PA Booming While NY Loses Out on Billions

In yet another example of liberal policies hurting economic activity, the state of New York is sitting on a veritable pool of natural gas and won't let anyone touch it. Pennsylvania and West Virginia, to their credit, have put procedures and policies in place to safely remove the gas while reaping huge benefits and reducing natural gas retail costs for homeowners and businesses:

PITTSBURGH - Marcellus shale gas wells in Pennsylvania generated about $3.5 billion in gross revenues for drillers in 2011, along with about $1.2 billion in West Virginia, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

That's a huge amount of revenue for businesses and employees and a nice windfall for the state in tax revenue. How many jobs have been created by exploiting these wells? Think about not only the drilling companies but the people who supply them: drill equipment suppliers, fuel suppliers, local restaurants, motels, convenience stores, etc. The ripple effect is enormous. It's only going to get better:

Patrick Creighton, a spokesman for the Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry group, estimated that it costs the industry about $5 million to bring a well into production. With about 2,200 active wells in the state, that comes to $11 billion in additional investments, mostly over the last four years. The industry is also building or planning billions of dollars of new pipeline construction.

But not just businesses are booming, individuals are making a nice chunk of change as well:

Creighton said the minimum royalty in Pennsylvania is 12.5 percent of well revenues, meaning property owners here were paid more than $400 million last year.

So why is New York missing out on what is essentially the fastest growing business in the region? Because the legislature--led by mainly urban liberals based in NYC--are blocking any opportunity for shale gas to be extracted. The ban is in place until June of this year but I expect that the moratorium will be extended, thus allowing Pennsylvania to continue being the premiere state for gas extraction and sale. If Gov. Cuomo does see the light and allow hydraulic fracturing, I would bet that the regulations will be so oppressive that the state will fail to see the benefits other have. Environmentalists will not give up without a fight, though.

My Fearless Super Bowl XLVI Prediction

Here we are on Super Sunday and I have to watch the f-ing Giants play in it once again. I guess I should be used to it since the damn Eagles only make to the big once ever quarter century or so. Add to that we're stuck with fat-ass Andy Reid still and I''m gaining a respect for how the Cubs and Maple Leaf fans feel.

I'm not even a little bitter though.

So, after that digression, here's what I see for today.

Brady is healthy even if Gronkowski isn't. But a 75% Gronk is better than most other TE's on the receiving end. The question is will he be able to block because the Giant front four will be bringing it. If Pierre-Paul, Umenyiora and Tuck can get to Brady, game over.

Belichick is a great coach, as is Coughlin, but the Pat's leader is more imaginative than his opponent. Give hoodie man two weeks with input from Brady and you will come up with something the Giants didn't think of. Coughlin doesn't have to be imaginative, he just needs his team to execute what he calls. Believe me, as an Eagles fan and a fan of a team that beats the Giants routinely, I can tell you exactly what the keys are to the game and they all involve proper reads, timing and maintenance of areas of responsibility.

With that said, I will go with the Patriots. I do not see the Giants getting to Brady like they did in their last SB meeting. Brady will be able to maneuver better and pick the DB's apart.

Patriot 27

Giants 24

MVP Brady

Remembering 9/11

Today we'll read in the op/ed sections of our local papers what 9/11 meant, what it didn't mean, how it affected us or didn't, whether we should have gone to war in Afghanistan and Iraq or not and even that tired old liberal canard that we deserved it. Somewhere out there is a piece written that will be so ridiculous as to be ridiculed and scorned. I nominate this one or maybe this.

Anyhow, it's just BS in the whole scheme of things. No one cares what some left-wing hack in the Inquirer thinks when one just steps back, blocks out the partisan bickering and thinks about the lives lost that day. People whose only crime was to go to work. Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims and atheists who were sitting at desks or cleaning firefighting equipment one moment and the next were in a fight for their lives. Black, white and yellow-skinned people who were safe one minute and forced to make the decision between jumping to there deaths on the streets of New York or be engulfed in fire the next.

