursday in May for the observance.

Here's a telling quote also, which I would be lined up with:

Some evangelicals said they were not surprised by Mr. Obama's decision.

"For those of us who have our doubts about Obama's faith, no, we did not expect him to have the service," said Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America. "But as president, he should put his own lack of faith aside and live up to the office."

FoxNews has more:

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs defended the Obama administration's plan to recognize the National Day of Prayer on Thursday with a paper proclamation, rather than a public event at the White House.

"We're doing a proclamation, which I know that many administrations in the past have done," Gibbs told reporters Tuesday.

But that is a major change from the way the day was recognized during eight years of the Bush administration, when prominent evangelical and other spiritual leaders were invited to attend an event in the East Room.

Also from onenewsnow: White House boycott of National Day of Prayer? That about sums it up, no? Jill Stanek comments:

I guess on one hand I'm not surprised President Obama has decided to take a pass this year (tomorrow, May 7), since since Dr. Dobson wholeheartedly opposed Obama for president, particularly hammering him on the abortion and infanticide issues. Dobson had abortion survivor Gianna Jessen and me on his radio show to discuss Obama's support of post-birth abortions, and Focus on the Family Action spent $500k running BornAliveTruth.org's Gianna ad in a few states.

But I find Obama's decision another tempt of fate, although would his depraved heart's prayers be heard anyway, I wonder.

I'll be interested in the Proclamation that Obama issues. Daughter Daena wrote last year's, which I find ironic. She told me tonight it is being sued, as is Shirley Dobson, which I didn't know.

One final thought - how does one identify a tree? Mathew Chapter 7 tells us (NIV version):

¹⁵"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Ouch...

UPDATE: The Detroit Free Press is on Obama's side (surprise, surprise): Some object to White House’s take on Day of Prayer.

A White House official scoffed at Dobson’s implication that the Obama doesn’t recognize the significance of prayer.

“President Obama is a committed Christian and believes that we should be engaging Americans of faith in efforts to renew our country,” one White House official said.

Fruit? Tree? Get it?

UPDATE #2: Memorandum has a roundup on this issue.

Just What We Need Right Now - An Al Gore Statue

I kid you not. This is actually being advanced in the Tennessee legislature. Via WND is this piece from WSMV: Senate To Vote On Al Gore Statue.

A resolution urging the creation of statues to be built on the Tennessee Capitol grounds of the state's two Nobel Peace Prize winners, Al Gore and Cordell Hull, is on its way to a full Senate vote.

The Senate State and Local Government Committee on Tuesday advanced the measure supporting the privately funded statues on a 9-0 vote. The resolution previously passed in the House unanimously.

Gore was awarded his Nobel prize in 2007 for his work on global warming, while Hull received the award in 1945 for his role in creating the United Nations and improving international trade relations.

Fitting that Hull will go along with Gore, since the U.N. has been such a striking success or something. They can call the statue set "The Patron Saints Of Good Intentions Gone Awry."One final thought. Since global warming is now a religion, won't displaying the Gore statue in a public location be tantamount to displaying the ten commandments???

Video: Treasury Department Recalling All U.S. Currency

This is funny:

HT: Instapundit

The Curious Case of Michigan's Economy

Michigan's economy is going embryonic. Just like Benjamin Buttons. Contracting. Getting smaller. Michigan is losing population - mostly younger, educated, highly-trained residents. Revenues to the state coffers are down nearly 25% this year. What is a Democrat-controlled government to do? Why raise taxes of course! Because - you know - that has worked out so well so far or something...

As if the state needed any more bad news, especially after the beloved Red Wings were absolutely robbed last night of a tying goal that would have sent the game into OT. Two years after Granholm championed a huge tax increase on individuals and businesses to permanently fix Michigan's budget problems, the state finds itself with precipitously falling revenues. Although blamed on the national recession by the local MSM, part of the shortfall falls squarely on the tax increases that have made Michigan a hostile environment to do business in. Consumers like myself have simply gone Galt. It's not a bad thing - saving more, spending less. The bubble that burst last fall was an illusion built on debt, not real wealth. Of course, saving more and spending less decreases revenue to the state coffers, which again is not a bad thing as it is forcing government to finally contract.

But therein lies the problem. The last thing government wants to do is contract. It wants to keep expanding for its own self-perpetuation. So yesterday, the contraction was made to be as painful as possible to try and squelch talk of further contraction in the future. In addition, because of the pain handed out yesterday by Granholm, while sparing the very items that needed to be cut (welfare, benefits, pension requirements), talk of another tax increase is afoot in Lansing. From the freep today: It can get worse: State taxes could go up. From the piece:

The anger and anxiety touched off by Tuesday's round of budget cuts at the state Capitol portend a long and ugly summer for Gov. Jennifer Granholm and state lawmakers as they try to fashion a balanced budget, and more cuts, for 2010 and beyond.

