Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Still waiting for the real truth


I don't know if you've been following the tall tale of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, vocal Obama critic and potential GOP presidential contender, but it's been a doozy. Sanford up and disappeared from the Palmetto State, leaving pretty much everyone, including lawmakers and even the lieutenant governor, wondering what he was up to. Sanford's staff lied about his whereabouts, trotting out the false story that the governor was hiking the Appalachian Trail. That led to rumors that Sanford might be taking part in a reported "nude hike" on the trail. But wait. Sanford finally turned up today at the Atlanta airport with the news that he had been on an "exotic" junket to Argentina, a trip he claims to have decided to make on the spur of the moment. The only thing Sanford would say about his activities in Argentina was that he alone, driving along the Argentinian coastline around Buenos Aires. Really? The AP reports that the only coastal road in Buenos Aires is all of two miles long. Did Sanford drive back and forth on that same stretch of road, over and over again? Sanford explained his sudden absence by saying he needed to unwind after a contentious legislative session. Democrats, predictably, are mocking him. One, former South Carolina Democratic Chairman Dick Harpootlian, had this to say: "Unless he runs for president of Argentina, I think he has no chance of becoming president. The rest of the country wouldn't have taken him seriously anyway." But even some Republicans were miffed about the governor's mysterious ways. Said state Sen. Jake Knotts, "Lies, lies, lies. That's all we get from his staff. That's all we get from his people. That's all we get from him. Why all the big cover-up?" That's the million-dollar question. And one has to assume that there's more to the story, maybe a lot more, than what we're getting from Sanford.

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32 Comments:

Blogger Brant said...

This just in. The governor was up to no good with a woman other than his wife. I'm stunned. ;-)

June 24, 2009 at 2:35 PM  
Blogger Ellipses said...

Shoulda taken the stimulus money :-)

June 24, 2009 at 2:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

See, I was thinking he had gone to Argentina to visit some of the Che Guevara sites before word of the gal pal came out. Maybe he was trying to retrace the route of "The Motorcycle Diaries" for inspiration and rejuvenation.

We must never forget, though: The GOP is the party of family values.

--Brad Hundt

June 24, 2009 at 4:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Aholes come in all flavors.

June 24, 2009 at 10:18 PM  
Blogger BAA said...

Yes, but leave it to the most informed, unbiased, and accurate of the news networks; Fox news who during their early reports identified Sanford as a Democrat. I guess they decided that if they didn't have a Democrat with questionable morals to comment on, they would do the next best thing, CREATE one.

June 25, 2009 at 5:17 AM  
Blogger BAA said...

This from the AP... "He told reporters he spent "the last five days of my life crying in Argentina" and the affair is now over." Does anybody else feel like going to see Evita?

June 25, 2009 at 5:32 AM  
Blogger Ellipses said...

LOL! That's awesome!

June 25, 2009 at 6:32 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nice picture. Is he illustrating the size of the lie he told, how deep in the hole he is, or of something else?

June 25, 2009 at 9:47 AM  
Blogger Brant said...

I thought there might be some comedic opportunities with that photo. ;-)

June 25, 2009 at 10:42 AM  
Blogger BAA said...

Maybe he's discussing his 'stimulus package'. Ba da bing.

June 25, 2009 at 7:46 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you Governor for reinforcing the bond of matrimony and why marriage should be kept between a man and woman. Leading by example is something you should be proud of.

June 26, 2009 at 8:38 AM  
Blogger Ellipses said...

"This whole thing with me screwing a chick in south america seems really big news right now... but in a couple days, it's only going to be THIS big compared to sudden loss of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson."

June 26, 2009 at 8:59 AM  
Anonymous the anonymous one said...

This was to be the diversion from the largest tax increase in history! Till M.Jackson overdosed! Please call your congressman or woman.Tell them you want to be taxed to death, that you want to become a slave. Or do you? They are not even allowed time to read the bill!!!!

June 26, 2009 at 12:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Taxed to death"?? "Enslavement"? What, by moving top-end tax rates from 35 percent to 39 percent? They were 91 percent under that commie Dwight Eisenhower.

