Fauxmentum

Democratic leaders are trying to bluff their way to victory with the health care bill:

Democratic leaders scrambled Sunday to pull together enough support in the House for a make-or-break decision on health-care reform later this week, expressing optimism that a package will soon be signed into law by President Obama despite a lack of firm votes for passage.

The rosy predictions of success, combined with the difficult realities of mustering votes, underscore the gamble that the White House and congressional Democrats are poised to make in an attempt to push Obama's health-care plans across the finish line. The urgency of the effort illustrates growing agreement among Democratic leaders that passing the legislation is key to limiting damage to the party during this year's perilous midterm elections.

But House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) pledged to do "everything we can to make it difficult for them, if not impossible, to pass the bill." He also joined other Republicans Sunday in warning that Democrats would pay for the legislation by losing even more seats than expected in November.

The most optimistic talk on Sunday came from the White House. Obama senior adviser David Axelrod predicted that Democrats "will have the votes to pass this," and press secretary Robert Gibbs declared that "this is the climactic week for health-care reform."

But Rep. James E. Clyburn (S.C.), the Democrats' chief head-counter in the House, cautioned that the party has not yet found the 216 votes needed to win approval of the health-care bill passed by the Senate in December.

"We don't have them as of this morning, but we've been working this thing all weekend," Clyburn said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I'm also very confident that we'll get this done."

This is a transparent fauxmentum strategy.  The Dem leadership is looking at a small group of hard-core "No" votes, a large group of committed "Yes" votes (who will later feign surprise when the reconciliation effort falls apart in the Senate), and a swing group that does not want to vote on this at all because they don't want to lose their jobs, offend the leadership, or torpedo the Obama Administration.

The leadership plan is to pretend that any day now they will sound the whistle, announce that the train is leaving the station, and holler "All aboard that's getting aboard".  At the fateful moment of decision (they hope), enough of the swing bloc will opt for placating the leadership and promoting Team Obama, and the bill will pass.

Now, will they blow the whistle without the votes in hand?  I am sure they are bluffing, but I don't know what they will do if their bluff is called.  I Boldly Predict that this will be an interesting week.

Comments

[Jane]

WEll I agree with that, but what causes teh slovenly devotion? Is it some level of charisma the rest of us don't see?

[Old Lurker]

Jane, we assume you will collect your dinner at Black Eyed Susan's on Nantucket this summer.

[Captain Hate]

Beats me Jane; I can't understand how the minds of idiots work. His "charisma" demonstrably didn't work in Virginia, New Jersey or Massachusetts so it doesn't seem to be a widely-felt opinion except by the pressbots.

[Jane]

I am hoping to OL. But first you need to meet Caro and I at the April Tea Party in DC.

Capn, I don't get the hold on the press.

On Fox this AM they said after O's speech yesterday where he lied about that woman, Jake Tapper asked him how the health care bill would change that woman's situation. Apparently he was completely stumped.

I'd like to see a video of that.

[centralcal]

Jane, I don't know about the video, but here is the transcript (LUN) of Tapper's interview - and it leads off with the questions you mention.

[Old Lurker]

And they still say today that the college loan takeover will be part of the HCR cramdown this week. Talk about all-in.

[Jack is Back!]

What a pleasure to read a JOM thread that included a small discussion of Patrick O'Brian and the Aubrey-Maturin series of nautical fiction. I have read all 20 from Master and Commander to Blue at the Mizzen. I have the final unfinished voyage of Jack Aubrey and have read it. The reference to lexicon is "A Sea of Words" by Dean King, with John Hattendorf and J. Worth Estes. King and Hattendorf also wrote "Harbors and High Seas" an Atlas and Geographical Guide to the complete novels of Aubrey and Maturin. It is almost a must to have both volumes at your ready as you read one of the books. Another fantastic piece of information to have handy is Brian Lavery's "Jack Aubrey Commands". Lavery was the technical advisor for the movie, "Master and Commander" which actually was based on the first 3 books. To complete the ideal Aubrey library, one needs to get and read "Patrick O'Brian's Navy" by Consultant Editor, Richard O'Neill. All these books reveal the minutae and precise detail of O'Brian in his books. The most fun I have ever had reading. If it wasn't for O'Brian I would never know what a 'mizzen topgallant' was or what a "trepan" was used for (you don't want it used on you).