Or they could just decide to raise taxes.What seemed unimaginable until recently -- another major tax hike on top of 2007's $1.5 billion a year in higher business and income taxes -- is again floating around the edges of conversations among Lansing policymakers as government revenues (tax collections) continue their sharp 2008-09 decline.

The $1.5 billion increase doesn't take into account what businesses have to spend for the new compliance measures, which push that number up to about $1.75 billion, but anyway. Who's pushing for this absurdity? Well, that's answered in the article as well:

interest groups, public employee unions, local governments and the like have stepped up their rhetoric about how Michigan's tax structure is in need of a major overhaul. Tuesday, the Michigan Municipal League said the state's current mix of taxes doesn't "reflect Michigan's emerging economy."

That's usually code for: We're not collecting enough money taxing the stuff we tax now, so we need to tax something else.

Uh - does Michigan have an emerging economy? And here I thought we were doing the opposite of emerging. Like - going embryonic or something. The curious case of Michigan's economy. By the way, does the public employee unions realize that public employees work for the public, versus the public working for public employees? We're not in serfdom. At least, not yet...

As for cuts, reducing state worker health benefits to match national averages would save about $270 million. Graded premiums for school employee health care vesting almost as much. Same for undocumented and potentially fraudulent child care payments. Medicaid coverage restrictions about $100 million. There's $850 million right there. Just like that! And that's leaving off the real big-ticket items like the $4 billion spent annually on welfare, a cut of 1/3 of which would by itself fill the hole. Reform welfare!

I agree with one thing, though, a tax overhaul. In fact, as I have mentioned several times, scrapping the entire tax structure in favor of a fair tax on consumption only would be the best way to go in my estimation. Of course, even that will do nothing without cutting spending. In fact, along that line, a separate freep article points out that the revenue contraction is pegged at almost 25%! The headline of that article is most apropos: Michigan crashes into budget reality. Michigan has, but the political class is painfully lagging behind. Anyway, from that article:

If anyone doubts the depth of Michigan's economic woes, here's a statistic that screams out the reality: State revenues are expected to fall 23.5% this year, when adjusted for inflation, the worst performance since the 1930s and more than double the last major year-over-year decline of 11.5% in 1981.

The state has few other places to turn for cuts. Education must be held harmless under federal stimulus rules, many children's services are protected under a court settlement, and Granholm is unwilling to speed up prison cuts beyond the schedule she announced as part of next year's budget.

It's unlikely the most avid budget-cutters have the stomach for much more anyway -- at least for now. But all bets may be off in another month. The cliff-diving fall in April tax receipts does not reflect Chrysler's bankruptcy. No one seems sure how even to estimate the impact of a trip into bankruptcy court for GM.

Talk about a pro-tax, pro-spending bias! Yikes! "few other places" to cut? Please. If revenues contract almost 25% and there is still more contraction to come due to the situation with Chrysler and GM, then spending needs to be cut proportionately. Raising taxes will simply inflame the wound. Michigan already is experiencing an exodus of mostly younger, highly-trained workers. We need not speed that process up. That would be going the wrong way:

More Chrysler Creditors Come Out Saying Obama White House Threatened Them

The thugocracy continues. See this video:

HT: Gateway Pundit

Previously:
White House Threatens Bondholder With The "Full Power Of The White House Press Corps" (with Audio)

California and Michigan Both Use Same Tactic In Budget Cuts: HUMAN SHIELDS!!!

There is an ingrained Democrat game plan that is not written anywhere but that all liberals are well versed on. Other than creating government dependence, these statists have a sure-fire backup plan once things go awry and budgets absolutely must be cut. That tactic is the use of human shields. When budgets absolutely must be cut, especially at the state level where the government has no way of printing more money, the cuts get done, but in the most painful way possible. The way that hurts the most vulnerable population the most. They are the most unpalatable cuts anyone can conceive of.

The human shields consist of the elderly, nursing home residents, police officers, firefighters, core government services. Spared from cuts, of course, is bureaucratic inertia constantly demanding to grow in every direction. Benefits that allow union workers to retire with full pension benefits as young as 50 (these workers will draw their pension for many more years than they have worked). A bloated bureaucracy. Political corruption. In essence, the people are working for the government employees, rather than the other way around.

Such was the case when California went through their budget negotiations. When Republicans in the Assembly objected and dug in for the fight, the Democratic Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (there still seems to be a "R" after his name for some strange reason) threatened 10,000 layoffs. The notices went off first and foremost to the Departments of Health and Human Services and Corrections. So yeah - police officers were first on the chopping block. A core function of the government - protection - was jeopardized immediately in favor of large government unions and the special interests aligned with them. Again, it is the people are working for the government employees, rather than the other way around.

The California Assembly ended up agreeing to a boondoggle, but much of it needs to be approved by voters this November, and that's not going over too well with them. Since that time, however, the budget deficit has grown by more than $8 billion. Here in Michigan, things have been getting progressively worse (fittingly enough) as every year of the Granholm administration passes. After "governing" for more than 6 years now, we have seen the state budget increase every single year while at the same time jobs have been lost. That is, by definition, a unsustainable trajectory. It is now time to pay the piper. Stimulus money alone won't backfill the hole because of the shear magnitude of the problem; a problem that is systemic in nature and will grow every year with stimulus money or without.

