Poor Abneris!

Abneris Santiago kept her three children locked in a filthy motel bathroom for over a year. She rarely fed them, but she and her boyfriend ate hot dogs, Oreos, and other snacks. She went to work every day, but never bothered to pick up the phone and ask someone to help her children. The boyfriend repeatedly raped the little girl. When the children were finally rescued, observers said they looked like holocaust victims. They required weeks of hospitalization, and their emotional therapy is ongoing.

Poor Abneris! She told the judge at her trial, "I've been through so much . . . out of one nightmare and into another." Excuse me, Abneris, if I don't shed any tears for you.

"Mother plans to change plea to guilty, meets briefly with girl." The Dallas Morning News; July 30, 2010; p. 7A.

More on Diversity

I mentioned yesterday the few blacks in our community who insist on pasting a racist label on anyone who has a pale skin. There was a recent case where a policeman had to get a little rough with a troublemaker who happened to be black. There would have been no reason for him to get rough had there not been a crowd of the suspect's angry friends and relatives making threatening gestures toward the officer. At any rate, the Police Chief determined that he had used more force than was necessary to effect the arrest, and the officer was suspended for two days. He appealed. After viewing the video of the incident and listening to testimony, an independent arbitrator found that the officer had properly acted under the circumstances, and his pay was re-instated and the incident cleared from his record.

One of the black people who insists we're all racists was quoted in The Dallas Morning News after the arbitrator's decision was announced. "What's going to stop the officer from doing that again and again? It makes me fearful." In answer to the question, nothing -- he did nothing wrong in the performance of his duties, so it's perfectly OK for him to do the same thing again and again. She's operating from the premise that he did something wrong, and he didn't. In response to her "fear"? Don't do something you shouldn't be doing, and it's highly likely you'll never have an encounter with a police officer. And if you do, then just do what he says and he won't have to throw you down on the hood of his car.

"Review backs white officer's use of force on black man." The Dallas Morning News; July 30, 2010; p. 6A.

Where are the black people?

A few of the black people in our community like to label the whole city as a bunch of racists. So some very well-meaning people have come up with the "Diversity Task Force" to bring the races together. I'm not sure we have a problem to begin with, but if we do, I have an observation to make.

The Task Force recently had a diversity dinner where people of all colors were to come together to discuss relationships, issues, etc. The photograph in the newspaper was quite revealing. I counted 27 white people in the photograph, and 5 black people. They didn't say, but I'm quite sure that table seating was intentionally planned to reflect "diversity." If that's the case, there weren't even enough black people at the event to insure that each table had black representation.

That's my observation, now here's my question: If a problem exists, which race is really serious about addressing it?

"Discussion groups search for strengths among differences." The Paris News; August 2, 2010; p. 1A.

Hurry and get yours before they're gone!

I recently speculated that Obama would soon direct that everyone had to buy an electric car battery because the government has poured billions of your hard-earned dollars into that industry when there is virtually no demand for it. In July, Obama visited the GM factory where the Chevrolet Volt is manufactured. I'm sure you'll want to run out and get one right away when you find out that:

1) The sticker price starts at $41,000. But the government (again using your hard-earned dollars) is offering a federal tax credit of $7,500 if you buy one. That's not a deduction, that's a credit -- it's subtracted from your total tax bill. So those of us who can't afford a $33,500 car will be subsidizing those who can.
2) It will take about 10 hours to fully charge the vehicle. That's using the electricity we've been told we should conserve. Now that Oncor has installed smart meters, what happens when they decide you've used enough current for the day and turn you off? Guess that means you won't be driving your uncharged electric car the next day.
3) The effective range of the Volt on one charge is about 40 miles. So there won't be any driving to Dallas for the day in it. In fact, if you live in the country, you'll be lucky to make it to town to work and back home before the charge gives out. But, GM says, you can charge it while you're at work. I kind of wonder what your employer is going to think about everyone running up the company's electricity bill to charge their cars. Anyway, the Volt has a gasoline engine that will kick in when the charge runs out. I thought the whole idea of this thing was to go green, and here it is using electricity from coal-fueled power plants and (gasp!) gasoline.

So hurrry up, folks, because I predict these things will sell like hotcakes (week-old hotcakes, maybe).

