Can we finally assume spring is here? Not so fast. The temperature is supposed to get down into the high 20’s on Wednesday morning. That doesn’t feel too spring -like to me.
The cherry trees are finally out. This past weekend hit all time highs for crowds and garbage overflow. The picture is one of mine from another year. None of the men in my house could be talked into going yet. Even I wouldn’t have gone on a weekend.
Americans love the cherry tree blossoms. This has not always been the case. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the cherry trees, a gift from Japan, were the subject of attack. Guards had to be posted to ensure the safety of the trees. See the Smithsonian Magazine for this strange behavior.
Turns out the motorist who hit me from behind on I-66 a few weeks back was an uninsured motorist. Imagine that, an uninsured motorist driving in our area.
My Allstate rep tells me that they are going to attempt to collect money from her, but in the absence of a police report, DMV will probably let her keep driving.
Citizenship papers, motorist insurance, paying taxes on income … these things are optional in today’s America.
]I don’t think having insurance SHOULD be an option. You drive a car, there jolly well should be insurance on the car.
But, Moon, that doesn’t work well for illegal immigrants. So we need to change the rules to enable them to live and work here.
We do need to change some of the rules for a number of reasons. Notice I didn’t say which rules.
I believe there should be level 2 licenses. Why? I don’t like having people on the road without a driver’s license.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The news just mentioned a possible freeze warning.
I turned off the TV in disgust. I refuse to believe it.
Don’t forget!
April 15th is BUY A GUN DAY!
http://www.buyagunday.net/about/
Oh. God. It’s true.
More freezing on the way.
Save us Global Warming! Save us!
I found out that if an uninsured driver hits you, you can report them to DMV. Who will presumably pursue them getting insured or else losing their license.
The form is here – http://www.dmv.virginia.gov/webdoc/pdf/fr200.pdf
My insurance company presumably isn’t doing this because they want to squeeze their $600 out of her, by threat of doing this. I’m gonna give them a couple of months for that, and then report her myself.
Did she have a license?
Well the car had a license plate. That’s all I know. She didn’t stop.
In Virginia, one is allowed to go without auto insurance if they choose to self insure. They must pay an Uninsured Motor Vehicle fee $500 – http://www.dmv.state.va.us/vehicles/#insurance.asp – but they are in their rights to go without. I kinda relate this to the parents – as in, if the parents teach self responsibility during a young person’s growing up they will get insurance. Yet, if they are taught to look for every loophole that exists – they will go for the UMV fee.
I just don’t think people should be able to pay the uninsured Motor Vehicle fee. I think they should have to have insurance.
Who would do that though?
Someone driving without insurance is most likely an illegal immigrant. In most states, they cannot get auto insurance (or driver’s licenses).
Or people in beater cars who have a bad driving record.
@Rick Bentley
Yes, and that is why the Government should buy it for them. The $500 UMV fee is a regressive tax on poor people. Free health care and free liability and casualty for the uninsured.
Now – not stopping – Rick, that is a completely different issue.
Why should the government pay for people’s auto insurance? People should have to have it. If they can’t insure a car, then it stays off the roads.
The uninsured motorist fee has been around since I’ve been a kiddo and that’s a lot longer than peeps have been complaining about immigrants – and longer than the tea baggers have been complaining about taxes or Obamacare. It used to be utilized by young guys who were uninsurable at the going rate because their driving record sucked.
Yeah … bad driving is universal across citizenship status.
Whoever it is and whyever they are uninsured, here’s hoping they lose their license.
@blue
blue – can you let me know where to line up to get my ‘free’ healthcare? I have been paying for insurance all my adult life and have been subsidizing those that have not. I want my free stuff – where do I get it?
All you need to do is to pull the lever for Democrats and you will be rewarded with free healthcare and food stamps, to go use at strip clubs. You can live the high life if you just sign away your birthright and join that vast liberal SP conspiracy. Or so I gather from what i see of FOX News.
To get the full maximum effect though you need to have babies out of wedlock. Then you can get additional tax breaks and solidify your standing among the “47%” in the know. And they can get in on the conspiracy too, and help solidify your right to receive benefits in the future. So if you want to go into this whole hog, throw away any birth control devices that you own, throw away caution, and get cracking!
@Rick Bentley
Yes, now you’re talking Rick – this is what we want – true americans and true american ideals. A Kinder and gentler french nation.
Remember when the press was calling this a non-scandal? Before we found out why Cummings was obstructing the committee? Well, how about this?
“These new emails show that the day before she broke the news of the IRS scandal, Lois Lerner was talking to a top Obama Justice Department official about whether the DOJ could prosecute the very same organizations that the IRS had already improperly targeted,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement. “The IRS emails show Eric Holder’s Department of Justice is now implicated and conflicted in the IRS scandal. No wonder we had to sue in federal court to get these documents.”
Don’t expect Holder to enforce the law.
I fully expect Holder to enforce the law and I expect the IRS to look closely at whether these 501(c) groups are abusing their tax exempt status. It is entirely proper of IRS to go to Justice to discuss whether groups claiming special status under the Tax Code meet the criteria for the status they claim.
From what is publicly known to date, the problem with the methods of Lerner’s group in screening these groups is not which ones they investigated, but which ones they didn’t.
No kidding. I expect many more need investigating. It is a system that is just an incubator for abuse.
Except for the small problem that the emails show that the IRS did not subject liberal groups to the same scrutiny. And that they cooperated with Elijah Cummings to interfere with them.
