Wheres the Vatican's Common Sense? Prophecy of the Popes

'Prophecy of the Popes'Saint Malachy is an Irish saint who lived between 1094 and 1148 and served as the archbishop of Armagh. He is perhaps best known for supposedly penning an apocalyptic series of 112 phrases, which he claimed came to him in a vision and predicted the series of popes who would reign over the church and eventually preside over its downfall. The so-called "Prophecy of the Popes" has been pointed to by numerous doomsayers over the years in predicting catastrophe for the church.Roughly translated from its original Latin, the Prophecy reads: "In the extreme persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit Peter the Roman, who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations, and when these things are finished, the city of seven hills [i.e. Rome] will be destroyed, and the terrible judge will judge his people. The End."Peter the RomanIf "Peter the Roman" is to oversee the end of times, who is Peter the Roman? According to some, he could be one of the leading candidates to become pope. Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson is a member of the Catholic administrative body, the Roman Curia, and could therefore be loosely described as Peter the Roman.'Prophecy' may be forgeryAmong the many problems with the Malachy's supposed prophecy is that he may have never written it at all. According numerous sources including the New Advent's Catholic Encyclopedia, there was no mention of Malachy's writings for more than 400 years from the time it was said to have been written and 1590 when Benedictine monk Arnold de Wyon published the "Prophecy of Popes." The silence about the writings from even Malachy's closest friends has led many scholars to conclude that the writings are forgeries, likely written by Wyon himself, and the Catholic Church has never embraced the writings as official doctrine

Underdog Creator Dies

William "Buck" Biggers has passed away in Plymouth, Mass. at the age of 85. Biggers was co-creator of the "Underdog" cartoon, which debuted on NBC in 1964 and aired in syndication through 1973. It was followed-up by a Disney live action film starring Jason Lee, Jim Belushi, and Amy Adams in 2007.



The classic cartoon character was the caped alter-ego of a mind-mannered shoeshine boy -- make that shoe-shine canine -- who appeared any time Sweet Polly Purebred was in trouble. The character's most infamous line was "There's no need to fear; Underdog is here."

Where did Valentines Day come from?

Who was St. Valentine? Mystery surrounds the identity of the patron saint of lovers.

Indeed, such was the confusion that the Vatican dropped St. Valentine's Day from the Catholic Church calendar of saints in the 1960s.

There were at least three men by the name Valentine in the A.D. 200s, and all died horrible deaths.

One was a priest in the Roman Empire who helped persecuted Christians during the reign of Claudius II. As he was imprisoned, he restored the sight of a blind girl, who fell in love with him. He was beheaded on Feb. 14.

Another was the pious bishop of Terni, also tortured and beheaded during Claudius II's reign.

A third Valentine secretly married couples, ignoring Claudius II's ban of marriage. When the priest of love was eventually arrested, legend has it that he fell deeply in love with his jailer's daughter.

Before his death by beating and decapitation, he signed a farewell note to her: “From your Valentine.”

Apart from legend, the first connection between romance and Feb. 14 goes back to Geoffrey Chaucer (1340?-1400), the English poet and author of The Canterbury Tales.

In his poem "Parliament of Fowls" (1382), Chaucer suggested that St. Valentine's Day was the time when birds chose their mates.

"For this was Seynt Valentyne's Day. When every foul cometh ther to choose his mate," he wrote.

Some 33 years later, Duke Charles of Orleans wrote what is considered the oldest known valentine in existence.

Imprisoned in the Tower of London after being captured by the English, in 1415 the French nobleman wrote his wife, Bonne d’Armagnac, a rhyming love letter, which is now part of the manuscript collection in the British Library in London.

The first two lines of the poem were:

"Je suis déjà d'amour tanné. Ma très douce Valentinée." (I am already sick with love, My very gentle Valentine).

It was an intense but unfortunate love: Bonne d’Armagnac may never have seen him again. She died before Charles' return to France in 1440.

