Where did Boss Tweed get her plan to destroy the civil service merit selection system?
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
During last night's episode of "Survivor – GOP Presidential Primary" from Mesa, Newt Gingrich was blowing kisses to Gov. Jan Brewer aka Boss Tweed and her plan to destroy the civil service merit selection system in Arizona. From the Transcript:
GINGRICH: Finally, I agree generally with the need to reform government. I think that, if we were prepared to repeal the 130-year-old civil service laws, go to a modern management system, we could save a minimum of $500 billion a year with a better system. And if we then applied the tenth amendment, as Governor Rick Perry has agreed to head up a project on, I think we can return to the states an enormous share of the power that's currently in Washington, D.C.
* * *
GINGRICH: — this is — it is — the reason I started with the idea that came out of Strong America Now to repeal the 130-year-old civil service laws and go to a modern management system, is you change everything.
And the fact is, if we're serious — and, in a funny kind of way, Ron and I are closer on the scale of change. We'd approach it slightly different, but I think you've got to start and say what would a modern system be like?
The Strong America Now (strongamericanow.org) web site contains these tidbits:
Romney’s role model is George Costanza
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
From last night's "Survivor – GOP Presidential Primary" debate from Mesa, during the candidate introductions. Transcript:
FORMER GOV. MITT ROMNEY, R-MASS., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm Mitt Romney.
And there was a time in this country when you knew that if you worked hard and went to school, and if you learned the values of America in your home, that you could count on having a secure future and a prosperous life. That was an American promise and it's been broken by this president.
I want to restore America's promise, and I'm going to do that —
(APPLAUSE)
ROMNEY: That's good enough. As George Costanza would say, when they're applauding, stop. Right?
This helps to explain why Willard "Mittens" Romney is a pathological liar, like his role model, George Costanza.
As George Costanza would say, "Jerry, just remember, it's not a lie if you believe it." (Video below the fold).
Legislative candidates hit snag with filing petitions and clean elections forms
AZ Health Forum Saturday, March 3
Anderson Cooper Scores
Virginia drops the state-sanctioned rape by trans-vaginal ultrasound provision
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Who knew that "small government" conservative actually means:
"A government small enough to insert into a woman's vagina"
(Trans-vaginal ultrasound probe)
WTF? What is wrong with these sick bastards? Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell no longer guaranteeing he'll sign state-sponsored rape bill:
Virginia Republicans continue frantically trying to figure out what to do about the state-sanctioned rape bill they seemingly didn't realize people would object to. With the state House postponing its final vote and Gov. Bob McDonnell no longer guaranteeing he'll sign the bill, some delegates and McDonnell staffers are talking about a compromise measure:
…after learning that some ultrasounds could be more invasive than first thought, according to two officials who were aware of the meeting but not authorized to speak about it publicly. Many of the bill’s supporters were apparently unaware of how invasive the procedure could be, one of the officials added.
To begin with, who would look at the name "trans-vaginal ultrasound" and not think "hey, this might be invasive"? But let's say the name doesn't quite register on you. How do you read even the most cursory description of a procedure that involves inserting a sizable probe into a woman's vagina and not think "yeah, that's invasive all right"? "We didn't realize it was so invasive" doesn't meet the laugh test even as Republican excuses go. That was the whole point. It was supposed to not just make it more time-consuming and expensive to get an abortion, but to make women suffer for it (as if the physical experience of having an abortion is pleasurable to begin with).
Developing story: Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell publicly backs away from state-sponsored rape bill:
That was fast. Just hours ago, the big news out of Virginia was that Gov. Bob McDonnell had switched from fully supporting the state legislation forcing women seeking an abortion to undergo a trans-vaginal ultrasound, to thinking, "hey, maybe that's kind of invasive."
Romney’s new attack on Santorum: ‘Could it be SATAN?!’
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The Founding Father's tried to prevent this from ever occurring by inserting in the U.S. Constitution, Article VI, Paragraph 3:
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.
And yet, Rick "man on dog" Santorum has been on a Christian Dominionist rant (do not blame Catholicism – this is the secretive "The Fellowship" fundamentalist cult, of which Santorum was a member; see, The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, by Investigative journalist Jeff Sharlet) over the past several days questioning President Obama's Christian faith. Bare-knuckled Santorum impugns Obama's motives.
Willard "Mittens" Romney has tried to follow suit by pandering to the Christian Reconstructionist and Dominionist base of the GOP, who are never going to vote for a Mormon anyway. "Unfortunately, possibly because of the people the president hangs around with, and their agenda, their secular agenda – they have fought against religion," Romney said. Obama has 'fought against religion,' Romney asserts.
And let's not forget Newt Gingrich, who also frequently rants about the "liberal secular humanist" agenda. (I am still waiting for a reporter to ask Newt how much he paid for his special dispensation from the Catholic Church to annul his previous two marriages and allow him to become a Catholic to marry his current wife in a Catholic Church, and who approved it — was it the Pope?)
Even Franklin Graham (Billie's boy) got in on the act questioning everyone's religious faith on Tuesday. Rev. Franklin Graham Questions Obama's, Romney's Christian Faith.