OT: daddy, did you see where Anchorage is ranked as the number one "less taxed" city in America. Only a 3.6% nominal tax rate. Even less when you count the oil dividend.

[Pofarmer]

Thought some might be interested in this little find from NOAA.

Also LUN.

A 10 percent drop in water vapor ten miles above Earth’s surface has had a big impact on global warming, say researchers in a study published online January 28 in the journal Science. The findings might help explain why global surface temperatures have not risen as fast in the last ten years as they did in the 1980s and 1990s.

Observations from satellites and balloons show that stratospheric water vapor has had its ups and downs lately, increasing in the 1980s and 1990s, and then dropping after 2000. The authors show that these changes occurred precisely in a narrow altitude region of the stratosphere where they would have the biggest effects on climate.

[Clarice]

Mr and Mrs O.L. are completely charming as iss Dr J (whom I had earlier met). Of course, taking the advice of one of my favs, I did pat everyone down at the restaurant entrance.

[Clarice]

Stupak (per The Hill) says Pelosi doesn't even have 200 o the 216 she needs.

The American spectator has a 6 pp article on the Sestak claim about being bribed not to tun which I'm going to try to read this morning as it is getting block buster reviews.

[Jane]

WEll looky here:

But put aside the present for the moment and step into my time machine. Dial the date selector back to 2005 when the Republican majority in Congress approved a national debt limit increase using a self-executing rule similar to the Slaughter Solution.

Guess who went to federal court to challenge the constitutionality of the move? The Ralph Nader-backed Public Citizen legal activists. Here’s the argument they made:

“Article I of the United States Constitution requires that before proposed legislation may “become[] a Law,” U.S. CONST. art. I, § 7, cl. 2, “(1) a bill containing its exact text [must be] approved by a majority of the Members of the House of Representatives; (2) the Senate [must] approve[] precisely the same text; and (3) that text [must be] signed into law by the President,” Clinton v. City of New York, 524 U.S. 417, 448, 118 S.Ct. 2091, 141 L.Ed.2d 393 (1998).

“Public Citizen, a not-for-profit consumer advocacy organization, filed suit in District Court claiming that the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, Pub.L. No. 109-171, 120 Stat. 4 (2006) (“DRA” or “Act”), is invalid because the bill that was presented to the President did not first pass both chambers of Congress in the exact same form. In particular, Public Citizen contends that the statute’s enactment did not comport with the bicameral passage requirement of Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution, because the version of the legislation that was presented to the House contained a clerk’s error with respect to one term, so the House and Senate voted on slightly different versions of the bill and the President signed the version passed by the Senate.

“Public Citizen asserts that it is irrelevant that the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate both signed a version of the proposed legislation identical to the version signed by the President. Nor does it matter, Public Citizen argues, that the congressional leaders’ signatures attest that indistinguishable legislative text passed both houses.” (Emphasis added)

And now for the kicker, guess who joined Public Citizen in that suit with amicus briefs:

* Nancy Pelosi
* Henry Waxman
* Louise Slaughter

If the Pelosi/Slaughter/Waxman argument against using a self-executing rule against a debt limit increase measure sounds familiar, it should because it’s the same argument now being used by Republicans to oppose the Slaughter Solution for moving Obamacare through the House.

[hit and run]

From Pofarmer's quote:
The authors show that these changes occurred precisely in a narrow altitude region of the stratosphere where they would have the biggest effects on climate.

That's Rove's weather machine,of course,designed principally to generate Hurricane Katrina,but also used to bombard DC with snow this year.

[jimmyk]

it’s the same argument now being used by Republicans to oppose the Slaughter Solution

Which arguably makes the Republicans look as hypocritical as the Dems. Worse, the court ruled against the plaintiffs, which does not bode well for any constitutional challenge to the Slaughter Rule.