"Volt prices start at $41,000." The Dallas Morning News; July 28, 2010; p. 3D.

If you don't break the law . . .

What discrimination! What a travesty! For a quarter-century, tens of thousands of blacks have been subjected to long prison terms for crack cocaine convictions. This isn't fair! Everyone knows that crack is the cocaine form of choice for blacks because it's cheap -- much cheaper than the powder form preferred by whites, and sentencing them just like they do the whites is just plain racist!

So our Congress has passed legislation to ease up on these poor black guys. Obama said during his campaign that the tough sentencing "cannot be justified" and such a tough stance should be eliminated. So I'm sure he'll sign the bill.

What I don't understand is this . . . if these guys aren't out buying and selling crack, why do they care what the penalties are? Incidentally, the tough penalties that have been changed are:

1) Under the old legislation, a person convicted of crack cocaine possession got the same mandatory prison term as someown with 100 times the same amount of powder cocaine. Under the new legislation, that ratio is reduced to 18 to 1. They could have accomplished the same thing by increasing the penalty for the powder cocaine possession.

2) The new legislation eliminates the five-year mandatory minimum for first-time possession of crack.

I agree with Rep. Lamar Smith of San Antonio who said, "Why are we coddling some of the most dangerous drug traffickers in America?" I can guarantee you that when the crime rate soars in the black areas of the major cities, the NAACP will be whining about how law enforcement ignores black areas. But if they go in and clean it up, they'll whine about how blacks are unfairly targeted. I say, "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime no matter what color you are!"

"New terms for crack crimes OK'd." The Dallas Morning News; July 29, 2010; p. 4A.

Well, you know, it just is . . .

Kathleen Sebelius told a bunch of senior citizens the other day that "a lot of misinformation was put out to seniors from people who did not want this bill [Obamacare] to pass." She apparently didn't get any more specific than that. Despite this lack of information, these poor old people fell for it.

Robert Gamez admits he doesn't understand the law, "But it's going to be better than what we have now," he says. If he doesn't understand the law, how can he say that? Virginia Manriqez says, "As long as they pay my bills, I'm OK." Think so, Virginia? What about if they say we'll pay your bills, but you can't see Dr. X, or you can only see him once a year? What if they pay your bills, but you can't find a doctor or a hospital that accepts Medicare? What if they pay your bills, but you have to wait three years for a surgery? What if they pay your bills, but your premiums go up 500%?

Wake up! Ask some hard questions! We've been sold a bill of goods, and you people are swallowing it hook, line, and sinker!

"Health secretary says new law helps seniors." The Dallas Morning News; July 20, 2010; p. 3D.

Did they take the day off?

ShaVunda Horsley and about 50 others gathered at Dallas City Hall Plaza in their swimsuits on a Wednesday afternoon to protest the closure of some of the municipal swimming pools. "We think it is unfair to hold down the taxes of the rich by tearing down the programs of the poor. I've never seen such affluence refusing to tax itself," said community organizer John Fullinwider. Then they pulled out the old "if our kids don't have anything to do they'll be criminals" gag. One of the protesters said, "To me, it's leading to the criminalization of our youth." That's a new one to use as a defence -- "Judge, I couldn't help it. I didn't have a swimming pool when I was in the 'hood." Give me a break!

My first question is why these people aren't at work in the middle of a weekday. My second question is why it's someone else's responsibility to provide them a swimming pool.

My observation is that "community organizers" (remember, Obama was a community organizer) like to claim they've done something to help the poor when really all they've done is robbed the rich (and their definition of rich is anyone who works hard for a living and takes care of himself and his family). The real definition of community organizing is "redistributing the wealth." If Mr. Fullinwider wants to be a community organizer in a true sense, he won't be at City Hall trying to take someone else's money for something that's non-essential. He and his "community" will be out WORKING and raising funds to build their own community pool.

"Rally tries to make waves." The Dallas Morning News; August 19, 2010; p. 11B.

Does the media have the wrong spin on this?

A recent Pew poll shows that more people today believe Obama is a Muslim than did in March 2008. The percentage of people who believe him to be a Christian dropped over that same time period by 13 points.

The news media have headlined these reports with phrases such as "Obama rumors gain steam, defy facts," "Sizeable increase in number of people who falsely think Obama is a Muslim," "Only 34% correctly say Obama is a Christian," and "Obama Muslim myth on the rise."

