_Yes, an odd post for Thanksgiving Day.  I don’t think anyone is really thankful for politicians….
2012 is a presidential election year, meaning that a serious portion of news time will be dedicated to this topic.  Obviously, we know who the Democrat's presidential candidate will be.  I will be doing a post about President Obama’s “rough” campaign platform at a later date. 

But with the wide variety of interesting debate comments and moments, I thought I would do an overview of who is running on the right.  (I do not support any candidate at this point…from either party.  Participants/Contenders will be appearing in alphabetical order). 

This being a cynical website, I will be posting a couple of less-than-intelligent quotes from each candidate.  I WILL do my best to find verification of every single quote.

Bachmann, Michele
    Bio- graduate of Winona State University, received J.D. at the O.W. Coburn School of Law at Oral Roberts University and an L.L.M. in Tax Law at the College of William and Mary.  Worked as a tax attorney, and then in the Minnesota State Senate from 2000-2006.  In 2006, she was the first Republican woman to be elected to represent Minnesota in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Views:
   Self-proclaimed “Constitutional Conservative.” 
   Wants to repeal Obamacare. 
   Believes the government “needs to make the serious spending decisions that many families and small businesses across America have been forced to make.” 
   Pro-Life. 
   Opponent of taxpayer-funded bailout of Wall Street and the Dodd-Frank legislation. 

Media/Outside Commentary:
   CNN Contributor John Avlon says, “It's part of her usual schtick: playing politics by talk radio rules, where impact is far more important than accuracy.” 
   Glenn Beck showing initial support, but said that since MSNBC now likes her, he’s pulling his support (I can’t tell if he’s joking or not). 
   On the “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” (NBC) the band their views clear when they played “Lyin’ A** B*tch” as Bachmann first appeared on stage.

Michele Bachmann Quotes:
   “And what a bizarre time we’re in, when a judge will say to little children that you can’t say the pledge of allegiance, but you must learn that homosexuality is normal and you should try it.” (see note 1)
   "This is one thing we know about Barack Obama. He has essentially handed over our interrogation of terrorists to the ACLU. He's outsourced it to them. Our CIA has no ability to have any form of interrogation for terrorists." (debate)
   "hundreds and hundreds of scientists, many of them holding Nobel Prizes, who believe in 'intelligent design.'" (see note 2)


Note 1: while this quote is quoted many places on the internet, here is ONLY two even semi-legitimate news sources I could find for it.  Almost every site says this quote was from a radio news interview (“Prophetic Views Behind The News”, hosted by Jan Markell, KKMS 980-AM, March 6, 2004) but I cannot find an original news story from that time period.  Also, the quote changes slightly from site to site…I can’t tell if this is from sloppy reporting or if the quote was made up in the first place.  I have contacted Olive Tree Ministries (Jan Markell’s current home) and am awaiting a response. 
-Pauley, Donna Cozart. (2011, Oct. 7). “Views From the Left: Loud Whispers.” Alvin Sun Editorials. http://www.alvinsun.net/articles/2011/10/07/opinion/editorials/doc4e8f4f25e92cc643301005.txt
-Bakay, Dennis. (2011, Aug. 14). “Michele Bachmann’s Anti-Gay Stance Makes Her an Irrational Presidential Candidate.” Philly2philly.com.  http://www.philly2philly.com/politics_community/the_water_cooler/2011/8/14/47598/michele_bachmanns_anti_gay_stance_makes_her_irra

Note 2: I agree with CNN’s John Avlon who says that she plays a little fast and loose with the facts.  However, to give her credit, I did actually find a Nobel Peace Prize winner who is on the record for intelligent design. 
-Powell, Bonnie Azab. (2005, June 17). “’Explore as much as we can’: Nobel Prize winner Charles Townes on evolution, intelligent design, and the meaning of life.”  NewsCenter, UC Berkeley News. http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2005/06/17_townes.shtml


Sources:
-Avlon, John. (2011, Nov. 23). “Michele Bachmannn fumbles the facts.” CNN.com. http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/23/opinion/avlon-bachmann-facts/
-Bachmann, Michele.  Congressional Website.  http://bachmann.house.gov/
-Beck, Glenn. (2011, Nov. 22). “Glenn on Bachmann: ‘She’s exceptional.’” Glenn Beck website.  http://www.glennbeck.com/2011/11/22/glenn-on-bachmann-shes-exceptional/
-Beck, Glenn. (2011, Nov. 23). “MSNBC praises…Michele Bachmann?” Glenn Beck website.  http://www.glennbeck.com/2011/11/23/msnbc-praises-michele-bachmann/
-Bohn, Kevin. (2011, Nov. 24). “NBC apologizes to Bachmann over song.” CNN.com. http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/24/showbiz/nbc-bachmann-apology/?hpt=hp_bn7
-Daum, Meghan. (2011, July 1). “Michele Bachmann the believer.” Chicago Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-07-01/news/ct-oped-0701-daum-20110701_1_michele-bachmann-sarah-palin-believer

_For those who haven’t been following along, here is quick brief of what has passed thus far: I posted a joke about being careful who you vote for in 2012.  The joke was supporting the “conservative” side, with the cynical view that the “ant” who worked hard and saved ended up getting everything taken away by the “grasshopper” who took charity and claimed that it was unfair that the ant had so much while the grasshopper had so little.  A reader posted a comment pointing out that many businesses (GE in particular) do NOT pay their fair share, and hypothesized that this was due to unfair laws passed and supported by Republicans.

 Looking up the facts about the GE news article led to a spirited discussion in our household…what can I say, husband and I are both opinionated.  I’ll let you guess who was on what side.  (ha-ha) 

So, I have a few questions for my readers,
1) Do you think many businesses do not pay their fair share?   -or-   Do you think they are unfairly taxed at a higher rate and that the GE example is the “exception that proves the rule?” 

2) Do you think that too many Americans rely on various government aid programs?   -or-  Do you think these programs do what they are intended to do, and should continue to be funded? 

3) Do you think all of these issues have to be divided into Republican and Democrat?  Can’t one have varying opinions and express them without being pigeonholed? 

I’ll be posting reader’s answers to these questions, so please comment!  (if you leave your site link, I’ll include that with your comment) 

I always appreciate reader comments, especially when they throw a new light, or a different view on something I've published.  I was amazed when I looked up the news reference she cited!  Here is her comment, copied exactly. 

So, thanks to Joyce at http://joycelansky.blogspot.com

The ultra-wealthy have used their money and influence to elect politicians who have taken away regulations on businesses and provided multiple loop holes so that companies are not paying their fair share of taxes. The result of this practice has been an extremely lopsided wealth distribution where the rich get richer while the middle class is shrinking. If the rich don't start paying their fair share of taxes, I'm afraid we will snow ball into another Great Depression. Ironically, the first one resulted from Presidents Harding and Coolidge allowing businesses free reign to do what they wanted, just like now.

General Electric made $14.2 billion in profits in 2010, but paid NO taxes because the bulk of those profits, some $9 billion, were offshore. In fact, GE got a $3.2 billion tax benefit.(1) Multiple economists have said that the way out of this mess is to stimulate jobs while taxing the rich. However, the Republican Congress refuses to do anything to fix the problem because they have been bought out by the wealthy and cater to their whims. Furthermore, Republicans don't want to do anything to fix the economy because that could mean re-election for Obama, and politics have become more important than the benefit of the people. This sounds like TREASON to me!

Yes! Be careful who you vote for in 2012.

(1) http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/general-electric-paid-federal-taxes-2010/story?id=13224558#.Tr9HUvI8eBo

Who said that working in medicine meant having to wear shapeless scrubs with no personality and little attention spent on fashion?  As a dedicated fashion fan (trust me, I actually look forward to Vogue arriving each month!), I was surprised and pleased to discover Blue Sky Scrubs, located at: http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/

With stitching on the pockets (both back pockets for the pants, single pocket for the tops), a variety of colors, and a better "cut" than the average pair of scrubs, Blue Sky Scrubs brings a professional look to the standard nursing garb.  In addition to scrubs, they offer lab coats, shirts, jackets, and other accessories, making this an ideal shopping spot for everyone in the medical industry, not just nurses.  There are a variety of options for both men and women.  They even have a miniature sets for kids!

For "cut" of the fabric, I like the urban scrubs, which feature low-rise pants vice the original scrubs, which have something "between a flare-leg and boot-cut" (in the companies; own words).  As for color choices, my personal favorite is the hot pink scrubs, though the crimson ones they are offering for the holiday season are a close second.  My absolute favorite thing about Blue Sky Scrubs is the fact that they are accredited by the Better Business Bureau, meaning you can shop with confidence, knowing you are dealing with a reputable company. 

As I've been looking through blogs, I've seen lots of "cute" names for the days- mysterious Mondays, wordless Wednesdays, etc.  None of them really seemed to sum up my accurate, but cynical, view of life.  And then I realized there is one thing that I think all of the time! "WTF!?" 

If you are offended by the "F" pretend it stands for frak (as on Battlestar Galactica) or for "freezing Popsicles in Hades"....though if you're offended by the "F", you probably don't visit here all that often. 

First of all, WTF is up with everyone having a heart attack over Herman Cain's campaign manager Mark Block smoking a freakin' cigarette?  Please.  19.8% of Americans smoke.  Get over it.  You can't catch lung cancer by SEEING someone smoke on a television ad or internet video.  Really.  I promise. 

WTF is up with the crazy spam e-mails I get.  I'm not sure how my name got on these lists or if they are just typing in random letter combinations hoping to hit an actual e-mail, but just in the last week, I've gotten offers for the following:
"Sexy older singles" are apparently interested in me.  As are "bored housewives."  In addition, though I'm female, I've also received e-mails about enlarging a part of the anatomy I don't have.  And, of course (I think everyone gets these), I'm an approved "insider" into getting information on how to make thousands a day!  I've also won multiple ipads, video game systems, and five lotteries, in the last week alone. 

People wearing pants with writing across the behind (such as "Pink" or "Hot").  I can put up with that even though I don't get it, but what really gets me saying "WTF?!" is when the letters are jiggling like jell-o.  Seriously, either a bigger pair of pants or less calories per day.  Your choice. 

WTF is up with people complaining about their weight while at the same exact time eating a calorie-laden unhealthy dish.  Honestly, you can weigh what you want, I don't care.  You can eat what you want, I don't care.  But don't complain to me about your weight while eating a decadent dessert with about 900 calories in.  While you're eating a healthy meal, fine.  Just not dessert. 

PETA is suing SeaWorld, accusing them of violating the 13th Amendment by enslaving five killer whales.  WTF?

Florida Teen claims that she is "part vampire, part werewolf."  She is currently being charged with accessory to murder. 

I was watching "Toddlers and Tiaras" the other day.  It was horrible.  But I just couldn't look away.  Because it was so horrible.  Help....

I was browsing E!Online (they're a great source for WTF Fridays material), and saw a television show titled "Bridalplasty."  From the tagline under the title, it seems as if the winner gets free plastic surgery before their "Big Day."   I refuse to spend another second finding any more information about this show. 

Feel free to share your WTF moments.  If sufficiently humorous, I'll include them in a later post!