Is the 'Great Recession' God's Punishment for American Greed?

Some ministers are taking on the big economic issues of the day, "inspired by the example of Jesus, who angered the powerful by condemning the economic exploitation of the poor, religious scholars say. His teachings are seen throughout the New Testament in parables such as 'The Rich Man and Lazarus.'" Read, CNN, Preachers confront 'last taboo': Condemning greed amid Great Recession. Wikipedia link added.]

The 'Small Businesses Are Gonna Save Us' Myth

UPDATE: In response, Mom and Pop Tammy notes:

"Some of the most successful entrepreneurs in America have never been to high school, don't use electricity, and would sooner love their competitors than sue them.

For generations, the Amish have tended farms tucked away in rural communities like Lancaster, Pa., motivated by a faith that urged them to be in the world, but not of it. But as housing subdivisions and strip malls suck up farmland, many Amish have traded their plows for profits--with remarkable success.

Read The Huffington Post, Amish Offer Business Tips For CEOs."

Regarding small businesses:

"The one thing every American politician can agree on is that small businesses are a crucial driver of the U.S. economy. So it’s somewhat surprising to discover that, as John Schmitt of the Center on Economic and Policy Research points out, the United States actually has the smallest small-business sector among wealthy countries." From the Washington Post, Chart of the day: America’s surprisingly tiny small-business sector, and

"Just about the only thing Republicans and Democrats can agree on nowadays is that small businesses are the key to economic growth and hauling the economy out of recession. Trouble is, as Charles Kenny argues in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of evidence to prop up this view." From the Washington Post, The case against small-business fetishism, which references:

Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Rethinking the Boosterism About Small Business, which argues that "the notion that small business is the force behind prosperity is not true. The longer the U.S. and other countries cling to this myth, the harder it will be to carry out the kinds of economic policies that might actually stimulate job growth."

For statistics regarding the number of people employed by companies of various sizes, see U.S. Census Bureau, Table 2b. Employment Size of Employer and Nonemployer Firms, 2007.

And the Republi-CON Race Continues

UPDATE VII: "A first-term governor whose paucity of government experience may be just what the doctor ordered, Mr. Christie is a jumble of political contradictions. He’s a conservative with some liberal views, a bullying New Jersey politician who frequently talks about compromise, and an obviously reluctant candidate who clearly hears the siren song of the national stage. " Read The New York Times, Christie, Unscripted, Unpredictable G.O.P. Hope.


UPDATE VI: "A new FOX News poll has Mitt Romney back on top, but with just 23% (essentially unchanged from August). Perry is second with 19% (a 10-point drop from the last poll), followed by a rising Herman Cain 17% (up 11 points) and Newt Gingrich 11% (up 8 points). Michele Bachmann has dropped all the way down to just 3% (down 5 points from August and 12 points from July). President Obama beats Romney (45%-42%) and Perry (47%-39%)." Read MSNBC, Perry’s loss isn’t necessarily Romney’s gain.


UPDATE VI: "Herman Cain stunned the Republican political establishment Saturday, easily winning Florida's Presidency 5 straw poll by trumpeting a platform of tax reforms he calls the '9-9-9 Plan.'" Read the St. Petersburg Times, The facts on Herman Cain's 9-9-9 tax reform plan.


UPDATE V: And meet the Not-Mitt, But Not Running non-candidate de jour. Read the Washington Post, Why Chris Christie should — and shouldn’t — run for president.

"That insiders are looking for Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey to enter the race reveals G.O.P. dissatisfaction." Read The New York Times, Is Christie the Anti-Perry or the Anti-Romney, which includes this 2009 Christie campaign which he'll have to explain to the teabaggers. "It featured extended and positively framed clips of Mr. Obama . . . and interspersed images of supporters of Mr. Christie and Mr. Obama, implying that Mr. Christie would be in the legacy of Mr. Obama’s mandate for 'change'.":



You might remember I suggest Christie for President more than a year ago.


UPDATE IV: Meet the newest Not-Mitt. Read The New York Times, Herman Cain Wins Florida Straw Poll.


UPDATE III: With the Presidency Five straw poll in Florida on Saturday, here are "six takeaways from Thursday’s slugfest in Orlando:

Rick Perry is not ready . . .

Mitt Romney found an answer to the flip-flopper questions . . .