I have an entirely different take on it. I was one of those who pooh-poohed the idea that Obama was a Muslim when he was running for President. That doesn't mean I supported him -- I always thought he was dangerous. At any rate, as time has passed and I've seen more of his true colors, I tend to think he is a Muslim. Actions speak louder than words, and Obama's actions clearly demonstrate his bias toward Islam. He can call himself a Christian all he wants, but that doesn't make him one. I think the poll reflects more people accepting the truth -- not more people falling for a lie.

Then, you have to remember that part of the counsel of Islam is that, in order to gain inroads to destroy the infidel, its adherents are to pass themselves off as Christian or Jew or whatever they have to. If you don't find that scary, you're just not thinking clearly!

And as an added note, Essie makes a prediction: Obama religious adviser Joshua Dubois said the President "does not intend to suddenly pratice his faith in public in an effort to counter misperceptions." Despite that, I'll just bet that within the next six weeks the Obama's will make a much publicized trip to church on a Sunday morning.

"Obama rumors gain steam, defy facts." The Dallas Morning News; August 20, 2010; p. 11A.

I recognize that guy behind the counter!

Have you noticed anything missing from the post office walls in recent years? Most of the nation's post offices no longer display FBI Wanted posters. They say they need the space for "product displays."

"We decided to take them down and keep them in binders behind the counter," said Richard Watkins, postal spokesman for the Mid-America district. Bet lots of people will recognize the bad guys that way.

"Most Wanted posters no longer wanted at post offices." The Dallas Morning News; November 27, 2009; p. 10A.

Aha! So that's it!

I found buried in an article the real reason the federal government doesn't like Arizona's new law. Justice Department attorney Edwin Kneedler said that inquiring about immigration status would, " . . .burden the federal agency that responds to immigration-status inquiries." Gosh, I didn't know it was a burden. I thought that's what we were paying them to do.

"Ruling awaited after hearings on law." The Dallas Morning News; July 23, 2010; p. 6A.

You have an alternative, Umma.

Umma Ali is "surprised and disheartened" that the mosque proposed for Ground Zero is so controversial. She says it's hard to "wrap her mind around all the vocal slander thrown at Islam." She says she hopes this is just Republicans blowing off steam, because if it's not, she is "worried abut my ability to live a free life here."

Well, Umma, you have an alternative. If you're afraid here, perhaps it's time for you to go back to Pakistan where you came from. You wouldn't have to be afraid of intolerance there.

"Mean comments scare me." The Dallas Morning News; August 18, 2010; p. 18A.

It's not hard to understand.

The Dallas Morning News has printed another sob story about how mistreated an illegal alien is. Edwin Romero was detained at the Austin airport last April when he couldn't produce a state ID. An Eastfield College sophomore, he was on his way home from a college student government conference. A couple of SMU bleeding hearts who think they know everything are doing a documentary on Romero and people like him. One of them said, "What got him into trouble was being a stellar student at this school." No, being a stellar student doesn't get anyone into trouble. Being in this country illegally is what got him into trouble. You're college students -- what about that is so difficult to understand?!!!

"Undocumented Uncertainty." The Dallas Morning News; July 27, 2010; p. 1B.

If your if is wrong, so is your then . . .

There were recently two letters to the editor in the same edition of the newspaper that caught my attention. Each was based on a faulty premise. If the premise is not correct, then whatever follows is moot.

The first letter had to do with tipping. Carl Savant saw a group of ladies leave a $2 tip for a $40 bill. In the first place, that was really none of Carl's business. In the second place, while I believe in tipping well, a tip is not a service charge -- it is something freely given, so whatever the server gets should be appreciated and not grumbled over. Anyway, Carl says that we should know that servers make only $2.50 an hour. That's not quite correct, Carl. Servers make a base of $2.50 an hour. If their tips do not bring their total to $7.25 (or whatever the current minimum wage is), the employer must make it up. So servers, in effect, make at least minimum wage.

