Women dressed as Ninjas rob a gas station with swords. I smell movie. Either some sort of Thelma and Louise thing, or pr0n.
Author: Matthew G. Saroff
UAW Strike is Over
Obviously the agreement needs to be approved by the membership, but this is likely.
Maryland Politics: Slots
Ever since before Paris Glendenning left office, Maryland has been in a situation where the state has a structural deficit. Basically, Glendenning beat Ellen Saurbreey in a VERY close race in 1994, and proceeded to implement her cockamamie tax proposals at the height of the dotcom boom in order to score political points, and in so doing left the state with a structural deficit.
The governor following Glendening, Bob “Bad Hair” Ehrlich (R-Cluelessville) who had defeated Glendenning’s Lt. Governor, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (Possibly the worst candidate in the history of…well…history, and definitely in the history of the Kennedys).
He was a big fan of slots, and it was the central plank of his campaign, as a way to close the deficit, which ignores the mathematical reality of the situation. He also was completely clueless, not having even the remotest plan about how to implement slots, so his first proposal when he was governor was so bad that the racetracks (horse, not NASCAR) who were the primary beneficiaries of his plan were aghast.
So, it went back and forth, between the House Speaker Mike Busch generally being opposed to slots, and Senate Leader Mike Miller generally supporting them.
Both houses passed slots bills in 2005, but they were very different. The Senate provided for gambling at the racetracks, and the house bill had (largely) state owned machines at state owned sites along I-95 towards Delaware (where there are slots) and in Western Maryland towards West Virginia (where there are also slots), the theory being to catch Maryland residents before they spend that money out of state.
Disclosure: I am opposed to slots, not because I oppose gambling, but because I think that an over reliance on “sin” revenue casts taxes as something for bad people to pay, as opposed to dues that everyone pays to be a member of society.
Well, now that Martin O’Malley is governor, both the legislature and the executive are willing to face reality, and as such there are going to be some revenue increases, both taxes and slots.
Truth be told, slots are going to be a pretty small part of the picture revenue wise, but Mike Miller is retiring, and feels the need to get slots implemented as part of his “legacy”.
O’Malley has been in negotiation with the legislature, and his plan includes income tax increases at the higher brackets, increases in the sales taxes, and an increase in the gas tax to take into account Ehrlich’s raiding of the transportation budget.
The funny thing is that his slots plan is largely identical to the house plan of 2005.
Logistically, it makes sense, put the slots on the way to where people are going, and let the state own them so as to get the most revenue (though there is about $100 million to subsidize horse racing annually* and $6 million a year would go to help problem gamblers).
It also ends up placing the slots in largely rural and largely Republican areas. (heh)
The question now is whether O’Malley will submit this on its own, which would get a lot of Republican votes, or as part of a whole revenue package, which forces the Republicans to choose between slots (which they like, since people are already doing it out of state anyway) and the tax increases (which is all they have left to campaign on).
My money is on it coming out together, to shiv the ‘Phants†, though the charitable explanation is that it will be harder to get this through the house, so you go with something that they have already passed.
Amazingly enough there are not yet any allegations of graft, which in Maryland is no small thing.
*I know, kind of silly to prop up a dying business, but horse racing in Maryland has a bizarre attachment to some folks, as leg two of the Triple Crown is at Pimlico, and all.
†Short for Elephants…Republicans that is.
Republican Whines About Moveon Ad, But Can’t Name Last Soldier to Die in Her District
His name was Private Jeremy S. Bohannon. Hat tip to Oliver Willis on the Catch.
Truth be told, I did not know his name either, but I’m not being sanctimonious about screeching about Moveon.org. Let’s get the troops home.
Finally, an Endorsement From Me
Mark Pera for Congress (Il-03).
The Illinois 3rd district is very solidly Democratic (+10% dem), and the incumbent, Dan Lipinski is one of the worst Bush Dogs out there. He’s pro war, favors criminalizing abortion, and supported federal intervention in the case of Terri Schiavo.
As an aside, this is a “safe” endorsement for me, because even if my jinx* holds true, it’s still a vote for Speaker Pelosi.
Besides, Lipinski is a Democrat that we can simply do without.
*Yes, I know that superstitions are silly, and I frequently belittle people for them, but this, and the Hope Diamond† are where my rationality deserts me.
‡I wouldn’t take that cursed diamond if you paid me.
Bob Herbert Gets is: Republicans are Racist Scum
Read his article, The Ugly Side of the G.O.P. – New York Times.