Let's face it, the most likely way to overturn this monstrosity, should it somehow pass, will be by the ballot box.

[Danube of Thought]

MJW at 03:03, that's the way I see it, and it appears to be the way Prof. McConnell sees it.

Minus 18 at Raz.

[Danube of Thought]

In the Sestak article, Specter alludes to the crime of misprision of felony. Someone should alert him to the fact that the underlying crime must indeed be a felony; the crime disclosed by Sestak, if it occurred, is a misdemeanor.

[SWarren]

Wow! A good read from American Spectator.

Specter Opens Door On Whitehouse Felonies

What "gate" descriptive can we attach to this? LUN

[Jane]

The bad news is teh ruling went against Pelosi

[Clarice]

--According to The Hill, there are currently 37 definite or leaning no votes by DEMS and 58 undecideds. The DEMS would have to win ALL undecided votes to eek out a 216-215 win. Of the 58 undecideds, however, the following 9 are leaning “no”. If any of these 9 vote no, then the bill dies.

Jason Altmire (Pa.) * (N) Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) told McClatchy he's targeting Altmire, who many view as key to passage. Altmire said on Fox News he has an "open mind." Voted no in committee and on floor, but bottom line is his yes vote is gettable.

Brian Baird (Wash.) (N) Retiring member who bucked party on Iraq war surge.

John Boccieri (Ohio) * (N) In a bad sign for the White House, Boccieri did not appear with President Barack Obama at his March 15 speech in Ohio. Boccieri, a GOP target, told Foxnews.com, "I'm not afraid to cast a tough vote..." Clyburn has publicly said he is leaning on Boccieri, whose vote could go a long way in determining whether healthcare reform will pass.

Bart Gordon (Tenn.) * (N) Retiring committee chairman. Clyburn especially wants his vote.

Suzanne Kosmas (Fla.) (N) Easily won her race in 2008; her 2010 race will be tighter.

Betsy Markey (Colo.) (N) Was a late no last time. In early March, Markey declined to be interviewed by Denver Post on her position on bill. Likely target for Democratic leaders.

Scott Murphy (N.Y.) (N) Reelection race looks good, for now. Told local media he might vote yes.

Glenn Nye (Va.) (N) In toss-up race

John Tanner (Tenn.) * (N) House deputy whip not running for reelection, but he still will need to be convinced to get to yes. Voted no in committee and on floor

[SWarren]

Ooops. I see Clarice is already on it.

[Paul from Boston]

Captain Hate, good luck to your wife. Your story reminded me of my first, and so far only, encounter with a Death Panel.

When my father was seventy he had severe heart disease from thirty years of three pack a day smoking. He reached a point where he was in and out of intensive care every couple of weeks. His physician and cardiologist were insisting that he needed bypass surgery or die, maybe within six weeks. I had to fly to Cleveland to take care of the situation since my mother was almost comatose with fear. Naturally I got his records to Cleveland Clinic to see when they could schedule him for an operation. After thirty six hours of anxious waiting the answer came back, we can't do anything for your father, he's so far gone the surgery won't help. My mother and I were in shock, the world's greatest heart hospital had just passed a death sentence on my father. That night he was back in the ICU at Mt. Sinai Hospital because of severe angina. I talked to chief surgeon who said nonsense, we can fix him, which they did the very next day after an eight hour operation.

A few days later I ran into an old friend from high school who had worked in the Cardiology Dept at Cleveland Clinic. She explained how they operated. Bypass surgery was done on a production line so that they could do twelve to fifteen a day. Theatre A opened the chest, theatre B did the bypass, and theatre C closed the chest. They set aside two hours per patient, which meant one or two artery grafts per patient. Since my father needed all five of his main arteries bypassed he didn't fit. Then she said, "Now if he'd been Henry Kissinger or the King of Saudi Arabia, no problem."

My father passed away this summer at age ninety-five.

Mt. Sinai Hospital has closed due to bankruptcy since they were doing so much charity work for the ghetto that grew up around it.

