Is the tide turning????????

There are 34 senate seats up for election in November. Massachusetts and Rhode Island have none this year.

Here are he races with limited commentary.

Coming in to this election cycle few thought the GOP would be in a position to take the majority in the Senate this year. Seventeen of the seats up are Republican, seventeen Democrat. The current makeup of the senate is 57 Democrats, 41 Republicans and 2 Independents. The Independents are both Democrats and caucus with them, so the effective breakdown is 59-41 Democrat.

The states with * (7) indicate Democrat controlled seats which will likely switch to Republican. ** (4) Indicates toss up states where Republicans are either leading or closing the gap. If Republicans win the * states and take three of the ** states they will have the majority, thus the chairmanship of all senate committees. If the Republicans will all the learners and toss up states the new senate makeup will be 52 GOP, 46 Democrat and 2 nominal Independents.

Under senate rules the majority party controls the majority in each committee and thus the chairmanships. Being in the majority is important because the chairmen and majorities in the various committees control the original bills going to the senate for consideration both in content and even whether o not a bill makes it to the senate for consideration.

Here are the senate races as they shape up today. Many states will have hotly contested primaries.


Alabama - Richard Shelby (GOP)- up for reelection. Secure for GOP.

Alaska - Lisa Murkowski (GOP) - up for reelection. Secure for GOP

Arizona… John McCain (GOP) - challenged by a former GOP congressman. Either should win easily in the general election.

Arkansas*… Dem Blanche Lincoln - GOP pickup. She is likely the weakest of all incumbents.

California**…Boxer has 2 point lead over GOP opponents. She is at 42%. Usually being under 50% at this stage of the process bodes spells doom for incumbents.

Colorado**…Tossup….with slight GOP lean. Seat currently held by a Democrat.

Connecticut…Chris Dodd quit, was going to lose. Long shot for GOP.

Delaware*…Probable GOP pick up of old Veep Biden seat. The Biden son chose not to run.

Florida…Currently GOP…Likely to remain Republican.

Georgia…GOP hold…Isakson should win.

Hawaii…Will stay Democrat

Idaho…Currently GOP and will remain so.

Illinois**…Obama seat may not remain in Democrat hands…

Indiana*…Evan Bayh quit…Likely GOP pickup.

Iowa…GOP Grassley a likely return.

Kansas…GOP Sam Brownback retiring but seat is likely safe for GOP.

Kentucky…Jim Bunning not running for reelection but safe seat for GOP.

Louisiana…GOP Vitter safe, up 25% despite nasty sex scandal last year.

Maryland…remains Democrat.

Missouri…Republican Kit Bond retiring but seat remains safe for GOP.

Nevada*…..Reid going, going, gonzo…GOP pick up

New Hampshire… appeared to be a Democrat pick up until a few months ago. The Republican (Judd Gregg) is retiring and the Democrats were feeling a sense of resurgence after the last election where they swept both house seats and the defeated the GOP incumbent senator..

New York**… a tossup depending on GOP nominee.

North Carolina… was considered a possible Democrat pickup. The incumbent
Republican now has a 16 point lead.

North Dakota*…Incumbent Byron Dorgan sees losing, not running…GOP pickup

Ohio…. was originally thought of as a Democrat pickup because the GOP senator is retiring. However the Republican holds a narrow lead (4 points) and at worst this is a possible toss up.

Oklahoma…Tom Coburn a slam dunk for the GOP.

Oregon…remains Democrat with reelection of the incumbent.

Pennsylvania* …..edge is to GOP

South Carolina…… is solidly Republican.

Utah…will remain GOP

Vermont…Sadly Patrick Leahy returns. Will be part of minority though.

Washington…Dem Patti Murray likely to return. Washington is solid fools gold for liberals.

Wisconsin*… looks like a possible GOP pickup.


Based on the 2008 presidential election cycle it appeared he Democrats could escape losing many seats in the mid-term election. The party in control of the White House usually lose a few seats in both the house and senate but this year could be a landslide for Republicans. Only 6 of the 17 Democrat seats appear safe for them. The final tally could be as lopsided as 28 for the GOP to 6 for the Democrats.

The numbers in the House of Representatives could be as devastating as the senate for Democrats. Dick Morris recently said the change there could be between 65 and 80 switches. The makeup today is 255 - 178 Democrat and 2 vacancies. The 77 vote majority could be reversed by having a GOP gain of 40 would switch the control of the House speaker ship and chairmanship of every House committee and subcommittee. The lopsided control the Democrats have in the House could, if Morris is correct in his prognosis, the GOP could have an even greater majority January 1 than Democrats have today.

