State of the Union, Indeed!

Hello My Dear Friends! Don't worry. I'm not going to get all political on you. I'd just like to point out a few things. First, as the President of the United States give his annual State of the Union address, it's expected he will announce that he will use "Executive Order" to raise the "minimum wage" for Federal contract employees. The proposed raise, to $10.10 per hour, is an increase of nearly $3.00 per hour. The White House, by it's own admission, has no idea how many workers will be affected. That's really sound financial planning. Who cares what it costs! Just do it. The White House says that the theory that raising the minimum wage leads to job losses is a "myth". It probably is. What do economists know anyway. A $3.00 an hour increase is about $6200 a year. I didn't get a $6200 raise this year. Did you? Here's a fun fact. The latest job numbers show that the state that lost the most jobs in December was New Jersey. By coincidence, New Jersey announced in December that it would be raising it's minimum wage by a dollar an hour, effective January 1st. Again, coincidence. Another thing you'll hear the President address is "income inequality". That's the growing gap between the "rich" and "poor" in America. What you wont hear is that, since 2009, 95% of all income gains in this country have gone to the top 1% of earners. Coincidence, I'm sure. Regardless of what else the President has to say, I must admit, I'll probably hear "blah, blah, blah". What I'd like to hear is, "The state of the union is ugly. We're going in the wrong direction and here's what I'm going to do to fix it...." Not likely, but a cat can dream, can't she?
Po

Thoughts Over Catnip

Hello My Dear Friends! We've made it through another bitterly cold week. I have found that, along with catnip, laughter helps to keep me warm. Luckily for me I don't have to look very far to find something, or someone, to laugh at! For instance, Justin Bieber! I'm sure you've heard that he was arrested on numerous charges including DUI and resisting arrest. He was drag racing down a residential street in a rented Lamborghini. Even though he is only 19, the officer says he made a statement admitting he had been drinking, smoking weed and had taken prescription medication. The funny thing is, when he was pulled over, he reportedly said to the officer "What the (F-Bomb) did I do"? LOL! What didn't you do son? I guess they do things differently in Canada. There's another interesting note to this story. Prior to his arrest he was at a strip club, drinking, with his FATHER, who then helped block the road so his under-aged, drunken son could race. After his arrest he told the police that the prescription drugs he had taken were given to him by his MOTHER! I guess they parent differently in Canada too! This kid doesn't stand a chance unless his ultimate goal is to become the Mayor of Toronto. Those crazy kids on Capitol Hill are at it again. After months of republican blustering about spending cuts and Democratic blustering about deficit reduction, they went ahead and increased "discretionary" spending (better known as Pork Barrel Spending) by $63 Billion dollars. That's above the $967 Billion set for fiscal year 2014 by the Budget Control Act! You can't make this stuff up. Finally (for now) a 7th grade Wisconsin science teacher, who was fired for watching and sharing pornography while at work, has not only gotten his job back but will be receiving about $200,000 in back pay! Yup. A court ruled that Andrew Harris was treated unfairly because other teachers, in the same district, were only suspended for doing the same thing! Apparently, in Wisconsin, teachers viewing porn at work isn't that uncommon. Who knew? The Teacher's Union, who defended Harris and, ultimately got him reinstated, declined to comment on the court's decision. C'est la vie! No wonder Johnny can't read.
Po

You're Saying What, Now?

Hello My Dear Friends! Here we are again, scratching our heads, wondering what the heck our elected officials are thinking. Let's start with the President of the United States saying, "As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different than the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life. I don't think it is more dangerous than alcohol".  Really, Mr. President? With the percentage of working age adults in the workforce at it's lowest level since the 1970s (63.3%) and the unemployment rate of workers age 16-24 somewhere around 20%. do you really think it's a good idea for the leader of the free world to make a statement like that? Obviously you do. And, while I'm at it, do you really think, with the Olympics right around the corner, that taunting al qaeda is a smart move? In case you missed it, the President, when asked about the al qaeda presence in Iraq and Syria, said a common analogy used at the White House is, "If a J.V. team puts on Lakers' uniforms, that doesn't make them Kobe Bryant". Clever. There's one little problem with that thought process. You don't have to be a super star to strap a bomb to your chest. If you see a sleeping python, Mr. President, you don't poke it with a stick. Closer to home, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo made an interesting statement last week. He said that "extreme conservatives", those "right-to-life, pro-assault weapon, anti-gay" conservatives have "no place in the State of New York". Ouch! I wonder how His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan took the news. What's he supposed to tell his boss? 'I'm sorry Pope Francis, there's no place for you in New York'. Apparently, if you believe in the Bible and the Constitution, New York doesn't want you around. Thanks for clearing that up Governor. Maybe now you can explain why Veterans in this State can wait months to see a doctor at the VA but illegal aliens can walk into any emergency room and get free health care. It makes you wonder which of those two groups are more welcome in New York, eh Governor?
Po

Educator of the Year!

Hello My Dear Friends! Have you been following the story about New York City's Educator of the Year? It's an amazing tale of hard work, dedication and love. Marcella Sills is the Principal of PS 106 in Far Rockaway, Queens. The school she runs is affectionately known as the "School of No". Why? Because they have no gym, no art classes, no library and, oh yeah, NO BOOKS! That's right. No reading, writing or math books. What do the students do all day? Well, according to one report, they watch bootleg videos. Yup. Apparently they just saw Frozen! Ms. Sills, who rarely shows up for work, drives a fancy BMW and wears a stunning fur coat. Her students, who mostly live below the poverty level, may not be able to read or write but they are treated to a marvelous end of the year Prom. Well, not exactly. It seems Ms. Sill requires all 5th graders to attend her version of a Prom, where all of the students dress up like brides and grooms. Oh, it gets better. Their parents have to pay about $200 a piece to rent the tuxedos and bridal gowns that have been pre-selected by Ms. Sills. You can't make this stuff up. You really can't. I know, you're saying to yourself, well, now that this has come to light, she's been fired, right? Wrong. After an "investigation" by the city Department of Education, they determined that "There is significant room for organizational improvement but classes are orderly, teachers are dedicated and students are learning". The parents say the Kindergarten trailers smell like animal urine. Ms. Sills refuses to hire substitute teachers so, when a teachers is absent, the students are divvied up among others classes. She does this, according to one source, to make the other teachers mad at the one who is absent. Excellent strategy! This certainly adds to the fine learning environment that the students are already being exposed to. Since you don't have any books, why not add angry teachers to the mix? Makes perfect sense to me. Who needs reading, art or gym when you can watch illegal bootleg videos all day. Makes you a little jealous, doesn't it? This has been going on for years! With such a strong foundation of learning I'm sure all of these students will go on to lead full and successful lives.. So, with all this in mind, I name Marcella Sills New York State's Educator of the Year! Take a bow Marcella.

Future generations will thank you!

Po

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Hello My Dear Friends! I, like you, am just trying to keep warm. First, to my Dear Friends and Family in Western New York, sorry about your luck! It must really suck to be you today! For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, well...

Ouch! The Gov closed over 130 miles of Thruway, from Rochester to Pennsylvania! Over 80 miles of RT 81 was closed, from Brewerton to the Canadian border! Here, in "snowy Syracuse", well...

Can you see the sun? I can. Anyway, enough about that. Snow or not, it is bitterly cold. So, I've chosen a few stories that should warm you up and, by warm you up I mean make you hot under the collar. Are you aware that the NFL, the NHL, the PGA and other sports leagues are registered non-profit organizations? They pay NO state or federal taxes. Yup. One Senator is trying to change that, since the non-profit NFL made 9 Billion dollars last year but, so far, he's getting zero support. Teams do pay taxes, but the league does not and hasn't since 1942. Jerry Sandusky, you remember him, is back in the spotlight. He began a hearing today with the Pennsylvania State Employees' Retirement System, attempting to get his Penn State pension reinstated. His argument? His conviction on 45 counts of child sexual abuse shouldn't have affected his pension because he wasn't actually an employee of Penn State when the crimes occurred. He retired in 1999. Sandusky argues that his "activities" at the college, after his retirement shouldn't preclude him, or his wife, from collecting the $4900 a month pension because he wasn't an employee (just a predator and pedophile). The hearing is expected to last a few days. Finally, after the First Family wrapped up their two week, taxpayer funded holiday vacation in Hawaii, the White House announced that the First Lady would not be returning to Washington with the rest of the crew. Nope. She was staying on in Hawaii for a few more days as part of her birthday gift from the Pres. How sweet, right? Wrong. That means that Air Force One will, at some point, have to return, empty, to Hawaii to pick up the First Lady and then return to Washington, again. The cost to you and me? $800,000! That's some Birthday gift. Especially since it's a gift paid for, not by her loving husband, but by the taxpayers. When it comes to gift giving, they say it's the thought that counts. Well, I think that gift sucks and that's what counts! Hey, Mr. President, buy your own damn gifts.
Po