As with California, the Michigan budget deficit almost doubled this fiscal year, which ends September 30. As it stands now, the deficit is at $1.32 billion. Granholm just announced a bit over $300 million in cuts. Such is liberal math. Even that pittance compared to the size of the budget hole will come with much pain, however. she wants to make it as painful as possible so that she can claim that the budget is already cut to the bone. It's not. In fact, any government agency uses this same tactic of threatening cuts of the most painful variety to protect itself. For instance, when the CDC was threatened with budget increase cuts (not budget cuts, but cuts to how much it gets to grow), it immediately sent out press releases that it would not be able to help cure heart disease. Administrative benefits and union benefits never seem to be mentioned at all.

Human shields - Police. Local services. Doctors and hospitals. All held high. Of course, there's a lot of fat to be cut that wouldn't jeopardize such services. Of course, if pain isn't felt, then the Governor will have lost some capital going into the next budget year. Reducing state worker health benefits to match national averages would save about $270 million. Graded premiums for school employee health care vesting almost as much. Same for Undocumented and potentially fraudulent child care payments. Medicaid coverage restrictions about $100 million. And that's leaving off the real big-ticket items like the $4 billion spent annually on welfare, a cut of 1/3 of which would by itself fill the hole.

No such luck in Lansing these days. Instead, just today, the actual numbers were announced. 100 State Police troopers are to get the ax. Revenue sharing with local governments will be cut too, thereby initiating a trickle-down human shield tactic where local governments will also threaten or lay off police and firefighters. Medicaid payments to doctors and hospitals will be cut 4%. State employees, however, will have a 6-day vacation this summer called a furlough, where they will likely get unemployment benefits anyway. Enjoy!

For the record, here are the budget numbers for each year of the Granholm administration via RightMichigan:

2003 Total Budget: $38,546,223,200
2004 Total Budget: $39,236,530,900
2005 Total Budget: $40,224,217,400
2006 Total Budget: $41,672,547,100
2007 Total Budget: $42,791,804,000
2008 Total Budget: $43,827,383,200
2009 Total Budget: $44,200,000,000 (proposed)

Michigan has been in a recession the whole time. See any net cuts to speak of? All the while, jobs have been disappearing every single year. Here are the employment numbers during the Granholm-Cherry administration (actual job numbers are even more dismal):

2003: -63,800
2004: -3,100
2005: -28,100
2006: -79,500
2007: -67,300
2008: -81,000 (not yet official)
2009: -108,000 (projected) -300,000 (unofficial Granholm projection)
2010: -24,000 (projected)

Those projections were calculated, by the way, before the bottom fell out of the housing market last fall. During that time taxes were increased substantially and the government grew while population left the state. Here is a list of the new taxes that have been foisted on us by Granholm during her one-state recession which is a direct cause of Michigan being dead last in economic activity in the nation (the list below is just from 2007-2008):

• Income tax - 11.5% increase from 3.9 to 4.3%
• Additional property tax millages for the Detroit Zoo and veterans fund (tri-county metro area)
• MBT (Michigan Business Tax) where some businesses got slammed with 500% tax increases (even some prominent libs are complaining now!)
• MBT surcharge - all 22% of it, which was on top of the MBT
• Increased tobacco tax
• License fee increase - tax/fee, what's the difference anyway? Mostly on business licenses (plumbers, electricians, etc)
• Increased energy costs due to renewable energy regulations (it's an invisible tax, but is a tax nonetheless)

In addition, property taxes for many rose while their home values have plummeted. This is in addition to regulating new stimulus out of existence. (Granholm throws away job potential into the wind) Then there were the new tax proposals:

• Graduated income tax - class warfare here we come!
• More income tax - 1.15% increase to fund preschool
• Gas tax - replace current per gallon tax with a percentage that will increase taxes as gas prices rise
• Beer tax - to fund welfare
• Doubling liquor license fees
• Removing tax exemptions for international phone calls, tractor-trailer sales and commercial rental property
• Freezing the automatic inflationary increase of the personal exemption on the Michigan income tax. The exemption is supposed to increase from $3,500 to $3,600 per person in the 2009 tax year.
• Transit tax - to fund high-speed buses and trains
• Driver's licence fee increases
• Proposal A subterfuge (more millage increases!)
• Property tax increase in Macomb County for the first time in more than 2 generations
• Increased car registration fee for state parks

It's so hard to keep track of so much in the way of taxes these days here in Michigan.

On a local level, the interested reader should see what has just happened in the Democrat-dominated Macomb County, where the Board of Commissioners just voted to increase the property tax millage rate for the first time in 2 generations, with one council member claiming that it was to contain the swine flu. Human shields held high everywhere, with threats being made against elderly nursing home residents. Modus operindi of the Democrat party in this day and age...