Data Point – Your degree DOES determine your future earnings.

“We show that there are large differences in unemployment rates, underemployment rates, and average wages across majors. In particular, we show that those with degrees in majors that provide technical training, such as “Engineering” and “Math & Computers,” or in those that are geared toward growing parts of the economy, such as “Education” and “Health,” … Read more

Conventional wisdom: Obamacare Delay – An actual train wreck in motion?

The day after that President Obama made a Royal Decree that contrary to his Oath of Office (“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”) decided … Read more

Do you know this Annie Kuster “camera grab-a-like”?

Angry Man in KeeneA loyal reader sent me this tip and asked if I could post it – we have another “Anybody recognize this guy?“?  If you know, let us know in the comments or email me Skip@GraniteGrok.com

I think most people who would venture here know about the Robin Hood operation out in Keene – the folks that have been staying a couple of steps ahead of the parking / meter maids and saving the car owners from tickets from overstaying their parking.  Heck, it not only went viral, it hit the major news networks!  I’ve heard of people doing this from time to time – mostly during prime shopping seasons and the shopkeeps and Chamber of Commerce folks have had “drop a dime” campaigns in the meters so as to draw in more shoppers to keep their tills tinkling.

Sidenote: with the newer centralized kiosks that spit out paper stubs to put under your windshield, this kind of “showing kindness to strangers” may get much harder.

However, not everyone is thrilled to their core about this (probably due to the way that the attendants have been swarmed by the “Merry Banders” with cameras.  I “get” the political street theater stuff and yes, sometimes it can be overdone.  But this “Angry Man” (not to be confused with Islamic Rage Boy……maybe) had NO reason to be angry.  First off, Derrick is just standing there with his camera focused on a car and a card that had been left behind when Angry Man drives up (starting at 2:07) and for no reason, unloads on Derrick and then steals his camera (is this typical behavior of Democrats, Annie, the taking of other peoples’ property by simply grabbing it?).

The worst? I think this guy has to reside on the Left side of the aisle- I really can’t believe that “Angry Man” actually said

“You have to respect other peoples’ Rights in this town.  Because we have to lose some of our Rights for you to GAIN your rights. You’re being rude!”

Spoken like a true “life is absolutely a zero-sum game” Statist.

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Can we try that?

After all, he keeps doing stuff not enumerated in OUR Constitution… (H/T: Liberal Logic 101)

What would the Declaration of Independence Signers think of today?

From Gallup: not so much I think that they would be amazed at the riches and the power that “these United States” have risen to and delight in the technological progress that their genius in providing for a Government structure that allowed the Citizenry to have the freedom to follow their instincts, their hunches, and … Read more

So why do Progressives insist

Declaration of IndependenceFrom President Calvin Coolidge’s July 4th speech of 1926 – on the Progressive movement then gaining momentum (emphasis mine):

About the Declaration there is a finality that is exceedingly restful. It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, that we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning cannot be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. Those who wish to proceed in that direction can not lay claim to progress. They are reactionary. Their ideas are not more modern, but more ancient, than those of the Revolutionary fathers.

No progress“…”more ancient“.  “Silent Cal” was right – every move that Progressives make politically is to remove inalienable rights.  We see that We The People, more and more, believe that our Government (having been pulled downward by Progressives) has less and less of the sense of being led by our Consent.

And with this President, we see the demolishing  and disdain of the Founders insistence upon The Rule of Law (and thereby, no “ rule of the people“.

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“A properly functioning democracy depends on an informed electorate”

The failure of public schools to impart even rudimentary knowledge of self-government principles, natural rights theory and the rule of law is compounded by the suicidal abandonment of civic education. As Stanford University education professor William Damon notes: “Our disregard of civic and moral virtue as an educational priority is having a tangible effect on the attitudes, understanding and behavior of large portions of the youth population in the United States today.”

– Michelle Malkin

(emphasis mine).  Add this, too, by Thomas Jefferson (who WAS one of our Founding Fathers, if you were wondering) to the one in the title:

“The field of knowledge, is the common prosperity of all mankind.”

