Our View: Free Speech Is For Everyone

I just read on our nemesis blog, onthebordeline.net, that they have been banned by the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. This may come as a surprise to Chris at ontheborderline.net, the blog we love to hate, but the opinion here is that banning political speech by this agency is wrong and a violation of ontheborderline.net's 1st Amendment Right to Free Speech. Personally, I disagree with 99% of what is written on OTBL. Many of their personal attacks on public employees and public school supporters I find offensive. I think their anti-government philosophy is "out to lunch". To put it succinctly, I don't like their blog. However, this is America, and the Constitution guarantees individual's the right to express their political opinions no matter how much you disagree with them. Banning ontheborderline.net and the many other political blogs listed here by the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs is just plain wrong! Defend Free Speech! The next banned political expression may be yours!

Fore!

Local Borderline blogger and renowned school board and internet annoyance,
Mr. Peanut, sustained serious injuries this afternoon after being mistaken for a driving range golf ball at a local Hudson Golf Course. Area golf enthusiast Bob "The Cubical Lawyer" gave the following account of the incident to ATBL's golf beat reporter.
"I simply mistook Mr. Peanut for one of the range balls. It' a mistake anyone could have made. Mr. Peanut is small, bald, yellow, dimply and insignificant, like all the other range balls. The only feature that distinguished him from the others was his pink band. How was I to suspect he would jump up on my golf tee and accost me in the middle of my swing? I was practicing my drive to improve my distance, but as fate would have it I nailed this one. All I could do was watch as Mr. Peanut sailed nearly 300 yards down the fairway. I wish all my other drives were as good!"
Mr. Peanut was unavailable for comment and local hospital officials would
not release details of his condition.

Whats wrong with this picture?

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Patriot, Insurgent or Terrorist

It's my belief most rational persons understand the difference between a patriot,an insurgent or a terrorist. Further examination would reveal that there is a slight variation depending on who controls the media and from which side of the invasion you're on. I also believe that any critical examination of the facts would reveal that we are creating more 'terrorists' in Iraq than what the conservative agenda would have us believe.
Just in case you don't agree with me or understand my thinking... I want to clarify it via pretend. A war game if you will. The scenario is as follows-
Two nations, lets call them Minnesota and Wisconsin, respectively known as the Mud Ducks and Cheese Heads. For the purposes of this game, I'll be a Cheese Head.
OK, so after living side by side for many years with good relations. Mutual economy, tourism and inter national marriages. Slowly the Mud Ducks start to feel threatened by the Cheese Heads growing economy based on superior beer and cheese.
Instead of investing educational dollars to create better cheese and beer, Minnesota decides to invest in it's military. Lots of military. Vastly disproportionate to it's GDP. In order to do this, Minnesota has to justify to it's citizenry that the Cheese Heads are gaining an unfair economical advantage over them, they have to paint them as unfair competitors. They might have to bring in Religion to unite the base to support the continued military build up. If that doesn't unite all Mud Ducks, the leaders of Minnesota will have to convince their people that the Cheese Heads are using their beer and cheese money to buy nuclear weapons and they are determined to use them against the moral people of Minnesota so they can control the entire beer and cheese market.
As the Mud Ducks were building their military the Cheese Heads were busy making cheese and beer. Using that money to educate their children and build a nice way of life in Wisconsin.
Now the Mud Ducks have been planning their invasion of Wisconsin for weeks. They appointed the best general they had. He was raised in a very wealthy family so he never lacked for anything. His whole career was pre-annointed, even after his early failures, he was always bailed out and promoted to the next level regardless of his ineptness. His family name had influence in Minnesota and it resonated throughout the land. His name, Shrub.
Gen.Shrub wasn't in touch with the good people of Minnesota. He was in touch with the political base of Minnesota, they were called the 'Newly Controverted' , aka, the neocons. The neocons did ,unfortunately have control of Minnesota's military. Gen. Shrub used his family name and the ties that came with it to take control of Minnesota. A military coup was used successfully to displace Mn. President Pullenvy was promptly put in jail for being 'unpatriotic'. A new law that was enacted immediately after the coup.
With the dictatorship running at full speed,General Shrub was ready to launch his invasion of Wisconsin. He did so with great vigor. His plans can be surmised very simply...
Use 1/3 of the Mud Duck Navy(MDN), to control the Superior Port, 1/3 of the MDN to control the port of Green Bay and the rest of the MDN to take control of Milwaukee.On D-Day the MDA(MUD Duck Army), would control and advance on the 15 river crossings into Wisconsin, while the MDM(Mud Duck Marines) would drop behind enemy lines to take control of the airports and the Wisconsin National Gaurd Armories.
Mud Duck D-Day is here. The Mud Ducks have over whelming success. Their plan was called 'Shock and Awe', and it was stunningly shockful and awful.
The Cheese Heads were dumbfounded. Absolutely over taken and subservient. This didn't last long once Deer hunting season began.
From D-Day on I didn't like the Mud Ducks. I started to do my best to fight the invasion. After all ,I'm a good Patriotic Cheese Head. I turned from a peaceful man to a Patriot. I go out at night to do all the damage I can to the Mud Ducks. Killing the invaders comes to me like it's part of the daily routine. I'm not a killer. I do my best anyway. I disrupt their supply lines. I kill their officers. I do my part for the Cheese Heads at night, I pretend to comply with the Mud Ducks during the day. Mean time I've done much damage to the Mud Ducks. I've killed many. Wounded many and forgot more.
Somehow, after many casualties, the Mud Ducks have found me out. They come in the middle of the night and drag me out of my house in front of my 3 teenage boys. They beat the dickens out of me in front of my family and slowly I loose my life in front of my 3 boys.
Did they kill a patriot? Did they kill a insurgent? Did They kill a terrorist?
In case you haven't figured it out yet,let me ask you this. Did they create 3 more Patriots,3 more insurgents or 3 more terrorist?
It all depends on who wins doesn't it. That will be the difference between an insurgent,terrorist and patriot!

