Online story on Top/Bottom 10 states 'spending' per student:
1. New York
> Spending per pupil: $19,076
> Total education spending: $59.2 billion (2nd highest)
> Pct. with high school diploma: 85.0% (16th lowest)
> Median household income: $55,246 (16th highest)
50. Utah
> Spending per pupil: $6,212
> Total education spending: $4.2 billion (16th lowest)
> Pct. with high school diploma: 90.3% (14th highest)
> Median household income: $55,869 (14th highest)

-- Georgia was in neither group, but how interesting are these figures between the highest and lowest? Utah spends about 1/15th of what NY spends, has a higher graduation rate, and its citizens earn more than New Yorkers. This shoots the hell out of DOE figures and myths.

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From the 'instant discrimination' department: "The New York Daily News reported Sunday that Blitzer's on-air time may be reduced as president Jeff Zucker continues his overhaul of programming. “Wolf is going to be gradually phased out and replaced with a younger, hipper host,” a source told the newspaper. “The decision has been made that people want to look at beautiful people, and although Wolf is no beast, they’re thinking younger.” -- When he was on air, Walter Cronkite dominated the news and trust of a nation. He was neither a spring chicken, nor a babe-magnet. People gravitate to the truth.

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Online headline: "Egypt's Highest Court Rules Legislature Elected Illegally" -- Hmmm, where was Cuzzin Jimmy?

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Online headline/pic: "Israeli Army Disciplines Female Soldiers For Racy Photos"

A female soldier from the 'Karakal' Battalion in action during training near the Israeli-Egyptian border on December 14, 2010 near Azoz, Israel. The Karakal is a mixed-sex battalion formed in 2004, with men and women serving together in this combat unit, based in the Negev desert on the borders with Egypt and Jordan" -- What's wrong with this pic? Looks more like a shot we might expect from a Victoria's Secret catalog. Who amongst you sights with your left eye and use your right hand on the trigger?

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Online headline/story: "Roy Hibbert apologizes for use of gay slur, fined by NBA * Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert used the term "no homo" at the end of his response to a question about the Miami Heat's LeBron James * The phrase "no homo" is slang used by some to separate themselves from what could be construed as a gay, placing homosexuality in a negative light." -- I wish Hibbert would challenge the NBA fine on the basis of his 1st Amendment rights alone. Political correctness and sensitivity are something Hibbert has to deal with in his his position, but referring to James as "no homo" was a compliment... manliness and no weal wrist. Gays should offended that someone else has to speak up for them on such an issue.

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I'm not sure whether there is a law on the books, but if not, there should be one about intentionally feeding feral cats on public property. Went on the River Walk just south of the Columbus Mills location, and someone, perhaps more than one person, has literally built a "cat station" between the Walk and the River. It's complete with boxes to sleep/climb on, and has stainless steel feeding and watering bowls. When I saw it, someone had been there pretty recently as the food bowl was nearly full. There was also a cat sleeping on the boxes, and it seemed rather upset that I was in its 'space'. I backed out and it calmed down again, but what if a child wandered in and tried to 'pet' that feral cat.....

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Low-info voter's L-E "soundoff": "Tell it like it is. Fox News would say anything and do anything if they thought it would create problems for the Obama administration." -- The news is what it is, and Fox reports the news, Fox doesn't create it.

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I do not understand why any Court of appeals would reverse a criminal case based on purely on 'ineffective counsel'. Facts are facts, and it's a jury that determines the case based on those facts. It ius not always about how they are presented, but on how the jury determines the value of any particular factin its decision. Now, I could see a Court of appeals sending a case back for "ineffective Jurying"; the jury for OJ or Casey Anthony would lead that group.

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L-E's "Looking Back" feature: "President Kennedy today outlined his strong new civil rights proposals to Democratic legislative leaders. Speaker John W. McCormack … and other Democratic leaders called to the White House for an unusual Monday morning conference were tight-lipped about what the new program would entail." -- Oh, the rest of the story is that it passed only because Republicans voted for it.

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L-E story: "BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama Democrats delayed a planned vote for a new party chairman, a move the interim chair said Sunday meant the struggling organization could go several more months without a permanent leader. " -- A couple of word exchanges nad you's think this was about the MCSD's superintendent saga. Guess neither the Alabama DUMBERats' chairmanship or the MCSD superintendent job is that appealing.

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Online story: "The IRS scandal grows crazier every day. A few days ago it was reported that Douglas Shulman, former IRS commissioner, had 157 White House visits during his tenure. According to The Daily Caller, “publicly released records show that embattled former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman visited the White House at least 157 times during the Obama administration, more recorded visits than even the most trusted members of the president’s Cabinet.” * Now it is being reported that Shulman’s wife, Susan Anderson, is a senior program advisor for an organization which could have had very much to gain from IRS targeting of certain groups. * Here’s a simple question. Do you think that Shulman’s wife’s organization, Public Campaign, would have any interest in Crossroads GPS? $71 million is a lot of money and that seems to be the exact sort of thing that Public Campaign is fighting against." -- This scandal has more layers than a peeled onion...

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Online story: "Darrell Issa (R-CA), Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, brought to light new testimony from Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees on Sunday. On CNN’s State of the Union Issa pointed out the that the Obama administration’s claim about “a few rogue agents” being the ones guilty of targeting political enemies is patently false and his committee provided transcriptions, in which a Cincinnati IRS employee was clear in stating that they were ordered by Washington, D.C. personnel to heavily scrutinize Tea Party groups. After providing transcripts, Issa gestured towards the image of White House Press Secretary Jay Carney and called him a “paid liar.” -- Every Judas 00-bama spinmeister is a paid liar. Just look at the fall-out of casualties of 00-bama appointees in the last 5 years.

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Why aren't the raft riders charged sales taxes for the entertainment they purchase? Mayor Obamlinson says the Whitewater Express is selling"services", so it is not a taxable item. I say Whitewater Express is selling "seats" to a recreational event, no different from your sport, concert, movie, cruise, or airplane tickets.

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Judas 00-bama is appointing a Republican to head the FBI. You know, there's truly madness to his methods. With a Republican in the hot seat, he guesses theRepublicans will ease up on scandals.

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The only reason not to dispense immediate consequences to the IRS department heads is because they not only know about the dastardly acts, the people who should have been fired have the goods on you, and they would strike back in the press. Even "disgruntled" ex-employees have credibility in number.

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Now the government Housing Tsars have decided that "zoning laws" are discriminatory. Without zoning, some contractor could erect a bunch of Mac-mansions next to a public housing complex and raise the value of the public housing so even with the tax supplemental assistance, no one could afford them. Either that or all the Mac-mansions would be empty.

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Hmmm, wonder if IRS has a department that audits the use of tax dollars to hold governmental department resort area conferences? How about for itself? Seems that the figure of $50,000,000.00 is floating around that has been spent by the IRS on holding 'team building' retreats for its own employees over the last 3 years.

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Cut Bait".... You know, you have ti wonder whether altering it with concrete mattresses before it was tested may be the reason it's dangerous at certain water flow rates. You also have to wonder whether that concrete pit will withstand the power of Mother Nature.

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