It’s Wednesday, Hump Day! Tonight is Obama’s 1st SOTU address and we’ll have coverage (liveblog, I think) of the address right here on Delaware Liberal. Stay tuned! All right, let’s open this thread.
Voters in Oregon approved two measures to raise taxes. One measure raised taxes on families with incomes >$250,000/yr and the other measure raised taxes on corporations. According to sources, Oregonians had not voted for any tax raises since 1930.
State Ballot Measure No. 66
Raises tax on household income at and above $250,000 (and $125,000 for individual filers). Reduces income taxes on unemployment benefits in 2009. Provides funds currently budgeted for education, health care, public safety, other services
Votes Percent
_________________ _________________
Yes Votes 647,478 53.75%
No Votes 557,039 46.25%
_________________ _________________
Totals: 1,204,517 100%State Ballot Measure No. 67
Raises $10 corporate minimum tax, business minimum tax, corporate profits tax. Provides funds currently budgeted for education, health care, public safety, other services
Votes Percent
_________________ _________________
Yes Votes 638,566 53.12%
No Votes 563,529 46.88%
_________________ _________________
Totals: 1,202,095 100%
The dictionary is the devil’s tool:
Perhaps it’s not that surprising that a mother in Menifee, California, asked the Menifee Union School District to ban all copies of the 10th edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary after her child stumbled across the term “oral sex.” What is surprising, indeed horrifying, is that district officials immediately complied with her request, and pulled all dictionaries off classroom shelves throughout the Southern California school district, which serves 9,000 kids, kindergarten through eighth grade.
District officials said on Friday that they are forming a committee to consider a permanent classroom ban of the Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. District spokeswoman Betti Cadmus said that school officials will review the dictionary to decide if it should be permanently banned because of the “sexually graphic” entry. “It’s hard to sit and read the dictionary, but we’ll be looking to find other things of a graphic nature,” Cadmus said. (Isn’t that just what those fourth and fifth graders like to do?!)
This is a great idea! Ignorance of sex totally means that kids will never do it, right? Kids are not intrigued by the unknown. Great idea, Menifee, California!
[One thing I hate about this world – the squeaky wheel gets the grease. It works like a charm.]