Here is an excerpt:
…
Dr. Carolyn Goodman, a woman I was privileged to call a friend, died last month at the age of 91. She was the mother of Andrew Goodman, one of the three young civil rights activists shot to death by rabid racists near Philadelphia, Miss., in 1964.
Dr. Goodman, one of the most decent people I have ever known, carried the ache of that loss with her every day of her life.
In one of the vilest moves in modern presidential politics, Ronald Reagan, the ultimate hero of this latter-day Republican Party, went out of his way to kick off his general election campaign in 1980 in that very same Philadelphia, Miss. He was not there to send the message that he stood solidly for the values of Andrew Goodman. He was there to assure the bigots that he was with them.
“I believe in states’ rights,” said Mr. Reagan. The crowd roared.
In 1981, during the first year of Mr. Reagan’s presidency, the late Lee Atwater gave an interview to a political science professor at Case Western Reserve University, explaining the evolution of the Southern strategy:
“You start out in 1954 by saying, ‘Nigger, nigger, nigger,’ ” said Atwater. “By 1968, you can’t say ‘nigger’ — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states’ rights, and all that stuff. You’re getting so abstract now [that] you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things, and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites.”
…
Patrick Leahy Cuts Admiral Mike McConnell a New One
The Chairman of the Judiciary Committee lit into the Director of National Intelligence before his opening statement.
And well he should, McConnell is suggesting that oversight is aiding terrorists.
...Leahy pointed to a line in McConnell’s prepared statement suggesting that “some” do not appreciate the threat posed by al-Qaeda, and, visibly angry, warned him against accusing “any Senator on this panel” of playing fast and loose with national security.
And he called on McConnell to end his “irresponsible” repeated comments that debating changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act will mean that “some Americans are going to die.”
Oregon Deems Family’s Last Name Offensive
The Udink’s license plates have been confiscated by the Oregon DMV, they were Udink1, Udink2, and Udink2.
While I understand how this could be construed as not nice, but it’s not like the family was named “phuque”. Udink is a relatively common Dutch name.
And Now the White Supremacist Trash Enter Jena
Here.
And they are threatening the families.
How much do you want to bet that the good citizens of Jena will keep their stores open for this.
Rudy’s Particularly Egregious Pimping of 9/11
Some git by the name of Abraham Sofaer is holding a $9.11 For Rudy” Fundraiser for the Guiliani campaign.
Allow me to say ewwwww!
We Now Know Karl Rove’s New Client
It’s Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, who yesterday said that, Civil war has been averted in Iraq and Iranian intervention there has ceased to exist.
Ari Fleischer would be proud of him.
Microsoft Admits that Vista Sucks Wet Farts from Dead Pigeons
Of course, they don’t say it straight out, but Microsoft is now offering a “rollback to XP” tool for some corporate accounts.
I’m never one for buying Microsoft software until at least a year after it comes out, but this is un-bloody-believable.
Apple Threatens iPhone Users
Apple is now claiming that iPhones that have been hacked to be usable with non AT&T phone services may shut down when the push out their next software update.
“This has nothing to do with proactively disabling a phone that is unlocked or hacked,” Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, said in an interview. “It’s unfortunate that some of these programs have caused damage to the iPhone software, but Apple cannot be responsible for … those consequences.”
Bull. Apple is threatening its users for what they do to their phones, and just as with the iPods, it’s setting out to break the phones, and the hacks.
No Nuclear Weapons Technology in Syria
Accordiong to Raw Story, the Israeli airstrike two weeks ago did not target a nuclear weapons facility, but was insteaddirected at a short range ballistic missile (SCUD type) missile depot. It was apparently brought on by a weapons handling accident in which chemical weapons were released, killing around 50 people.
It was thought to be an attempt to place chemical warheads on the missile.
Considering the paucity of the Syrian nuclear effort, one small research reactor that produces medical isotopes, one wonders who was spreading the rumor of nuclear weapons activity.
Pay Per View Review
Our previous cable service was plain vanilla, no cable box, so now we get pay per view, and we checked out a movie list night, Happily N’Ever After, one of the more recent CGI movies to hit the small screen.
Cast:
George Carlin: The Wizard (Sort of)
Andy Dick: Mambo
Sarah Michelle Gellar: Ella
Michael McShane: Rumplestiltskin
Freddie Prinze Jr.: Rick
Wallace Shawn: Munk
Patrick Warburton: Prince Humperdink
Sigourney Weaver: Frieda
George Carlin is amusing, but he has perhaps 3 minutes screen time in this retelling of the Cinderella story, which is juxtaposed with the metaphysics of fairy tales.
