THE OFFICIAL first day of Spring is March 20th this year, but given what happened today I'm starting my official annual 'signs of spring' watch a couple of days early. Here's what it looked like outside early this afternoon:

I'll be posting pictures every week about this time until there is a full, green, leaf canopy over our house. Hopefully next week we'll at least be able to see the yard.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIBERALISM: the final proof that modern liberalism is all about hating people, not helping people.

THE BEST 'DEAR ABBY' EVER:

Dear Abby,

My husband has a long record of money problems. He runs up huge credit card bills and at the end of the month, if I try to pay them off, he shouts at me, saying I am stealing his money. He says pay the minimum and let our kids worry about the rest, but already we can hardly keep up with the interest.

Also he has been so arrogant and abusive toward our neighbors that most of them no longer speak to us. The few that do are an odd bunch to whom he has been giving a lot of expensive gifts, running up our bills even more.

Also, he has gotten religious. One week he hangs out with Catholics and the next with people who say the Pope is the Anti-Christ, and the next he's on his knees 7 times a day with Muslims.

Finally, the last straw. He's demanding that before anyone can be in the same room with him, they must sign a loyalty oath. It's just so horribly creepy! Can you help?

Signed,
Lost
------------------
Dear Lost,

Suck it up and stop whining, Michelle. You're getting to live in the White House for free, travel the world, and have others pay for everything for you. You can divorce the jerk any time you want. The rest of us are stuck with the idiot for 3 more years.

Signed,
Abby

From my email.

DRONE tases intern. I'll bet they're looking for another intern....

WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Lois Lerner stays silent to protect someone outside the IRS. I suspect she was either paid off or threatened, and predict it won't end well for her in either case.

NEWT GINGRICH: Regulating your health. Actually I'm less worried about the FDA regulating these apps that I am about them mandating them.

ANOTHER FINE EXAMPLE of liberal projection. Notice that there's not a single factual statement about 'climate change' in the article; it's all about opinion (we're right) and motive (you're evil).

ROBERT ZUBRIN: Putin Adviser Publishes Plan for Domination of Europe. For what it's worth, Stage 1 seems to be right on shedule....

IT HAS TO BE YEARS OF PRACTICE ... Why are liberals so gullible, hypocritical, and dumb?

PUT DOWN THOSE CHEETOS unless they've beein picked from an organically grown environmentally sustainable cheeto bush planted along your bicycle path.

REPUBLICAN TAX PROPOSAL: Flawed, but a step toward a substantial debate. It's a first step, but I still prefer a flat -- or fair (consumption) -- tax.

ERIC HOLDER: State Attorneys General not obligated to defend laws they disagree with (as long as it’s ones banning gay marriage).

A long time ago, in a galaxy (obviously) far away, the Attorney General was obliged to defend a state's laws in court whether or not he personally agreed with it. An honorable (a word which has no meaning now) Attorney General would resign rather than refuse to defend a law he disagreed with.

SUBARU FOR THE WIN: Dealership punches back at union protest with winning sign.

CAN THE FDA AND (THANKFULLY, EX) MAYOR BLOOMBERG BE FAR BEHIND? Saudi cleric issues fatwa banning all-you-can-eat buffets.

ALAN GRAYSON: Just because I abuse my wife doesn't mean the Republicans aren't guilty of a 'war on women'. More here.

OBAMA LAUNCHES “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative. Yes, to keep them on the Democrat's plantation.

WHITE HOUSE EMAIL suggests that most Americans still make the minimum wage. Which is easily proven to be utter baloney, but this is what sticks in my craw:

Raising the federal minimum wage will give millions of Americans a raise, and it’s long overdue — because no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty.

Well, let's see. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25/hour or $15,080 /year. According to the federal government's own poverty guidelines, a single minimum wage earner would not be impoverished; and a two-(minimum)-wage earner family with less than 4 children would not be impoverished. Now go to this post to see that when welfare benefits are added to wages, that two-(minimum)-wage earner family has total income and benefits closing in on $50,000.

Poverty stinks; we all know that. But it's time for an honest discussion, not a war by anecdote.

INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE: Hey, let's muzzle political speech.

Not as long as 501(c)(5) organizations (labor unions) continue to get a free pass under the tax code. Treat them exactly the same as 501(c)(4) organizations; then perhaps we can talk.

UPDATE: Here's why.

AMERICA'S DUMBEST CONGRESSWOMAN? She's a pox on two states, as the University of Virginia granted her law degree.

OH, COME NOW: Colorado schools deny spike in applications sparked by marijuana law.