At no time was money or insurance and issue.

[Clarice]

Is it a misdemeanor, DoT? Dang.

[Jack is Back!]

The Sestak "misprison felony" article is at the LUN.

Can you find the "smoking gun".

[Danube of Thought]

"Which arguably makes the Republicans look as hypocritical as the Dems."

I don't think so, JimmyK. It's clear that what had occurred was a mere clerical error, and that in any event "the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate both signed a version of the proposed legislation identical to the version signed by the President." The plaintiffs claimed that the latter fact was irrelevant; it's not surprising to me that the court was unpersuaded. If Pelosi is dumb enough to believe that that case establishes that what she is contemplating doing is OK, she is, well, even dumber than I thought.

[centralcal]

Scroll up everybody - DoT sticks a pin in the "misprision felony" balloon. Dang.

[Danube of Thought]

"Whoever solicits or receives … any….thing of value, in consideration of the promise of support or use of influence in obtaining for any person any appointive office or place under the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both." -- 18 USC Sec. 211 -- Bribery, Graft and Conflicts of Interest: Acceptance or solicitation to obtain appointive public office.

By definition, a crime punishable by not more than one year in prison is a misdemeanor.

[Jane]

I think you have got it right jimmy.

[Clarice]

Nearly One-Third of Doctors Could Leave
Medicine if Health-Care Reform Bill Passes,
New England Journal of Medicine Says
Cybercast News Service, by Christopher Neefus
Nearly one-third of all practicing physicians may leave the medical profession if President Obama signs current versions of health-care reform legislation into law, according to a survey published in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The survey, which was conducted by the Medicus Firm, a leading physician search and consulting firm based in Atlanta and Dallas, found that a majority of physicians said health-care reform would cause the quality of American medical care to “deteriorate” and it could be the “final straw” that sends a sizeable number of doctors out of medicine.

SPREAD THISS AROUND!! As if common sense didn't tell you this beforehand..and Why did they wait so long to come out and say this?

[Captain Hate]

Mt. Sinai Hospital has closed due to bankruptcy since they were doing so much charity work for the ghetto that grew up around it.

I'm not sure if that's the reason they closed although yes, they did a lot of charity work in the crummy area that surrounds them; which isn't very far from the Clinic, btw. Case Western Reserve University's (where Mrs H works and I went to grad school) dental school does a lot of free dental work in the same area and they're doing great although that's obviously a different situation; which I'm mainly using to point out how much free care is being given out in this country contrary to the claims of BOzo and parliamentary genius Louise "false teef" Slaughter.

Sorry about your father's experience with the Clinic; I can only report on what I went through with them (and Mrs H also had a cancerous lump removed from her breast 15 years ago) and it's all been positive.

[Danube of Thought]

On the census form, both my sweetheart and I put "American" for race. Come and get us, coppers!

[Old Lurker]

Lurker Daughter #2, - proud dad warning - is considering her next steps after graduating from Columbia (summa, neuroscience & math) this spring. Her first choice has been Medical School, and she would probably be just the sort of young person we would all hope would dedicate themselves to medicine so they can keep us alive. Trouble is, she is a solid conservative (wonder how that happened), and will not consider doing it if that future is to be a government employed doctor.

Just a small sample of one, but a peek into the thinking of that generation.

[Clarice]

OL, we could form a corporation and set up offshore medical facilities for fees.

[Rick Ballard]

What a great snap pivot to jobs!

“We do not expect further declines in unemployment this year,” the officials said in testimony prepared for the House Appropriations Committee. They predicted the economy would add about 100,000 jobs a month on average -- not enough to bring the jobless rate down substantially.

The current clown show couldn't just be a bit of distraction, could it? Clyburn's threat to keep the circus open 'til Easter couldn't be to save Dem members from facing those nasty constituents who keep making life hell for Dem grifters trying to dodge fate. That's just too dang easy an explanation.

[Sue]

Wonder if the president will deem a bill passed that no doctor can retire?

