Lovecraft is Missing is back. Oh, and the Tori Spelling Cthulhu movie is out.

Although if you already read that webcomic, you probably know that already; and if you don’t read that webcomic, you probably don’t care.

Moving on, the Tori Spelling Cthulhu finally made it to DVD. I still have yet to see it; I get the general impression that the word ‘umm’ is used a lot, for a variety of reasons.

Maryland millionaires’ massive migration.

There is a glaring inaccuracy in the linked WSJ article on vanishing Maryland millionaires. Essentially, It is not “a two-minute drill in soak-the-rich economics:”

Maryland couldn’t balance its budget last year, so the state tried to close the shortfall by fleecing the wealthy. Politicians in Annapolis created a millionaire tax bracket, raising the top marginal income-tax rate to 6.25%. And because cities such as Baltimore and Bethesda also impose income taxes, the state-local tax rate can go as high as 9.45%. Governor Martin O’Malley, a dedicated class warrior, declared that these richest 0.3% of filers were “willing and able to pay their fair share.” The Baltimore Sun predicted the rich would “grin and bear it.”

One year later, nobody’s grinning. One-third of the millionaires have disappeared from Maryland tax rolls. In 2008 roughly 3,000 million-dollar income tax returns were filed by the end of April. This year there were 2,000, which the state comptroller’s office concedes is a “substantial decline.” On those missing returns, the government collects 6.25% of nothing. Instead of the state coffers gaining the extra $106 million the politicians predicted, millionaires paid $100 million less in taxes than they did last year — even at higher rates.

It is a one-minute, fifty-second drill in soak-the-rich economics.  I was curious, and timed myself reading it aloud.  Admittedly, I talk quickly sometimes, but I made it a point to try to pace myself for this one.
Continue reading Maryland millionaires’ massive migration.

Montana town offers to take Gitmo detainees.

Hardin, Montana – a very small, very poor town with a very new, very empty jail, is willing to take on the responsibility of holding Gitmo detainees:

Hardin borrowed $27 million through bonds to build the Two Rivers Regional Correctional Facility in hopes of creating new employment opportunities. The jail was ready for prisoners two years ago, but has yet to house a single prisoner.

People here say politics in the capital of Helena has kept it empty. But the city council last month voted 5-0 to back a proposal to bring Gitmo detainees — some of the most hardened terrorists in the world — to the facility.

Montanan Senators (both of whom are Democrats) wet themselves in response:

The state’s congressional leaders have lined up against the plan. “Housing potential terrorists in Montana is not good for our state,” Max Baucus, the state’s senior Democratic senator, wrote to [economic development director Greg Smith]. “These people stop at nothing. Their primary goal in life, and death, is to destroy America.”

Adds Sen. Jon Tester, “I just don’t think it’s appropriate, that’s all. I don’t think they know what they’re asking for.”

Continue reading Montana town offers to take Gitmo detainees.

I cannot do this Volokh Conspiracy evisceration of Dahlia Lithwick justice.

(Via Instapundit) Not without repeating the entire thing, at least. So just go read it, and marvel that Slate apparently has a regular writer who doesn’t understand that nothing ever goes away on the Internet.

I’m flabbergasted, really.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

The Wisdom of Mr. T.

This is several years old, but it speaks to me. For real: there’s some genuine philosophy there.

QUESTION: Mr. T, why do you pity the fool?

MR. T: That is a good question. That is a good question and a legitimate question. And I’m the man to answer it. You pity the fool because you don’t want to beat up a fool. You know, pity is between sorry and mercy. See, if you pity him, you know, you won’t have to beat him up. So that’s why I say fools, you gotta give another chance because they don’t know no better. That’s why I pity them.

Continue reading The Wisdom of Mr. T.

Burris promised a campaign contribution to Blagojevich.

Ace of Spades (H/T, by the way) has kindly given me permission to use the Flaming Blagojevich Skull for this, so I shall:

flaming_skull1

Sun-Times exclusive: Burris promised Blago campaign a check by mid-December

In a November conversation caught on an FBI wiretap, Roland Burris promised Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s brother that he’d write the governor a campaign check by mid-December, Burris’ lawyer said today.

That was about a month before Rod Blagojevich appointed Burris to the U.S. Senate.

But lawyer Timothy Wright told the Chicago Sun-Times today that his client never sent the check because he believed it wasn’t a good idea given Burris’ interest in the U.S. Senate seat appointment. Wright said Burris’ decision not to send the check had nothing to do with Blagojevich’s Dec. 9 arrest.

Continue reading Burris promised a campaign contribution to Blagojevich.

OK, I’m *for* SSM, but this is just dumb.

And I normally don’t bother linking directly to the Online Left anyway – still, regarding today’s completely unsurprising California Supreme Court decision on Proposition 8, Taylor Marsh writes:

The first thing you have to ask is how Californians allowed the referendum to pass in the first place. How does a civil rights campaign in California fall to the bigots? Because many people don’t vote in off election cycles, and the most committed wins. The anti civil rights crowd is wrong on this issue, but they are determined.

Leaving aside for the moment the advisability – or indeed, the basic morality – of attacking same-sex marriage opponents* in such a fashion, I am forced to ask: in what alternate universe was the 2008 Presidential election an ‘off election cycle’?

Moe Lane

*Particularly given the demographic breakdowns – and yes, I am aware what the Left’s pet astrologer told them.

Crossposted to RedState.

Blagojevich/Burris wiretap to be released.

It’s been a while since we visited the Matter of Blagojevich, but one thing that you can always count on: there’s always going to be something new coming out from that glorious trainwreck.

Judge OKs release of wiretap of Burris

CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge said Tuesday he would allow the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee to have a federal wiretap of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s brother having a phone conversation with U.S. Sen. Roland Burris.

To summarize why the Senate might want to listen to this recording: Burris, in the course of getting the US Senate to seat him…

  • Signed an affidavit indicating that he never talked to Blagojevich’s aides.
  • Admitted in his testimony that he actually talked to one of the Governor’s unofficial aides.
  • Said in the same testimony that he didn’t remember talking to anybody else.
  • Signed another affidavit later on – after he officially became Senator – that he actually had talked to some of Blagojevich’s aides.
  • Admitted to reporters that he tried to do some fundraising for Blagojevich.

At this point, as the AP remarked:

Then he stopped answering questions, letting others speak on his behalf.

I’ll let Vice President Joe Biden, who is himself no amateur at this sort of spin control, provide the Democratic response:

Biden

Succinct, that.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

The search parameter records of Amazon.com must be strange and terrible.

Approaching, in fact, the level of SAN loss. First, take a look at Three Wolf Moon T-Shirt – then take a look at what else people who looked at this looked at. Particularly this, and this.

Somebody’s mucking about with their search parameters; I’m sure of it.

Moe Lane

PS: What? Please. I have more couth than that. Besides, everybody knows that it’s not size that matters; it’s rotary speed.