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These are my links for April 28th from 17:10 to 17:17:

• Paul Ryan’s Plan Would Not Remotely End Medicare – In light of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s shameless ad saying that the Paul Ryan-authored House Republican budget would “end Medicare,” it is worth noting that the Congressional Budget Office says that, in 2030, the Republican plan would give the average senior $18,276 in premium support to help purchase private health insurance ($15,000 in 2022, increased by 2.5 percent annually, to keep up with inflation). In addition, lower-income seniors would get another $9,504 to put into a medical savings account (an MSA) to use for additional medical expenses, bringing their annual tally of taxpayer-funded support to $27,780.  

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  Read it all

  Not even close to ending Medicare.

• Mark Steyn on The Royal Wedding’s Invite List – Steady on, Jonah, old bean. I yield to no one in my contempt for the wretched state of depraved contemporary London but tomorrow’s shindig will be one of the least unwholesome gatherings held in the metropolis in recent years. For a start, it’s not a “state” occasion, because Prince William is not the Heir to the Throne. So it’s what Buckingham Palace regards as “family.” See here: Minor royals like the Earl of Ulster and Lady Gabriella Windsor; viceregal eminences from the Queen’s realms such as the Governors-General of Canada and Belize; Commonwealth Prime Ministers and their spouses such as Sir Michael and Lady Somare of Papua New Guinea; colonial premiers such as the Chief Minister of Montserrat. Nothing to frighten the horses.

  There are no foreigners — ie, the President of the United States or France — except members of other royal houses, most of which are distant kin of the Queen — the King of Norway, the Queen of Spain. The rest are from monarchies more or less installed by London when they were under British protection, which is why various Bahraini, Omani, and Kuwaiti princelings will be swanning about. The entire Middle East is a giant clogged septic tank of toxic waste, but, if you’ll forgive a rough generalization, the least fetid despots in the region are the toytown monarchs promoted by the Brits — and most of them were at the Queen’s Coronation, too.

  Let’s keep a sense of proportion here. If you want revolting guest lists, try the U.N. Human Rights Council.

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  Mark Steyn is a classic…..

• Simon Ledger arrested for ‘racism’ after performing Kung Fu Fighting – A pub singer has been arrested on suspicion of racism for singing the classic chart hit Kung Fu Fighting.

  The song, performed by Simon Ledger, 34, is said to have offended two Chinese people as they walked past the bar where he was singing.

  The entertainer regularly performs the 1974 number one hit, originally by disco star Carl Douglas, at the Driftwood Beach Bar in Sandown, on the Isle of Wight.

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  WTF?

  Political correctness has reached a new low……

These are my links for April 28th from 16:25 to 16:35:

• California Pensions: Public hospital president’s retirement pay highlights issue of ‘supplemental’ pensions – When he turned 65 two years ago, Samuel Downing received a $3-million retirement payment from a public hospital district in Salinas, Calif., where he serves as president and chief executive.

  But Downing continued working at his $668,000-a-year job for another two years, and after he retires this week, he will receive another payment of nearly $900,000. That comes on top of his regular pension of $150,000 a year.

  The payments amount to one of the more generous pension packages granted to a public official in California and come amid growing debate about "supplemental" pensions that some officials receive on top of their basic retirement benefits.

  Though Downing's case is extreme, it follows the disclosure of extra pension benefits received by employees in municipalities including Bell and San Diego. Earlier this year, a state watchdog group called for stricter pension rules, saying California's retirement plans are "dangerously underfunded, the result of overly generous benefit promises, wishful thinking and an unwillingness to plan prudently." Seventy percent of Californians support a cap on pensions for current and future government workers, according to a recent Los Angeles Times/USC Poll.

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  Come on.

  There needs to be a cap and reform NOW.

