[NPR] What's worse that a government shutdown closing your state's beaches on a sweltering holiday weekend?
Now we know: Seeing photos of the governor -- a key player in the budget standoff that caused the shutdown -- enjoying one of those empty beaches on Sunday afternoon like it was his own private island.
On Sunday, the New Jersey Star-Ledger took aerial photos of Christie and his family on the pristine Island Beach State Park, where there's a governor's residence. The governor is lounging in a beach chair, sand between his toes. Around him, people play paddleboard and enjoy beverages.
That afternoon, at a press conference in Trenton about the shutdown, Christie was asked if he had gotten any sun that day, the newspaper reports. "I didn't," he reportedly said. "I didn't get any sun today."
#5
Stupid move and equally stupid comments by an arrogant fat man. It won't matter that the residence was not on Park Property.
On Saturday, the governor had defended using a state park that is closed to the rest of the state's residents due to the budget impasse. Christie told the newspaper that his family doesn't use any state services while there, and emphasized that his residence is separate from the park.
With his trademark brusqueness, Christie told state residents how they could enjoy the beach.
"Run for governor, and you can have a residence there," he said.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
07/03/2017 7:10 Comments ||
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#9
Centuries before the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire was the Fall of the Roman Republic. I trace the fall to the success in its most major conflict, the Second Punic War. Much like our success in the Second World War, it presented the victor with dominance in a vast area of the civilized world for which the constitution of Rome was not designed to handle. Ruling, influencing, garrisoning these new regions, totally distorted the checks and balances that could be operated within a city state political system. There you'll find the decline you are looking for, but one you won't like given how you enjoyed for so long playing among the Oligarchy which had displaced the old American republic, I doubt you want to cast yourself as part of the problem, not the solution. When the people in Washington decided to engage the world in '48, it poisoned itself, destroyed the checks and balances, to centralize power and resources. Looking around, you haven't 'saved the world'. It's been decades in the making, not months.
#13
During the first part of my recent illness and convalescence I found myself listening to the first half of the History of Rome podcast by Mike Duncan. I'd like to take the opportunity to second what P2K said about the fall of the Republic. I'd also suggest listening to Duncan's account of the assasination of Caesar and its aftermath.
This keyboard is broken and annoying, so I'm going to stop typing now.
#14
Ok, on my phone for a sec... I'll elaborate. After they killed Caesar, the Liberators left Pompey's theater and deckred their action to the city. They had killed Caesar and saved the Republic. Then everyone went home, locked their doors, and waited for the civil war to start back up.
[NEWSMAX] President Donald Trump's tirade on Sunday where he posted a mock video that showed him wrestling someone to the ground with a block head that read "CNN" did not violate any rules of Twitter, CNN reported Sunday.
Company officials reviewed Trump's tweet and considered three primary items: "the political context of the conversation surrounding the tweet, the various ways it could be interpreted and the lack of details in the tweet itself," the article explained.
Twitter can suspend an account for several reasons, such as tweets with violent threats, those that discriminate based on factors including race, religion or gender, and tweets targeting "abuse or harassment of others."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/03/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11123 views]
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#1
In any rumble there is always trash talk. And no one can out trash talk someone from New York City.
Posted by: Huporong Oppressor of the Weak3828 ||
07/03/2017 2:00 Comments ||
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#2
Trump is the only thing keep Twitter stock afloat.
Posted by: Chesney Prince of the Visigoths3595 ||
07/03/2017 2:10 Comments ||
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#3
Twitter would already turned into MySpace II except for Trump insulting people and people waiting around to be insulted.
Remember how long Obie used a Blackberry?
Posted by: ed in texas ||
07/03/2017 11:03 Comments ||
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[Zero Hedge] With Illinois, which on Saturday morning entered its third fiscal year without a budget, facing a catastrophic downgrade, late on Sunday evening the Illinois House approved the most controversial element of a budget package, a tax hike which will increase the income tax rate by 32% from 3.75% to 4.95%, and the corporate income tax rate from 5.25% to 7%, to try and end a historic budget impasse. The bill passed 72-45. The House also approved a $36 billion spending plan minutes later on a 81-34 vote. According to the Sun Times, it cleared an initial hurdle on Friday with 23 Republicans voting "yes."
"While no one could say this was an easy decision, it was the right decision," House Speaker Mike Madigan said after the spending bill vote. "There is more work to be done." Dems said they would work with Republicans on other resolution of other issues on table.
The proposed tax increase will now head back to the Illinois Senate, which approved a revenue bill on May 23 with all Democratic votes as part of its "grand bargain" package. But Governor Bruce Rauner has said he’ll only support an income tax hike if it’s limited to four years and paired with a four-year property tax freeze. He’s also still seeking changes in workers’ compensation and pensions.
