Drudge Retort

2 More Walker Aides Arrested

AMERICANUNITY — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:31:01 -0500

Two staffers who worked for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) when he was Milwaukee county executive were charged Thursday with illegally doing extensive political work while paid by taxpayers at county jobs. Kelly Rindfleisch, Walker's deputy chief of staff at the county and his current state Medicaid chief, faces four felony counts for work he did in the unsuccessful lieutenant governor campaign of Bret Davis. Rindfleisch told a friend in an Internet chat, "half of what I'm doing is policy for the campaign," according to the criminal complaint filed against him. Darlene Wink, Walker's constituent services coordinator, faces two misdemeanour counts.

Haditha Verdict Disgusts Iraqis

allahakbar — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:31:36 -0500

Haditha residents and relatives of 24 Iraqi civilians killed there by U.S. troops voiced disgust over the three-month sentence meted out to a soldier involved in the massacre, the Jordan Times reports. "Killing 24 innocent people, and only receiving a punishment of three months? This is an assault on humanity," said Khalid Salman, a Haditha city councilor and lawyer for the victims.

Vedder: Higher Ed Bubble Will Burst

vernon — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:39:16 -0500

Richard Vedder: As college costs rise, however, people are asking: Aren't there cheaper ways of certifying competence and skills to employers? ... [I]f companies can find good employees with high-school diplomas who have demonstrated necessary skills and competency via some cheaper (to society) means, they might be able to hire workers more cheaply than before -- paying wages that are high by high-school-graduate standards, but low relative to college-graduate norms. Employers can capture the huge savings of reduced certification costs.

Book: 'Is Marriage for White People?'

ExpsRedemption — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:43:04 -0500

Black women are more than three less likely than white women to ever get married because the pool of black men available to them is smaller, according to Richard Banks, a Stanford University professor and the author of the book Is Marriage for White People?. "Twice as many black women as black men graduate from college and that shapes the relationship market for all of them."

Scheer: Obama, I Don't Buy It

DARTHCHENEY — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:33:17 -0500

Robert Scheer: Listening to Barack Obama, I am ready to enlist in his campaign against the feed-the-rich Republicans ... until I recall that I once responded in the same way to Bill Clinton's faux populism. And then I get angry because betrayal by the "good guys" for whom I have ended up voting has become the norm. Yes, betrayal, because if Obama meant what he said in Tuesday's State of the Union address about holding the financial industry responsible for its scams, why did he appoint the old Clinton crowd that had legalized those scams to the top economic posts in his administration? Why did he hire Timothy Geithner, who has turned the Treasury Department into a concierge service for Wall Street tycoons?

Ron Paul Skipping Florida

rcade — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:59:46 -0500

Though Ron Paul will appear in Thursday night's presidential debate in Jacksonville, Fla., he isn't campaigning in the state this week. Florida has a winner-take-all primary, doesn't allow independents to vote in a GOP primary and is expensive to campaign in, three factors that led Paul to focus elsewhere, according to the Christian Science Monitor. "Our goal is to get delegates," Paul told CNN Sunday. "And we're going to be doing the states were they allocate by percentages as well as caucus states. So that's been our plan all along."

Florida Pro Teams Must House Homeless

ExpsRedemption — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:33:18 -0500

Two Republican state legislators in Florida have introduced bills that would require the state's pro sports franchises to house homeless people in their stadiums or give back the millions they've received from the state. "I want to make good citizens out of them," said state Sen. Mike Bennett (R-Bradenton), who authored the legislation with state Rep. Frank Artilles (R-Miami). A never-enforced 1988 law required teams that take state money to house the homeless when they're not playing. "The rule was you took the money you were supposed to use it for a program for homeless people and you didn't do it and therefore we want our money back."

Repubs Punchy in Florida Debate

rcade — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:25:05 -0500

Immigration and Hispanic issues were covered in Jacksonville Thursday night as the Republican presidential candidates debated for the last time before Tuesday's primary. The race is tied between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, according to a newly released CNN/Time/ORC International Poll. Romney has the support of 36 percent, Gingrich 34 percent, Rick Santorum 11 percent and Ron Paul 7 percent. The two-percent gap between the leaders is within the poll's margin of error.

Buffett Defends Millionaire's Surtax

BruceBanner — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:31:36 -0500

As you might expect, billionaire investor Warren Buffett is a strong supporter of the proposed millionaire's surtax favored by President Barack Obama that's being called the "Buffett Rule." Obama's State of the Union called for a minimum effective tax rate of 30 percent on those who earn a million dollars or more, which Buffett proposed in an August newspaper commentary. "If this is a war, my side has the nuclear bomb," Buffett said. "We have K Street (Washington lobbyists). We have Wall Street. Debbie (his secretary) doesn't have anybody. I want a government that is responsive to the people who got the short straw in life."

Santorum: Homosexuality Unhealthy for Society

skizziks — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:32:40 -0500

When a woman asked Rick Santorum at a Stuart, Fl., campaign event why her gay son doesn't have the same rights as a straight person, he told her that certain rights are reserved for people who perform activities that are "healthy for society." "There are certain things that government does that gives people privileges in order to promote activity that are healthy for society and are best for society," Santorum said. "Mothers and fathers coming together, forming healthy marriages, having children and raising those children."

Sweathog Robert Hegyes Dies

rcade — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:10:17 -0500

Robert Hegyes, best known for playing Juan Epstein, one of the Sweathogs in Mr. Kotter's class on Welcome Back, Kotter, died Thursday morning after an apparent heart attack at his Metuchen, N.J., home. He was 60. Hegyes also co-starred on Cagney and Lacey and taught occasional master classes at his alma mater, Rowan University.

Tyrell: More Women in Newt's Past

rcade — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:19:24 -0500

There are more scandals yet to come about Newt Gingrich's private conduct with women, claims R. Emmett Tyrell, Jr.,. the publisher of the conservative American Spectator. "There are private encounters with the fair sex that doubtless will come out," Tyrell writes. "If I have heard of some, you can be sure the Democrats have heard of more. ... Conservatives should not be surprised by the scandals that lie ahead, if they stick with him."

Obama Had Window to Free Hostages

corky — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:32:07 -0500

The Navy SEAL operation to free the American and Danish hostages in Somalia had been in the making for days, with President Barack Obama choosing to move forward after U.S. officials identified a narrow window of opportunity to act, according to Reuters. Intelligence emerged last week that U.S. hostage Jessica Buchanan's health was deteriorating quickly. "We're confident that there was enough of a sense of urgency, there was enough actionable intelligence to take the action that we did," said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.

Student Tries to Rape Teacher

rcade — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:28:15 -0500

A 19-year-old high school student at Summit Preparatory High School in Redwood City, Calif., is being held on charges of attempting to kidnap and rape his former teacher. David Andres Velasquez, 19, allegedly grabbed the 29-year-old teacher from behind at knifepoint in the school's parking garage and ran away when another teacher saw the attack and screamed.