A non-military target was one of the three selected that day and one that was chosen because the attack would kill the most people possible. One can argue that yes, the Pentagon was indeed a legitimate military target or even the Capitol. But no one in their right mind could ever see a building designed for housing the worlds largest financial firms as a legitimate one...except the formerly fringe psycho lefty who looks at capitalism as the only enemy but that's a post for another day.

No, this is a day where we remember those who died in the worst terrorist attack ever carried out on American soil. There was no explicit warning unless one includes Mogadishu, the African embassies, the USS Cole and Osama bin-Laden plainly saying that he's at war with America but why quibble. Those men and women were killed by ideological and religious zealots. Liberals have used the term "terrorists" to describe tea party folks of late. It shows their utter depravity when one recalls what real terrorism looked, felt and sounded like.

So here we are ten-years later with the threat still real because we chose to not face it head-on. We don't wish to upset those who follow the same religion as the ones who flew three planes into two buildings. We say "not all Muslims are terrorists" yet it appears that most terrorist's are Muslims. I haven't seen too many Episcopalians strapping a bomb vest to dog ans ending it into a group of people for maximum, murderous effect.

But that's beside the point. I remember watching the towers burn and fall from the Verrazano-narrows Bridge and the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn. I remember the thought that they've finally done it, they used our freedoms against us. They've managed to plan and carry out an attack that showed their true barbarity and disregard for human life. Now all of America will understand that we have been in an undeclared war with an enemy that speaks of God but rallies behind the devil. How could anyone watch those poor souls leap from those buildings and not grasp that simple fact?

Alas, we returned to our old ways. liberals blamed America instead of bin-Laden. George Bush had more to do with the treacherous act than Mohammed Atta. Dick Cheney planned for this as much as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed they said. Bush knew was the liberal mantra. The fact that we turned down the easy capture or kill of bin-Laden was easily ignored. The anti-war left fired up those old 1960's engines of protest and hatred of country and didn't put them away until January 2009 when one of their own came to power and invaded another Muslim land.

I'm bitter. I'm bitter that those who died that day are not remembered by half of this country as the murder victims they were. I've heard people allude to "getting over 9/11" but I will not. I am reminded every day I look across the Hudson River and see the towers not where they should be. I see it in every town in northeastern New Jersey who lost moms and dads. I see it in my own town where the pilot of Flight 93 lived and opted to raise his family in a nice quiet suburban setting and had that dream torn away by a zealot with a utility knife screaming "allahu akhbar".

I mourn those who were lost and those who have to live every day without their loved one who was murdered.

but don't worry liberals, this day will pass and what you consider jingoistic garbage will fade so you can go back to your blame America first mentality without being regarded as crass soon enough. For me, I think I'll keep pointing out your idiocy and say a prayer for those who died.

A must read by Mark Steyn here.

Ground Zero Imam on Tape Saying Things That Will Not Lead to Nice "Dialogue"

Pam Geller has got the dude by the balls and man, she's a friggin' pitbull:



Quoth the imam:

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf: "We tend to forget, in the West, that the United States has more Muslim blood on its hands than al Qaida has on its hands of innocent non Muslims. You may remember that the US-led sanctions against Iraq led to the death of over half a million Iraqi children. This has been documented by the United Nations. And when Madeleine Albright, who has become a friend of mine over the last couple of years, when she was Secretary of State and was asked whether this was worth it, said it was worth it.

Why am I not surprised to see Madeline Aldull turn up? But I digress. I'll just say that Mr. Rauf is not surprising me at all because this is the shit that al-Jazeera has been spouting for decades. It's the old "America deserved it and brought it on itself" bullshit we've been hearing from jihadi apologists and liberals (but I'm redundant) for ten years. I mean, what's next, is he going to say that Bush knew and fat ass Mikey Moore portrayed facts in Fahrenheit 911? Uh, yeah:

How many of you have seen the documentary: Fahrenheit 911? The vast majority - at least half here. Do you remember the scene of the Iraqi woman whose house was bombed and she was just screaming, "What have they done." Now, I don't know, you don't know Arabic but in Arabic it was extremely powerful. Her house was gone. Her husband, I think, was killed. What wrong did he do? I found myself weeping when I watched that scene and I imagined myself if I were a 15-year old nephew of this deceased man, what would I have felt?