Holder’s not going to do a thing about this.
I personally know of what you would call liberal groups who ran into the same IRS problems. The fact that there aren’t as many liberal groups might have something to do with your perception.
Elijah Cummings was treated rudely and disrespectfully by Mr. “Wannabe McCarthy” Issa.
I think that’s what I said, Cargo. Although I don’t knowhow one measure “Same”. Is it by percentage, by absolute numbers, etc. The IRS absolutely should have investigated whether the exemption criteria were being met, and, during this time, there were many more “Tea Party” type groups claiming exempt status than there were “liberal/progressive groups”. So absolute numbers isn’t a good guide. I also suspect that the enthusiasm for new “Tea Party” type organizations probably led to a lot of people with very little tax expertise climbing on the bandwagon to get their 501(c)s up and running, with a corresponding number of defects in the applications. If IRS, however, had a policy of giving the liberal/progressive analogous-to-Tea Party groups a blanket pass, while subjecting every single Tea Party application to close scrutiny, they have at least an administrative-klutziness problem, and perhaps more, depending on motivation.
Scout – you raise a good point. I wonder how many applications there were for Tea Party type groups and how many applications there were for non Tea Party groups – and totally non political at all groups. I have not seen that detailed information leaked by Issa yet. I would say that there are a few groups out there who have people who run them that do not understand the law who have created some of the org’s that are totally political org’s that should not be tax exempt.
“Just two days after her email to Flax, Lerner admitted in an email to a Washington Post reporter that she “can’t confirm that there was anyone on the other side of the political spectrum” targeted by the IRS.”
http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/041714-697618-new-emails-show-extensive-plan-to-target-conservative-groups.htm
@Moon-howler
Elijah Cummings is obstructing the investigation and illegally colluded with the IRS and Lerner while withholding that info from the investigation. He should have been removed.
I totally disagree with your assessment of the situation. He had every right as ranking member to speak. He was treated rudely and disrespectfully. That seems to be the Darryl Issa way.
Totally agree with you! Issa was out of order AND obnoxious and rude.@Moon-howler
@Moon-howler
So, we’re supposed to treat people that do underhanded and possibly illegal things respectfully?
Your political roots are showing. I don’t see Rep. Cummings as underhanded nor do I believe he does illegal things.
Even if he did, yes, he should be treated respectfully in that setting.
In honor of Easter
http://www.redstate.com/2014/04/19/lunatic-lord/
@Moon-howler
email alert!!
OMG, Punchak, you mean Issa was acting like a liberal Democrat?!!!! Shame on him! One Harry Reid in town is quite enough, thank you.
@Wolve
Wouldn’t mind being rid of both of them, Wolve, to tell the truth!
Romney has given $10,000 to the McDonnell defense fund. Good for him. He should. Actually I think, with all Romney’s money, that $10,000 is a little on the cheap side. He should give more.
I am still not sure why McDonnell himself was charged. Improprietous acts, yes. Illegal according to current VA law? Nahhhh.
Anyone else love the Pete and Corey show? Pete is a know it all and if Corey was more state like, he would squash him. Corey gets too emotionally involved…and Pete goads him.
I was super busy today and missed the Pete and Corey show. Fill us in. I will try to find it. Supervisor’s time?
Know it all with bad advisors and blog bots. Heck of a combination. Maybe if a new library is builthey’ll take up reading as a pastime instead.
Police in Colorado just broke up a drug ring selling weed to underage kids. The perps were 10-year-olds selling their wares in 4th Grade. They obtained the product by swiping it from their grandparents. God help us.
Glad it wasn’t booze!!!!!
I think some of it was the weed they mix into various kinds of snacks. You know, the stuff that made that college student visiting Denver from Wyoming go nuts and jump to his death from a balcony. Also the stuff which has caused kids to be rushed to hospital when they’ve eaten it by accident.
Does Manassas City farmers market take people’s SNAP cards? I have seen a lot the past year on the topic of SNAP card individuals being able to buy fresh produce etc. I never saw the answer. Does anyone know?
Yes, they do. Google – Manassas farmer’s market Snap Cards
Very busy market this morning.
Thanks, Steve! We have missed you. Thanks for responding.
The Sheriff is practically foaming at the mouth. The robotic refrain about one board member is pretty funny and obvious.
Over what now? It’s always something. Some imagined sin done by someone on the board who isn’t Pete Candland.
Barbara Comstock wins GOP race to run for Frank Wolf’s seat. http://atr.rollcall.com/barbara-comstock-gop-primary-nominee-congress-virginia/
@Morris Davis
From what I’ve seen of her positions, we now have another liberal Republican in office. Expect her to “cross the aisle” quite a bit.
Oh…and good to see you. Where ya been?
Watched the meeting on the replay. There was simply no need for that behavior. He makes Stewart look reasonable. Admit the guy had some good ideas,and still might, but at this point most have just tuned him out. He just behaves badly and other board members look embarrassed for him. According to the other blog everyone other than their boy is stupid or a criminal. So why bother listening. And most of the comments are so stilted – looks like they’ve been written by one or two people then just reworded over and over again praising the boy wonder. I’ve concluded that the five guys in their underwear comment was spot on.
Exit Mr. Cliven Bundy. Enter Mr. Donald Sterling.
That’s pretty much the case. Now we can all obsess about Sterling for a while. (sort of like when Gary Condit welcomed 9-11 because it took the heat off of him.)