RAND PAUL FOR PRESIDENT

  THIS IS HIS RESPONSE TO THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
I speak to you tonight from Washington, D.C. The state of our economy is tenuous but our people remain the greatest example of freedom and prosperity the world has ever known.
People say America is exceptional. I agree, but it’s not the complexion of our skin or the twists in our DNA that make us unique. America is exceptional because we were founded upon the notion that everyone should be free to pursue life, liberty, and happiness.
For the first time in history, men and women were guaranteed a chance to succeed based NOT on who your parents were but on your own initiative and desire to work.
We are in danger, though, of forgetting what made us great. The President seems to think the country can continue to borrow $50,000 per second. The President believes that we should just squeeze more money out of those who are working.
The path we are on is not sustainable, but few in Congress or in this Administration seem to recognize that their actions are endangering the prosperity of this great nation.
Ronald Reagan said, government is not the answer to the problem, government is the problem.
Tonight, the President told the nation he disagrees. President Obama believes government is the solution: More government, more taxes, more debt.
What the President fails to grasp is that the American system that rewards hard work is what made America so prosperous.
What America needs is not Robin Hood but Adam Smith. In the year we won our independence, Adam Smith described what creates the Wealth of Nations.
He described a limited government that largely did not interfere with individuals and their pursuit of happiness.
All that we are, all that we wish to be is now threatened by the notion that you can have something for nothing, that you can have your cake and eat it too, that you can spend a trillion dollars every year that you don’t have.
I was elected to the Senate in 2010 by people worried about our country, worried about our kids and their future. I thought I knew how bad it was in Washington. But it is worse than I ever imagined.
Congress is debating the wrong things.
Every debate in Washington is about how much to increase spending – a little or a lot.
About how much to increase taxes – a little or a lot.
The President does a big “woe is me” over the $1.2 trillion sequester that he endorsed and signed into law. Some Republicans are joining him. Few people understand that the sequester doesn’t even cut any spending. It just slows the rate of growth. Even with the sequester, government will grow over $7 trillion over the next decade.
Only in Washington could an increase of $7 trillion in spending over a decade be called a cut.
So, what is the President’s answer? Over the past four years he has added over $6 trillion in new debt and may well do the same in a second term. What solutions does he offer? He takes entitlement reform off the table and seeks to squeeze more money out of the private sector.
He says he wants a balanced approach.
What the country really needs is a balanced budget.
Washington acts in a way that your family never could – they spend money they do not have, they borrow from future generations, and then they blame each other for never fixing the problem.
Tonight I urge you to demand a new course.
Demand Washington change their ways, or be sent home.
To begin with, we absolutely must pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution!
The amendment must include strict tax and spending limitations.
Liberals complain that the budget can’t be balanced but if you cut just one penny from each dollar we currently spend, the budget would balance within six or seven years.
The Penny Plan has been crafted into a bill that millions of conservatives across the country support.
It is often said that there is not enough bipartisanship up here.
That is not true.
In fact, there is plenty.
Both parties have been guilty of spending too much, of protecting their sacred cows, of backroom deals in which everyone up here wins, but every taxpayer loses.
It is time for a new bipartisan consensus.
It is time Democrats admit that not every dollar spent on domestic programs is sacred. And it is time Republicans realize that military spending is not immune to waste and fraud.
Where would we cut spending; well, we could start with ending all foreign aid to countries that are burning our flag and chanting death to America.
The President could begin by stopping the F-16s and Abrams tanks being given to the radical Islamic government of Egypt.
Not only should the sequester stand, many pundits say the sequester really needs to be at least $4 trillion to avoid another downgrade of America’s credit rating.
Both parties will have to agree to cut, or we will never fix our fiscal mess.
Bipartisanship is not what is missing in Washington. Common sense is.
Trillion-dollar deficits hurt us all.
Printing more money to feed the never-ending appetite for spending hurts us all.
We pay higher prices every time we go to the supermarket or the gas pump. The value of the dollar shrinks with each new day.
Contrary to what the President claims, big government and debt are not a friend to the poor and the elderly. Big-government debt keeps the poor poor and saps the savings of the elderly.
This massive expansion of the debt destroys savings and steals the value of your wages.
Big government makes it more expensive to put food on the table. Big government is not your friend. The President offers you free stuff but his policies keep you poor.
Under President Obama, the ranks of America’s poor swelled to almost 1 in 6 people last year, reaching a new high as long-term unemployment left millions of Americans struggling and out of work.
The cycle must be broken.
The willpower to do this will not come from Congress. It must come from the American people.
Next month, I will propose a five-year balanced budget, a budget that last year was endorsed by taxpayer groups across the country for its boldness, and for actually solving the problem.
I will work with anyone on either side of the aisle who wants to cut spending.
But in recent years, there has been no one to work with.
The President’s massive tax hikes and spending increases have caused his budgets to get ZERO votes in both houses of Congress. Not a single Democrat voted for the President’s budget!
But at least he tried.
Senate Democrats have not even produced a budget in the time I have been in office, a shameful display of incompetence that illustrates their lack of seriousness.
This year, they say they will have a budget, but after just recently imposing hundreds of billions in new taxes, they now say they will include more tax hikes in their budget.
We must stand firm. We must say NO to any MORE tax hikes!
Only through lower taxes, less regulation and more freedom will the economy begin to grow again.
Our party is the party of growth, jobs and prosperity, and we will boldly lead on these issues.
Under the Obama economy, 12 million people are out of work. During the President’s first term 800,000 construction workers lost their jobs and another 800,000 simply gave up on looking for work.
With my five-year budget, millions of jobs would be created by cutting the corporate income tax in half, by creating a flat personal income tax of 17%, and by cutting the regulations that are strangling American businesses.
The only stimulus ever proven to work is leaving more money in the hands of those who earned it!
For those who are struggling we want to you to have something infinitely more valuable than a free phone, we want you to have a job and pathway to success.
We are the party that embraces hard work and ingenuity, therefore we must be the party that embraces the immigrant who wants to come to America for a better future.
We must be the party who sees immigrants as assets, not liabilities.
We must be the party that says, “If you want to work, if you want to become an American, we welcome you.”
For those striving to climb the ladder of success we must fix our schools.
America’s educational system is leaving behind anyone who starts with disadvantages.
We have cut classroom size in half and tripled spending on education and still we lag behind much of the world.
A great education needs to be available for everyone, whether you live on country club lane or in government housing.
This will only happen when we allow school choice for everyone, rich or poor, white, brown, or black.
Let the taxes you pay for education follow each and every student to the school of your choice.
Competition has made America the richest nation in history. Competition can make our educational system the envy of the world.
The status quo traps poor children in a crumbling system of hopelessness.
When every child can, like the President’s kids, go to the school of their choice, then will the dreams of our children come true!
Washington could also use a good dose of transparency, which is why we should fight back against middle of the night deals that end with massive bills no one has read.
We must continue to fight for legislation that forces Congress to read the bills!
We must continue to object when Congress sticks special interest riders on bills in the dead of night!
And if Congress refuses to obey its own rules, if Congress refuses to pass a budget, if Congress refuses to read the bills, then I say:
Sweep the place clean. Limit their terms and send them home!
I have seen the inner sanctum of Congress and believe me there is no monopoly on knowledge there.
If they will not listen, if they will not balance the budget, then we should limit their terms.
We are the party that adheres to the Constitution. We will not let the liberals tread on the Second Amendment!
We will fight to defend the entire Bill of Rights from the right to trial by jury to the right to be free from unlawful searches.
We will stand up against excessive government power wherever we see it.
We cannot and will not allow any President to act as if he were a king.
We will not let any President use executive orders to impinge on the Second Amendment.
We will not tolerate secret lists of American citizens who can be killed without trial.
Montesquieu wrote that there can be no liberty when the executive branch and the legislative branch are combined. Separation of powers is a bedrock principle of our Constitution.
We took the President to court over his unconstitutional recess appointments and won.
If necessary, we will take him to court again if he attempts to legislate by executive order.
Congress must reassert its authority as the protector of these rights, and stand up for them, no matter which party is in power.
Congress must stand as a check to the power of the executive, and it must stand as it was intended, as the voice of the people.
The people are crying out for change. They are asking for us to hear their voices, to fix our broken system, to right our economy and to restore their liberty.
Let us tonight let them know that we hear their voices. That we can and must work together, that we can and must re-chart our course toward a better future.
America has much greatness left in her. We will begin to thrive again when we begin to believe in ourselves again, when we regain our respect for our founding documents, when we balance our budget, when we understand that capitalism and free markets and free individuals are what creates our nation’s prosperity.
Thank you and God Bless America.

