"Socialists" through history

What socialist said this?

The necessaries of life occasion the great expense of the poor. They find it difficult to get food, and the greater part of their little revenue is spent in getting it. The luxuries and vanities of life occasion the principal expense of the rich, and a magnificent house embellishes and sets off to the best advantage all the other luxuries and vanities which they possess. A tax upon house-rents, therefore, would in general fall heaviest upon the rich; and in this sort of inequality there would not, perhaps, be anything very unreasonable. It is not very unreasonable that the rich should contribute to the public expense, not only in proportion to their revenue, but something more than in that proportion.

Why Adam Smith, in Wealth of Nations, of course.

What socialist implemented a progressive income tax in the US? That red commie Theodore Roosevelt, that's who.

Another socialist ran our country from 1953-1961, did you know. Here's the marginal tax rates for the lowest paid and highest paid Americans during that time.

1952-1953 - 22.2% 92% Census
1954-1963 - 20% 91% Census

That's 92 percent! That commie, Dwight D. Eisenhower, what was he thinking, reigning over a time of economic prosperity? Of course he oversaw that socialist government expenditure of funds for US highways. Of course in those days, large corporations paid the largest chunk of the taxes collected. Now individuals do. And that's part of the problem.

My favorite example: blue states like New York, New Jersey, California, etc., pay a lot more in federal taxes than anything they receive. Meanwhile states like Mississippi, Alaska, North Dakota receive a lot more in federal funding than they pay. Socialism!

Project Runway 5 Finale 2

It's the season finale. I'm happy and sad -- happy to find out the winner and sad because this could be the last PR ever. And no matter what, its tone is going to change because it will have a new production company.

The finale starts out on an even keel, with everyone getting along, even as they pick models. Minor irritation -- Kenley giving suggestions to Leanne. 

Now Tim comes to check on the collections and the old Kenley breaks forth. She's fairly polite about the ropes, disagreeing politely with him. But then he raises questions about making the wedding dress her centerpiece again. Then the fangs came out and omigod, Tim rolls his eyes as he walks away.

How much I hate Kenley. I think only Vincent drove Tim that nuts.

Love the sniping between Kenley and Leanne. I disagree with both. Some of the hand painted flowers are quite lovely. And Leanne's color palette gives her work an ethereal look.

Hope Korto's last minute work is worth it. I love Korto -- her personality has been really shining through in the last few episodes and she seems like she'd be a lot of fun to hang with. "Come on, be a pal."

Little fur ball dog. If I were Leanne I'd be drop kicking it out the Parsons window. That gorgeous dress does not deserve that trauma.

I love Tim's pep talks. I want Tim to give me a pep talk.

Runway Day! and they had to get up at 3 a.m. What is that silly leaf thing in Kenley's hair?

Weeeeee. Tim is the judge! Karma time, Kenley! The expression on her face was worthwhile. "I guess I should improve my attitude." Indeedy. 

Kenley's clothes are fairly cute and a couple of hand-painted stuff lovely but it is very disjointed. The music was horrible, not appropriate for a runway show. Poor models, try to walk to that. She's the only one who doesn't walk with her model at the end.

Korto's clothes are really great. Her colors were fantastic, I loved the styling and beads and jewelry, something she designed herself. The fans were cool too.  And she should have used that white dress as her wedding gown.  "Don't I look hot?" Love you Korto.  I don't know why some people think she's a b word. 

Korto looks like her mom and so does Kenley. Her sister is a total clone. 

Leanne's show is dreamy, exquisite, ethereal. I actually liked her color palette for her clothes. They're so elaborate that anything brighter would have looked busy. 

Tim looks like a proud papa as the designers come out even if he's a judge.

Kenley gets the warning about her clothes' resemblance to other designers. As Nina warns, all the fashion editors will be thinking the same thing.

The judges agree that Korto's moved so well.

What could they say about Leanne's? It was dee-vine as MK says.

Yeah, Kenley is number three and a sore loser to boot. No it's not cow manure. You need to grow up, KENLEY.

