Day: January 13, 2006

Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire delivered her state of the state address this week and bragged about how she and the Democratic legislature solved the state’s budget problems “without a general tax increase.” Oh, well there was just that little $400 MILLION dollar general fund tax increase, but who’s counting right?

In a striking disregard for fact, Gregoire claimed on Tuesday (1/10) in her state of the state address that she and the Democratic legislature solved the state’s budget problems “without a general tax increase.”  Apparently Gregoire failed to remember that during the 2005 session she and other Olympia Democrats pushed through nearly $400 million in general fund taxes, and increased state spending by 12.4%.  Since then, Gregoire has proposed another $200 million in new spending, which would push the overall percentage to 16.3.

“The governor’s assertion that she did not raise taxes last session shows a lack of full disclosure with the citizens of Washington,” said House Republican Leader Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis. “We don’t know which governor we heard on Tuesday night – the one who said a year ago she wouldn’t raise taxes or the one in March who signed into law one of the biggest tax increases in our state’s history.  Republicans in the Legislature are going to continue to fight for greater truth in governing so that citizens can trust that what leaders say is consistent with what they do.”

Here’s some advice from one who lives in this blue state that’s ruled by those who come out of a single (royal) blue county called appropriate enough, “King” – don’t move here, unless of course, you enjoy being taxed to death.

As if this trial didn’t already have a ton of problems, the drama thickens with the news that the judge will soon announce his decision to withdraw.

The chief judge in the trial of Saddam Hussein plans to step down, a source close to the judge told Reuters on Friday, in a development that could throw an already turbulent process into further disarray.

“He wants to withdraw,” the source said of Rizgar Amin, who is to preside over the next hearing on January 24. “He will oversee the next sitting and then announce his reasons for withdrawing.”

Asked why the Kurdish judge, based in the northern city of Sulaimaniya, wanted to pull out of a trial that has made his face familiar around the world during long days of television coverage, he would say only: “It is too difficult.”

Actually, I think the judge just wants to spend more time with his family…ALIVE.

Typically, most high school students would be grateful if a homework assignment there were ordered to complete was cancelled. Oh there are the always the ‘fun’ project assignments, like field trips and movie watching.

Movie watching…heh.

A high school research assignment on Internet pornography was canceled after parents in this Cleveland suburb complained.

Superintendent Jeff Lampert said that although the teacher’s apparent goal _ to discuss the harmful effects of pornography _ was well- intentioned, he agreed with parents that the assignment was inappropriate for 14- and 15-year-old freshmen at Brooklyn High.

The assignment asked students to research pornography on the Internet and list eight facts about pornography. Students also were asked to write their personal views of pornography and any experience they had with it.

Lampert said he doubted the teacher would face any punishment.

I suppose that kills the gun bullet ballistics class too. Darn.

So says the Boston Herald.

Make no mistake about it, Judge Samuel Alito is headed for the nation’s highest court, and Senate Democrats, well, if there is a laughingstock hall of shame, it should be reserving some wall space for them.

Maybe there is even some special prize awarded for reducing the nominee’s wife to tears as she had to sit there and endure hearing her husband’s reputation, ethics and character besmirched, even as he is questioned about his level of respect for women and minorities.

The tirade by our own Sen. Edward M. Kennedy over Alito’s involvement in Concerned Alumni of Princeton 20 years ago was at once shameful and pathetic. Shameful because, in the end, committee staffers combing through four boxes of documents on the organization that belonged to its founder could find nothing mentioning Alito’s name. (He joined, he said, because he opposed Princeton’s efforts to throw ROTC off campus.) And pathetic because it was all so irrelevant to the kind of justice Alito will become. Maybe Kennedy thought that was red meat for liberal zealots, but from here it couldn’t even pass for hamburger.

Also a prime candidate for the hall of shame was Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) — he of the 12-minute question, who yesterday said of the confirmation process, “The system’s broken.” Well, as long as airheads like Biden are doing the questioning, we might actually agree.

For 18 hours over four days, Alito was forced to endure lectures and sermonettes from senators (friend and foe alike), a handful of solid questions and a rousing game of “Get the Judge.” Through it all Alito showed unflagging patience and even good humor, good qualities for the next member of the Supreme Court.

I couldn’t agree more.