Cool Facts about Money

There are 13 leaves on the branch that the eagle is carrying in its talons.

There is an alien being at the far left corner of the pyramid behind the shrub! The shrub is there to disguise but its there- use a good quality magnifying glass

If you look at the 4th line up on the pyramid you will see "forever Alone" 

There are also 13 bow and arrows in the eagles talons

If you turn the 1 dollar bill backwards at the left of the pyramid(and right of the eagle) you can see designs,grab one of the ends and bring it to the other design.Get one of the parts that look like eyes and put it over the other one.

The eagle is carrying 13 arrows

The seal on the dollar bill is not the Great Seal of the United States. It's actually the great seal of the Illuminati  The year 1776 on the dollar bill does not represent the Declaration of Independence either. It was the year of the beginning of the Illuminati(May 1, 1776)

If u make a 6 pointed star on the triangle on the back of the dollar bill. you will connect the letter A, S,N,M,O. and u know what that spells? MASON!!! coincidence

Is there a DRONE in your Hood?

drone map

The Federal Aviation Administration has finally released a new drone authorization list. This list, released in response to EFF’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, includes law enforcement agencies and universities across the country, and—for the first time—an Indian tribal agency. In all, the list includes more than 20 new entities over the FAA’s original list, bringing to 81 the total number of public entities that have applied for FAA drone authorizations through October 2012.

Some of these new drone license applicants include: Some of these new drone license applicants include:

The State Department

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Barona Band of Mission Indians Risk Management Office (near San Diego, California)

Canyon County Sheriff’s Office (Idaho)

Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office (Northwest Oregon)

Grand Forks Sheriff’s Department (North Dakota)

King County Sheriff’s Office (covering Seattle, Washington)

And several new entities in Ohio, including:

Medina County Sheriff’s Office

Ohio Department of Transportation

Sinclair Community College

Lorain County Community College

The list comes amid extensive controversy over a newly-released memo documenting the CIA’s policy on the targeted killing of American citizens and on the heels of news that Charlottesville, Virginia has just become one of the first cities in the country to ban drones. This new list should contribute to the debate over whether using domestic drones for surveillance is consistent with the Constitution and with American values.

hey google.............?

is there anyone with internal frustration with dealing with Adsense Adwords webmasters analytic s as i am why cant they just ask a stream of questions or an app with some yes no questions? we should get together and sign a petition demanding simpler way thru a  wtf system !   who's with me?