The second letter had to do with a national sales tax. A national sales tax is a great idea if we write into the legislation that no other tax may be assessed as long as the sales tax is in force. Charles J. Mikkelsen doesn't like the sales tax idea. He says it is regressive -- that the poor person will pay a greater percentage in taxes than a wealthy one. Again, the writer begins with a faulty premise. His premise is that the wealthy person and the poor one spend the same amount of money. That's not true. Let's assume that the wealthy person makes $250,000 a year, and the poor one makes $25,000 a year. The wealthy one shops at Nieman Marcus and spends $50,000 a year on clothes. Let's say the sales tax is 10%. That means he's spent $5000 in taxes. The poor one shops at Wal-Mart and spends $500 a year on clothes. His tax is $50. The wealthy person eats in nice restaurants, and buys his food at the gourmet food store. This costs him about $2000 a month. His tax is $2400 a year for groceries. The poor person buys Great Value brand at Wal-Mart and eats at McDonalds. This cost him about $150 a week, so his tax is $780 for the year. You can extrapolate this to all areas of consumerism. As a rule, the wealthy spend much more than the poor; therefore, they will pay more tax. As percentages of income go, it's probably going to even out.

So Mr. Savant and Mr. Mikkelsen, you have offered us two more examples of "it sounds good, but when we analyze it, it's full of holes."

"Don't short-change servers." "Raise taxes on the poor?" The Dallas Morning News; July 24, 2010; p. 20A.

Obama's Affordable Health Care

Several major insurers have announced that they will no longer issue new policies on children. Obamacare requires insurers to accept children regardless of medical problems they may have. As many critics of the plan pointed out, parents will just wait until their children get sick to insure them. Obviously, the insurance companies cannot afford this. Their only alternative is to refuse to insure any children. So who suffers here? Again, it's the people who've been trying to do right all along.

"Some insurers limit policies for kids." The Dallas Morning News; July 24, 2010; p. 7A.

It doesn't work!

While the Obama Administration is frantically pushing our country toward the British system of health care, the British are trying to figure out how they can get out of it. It doesn't work!

The new coalition government there says it aims to shift control of England's $160 billion annual health budget from a centralized bureaucracy to doctors at the local level. In a document outlining the plan, the government said, "Liberating the NHS, and putting power in the hands of patients and clinicians, means we will be able to effect a radical simplification, and remove layers of management." This would change the current system in which how and where patients are treated is largely determined by 150 entities known as primary care trusts.

Hey -- Pelosi, Reid, Obama -- are you paying attention?

"Leaders plan to turn health care upside down." The Dallas Morning News; July 25, 2010; p. 12A.

Did Obama and Sasha swim in the Gulf?

By now, you've all seen this sickening White House photo of Obama and Sasha swimming in the Gulf off the Florida coast this past weekend.

But did they really swim in the Gulf? This photo was released by the White House. Obama said they went swimming in the Gulf. But all the media was barred from the site. Have you ever known Obama to miss a photo op like that? And wasn't the whole point of the trip to show how he wasn't afraid to swim in the Gulf? Why bar the media?

Do you suppose that this picture was NOT taken this weekend in Florida, and that the much ballyhooed swim in the Gulf never happened? I'm not a conspiracy theorist type, but I smell some rotten fish here.

http://www.examiner.com/celebrity-fitness-and-health-in-national/shirtless-president-barack-obama-takes-swims-the-gulf-photos-1

But I was a good boy!

Willie Reed carjacked a man at a Lake Highlands 7-Eleven in 2002. Before that, in 1994, he went to prison for eight years for two robberies in Tarrant County. He was sentenced to 14 years for the carjacking.

In February 2009, a clerical error led to Reed's release. He was out of prison for 11 months before the error was discovered and he was re-arrested. During that time, he married, enrolled in college, and bought a car.

Reed thinks it's unfair that he must complete his sentence. "There was so much I wanted to do that I'd just dreamed of doing. I just don't understand . . .I just wanted my freedom." I understand, Willie. It's called paying your debt to society. You were sentenced to 14 years. Even if you led an exemplary life for the 341 days you got out, you still have to pay for pointing a gun at a man's head and demanding his keys.

Reed thinks he's been further "insulted" since he was denied parole after he was re-incarcerated. I don't know about his victim, but I would be insulted if the person who threatened to kill me received parole just because he thinks he "did good" by taking advantage of a clerical error. Reed says he "earned" his freedom. No, he didn't -- he earned a 14-year prison sentence!

