FLATLANDER

Big Flaming Paper Sack of Dog Poo Award

2005-06-21T14:24:00.000-07:00

Terrorist sympathizer from Illinois, Dick Durbin.

For your efforts to embolden the enemies of the United States of America...
You are the latest recipent of the coveted Flat-Lander Big Flaming Paper Sack of Dog Poo Award.

LORD HAW HAW

2005-06-20T15:00:00.000-07:00



I come out of "blogtirement" to crown The NEW Lord Haw Haw.

Ed Schultz.

A like minded soul....

2004-12-14T07:08:00.000-08:00

Beautiful work. Worthy of your time and energy.

http://daytonvkennedy.blogspot.com/

All the people who think like me, please take one step forward.

The rest of you can go home.

DNC test fires all-new Weapons of Crass Obstruction

2004-12-14T07:02:00.000-08:00

From UPI...
Dems to continue oversight effort
Washington, DC, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. Senate Democrats Monday signaled they would continue to try and unofficially oversee the Bush administration.
Sen. Byron L. Dorgan, D-N.D., and Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced several oversight hearings on a range of subjects next hear.
The minority party in Congress argued the Republican leadership has skirted its responsibility for administration oversight as defined in the Constitution.

And so the obstruction begins anew...
C'mon Senator Dorgan, don' t you have a state to represent with some serious problems that need to be addressed?

Of all the people in Washington to align yourself with, Harry Reid?!

Let's get Hemp legalized on the federal level and give ND farmers a paying crop to grow. Let's give the families of those farmers a way to make a living by building processing plants for that crop right here in ND. Hemp Paper, Fiberboard and Cloth could all be produced in ND giving residents jobs and ND cities futures.
Try focusing your energy on something productive for the state. Ask your friend Tom what happens when you put Washington politics over the interests of those who elected you.

We're watching you...

BTW: I'm back

Patriot tackles FairTax

2004-12-03T10:08:00.000-08:00

The time for the FairTax -- a federal retail sales tax -- is now! And we need your voice! Thank you for your support.

Date of Interview: Saturday, 12/04/04
Time of Interview: 9:15am – 10:00 am CST
Radio Station: WWTC-AM 1280 "The Patriot"
Host Name: David Strom, president, Minnesota Taxpayers League

Bill Phelps, Spokesperson for Americans for Fair Taxation will be discussing distinguishing characteristics of the FairTax Bill (H.R.25/ S.1493) that make it superior to all other tax reform plans.

Spread the word to friends, neighbors, . . . and even relatives.

Go forth and blog...

Get the scoop

2004-12-02T06:11:00.000-08:00

Find out what the media has been saying about the top proposal to replace the god-awful tax code we currently have in this country.

http://www.fairtaxvolunteer.org/news/index.html

Just like the Hokey Pokey...

2004-11-29T12:44:00.000-08:00

...that's what it's all about.

My good friend of many years wrote this article that pretty much sums up the proverbial question, "why are we here?".

You can read it here.

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/article.php?sid=5225

The wisdom of Ben

2004-11-29T12:25:00.000-08:00

I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I traveled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.

Benjamin Franklin, On the Price of Corn and Management of the Poor, November 1766

We have much to be thankfull for...

2004-11-24T20:42:00.000-08:00

thanksgiving, uploaded by flatlander1.

Think about it, look around you. Are you thankfull for all God has given you today?

I am.

A special thanks to those who are serving their country, stateside or in hostile territory.

THANK YOU!

Thanks for stopping by, see you Monday. Now, get off your computer and go appreciate that for which you are thankfull. :-)

Friends of Iraq Challenge

2004-11-24T06:40:00.000-08:00

Support freedom, democracy and peace in IraqLeading bloggers are competing to raise funds to benefit the people of Iraq. 100% of all donations go to needs selected by these bloggers. Many of our projects support requests made by Americans serving in Iraq (Marines, Army, SeaBees) for goods that help the Iraqi people. Other projects directly support Iraqis who are on the front lines of building a better future for Iraq.

Want to participate?Join the challenge as an individual blogger or as a team.

Current ResultsSo far, the Friends of Iraq Blogger Challenge has raised $20640.00. Click the donate link to donate via the blogger or team of your choice.

Join theTeam !
Northern Alliance of Blogs

Dragonfly for the weekend

2004-11-19T09:37:00.000-08:00

A sample of perfect organic architecture.
See you Monday.

