Michelle Obama's Thank You note

Dear American Taxpayer


For only the second time in my adult life, I am not  ashamed of my country. I want to thank the hard working American people for paying $242 thousand  dollars for my vacation in Spain .

My daughter Sasha, several long-time family friends, my personal staff and various guests had a wonderful time.

Honestly, you just haven't lived until you have stayed in a $2,500.00 per night private 3-story villa at a 5-Star luxury hotel.

Thank you also for the use of Air Force Two and the 70 Secret Service personnel who tagged along to be sure we were safe and cared for at all times.

By the way, if you happen to be visiting the Costa del Sol , I highly recommend the Buenaventura Plaza restaurant in Marbella ; great lobster with rice and oysters!

I'm ashamed to admit the lobsters we ate in Martha's Vineyard were not quite as tasty, but what can you do if you're not in Europe , you have to just grin and bear it?

Air Force Two (which costs $11,351 per hour to operate according to Government Accounting Office reports) only used 47,500 gallons of jet fuel for this trip and carbon emissions were a mere 1,031 tons of CO2.

These are only rough estimates, but they are close. That's quite a carbon footprint as my good friend Al Gore would say, so we must ask the Americann citizens to drive smaller, more fuel efficient cars and drive less too, so we can lessen our combined carbon footprint.

I know times are hard and millions of you are struggling to put food on the table and trying to make ends meet. So I do appreciate your sacrifices and do hope you find work soon.

I was really exhausted after Barack took our family on a luxury vacation in Maine a few weeks ago.

I just had to get away for a few days.



Cordially,

Michelle (Moochelle) Obama


P.S. Thank you as well for the $2 BILLION dollar trip to India!

P.SS. Thank you, too, for that vacation trip to Martha's Vineyard; it was fabulous!

And thanks for that second smaller jet that took our dog Bo to Martha's Vineyard so we and the children
could have him with us while we were away from the White House for eleven days. After all, we couldn't
take him on Air Force One because he might pee on some wires or something.

P.SSS. Oh, I almost forgot to say thanks also for our two-week trip to Hawaii at Christmas. That 7,000
square foot house was great!

P.SSSs don't forget my ski trip to Vail this winter and now the girls and I are in Africa with my mom.

All this while Barack golf's and campaigns to keep my trips coming for the next 4 years !

Love ya! Remember, we all have to share the pain of these economic times equally!

Hat tip to Bill T!


"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

Two standards???

My old bud Mike L weighs in with this:

After reading the headlines today about the US soldier who shot up Afghanistan civilians, I couldn’t help noticing an irony. There is all this clamour to try this guy quickly and execute him, never mind his having suffered a traumatic brain injury.


Yet this Major Hasan, who shot up Fort Hood while screaming Allah akbar, still hasn’t stood trial, and they are still debating whether he was insane, even with the clear evidence regarding his motive: slay as many infidels as possible.

So we have a guy in a war zone who cracks, and he must be executed immediately. But this Muslim psychiatrist who was stateside in a nice safe office all day, murders 13, wounds 29 of his own guys, and they try to argue the poor lad suffered post-traumatic stress syndrome, from listening to real soldiers who had actual battle experience.

Two and a half years later, they still haven’t tried the murderous bastard.

Are there two standards???

Thanks, Mike.

And yes, there are two standards.


Source


"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

Proof of title

Part of rebuilding New Orleans caused residents often to be challenged with the task of tracing home titles back potentially hundreds of years.. With a community rich with history stretching back over two centuries, houses have been passed along through generations of family, sometimes making it quite difficult to establish ownership. Here's a great letter an attorney wrote to the FHA on behalf of a client:


You have to love this lawyer.......

A New Orleans lawyer sought an FHA loan for a client. He was told the loan would be granted if he could prove satisfactory title to a parcel of property being offered as collateral. The title to the property dated back to 1803, which took the lawyer three months to track down. After sending the information to the FHA, he received the following reply.

(Actual reply from FHA):

"Upon review of your letter adjoining your client's loan application, we note that the request is supported by an Abstract of Title. While we compliment the able manner in which you have prepared and presented the application, we must point out that you have only cleared title to the proposed collateral property back to 1803. Before final approval can be accorded, it will be necessary to clear the title back to its origin."

Annoyed, the lawyer responded as follows:

(Actual response):

"Your letter regarding title in Case No.189156 has been received. I note that you wish to have title extended further than the 206 years covered by the present application.

