I saw a lot of crews working and a lot of utility trucks driving today as I poked around the outskirts of town. These crews are going to be the heroes of the day as they gradually restore power to more and more customers. Then we’ll be ready for tornado season! Shhh.
More photos from the Baldwin area can be found here.
I didn’t stay to see any of the repair work, since I’m busy and it was likely to be a slow process. I left about the same time as the KX News van, except I got in the southbound lane to go back to Bismarck. They drove down the northbound lane, straight into oncoming traffic, before catching their mistake and doing a quick u-turn. Oops!
I’m told there are similar situations like this all around our area. I have friends south of Lincoln who are borrowing one of my generators right now. I’m told that lines are down from Mandan to Flasher as well, and friends of mine north of Mandan got their power restored yesterday evening. Thankfully it isn’t sub-zero now, too! Hopefully the warm temperatures will resume quickly and we can proceed to Spring.
Well, it looks like Big Labor is about to get what it’s been paying for over the past seventeen years of Earl Pomeroy’s illustrious “career.” You see, their interest in shoving the nation into government-run health care is because of a problem inherent to Big Labor: they’ve jacked up benefits to their members way past the point of sustainability, and they’re in need of bailout even worse than GM was.
Let’s not forget the union rent-a-mobs that were protesting bank CEOs at their homes last year. Then there are the union thugs that assaulted people at various Tea Party style rallies as well. This whole Presidency, Democrat Party, and liberal progressive movement itself cannot be separated from Big Labor. These unions are the tick that bleeds the dog dry, and when they finally succeed in killing the goose which has laid the unionized golden egg, you and I are expected to foot the bill. In this case, they have Earl Pomeroy in their back pocket to get the bailout ball rolling in Washington.
Let’s not forget that a mere SIX PERCENT of North Dakotans belong to a labor union, so there is no way Earl can claim that he’s doing his job of representing North Dakota. It’s time for someone new in the US House of Representatives, someone who actually represents this state.
As usual, when I post something on here I back it up. I don’t expect you to take my word for it. Besides, I love showing the KFYRs, KXMBs, Forums, and Tribunes how easy it is to get the real story behind this stuff; obviously journalism schools aren’t teaching anything but liberal activism these days. Here’s the “Change that Works” page on the SEIU union’s website.
The radical left fears average Americans. They’re even more freaked out now that those of us who’d rather live our lives and work our jobs are out protesting…that’s their gig! They’ve screwed up badly enough to get normal, everyday citizens involved in opposition against them, and they’re on the run. That’s why they have to fake this “rally” today, staffed with union labor. I imagine, since the union helped drive hundreds of Bobcat jobs out of North Dakota, that there should be plenty of union labor available to attend.
The timing of this is interesting, too; since most North Dakotans who have attended rallies, town halls, and protests have jobs, they’re unable to suddenly drop everything and head to Fargo to put on a counter-protest. The SEIU union thugs want to have a media event that goes unimpeded, so the KFYRs and KXMBs and the like will put pictures of a large group of “supporters” on your TV screens. It’s all a lie, folks. Remember who you’re dealing with.
The fact of the matter is, the labor unions are happy because they’re getting what they paid for. They want liberal lapdog politicians, and they pay top dollar for them. Earl Pomeroy has shown that he is no different.
Congressman Pomeroy, how can you claim to be a representative of North Dakota when you let the labor unions pull your strings? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only SIX PERCENT of your constituents belong to unions. In addition, according to the union members I’ve talked to, few of them like the direction you Democrats are taking this nation! Only about 28% of North Dakotans favored this legislation, which means that as a “representative” you should not have voted for it. Thank you for showing us who you really represent.
Just like when the union lackeys tried to overrun the Honk NO rally at the Federal Building a while back, Big Labor is showing its true colors. They and their liberal political allies are crawling out from under their rocks and being bold in their agendas at just the right time, when a vast number of otherwise disinterested Americans have grown outraged and decided to enter the political arena. Good. Be as liberal as you guys can be, folks…and show people once and for all what you’re about. It will have certain repercussions at the ballot box, which even ACORN-style ballot stuffing won’t be able to stop.
UPDATED 3/30/2010: According to this Politico article, the unions are dumping $700,000 into advertising for Earl Pomeroy and his Democrat cronies! I wonder if he’ll condemn this use of “out of state money” like he did when he whined to KXMB last November?
It isn’t even a meticulous repair, one which would give the impression that a diligent federal worker made do with the best that they had and attempted to make repairs to the best of their ability. No, this asymmetrical and wrinkled piece of tape looks rather sloppy. Of course, a strip of shipping tape isn’t usually how you attach a metal decoration to a slab of marble.
The crazy thing is that this repair will have proved itself far more effective than the government health care reform takeover; I mean, after all, the shipping tape has held up for several years for me to comment on it! Meanwhile, the Hopey-Changey nature of the health care bill is only appealing to the same sponges that thought Barack Obama was going to buy them a new car and a new kitchen out of his personal “Obama Stash.” Boy, are they going to be mistaken.
This winter has been very good for photography. When I first got my camera a few years ago, I was sure I’d be putting it on the shelf for the winter. I couldn’t imagine what there might be to photograph during a long, dreary North Dakota winter. I was completely wrong. The past several months have been especially fruitful, especially with conditions providing those spikes of light due to ice fog on occasion.
Even so, I’m looking forward to the photo opportunities Spring will provide! I love deep snow as much as the next person, but it’s time for a new season. As the colors return, my camera and I will be ready.
Rush Limbaugh had a word of advice for Pomeroy during today’s show, regarding an exemption for the Bank of North Dakota from the government’s nationalizing of the student loan industry as part of “health care reform.”
KXMB ran this article where Conrad assured North Dakotans that the Bank of North Dakota would have an exemption from the student loan nationalization. Now the Washington Times is running this article in which Conrad and Pomeroy attempt to distance themselves from this “Bismarck Bribe” or “Bismarck Earmark” as fast as they can, and says it will do them little good.
Every time a prominent North Dakota Democrat gets caught with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar, they simply say, “Oops!” and give the money back or to charity. KFYR, KXMB, the Forum, the Tribune…they all lap it up and dutifully cheerlead for the Democrat like the good little stenographers they are. Byron “Skybox” Dorgan got caught with a bunch of money in the Jack Abramoff scandal, which he gave back. Kent “Countrywide” Conrad gave back some money after it was discovered he got a sweetheart deal on a mortgage for which his property didn’t even qualify. Now Conrad and Pomeroy are trying to get as far away from “the Bismarck Earmark” as fast as they can.
Rush Limbaugh had some cautionary words for Rep. Pomeroy, which I’ve encapsulated for you here:
As for Rep. Pomeroy, who I’m not convinced even wants to remain in office any more, I suppose he’s still a wildcard. He’s owned by out of state labor union and insurance company interests…look who’s been bankrolling his campaigns for the past seventeen years. I for one have been calling his offices in Bismarck and Washington, DC in hopes of swaying his vote. I can’t count on his desire to represent North Dakota; if that was the case, he wouldn’t have nearly two decades of doing exactly the opposite. I can only hope that he’s not too tired to care anymore and resigned to voting the Democrat party line until he’s finally ousted. I guess this weekend we’ll know.
UPDATE: Here’s the article in Roll Call Magazine which talks about Conrad’s advocating for “The Bismarck Earmark” or “The Bismarck Bribe.” (click here)