SENATOR TOM HARKIN IS A PHONEY COWARD

I'll just give you the information...you decide.

Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) on May 19, 2005:

Harkin says the so-called "nuclear option" would do away with the minority's ability to block judges. He says, "That will be the end of the Senate as we know it. It will be the end of a Senate where minority rights are protected. And that's what this nuclear option is all about. It is a brazen power grab. By destroying the minority's right to extended debate, nothing will stand in the way of republicans seizing absolute power and unchecked control of all three branches of government. It is the beginning of a trail to tyranny."

Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) on January 5th 1995 from the Congressional Record:

"...I think, Mr. President, that it is important or at least noteworthy, let me put it that way, it is noteworthy that the first vote of this new Congress in the Senate will be a vote on whether we slay this dinosaur called a filibuster…"

"...I may not agree with everything that Republicans are proposing, but they are in the majority and they ought to have the right to have us vote on the merits of what they propose..."

"...But, I do not believe that I as a member of the minority ought to have the right to absolutely stop something because I think it is wrong, that that is rule by minority..."

"...I can assure Senators and I can assure the American public that this trend in the use of filibuster is going to continue. This line next time will be even higher. I can assure you that will happen unless we get rid of the filibuster. If we maintain the filibuster, the American people will look to the Senate and say `We elected a bunch of new Senators but `business as usual.'..."

Lest you think I am quoting out of context, I put the link at the top from the entire speech he gave. Have the courage to read it yourself. Tom Harkin is a phoney. If you disagree, you're delusional or simply an idiot.

Oh...he changed his mind? Sure...but most people change their minds for a reason. What was Tom's? He was in the minority then...he's in the minority now...

Answer: He had President Clinton in office. So it's entirely political...and that's okay with you, right?

Tom Harkin is a phoney...pure and simple.

Why isn't this being reported a lot? Read what else Harkin had to say the day before. Again, read it yourself in the Congressional Record:

"...Well, slaying the filibuster dinosaur--and that is what I call it, a dinosaur, a relic of the ancient past--slaying the filibuster dinosaur has also been endorsed by papers around the country, including the New York Times, which just editorialized on this last Sunday; the USA Today; the Washington Post; the Fort Worth Star-Telegram; in my own State, the Des Moines Register, the Cedar [Rapids] Gazette, the Quad-City Times, and the Council Bluffs Non-Pareil..."

Maybe it's not being reported because they might find it just as embarrassing to be a bunch of phoney's too...

MOTHER OF THE YEAR 2005

Not much to say about this one from the Des Moines Register today. 'Cept maybe to wonder whether Charlie Sheen was in town.

Pregnant woman charged with child endangerment

But hold on there, kitten...it gets better...

"...Davenport, Ia. — A pregnant woman whose blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit was arrested but prosecutors said they will ask that that charge be dismissed. Rebecca Mann, 23, of Maquoketa, was arrested Sunday — Mother’s Day — for child endangerment because police said she was endangering her unborn child by being intoxicated. She told police she was 7 months pregnant, court records show. But Scott County Attorney Bill Davis said he will request the charge be dropped because it involves a fetus and not a child..."

Oh…sorry, my mistake. You’re right. I forgot you’re not a human at 7-months thanks to the abortionists. To be a little more technical, the Scott County Attorney says…

‘‘...Under Iowa law, a fetus is not a person until it has been separated and been born from the mother and taken a breath independent of the mother, period,’’ Davis said..."

Was Terri Shiavo a fetus? Hmmm...

Anyway...Do you get the feeling that the above comment might have been said with a slight smirk on his face? Either that, or with heavy sarcasm. I know we’re not supposed to interpret feelings and mood in what someone says in print, but the “period” part caught me a little off guard. I sense it might be one with a little tone of anger too.

As for the cops themselves, well…they seem to be normal average everyday thinking people and not necessarily lawyers who enjoy exploring the minutia of every law. I get the sense most of us would have reacted in the same way. One wonders if she was smoking too.

"...Davenport police spokesman Lt. Don Gano said the arrest on the child endangerment charge ‘‘was a mistake in the interpretation in the statute by the officers.’’Mann told officers ‘‘she has four other children and drank while she was pregnant with them, and they turned out fine,’’ police said in court records..."