I was unaware that any educated person in this country, particularly those working in the property area, would not know that Louisiana was purchased by the United States from France , in 1803 the year of origin identified in our application. For the edification of uninformed FHA bureaucrats, the title to the land prior to U.S. ownership was obtained from France , which had acquired it by Right of Conquest from Spain . The land came into the possession of Spain by Right of Discovery made in the year 1492 by a sea captain named Christopher Columbus, who had been granted the privilege of seeking a new route to India by the Spanish monarch, Queen Isabella.

The good Queen Isabella, being a pious woman and almost as careful about titles as the FHA, took the precaution of securing the blessing of the Pope before she sold her jewels to finance Columbus's expedition...Now the Pope, as I'm sure you may know, is the emissary of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and God, it is commonly accepted, created this world. Therefore, I believe it is safe to presume that God also made that part of the world called Louisiana. God, therefore, would be the owner of origin and His origins date back to before the beginning of time, the world as we know it, and the FHA. I hope you find God's original claim to be satisfactory. Now, may we have our loan?"

The loan was immediately approved.

Hat tip to Mike L!


"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

Capital letters

In the world of hi-tech gadgetry, I've noticed that more and more people who send text messages and emails have long forgotten the art of capital letters.

For those of you who fall into this category, please take note of the following statement.

Capitalization is the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse and helping your uncle jack off a horse.

Is everybody clear on that?


Hat tip to Jimmy M!

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

Valero Oil Refiner

Got the following from Larry P, an old bud.


VALERO Oil memo to employees re. Keystone Pipeline*


For those of you unfamiliar with Valero, it is an independent

oil company based in San Antonio, TX. It owns 2 refineries, but no oil

fields – it buys all the oil it refines and processes via contract or on

the open market.

Its origin was as a public utility providing natural gas to the city of

San Antonio, but it has grown to be a significant gasoline retailer in a

good portion of the southeast and southwest, as well as a purveyor of

natural gas.

It is a significant economic force in Texas, even in light of the other majors

(Shell, Exxon Mobil, etc.) based in the state. This memo to employees

is a realistic insight into the economic importance of the proposed XL

pipeline.



Date: January 24, 2012

To: Valero Employees

From: Bill Klesse



Subject: Keystone XL Pipeline Statement

As you know, the Obama administration decided last week to deny

TransCanada’s application to ship crude oil via the Keystone XL pipeline

from Canada to the Gulf Coast. Valero has planned to be a shipper and

purchaser of that oil since 2008, and obviously we were disappointed in the

decision. We issued a statement in response to questions from the media,

and I wanted to share it with you in case you get questions from friends or

business partners, and so that you would know why Valero supports the

Keystone XL pipeline.



This is the statement: Despite the uncertainty and political fighting over the

Keystone XL pipeline, Valero has continued to invest in its U.S. refining operation.

In 2011 we spent nearly $3 billion on projects, and for 2012 our capital

expenditure budget is over $3 billion. These expenditures are keeping our

employees on the job and putting additional people to work. To reference

two of our refineries, at Port Arthur, Texas, we have 1,600 contractors

working on an expansion project, and at St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, we

have another 1,000 contractors working on a separate project. We need this

kind of economic activity to accelerate to help all Americans.



This illustrates why President Obama's rejection of the Keystone XL

pipeline is so absurd. There are pipelines in every neighborhood all across

America. The administration’s decision was not about pipelines, it was

about the misguided beliefs that Canadian oil sands development should be

stopped and that fossil fuel prices should increase to make alternative

energy more attractive. Instead, we should be impressed with how well the

oil sands engineering and recovery technology has advanced, and the

economic benefits this development brings. Having more oil available in the

marketplace has the potential to lower prices for consumers. As an

independent refiner, Valero buys all of the oil we process. Due to the

administrations misguided policies, refiners like Valero will have to buy

more oil from other sources outside the U.S. and Canada.



Consumers will bear the additional shipping cost, not to mention the

additional greenhouse gas emissions and political risks. With all the issues

facing our country, it is absolutely unbelievable our federal government

says no to a company like TransCanada that is willing to spend over $7 billion

and put Americans to work on a pipeline. The administrations decision throws

dirt into the face of our closest ally and largest trading partner.

