We’re Open on Saturdays (An Open Thread)

Posted on September 24, 2011 by lmsinca
Andrew M. Cuomo – Governor


Joint Statement From Governor Cuomo, Christie, Corbett and Perdue Urging Congress to Put Aside Politics on Disaster Assistance

Albany, NY (September 23, 2011)

“Our states have been hit hard by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. While the flood waters have receded and the storms are passed, the damage to communities, businesses and infrastructure remains significant. Billions of dollars in loss and destruction pose a serious threat not only to local and regional economies, but to the nation’s economic recovery.

Our states’ governments and our citizens are doing their part to restore and rebuild.

The federal government must also do its part.

Federal assistance for the victims of storms and floods should be beyond politics. Within 10 days of Hurricane Katrina, Congress passed and the President signed over $60 billion in aid for the Gulf Coast. It’s been 28 days since Irene and Lee started battering our states. We urge this Congress to move swiftly to ensure that disaster aid through FEMA and other federal programs is sufficient to start rebuilding now.”

Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York

Governor Chris Christie, New Jersey

Governor Tom Corbett, Pennsylvania

Governor Bev Perdue, North Carolina

(Bi-Partisan Disaster Relief-lms)

On an encouraging, bipartisan note, I’m happy to report that we saw the trailer for The Thing today, and it actually looks … really good.

I could’t quite figure out how it relates to the first two. It looks like something of a combination of them. But, assuming it reviews well, I cannot wait to see it. —QB

Filed under: Uncategorized | 6 Comments »

One Man’s Heroic Quest for Truth

Posted on September 24, 2011 by quarterback

Why not a little Palinmania on a Saturday when everyone is looking forward to football, cooking, or other weekend diversions? I saw this semi-explosive piece airing dirty laundry of Joe McGinnis and Jesse Griffen, one of the hardy band of Palin web stalkers, over at Big Government the other day. John Hinderaker raised the obvious question of whether it could be evidence of libel. As interesting to me are the many nuggets the (alleged) email contains reflecting on McGinnis’s MO and agenda, as well as his candid if unintentional indictment of the anti-Palin muckraking web posse. These two paragraphs are striking to me, if in no way surprising for what they admit:

I’ve neither seen nor heard anything that indicates that Ms. Tripp’s story has any basis in fact. None of the endless crap Patrick posted about her before getting the boot from palingates.com offers any substantiation.


And even you write frequently that you know things you can’t yet post, but that soon “all will be revealed.” This has been going on since I first became aware of your blog, but as far as I know you haven’t substantiated a single claim or provided verification for a single rumor that you’ve posted about Sarah’s personal life, or the personal lives of any Palin family members. Thus, she gets to denounce what she calls “lies.”

Here we see a desperate and apparently angry McGinnis, betrayed! by his fellow Palinphobes. Amazingy, McGinnis appears to have submitted his manuscript containing all these rumours while knowing that they lacked any substantiation whatsoever. Tawdry and pathetic are words that come to mind. McGinnis moved next door to the Palins to spy on them but was still scrambling after his manuscript went to the publisher to justify the sleaziest accusations he put in it, and castigating amateur smear merchants for letting him down. The lament at the end is priceless and telling. He isn’t concerned that the internet rumors spread by hate hobbyists might be lies, only that they give Palin the opportunity to call them what they are. Unfair!

Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: , | 18 Comments »

Jobs bill to discriminate against the moderately wealthy

Posted on September 24, 2011 by ScottC

The WSJ reports:

Nonprofits across the state are campaigning against a provision in President Barack Obama’s jobs bill that would limit itemized deductions, including charitable deductions, for individuals with an annual income of $200,000 or more.

The federal proposal, which would cap itemized deductions at 28% from the current 35%, has provoked particular concern in New York, where nonprofits last year lost a fight against a state bill that reduced deductions from 50% for individuals earning $10 million or more.

While that policy ensnared an influential but limited portion of the oppulation, New York charities fear that the federal proposal will curb charitable giving among a much broader swath of potential donors, possibly compounding the impact of the state law.

Why is it that discriminatory laws that would be deemed outrageously abusive (and certainly unconstitutional) if targetting any other demographic of the country are considered perfectly acceptable when targetting a group defined arbitrarily by their income?

Filed under: Uncategorized | 22 Comments »

Saturday Morning Trivia (for LMS)

Posted on September 24, 2011 by ScottC

Since the the Most Valuable Player award was introduced into Major League Baseball in 1931, 12 players have won the award in consecutive years.  The last three players to do it were Albert Pujols (2008/09), Barry Bonds twice (1992/93 and 2001-2004), and Frank Thomas (1993/94).  Amazingly, however, the first 9 players to do it each played a different position, thus making back-to-back winners a perfect starting lineup.  Can you name them?

(Note:  one of the outfielders actually played all three outfield positions at various points in his MVP years, but we will make him our left fielder, since we’ve already got back-to-back winners at center field and right field.)

Filed under: Trivia | 31 Comments »