Yes…I’m sure they’ll be just fine. That is until they find a nice slick lawyer like Bill Davis to take a class action lawsuit out on the liquor companies for not telling her of the dangers. She’ll probably grow up to be just like our Mother of The Year candidate…
"...Police said she fell while getting into the front passenger seat of an unmarked car driven by an undercover officer, then agreed to have sex with him for $100...."

5:30pm UPDATE: Nevermind all that stuff. I think I just found a competing story in Seattle. Go ahead and read the story. It involves a woman who was 8-months pregnant who was "tasered" by police after a traffic stop...despite police guidelines on the use of tasers for pregnant suspects. I was more struck by the comment from the woman charged in the case...who will now probably sue, thank you very much...(psst...call Bill Davis for representation!)

"..."As police officers, they could have hurt me seriously. They could have hurt my unborn fetus," she said. "All because of a traffic ticket. Is this what it's come down to?"..."

Unborn fetus? This has to be the first pregnant woman in history who has ever referred to her...um...BABY as an "unborn fetus"...either that, or I suspect a little editing over at the Seattle Post and Intellegencer. It has to be that...no other explanation makes sense. The quote is near the bottom of the story by the way.

STRANGE TWISTS OF LOGIC

Two things today, but in my own weird way, I think they’re related. First, the shocking story of minority hiring in Iowa. I say shocking because private employers are finding more qualified people to meet hiring goals than state government. Private sector businesses employ a whole 1-percent more minorities than government. This causes the Des Moines Register to fan out across the state and make it some kind of problem that needs to be addressed. Joseph Ellis of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services says it best…

"But we're going to have to change that."

The Register, in it’s own uniquely biased way asks a key question…”Does it matter?” and then answers it with some hack from another government spokesdork…

"It's always good to have a reflection of the community in our leaders and our servants," state ombudsman William Angrick said, although he is more concerned about the disproportionately high number of minorities in prison than the small shortfall in state minority employment. Still, Angrick said, a member of the public might believe that a state worker of the same sex or same ethnicity "perhaps would be respectful of who I am and where I came from" in making and administering decisions.

Now, I don’t know about you, but when I was ever involved with government officials whether it be at the assessors office, DMV, county clerk, or a traffic cop – the color of the person I’m dealing with never entered my mind. It certainly never figured in my mind that I might get some kind of deal if the person behind the desk was “respectful of who I am and where I came from”…am I missing out on something? You other white-folks need to let me know if you’re getting your taxes reduced on your house because of your whiteness. I’ve never tried the old “hey, I’m white” tactic when I get pulled over for speeding.

More importantly, it seems to me we have elections every couple of years and I have yet to feel that the people I send there care about “who I am and where I came from” unless I was holding a big bag of campaign donations. 67-percent of us would like a death penalty; 85-percent want a balanced budget; 70-percent want lower taxes; 55-percent want less spending. So far, we white guys are striking out in being respected…much less having our community reflected.

-0-

Yet another shocking development from the Editorial Department at the Register. They believe in the free market! I know, write this day down in your journal…I’m as surprised as you are. This week, Iowa State Racing and Gaming Commission will decide on how many new casinos to allow. The editorial says in part…

"...the commission will now decide which of 10 proposals will be approved for gambling licenses. Some members of the commission have hinted they might approve three. Others say they might go as far as five.The question the commission should answer first: Why not all 10?..."

Yeah…why not? Why not just exchange the name Iowa and settle for Vegas-lite? Now, read the really good part…

"...Here's the rule of thumb that should guide gambling expansion in Iowa: Once the residents of a county have said at the ballot box they want gambling, the state should not stand in the way - provided applicants seeking licenses meet state standards. Winners and losers should be sorted out in the marketplace, not in a state commission boardroom..."

Can I just have that written in stone? I’d like to include that little gem the next time a Wal-Mart wants to move into a suburb of Des Moines. Oh, and that poll that says 67-percent of us want a death penalty…I guess that should still be sorted out in boardrooms.

