Lots of Pringles

An interesting factiod from George Will:

The Center for Responsive Politics calculates that, by Election Day, $2.4 billion will have been spent on presidential campaigns in the two-year election cycle that began in January 2007, and an additional $2.9 billion will have been spent on 435 House and 35 Senate contests. This $5.3 billion is a billion less than Americans will spend this year on potato chips.

Cheaper gas

Massachusettsgasprices.com offers this perspective of the last month (click chart to enlarge):



And this for the last year:


These are gas prices in the Springfield area, not statewide.

Wasserman has it

INTERCESSORS GO TO RED ALERT!

Danger Will Robinson Danger! The CC News Portal brings us the latest:

Just a few minutes ago Eleanor Roehl, a powerful Eskimo intercessor and prophet, called me to say she senses an imminent attack against our nation. Then Karen Fink came into my office to share the following revelation she had this past Friday with increasing weight on her heart ever since:

She received the scripture Gen. 50:3,"A period of NATIONAL MOURNING". She then saw Sarah Palin standing alone and she was mantled with the American flag. The flag was upside down because things are inverted (upside down) right now. I knew she was stepping into an office that she was mantled for."

"When fascism comes to this country it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross." --Ron Paul

Brooks continues in his departure from reality.

David Brooks, who's main function at the NYT is to provide comic relief, writes of McCain: "...He never escaped the straitjacket of a party that is ailing and a conservatism that is behind the times."

Oh, please. McCain is one of the more cynical, opportunistic, politicos we've seen in decades. He is responsible for his own behavior, including his campaign. He hired the very crew that slimed him in 2000 and is using the same tactics on Obama now. His choice of Sarah Palin displays his complete disdain for the government he seeks to run. Forget this honor crap, he wants to win.

McCain's running on what he believes in: we owe it to him to elect him president.

Barack, that devil.

The latest in wingnuttery comes from Fox with a screed involving none other than Saul Alinsky and Satan written by one James Pinkerton, described as a contributing columnist and writer for “The American Conservative” and a Faux News political contributor (which is just about everybody on staff).

It seems that Pinkerton discovered that Saul Alinsky, the legendary community orgainizer and activist, mentions Satan in the dedication to the first edition of “Rules for Radicals,” one of his two books. Here's the connection – Barack Obama is an “on the record fan” of Alinsky! So is Hillary Clinton, who actually managed to interview Alinsky as a student. (Alinsky died in 1972, when Obama was 11 years old, so he had to settle for just reading the book.)

Like Alinsky, Clinton and Obama have both lived in Chicago, the city of broad shoulders, hog butcher to the world. But since Obama admits to Alinsky's influence it follows that he too must be in league with Satan. No wonder McSame/Palin are behind in the polls.

Let see – I was at Rochester Tech in 1966 and Alinsky was working with a local (black) church taking on Eastman Kodak over discrimination issues. At the time Rochester was pretty much a Kodak factory town (Xerox notwithstanding) with somewhere close to 20% of the workforce tied to what was known as the “Yellow Factory” (a nickname based on Kodak's trademark color for its packaging).

Long story short, the churchgoers with Alinsky's help won the battle and the Yellow Factory began to open up.

I have a copy of “Rules for Radicals” on the bookshelf. It might even be a first edition, given when I bought it. It's been a long time since I opened that book but now may be an appropriate time. Is that a whiff of brimstone coming from the study?

Rail Trail Repair Update

According to the sign tacked to the bridge, DCR and Mass Highways will offer an update on repairs to the rail trail Wednesday, 10/29 beginning at 6:30 PM at Hopkins Academy (high school) in Hadley.

Dogs and cats, lions and lambs??

Colin Powell, Christopher Buckley, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, Goldwater's grandkids, Scott McClellan and now Governor Weld...maybe there is something to this "end times" stuff after all?

Fashionista

I wonder if Sarah got this as part of the $150K shopping spree?

Dedicated followers of fashion may wish to tune into Princess Sparkle Pony, who's attention has turned from Condi's hair to more substantive matters.