How to Detect Counterfeit US Money

The U.S. government estimates that less than 1/100 of 1 percent (that is, 0.01%), of U.S. paper currency in circulation is counterfeit. Considering recent advances in printing technology and the obviously vast incentive to counterfeit bills, that is a small number. In part, that's because the U.S. Secret Service thoroughly investigates all reported counterfeiting cases, and because there are criminal penalties for counterfeiting or passing fake bills. Perhaps more than anything, though, counterfeiting is difficult because of the bills'security features, which are hard to reproduce but easy to use to verify your money's authenticity.

EditSteps

1. 1
   Feel the texture of the bill. People who handle money many times, such as cashiers, can identify a lower-quality fake bill instantly just by touching it. You may not have that much experience, but just about everybody has handled enough money, that they can detect many counterfeits simply by feeling the texture, and paying attention (the paper that bank notes are printed on is not sold commercially; furthermore, the composition of the paper and ink is confidential). Genuine currency has slightly raised ink that is produced in the intaglio printing process. You should be able to feel the texture of this ink, especially if you are holding a new dollar bill.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • The paper that money is printed on has slightly changed since the implementation of cotton rag. While money rag now has colored filaments, the traditional feel of moneywas intentionally left unchanged over the decades, because of its distinctive feel. The feel of a bill made 50 years ago should feel similar to a brand new dollar bill.
2. 2
   Compare the bill with another of the same denomination and series. If the bill feels all right, or if you are a little suspicious but unsure, hold the bill side by side with another bill. Different denominations, obviously, look different, so get a note of the same amount. Also, all denominations, except the $1 and $2, have been redesigned at least once since 1990, so it is best to compare the suspect bill to one in the same series, or date.
   
   
   
   
3. 3
   Notice the relative flatness and lack of detail on the fake bill.]]Look carefully at the printing quality. Real U.S. bills are printed using techniques that regular offset printing and digital printing (the most popular tools for all but the most sophisticated counterfeiters) cannot replicate. Look for blurry areas, especially in fine details such as around the borders--real bills have clear, unbroken borders--and on the Federal Reserve and Treasury seals, where the sawtooth points should be sharp and well-defined in genuine bills. Portraits in fake bills may appear dull, blurred, and flat, while in real currency, the portraits are sharp and contain very fine detailing.
   
   
   
   
4. 4
   Look for colored fibers in the paper. All U.S. bills have tiny red and blue fibers embedded in the paper. Counterfeiters sometimes try to reproduce these by printing or drawing these fibers onto the paper, but close inspection reveals, however, that on the counterfeit note you will see that they are printed on, rather than being part of the paper itself.
   
   
   
   
5. 5
   Examine the serial numbers. Make sure that the serial numbers on a bill match, and look at them carefully. Fake bills may have serial numbers that are not evenly spaced or that are not perfectly aligned in a row. If you received multiple suspicious bills, see if the serial numbers are the same on both bills. If they are the same, then they are counterfeit notes.
   
   
   
   
6. 6
   Look for security features in all denominations, except the $1 and $2. The easiest way to spot a fake $5, $10, $20, $50 or $100 bill is to look for the following security features, all of which are very difficult to fake.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • Look for a security thread (a plastic strip) running from top to bottom. Beginning in 1990, an embedded (not printed) security thread was added to all bills except the $1 and $2 bills. If you hold the bill up to the light, you will see the strip and printing on it. The printing will say "USA" followed by the denomination of the bill, which is spelled out for $5, $10, and $20 bills but presented in numerals on the $50 and $100 bills. These threads are placed in different places on each denomination to prevent lower-denomination bills being bleached and reprinted as higher denominations. Compare a genuine bill of the same denomination, to make sure that the position of the thread is correct. If it is not, the bill is not genuine.
     • The $5 bill has "USA FIVE" written on the thread, the $10 bill has "USA TEN" written on the thread; the $20 bill has "USA TWENTY" written on the security thread; the $50 bill has "USA 50" written on the thread; and the $100 bill has the words "USA 100" written on the security thread. Micro-printing can be found around the portrait as well as on the security threads.
     • Hold the bill up to a black light. If authentic, the security thread in the bills will glow: the $5 bill glows blue, the $10 bill glows orange, the $20 bill glows green, the $50 bill glows yellow and the $100 bill glows pink.
   • Hold the bill up to a light to check for a watermark. A watermark bearing the image of the person whose portrait is on the bill can be found on all $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills series 1996 and later, and on $5 bills series 1999 and later. The watermark is embedded in the paper to the right of the portrait, and it can be seen from both sides of the bill.
   • Tilt the bill to examine the color-shifting ink. Color-shifting ink (ink that appears to change color when the bill is tilted) can be found on 100, 50 and 20 dollar bills series 1996 and later, and on 10 dollar bills series 1999 and later; $5 and lower bills do not yet have this feature. The color originally appeared to change from green to black, but it goes from copper to green in recent redesigns of the bills.
   • Use a magnifying glass to examine micro-printing. Beginning in 1990, very tiny printing was added to certain places (which have periodically been changed since then) on $5 and higher denomination bills. The exact location of the micro-printing is not generally an issue. Rather, counterfeits will often have either no micro-printing or very blurred micro-printing. On a genuine bill, the micro-printing will be crisp and clear.
     