[Old Lurker]

You joke, Clarice, but that is exactly what is going to happen. Some folks whose names you would recognize at the top of the medical game think that the next generation of first tier medicine will be done off shore in facilities owned by current big name clinics free of the government paperwork. As you recall, a feature of the old Hilary Care was to be a criminalization of providing a higher form of service to those willing to pay cash since everybody was going to be treated the same. That didn't happen, but the fear of it created nodes of super high quality service in other citeies around the world for specialty procedures on a cash and carry basis. Now we all know that Obamacare will have to go down that same road, and the smart guys are already figuring where to work around it. The old model of plastic surgery at an exclusive Swiss clinic could be a heart hospital in Nassau or Bermuda.

Note. This only works if several top quality medical schools somewhere in the world remain capable of attracting and graduating the best and brightest to staff these facilities. That will be an issue.

[Danube of Thought]

The Politico:

Rep. Jason Altmire, a Pennsyvlania Democrat who has positioned himself as a key swing vote, said he thinks leadership is seriously struggling to marshal the votes.

"They're calling the hardnosed people...who have put out firm statements saying no," he said. "They wouldn't be doing that if they were anywhere close."

That means Democrats like first-term New Jersey Rep. John Adler should still expect a phone call from party leaders, even after they tell the hometown press they're voting against the bill. Adler, who voted against the first bill but who many members believed to be in play on this round, told the Courier-Post (N.J.) Monday that he'd vote against the final bill because it doesn't do a good enough job cutting costs.

Adler made the remarks during an editorial board meeting.

Altmire, for his part, said he remains undecided and is waiting to listen to his constituents.

One wonders just what it is that Mr. Altmire is waiting to hear.

[Ignatz]

Whether SCOTUS would agree with Prof McConnell or even take the case regarding this Slaughter trickery is unclear, but the case Jane cites, and I believe there was another very similar one, would probably not be the reason why.
An inadvertant typo is a difference in kind not degree from an intentional attempt to somehow pass a bill while avoiding a vote on it, which they know will lose on it's own.
Even if they could get around the "deemed" part of it constitutionally, the presentment part is still a large problem. If they could deem the bill passed they still can't deem it signed. And then they are hung on the senate rules.
I'm starting to think Pelosi's main objective is to shift blame for this debacle to Reid and the Senate. If she can just pry it out of the house by hook or by crook, even if it's in a mortally wounded form, the onus for it's eventual death is off of her.
And if it somehow survives her surgery, she'd consider that gravy. Winning is nice, but not being the one without a chair when the music stops is the main game in DC.

[Clarice]

OL, I wasn't joking.

I already go to a doctor who must be paid upfront. If the insurance company reimburses her for some of the stuff, great, but she and her partners is in the medicine, not accounting, business.

[Clarice]

DoT, just checking the wind direction, I suppose.

Heritage argues that there are at least three substantive constitutional challenges to the Bill and now there will be a procedural constitutional one if the Slaughter Rule is invoked.

Nancy--genius that she is--says this is just the first step..after "this door is kicked in" she's really going to get into medicine in a bigger way.

[Thomas Collins]

Narciso, the EMP attack on CTU, although making it tougher for Jack to prevent the radiological bomb attack on NYC, has the following bright side: the evidence against Dana Walsh no longer exists in human retrievable form.

[narciso]

Since I was only watching sporadically, and I didn't record it, how did they happen to reveal first where CTU was again, even though
they put on Roosevelt Island, and who had the
bright idea of bringing President Hassan's daughter into the place, nothing could wrong
there

[Rob Crawford]

Nancy--genius that she is--says this is just the first step..after "this door is kicked in" she's really going to get into medicine in a bigger way.

I read that comment to mean she sees lots of lifestyle regulation in our future.

The FBI can't subpoena your library history, but the feds will have unfettered access to both your medical records and your bank accounts!

[Bill in AZ]

"Nearly One-Third of Doctors Could Leave
Medicine if Health-Care Reform Bill Passes,"

It's not just the doctors who will leave. The thinkers and engineers who invent the technology they use will also leave, and we'll be stuck with 2010 medical technology in 2050. Like using our 20 year old cast-off MRI equipment in medical facilities in Europe.