And please don't miss his racism, rabid anti-Americanism and all-around hatred of freedom...my Lord, he's the next liberal savior now that Obama has tanked in record time.

Go read all of Pam's post. I've not linked to her often because she sometimes goes to extremes in my opinion but damn, she nailed the imam on this one and I'd imagine that those opposed will climb to three quarters in a week or so.

Exit question: What's the over under on Obama calling Bloomberg and/or the imam (who's jetting around the world on our nickel) and telling them to pull the damn plug before the Dems lose 100 seats in November?

Reason #5,609,203 to Scrap the UN

Like we need another reason. Be it the way they allow the despots of the world to run roughshod over human rights, the rapes of women they were sent to protect or the vile way they attack Israel at every opportunity, the UN has proven to be nothing more than a gathering of elites who care less about human rights every day and more about a free trip on the dime of the taxpayers back home to NYC.

Now we have what may be the most egregious act perpetrated by the gaggle of thugs and kleptocrats in that ugly building near the Mid-Town Tunnel:

Without fanfare, the United Nations this week elected Iran to its Commission on the Status of Women, handing a four-year seat on the influential human rights body to a theocratic state in which stoning is enshrined in law and lashings are required for women judged "immodest."

Perhaps they could ask Soraya M about the treatment of women in Iran...but she was stoned to death under a false charge of adultery so she's not currently available.

Perhaps we can ask Neda...But alas she was shot by the Ayatollah's henchmen while attending a rally protesting the stolen election.

What's next, appointing Iran and Gambia to the UN Council on Gay Rights? Probably not because as anyone who's been paying attention knows, Iran has no homosexuals according to Ahmadinejad.

The UN is nothing more than a place for human rights-denying regime's to make themselves look legitimate and the elites who run the upscale whorehouse--using huge amounts of US taxpayer money--slide deeper into the cesspool while leftists tell us what a great concept it is. Sorry, it's a refuge for the scummiest juntas and dictators and we should disband it, withdrawal or deports all those who do nothing more than take up parking spaces from hard-working New Yorkers.

I Will Always Remember...

I will always remember the sight of people jumping to their deaths instead of facing the hell of burning.

I will always remember the firefighters and police officers who died doing their job in the most trying of circumstances.

I will always remember the people who were forced to die at the hands of terrorists who hijacked their plane.

I will always remember those who chose to fight back on Flight 93.

I will always remember that it was not a "catastrophe" but a planned operation that was aimed at killing as many of my fellow countrymen and women as possible.

I will always remember that they have every intention of doing it again.

I will always remember that some in this country believe a sitting president ordered it or let it happen.

I will always remember that we had a a president that did not allow it to happen again.

I will always remember what the Twin Towers looked like as I passed them on a daily basis.

I will always remember that nearly 3,000 men and women died there.

I will always remember that my brothers in arms have fought and died to kill those responsible and do everything to make sure it doesn't happen again.

I will always remember that there are those who want nothing more than for me to forget.

I will always remember the loathing I have for them for wanting me to do so.

I will always remember...

Monday Evening News & Notes

The Phillies avoided a sweep at the hands of the Red Sox while the Mets invent new and creative ways to lose then get whacked 15-0 yesterday by those Yankees. Overall a good weekend.

Here's what's happening:

-Here we are less than 200 days into The Greatest Administration evah and we hear Michelle Obama's name come up in discussion of a scandal. I'd say it was Hillaryesque but Hillary waited at least a few months. You can take the politician (or his wife) out of Chicago but you can't take the Chicago out of the politician (or his wife).

-Everything is bigger in Texas; including protests against Nacy Pelosi, evidently.