Patrick Warburton and Wallace Shawn do a journeyman job of playing…Patrick Warburton and Wallace Shawn, and they are amusing.
For once, Andy Dick is not repellent
Sigourney Weaver is a wonderful evil stepmother, easily the strongest performance of the movie, with Weaver at her scenery chewing best. What’s more, she is the sexiest animated character since Jessica rabbit, and far more interesting, both libidinally and in terms of character development.
but the two leads, Gellar and Prinze are somewhat lackluster.
Freddy Prince, who plays Rick, performs well as the Prince Humperdink’s dogsbody and dishwasher, but Gellar’s performance as Ella is rather lackluster. Some of this is not her fault, as the character is written to be a bit of a ninny.. It doesn’t help that the stepmom is way hotter.
The plot, and plot device are a bit contrived, but I enjoyed it, and more importantly, my kids enjoyed it.
It’s amusing, if fluffy, and the hidden movie references will amuse the adults watching with their kids.
And of course, the happy ending.
Sounds Like the UAW Strike is On.
Sounds like they are expecting that there will be a strike, but perhaps it’s posturing, sometimes the rhetoric ratchets up just before a settlement.
UAW shocked by GM’s failure to recognize worker contributions; sets strike deadline for 11 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 24
The UAW announced today that due to the failure of General Motors to address job security and other mandatory issues of bargaining, the union has set a firm strike deadline for 11 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 24.
“We’re shocked and disappointed that General Motors has failed to recognize and appreciate what our membership has contributed during the past four years,” said UAW President Ron Gettelfinger. “Since 2003 our members have made extraordinary efforts every time the company came to us with a problem: the corporate restructuring, the attrition plan, the Delphi bankruptcy, the 2005 health care agreement. In every case, our members went the extra mile to find reasonable solutions.
“Throughout this time period,” said Gettelfinger, “it has been the dedication of UAW members that has helped GM set new standards for safety, quality and productivity in their manufacturing facilities. And in this current round of bargaining, we did everything possible to negotiate a new contract, including an unprecedented agreement to stay at the bargaining table nine days past the expiration of the previous agreement.”
“This is our reward: a complete failure by GM to address the reasonable needs and concerns of our members,” said UAW Vice President Cal Rapson, director of the union’s GM Department. “Instead, in 2007 company executives continued to award themselves bonuses while demanding that our members accept a reduced standard of living.
“The company’s disregard for our members has forced our bargaining committee to take this course of action,” said Rapson. “Unless UAW members hear otherwise between now and the deadline, we will be on a national strike against GM at 11 a.m. EDT on Monday, Sept. 24th.”
The UAW negotiating team will remain at the bargaining table, Rapson said, throughout the night and up until the 11 a.m. deadline.
Nothing yet on CNN about a strike starting, though.
Update: it appears that the balloon has gone up. The UAW is now on strike against GM.
Unfortunate Headlines
Or maybe just too truthful: What Catherine the Great can teach CEOs.
They’ve already done to the shareholders and workers what she did to her horse*.
FWIW, Jay Winik, the author of this book, also does not have a good handle on what Catherine the Great was as a ruler. Look up Potemkin villiages.
*Yes, I know that the story is false. She died of a stroke while sitting on the chamber pot.
Pirate Bay Files Criminal Complaint Against Media Companies
The leaked emails from MediaDefender, the Frank Nitti to the RIAA and MPAA’s Capone, have revealed a systematic program of hacking and computer vandalism, and Pirate Bay has filed criminal complaints against Swedish subsidiaries of music and movie studios.
For all their talk of law and order, the media distributors have demonstrated a fairly clear “the law for thee and not for me” attitude.
Whiskey Foxtrot Tango: Bush Calls Obama Intellectually Lazy?
No really. An anonymous senior Bush administration official has called Barack Obama “intellectually lazy”.
The author of the article is right wing hack Bill Sammon, but still, the idea that someone working for George W. Bush would call anyone intellectually lazy is un f$%#ing believable.
George W. Bush has Terri Schiavo beat in the intellectual laziness department.
Blackwater Caught on Video Making
Well, it looks like the Iraqi government has a tape of Blackwater opening fire on civilians unprovoked.