This Just In ...

Week-ends (01/29/11)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Jan. 29, 2011

Week-ends

A look back at the people and events that made news the past week. Week-ends is a regular weekly feature of This Just In...


HEROES OF THE WEEK


Five GB Packers from last Sunday


Nine state senators in Hawaii


Eduardo Verastegui and Nick Vujicic



VILLAINS OF THE WEEK


John Stone's former boss


Paul Myers


Sandy Hayslett


This Akron mom did wrong...but two felonies????


Hit and run driver



QUOTES OF THE WEEK


“All these investments – in innovation, education, and infrastructure – will make America a better place to do business and create jobs.”
President Obama during his State of the Union address.


“I am proposing that starting this year, we freeze annual domestic spending for the next five years.”
President Obama during his State of the Union address.


"We live and do business in the information age, but the last major reorganization of the government happened in the age of black and white TV. There are twelve different agencies that deal with exports. There are at least five different entities that deal with housing policy. Then there’s my favorite example: the Interior Department is in charge of salmon while they’re in fresh water, but the Commerce Department handles them in when they’re in saltwater. And I hear it gets even more complicated once they’re smoked.”
President Obama during his State of the Union address.


"When government takes on too many tasks, it usually doesn’t do any of them very well. It’s no coincidence that trust in government is at an all-time low now that the size of government is at an all-time high.

The President and the Democratic Leadership have shown, by their actions, that they believe government needs to increase its size and its reach, its price tag and its power.

­­Whether sold as ‘stimulus’ or repackaged as ‘investment,’ their actions show they want a federal government that controls too much; taxes too much; and spends too much in order to do too much.

And during the last two years, that is exactly what we have gotten – along with record deficits and debt – to the point where the President is now urging Congress to increase the debt limit.

We believe the days of business as usual must come to an end. We hold to a couple of simple convictions: Endless borrowing is not a strategy; spending cuts have to come first."
WI Congressman Paul Ryan in the GOP response to the State of the Union.


“His theme in the State of the Union was the WTF, you know, ‘Winning the Future,’ and I thought OK, that acronym, spot on. There were a lot of WTF moments throughout that speech.”
Sarah Palin


“All of the usual suspects were on hand (the list is posted at your local post office on the wall) for this love-fest was supposed to show the American People the wonders of bipartisanship and the only thing that was missing was a chorus of Kumbaya. The only casualty of the night was a woman named Nancy who lost her seat and ended standing in the corner. Although some party-poopers in black robes failed to show up.

The entertainment for the evening was provided by the world’s most smartest and articulate human being Teleprompter Man aka POTUS who once again showed us his genius by redefining the words ‘Investment and Spend.’ Immediately all the bobble head dolls in the MSM expounded upon the word of the night, ‘investment’, like it was message of enlightenment from the almighty above.

As far as what Obama said at the SOTU speech …it doesn’t matter, because what he says and does are two different things. I only pay attention to what he does and I recommend to all, follow that line. As an example of ‘double talk’, Obama called for spending freezes and then proceeded to outline billions of dollars for new spending in his speech.

Paul Ryan was very good and he understands the Federal Budget better than any elected official in Washington. This was the best response I ever heard to a SOTU speech. And as a true conservative sounding the warnings about excessive debt, he will become a marked man of the left.

The Democrats will start to focus on him like a laser because he is dangerous to their agenda. The smear campaign will start as soon as Schumer can find a TV outlet with a microphone.”
The blog, The Absurd Report


“It will be interesting to see if his actions match his rhetoric. There were a lot of flowery words that all cost a lot of money. How is he going to pay for it? I mean, to talk about freezing spending for five years after you’ve come off a four-year spending binge is a little hypocritical.”
Rep. Jeff Miller Congressman (R-Fla.)


“It certainly doesn’t go far enough. It doesn’t begin to approach why we were sent here. I think it was a very general speech. He didn’t get into specifics enough for my taste. He wasn’t specific enough about where the cuts would be. I believe we need to go back to the 2008 budget to get our financial house in order. Investment is a new term for stimulus and bailout. I take what he said with a pound of salt. He was trying to convince voters he’s a centrist when we all know he’s a liberal.”
Rep. Tom Marino Congressman (R-Pa.) on Barack Obama’s call for a five-year spending freeze.


“If the goal of the State of the Union is to give Congress and the country an honest assessment of the nation's challenges and propose solutions to them, then this speech was an utter failure. There were a few moments of lip service paid to the mounting national debt and proposals for many new ‘investments’ with no description of how they will be paid for. The president's spending 'freeze' would do nothing more than freeze our current eye-popping deficits in place. The speech was an exercise in puffery. Once again, the president forgets that we can't 'win the future' by mortgaging it.”
Zach Howell, National Chairman, College Republican National Committee


"I already believe very firmly that it is a trap and a ruse that Democrats are proposing. They don't want civility. They want silence from the Republicans. And the sitting together being kissy-kissy is just another way to try to silence Republicans, and also to show - to keep the American people from seeing how few of them there are in the U.S. House now."
Congressman Paul Broun (R-GA), saying he was suspicious of the Democrats' motivations for the mixed seating at the State of the Union speech.


“Maybe the Democrats just really want to make it harder for rude, big-mouth Republicans to heckle the president and shout ‘You lie’!"
Garry South, Democrat consultant.


"I think it's the Democrats' nightmare, a state that Obama won quite handily has suddenly switched at all levels. This really puts the fear of God in Democrats that Wisconsin might stay in Republican mode, in which case for the 2012 Obama reelection campaign is particularly frightening."
Charles Franklin, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.


“The president don’t want to come watch us win the Super Bowl? Guess what? We’ll go see him.”
GB Packer Charles Woodson in the celebratory locker room after the Pack beat Chicago in the NFC Championship Game.


"I'm glad to see that one of the greatest rivalries in sports is still there. And we will get you next year. I'm just letting you know."
President Obama, referring to the Packer victory over the Bears.


“Beginning next week, the Capitol Dome will be lit in green and gold in honor of the Green Bay Packers.”
Governor Walker


“Could an NFL title game get any more hard-nosed and classic than the Green Bay Packers versus the Pittsburgh Steelers? A franchise established in 1919 versus one that opened for business in 1933. Nine Super Bowl championships between the two. Cheeseheads against Terrible Towels. Yellow pants versus…yellow pants. If this Feb. 6 contest were any more old school, it'd order a sidecar and smoke a cigar with Vince Lombardi's fedora. If ever there was a Super Bowl that deserved to be played in 10 degrees and a blizzard, it's this one.”
The Wall Street Journal


“Are the Packers worthy of being a 2 1/2-point favorite? I'm anything but a betting guy, and I understand the line is not all that important. But where is this coming from? They are 13-6 with losses to the Lions and Browns, they play in the clearly weaker conference, and they barely squeaked out a victory yesterday against a team down to its third-string quarterback.”
Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


"[The goal is] always Super Bowl. And I really feel like -- and maybe I'll get in trouble for saying this -- but I think somebody else is going to be playing in our Super Bowl.”
Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh


"Nobody would've kept Tom Brady off the field if he wanted to play. Nobody would've kept Peyton Manning off the field. Then you don't just sit on the sideline and ride a bike like a little girl. I’ve never seen anything like it. If that's the guy leading your team, you deserve a coach named Lovie. If you're a professional athlete, you answer the bell until they tell you there's no way you can play."
Former Packer guard Greg Koch, who missed only two games in his 11 seasons, ripped Chicago’s Jay Cutler for taking a seat during the NFC title game. He was sidelined with a knee injury.



OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK


Taliban stone a woman to death for running away from arranged marriage.



MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK


The March for Life



MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK


Seating arrangements at the State of the Union.



STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK


Piano rescued from Biscayne Bay.


Want to buy Obama's birth certificate?


15 places to meet a green hottie.


Professor pees on colleague's door.



REMEMBER: Your suggestions/nominations for any of these categories every week are welcome, especially for HEROES OF THE WEEK. If you know of anyone in the community deserving of recognition, please e-mail me.