Turning around the mortgage mess

Joe Nocera writes about an excellent approach to dealing with the mortgage crisis on the homeowner/lender level, without a major infusion of public funds.

Can't make this stuff up....

So it turns out that Joe the Plumber doesn't have a plumbers license, which he needs in the Ohio county he works in and so does the guy he works for but he doesn't seem to have a license either. Nor does Joe own the business -- he would like to buy the business, some day. Nor does Joe make $250,000 -- that's sorta what he wants to buy the business for. Then there's that lien on his property 'cause he owes back taxes.

He is, however, a Republican.

Then there is that video of McSame at an ACORN emigration rights rally a couple of years ago.

Iron Logic on Question 1

Reading the "Forums" on the MassLive website is sorta like watching a B grade movie -- its bad but somehow you feel you have to look. From the Belchertown forum comes the iron logic of one Towny04 as he/she contemplates Question 1:

If you take Btown 2000 population of 25-64 olds this equals 7,370 less 6.1% unemployment leaves 6,920 working adults. 6,920 X 3,700 the estimated tax saving from no state tax equals $25,604,000. Per the state web site Btown received $14,018,762 in state aid in FY2008. Based on this local taxes would have to increase by $2,000 to make up for the loss of state aid. This leaves a net savings of $1,700.

The reason we will pay less in taxes is because you will not have the state taking a portion of our taxes before they return them to our town. As for state services I do not see anything that we should not be able to do as well or better at the local level.

Damn, why hasn't anyone else noticed!?!

Budget cuts.

Detailed info on the cuts is here but we'll have to see how things play out at the agency level before we can gauge the impact.

Cities and towns have dodged the bullet for the time being and FY '10 will be a very lean year.

Question One

Budget Blues

Lt. Governor Tim Murray conducted conference calls yesterday with town administrators and managers, following the meeting he and the Gov had with mayors last week. The Patrick administration makes it a point to do outreach to cities and towns. While I grouse about their fondness for mayors, they've been better at keeping in touch with us little guys. This kind of contact was unthinkable during the Mitt reign and for that matter going all the way back to Dukakis.

The news is not good and we didn't get a lot of detail, save that planning for a potential shortfall in the administration began last spring. The hope is to hold harmless local aid, Chapter 70 (education), public safety and social safety net programs. That doesn't leave a hell of a lot to reduce, given the state's spending patterns. Murray was careful to note their intent but left the door open to reductions in all spending. State grants will take a hit and its possible that we'll see reductions in Ch. 90 (highways) as well. The Lt. Gov didn't rule out canceling contracts already written. There will be layoffs and an "early retirement" package is not in the cards.

The administration is modeling past shortfalls and responses to get a better handle on how to respond to this one and the ever-capable Leslie Kirwan is tasked with coming up with an annualized projection of the revenue deficit. The intent is to fix this once but the prospect of repeated adjustments over the course of the fiscal year remain. Of course, this clouds the FY '10 budget process which will be underway in a matter of weeks.

This afternoons press conference will present what the administration sees as the size of the problem and outline the response. Municipal officials are promised an email by 5:00 PM with additional details.

That Wonderful Ron Regan and Social Security

Does McSame remember how that wonderful Ron Regan solved the "crisis" of social security in 1983? He reached across the aisle to Tip O'Neil and accepted the recommendations of the Greenspan Commission: raise taxes.

Of course Tom Brokaw conflated Medicare and Social Security and Dean Baker calls him on the social security is broke bit. At least NBC didn't feature the unbiased team of Peggy Noonan and Jane Swift to critique the debate, as they did for Palin.

Here We Go Again.

Remember those Judith Miller stories in the New York Times about Iraq's WMD's and the like set up great talking points for Cheney and others. The could, and did, quote those pieces (which they helped create) to press for war.

Oh my goodness, the Times is at it again. This time with Obama's "connections" with 60's Weather Underground William Ayers. Palin, who seems to be the McCain campaign these days, is more than happy to quote "reports" (in the Paper of Record) that call Obama's character into question.