Sigh…sounds like the GPS’s of these chuckleheads were a few birds short and missed “The field”…

Should I dispair now?  Somehow, I get the feeling this is more of a “feature” of our Educational system than a “bug”.  I afear that old Ben may have been right: “A Republic, if you can keep it”.  You cannot keep something that which you know nothing about.  As Michelle Malkin puts it:

As we celebrate our nation’s 237th birthday, a crucial facet of American life has all but vanished. We have forsaken, in a systematic and deliberate public manner, one of our most fundamental duties: fostering civic virtue in each and every one of our citizens.

What does it mean to be an American? Politicians in both parties keep pushing to create a new “path to citizenship” for millions of illegal aliens. But if sovereignty and self-preservation still matter in Washington, citizenship must be guarded ferociously against those who would exploit and devalue it at every electoral whim.

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James O’Keefe – interviewed by El Rushbo!

I have had the privilege to interview James on a number of occasions, we’ve put up almost all of his investigative journalism videos (ACORN, Planned Parenthood, NPR, Teachers Gone Wild, and of COURSE, the First In the Primary Voter Fraud), and participated in the trip to the NH Department of Justice when he went to … Read more

July 4th – a parting quote from the Anti-Planner

“The Anti-Planner” is the online monniker for Randall O’Toole (whom I have interviewed in the past on MTNP) who is associated with the Cato Institute and researches, opines, and presents on the wrongs that are committed by land use planners and “Smart People” who believe they have better ideas of how we should live due … Read more

Update on Obamacare Libraries

As I reported yesterday:   “May I suggest a good book today – and a GREAT Obamacare healthcare insurance plan??”

Remember when the Patriot Act first came out and the hysteria that ensued from the Nation’s Librarians when they found out that the Feds could come in and demand what books had been taken out by their patrons?  My GOSH, you’d think that the antagonists from Red Dawn movie had come in with guns blazing:  ” SHHHHHH, be quiet!  And we’re gonna burn all the registration cards!  NO – I will NOT turn over my card catalog!  But for Obamacare??

Well as a former budget committee member in town, I know that lots of time is spent in crafting a budget and lots of time is spent examining each line item.  Why?  While monies can be moved around from line item to line item in a NH municipal budget, monies canNOT be expended for a purpose not covered by a line item.  So, if there is no “Obamacare outreach” or some such thing similar, those monies cannot be expended.  So what, you ask?  Like I believed yesterday, local property taxes would have to be used for local public libraries to support the socialized healthcare known as Obamacare.  And no, there is no “free money from the Feds to offset time taken away from their real duties (emphasis mine):

As if the corruption of the library’s time-honored purpose is not enough, the institution won’t even receive a reward for its self-betrayal. Susan Hildreth, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services [a Federal entity -Skip], has stated that “there are no federal funds to support this program.” As libraries already face devastating budget cuts and declines in funding, the initiative to serve as Obamacare’s cheerleader in communities could spell disaster. In addition to spending money to train librarians in their new capacity as healthcare experts, the alliance could alienate patrons who disapprove of the healthcare legislation and cause them to reconsider much-needed donations to their local library as it converts into something like “Obamacare Enrollment Station #1234.”

Finally, we start to see a bankrupt nation running out of money “for all” things. Here in NH, we hear a lot of complaining and wailing about “downshifting of costs” from one level of government down to lower levels – isn’t this the same thing only from a higher level? So if you DO ask your local authorities if your library is going to be a shill salesdudes information providers for Obamacare  and they say “don’t worry, we’ll get reimbursed”?  Let that gleam begin to shine in your eye and ask “Really?”

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Blogline of the Day – “I can just ignore laws I don’t like”

President Obama (D-Ill) and US Attorney General Eric Holder (D) unilaterally deciding that they would not enforce or defend DOMA (Section 4 declared unconstitutional yesterday by SCOTUS). Governor Brown (D-CA) and CA Attorney General Kamala Harris unilaterally deciding that they would not enforce or defend Prop 8 (whose citizen defenders were declared to “not have … Read more

He’s either a Schmuck or is now desperately trying to not to end up like Wily E. Coyote

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…

BLAM!  Here’s what Obama said in a proclamation concerning the National Day of Prayer:

“All of us have the freedom to pray and exercise our faiths openly,” Obama said. “Our laws protect these God-given liberties, and rightly so. Today and every day, prayers will be offered in houses of worship, at community gatherings, in our homes, and in neighborhoods all across our country. Let us give thanks for the freedom to practice our faith as we see fit, whether individually or in fellowship.