For fun, let’s just change a few words and let the Register speak for itself on another issue Iowans are curious about:

"...In short: Beyond regulatory concerns of business' integrity and financial soundness, the commission shouldn't trouble itself with the financial or moral impact of additional..."(Wal-Mart stores or anything else a clear majority of Iowans want).

ECONOMICS 101 IN THE DES MOINES REGISTER

There’s an article today in the business section of the Des Moines Register that caught my attention because it involves Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is taking some heat among the elitist goofs who consider themselves experts on marketing and retailing. For them, it’s unfair that Wal-Mart is even allowed to operate in their towns. And whenever one is proposed, shopkeepers shout their outrage and wring their hands over the prospects of their business in the face of the dreaded “always low prices…always” reputation Wal-Mart has.

The latest involves a businessman in West Des Moines.

“…Ron Choate is exercising his First Amendment right, one wrist at a time. Choate, who recently opened a small antique and tag-sale business called A House Full in the West Des Moines area, is taking aim at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. He is selling silicone bracelets embossed with the message ‘Boycott Wal-Mart’…”

The bracelets are his way of protesting the store he feels ran him out of business.

“…’Wal-Mart is hurting small business,’ he said. ‘Wal-Mart is ruining America.’…Choate blames the discount retailer in part for the demise of his previous Valley Junction gift specialty shop called A Small World. Plummeting sales forced him to close the shop and file for bankruptcy in March…”

But of course, he’s not giving them away…you have to pay to hear him express his first amendment rights. Radio is still free, of course.

“…Choate has sold 240 of the bracelets - each for $2.50 - since he began selling them two weeks ago. He had 25,000 bracelets made and put into packages with the message ‘Wal-Mart has beaten small town America black and blue…’People have been buying four or five apiece’…”

Well…maybe I’ve discovered how and why he went out of business. He ordered 25-thousand of them? And he’s only sold 240 in two weeks? This dude needs some serious training (government provided, of course) in inventory control. At the rate he’s selling them…even 4 or 5 apiece, he’d need to keep them on the shelves (and stay in business) for 4 years!

(Greg math note: 240 divided by 2 = 120 each week…then divide 25,000 by 120 = 208 weeks he’d need to keep the pace…then divide by 52 because there are 52-weeks in a year).

And that’s not all. He complains Wal-Mart undercut him on one particular item and forced him out of business.

“…Choate contends Wal-Mart undersold him on several items that both stores sold. He cited some Pez dispenser key chains that he bought wholesale for $1.75 each and sold for $3.50. Wal-Mart was offering the same key chains for $1.79 each…”

Again, he should probably get some re-training on pricing structure. A Pez-dispenser for $3.50?!! In fact, he’s just advertised to me how much he marks up items and I’ll make sure to avoid his store! How stupid can this guy be? It makes me wonder what he’s charging for a big ticket item like…oh, idunno…wind chimes.

On the other hand, he does have excellent sales and marketing skills. He sold this crappy story to the boobs at the Des Moines Register to put in their “business” section.

The name of his store in Des Moines is called A House Full. Make sure you avoid it out of fear of your pocketbook...cause frankly, the guy's full of it.

FULL CIRCLE

This article caught my eye this afternoon. After relieving my wife of her home duties and allowing her some time to herself, I now realize how fortunate we are according to the National Partnership for Women and Families.

"...Despite Iowa's family-friendly reputation, the state received a D-plus today for legal protections provided parents who leave the workplace to care for a new child. Iowa and 30 other states received a D-plus or worse..."

Family-friendly, you see, means a lot of things to the commies at NPWF.

"...a 1965 law that only gives pregnant women up to eight weeks of leave. The leave could be less, since the law only allows time only off to recover from delivery..."

They neglect to mention the fact that women get paid less statistically primarily because they DO take time off to care and raise a child. Anything more than 8-weeks is a killer in any business. How in the world these socialists expect a company to lose what may be a key employee for up to 3 months is beyond me. But even with 8-weeks (and the federal 12-week Family and Medical Leave Act), that's still not enough for them. They want it paid. And that's why they give such a low grade to Iowa. They don't realize that farm crops grow regardless of whether or not you are taking time off, apparently.

