Clinton’s Finally Release Post White House Tax Returns … Bill & Hillary Made $109 Million Since Bubba was President

The long wait is over. The Clinton’s have finally released their tax returns following Bill Clinton leaving the office of the President of the United States. If you took the under of $100 million, you lost. Boy, this makes one really want to donate their hard earned money to a political candidate.  What is wrong with this picture?

This is rather ironic or is it pathetic? On the very day that Hillary Clinton announced that she proposed creating a cabinet-level position devoted to ending poverty, Billery reported earning more than $109 million over eight years. Maybe Hillary can pay for this new cabinet level position’s salary out of her own pocket. If they wanted to end poverty, why don’t they just let everyone be able to be a politician. Seems like its a rather easy get rich quick scheme at the expense of “We the People”.

Can you say Jackpot!!! Of course it is not lost that the Clinton’s released the data late on a Friday afternoon to avoid the news cycles. Who do they think they are Aruba? The Clinton’s reported making 20.4 million in 2007 alone. Are these the same people that had set up a legal trust fund and begged people to donate to help Bill & Hillary pay for their many legal issues while “Bubba” was President. One might think that they may want to reimburse the many who were foolish enough to donate.

Individual years tax returns can be found at HillaryClinton.com
2000-2007 Returns
Feds Taxes Paid: $33.7 million
Charity: $10.2 million
Hillary’s Senate Salary: $1,051,606
Bill’s Presidential Pension: $1,217,250
Hillary’s Book Income: $10,457,083
Bill’s Book Income: $29,580,525
Bill’s Speech Income: $51,855,599

UPDATE I: Charity Begins at Home  or at least to the Clinton family Foundation … All charitable donations in ‘06 were to Clinton Foundation

Isn’t this special and self-serving. Giving charitable donations to yourself for the tax relief implication and then giving out those contribution after one declares a presidential candidacy in a show of good will. So much for giving to charity, just because its the right thing to do.

During that time, the Clintons paid $33.8 million in federal taxes and claimed deductions for $10.2 million in charitable contributions. The contributions went to a family foundation run by the Clintons that has given away only about half of the money they put into it, and most of that was last year, after Mrs. Clinton declared her candidacy.

Airports Council International List of 5 ‘best airport in Latin-America and Caribbean’ … Missing is Aruba’s Queen Beatrix International Airport

Every year the Airports Council International (ACI) assesses airports worldwide with Airport Service Quality Awards as well as for the best airport in Latin-America and the Caribbean. Conspicuously absent on this list is Aruba’s, Queen Beatrix International Airport.

Best Caribbean/Latin-American airport is that of Guayaquil (Ecuador), followed by San José (Costa Rica), Mexico City (Mexico), and Port of Spain (Trinidad & Tobago).

So how is it that an island that claims to be the number one place to vacation in the Caribbean does not show up on the top 5 airports in Latin-America and the Caribbean? Coming soon to a ATA and AHATA travel brochure, Aruba … not on the list of top 5 airports in the Caribbean, service and safety is not out motto.

Hato 5th best airport in the region (Amigoe, 2/27/08)

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Oscar’s Dismal Ratings, Academy Awards Movies Show Get Lowest Audience on Record

Say it isn’t so? The Academy Awards telecast received the smallest Oscar audience on record. Wow, that is so hard to believe … NOT!!!

Please, the reason for the low viewership was not the recent Hollywood writer’s strike, nor the rainy weather in southern California. Maybe it’s because of Hollywood’s recent disconnect with actual Americans. Maybe it’s because regular Americans are growing wearing of actors and their elitists attitudes trying to ram their liberal agenda down their audiences throat. The Oscars have become nothing more than elitists honoring elitists for movies that none of us can stomach to watch.

However, the real reason is quite obvious. No one watched these nominated movies by the Academy Awards when they were in the movie theatres, why would anyone think that people would want to watch an awards show rewarding movies that no one wanted to watch in the first place? DUH!!! Oscar may want to rethink that business model.

