Rick Snyder: The “Let Them Eat Cake” Era Kicks Off Now

The “Nerd” and new governor of Michigan Rick Snyder is coming in doing exactly what we anticipated; cutting tax exemptions for the poor and leaving breaks for corporations in place. Snyder is pushing to eliminate the Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit, which benefits low income workers. If is is passed, it would save the state about $360 million dollars. Great. Snyder is also pushing for a $1.2 BILLION tax CUT for Michigan businesses, hoping it will create more jobs. So, to recap, taking away $360 million from low income Michigan residents is a measure to balance the budget, but letting big business keep almost three times that amount is okay? Roughly 780,000 families received the tax credit in the 2009 fiscal year. Snyder defended the plan on Friday by saying the money would go to help Medicare in the state, though later admitted only roughly 20% of that tax would actually find its way to benefit Medicare recipients.

“Heil! I mean, Hey!” ~ Gov. Rick Snyder

In addition, without the METIC, an additional 25,000 families would fall below the poverty line in the state. To give my Dear Readers a rough idea of the amount of money the METIC equates to annually per household, a couple of two with an annual income of $30,000 would receive a credit of $643, or roughly enough to pay a year’s worth of utilities.

Foxy Friday: Minka Kelly

Oh, that’s right, it’s Friday….Foxy Friday, no less. Never a difficult blog to right, be assured, My Dear Readers….

This week’s Fox is the tastefully named Minka Kelly, which, contrary to the Bohunk’s suspicions, is not her real name reverse. She is the daughter of Aerosmith guitarist Rick Dufay and exotic dancer (not making that up) Maureen Kelly. Minka made it up to 54th on Maxim’s 2008 Hot 100 list before being named “Sexiest Woman Alive” by Esquire in 2010. She plays a foxy cheerleader on Friday Night Lights but has since exploded on to the more expensive and larger screen. She has appeared in 13 movies, lucky her, including 500 Days of Summer and this year’s Just Go With It. To note, she is the girlfriend of Yankee Derek Jeter.

You will note, won’t you, her quite attractive smile…

Photo of the Day

To brighten your Thursday, the Bohunk submits for your viewing pleasure this photo of the Grand Tetons in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This mountain range rises roughly 16 feet every 10,000 years due to plate tectonics and seismic activity, making it one of the youngest mountain ranges in the world, and one of the fastest growing. It also, to note, the birthplace of Yours Truly.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Lance Armstrong Montage

Lance Armstrong retired officially yesterday, indicating he will not ride the Quiznos Challenge or Tour of California in 2011. Lance won seven Tours de France, was a world champion and served as an inspiration for millions of cancer survivors while raising money and awareness through his foundation. Today, forget just for a moment the drug accusations and the federal investigation. Wasn’t it just fun to watch him race? Yes, I believe it was. The Bohunk can admit that there is an awful lot of indication of wrongdoing, but nothing has stuck yet. So, regardless if you hate Lance, or love him, and you probably aren’t in between, enjoy a few pictures from his amazing career….

A young, world champion Lance Armstrong and American Tour champ Greg LeMond…This may be the only friendly conversation the two ever had.

A grainy look at Lance on the brink. One of his later chemo treatments in the mid 90’s.

Sestriere in 1999: The attack that won him
the Tour and made him the best climber in
the world over Marco Pantani.

The Look: 2001, Lance takes a peep at rival Jan Ulrich. Lance went; Ulrich could not.

Lance won his seventh tour in 2005, and retired shortly after.

Comeback 2.0 resulted in a third at the Tour and, as Lance often said himself, it was a lot more work.

Crashes marred 2010, including this one at the Tour of California, the same day Floyd Landis began his campaign against Lance in the press.

We will leave Lance here, on his way to 23rd place at the Tour in 2010, but still riding well even at 38 years old.

Police Open Fire In Middle-East

Just to be sure you are paying attention, police fired on protestors in Bahrain and Iraq in the past two days as protests sweep the Middle East. In Bahrain, police and military forces swarmed the town square, site of a political protests with thousands of angry men and women. The military forces opened fire on five people, at least two of them asleep at the time. Some 200 other protesters were wounded in addition to the five fatalities. The government now claims it has banned protests and they control all of the city.

Actual photo from Bahrain of police opening fire on protesters, who are shown running from the square.

In Iraq, a small protest in the town of Kut ended in gunfire as police officials opened fire on protestors outside the provincial governors office. Some cars were set alight and some reported fires in the building itself. The provincial governor was in Baghdad at the time of the protest. The town is close to the Iraq-Iran border, where similar protests have been brutally silenced. The Iranian government arrested over 1,400 people in a single day over the weekend after protests in Tehran. They will not allow a repeat of Egypt in their own country.

(More) Proof: World Going To Hell Via Hand Basket

Saxo-man Contador cannot believe the Tainted Beef Story worked…see you at Algarve, Pistolero.

In cycling, typically, once a rider is suspended, an appeal is asked for by the rider, upheld, handled poorly over  a long period of time, then denied. Alberto Contador got his one year ban overturned, effective today and meaning “El Pistolero” will be eligible to join in for the Algarve racing event in Portugal later this week. It also means he’ll be there for the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France and all the warm up races Tour contenders frequent in the months of April, May and June. So much for “zero tolerance”. The ruling completely ignored the evidence of plasticizers in Contador’s samples, which cannot be explained away by the old stand-by, tainted beef. This story is too old and, now, too frustrating, to continue on with. Barring anything dramatic, like a judicial admission of corruption or something thoroughly juicy, you will indeed see Contador in Italy and France this season, and, no doubt, contending for the podium in both events. You will. You just, my Dear Readers, will.

Proof: World Going to Hell Via Hand Basket

According to a recent study in the former Soviet Union, one in three Russians believe the Sun revolves around the earth. As covered in the Update some months ago, and in every reputable astronomical journal since the 14th century, that is not the case. Just how so many people can believe something so wrong is astounding, and in a supposedly advanced nation nonetheless. Be thankful for what you know and hunger to know more. And don't ask Russians questions on the heavens.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Cadenza

Just taking a very short moment to note the longevity of the bike pictured here. This Fuji Cadenza slightly predates the Bohunk by some years, and yet, with almost no repairs save some new tires, still rolls along quite nicely. After the Bohunks car was totalled, and before it was aptly replaced, this faithful steed became the sole means of timely transportation for an exceedingy punctual Bohunk. There is a very specific and happy joy in riding a bike anywhere, but perhaps more so when considering the alternative, which is uniformily by being locked into a loud and noisy bus or car. Pick a day and go by bike, Dear Readers. You will not regret it.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7