     
   • Run your fingernail over the portrait's vest of the bill. You 
   • k for differences, not similarities. Counterfeit bills, if they're any good at all, will be similar to real ones in many ways, but if a bill differs in just one way, it's probably fake.
   • As the steps above explain, the $1 and $2 bills have fewer security features than other denominations. This is seldom a problem because counterfeiters rarely try to make these bills.
   • "Raised bills" are a very simple type of counterfeit in which numerals are glued onto a low denomination bill to make it look like it is a higher denomination. You can easily spot these fakes by comparing the numbers in the corners to the denomination printed in letters at the bottom of the bill. If you are still not sure, compare the bill to another bill of the same denomination.
   • The ink used in U.S. currency is actually magnetic, but this is not a method for detecting counterfeits. The strength is extremely low and is useful only for automated currency counters. If you have a small but strong magnet, such as a neodymium magnet, you can lift a genuine bill. Although you cannot lift the bill off of a table, you can certainly tell that it is magnetic.
   • It's a common misconception that if the ink smears when you rub the bill on something, the bill is not genuine. This is not necessarily true, but ink that does not smear does not mean that the bill is genuine.
   • The Secret Service and U.S. Treasury do not recommend relying solely on a counterfeit-detection pen of the kind that you often see clerks use in stores. These pens can only indicate whether the note is printed on the wrong kind of paper (they simply react to the presence of starch). As such, they will catch some counterfeits, but they won't detect more sophisticated fakes and will give false-negatives on real money that is been through the wash.
   • 
     

      An example of a EURion constellation on a U.S. $20 bill.
     Beginning with Series 2004, $10, $20 and $50 bills received a redesign with several changes to their overall look, notably the addition of more colors (see the picture of the $50 bill above). Probably the most important new security feature is the addition of EURion Constellations, a distinct arrangement of symbols (in this case, numbers) which triggers many color photocopiers to refuse to copy the bill.
   • On the newer $100's you can see the words " the United States of America" micro printed in the lapel of Benjamin franklins jacket. According to the history channel special I saw about counterfeiting, this is impossible to do except by the us mint method of making currency.
   • should feel distinctive ridges, printers cannot reproduce this.

Where's DC'S Common Sense?... Talk about no good deed going unpunished

I COULD NOT BELIEVE THIS 

Man Shoots Dogs to Save Boy, Could Face Charges

THIS MAN IS A HERO  WHEN WILL AMERICA RETURN ?

An 11-year-old boy was riding his bike when he stumbled upon three unleashed pit bulls. The dogs began attacking the boy and continued until a neighbor shot one of the dogs with his gun. Since the incident happened in Washington, DC, which has strict gun-control laws, the neighbor could face criminal charges.

As reported by the Washington Post, "Police said a neighbor and an officer shot the pit bulls as they sank their teeth into the boy's legs, arms, stomach and chest."

An uncle of the victim's said the boy was riding a new Huffy dirt bike with orange rims he had gotten for Christmas. The uncle said his nephew emerged from an alley onto Sheridan Street, where he collided with the pit bulls.

D.C. police said the unleashed and unattended dogs attacked the boy before a neighbor who saw it went into his home, got his handgun and fired once, hitting one of the dogs. A D.C. police officer on bicycle patrol heard the shots, and authorities said he shot and killed the other two pit bulls. It was unclear from a police report exactly how many shots the officer fired.

So what is happening to the neighbor who came to the child's rescue? Instead of being treated like a hero, he is currently "under investigation."

The Cato Institute reports that the neighbor "he apparently needs a lawyer because he is reportedly under 'investigation' for violating our capital city's firearms laws! You see - he may have discharged his weapon beyond his property line. Talk about no good deed going unpunished."

ANY ATTORNEY WITH A  HEART TO HELP A HERO 

I KNOW THAT THIS STORY IS NOT FINISHED

RISE UP DC AND HELP RIGHT A WRONG!

