“Bean Feed” GOP fundraiser flyer contained a drawing of a dancing bean…wearing a sombrero

“Bean Feed” GOP fundraiser flyer contained a drawing of a dancing bean…wearing a sombrero

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Perhaps I'm wrong. Maybe the GOP hasn't been taken over by the TeaParty. Maybe it has, in fact, been takeover by 'South Park' creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone?
A flyer distributed by the Republican Party of Garvin County, Oklahoma has engendered a significant amount of criticism for being incredibly racist, reports KFOR. How incredibly racist are we talking about here? So racist that Oklahoma’s Democratic Party initially assumed the flyer was fake, because it was so patently and incredibly racist.

Thursday Open Thread [8.7.14]

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Delaware has convened a study panel to see if there is a way to get electricity to you cheaper than Delmarva can sell it. See if you can spot the irony:
Electricity aggregation programs, already in use in some states, allow governments or communities to negotiate for and buy power in a block for residents, with the group potentially able to get a better deal than the "standard offer" available from utilities. In Delaware, the block could be as large as 900 megawatts annually, a deal that [Sen. Colin] Bonini said could draw spirited bidding from large and "very smart" suppliers. Delmarva Power officials said they still were puzzling over the proposal Wednesday, when a study committee chaired by Secretary of State Jeffrey W. Bullock held an initial public meeting in Dover. The committee agreed to hire a consultant to assess potential gains, prospective supplier markets and other considerations. "There are other jurisdictions throughout the country that have looked at retail purchase energy models both for gas and electric," Bonini said. "We're looking specifically at electric."
M-town Seniors Angry at Possible Future Kids Who Might Tread on Their Grass

M-town Seniors Angry at Possible Future Kids Who Might Tread on Their Grass

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I can empathize with someone who bought a house having been told by a developer that they would be living next to "a mix of single family homes, townhomes, and apartments" only to find out that really that means apartments. But can't our seniors come off a little less like a Simpson-esque sendup of old folks?
Residents of Spring Arbor, a luxury community for people over age 55, showed up at the August 4 Middletown mayor and council meeting to object to proposed apartment buildings near their neighborhood.
They were concerned with the types of people the apartments would attract, the devaluation of their properties, and the children that would allegedly “run through their yards.”
Via the Middletown Transcript
Comment Rescue – “Politicians have gotten the message”

Comment Rescue – “Politicians have gotten the message”

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Geezer has posted a tidy summary of our current political situation:
"I don’t support the (cigarette) tax. The fairest way to tax people would be on wealth, not income, not sin taxes. But thanks to folks like you — the stupid ones who side with the wealthy instead of standing for the people — we’ve made that unacceptable. Politicians have gotten the message: People with money (and their broke-ass, brainwashed lackeys) will defeat you if you tax them; poor people don’t have the juice to do that."

Monday Open Thread [8.4.14]

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Larry Sabato looks at his Crystal Ball:
"2014 is no 2006. The [2006] electorate had turned off to George W. Bush and would never again turn on. The Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina were two principal reasons. The full Democratic wave emerged in the fall, after some GOP congressional scandals, but even at this point in 2006, we were just debating how high the Democratic tide would rise." "2014 is also no 2010. All of the energy was on the Republican side four years ago, as Obamacare bombed, the Tea Party arose, and the poor economy that helped elect Obama lingered. The building GOP wave was so impressive that the Crystal Ball was able to predict a House switch from Democratic to Republican control by Labor Day even though Democrats held about a 75-seat majority at that time."
No, 2014 will be most like 1998, where the incumbent White House party upends conventional wisdom and picks up seats in one or both Houses of Congress, mostly due to the overreach of the opposition party. And if the GOP goes full bore on impeachment, I am ready to predict that the Democrats will retake the House.
How to Handle the Walking Dead — or, The Casinos Are Coming for Your Tax Dollars

How to Handle the Walking Dead — or, The Casinos Are Coming for Your Tax Dollars

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In the stuff I missed over the past couple of travel weeks, was this notice from the NJ that Delaware's zombie casinos are still hanging around looking for more bailout effort from Delaware's taxpayers:
One casino executive is hopeful lawmakers will provide relief for the state's ailing casinos when they return to Legislative Hall in January. But don't call it a bailout, says Dover Downs Hotel & Casino president Ed Sutor. Talks about potential long-term fixes to keep the casinos competitive are set to begin by mid-September. "They (the state) like the jobs created and the revenue," Sutor said Tuesday afternoon during a quarterly meeting between casino stakeholders, industry professionals and state department of finance. "They know that if something isn't done, some of that is in jeopardy," he said.
Is This What Jesus Would Do?

Is This What Jesus Would Do?

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The CNN Belief Blog ran an article over the weekend about U.S. Archbishops living lives of grandeur in huge, million $ plus estates whilst their flocks struggle to put food on the family table.