Obama's 9-9-9 Gas Plan

Many years ago voters rejected Republican presidential hopeful Steve Forbes' interesting 10% tax plan that proposed to do just that- tax every American ten percent of what they earn.  Years later, another presidential GOP contender Herman Cain proposed a tax plan that suggested, like Forbes' plan, controversial things such as: clarity, consistency, and common sense. Imagine if the government took out 10% every check and then when April rolled around folks wouldn’t be stressed out using their computer to figure out 1040A forms or running to H+R Block at all hours of the night? Would be pretty simple.

Recently the White House announced President Obama's 9-9-9 Tax Plan, a daring proposal that challenges  everybody to keep buying more and more gas. Don't like it? Plunk down  $64,000 and purchase a Chevy Volt and your local dealership. White House officials have also suggested that consumers should put fresh air in their tires every 200 miles and attempt to car pool or take a bus to work.  "In order to save the environment and save money on gas, consumers should buddy it up to work," said liberal filmmaker and Halliburton and Honeywell stockowner Michael Moore from his limousine.  Stars such as Barbara Streisand and Sean Penn have also come out to support the president's cause of convincing America to pay more for gas, "Although I own a fleet a cars and spend almost $22,000 a year to water my lawn during one of California's biggest droughts, I feel that the President is correct because he is a Democrat and our motto for the people is: do what we tell you to do, do not imitate what we do," Streisand said.

Meanwhile in the Nutmeg State, Democrat legislators are fighting Len Suzio, State Senator 13th District and his bid to cap the Connecticut gas taxes. Suzio's position is that the state needs to cap their "hidden taxes" and stop the practice of taxation without representation, a move that could potentially save CT residents thousands of dollars over the next few months.  The Democrats also proposed a plan to save the taxpayer pennies on the dollar or pennies on the pennies.  Confused? Don't feel bad, their proposal is to loop off a 1.5 cents for brief period in 2012 and then, guess what? It’s back to the old system in 2013 for everybody and then we can compare notes to see how many half cents we save at the pumps.

Censorship in the 21st Century: Facebook Style

Our Facebook account has been removed without warning after we  have been posting our views. People may have complained. If we annoy people that much we must being doing something right!  
The truth hurts, but still must get out.
Share our link  your facebook page- Middletown citizens have a right to know what's happening in their government.  Read a summary of recent local politics below-

In 1991, the techno pop group C+C Music Factory released their hit single “Things that make you go Hmmm,” a song about the art of pondering and speculating about the love lives of others.  Five hours ago, the editorial staff of The Middletown Insider pondered the news from the powers that be from Facebook that our Middletown Insider site has been taken down from circulation.  Why would a website that allows groups such as the hateful Ku Klux Klan and the ultra right wing John Birch Society to post their views remain on Facebook and ban the satirical, and at times controversial page of The Middletown Insider? 

The answer: The Insider, in it’s short life span has had over 3,254 hits in 4 weeks and has asked the local political questions that our beloved publications such as The Middletown Patch, The Middletown Press and The Middletown Eye have not.

Things that make you go Hmmm:

Issue 1: The Senior Center- After the city bought, under the leadership of then Mayor Sebastian N. Giuliano, the old Eckersley Hall/St. Sebastian building last fall for $800,000 with approximately $900,000 put aside for renovations with the intent of turning the building into a senior center and military museum for the community, the project was put in a turn around by new Mayor Daniel Drew who throw a wrench into the project by proposing a plan to expand city hall and make room for the ever patient seniors.  According to Friday’s edition of The Middletown Press, Senior Services Commission Chairman Ed Dypa “expressed shock and dismay after learning that Mayor Dan Drew hired an architect to look at the possibility of expanding city hall and including space for a senior center there.”  (Doesn’t address the Military Museum issue).    
The Insiders’ Verdict: If they do add onto city hall, keep an eye out for the name of  the building company.  Is it a donor to the Drew campaign? Does their name rhyme with ______________?

Things that make you go Hmmm

Issue 2: Dan’s trip to China- A trip to China in the middle of the night without word to certain common council members. That would be the GOP side if anybody cares.  I heard he brought back Pessina a fortune cookie.

The first issue Middletown citizens should have with Dan's midnight travel plans: Are you really leaving Bob Santangelo in charge of Middletown?  That’s like Joe Biden in charge of the country. With Santangelo in charge of Middletown he may try to invade Portland or rename  Lyman’s Orchids to Zippy's Apples or something nutty. He may even get his wife a job at the registrar of voters. (Too late- we're screwed!) Drew traveled to China in secret in order to protect his wife and children from the evildoers of Wesleyan Hills. (He’s a Dem, why is he worried. They don't even have their walking paths done yet). The trip wasn’t even voted on until the Monday of his return by the Common Council where Zippy Santangelo chewed out Councilwoman Salafia who had the gall to, get this: Question the Mayor! Yep, Councilwoman Salafia questioned the Mayor in public! Do not do this! You will get the Dem patrol after you with variations of, “How dare you,” or “He is bringing jobs to Middletown” or “We should reopen Valentino’s” (Not true, but it’s something John Robinson would have said).  Oh by the way, Dan’s trip cost the taxpayers $5,200 and he claims he will be bringing in jobs.  Mmmm, Let’s see, I own the Macintosh Computer Factory  and I can set up workers at a plant in China for $1.66 an hour or come to CT for minimum $12.33 an hour.. Stop  it! 
Verdict: Stay Home and show us the receipts!

