A Truffle-Sniffing Pig's Nose; Weiner Pulls Out; Wisconsin Gov. Walker Gets A Win So Does N.J.'s Gov. Christie; One of the Most Damaging Myths Ever; Entire Nevada Town Disappears

According to a new report, only 12% of American high school students can pass a basic history test. That's the lowest percentage since our country was founded in 1922--Leno.

• Those of you who have been reading my rants for some time know how much I like Andrea Peyser's work in the NY Post.  And this is one reason. Her description of that bottom-feeding, ambulance chasing attorney Gloria Allred, she wrote: "Gloria Allred, who has a truffle-sniffing pig's nose for rooting out sex, lies and creepy publicity...If you want to lure Allred, follow three rules: Be blonde. Be semi-literate. Be naked."
• I didn't see Weiner's resignation speech, but I did hear it.  Did he cry? Was his wife by his side? Was he fully clothed?  Did he drop his pants? Did anyone shout out for him to drop his pants? (I heard some pretty good shout outs by some dummies in the audience).  Did he grab his privates? Was there a mirror anywhere in the area?  Just askin'.
• Having said all of that, it's time to thank Anthony Weiner. I especially want to thank him for allowing many of us to enjoy sophmoric humor once again. And to read some of the best headlines ever including, but not limited to, the following: "Weiner Exposed," "Weiner's Pickle," "The Big Wang Theory," "Weiner is Shrinking, "Weiner: I'll Stick it Out," and my favorite, "Weiner Pulls Out." I'm gonna miss that stuff.
• In case you missed the news in Wisconsin because of all the Weiner coverage (or lack thereof), Gov. Scott Walker appears to have won his battle with the unions (remember the Democrats who fled the state; the thugs who protested and damaged the capital, etc. just several months ago?). The Wisconsin State Supreme Court sided with the Gov. and ruled the lower court overstepped its authority.
• And Gov. Chris Christie appears to have won his fight with unions in N.J.  N.J. legislative leaders struck a deal to overhaul public workers pensions and health benefits. Of course, the union is angry. In fact, one union head said Christie is like Hitler (again, why does the Left love the Nazis so much? They call people they don't agree with Nazis all the time). And how bad is the state's proposal? Police and Firefighters would have to contribute a whopping 1.5% more of their salaries to their pensions.  Nonuniformed will have to toss in an additional 2%, for a total of a whopping 7%. Retirement age for new teachers will go from 60-65. The state will be required to make its annual pension payment.
• You wanna know why Greece and many other countries in Europe are in bad shape financially? Because the private sector cannot support all of the workers who are either in public (almost 22% of the entire workforce) or private unions. I lived in Greece for almost 2 years when I was in the Air Force. I saw first-hand how great the workers had it, ie. 2-4 hour siestas in the middle of the day; long vacations ( in the entire month of August on the entire European continent goes on vacation), retirement age is 60 (government wants to raise it to 63) and much more. The fact is Greece is broke. They have no other choice but to take very drastic action. In fact, for Greece to get more bailout loans from the EU, they had to take more austerity measures. It appears eurozone ministers will give Greece $17 billion as early as next week. I'm compelled to add that Greece is a great place and a beautiful country. Greek people are wonderful. It was a great assignment. If you ever get a chance to go to Europe, you should put Greece and the Greek Island on your itinerary.
• One of the most damaging myths in recent years was the claim that vaccines cause autism. As some know, I know something about autism. I've been in the field now for over 35 years. I've never seen any credible research and evidence to show vaccines cause autism.  In fact, there are dozens of studies to show no link at all. Last year Lancet was forced to retract claims of a link after it found out that information and studies had been fraudulent. Dr. Andrew Wakefield allegedly based his study on falsified data. He was also stripped of his ability to practice medicine in England because of professional misconduct. Unfortunately, Wakefield's work became the cornerstone of the anti-vaccine movement. And what has been the result? There have been more outbreaks of Measles, Pertussis, and Mumps. The other problem with not vaccinating children is very clear: it not only affects the family who chooses not to vaccinate; it affects the entire community (www.autismnewsandviews.blogspot.com/)
• Have you noticed how this current economy is somewhat similar to the one under Jimmy Carter in the late 1970's but still not as bad? Even though Pres. Obama and Dems keep saying the economy they inherited was the worst since the Great Depression, they are lying. Under Carter, inflation was out of control, almost 15%.  Unemployment was over 10%. There were long lines at gas stations just to fuel up vehicles. Interest rates reached 18%. Jimmy Carter's economy was a disaster.
• And just how bad is this recession? The entire mining town of Empire, Nevada, (that fake, phony and fraud's state--Sen.Harry Reid) will become a ghost town. The town even lost its postal code. 300 people are left. The main employer, U.S. Gypsum, was shutting down after more than 60 years in business.
• The recession is also hitting new military veterans hard. The unemployment rate for veterans 18-24 is now more than 30%. Last year, 90,000 recently discharged vets were out of work. These unemployment rates are double what they were in 2008 (USA Today).
• "ObamaCare Waiver Alert"--now at 1400 according to the Government Accounting Office. If this keeps up, everyone in America should get a waiver before the full law goes into effect in 2 years. In fact, if they continue to give waivers at this rate, it would be moot to even repeal ObamaCare.