"...Neither the federal nor state laws require that parents' leave be paid, said Charlotte Nelson, executive director of the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women. Many families cannot afford to stay at home with a child, she said..."

Psst...Charlotte, honey...the reason they can't afford to is to pay all those taxes you libs want to keep taking to fund your silly programs like child care for working moms.

"...The national and local family advocate groups would like to see states mandate at least some amount of paid leave for families, saying that staying at home will 'improve a child's brain development, social development and overall well being.'..."

Don't let the fancy language fool you. These liberals are all about women, for women, and nothing but women. That's beside the point. I'm still a little surprised they had the guts to say 'state mandate' without blinking.

What they can't possibly bring themselves to say is they were WRONG in the 60's and women need not hold a 9-to-5 job to be happy. Many women who work and are waiting until their 30-s to have children know that now.

My wife and I made a choice. Financially, it ain't easy. You have to drive a used Honda, live in a smaller house, find free activities for the kids to do, read them books instead of sit them in front of video games you can't afford, cook your own meals, clip coupons, and shop at Goodwill.

I just hope when they're rich and successful and possibly candidates for Federal Judicial appointment by the President that these same libs don't complain about their "extremist" views. If they do, I'm gonna pop-em in the mouth.

Finish the dishes, honey.

CHARTER SCHOOLS? WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN CHARTER SCHOOLS...

I was surprised to learn upon my return to Iowa that there are only two...count'em, TWO charter schools in all of Iowa. Based upon an article in the Des Moines Register this week, I sort of understand why:

"...one of Iowa's first two charter schools opened this school year. The other is in the Southeast Webster school district. Five more charters are planned in other school districts...Charters are experimental schools designed by parents, teachers and community members that typically offer more creative approaches to education. Legislation passed in 2002 allows up to 10 of the schools to open in owa, making them each eligible for up to $400,000 in federal money during three years..."

Gee, awful nice of them to allow us to have 10 whole schools in Iowa, isn't it? And since 2002, only two areas have taken up the offer of that federal money. The article seems to suggest that the reason we don't have that many is because we have such good public schools and we don't need them. But the article contains this little ditty:

"...the schools can only be formed from existing Iowa public districts, whereas in many other states parents and teachers can create schools without the approval of their local districts..."

and this:

"...The charters have ignited controversy as school administrators and lawmakers charge they take money away from traditional public schools..."

Besides the obvious part about the scary proposition of allowing actual parents and actual teachers some control in creating schools, there's the added bonus of forcing existing union contracts on these new schools. Yep, just what you need when trying something new...old rules about tenure, arbitration, the built in heavy's at Local 101 will be watching your every move. God help you should you go outside the norm and try something different.

Yeah, it's a wonder we don't have people lining up outside charter schools to sign up for the next year's enrollment. That actually happens in other states, folks. I've seen people begin lining up the day before and camping outside these charter schools just to get one of the coveted openings for new students. It's THAT bad. That kind of thing is usually reserved for tickets to go see U2 or something.

Of course, there could be another reason Iowa doesn't have as many. They might actually have to compete in the real world for students. Like they do in Colorado according to this story on the DenverChannel:

"...Charter schools have lured thousands of students from area public schools by offering incentives and recruiting intensively..."

Just how did they LURE those whacky kids who otherwise would be content to hang out in a mall all day?

"...Charters are offering fast tracks to college degrees, laptop computers, and trips to the East Coast. Donning suits and ties, their principals go door-to-door to talk to parents. The charter schools have formed partnerships with private developers to build gleaming facilities in new developments..."

"...More than 36,000 students attend charter schools throughout the state, and charter advocates say the number of kids on waiting lists is more than 20,000. Frunzi recruits at area churches, preschools and grocery stores. Now there is a waiting list to enter..."

When was the last time you EVER heard of a waiting list to GET IN to a school? And if you're thinking the old union trick that "they take money away from local schools" will play in Peoria, think again. Here's the real reason local Public School thugs are worried. As a local school board member says in the story:

"...We will need to give our principals more training and capacity to handle this. Some of them have never been in the business environment where they have to compete..."

Game...set...match, Dept of Education. Imagine that, John Lennon...