Things that make you go Hmmm

Issue 3: Dan’s Trip to Washington D.C.-  Under the guise of getting the land from the Nike missile site on Mile Lane from the Feds, Dan Drew ventured to D.C. by plane on our Dime. (Spend spend spend)The guy has a phone or a computer.  Hell, even a telegram would have worked.  Why a meeting? Just reach out and call somebody and phone a friend.  Stop wasting our money on these antics.

  Everybody knows we can’t get the land from the feds until they decide to clean it up.  Can he send an e-mail to Rosa DeLauro or is she auditioning for the part of the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz remake by Tim Burton? Does that even make sense?
Okay, little known fact:  DD has family in the Virginia area so he decided to drop in on the big boys and girls and then pay the family a vist. On your DOLLAR!!  

The Verdict: Thank the Wesleyan voters who usually don't give two shits about Middletown who voted DD into the offices on DeKoven Drive.  Good job guys! What's next sue me for writing this column! You can bet your bottom dollar that my name won't be put on this thing.

Things that make you go Hmmm

Issue 4: - Dan’s Budget-  Drew budget includes 3.5 million cuts for education. (He criticized Giuliano on the same issue) and a small cut towards the town’s art programs.  If Dan were a member of the Republican Party he would labeled as someone that is anti-education or worse, some one that is anti-education.
Verdict: I guess we have to let our children suffer since Dan is a Dem.  "You are going to cut teachers in your budget proposal," was what candidate Drew said to then Mayor Giuliano last fall at the debate at Wesleyan University.  Mmm, cutting  3.5 million dollars to the education budget is a helluva lot of teachers and paraprofessionals who will more than likely lose their jobs. Right, you and Governor Malloy seem to have that covered with the Teacher Reform (aka Spend Money Committee). I guess it's okay for you to do it because you are a Democrat.   


Thanks For Listening!

The Idiot Wind of Know-Nothing Anti-Intellectualism

"By bringing intelligent conservative discourse to our campuses, we will increase our capacity to combat the idiot wind of know-nothing anti-intellectualism that is all too prevalent in our political culture. I am hopeful that Justice Scalia's lecture and discussion will contribute to this capacity."
                                        (Wesleyan U. President Michael Roth; Huffington Post, March 1)



   Two events concerning the U.S. Constitution and our Bill of rights will occur on the Wesleyan campus today. The first event, two performances of Neely Bruce's "Ten Amendments in Eight Motets" (see Middletown Insider, March 7) in the afternoon, will be followed in the evening by presentation of the Hugo Black lecture by Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. Justice Scalia's lecture is titled "The Originalist Approach to the First Amendment". All events will take place at Wesleyan Memorial Chapel on High Street.

By  his "idiot wind" comment President Roth surely was not referring to the storm of protest being prepared by students, off campus agitators, and others to "welcome" Justice Scalia to Wesleyan. However, the winds of anti-intellectualism have been blowing fiercely in the pages of the student run Argus newspaper.
Sample:

But Scalia’s arrival, and the moral imperative to confront him and “Occupy” his time at Wesleyan, can only go so far in the struggle to dismantle the oppressive institutions which have created a world of massive institutional violence, wealth disparity, environmental degradation and systematic erasure.  The next step is to turn our dissent inward, confronting the underlying institutionalized values which have allowed for this despicable event to occur in the first place.  We need to go beyond “Occupying” our campus.  The time has come to Decolonize Wesleyan.

Or:   

Let us never stop simply at “Occupying Scalia,” because Scalia, though a powerful individual, is really just a puppet in a larger system of domination embedded into the framework of the United States, which has seeped into the administrative attitude of Wesleyan.  We must confront his violence, certainly.  But we cannot stop there.  More conversations about envisioning a decolonized Wesleyan must occur, and we need to begin to understand how the ideologies spouted by bigots like Scalia are in full force, in less obvious ways, here at Wesleyan.                       

Mindless blather and slogans to be sure but, at the same time, dangerous. The hatred and contempt directed at our Founders and our founding documents is palpable.

Sample below of Neely Bruce's "First Amendment" score. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Why tonight's lecture may be quite interesting:

(Scalia's) writing style (and hopefully his speaking style) is best described as equal parts anger, confidence, and pageantry. Scalia has a taste for garish analogies and offbeat allusions—often very funny ones—and he speaks in no uncertain terms. He is highly accessible and tries not to get bogged down in abstruse legal jargon. But most of all, Scalia's opinions read like they're about to catch fire for pure outrage. He does not, in short, write like a happy man. (Wikipedia)