Really, don't you think you're being awfully silly?

--Brad Hundt

June 26, 2009 at 1:44 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Don' tax me at all. Let the country go to hell while I mourn Michael and Farah and go watch "Transformers." Let my kids figure out how to solve things after I'm dead.

June 26, 2009 at 11:49 PM  
Anonymous the anonymous one said...

Brad Hundt, the house just passed the climate change bill. call it what you want, cap and trade? maybe you don't mind every aspect of your life is about to get very costly. You will be paying more for everything. Energy cost will go up, the producers will pass that onto the consumers. B.O. (that is what i will call obama now cause he stinks)has led the biggest cut throat operation on the middle class that I have ever seen.

June 27, 2009 at 4:18 PM  
Blogger Ellipses said...

Ok, so when do we all die now?

June 27, 2009 at 8:22 PM  
Blogger Ellipses said...

How much are utility costs supposed to increase and when are they supposed to go up? I read somewhere a while ago that they would go up 1500 bucks a year... In like 10-15 years... That's pretty much what I would expect anyway...

June 27, 2009 at 8:52 PM  
Anonymous the anonymous one said...

everything is going up except your paychecks! Gasoline is to go up 50%, your electric bill is to go up like 73% and your gas bill is to go up around 60%. that depends on who you ask, the numbers change in different studies. This is free trade working for the Americans. They sold it to us on the idea of raising the middle class of the world, well what happen is our standards went down! This carbon tax pays many people in the Washington circle. Al Gore, Nancy (goofy eyed)Pelosi, i'm sure there is more of them! As far as when you get to see bills explode, i'm sure sooner than later!

June 27, 2009 at 9:10 PM  
Blogger Ellipses said...

When you say gas will go up 50%, what is your base price? Because gas is 2.60 now... If it went up 50%, it would be 3.90... Which is still less than last year. And your electric and gas bills will only increase that much if you don't do anything to offset the cost. I am weatherproofing my house and will set the summer thermostat a few degrees higher and the winter thermostat a few degrees lower. That's the whole point, right? Use less?

June 27, 2009 at 9:27 PM  
Anonymous the anonymous one said...

We are a carbon based life form right? so they want to tax our carbon foot prints. I don't buy into the global warming gimmick. The sun is on a cycle, as a matter of fact, the sun is getting cooler. they want you to use less while they live in 8,000 sqft homes and use ten times the amount of energy that a regular home uses. You're bad, their good now pay taxes to them. China didn't buy into the global climate change bill so they will dominate the United States in industry for a long time. The green tech is all about making the fat cats in Wasington green with your money! they all have a vested interest! Why don't they come out with solar powered ac units for the home? Then you can turn your AC down instead of up!

June 27, 2009 at 10:36 PM  
Blogger Ellipses said...

You can put a solar panel system on your house now...

For me, this isn't about carbon footprint or global warming... it's about advancing technology and being more efficient.

June 28, 2009 at 6:52 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wait, I have this great idea about how to control our economy. Why don't we deregulate the banking industry, have little or no oversight over the investment system, allow free enterprise on every financial institution no matter how incredibly dangerous that might be. Let's allow anyone in this country to get a $5000,000 mortgage when they make $50,0000 a year.

We've been down that road before. I don't miknd trying something different.

BTW, your electric and heating bills are going to go up no matter what legislation is passed, expecially electricity, which has been under expiring price controls for the last decade.

June 28, 2009 at 8:18 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Whoa! When does the Govt tell you how to live your life? Do you hear yourself? Hey if you want to more efficient, by all means have at it! Don't force feed legislation down the throats of Americans who work hard everyday to maintain their standards of living that they already enjoy. If you want something to turn to $h!t don't eat it, let Berry Hussein Obama touch it. He pushed Bank bail out down our necks. You want it you got it! I don't understand why people from Greene and Washington would want to bail out Wall ST when we live on hillbilly alley. Oh because a democrat wanted it. Govt Health Care? You want it your going to get it. Unemployment over 9%, you want it you got it!Rember when B.O. said, pass the banker bail out and unemployment wouldn't reach 8%? Where are these temp green tech jobs? The sin tax for pop and candy? You want it, you got it! If you want to look like England and France, I say move! B.O. is going to be a one timer... well I can always hope, till they tax that too! You bought into already, "being more efficient". It's about lowering your standard of living.

