This guy is a mutant cross between something out of a Will Ferrell movie, Dennis Rodman, and Travis Barker from Blink 182. I love him for that. He’s a freak….

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/167740-the-bird-is-the-word

The premise was: What’s the deal with these God-believing, flyover, know-nothings in flat-old Kansas? Why do they vote for the GOP, which doesn’t do anything to help the backwards little guy?

Fast forward just a few years and the story is almost exactly the opposite. The once-thriving, liberal coastal states are now on the verge of bankruptcy (especially California, but also New York to a lesser extent) and boring-old Kansas with its un-dynamic, real economy has avoided the worst ravages of the collapse.

Energy analyst Gregor MacDonald takes a crack at the question today, focusing on resource constraints, the crippling car culture along the coasts, the mess with offshore oil and the high cost of feeding the inland agriculture industry with enough fresh and clean water.

Then there’s politics.

There have been several good post-mortems of the horrible mess made by Arnold Schwarzenegger, his unwillingness to reign in Legislature spending, and his belief that rising real estate taxes would allow the state to spend forever.

George Will writes in the Washington Post (via CrossingWallStreet):

Under Arnold Schwarzenegger, the best governor the states contiguous to California have ever had, people and businesses have been relocating to those states. For four consecutive years, more Americans have moved out of California than have moved in. California’s business costs are more than 20 percent higher than the average state’s. In the past decade, net out-migration of Americans has been 1.4 million. California is exporting talent while importing Mexico’s poverty. The latter is not California’s fault; the former is.

If, since 1990, state spending increases had been held to the inflation rate plus population growth, the state would have a $15 billion surplus instead of a $42 billion budget deficit, which is larger than the budgets of all but 10 states. Since 1990, the number of state employees has increased by more than a third. In Schwarzenegger’s less than six years as governor, per capita government spending, adjusted for inflation, has increased nearly 20 percent.

Both Reason and The National Review have brought the long knives for Schwarzenegger, as well, in recent months. Yes, it’s political stuff, but when you’ve got The National Review slamming the guy who gave a major address at the 2004 National Convention, it’s not particularly partisan.

The point is: California is a horrendous mess, and it means big trouble for the rest of the country.

The state is clearly too big to fail, so the ongoing financial destruction will probably fall onto US taxpayers. But beyond that, California is home to our most competitive, innovative industries, our most extreme immigration policies, as well as, notes Gregor, some of our most vexing energy and auto issues. It isn’t ridiculous to surmise that as goes California, so goes the nation.

While wondering what the matter was with Kansas was amusing cocktail chatter for New Yorker readers a ew years ago, figuring out the matter with California is a matter of huge concern.

http://www.businessinsider.com/whats-the-matter-with-california-2009-5

Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

http://www.seattlepi.com/tvguide/405735_tvgif30.html

Giving "Call Sign...Charlie" a whole new meaning

If you know the saying, go big or go home, you’ll appreciate our government’s effort to waste our money, but you’ll likely find the results lacking. I mean really, if you’re doing an updated photo shoot for Air Force One, why use some Iron Eagle leftover planes when you can go full monty with some fresh F-22′s? Once again, even when they spend absurd amounts of money, they can’t do it right….

Link Aid

ABC News White House correspondent Jake Tapper produced a March 2006 document detailing the costs of “Presidential Political Travel”. That report showed “flight operating costs are $56,518 per hour for Air Force One.”

From what I can find, an F-16 costs about $5,600 per hour to fly, so this little photo op cost the taxpayers over 62k per hour. Great job guys, money well spent. If you wanted some updated pics for “the files” maybe you use photoshop to retouch and update some older ones and save some money for us. Idiots!

When it is raining, it is because he is sad.

Even his parrot’s advice is insightful.

If there were an interesting gland, his would be larger than most men’s entire lower intestines.

His shirts never wrinkle.

He is left-handed. And right-handed.

Even if he forgets to put postage on his mail, it gets there.

He once knew a call was a wrong number, even though the person on the other end wouldn’t admit it.

You can see his charisma from space

The police often question him, just because they find him interesting.

He once punched a magician. That’s right. You heard me.

When he orders a salad, he gets the dressing right there on top of the salad, where it belongs…where there is no turning back.

If a monument was built in his honor, Mt. Rushmore would close, due to poor attendance.

The sun comes up late on the 6th, in case his Cinco parties run long.

Lucha libres remove their masks in his presence.

He once taught a dog to bark in Spanish.

He serves sizzling fajita platters with his bare hands.

Bulls flat-out refuse to fight him

He once buried a time capsule full of things that haven’t happened yet.

He has been pronounced dead 7 times…make that 8.

His bear hugs are actually hugs he gives to bears.

He can’t be bought, but his beard clippings have been know to show up on auction.

He has never lost a sock.

If he disagrees with you, it is because you are wrong.