A year ago Barack Obama and the huge Democrat majorities had all the earmarks of a dynasty. The Emperor, as we are beginning to understand, has no clothes.

Ciao…….Moe

Here comes BO care.......

Obama's "Drop 'em and Grab 'em" Medicine

or

If you don't like your medical care we'll

give you the treatment you won't believe.

A Sunny Sunday........

1 --- New tune topping the charts this winter, “Snow Flakes Keep Falling on my Head”. 2 --- Khalid Sheik Mohammed to be tried by a military tribunal. What a novel idea. Hey fellas, keep Gitmo open , paleeze. 3 --- Cape Congressman William Delahunt is hanging up the cleats, the game passed him by many years ago.

I can’t decide which district is less able to chose a decent congressman, my district represented by the biggest goofball in congress (a land loaded with goofballs), Barney Frank or the the Delahunt district. Keep in mind he succeeded Gerry (of the hard G) Studds.

Sometimes we get the government we deserve.

Time to move to Arizona where the worst they have is John McCain. That ain’t bad?

4 --- This has to be one of the best singles ads ever printed. It is reported to have been listed in the Atlanta Journal

Single Black Female

SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship, ethnicity unimportant. I'm a very good girl who LOVES to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping and fishing trips, cozy winter nights lying by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. I'll be at the front door when you get home from work, wearing only what nature gave me... Call (404) xxx-xxxx and ask for Annie, I'll be waiting.....

5 --- Thanks to Charlie V for this one:

A group of 40 years old buddies discuss where they should meet for dinner.

Finally it is agreed upon that they should meet at the Westside Tavern restaurant because the waitresses there have low cut blouses and nice breasts.

10 years later, at 50 years of age, the group meets again and once again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed upon that they should meet at the Westside Tavern because the food there is very good and the wine selection is good also.

10 years later at 60 years of age, the group meets again and once again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed upon that they should meet at the Westside Tavern because they can eat there in peace and quiet and the restaurant is smoke free.

10 years later, at 70 years of age, the group meets again and once again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed upon that they should meet at the Westside Tavern because the restaurant is wheel chair accessible and they even have an elevator.

10 years later, at 80 years of age, the group meets again and once again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed upon that they should meet at the Westside Tavern because they have never been there before.

6 ---We got this from Ed B. Issues of the Day cannot confirm the accuracy of the message but supports the notion this is how our bureaucrats work.

Sometimes it DOES take a Rocket Scientist!

Scientists at the Canadian Research Facility built a gun specifically to launch dead chickens at the windshields of Airlines and military jets, all travelling at maximum velocity. The idea is to simulate the frequent incidents of collisions with airborne fowl to test the strength of the windshields.

NASA engineers heard about the gun and were eager to test it on the windshields of their new high speed trains. Arrangements were made, and a gun was sent to the NASA engineers.

When the gun was fired, the engineers stood shocked as the chicken hurled out of the barrel, crashed into the shatterproof shield, smashed it to smithereens, blasted through the control console, snapped the engineer's backrest in two and embedded itself in the back wall of the cabin, like an arrow shot from a bow.

The horrified Americans sent the Canadian Research Facility the disastrous results of the experiment, along with the designs of the windshield and begged the Canadian scientists for suggestions.

The Canadian Research Facility responded with a one-line memo:

"Defrost the chicken."

7 --- This is one of the coolest optical illusions.....

You must follow the instructions:
One - Relax and concentrate on the four small dots in the middle of the picture for about 30 to 40 seconds.
Two - Then take a look at a wall near you (any smooth single colored surface will do).
Three - You will see a circle of light developing.
Four - Start blinking your eyes a couple of times and you will see a figure emerging.
Five - What do you see? Moreover, who do you see?

8 --- Where’s bin Laden? No one knows. General David Petraeus says we are still is unable to pinpoint his whereabouts.

The General added on the "Charlie Rose Show" that "al-Qaida has been diminished over the course of the past year in the central command area of responsibility, but clearly that it’s still is a very, very viable enemy even in Iraq, diminished, but still able to carry out horrific attacks on a periodic basis."

When Rose asked if U.S. advances in the Mideast make the apprehension of bin Laden more likely, General Petreus responded frankly: “Well, what would make that more likely is some hard intelligence. And I think it’s very well known that we haven’t had hard intelligence on Osama bin Laden not just in months, but in years."