-Obama's destroyed the economy, set capitalism back decades, screwed up GM and Chrysler and for his latest trick wants to overhaul financial markets. What could go wrong?

-Hey, all it took was a president who turned hard to the left to make Americans remember that we are, essentially, a center-right country.

-Global cooling is making Gore look more like an idiot than ever before. A tough task, that.

Scenes From the NY Israel Parade

Pamela Geller has pix from the annual celebration this year marking the 100th birthday of Tel Aviv. Of course the Palestinian contingent was out protesting in their own vile way. Tell me; do people who would display these signs really deserve a country?

The War on Terror Continues

Newburgh, NY terrorists on a mission to take out a military plane and synagogues were busted red-handed by authorities from the police, DHS and FBI:

Four homegrown Muslim terrorists on a mission from hell were arrested last night as they planted what they thought were high-powered plastic explosives at two Bronx synagogues, authorities said.

The men were also allegedly plotting to use a Stinger missile to shoot a military plane out of the sky in upstate New York immediately after the bombings.

"This is America's finest hour. The best resources of the Police Department, Homeland Security and the FBI kept us safe," said Jonathan Rosenblatt, a rabbi at the targeted Riverdale Jewish Center.

At 9:00 PM last night, they began their own personal jihad:

They planted what they thought were explosives in a parked car outside the house of worship.

One acted as a lookout, while the other three allegedly drove up the block to the Riverdale Jewish Center and planted two more bags of "explosives" in cars.

Unbeknownst to them, their explosives were duds -- supplied by authorities who had been monitoring their plan for more than a year.

I guess the question that needs to be asked is this: Since this investigation started over a year ago, what methods did the Bush administration allow the federal entities to use to track these guys and get inside? The next would be would Obama allow the same methods to be employed.

Finally, will the media publish the arabic names of the guys involved or the Americanized ones?

Let's Put Liberal Tax Policies to the Test

In every recession and the great depression, liberals have always called for higher taxes on the rich. It's been shown that such policies always fail. This recession, however, is different than others. In the current economic climate, we are seeing the so-called "rich" losing money just like everyone else. The meltdown of the mortgage and financial industries has reduced the number who can be considered wealthy dramatically. The press has also been loathe to publish anything that would be contradictory to Obama policies so the debate hasn't even been started.

That's not stopping some states from instituting confiscatory taxes on the segment of the population that government considers wealthy. Those states are the usual suspects including my own state of New Jersey, which has suffered a devastating loss in high-paying jobs due to the previously mentioned economic meltdown since a good amount of executives on Wall St. call the Garden State home.

So let's do a study and see which states make out best. We'll compare New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, Illinois and California with states like Alaska, Texas and Florida that do not raise taxes and keep policy on the conservative side. Let's see who comes out ahead and who falters. I know the answer as mush as you but it's well past the time we jam in down liberals' throats once and for all.

The Wall Street Journal has a great piece on just what happens when liberal governors and legislatures raise taxes and the response of those who are targeted by the higher rates. It's well worth the time.

Wednesday Afternoon News & Notes

Happy hump day to you.

Here's what's new:

-Why they hate Sarah Palin. Thoughtful yet highly edited.

-Hooray! I live in one of states where freedom is an afterthught and liberty is but a dream. Hey, at least New York is even less free.

-Speaking of New York; the Phillies open up another short series against the Mets at Debits Field tonight. They face Johann Santana who has essentially owned us (although Howard, Ruiz, Ibanez and Werth have feasted on him) but the Phillies are now in first place and the way they're hitting, I'll bet they stay there for awhile.

-Yeah, that whole hope and change approach to dealing with Iran is working out just great...for Iran.

-Americans think quite differently than Pelosi and The One on "torture".

-Juxtaposing the economies of two Caribbean nations. Spoiler: the one with more government intervention performed much worse.

Slumping David Wright and Mets Limp Into Town

I'd say the Met-Phillies rivalry is becoming nearly as big as the Yanks-Red Sox. Besides, at least the Mets/Phils is competitive while the Sawx just smack the Yankees around anymore.

