Two latest photo memes from the Anglo-Saxons for Obama Facebook Page

It's time to stop resisting the urge to kick Mitt while he's down. Let me get the ball rolling...

How Some Voters In The South REALLY Think

With video: Two female Michigan lawmakers silenced after vagina, abortion comments

Freedom of speech has it limits – at least in the state House of Representatives.

State Reps. Lisa Brown, D-West Bloomfield, and Barb Byrum, D-Onondaga, were told today that they wouldn’t be recognized to publicly speak on any matters before the House because of comments they made Wednesday during an emotional debate on a bill that puts new restrictions on abortion providers.

Brown, who voted against the legislation, told supporters of the bill, “I’m flattered you’re all so concerned about my vagina. But no means no.”

And Byrum was gaveled out of order after she protested when she wasn’t allowed to speak on her amendment to the bill that would have required proof of a medical emergency or that a man’s life was in danger before a doctor could perform a vasectomy.

More: http://www.freep.com/article/20120614/NEWS15/120614049/Michigan-house-representatives-abortion-comments?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

So, I was told today that I am, basically, too old to be considered for a particular job

So, I met with a hiring manager today.

I had applied for a job and instead of interviewing me in her office, she took me out to lunch. She was very nice. But, what she told me, when you really boil it down, was that they have job openings, but I will not be considered for them. I will not be considered because the jobs are intended for "less experienced" (read "younger&quot people.

She thought it would be just too awkward to bring in someone who might be older than his boss. I explained to her that, because the position would be in a different (but similar) field, I would not mind taking a step down in order to learn how that kind of environment works. But she was not convinced. She said it would never work out.

So, I am too old for the lower-level jobs. But, when higher level jobs open up, I'll bet anything that I will not be in the running for them either -- because I lack exact kind of experience. Of course, I could get the right experience by doing a lower-level job and learning the ropes. But I cannot get those jobs because I am too old. Wash, rinse, repeat.

She suggested was that, if I want to get into that kind of work, I need to look for a smaller firm that might want someone with my "experience level."

Being laid off in your late 40s can really screw up your life.

Here is a rant I chickened out of posting as a comment on a newspaper website in my home town

But I HAD to post this somewhere...

The basic aspects of patriotism – national loyalty, concern about the future of one’s country, a basic interest in the well-being of fellow citizens and the strength of the culture – don’t even exist in the thinking of today’s conservatives. They believe that the decline of the United States is not only inevitable, but desirable, if that’s where a devotion to laissez-faire capitalism leads us.

Conservatives were not always this way. They used to believe in America and what it stands for. Now, their priority is whatever serves the interests of the most rich and powerful – those conservatives look at as the “natural” leaders of society. Democracy, to them, is a now seen problem to work around, and not a thing to be admired and cherished.

To the modern conservative, even American greatness is not an end in itself. To the extent the U.S. can maintain a massive military able to “project force” in a way that protects corporate interests, the government seems useful to them. But the very idea that our resources should be used to build a better society is anathema to them. Priorities like maintaining a strong middle class, supporting education, funding basic research, maintaining infrastructure, promoting artistic achievement, reducing poverty and providing decent health to citizens – those are not even on their radar screen.

The dream country of the modern conservative is one full of uneducated people who don’t expect much, don’t complain and do what they are told by the One Percenters. And THAT is why they wanted the U.S auto industry taken down. It was a chance to put a stake in the heart of the American working middle class once and for all. They will never forgive Obama for taking that away from them.

Tom Walsh: Nearly 3 years after bankruptcy, Chrysler soars

HuffPo blog: Time to End Marijuana Prohibition

SLASH AND BURN: Detroit Budget: Mayor Dave Bing's Plan Cuts 2,500 Jobs, $250 Million

Michigan Entrepreneurial Companies Putting More Women In Senior Leadership

High-growth, entrepreneurial-minded companies in Michigan are more likely than publicly held companies to employ a woman in a key leadership role.

That’s among the major findings of a new “Michigan Entrepreneurial Leadership Report” released Monday by the Inforum Center for Leadership, an offshoot of the organization formerly known as the Women’s Economic Club, and the accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP.

The study is a snapshot of women’s leadership in Michigan’s highest-performing entrepreneurial companies — those who have been recognized for their vision, innovation and strong record of financial performance and are the driving force behind growth and economic development.

More: http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/04/23/michigan-entrepreneurial-companies-putting-more-women-in-senior-leadership/