• California Water agencies would be taxed under state bill – Retail water districts would pay a new tax under proposed state legislation to fund water-related supply, environmental and recreation projects. The size of the tax has yet to be calculated, but it would be significant.
  A hearing is scheduled May 4 for the bill, Senate Bill 34, in the California Senate's Governance and Finance committee. Since the bill would impose a tax, it requires two-thirds approval by the Legislature.
  SB 34 was introduced in the Natural Resources and Water committee by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto. The influential legislator is perhaps best known as the author of California's hands-free cellphone law. The water tax bill was approved April 12 by the committee on a 5-3 vote.
  Simitian is offering SB 34 as an alternative to an $11.4 billion water bond measure the Legislature recently placed on the ballot for November 2012. The bill doesn't specify the level of taxes but is expected to be revised later to do so.
  Backers say the bill pays for necessary upgrades to California's water infrastructure, especially in the Sacramento River delta, which showed its inadequacy during the state's recently ended drought.
  Opponents say SB 34 doesn't give specifics about where the money will be spent. They include water districts around the state and the Association of California Water Agencies, a statewide organization of water agencies.
  "It would force water agencies to pay a steep new water tax with no direct benefit to those who pay," said Phil Rosentrater, spokesman for Western Municipal Water District in Riverside County. The district covers 850,000 people concentrated along the Interstate 15 corridor, including Lake Elsinore, Wildomar and parts of Murrieta and Temecula.
  The San Diego County Water Authority, a wholesaler whose member retail agencies are subject to paying the tax, is scheduled to vote Thursday on a recommendation to oppose the bill.

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  Read it all

  There is NO guarantee that the money would go to improve the Sacramento Delta and improve water delivery to Southern California.

  So, this is an easy no for the Cal GOP.

  The bill requires a two-thirds vote in the affirmative and I doubt one vote from a Republican.

• California Legislature seeking to halt DMV notices to buy time on budget – To buy negotiating time for Gov. Jerry Brown's tax extensions, lawmakers are seeking to halt Department of Motor Vehicles notices for drivers whose vehicle registration expires in July and later.

  Under current law, DMV must send notices at least 60 days before a renewal due date. That means the department is required to notify motorists by May 2 if their vehicle registrations are up for renewal on July 1.

  Because lawmakers haven't agreed to extend the 2009 vehicle license fee increase, drivers are poised to receive a 0.5 percentage point reduction in their VLF starting July 1. The fee is currently a 1.15 percent tax on the estimated value of a vehicle. On a $15,000 car, the difference in rates would be $75.

  Democrats still hope to persuade Republicans to extend the higher VLF rate beyond June. But they don't want drivers to receive renewal notices quoting lower VLF rates now, only to have DMV ask them for more money later this year. That would frustrate drivers and likely undermine support for Brown's tax plan.

  So the Assembly approved a bill Thursday that directs DMV to delay sending renewal notices starting with drivers whose registrations are due July 1. That buys at least another month of time for Democrats to negotiate with Republicans on maintaining higher VLF rates. Democrats say the money is needed to avoid deep cuts in local law enforcement programs.

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  Political machinations to capture more tax revenue.

  Good grief!

These are my links for April 28th from 07:41 to 14:41:

• Photo of the Day: Royal Tooth Tatoos | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Photo of the Day: Royal Tooth Tatoos #tcot #catcot
• Dilbert April 24, 2011 – Don’t Call Me Late for Dinner | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Dilbert April 24, 2011 – Don’t Call Me Late for Dinner #tcot #catcot
• President 2012 Nevada GOP Poll Watch: Romney 24% Trump 16% Gingrich 11% Huckabee 10% | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012 Nevada GOP Poll Watch: Romney 24% Trump 16% Gingrich 11% Huckabee 10% #tcot #catcot
• President 2012 Pennsylvania Poll Watch: Obama Approval at 42% Vs. 53% Disapproval | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012 Pennsylvania Poll Watch: Obama Approval at 42% Vs. 53% Disapproval #tcot #catcot
• Poll Watch: 55% Say the United States is in Recession or Depression | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Poll Watch: 55% Say the United States is in Recession or Depression #tcot #catcot
• Flap’s Links and Comments for April 27th through April 28th | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Links and Comments for April 27th through April 28th #tcot #catcot
• Day By Day April 28, 2011 – Shiny | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Day By Day April 28, 2011 – Shiny #tcot #catcot
• President 2012: Abortion Bill Key to Mitch Daniels Run for Presidency? | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012: Abortion Bill Key to Mitch Daniels Run for Presidency? | Flap's Blog – FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog
• Flap’s Links and Comments for April 27th on 16:42 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Links and Comments for April 27th on 16:42 | Flap's Blog – FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog
• @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-04-28 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-04-28 | Flap's Blog – FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog

Dilbert by Scott Adams

You can call me Ray……