Seattle To Mandate Sick Leave Policy to Private Businesses (UPDATE Below)

If I were a Seattle business owner, this proposed ordinance would have me really concerned. The Seattle City Council is considering mandating that businesses that operate in Seattle give employees a certain number of paid sick days each year.

The ordinance would require businesses to give workers in Seattle up to five, seven, or nine days of paid sick leave a year, depending on the size of the business and number of work hours accrued.

Larger businesses would have to pay more sick days than smaller businesses. Workers wouldn’t be eligible unless they’ve worked a minimum number of days. Businesses with less than 250 employees would have a year to comply, if the ordinance is passed.  Bigger businesses would have six months. (Source: Seattle PI)

California Appeals Court Gets Involved with DADT

Earlier this year, the Obama Administration ended the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy implemented by then-President Clinton back in the early 90’s. Once all the hand wring was done and the action was complete, the military went about ordering sensitivity training for the VAST, HUGE, INCREDIBLY LARGE percentage of military members who are not gay. This training has been ongoing since late this past winter.

It seems that the gay activists, who more than likely have never, ever, or would even consider serving in the military are not happy with the pace of this indoctrination. They pretty much filed a lawsuit immediately after the new law went into effect in an attempt to allow gays to serve right NOW.  Now it seems that a US Appeals Court in California (that says it all) has order the end of DADT and to allow gays to serve openly.

We all get it. The law has been passed that allows these people to serve openly in the military. What you gay rights activist don’t get, or don’t really care to get, it that you are dealing with an institution that has opposed gays serving since the dawn of time. On top of that, it is a conservative institution with a very large percentage of personnel who have deeply held beliefs against the gay lifestyle. The military leadership’s answer to overcome these deep convictions is a series of training briefs that cover how the new law will be enacted, how commanders are to handle difficulties, and how the EXCEEDINGLY HUGE majority are to conduct themselves in proper military fashion when given a direct order.

Consumer to Pay More For Debit Card Transactions

Here is a little something you can thank the Obama administration for. You know those debit cards that we’ve gotten used to using as a super easy convenience? It looks like now we are going to have to pay for that ease of use. In the past, financial institutions charged fees to merchants and heavily penalized consumers who got careless.

The new financial reform bills recently passed in Congress is going to blunt the bank’s ability to charge those fees, which garnered more than $50B.

For years, banks subsidized most debit-card holders by levying heavy fees on retailers and overdrawn consumers. Merchants paid a processing fee averaging 44 cents every time a shopper swiped a card. And careless cardholders typically got dinged $35 every time the bank covered an overdraft.

Last year the nation’s banks collected more than $50 billion from merchant fess and overdrafts, including checking and ATM balance-busters as well as debit-card transactions.

That is likely to decline, however, thanks to new rules mandated after the nation’s financial crises. Starting in October, merchants will pay 21 cents per transactions for debit processing. (Source: Seattle PI)

If you think the banks are going to absorb these costs out of the goodness of their hearts, then you just haven’t been paying attention. Capitalism requires every business to make a profit. And when you have a money-making machine like the debit card, the smart thing is to figure out a way to keep the golden goose laying those awesome eggs. Now that the Obama administration has tied the banks’ hands, they are going to pass this along to the consumer.

Meet the Illegal Immigrants Champion, Rep Luis Gutierrez

To say the Illinois Representative Luis Gutierrez is an illegal immigrant amnesty radical would be understating things a bit. In this link here he is advocating President Obama bypass Congress and put the DREAM Act into law without any action from Congress. He has also said that “comprehensive immigration reform” should be enacted as soon as possible. By that he means all illegal immigrants currently residing in the US should be granted automatic citizenship because they are here. Never mind that they broke our laws and never mind they never should have been here in the first place.