June 28, 2009 at 10:38 AM  
Blogger Ellipses said...

LoL :-) let me copy and paste that into my "Barack Hussein Obama Doomsday Book"--- That was good! Were you serious, or was that supposed to be satire?

June 28, 2009 at 10:42 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

E, do what you will! Why haven't you said anything about China not buying into the climate control bill? why will their industry strive? Have I told a lie about Berry? What about the carbon tax credits you will buy off of AL Gores company? What about goofy eyed nancy pelosi vested interest in green tech? Why don't the dems drill for more oil? Ever hear of Bakken Oil Reservoir? Green energy is a great idea, there is no doubt about it. I just don't like legislating you death to force you into it. Drill here and drill now!

June 28, 2009 at 11:05 AM  
Blogger Ellipses said...

China knows it can't compete in a 21st century economy... they are, essentially, a manufacturing magnet fueled by 19th century technology. If their tech doesn't catch up with their growth, they will collapse.

As far as a lie told about Obama... i suppose that saying everything he touches turns to chit would constitute a lie... he has had a wildly successful decade...

You have fallen victim to the motivation fallacy... you assume that someone's vested interests override actual truth. If I owned a smoking cessation clinic, and lobbied hard for tougher restrictions on smoking... would the fact that I stood to profit from people trying to quit somehow override the fact that smoking is bad?

Al Gore and Nancy Pelosi are invested in green tech... so am I. So is alternative energy a bad idea just because some people have decided it is a good investment?

Legislation often proves to be the only way to change behavior. You are legislatively required to wear a seatbelt. Is that bad? Seatbelts are "shoved down your throat"... Just because it is law, doesn't mean it isn't the correct course of action.

June 28, 2009 at 12:24 PM  
Anonymous the anonymous one said...

E, sorry I didn't get to you sooner but I took my family out in the Suburban that gets roughly 17 mpg. Which I might add is 10,000 times more safe then a hybrid. If the Govt. cared about safety of it's people it wouldn't try to phase out those nasty SUV's right? Damn seat belts!

If you owned a smoking cessation clinic, and lobbied hard for tougher restrictions on smoking, and you ARE the speaker of the house, yes you have a conflict. That is the truth. Smoking is nasty please don't do it.

China can compete in a 21st century economy, by paying the lowest capitol gains tax, and paying 18th century wages. Obama wants to raise our capitol gains tax. What company wouldn't want to move off shore?

Ellipses, please by all means please go to the store and pick up a pack of those new light bulbs.. break a cpl on the kitchen floor then read how to clean them up! Toxic is what I think the package reads! GOOOOO GREEN TECH!

If you are still upset about the truck I drive, I'll be the first to tell you, it supports our local farmers, it is an alt fuel truck. That in itself is risky, but it's a start!

June 29, 2009 at 12:09 AM  
Anonymous the anonymous one said...

Ellipses, I found a video I think you might enjoy. Everyone besides E, do not watch this!!!!

GOOOOO B.O.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlTxGHn4sH4&feature=player_embedded

June 29, 2009 at 9:42 AM  
Blogger Ellipses said...

So much to tackle here...

Ok, you drive a suburban... that's great. I drive a pickup truck that gets between 15 and 18 mpg. My wife's sedan gets over 30. Her next car will be a hybrid, mine will be another pickup.

I don't think I mentioned conflict of interest... You are saying that various political leaders are pushing green legislation BECAUSE they have a stake in companies that produce green products. I am saying two things- 1. it doesn't matter what their motivation is, if it is "correct" then it doesn't matter who makes money off of it (hence the smoking cessation example)... and 2. I would EXPECT that a wealthy liberal politician from San Francisco would be invested in environmentally friendly companies. Just about everyone is predicting huge growth in the solar market... to NOT be invested in solar is kind of foolish.