The point above is that it is not about pipelines as many pipelines

cross the Ogallala Aquifer, in the Great Plains region, and, in fact, there

is already significant oil and gas production in the area covered by the

aquifer. This is politics at its worst.

Thank you for your support.


"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

Where I've been

Dear Friends,


I have been in many places but I've never been in Cahoots. Apparently you can't go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.

I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.

I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work.

I would like to go to Conclusions; but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore.

I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go and I try not to visit there too often.

I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.

Sometimes I'm in Capable and I go there more often as I'm getting older.

One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!

I may have been in Continent but don't remember what country I was in. It's an age thing.

Hat tip to Mike L!



Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

I like this

Hat tip to Jim M!



"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

Ask your wife!

A man wakes up in the hospital bandaged from head to foot.


The doctor comes in and says, "Ah, I'm glad to see you've regained consciousness. You probably won't remember, but you were in a huge pile-up on the freeway. You're going to be okay, you'll walk again and everything, but your penis was severed in the accident and we couldn't find it".

The man groans, but the doctor goes on, "You've got $9,000 in insurance compensation coming and we now have the technology to build a new penis.

They work great but they don't come cheap. It's roughly $1,000 an inch".

The man perks up.

"So", the doctor says, "You must decide how many inches you want. I understand that you've been married for over forty years and this is something you should discuss with your wife. If you had a five incher before and get a nine incher now she might be a bit intimidated. If you had a nine incher before and you decide to only invest in a five incher now, she might be disappointed. It's important that she plays a role in helping you make a decision".

The man agrees to talk it over with his wife.

The doctor comes back the next day and asks, "So, have you spoken with your wife"?

"Yes I have", says the man.

"And has she helped you make a decision"?

"Yes" say s the man.

"What is your decision"? asks the doctor.

"We're getting granite countertops".

Hat tip to Mike L!


"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

Great Weekend

Yeah, I know I haven't been around very much.

But with yard work to do, baseball to coach, poker to play.... I just haven't felt a huge urge to emote.

Besides, Obama's lies regarding gasoline pricing are starting to catch up to him.... Even if the only Repub candidate that is smart enough to recognize that gasoline prices is the issue is Newt. The rest had rather argue over birth control and such.

Anyway, the following from Bill T is worth a look.

A balding, white haired man from Melbourne in Victoria , walked into a jewellery store in a local shoppingcentre last Friday evening with a beautiful much younger girl at his side.

He told the jeweller he was looking for a special ring for his girlfriend.

The jeweller looked through his stock and brought out a $5,000 ring.

The man said, 'No, I'd like to see something more special.'

At that statement, the jeweller went to his special stock and brought another ring over.

'Here's a stunning ring at only $40,000' the jeweller said.

The lady's eyes sparkled and her whole body trembled with excitement.

The old man seeing this said, 'We'll take it.'

The jeweller asked how payment would be made and the man stated, 'By cheque. I know you need to make sure my cheque is good, so I'll write it now and you can call the bank Monday to verify the funds and I'll pick up the ring Monday afternoon.'

On Monday morning, the jeweller angrily phoned the old man and said, 'There was only $25 in your account.'

'I know, said the old man, 'But let me tell you about MY GREAT WEEKEND!'

REMEMBER... Not All Seniors Are Senile..
























"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

 “It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

A typical day at Tan Son Nhut Airport

The picture is not of Tan Son Nhut

See how many different types you can name in the video link. That's an EC-121 above.

Video link

Hat tip to Dave T!



"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

 “It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

Why gasoline and food prices are high

I thought I would never post anything I read on DailyKOS. But this guy has his act together and flat out explains what is happening and why it is happening  to food and energy prices.



"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

It also applies to today's money printing by the central banks. The people closest to the central banks are buying assets at the "old price". These people are TBTF Wall Street bankers. You can't get any closer than being a primary dealer.



Well guess who the biggest food speculators are? TBTF Wall Street banks.


Who is manipulating energy prices? TBTF Wall Street banks.


They are standing near the Fed's money tap and using that cash to buy stuff that you need so much that you'll pay any price to get it.

Link

The older I get

Hat tip to Bill T!



"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

 “It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

Cute

Hat tip to Austin!!

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

Plug in - turn on - burn up!

All you ever need to know about the Chevy Volt!

The picture has nothing to do with the Volt. But I had a '50 Ford and it was a lot more fun to drive than the Volt can ever be! Especially when I had my Honey by my side!

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine