Patrick's Rants

Warren Buffet calls on Congress to stop coddling billionaires

On Saturday we went to a movie, then stopped at Walmart on the way home. We came out to find papers tucked under nearly every windshield wiper in the lot, manna of salvation. After reading this life changing paragraph I knew I had to post it for my readers who find themselves a little lost. The most interesting tidbit included in this mini story is how to find god.

“…if you would like to be saved and have a new life, get off by yourself…”

So, friends, if you are feeling despondent, get off by yourself.

Microsoft¹ is losing 25,000 more office suite users in Denmark. Thirteen hospitals in the Copenhagen region are moving to virtual desktops allowing users to log in anywhere and get their desktops. According the the linked to article the hospitals have tried to work with their vendor to come to a reasonable licensing model to no avail. And so Libre Office has another small win.

1-presumably Microsoft, they aren’t specifically mentioned in the article.

California teacher calls creationism “superstitious nonsense”, court rules that he had “immunity” to express that opinion.

I’m launching a For Sale By Owner FSBO web site. There is no cost* to list your home for sale or rent. Listings will remain active for a full 60 days from posting or any changes made to the listing. If you have a home for sale, primarily in the Northern Arizona area, hop on over to create your free FSBO seller account.

*Pricing, if when or whether is still in the idea stage.

David Gregory questioned Bachmann on her answer to the “submit question” playing back the tape from when she chose to be a tax attorney because she was submitting to her husband. She gave the same answer as in the debate – submit and respect are the same thing – to which Gregory replied, “I didn’t even have to ask my wife to know those don’t mean the same thing.”

He asked if she would hire an atheist, to which she answered, (paraphrased until the transcript¹ is available) any person who would work for her has to “follow the constitution, be competent in their job, and share my views.”
She believes that gays and lesbians are in bondage (with the devil) due to their sexual orientation. Gregory asks if she would hire a gay or lesbian or nominate them to the court, to which she parroted her “constitution, competent, views” answer.

Bottom line, if you don’t agree with her views in god, sexuality or taxes you wouldn’t have a chance. So she would surround herself with tea party wackos who agree and tell her “yes” to everything she wants.

1 –

That’s my litmus test is, do you stand for the Constitution, are you competent, and do you share my views.

(Transcript August 14.)

Michelle Bachmann said she was right about voting against raising the debt ceiling and S&P’s downgrade of US debt is proof that she was right.

She repeated it again last night at the debate, asserting that opposing the hike is “the right thing to do,” and even cited Standard and Poors’s downgrade as proof of her superior grasp of our fiscal dilemma.

No Michelle, you were wrong

Unfortunately for Bachmann, Standard and Poors has now clarified that it’s actually people like her, who oppose raising the debt ceiling and aren’t mindful of the consequences of default, that were a primary reason for the downgrade:

Read all about Bachmann’s backwards view of the debt downgrade at the Washington Post.

The Iowa Straw Poll has picked Michelle Bachmann as the most extreme candidate.

Bachmann who has said she became a tax attorney because the bible told her to submit to her husband evoked visions of Bill Clinton with his definition of “is” when she said that “submit” means “respect”. According to answers.com submit means, “To yield or surrender (oneself) to the will or authority of another.” The bible is no different. It says the wife must submit to her husband. Is there any other way to read that?

The straw poll points out the most extreme candidate. It’s open to, as Michael Crowley writes in his article, “several thousand of Iowa’s most hardcore Republican Party activists”

The GOP has picked all six of their super committee members. This committee is supposed to come up with budget cuts to reduce the national debt. Every time I read anything from an economist, tax increases are always part of the mix. The six Repugnicans have been described as hard liners on tax increases. Kyle isn’t ashamed to express ignorant opinions of what groups like Planned Parenthood actually do. He isn’t running for re-election so maybe he would consider asking the super-rich to add a little back to the country that enabled them to become so wealthy.

Here’s my suggestion though. Make them meet. Every. Single. Day. Until they come up with their plan. The plan to reduce the deficit (although Cheney said deficits don’t matter) the plan to re-right the ship of state. The plan that breaks open the dam of corporate money that sits in the boardroom safes (not hiring, not spending, not investing). Make the meetings completely open and transparent so we, the people, can see the discussions so we can see who is taking their job seriously and who is just being a corporate or super rich bought and paid for jackass.

Let’s get to work. And if they don’t, fire them.

Arizona has some serious problems with our Child Protective Services agency. In the related story you can read about Ame, stuffed into a footlocker and locked in to suffocate to death as punishment for taking a popsicle from the freezer. Her mother had placed her with these family members to care for. Ame’s mother has said she was abused as a child by these family members but never thought they would hurt her child. On top of that, she was never notified of the death of her child, she learned about it on a facebook posting.

You can also read the couple arrested for beating their child to near death – officials expect him to die in the hospital. CPS has “been involved” with this child since near birth, the full circle of his life. Neighbors have reported abuse (although not every time), police have been out, CPS has been out. Yet this child remained in this home. He sported visible black eyes and bumps and he remained in his home.

“Ultimately, the degree to which we call ourselves a civilized society is directly related to how we stand up for the defenseless and innocent among us,” Montgomery said. “I call upon everyone, everyone, to report abuse and neglect when they see it.”

Montgomery is the Maricopa County Attorney and he wants us to report, report, report. But if the results of the reports are that the agency walks away from the home without preventing the death of a child, some might ask themselves, “what’s the point?” What’s the point when a six year old child, CPS being involved since 2005, will nearly certainly die from his beating?

Sheriff Joe is focused on his sweeps, the state legislature has managed to adopt an official firearm and allow guns on campus and in bars, made it illegal to be in the state illegally and now require the police to check your citizenship or other papers if they talk to you, but hasn’t properly funded CPS.

How many more children have to die? How many more does CPS have its hands died on, whether due to budget or lack of adequate foster home services? I don’t know if CPS was inept, incompetent or just broke in this case. Is it lack of training or lack of funding?