The clerical error which freed him was that he was erroneously marked down for a 5 year sentence instead of the 14 year sentence. Reed says since the error wasn't his fault, he should have to serve only 5 years. His mother says putting him back in jail is not right. "The court system is messed up," she says. Well, at least I can agree with her there. Whoever let him out in the first place should be fired.

And what about this exemplary life he led while he was out? Well, he married. But I have to wonder if he was really a changed man -- his wife has filed for divorce and hasn't spoken to him since he was sent back to prison. If he was really a good man and had really changed, wouldn't she be standing by him?

Reed's attorney says, "I'm not sure legally he has the right to be out. But it's the fair thing to do." I'm no attorney, but I'm sure he doesn't "legally" have the right to be out. He was sentenced to 14 years. And the fair thing to do is to make him serve his sentence for threatening to kill a man and stealing his car.

The way I see it, old Willie may have been a good boy while he was out. But he's not in the pen for being a good boy. He's in the pen because he was a bad boy.

"Man seeks more credit for good behavior outside jail." The Dallas Morning News; July 6, 2010; p. 1A.

We're in deep doo-doo.

If Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy gets his way, we're in deep doo-doo. He is considering legislation that would allow a retired Supreme Court Justice to sit in for a Justice who has recused himself from a case because of previous involvement.

Why is he doing this? Because Elena Kagan, as Solicitor General, has been involved in about a dozen cases that will come before the Court. They don't want to lose her liberal vote. There was no mention in the article as to who would decide which Justice would serve, but seeing as it's the President who appoints new Justices, the assumption is that the President would appoint the substitute.

This is unprecedented and I'm pretty sure unconstitutional. But when have the Democrats or Obama cared what the Constitution says? By the way, this could have a drastic effect on ordinary American citizens like you and me, so why has it not been on the news, and why was it buried on page 9 of the newspaper? You think somebody may be trying to slip it in with no one noticing?

"Backups for justices under consideration." The Dallas Morning News; August 10, 2010; p. 9A.

Well, Duh!

F. Yoder of Paris says the city council "has been bilking the public" for a long time. His issue is that roughly six times a year, maybe fewer if a holiday doesn't fall on a regular trash day, his trash is not picked up. This is six times out of 104 scheduled pick-ups. Mr. Yoder says that his monthly rate should be adjusted when that happens. At the cost of less than $2 per pick-up Mr. Yoder erroneously thinks he's being bilked out of about $12 a year. Well, Mr. Yoder, I'm sure the city will be glad to adjust that rate if you don't add that trash to your next pick-up. After all, why should they give you a trash pick-up you haven't paid for? So just leave those six days of stinky mess in your garage all year and save yourself the approximate $12 it cost the city to pick them up.

"Bilking the public." The Paris News; July 16, 2010; p. 4A.

Get your free coverage now!

The headline blares "New rules grant free preventive coverage." Now, everyone knows that nothing is free -- it may be free to you, but somebody somewhere absorbs the cost.

What's being touted is Obama's directive that medical insurance must cover preventive care with no out of pocket expense for the consumer. This includes counseling for kids, vaccines, cancer screenings, and other services for no co-pay, deductible or coinsurance.

But several paragraphs into the article, we find out that it is, indeed, not really free. "Premiums will go up by 1.5 percent on average, as spending for the services is spread across an entire pool of insured people." Add that 1.5 percent increase to the increase to cover no lifetime caps and the increase to cover no pre-existing conditions and all the other increases that are expected. We're all going to be wondering what happened to "affordable" health care!

"New rules grant free preventive coverage." The Dallas Morning News; July 15, 2010; p. 5A.

Isn't it obvious?

We're spending $280,000 for Texas Tech to study "how communities bounce back after hurricanes." Well, let's see -- they call the insurance companies, they clear debris from the thoroughfares, they clean up demolished homes and businesses, they call the utility companies to restore power, they dry out the flood damage, and they build new homes, businesses, and infrastructure to replace the destroyed ones. See, if they'd asked Essie to begin with, she could have saved you $280,000!

"Texas Tech to study effect of hurricanes." The Dallas Morning News; June 30, 2010; p. 3A.

What if this were Dick Cheney?