***Updated*** California is back in the Black ...Is He headed towards the White?

***HERE'S THE LINK IN CASE YOU MISSED THE SPEECH

YOU MIGHT OF BEEN AT WORK

http://www.gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=17906***

A reminder that Gov. Jerry Brown will be delivering his State of the State address tomorrow, starting at 9 a.m. in the Assembly Chambers

 State of the State address which will include:

"There's no question that California is back in the black, and this is all good news,"

California also set a single-day record Jan. 16 when the Franchise Tax Board received $2.2 billion in taxes, mostly in payments from the 6 percent of filers who pay quarterly rather than have money deducted from paychecks.

Brown this month proposed a budget that increases spending for education while mostly holding the line for other state programs.

The Senate leader has talked specifically about restoring dental benefits for low-income adults, which were cut during the recession.

If the state continues to see excess revenues, Williams said lawmakers should consider creating a large reserve as a buffer in case today's big payments result in shortfalls later. Like others, Williams has warned for years about the dangers of tax volatility.

Gov. Jerry Brown is thrusting himself into the federal fight over creating a "pathway to citizenship" for millions of undocumented immigrants who entered the United States illegally.

"I expect to play a role in the national effort for comprehensive reform," Brown said in a statement released by his office Thursday. "I'll be directing some efforts on national reform."

Gov. Jerry Brown may not have much in common with John Kasich, the Republican governor of Ohio, but in the world of online education they appear to have a mutual friend.

Brown, a Democrat, has been lobbying the University of California and California State University systems to expand their online offerings. He concluded two days of meetings with UC regents today, and he is expected to attend a meeting of CSU trustees in Long Beach next week.

Gov. Jerry Brown's declaration Tuesday that California has solved its prison overcrowding problem is part of a bold move to wrest control of the nation's largest corrections system back from the federal courts and their appointed overseers.

What he won't talk about:

State legislators billed taxpayers more than $450,000 for on-the-job driving in the last legislative year, but officials won't say where the lawmakers went.

The Legislature began reimbursing members for work-related travel in their personal cars, including trips from their home to the Capitol, in Dec. 2011, after a program providing state-leased cars to members was cut by the Citizens Compensation Commission. The change saved taxpayers nearly $240,000 in its first year, a Bee analysis found.

The mileage reimbursements varied significantly by member, however. Some legislators declined to seek reimbursement, while others received large sums for driving thousands of miles for legislative or other official business. While some of the members logging the most miles represent vast, rural districts within driving distance of the Capitol, others from geographically compact districts in Southern California also racked up thousands of dollars in reimbursement costs.

Personally

Brown has been undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. The governor's office said last month that it expected treatment to be completed this week.

QUOTES

"Not as much hair, I’m slowed down a little bit. But I have to tell you, I ran three miles in 29 minutes two nights ago ... and I hereby challenge Gov. Christie to a three-mile race, a push up contest and a chin-up contest. And whatever he wants to bet, I have no doubt of the outcome."

– in remarks after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called Brown an "old retread”

ON HIS UP COMING ADDRESS:

"You’re going to hear so much that I wouldn't miss it if I were you." 

StatsDemocrat, Oakland, CABirth date: April 7, 1938Occupation: Governor Education: Law degree, Yale Law School ; bachelor's degree in classics, University of California, BerkeleyResidence: Oakland Experience: Attorney general, 2007-present; mayor of Oakland, 1999-2007; Chairman, the California Democratic Party, 1989-91; California governor, 1975-82; secretary of state, 1971-75; Los Angeles Community College trustee, 1969-70Re

Where's Our Common Passion for Our Country and What it use to Stand For?

The Words that Helped Form a COUNTRY ...  A GREAT ONE  

I shall conclude these remarks, with the following timely and well intended hints, We ought to reflect, that there are three different ways by which an independency may hereafter be effected; and that one of those three, will one day or other, be the fate of America, viz. By the legal voice of the people in congress; by a military power; or by a mob: It may not always happen that our soldiers are citizens, and the multitude a body of reasonable men; virtue, as I have already remarked, is not hereditary, neither is it perpetual. Should an independency be brought about by the first of those means, we have every opportunity and every encouragement before us, to form the noblest, purest constitution on the face of the earth. We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now. The birthday of a new world is at hand, and a race of men perhaps as numerous as all Europe contains, are to receive their portion of freedom from the event of a few months. The reflection is awful- and in this point of view, how trifling, how ridiculous, do the little, paltry cavillings, of a few weak or interested men appear, when weighed against the business of a world.

Should we neglect the present favorable and inviting period, and an independence be hereafter effected by any other means, we must charge the consequence to ourselves, or to those rather, whose narrow and prejudiced souls, are habitually opposing the measure, without either inquiring or reflecting. There are reasons to be given in support of Independence, which men should rather privately think of, than be publicly told of. We ought not now to be debating whether we shall be independent or not, but, anxious to accomplish it on a firm, secure, and honorable basis, and uneasy rather that it is not yet began upon. Every day convinces us of its necessity. Even the tories (if such beings yet remain among us) should, of all men, be the most solicitous to promote it; for, as the appointment of committees at first, protected them from popular rage, so, a wise and well established form of government, will be the only certain means of continuing it securely to them. Wherefore, if they have not virtue enough to be Whigs, they ought to have prudence enough to wish for independence.

