When it comes to wasting court and government resources no one need point the finger in the direction of injured people. Yelling for tort reform is the mantra of idiots who want nothing more than to protect the insurance war chest. This story from our neighbor to the south is about knowing how not to create jobs. I’m not sure why the proponents would choose a recession to argue for this one, but their opponents have the numbers. So let’s see what government waste is on the recent agenda of those who will waive the flag while flushing this country down the toilet.

It’s a war of words to divide and conquer.

Missouri’s legislature picked a recession to go after exotic dancers in a measure designed to put them out of business. Choose whatever side you want, I personally could care less, but not in a recession. When I read this story all I could think of was, for crying out loud why now?  The adult club industry in Missouri points out it employs 3,000 people and brings in $4,500,000.00 in tax revenue. And why does the Missouri legislature choose 2010 to try and shut them down?  Someone ought to send our southern neighbors the unemployment statistics. I listened to Bloomberg on Sirius yesterday. It was a long drive to the prison camp in Duluth so I heard it said several times there are 7 people applying for every job looking for a single person to hire. The expert citing that statistic is Brad DeLong who publishes the blog “Grasping Reality with Both Hands”. But let’s not stop in Missouri because there is more nonsense being practiced in New Mexico.

In New Mexico Val Kilmer wants to open a bed & breakfast on his 6,000 acre ranch outside of Sante Fe and the San Miguel County Commission refuses to approve the permit until he apologizes for statements attributed to him in a Rolling Stone and Esquire magazine articles. What they are looking for is an apology to the entire state for things he is quoted as saying that the citizen’s claim is less than flattering of their culture.  So I have to wonder how this waste of the elected official’s time is helping that image. Let’s call it the case of New Mexico vs Doc Holiday and the Iceman.  The theme is how to distract the voters by arguing over nonsense while the unemployed look for a job that Kilmer’s B&B just might create a few of. While Kilmer is no saint everyone needs to get around the table and go kiss-kiss rather than bang-bang. And if you can’t get along for the sake of creating jobs the voters ought to be smart enough and throw you all out of office. Now how about Iowans, what’s a good government waste story.

Des Moines Lincoln will pay its interim principal $110,000 for one school year. And she’s retired! Hopefully Joan Roberts isn’t teaching civic responsibility and community service. We can’t afford any more of this kind of community service.

Iowa’s unemployment rate is still at 6.8% in May.

The State of Iowa’s treasury is short on cash but the Governor’s race is heating up and the cash each candidate has to spend is quite healthy. Branstad raised $3.2 million in the primary and spent all but $500,000. Culver has about $3.25 million.  Would you like to know why news sources will go soft on what candidates spend on elections? Read this quote from the Register. “Culver and Nussle combined to raise more than $17 million for the 2006 campaign, much of it spent on television advertising.”

Meanwhile Roxanne “It’s My Tax Credit” Conlin who was paid $75 million in the Microsoft litigation is scrambling to be the working stiffs candidate when she and her husband were given over $64,000,000.00 (that’s millions) in tax credits. She may be a little out of touch with what a working family lives on week-to-week. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

“The Des Moines Register reported this morning that Conlin, who has campaigned against tax breaks that benefit wealthy Americans, is a part-owner in 27 low-income apartment complexes that were financed through the sale of millions of dollars in federal tax credits. The rental developments, all located in the Des Moines metropolitan area, were built over the past 19 years using $64.2 million from federal low-income housing tax credits, the Register found after a review of state and federal records.

Conlin, a Des Moines lawyer, told the Mason City audience: “I know people might think just from reading the headline that I took $65 million from the federal government and nothing could be further from the truth.” Oh my God, that explains it. Now I feel much better. I’m sure those standing in a soup line will think fondly of her now that she’s explained the 64 million dollar question.

