Car Photo of the Day: Ford Model T

The First Snow of the Year

Al Gore, Call your office!

While President of United States was trying to get a deal on global warming. I was looking at this, when I woke up today.

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfpRexXbH64

For those who cannot watch video or hear sound, I have some pics:

first snow of the year 004 — More Snow! (and Car...)

first snow of the year 005 — Snow! (...and a truck...)

Click the pics to make ’em bigger.

It is not as much as Washington D.C. got, but, it is snow, none the less. 😀

Car Photo of the Day: Ford Thunderbird

Via Amazon’s Car Lust Blog:

Nice ain’t it?

Video: Penn Jillette on Elderly Parents

I present this video because I can totally relate to how Penn feels. I, too, have Elderly Parents who frankly are not getting any younger. My recent experience with my Dad really drove the point home; invincible is something that my parents are not. Here Penn gets a bit emotional talking about his Mother and Father. I will say this, those of you out there who have Elderly parents and have brothers and Sisters; ought to say a small thank you to the Lord for this. (This makes this posting even more humorous, because Penn is an Atheist.) As I have no siblings at all. What this means is, caring for my parents, when they reach the point of not being able to do will fall squarely on my shoulders. I have been often asked why I just do not leave the State of Michigan, go to another state, and find work. This is why, and you will see why in this video.

Enjoy…

Winter Storm pounds midwest

This comes via Comcast videos:

Luckily, we dodged the bullet here in Southeastern Michigan. It snowed some last night, but it turned to rain this morning. However, it is expected to turn to snow again either later today or later this week. Either way, it stinks. I am not a fan of Michigan winters. I do what everyone else does from this area. I deal with it. 🙄

Thoughts & Prayers needed for my Dad

As some of you might know that read this blog regularly might know; I do live with my Parents. That, in itself is a very long story. Anyhow, My Father will be going into the hospital tomorrow morning at around 8:00 a.m. or so, to have a very important heart procedure done. They are going to run a dye into his bloodstream to check and see if there is any blockage and if there is, they will be putting stints in. There is, although not probable, a slight chance that my Dad could need open-heart surgery while they are in there doing that work. Therefore, needless to say, I will be quite occupied for the next few days. There is good news however; I will be taking the laptop to the hospital with me; as so, I do not go crazy with boredom in the hospital.

Everyone that knows me well will tell you; that I hate hospitals with a passion. I do tend to avoid them as much as humanly possible. However, this little trip is highly important to me. Therefore, I will be joining my Dad up at the hospital for a good part of the day. I am not sure how long it will take. I am told a good part of the day.

So, I am asking for everyone who either reads this blog daily or even does the occasional drive-by. Please keep my Dad in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow — and for the rest of the week. Also, keep my Mother in your prayers as this all is really making her worry and she is not in the greatest of health either.

Thanks again,

Patrick

Message from Mike Bouchard Republican Candidate for Michigan Governor

This comes via e-mail:

For Immediate Release: November 18, 2009?

Contact: Kathryn Martin, 586.872.3144

Bouchard: Don’t take bus safety money from crime labs

Making crime victims wait even longer is not answer to state budget woes

Oakland County- Republican candidate for governor Mike Bouchard today called on the Granholm/Cherry administration to stop playing games with the budget and focus on long-term structural reforms.

“Instead of raiding one pot of money to replenish another, it’s time we start rethinking how we deliver services. The Granholm/Cherry team clearly lacks the capacity to find creative solutions,” Bouchard said. “It’s unbelievable that the administration is taking $900,000 from the forensic lab budget instead of finding long-term cost-effective alternatives for the school bus inspections.”

Bouchard added, “School bus inspections account for $1.43 million of the MSP budget which equates to an average cost of $130,000 (salary, benefits etc.) for each of the 11 state police officers conducting bus inspections. The administration should explore using private-sector certified mechanics or auto dealerships to conduct these annual inspections, thus freeing up resources for other clear priorities such as crime lab support.” He added “Certified mechanics make on average $60,000 a year. At that rate, bidding out the inspections could cost half as much. Car dealerships in this state are hurting for business, this could also be an opportunity to help them by inviting them to bid on the business. We must look for innovative ways to stretch every dollar farther.”

