Archive for September 1st, 2011
Fight over Floriduh law that makes cohabitation or adultery a crime
A Florida lawmaker is pushing to repeal a state law that makes it illegal to cohabitate with someone who is not their spouse, and makes it a crime punishable by a $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail.
According to 2010 U.S. Census figures, at least 544,907 Floridians reported being an “unmarried partner” — meaning they live in an intimate relationship with someone they are not married to, and thus are in defiance of Florida statute 798.02…
Last week, state Rep. Ritch Workman filed legislation — HB 4021 — to repeal that provision, as well as a related one that bars people from “living in open adultery…”
“What you do in your bedroom is your business, not the business of my great state,” said Workman, a Republican from Melbourne, adding that the statute is rarely enforced. “Quite frankly, I just want it gone…”
Actually, over 100 couples were arrested and charged under the law in the last year. Which illustrates how backwards Florida is – if nothing else.
Workman, himself married with two children, stressed that his legislative initiative is not anti-marriage or anti-family.
Rather, he described it as a practical move to remove statutes that are no longer realistic in today’s society. Workman said most legislators, even those who are more conservative in Florida, don’t want to discuss cohabitation and adultery.
“And I say ‘Great, let’s not talk about it,’” he said. “Let’s talk about an unenforceable and unenforced law that needs to be off the books.
Go back to our post a few days ago about the failure rate of Bible Belt marriages compared to educated parts of the country.
Tidal bore engulfs hundreds of tourists – waiting for the tidal bore!
Thousands of tourists flocked to the banks of the Qiantang River in Haining, Zhejiang Province in China to watch an annual natural phenomenon. Every year a tidal surge creates a huge wave that charges up the Qiantang River with the largest reaching a height of 29.5ft, according to local media.
Sometimes – just a little bit more than expected.
Bitch Blocks Witch!
Crisis averted. Partial-term Gov. Sarah Palin — who was maybe not going to show up at a Tea Party event this weekend because a certain suddenly-unpopular abstinence witch might end up standing too close to her — has agreed to show up at the event that she at which had previously agreed to show up…
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is set to appear at a tea party rally in Iowa Saturday, a source close to Palin told CNN.
O’Donnell was, for the second time in 48 hours, removed from the program Wednesday afternoon. Ken Crow, one of the rally organizers, told the Des Moines Register that he dis-invited O’Donnell at the Palin camp’s request.
You see? That wasn’t that hard was it? All they had to do was make sure that Christine O’Donnell not get any of her stink of failure anywhere near Sarah Palin’s hair, and everything was sorted out fine…
An aide to O’Donnell disputed that people close to her mischaracterized her relationship with Palin to the Iowa rally organizers and asserted they did not lie about the extent of conversations between the two late Wednesday.
It doesn’t really matter who’s lying does it?
Like, we have two loonies trying to appeal to a crowd of nutballs so they can rake in sufficient geedus to keep them in the lap of luxury and never ever accidentally have to work for a living, eh?
Will Pennsylvania voters use Perzel case to block corruption?
Here’s hoping former House Speaker John M. Perzel is handed his head – figuratively, of course – when he is sentenced for bilking Pennsylvania taxpayers out of millions to pursue his political ambitions.
Even after pleading guilty Wednesday to eight counts of conspiracy, theft, and conflict of interest, Perzel tried to suggest that any wrongdoing on his part was merely a sin of omission, a result of his not paying sufficient attention to what others were doing.
“The truth is that as the legislative leader of my caucus, I oversaw the spending of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds, and I bear the responsibility for the improprieties that occurred in the spending of those dollars,” said Perzel.
That was an apology..?
Perzel knew exactly what was going on because he was the mastermind. He and a cabal of Republican operatives diverted up to $10 million in state funds to pay for expensive computer programs that would give their candidates an advantage in elections.
They used the software to mine vast amounts of data about voters, including their party affiliation, gender, and religion. The database was so extensive that at one point Perzel allegedly sought to sell the information to others.
The Republican scheme, which led to the indictment of 10 people, was the other bookend to a Democratic scam that had earlier resulted in multiple indictments. The Democrats used taxpayer funds to pay bonuses to legislative staffers for political work…
The currency of profit and power from steering the ship of state is what matters most of all to the clown show that is Congress and most state legislatures. The bigoted whine that is the Tea Party only attacks politicians who confront corporate wealth. Lame and halt declarations from the cowards who call themselves liberal are little more than lip service to a once-brave history.
Not much changes. Almost nothing for the better. Obama talked a progressive blue streak – and delivered a fraction of what could have been achieved even with the Blue Dog lack of principles that infects the Democrats.
The Congressional Progressive caucuses hold out some hope for structural reform. We actually have a couple of folks here in New Mexico who are capable of reelection in a heartbeat because they have that sort of backbone. But, in general – most folks who want honesty and modern policies – remain hitched to business-as-usual political machines governed by nepotism and country club connections.
Top corporate bosses paid more than firms paid in taxes
Jeff Immelt advising Obama on jobs that pay a lot less than he makes
Daylife/Reuters Pictures used by permission
The 25 highest paid US chief executives earned more last year than their companies paid in federal income tax, a study has said.
The average annual remuneration of the 25 bosses was $16.7 million, the left-leaning think tank Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) found. One chief executive on its list is General Electric’s Jeff Immelt, who the IPS said was paid $15.2 million in 2010 while his firm got a $3.3 billion tax refund…
Its spokesman said the study did not include significant federal income taxes paid in 2010 for previous years…
Other bosses on the IPS list are those of eBay and Boeing…
The IPS said two thirds of the 25 bosses were the heads of companies that utilised offshore subsidiaries in tax havens such as Bermuda, Singapore and Luxembourg.
IPS senior scholar and co-author of the report Chuck Collins said: “I think it’s an exposure of weakness in a company if their profitability is dependent on their accounting department and not on making better widgets.”
The think tank also found many of the firms spent more on lobbying politicians than they did on taxes.
The IPS said Boeing spent $20.8 million on lobbying, while paying only $13 million in federal income taxes.
Anyone surprised?
I know, I know. I mean surprised that there were only 25 in the study getting away with this?
Are you glad to see me or is that a snake in your pants?
The critters were wrapped in pantyhose
Never mind ants in your pants, what about snakes and tortoises?
That’s what authorities at Miami’s international airport said they found inside the trousers of a passenger as he tried to board a flight for Brazil.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration said the man had seven exotic snakes and three tortoises wrapped in nylon bags that had been stuffed into his pants.
He was discovered as he went through a body scanner at one of the airport’s security checkpoints on Thursday and arrested by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials for violating animal trafficking laws.
I hope they checked the reptiles for radiation exposure. 
Holler at your Congress-critter to support Bernie Sanders' bill to 