Keep your secrets, please.

2004-11-19T09:32:00.000-08:00

Please, please keep it to yourself.

links to people who think like me

2004-11-19T09:20:00.000-08:00

http://promn.blogspot.com/

http://www.danielcasey.com/blog.htm

http://www.lileks.com/bleats/index.html

http://www.fraterslibertas.com/

http://www.powerlineblog.com/

http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/

http://www.jihadwatch.org/

http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/default.asp

http://daschlevthune.typepad.com/daschle_v_thune/

Some of these folks feed me a lot of traffic. Thanks for reading my blather.

CANADA BUSY SENDING BACK BUSH-DODGERS

2004-11-19T07:18:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

By Joe Blundo

The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration.

The re-election of President Bush is prompting the exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they’ll soon be required to hunt, pray and agree with Bill O’Reilly.

Canadian border farmers say it’s not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal-rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night.

"I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota.

The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. "He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn’t have any, he left. Didn’t even get a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?"

In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. So he tried installing speakers that blare Rush Limbaugh across the fields.

"Not real effective," he said. "The liberals still got through, and Rush annoyed the cows so much they wouldn’t give milk."

Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons, drive them across the border and leave them to fend for themselves.

"A lot of these people are not prepared for rugged conditions," an Ontario border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a drop of drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley cabernet, though."

When liberals are caught, they’re sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about the Bush administration establishing re-education camps in which liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR.

In the days since the election, liberals have turned to sometimes-ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have taken to posing as senior citizens on bus trips to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half-dozen young vegans disguised in powdered wigs, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizen passengers.

"If they can’t identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we get suspicious about their age," an official said.

Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating and organic-broccoli shortage and renting all the good Susan Sarandon movies.

"I feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can’t support them," an Ottawa resident said. "How many art-history majors does one country need?"

In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada, Vice President Dick Cheney met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged that the administration would take steps to reassure liberals, a source close to Cheney said.

"We’re going to have some Peter, Paul & Mary concerts. And we might put some endangered species on postage stamps. The president is determined to reach out."

BIZARO FLATLANDER

2004-11-18T15:41:00.000-08:00

Bizaroworld?

There's another FLATLANDER and we ain't got the same views...
http://hestia.typepad.com/flatlander/

Wile E

2004-11-18T15:34:00.000-08:00

Finally, now that the election is over, we are able to discuss the deeper subjects that make our world a little better.

From Lileks:

Who is the Road Runner, anyway? An idiot bird blessed with speed, he personifies not ingenuity but luck. You can’t tell me that he somehow figured out how to avoid triggering the Coyote’s various traps. If anything, he didn’t set them off because he was light and / or fast, and I concede that the Coyote should have taken those things into consideration. But. But. We’re talking about a dog here, a canine capable of constructing explosive devices one day, pantomiming elaborate deceptions the next, to say nothing of operating – however inexpertly – complex machinery. If he’d been up against something stupid and slow, he would have been fat and happy.

Okay, well, something stupid and slow not watched over by a sheepdog.

I have always been of the mind that Wile E Coyote cartoons were good 15 minute physics lessons. Educational, if you will.
Everyone has had that moment in life when they realize they have just experienced "Wile E Coyote Physics". You should have fallen down the stairs, but for some reason the stairs themselves fell, leaving you hanging in midair, etc.

I bet you could even find at least one large institution of higher learning with a class titled "Wile E Coyote Physics 101".

Make them required veiwing at the 4th grade level!

Big Flaming Paper Sack of Dog Poop Award

2004-11-18T14:18:00.000-08:00

(if you want to play the game, click here)

The most current recipient of the FLATLANDER Big Flaming Paper Sack of Dog Poop Award:

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa for his remarks regarding the Senate prioritizing sweeping tax reform, including the FairTax.

Tax-law rewrite has key skeptic
By Peronet Despeignes, USA TODAY

The Senate's top tax-writer expressed doubts Tuesday about prospects for a major overhaul of the tax code, dealing a blow to one of President Bush's top priorities two weeks after his re-election.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said comprehensive tax reform would be "difficult" to do. "I'm not one to spend a lot of time tilting at windmills," he said.

Grassley said Bush would have to aggressively use his "bully pulpit" to win wider popular support. After the election, Bush said he had earned "political capital, and now I intend to spend it" by pushing for changes in the tax code and Social Security, among other things. But Grassley said, "I'm not sure how much political capital (the president) is prepared to spend on it."

Grassley's view is important because all tax bills go through his committee. In an interview with USA TODAY, he said Bush made a mistake by not talking about tax reform more often and more explicitly in the campaign. "I think there was a missed opportunity," he said.

White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said Bush "talked daily during the campaign about the importance of making the tax code simpler, fairer and more conducive to economic growth, and he looks forward to working with Congress on this priority."

Bush has called for simplifying the tax code in a "neutral" way that would not significantly raise or reduce tax revenue. That could make changes tougher, because any big tax cuts for some would have to be paid for with increases for others, creating winners and losers.

The White House is assembling a bipartisan panel that's expected to make recommendations before Bush settles on a specific proposal next year. Among his options is the replacement of the progressive income tax with a single, "flat" income tax rate or retail sales tax.

Grassley suggested that he favors more incremental changes: making the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent, closing loopholes, shielding middle-income Americans from tax increases, and reducing the tax burden on savings and investment.

The last time Congress overhauled the tax code was in 1986 under President Reagan. That law broadened the tax base by slashing loopholes. It collapsed 15 income tax brackets, topped by a 50% rate, into two rates of 15% and 28%. Since then, new tax breaks have been added and the number of brackets raised to six, topped by a 35% rate.

2004-11-17T11:37:00.000-08:00

Come over and take it out of his mouth if you don't like it. Come on. Make sure he doesn't have any "devil music" on his iPod while yer there.

When it's not good to be #1

2004-11-15T13:41:00.000-08:00

Falling dollar bad for Eurozone

By Adam Porter in Perpignan, France

Saturday 13 November 2004, 12:15 Makka Time, 9:15 GMT

As oil prices fall to seven week lows, another economic problem is now the focus of analysts and the media: The falling dollar.

Commentators are convinced that the dollar could slip past its recent record lows against the Euro. With 1 euro buying $1.29, analysts have predicted that, even after a post-election rally, the dollar could slip to $1.35 to the euro or even less.

However, there are signs that rather than damage the American economy, as is predicted, it could be other currencies who feel the heat.

The Eurozone is especially vulnerable. This week it announced overall third quarter growth at just 0.3% - the slowest for a year.

Poor results

Germany, France and Italy all announced extremely disappointing third quarter economic results.

France's recent surge in demand slumped to near zero, recording just 0.1% of growth. Germany, traditionally the European powerhouse economy and manufacturing base also recorded just a 0.1% growth figure.

High oil prices did affect the German economy, as others, but what has hurt most is a big drop-off in exports.

Germany still has a large manufacturing base, and the relative strength of the euro means its exports are effectively more expensive.

At the same time, demand within the Eurozone has also failed to stimulate German industry.

As Joachim Fels and Annemarieke Christian of Morgan Stanley pointed out, "while German domestic demand has grown at a meagre rate of 0.3% since the start of EMU in 1999, real exports of goods and services have increased by 49% over the same time span, taking the share of exports in GDP up from 29% in late 1998 to no less than 40% in 2Q 2004".

"Net exports now amount to 6% of GDP. The German economy depends more heavily on foreign trade (both exports and imports) than it ever has in its history," they said.

Weak dollar benefits

So, a strong Euro is limiting exports. This does not just put the Euro in competition with the falling dollar but also, in a competitive devaluation climate, it is in competition with other similar currencies, notably the yen.

Roger Nightingale of Saracin Chiswell in London explained to Aljazeera: "The Euro needs lower interest rates to get the currency down. The Eurozone needs to strike out on a different policy. They could do it, at their last meeting I thought [European Central Bank chairman Claude] Trichet might do it. But he didn't."

So instead of the Euro being in a tussle with a falling dollar, the Euro is pitched against a more buoyant Japanese currency.

Germany 0 Japan 1

"There are two big competitors here. Germany and Japan. Basically there are not enough people buying the things they both make to satisfy the both of them. They both need to take business off each other.

"Japan was helped by selling capital goods, machinery and so on, to China in the past few years. China expanded rapidly and the relative low price of the yen benefited Japan," he said.

Rather than high oil prices hurting dollar finance, Nightingale asserted that it was the other currencies that would feel the brunt.