The engineers will follow the money - probably designing more comfortable ditch digging equipment since that is the only place I have seen bammers send any job creation money.

[Clarice]

"The age of confusion ruled by the new dumb"
LUN

[Ranger]

Well, I think the WaPo's headline about how the House may pass the bill without voting on it was a shot across the bow to Nancy. That headline will be used by every Republican running against an sitting Dem house member if this thing goes through.

[pagar]

Kicking in door. Isn't that what they did to get Elian Gonzalez back into slavery. Why do Democrats have such an urge to make slaves of every American?

"That which fundamentally distinguishes the slave is that he labours under coercion to satisfy another's desires"

Every American will be enslaved under the Democrat healthcare plan.

[Rob Crawford]

Why do Democrats have such an urge to make slaves of every American?

It's part of the institutional memory of their party.

(And it's not just every American. Cubans, Iraqis, Chinese, Russians... for my entire life, the Democrats have been more interested in defending the slaver than freeing the slave.)

[Pofarmer]

I read that comment to mean she sees lots of lifestyle regulation in our future.

So, they'll be in the kitchen, and the dining room, and the bank vault. Nice.

[Rob Crawford]

So, they'll be in the kitchen, and the dining room, and the bank vault. Nice.

I read a quote recently, supposedly from a new immigrant, to the effect that he had always heard that Republicans want the government in your bedroom. OK, he said, but Democrats want in your bathroom, living room, kitchen...

[Clarice]

The Hill (vote date might slip to after Easter)
Clyburn says health vote could push past Easter holiday

The House's healthcare vote could be delayed until as late as Easter, House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said Tuesday.

Clyburn, in an interview with McClatchy Newspapers, said it is possible that the House vote on healthcare reform could take place long past the vote Democratic leaders had hoped for this week.

"The chances are good, but I wouldn't bet on it," the third-ranking House Democrat said of whether a healthcare vote could be held by the April 4th holiday.

Democrats are working to cobble together the necessary votes to either pass the Senate's healthcare bill with a separate set of fixes to it, or a congressional rule that would deem the Senate bill as having passed.

[Jack is Back!]

Clarice,

You sure its not a new Health Care Corpse?

[centralcal]

Ann - sorry I missed you last night. Yeah, doesn't Botxalot have lovely hands!

The better to strangle your healthcare with, my dear.

Back on topic with Clarice's latest (Clyburn), you start to wonder if the whole 4 years of Obama will be trying to get the votes for HCR.

[Sue]

The end result is that however clear a constitutional violation may be presented by the Slaughter rule — and I think former judge, now–Stanford Law professor Mike McConnell is correct that it's pretty clear here — there is a significant impediment to challenging that violation in federal court. And don't look for help on this one from conservative justices — Justice Scalia would have applied the rule even in the Origination Clause context.

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MTM4NGEyNTlhNmNmNjJmMGRkYzk3NmY0ZjAzODgxN2M=>Slaughter Rule

I found Jesus. He was in my trunk when I got back from Tiajuana. (don't shoot me, I know that is in bad taste, but I laughed so hard when I read it in an email)

[Sue]

My second favorite was:

I am Nobody.
Nobody is Perfect.
Therefore I am Perfect.

[Sue]

bad would love the Jesus joke. Dang it.

[Porchlight]

If I were starting over with the Aubrey novels, I'd have the Oxford nautical dictionary and a world atlas at my elbow throughout.

Great advice. I have the lexicon and atlas by King that JiB mentioned, but the thing about the atlas is that it traces each voyage, which can end up being a bit of a spoiler when you see that a certain ship's dotted line stops in the middle of the ocean. ;) A regular historical atlas would probably be better.

The series has been really incredible, I would almost say life-changing. I am taking my time and savoring the last few books, and then I'm going to start over.

[Jane]

Any news on DC?