On Oct. 30th, Granholm boasted in her recent signing of the Michigan State Police (MSP) budget: “I am pleased this bill includes funding for the additional forensic laboratory casework resulting from the closure of the Detroit Crime Laboratory.” Then on Nov. 4, the governor’s budget director fired off a letter to Legislature slashing the forensic lab budget by roughly $915,000, claiming that the cuts could be offset with federal recovery act funds. However, the federal funds identified are only limited-term monies.

“The plan proposed by the Granholm/Cherry team is not sustainable. Unfortunately, this game of ‘hot potato’ and lack of leadership has become the signature of the Granholm/Cherry administration,” remarked Bouchard.

“Further cuts to forensics labs could mean that victims of crime, including rape, have to wait longer to get test results back,” said Bouchard. “The situation in the State Labs is already beyond critical with backlogs of DNA testing approaching a one-year wait. We had a tragic situation in Oakland County where a rape victim was raped two additional times while awaiting DNA results from the already overburdened MSP lab system. This is unacceptable.”

Bouchard further commented, “The MSP backlog has worsened with the shutdown of the Detroit Police Department Crime Lab.” The current MSP backlog has been exacerbated due to the shutdown of Detroit Police Department’s Crime Lab as evidenced by the following shocking statistics:

·     10,000 rape kits backlogged. It will take MSP years to process these cases.

·     5,700 firearms cases backlogged with a 12-month wait list

·     4,200 narcotic cases backlogged with a 4-5 month wait list

·     2,700 DNA cases backlogged with an 8 month wait list

·     370 polygraph tests backlogged with an 8-10 week wait list

As Oakland County Sheriff, Bouchard has made a practice of making sure taxpayers get the most bang for their buck. He competitively bid the jail food service, saving county taxpayers $1.6 million a year. He also is part of the county leadership team that anticipates potential budget shortfalls by operating on a three-year rolling budget. This forward thinking has resulted in Oakland County being only one out of 40 counties in the United States to have a AAA bond rating, which allows the county to borrow money at a low rate.

“As governor, my team and I will review programs to cut and find innovative alternatives where it makes sense, just as I have done in Oakland County,” Bouchard said. “Taxpayers need to know that each tax dollar is being spent effectively.”

Bouchard called on the House Appropriations Committee to stop the transfer before them on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 11:30AM.

For more information about Bouchard’s campaign for governor, visit www.Bouchardforgovernor.com and please, donate.

Jennifer Granholm and the Democrats have been a utter disaster for Michigan and its economy. It is time for new ideas, leadership and for some real change. Remember this come 2010; it is time to stop the disaster that Obama and the Democrats have created in America and here in Michigan. We need real jobs, a real economy and a true recovery — not socialism, wasted money and smoke and mirrors —- and that is about what the Democrats have given us for the past eight years here in Michigan.

It is time for change. Elect Mike Bouchard and Terri Lynn Land as Governor and Lt. Governor in Michigan in 2010.

—–

Please note: This is a blatant attempt to promote the Governor campaign of Mike Bouchard. I was NOT compensated for this posting at all. It is truly a personal choice of mine; as I live here and I have been out of work since 2005 and I feel the Democrats have to totally screwed this State into the ground.

Memo to General Motors: Good Going Douche Nozzles!

Ed Morrissey and I have not agreed much on G.M. and the status of the bail outs that they received from the Government. But it appears, that for a change, I agree with Ed; mark your calendars, because this does not happen often. Ed reports over on HotAir, that General Motors has taken the money, that was funded by taxpayers; like Ed, Me, and yes, you and has spent it —- overseas. Needless to say, there some lawmakers that are not very happy about it either.

ABC NEWS Reports:

Specifically, at a time when the nation’s unemployment rate has soared to levels not seen in decades and GM is cutting thousands of U.S. jobs, the company’s CEO is considering spending millions from its U.S. coffers — fattened by $50 billion in taxpayer aid — on its overseas operations, a possibility that has outraged critics and lawmakers.

“I don’t think most Americans believe that when the taxpayer bailouts were happening it was intended for that purpose,” said Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y. “It was intended to protect the American economy — not take the money overseas.”