In short, independence is the only bond that can tie and keep us together. We shall then see our object, and our ears will be legally shut against the schemes of an intriguing, as well as a cruel enemy. We shall then too, be on a proper footing, to treat with Britain; for there is reason to conclude, that the pride of that court, will be less hurt by treating with the American states for terms of peace, than with those, whom she denominates, "rebellious subjects," for terms of accommodation. It is our delaying it that encourages her to hope for conquest, and our backwardness tends only to prolong the war. As we have, without any good effect therefrom, withheld our trade to obtain a redress of our grievances, let us now try the alternative, by independently redressing them ourselves, and then offering to open the trade. The mercantile and reasonable part of England will be still with us; because, peace with trade, is preferable to war without it. And if this offer be not accepted, other courts may be applied to.

On these grounds I rest the matter. And as no offer hath yet been made to refute the doctrine contained in the former editions of this pamphlet, it is a negative proof, that either the doctrine cannot be refuted, or, that the party in favor of it are too numerous to be opposed. Wherefore, instead of gazing at each other with suspicious or doubtful curiosity, let each of us, hold out to his neighbor the hearty hand of friendship, and unite in drawing a line, which, like an act of oblivion, shall bury in forgetfulness every former dissention. Let the names of Whig and Tory be extinct; and let none other be heard among us, than those of a good citizen, an open and resolute friend, and a virtuous supporter of the RIGHTS of MANKIND and of the FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES OF AMERICA.

thomas paine  common sense

Where's Our Government's Common Sense?

PUT ME IN CHARGE . . . 

Put me in charge of food stamps. I'd get rid of Lone Star cards; no cash for Ding Dongs or Ho Ho's, just money for 50-pound bags of rice and beans, blocks of cheese and all the powdered milk you can haul away. If you want steak and frozen pizza, then get a job. 

Put me in charge of Medicaid. The first thing I'd do is to get women Norplant birth control implants or tubal ligations. Then, we'll test recipients for drugs, alcohol, and nicotine. If you want to reproduce or use drugs, alcohol, or smoke, then get a job. 

Put me in charge of government housing. Ever live in a military barracks? You will maintain our property in a clean and good state of repair. Your home" will be subject to inspections anytime and possessions will be inventoried. If you want a plasma TV or Xbox 360, then get a job and your own place. 

In addition, you will either present a check stub from a job each week or you will report to a "government" job. It may be cleaning the roadways of trash, painting and repairing public housing, whatever we find for you. We will sell your 22 inch rims and low profile tires and your blasting stereo and speakers and put that money toward the "common good.." 

Before you write that I've violated someone's rights, realize that all of the above is voluntary. If you want our money, accept our rules. Before you say that this would be "demeaning" and ruin their "self-esteem," consider that it wasn't that long ago that taking someone else's money for doing absolutely nothing was demeaning and lowered self-esteem. 

If we are expected to pay for other people's mistakes we should at least attempt to make them learn from their bad choices. The current system rewards them for continuing to make bad choices. 

AND While you are on Govt. subsistence, you no longer can VOTE! Yes, that is correct. For you to vote would be a conflict of interest. You will voluntarily remove yourself from voting while you are receiving a Govt. welfare check. If you want to vote, then get a job. 

WHO's in Charge Anyways?

California Revival State’s Youngest the Oldest UPDATED

Jerry Brown's California Revival

He’s no kid at age 74, but California Gov. Jerry Brown has staged a comeback this year that Bill Clinton could appreciate.

It looked as though Brown’s second go-round in the governor’s job might well end after a single term. He staked his governorship on a referendum to raise taxes that was in trouble approaching Election Day. His approval ratings were mired in the low 40s.

Buzz began to build about a primary challenge in 2014 — by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, possibly, or the state’s ambitious lieutenant governor, Gavin Newsom.

But voters pulled through for Brown and approved his ballot measure to mend the long-broken state budget. And now Brown finds himself in prime position to achieve his ambitious agenda — and a virtual lock for re-election.

“He’s absolutely unbeatable in the state of California. Not even the Lord could beat him,” said former San Francisco Mayor and legendary Assembly Speaker Willie Brown. “California is Jerry Brown territory.”

In a political life that stretches back to the 1960’s, spanning one presidential campaign, three terms as governor, and a stint as Oakland mayor, Brown seems to be experiencing a career high of sorts. Voters also elected Democratic supermajorities to both chambers of the Legislature, removing the last check on the party’s near-total control of state government and relegating Republicans to something approaching minor-party status.


That could clear the way for an expansive agenda over the next two years, ranging from education and pension to an overhaul of California’s boom-or-bust tax structure.