Rick Santorum has eclipsed Michele Bachmann . . .

Jon Huntsman’s lost opportunity . . .

Everyone loves a good joke . . .

Ron Paul is trying to be more serious . . ."

Read Politico, The GOP debate: 6 takeaways.


UPDATE II: "One crude way to forecast the results you might expect to see out of a House race is through its Partisan Voting Index, or P.V.I., a measure of how the district voted relative to others in the past two presidential elections."

By that measure, it ain't lookin good for Obama in 2012.

Read The New York Times, For Democrats, It’s 2010 All Over Again.


UPDATE: In the meantime, there will be a special election today in New York, where a Republican victory "would be seen as proof that Obama’s agenda has been rejected and his re-election chances are weaker than ever.

What to watch for as the results come in:

How much will Obama drag down the Democrat? . . .

Can the Democratic machine be enough? . . .

How die-hard are the Democratic die-hards? . . .

How much will Israel matter? . . .

How strong a victory will Republicans be able to claim? . . .

Read the analysis at Politico, 5 things to watch for in NY-9.

“Here are seven takeaways from Monday’s debate.

Mitt Romney came prepared . . .

Rick Perry did not come prepared . . .

Michele Bachmann’s still got game . . .

Rick Santorum is stepping it up . . .

Ron Paul 2.0 isn’t all that different than the original version . . .

Jon Huntsman can’t quite read a room . . .

Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain are non-factors . . ."

Read the analysis at Politico, The GOP debate: 7 takeaways.

Of course the debate "was feisty and provocative, with many of the candidates relying once again on bogus 'facts' that [had been] previously identified as faulty or misleading." Read the Washington Post, Fact checking the CNN and Tea Party Express debate in Tampa.

Better, Not Just Less, Government

UPDATE V: "Want to learn about the plight of unemployed workers during the Great Depression? Head to Amazon.com and order John Steinbeck’s Depression-era epic, “The Grapes of Wrath.” Want to learn about the plight of workers during our own Lesser Depression? Head over to Amazon’s warehouse in Lehigh, Pa., and watch them prepare your book for shipping." Read the Washington Post, Amazon.com and the Grapes of Wrath.


UPDATE IV: The future of labor without OSHA -- "working in a convection oven while blow-drying your hair." Read The New York Times, Inside Amazon’s Very Hot Warehouse.


UPDATE III: Still pining for laissez-faire land, move to China, where, "[o]ver the past two and a half years, thousands of workers, villagers and children have been found to be suffering from toxic levels of lead exposure". Read The New York Times, Lead Poisoning in China: The Hidden Scourge.


UPDATE II: Still seeking "a country with low taxes, little regulation and traditional family values, I have the perfect place for them. Body armor suggested." Read The New York Times, Our Fantasy Nation?


UPDATE: For those who doubt the benefit of good government regulation, compare the earthquakes in Haiti and Japan and the tsunamis in the Indian Ocean (2004) and Japan, "Perhaps no country in the world [was] better prepared to withstand earthquakes and tsunamis than Japan." Read The New York Times, Japan’s Strict Building Codes Saved Lives.

Now that the Republi-con ideology has proven false, what next? How about better government? Read The New York Times, Better, Not Just More, Regulation, which argues that the country needs a new regulatory structure that will make the markets function better, not worse.

The Republi-CON '230,000 New Employees' Myth

"The fact that EPA does not plan to hire 230,000 employees at a cost of $21 billion per year should be obvious considering that the entire agency employs around 17,000 people and its fiscal year 2011 budget is only $8.7 billion." Read Media Matters, No, EPA Is Not Hiring 230,000 Workers To Implement Climate Rules.

So many lies, so little time to refudiate.

Class Today at NoBullU on WEBY

UPDATE: Regarding small businesses, read:

The Washington Post, Chart of the day: America’s surprisingly tiny small-business sector and The case against small-business fetishism, which references:

Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Rethinking the Boosterism About Small Business.

Listen to the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- No political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- Just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

NoBullU will broadcast today from 4:05 to 6:00 p.m. at 1330 AM WEBY and on line.

Topics:

Local Business/Event Shout-Out: 3rd Annual Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival, Featuring 80+ Songwriters, 18 Stages, 200+ Performances!, September 28 through October 3, 2011, also on Facebook.