So Citizens Bank Park will be inundated by the pathetic band of New Yorkers and there'll be a fair share of fights and beers thrown but that's what it's all about. Dudes named Tony with friends named Tony with girlfriends named Lisa will wear their David Wright jersey and it will make them a target for the ravenous horde in the second and third decks.

As for the series, we don't have to face Santana and the rest of their starting staff is pathetic (as is ours but we at least hit well). They have K-Rod in the closer roll but their set-up man--Putz --got shelled over the weekend. Add to that the struggles in the field of left fielder Daniel Murphy and we could be looking at a complete Mets meltdown before the paint dries on their spanking-new stadium in the wastelands of Queens. 2-0 Pelfry goes for the chokers while Chan Ho Park goes for the Fightin's.

The Phillies are rolling at this point and we should feast on the weak Mets staff. I'm hoping for a sweep like we got against the Marlins but winning the series will suffice. As long as the Mets crawl home in worse shape then they are now and have to deal the continuing slams in the paper everyday, I'll be a happy man.

Update: The tale of the tape.

Friday Morning News & Notes

A rainy Friday but it's the weekend so it's all good.

Here's what's new:

-David Paterson yuks it up about raising taxes. I've spent alot of time in his state lately and the way they are imploding, he shouldn't be laughing at anything.

-The dirty fingers and corruption of Congress and Big Labor.

-Met the new boss, same as the old boss... Remember, it's not hypocrisy, it Hope and Change...or not.

-Someone explain to me why Obama would need 500 people to accompany him for his one week European junket? What the hell are 500 people doing for the week, carrying the teleprompter? Not only that, they all flew via military transport and that's hurting our military support in Afghanistan. Hell, Obama could have stimulated the airline industry into profitability if they would have flown commercial like the rest of of dumb schmucks.

-Ward Churchill wins and gets about all he deserved.

-Terri has a nice new look. The site still has that great new car smell.

Tuesday Morning News and Notes

Top o' the mornin'.

Here's what's news:

-New Yorkers are largely liberal or at least blue collar Democrat. My guess is that the latter group will start edging to the right real soon with decreasing paychecks and higher taxes whacking them upside the head. One very public taxpayer has had enough.

-Every husband's dream? Not mine of course.

-Beware of Obamatons!

-That amateurish calculation by Obama and Emanuel to take on Rush seems to have backfired on a huge scale.

-It's only sexism if it's perpetrated by Republicans.

It's Good To Be Charlie Rangel

Or to be any Democrat for that matter in the new, open and ethical Obama administration:

The House voted on Tuesday to let Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) keep his gavel while a special investigative panel resumes an inquiry into the Ways and Means chairman's tax practices among other possible ethical violations.

By a vote of 242-157, the chamber tabled a motion to remove Rangel from his chairmanship of the tax-writing panel until an ethics investigation into the congressman has been resolved; 16 members voted present.

The GOP contingent caved and the members who would be investigated pulled an Obama and voted "present".

Amazingly, the smartest and most ethical man in history--Ron Paul--seems to keep siding with the shady representative from Harlem evey time a chance arises.

This garbage explains why we are in the minority and are now forced to watch as Nancy Pelosi decides our economic future.

Gov. Paterson Picks Conservative Dem For Hill Seat

Giving the finger to the liberals in New York City, Gov. David Paterson opted for another candidate who will surely piss them off:

ALBANY - Gov. Paterson, defying the liberal wing of his Democratic Party, has chosen little-known, NRA-backed, upstate Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as New York's junior senator, it was learned last night.

The surprising - and, for many Democrats shocking - decision to pick the conservative Gillibrand, 42, from Hudson in Columbia County, was disclosed by the governor in calls to party officials and some members of the state's congressional delegation, many of whom said they were unhappy with the selection, sources said.

Excellent; a Kennedy was shut out because of tax issues, a Cuomo was rebuffed and now we have a Blue Dog from New York. Who'd a thunk it?