Stupid U - Sponsors Demography Lecture Series

Mr. Peanuts Second Theory of Baloney: People in Rental housing don't have school aged kids.

Borderline Book Club Warehouse Attacked - OTBL Points Finger At Teacher Union Thugs

Shortly before 3:00AM. Neighbors in the Borderline Book Club Warehouse district were awakened by an enormous Boom!


They subsequently learned the The Borderline Warehouse had exploded in a fireball of flames. Members of the Borderline Bookclub were said to be devastated by the event. It has been learned form ATBL investigative sources that all 20 copies of the recently released best seller "The Price of Sin" had been stored in the clubs warehouse. Despondent authors Bubonic and Erikson could not be reached for comment however a spokesperson for ontheborderline.nut stated. "This is obviously the work of local teacher union thugs and government school supporters." Hudson firefighters called to the scene of the explosion and fire were unable to extinguish the blaze and dismissed the incident as an unfortunate accident, they then proceeded to Dick's Bare to celebrate with a few ice cold blogger lagers.
Get "The Price of Sin" @ 50% off.
















The remaining copies of "The Price of Sin" were immediately discounted in a effort to recover a small portion of the vanity press expense incurred by the authors.

O. Nonimous Squeaks

Dick Chaney Releases First Rap Single

Listen to Dick's Hit Single:

Lyrics:

Distributed by Corporate Ho Records.

One Corporate Interest Indivisable

This 4th of July you might want to consider flying a flag that truly represents the fight for establishing an oligarchy and the original vision of our founding corporate interests.

So, this 4th why not fly a flag that truly represents the real meaning of the day? Fly corporate stars and when your neighbor asks you what it is, give them the history lesson they are too lazy to learn on their own and should have learned in school!

Lessons From The Price of Sin: What Goes Up...

Deportee Blues

Alderdude Implicated

Two stage hands die after Rolling Stones Spain gig

"I did turn on the Rolling Stones before leaving for a breakfast appointment downtown Hudson, and I did leave a window open. (No, there were no speakers in the window. This was just an iPod sitting on a table in an iDock, and loud enough to be hear but no blaring.) I left my cell phone number with Mrs. Snow and asked that Mr. Snow call me and I would return home to turn off the music, but first we would discuss the overnight noise issue."

Alderdude


Fri Jun 29, 9:08 AM ET
Two workers died on Friday after part of the set from a Rolling Stones concert collapsed on top of them as they were dismantling it, emergency services said.

A third man was seriously injured after four people fell from a 33-foot structure that gave way as the team helped take it down after Thursday night's concert in Madrid.

A white-haired man with thick glasses carrying a boombox, who goes by the name of Alderdude, was seen hanging around the set at about 4 am the previous morning. Residents of Hudson, Wisconsin are asked to keep a look out for the man at City Hall.

Fatherly Advice Overheard Ontheborderline...

"Son, the next time one of those conspiratorial government employees driving a squad car stops you for running a stop sign, just say 'What stop sign?' When he says, 'That one back there,' you tell him that you thought that sign stood for 'Statists Thieve Our Possessions.' If that don't get you off the hook, tell him I'll write him a letter."

Mr. Peanut

Set Yourself Free - Get Your Fake Degree

"We're not real Doctors but we play them on our blog
www.ontheborderline.nut to inflate our already gigantic egos."

The names have been changed to protect the guilty.

Author Biography

Mark Alan Bubonic holds a M.A. degree in Economics from the Gomer Pyle School @ the University of Alabama and a B.A. in Economics from Florida Southern College. His career over the past twenty years has been involved as a legalized gambler in the equity markets, the greatest supply and demand Casino in the world. Mark’s interests are farout and wide off the mark, but Rightwingnut Laissez Faire Economics and American Revisionist history are his scholarly passions. Those passions have led to extensive writings regarding the basis of Libertarian Lunacy. Mark currently resides in Wisconsin along with his Big Red Dog Clifford. ..~.. Daniel Erickson received his MBA in 1989 from the University of Wisconsin system -Martel Campus. He is former Senior Audacitator for a Un-Fortunate 100 Company and currently an independent audacitating consultant (read as "unemployed" ) . Mr. Erickson’s vocations and interests are wide ranging from ski mask blogging and unicycle racing to study and writing in the areas of Ayn Rand Objectivist crackpot philosophy and Von Misean Laissez Faire economics. Mr.(not a real Dr. ) Erickson has been a leading advocate of Wal-market education reform in Wisconsin, proposing such novel ideas as the "Give me my Friken Money Back Educational Tax Credit". He is an author of a brazillian blogsphere articles, both under his real name and under thinly veiled pseudonyms. He resides in a secret unrevealed location under the witness protection program.

Must Reads for HHS Football Captains!!!

True Blue Crimes

Michael, meet the borderliners, borderliners meet Michael

From Newsweek:

By David Ansen
Newsweek
Updated: 8:26 a.m. CT June 22, 2007

June 22, 2007 - "Whatever you think of Michael Moore—and who doesn't have an opinion?—the man has an impeccable sense of timing. His newest polemic, "Sicko," takes aim at our disastrous health-care system at a moment in the national debate when even the die-hardest boosters of free enterprise acknowledge that major changes have to be made, if not the free universal health care that most Western countries offer, and that we resist."

I guess David Ansen has never meet our local "Die Hards"!

Ludwig von Mises As a Baby...

Breaking NEWS!!!

The Borderline Book Club announced today that is has sold 1 more copy of
"The Price of Sin".


















Elma Erikson ( long lost cousin of "Price of Sin" ( available at a borderline bookstore near you ) co-author Faux Dr. Bill ) in an exclusive interview says: " After reading the scintillating interview with the book's co-author at ontheborderline.nut, I just had to go out and buy a copy. I remember my Great Great Uncle Adam bragging and name dropping down at the The Side Tap Trap, about hanging out with Abe and Sarah just before the War (Civil that is ). Everyone knew that Uncle Adam told these whoppers just to get attention because he never really accomplished anything of any worth on his own. When my cousin Faux Dr. Bill told that story about our family in his interview, I knew I had to get the book just to bring back old memories of my eccentric Great Great Uncle Adam."
With the publicity machine churning at ontheborderline.nut, publicists for the book say it's likely
they may even sell another copy this month.

We now return to our regularly scheduled blogging.

Knowlt Hoheimer by Edgar Lee Masters

I was the first fruit of the battle of Missionary Ridge.
When I felt the bullet enter my heart
I wished I had staid at home and gone to jail
For stealing the hogs of Curl Trenary,
Instead of running away and joining the army.
Rather a thousand times the county jail
Than to lie under this marble figure with wings,
And this granite pedestal
Bearing the words, "Pro Patria."
What do they mean, anyway?

--from Spoon River Anthology



"What do they mean, anyway? They mean, 'For one's country.' Any country at all."

US Ambassador Horlick Minton

OnTheBorderLine.nut: Whine of the Weak

Cheap fills...

"As always, the lesson of political history is the same: Save us from our saviors."
-James Bovard

Congratulations!

How Much Does It Cost?