According to Newsmax the General was quite frank in his assessment: “Petraeus told Rose that the lack of intelligence indicates that bin Laden "has extraordinary operational security, that he’s gone real deep, if you will, in terms of hiding from the rest of mankind, basically, in very remote locations, presumably. And that’s why it takes him four weeks or more just to get a simple message out in the wake of the would-be Detroit attack."

Someday, he’ll be caught. Hitler was able to avoid detection for a long time and even was able to avoid attacks from within. I hope he’s not caught on President B.H. Obama's watch. He’d probably have bin Laden read his rights.

Have a beautiful Sunday. The weather here in the northeast is great for a change. 50 will feel like 80 today.

Ciao…….Moe

And now, the Nobel Prize for economics....guess who?

Here is how Barry Obama has solved our fiscal problems…….

It's a slow day in a little East Texas town. The sun is beating down, and the streets are deserted. Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit......

On this particular day a rich tourist from back east is driving through town. He stops at the motel and lays a $100 bill on the desk saying he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one to spend the night..

As soon as the man walks upstairs, the owner grabs the bill and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.

The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to retire his debt to the pig farmer.

The pig farmer takes the $100 and heads off to pay his bill at the supplier of feed and fuel.

The guy at the Farmer's Co-op takes the $100 and runs to pay his debt to the local prostitute, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer her "services" on credit.

The hooker rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill with the hotel owner.
The hotel proprietor then places the $100 back on the counter so the rich traveler will not suspect anything.

At that moment the traveler comes down the stairs, picks up the $100 bill, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, pockets the money, and leaves town.

No one produced anything. No one earned anything.

However, the whole town is now out of debt and now looks to the future with a lot more optimism..

And now boys and girls, you know how Obamanomics will deal with the multi trillion dollar deficits.

Ciao.......Moe

“A Roadmap for America’s Future”

The Man Who Could Save America

Whiskey & Gunpowder
By Doug Hornig
March 3, 2010
Stowe, Vermont, U.S.A.

Since the stunning result of the Massachusetts senatorial race, President Obama has softened his tone quite a bit, essentially saying to Republicans that if they have any good ideas, “Bring ‘em on.”

Whether he’s sincere or not remains to be seen, but the implication is that he’s unworried, because in his opinion the opposition party only knows how to criticize and doesn’t have anything constructive to say.

He needs to call Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, ranking member of the Committee on the Budget, and have him over for tea.

Ryan is a representative who appears to take his job — overseeing the federal budget — seriously. In 2008, he introduced legislation called “A Roadmap for America’s Future.” It died, so he’s reintroducing it this year. It won’t pass, unless the Democrats somehow manage to lose control of the House. It’s just too simple.

It’s also breathtakingly visionary. In one fell swoop, Ryan takes on taxes, health care, Social Security, and the federal deficit, and fixes them all. He puts the government back on the road to solvency, something no other plan comes close to achieving. Most important, he wants to shift our mindset, so we finally recognize that the cure for debt problems is not to pile up more debt.

Income and Other Taxes

Ryan has a nicely targeted sense of humor. For those who can’t bear to part with today’s elephantine tax code, he leaves it in place, and anyone who loves it can still use it. For the rest of us: Single filers would pay 10% on income up to $50,000 ($100,000 for joint filers) and 25% thereafter, with a generous standard deduction and personal exemption ($39,000 for a family of four). That’s it. No loopholes, deductions, credits or exclusions. Fill out the postcard and mail it in.

Additionally, the plan promotes saving by eliminating a whole bunch of other taxes -- on interest, dividends and capital gains. It scraps the alternative minimum tax and abolishes the death tax. It replaces the corporate income tax — currently the second highest in the industrialized world — with a business consumption tax of 8.5%, about half the world average, putting American companies and workers in a stronger position to compete in the global economy. And it allows for immediate expensing of new business investment.

Health Care

A refundable tax credit — $2,300 for individuals and $5,700 for families — to purchase coverage (from another state if they so choose) and keep it with them if they move or change jobs. State-based high-risk pools. Supplemental payments to low-income recipients, who can choose their care rather than be consigned to Medicaid.

Medicare

Large-scale, common-sense reforms involving vouchers and medical savings accounts, along with a very gradual rise in eligibility age, designed to preserve the best parts of Medicare while securing its solvency for generations to come.

Social Security

Maintains benefits for current recipients, while making the program permanently solvent by combining a modest adjustment in the growth of initial Social Security benefits for higher income individuals with a gradual, modest increase in the retirement age. Includes a property right, so that your vested Social Security interest does not die with you. Those who own these accounts can pass on assets to their heirs.

Making all this work would require some adjustments, though. Nondefense discretionary spending, for example, would be frozen for ten years at 2009 levels in nominal terms and allowed to grow thereafter by an amount linked to CPI.

There has been immediate criticism from Democrats, mainly centered around cuts to Medicare. And some of the objections could be valid; maybe the plan could be tweaked a little to bring more of the opposition on board. Or maybe they’ll just continue to complain because reducing the size of government doesn’t sit well with them.

But the thing is, even the critics have been forced to admit that the plan would probably work. How do we know? Ryan had the confidence to submit it to the Congressional Budget Office for analysis. As you probably know, the CBO has stated frankly that continuing along the current path leads to unsustainable deficit levels and bankruptcy for the country.

According to CBO projections, debt will spike sharply upward in 2015, rising — relentlessly and unstoppably — to over 700% of GDP in 2080. Of course, the economy will be destroyed and government forced to default long before then.

If Ryan’s Roadmap were adopted, however, the CBO estimates that debt/GDP would peak at 100% in 2043 and “decline thereafter, reaching zero by 2080,” then move into surplus.

Yes, all predictions are bound to be flawed. Yes, we must remain skeptical of anything that comes from a politician. And yes, it’d be better for government to shrink more than this proposal envisions. But, especially concerning taxes, it’s a big step in the right direction.

The president is wrong. There is another idea out there, and according to the government’s own budgetary watchdogs, it’s a good one. It “just” necessitates adopting a 75-year time line.

Of course, the odds of Congress looking that far ahead are slim to none, and you know where Slim is. But who knows, if enough Americans beat the drum for Paul Ryan, this country may actually have a future.

Regards,
Doug Hornig

Our thanks to an Issues of the Day regular, Nick......

Ciao.......Moe

Another hump day has come and nearly gone........

1 --- Sixty five years ago we were in the midst of the battle for Iwo Jima. From February 19th to March 26th in 1945 US Marines faced down the life and death struggle the Japanese put up to defend their sacred land. Iwo Jima was the first of Japanese earth invaded by us. Nearly 7,000 Marines lost their life in securing that rock in the Pacific.

More than 18,000 Japanese died either defending the island or committed suicide when the outcome became apparent.

Why was this island of volcanic rock important? Because the Japanese built air strips on it. It would permit us to base fighter planes there to protect our bombers when they attacked the Japanese mainland. Iwo Jima was and is one of the greatest examples of American willingness to do whatever was necessary to protect our mainland.
2 --- Breaking News From Vancouver, BC

"Startling news" out of Vancouver last week. The International Olympic Committee judges have retracted Bode Miller's third gold medal which he won for the US team in the downhill slalom.

Instead, they gave the medal to Barack Obama, correctly pointing out that Obama is going downhill much faster than Miller. 3 --- It’s time for Moslems to grow up or shut up.

It is painfully obvious that Moslems in general have thin skin. Though they may tolerate some of the nastiest violence done in the name of their violent founder, Muhammad, any criticism of him or his violent ways is considered blasphemy. Most Christians, especially Catholics, fundamentalists and Orthodox Christians and most Jews, etc. become the focal point of attack by the so-called mainstream Moslem organizations.

The religion which tolerates some of the most criminal behavior in the name of the so-called prophet find any criticism as intolerable.

The whack jobs in Denmark supporting the bomb throwing extremists have used the Danish court system to air their grievances and intimidate any opposition to their sick activities in the name of religion.

It’s time for Moslems to grow up if they ever want to be a part of a reasonable society. Somehow I don’t think mere acceptance of their religion in general is their aim. Anything short of their taking complete control of whatever country they are in is unacceptable to Moslems.

Can anyone name a single country where there is a Moslem majority where other religions are permitted to practice in peace. Not one.

4 --- Jim Bunning is right in his demand the senate live up to the rules they voted into existence only a couple of weeks ago.

There are hundreds of billions of economic stimulus dollars not spent because President Obama is hoarding them to use in the next election cycle so he can save the jobs of his rubber stamps in the house and senate. Bunning has delivered a high hard one just beneath the chin of the Democrats and they don’t like it. It’s OK for their head hunters to take shots at their opposition but any retaliation gets their goat. What a bunch of cry babies.

Go, Jim, go……

5 --- Facts about the Postal Service:
The post office moves mail on planes, trains, trucks, cars, boats, ferries, helicopters, subways, hovercraft, street cars, bicycles, feet and even mules.
Those mules carry mail to Indians living at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Because some of that mail is food, the post office at Peach Springs, Ariz., has freezers to store it until delivery.
Oldest post office in the same building: Hinsdale, N.H., 1816.
Smallest post office, Ochopee, Fla., 8-feet-4-inches by 7-feet-3-inches.
Floating post office, post boat JW Westcott delivers mail to ships passing in the Detroit River. The boat has its own ZIP code, 48222.
Longest rural route: Route 1, Fordsville, N.D., 176.5 miles daily to serve 174 mailboxes.
Shortest rural route, Route 42, Henderson, Nev., 1.9 miles daily, 640 mailboxes.
Number of mail pieces handled daily in 2009, 584 million.
Payroll every two weeks, salary and benefits, $2.1 billion.
Vehicles operated: 218,684.
Address changes processed last year: 43.8 million.
Number of new delivery addresses added to the mail system last year, 923,595.

Finally, how much longer before the plug is pulled on this archaic bureaucracy. 6 --- Let’s take a trip down memory lane. If you are not yet 60+ here is a primer to better understand those of us who are a little older than you. We ran into this totally by accident. Anyone over 65 will not be able to keep a dry eye.

Put on your polished chinos, argyle socks, Madras shirt, pork pie hat and dirty bucks. Mom get your cardigan sweater, full skirt and saddle shoes with white bobby sox. Now turn up the speakers and clear some space so you and your sweetie can cut up the rug…….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHH2SNlvMEw&feature=fvw

7 --- When your presidency is reduced to a comic opera the end is in site. To see his medical team them lined up as if they were they were there to give testimony to Obama’s pronouncements took away from their professionalism. Gee, maybe they should have stethoscopes around their necks next time. 8 --- It’s one thing to take your child to work but to have them give life and death instructions directing the flow of planes approaching an airport is something way over the top. Heads should roll for this. Not just the jackasses who allowed this to happen but those superiors who hired and presumably supervised the parents.

Now we learn government wants to be responsible for distributing medicine to all of us.

God save us. 9 --- Whatever happened to the flu season? It was bust. Thank God for that because the government turned the vaccine situation in a pure comic opera.

No, the Obama Administration and its leader is not evil. They are simply the personification of incompetence. Dumbkoff comes to mind in describing them. It’s one thing to be arrogant and talented. But to be the gang which can’t get anything straight makes them worthy of scorn.

10 --- Hey Charlie Rangel, how does it feel beneath the bus?

11 --- Keith Olberman is not the only kool aid drinking whacked out jerk at MSNBC. You can add the name of Dylan Ratigan has now joined the list of jerks hired there. I suspect Ratigan works for no salary because someone would have to be very dumb to actually pay him, Olberman and Chris Matthews.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuY0MMIpB4E

Mark Williams is a long time friend going back to our days at WSAR in Fall River in 1980. Ratigan reminds me of the drunk at the bar trying to impress an old dreg seeking anyone she can find to go home with.

12 --- An interesting election took place yesterday in Texas. Rick Perry, who in traditional Texas fashion earlier in the election suggested Texas might consider going independent from the USA. After all Texas was an independent republic at one time. That sentiment is still strong there.

Perry is a throwback to an earlier time and place and his primary opponent is a Thoroughly Modern Millie, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.

What is the political culture of Texas? Let’s look at it this way: A Texas Democrat, by and large, would stand to the right of our new Massachusetts US Senator Scott Brown.

That must be a serious problem for Texans, to have so many conservatives. Then again Texas has had economic growth while the rest of the country is heading for the economic cesspool. California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, and a few other bastions of the “government is good for you” mind[les]set are heading for economic obscurity.

Oh me oh my. 13 --- Republican Congressman Patrick McHenry from North Carolina wants the $50 bill to feature the face of former President Ronald Reagan. Bravo. Good idea.

Come to think of it, there is no paper money with the picture of anyone other than our 18th century people.

More tomorrow.

Ciao…….Moe

The story behind the buck and doe above....

Behind the Gray Rock Cafe in Grayling, Michigan

Tim Gillette made the deer feeder with the 'Browning' logo..

These twin albinos have been coming into the back of Gray Rock Cafe since they were fawns in 2006..

We have been trying to capture a digital pic of them for awhile, but they arrive at dusk or even later and the pics don't turn out.

On Friday about 10 am they arrived. It was a beautiful morning and they came for their photo op.