My first experience with Rep Gutierrez was watching him on Fox News a couple of years back. Since then, he has been a little like disgraced NY Congressman Anthony Wiener in that he is a democrat not afraid to step into the lion’s den that is Fox News. His platform has almost always been exclusively pro-amnesty, speaking out against the Arizona and Georgia laws, a huge proponent of the DREAM Act, and basically pushing for a blanket amnesty for all Latino illegal immigrants.

 

Veterans Cemetery Eliminates God

This story at both Big Peace and Fox News seems just a little far-fetched, even under the rights-restricting Obama Administration. So far though, I have not found anything that refutes these stories. In a Houston, TX the director of the Houston National Cemetery has supposedly done the following:

1. Ordered an American Legion post to remove prayers from its burial rituals;

2. Telling the National Memorial Ladies they could no longer included “God bless” in its condolence cards or use religious messages when talking with veterans’ families;

3. Shutting down the cemetery chapel and turning it into a meeting room. (Source: Big Peace)

Snowbird Utah Sets Records

Gosh dang that global warming or climate change, or whatever you want to call it today. Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort in Utah had so much climate change (global warming?) this past winter that the resort was able to stay open to July 4th for only the third time in its history. Snowbird also set their record for the longest season at 202 days.  There is still 12 feet of global warming (climate change?) at the top of the resort.  As an added bonus, because of whatever (climate change/global warming) Snowbird also set a record for the most total snowfall in a season.

OwlGore, where are you?

BTW: ever notice that when a record amount of snowfall occurs, no one ever says a thing about climate change/global warming. But if high temps are broken, or rainfall decreases over a period of time, OwlGore and his crew are right there saying “See, I told you so!”

Big Government Stupidity In Oregon

Here are a couple of “big government” issues happening down the road in Oregon.

Portland Mayor Sam Adams has OK’d funds (taxpayer money) to pay for Portland city employees to get sex change operations.

Portland Mayor Sam Adams wants city benefits to include sex-reassignment surgery, saying they should match the city’s policy against gender discrimination.

“I think it’s fair, and it’s common sense,” Adams said in an interview Monday before leaving for weeklong trip to Brazil for city business.

…

“This is basic, medically necessary health care,” said Jeana Frazzini, executive director of Basic Rights Oregon, a gay rights and gender-identity advocacy group. (Source: The Oregonian)

Hmm, a “basic, medically necessary health care.” I would sure like to see a like bit of proof that changing one’s sex is medically necessary. A man wanting to be a woman is not like having cancer or a broken leg. If someone wants to have this procedure done, then they should be responsible for it. There are those who would argue that pregnancy is not medically necessary: you get pregnant by choice. True enough, but I think if you asked most people, covering this as a part of medical insurance is a no-brainer. But electing to get your private bits changed around is not something that most people (IMO) should support having taxpayer money cover.

Title IX has always been a bone of contention for me. This law basically states that there must be as much opportunity for school-age girls to participate in sports as for the boys. Over the years of its implementation, many schools (high school and college) have had to cut sports for boys to start programs for girls. Often times, the sports cut is done unilaterally, boys get cut but no girls program developed, just to get the number of participants balanced.

Recently, a suit was filed against Oregon high schools that had an imbalance of the number of girls vs. the number of boys playing sports.

Sixty Oregon school districts have been named in a complaint filed with the US Office of Civil Rights for allegedly failing to provide high school girls with equal opportunities as boys to play sports, a violation of Title IX.

…

Using 2006 data, the complaint lists the schools from largest to smallest in disparity, which is the difference between the percentage of girls who are athletes compared to the percentage of overall female student. About 30 schools top the list with double-digit percentage-point gaps in the number of girl athletes to girl students, according to the complaint. (Source: The Oregonian)

A couple of points here to make. The first one is that football should be thrown out of the equation. This really tips the scales due to the high number of boys who play football. Girls very rarely play football, and there is no corresponding sport with the same level of required participants needed to field a team.

