All in all, the weekend has been a washout, weatherwise.
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Bike Week has returned to New Hampshire. Motorcycle enthusiasts started arriving here in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire this past Friday, though most won't start getting here in large numbers until this coming Thursday. By then the weather will have cleared (it's expected to be cool and wet through Tuesday).Bike Week is usually a decent indicator of how our summer tourist season will go. Low turnouts tend to point to a disappointing summer season while high turnouts tend to carry through all the way to the end of August.
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Could this be why MSM and the Left are scared to death of Sarah Palin?***********
While this doesn't surprise me I will say I'm disappointed some of my home state's ratings weren't better: New Hampshire rated No. 1 in the Mercatus Center's list of Freedom in the 50 States.I wish our personal freedom and fiscal ratings were higher, but then I'm not sure the rating system used by Mercatus is the same I would use. While they stated our government debt went down slightly, I'd say it hasn't, though the New Hampshire House and Senate are working hard to bring the Democrat-created deficit under control.
New Hampshire is, by our count, the freest state in the country. Depending on weights, however, it really shares the slot with South Dakota. New Hampshire does much better on economic than personal freedom and on fiscal than regulatory policy.
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Getting back to Sarah Palin for a moment, Jeff reveals the “9 Most Shocking Revelations From The Palin E-mails!”On the other hand, here's the 'spin' I expected from the MSM, with the LA Times trying to portray Sarah as divisive rather than someone keeping her campaign promises, keeping an eye on the day-to-day state operations and cleaning house in the State of Alaska.
That didn't take long.
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As more than one blogger has noted over the past year or so, it seems the new buzz word when it comes to financial or employment news released by the government is “unexpectedly”. Why is it it is only the government that did not expect poor economic performance while the rest of us pretty much knew first hand that things were not getting better, but worse? Where does the Obama Administration come up with their projections? They sure as heck aren't asking the proverbial man-on-the-street, who seems to be far more knowledgeable about the state of the economy and the jobs situation than the folks in Washington DC.***********
I have to agree with David Starr on this one: If Congressional Republicans are going to increase the national debt ceiling, they should get something in return for doing so. David has a number of suggestions of what they should ask for.***********
Scary Yankee Chick has photos of one of the feline members of her household wearing a Kitty Holster, a product I mentioned last week.I know of at least one of our seven indoor cats that would not like it at all as it would not allow anyone to see just how fluffy she is. (We have one outdoor cat – Bagheera – the 'old man' of our menagerie.)
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It appears that not even the Leftist British MSM can get it right in regards to Sarah Palin or former Prime Minster Lady Margaret Thatcher.(H/T Pirate's Cove)
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New York State is hard up for revenues. They are so short on cash that they have no problems taxing non-residents as if they lived in New York even though they don't work there. All you need to do is have a minimally occupied vacation home and you are considered a year-round resident and therefore subject to New York income tax.Telecommuters get no break either because the state of New York doesn't care of you didn't work in New York on your telecommute days. If you work for a New York employer you pay New York income taxes.
I figure it's just a matter of time before they start taxing your income even if your just passing through on your way to some place else.