Yesterday, the New Richmond airport hosted its annual air show. One of the features of the event was a fly-over by a C-130 from the Minnesota Air National Guard. Watching the huge plane drop down and make a pass over the airport, I got to wondering how much this costs the taxpayers? Personally, I think it was pretty awesome seeing the plane so up close and personal.

But then I started to think about how much that costs the taxpayers. I didn't come up with a dollar figure, but I did find some interesting info about flying the plane:

The cost of a C-130 is approximately $66 million -- or two-thirds of the recent New Richmond school referendum passed.

Minimum crew to fly the C-130: two pilots, one flight engineer, and one loadmaster.

Fuel consumption rate: 200 gallons per minute.

My guess is it had to be at least a half hour of flying time to do the New Richmond flyover. As you can see, this ain't a cheap joy ride on the taxpayers dime. I don't have a problem with the flyover, I just have a problem with the local anti-education bloggers at ontheborderline.nut missing such a wonderful opportunity to point out how taxes dollars are put to use for things other than public schools.

If you have any qualified guess on the cost of flying a C-130 for a half hour, post them in the comments.

Hail Damage Extensive: OTBL Blames Government Schools

Approximately $ 1 Million in damage is the estimated price tag of damage incurred by St. Croix County property owners from a severe storm system that rolled through the area last week. Sightings of 3" or baseball sized hail were
common along with significant damage reports.

The crack Meteorological Ivestigated Team from the "ontheborderline.nut weather blog channel immediately released a statement placing the blame on governments schools and their statist policies. "In a truely laissez fair economy, hail could never have grown that large or become that plentiful, as the invisible hand of the market would have curtailed further growth as soon as hailstone supply outstripped demand. "
The OTBL statement went on to demand that felony vandalism charges be brought against local area government school students who mercilessly pummeled the area with the 3" hailstones .



"These students are adults and should be made to take responsibility for their actions. Dropping
hailstones of such an enourmous size over several area counties can only be seen as a malicious crimminal act and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
A spokesperson for OTBL concluded saying: "There's little or nothing of negative consequence
that ever happens where blame cannot be traced, directly or indirectly back to the monopolistic government school system. If only we had free market schools, events like these would cease to occur."

New Game Show: Stick A Cork In It

The companies that make Kaopectate and Swine Whine corks have decided to get in on fastest growing trend in the St. Croix Valley -- silencing the idiots at the ontheborderline.nut blog site. With the help of these fine sponsors, this will make quite an addition for the upcoming Fall lineup. This is “must see tv” at it’s best!

Watch as migrants working in the fields around St. Croix County work overtime to silence the racist ignorance leaking down the pant leg of the ontheborderline.nut blog site. The workers will appear on-location at a local bean field where they will hold down contestants with names like Luke, Towncrier, ebaybaby, O. Nonimous and Flash. The goal will be to eliminate their chronic ailment of racist stupidity that continues to leave an ugly skidmark on the borderline.

The show will be a double-elimination contest. N. Onimous will be the first contestant. In round one, gallons of Keopectate will be forced into O. Nonimous’s large mouth. Rumor has it that he moonlights as a auxiliary septic system, because of his seemingly endless capacity to excrete bullshit. After commercials from various free-market capitalists showing a unbelievably healthy minority child being lovingly cared for at a clinic run by Minnesota-based company that pays its CEO $1 billion annually, O. Nonimous will be allowed to pontificate to a panel of publicly elected members of a local school board.

If the stupidity continues to leak from O. Nonimous, the workers will apply a very large cork to his anal orifice. The cork will be lowered into the insertion site by a huge crane. The reason for the large cork is that O. Nonimous is such a big asshole. Rumor has it that he is negotiating with North Shore Airlines to use his orifice as an auxiliary hanger. Evidently, negotiations have stalled as North Shore Airlines tries to meet O. Nonimous’s demand that the words “gold standard.” “Communist plot,” “government school conspiracy” and “statists” is worked into the contract a combined 666 times. NorthShore Airlines hopes to capitalize on this opportunity to re-introduce the practice of serving nuts on its flights.

After more free-market capitalist commercials that try to sell you clothes made by starving, orphaned nine year olds in “humidity enhanced production facilities” in the swamps of India, O. Nonimous will again question the panel. If the leakage isn’t stopped, O. Nonimous will be “escorted” off the set, have his upper and lower orifices taped and will be driven to a golf outing by a retired superintendent to an undisclosed golf course that is approximately 158.7 miles round trip. If the workers succeed in stopping the stupidity leaking from O. Nonimous, they will be awarded the $957,582 in profits from the school district pop machines and have their pictures taken with the ontheborderline.nut blog members holding a rebel flag.

