Saturday, October 31, 2009
160,000 Per Stimulus Job? White House Calls That 'Calculator Abuse' "
"Calculator abuse".
I think it's more like "Taxpayer abuse"...
I think it's more like "Taxpayer abuse"...
This is from a post by Jake Tapper on the ABCnews blog:
"So let's see. Assuming their number is right -- 160 billion divided by 1 million. Does that mean the stimulus costs taxpayers $160,000 per job?
Jared Bernstein, chief economist and senior economic advisor to the vice president, called that 'calculator abuse.'"
"'Net Neutrality' Is Socialism, Not Freedom"
This looks like a case of here we go again.
The free-market driven Internet is working so badly (just kidding) that it needs to be managed by the historically high efficient (just kidding) entity known as government...
The free-market driven Internet is working so badly (just kidding) that it needs to be managed by the historically high efficient (just kidding) entity known as government...
James G. Lakely writes about it at WashingtonExaminer.com:
"The modern Internet is a creation of the free market, which has brought about a revolution in communication, free speech, education, and commerce. New Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski apparently doesn't like that. He stated last month the way Internet service providers manage their networks -- in response to millions of individual consumer choices -- is not sufficiently 'fair,' 'open' or 'free.'
The chairman's remedy is to claim for the FCC the power to decide how every bit of data is transferred from the Web to every personal computer and handheld device in the nation. This is exactly what the radical founders of the net neutrality movement had in mind. "
"Obama taxes pacemakers, heart valves"
Do you need to be reminded that your elected representatives are voting FOR things like this?...
This is from Dick Morris and Eileen McGann on theHill.com blog:
"The more the fiscal details of the healthcare bills emerge, the more appalling they seem. The Senate Finance Committee bill includes a broad provision taxing all manner of medical devices. This tax includes such frivolous luxuries as pacemakers, stents, artificial heart valves, defibrillators, automated wheelchairs, mechanized artificial limbs, replacement hips and knees, surgical gurneys, laparoscopic equipment and the like.
President Obama is planning to reduce the cost of medical care by taxing it!"
Friday, October 30, 2009
Judge dismisses California eligibility challenge
This is the latest (as of yesterday).
What the future will bring is anybody's guess.
It continues to fascinate me that so much about Obama's past is murky at best, and yet the old media won't touch it except to denigrate those who think it's important and want to know about it...
What the future will bring is anybody's guess.
It continues to fascinate me that so much about Obama's past is murky at best, and yet the old media won't touch it except to denigrate those who think it's important and want to know about it...
At WorldNetDaily, Bob Unruh reports on the ruling and also has this:
"Gary Kreep of the United States Justice Foundation confirmed immediately that his clients – two of about four dozen in the case – would be filing an appeal. California attorney Orly Taitz, representing the rest of the clients, also promised not only an appeal of this decision, but future cases that will be filed.
'This [opinion] looks like it was written by the defense,' she told WND.
She described the fight against Obama as 'very tough.'
'He has more power than anybody, unlimited financial resources, and a lot to hide,' she said."
As Deficit Increases, Democrats Plan More Spending - WSJ.com
Government at Work - Spending the taxpayers money without shame.
They are clearly not listening to us.
It's time to throw the bums out...
They are clearly not listening to us.
It's time to throw the bums out...
The Wall Street Journal reports:
"The White House disclosed the other day that the fiscal 2009 budget deficit clocked in at $1.4 trillion, amid the usual promises to do something about it. Yet even as budget director Peter Orszag was speaking, House Democrats were moving on a dozen spending bills for fiscal 2010 that total 12.1% in more domestic discretionary increases.
Yes, 12.1%.
Remember, inflation is running close to zero, or 0.8%."
"End this earmark racket "
I haven't read much about earmarks lately and that's bad.
It signals our elected officials that it's not in the spotlight any more.
That means a return to earmarks as usual...
It signals our elected officials that it's not in the spotlight any more.
That means a return to earmarks as usual...
This quote is from the PostAndCourier.com website:
"The House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee dispensed $636 billion this year to the Pentagon. Its members must look on the $103 million they earmarked for favored projects as mere crumbs from the table.
Outside the defense budget, however, $100 million a year is a tidy sum, and getting a piece of the action is a regular part of Washington's political culture. At the center is a mutually beneficial connection between members of Congress, their former staff members turned lobbyists, and corporations or non-profits seeking federal money -- what some social scientists call "relationship circles."
In this instance, it's better described as a blatant conflict of interest.
Money holds these relationships together. Organizations looking for federal money hire lobbyists with connections to legislators in a position to sponsor earmarks. To promote good will, the lobbyists and the petitioners frequently make campaign contributions to the legislators. One hand, as the saying goes, washes the other.
Except for rare legislators like Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., most members of Congress from both parties apparently don't view the cycle as necessarily corrupting, despite the obvious conflicts. "
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Letters of Note: The Masked Letter
Here's a bit of a change of pace.
Perhaps you've heard of it. I hadn't...
Perhaps you've heard of it. I hadn't...
I found this description and examples on the Letters of Note blog:
"The letter reads perfectly well on its own, however only when you place a mask over the paper does the true meaning appear."
"End of the world as Hollywood knows it"
New information sharing technologies are showing up almost daily.
No one can be aware of all of them, let alone keep up with them.
The minute something is digitized it becomes available to almost everyone if they know where to look...
No one can be aware of all of them, let alone keep up with them.
The minute something is digitized it becomes available to almost everyone if they know where to look...
At CNET.com, Greg Sandoval writes about the implications:
"I'm sure many of you will write this off as the apocalyptic rantings of Silicon Valley propeller heads. But I urge you to pay attention to recent events.
Over the past five days I've been in Los Angeles talking to entertainment attorneys, studio executives, and some of the tech vendors who do business with the studios. I've been covering the sector three years now and I've never seen people in the film industry so dejected. DVD sales are falling, the number of upcoming film releases is expected to drop. Some big shots have even acknowledged the bleak situation in public. The past weekend, at a conference on the USC campus, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the 'business model that formed the motion picture business...is changing profoundly before our eyes.'
Iger warned that studios must make profound changes, 'or you will no longer have a business.' "
Barack Obama - and his Birth Certificate
Could this be it?
Block 23 seems to be significant...
Block 23 seems to be significant...
You can see this version posted by David L O'Connor at api.ning.com:
We're All Balloon Boys Now - WSJ.com
I think this column rings very true.
Skepticism appears to be the best defense and it has apparently been adopted by many.
It does seem wrong to doubt everything we see or hear; however, the abundance of con men and con jobs make it a necessary behavior...
Skepticism appears to be the best defense and it has apparently been adopted by many.
It does seem wrong to doubt everything we see or hear; however, the abundance of con men and con jobs make it a necessary behavior...
This is just part of a column by Dan Henninger in a recent Wall Street Journal:
"In 1938, Orson Welles caused a sensation when he did a 'reality' radio broadcast announcing a Martian invasion. Now we get the equivalent of a Martian invasion almost every day; or maybe it's every other hour.
One assumes the visuals in most TV commercials now are fake. Ten years ago it was fun to wonder how Chevy managed to airlift a truck onto a pencil-wide peak in Utah. Now you assume a geek at a computer did it. A semi-scandal broke out in the fashion world recently when it came to light that a Photoshopped ad from Ralph Lauren had made model Filippa Hamilton's head weirdly wider than her waist and hips.
This week the mainstream media have been learning the danger of living in a cut-and-paste world."
Trust on Issues - Rasmussen Reports
After reading this, I had a flicker of thought as to how I would answer.
If the wording of the question had "neither" as a choice, that's where I'd probably be...
If the wording of the question had "neither" as a choice, that's where I'd probably be...
The story and percentages can be seem on the Rasmussen Reports website:
"For the first time in recent years, voters trust Republicans more than Democrats on all 10 key electoral issues regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports. The GOP holds double-digit advantages on five of them."
"Official disclosure of extraterrestrial life is imminent"
Well, this sure is different...
Michael Salla, Ph.D. has this at Examiner.com:
"An official announcement by the Obama administration disclosing the reality of extraterrestrial life is imminent. For several months, senior administration officials have been quietly deliberating behind closed doors how much to disclose to the world about extraterrestrial life. Dissatisfaction among powerful institutions such as the U.S. Navy over the decades-long secrecy policy has given a boost to efforts to disclose the reality of extraterrestrial life and technology."
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
"To Close the Deficit, Federal Income Tax Rates Would Have to Nearly Triple"
It's so bad, we can't even tax our way out of it.
So, do you think they'll slow down on government spending now?...
So, do you think they'll slow down on government spending now?...
This depressing gem is from The Tax Foundation website:
"Federal government spending levels are so high that even if policymakers were willing to stop debt-financing government services, the federal tax system in its current form wouldn't be able to raise that much," said Tax Foundation Director of Policy and Communications Bill Ahern, who authored the report, 'Can Income Tax Hikes Close the Deficit?' The paper is No. 197 in the Tax Foundation Fiscal Fact series and is available online at http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/25415.html.
'If high-income people had to pay a federal tax rate over 90 percent, plus state and local income taxes and other taxes, total tax rates would be well over 100 percent for many households,' he said."
ACORN Filmmakers Batting 1000 But Media Matters Says It’s “Statistically Insignificant"
This article takes issue with a recent use of the term "statistically insignificant".
It caught my attention because it seems to demonstrate that many media writers are quick to use clever phrases to further their agenda, even though they don't really know the theories behind those phrases...
It caught my attention because it seems to demonstrate that many media writers are quick to use clever phrases to further their agenda, even though they don't really know the theories behind those phrases...
Matthew Vadum writes at CanadaFreePress.com:
"In statistics, a result is considered statistically significant if it is unlikely to have occurred by chance.
So far ACORN employees in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., New York City, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Philadelphia have been shown on video behaving badly. On all the videos, ACORN personnel have been cooperative and helpful to the make-believe pimp and prostitute.
So far ACORN personnel in six offices have acted badly. That’s six out of six, or 100%.
What are the chances of that happening?
This is –obviously– not statistically insignificant."
"Congress Keeps Gold-Plated Health Care... For Themselves"
Considering my lack of respect for almost all politicians, this doesn't surprise me.
That being said, the blunt "in-your-face" hypocrisy demonstrated here takes them down even further...
That being said, the blunt "in-your-face" hypocrisy demonstrated here takes them down even further...
Jillian Bandes reports at Townhall.com:
"While it’s not news that Congressional health insurance plans are posh, CBS News recently uncovered the details of plans – right as the details of the Baucus health care bill are being hashed out.
Members of Congress can choose from five different plans, and have access to both the VIP Bethesda Naval Hospital and a reserved spot Ward 72 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, an elite division usually reserved for military members. Their everyday medical concerns can be taken care of at a doctors office located inside of Congress.
Their premiums are the same as those of insurance plans with half the benefits, and the plans last a lifetime; not until Medicare kicks in do ex-Members or loose their Congressional health benefits. Congress has repeatedly voted down any provision that would switch their insurance plans to the lower-grade public option if Obamacare goes through. "
A Tidal Wave Is Brewing - Henry Lamb
Even though this article is from a Republican website, the validity of the quote below is bipartisan and unquestionable...
This is from an article by Henry Lamb at GOPUSA.com:
"What's needed is a tidal wave to wash over Washington to clean out every politician -- regardless of party affiliation -- who seeks personal power over constitutional compliance or personal profit over public accountability."
Home Ownership and Unemployment – by Thomas Sowell
I have a theory that we make life too complicated; i.e., we get so involved in details (nuances) that we completely lose sight of basic reasoning.
I think this article explains my point very well.
Of course, when politics becomes involved, everything is excaberated...
I think this article explains my point very well.
Of course, when politics becomes involved, everything is excaberated...
Thomas Sowell explains at FrontPageMag.com:
"Nikolai Shmelev and Vladimir Popov said: “Everything is interconnected in the world of prices, so that the smallest change in one element is passed along the chain to millions of others.”
What does that mean? It means that a huge increase in the demand for ice cream can mean higher prices for catchers’ mitts, among other things.
When more cows are needed to produce more milk to make ice cream, then fewer cows will be slaughtered and that means less cowhide available to make baseball gloves. Supply and demand mean that catchers’ mitts are going to cost more.
While this may be easy enough to understand, its implications are completely lost on many people in politics and in the media."
Decline Is a Choice - Charles Krauthammer
Hopefully, Americans wake up soon and elect some people who are NOT willing to concede our leadership position on the world's stage...
At WeeklyStandard.com, Charles Krauthammer says America has a choice:
"The question of whether America is in decline cannot be answered yes or no. There is no yes or no. Both answers are wrong, because the assumption that somehow there exists some predetermined inevitable trajectory, the result of uncontrollable external forces, is wrong. Nothing is inevitable. Nothing is written. For America today, decline is not a condition. Decline is a choice. Two decades into the unipolar world that came about with the fall of the Soviet Union, America is in the position of deciding whether to abdicate or retain its dominance. Decline--or continued ascendancy--is in our hands."
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
In Our Schools - Teaching the 5 Pillars of Islam?
This post also reminds us that the Ten Commandments cannot be taught in public schools...
I found this at RightSideNews.com. There's more:
"'California schools are pushing an unbalanced religious agenda that favors Islam and minimizes Christianity and Judaism,' Accuracy in Academia warns in its latest Campus Report.
Christianity isn't given equal time, either. It's covered in just two days - as opposed to up to two weeks for Islam - and doesn't involve kids in any role-playing activities like the Islam unit."
The Weekend Interview With Andrew Breitbart: Taking On the 'Democrat-Media Complex' - WSJ.com
I'm not so sure I can agree completely with this writer's conclusion.
If the media doesn't do their job without bias and omission, how in the world can we know what to believe and worse yet, what they didn't report?
For me, a bad broker of information is no better than a bad broker of investments.
The client gets damaged, while the perpetrator lives on to do more damage...
If the media doesn't do their job without bias and omission, how in the world can we know what to believe and worse yet, what they didn't report?
For me, a bad broker of information is no better than a bad broker of investments.
The client gets damaged, while the perpetrator lives on to do more damage...
The Wall Street Journal's James Taranto writes about some recent news stories and media inactions:
"Even if one accepts Mr. Breitbart's critique of the mainstream media, nobody should root for their downfall or destruction. Their role—that of impartial watchdog and broker of information—is a vital one, whether or not they perform it well. While Breitbart-style opinionated journalism can provide healthy competition, it cannot substitute for straight news. As Mr. Breitbart himself says, in an unusually modest moment, 'I'm not looking to slay the dragon . . . but I wanted to embarrass the dragon into being a more reasonable dragon.'"
"Rhetoric vs Reality"
The "say anything" politician is nothing new; however, the president seems to have taken it to a new higher level...
Monday, October 26, 2009
"If Obama Had Told Us Before His Election"
In the marketing world, this is called "bait and switch".
Hopefully, we'll learn, and not make this same mistake again...
Hopefully, we'll learn, and not make this same mistake again...
At Townhall.com, Phyllis Schlafly compares the post-elections actions to the presidential campaign:
"If Barack Obama had campaigned on what he has actually done in his first 300 days in office, would he have been elected? That's the question so many are asking today."
Those Republicans just "don't know how to behave"
Almost everything is reported via video these days.
This one is from the halls of Congress (the back hall, that is).
These elected officials behave a lot like immature school children...
This one is from the halls of Congress (the back hall, that is).
These elected officials behave a lot like immature school children...
This story and video is posted by Paul Mirengoff on the PowerLine blog:
"John wrote about the 'great escape' by Democratic members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. It consisted of that group leaving a hearing, via the back door, after Republican Darrell Issa made clear that he planned to subpoena Bank of America for documents relted to Countrywide's infamous 'Friends of Angelo' VIP mortgage program. Democratic Senators Chris Dodd and Kent Conrad were, of course, among Angelos 'friends.'
A Republican aide videotaped the Democratic exodus. The video was then posted on the internet."
The Countrywide Vote - WSJ.com
Politicians are so corrupt that they cannot investigate their own.
I'm sure it's a case of "you don't investigate me; I won't investigate you".
Isn't that special?...
I'm sure it's a case of "you don't investigate me; I won't investigate you".
Isn't that special?...
This is from a recent Wall Street Journal editorial column:
"We're told that, at a closed Thursday meeting of Democrats on the House oversight committee, several Members urged Chairman Edolphus Towns (D., N.Y.) to allow a vote on California Republican Darrell Issa's proposal to issue the subpoena. Mr. Towns received two mortgage loans from the Countrywide unit that processed VIP loans but claims he received no special favors.
How long can Mr. Towns bottle up the subpoena vote? Mr. Quigley is urging Democrats to remember that ethical lapses helped end the GOP majority. "The right thing to do is also the smart thing to do," says Mr. Quigley. 'Both parties must decide that they can't protect their members, no matter how powerful they are.' Countrywide's efforts to obtain influence were not limited to one party, nor is there any guarantee that only Democrats like Messrs. Dodd and Conrad succumbed to Angelo's charms. As Mr. Quigley says, 'Stupidity wears both hats.'"
"White House admits: We 'control' news media"
Somehow I doubt that the media had to be manipulated as described; however, American citizens should now understand how that works...
It's all explained by Aaron Klein at WorldNetDaily.com:
"President Obama's presidential campaign focused on "making" the news media cover certain issues while rarely communicating anything to the press unless it was 'controlled,' White House Communications Director Anita Dunn disclosed to the Dominican government at a videotaped conference.
'Very rarely did we communicate through the press anything that we didn't absolutely control,' said Dunn."
"Tea partiers turn on GOP leadership"
This should be interesting.
Neither party can afford to have a "splinter group".
That usually means they have to make concessions to keep them on board...
Neither party can afford to have a "splinter group".
That usually means they have to make concessions to keep them on board...
At Politico.com, Alex Isenstadt writes about that issue:
"Whether it’s the loose confederation of Washington-oriented groups that have played an organizational role or the state-level activists who are channeling grass roots anger into action back home, Tea Party forces are confronting the Republican establishment by backing insurgent conservatives and generating their own candidates—even if it means taking on GOP incumbents.
'We will be a headache for anyone who believes the Constitution of the United States…isn’t to be protected,' said Dick Armey, chairman of the anti-tax and limited government advocacy group FreedomWorks, which helped plan and promote the Tea Parties, town hall protests and the September ‘Taxpayer March’ in Washington. 'If you can’t take it seriously, we will look for places of other employment for you.' "
Sunday, October 25, 2009
FACT CHECK: Health Insurer Profits Not So Fat - ABC News
There's no getting around that almost everything about health care is being misrepresented and distorted.
Even worse, the media continues to blindly publish those misrepresentations and distortions with no investigative filter and no proof of accuracy.
It's a very bad situation for the American public...
Even worse, the media continues to blindly publish those misrepresentations and distortions with no investigative filter and no proof of accuracy.
It's a very bad situation for the American public...
The Associated Press' Calvin Woodward writes about it at ABCnews.com:
"Quick quiz: What do these enterprises have in common? Farm and construction machinery, Tupperware, the railroads, Hershey sweets, Yum food brands and Yahoo?
Answer: They're all more profitable than the health insurance industry.
In the health care debate, Democrats and their allies have gone after insurance companies as rapacious profiteers making 'immoral' and 'obscene' returns while 'the bodies pile up.'
Ledgers tell a different reality. Health insurance profit margins typically run about 6 percent, give or take a point or two. That's anemic compared with other forms of insurance and a broad array of industries, even some beleaguered ones.
Profits barely exceeded 2 percent of revenues in the latest annual measure."
"Obama vs. The American Businessman"
When you review the actions of this president, there seems to be an obvious conclusion...
At BigGovernment.com, Peter Schweizer offers this and more:
"Obama has demonized just about every business sector in America. Through the 2008 campaign to the present, he has gone after credit card companies, the coal industry, mortgage companies, real estate companies, steelmakers, utilities, drug companies, doctors, oil companies, Wall Street, defense contractors, and health insurance companies, just to name a few. In each case he has dinged them for greed, taking excessive profits, and failing to put people first. His criticisms have not been over minor matters but over their basic core functions, and their values or lack of them.
Obama demonstrates almost complete ignorance about the private sector and it’s no wonder: he has so little experience in it. He has spent his adult life in college, teaching college, and organizing communities. The one private sector job he has held, for a consulting firm in New York, he recounts as a terrible experience. In his memoirs he describes the experience as working for a private business 'like a spy behind enemy lines.'"
Global Warming - Deafening Silence on Real Climate Change
The media's shortcomings are glaring when it comes to global warming.
Studies that IMPLY warming get headlines.
Studies that PROVE cooling get nothing at all...
Studies that IMPLY warming get headlines.
Studies that PROVE cooling get nothing at all...
Patrick J. Michaels highlights that point at Townhall.com:
"Antarctic Ice Melt Lowest Ever Measured.
Where’s the headline? Where’s the television camera? Anyone out there?
It’s right there in the September 24 issue of the refereed journal Geophysical Research Letters. The senior author is Marc Tedesco of City College of New York, not exactly off the mainstream media’s beaten path. The work was sponsored by NASA."
"State & Local Tax Revenues by Source"
I like charts like the one provided here...
On his TaxProf blog, Paul L. Caron has an informative chart for this:
"The Tax Foundation has examined newly-released Census data to explain Where Do State and Local Governments Get Their Tax Revenue? The report breaks down state and local tax revenues by six sources for each state (as well as for the U.S. average):"
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Obama's (Temporary) Jobs Plan - WSJ.com
Government at work; or perhaps, THIS government at work.
Small businesses are the job creation engine in America.
When governments tax businesses, and raise the minimum wage, they basically shoot themselves in the foot.
I guess they'll never learn...
Small businesses are the job creation engine in America.
When governments tax businesses, and raise the minimum wage, they basically shoot themselves in the foot.
I guess they'll never learn...
This Wall Street Journal discusses job creation:
"The nearby chart compares the job estimates the two economists used to help sell the stimulus to the American public to the actual jobless rate so far this year. The current rate is 9.8% and is expected to rise or stay high well into the election year of 2010. Rarely in politics do we get such a clear and rapid illustration of a policy failure.
This explains why political panic is beginning to set in, and various panicky ideas to create more jobs are suddenly in play."
"Energy crisis is postponed as new gas rescues the world"
Here's an interesting article.
It sure seems like good news.
That's probably why we're not hearing about it from our media...
It sure seems like good news.
That's probably why we're not hearing about it from our media...
In the U.K. Telegraph, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard reports:
"The World Gas Conference in Buenos Aires last week was one of those events that shatter assumptions. Advances in technology for extracting gas from shale and methane beds have quickened dramatically, altering the global balance of energy faster than almost anybody expected.
Tony Hayward, BP's chief executive, said proven natural gas reserves around the world have risen to 1.2 trillion barrels of oil equivalent, enough for 60 years' supply – and rising fast.
'There has been a revolution in the gas fields of North America. Reserve estimates are rising sharply as technology unlocks unconventional resources,' he said.
This is almost unknown to the public, despite the efforts of Nick Grealy at 'No Hot Air' who has been arguing for some time that Britain's shale reserves could replace declining North Sea output.
Rune Bjornson from Norway's StatoilHydro said exploitable reserves are much greater than supposed just three years ago and may meet global gas needs for generations."
Friday, October 23, 2009
In Our World - Clothesline bans stir rights battles
Energy efficient or attractive; and what takes priority?
You decide...
You decide...
Ian Urbina reports in the Seattle Times:
"Like the majority of the 60 million people who live in the nation's roughly 300,000 private communities, Saylor was forbidden to dry her laundry outside because many people viewed it as an eyesore, not unlike storing junk cars in driveways, and a marker of poverty that lowers property values."
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Media’s Complicity: Analysis of ACORN Coverage
Sadly, it seems like we've reached the point where we just can't trust a majority of the media.
I believe that they are truly biased and steer their actions and inactions to support their "home" team.
The only other reason I can think of is that they are stuck in a "group think" peer pressure environment, or are in fear of losing their jobs...
I believe that they are truly biased and steer their actions and inactions to support their "home" team.
The only other reason I can think of is that they are stuck in a "group think" peer pressure environment, or are in fear of losing their jobs...
At BigGovernment.com, Billy Hallowell details the many journalistic failures in NOT covering the ACORN scandals:
"First, there was avoidance. Some media outlets simply ignored the story. On Sept. 15, five days after the Maryland tape was released, ABC’s Charlie Gibson said, “I don’t even know about it… so you’ve got me at a loss” and said that the story might be “just one you leave to the cables.” But, Gibson was not alone in his lack of knowledge. The New York Times did not cover the story for nearly a week. On Sept. 26, Clark Hoyt, The Times’ Public Editor, acknowledged the paper’s tardiness, but insinuated that the story was lacking in facts:...
...Then, there were cases of gratuitously sloppy journalism. Some of the outlets that did cover the story simply skipped over basic interview questions."
The Media - Fox and CNN
I guess there's news; and, then there's NEWS.
We are all likely to see what we want to see.
I expect those in positions of national prominence, especially, the White House, to rise above that...
We are all likely to see what we want to see.
I expect those in positions of national prominence, especially, the White House, to rise above that...
At NationalReview.com, Jay Nordlinger offers some comparisons. He Begins:
"The White House communications director, Anita Dunn, contrasted Fox News with CNN: Fox News is just a Republican opinion outlet, she said, while CNN is a real news network. Of Fox, she said, 'Let’s not pretend that they’re a news network, the way CNN is.' She said this on CNN, of course. (In the 1990s, conservatives used to refer to it as 'the Clinton News Network.')
I got to thinking. Fox has some opinionists, such as O’Reilly and Beck. Fox also has news anchormen and correspondents."
"CBO Stands for Cooked Books Office"
Our elected officials and their appointees are not serving us well.
Even the so-called "watchdogs" are suspect as indicated here...
Even the so-called "watchdogs" are suspect as indicated here...
U.S. Rep. John Shadegg began his RedState.com blog post with this:
"Could you make your family budget look good in a ten-year analysis if you counted ten years of income but only seven of expenditures? That’s what the Congressional Budget Office did in their report on Senator Max Baucus’s health care bill."
"Health Care Speechwriter for Edwards, Obama & Clinton Without Insurance Now"
Here's an interesting health insurance story.
I should remind you that the administration's current plan is modeled after Massachusetts'...
I should remind you that the administration's current plan is modeled after Massachusetts'...
This comes from Wendy Button's post at PoliticsDaily.com:
"Since I care more about my country than my personal pride, here's how I lost my insurance: I moved. That's right, I moved from Washington, D.C., back to Massachusetts, a state with universal health care.
In D.C., I had a policy with a national company, an HMO, and surprisingly I was very happy with it. I had a fantastic primary care doctor at Georgetown University Hospital. As a self-employed writer, my premium was $225 a month, plus $10 for a dental discount.
In Massachusetts, the cost for a similar plan is around $550, give or take a few dollars. My risk factors haven't changed. I didn't stop writing and become a stunt double. I don't smoke. I drink a little and every once in a while a little more than I should. I have a Newfoundland dog. I am only 41. There has been no change in the way I live my life except my zip code -- to a state with universal health care."
"Poverty in Our Cities - Why?"
I don't think this is a coincidence. Do you?.
I sure hope minority inner city Americans figure this out someday.
Of course, the historical record, doesn't exactly support that hope...
I sure hope minority inner city Americans figure this out someday.
Of course, the historical record, doesn't exactly support that hope...
This is part of a post by Mark Sorenson at NorCalBlogs.com:
"What do the top ten cities (over 250,000) with the highest poverty rate all have in common? "
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Barack Obama - about that Social Security number
Now, what is this all about?
You'll have to scroll down to see my point...
You'll have to scroll down to see my point...
KEYES v OBAMA - 78.4 - Exhibit Affidavit PI Susan Daniels-Obama's use of SS number of the deceased)(Taitz, ...
"Is Obama Poised to Cede US Sovereignty?"
Lord Christopher Monckton Says The Treaty In Copenhagen Will Create A Communist One World Government.
He seems pretty conviced that this December treaty is a really BIG deal...
He seems pretty conviced that this December treaty is a really BIG deal...
Barack Obama - from Sunday, June 27, 2004
If this web page is true, well, you figure it out.
If this web page is gone soon, you might understand why...
If this web page is gone soon, you might understand why...
This is the opening paragraph from a story in the East African Standard back in June of 2004:
"Kenyan-born US Senate hopeful, Barrack Obama, appeared set to take over the Illinois Senate seat after his main rival, Jack Ryan, dropped out of the race on Friday night amid a furor over lurid sex club allegations."
The Greatest Depression Is Coming -- Seeking Alpha
If you have an inclination to be depressed, this article should move you right along...
This is from Mac Slavo on the Seeking Alpha blog, and there's more:
"Visualize a car engine. When there is enough motor oil, the pistons are firing up and down rapidly and the system runs efficiently. When the oil dries up, the engine begins to deteriorate. It’ll go for a little while longer. And it’ll become much more violent and volatile each time it fires. Invariably the engine seizes up and fails.
What we see in many aspects of the system right now are pistons that are firing violently. First a crash in the stock market. Then trillions in bailouts. Then an historic and massive stock market swing in the other direction. We see individuals speaking out in public, on the airwaves and on personal blogs en masse about one topic or another. Whether it is rep-on-Obama or dem-on-Bush bashing, there are extreme levels of divisiveness and heated, sometimes violent clashes. The system is moving into extreme peaks and troughs at a much more rapid pace now than anytime in the last 50 or more years.
We are in the opening stages of the Greatest Depression, a term coined by Trends Forecast founder Gerald Celente. The next stage, as Mr. Celente has said, will be 'like nothing we've ever seen in our life time.'
Welcome to the Greatest Depression."
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
"ACORN Threw Out Republican Voter Registrations"
The problem with ACORN that is shown here, has probably been replicated all over the country for a long time.
The fact that they exist on tax money, but work ONLY for one party, is clearly dishonest.
They deserve to be defunded AND investigated...
The fact that they exist on tax money, but work ONLY for one party, is clearly dishonest.
They deserve to be defunded AND investigated...
On the AtlasShrugs blog, Pamela Geller reports on ACORN's partisan activities:
"In February of 2008, Fathiyyah Muhammad of Jacksonville, Florida, heard that ACORN was paying three dollars for each vote you could register. Fatiyyah claims she registered voters for Acorn there (at three dollars each), but that the group threw out her votes and fired her when she brought them GOP registrations."
Government at Work - "Fat Foolishness"
When I see stuff like this, I immediately see and am appalled by the pervasiveness of government.
Now, if government had a reliable track record, I might think differently.
I'd also think differently if I had any respect for the politicians that run goverment.
I'm still saying throw the bums out!...
Now, if government had a reliable track record, I might think differently.
I'd also think differently if I had any respect for the politicians that run goverment.
I'm still saying throw the bums out!...
A recent Investors Business Daily article had this:
"It's said that healthy food such as fresh fruit and vegetables is too expensive, that the poor depend too much on fast-food outlets for their meals and that they have fewer local sources of cheap, healthy food.
There's some truth in that last of those arguments, but the inconvenient fact is that better-off people face mostly the same dietary temptations and, as a group, tend to be less obese.
The fast-food bugaboo, for instance, led the Los Angeles City Council last year to ban expansion by chains such as McDonald's in low-income, mostly minority South L.A.
Now comes a study by the Rand Corp., published in the journal Health Affairs, showing that the ban has no rational basis."
Government at Work - Funding the Troops?
Politicians we can be proud of? NOT!...
This comes from the Shaun Waterman on the Washington Times website:
"Senators diverted $2.6 billion in funds in a defense spending bill to pet projects largely at the expense of accounts that pay for fuel, ammunition and training for U.S. troops, including those fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to an analysis.
Among the 778 such projects, known as earmarks, packed into the bill: $25 million for a new World War II museum at the University of New Orleans and $20 million to launch an educational institute named after the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat."
Monday, October 19, 2009
Obama Plays Defense By Going On Offense - WSJ.com
Punished or brutalized? Not much of a choice...
The Wall Street Journal reports:
"There's nothing like a Friday evening news release to hide a Washington embarrassment. In last week's episode, President Obama's health appointees lifted their outrageous gag order against health insurers for the sin of informing their customers about how ObamaCare would affect their insurance.
In September, Humana Inc. sent a mailer to some 900,000 enrollees in its Medicare Advantage plans, the program that gives seniors a choice of private insurance options, warning that spending cuts would result in reduced benefits and some people losing their coverage. The Congressional Budget Office has said the same thing, but the Obama apparat went nuclear. At the behest of Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, Medicare's administrators menaced Humana with fines and regulatory punishments, and even told all insurers participating in Advantage to shut up too—or else"
"What I Heard in Honduras" - WSJ.com
There's something fishy about the Obama administration's handling of the Honduras situation.
Everything I've read to date indicates what Sen. DeMint reports; BUT, the world seems to see it the opposite way.
Maybe you can figure it out...
Everything I've read to date indicates what Sen. DeMint reports; BUT, the world seems to see it the opposite way.
Maybe you can figure it out...
In the Wall Street Journal, Jim DeMint writes about Honduras:
"When I asked Ambassador Llorens why the U.S. government insists on labeling what appears to the entire country to be the constitutional removal of Mr. Zelaya a 'coup,' he urged me to read the legal opinion drafted by the State Department's top lawyer, Harold Koh. As it happens, I have asked to see Mr. Koh's report before and since my trip, but all requests to publicly disclose it have been denied.
On the other hand, the only thorough examination of the facts to date—conducted by a senior analyst at the Law Library of Congress—confirms the legality and constitutionality of Mr. Zelaya's ouster..."
"Sound Thinking on Immigration from Brookings"
I'm posting this as an example of what might be possible if we could exclude politicians from the immigration issue...
Jason Richwine posts about it at blog.american.com:
"An important new immigration report was released yesterday, the product of a working group called the Brookings-Duke Immigration Policy Roundtable. The group, which consisted of scholars from across the political spectrum, was tasked with formulating a compromise plan that would address the problems of our immigration system. The group members acknowledged from the outset that they would fully satisfy no one, and at times they were not even sure they would be able to come to an agreement. But their perseverance paid off, as they produced a thoughtful, reasonable report that may actually get the debate moving."
Joe Biden: the worrying rise of Barack Obama’s Mr Wrong - Telegraph
Apparently, Joe Biden's reputation has reached beyond America...
Columnist Toby Harnden writes in the U.K. Telegraph:
"Making fun of Joe Biden is a bipartisan affair. A quip about Biden being a windbag is guaranteed to bring a Democrat and Republican together in Washington.
Mr Obama himself even dabbled in it in February when he responded to a question about yet another Biden gaffe by saying, 'I don't know what Joe was referring to, not surprisingly', prompting stifled sniggers from White House staffers at the back of the room.
A miffed Mr Biden used his weekly lunch with the President to ask him not to 'diss' him in public. Mr Obama agreed, scheduling a photo op of the pair eating hamburgers together to demonstrate they were still buddies. The real difficulty with Mr Biden, however, is his judgement.
On all the big questions, he has been – to put it politely – on the wrong side of history."
In Sports - Nice shot, eh?
This is too hard to describe.
You'll have to watch the video...
You'll have to watch the video...
On the Yahoo! Sports site, Greg Wyshynski has thestory and the video:
"Oliver Wahlstrom's shootout attempt in the Boston Bruins "TD Bank Mini 1-on-1" competition begins as expected: Deliberate skating to the puck before picking up speed into the zone. But once he gets between the faceoff circles ... well, let's just say we wouldn't have been shocked to see him pull a rabbit out of his helmet before sawing a woman in half. This is hockey magic."
Sunday, October 18, 2009
"Beware of the Republican Establishment "
What's being recommended is no easy task, but from where I'm sitting, I'm more for the idea than against it...
At HumanEvents.com, Bay Buchanan writes:
"Between the town hall meetings and the tea party rallies, millions of Americans are taking to the streets to protest a government gone berserk. They are angry and determined to take their country back. But there are snakes in the grass intent on using this movement to return to power, not the people, but the Republican establishment. If this happens we lose everything, including our country.
To succeed, the rebellion must produce candidates with fresh faces--populists who share our outrage for the arrogance of Washington, individuals who will fight for American workers and American families. We need primaries to nominate candidates that aren’t owned by party leaders, powerful special interests, nor Corporate America.
Last year, seventy-five percent of Americans believed the country was headed in the wrong direction and they threw out the bums -- Republican bums. Obama and his comrades misinterpreted the victory, believing it was all about them, and proceeded to impose a big government leftist agenda on a conservative nation. Now voters are ready to throw out this new set of bums.
Enter the Republican establishment. They sold this country out when they were in power and can’t ever be trusted again."
"Who Are These People And Where Did They Come From? "
Apparently, more than a few citizens are thinking about the future...
Hugh Hewitt writes at TownHall.com:
"Americans for Prosperity was founded by, among others, David Koch and is ably guided by, among others, Tim Phillips. As Koch and Phillips chatted with guests and members throughout the morning, their confident smiles telegraphed that the surge in their membership and their reach is continuing. With a seasoned field staff and a dynamic group of young volunteers and headquarters professionals, AFP is filling a gap that exists on the right in the space between the think tanks, web portals and the GOP party apparatus."
Global Warming - UN Quietly Scrubs Embattled Graph from Climate Report
Deception is the polite criticism.
I follow this subject so I understand this deception easily.
If you're a novice, what you will see is the U.N. has replaced a proven false chart with a chart that is missing the last three years of temperature reduction...
I follow this subject so I understand this deception easily.
If you're a novice, what you will see is the U.N. has replaced a proven false chart with a chart that is missing the last three years of temperature reduction...
Marc Sheppard has this and much detail at AmericanThinker.com:
"Not surprisingly, as Anthony correctly points out, even in choosing the replacement graph -- the UN was less than honest. The reconstruction of Global Annual Mean Surface Air Temperature Change used was Hansen et al. (2006). But that chart has been replaced on the GISS data site by the one below, dated January 2009."
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Whirlpool will build $55 million plant
In Mexico!
Obviously, it's too late to stop this one.
It's time to devote serious effort to preventing future job transplants from happening...
Obviously, it's too late to stop this one.
It's time to devote serious effort to preventing future job transplants from happening...
Ryan Reynolds reports in the Evansville Courier Press:
"Whirlpool Corp.'s division in Mexico has announced it will build a $55 million plant in the northern city of Apodaca, employing 1,100 people.
That number may sound familiar. The appliance maker announced in August it was shutting down its Evansville manufacturing line in mid-2010 and moving it to Mexico. Evansville's line employs 1,100 people.
Jill Saletta, director of external relations for Whirlpool, confirmed in a statement Friday that the jobs being created in Apodaca are those from the Evansville plant."
Meanwhile - in Middleville, MI
I'm guessing that there's bad blood or something here.
At face value, it just doesn't seem that someone would even bother with this...
At face value, it just doesn't seem that someone would even bother with this...
Julie Makarewicz writes about it in the Grand Rapids Press:
"Francie Brummel and Lisa Snyder thought they had a perfect solution to getting their two kids on the Thornapple Kellogg school district bus.
But that solution has landed Snyder in hot water, and state Rep. Brian Calley, R-Portland, is trying to fast-track legislation to undo the mess."
About the Laffer Curve
This doesn't seem much different from the Law of Diminishing Returns.
It's different for every individual; however, we all likely have a point where we decide "it's not worth the effort".
Certainly, government should NOT create or add to this feeling...
It would be worthwhile to view them before forming any final opinions.
It's different for every individual; however, we all likely have a point where we decide "it's not worth the effort".
Certainly, government should NOT create or add to this feeling...
On a DiscoverMagazine blog, Sean posts this explanation and questions:
"The Laffer Curve is a simple idea: a government can’t raise taxes forever and expect to increase revenue along the way. Eventually you’re taking so much in taxes that people don’t have any reason to earn income. The argument is simple (and correct): if you have zero tax rate you get zero tax revenue. If you raise taxes just a bit, nobody will be discouraged from working, and you will collect some amount of revenue; therefore, the curve of revenue versus tax rate starts at zero and initially rises. But if the tax rate is 100%, nobody has any reason to work, and your total revenues will be back at zero. By the wonders of math, there must therefore be a maximum of the curve somewhere in between 0% and 100% tax rate.Update: A comment has provided links to several YouTube videos that explain the Laffer Curve and it's mechanics quite well.
An important question is, where are we on the curve? "
It would be worthwhile to view them before forming any final opinions.
Friday, October 16, 2009
In Our World - the National Football League
This is bad.
I thought we were trying to move beyond this kind of stuff.
What is the NFL Players Association thinking?...
I thought we were trying to move beyond this kind of stuff.
What is the NFL Players Association thinking?...
This is part of a post at MyFreedomPost.com:
"In other words, they're pulling out the race card on Rush Limbaugh. Rush Limbaugh is being discriminated against because of the color of his skin. They're using racial profiling against Rush, and NFL Players Association Executive Director, DeMaurice Smith, is a racist.
Until now, I didn't know that skin color was a determining factor in owning an NFL team. Is this where we've come in Barack Obama's 'post-racial' America? Racial quotas among NFL owners? "
In Our World - in Medina, WA
This is just a sign of our times.
Cameras and videos are all over, and proliferating exponentially.
Think "YouTube"...
Cameras and videos are all over, and proliferating exponentially.
Think "YouTube"...
In the Seattle Times, Sonia Krishnan reports on this batch:
"City signs have a unique way of greeting people. In Issaquah, for instance, motorists are told they're entering 'a special place where people care.' For years, Bothell invited people to stay 'for a day or a lifetime.'
In Medina, a new sign bears this warning: 'You Are Entering a 24 Hour Video Surveillance Area.'
Cameras have recently been installed at intersections to monitor every vehicle coming into the city."
Politicians - Massachusetts State Sen. Anthony Galluccio
There are more than enough strikes against this guy.
Would you agree?...
Would you agree?...
Joe Dwinell & Edward Mason report in the Boston Herald:
"State Sen. Anthony Galluccio said today he 'panicked' and bolted from the scene of a car crash in Cambridge Sunday all because of his lousy driving record.
The Cambridge Democrat said in a statement he regrets his decision, yet he refused to elaborate when surrounded by reporters at the State House this afternoon.
In his statement, the embattled pol said, '... because of my driving history, I panicked and left the scene.'"
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Barack Obama - he's no Ronald Reagan
This one minute and fifteen seconds just about says it all...
"Uninsured in America"
Sometimes a video can blow a big hole in a dishonest statistic...
"Reagan in a dress"
It's much too early to tell; however, with that being said, the similarities mentioned here are quite remarkable.
Well have to wait and see...
Well have to wait and see...
This is the conclusion of a post by Peter Heck at OneNewsNow.com:
"As Palin chooses which of her more than 1,100 speaking offers to accept, packs venues and sells out banquets, watches her book soar to unmatched sales numbers, curries political favors from Republican Party officials for lending her star power to their events, and uses her charisma -- unrivaled on the right -- to build momentum towards 2012, perhaps the mainstream media helplessly sees the writing on the wall.
After all, everyone knows how the Reagan story ended: the annihilation of a bumbling predecessor, a clear conservative agenda that revitalized the American economy and ended the Cold War, a landslide re-election of embarrassing proportions, and a legacy as one of America's greatest Chief Executives. Considering then the striking parallels between the 'Gipper' and the 'Pitbull with lipstick,' maybe the left's deranged animosity towards her is simply born out of a fear of the inevitable."
Meanwhile - in Albany, N.Y. - flag troubles
I don't like this...
At KATU.com, Melica Johnson reports about it:
"At the Oaks Apartments in Albany, the management can fly their own flag advertising one and two bedroom apartments - but residents have been told they can't fly any flags at all.
Jim Clausen flies the American flag from the back of his motorcycle. He has a son in the military heading back to Iraq, and the flag - he said - is his way of showing support.
'This flag stands for all those people,' said Clausen, an Oaks Apartment resident. 'It stands for the people that can no longer stand - who died in wars. That's why I fly this flag.'
But to Oaks Apartment management, Clausen said, the American flag symbolizes problems.
"
S.F. schools head uses district credit as own
NOT illegal! How does that work?...
Jill Tucker reports at SFgate.com:
"As San Francisco schools have cut budgets to the bone, the city's school board president used her district-issued credit card to charge thousands of dollars for personal items and thousands more at city restaurants and cafes, according to a Chronicle analysis of financial records.
Board President Kim-Shree Maufas charged $4,300 on the district's Diners Club card for a wide range of personal purchases. They included more than $2,000 for a cultural exchange trip to China, $196 for tickets to the Florida Epcot theme park, $40 for black Crocs, a $125 car battery and a $162 car windshield, $160 in U.S. passport processing fees, a $37 medical visit in Los Angeles and $3 for Apple iTunes."
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
"Illegal aliens do jobs Americans won’t do.”
This idea never rang true to me.
Even though it is constantly repeated in the media, it appears to be a falsehood...
Even though it is constantly repeated in the media, it appears to be a falsehood...
Kevin "Coach" Collins writes about it on his blog:
"Here’s some truth.
A recent USA Today article outlined the realities of our sorry employment situation and why efforts to find and deport illegal aliens are a very valuable job protecting step that has to be repeated again and again.
It cites a Vanderbilt University study on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on workplaces that are notoriously overwhelmingly staffed by illegal aliens concluding they are very beneficial for local legal aliens and native born Americans.
An ICE raid at Swift Meats plant was a case in point. The plant’s illegals were replaced by hundreds of both native Whites and legal Hispanics.
In North Carolina a plant was raided recently. Before the raid its employees were 80% Hispanic illegals now 70% of its workers are African American citizens enjoying good pay and benefits.
A Center for Immigration Studies paper “Jobs Americans Don’t do?” continues the story of how the media and the Democrats distort the truth about the impact of illegal aliens on our workforce. "
"What happened to global warming?"
It is my understanding that the writer of this article has not previously been willing to consider views like this...
This is from an article by Paul Hudson, the BBC's climate correspondent:
"The oceans, he says, have a cycle in which they warm and cool cyclically. The most important one is the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO).
For much of the 1980s and 1990s, it was in a positive cycle, that means warmer than average. And observations have revealed that global temperatures were warm too.
But in the last few years it has been losing its warmth and has recently started to cool down.
These cycles in the past have lasted for nearly 30 years.
So could global temperatures follow? The global cooling from 1945 to 1977 coincided with one of these cold Pacific cycles.
Professor Easterbrook says: 'The PDO cool mode has replaced the warm mode in the Pacific Ocean, virtually assuring us of about 30 years of global cooling.' "
Global Warming - "Losing Their Religion"
I agree that it's over; however, politicians have a big investment in global warming, and I seriously doubt they will back off easily.
You can be sure it will cost us a bundle in unnecessary taxation and regulation until they admit they've been wrong...
You can be sure it will cost us a bundle in unnecessary taxation and regulation until they admit they've been wrong...
I've posted articles by Marc Morano in the past. Here's part of his latest at ClimateDepot.com:
"It has finally happened. We have reached the 'tipping point.'
2009 can now be officially declared the year the media lost their faith in man-made global warming fears.
Significant organs of the mainstream media are now officially abandoning one-sided man-made global warming fear promotion and alleged claims that the 'debate is over.'
The stunning media reversal has accelerated in recent weeks as top UN scientists have raised the specter of continued global cooling. See: UN Fears (More) Global Cooling Commeth! IPCC Scientist Warns UN: We may be about to enter 'one or even 2 decades during which temps cool' – Sept. 5, 2009
It appears at long last that media's faith is waning. Appeals to authority about the alleged global warming 'consensus' are now being met with a healthy dose of skepticism by increasing large portions of the mainstream media."
The Media - the Sacramento Bee
This is an interesting article to me.
It highlights several problems that I attribute to media bias and an anxiousness to report on things that further their agenda.
In the past, I would have labeled it sloppy journalism; however, these days, the sloppiness seems only to occur when it involves conservative personna...
It highlights several problems that I attribute to media bias and an anxiousness to report on things that further their agenda.
In the past, I would have labeled it sloppy journalism; however, these days, the sloppiness seems only to occur when it involves conservative personna...
Warner Todd Huston writes about it at PubliusForum.com:
"Much has been made about Meg Whitman’s spotty voting record by many, including me. When the Sacramento Bee’s Andrew McIntosh first reported that records for Whitman’s voter registration going back a decade or so were nearly non-existent it seemed that the anti-Whitman camp(s) out there had quite an issue to hang their hats upon. It sure made me wary of her campaign, to be sure.
After all, wouldn’t it say something interesting if this purportedly life-long Republican candidate had little history of even voting at all — much less for other Republicans — until recently? Whether its a fair question or not, it does make one wary of such a candidate. How could the voters be asked to vote for someone that herself hasn’t seemed too interested in voting?
Of course, this whole question is only legitimate if the newspaper that broke the story had all its facts straight. Now, it is starting to look like the Bee’s story is not as cut and dried as it was presented."
Consumer Reports - Off on a tangent
Politics is everywhere.
I haven't been a Consumer Reports reader for quite a few years now.
Perhaps they see this as a way to win back those like me. NOT!...
I haven't been a Consumer Reports reader for quite a few years now.
Perhaps they see this as a way to win back those like me. NOT!...
P.J. Gladnick reports at NewsBusters.org:
"So much for any claim of political neutrality on the part of Consumer Reports. They have now come out in support of ObamaCare which you can see on their website along with their TV ad."
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Global Warming - "The Rigged Global Warming Data"
This is really getting tiresome.
Governments are in crises mode trying to pass legislation to stop/slow down global warming, while at the same time, the supposed supporting evidence is being disproved piece by piece.
I can only think there's so much of money to be made that the truth is being willfully suppressed...
Governments are in crises mode trying to pass legislation to stop/slow down global warming, while at the same time, the supposed supporting evidence is being disproved piece by piece.
I can only think there's so much of money to be made that the truth is being willfully suppressed...
This comes from A J Strata on the Strata-Sphere.com blog:
"It looks likes the straw that might destroy the global warming alarmists’ charade will be the discovery that man-made global warming is really man-made. It is either deception or delusion (or both), but it is NOT reality. It was created by scientists using cherry picked data.
Steve McIntyre at Climate Audit did the work to show that it required a unique and non-random selection of data from Russian tree ring data sets (12 out of 252 sets) to create the impression there has been significant global warming over the last 50-100 years. But even more importantly, he showed that when the entire available tree ring set of data from that area is used there is NO record of global warming. None. He basically determined that the whole global warming fear mongering is based on faulty data.
The following graph shows the results in shocking clarity."
"Glenn Beck: A Man for His Time"
I have to admit I'm pretty much with this guy.
Glenn Beck is far from conventional in his presentation; however, he is spot on with his relentless assault on big government, their questionable ethics, and the multi-level corruption...
Glenn Beck is far from conventional in his presentation; however, he is spot on with his relentless assault on big government, their questionable ethics, and the multi-level corruption...
At PajamasMedia.com, Bernard Chapin describes his conversion to becoming a Glenn Beck advocate:
"Yet if Beck was really just a dimwitted freak, then pseudo-liberals would never expend much energy trying to destroy him. His enemies (and ours) recognize that the 5 p.m. Fox juggernaut is a major threat.
His program is fast-paced, visually riveting, and features interviews with some of the finest minds in America. The left should be scared — and we, in turn, should celebrate him.
In the realm of power dynamics, the former DJ is plutonium. If the reader has any doubts, he or she is advised to ask Van Jones or the entrepreneurial flesh-mongers at ACORN about the influence he’s had.
Beck’s outlook is actually more mainstream that the ones held by figureheads in what he terms 'the fringe media,' a.k.a. CBS, NBC, CNN, MSDNC, NPR, etc."
In Our World - About those Crosses
Geez! I thought only vampires were so afraid of a cross.
Is it possible that I'm on to something?
Apparently, if this cross goes, many more will follow...
Is it possible that I'm on to something?
Apparently, if this cross goes, many more will follow...
At TownHall.com, Joseph Infranco and Rees Lloyd report on this issue:
"The object at the center of the case is a small, unadorned cross sitting in a remote part of the Mojave Desert Preserve in Southeast California. A veterans' group erected this memorial cross on private land in 1934 to honor the dead of all wars.
Driving by this secluded location today, however, you'll see a curious-looking plywood box hiding the memorial, the way someone might cover a condemned building. That box is there because one person filed suit, with the help of ACLU attorneys, claiming he was "offended" by the memorial cross. One offended man has somehow trumped the wishes of millions of veterans. "
Monday, October 12, 2009
The Media - "NYT Scrubs Major Portion of Original Obama-Olympics Article"
I'm thinking that the N.Y. Times might have gotten a "phone call".
I'm sure you get my drift.
Of course, considering their bias, maybe they did do this on their own...
I'm sure you get my drift.
Of course, considering their bias, maybe they did do this on their own...
At NewsBusters.org, Tom Blumer has the details:
"Those who read the New York Times's coverage of the unsuccessful results of Barack and Michelle Obama's attempt to seal the 2016 Summer Olympics bid for Chicago on Friday afternoon ('For Obama, an Unsuccessful Campaign") might want to read it again.
If it doesn't seem the same, it's because it isn't."
Health News - the future seems very close
I think I saw this gadget on Star Trek.
It certainly sounds promising...
It certainly sounds promising...
Megan Ogilvie and Joseph Hall report on the HealthZone.ca website:
"Now heading into the engineering stage, a BlackBerry-sized device should be available for doctors' use within two to three years and eventually could be tuned to detect a broad range of cancers and infectious ailments, the researchers say.
'The goal would be to produce a result ... while you're sitting in the waiting room,' said engineering professor Ted Sargent, who holds the U of T's Canada Research Chair in Nanotechnology."
Best Buddies - G.E. and the Government
This doesn't pass the "smell" test.
I remind you that GE owns NBC, CNBC, and MSNBC, all of which report the "news".
Now, can you honestly believe that their reporting is impartial?...
I remind you that GE owns NBC, CNBC, and MSNBC, all of which report the "news".
Now, can you honestly believe that their reporting is impartial?...
Timothy P. Carney reports at WashingtonExaminer.com:
"Steve Milloy, a pro-free market investor at the Free Enterprise Action Fund, obtained this e-mail and says it reveals General Electric for what it really is. "GE is lobbying to become the biggest rent seeker this country has ever seen," Milloy told this column. Rent seeking is using government legislation or regulation to generate private profits the free market wouldn't provide."
About those regulations on small businesses
We all know that regulations have a negative impact on business.
I don't think many of us have any idea that the impact is this significant.
Keep in mind also that every expense finds it's way into the cost of the products we purchase...
I don't think many of us have any idea that the impact is this significant.
Keep in mind also that every expense finds it's way into the cost of the products we purchase...
Jan Norman has the story at FreedomBlogging.com:
"The total cost of state regulations on businesses is $493 billion and 3.8 million jobs according to the first-of-its kind study.business-regulation-3
That’s an average of $134,122 per California business, $13,801 per household and $4,685 per resident each year.
The California report is significant, according to the Governor’s Office of Small Business Advocate, because small businesses are 98% of the state’s enterprises and provide 52% of the jobs."