And by the way don’t point the finger at her because she’s a trial lawyer because I don’t think she shared one thin dime of those $75 million in fees with any Iowa trial lawyer I know. Why don’t you ask her the amount of fees she was awarded in the Microsoft litigation in Minnesota and in Wisconsin? Do yourselves a favor and leave the trial lawyers out of this campaign. I will say that Roxanne is a much better lawyer than she appears to be a politician. She ought to stick to the court room. All in all I believe Chuck Grassley does a good job and will be reelected. He's not been bad to our clients and everyone knows it. Sorry Roxanne, but I'm voting for Chuck. What’s going on in the cheerleading world?

Is cheerleading a sport or not? It seems in Connecticut it isn’t.  The female volleyball team at Quinnipiac University wanted the cheer squad to be declared a non-sport so they can have a share of the appropriations pie. If cheerleading were considered a sport under Title IX then the University could use those female participation numbers to justify canning the volleyball team. In a showing that cheerleaders can be mean girls they sued QU and proved they aren’t just a bunch of pretty faces; because they won the lawsuit! Not very lady-like if you ask me. This fight is all about Title IX and federal, state and university funding. Like Judge Fitz would say, if you want to know why there is a fight, you just have to follow the money.  The court ruled in favor of cheerleading not being a sport, at least as far as for meeting gender-equity requirements under Title IX. But don’t think for a second that this fight is over. It’s not because the powers-that-be will now look at the school sport immunity statutes and may very well argue it is a sport for purposes of isolating themselves from claims of negligence when the cheerleaders are catastrophically injured and sue school officials for negligence under tort law.  What parents need to know is as a parent of a cheerleader you’d better purchase your own insurance coverage for medical, rehabilitation and wage losses (disability) or your child’s life can be ruined as government officials show you the door. If your child is a cheerleader you have to realize that they are not covered by catastrophic insurance purchased by the school district. The language of the Connecticut case may be useful in understanding the reasoning courts may apply when faced with an immunity question concerning cheerleader personal injury.

The CEO from BP hasn’t taken enough crap from a Congress and President clearly interested in redirection attention away from the growing deficit, they lack of a plan to get this country back on track to prosperity and the anger of voters over the entire mess. Clearly no one has the guts to tell the American public that the only plan to correct America’s economic course is simply time. This recession can be compared to a hangover. No matter what you do after a night of drinking too much there is no remedy except waiting and waiting and waiting for the effects to naturally pass. Instead of taking the microphone and just saying that Americans are living on a false economy built on debt and not real economic prosperity Congress has another plan of action. The Congress will simply convene Congressional hearings and in the case of BP they will thank them for this catastrophe as they publicly rake the CEO, Tony Hayward over hot coals; in order to redirect attention. If I’d put up with as much as he has lately I too would have gone on a sailing regatta. Why should we care if he takes a day off and goes out to sea? At least he’s been showing up; unlike Bush and company during Hurricane Katrina. The Gulf oil spill is a terrible situation but let’s put the focus and heat right back onto the Congress that has been asleep at the switch as long as Bush was in the bloody White House. Where is the village idiot who created this debacle?

If you want to know what government really fears; it’s you getting off the tax revenue treadmill. Convert to solar and pull your house plug from the utility grid and tax revenues will plummet further allowing less spending discretion to power hungry campaign war chests. Take tax dollars out of politicians’ reach and you drain their power base. We will never get a handle on that which drains America of its economic livelihood and power if we stay the course. Remember that idiotic phrase? You should because over half of you voted for it. The elected officials will not promote solutions that dilute their own ability to raise campaign dollars. Remember follow the money trail.  Conflicting voter issues is good to a politician because it means leverage to squeeze campaign contributions out of warring factions. Republicans and Democrats aren’t any different. Their goals are simply to get reelected. Their workday agenda is simple; make each side of any political debate believe the Congressman is undecided but are leaning towards your point of view. All you have to do is contribute to their campaign war chest and you’re lead to believe that will tip their decision in your favor. More dollars equals more air time for the networks. So if you’re looking for truth from your television go back to the first story about Val Kilmer and instead of wasting your time with politics watch Top Gun.

Like I said before throw them all out of office and keep throwing them out till we get this economic mess straightened out. The less they do in office the better. And like Bobby Knight says, some times to add, you have to subtract.  Enough rambling for one day, onward we march.