Leanne wins. Yay! But I'm torn because Korto appealed to my heart and Leanne my brain. Korto, you're still a winner -- you got the fan favorite!

Bet Karalyn is really gnashing her teeth right now.

Project Runway 5 Finale 1

So here we are. Near the end. Of a miserable season. I think the magical elves were conducting sabotage.

They kick off by requiring finalists to make wedding dresses. Since European couture shows always end with wedding dresses, it's realistic. But these guys have only two months to prepare. Is it fair? By the way, Tim and Heidi, the air kiss wasn't convincing.

Kenley is her typical rude self by walking out without even a farewell. And blames the other designers for "sabotage." Buy yourself a damned clue, Mean Girl.

Korto's retreat is lovely, though her home is a stark box. Tim showed a little un-Tim dirty mind attitude toward one of Korto's dresses, which look like they are beautiful colors. Did he say snatch shot?!

Korto's family was successful in Liberia, lost everything and fled to the US where they started from scratch. Top that Kenley, with your fracking whining about your rough life.

Trust Tim to wear a bicycle helmet. The whole episode has a nerdy charm between geek girl and Tim. Even Leanne's bf is nerdy cute. The glimpses of her collection look exquisite.

Jerrell has a goatee. And a hard luck life story. South Central LA and riots and gangland warfare. Dad away from home driving a truck. Top that Kenley.

But Jerrell's dresses, especially wedding dress, do look messy.

Kenley lives in Brooklyn, in a relatively large apartment for NYC -- Christian had a closet. So she can't be doing that badly. Grandmother a 40s pinup girl. Do I detect a life inspiration? More tugboat captain. No tough stories about life on the sea. It was sad about her grandmother.

The wedding dress does look lovely. I still think her patterns are garish, though Tim likes them. gulp.

Ooo, the reunion after the tense clash and the rude Kenley departure. The other designers were more polite than the previews hinted.

All she had to do was apologize for her behavior and everything was relatively fine. Korto showed graciousness by wishing her well.

Oh that was cruel, cruel, cruel. A bridesmaid dress in a day. After they got a lot less time to make their collections.

Korto is being so funny this ep. Her personality is shining through. But I'm worried after Tim's critique. After my glimpse of her collection, I really don't want her gone.

Wow. I think this is the first time Tim got teary eyed and emotional. That was quite emotional. I'm really excited by Leanne's wedding dress and bridesmaid dress, they both look totally stunning.

Oh the bitch Kenley is back. Hello? Not everything is about you. Tim told Leanne to make her dress shorter and told Korto she needed to differentiate her dress. If only you weren't wrapped in your own ego, Kenley. You do not own the patent on short.

Hate Jerrell's wedding dress. It's messy, messy, messy and wrinkled mess. The bridesmaid dress looks slept in.

I hate to admit it, but Kenley's stuff was cute.

Korto's is not the most attractive thing she has ever made.

Oh, Karalyn is showing for Leanne, whose wedding ensemble was one of the most exquisite things I've ever seen. And the judges love it too.

RE: Jerrell. Heidi agrees with me, calls it messy. Laughed at Kors' flower pot.

They like Kenley's. Mention Alexander McQueen. Blogging Project Runway and Project Rungay ran pictures from McQueen's collection. Yeah, definitely inspired by it. Kenley should just admit it.

Heidi is pretty harsh about Korto's dresses.

Jerrell went hog wild, sez Kors. That sums up nicely.

Shoo. as much as I like Jerrell, I like Korto's work so much better. And since I sneaked a peek at the BP collections, she deserved it more. And as much as I hate to admit it, because it was unfair to Jerrell, Kenley's collection was prettier than his.

But I'm looking forward to Top Chef.

Wolves

Why I could never vote for Sarah Palin. I fell in love with wolves at age 12. They're remarkable creatures. Wolves take down the sick and the elderly moose so the claim that this practice "culls" wolves is so much anti-science BS.



OK, Palin's attempt to allow hunters to submit the forelegs didn't make passage (which earned this ad one Pinnochio). But she tried. And the Defenders of Wildlife defeated her in court.