"All the money that is being made by the [oil] producer countries, where does it go? Most of it is recycled back into dollars in the form of US government bonds and treasuries. This props up the US. Oil consuming countries will be, are [already] being hurt by a rise in oil price. But as a consumer country the US has protection as 90 to 95% of that money goes back into the US economy," he told Aljazeera.net.

Maybe this is what Dick Cheney meant when he said "what is wrong with high oil prices?"

"As well the US are not producing the same things as the Germans and Japanese," continued Nightingale. "With Germany being the industrial base of the Eurozone they have to compete globally with similar economies, the Japanese and also you could include Korea."

Radical measures needed

The only way out for the Euro, said Nightingale, was to take some radical measures.

"If Europe does not get its economy into shape then one of two things will occur: Either we will have a revolution in Europe or Trichet will cut interest rates to zero as they did in 1996 in Japan.

"At the last meeting I though he was going to burst into tears. This has to be a prelude for the Eurozone to get the economy moving in a different direction."

Nightingale's ideas may well have some traction.

As France and Germany announced stumbling economic data Lynn Reaser of Bank of America Capital Management predicted American job growth of "around 200,000 a month" for 2005.

Then the American General Aviation Manufacturers Association came out with figures saying that the purchase of corporate jets in the USA had surged in 2004.

If financial Europe has its eyes on some of the same flyaway profits and executive perks they may need to take some unpopular fiscal measures to help the euro.

Whether they will do that, or whether new twists in the current economic turmoil are ahead, remains to be seen.

2004-11-15T07:13:00.000-08:00

Legos for the Lord...

Just in time for Christmas.

http://www.thebricktestament.com/

Hug a Veteran

2004-11-11T06:27:00.000-08:00

We'll try, we'll try. Thanks Guys.

Fix it with The FairTax

2004-11-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

Just as Congressmen Linder and Peterson said... our Tax System's Broken. We Need To Fix It! That's precisely what the FairTax plan will do. We believe that it is absolutely the BEST way to bring about meaningful, r-e-a-l tax reform.
We believe, too, that after you've given the FairTax plan careful study, you will also come to see that it's the BEST way to fix our broken tax system.
The National Retail Sales Tax: FAIRNESS & FREEDOM for all!
OK, let's review: The FairTax Will:
• Repeal the federal income tax.
• Repeal all payroll taxes including taxes on Social Security and Medicare.
• Protect and ensure the funding of Social Security and Medicare.
• Repeal corporate and self-employment taxes.
• Repeal all estate, gift, and capital gains taxes.
• Taxation of income will be unconstitutional upon repeal of the 16th amendment.
• Allow you to keep 100% of your paycheck, pension, and social security payment. View your Paycheck! under the FairTax plan.
• Bring about a reduction of the cost of new goods and services by 20% to 30%.
• Raise the same amount of money for the federal government, i.e. "revenue neutral."
• Eliminate the Internal Revenue Service. - No more taxpayer time wasted on filling out cumbersome IRS forms. - No more IRS audits of individual taxpayers, no more IRS intimidation, no more levies, liens or home seizures by the IRS.
• Substantially reduce tax rates for lower and middle-income Americans. - Income Tax vs FairTax: MONEY AHEAD!
• Allow families to save more for Home Ownership, Education and Retirement.
• Provide a universal rebate equal to the sales tax paid on essential goods and services to ensure that no American pays taxes on necessities. Important! The Rebate is based only on family size (not on Income).
All Americans will receive the Rebate, in advance, monthly! Click REBATE! to see the Chart for 2003. All Seniors, including those on Social Security, will be pleased to note that they will receive the Rebate, too.
• Apply a 23% tax-inclusive rate sales tax on the purchase of New Goods and services in the U.S. Note: Used Goods and Education costs (ex: College Tuition) are not subject to the FairTax.
• Make American products more competitive at home and overseas. Encourage job-creation in America. Help reduce America's Trade Deficit.
• Stimulate economic growth in the U.S. by a far greater amount than the government's "tax-cuts" and "stimulus package" will ever do... and enable the economy to continue to grow year-after-year.

See Minnesotans for the Fair Tax for more information.

2004-11-08T13:33:00.000-08:00

For all those serving.

2004-11-08T06:36:00.000-08:00

of unknown origin

Let's find some nice parting gifts for them, shall we?

2004-11-06T04:01:00.000-08:00

http://www.reuters.co.uk/printerFriendlyPopup.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=616225