Secondly, girls don’t play sports as much as guys do, it is a simple fact that these government busy-bodies never seem to acknowledge. This is not to say girls don’t play; they do, and in increasing numbers. But boys always have and always will view sports as a part of moving into manhood.

BTW: I could do a whole nother post on the wussification of America by these do-gooder busy-bodies. They spend a lot of time trying to fight nature. Boys are going to act like men, whether these femi-nazi want them to or not.

Way back when I was a kid, my mother, who was at the leading edge of the whole feminist movement, tried with all her might to keep me from playing sports. But participating in athletics was a natural as using the restroom. So I sneaked around. I would tell her I was studying. When I’d get caught, it would really be too late to have me quite. She’d tell me to stop sneaking around, but I would listen, then I’d get in trouble all over again. As I got into high school, she finally relented, but she never really took any sort of interest. She thought sports were barbaric and unenlightened.

Fortunately, the woman I married has a different view on boys and sports. She doesn’t care to watch them on TV and is not a fan of any sort. Except when her boys are playing. Then she is quite rabid.

Military Appreciation

If you have an appreciation for the men and women who serve this great nation there is link to an absolutely awesome video over at Rural Revolution.

HERE.

Come back after viewing.

I did 27+ years in the Air Force with eight deployments around the world, including four to the Middle East. During my tours, any feelings of fear that I had were not so much that I would die (that would suck), but more for how would my family carry on. Would my boys grow up to be strong and behave like men? Would my wife always remember me, even if she moved on? Would my parents still be proud of my decision so many years ago? Would my nation take a just a moment away from their bar-b-q and beer to remember me and my fellow comrades on that last Monday in May?

The video is rather timely also. Right now, the Sec of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is floating the idea of reducing military pay and benefits. Hard figures have not yet been released, although I am sure they are out there. What a lousy time to be discussing this. We are currently involved in three shooting wars (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya). While our all volunteer military is spending time in some of the most hostile regions on earth, the politicians are trying to figure out ways to save taxpayer dollars to keep thee hoochy-welfare momma in cell phones and cable TV.

I agree with many who say we are well compensated. My life in the military was very comfortable, especially in the latter half as I started to increase in rank (and pay). My retirement pay is adequate, although I cannot live on it. My health care is decent and for the most part, I don’t have to pay a whole lot for health care services. Consider this though: I spent a total of almost five years away from my family, most of the that time in regions of the world where people were very determined to kill any American, especially those in uniform. So, outside of Police, Fire and Rescue, and Border Patrol, who puts their life on the line each and every day? Certainly not teachers. Certainly not the government office worker. Certainly not the politician. And most certainly not the people receiving government welfare checks.

I hope this video can make the rounds over in the Middle East, those guys and gals need it.

Scary Airports Around the World

Very interesting story and videos of some of the scariest airports to land. I have landed at two of these locations. I will also add another. The airport in Anchorage, AK is quite scary. Not so much for the terrain, although it does bug me. It is the fact that the runway extends out into Prince William Sound. This body of water is relatively warm, especially in the winter. This causes updrafts that can move an approaching aircraft up and down enough to give passengers’ great pause (OK, it scares the snot out of me). I have landed there several times and still dread it.

UofO Footbal Could Be In Big Trouble

As some of you may be aware, I am a fan of the University of Oregon. Last year, they played for the National Championship and lost to Auburn on a last minute field goal. Well, it seems the Ducks might be running afoul of the NCAA for paying someone to improperly influence the decision of a recruit.

As violations go, this is not really a big one, at least in my mind. It certainly doesn’t come close to shenanigans that have gone at schools like Ohio State and Southern Cal. But it could do some damage. Oregon has only recently risen to national prominence. The Ducks do not have the long-running tradition that schools like Michigan, Nebraska and Alabama enjoy. For this reason, it could wind up a big deal. Recruiting violations and other less than “legal” actions are not something that Oregon has a ton of experience with. Couple that with the NCAA may wish to teach the young upstart a lesson, and trouble could be brewing.