To qualify for the show, you must be unemployed, supported by your wife and blog at least 18 hours a day. Surprisingly, the only qualified applicants were found at the ontheborderline.nut blog. Throughout the first episodes, a special pictorial reminded will be present showing at the ontheborderline.nut contestants wearing “Viva Bush” buttons and licking W’s boots during his appearance in Hudson in 2004. So grab your vomit bag and enjoy the show.

Dotcom...mandments

The DotCommandments
|Funny Jokes at JibJab

Sunday Morning Satire

From the Center For Laissez Fair Economics

Award Whining Performance

Damn Socialists!!!!

Literary and Historical Notes:

It was on this day in 1944 that President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the GI Bill of Rights. It was one of the most important and influential pieces of legislation ever signed by an American president, but the newspapers barely covered the story at the time. They were too busy reporting on the Allied invasion of Europe.

The law was originally designed as unemployment compensation for returning veterans, in case there weren't a lot of jobs available at the end of the war. A congressional committee threw in the idea that veterans should get money to go to college if they wanted to.













Even the supporters of thebill didn't think very many GIs would really want to go to college. Most of the soldiers came from working-class families, and there was no reason to think they wouldn't go back to those same working-class jobs on farms and in factories. Experts predicted maybe 8 to 12 percent of veterans would actually use the money for higher education.







In fact, about a million veterans applied for the money within the first year after the war, and ultimately 2.2 million veterans used the money to obtain higher education, many of them becoming the first members of their families to receive a college diploma. Before the war, about 10 percent of Americans attended college. After the war, that figure rose to about 50 percent.


And contrary to most expectations, the grade-point averages at most colleges went up with the influx of veterans, and dropout rates went way down. Professors at the time said that the veterans were the most serious and disciplined students they'd ever seen. The cost to taxpayers for the GI Bill was about $5.5 billion, but the result was 450,000 engineers, 240,000 accountants, 238,000 teachers, 91,000 scientists, 67,000 doctors, 22,000 dentists, 17,000 writers and editors, and thousands of other professionals. It helped spur one of the greatest economic booms in American history.

2 WARS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE

With VP Cheney stating that he has dual positions in our government, executive and legislative, and he has the constitutional authority to disavow his membership in either one depending on who is investigating his office at the time. I don't know why this hasn't been tried before, but for the fact that it's not true, still, you would think Agnew might have tried this!
As a member of the executive branch he claimed and won executive privilege for not revealing which oil company CEOs he met with to establish the energy policy for the U.S.
Now he denies his office is part of the executive branch so he has no need to cooperate with record keeping practices that apply to the President or his officers. What testicular fortitude this man has!
He can't have it both ways. Since when do citizens of the U.S. get to pick and choose which part of the constitution apply to them for convenience. So far Cheney and Bush think they are the first in history to have this double standard.
OK, we have the war on terror, the long war or whatever you want to call it. That is not the only war that Bush/Cheney are waging, and to me it's even more vital to my republic than their war on terrorism. It's the war they are waging against the constitution and the American way of life. Of course I'm talking about their perversion of the Bill of Rights. NSA wiretaps. Suspension of Habeas Corpus. Signing statements. Politicizing the DoJ. Establishing 'free speech' zones. Installing Jeff Gannon as a legitimate press representative. Illegal SWIFT bank searches. The outing of a CIA agent. Out right lying to the public. Obstruction of justice. Political hacks and cronies in positions that need professionals( Browne). Funding of faith based organizations. Violation of the Hatch Act. And on and on.
Look, I'm just an average guy who tries to pay attention. If I can think of these offenses off the top of my head, I can't wait for what slime congress will turn up, and I hope it turns up soon!
Other than overnight invasions, I can't think of a democracy that fell to fascism instantly. It seems to me that citizens of such nations gave up their rights in increments and before they could realize what happened they were subjects of a dictator. I know it sounds impossible in America today, but didn't the German citizens of the 1930's think the same thing.
The formula was easy. First tell huge lies to unite the citizens against a common enemy. Use those lies and the unity that came with them to start dissolving rights slowly, not too greedy at first, slowly. Build your political base, ostracize those in the minority to include them in the 'enemy of the state' category. Now renounce governing institutions and grab all power.
SOUND FAMILIAR

While The Wives Are Out Bread Winning........