Companies that rely on basic labor will always migrate to places where labor is cheapest. Capital gains taxes are wayyyyy down the list of reasons to relocate a company. Increasing capital gains taxes is reasonable since the upper end of the income tax brackets are rarely ever actually paid by people. Most people who get to the stratosphere of income are not doing it through wages, but by alternative compensation. Increasing the capital gains tax would capture some of that revenue that was supposed to be taken in the form of income tax, but is avoided through one of the zillions of ways to decrease your taxable income. It also encourages buy-and-hold investing by incentivizing dividend income versus capital gains income. Over a period of time, that may smooth out some volatility in the market... which is consistent with Obama's goal of getting out of the bubble and bust cycle.

Every light bulb in my house is a CFL bulb... and soon, I am going to transition those over to LED lighting. In the three years that I have lived in our house, I have broken 2 of those bulbs. They have to be labeled "toxic" because the contain a small amount of mercury... but I could easily consume many times as many toxins as was contained in those two bulbs simply by sitting in traffic on green tree hill for 15 or 20 minutes. Those bulbs last for years and use 25% of the energy that traditional light bulbs use. They are a great advancement in technology.

June 29, 2009 at 9:46 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"I don't understand why people from Greene and Washington would want to bail out Wall ST when we live on hillbilly alley. Oh because a democrat wanted it. Govt Health Care? You want it your going to get it. Unemployment over 9%, you want it you got it."

Here is what I wonder from Mr. Obama-hater: What would you have done instead? Let the market correct itself? Is so, then Chrysler is in bankruptcy liquidation and GM would be right behind it. AIG? Gone. Most of the investment institutions in the country? Insolvent.

And the Hillbillies as you call them would more than likely lose their life savings because when we're not chewin' t'bacci, we work our jobs and invest in retirement plans that are run by these investment institutions.

It's easy to rip ideas and actions by people trying to solve problems. But unless you have a better idea, shut up.

June 30, 2009 at 10:40 AM  
Anonymous the anonymous one said...

"Here is what I wonder from Mr. Obama-hater: What would you have done instead? Let the market correct itself? Is so, then Chrysler is in bankruptcy liquidation and GM would be right behind it. AIG? Gone. Most of the investment institutions in the country? Insolvent".

It would have cost the taxpayers a lot less money that they will never see anyway. Now cause most of the those companies you named did file bankruptcy or was sold to an foreign company, after taking your money. I feel for the bond holders of these companies. Capitalism was the name of the game in America for a long time. Now it's Capitalism for gains but socialism for the loss. To let the market correct itself would have been the right way to do things. Instead of pumping taxpayer dollars into failed compaines for them to file 6 mths later anyway is called a band aid. How many airlines filed, and are still flying?

I wish B.O. wouldn't fail, I wish to see his socialist policies fail. If he fails, America fails.

You want to buy into your 401k plan at work go for it! It's a joke! Don't worry they will match you dollar for dollar... lol! After you retire! You put in 250 grand in 20 years, then all of a sudden a crash, and now it's worth 125? Sure they will match that! With your other half that they stole from you. Myself, I took my t'bacci chewin' grandpap's advice, he worked in a coal mine for 45 years.. I bought gold. WOW did I do good!

As far as you loving a President that hates our part of the country, is insane! Cap and trade will shut down almost every coal mine. Cause it will shut down coal power generated power plants! Clean coal burning? Cost big money! It will be passed onto you the consumer. It will shut down many oil refineries, which means we will ship in more gasoline from foreign companies, gas prices will skyrocket! Instead of drilling here and now, which is a band aid... but that band aid could last 50 years till we fine tune better cars, make standards for housing to be solar and wind efficient. By the way, we will be shipping in gasoline from countries that didn't sign the climate change bill. For every ton of green house emission we stop in America, China will increase by two tons.

July 1, 2009 at 2:13 PM  

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