Follow-up: TBD;


Fact-free fantasies of the shrieking hatemongers of right-wing rhetoric and partisan hackery: don't be duped by the Birthers, including our very own Pastor Dred Scott (you may remember the infamous Dred Scott decision of 1857, which asserted that African Americans were "beings of an inferior order" who "had no rights which the white man was bound to respect." That ruling declared that African Americans could never be U.S. citizens and therefore could never be President),

See The Fogbow, "your best resource for debunking the lies of the 'birther' movement and discussing the birther antics" and WhatsYourEvidence.com, there is even a Birther Case Scorecard, 0-80 for the birthers;


Local and regional: The Lord or Lockup, Your Choice;


National and international: I'm waiting, where's the balanced budget, don't hold you breath because the Republi-CONs Con the Tea Party, there'll be no $100 billion budget cut, and let's admit the obvious, the Republi-CONs are not serious about deficits, and who's responsible for the debt

To balance the budget, do nothing

Republi-CON Congressional spending bills hypocrisy, not to be confused with Republi-CON constitutional authority hypocrisy, or Republi-CON laissez-faire hypocrisy

Facts v. Republi-CON tax myths

Where are those 'invisible [Republi-CON] bond vigilantes'

Our politically induced economic stagnation, part of the Republi-CON war on the middle class

About the Republi-CON war on the middle class

Hello globalization, goodbye jobs

It's China, stupid

The Republi-CON stimulus myth

The myth of expansionary austerity

Let's play the Republi-CON game of 'spot the contradiction', can you explain the Republi-CON contradiction as regards the economy, the debt ceiling, or deficits, or national security, or health care costs, or or even jobs

More on the Republi-CON war on the middle class

Better, not just less, government

Beware federal pensioners, your day of reckoning is coming

The Great Stagnation' and our broken political system


Great quote on so-called government wisdom


And the Republi-CON Race is cont., to find America’s Not-Mitt

Still searching for the ideal Republican candidate: conservative, interested, electable

Can Republicans 'campaign to govern, not just win'?

Republi-CONs might start with those Solyndra half truths

Did the tea so-called party debate pass the test of 'limited government, free markets, and fiscal responsibility'

Rick Perry, R-Murderer and Believer of Junk Science

The Republi-CON 'Texas miracle' myth

The Republi-CON 'social security is a ponzi scheme' myth and The Republi-CON I'd be a millionaire if it wasn't for social security myth

Does Palin have a point about the corrupt crony capitalism

Moral confusion and public health illiteracy


2 to 1 in the COA, health care lawsuit update

Why the individual mandate, because Ron Paul is a hypocrite


and

Am I a felon?

Big brother is watching you,


Fun stuff: Funny signs, riddle of the day, recession humor, Twelve things that a motorcycle can teach, and cute little cats in 'It Could Be Worse';

and

Donate to a good cause: read "the story of a 9-year-old girl who teaches us adults about maturity truly renews our faith in humanity" at The New York Times, Rachel’s Last Fund-Raiser.

I'll discuss anything, but expect a no mercy take down if you are a shrieking hatemonger of right-wing rhetoric and partisan hackery, pandering to fear, anger and hatred, because the truth sure makes it hard out there for the party pimps.

So tune-in, call-in, but only if you can handle the truth and some ass kickin' discussion of politics and current events.

The Price of Civilized Society

"The Wall Street Journal editorial page routinely refers to those who pay no taxes as “lucky duckies,” as if zero taxation is the ideal state of nature.

Oddly, one never hears Republicans praise those countries where people are lucky duckies — those where taxation is a small fraction of what it is here."

Like Equatorial Guinea, Myanmar, Libya, Chad, and Republic of Congo

Read The New York Times, I’d Rather Be an Unlucky Ducky.

The goal should be better, not just less, government.

The Republi-CON 'Texas Miracle' Myth

"Turns out Rick Perry’s 'Texas Miracle' owes much of its success to... Ben Bernanke. A new research paper from the Dallas Fed finds that Texas has rebounded from recession faster than the rest of the country thanks, in no small part, to actions by the U.S. Federal Reserve. (Yep, the same central bank that Perry occasionally deems 'almost treasonous.') . . .

[W]hy should that be? One theory is that Texas’ banking system was in better shape because of regulations put in place after the savings and loan crisis in the 1980s. Regulations on mortgage finance and lack of zoning restrictions also meant Texas didn’t really suffer through a housing bubble." Read the Washington Post, Rick Perry should send Ben Bernanke a thank-you note.

In addition, one study "concludes that 81 percent of the jobs created in Texas since 2007 have gone to newly arrived immigrant workers—93 percent of whom aren’t US citizens and half of whom are illegal immigrants" Read the Washington Post, Did immigrants take most of the new jobs in Texas?

The Lord or Lockup, Your Choice

UPDATE: "A Bay Minette, Ala., alternative to incarceration program that asks first-time, nonviolent offenders to choose between church or jail, was slated to start today but is being delayed for legal review by city officials, said Bay Minette Mayor Jamie Tillery." Read ABC News, Church or Jail? An Alabama Alternative to Incarceration Program on Hold.

"Non-violent offenders in Bay Minette now have a choice some would call simple: do time behind bars or work off the sentence in church." Read or watch WKRG, Serve Time In Jail...Or In Church?

But not everyone likes the idea. Read or watch WKRG, ACLU: Bay Minette Cannot Impose Church Sentences.

About the Republi-CON War on the Middle Class

UPDATE: It's still Wall Street predatory business practices v. Main Street:

"A LOAF of whole wheat. A gallon of gasoline. A pair of Levi’s. Americans are paying more for many basic items this year, making tough economic times even tougher.

But these hardships for consumers provide another reason to check in on Dodd-Frank, that package of financial reforms that Congress passed in 2010. Here’s why:

Congress told federal regulators to write rules that would ensure that Dodd-Frank does what it’s supposed to do, which includes protecting consumers. But the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has proposed rules that critics say might actually encourage speculation in the commodities markets, rather than reduce it.

Senator Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, says that as things stand, the C.F.T.C.’s plan could cost ordinary Americans."

Read The New York Times, Speculators Get a Break in New Rule.

Meanwhile, the Republi-CONs, doing the bidding of their corporate overlords, continue to try to undermine the Dodd-Frank Act.

"Between 1979 and 2007, the income gap between the richest 1 percent of Americans and the poorest 40 percent more than tripled. Today, the richest 10 percent of Americans control two-thirds of the nation’s wealth, while, according to recently released census data, average Americans saw their real incomes decline by 2.3 percent in 2010. Though our economy grew in 2009 and 2010, 88 percent of the increase in real national income went to corporate profits, one study found. Only 1 percent went to wages and salaries for working people.

Last year, American companies posted their biggest profits ever, and bonuses for bank and hedge fund executives not only reached record highs, but grew faster than corporate revenue. Meanwhile, almost one in 10 Americans is unemployed, and 15 percent live at or below the poverty level."

Read the Washington Post, President Obama shouldn’t be afraid of a little class warfare.

Facts v. Republi-CON Tax Myths

Did you know that "[c]ompared to the size of the economy, federal tax revenues are very low. " For other tax facts, read The New York Times, Four Tax Facts for Congress Deficit Super Panel.

Sub Today at NoBullU on WEBY

Usually on Thursdays you can listen to me, the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- no political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

But I can't make it today. I'll be back next week to deprogram you.

Our Politically Induced Economic Stagnation, Part of the Republi-CON War on the Middle Class

UPDATE III: The Fed responds to the Repubi-cons:

"We are particularly amused by your reference to Fed actions that 'have likely led to more fluctuations and uncertainty in our already weak economy.' We here at the Fed watched in awe this past summer as you and your congressional allies demonstrated your vast power to create 'fluctuations and uncertainty,' by threatening to default on trillions of dollars' worth of U.S. debt. That triggered the first-ever downgrade of the nation's credit rating. The stock markets tanked. Consumer and business confidence plunged. You guys rock! Fluctuations and uncertainty indeed! So we humbly express our thanks for your insights on how to wreck the economy."

Read U.S. News, What Bernanke Might Say to His GOP Critics.


UPDATE II: "Congressmen have the right to speak out on monetary policy. As long as their advice is not politically motivated. Ask yourself the following question: Would these men be pressuring the Fed to adopt a tighter monetary policy if:

1. Unemployment were over 9%.

2. Inflation had averaged 1% over the past three years.

3. George Bush were president.

Were these men criticizing monetary policy under Bush, when inflation was higher than today? I don’t recall that happening."

Read TheMoneyIllusion, The definition of treason.


UPDATE: Yesterday, a letter was sent to Bernanke, signed by Sen. Mitch McConnell, Rep. John Boehner, Sen. Jon Kyl, and Rep. Eric Cantor, "making clear that the Republican leadership in Congress is strongly opposed to any further attempts to help the economy." Read the Washington Post, Nice central bank you got here. Shame if something should happen to it.

As I said before, Republi-cons want Obama to fail, the American economy is just acceptable collateral damage to achieve that goal.

Why isn't Ben Bernanke 2011 taking the advice of Ben Bernanke 2000?

"Back then, Mr. Bernanke suggested that the Bank of Japan could get Japan’s economy moving with a variety of unconventional policies. These could include: purchases of long-term government debt (to push interest rates, and hence private borrowing costs, down); an announcement that short-term interest rates would stay near zero for an extended period, to further reduce long-term rates; an announcement that the bank was seeking moderate inflation, 'setting a target in the 3-4% range for inflation, to be maintained for a number of years,' which would encourage borrowing and discourage people from hoarding cash; and 'an attempt to achieve substantial depreciation of the yen,' that is, to reduce the yen’s value in terms of other currencies. "

As I said before, Republi-cons want Obama to fail, the American economy is just acceptable collateral damage to achieve that goal.

All part of the Republi-CON war on the middle class!

Can Republicans 'Campaign to Govern, Not Just Win'?

"The [Republican] governor of Indiana says his party’s presidential candidates should 'campaign to govern, not just win.'" Read The New York Times, Republican Calls for a More Honest Debate.

As I've said before, fear, anger, and hatred is a great campaign strategy, but not much of a governing philosophy.

Republi-CON Laissez-Faire Hypocrisy

Today's word in Republi-cons hypocrisy is laissez-faire, which 'describes an environment in which transactions between private parties are free from state intervention, including restrictive regulations, taxes, tariffs and enforced monopolies.

The phrase laissez-faire is French and literally means 'let do', but it broadly implies 'let it be', or 'leave it alone.'"

Republi-cons have "lambasted the Obama administration over what he has described as its failed efforts to stimulate new jobs through clean-energy projects backed with billions of dollars in federal loans or other assistance. . .

[But] several prominent Republicans who have worked to steer federal money to clean-energy projects in their home states, Energy Department documents show. . .

[Senator] McConnell made two personal appeals in 2009, asking Energy Secretary Steven Chu to approve as much as $235 million in federal loans for a plant to build electric vehicles in Franklin, Ky. . .

Federal lobbying disclosure records show that Mr. McConnell’s support for the project came after Zap Motor hired a Kentucky-based lobbyist, Robert Babbage, who has been a frequent contributor to Mr. McConnell’s campaigns and boasts on his own Internet site about his close ties to Mr. McConnell. . .

Another [Republi-con], Representative Lamar Smith of Texas, recently asked Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to appoint an outside investigator to determine how the Department of Energy distributes clean-energy money. But in 2009, Mr. Smith wrote to Mr. Chu asking him to approve loan guarantees from stimulus money for a Texas project proposed by Tessera Solar, documents show.

Representative Fred Upton, [Republi-con] of Michigan and another critic of the Energy Department program, signed letters along with other members of the Michigan delegation in 2009 and 2010, pushing at least five clean-energy projects in his state, including a $207 million loan request from EcoMotors International. And Representative Cliff Stearns, [Republi-con] of Florida, praised the opening last year of a lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant in his state, which relied upon an Energy Department grant."

Read The New York Times, Republicans Sought Clean-Energy Money for Home States.

And "[h]ypocrisy is the state of pretending to have beliefs, opinions, virtues, ideals, thoughts, feelings, qualities, or standards that one does not actually have. Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie."

(Yes, I know, Republi-cons hypocrisy is another tautology, like criminal Republi-con or narcissistic politician or stupid politician.)

Republi-CON Constitutional Authority Hypocrisy

"In honor of Constitution Day we pose the question: Which part of the Constitution governs the use of laser pointers?

It sounds like a dumb question, since the Constitution predated the laser by 171 years. But this year, the House of Representatives declared it had found an answer: Article I, Section 8, Clause 3.

That clause says Congress has the power 'To regulate Commerce ... among the several States.' Which, of course, doesn’t say anything about lasers. But the House still used those words to justify a bill that prohibited pointing lasers at aircraft: The logic was that they were acting to protect “commerce.”

This legal loop-de-loop is the result of a new rule in the House, where Republican leaders require every bill to carry a 'Constitutional Authority Statement.' The idea was to demonstrate that a new GOP majority respected the enduring restraints of the Constitution.

Instead, this Congress has often demonstrated something else: an ongoing tendency to make the Constitution say whatever they want it to."

Read the Washington Post, Congress finds, and lists, meaning in Constitution.

Republi-CON Congressional Spending Bills Hypocrisy

"In last year’s campaigns, Republicans ripped into Democrats for failing to perform one of Congress’s most basic duties: providing money in a timely way for the operations of government.

But Republicans acknowledged Thursday that they would miss the deadline they had promised to meet. They began to rush a stopgap spending bill through the House because, they said, Congress could not finish work on any of the 12 regular appropriations bills before the new fiscal year starts in two weeks, on Oct. 1."

Read The New York Times, House Republicans Push Stopgap Spending Bill.

An Interesting Article Regarding Education

"What happens when you take three American kids and throw them in a classroom 5,000 miles from home where they can’t speak the language?" Read The New York Times, My Family’s Experiment in Extreme Schooling.

Moral Confusion and Public Health Illiteracy

"If Republican presidential candidates want to debate sexual health and hygiene, it would be nice if they displayed more collective knowledge and judgment than your average eighth-grade family-life class. During the Tampa debate, a viewer longed for a blunt, part-time football coach — or whomever they draft into teaching health classes nowadays — to mount the stage and present the facts of life.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a nasty, sexually transmitted disease contracted by about three-quarters of Americans at some point. You can have it, and spread it, without knowing it. In some women, the virus causes abnormal cells in the lining of the cervix that can develop into cancerous lesions. Virtually all cervical cancer is caused by HPV. There is, however, a vaccine that is highly effective against the most dangerous HPV strains. The main side effect, as you’d expect in a procedure involving a needle, is fainting. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all girls should get it anyway."

Read the Washington Post, A dose of reality for the HPV debate, which imagines "a parent-daughter conversation about sexual restraint and maturity that includes the words: 'Honey, I’m going to deny you a vaccine that prevents a horrible, bleeding cancer, just as a little reminder of the religious values I’ve been trying to teach you.' This would be morally monstrous. Such ethical electroshock therapy has nothing to do with cultivation of character in children. It certainly has nothing to do with Christianity, which teaches that moral rules are created for the benefit of the individual, not to punish them with preventable death."

Funny Signs

From an email:

Sign over a gynecologist's office:
"Dr. Jones, at your cervix."

In a podiatrist's office:
"Time wounds all heels."

On a septic tank truck:
We are #1, in the #2 business.
"Yesterday's Meals on Wheels"

At a proctologist's door:
"To expedite your visit, please back in."

On a plumber's truck:
"We repair what your husband fixed."

On another plumber's truck:
"Don't sleep with a drip. Call your plumber."

On a church's bill board:
"Seven days without God makes one weak."

At a tire shop:
"Invite us to your next blowout."

At a towing company:
"We don't charge an arm and a leg. We want tows."

On an electrician's truck:
"Let us remove your shorts."

In a nonsmoking Area:
"If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action."

On a maternity room door:
"Push. Push. Push."

At an optometrist's Office:
"If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place."

On a taxidermist's window:
"We really know our stuff."

On a fence:
"Salesmen welcome! Dog food is expensive!"

At a car dealership:
"The best way to get back on your feet - miss a car payment."

Outside a muffler shop:
"No appointment necessary. We hear you coming."

In a veterinarian's waiting room:
"Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!"

At the electric company:
"We would be delighted if you send in your payment. However, if you don't, you will be."

In a restaurant window:
"Don't stand there and be hungry; come on in and get fed up."

In the front yard of a funeral Home:
"Drive carefully. We'll wait."

At a propane filling station:
"Thank heaven for little grills."

At a radiator shop:
"Best place in town to take a leak."

Sign on the back of another septic tank truck:
"Caution - this truck is full of political promises."