Where Do Congressmen Come From?

An old-time southern, hell fire & brimstone country preacher had a
teenage son, and it was getting time the boy should give some thought
to choosing a profession. Like many young men, the boy didn't really know what he wanted to do, and he didn't seem too concerned about it.

One day, while the boy was away at school, his father decided to try an
experiment. He went into the boy's room and placed on his study table
four objects: a Bible, a silver dollar, a bottle of whisky and and a Playboy magazine.

"I'll just hide behind the door," the old preacher said to himself,
"when he comes home from school this afternoon, I'll see which object
he picks up. If it's the Bible, he's going to be a preacher like me, and what a
blessing that would be! If he picks up the dollar, he's going to be a businessman, and that would be okay,! too.* But if he picks up the bottle, he's going to be a no-good, low down drunkard, and, Lord, help me....what a shame that would be. And worst of all..... if he picks up that magazine he's gonna be a skirt-chasin', no good bum."

The old man waited anxiously, and soon heard his son's footsteps as he entered the house whistling and headed for his room. The boy tossed his books on the bed, and as he turned to leave the room he spotted the objects on the table. With curiosity in his eye, he walked over to inspect them.

Finally, he picked up the Bible and placed it under his arm. He picked up the silver dollar and dropped it into his pocket. He uncorked the bottle and took a big drink while he admired this month's Centerfold.

"Lord have mercy," the old preacher disgustedly whispered, "he's gonna
be a US Congressman!"

Local Entrepreneur Fills Niche Market Demand

1967: Down Wing Nut Memory Lane

Right outside the window was Billy's own Cadillac El Dorado Coupe de Ville. He read the stickers on the bumper, "Visit Ausable Chasm," said one. "Support Your Police Department," said another. There was a third. "Impeach Earl Warren," it said. The stickers about the police and Earl Warren were gifts from Billy's father-in-law, a member of the John Birch Society. The date on the license plate was 1967, which would make Billy Pilgrim forty-four years old. He asked himself this: "Where have all the years gone?"

Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse-Five

The Twisted World of John Stossel Propaganda

Forced to apologize for lying:
On February 8th, 2000 20/20 broadcast a story by John Stossel claiming that foods sold at organic and health food stores were no more safe to eat than food bought at conventional supermarkets. Stossel claimed that tests commissioned by ABC TV showed that food purchased at organic markets had higher rates of E. Coli contamination and equivalent amounts of pesticides.

Investigation by the Environmental Working Group revealed that the experts cited by ABC's 20/20 for the story had never actually performed the tests ABC claimed in the story.

Despite the embarrassment, Stossel repeated the story on July 7, 2000, informing the EWG through an intermediary that he would not even respond to the allegations. ABC TV, however, embarrassed by the publicity, ordered Stossel to apologize.

Stossel has also been accused is mireporting in his story on Erin Brockovich, the California woman who found Chromium 6 in her town's drinking water.

Stossel presented skewed 20/20 segment on "stupid" public schools

"On the January 13(2006) broadcast of ABC's 20/20, host John Stossel presented an hour-long "special report" on the purported failures of public schools in the United States. Titled "Stupid in America: How We Cheat Our Kids," the report tilted heavily in favor of those who advocate for expanding such "school choice" initiatives as voucher and charter school programs, ostensibly as the means for increasing academic achievement.

Through a series of misleading claims, a lack of balance in reporting and interviews, and video clips apparently created primarily for entertainment, Stossel's report failed to offer viewers an accurate picture of the debate over charter schools and voucher programs, and gave significantly greater coverage to the arguments of "school choice" proponents, with Stossel frequently criticizing public schools. At one point, the reporter warned, "Most Americans don't know what stupid schools are doing to American kids."

John Stossel Should Do a Fraud Investigation on Himself

Economist's View "John Stossel makes a false claim about tax cuts. As we know, tax cuts do not pay for themselves. No credible analyst claims that. But John Stossel does:

The Tax-Cut Myth, by John Stossel, RCP: ...[T]ax cuts stimulated the economy and increased tax revenues. It happens because, as the Laffer Curve illustrates, lower rates mean higher rewards for productive activities. ...

Any decent reporter would know that isn't true. He can't even keep his story straight. After saying it was tax cuts that increased revenues, he then says:

President Bush brags that the deficit is coming down -- and it is. ... But that's largely because your FICA taxes currently exceed Social Security and Medicare payments. ...

