The Real Members Of Congress

I saw this on Instapundit.com this morning and just had to share the love



So when are we going to get a reality show about The Real Members Of Congress?

The Duvall Difference!!!

I've been too busy to blog this week but I just couldn't let this peccadillo pass by.

The players:

The California Assemblyman - Family Man with a penchant for spanking
Mike Duvall

The Hot Lobbyist - Heidi Barsuglia

The story

From the AP

The videotape shows Duvall during a break from a July 8 committee hearing detailing his extramarital exploits to fellow Republican Assemblyman Jeff Miller of Corona. He is overheard on an open microphone bragging that he slept with an energy industry lobbyist who wore "eye-patch underwear" and that he enjoyed spanking her when they hooked up. Ooooh nasty...did she enjoy that too?

He told Miller, a longtime friend, that he also was sleeping with another lobbyist. Oh, and he's not just banging one babe...it's actually two lobbyists!!!

The response

The 54-year-old married father of two issued a statement denying he had affairs and saying his only offense "was engaging in inappropriate storytelling."

So is it possible the he was just bragging among the boys about his fantasized bedroom games? Well maybe...because why would a woman who is 19 years his junior want to get spanked by that bloated bastard.

"I hate to be the one to break the news, but relationships between lawmakers and lobbyists are neither uncommon nor unknown," Bill Cavala, a Democrat who worked in the Assembly speaker's office for more than 30 years, wrote in a blog Thursday. "The capitol community is like, in many ways, a combat fraternity. It is not surprising that the men and women involved in the political trenches together should be attracted on another level as well."

OK, it's not news that people who work together often end up sleeping together...and that men in positions of authority use their power to get women in bed (other than their wives of course)

Whatever

It's just that this little story shows what is going on in Sacramento when the State of California is in a serious crisis with everything from budget shortfalls to huge wildfires.

So from Legislators playing solitaire to engaging in salacious sex talk

Welcome to our Government at work.

And on the anniversary of 9-11, I think how very naive I was to even consider that an event of such an enormous importance would usher in a new seriousness in Government.

My bad

It's business and bullshit as usual

State Government In Action

From the Hartford Courant

Just wondering...what are the chances that the California Legislature is also playing solitaire while the State burns?

Joining The Jet Set On OPM

From the WSJ

AUGUST 7, 2009
Congress Gets an Upgrade

$500 Million Slated for Purchase of Eight More Planes as Lawmakers' Travel Soars

WASHINGTON -- Congress plans to spend $550 million to buy eight jets, a substantial upgrade to the fleet used by federal officials at a time when lawmakers have criticized the use of corporate jets by companies receiving taxpayer funds.

God knows that in times of economic uncertainty I wouldn't want the Congress to have to...um, you know... fly commercial...like the rest of us.

Too Busy Bitching To Blog

Maybe it's because I've been reading about the system of taxation in early 18th France and how the Taille differed between the Pays d'Election and the Pays d'Etat, and the details of the Taille en Tarif and the Taille Reelle that has put me in a mood.

Added to my reading that taxes are going to rise for the Middle Class, and how government funds have been utterly wasted on non growth related nonsense
while banks that have received stimulus money are paying out huge bonuses
and Wall Street analysts are putting out bogus earnings reports (didn't we just go through that about 10 years ago with the tech bubble)
and another bill is going to pass in congress that no one has actually read.

People I need a VACATION!

Luckily...I'm going on vacation next week and hopefully that will mean a much needed attitude adjustment.

In the mean time, here's a pretty picture.

Hermes Choker Necklace in 18K from Beladora.com

Let's Remember The Good Times

This is so brilliant that I had to post it

I found this via Instapundit

Fans Flock to Mourn California, 1849-2009
LOS ANGELES - Millions of fans from around the globe gathered along Sunset Boulevard to pay final respects to California today, as a slow moving funeral procession transported the eccentric superstar state's remains to its final resting place in a Winchell's Donuts dumpster in Van Nuys. The self-proclaimed 'King of Pop Culture' died last week at 160, in what coroners ruled an accidental case of financial autoerotic asphyxiation. The death sent shock waves across the world and sparked an outpouring of grief by rabid fans.

"I don't care what the tabloids and the Wall Street Journal say," said a weeping Illinois. "I still love you, Cali!"

The 640-mile long funeral parade route was lined with flowers, candles, teddy bears, and IOUs from millions of mourners and debtors who made the somber journey to watch the passing of the state that had once ruled the box office and industrial charts. Among them were current chart-toppers who cited California as a key influence.

"If it wasn't for California, I wouldn't be where I am today," said Arizona of Westside 3, the popular sunbelt trio who recently benefited from the late state's generous gift of fleeing taxpayers and businesses. As a tribute to their mentor, Arizona vowed the group would start spending money "like crack-addled hip hop stars."

"California's financial and musical legacy will never die," said band mates Nevada and Oregon.

At the official funeral service at the LA Coliseum, a grief stricken Washington, who teamed with California on several hit software and wine projects, had to be physically restrained from climbing into the deceased's gold plated casket.
Similar emotional outpourings were the rule of the day. Stories - apocryphal or not - of the late state's bizarre self-destructive behavior and fondness for molesting children did little to dampen the the flood of tributes from fans who preferred to remember California as America's Sweetheart.

From a humble beginning as a water-poor remote Spanish mission outpost, California proved to be a precocious and talented child performer. It struck gold with 'Sutter's Mill' in 1849, earning accolades and attracting millions of crusty bearded prospectors. Black gold soon followed with 'La Brea Tar Pits.' Unlike many child acts, California made a smooth transition to adolescence, scoring a major hit with 'Agriculture' in 1891.

Even a frightening bout with tremors did not stop the flow of hits. The 1915 megasmash 'Hollywood' broke all records, as did the wartime favorite 'Aerospace.' More recently, California topped the charts with 'Tourism,' 'High Tech,' and 'Coastal Pretension.'

For a time it seemed as if the superstar could do no wrong, but behind the glittering facade of Disneyland Manor troubling signs of mental instability began to emerge. The state developed a well publicized drug problem during filming of 1967's 'Summer of Love,' and briefly dabbled in strange religious cults. Under the influence of spiritual guru Jerry Brown, it began wholesale experimentation in exotic spending programs, eventual resulting in a traumatic 1979 stay at the Prop 13 Rehab Center.

During the 80's and 90's California enjoyed a brief career renaissance with hits like 'Olympics,' 'Real Estate' and 'Dot Com Boom,' but personal problems plagued the reclusive star once again. During the recording of the 'OJ' and 'Rodney King' albums, friends and visitors expressed concern over its recurring tremors and penchant for self-mutilation.

"California used to be so happy and beautiful," said a horrified Ohio. "I hardly recognize it any more."

During that period, camp insiders say the increasingly psychotic state began driving away its long time professional management team and support crew. In its place, it assembled an entourage of con men and embezzlers, some of whom stoked California's increasingly bizarre environmental paranoia. It was seldom seen in public without a breathing mask to ward off imagined pollutants.
Worse, the hits began drying up; the huge 2001 flop 'Dot Com Bust' put a huge crimp into California's once unlimited cash flow. Despite the setback, insiders say the superstar was unwilling to change its lavish lifestyle, and retreated once again into spending abuse. Personal expenses skyrocketed, propelled in part by California's 8 million adopted foster children. During the 90's sensationalistic accounts of child abuse began surfacing. Eyewitnesses reported California cruising local neighborhoods in school buses, luring unsuspecting kid for sessions of 'public education.' By some estimates hundreds of thousands were left traumatized and severely brain damaged.

The charges were vigorously denied by California camp spokestate Vermont.
"California loves children," said Vermont. "California loves children, because deep inside California is a also a child -- full of innocent wonder, and the belief that any budget wish can come true as long as you just wish hard enough."
True or not, the charges alienated many longtime fans, leaving California in an ever worsening financial position. In 2003 the state rejected suggestions that it was facing bankruptcy, saying that "I can't be out of money, I still have checks left." Amid the maelstrom, though, it fired tour manager Grey Davis who many blamed for California's financial woes. In his place, California hired Arnold Schwartzenegger to help engineer a career-saving comeback tour.

Under the management of the flamboyant Austrian body builder / therapist, California began a rapid descent that ultimately ended in death. Some faulted Schwartzenegger's unconvential therapeutic methods and prescription spending pills, including state pension steroids that some say were powerful enough to kill a Scandanavian industrial power. Schwartzenegger denied culpability, saying that his spending pills "help build de upper financial torso and lats, and deese other sings and so on."

Despite the last minute financial maneuvers analysts say the state died penniless, owing creditors as much as $100 billion. Amid the swirling recriminations between California camp factions, fans chose to mark its passing quietly. Longtime California fan club president Iowa said that despite being the constant butt of the Golden State's insults and jokes, it will remember the late superstar fondly.

"Let's not remember California as a bloated, rotting freakshow corpse hanging above a filthy public pension toilet," it said. "Let's remember the good times. Like my 6-day bender at the '91 Rose Bowl."

"California's pain is finally over, and I like to think that the whole state is going to a better place," Iowa added. "Just look at all those U-Hauls headed to Oklahoma."

Another Reason To Love The Onion

In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?

Stimulate This! - $800,000 for Air Pork!

There's nothing that makes me happier than finding out that even more federal $$$ is going to support an airport that basically does zero business.
FAA Approves Plan to Give Stimulus Funds to Airport Named After Murtha

Trust me...even Oprah's private jet doesn't land at Murtha's boondoggle

Just Looking For A Good Deal

Every year on this day as I send my checks off to the black holes that are the federal and state governments, I wonder if there is a chance in hell that my hard earned money is being well spent.

Am I getting a good deal on my tax dollars?

Obviously, when I read things like

this and this and this

I don't think that I am.

And I'm not alone in thinking that I'm not getting a good deal.

So where do you get a good deal for your money?

Forbes.com reports on Where to Shop for Web Deals

Online retailers benefit from lower overhead. They spend less on real estate, labor and supplies, which means that they can charge less. When traditional retailers began to reduce their inventories back in the spring of 2008, online outlets were able to scoop up the extra goods from manufacturers at bargain prices.

Another advantage to consumers who buy online: quality. Some 80% of the inventory at brick-and-mortar outlets is designed especially for those stores, according to Marshal Cohen, chief retail expert at the NPD Group in Port Washington, N.Y. Often, the items sold in outlets are made from less expensive materials than what's on sale at traditional retailers. That's typically not the case online, where most of the goods are simply overstock.

The Forbes article mentions the usual suspects; Bluefly, Yoox and Overstock

I just can't understand why they didn't mention Beladora.com....

Happy April - The Time Of Taxes!

From the Tax Prof blog

The Tax Foundation announced today that Tax Freedom Day -- the date on which Americans will have worked long enough to have earned enough money to pay this year's tax obligations at the federal, state and local levels -- will be April 13 this year:

April 13 is the national average -- Tax Freedom Day in individual states range from the state with the highest tax burden -- Connecticut (April 30) -- to the state with the lowest tax burden -- Alaska (March 23).

Here are the ten states with the heaviest tax burdens and the latest Tax Freedom Days:
Connecticut April 30)
New Jersey (April 29)
New York (April 25)
California (April 20)
Maryland (April 19)
Virginia (April 16)
Massachusetts (April 16)
Washington (April 16)
Minnesota (April 15)
Rhode island (April 14)

Here are the ten states with the lowest tax burdens and the earliest Tax Freedom Days:
Alaska (March 23)
Louisiana (March 28)
Mississippi (March 28)
South Dakota (March 29)
North Dakota (April 1)
West Virginia (April 1)
Alabama (April 2)
New Mexico (April 2)
Montana (April 3)
Kentucky (April 3)

And no, I'm not going to move to Alaska just because it has the lowest State tax burden.

But does it bother anyone else that everything that you earn in the first quarter of the year goes to the government?

h/t instapundit

Executive Travel The JP Morgan Way

Admit it...you so wanted to read this

JPMorgan Chase To Spend Millions on New Jets and Luxury Airport Hangar

Here's the link to the video from ABC.com

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7148056

So...let's get this straight

JP Morgan already has 2 corporate jets and now they are upgrading to 2 new ultra luxurious jets and possibly the finest private hanger with a roof garden to house the new rolling stock...or should we call it flying stock.

The financial giant's upgrade includes nearly $120 million for two Gulfstream 650 planes and $18 million for a lavish renovation of a hangar at the Westchester Airport outside New York City.

According to JPMorgan Chase architects, the new hangar will be built with reclaimed wood, quarry tile and even a "vegetated roof garden."
The Gulfstream 650's are described by the manufacturer as the "fastest," "widest" and "most comfortable" private jet ever with superior cabin amenities, an optional stateroom, and 12 interior designs to choose from.

Do I need to remind any of you of the fact that JP Morgan has received 25 Billion TARP money.

Runway to Realway - Pork Served Up On Private Jets

When I think of travel by private jet the image that comes to mind is something like this.
Not this

But travel by private jet at the taxpayer's expense is de rigeur for the Congressional committee leaders who have approval control over the use of government jets.

What is a mere operational cost of $10,000 an hour anyway....
When you are spending 1 Billion Dollars per hour

Republicans and Democrats are equally at fault here.
Whether it is a member of Congress or a CEO recipient of TARP funding
Why can't they fly business class?

Perplexing Pork-A-Palooza

It seems that I've completely lost track of what Federal funds are required to pay for...versus State, County and City funds and private money... silly me.
Apparently now there is nothing too insignificant for Federal funds to be spent on.
From the NY Post
CONGRESS' PORKY POLS PIG OUT ON FINE $WINE
BIG BUCKS TO CANOES & TATTOOS

WASHINGTON - Congress went on a pork-a-palooza yesterday, approving a massive spending bill with big bucks for Hawaiian canoe trips, research into pig smells, and tattoo removal - all while the nation faces an economic crisis.
Among the recipients of federal largesse is the Polynesian Voyaging Society of Honolulu, which got a $238,000 "earmark" in the bill.
New York got its share of earmarks, among them $475,000 to "improve and expand" the Italian American Museum in Little Italy.

There's nothing not to love about the Polynesian Voyaging Society in Hawaii or the Italian American Museum in Little Italy in New York...but why does Federal money have to be earmarked for them?
Can't these organizations raise the money from private donors instead of using Federal tax dollars?
Just saying couldn't somebody like Larry Ellison just write a $238,000 check to the Polynesian Voyaging Society...for crissakes he probably earns that kind of money in an hour....and he likes to sail....

I'll Have An Order Of The Pork Please

Washington DC...all pork all the time!

You've got to love it.

H/T Althouse via instapundit

I Just Thought You Should Know

From Bloomberg.com
U.S. Taxpayers Risk $9.7 Trillion on Bailouts as Senate Votes

“We’ve seen money go out the back door of this government unlike any time in the history of our country,” Senator Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat, said on the Senate floor Feb. 3. “Nobody knows what went out of the Federal Reserve Board, to whom and for what purpose. How much from the FDIC? How much from TARP? When? Why?”

The remaining $8 trillion in commitments are lending programs and guarantees, almost all under the authority of the Fed and the FDIC. The recipients’ names have not been disclosed.

The promises are composed of about $1 trillion in stimulus packages, around $3 trillion in lending and spending and $5.7 trillion in agreements to provide aid.

So how much money is this really?

The $9.7 trillion in pledges would be enough to send a $1,430 check to every man, woman and child alive in the world. It’s 13 times what the U.S. has spent so far on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Congressional Budget Office data, and is almost enough to pay off every home mortgage loan in the U.S., calculated at $10.5 trillion by the Federal Reserve.

The chart that I posted above isn't really clear, so I'll just give you the gist.

The amount of the bailout is more than the sum of

The Louisiana Purchase

The New Deal

The Marshal Plan

The Korean War

The Vietnam War

The Moonshot

The Iraq War

The S&L Crisis

The NASA Space Program

In other words, it's a lot of f*#king money

Shouldn't we know where it is going?

The Federal Reserve so far is refusing to disclose loan recipients or reveal the collateral they are taking in return. Collateral is an asset pledged by a borrower in the event a loan payment isn’t made.

So much for transparency

Countdown To Valentine's Day - The Classic Peretti Heart

Congress risks criticism over luxury retreat trips
WASHINGTON (AP) - Members of Congress were quick to shame corporate executives for over-the-top extravagance during the economic crisis, flying private jets and taking luxury junkets. But some lawmakers are strolling fancy resorts spending tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars and mingling with lobbyists.
"We're very mindful" of perceptions, House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson told reporters Thursday camped outside of the sprawling Kingsmill Resort & Spa in Williamsburg, Va., where House Democrats spent about $100,000 on their three-day annual retreat. "It's serious and it's from morning till night. We've been dwelling, rightfully, on the economy," said Larson, D-Conn.

Very mindful of perceptions? I think not. The Congressional spending machine is working overtime with a Stimulus Bill so full of pork that pigs are taking umbrage.

But since we don't live in a fantasy world that is paid for by tax dollars, we're keeping it real...and frugal....here at home.

Especially this Valentine's Day.

Elsa Peretti Heart Pendant in 18K from Beladora.com $475

(New from Tiffany the price is $1250)

Ann Taylor Red Dress on Sale for 59.99

Bailout Boondoggles

Every year at tax season I get to wondering about where it is that all my tax dollars go....

Here are some of the Bailout Boondoggles that you and I have paid for.

1. The Golden Parachute

Peter Kraus joined Merrill Lynch in early September to head up its strategy team. But Bank of America, bolstered by $25 billion in bailout money, won shareholder approval this month to take over Merrill. The deal will trigger a golden-parachute clause in Kraus' contract, allowing him to pocket as much as $25 million for his two months on the job, according to The Wall Street Journal.

2. Executive Retention

Should taxpayers pay to keep executives who steered a company into a ditch? American International Group thinks so. It recently agreed to pay retention bonuses to 130 executives, including $3 million for Jay Wintrob, who heads the division that sells annuities. Last year, he earned $2.5 million in salary, bonus, stock and options. Other AIG execs will get more than $500,000, or about 200% of their salaries, to stay through 2009, according to Bloomberg. The insurer had previously promised to forgo bonus payouts as part of the bailout plan. AIG says retention bonuses are needed to keep execs from leaving while it restructures and that departures could cause the company's reinsurers to cancel contracts.

3. Executive Compensation

As millions of Americans learn what it's like to make ends meet on unemployment insurance, executives at banks getting taxpayer bailouts will continue to live the high life. Capital One Financial CEO Richard Fairbanks got $73.1 million in pay last year, according to The Corporate Library. That's 1,456 times the median household income of $50,233 earned by taxpayers footing the bill for Capital One's $3.55 billion federal bailout. Bank of America chief Kenneth Lewis last year took home $23 million, or 458 times the income earned by taxpayers covering his bank's $25 billion bailout. Both CEOs also make way more than the median of $8.85 million for CEOs at S&P 500 companies. Despite having to lean on taxpayers with modest incomes for help, both CEOs will likely continue to earn stratospheric pay. Neither bank has indicated it plans to cut CEO pay.

4. The Corporate Jet For Personal Use

While hard times are forcing many Americans to stretch another year out of the family jalopy, the CEOs at banks getting bailout money will continue to ride -- and fly -- high. John Mack . who heads Morgan Stanley, which has taken $10 billion in bailout money so far, enjoyed $356,000 worth of personal use of a corporate jet last year. JPMorgan Chase has gotten $25 billion in bailout money. Its chief, James Dimon, took $211 million worth of use of a company jet last year. He used company cars at an estimated cost of $68,000. So far, neither company has indicated it will cut back on CEOs' personal use of corporate jets as part of its acceptance of taxpayer bailout money.

5. Mergers and Acquisitions

Many banks are playing "Let's Make a Deal" and building empires with bailout money, instead of using it to make loans that help the economy. Shortly after PNC Financial Services got a $7.7 billion cash injection, it announced a buyout of National City. BB&T and Zions Bancorporation have said they have the urge to merge -- now that they've collectively pocketed $4.5 billion in bailout funds. Bigger banks mean less competition and higher fees for the taxpayers who helped fund these deals. And the mergers have created more banks that are "too big to fail" -- so when they come back for more money, it'll be even harder to say no. BB&T says it would buy only "problem" banks, in the spirit of the bailout program.

6. And More Golden Parachutes

Cleveland's National City bank was run so badly that it was virtually ruined, mainly by imprudent exposure to subprime mortgages. Management's reward for creating this colossal disaster: $200 million in golden parachutes. And taxpayers will get fleeced a second time. Because of a last-minute change in tax rules, PNC Financial Services, which bought National City, will get about $725 million in income-tax credits. Those credits stem from the $19.9 billion PNC expects to lose on bad loans made by National City.

On the positive side....now I know that there's quite a nice list of potential clients for 2009...John Mack, Jamie Dimon, Richard Fairbanks, Kenneth Lewis, Peter Kraus and their bailout buddies!!!