PS and I don't call the people who engage in this practice real "hunters." They're sick bullies.

Army 10 Miler -- Piece o' Cake

Well, at least compared to the Marine Corps Marathon, which is only 60 percent longer!

It's a beautiful run and it was a beautiful day. One thing that's different than the marathon: the crowds of runners don't thin out and by the time my end of the pack makes it, the spectators are much sparser. I ran slower than normal at the beginning and actually picked up my speed at the end, when most folks around me were slowing down considerably. Even did a sprint across the finish line. Wh00t! Or should I say Hoo-ah?

It's also different to see a running route from a new angle. The view from the street is different from the view from the sidewalk. With fewer obstacles. No traffic lights to interrupt. No maintenance trucks parked on the sidewalks...

There were also lump inducing sights to put things in perspective. Like the Army amputees valiantly making the run. And the people wearing T-shirts on the run dedicated to their loved ones who died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Edited to Add: of course, to keep this whole surpassing people thing in perspective: I came in ahead of only 1800 people (hmmm. 26,000 registered but only 17,000+ finished). That's only 10 percent of the pack! Even among my peers, females in the upper 40s, 83 percent finished first.

Karma, Kenley

I honestly think the girl is unhinged in some way, like she has some sort of emotional short circuit. The editors tried really hard to make you feel sorry for her. But having watched her hideous behavior for the last several weeks, sorry it's not working.

We start out with Kenley bashing Leanne for not "selling" her hideous hip hop outfit. Uh huh, that's the reason her outfit should have lost. Delusion much? So she tries to pull a passive aggressive mean girl tactic, refusing to talk to Lil L. It backfires because the others are buddies to Dork Girl.

What on earth was Tim babbling about Joan Crawford for? That was an odd conversation stopper. The Botanical Gardens are stunning. Can you get there by subway? I have to confess I've not been outside of Manhattan and Brooklyn other than an overnight in Flushing to catch a flight to Russia at JFK.

Kenley loses her tulle and the others refuse to loan here theirs. Why should they? It's down to the wire. But they were a wee bit too smug about it. On the other hand, they're living with that whiny voice 24/7 and according to aufed designers, not so under the breath insults of others' designs from her work table. That would be driving me insane.

So now she's whining about the other designers excluding her and how all her life it's been that way. Maybe it's time for some self reflection, my dear.

Half her childhood spent at sea on a tugboat. Uh huh, I hear a tall tale in that. Maybe summers. I don't recall any major docks in Pompano that could launch a seagoing tugboat. But wev. We will probably hear the gruesome details of her hard, difficult and tragic childhood next week. I'm sure it was much rougher living with a tugboat captain than fleeing civil war and horrific massacres in Liberia.

"That's been done," snipes Kenley about Leanne's pleats. And what's with the hostility toward Korto? "That's been done." As if you can't say that about 50s by way of 80s vintage dresses?

Korto -- The color is a little too palid. Maybe she should have used a brighter orange?

Leanne -- It moves beautifully and I love the bodice but the back is...strange.

Jerrell -- The bodice could have a wardrobe malfunction. But it's an interesting shape and eclectic combo of colors.

Kenley -- Ugh. Little Mermaid. Morticia Addams? I know, I know! Martian girl in Mars Attacks! Only sleeveless. But definitely costume.

"It is annoying, no? the attitude?" oh HEIDI.

Nina Garcia -- love the hand wave.

This decision really irks me. If you said, you all did a terrible job and we can't pick a winner so you will continue competing, then fine. But if you pick Jerrell and Leanne as winners this week, then don't take away their win! Especially Jerrell!

Well, this has been a ghastly season. Makes me wonder if it is deliberate. Poison the well so Lifetime receives a product in decline.

Google Maps Now Officially Suck

I've posted before on what a big fan I was of google maps. Well, all good things must come to an end. They've contracted with a new map service so, par for the course (yeah, I'm looking at you, too, Mozilla) things went down hill this week.

You can no longer calculate the walking distance to any of the memorials, because...they're not on the street. So the walking route function of the map system is now useless.

Thanks a lot, Google.