Heh.
9 Chickweed Lane by Brooke McEldowney
Oct 092012
WestWorld?
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Apr 252012
I’m a little late posting this, but I think Chris Muir may well be onto something – it sure would explain a lot!
Congratulations to Mia Love - I believe you just might have ‘em on the run. I look forward to seeing you fight the Big Government establishment on both sides of the aisle. That truly would be a change (and I could believe in it).
"Zero Based Budgeting"
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Mar 202012
‘Scuse me for skipping to the money quote:
No more should government be funded based on the “it’s always been done this way” method of budgeting. If government were required to justify every dollar, every year, there are hundreds of billions [of dollars] they could not request with a straight face. If Republicans and Democrats truly believe in the programs they fund, then there is no reason not to cosponsor this bill.” - Representative Dennis Ross (FL-12)
Now go read the whole thing:
Sunshine State Sarah: Dennis Ross knows how to solve Congress’ spending problem:
Common sense…in Washington? Whodathunkit?
Why should you carry?
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Feb 242012
Officer “Smith” has an interesting read…
“HELP! POLICE!
I’m going to say something here that is going to raise some hackles. Then I’m going to explain my statements and, hopefully, make everyone buy it. Here we go. Ready?
Buy a gun. Get a bat. Own some weapon and have enough skill to use it to save your own life and the lives of your family members. DO NOT RELY ON THE POLICE TO SAVE YOUR LIFE FOR YOU.
Wait. What’s this? What heresy are you speaking of? Officer Smith, are you really telling me not to rely on the police to protect me? What about that “Protect and Serve” horse shit plastered all over the sides of their patrol cars? Aren’t they SUPPOSED to protect me?
Now, let me explain.”
Officer “Smith” speaks the truth and explains it well…
Image courtesy Oleg Volk
‘Bout damn time…
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Jun 012011
Saying it is “unfair for Florida taxpayers to subsidize drug addiction,” Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday signed legislation requiring adults applying for welfare assistance to undergo drug screening.
“It’s the right thing for taxpayers,” Scott said after signing the measure. “It’s the right thing for citizens of this state that need public assistance. We don’t want to waste tax dollars. And also, we want to give people an incentive to not use drugs.”
Florida governor signs welfare drug-screen measure – CNN.com
So – when will the other 49 (or 56, if you prefer) step up and get the job done?
Feb 112011
Here we go again…
“According to a USA Today article, tablesaw safety in the United States is getting another look from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and saw manufacturers may get a call to testify as to why the problem has not been addressed sufficiently.The CPSC says there are about 10 finger amputations a day, and that is in home shops alone. That’s too many, says CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “The safety of table saws needs to be improved,” she says, “All options are on the table for CPSC at this time.” ”
– RTWT@Fine Woodworking
So Stephen Gass wants the Feds to decree that all saw manufacturers must use his patented technology – remind you of any other recent purchase mandates? YHGBSM. While I think the flesh sensing technology is amazing – I’m blown away by both his and the Federal Government’s hubris.
We already have federally mandated riving knives and blade guards – effective and relatively inexpensive safety measures. When used properly, they just work – and make tablesaws much safer.
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| Riving knife and Shark Guard |
Here’s a video of a safe cut being made – guard and riving knife in place, blade raised just enough to make the cut, and using a push block. (Courtesy of Lee Styron’s LeeWay Workshop)
I woodwork…a lot. I use a riving knife, a blade guard and push blocks or push sticks for any cuts where my hands are in close proximity to the shiny-sharp-whirly-thing. I think about the cut, what my follow-through will be as I push past the blade and how I will return to a neutral position to turn the saw off (or for the next cut). Then the whole process starts anew.
Where am I going with this? Tablesaw ownership is a lot like gun ownership – common sense is the most important accessory you can have. According to the USA Today article (no link to data in the article), the CPSC claims there are an average of 10 finger amputations daily. Anyone care to wager how many of those amputations are due to improper tool use or missing or disabled safety equipment? My bet would be on all of them being rooted in negligence or improper usage.
How about we mandate common sense? Nah, I didn’t think so…then we’d hafta shut Washington, DC down.
*Just found out there is another player in the flesh sensing hazard avoidance end of things…interesting design…and a little competition never hurts
Still relevant…
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Jan 122011
As I‘ve watched the knee-jerk reactions and posturing from pundits of the left and right of the last several days, I am reminded of the article quoted below. This one has become an internet email chestnut – attributed to many different folks – but here’s the original in all its glory:
The Death of Common Sense© Lori Borgman | Sunday, March 15, 1998
Three yards of black fabric enshroud my computer terminal. I am mourning the passing of an old friend by the name of Common Sense. His obituary reads as follows: Common Sense, aka C.S., lived a long life, but died from heart failure at the brink of the millennium. No one really knows how old he was, his birth records were long ago entangled in miles and miles of bureaucratic red tape. Known affectionately to close friends as Horse Sense and Sound Thinking, he selflessly devoted himself to a life of service in homes, schools, hospitals and offices, helping folks get jobs done without a lot of fanfare, whooping and hollering.
Rules and regulations and petty, frivolous lawsuits held no power over C.S. A most reliable sage, he was credited with cultivating the ability to know when to come in out of the rain, the discovery that the early bird gets the worm and how to take the bitter with the sweet.
C.S. also developed sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adult is in charge, not the kid) and prudent dietary plans (offset eggs and bacon with a little fiber and orange juice).
A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, the Technological Revolution and the Smoking Crusades, C.S. survived sundry cultural and educational trends including disco, the men’s movement, body piercing, whole language and new math. C.S.’s health began declining in the late 1960s when he became infected with the If-It-Feels-Good, Do-It virus.
In the following decades, his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of overbearing federal and state rules and regulations and an oppressive tax code. C.S. was sapped of strength and the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, criminals received better treatment than victims and judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional baseball and golf.
His deterioration accelerated as schools implemented zero-tolerance policies. Reports of 6-year-old boys charged with sexual harassment for kissing classmates, a teen suspended for taking a swig of Scope mouthwash after lunch, girls suspended for possessing Midol and an honor student expelled for having a table knife in her school lunch were more than his heart could endure.
As the end neared, doctors say C.S. drifted in and out of logic but was kept informed of developments regarding regulations on low-flow toilets and mandatory air bags. Finally, upon hearing about a government plan to ban inhalers from 14 million asthmatics due to a trace of a pollutant that may be harmful to the environment, C.S. breathed his last.
Services will be at Whispering Pines Cemetery. C.S. was preceded in death by his wife, Discretion; one daughter, Responsibility; and one son, Reason. He is survived by two step-brothers, Half-Wit and Dim-Wit.
Memorial Contributions may be sent to the Institute for Rational Thought. Farewell, Common Sense. May you rest in peace.
Reprinted with permission – Thank you, Lori.
While I fear that Lori is correct in her assessment, I can only hope that the few pockets of followers of Common Sense that exist may one day lead to his resurrection. You know who you are.
“The report of my death was an exaggeration” – Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens )