Sunday, May 31, 2009
The Real Problem with the Republican Establishment
In my opinion, this writer has it right.
He discusses Republicans, however, much of what he writes applies to politicians in general...
He discusses Republicans, however, much of what he writes applies to politicians in general...
In his PajamasMedia.com posting, John Hawkins asks, and then answers:
"How is it that so many politicians who’ve actually managed to get elected again and again, often over long periods of time, can be so dumb?"
Meanwhile - in binge Britain
This post has no redeeming value whatsoever...
I found it at the U.K. DailyMail.co.uk:
"A Polish photographer has spent the last four years documenting Cardiff's wild weekend nightlife - with horrifying and hilarious results.
The unique collection from amateur cameraman Maciej Dakowicz is aptly named 'Cardiff At Night' and features scenes of late night drunken carnage."
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Oklahoma's Tort Secrets - WSJ.com
Meet Oklahoma's Democratic Attorney General Drew Edmondson...
This is from a recent Wall Street Journal opinion column:
"Mr. Edmondson was one of the first AGs to jump into the 1990s tobacco litigation. He gave work to two non-Oklahoma giants of tobacco torts, Motley Rice and Scruggs Millette. Also receiving contracts were three Oklahoma firms, including Riggs Abney -- home to Mr. Edmondson's friend and political ally, another former AG named Mike Turpen. As their part of the tobacco settlement, the firms would ultimately reap $250 million in legal fees. Mr. Turpen's firm collected $30 million.
Then starting in 2002, Mr. Edmondson began threatening to sue big-name poultry companies, claiming their chicken litter pollutes the Illinois River watershed. This too was an election year, and employees of Riggs Abney chipped in $25,000 to keep Mr. Edmondson in office. He retained Riggs Abney to help launch a giant poultry lawsuit. Also retained were Motley Rice and the Miller & Keffer firm. Under the contingency agreement, the three firms could receive up to half of any damages."
Government at Work - Another Bridge goes nowhere?
This will likely keep a lot of people busy for the next few years, and certainly cost the taxpayers a lot of money...
This is from Nancy Lofholm in the Denver Post:
"A three-lane bridge, envisioned as the centerpiece of a $54 million highway project, is sitting between a cow pasture and a mesa as the state struggles to get rights of way to connect it to actual roads.
Residents here, who are waging a war of words in local letters to the editor, call it the 'Bridge to Nowhere.'
'We all have to wonder why they did this like this,' said Doug Ervin, whose home lies in sight of the bridge to the north. 'There is a lot of taxpayer money at risk here.'"
Friday, May 29, 2009
Barack Obama - 'breaks four aid pledges for Africa'
It appears that the rest of the world is now finding out what we've already learned...
Mike Pflanz reports in the U.K. Telegraph:
"US President Barack Obama has broken four campaign promises on overseas aid and risks reversing the successes of the Bush administration, HIV-Aids activists have claimed.
Key pledges to boost money for Aids funds, education programmes and poverty-reduction schemes have all been missed, the Global Aids Alliance (GAA) said.
The Washington-based organisation said that figures from Mr Obama's May 7 budget request to the US Congress set the administration on a path to breaking its campaign promises to the people of Africa."
In Our World - GPS tracking by police
In spy movies a tracking device is often attached to one's clothing.
It's likely that some are small enough to be concealed in food.
That being said, I guess this could be considered only a "first" step...
It's likely that some are small enough to be concealed in food.
That being said, I guess this could be considered only a "first" step...
In the Chicago tribune, Ryan J Foley reported:
"Wisconsin police can attach GPS to cars to secretly track anybody’s movements without obtaining search warrants, an appeals court ruled Thursday.
However, the District 4 Court of Appeals said it was 'more than a little troubled' by that conclusion and asked Wisconsin lawmakers to regulate GPS use to protect against abuse by police and private individuals.
As the law currently stands, the court said police can mount GPS on cars to track people without violating their constitutional rights – even if the drivers aren’t suspects."
Thursday, May 28, 2009
"The Environmentalist/Democrat War Against Energy"
"three times the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia"!
Not to mention the employment it would create.
Are these people dealing with a "full deck"?...
Not to mention the employment it would create.
Are these people dealing with a "full deck"?...
At MensNewsDaily.com, Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson writes this and more:
"During his first week in office, President Obama rescinded his predecessor’s executive order permitting drilling on the continental shelf and in the Green River Formation. Both areas contain abundant oil—especially Green River (under Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah), which has recoverable shale-oil reserves three times the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia."
Barack Obama - at War with Canada?
I'm sure this is unintended; however, isn't that what always happens when government doesn't think things through before passing laws to "help" us?...
Anthony Faiola and Lori Montgomery have this update in the Washington Post:
"This week, the Canadians fired back. A number of Ontario towns, with a collective population of nearly 500,000, retaliated with measures effectively barring U.S. companies from their municipal contracts -- the first shot in a larger campaign that could shut U.S. companies out of billions of dollars worth of Canadian projects.
This is not your father's trade war, a tit-for-tat over champagne or cheese. With countries worldwide desperately trying to keep and create jobs in the midst of a global recession, the spat between the United States and its normally friendly northern neighbor underscores what is emerging as the biggest threat to open commerce during the economic crisis."
A Governor and His Veto Pen - WSJ.com
More than a few say we'll be hearing more about Gov. Pawlenty on the national scene in the near future.
He might be just what we need based on his recent accomplishment...
He might be just what we need based on his recent accomplishment...
Kimberley A. Strassel calls it:
"Minnesota's illuminating budget brawl."
Dick Cheney - Pretty Darn Generous
I bet you didn't know this.
In fact I bet the mainstream media won't even report it...
In fact I bet the mainstream media won't even report it...
I found this posted at NewsMax.com:
"In one of the largest sums ever donated to charity by a U.S. public official, Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne gave away nearly $7 million last year to help the poor and to medical research."
"Where Are Liberals Hatched?"
An interesting question that I've often wondered about.
I think I've caught part of the answer in this article...
I think I've caught part of the answer in this article...
There's a lot more to this Burt Prelutsky post at Breitbart.com:
"I quit being a liberal because I didn’t believe that members of particular minority groups deserved advantages denied to others; that illegal aliens weren’t entitled to anything but a swift kick to the backside; that being a devout Christian didn’t make you a bad person; and that capitalism was a system that worked, while socialism not only didn’t work, but, wherever it was tried, turned into a tyranny.
I honestly don’t know why there are so many liberals today and I certainly can’t imagine why they have such a lousy agenda. I have come up with a theory, however. Here in California, roughly 30 years ago, because of budget cuts, a great many people were released from insane asylums. They wound up living in the streets, which explains the large number of homeless people, even though Democrats would have you believe that those are normal people who simply lost their jobs along the way.
Even after the state became more solvent, it became almost impossible to get these poor souls back into institutions where they could be fed, clothed and given their meds, because the ACLU lawyers fought for their inalienable right to starve, freeze and use the sidewalks of your city as their combination bedroom, living room and bathroom.
Inevitably, they also got to vote."
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Barack Obama - about that missile defense
So, Mr. President, isn't it time to rethink your administration's decrease in missile defense funding?...
In the N.Y. Post, Peter Brookes writes:
"Since Obama has taken office, North Korea has kicked out UN nuclear inspectors, launched both short- and long-range missiles and tested a nuclear weapon."
"Waxman-Markey Cost-Benefit Analysis"
A cost-benefit analysis? Now, why didn't I think of that?
And, better yet, why aren't our elected officials DOING one?...
And, better yet, why aren't our elected officials DOING one?...
At the National Review, Jim Manzi is working on one:
"There has been widespread agitation in the influential blogosphere for a cost-benefit analysis of the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade proposal. This sure seems like a reasonable request to me, and you have to wonder why the sponsors and advocates of this bill — who are, after all, proposing an enormous commitment of resources — haven’t provided one. So I tried to do a quick version of it. I have a longer and more complete version of this coming in the next National Review, but wanted to get the bones of the analysis out for discussion as rapidly as possible."
Why Government Can't Run a Business - WSJ.com
This writer knows what we all should know...
John Steele Gordon writes in the Wall Street Journal:
"...it might be a good idea to look at the government's track record in running economic enterprises. It is terrible."
The Media - the Post vs. the Times
The constant use of the word "consensus" is wearing thin.
As the rebuttal indicates, there just isn't one...
As the rebuttal indicates, there just isn't one...
The Washington Times rebuts a Washington Post story:
"A Post article on May 19 falsely reported that there is a "consensus" among scientists and a growing portion of the American public that human carbon emissions are causing a dangerous, long-term increase in worldwide temperatures. The facts, overwhelmingly, show no such consensus."
The Media - Something missing here?
Initially, i intended to point out this council member's extraordinary unawareness of property taxes.
Then I noticed that our beloved media didn't identify her politicial party.
Funny thing about that...
Then I noticed that our beloved media didn't identify her politicial party.
Funny thing about that...
The New York Times published this Associated Press story:
"A Detroit city council member has paid $68 in property taxes this year because city records say her home doesn't exist.
JoAnn Watson's brick Tudor-style home on the city's west side has been occupied since 1926, but city records have classified the parcel as an empty lot for the past decade.
Owners of comparable homes pay $2,000 to $6,500 in property taxes."
George W. Bush - Having a Good Month?
If you're paying attention to his short history, he was apparently right more often than the media has publicised.
Have you noticed how similar Obama's policies are?
"Copying is the most sincere form of flattery"...
Have you noticed how similar Obama's policies are?
"Copying is the most sincere form of flattery"...
Abe Greenwald writes on Commentary Magazine's website:
"Let's face it, this is shaping up as George W. Bush's best month in years. The last time the 43rd president enjoyed this kind of vindication was when a bedraggled Saddam Hussein was pulled from a hole in the ground by American soldiers in 2003. All of Barack Obama's efforts to cast the Bush administration as an immoral stain on American history have not merely collapsed, but collapsed on the heads of Bush's most public and vocal critics."
Global Warming - the science is turning
I wonder how long it will take for the world's politicians to catch on.
Or are they too heavily "invested" and therefore blind and deaf...
Or are they too heavily "invested" and therefore blind and deaf...
Terri Jackson is a Queens graduate physicist, climatologist and formerly founder of the Energy Group at the Institute of Physics, London. She writes in the Belfast Telegraph:
"Nearly ten years into the 21 century it is clear that the UN IPCC computer models have gone badly astray. The IPCC models have predicted a one degree increase in global temperature by 2011 with further large temperature rises to 2100. Yet there has been no warming since 1998 with a one degree cooling this year being the largest global temperature change ever recorded. Nasa satellite imagery from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California has confirmed that the Pacific Ocean has switched from the warm mode it has been in since 1977 to its cool mode, similar to that of the 1945-1977 global cooling period.
The evidence that the earth is in a cooling mode rather than a warming mode is there for all to see. the RSS(Remote Sensing System) in Santa Rosa California has recorded a temperature fall of two to three degrees in the Arctic since 2005, while US Army buoys show an increase in Arctic ice thickness to 3.5 metres. North America has had two of its worst winters for sixty years with the temperature in Yellowstone Park falling to a staggering minus 60 degrees."
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Backbone - Do conservative leaders have it?
Dear Republican Party:
Please get this message.
"Patriots ARE confrontational"
"DON'T pull your punches!"
"It's OK to be direct and unapologetic"
"Convictions mean more than the good opinion of your enemies"...
Please get this message.
"Patriots ARE confrontational"
"DON'T pull your punches!"
"It's OK to be direct and unapologetic"
"Convictions mean more than the good opinion of your enemies"...
At GrassTopUSA.com, Don Feder tells it like it should be:
"I recently attended a conference to address media bias. Present were representatives of several DC-based conservative groups.
Some were hesitant about a counterattack on the mainstream media."
Politicians - the Democrats
Actually, I have little or no respect for most politicians.
When I absolutely must choose, I agree with this writer...
When I absolutely must choose, I agree with this writer...
Alan Caruba writes in the Canada Free Press:
"The wheels of government are firmly in the hands of Democrat legislators with besmirched records, questionable friends and associates, and as often as not, liars of the first order. One need only look at the President who came out of the 'Chicago machine' and his previous associations with a convicted real estate developer, an anti-American preacher, a former Weatherman, and others of that ilk. This is a President who will not release his birth certificate, nor any other records attesting to his competence and right to hold office."
Soak the Rich, Lose the Rich - WSJ.com
This isn't much different than shopping for the lowest price.
Duh! We shouldn't be surprised...
Duh! We shouldn't be surprised...
Arthur Laffer and Stephen Moore report in the Wall Street Journal:
"Updating some research from Richard Vedder of Ohio University, we found that from 1998 to 2007, more than 1,100 people every day including Sundays and holidays moved from the nine highest income-tax states such as California, New Jersey, New York and Ohio and relocated mostly to the nine tax-haven states with no income tax, including Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire and Texas. We also found that over these same years the no-income tax states created 89% more jobs and had 32% faster personal income growth than their high-tax counterparts.
Did the greater prosperity in low-tax states happen by chance? Is it coincidence that the two highest tax-rate states in the nation, California and New York, have the biggest fiscal holes to repair? No. Dozens of academic studies -- old and new -- have found clear and irrefutable statistical evidence that high state and local taxes repel jobs and businesses."
The Media - Boycotting The New York Times?
Well, I'm pretty much doing that already and, based on their current financial problems, I'm clearly not alone.
The bigger picture here is the pervasive biased influence they have...
The bigger picture here is the pervasive biased influence they have...
Jamie Glazov recently interviewed Don Feder for FrontPageMagazine.com. Here's just a bit of it:
"Feder: The New York Times is arguably the most biased media outlet in the country. It’s also the most prestigious. The Times sets the tone for the rest of the mainstream media. It’s read every day by editors and publishers of papers (large and small), network news departments, radio stations and news magazines.
Not only does it tell them what to cover, but also how to cover it. Referring to a Times story as “above the page-one fold” (on the top half of front page) means: “This is important. Pay attention.” The reverse is also true. If something isn’t reported in The New York Times, many in the media don’t consider it newsworthy.
Thus, the damage The New York Times does, by purveying bias throughout the mainstream media, goes far beyond it subscription base."
"President Palin’s First 100 Days"
Not everyone seems to understand our new president.
This article should clear things up for them...
This article should clear things up for them...
At NationalReview.com, Victor Davis Hanson begins with this:
"The first 100 days of the Palin presidency, according to a consensus of media commentators, have proven a near disaster. Perhaps it was Palin’s scant two years’ experience in a major government position that has eroded her gravitas, or maybe it was her flirty reliance on looks and informal chit-chat. In any case, the press has had a field day, and it is hard to see how President Palin can ever recover from the Quayle/potatoe syndrome. Here is a roundup of this week’s pundit mockery."
Unions vs. Taxpayers - WSJ.com
The advice to "get a government job" looks like good advice.
It will be interesting when it reaches a point where it can't sustain itself...
It will be interesting when it reaches a point where it can't sustain itself...
In the Wall Street Journal, Steve Malanga calls attention to it:
"Some five million private-sector workers have lost their jobs in the last year alone, and their unemployment rate is above 9% according to the BLS. By contrast, public-sector employment has grown in virtually every month of the recession, and the jobless rate for government workers is a mere 2.8%. For anyone who thinks such low unemployment numbers are good news, remember that the bulging public sector must be paid for with revenues that most governments don't currently have. This is one reason for a spate of state and local tax increases, such as $5 billion in tax increases New York state passed in April, and $12 billion in tax increases California's legislature agreed to in February that will only become law if voters pass a series of ballot initiatives next week."
Monday, May 25, 2009
Taxing cigarettes - L.A. Times
Here we go. Just raise taxes.
Doesn't anyone think about reducing spending anymore?
And wait until you see what Rhode Island's cigarette tax is!...
Doesn't anyone think about reducing spending anymore?
And wait until you see what Rhode Island's cigarette tax is!...
Patrick McGreevy reports in the L.A. Times:
"Reporting from Sacramento -- For years tobacco companies have successfully fought off attempts by California lawmakers and health groups to increase the cigarette tax. But next month, as the state grapples with the worst financial crisis in recent history, that may change.
Lawmakers will consider a proposal to hike cigarette taxes by $1.50 per pack and raise $1.2 billion annually. During the last decade, cigarette makers have spent tens of millions of dollars to kill 14 straight attempts to make smokers pay more."
"Cap-And-Trade A No-Go Once Costs Are Factored In"
It seems that the truth about "Cap-and-Trade" is not getting out.
When told the real story, people polled respond differently...
When told the real story, people polled respond differently...
Here's a poll result from Investors Business Daily editorial page:
"Other polls that ask Americans how they feel about a proposed "cap and trade" system to control pollution have tended to produce positive responses. But those surveys never seem to mention what such a system might cost. The latest IBD/TIPP Poll laid it all out in a somewhat lengthy question and drew a very different response: By nearly 3-to-1, Americans oppose a cap-and-trade system that, if opponents are correct, could add $800 to $1,200 per household to energy prices."
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Politics - in the Florida GOP
Somehow, this doesn't seem right to me.
I guess it's an internal party rule, and not a law, but that doesn't change my opinion.
Primaries are specifically for the purpose of having party members VOTE to select the candidate..
I guess it's an internal party rule, and not a law, but that doesn't change my opinion.
Primaries are specifically for the purpose of having party members VOTE to select the candidate..
At Townhall.com, Jillian Bandes describes the issue:
"At issue is Florida’s 'Rule 11,' which holds that party members are able to block out a given candidate in a primary election if they deem the candidate unfit to run. After the rule is invoked, no primary race is held – instead, GOP insiders get to decide the election.
In Florida’s GOP, Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer, a friend of Crist’s, tried to invoke the rule to ruin Rubio’s chances before he ever got off the ground."
Wrong Marriage Debate - Mona Charen
This statistic should scare us because almost 80% of those children will "experience poverty before they are 12".
Sadly, we seem to be on a path to breeding fast-food restaurant employees, not Rhodes scholars...
Sadly, we seem to be on a path to breeding fast-food restaurant employees, not Rhodes scholars...
Mona Charen has much more in her article at NationalReview.com:
"It seems that the rate at which unmarried women are having babies in America jumped dramatically in the past seven years. “In 2007, there were 1,714,643 babies born to unmarried women, an increase of 4% from 2006, and 26% higher than the number in 2002 (1,365,966),” the NCHS reports. Forty percent of births in America are now to unwed mothers. Rates are highest among Hispanic women"
Saturday, May 23, 2009
How the British Revolution unfolded - Telegraph
This is a fun read about a serious matter...
Gordon Rayner recaps the Brits expenses scandal:
"It may have happened without bloodshed, riots or beheadings, but there can be no doubt that the events of the past week will take their place in history as the nearest thing any of us have seen to a British Revolution."
Israel's Secret War With Iran - WSJ.com
I found this to be quite interesting.
Unfortunately, it seems to be a neverending story...
Unfortunately, it seems to be a neverending story...
In the Wall Street Journal, Ronen Bergman reports:
"The Mossad has stunning achievements to its credit, yet the mullahs remain a threat."
"Don't Blame Deregulation For Housing Mess"
You know, I've noticed the exact same thing as this writer.
I bet you have, too...
I bet you have, too...
At IBDeditorials.com, Thomas Sowell writes about Sen. Dodd and Rep. Frank:
"After virtually every disaster created by Beltway politicians you can hear the sound of feet scurrying for cover, see fingers pointing in every direction away from Washington, and watch all sorts of scapegoats hauled up before congressional committees to be denounced on television for the disasters created by members of the committee who are lecturing them."
Friday, May 22, 2009
"A pirate raid on the wealthy"
I know this is the U.K., but that doesn't matter.
He "gets it"!
The message should be noticed by all taxing authorities...
He "gets it"!
The message should be noticed by all taxing authorities...
Andrew Lloyd Webber writes in the U.K. Daily Mail:
"Last Thursday I met with a thirtysomething guy. I absolutely depend on him in a highly technical area of theatrical production. For legal reasons he has to employ himself through his own company. Under the new tax regime, he will have to pay 13.3 per cent to employ himself before he pays himself anything. And then he will have to pay 51.5 per cent on what's left.
This is a guy at the cutting edge of his profession who works all over the world. He is in demand in every major territory where entertainment is produced. He has a young wife and two children. Last Thursday he told me that he and his wife had decided that the UK was no longer where they wanted to live.
His wife thinks the State education system is inadequate. And she fears that a bankrupt Britain will increasingly be a worse place in which to live as the horror of our present financial mess hits us all in the solar plexus.
He says that he is young enough to set up shop somewhere else. The new tax rates were the final straw. These talented young people know they will make it impossible for them to educate their kids privately in the UK.
So Britain plc loses not just the 40 per cent he would have paid in personal taxes under the old regime - plus NI and everything else - but... Come on, I don't need to explain the knock-on effect. It's obviously huge and immensely damaging - that's why I am writing this article quickly and probably with too much passion."
Indiana Says 'No Thanks' to Cap and Trade - WSJ.com
The consequences of this ill-conceived idea are not limited to any one state.
We are ALL going to pay dearly if it becomes law.
Like the Hoosiers, we should also should NOT "submit meekly"!...
We are ALL going to pay dearly if it becomes law.
Like the Hoosiers, we should also should NOT "submit meekly"!...
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels discusses Cap and Trade in the Wall Street Journal:
"Quite simply, it looks like imperialism. This bill would impose enormous taxes and restrictions on free commerce by wealthy but faltering powers -- California, Massachusetts and New York -- seeking to exploit politically weaker colonies in order to prop up their own decaying economies. Because proceeds from their new taxes, levied mostly on us, will be spent on their social programs while negatively impacting our economy, we Hoosiers decline to submit meekly."
"States to feds: Stay in D.C.!"
Are you getting nervous?
There must be something to this, because state governments are...
There must be something to this, because state governments are...
Bob Unruh reports at WorldNetDaily.com:
"WND reported not long ago when the number of states with lawmakers considering such sovereignty efforts reached 20.
Now, according to the Tenth Amendment Center, such provisions have been launched in at least 35 states. They all address the Tenth Amendment that says: 'powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.'"
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Meanwhile - A billboard in Ball, Louisiana
Advertising. It's the American way...
WorldNetDaily.com is hot on this subject:
"The first such sign to be posted under the 2-day-old campaign, a digital, electronic one, is up and online on Highway 165 in Ball, La. – the result of a donation by the owner. In addition, based on the heavy volume of financial donations in the first two days of the campaign, WND was able to commit to leasing two more standard billboards – one in Los Angeles and the other in Pennsylvania. It will take several weeks to get those billboards up because of the vinyl printing and shipping involved."
"The Problem With Debt"
The few statistics in this article seem to indicate how difficult a task it will be to restore the economy quickly...
Henry Blodget writes at BusinessInsider.com:
"15.4 million homeowners now owe more on their houses than their houses are worth, up from 13.6 million four months ago. The number will probably top 20 million when all is said and done. To mark this sad stat, we've updated our post from last fall on the power of leverage."
Critics Still Haven't Read the 'Torture' Memos - WSJ.com
So politicians are being politicians, the media is the media, and the the law is the law.
Apparently, expedience and bias trump the facts once again...
Apparently, expedience and bias trump the facts once again...
Victoria Toensing explains in the Wall Street Journal:
"But now, safe in ivory towers eight years removed from 9/11, critics demand criminalization of the techniques and the prosecution or disbarment of the lawyers who advised the CIA. Contrary to columnist Frank Rich's uninformed accusation in the New York Times that the lawyers 'proposed using' the techniques, they did no such thing. They were asked to provide legal guidance on whether the CIA's proposed methods violated the law.
Then there is Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson, who declared that 'waterboarding will almost certainly be deemed illegal if put under judicial scrutiny,' depending on which 'of several possibly applicable legal standards' apply. Does he know the Senate rejected a bill in 2006 to make waterboarding illegal? That fact alone negates criminalization of the act."
The Obama Birth Certificate
This issue is still hanging around...
At IntellectualConservative.com, Sam Sewell reviews some points. Here's just one of them:
"A useful tool in evaluating things that are not known with certainty is Occam’s razor. When multiple competing hypotheses are equal in other respects, the principle recommends selecting the hypothesis that introduces the fewest assumptions and postulates the fewest entities. It is in this sense that Occam's razor is usually understood. I condense this to the simple question: what is most likely? In our discussion of the documents which AKA has hidden, most of this article is an examination of which explanation is most likely.
For example, which is most likely:
(a) AKA OBAMA is hiding documents that are innocuous?
(b) AKA OBAMA is hiding documents that are damaging?
What we know with certainty is that AKA OBAMA is not practicing the virtue of full disclosure."
Meet the Kennedys
Pretty amazing!
The top seven; are there more?...
The top seven; are there more?...
I found this compilation by Stanton Peele at PsychologyToday.com:
"Here, in reverse order of importance, are the top seven Kennedy sex scandals:"
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The Media - the N.Y. Times marches on
Newspapers generally endorse their favored candidates openly on their opinion page.
Anyway, that's what the respectable newspapers do.
Of course, this is the New York Times...
Anyway, that's what the respectable newspapers do.
Of course, this is the New York Times...
At Spectator.org, Matthew Vadum reports on the shenanigans:
"Acknowledging what the blogosphere has known for weeks, the New York Times finally went on record to admit that just before last Election Day it killed a politically sensitive news story involving corruption allegations that might have made the Obama campaign look bad.
But the admission on Sunday, which came seven months after NYT staff reporter Stephanie Strom's reporting about possibly illegal coordination between the Obama campaign and ACORN last year, took the form of a snarky column from Clark Hoyt, the Old Gray Lady's "public editor.""
Politicians - Barney Frank's Fannie Mae Love Connection
The Internet gives access to things the mainstream media won't cover.
Let's hope the government is never successful in restricting it...
Let's hope the government is never successful in restricting it...
At BusinessAndMedia.org, Jeff Poor writes this and more:
"“Herb Moses, who helped develop many of Fannie Mae’s affordable housing and home improvement lending programs, has left the mortgage industry,” Darryl Hicks wrote for NMN. 'Mr. Moses - whose last day was Feb. 13 - spent the past seven years at Fannie Mae, most recently as director of housing initiatives. Over the course of time, he played an instrumental role in developing the company’s Title One and 203(k) home improvement lending programs.'
Hicks explained in his story how Moses orchestrated a collaborative effort between Fannie Mae and the Department of Agriculture.
'The Dartmouth grad also played a crucial role in brokering a relationship between Fannie Mae and the Department of Agriculture,' Hicks wrote. 'This led to the creation of Fannie Mae’s rural housing program where the secondary marketing agency agreed to purchase small farm loans insured through the department.'
While Moses served at Fannie Mae and was Frank’s partner, Frank was actively working to support GSEs, according to several news outlets.
In 1991, Frank and former Rep. Joe Kennedy, D-Mass., lobbied for Fannie to soften rules on multi-family home mortgages although those dwellings showed a default rate twice that of single-family homes, according to the Nov. 22, 1991, Boston Globe.
BusinessWeek reported in its Nov. 14, 1994, issue that Fannie Mae called on Frank to exert his influence against a Housing & Urban Development proposal that would force the GSE to focus on minority and low-income buyers and police bias by lenders regardless of their location. Fannie Mae opposed HUD on the issue because it claimed doing so would 'ignore the urban middle class.'
Moses left Fannie in 1998 to start his own pottery business. National Mortgage News called Moses a 'mortgage guru' and said he developed 'many of Fannie Mae's affordable housing and home improvement lending programs. Moses ended his relationship with Frank just months after he left Fannie.'"
Muslim Demographics
Want to watch something different? Try this...
Update: A comment points out other views and opinions to this video...
Update: A comment points out other views and opinions to this video...
One is found on the TinyFrog Blog.
And another is here by Duncan McLeod.
Lessons from the Sudetenland - Benjamin Netanyahu
Regardless of what you think of Benjamin Netanyahu, this article he wrote back in 1997 clearly explains how he sees Israel's position.
Perhaps, the rest of the world would be served well by this lesson of history...
Perhaps, the rest of the world would be served well by this lesson of history...
In 1997, Benjamin Netanyahu wrote this and more at KHouse.org. He begins:
"Czechoslovakia was strategically placed in the heart of Europe, and its conquest was central to Hitler's plans for overrunning Europe. Though small, Czechoslovakia could field over 800,000 men (one of the strongest armies in Europe), and it had a highly efficient arms industry.
To complicate matters from Hitler's point of view, it possessed a formidable physical barrier to his designs in the shape of the Sudeten mountains, which bordered Germany and guarded the access to the Czech heartland and the capital city of Prague only miles away.
A system of fortifications and fortresses had been built in the mountains over many years, making passage by force a very costly proposition, perhaps even impossible."
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Barack Obama - "The President Who Hates His Country"
Frankly, I'm surprised this is published.
It certainly wouldn't get any space here in America...
It certainly wouldn't get any space here in America...
At CanadaFreePress.com, Joan Swirsky provides both a compilation of other opinions and her own blistering attack:
"Today, we have a new crop of inveterate America- and Jew-haters, among them the Marxist leader of Venezuela Hugo Chavez, Nicaragua’s president Daniel Ortega, Iran’s 'death-to-America-and-Israel' study-in-abnormal-psychology Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and the ever-sabotage-America and anti-Semitic 'leaders' of the 22-Arab states that surround Israel.
I have either read about or observed firsthand all of these people. Yet in my decades of commenting on the political scene, I cannot recall a single leader of any country or regime who has ever spoken negatively of his country or tolerated others speaking ill of the land or the people he represented
Until now"
Nancy Pelosi - Handling the Heat
Sounds like not very well...
Dana Milbank reports at WashingtonPost.com:
"Nancy Pelosi is a woman of many talents. Yesterday, she performed the delicate art of backtracking while walking sideways.
The speaker of the House had just read a statement accusing the CIA of lying and was trying to beat a hasty retreat from her news conference before reporters could point out contradictions between her current position and her previous statements."
The Media - MSNBC's David Shuster
Well, I don't think many TV moderators act much like my definition of "journalist".
That goes for both sides.
Once the interaction turns to personal attacks, I turn off (mute) very quickly...
That goes for both sides.
Once the interaction turns to personal attacks, I turn off (mute) very quickly...
Bobby Eberle has some examples at GOPUSA.com:
"Having said all that, Tuesday was one of those days where you have to wonder what's happening to this country and are there any journalistic standards left at all. In a single day, an MSNBC anchor went off the deep end, not once, not twice, but three different times. This is not journalism; it's left-wing advocacy."
"Obama Shocks the Elites"
By now, a lot of people may regret not doing their homework.
Some may even regret their campaign contributions.
And yes, some may even regret their vote...
Some may even regret their campaign contributions.
And yes, some may even regret their vote...
Tom Blumer writes at PajamasMedia.com:
"It would be funny if the stakes — the future direction of this country for many years to come — weren’t so high.
It’s still hard not to feel just a bit of schadenfreude watching many of Barack Obama’s supporters, particularly those who are among the well-positioned or financially well-off, fidget, whine, and moan as they discover what those of us who actually researched and studied the guy before the election knew about him.
Slowly but surely it is dawning on many of these elites that Obama is exactly what he was in rare unguarded moments during his presidential campaign, during his brief U.S. Senate career as its most liberal member, during his time as an Illinois senator, and, to the extent we were able or allowed to learn it, during his life up to that point: a far-left, class-warfare, redistributionist demagogue. They are also learning that he is bound and determined to impose a radical agenda on the rest of the country and that he has little interest in making exceptions for those who thought they were buying protection or favors with their campaign dollars."
Barack Obama - the Destroyer?
A bull in a china shop can do a lot of damage in a very short time...
At Spectator.org, Quin Hillyer begins his article with:
"If somebody were deliberately trying to undermine the very fabric of these United States, he would first vow not just to change its policies but to completely "change America," and then would do just about everything Barack Obama already has begun to do as president."
Vote 'no' on all six state propositions
Wow!...
That's what the Orange County Register recommends:
"The spendthrift governor and Legislature over-taxed and over-spent California state government into its current predicament. They put government employees first and taxpayers second. They routinely overestimated future revenue while consistently mismanaging the cash on hand. Their fiscal appetites regularly were greater than what they could afford, and they put off solving their financial problems by borrowing more and more, and shifting money around to pay for things taxpayers didn't intend that money to be spent on.
This should tell voters everything they need to know about Propositions 1A-1F on Tuesday's special election ballot. The same people who created this mess with their disingenuous, irresponsible taxing and spending now claim to have concocted a remedy – if voters will just say 'Yes' to the propositions to authorize more taxing and spending.
We urge voters to say 'No' Tuesday to all six propositions."
Monday, May 18, 2009
"Trying to govern California"
Here's a good overview of California's past, present, and future problems...
It's explained on the Economist.comR website:
"ON MAY 19th Californians will go to the polls to vote on six ballot measures that are as important as they are confusing. If these measures fail, America’s biggest state will enter a full-blown financial crisis that will require excruciating cuts in public services. If the measures succeed, the crisis will be only a little less acute. Recent polls suggest that voters are planning to vote most of them down.
The occasion has thus become an ugly summary of all that is wrong with California’s governance, and that list is long."
Barack Obama - he said what!
Bloggers see this clearly.
It's scary that the national media doesn't call out this hypocrisy...
It's scary that the national media doesn't call out this hypocrisy...
Ed Morrissey posts on the HotAir blog:
"Thanks to Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit for catching this jaw-dropping hypocrisy from Barack Obama during his commencement speech at Arizona State University. Perhaps the heat in Tempe got to the President, but then he repeated himself in Albuquerque yesterday. Either way, this line should have gotten laughs rather than applause:"
"We’ve become accustomed to our economic dominance in the world, forgetting that it wasn’t reckless deals and get-rich-quick schemes that got us there; but hard work and smart ideas -quality products and wise investments. So we started taking shortcuts. We started living on credit, instead of building up savings."
"A Carelessness Now Bordering On Lawlessness"
I think we should all be worried.
The government doesn't have a history of getting value for anything.
That's why the Constitution kept so many things in the hands of the people.
And now I have to go look up the word "ukase"...
The government doesn't have a history of getting value for anything.
That's why the Constitution kept so many things in the hands of the people.
And now I have to go look up the word "ukase"...
At Investors Business Daily, George Will is worried about the rule of law:
"Anyone, said T.S. Eliot, could carve a goose, were it not for the bones. And anyone could govern as boldly as their whims decreed, were it not for the skeletal structure that keeps civil society civil — the rule of law.
The Obama administration is bold. It also is careless regarding constitutional values and is acquiring a tincture of lawlessness."
"Obama's nose grows another couple of inches"
I've mentioned in some previous posts as to whether the President "is even aware of" dissenting or opposing information.
When you're surrounded by "yes" people, you have to be very careful about what they "won't" tell you.
Good managers learn that through experience; however, a novice executive may easily come to poor conclusions...
When you're surrounded by "yes" people, you have to be very careful about what they "won't" tell you.
Good managers learn that through experience; however, a novice executive may easily come to poor conclusions...
At AmericanThinker.com, Rick Moran concludes:
"Either he needs a hearing aid or he's just making stuff up as he goes along."
"White House scrubs marriage promise"
Now you see it; now you don't.
Now that you've cast your vote, it's time to "change".
In the not too distant past, it was called flip-flop...
Now that you've cast your vote, it's time to "change".
In the not too distant past, it was called flip-flop...
Chelsea Schilling reports on it at WorldNetDaily.com:
"The White House has scrubbed President Obama's central pledge to the homosexual community from its website – his promise to quash the federal Defense of Marriage Act."
Rising reserves of unused oil put strain on storage
Oil, oil, everywhere.
It's in the storage tanks, the pipelines, and the tankers.
We go from one extreme to another...
It's in the storage tanks, the pipelines, and the tankers.
We go from one extreme to another...
In the U.K. Telegraph, Richard Spencer reports:
"Goldman Sachs estimated last week that global storage capacity could be exhausted by June. Government figures in the US, the world's biggest oil consumer, put reserves at 375m barrels, rising by 4m barrels in one week in April alone.
One estimate said that in addition 100m barrels were currently being stored in tankers at sea across the world – some of these are visible in Lyme Bay off the coast of Dorset and Devon."
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Curl: The Speaker misspeaks
I'm thinking Speaker Pelosi may lay low and not take questions for a while.
Wishful thinking: Please, please, please, may the media relentlessly pursue for the truth..
Wishful thinking: Please, please, please, may the media relentlessly pursue for the truth..
In the Washington Times, Joseph Curl reports on a rcent Q@A:
"With her own second-in-command now demanding more answers, the California Democrat, her voice barely audible at times, read a rambling statement at her weekly press briefing about her prior knowledge of the "enhanced interrogation techniques" (EITs) employed by under President Bush, asserting that she was not told in a September 2002 briefing that the U.S. government used waterboarding.
Minutes later, though, she acknowledged for the first time that her top security adviser was part of a February 2003 briefing in which he learned that American interrogators were in fact waterboarding suspected terrorists.
'My statement is clear, and let me read it again. Let me read it again. I'm sorry. I have to find the page,' said a flustered Mrs. Pelosi, shuffling through papers, her hands quivering a bit, as she sought to stick to her prepared text."
More Acorn Voter Fraud Comes to Light - WSJ.com
I think even the least prudent would agree that this group should be investigated big time...
In the Wall Street Journal, John Fund has the latest:
"On Monday, Nevada officials charged Acorn, its regional director and its Las Vegas field director with submitting thousands of fraudulent voter registration forms last year. Larry Lomax, the registrar of voters in Las Vegas, says he believes 48% of Acorn's forms 'are clearly fraudulent.' On Thursday, prosecutors in Pittsburgh, Pa., also charged seven Acorn employees with filing hundreds of fraudulent voter registrations before last year's general election."
Obama Birth Certificate Forgery
This issue is clearly not resolved.
Hopefully, a forged document isn't accepted as the final answer...
Hopefully, a forged document isn't accepted as the final answer...
Douglas V. Gibbs reports at the American Daily Review:
"If Obama’s claims that he is a natural born citizen are valid, then you would think President Obama would voluntarily open up all of his records for scrutinization so that the doubts in the minds of those that believe he may not be eligible would be satisfied. An investigation by Gary Kreep of the United States Justice Foundation found, however, that Barack Obama spent upwards of about $950,000 in campaign funds last year with eleven law firms in 12 states for legal resources to block disclosure of any of his records, including collegiate records.
What is Barry trying to hide? Why would an innocent man spend so much time and money in resources to protect the release of information when he has nothing to hide?"
Think the GOP Is Doomed?
A flicker of light?...
At his NationalReview blog, Jim Geraghty writes:
"To read the national media, it's perpetual doomsday for the GOP, stemming from shocking and unexpected developments like Arlen Specter putting his personal ambitions above party loyalty. But as noted earlier today, when you look deeper into some polls, there are quite a few bits of decent-to-good news for Republican candidates in 2009 and 2010. It's a long way off, obviously, but Obamaphoria and a generic ballot advantage hasn't translated into good news for every incumbent Democrat.
There's good news..."
Councilman removes Confederate flags from cemetery
At the cemetery, no less.
Do you see things that are offensive to you?
Do you rip them down?...
Do you see things that are offensive to you?
Do you rip them down?...
This is from an Associated Press article in the Birmingham News:
"Mary Norman, president of Auburn Heritage Association, said she was at her family's burial plot in Pine Hill Cemetery when Councilman Arthur Dowdell removed the small Confederate flag from her great-grandfather's grave Thursday afternoon.
'He pulled up the flag, snapped it in two and put it in his car,' said Norman, who is white.
Dowdell said Friday he did not break the flag's stick intentionally. Instead, it broke when he pulled it out of the ground. But, he said, 'I should have broken them all. They are offensive to me. They represent racism and the Ku Klux Klan.'"
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Chrysler and the Rule of Law - WSJ.com
I won't be surprised if the government bungled this.
The real question is did they even know it, or did they do it intentionally...
The real question is did they even know it, or did they do it intentionally...
Todd J. Zywicki writes about it in the Wall Street Journal:
"The Obama administration's behavior in the Chrysler bankruptcy is a profound challenge to the rule of law. Secured creditors -- entitled to first priority payment under the "absolute priority rule" -- have been browbeaten by an American president into accepting only 30 cents on the dollar of their claims. Meanwhile, the United Auto Workers union, holding junior creditor claims, will get about 50 cents on the dollar.
The absolute priority rule is a linchpin of bankruptcy law. By preserving the substantive property and contract rights of creditors, it ensures that bankruptcy is used primarily as a procedural mechanism for the efficient resolution of financial distress. Chapter 11 promotes economic efficiency by reorganizing viable but financially distressed firms, i.e., firms that are worth more alive than dead.
Violating absolute priority undermines this commitment by introducing questions of redistribution into the process. It enables the rights of senior creditors to be plundered in order to benefit the rights of junior creditors."
Obama's Global Tax Raid - WSJ.com
It seems that this current government needs businesses as the source of tax money to fund their many programs.
And at the same time, the actions of this government seems to prevent American business from competing on equal terms with foreign businesses.
Does anybody really know what's going on here?...
And at the same time, the actions of this government seems to prevent American business from competing on equal terms with foreign businesses.
Does anybody really know what's going on here?...
The Wall Street Journal takes issue with Obama's oversea tax ideas:
"The President's argument is that U.S. tax-deferral rules make it more expensive for American companies to reinvest overseas profits at home than abroad. This, he claims, creates a perverse incentive for companies to "ship jobs overseas" and reduces investment and job creation in the U.S.
He's right, except that his proposals would only compound the problem. His plan would limit the tax deferral on income earned abroad by tightening the rules, limiting allowable deductions and restricting eligibility for foreign-tax credits. This "solution" is antigrowth, job-destroying, protectionist and unlikely to raise the tax revenue Mr. Obama predicts."
Government at Work - Federal strings prevent some state cuts
I've long believed that elected officials/politicians are short-sighted.
They are primarily interested in votes and money for their election campaigns. They pass laws to that end with little regard for long-term or unintended consequences.
As California is learning, the federal government has effectively blocked states from taking care of their own business.
On a side note, governors that attempt to prevent this, get clobbered by the media...
They are primarily interested in votes and money for their election campaigns. They pass laws to that end with little regard for long-term or unintended consequences.
As California is learning, the federal government has effectively blocked states from taking care of their own business.
On a side note, governors that attempt to prevent this, get clobbered by the media...
In the Sacremento Bee, Rob Hotakainen reports:
"The Republican governor and state officials find themselves unable to cut spending as deeply as they'd like in some areas because of the potential loss of federal funds. Schwarzenegger wants to save $750 million by rolling back the state's Medi-Cal program, tightening eligibility and reducing benefits.
It won't necessarily be easy.
To get his way, the governor needs special permission from the federal government, which pays the lion's share of the costs. It's an example of the many restrictions that Congress ties to its programs, making it more difficult for states to act on their own when times get tough."
Politicians - in the U.K.
All over the world, politicians are the same.
Currently, the Brits are in a snit.
Their politicians waste taxpayers money at unbelievable rates on unbelievable things...
Currently, the Brits are in a snit.
Their politicians waste taxpayers money at unbelievable rates on unbelievable things...
Macer Hall reports in the U.K. Daily Express:
"GORDON Brown was under pressure last night to call an immediate general election in the face of public fury over the Westminster expenses scandal.And here's the U.K Telegraph's page with all the stories...
Angry voters across the country are demanding a mass clearout of MPs.
At the same time, Scotland Yard has announced a team of leading police officers and prosecution lawyers will meet next week to decide what action to take against those who have abused the public’s trust.
A poll of voters yesterday found two-thirds want an election called as soon as possible. The same number want MPs who have been named and shamed to be forced to stand down..."
The Expenses Files, report:
" into how politicians - from Gordon Brown's Cabinet to backbenchers of all parties - exploit the system of parliamentary allowances to subsidise their lifestyles and multiple homes."
I’m Making You an Offer You Shouldn’t Refuse
This writer's points are well-made.
I doubt they will be equally as well taken.
I wonder if he is/was a "hit" man?...
I doubt they will be equally as well taken.
I wonder if he is/was a "hit" man?...
At Breitbart.com, Michael Franzese unloads on Perez Hilton:
"For the record, Mr. Hilton, I would like to state that I, too, believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman. My wife also shares that belief and we have brought our four children up to believe the same. We have also brought them up to be tolerant of people who do not share our beliefs. In other words, we would not tolerate our children 'ripping a tiara off of the head' of a person, had they been judging that contest and the winner was a lesbian. Nor would we tolerate their calling her disrespectful and shameful names. In fact, I wouldn’t even consider breaking your knee caps for disagreeing with my beliefs, Mr. Hilton, and I’m a former mobster."
Anger at plans for nuclear power station to replace wind farm
This would be ironic...
These are quotes from an article by Terry Macalister in the U.K. Guardian:
"'It is true there is an overlap and it could lead to some turbines needing to be moved or the whole site being used. But we would have to discuss that with the operator and landowner,' said a spokesman for RWE.
'Its worth pointing out that we could build up to 3,600 megawatts of low or free CO2 power compared to the 3.5MW or so of wind power that we might replace. And it's not a case or wind or nuclear. We ourselves are spending over £1bn on wind.'"
Friday, May 15, 2009
The Media - the New York Times
The Times seems to have unusual priorities...
Mark Finkelstein points it out on his blog:
"The sitting Speaker of the House of Representatives has accused the CIA of lying to Congress. She is ensnared in a web of conflicting accounts. Her very hold on power could be under a cloud. Meh. Guess we can find some room on A20. But pot pies need to be heated to 165 degrees to be safe? Stop the presses and put it on the front page!
Such is the news judgment of the New York Times."
California has become "What Not To Be"
I have to agree.
Governments just have to stop spending.
If they can't, then they have to link spending to revenue, so that spending doesn't go on when revenues decline.
On a second front, I think here again, we see the cleverness of "mislabeling", in that the name on an item is actually opposite of what the item represents.
The federal government has recently mastered this trick also...
Governments just have to stop spending.
If they can't, then they have to link spending to revenue, so that spending doesn't go on when revenues decline.
On a second front, I think here again, we see the cleverness of "mislabeling", in that the name on an item is actually opposite of what the item represents.
The federal government has recently mastered this trick also...
At FrontPageMagazine.com, Michael Reagan thinks and warns us:
"...liberals in Congress, like Pelosi, are already getting a loud-and-clear message. If the people of California can be deceived into buying this obscene perversion of language, designed to fool trusting people into voting for a massive tax hike…you can, too!
No matter where you may live, you owe it to yourself to get the facts on Proposition 1A because it may be coming, very soon, to a 'theater' near you.
Proposition 1A is being sold to the people as a 'spending cap' and, by implication, a tool to cut government waste. But walking hand-in-hand with this so-called spending cap is a massive $16 billion dollar tax increase.
Now you may be saying that if the spending cap results in a savings of more than $16 billion, then perhaps that is not so bad. So, what are the hard numbers on the spending cap? Amazingly, we don’t really know."
Politicians - Ten Most Corrupt in U.S. History
Well, there's certainly plenty to choose from.
I'd like to see the top 1000...
I'd like to see the top 1000...
I found this at RealClearPolitics.com:
"With the recent impeachment of Governer Rod Blagojevich, we thought it only fitting to take a look at politicians we found to be the most corrupt of all time. There could easily be a Top 100 most corrupt politicians list, but we chose to narrow our focus to 10."
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Meanwhile - in California
Watch this and see if you can form an opinion...
"Letter of Amends from a Recovering Liberal..."
I see an important story in this article.
Do you see it, too?...
Do you see it, too?...
At AmericanThinker.com, Robin begins with this:
"Dear friends, family, loved ones, conservatives, Republicans, libertarians, my brother in law, Sam, and my cousin Joe: I am sorry and you were right.
These are not easy words for anyone to utter, much less a leftist from Berkeley, or a recovering leftist, that is. Even though I've been in recovery for 14 months, 2 weeks, and 3 days, leftists are always right in your face, in an I-hate-you-if-you-disagree sort of way. Hence, this letter of amends to all the people I've lectured, scolded, ranted and raved at, and otherwise annoyed during my 30 plus years of 'progressive' politics.
My recovery program urges a fierce moral inventory, a cleansing of heart and mind (kind of like a 'forgiveness tour' but without the scary dictators), so here goes:"
Public Takes Conservative Turn on Gun Control, Abortion
Maybe it's got something to do with the way the government seems to be taking a part in everything...
Here are the findings of a recent Pew Research poll:
"Public attitudes on a pair of contentious national issues -- gun control and abortion -- have moved in a more conservative direction over the past year. In both cases, the changes have been driven in part by relatively large shifts among men, while opinions among women have not changed very much."
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Rasmussen Reports™ - on Cap and Trade
This concept will basically force companies to pay for pollution which some say contributes to global warming which some say is caused by humans.
It will cost companies a lot and guess who that cost gets passed to?
If Americans don't wake up and reject this, they will see their spending money going up in smoke (pun intended)...
It will cost companies a lot and guess who that cost gets passed to?
If Americans don't wake up and reject this, they will see their spending money going up in smoke (pun intended)...
Here are Rasmussen Reports survey results on who knows what it is:
"Given a choice of three options, just 24% of voters can correctly identify the cap-and-trade proposal as something that deals with environmental issues. A slightly higher number (29%) believe the proposal has something to do with regulating Wall Street while 17% think the term applies to health care reform. A plurality (30%) have no idea."
Sarah Palin: Two more ethics complaints dismissed
Governor Palin has certainly affected people in various ways.
In spite of the attacks, she seems to be surviving quite well.
Liberals seem a bit deranged over her, and I think that exposes them for what they are...
In spite of the attacks, she seems to be surviving quite well.
Liberals seem a bit deranged over her, and I think that exposes them for what they are...
Josh Painter reports on the Texas4Palin blog:
"Out of 14 ethics complaints filed against the governor or her staff, eleven have now been resolved without any finding that the law was broken. Just three complaints are still pending:
'These are the 10th and 11th actions taken on behalf of the Personnel Board that favorably resolve complaints against the governor or her staff, and to date there has not been any violation of the law substantiated,' said Thomas Van Flein, the governor’s attorney. 'There are a few more complaints pending, and then we hope this abuse of the Executive Ethics Act will cease.'"
"Chrysler Bankruptcy Exposes Dirty Politics"
I don't think government action like this bodes well for America.
Government just doesn't belong in a publicly owned corporation's business...
Government just doesn't belong in a publicly owned corporation's business...
Declan McCullough writes about it at CBSnews.com:
"During its slide, Chrysler borrowed money from lenders and in return signed a contract promising that as so-called senior creditors, they'd get paid before anyone else if the company went under.
These creditors, by the way, represent something of a cross-section of America: the University of Kentucky, Kraft Foods' retirement fund, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, pension funds, teachers' credit unions, and so on.
A normal bankruptcy filing would be straightforward. Senior creditors get paid 100 cents on the dollar. Everyone else gets in line.
But President Obama and his allies don't want that to happen. So they interfered on behalf of unions (the junior creditors) and publicly upbraided the senior creditors who were asserting their contractual rights and threatening to head to bankruptcy court."
Free cars for the poor
I bet you think this is made up. It isn't.
They do say that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction...
They do say that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction...
In the Boston Herald, Hillary Chabot reports:
"Gov. Deval Patrick’s free wheels for welfare recipients program is revving up despite the stalled economy, as the keys to donated cars loaded with state-funded insurance, repairs and even AAA membership are handed out to get them to work.
But the program - fueled by a funding boost despite the state’s fiscal crash - allows those who end up back on welfare to keep the cars anyway."
Global Warming - Measuring the Temperature
Don't you just love it when politicians are contemplating changing laws based on a measurement system that is being proven to be inaccurate?
Possibly, they don't even know about these reports.
Or, are they turning a blind eye and deaf ear...
Possibly, they don't even know about these reports.
Or, are they turning a blind eye and deaf ear...
Richard Henry Lee writes at AmericanThinker.com:
"After surveying 70% of the 1,221 weather monitoring stations in the US, Anthony Watts of the Watts Up With That website, finds that the temperature record is 'unreliable'. In addition, about 90% of the stations are sited poorly, such as being surrounded by asphalt parking lots which act as heat islands. The result is that most stations are reporting 'higher or rising temperatures' due to poor siting alone according to Watts.
The weather stations are supposed to meet certain criteria and are part of a weather monitoring program run by NOAA. The network is called the United States Historical Climatology Network or USHCN.
Since there is this warming bias in the US temperature record, there is may be one in the world temperature record also."
You can see the charts at SurfaceStations.org. They're significantly revealing.
Regulation Didn't Save Canada's Banks - WSJ.com
Regulation isn't often the answer to good economies.
Usuakky, when governments interfere trouble arises.
In Canada, banks apparently run the old fashioned way, and ARE successful...
Usuakky, when governments interfere trouble arises.
In Canada, banks apparently run the old fashioned way, and ARE successful...
In the Wall Street Journal we learn why:
"Canadian banks are not compelled by laws such as our Community Reinvestment Act to lend to less creditworthy borrowers. Nor does Canada have agencies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac promoting "affordable housing" through guarantees or purchases of high-risk and securitized loans. With fewer incentives to sell off their mortgage loans, Canadian banks held a larger share of them on their balance sheets. Bank-held mortgages tend to perform more soundly than securitized ones.
In the U.S., Federal Housing Administration programs allowed mortgages with only a 3% down payment, while the Federal Home Loan Bank provided multiple subsidies to finance borrowing. In Canada, if a down payment is less than 20% of the value of a home, the mortgage holder must purchase mortgage insurance. Mortgage interest is not tax deductible.
The differences do not end there. A homeowner in the U.S. can simply walk away from his loan if the balance on his mortgage exceeds the value of his house. The lender has no recourse except to take the house in satisfaction of the debt. Canadian mortgage holders are held strictly responsible for their home loans and banks can launch claims against their other assets.
And yet Canada's homeownership rate equals that in the U.S. (Both fluctuate, in the mid to high 60% range.)"
Meanwhile - in the U.K. - Reducing suicides?
Here's something different to think about...
In the U.K. Telegraph, Richard Alleyne reports:
"Very low levels of lithium in drinking water may help prevent suicide in the general population, according to a new study."