Vice-President Biden (a.k.a. VP Bite-Me) can't keep his campaign finances straight. Buried on page 19 of the newspaper, it seems that the VP owes the U.S. Treasury more than $219,000 to resolve issues "caused by sloppy bookkeeping." The Federal Election Commission says that:

1) Biden's campaign accepted an improper corporate contribution in the form of a round-trip flight for three people between New Hampshire and Iowa.
2) The campaign did not return at least $106,000 in improper contributions.
3) The campaign owes the Treasury more than $85,000 for "stale-dated" checks.
4) The campaign failed to disclose $3.7 million in payments and $870,000 in debts.

I guess the Election Commission is right, because a Bite-Me spokeswoman says the campaign will repay the money.

Now comes my question -- if this were Dick Cheney or John McCain, do you think we'd have to burrow down to page 19 to find it?

Bet you didn't know that . . .

Bet you didn't know that a church secretary in Dallas exchanged a series of sex-themed emails with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama's former pastor. How do I know about it? The church secretary was fired and filed a discrimination suit against Friendship-West Baptist Church. Its pastor, Frederick D. Haynes III, is black and the secretary is hispanic. She met Wright during one of his Dallas trips, and their sexual correspondence began then. Wright is Haynes' "mentor."

If this had been George W. Bush's pastor, don't you think it would have been front-page news? Instead, it's buried on the second page of the local section in an article about the secretary's lawsuit. I think the paper should have been reporting about the emails more than the lawsuit. And we probably heard about it only because the secretary was from Dallas. Where's the national media on this?

"Church settles suit over firing." The Dallas Morning News; July 17, 2010; p. 2B.

Lessons from the Obama School of Economics

Obama is happy to announce that $2.4 billion has been designated to construct a factory and otherwise fund a new industry in America. And what is it that we need so badly that we're spending this kind of money from the taxpayers?

It's a product that's already saturating a market that really doesn't want it. It's actually a part for something that, to paraphrase a famous quote, the public's not buying in droves. It's a product that is already glutting the global market. By 2014, global capacity to build this product will be triple the demand.

What is this product? It's an electric car battery. To ramp up lagging demand for the product, one of the companies receiving this federal largesse is suggesting that the federal government buy electric and hybrid vehicles for its fleets.

The Obama school of economics is taking money from thriving businesses that are offering goods and services the public wants and putting that money into businesses that make a useless item nobody wants. Given Obama's track record (everyone has to buy insurance), my guess is that the next thing coming down the pike is that everybody must buy an electric car battery or face stiff fines. Remember, you first heard it from Essie May!

"Seeking a battery connection." The Dallas Morning News; July 16, 2010; p. 2A.

Essie Award Winner

Well, it's time for an Essie, the award that recognizes incredible stupidity.

Josh Myers wanted to celebrate the 4th of July. He had bottle rockets in his back pocket. He had two sticks of illegal M-1000, firecrackers with the equivalent power of a quarter stick of dynamite each, in his front pocket.

You guessed it -- somehow the bottle rockets ignited and they ignited the M-1000's. Josh put his left hand over his pocket before he fell to the ground. He said, "At first, I didn't think I lost my hand. I thought I just took a pretty bad blow. But then I ended up looking, and I was like, yeah, I saw it. My hand was gone."

So, Josh, though you have my deepest sympathy, you still get an Essie Award.

"Calif. man maimed when fireworks in pocket explode." The Paris News; July 7, 2010; p. 3.

Old-fashioned?

The City of Dallas put together a concert and fireworks show for the 4th of July weekend at Fair Park. Part of the show involved a laser light show reflecting off the dancing waters of the fountain and pool on the esplanade.

Gerald Lindsey didn't like that. There were a bunch of kids playing in the fountain when he arrived. Before the show began, the police moved the children out of the water. After all, the fountains were an integral part of the show the people had come to see. But Gerald thinks the children should have been allowed to play there, so we must assume that he feels they should have cancelled the show. Gerald says, "The sight of happy children splashing in water is more beautiful than any set of synchronized squirting fountains, and the sound of children laughing as they play is more beautiful than any concert. But maybe I am just old-fashioned."

Well, Gerald, I don't really know whether or not old-fashioned has anything to do with it, but you are kinda' stupid!

"I prefer kids playing." The Dallas Morning News; July 7, 2010; p. 14A.

Supply and Demand

Our Postmaster General seems to need a lesson in supply and demand economics. The problem the postal service faces is declining mail volume as individuals and companies rely more and more on electronic communications. When the demand for your product goes down, that makes it worth less. Therefore, in order to increase your volume, you lower prices or offer other incentives.

What's our postal service doing? Raising prices for a product that people already deem worth less than the cost. And they're considering cutting back on deliveries and offices. Go figure!

"Post office could raise rates again." The Dallas Morning News; July 7, 2010; p. 5A.

Clearly, that doesn't suffice.

The Rangers baseball organization has come under some scrutiny since a fan trying to snag a foul ball fell from an upper deck last month. This must come under the label of "If you're that stupid, would you really read and/or understand a warning."

Nolan Ryan, the Rangers president, says that everything is up to code at the stadium. In an editorial, Bryan Brown (who just graduated from high school so he's obviously much smarter and experienced than Mr. Ryan) says, "Clearly, that doesn't suffice. If being up to code still allows fans to put themselves into a life-threatening situation, shouldn't a team make sure it goes further?"

That sounds good, Bryan, but let's analyze it. There are rails up on the stadium that exceed the required height. They have warnings printed on them. If I'm too stupid to put two and two together ("Hmm -- they must have put that rail there because it's a long way down to the lower deck, and it'll hurt if I fall off") then any other safety device they put up probably isn't going to help. If I make it through the ballgame, I'll probably walk out in front of a car on my way to the parking lot and get killed.

Then let's look at it from this viewpoint. We have speed limits. People violate the speed limits all the time and put themselves into life-threatening situations. To use your words, Bryan, "Clearly, that doesn't suffice." Does that mean we should drop the limits to 15 mph? Sleeping pills have warning labels on them. People sometimes use them to commit suicide. To use your words, Bryan, "Clearly, that doesn't suffice." Should we have to go to an emergency room or pharmacy and be restricted to one pill at a time?

See, Bryan, you need to learn -- just because it sounds good doesn't mean it's logical.

"It's baseball -- not life and death." The Dallas Morning News; July 10, 2010; p. 19A.

But why are they still here?

In an attempt to pacify those of us upset that our federal dollars are being spent to sue the State of Arizona for enforcing the law, the Obama Administration has introduced "silent raids." They tout the fact that they have levied fines of $3 million against companies employing illegals.

They say the silent raids are much more effective than the Bush Administration round-ups where a single business would be targeted and all the illegals rounded up. "Instead of hundreds of agents going after one company, now one agent can go after hundreds of companies," said Mark K. Reed, president of Border Management Strategies, a consulting firm.

But here's the little part they're leaving out. The Bush Administration round-ups actually rounded up illegals and deported them. The silent raids fine companies and require them to fire the illegals. That's all. Not one illegal has been deported under the silent raid strategy. "Even if discovered, illegal aliens are allowed to walk free and seek employment elsewhere," said Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama. Is this nuts?

"'Silent raids' speak loudly to business." The Dallas Morning News; July 10, 2010; p. 12A.

Aha!

There is a program in the Texas prison system whereby pregnant inmates can be moved to something like a half-way house and live there with their new babies. It's called BAMBI -- Baby and Mother Bonding Initiative of The Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

The mothers get substance abuse counseling and life skills classes and GED preparation. Liz Moore is the program manager. She says, "This is the 'aha' moment in terms of learning and accepting responsibility." When the mothers' sentences are complete Moore says, "We give them as many resources as we can. They leave here with Medicaid, with WIC in place, with birth certificates applied for." So that's what the "aha" moment is -- it's not about accepting responsibility at all except in terms of knowing how to work the system.

"Providing a good start for inmates, babies." The Dallas Morning News; July 11, 2010; p. 3A.

Maybe I'm not the one who didn't get it . . .

July 9, I wrote about the iPhone 4 frenzy. I just didn't understand why someone would camp in the Texas heat for a week just to get one on the first day they came out. As it turns out, those people suffered 90+ degree temperatures for a phone that won't pick up a signal due to a faulty antenna design. My old cellphone doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but I can actually place and receive a phone call on it. Imagine that!

"Consumer Reports says it can't endorse iPhone 4." The Dallas Morning News; July 13, 2010; p. 1D.