Sunday’s audience was down sharply from last year’s 40.17 million and also below the kudocast’s previous low-water mark of 33.04 million in 2003 (a show held just days after the country went to war in Iraq).

This year’s Oscars had its own hurdles to overcome, most notably the four-month writers strike, which cut into preparation time for producers and writers.

The show averaged a 10.7 rating in adults 18-49, down 24% from last year (14.1) and 14% below the previous low of 2003 (12.5).

The top five highest-rated markets were New York (30.6 household rating/44 share), Chicago (29.1/43), San Francisco (27.2/47), West Palm Beach, Fla. (26.1/39), and Los Angeles (25.6/41). A year ago, New York generated a 35.3 rating and Los Angeles a 32.0.

Oscars telecast is the lowest-rated ever

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Clemens & McNamee: Congressional Hearing on Steroids and HGH … HE SAID, HE SAID

Why did Congress make the steroid & HGH issue about whether Roger Clemens or Brian McNamee was lying? Personally, I do not care. The reason is because, they are all lying in one way or another right down to MLB owners, management, players, unions and the commissioner. How else could the use of performance enhancement drugs become so wide spread and accepted by all.

Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee faced off in front of Congress yesterday in the He Said, He Said, battle over the use of steroids and HGH. Although I am for Congress getting involved in the issue of steroids & HGH in baseball and all sports for that matter, once again politicians have lost focus on the prime objective.

The steroids and HGH issue should not focus on two people, it should spot light the systemic problem and culture of performance enhancement drugs that permeates all sport from professional, college, high school and even grade school. That is the issue!!! That is what Congress should be focusing on, not a HE SAID … HE SAID, made for TV event.

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Abercrombie & Fitch in Trouble Again With Obscenity Laws with Ads

Its like Ground Hog Day, if its a new Abercrombie & Fitch ad campaign, then it must also be cutting edge ad bordering on obscenity. Once again A&F has produced ads that have caught the ire of the public and in this case, a cities obscenity laws. However, I must say I have seen much worse in the past from Abercrombie & Fitch. Picture in question available here.

The citation was issued under City Code Section 22.31, Bernstein said, which makes it a crime to display “obscene materials in a business that is open to juveniles.” He did not say what was being done with the pictures and when the manager, whose name was not released, is scheduled to appear in court.

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Does Microsoft YAHOO? … MicrosoftMakes $44.6B Bid for Yahoo … Google Nervous

Microsoft Corp. has made a $44.6B bid for slumping internet giant Yahoo. With Yahoo’s stock sliding over recent years, one wonders whether they have a choice on this unsolicited takeover offer. If this offer is approved the Justice Department would likely have to review a Microsoft-Yahoo merger.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Microsoft Corp. has pounced on slumping Internet icon Yahoo Inc. with an unsolicited takeover offer of $44.6 billion in its boldest bid yet to challenge Google Inc.’s dominance of the lucrative online search and advertising markets

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This is good for Tourism? Inflation in Aruba at Historic Levels … “Aruba is also Becoming too Expensive”

“Aruba is also becoming too expensive.”

It appears that Aruba is handling their inflation as well as they handled the Natalee Holloway investigation.

Are the tourism powers that be in Aruba going to sit back and tell us this is good for their tourism and that its flourishing? Maybe some one would like to inform tourism and government officials of simple economics. Aruba is experiencing double digit inflation. Who who be their next Prime Minister, Jimmy Carter?

Why would a traveler want to go some where that is more expensive than comparable locations? Thus, the only incentive that Aruba tourism has is to lower their prices. Thus, when they say they have an increase in tourism is it really a financial increase? When you increase tourism by 8% but have to slash your prices by 30%, is there really a profit?

From the figures of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) it appears that the inflation in 2007 has reached a historic record of 10.2 percent in December; was 8.6 percent in November. 

“The 6-percent difference between the 4.2 percent inflation of our most important business-partner the United States and the unprecedented high inflation of 10.2 percent of Aruba shows that the bbo has drastically influenced the price increase in Aruba.”

Inflation reaches historic record, (Amigoe, January 23, 2008)

ORANJESTAD – From the figures of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) it appears that the inflation in 2007 has reached a historic record of 10.2 percent in December; was 8.6 percent in November.   

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Disgraced & Disbarred Ex-Durham, NC DA Mike Nifong Files Bankruptcy

My how the mighty have fallen … Nifong Files Bankruptcy.

The downward spiral continues for former North Carolina DA, Mike Nifong. First he lost his credibility, then he lost his job, then he was sued, then he was disbarred, then he was sentenced to jail and now he has filed bankruptcy. The once brash DA, who’s over zelous and wreckless prosecution of three Duke Lacrosse players of rape has certainly seen his world crumble around him.

Disgraced and disbarred, Mike Nifong is now bankrupt. The former North Carolina prosecutor, whose career imploded with his botched handling of the Duke University rape case, today filed for bankruptcy, listing liabilities in excess of $180 million. A summary schedule from Nifong’s Chapter 7 petition can be found below. Almost all of that sum represents legal claims filed against the former Durham County district attorney by members of Duke’s 2006 lacrosse team, including the three players who were accused of raping a stripper at a team party. (The Smoking Gun)

This will end the saga known as “Nifong’s Over zealous NightmareNifong’s as bankruptcy protection will insulate Nifong from most all the civil law suits filed.

Nifong files for bankruptcy

MP3 Christmas Gift for 10 Year Old Girl Bought at WALMART Preloaded With Porn

I hardly think that this was on Santa’s list of presents to bring children …

Hey Walmart … Wanna get away? This must have been the feeling when Daryl Hill realized that the MP3 player he had purchased at Walmart for his 10 year old daughter was preloaded with porn and explicit songs. One would think that legal action will be part of this families new year.

A father gave his 10-year-old daughter a Christmas present that would make Santa blush.

Now Daryl Hill wants to know why an MP3 video player he bought at a Wal-Mart in Sparta was preloaded with pornography and explicit songs.

Hill bought three of the players as Christmas presents for his children. He said one of the devices had apparently been returned to the store from a previous owner who loaded sex clips and songs with lyrics about using drugs.

“Within 10 minutes, my daughter was crying,” Hill said Thursday. “I wish I could take the thoughts and images out of her head.”

Hill questioned why Wal-Mart Stores Inc. would sell used merchandise as new, which he said violates its own policies. (FOX News)

Better Late than Never at a cost of $14.8 billion … The Big Dig in Boston is Complete

The “Big Dig” has seemingly come to an end and only at an expense of $14.8 billion. The initial cost of this Boston, MA construction project was $2.6 billion. This is one anniversary that no one will be popping a champaign cork to. It seems like construction just started such a short time ago. Yeah, like 1991!!!

After a history marked by engineering triumphs, tunnels leaks, epic traffic jams, last year’s death of a motorist crushed by falling concrete panels and a price tag that soared from $2.6 billion to a staggering $14.8 billion, there’s little appetite for celebration.

Civil and criminal cases stemming from the July 2006 tunnel ceiling collapse continue, though on Monday the family of Milena Del Valle announced a $6 million settlement with Powers Fasteners, the company that manufactured the epoxy blamed by investigators for the accident. Lawsuits are pending against other Big Dig contractors, and Powers Fasteners still faces a manslaughter indictment.

Officially, Dec. 31 marks the end of the joint venture that teamed megaproject contractor Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff with the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority to build the dizzying array of underground highways, bridges, ramps and a new tunnel under Boston Harbor — all while the city remained open for business.

On Dec. 31, It’s Official: Boston’s Big Dig Will Be Done