Theology and the Presidency
No. 812 Perhaps Rick Santorum made a mis-statement when he used the word theology when criticizing the Obama Administration’s approach to social issues. But, if so, it is a mistake that reveals a defective mindset. Government is a secular institution. Policies should be established based upon what is deemed to be the greater good for [...]
Half Mast
No. 811 New Jersey officially mourned the death of Whitney Houston yesterday, the day of her funeral, by directing that flags be flown at half mast. Pennsylvania did the same for Joe Paterno. Purists have pointed out that neither was qualified for what is essentially a military honor. So what is anyone to do about [...]
The Four Game Winning Streak.
No. 805 Excuse my impertinence. I refuse to get all stirred up predicting who is going to win on Sunday night. I noticed during dinner that ESPN was overanalyzing the situation, as normal. Could the Giants get to Brady? Was Brady intimidated by something or other? I forget what. Then they ask everybody down to [...]
DON’T CALL IT LUNACY, CALL IT COLONIALISM.
No. 804 Newt Gingrich has been taking some heat over suggesting that the United States plan to establish a permanent settlement on the Moon. You would think he had suggested colonizing a couple of countries in the Middle East. What is so crazy about planning a lunar colony? It makes a lot more sense, in [...]
Reassessment 2012: Look at the Court Ordered Reassessment Website for New Values and Comps.
No. 798 This morning the County downloaded City and Mt. Oliver values and comps on the new website entitled “Court Ordered Reassessment Values.” Check it out. CLT
Can You Say “Megaupload”, Boys and Girls?
No. 987 Try adding a hyphen: “Mega-upload.” Aha! This Japan-based internet giant was recently shut down by the FBI on charges that its file-sharing service was enabling users to share copyrighted material in vast quantities. And the head honcho of Megaupload, who has the intriguing name “Dotcom” was arrested and is being held without bail [...]
When Did Two Former Speakers of the House Run Against Each Other For President?
No. 792 In 1844, James K. Polk and Henry Clay, two former Speakers of the House of Representatives, ran against each other for President. Since Polk, there has never been another former Speaker elected to the Presidency. Clay ran for the Presidency in the general election twice and lost two other times in nominating conventions. [...]
Reassessment 2012: Does Rich Fitzgerald Really Believe His Own Message?
No. 787 According to today’s Post Gazette, Rich Fitzgerald says that he will let the current reassessment go through once there is a uniform statewide reassessment program. He says it is unfair for Allegheny County to have assessments based upon current sales data, while the other counties use historic data that, in some cases, is [...]
2012
No. 781 Having entered into a new year, it seems, so far, to be a lot like the old one. We started it off with another hardly perceptible earthquake, just like last year. And another big windstorm, just like many recent years. The Steelers are in the playoffs. Just like last year. Everybody knows that [...]
Reassessment 2012: Fudge Factor?
No. 780 Just a thought: Is the increase in the land component of assessments a way to fudge assessment increases in neighborhoods or locations where the assessors think values should be rising? If so, don’t accept any fudge that is half-baked. [Apologies to King's Family Restaurant for the photo.] CLT
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