Upstate New Yorkers are essentially liberal Republicans in many other places as shown by Gillibrand's stance on big liberal social issues:

Liberal Democrats have been wary of her because she ran for re-election with the backing of the National Rifle Association, opposed the federal TARP program to rescue banks, and has been less than enthusiastic about gay marriage.

Awesome, a political meltdown in NY. Nothing makes me happier than two Dem strongholds--Chicago and NY--fighting amongst themselves.

Caroline Kennedy Out

According to Fox and the NY Post it's because of "personal issues".

Will it be Cuomo or will it be...Bubba?

Bill Clinton would make sense; he's got the experience, he'd get his choice of interns and Hillary will probably be out of town alot with her SecState gig. It's perfect.

Hillary Confirmed as Secretary of State

Shrillary breezed into a position that will be one of the most important throughout the next two years at least. Only two Republicans voted against her--Jim DeMint and another who is unknown while the oily Lindsay Graham and shady John McCain took up the torch to get Bubba's wife into the post.

That leaves Gov. David Paterson a free rein to select either a Cuomo or a highly unqualified Caroline Kennedy to fill the position, you know.

Saturday Morning News and Notes

It's damn cold in the Northeast. Yesterday was about 12 F in the New York City metro area where I was working and today is somewhere around 20 F as a high. It's called winter and I don't think any one north of Florida will be on the side of Al Gore in the global warming debate right about now.

Anyway, here's what's happening around the world:

Did a Sen. Schumer feel-good earmark lead to the Canadian Geese population remaining at high levels and subsequently bringing down that US Airways jet? Possibly. Liberals are just not cognizant of the law of unintended consequences even though the examples are myriad (welfare, etc.)

Tiger Woods makes a horrible career move by wading into politics where he was always smart enough to stay away before. Think Michael Jordan, Eldrick.

We were told that if Obama was elected, the the US would be accepted back into the world community again in unity. They were right, we are unified in nausea. (apologies to Glenn).

Shocker! Rep. Waxman (the single weirdest looking dude to ever be elected to Congress) hasn't investigated a company in his district he said he would. Between Obama and the Democrat-led Congress, expect a broken promise approximately every single minute.

How long would it take to drive from South Jersey to Maggie's Farm? If I leave now I might make the main course and the stogies...

Just another reason I love America. Veterans and those who've had sons and daughters serve and unfortunately in some cases die or get injured know why their children chose to serve the greater good. You can't explain patriotism to someone who has never donned the uniformed or was/is a family member of one who has.

Rep. Rangel Still on the Hot Seat

Rep. Charles Rangel thought that once a Democrat was elected as president, his legal troubles would diminish and he could go right on cheating the tax payers of America. The oily, shady congressman appears to have been wrong:

Rangel endured a lot of bad news last year, beginning with a series of reports that he paid reduced rent for a campaign office and personal office in the Harlem high-rise where he lives. Another series of stories raised questions about his fundraising activity on behalf of the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at City College of New York, including revelations that he used congressional stationery to raise money from prominent potential donors.

The chairman eventually asked the ethics panel to investigate both allegations. The committee then expanded its probe in the wake of revelations that Rangel had failed to pay the correct amount of property taxes on a rental property in the Dominican Republic.

A report by the ethics panel was expected before Congress resumed this year, but now many members and aides expect the committee to extend the inquiry before issuing a final report.

Those people pushing to extend the inquiry must be doing it because America is racist! Uh, no we're not, we overwhelmingly elected an African-America to the highest office in the land so we can toss that aside.

Rangel is a tax cheat who figured he was above the laws that govern us great unwashed. His fellow Democrats are probably shunning him for misusing his office and pissing on the citizenry, right? Uh, wrong:

Since the beginning of the year, Rangel has met regularly with party leaders, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), as well as with members of the Obama economic team to hash out an ambitious package of tax cuts that will eventually become part of the massive economic stimulus bill.

A sign of things to come, folks. The next four years will make the previous eight seem like a protestant church meeting ethics-wise.