I was in the supermarket today and I saw Occupy Wall Street protesters in the dairy department. They were protesting the 1% milk.--Leno
- What do all those celebrities noted above have to do with this political blog? Absolutely nothing. They were the most searched names on the Internet. So I'm just hoping to capture those seeking information on those Hollywood nitwits. That's it. If you're one of those, keep reading. You might actually learn something.
- At first glance, 8.6% unemployment, down from 9%, looks good. And any drop is good for the country's economy. But something strikes me as very strange. Okay, I'm not an economist, but I can do simple math. It was reported that 120,000 jobs were created. That's also good news. However, 315,000 workers left the labor force. In other words, the unemployment rate went down when workers were disappearing. In addition, many of the 120,000 included 50,000 retail jobs with almost 23,000 were temporary (Bloomberg and CNBC).
- As many of you know by now, Newt's numbers keep climbing. And it's no secret I don't like the man that much. In addition, I was completely wrong in predicting where he would be at this time in the race (I believe I wrote, "In the toilet." Or something like that). Rasmussen reports his at 38% to Romney's 17% with Herman at 8%. What's going on? One fact is undeniable. Romney has not been able to crack the 25% ceiling even though he's been campaigning for years. And, like Romney, Newt's changed his positions on health care, climate change, Freddie Mac and other issues. But, as USA Today points out, Newt sees no backlash from his base regarding his flip-flops and his excess baggage.
- Like Newt, Bachmann, Trump, Perry and Cain also had their surges. It appears it will all come down to the primaries. If Newt wins some of those early ones, he just might be right when he said yesterday he will be the nominee for the Republican Party.
- Regarding Cain's alleged infidelity, once again, the media's bias is conspicuous when it comes to reporting on conservatives vs. democrats. Right now, there is no hard evidence Cain had an affair other than what several women have reported. Yet, while Jesse Jackson admitted to an affair that resulted in a daughter being born at the very same time he was counseling Bill Clinton about his affair with Monica Lewinsky, the media downplayed it. Oh, they reported it initially, but their legs tired of the story very soon.
- Speaking of Jesse Jackson, The Washington Post and Politico are reporting that his son, Jesse Jackson, Jr, is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee for allegedly raising campaign cash for then Gov. Blagojevich in exchange for a senate appointment. Story developing. Apparently it's true, fruit does not fall far from the tree.
- Trivia Note: The NYPD, if it were a military organization, would be the 46th largest army on earth. Currently, the NYPD is 50,000 strong including civilian personnel (NY Post).
- Occupy Who? Just sayin'.
- Remember that Iraq war vet who got injured at Occupy Oakland a few weeks ago? Well, it was reported, as a Marine, he created a web site called, "I hate the Marine Corps." In addition, and not explained in USA Today, he received an administrative discharge, not an honorable one. But it has to be pointed out that administrative discharges are NOT punitive in nature.
- I'm going to have to take something back. Last week, I praised students at CUNY for protesting higher tuitions. But I learned something subsequent to that reporting. Of the 150,000 students at CUNY, about 90,000 get their entire tuition covered by the state and federal financial aid. Hey, it appears to be a great deal to me. Yet, most parents are still being conned by many other institutions. For example, tuition at NYU is almost $42k and Columbia is even higher at almost $44k. It's those students who need to start protesting.
- In April of 2009, Marcus Luttrell, a highly decorated Navy Seal and author of "Lone Survivor," was at home. He heard a single gun shot outside. He grabbed his gun, and went outside to investigate. Two scumbags had killed his beloved dog, Dasy. Dasy, a Lab, had been given to him by several friends to help him cope with emotional and physical injuries he sustained in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. After having shot the dog, Luttrell saw the men laughing. They sped away in their vehicle and Luttrell gave chase through several counties. He caught up to them and held them until police arrived. It was reported the sheriff said the two men were lucky considering who had been chasing them. The good news is the men were convicted and will serve prison time. I also heard a report a year ago that Luttrell only said of the incident, "they'll have to be looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives." And then he smiled. I don't know if it's true. But I'd like to believe it is.
- And finally, from The Onion's "American Voices," on the U.S. birth rate dropping. John Hays replied, "Fine, I'll starting f%#king again."