[Well, how else to you explain it? QED]

Yes, JiB, that 'minutae and precise detail' of O'Brian is why I believe he secretly possessed a time machine. His life is somewhat mysterious.
=================

[Sue]

'mizzen topgallant' was or what a "trepan"

Never read a sleazy historical romance novel, did you?

[Clarice]

Jane, apparently it's a big crowd:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/16/thousands-tea-partiers-expected-rally-capitol-hill/>Tea party

[macphisto]

"For the life of me I can't figure out what these people are so attracted to. Is it his coolness? His blackness?"

it's the evil...evil prospers by creating the illusion of power, of the endless possibilities allowed if you'll just come over to the Dark Side.... the despiritualised Left can't get any closer than this to transcendence.

[Sue]

Actually, Rush just said what I wish I had said above. We should send them memos telling them not to bother calling for a vote just consider themselves "self-executed" in November.

[daddy]

"For the life of me I can't figure out what these people are so attracted to."

It was ever thus.

From the archives of The New York Times:

">http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20E12F63F5A11728DDDA10A94D9415B898FF1D3&scp=7&sq=princeton%20poll&st=cse"> HITLER IS 'GREATEST' IN PRINCETON POLL; Freshmen Put Einstein Second and Chamberlain Third

Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES.
November 28, 1939.

[daddy]

"daddy, did you see where Anchorage is ranked as the number one "less taxed" city in America."

Jack is Back,

I proudly take credit for a couple hundred signatures gathered at my local Safeway, (of a total 14,000) in order to get a Property Tax Cap Ballot Initiative on the Ballot last year. Against the ADN editorials, Begich, and the Lib Assembly, we got it on the ballot and won 61 to 39 percent, thus keeping that overall tax rate down below 4 %, where it needs to stay forever.

[caro]

Never read a sleazy historical romance novel, did you?

Sue do you read them? One of my friends here is "Nicole Jordan."

[qrstuv]

"Why do Democrats have such an urge to make slaves of every American?"

Because they know better than us, and they don't think of it as slavery.

And they think if we think of it in the nice way they think of it, we'll be happy and better off.

I hate tyrants.

[qrstuv]

"I read a quote recently, supposedly from a new immigrant, to the effect that he had always heard that Republicans want the government in your bedroom. "

I loyally voted for Democrats for most of my adult life.

Then 9/11 happened, and I found myself in an unfamiliar area, so I listened to conservatives speak for themselves, as opposed to hearing what the Democrats/press/media said about them.

Lo and behold, I discovered that everything I had "known" about conservatives was a complete frakking lie.

[Carol Herman]

Israel has never hit a button that set of a nuke. However, in Dubai, there was an interesting play. You learned this when you saw Sherlock in Dubai's "angle." Where 20 minutes of video was missing. So you saw a people landing. People meeting in lobbies. You saw men ready for tennis. And, you saw a lot of van dyke beards. All the faces actually merged together. While the "novel death of mahboo" has no film at all. Missing. Because "Israel used sophisticated elecronics."

It's also good to know that iran has a 51% TURKISH population! Persians? Not so much. And, the mullahs? They're probably more unpopular than the Shah! While Maliki (according to Debka) got seriously hurt in a bomb going off near his car. And, he's hospitalized.

Bibi isn't playing. Sure a bomb dropped on biden. And, then? Biden decided to cut his dinner short by two hours. (For Bibi, that was a plus.)

War ahead? Only if hillary can start one. And, I don't think she's all that popular. I don't think the bamster has a "deemed as passed" bill in his desk drawer, either. But that will be the next claim.

I think by the time Halloween rolls around, people will be looking to tennis outfits. And, shirts that say "I'm with the Mossad."

[qrstuv]

"I proudly take credit for a couple hundred signatures "

I kinda you.

[qrstuv]

The missing word is heart.

I kinda missing word you.

I really hate typhuspad

[qrstuv]

Really hate typhuspad.

[Sue]

caro,

Yes, but not as much as I used to. Spend too much time on the internet now. I don't recognize her name. I'll have to check out her books. It says she is a NYT bestseller. Pretty awesome.