Really?  All I have been hearing from him is a bastardization of the actual wording of the First Amendment: “freedom to worship” instead of the proper wording of “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” (as in “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”).  He said that phrase often, freedom to worship, in trying to force those of faith into a tiny box when it came to HHS Secretary Sebelius ruling that ALL Obamacare insurance policies must be obeyed – no religious exceptions except for those who actually work in a “house of worship”.  Does your church, synagogue, or other religious group have an “external” ministry?

Sidenote: can we please stop calling it “health insurance”?  What it really is now is just a healthcare payment system – there is no risk so there is no sense of traditional insurance at play here.

Too bad – Obama has decided, from On High, that he has the power and the authority to arbitrarily decide who is religious and “worthy” to be given an HHS  exception to the contraceptive and abortifacient to be provided by all new Obamacare mandated healthcare payment insurance policies – or not. 

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Humor – Geek style

Einstein, Newton and Pascal are playing hide and go seek. It’s Einstein’s turn to count so he covers his eyes and starts counting to ten. Pascal runs off and hides.  Newton draws a one meter by one meter square on the ground in front of Einstein then stands in the middle of it. Einstein reaches … Read more

Notable Quote –

“The essence of the servile mind is the readiness to accept external direction in exchange for being relieved of the burden of a set of virtues such as thrift, self?control, prudence, and indeed civility itself. A national health service trades off thrift and the freedom to spend one’s own money in exchange for a guarantee … Read more

Wendy Davis – abortions at all cost?

  In the Leftist political world, just another “dog whistle”: Womens Reproductive Health – just a weak euphemism for “my choice to kill yet another baby at almost any time”. All Costs?  Fer sure.  For all ages (as Abortionists have fundamentally  transformed “women” to be a female of any age) too. (H/T: Students For Life … Read more

No wonder Obama thinks this Conservative is a cheapskate

It is amazing to me that Obama’s vaunted data machine keeps tracking me; it’s been years now.  And they keep “reaching out”, always asking me to “take part” or “give back”.  Or, give money: Skip — At midnight tonight, we’re putting together a list of OFA members. Unless you do something right now, it looks … Read more

Hey, I thought Dems were against Corporations making political pronouncements!

Johnson & Johnson, Ascension Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, H&R Block, NFL, NBA, PGA, NASCAR, MLB

Who else?  Who DON’T we know about?

As I mentioned here, it seems that the Federal Government has such a vested interest in Obamacare that they are willing to go after “the most vulnerable amongst us” – our children.  Just another example of Liberals using the Government Schools in The Cause of Progressive Outcomes?  Fer sure, dudes!

I also remember when Obama decided, during the 2010 State of the Union Address, politically attack the Supreme Court for its Citizens United decision:

“Last week, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law[58] to open the floodgates for special interests — including foreign corporations — to spend without limit in our elections. Well I don’t think American elections should be bankrolled by America’s most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities.”

This from the guy that has received more from corporate interests (including unions, I might add), yet Justice Alito was the one who was castigated for merely shaking his head “No”.  Democrats went nuts and we still keep hearing from them that a Constitutional Amendment MUST be passed to silence those evil corporations (“but unions are merely collections of individuals, so they should have the right to speak out” – of course, because 99% of their effort is solidly Democrat).   Silenced, because that is all the Left knows in how to win arguments.  After all, that is how Obama got his start in Chicago – simply by silencing his opposition one candidate at a time, one after another (which is why he is now trying to silence the Religious – his biggest rival for the “peoples’ hearts” – and Freedom).

Except when they kneel before him – knavishly trying to curry political favor from Big Government in its role of dishing out taxpayer money or privilege via Crony Capitalism (e.g., “reward our friends and punish our enemies).  Thus, what way to better curry favor than to help Obamacare become the success the President and HHS Secretary Sebelius need for Obamacare (e.g., sign up the young serfs to pay for levels of healthcare insurance

Sidenote: can we stop with the charade now?

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