He then goes back to the tax cuts increase revenues propaganda and quotes the president pushing the same myth:

Bush boasted last year, "This economy is growing, federal taxes are rising, and we're cutting the federal deficit... Some in Washington say we had to choose between cutting taxes and cutting the deficit. Today's numbers show that that was a false choice. The economic growth fueled by tax relief has helped send our tax revenues soaring."

Remember what Andrew Samwick, who was chief economist of the Council of Economic Advisers from 2003 to 2004, said about statements like this?

Next, Stossel gets himself all tied up in knots. Tax cuts are good. But if tax cuts increase government revenue, then tax cuts are bad because it means government takes more of our money. So tax cuts aren't good after all:

But I don't want tax revenues to soar. That's money you and I could be spending for things we want. I want revenue and spending and government overall to shrink. So I'm not celebrating with the president.

So a higher tax rate is bad, a lower tax rate is bad, and the tax rate we have is unacceptable. It's all the government's fault anyway. Because of politicians, we'll never, ever get to the promised land on the other side of the Laffer curve:

If revenues are pouring in, why don't the politicians return it to the taxpayers instead of spending it? Because politicians love to spend money. They get reelected not by how much they save but by how much they shower on interest groups.

He has a book called Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity. I haven't read it and don't plan to, but from the above, I assume it's autobiographical."

From: The Price of Sin; Chapter One

Happy Anniversary Watergate

Washington Post:

"Five Held in Plot to Bug Democratic Offices Here," said the headline at the bottom of page one in the Washington Post on Sunday, June 18, 1972. The story reported that a team of burglars had been arrested inside the offices of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate office complex in Washington.

So began the chain of events that would convulse Washington for two years, lead to the first resignation of a U.S. president and change American politics forever.

A Special Message For OTBL's Towncrier

Back To The Basics

Child Labor

"At least 250 million children between the ages of five and 14 are working in developing countries. Approximately 120 million of these children work full time, and tens of millions of these work under exploitative and harmful conditions.

Many of the world's working children labor in occupations and industries that are dangerous or hazardous. In agriculture, large numbers of children are exposed to harmful pesticides during their formative years. Others work in occupations and industries--including mining, construction, manufacturing, and services--in which they are exposed to toxic and carcinogenic substances. Working children often perform tasks that are beyond their physical capacity, such as lifting and carrying heavy loads or handling dangerous tools and equipment. Work hazards affect children to a greater degree than adults, in some cases causing irreversible harm to their future development."

U.S. Department of Labor, By the Sweat and Toil of Children

Children

"Children suffer many of the same human rights abuses as adults, but may also be targeted simply because they are dependent and vulnerable. Children are tortured and mistreated by state officials; they are detained, lawfully or arbitrarily, often in appalling conditions; in some countries they are subjected to the death penalty. Countless thousands are killed or maimed in armed conflicts; many more have fled their homes to become refugees. Children forced by poverty or abuse to live on the streets are sometimes detained, attacked and even killed in the name of social cleansing. Many millions of children work at exploitative or hazardous jobs, or are the victims of child trafficking and forced prostitution. Because children are "easy targets", they are sometimes threatened, beaten or raped in order to punish family members who are not so accessible."

Amnesty International Report - Children: The Future Starts Here

Colbert is "Passionately Ambivalent" About Ron Paul

This week, Republican Ron Paul appeared on Stephen Colbert's show in the hopes of getting what Colbert calls "the Colbert bump" and was appropriately described as "an enigma, wrapped in a riddle in a sesame seed bun of mystery." Paul is proudly anti-Bush and is definitely getting some mileage out of opposing the war in Iraq, but he seems like a relic, a true conservative in a race with the likes of Romney and Giuliani. His earnestness is endearing if a bit bizarre. Check out the video to your right to see him face off with Colbert.

War Is A Racket: Part II

"George raised a rifle company, marched away at its head. Noah hired a village idiot to fight in his place, converted the saw factory to the manufacture of swords and bayonets, converted the farm to the raising of hogs. Abraham Lincoln declared that no amount of money was too much to pay for the restoration of the Union, so Noah priced his merchandise is scale with the national tragedy. And made this discovery: Government objections to the price or quality of his wares could be vaporized with bribes that were pitifully small."

Elliot Rosewater
On his family history