GM’s Chief Executive Fritz Henderson recently announced that the bailed-out automaker might use its U.S. funds to help restructure its European unit Opel, noting that the financing agreements with the Treasury for the $34 billion of bailout funds already spent allow GM to spend any subsequently earned funds as its executives see fit. Some $16 billion remaining after its bankruptcy has strings attached.

[…]

GM has other plans to expand its business abroad. In August, GM China announced a $293 million venture, while last month GM South Korea announced a new infusion of more than $400 million. The automaker also recently inaugurated a $300 million transmission plant in Mexico.

So, is General Motors making money here in America? Uh, No.

General Motors Co. says it lost $1.2 billion from the time it left bankruptcy protection through Sept. 30, far better than previous quarters and a sign that the auto giant is starting to turn around.

….and how’s that account going?:

Chief Financial Officer Ray Young cautioned that the second- and third-quarter figures don’t comply with U.S. accounting standards and shouldn’t be compared with previous earnings.

GM says it is re-valuing its assets and liabilities and should comply with accounting standards next year.

Ouch.

While I was at the doctors with my Dad earlier today; I happened to mention this to him and another gentleman that worked at the same plant as my Father. Needless to say, their reaction to this was less than, um, shall we say, happy? My Dad replied in terms that I cannot write on this blog. To say that both of those guys were a bit ticked, would be an understatement.

Ed Morrissey cracks:

Let’s get this straight. GM gets tens of billions of dollars in taxpayer money and gets an Obama-managed bankruptcy — and stops complying with accounting standards? My goodness, they really are Government Motors!

In the past, I have given Ed Morrissey a bit of a hassle when he would criticize the auto workers and to an extent the Auto Companies. However, I feel this criticism is much warranted. Call it a hunch, but I tend to believe that the U.A.W. and the workers at the various G.M. plants, especially the one’s here in Michigan; are not going to be too thrilled that the company is taking it’s money and investing overseas; instead of investing it here, where the jobs are actually needed. No matter how you slice it; this was an extremely boneheaded move on the part of General Motors and it deserves the criticism it receives from ALL quarters.

WND: 'Muslim Mafia' linked to Detroit FBI shootout

Normally I take what I read over at WorldNetDaily with a grain of salt; but once and a while, they stumble over something big.

I believe they have done it again:

Already under increased scrutiny after revelations in a new book, the Council on American-Islamic Relations now is defending itself against documented links to a federal case that drew national attention this week when an indicted Detroit imam was killed in an FBI raid.

Internal documents from an undercover investigation by the authors of “Muslim Mafia” show CAIR helped finance the legal appeal of Muslim cop-killer Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, who is named in the Detroit criminal complaint as the spiritual leader of a radical group that calls for violent action to establish a sovereign Islamic state within the U.S.

The federal complaint also states one of the 11 indicted followers of the imam who was killed in an exchange of gunfire with the FBI Wednesday, Luqman Ameen Abdullah, attended a mosque “affiliated with CAIR” in Windsor, Ontario, just across the Canadian border from Detroit.

via ‘Muslim Mafia’ linked to Detroit FBI shootout.- WND.com

I highly suggest that you go read the rest of this as it is quite interesting. Looks like CAIR is involved as well. This is big and could have lasting impact.

Like I wrote before; the idea of “Fight them there, so we don’t have to fight them here” is a bit lame now; because quite frankly, they are already here and this proves that!

Another Mao Worshiping Communist in the White House

Here we go again!

Via Gateway Pundit:

So, who is Ron Bloom? Jammie Wearing Fool writes:

The name Ron Bloom is one that we need to start paying attention to. He has a long history of being the negotiating face of unions in a suit. He is a Harvard Business School graduate who has worked for the unions beginning with SEIU for decades. The most recent union he represented was the United Steel Workers (USW) before becoming a part of the automotive team that Obama put together. You know the one that had the head Steven Rattner having to resign over some questions about his personal finances mixed in with a little fraudulent money gifts.Rattner was replaced by Ron Bloom, and voila the United Auto Workers (UAW), got a sweetheart deal backed up by the power of the federal government to try and stave off bankruptcy.

Nice….. So, President Obama’s communications director is a Mao-Loving Communist and now his Manufacturing Czar; or Union Liaison is now a Mao-loving Communist. I expect that Glenn Beck is going to be all over this one. President Obama needs to rid himself of these people or resign his Presidency.