Thursday, January 17, 2013

FW: Liberal should pay more

Talk about a publicity stunt.

 

What I like about Chris Rock, which is one of things that makes him popular, is that he deliberately tries to say the most outrageous thing possible.

John Coffey

 

From: Witmer, Robert C.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/money/55642295-79/burnett-liberals-smoothie-vernal.html.csp

 

 

At Vernal smoothie shop, liberals pay more

Politics » Colorful owner reasons that their policies are costing his business more.

 

By Kathy Stephenson

 

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published Jan 16 2013 04:16 pm • Last Updated Jan 16 2013 07:28 pm

 

George Burnett believes that big government, entitlement programs and reckless spending are "liberal programs" that cost jobs and bring higher taxes.

 

So, the Vernal businessman has no problem charging liberals a higher price than conservatives at his Main Street juice bar called I Love Drilling.

Photos

 

"They’re costing us money," he said of his left-leaning customers. "So it only seems fair that I charge them a little bit more."

 

Burnett doesn’t try to hide the price discrepancy. The menu board above the register clearly states that liberals will pay $5.95 for a 16-ounce smoothie or juice, while conservatives pay $4.95. (Employees pay only $3.95.). When ordering the drinks, which are named after famous oil wells, the cashier simply asks "What’s your price?"

 

"We use the honor code," Burnett. "We’re not going to quiz them, because it’s not a big deal."

 

But it has become a big story.

 

Earlier this week, a local newspaper wrote about the price discrimination and the story went viral. Since then, Burnett and his smoothie shop have been a discussion topic on national television and radio shows, websites and blogs, including The Huffington Post where there are more than 5,500 reader comments. On Wednesday, during an interview with The Tribune, Burnett was headed to Salt Lake City to be featured on the Fox News’ afternoon business program.

 

While it looks like a gimmick, Burnett insists that his varied pricing is a way to get the country to deal with its budget woes.

 

"In my own little way I’m saying we need to talk about this or we’re not surviving," he said. He likened it to a married couple who keeps spending money they don’t have and pretending the family finances are okay. "I’m not trying to create a divide. We have to deal with it."

 

Since the news broke Monday, the store’s co-manager, Isaac Burnett (George’s son), said the smoothie shop has seen a big increase in business thanks to attention to their policy.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

This Metamorphosis Will Require a Permit

Debt

'Mr. President, I rise

today to talk about America's debt

problem.

The fact that we are here today to

debate raising America's debt limit is a

sign of leadership failure. It is a sign

that the U.S. Government can't pay its

own bills. It is a sign that we now depend

on ongoing financial assistance

from foreign countries to finance our

Government's reckless fiscal policies…

That is money that we have borrowed

from the Social Security trust

fund, borrowed from China and Japan,

borrowed from American taxpayers…

 

Numbers that large are sometimes

hard to understand. Some people may

wonder why they matter. Here is why:

This year, the Federal Government will

spend $220 billion on interest. That is

more money to pay interest on our national

debt than we'll spend on Medicaid

and the State Children's Health

Insurance Program. That is more

money to pay interest on our debt this

year than we will spend on education,

homeland security, transportation, and

veterans benefits combined. It is more

money in one year than we are likely

to spend to rebuild the devastated gulf

coast in a way that honors the best of

America.

And the cost of our debt is one of the

fastest growing expenses in the Federal

budget. This rising debt is a hidden domestic

enemy, robbing our cities and

States of critical investments in infrastructure

like bridges, ports, and levees;

robbing our families and our children

of critical investments in education

and health care reform; robbing

our seniors of the retirement and

health security they have counted on.

Every dollar we pay in interest is a

dollar that is not going to investment

in America's priorities. Instead, interest

payments are a significant tax on

all Americans—a debt tax that Washington

doesn't want to talk about….

Now, there is nothing wrong with borrowing

from foreign countries. But we must

remember that the more we depend on

foreign nations to lend us money, the

more our economic security is tied to

the whims of foreign leaders whose interests

might not be aligned with ours.

Increasing America's debt weakens

us domestically and internationally.

Leadership means that ''the buck stops

here.'' Instead, Washington is shifting

the burden of bad choices today onto

the backs of our children and grandchildren.

America has a debt problem

and a failure of leadership. Americans

deserve better.

I therefore intend to oppose the effort

to increase America's debt limit'

 

President Obama

March 16, 2006

 

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2006-03-16/pdf/CREC-2006-03-16-pt1-PgS2236.pdf

 

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Therapeutic cloning - How it is done; possible benefits

bulletTherapeutic cloning: (a.k.a. Somatic cell nuclear transfer or research cloning): This starts with the same procedure as is used in adult DNA cloning. The resultant embryo would be allowed to grow for perhaps 14 days. It's stem cells would then be extracted and encouraged to grow into a piece of human tissue or a complete human organ for transplant. The end result would not be a human being; it would be a replacement organ, or piece of nerve tissue, or quantity of skin. The first successful therapeutic cloning was accomplished in 2001-NOV by Advanced Cell Technology, a biotech company in Worcester, MA.


Is an embryo a human person? Pro-life supporters generally believe that a human person comes into existence at conception. Some believe that somatic cell nuclear transfer is sufficiently similar to normal conception with an egg and spermatozoa that a human person also comes into existence during therapeutic cloning. The process of extracting stem cells involves killing the embryo. To many pro-lifers, this is murder. They feel that murdering one person, the embryo, to cure another person of paralysis, or diabetes, or heart disease, etc. can never be justified. More details. Therapeutic cloning research may well be limited to those countries, like China, the UK, and perhaps Canada, where pro-life supporters are relatively few in number.