Commenting on the just passed House bill, Rauner said he’ll veto the revenue bill.
"I will veto Mike Madigan’s permanent 32% tax hike. Illinois families don’t deserve to have more of the hard-earned money taken from them when the legislature has done little to restore confidence in government or grow jobs," Rauner said.
"Illinois families deserve more jobs, property tax relief and term limits. But tonight they got more of the same." He also said in an emailed statement that "if the legislature is willing to pass the largest tax hike in state history with no reforms, then we must engage citizens and redouble our efforts to change the state."
Some commentators promptly countered that Rauner's veto will likely be overriden.
The tax bill passed with some essential Republican support: it needed 71 votes. But Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin questioned how it will address the state’s $14 billion backlog. Durkin is seeking to get Rauner the "balanced budget package," he wants, which includes spending reductions and "meaningful reforms."
#1
...A massive tax hike that will do nothing but insure people have to leave Illinois to look for work, because their employers will have been run out of the state.
Dear God, what is it with the Democrats? Even a flatworm knows to turn away from pain, but these people just seem intent on inflicting more and more upon themselves.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/03/2017 5:21 Comments ||
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#2
Let's be honest. Illinios problems stem from primarily from being the host to that parrasite called Chicago
#3
Business, industry, and wage earners have been leaving Illinois for more than 50 years. The corrupt Democratic machines and politicians in Chicago, Peoria, and a few of the other larger cities are responsible. Fiscal conservatism is the answer, not more taxes.
Illinois is a poster child for what ails the nation.
The bridge over the Wabash connecting Illinois Route 14 and Indiana Route 66 at New Harmony was completed without federal funds in 1932. At it's opening, a bridge toll of $ .05 was charged due to 'bad times in the economy.' The toll was to be lifted when 'things got better.' The bridge was condemned and closed a few years ago. The toll at closure was $1.00. Evidently things....'never got better.'
#7
No state constitutional amendment to cap pensions? When you go TU, it'll happen anyway. Just no courage to do it yourself. You don't deserve self rule if you are depending/expecting others to do your job. In the end its Unions vs the People. No way around it. In the end there can be only one.
#10
late on Sunday evening the Illinois House approved the most controversial element of a budget package, a tax hike which will increase the income tax rate by 32% from 3.75% to 4.95%, and the corporate income tax rate from 5.25% to 7%, to try and end a historic budget impasse.
Should this pass and become law, any guesses on how long it will take to return to the same financial state they are in now?
#11
It will pass and become law. The governor's veto will be overriden. Any future recovery due to tax increases will likely be offset by business and private departures from the state. Raising taxes is never the answer. Wen the bond ratings and borrowing ability went south, so did and chance for their financial survival. It's been coming along for decades, this should be interesting to watch.
#12
I have a lot of retiree friends (including from the Public Sector) that live in Illinois.
The private sector folks are kind of worried that one of the next steps might be asset forfeiture/nullification (as in anything held in local state or municipal bonds). I've been telling them for years that those were horrible investments, but there must be something in the water as the advice was mostly unheeded.
Private leases/usage agreements for public lands might bear review too, as these might be sold out from under the lessee.
The Public Sector retirees are worried that their pension disbursements will be delayed or withheld completely, having been seized as payment for Illinois' existing past-due debts. Since the state pension plans are woefully underfunded (in some cases at 20% or less), it's a possibility the plans will no longer exist.
The 32% rate increase on 'working' people wouldn't be enough to support the existing pension outlays with no real benefits beyond that. It's just Chicago/Springfield (D) kicking the can down the road again.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
07/03/2017 11:30 Comments ||
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#13
Is the cited income tax rate of 4.95% an average, a top rate or is there just one? If it's the top rate it will still be lower than a lot of states.
#14
State personal income tax is currently 3.75% Flat Rate, Glenmore.
Lower than some other states for sure, but the sales taxes (6.25% state + County + Local) and plenty of other delightful county and municipal 'fees' more than make up for the seemingly lower state rate.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
07/03/2017 15:43 Comments ||
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#15
CA has state income tax of ~13% with sales tax (state plus local) 7-9%
NY has state income at ~9%, sales (S+L)~8-9%
IL has lots of fees on top of their income+sales, e.g., their vehicle registration fees are higher than either NY or CA
Posted by: lord garth ||
07/03/2017 17:51 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[NPR] What's worse that a government shutdown closing your state's beaches on a sweltering holiday weekend?
[NEWSMAX] 
[NEWSMAX] President Donald Trump's tirade on Sunday where he posted a mock video that showed him wrestling someone to the ground with a block head that read "CNN" did not violate any rules of Twitter, CNN reported Sunday.