That’s assuming, of course, Brown can get Democrats in the Legislature to fall in line.

As far as they can propel Brown’s agenda, statehouse Democrats also have the numbers to stymie him; a two-thirds majority can override his veto.


And after sweeping wins in November, liberals are eager to push through plans that Republicans have blocked in the past — such as making it easier for local governments to raise taxes, or restoring funding to government programs that have been slashed during the state’s long budget drought. Some progressives have expressed a desire to reform Proposition 13, which caps property taxes.

Those priorities could clash with Brown, who ran as a moderate, at least by California standards. Brown knows that Democrats risk losing the legislative super majority the party has fought so long for if Democrats overplay their hand.

“I think the governor would like some tough love for some things the Legislature holds dear,” said Steve Maviglio, a Democratic strategist in Sacramento and former top assembly aide. “It’s those kinds of fights we may see more of.”

Brown — who became the state’s youngest governor since the 1850s when he was elected in 1974 at age 36, then the oldest in 2010 — has not said whether he'll seek what would be his fourth term in 2014. He declined a request for an interview.

But should he run, there’s little doubt he would skate.

The governor’s popularity has frustrated the political ambitions of Villaraigosa and Newsom, two of the most prominent of the state’s younger generation of Democrats. Both are said to be more likely to wait until 2018, when the governor’s seat would be open again. They could also choose to wait for Sens. Dianne Feinstein, 79, and Barbara Boxer, 72, to retire.






Villaraigosa, in particular, presented a threat to Brown. Under California’s new “jungle primary” system, in which the top two finishers advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation, the mayor might have drawn the backing of the state’s exploding Latino population and forced Brown into a dogfight for a second term.

The election put an end to that kind of speculation.

“It would be extremely unwise for someone to take him on. He’s popular, he’s experienced. He’s not going to get caught in malapropos or malfeasance,” said Don Solem, who’s worked as a Democratic strategist in the state for more than 35 years. “Anybody who’s thinking about running should think about 2018, not 2014.”

Republicans, for their part, acknowledge they are unlikely to find a strong challenger to Brown — in large part because they don’t have a bench of strong statewide candidates. The most prominent California Republican, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, isn’t in the running, people close to him say.

Aaron McLear, a former top adviser to former GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said the Republican Party is more focused on making itself relevant again than on finding someone to take on Brown. Democrats control every statewide office, and the GOP trails Democrats in voter registration by more than 14 percent.

“I think he’s incredibly safe,” McLear said of Brown.

Brown’s dominance was never guaranteed. Had Proposition 30, his ballot initiative to raise tax rates on upper income earners as well as the state sales tax, failed he would have been hobbled politically. It looked as if the initiative could go down: In the election’s closing days, support for it dipped below 50 percent in some polls.

But Brown barnstormed the state and put his personal stamp on the measure — he even dispatched his Pembroke Welsh corgi, Sutter, to the campaign trail — arguing that it was the only way to stave off deep spending cuts to schools. The proposition ultimately passed by 9 percentage points — the first time in two decades that California voters agreed to raise taxes on themselves.

The win, said Bay Area Democratic strategist Jim Ross, neutralized any case a potential challenger could have made against Brown in 2014.

“He put his personal credibility on the line to get this passed, which is why it was a big deal for him,” said Ross. “The guy’s in a real strong position right now.”

Others say Brown’s success goes beyond Proposition 30. From the first days of his administration, the governor embraced a tightfistedness that was an acknowledgement of California’s economic woes. He chose to forgo the trappings of his office, slashing the budget for his gubernatorial entourage and riding on South-West Airlines.

“He couldn't be in a stronger place politically,” said Dan Schnur, director of the University of Southern California’s Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics and one time communications director to former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson. “If he were 15 years younger, his people would be booking flights to Iowa and New Hampshire right now.”

By: Alex Isenstadt
December 22, 2012 04:03 PM EST

UPDATE;   JAN 6  2012

SACRAMENTO -- On the eve of their swearing in last month, newly elected Assembly members gathered for a reception at the Stanford Mansion, where they were introduced one by one to Gov. Jerry Brown.
"Success," said the host of the reception, Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez, "is built on relationships," and the introductions Pérez facilitated were meant to forge ties with Brown.
Though the Democratic governor enjoyed a relatively favorable relationship with lawmakers of his party during the first two years of his term, the institution is significantly changed from last year.
Brown's ability to win friends and influence people in the new Legislature remains critical to his efforts to pass a budget and pursue other policy goals in the second half of his term.
He is pushing a major overhaul of California's school funding system, a rewrite of the state environmental review law and a controversial plan to move water through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to the south.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE
Gov. Jerry Brown, right, meets with Assembly Speaker John Pérez, D-Los Angeles, left, and Senate Speaker Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, after a legislative session in August.

COULD THIS BE THE BEGINNING OF A RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE?