all the pieces of my heart ...

Obama: he wanted to BE President; he just doesn't want to DO President

2011-03-23T15:08:00.002-04:00

Go get im' Nancy! ..... Go, Go, Go.

2010-09-09T10:11:00.004-04:00

About a month ago White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, speculated on the performance of Democrats in the upcoming midterm congressional elections. He didn't think they would do well.

Immediately after wards speaker of the house, Nancy "Swamp" Pelosi lashed out at and ridiculed Gibbs calling him politically inept and stupid since his remarks in her view compromised her ability to fleece, err, "raise" more money for DNC election coffers.

Yesterday in an interview, Obama echoed Gibbs' sentiments, "if (the midterm elections) are a referendum of people being satisfied with the economy, then we're (Democrats) not going to do well.".

A collective and furious groan went up from all of the Democrats who were compromised by the Obama /Pelosi legislative agenda and whose prospects for re-election are now in jeopardy.

How many buses does Obama have at his disposal ?

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise ... Iran Has More Nuclear Material Than Thought

2010-09-08T15:41:00.004-04:00

The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) announced that Iran's unstable and extremist leader, Ahmadinejad has his hands on more nuclear material for atomic weapons than was at first thought ... or, read that as .... the US government was ever willing to disclose.

They also announced that since 2004 Iran has been aggressively working on a continuous program to place a nuclear payload on a missile. Again, official pablum spoon served to the public assured us that was not the case.

The IAEA report came to several conclusions including: Obama's pursuit of sanctions against Iran have and continue to fail to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability and the IAEA is no longer capable of detecting military aspects of Iran's nuclear programs.

Hopefully, Israel's intelligence community is either 1) smarter and better informed than our own and 2) not handicapped by deceiving politicians, and 3) unwilling to rely on US provided intelligence assessments.

Iran, knowing full well that the only response likely from a weak Obama is more "pretty speeches", in this prediction can be counted upon when in possession of a fully operational nuclear device and missile platform to deliver it, to either a) annex territory from Iraq uncontested and or, b) use it against Israel to make good on its threat to wipe that nation off the face of the earth.

In 2012 They'll Throw Him Under The Bus ... One Term Obama

2010-09-08T14:17:00.014-04:00

You can pretty much forget about whether the majority of Americans care one way or the other about the philosophical and ideological debates, gyrations and contortions of the right and the left. What they care about most, all other things equal, and certainly at election time during periods of economic distress is "how fast money is either flowing into or out of my pocketbook!".

And witnessing the steady erosion of Obama's and The Party of Dopes popularity it's pretty clear most Americans now firmly believe it's the latter injury. They are fed up with the irresponsible handling of the nation's treasury by the present Washington leadership. They are now convinced after nearly 2 years, Obama and company sold them a bill of goods and failed miserably at delivering the same.

The general perception is if Obama doesn't "get it" with respect to their economic plight then he must not really care or give a damn about them - either way, political poison for Obama and the Democrats in the upcoming mid-term congressional elections this November.

What Obama has vaguely come to understand is he's now very vulnerable of becoming the dreaded one term president - a legacy of personal irrelevance - and summarily pushed out of office for it. So much so a concern for his handlers, they've tried to enlist the service of Obama's enemy during the 2008 presidential election, former president Bill Clinton. Ironic, since after Obama played the race card and insinuated that Clinton was a racist during the nominations, Clinton has seethed with vitriol. Insiders reported that when it came to support for Obama during the election Obama could "kiss his (Clinton's) ass.".

Clinton, whose popularity with the American electorate far exceeds Obama's has unique leverage presently. Obama's asked him to campaign for vulnerable Democrats and should Clinton be successful those same Democrats will be beholding to him not Obama, who's put them in jeopardy.

And as part of his stumping Clinton is reminding everyone that Obama himself pointed out during the campaign "if you don't like my policies, don't elect me to a second term". Ah, truer and more prescient words were never spoken!!!

And if Obama or his handlers object publicly, Clinton's defense is exquisite, "Hey, He SAID it first.".

But there are other signs that Clinton, who's far more astute than Obama, has recognized an opportunity to exploit which Obama has failed so far to comprehend. There is open speculation that the Clintons - Bill and Hillary - are actively posturing now for when the time comes to nominate a presidential candidate within the next 2 years that the DNC will grasp Obama can't win a second term. If the Democrats are to retain the White House better to toss Obama under the bus and run Hillary for president instead.

Bill Clinton understands that revenge, especially in politics, is a dish best supped cold!

Pulling the bus out of the terminal is Lynn Forrester de Rothschild, formerly a top Democratic fund raiser, who as recently as last week made it known publicly she won't do any fund raising for Obama in the future. Asked whether she thought Hillary would become the vice presidential candidate replacing Biden she brushed the inquiry aside as speculation - better not to dwell on THAT thought when your eye is on the top slot. A close personal friend of Hillary's, she made no commitments to NOT raise money for Hillary if Hillary should be the presidential candidate of the DNC.

Indeed Rothschild launched into an acerbic attack on what she described as the elitist Obama. Rothschild charged that he "is divisive" as a leader; and mocks those in disagreement with him. He is so critical of those who disagree, that you are either, "stupid, racist, or not qualified to be in the debate.".

Mutiny in the ranks?

The day after Obama announced his new $50 billion stimulus initiative, Hillary points out that America's high and ever increasing debt represents national security issues for the country: first, she says, "it undermines our capacity to act" in our national interests and secondly, it broadcasts a message of weakness to our enemies and allies.

Translation: "My boss, Obama, doesn't know what the hell he's doing!"

Still unconvinced? Well then, last but not least adding fuel to the fires of speculation is that tell all, always infallible indicator - Hillary has changed her hairstyle!

Or, is it just possible that Bill's planning on screwing Hillary one more time for old time's sake, and calculating a trajectory for his own third term? Nah, no way the thought ever crossed his mind ... or,?

And Obama says "Let's Be More Like France".....

2010-09-08T13:30:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, union demonstrations across the whole of France brought that entire nation to a virtual standstill.

What were they protesting? Their President, Sarkozy wants to move the retirement age from 60 to 62

The same unions are calling for another country wide strike on Sept. 23rd..

Obama, The Sharpest Pencil In The Box, He Ain't ....Part 2

2010-09-08T13:05:00.005-04:00

If asked to rank the terrorist attacks on 9.11.2001 in severity most Americans could probably quickly come to agreement the Pennsylvania crash site was 3rd, The Pentagon 2nd, and the World Trade Center towers the most disastrous of the three.

As a consequence it doesn't require a degree in rocket science to come up with any insight as to which of the 3 memorial services probably has the most importance, at least superficially, to most Americans.

Obama, with the full prowess of his mighty intellect on display and bolstered by his keen insight of what's important to the American public, has decided for the 2nd year in a row NOT to attend the ground zero memorial service in NYC. Yep, apparently this year's lame excuse is the man's running scared of the ground zero mosque protesters or maybe it's just an expedient and what ultimately will prove to be another foolish political decision on his part.

JACKASS !

CAUTION .... Obama, Student Driver Ahead!

2010-09-08T12:55:00.002-04:00

Obama's terribly fond of using an automobile as a metaphor for his notions about how the economy took a nosedive and who bears responsibility. He sees himself as the driver behind the wheel pulling the economy out of the ditch. And he's not planning on giving the keys back to the GOP either, Thank You!

Unfortunately for the rest of us, Obama, who only has his learner's permit, doesn't begin to comprehend he's got the gears stuck in neutral and that he's just spinning the wheels, making a lot of smoke and noise, AND the economy's still stuck in the ditch!

And what the hell is a student driver doing in charge of the keys for the family car in the first place ?

Obama and The Party of Dopes … at it again with your money!

2010-09-07T13:40:00.009-04:00

Obama, on Monday, proposed a brand new stimulus package of $50 billion in new spending on infrastructure improvement and business tax breaks. The spending, he says, will be substantially “front loaded” to immediately speed on the recovery process and create jobs – this little maneuver comes since early critics say that the program spread out over 6 years can hardly be called “immediate” in its effect! The GOP says use the unspent money from the earlier $826 billion Stimulus bill instead.

Others see this as just another Obama political payoff as most construction industries are dominated by unions.

Many question what “front loading” really means for any recovery – in the case of tax benefits due to accelerated depreciation it would be instructive to note that most businesses presently need “top” line revenues to take advantage of “bottom” line tax credits.

Obama proposes that through 2011 businesses can fully depreciate expenses for new equipment rather than spread it out over several years. That way he promises that companies that need more cash because of the economic downturn will have some and other larger companies that don’t need cash will have the incentive to “spend” the cash they do have to gain the advantage of the tax credits. And, voila – more demand, more jobs, the economy corrects and, oh joy, everyone’s happy!

Unfortunately there’s a lot of reality standing in the way of the Obama economic fantasy.

First, accelerated depreciation to the tune of 50% ALREADY exists in the so-called Obama/Pelosi $826 billion Stimulus that was previously passed – it’s called Section 179 bonus drepreciation writedown – and NOBODY’s taking advantage of it.

So the Obama thinking is “Well, then let’s DOUBLE it to 100%, surely it will work then!”

Really ? Of Course ...Twice as much unfocused thinking is always better!

For most businesses the advantage of tax credits is to offset higher taxes that would otherwise be due on and further reduce profits – but if you don’t have the revenues to generate profits to be protected from taxes by tax credits it hardly makes any sense to spend MORE money on new equipment and further reduce those profits to get the tax credits you can’t use anyway – in other words you can’t take advantage of tax credits if you can’t produce sufficient profits in the first place!

But as with most things promoted by our Government there are also strings attached to a 100 % write down for depreciation – whatever you write off now you can’t write off in future years when taxes and regulatory compliance costs MAY be higher – any bets of that likelihood with this Administration ? So do you gain a short term advantage and a longer term disadvantage? A question most companies will ask in order to decide on any presumed economic advantage in rushing out as Obama expects to purchase new equipment.

As a businessman why would you, for example, take on more debt or reduce your cash in the prevailing economic uncertainty to buy new equipment and increase capacity that you don’t need if there’s no increased or very little demand for your goods and services?

Well, one reason would be that you expect that demand will improve in the near future – but that’s hardly the situation or sentiment now.

Instead corporations are conserving cash - estimates put non-financial corporations having accumulated nearly $2 trillion and being kept liquid - chiefly because of the uncertainty about future costs coming out of Washington's zealousness for regulation and taxes. At the same time those companies also presently have about $8 trillion in liabilities - very few of them can afford to see their revenue streams compromised any further by worsening unemployment levels with a consequential drop in demand for their goods and services.

Meanwhile Obama continually fails to understand that an important part of “demand” and the vitality of the economy is psychological for consumers and buyers – “I’ll take a chance now, because I think it’ll be better in the future”, or “I want that because I believe my ability to pay for it in the future is not compromised.”

The most immediate thing this Administration could do now for American business in restoring the economy and jobs is to end the uncertainty that hangs over the nation’s businesses about what their costs will be like in the future because of Obama’s agenda for taxes, regulatory compliance, and socialism.

And the most effective and immediate way to stimulate aggregate demand is to do what the Republicans have already said to do and Obama stubbornly refuses to accept – cut employer and employee payroll taxes - to put more money in the hands of American workers and employers.

But Obama, the socialist ideologue, steadfastly continues to punish American families, workers and businesses by wasting opportunities and taxpayer dollars with ineffective solutions for jobs and economic recovery.

But then, really what else could you expect from “The Party of Dopes”?

Cause and Effect ....

2010-09-07T11:37:00.001-04:00

If the Republicans are "The Party of Nopes", it's because the Democrats are "The Party of Dopes".

What would a rally of 500,000 liberals look like? ….

2010-09-02T15:20:00.004-04:00

This past weekend Glenn Beck organized a non-political and spiritual rally in Washington DC. Based upon some estimates, 500,000 people decided to attend the event which had as its theme, “Restoring Honor in America”.

Alarmist warnings by liberal and leftist commentators claimed that attendees were racially motivated bigots and represented no less than a seething pit of hatred and potential violence.

They predicted all hell would break loose since the rally was being held on the same day as another celebrating Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement.

Topics which incidentally were part of the program and embraced by the Beck audience.

Interestingly, there were no arrests, no confrontations and attendees were well behaved. Park Service personnel, expecting a large amount of trash as is usually the case for public turnouts of this magnitude, were surprised the Mall was left as clean at the end of the rally as it had been before.

So in contrast, what would a rally of 500,000 people representing historically left leaning organizations look like?

Would a smoldering battle zone emerge afterwards; something akin to the LA riots of past, with embattled police cordons, and roving mobs of disorderly, violent and looting protestors. Or, would they be as civil and as orderly as the Beck rally?

Well, there may be a chance to find out … On October 2nd the AFL CIO is calling upon its member chapters and affiliated organizations, to stage a counter political rally and march on Washington DC as a protest against Congress and the Administration regarding the economic recovery, peace and justice.

One group, Workers Emergency Recovery Campaign pleads, “We are asking you, our readers and supporters, to get your unions, state labor federations, regional central labor councils, civil rights organizations, antiwar coalitions, and community groups to endorse these demonstrations and to help build them, especially if you are located in the general vicinity of either event.”

Asserting further, the group’s co-conveners, Bill Leumer and Alan Benjamin wrote, “Politicians act in their own self-interest. But often their self-interest lies in responding positively to whichever sector of the population is exerting the most pressure on them….. Such demonstrations have succeeded in bringing down governments.”

Apparently an entirely different emphasis geared toward political confrontation than Beck’s spiritual one of hope, faith and charity!

Can the liberals muster the self discipline to the standard set by the Beck rally attendees? Well, we'll see soon enough.

The Party of "Dopes" ...

2010-09-02T13:58:00.001-04:00

The Party of "Dopes" - Tax and Spend Democrats

Obama, The Sharpest Pencil In The Box, He Ain't ...

2010-09-02T13:37:00.005-04:00

By now it's pretty obvious to most of those who had hoped and counted upon Barack Obama being a moderate and pragmatic leader who would heal divisions in America, is merely another in a long line of deceiving and disappointing politicians - a poseur .

It's also painfully obvious that his only skill set is that of a campaigner and author of "pretty speeches". We were assured by his campaign machine that he possessed keen insight, intellect and political acumen. Yet, it's clear he lacks the organizational and administrative abilities necessary to effectively prioritize, delegate, manage and follow through on the nation's business and vital interests.

Obama is a far left liberal ideologue trying to force a country of right of center moderate conservatives to go where they do not want to go.

Senatorial hopeful from Alaska, Joe Miller summarizes it this way, "Obama is bad for America."

Can there be any good outcome?

Thank God For The Party Of "Nope"....

2010-09-02T12:04:00.004-04:00

Tax and Spend Democrats, or, The Party of "Dopes" got a surprise this morning with the revelation that Obama's chief spokesperson for his economic council, Christine Romer has determined that there is no "magic fix" for the economy. But rather, effective stimulation of the economy will now require the production of sufficient aggregate demand through both spending and less taxation.

Well, Romer's finally got half of it right now. But imagine the consternation of the Democrats when they learned of becoming the Party of "Tax LESS and Spend". Sounds suspiciously like a bunch of Liberal Republicans!

Romer's announcement comes on the heels of an exhortation by the White House to Congress to do something ... anything ... immediately to stem the tide of bad economic news, "C'mon guys, give us Democrats some political cover so we can maneuver for the November elections.".

Romer didn't specify which part, Tax Less, or Spend, needed to be emphasized the most. But all of this flies in the face of her's, Obama's and the Democrat's advance rhetoric for passage of the unprecedented and unfunded Stimulus, or "Spendulus" Bill. It bears repeating here - we were told by these folks that the gargantuan $826 billion spending spree was the magic necessary to right the economy and restore jobs. Only the spending bill could do it - there was an outright rejection of less taxation or even a passing thought about exploding deficits and their consequences.

To the contrary on a regular basis economics wizard, VP, Joe Biden enthusiastically points to the incredible and remarkable success of the bill despite the fact that 14.6 million Americans remain out of work and the unemployment rate has barely moved off the 10% rate that existed prior to its passage. Hey Buddy, got a job, yet? No? Well don't sweat it, smokin' Joe says everything's fine.".

Meanwhile, Obama flits back and forth indecisively and can't seem to make up his mind about what IS the first priority of his Administration - Health Care Reform, wait no, it's Cap & Trade, uhh no, the war in Iraq, nope on Tuesday it's finally the Economy, but that was yesterday too, today, well, it's the Peace between Israel and Palestine. Here's something to help you focus - "GET ME A JOB, OBAMA!"

You may recall that before Stimulus passage Republicans argued for Employer payroll tax cuts. They said it would provide incentives to keep people employed and create new job hires. They also wanted Employee payroll taxes cut so that paychecks were larger and workers could pay their bills and spend the money sustaining and creating jobs through consumer demand. These steps, Republicans said would be more efficient and immediately more productive than a Stimulus bill phased in over 3 years.

Obama's response, "we don't need to return to the failed policies of the past", and the Republicans, "don't offer any new ideas, they're the Party of "Nope".

Now though having foolishly squandered our treasury on such "worthy job creating" projects as new habitat for San Francisco Bay area rodents, international ant research, voter opinions, road signage announcing the stimulus, interstate highway overpasses for turtles, contraceptives and a home range for wild mustangs and thousands of other languishing liberal wish list projects, it appears that those "miserable failed policies of the past", eg. less taxes, might have been a more effective means of restoring the economy and jobs all along. Golly Gee, imagine that!

And it begs the question; when there was such a clear choice; put the money directly into the paychecks of American workers or piss it away on a washtub full of unfulfilled liberal dreams and schemes why did Obama and Pelosi not choose to help American workers directly? What is it that they don't trust about Mr. and Mrs. and Ms. America keeping more of their earnings immediately?

Could it possibly be Obama and Pelosi understand that the average person having more money in a paycheck from smaller payroll taxes might come to the realization that the US government doesn't need to have its hands so deeply in American pockets after all? And with that revelation, the American taxpayer may not want to ever re-start giving it back when the economy turns around.

My God, what a radical thought - smaller government simply because the US government has to do what every American family already does - learn to do more with less.

Hillary Clinton ... "I Consider Myself A Progressive Democrat"

2010-09-02T09:41:00.003-04:00

Hillary Clinton, on behalf of the Obama Administration, presented the first ever report on Human Rights violations in the United States to the United Nation's Human Rights Council detailing the violations in the US that the Obama Administration believes are worthy of reporting to that body at large for comment and recommendations.

These included Arizona's recently passed Immigration bill which mirrors US Federal Law, high unemployment rates, hate crimes, poverty, poor housing, lack of access to health care, and discriminatory hiring practices affecting Blacks, Latinos, Muslims, South Asians, Native Americans, and homosexuals and included sexual assaults in US prisons and detention of suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay.

Apparently America's shortcomings, these so-called "atrocities", have been elevated by Clinton and Obama to the same status of murderous acts of torture and genocide, due to ethnic and religious discrimination and persecution, found elsewhere in the world and routinely reported to the same council.

In this litany of apologetic soul searching, what was conspicuously absent were the citations of incidents of violence against Tea Party participants, voter intimidation by the New Black Panther Party and fraud committed by ACORN.

Gee, how could any of those have possibly ever been overlooked ?

America .... The Four G's

2010-09-01T16:21:00.002-04:00

"God, Guns, Guts, and Good Business - built this country!" - S. Luhrs, 1976

Principle #5 .....

2010-09-01T16:16:00.002-04:00

"There is never enough time in the day to do all that you could possibly accomplish with respect to the first 4 Principles -be thankful for tomorrow's opportunities." - S. Luhrs 1986

Principle #4 .....

2010-09-01T16:13:00.003-04:00

"Nothing of lasting value was ever created until it was actually paid for - whether in blood, sweat, tears or money." - S. Luhrs, 1986

Principle #3 .....

2010-09-01T16:08:00.002-04:00

Treat all of your constituencies - shareholders, customers, employees/retirees, vendors, and community - as you would want to be treated yourself. -"The Golden Rule", - Jesus Christ, 33 BCE

Principle #2 ......

2010-09-01T16:05:00.003-04:00

"Without compromising quality, the lowest unit cost producer has all of the competitive advantages" - S. Luhrs, 1985

Principle #1 ......

2010-09-01T16:00:00.003-04:00

"Good customers are hard to find but usually easy to keep as long as you do your part" - H.E. Luhrs, 1935

Value ....... or, buyer's remorse ?

2010-09-01T15:53:00.007-04:00

Bush's Iraq War ------------------ $702 billion *

Obama/Pelosi's Stimulus ----- $826 billion **

* US Dead 4,400 casualties 62,000, equals devastated American families
** US unemployed 14.6 million, equals devastated American families

Ah, yes ... the value we get from our politicians !

Shimmy .... On

2010-09-01T14:07:00.003-04:00

http://fittv.discovery.com/convergence/shimmy/bios/bios.html

"Egyptian figure eight", "shoulder shimmy", "hip-bounce", "Maya hips", "hip-piston", "hip pop", "1,2,3 hop", "snake arms", "cut-turn", "Sa'idi turn", "'hip-rotation", "tremor figure-eight", "grapevine", traveling step, "falling leaves", "head-slides", "hip-down Ronde de Jambe", "hip-circle", "step/touch/step", "Turkish bump", "chest-circle", "liquid-arms", "three-step turn", "Gawazzi step", "cabaret shimmy", "side-step arm-sweep", "chest camel", "hip circles", "Turkish figure-eight", "belly-rolls", and "Zaar-head"... I don't really know anything about the art form, but I do know it looks good.

compassionate conservatism ....

2010-08-31T13:17:00.005-04:00

Compassionate conservatism is doing those things the heart tells you are right and need to be done, by using your head to do them in the very best way possible.

It is not about throwing big money or big government at the problem in hopes of finding solutions.

The most enduring, effective and satisfying solutions are achieved with scarce resources and an abundance of passion, innovation and initiative. - S. Luhrs, 1991

subtlety ....

2010-08-31T13:09:00.004-04:00

Subtlety, a flawed form of communication, is entirely dependent for efficiency upon the intellect of the participants. - S. Luhrs 1991

Well, Damn It, Here We Go Again …..

2010-08-27T14:14:00.005-04:00

Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke announced at a conference this morning in Jackson Hole, Wyoming that the Fed through the FOMC ( Federal Open Market Committee) stood ready to resume the purchase of long term US debt in the event they determined that the economy was likely to continue to worsen, prompted apparently by the report that 2nd quarter GDP grew only by 1.6%. The figure was revised down from 2.4 percent. Though low, the figure still came in higher than earlier government estimates and caused a temporary sigh of relief on the part of Bernanke. One more bullet dodged.

Three things about this announcement.

First you may recall the numerous earlier announcements last year and this year by the Fed about the positive progression of the economic recovery. Now comes the warning of a pending reversal and a tactical plan to hopefully deal with it should it occur. This, despite a gushing assertion and assessment by the administration’s chief go-go cheerleader and resident economics wizard, Vice President Joe Biden. Biden earlier this week raved about all the wonderful effects that the Administration’s unfunded stimulus spending has achieved for the country’s economy and the direction in which it’s headed due to jobs creation. Really Joe? Unlike you, most everyone else has concluded that every indicator's going in the wrong direction - not the right one!

The last time the Fed employed this tactic was through “quantitative easing”. That terribly cerebral sounding phrase which simply means the printing of new, completely worthless paper money to purchase American debt. Then through the magic of the Fed, like the transmutation of base lead into precious gold by alchemists of old, the debt becomes, get ready for it, an “asset”. The last time the printing presses were cranked up the Fed caused something shy of 2 trillion new worthless dollars to be added to the money supply. This time Bernanke says when the switch is flipped on we’re going for “trillions” dollars more. And why should we care? Because at the very least the printing of “de novo” money or worthless dollars is a dilution event that risks the devaluation of the rest of the money supply which includes your savings and paycheck.

The third aspect is that a weak kneed Bernanke commented, “Central bankers alone cannot solve the world’s economic problems,” . Fed speak for the world’s politicians, especially those of the United States, “you can’t keep increasing debt and deficits through reckless unfunded spending and expect us to manage it for a desirable outcome”. Ironic, since the Fed’s very use of “quantitative easing” to bail out politician’s irresponsible behavior only enables and encourages Obama and the US Congress into further irresponsible spending.

Ok, So He Isn't Right All TheTime ...

2010-08-27T12:44:00.002-04:00

Last evening on the TV show, Stossel, guest Glenn Beck suggested that the United States would perhaps be better off “privatizing” the military. “I’m just saying maybe we should think about it.”. No, I don’t think that's what you meant. Based on your comments I believe it’s already a foregone conclusion for you.

Ok. Glenn let’s get this right – you believe American soldiers will be equally willing to fight and die for the “company” as they would be in defending their country, meaning the rest of us,.

Yeah, sign me up for a tour of that duty! I wanna’ fight for the Board of Directors.

C’mon Beck, you seriously want us to put our faith and trust into some corporate CEO to defend and preserve our values? Get real.

We owe you a huge debt of gratitude for carrying the fight to and about Washington insiders, bureaucrats and politicians who erode and threaten our freedoms but you are wrong to dismiss the value and importance of the US military to this country by re-assigning its role to some private enterprise. And this evening you probably just lost the support of a hell of a lot of Americans who see that value much differently than you and as other libertarians do.

Before there was a Constitution, before there was a Bill of Rights, even before there was a Declaration of Independence there was a continental army fighting, bleeding and dying for Americans and American freedoms.

You spoke about trust and questioned whether American civilians could rely upon the institution to eliminate waste and inefficiency (probably not from within) and questioned whether or not that much military power and force should be in the hands of a CEO but concluded it wasn’t really problematic because it’s already at the disposal of a President after all.

An argument which conveniently disregards the scale of American representation and the potential for abuse by a much smaller body of self interested and vested individuals. A CEO is elected by a corporation’s shareholders generally through their representatives, the Board of Directors and as you’ll perhaps recall a President is determined by a nationwide electorate through their electoral representatives – just slightly more people involved in the process you know than your typical corporate board.

I know, I know it’s such a pesky little detail – who a national military force is accountable through – a corporate CEO or a civilian President –

In the case of Obama I’d acknowledge that the American electorate failed miserably.

Could an insane or rogue or politically desperate President misuse that power again directly against American citizens so broadly to institute a despotic regime – I seriously doubt the military as individuals would ultimately permit it. There are those perennial reports that keeping popping up which frustrate the hell out of Washington politicians because the US military doubts that American soldiers in large numbers would train their weapons and use them against American civilians. There’s obviously a much different mindset throughout the country now since the time of Kent State – that generation of young adults is now in their 50’s and 60’s and I seriously doubt they’d tolerate blood in the streets again.

I think the culture and traditions and honor of the US military stands as the very last safeguard for a Congress and Press which failed and continues to fail to do their respective jobs.

Can you seriously say that a corporation and its CEO would be as stalwart?

Private industry can produce the technology and weapons of war but can not be counted upon to produce the soldiers with the spirit and will and desire to fight for freedom. In America it appears only the shared experiences of legacies, families and communities can do it. That transcends just doing a job and drawing a paycheck.

Wait a minute you’re right, I’m wrong! They will fight for a sufficiently large paycheck – and they’re called mercenaries. And none of us should ever doubt or ever suspect their loyalties for a single minute if they should ever make up the ENTIRE military force of the country, should we?

Ok in fairness to you, you backpedaled and said you wanted a “volunteer” army, not draftees or “grotesque” mercenaries. But employees don’t “volunteer” do they? They’re “assigned” or in essence, drafted. Gee, that would make them the draftees you don’t trust, wouldn’t it? Uh, oh, as paid soldiers of a corporate enterprise they’re also your detested and grotesque mercenaries as well.

Nor can private industry be counted upon to sufficiently align its interests with those of Americans in general – businesses do not operate as democracies (or even your beloved republics!) - and too often, I’m ashamed to say, my brethren have been shown to be more interested in their own agendas for power and the aggrandizement of their egos than they are in good corporate governance for the benefit and interests of their constituencies – shareholders, customers, employees, vendors and community. Here’s a revelation - corporate stewardship often isn’t.

So despite the waste and inefficiency and other regrettable transgressions of our military, I remain, as are many other Americans, vastly more inclined than apparently you are to trust the institution and its culture to reinforce and protect our American values than to put our faith in the agenda of some power tripping corporate CEO.

Corporations do not have the internal traditions and cultural equivalent to a military code of conduct. Employees do not nor have that mechanism to challenge the CEO’s directives, and all too often the shareholders lack effective means to override a board of directors that frequently acquiesces to the CEO – invariably by the time they do act because of misdeeds, the situation is so bad the proverbial crap has inescapably hit the fan and the shareholders.

You want less waste and inefficiency and more bang for your buck and less politics in the military? That’s laudable, but then reform them not replace them. And start by staying focused on the real source of the problem; cleaning up and clearing out the Congress, their insider and vested interests and enabling bureaucrats.

From time to time Beck you lose focus and say some idiotic, half witted and contradictory things, especially when you “wing it” and ad lib – but this time I’m sorry to say your sincerity about privatizing the military was over the top for foolishness.

Even so, it would be a tremendously good thing if this weekend your Washington rally on the restoration of honor throughout the rest of America takes root.

Give Me My $1000 Stossel ….

2010-08-27T11:41:00.000-04:00

Last evening on his show John Stossel in touting his libertarian views offered the following challenge that he would pay $1000 to anyone who could show that the US “government does anything better than the private sector.”

Ok, Stossel, I’m game…The United States government is clearly and far better than private industry in generating waste and inefficiency.

GIVE ME MY MONEY !

Weiner Schnitzeled … Anthony’s At It Again

2010-08-11T14:08:00.004-04:00

Interviewed this morning on Morning Joe, US Rep Anthony Weiner continued to try and provide cover for an undeserving House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi when interviewer Joe Scarborough charged that Pelosi’s manipulation requiring a 2/3rds majority on a recently failed bill to provide medical benefits to 911 responders, actually scuttled passage.

Most of the panel observed contentiousness among democrats – specifically competing interests on the part of Blue Dog Democrats and the Mexican American Caucus of the Democratic Party, each vowing to pull their support ahead of the vote – that it was not the Republicans who were at fault since the Democrats, who control the Congress, if they had their own party in order could have easily passed the legislation.

But Weiner was having none of it and continued to defend an arcane explanation of Democratic strategy to win passage with a 2/3rds majority requirement and fault the Republicans instead.

Weiner tried to dismiss the notion raised by Luke Russert that members of Weiner’s own party didn’t want a tough vote on ancillary immigration issues in the bill and have to “walk the plank” for Pelosi on immigration reform ahead of the upcoming mid-term congressional races.

Finally an exasperated Weiner said that Americans just want “an up and down” vote to which Scarborough responded, “then Pelosi should have given it to them”., which was the crux of the entire argument Weiner was trying to avoid all along.

Coincidentally for Weiner, US Rep King, a Republican antagonist to Weiner and who was one of 12 Republicans who crossed party lines to vote in support of the bill, has aligned himself with a major NY Democratic Party backer, Robert Zimmerman.

Zimmerman, issued a joint statement with King yesterday, directed at Weiner among others, calling on the House to ditch the political posturing on the bill and secure its passage.

In response an angry and fuming Weiner postured to have Zimmerman thrown off the Democratic National Committee, and only backed down after other members of his party said it was a really, really bad idea.

Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorses the construction of an extremely controversial mosque very near ground zero of the Twin Towers 911 disaster. Bloomberg’s position is extremely unpopular with 53% of New York voters and nearly all of the surviving families of the 911 victims.

Adding to his P/R woes, Weiner who’s been almost silent on the issue up to this point sent a letter to the Mayor that did not express any objection on his part to the mosque’s location is perceived to have thrown his support behind Bloomberg.

In essence Weiner wants to provide $7 billion in unfunded spending for the medical well being of 911 responders but blithely ignores the mental and emotional suffering of the actual 911 victim’s families with his support of the mosque’s construction near ground zero.

Strangely, Weiner who shouts at the top of his lungs for the Republicans to have the courage to take a stand in support of the 911 responders can’t seem to muster the spine to do the same for the 911 victims.

I

The Emperor’s New Car … or, Look What’s Coming Up Fast In The Rearview Mirror

2010-08-10T10:02:00.003-04:00

Obama is very fond of smugly comparing the Bush economy to a car the Republicans drove into a ditch.

In contrast, Obama says, with him sitting behind the wheel the economy is finally out of the ditch and he’s keeping the keys, thank you.

Through the billowing smoke what the rest of us can clearly see is Obama having a good ole’ time, gunning the engine while his other foot’s firmly on the brake, spinning the hell outta’ the wheels, and all the while shouting, “ Man, we’re really goin’ now!”.

In reality, we’ve gone nowhere.

THE ECONOMY IS STILL IN THE DITCH, YOU IDIOT !

For two years Obama's been pumping and pissing away all of our gas on a Chinese credit card bill that even our grandchildren can’t pay off.

Well, Buddy, check the rearview for America – Come November, you’re not keeping the keys any longer!

One more hollow, and broken Obama promise …. One more Pelosi manipulation … and one more, bend over and take it up the … America !

2010-08-06T16:07:00.003-04:00

"And when I'm president, I will go line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely." - Obama Sept. 26, 2008 presidential debate

Senators McCain and Coburn released a report last week detailing more than $340 million uncovered so far of the type of excesses and wasteful taxpayer spending that riddles the Obama administration’s previously passed 800 billion dollar Stimulus bill and which as yet failed to fulfill the promise of jobs creation.

But just to illustrate how efficiently and effectively the money has been spent for its stated purpose - sans any meaningful jobs growth in return – now we learn that for just a measly $2 million of tax money we’re absolutely guaranteed to reap the enduring economic benefit of international ant research – ant as in those with 6 legs.

The original Stimulus bill still has more than 400 billion dollars, authorized but unspent, and yet, to promote Obama’s spending agenda Nancy Pelosi is calling back the House from summer recess to rush through a vote for another stimulus spending round relabeled and touted as a “jobs bill” for teachers, and other public workers – this time for another unfunded 26 billion dollars more.

Critics charge the political theater, manipulation and the measure itself are designed for political purposes by Democrats to help defuse voter anger and resentment against vulnerable sitting members of Congress from the same party before the November mid term elections by flooding public employee service unions with cash to buy votes.

The measure has only been able to advance with the support of 2 Republican Senators from Maine, Collins and Snowe - who were bought off only after the administration and Democratic leadership promised not to cut Navy shipbuilding in their state.

Aw shucks, do you think Pelosi, Obama and the DNC could possibly be that transparently shallow with taxpayer money?

Yeah, well it is politics Chicago style, isn’t it?

"Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" … “Let them eat cake”, honey.

2010-08-06T14:49:00.002-04:00

It’s one thing for perception not to match up to reality but quite another for “stick it in your face” hypocrisy. Just try to ask Marie Antoinette.

While some 23 million Americans remain unemployed struggling to pay bills and provide shelter and food for their families witness the latest Michelle Obama extravaganza - this one in sunny, chic Costa del Sol, Spain with an entourage of 40 close, personal friends in tow, staying in a posh 5 star villa.

US Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, though, is quick to point out that some of the travel costs will be borne personally by Obama friends rather than by US taxpayers. But since Michelle Obama will be meeting with the King of Spain, on the last day of her vacation, presumably to discuss vital matters of high import to America, that alone will justify the US taxpayer footing “official” trip expenses.

Hopefully, in return, we’ll see both a detailed listing of the matters discussed by the two and a breakdown of all of the expenses borne by the taxpayer so we can make an independent judgment of how well Michelle’s tete a’ tete served our nation’s interests – or, Good Golly, could it be, the entire p/r ruse is just another excuse to take a junket vacation befitting her station as First Lady?

Seems like it was only, … when was it again, oh yeah – just July when she packed up the family for the 7th summer vacation.

Days before leaving on that trip in nationwide media coverage she exhorted Americans should travel to the beleaguered Gulf Coast despite the oil stained beaches to help financially support the communities there.

“There are still thousands of miles of beaches that have not been touched by the spill,” the First Lady said. “And there are communities that thrive on tourism and on the economic power of beaches that have not been damaged.”

Mrs. Obama said that her husband’s administration is “doing our best” to rectify the situation in the region and take this opportunity to “really build and preserve and make the Gulf the prize of this country that it has been and should continue to be.”

Four days later she and the Family were doing their level best to help those Gulf Region communities – from the picturesque, oil free seaside of Maine!

Postscript – after news reporters asked whether or not the Obama’s should practice what they preach, the White House hastily announced the family will indeed vacation on Florida’s Gulf coast for a few days in August. It will be vacation number 9., just before summer vacation number 10 which follows immediately afterwards up north in the fresh, clean air of Martha’s Vineyard....... to help get rid of all of those noxious oil fumes.

Pelosi calls US House back from summer recess ...

2010-08-05T13:40:00.002-04:00

No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.
- Mark Twain

The more corrupt the state, the more it legislates.
- Tacitus

Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.
- George Washington

The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.
- H. L. Mencken

Okay, so really … how good do you look naked?

2010-08-05T13:19:00.001-04:00

US Federal agencies who have argued for the use of x-ray body scanning devices have repeatedly claimed that in recognition of individual privacy rights that the agencies would not store or have the capability to store the images that they capture of people passing through checkpoints which employ the equipment.

The body scanners are controversial to privacy rights groups because the technology produces very detailed images of a person through their clothing rendering them virtually naked to any observer using the device.

The Transportation Security Agency, last summer claimed "scanned images cannot be stored or recorded.".

Yeah, sure.

Word now comes that in contradiction TSA specifications for the scanning equipment that the agency purchases require the scanners to be able to store and transmit images for "testing, training, and evaluation purposes.".

But, TSA promises, the capabilities won’t normally be active.

Wait, it gets better.

The U.S. Marshals Service admitted this week that without public disclosure this police agency secretly saved tens of thousands of images recorded with a body scanner at a single Florida courthouse.

No word on why or what the final disposition is of the stored images.

Just one more reason why Pelosi is unfit to be Speaker of the House …..

2010-08-04T13:37:00.002-04:00

Rational people with even modest amounts of common sense would agree that it’s sensible and prudent to read a contract before signing it … and at the other end of the spectrum in the alternate universe of Nancy Pelosi we have the now famous remark from the infamously insensible Speaker of the House, “we have to pass a bill so that you can find out what’s in it”.

Well, lah de lah … here’s one of those little gems in the 2500 page health care reform act Speaker Pelosi was referring to.

Democrats in Congress, in their collective zealous stupidity following Pelosi’s lemming march, passed the bill in the face of strong Republican opposition. Democrats provided within the bowels of the measure, language requiring 40 million businesses beginning in 2012 to file an IRS tax form for each vendor with whom they purchase goods of $600 or more per transaction.

Now Democrats don’t want to lay claim to the provision, nor explain what the business regulation is doing in a Health Care Reform bill in the first place, other than it’s supposed to raise $19 billion in new tax revenues.

The IRS says the provision will “bury” the IRS under an avalanche of new paperwork at a cost undoing substantial amounts of the “presumed” new tax revenues. Businesses certainly don’t want it and have begun to express outrage over the provision and the compliance costs they will have to shoulder. Republicans never wanted the legislation in the first place. Democrats are falling all over themselves to distance themselves from the measure.

With Speaker Pelosi’s blessing, House Democrats before their summer recess, late last week, introduced a procedural move requiring a 2/3rds majority to repeal the language – it failed. An earlier effort for an amendment by Republicans also collapsed.

So if everyone wants this nasty little piece of stealth legislation to disappear and just go away what’s the hold up?

Precisely the partisan politics Speaker Pelosi has nurtured and amplified since taking her office.

The GOP would like to repeal all of “Obamacare” out of existence but lack the votes, and alternatively have proposed “finding” the $19 billion in cost cutting from existing programs elsewhere, which naturally the Democrats oppose.

Democrats proposed filling in the $19 billion hole with new taxes on multinational corporations and shutting down gift tax trust exemptions. Republicans oppose these ideas and, indeed, Democrats can’t find enough support among themselves to pass it without Republican help.

And with the mid-term elections looming Republicans are in no hurry to pull Obama out of an embarrassing political jam when his signature accomplishment of Health Care Reform is also drawing fire from all quarters. In large measure we can chalk Republican reluctance up to the hostile partisan environment Pelosi has fostered at every turn.

Nancy Pelosi, Good for the liberal wingnuts among her supporters … but a disaster for America!

Congressman Anthony Weiner … hoisted on his own party’s petard

2010-07-30T16:35:00.005-04:00

US Representative Anthony Weiner (NY, D) yesterday launched into a tirade on the House floor against the GOP when legislation that he crafted to provide financial aid to emergency personnel responding to the 911 disaster failed to pass the House of Representatives.

Foaming at the mouth Weiner repeatedly claimed that since his party mustered 94 % of Democrat votes in favor, that failure was solely the responsibility of the Republican opposition. He ignored the observation that it was his own party’s political maneuvering that torpedoed the measure.

Interestingly, the Democrats who control the House and can pass whatever they want without any Republican support, required that the bill would need a 2/3rds majority. Democrats wanted to prevent Republicans from tacking on any controversial illegal alien immigration amendments. As a consequence of the Democrats’ manipulation, their House Whip failed to produce 100 % of that party for the “yea” vote. Despite the support of 12 Republicans who crossed party lines and voted in favor, the bill still failed for want of the missing Democrat votes and seemingly backfiring on the Democrat House leadership and Weiner himself.

Or, did it?

Weiner claims to have worked on the bill for 9 years for his constituents. But, the reality is something entirely different, making the purpose of his umbrage suspect.

Instead of the political theater, Anthony here are some things you perhaps should consider before shooting off your mouth again.

Nine years to produce a bill? – come on, nobody believes that crap. Which is it, your impotence or your insincerity? Either, you couldn’t find any previous support for a multi-billion dollar bill or you didn’t really make much of a sincere effort to win unanimous support for it in all that time.

How many in your own party dislike you enough to want to thwart both you and the Republicans at the same time? – a two fer’ in the making – they require a 2/3 rds majority to block the Republicans and raise the hurdle for passage for a bill that would have sailed through with a simple majority. Really, was that a smart move? If the Dems got enough Republican support they win passage but if not, well after all, how bad can it be, especially if Pelosi has an opportunity to embarrass the GOP? And anyway, the Republicans didn’t get an illegal immigration amendment, either.

Pelosi can put the Republicans on the defensive and in your case, could it possibly be some political payback? Maybe you ought to re-assess the Democrats who voted against the bill as well as the Democratic Party and House leadership, since it was Pelosi who required the 2/3rds vote when there were enough votes to pass it with a simple majority. It was Nancy Pelosi, Weiner, who killed your bill, not the Republicans.

Without even breaking a sweat your enemies in your own party, whether by design or consequence, have embarrassed you in front of your colleagues and more importantly in front of your constituency. Based upon your past performances they know too, you predictably can be counted upon to also produce self-inflicted wounds with your own mouth.

But then, given what they were working with, perhaps the outcome was always a foregone conclusion.

Bell, California ... recession, what recession?

2010-07-28T13:50:00.003-04:00

Bell city officials of late have been taking heat for paying themselves excessive compensation, all the while protesting that their salaries are in-line with other municipalities.

In Bell, with a population of just over 38,000, the police chief gets $470,000 a year compared to his counterpart in neighboring Los Angeles who's paid $150,000 less than Bell's top cop. The City Manager rakes in over $800,000 per year compared to city managers in LA who earn less than $100,000. LA officials should be clamoring for raises or relocating pell mell to Bell!

More perversely, Recovery.org - Obama's watchdog to assure American taxpayers that their stimulus tax dollars are being spent wisely and effectively - reports that for zip codes covering Bell, more than 10.6 million in federal stimulus to date has been doled out resulting in ... wait for it ... a whopping 7.6 jobs created. (.6 jobs ??? )

Ok, so now we can all clearly see and understand, our stimulus money is not being used for any wasteful purpose what so ever, at least in California. You can sleep easier tonight America ... right!

Sen. John Kerry … doin’ the right thing, eventually

2010-07-28T12:40:00.001-04:00

During these tough times United States Senator John Kerry (D) firmly believes in doing his part to stimulate the economy…of New Zealand!

The Kerry’s have purchased a new $7,000,000.00 yacht from a boat builder in New Zealand. Yes sir, if you’ve got the cash the bargains are out there just waiting to be scooped up.

Since it’s a little too large to park on a boat trailer in his driveway there’s of course the problem of where to dock the yacht.

Neighboring Rhode Island doesn’t charge a sales tax on boats while Kerry’s home state, Massachusetts does. In Kerry’s case that would amount to a hefty $473,000 tax bill for the Senator. “Taxachusetts” also imposes a $70,000 excise tax each year while good ole’ Rhode Island doesn’t.

Kerry says the brand spanking, new, custom boat which took a year to build in New Zealand has been in Rhode Island for maintenance repairs and work, since it’s delivery in March - though it’s been seen plying the waters off Massachusett’s Nantucket sound.

Hours after the Massachusett’s State Revenue Department began making official inquiries into whether the Senator was evading the tax liability, Kerry pledged to pay the sales tax, “That payment is being made promptly.’’ He said. Though he failed to indicate whether any interest or penalties would be due.

“I’ve said consistently we’ll pay our taxes.”, Kerry protested, “We’ve always paid our taxes. It’s not an issue, period!”

Or, at least it wasn’t for Senator Kerry, until after it was revealed!

Obama’s Best Buddy 1…Bill Ayers

2010-07-09T12:30:00.000-04:00

William Charles "Bill" Ayers - In 1969 co-founded the Weather Underground, a self-described communist revolutionary group that conducted a campaign of bombing public buildings during the 1960s and 1970s. Now a professor in the College of Education at the Univ of Illinois, Chicago. Married to Bernardine Dohrn, who also was a leader in the Weather organization.

An FBI informant who infiltrated the group claims that Ayers said after the revolution succeeded and the (US Federal) government was overthrown, they believed they “would have to eliminate 25 million Americans who would not conform to the new order.” Ayers denies ever making the statement. (Wikipedia)

Ayers has been described as both a past, personal and professional associate of Obama, with one reporter claiming that Ayers had personally disclosed that he, in fact, was the author of Obama's autobiography. Obama. his administration and news media have consistently downplayed the association between Obama and Ayers.

Election Coverage You Didn't Hear ...

2010-07-07T11:57:00.003-04:00

Candidate Obama was seated next to a little girl on an airplane trip back to Washington. He turned to her and said, "Let's talk. I've heard that flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger."

The little girl, who had just opened her book, closed it slowly and said to Obama, "What would you like to talk about?"

"Oh, I don't know," said Obama. "How about What Changes I Should Make To America?" and he smiles.

"OK," she says. "That could be an interesting topic. But let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why do you suppose that is?"

Obama, visibly surprised by the little girl's intelligence, thinks about it for a second and finally says, "Hmmm, I have no idea."

To which the little girl replies, "Do you really feel qualified to change America when you don't know shit?"

Yeah, It Hurts That Much ...

2010-07-07T11:51:00.002-04:00

"People are kind of upset with British Petroleum CEO Tony Hayward. Over the weekend, he was out on his yacht. And when President Obama found out that Tony Hayward was on his yacht, he was so angry, he missed a putt." –David Letterman

If You Have Your Health … You Have Everything!

2010-07-07T11:43:00.000-04:00

Working people frequently ask retired people what they do to make their days interesting.

Well, for example, the other day I went downtown and into a shop. I was only there for about 5 minutes, and when I came out, there was a cop writing out a parking ticket.

I said to him, “Come on, man, how about giving a retired person a break”? He ignored me and continued writing the ticket.

I called him a “Nazi.” He glared at me and wrote another ticket for having worn tires.

So I called him a “doughnut eating pig.”

He finished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first. Then he wrote a third ticket. This went on for about 20 minutes.

The more I verbally abused him the more tickets he wrote.

Personally, I didn't care. I came downtown on the bus.

The car that he was putting the tickets on had a bumper sticker that said, “I LUV Obama.”

I try to have a little fun each day now that I'm retired. My doctor says it's important for my health.

Looking For Votes In All The Wrong Places …or, How I Came To Love ACORN and Illegal Immigration Amnesty

2010-07-07T11:28:00.001-04:00

Like any seasoned Chicago politician, Obama would frequently go to the cemetery to register voters. One night he came across a grave so old and worn that he couldn't make out the name on the tombstone. The staffer holding the flashlight got impatient and suggested that they just move on to the next plot. Obama angrily exclaimed, "This person has as much right to vote for me as anyone else here!"

How Much Time Do Ya’ Need? …

2010-07-07T11:06:00.000-04:00

In a week –

40 hours devoted to work

56 hours for sleep

72 precious hours left over for the maintenance of self, family and household

And yet, the average American spends 58 hours of it in numb stupor in front of the TV.

More Obama BS ...

2010-07-07T10:49:00.000-04:00

In a televised speech last Thursday, President Obama assured Americans that our "southern border is more secure today than at any time in the past 20 years."

Oh REALLY ?

Then why on the very same day, amid a gun battle on the Mexican side of the border are bullets striking the City Hall building of El Paso on the US SIDE of the BORDER!

Or, how about these little gems -

The U.S. has lost control of actual U.S. territory to drug and migrant smugglers as far as 80 miles inland in Arizona. According to authorities who have posted warning signs any American who enters this area risks being shot dead because of illegal activities there.

The Falcon Dam on Texas' lower Rio Grande was targeted for destruction by a Mexican cartel to destroy a rival's drug and alien-smuggling route. Had the foiled plot succeeded, 4 million people could have ended up downriver with mass casualties and deaths.

Arizona now has the second-highest kidnapping rate in the world, behind only Mexico City, with nearly all of it due to drug and migrant smugglers and their quests for cash and territory.

Mass graves have been discovered in New Mexico, believed by lawmen to be the work of cartels.

Two U.S. border consulates have been attacked, and three people connected with them have been killed in the past three years.

In Washington State and others, national forests and Indian reservations have seen large swaths of land converted by cartels to drug cultivation operations guarded by illegal immigrants, making them also no-man's lands.

New charges have surfaced indicating that the real reasons for the Administration’s legal suit against the State of Arizona’s recently enacted illegal immigration legislation have more to do with Obama’s petulance than any usurpation of federal authority – plain and simple, Obama got pissed off at the Arizona legislature and is retaliating Chicago style to punish its citizens.

All the while, so called “sanctuary cities” across the country openly defy and are in violation of federal immigration law and have yet to be challenged by the Department of Justice.

To many Americans it’s becoming painfully clear that Obama isn’t the leader they pinned their hopes on, but nothing more than a politically motivated thug.

Obama, What’s Important To Me … is, well, Me.

2010-07-06T13:34:00.006-04:00

For his inauguration ceremony 10,000 national guard troops were deployed in Washington DC (Wikipedia).

For almost 2,000 miles of porous border between southwestern states and Mexico, and ultimately our national security, Obama graciously and without the least bit of acrimony over illegal immigration issues and certainly without furthering his own political agenda, has ( or soon to, or maybe eventually) deployed for less than a year all of 1,200 national guard troops – but not for security - the troops will be there just for fence repairs!

And the ratio is roughly 8 to 1; or, read that as apparently Obama’s well being, at least on the day of his inauguration, is 8 times more important than the security of the rest of us is throughout the year.

Obama, Profligate Liar?…

2010-07-02T13:34:00.003-04:00

A prominent Washington politician dies and stands before St. Peter. While awaiting judgment he sees a staggering number of wall clocks; each with a name. His own shows the hands at quarter to 11:00.

The politician asks St. Peter what the clocks are about and St. Peter says, “They’re called “Liar’s Clocks” and each person has one. We use them”, he explains, “to help decide whether a person goes to Hell or Heaven.”.

“How much the hands advance is determined by how frequently you lied and how significant the lies were. That’s Mother Teresa’s clock and the hands have never moved. Yours on the other hand is about typical for a politician.”

Curious, the politician says, “I don’t see Obama’s clock, where’s his?”
“Oh, that one,” says St. Peter, “is in another office. Jesus is using it as a ceiling fan!”.

Amid fresh accusations that his recent speech in Wisconsin on immigration reform was full of distortions and outright lies, Obama supporters deny that the speech was cynical demagoguery.

Liberals have really gotten creative of late, twisting themselves into rhetorical and intellectual pretzels in their efforts to downplay and dismiss Obama’s monumental penchant for deception.

But Obama himself shows what a load of BS their explanations are. The unvarnished truth is and has been, Obama lies by design and for effect!

“I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different stripes project their own views. As such, I am bound to disappoint some, if, not all of them.” – The Economist, Aug 23rd 2008

Yeah, right...of course, it's their fault anyway !!! ... No really, we understand, you couldn’t have possibly said anything that would have appealed to, or falsely encouraged their expectations.

Rick Santelli, Knee Deep In A Sea Of Blithering CNBC Idiots…

2010-07-01T12:05:00.001-04:00

On June 28th’s CNBC Squawk Box, financial correspondent Rick Santelli finally had enough of CNBC’s goofball resident economist, Steve Liesman’s vigorous ranting of the need for and defense of the Obama administration’s continued deficit spending to bail out the economy.

Santelli, the person who began the Tea Party revolution during a similar televised outburst, in agitated animation described correcting the misguided efforts of the government in the simplest, unequivocal terms he could to Liesman, “I want the government to stop spending! STOP THE SPENDING, STOP THE SPENDING, STOP THE SPENDING, STOP THE SPENDING! That’s what we want, STOP THE SPENDING!”

Liesman continued to argue for deficit spending coupled with tax increases, "I just keep saying what the data show," Liesman said. "The data show tax cuts don't pay for themselves."

"You wouldn't know data if it bit you on the nose," responded Santelli, "Go read some Austrian economists instead of the funny pages.", or,
"Go back to Russia where you understand the state and the citizen.".

In an informal tally over the years, Santelli’s assessment of market, political and economic factors have consistently been correct while Liesman has been consistently wrong, yet CNBC continues to promote Liesman’s and not Santelli’s star.

Before the tide of idiots comes in further, swim for all you're worth Santelli on over to FOX. In that venue America will be better for you telling it like it is without a CNBC yoke.

Twits To The Right Of Us, Twits To The Left...

2010-06-30T12:35:00.000-04:00

At the recent G-20 summit in Toronto world leaders once again humiliated Obama by rejecting his pleas for further and continued deficit spending, “don’t turn away from socialism”, he implored. They, however, grasp what Obama fails to understand about the fatal flaw in Keynesian Obamanomics; trying to keep the world’s economy afloat with increased debt is a gross mis-utilization of resources and not sustainable strategy - they’ve already been to where he wants to take them and they know it is a hopeless and dark place.

Too bad for us that the tax and spend jackasses in Congress are as uninformed about economic reality and the need for fiscal discipline as is Obama.

Obama, Socialist Twit ...

2010-06-30T12:30:00.005-04:00

At the G-20 Toronto summit world leaders agreed to cut their current rate of deficit spending 50 % by the year 2013 and to stabilize their respective national debt to their Gross Domestic Product(ion) by 2016.

Obama, holding his nose and with crossed fingers, pledged the same.

The majority of world leaders however agreed to accomplish these goals through lower government spending. But not the US and Obama.

Obama has already committed the US to annual 1 trillion dollar plus deficits for the next decade. Escalating costs from his health care reform are realized during the very same period that the G-20 targeted for reducing deficits.

Congress's deficit spending is presently running at about 30 % more than our revenues. For Obama to meet his G-20 pledge cutting the 1.4 trillion dollar deficit in half and substantially reducing our 13 trillion dollar deficit would realistically require rolling back most of the new programs, including health care reform that the Democrats have spent the last 18 months putting into place.

What wonderful contradictions are these or just more political insincerity from a transparency feigning Obama?

Obama's bi-partisan commission charged with coming up with a deficit reduction plan is not to report until after the mid-term Congressional elections in November. Coincidental timing or political cover for a socialist loving Obama who has insisted that government spending coupled with increased taxes is the only solution to our economic woes?

House Majority Leader, Steny Hoyer announced last week that in the name of fiscal discipline and to control the deficit it may be necessary for Congress to allow all of the Bush 2001 tax cuts and credits to expire at the end of the year, resulting in a broad tax increase for all Americans. The same increased taxes would trash Obama's often repeated promise that no American families earning less than $200,000 would see any increases. Democrats running scared ahead of the November elections have already postured for preservation of the tax cuts and credits for at least the middle class and poor.

And if the US chooses taxes over spending cuts while the rest of the world reigns in the size and costs of their governments ? Well then it won't come as a surprise when we fall behind in economic recovery and fail to remain competitive with the rest of the world as our resources are squandered further in pursuit of the wrongheaded ambitions of an incompetent socialist twit.

Al Gore, “Rotund, Crazed Sex Poodle”…ugggh

2010-06-24T13:16:00.004-04:00

Way back in October of 2006 after what must have been a physically taxing and emotionally draining day of apocalyptic, climate change speech giving, Al Gore apparently sought out the services of a Portland, Oregon massage therapist for relief.

The Oregonian reports that according to the therapist she was intimidated by his physical size, calling him "rotund," and described his "violent temper, dictatorial, commanding attitude" -- what she termed a contrast from his "Mr. Smiley global-warming concern persona." She called him a "crazed sex poodle" and tried to distract him with a box of chocolates. But, she alleges, Gore fondled her back, buttocks and breasts.

Portland Police said they had insufficient evidence presently to charge Gore with a criminal offense. The therapist’s attorney claims the incident will be resolved with Gore as a civil matter.

And you thought "climate change" was all just about polar bears not realizing that the real danger is from poodles.

And Speaking of Double-Talk…

2010-06-24T12:51:00.000-04:00

Anyone remember, Attorney General, Eric Holder claiming on March 16th after the controversy erupted over holding 9-11 terrorist trials in New York City that Obama will be personally involved in the decision on where to hold the trials and we are just “weeks away” from a decision and announcement.

Just Weeks Away on April 10th Holder announced we are just “weeks away” from a decision and announcement.

Now Just 10 Weeks Away, nothing further from Eric Holder, but it seems Obama is worried about mid-term Democrat Congressional losses and has postponed the announcement until after the upcoming November elections.

Wanna’ take any bets that it will still be NYC.

Ken Salazar, rule of law...so what!

2010-06-24T12:19:00.002-04:00

Federal Judge, Martin Feldman granted an injunction in favor of oil industry service operators against Obama's 6 month moratorium on deep water off shore oil drilling.

The drilling ban came as a result of an earlier Interior Department report in which the department's head, Ken Salazar, had unilaterally inserted language calling for a blanket deep water drilling moratorium. A recommendation which he said had been peer reviewed by seven National Academy of Engineering experts.

The problem, the experts weren't aware of Salazar's selective editing. What they had concluded was the opposite of what Salazar misleadingly wrote - a blanket moratorium would only serve to punish the innocent through unnecessary economic hardship.

So did Salazar lie? If so, why isn't the Justice Department prosecuting him?

Judge Feldman saw through Salazar's political manipulation, indicating that the agency hadn't provided any evidence that greater injury would occur if others were still permitted to operate and overturned the ban on June 22nd.

A dissatisfied Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in turn announced the continuance of the moratorium in direct defiance of the court's order. Salazar said in a statement Tuesday the Administration would shortly issue a new moratorium with changes. He also told a Congressional hearing that even so "the (original) moratorium stays in place.".

In the mean time, the Justice Department says, despite Secretary Salazar's statements, the government will comply with the judge's order blocking the moratorium.

Really, how will they do that since at the same time Attorney General, Eric Holder has asked the judge to "stay" his order while the Justice Department appeals his decision.

In the race for slimiest, Obama Administration officials are still far, far ahead of spilt oil.

What’s important to Obama …

2010-06-24T10:55:00.002-04:00

It took Obama more than 110 days to have his first meeting with the man he picked to run the war in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal. That meeting to re-shape the war effort to conform with Obama’s wishes lasted for 25 minutes. Obama was able to squeeze it in on Air Force One on his return trip from Copenhagen in early October. It took Obama another 90 days to decide on the General’s request for more troops to implement the strategy of a troop surge. When he did finally act he gave the General a “troop trickle” instead; one spread out over 12 to 18 months.

After the start of the Gulf Oil spill, it took Obama more than 52 days to meet with BP’s CEO, Tony Haywood to discuss BP’s plan and progress in plugging the leak and cleaning up the spill. As important and critical as an effective containment and cleanup effort was to the Gulf region’s present and future economy, ecosystem and public health and welfare, that conversation lasted all of 20 minutes. 65 days later from the start of the spill, oil still flows into the Gulf and Obama’s Administration continues to throw roadblocks up in the path of local and State officials in their efforts to remediate and contain the oil.

BUT…on the evening of the SAME day he learned of General McChrystal’s staff’s derogatory comments and criticism about Obama and other Administration officials in a Rolling Stones magazine story, Obama, as reported by Politico, met for 2 HOURS to decide what punishment should fall upon the General.

So, just misplaced values in respect to urgency and commitment, or a leader focused entirely on the political aspects of issues?

What’s important to Obama, as it has from the very beginning, has more to do with his ego, than what’s important for the rest of us!

Oooh! … The Gore-Obama Wedgie

2010-06-17T12:31:00.004-04:00

For the last decade Spain provided subsidies at tax payer expense for green energy jobs through renewable energy initiatives. Now after reviewing the performance data, the government there, facing a critical debt problem and ordered by the International Monetary Fund to cut its budget, has determined it can no longer afford the subsidies.

A 2009 study in Spain on “The Effects on Employment of Public Aid to Renewable Energy Sources” demonstrated that for every green job created the regular economy lost 2.2 jobs and that the cost of renewable energies are 3.3 times higher than other traditional forms of energy. The author of the study, Dr. Gabriel Calzada Alvarez characterized the subsidies as a gross misallocation of resources by the Spanish government.

In its own analysis The Institute for Energy Research, in Washington, DC, has said that “the United States should expect a worse return from its own subsidies to renewables.”

How ironic is it then that Obama repeatedly and enthusiastically points to Spain as a role model for his renewable energy policies; promising that with Cap & Trade, “millions of additional jobs and entire new industries.” will be created for our country.

Yeah, sure it will, but clearly with an offsetting detrimental effect for the economy due to increased debt and job losses. What Obama proposes with tax dollars is net losses not net gains.

Obama has also used the BP Gulf Oil crisis as political justification for his renewed calls for legislative action on Cap & Trade. Though these are the same people who have yet to demonstrate any competence in rectifying the Gulf Oil spill, Obama nor anyone in his administration or the Congress has yet to explain precisely or convincingly how we cut carbon dioxide emissions by 80% without shutting down virtually all of our economy in the process!

Go Team !!!

Obama's 3 Letters ...

2010-06-16T16:04:00.003-04:00

The CEO of a large company upon retirement had some advice for his replacement when he was confronted with a management crisis.

"In my desk drawer are 3 letters – when crisis hits read the 1st letter and follow the advice." said the retiring CEO.

Sure enough, the day came when the first crisis unfolded and the new CEO read letter #1. The advice written in it was, “Blame your predecessor.”

The new CEO did as counseled and amazingly, the crisis soon passed.

Not long after, another crisis fell upon the company and the new CEO recalling how well the first had been resolved opened the 2nd letter. It read, “ Blame the economy.”

That crisis, too, soon abated.

Finally, a third crisis fell upon the company and the new CEO, emboldened with his earlier successes, confidently opened the 3rd letter.

It read, “Prepare 3 letters.”

Does anyone, after Obama’s oil spill speech last evening need anymore, to convince them that this guy is unable to focus on a critical task at hand and is only good at slinging a load of BS?

Mr. “I won’t rest until this mess is cleaned up”, Mr. “The buck stops here!”, and Mr. “It’s my job; I’m responsible!”

How many times do we tolerate his failures? C’mon, is Obama even credible anymore?

The leadership we need sooner rather than later from Obama:

Stop your political manipulations and maybe you can find the resolve to stop the leak. Stop the social and personal distractions on your calendar and maybe you can find the time and sense of urgency to effectively administer the cleanup of this mess. Stop blaming others for your failures and maybe you can re-establish some trust in your administration. Stop the green utopian jobs, pipedream crap and your cockeyed socialism and maybe for a change really, truly promote the economic recovery and relief America desperately needs.

If all we can expect from Obama is the performance we’ve seen from him to date, God help us all, when he gets that 3:00 AM phone call.

Shell Games ...

2010-06-11T17:14:00.001-04:00

With a public relations disaster for his administration and party as close at hand as the bulk of the oil spill is to the shoreline, a real economic and political crisis is growing underfoot due to persistently high and unyielding unemployment levels.

Obama, with November elections closing in fast and his party in near disarray, has renewed a call for Congress to pass another so-called jobs bill, to enable the Small Business Lending Fund. This legislation for an additional $30 billion - belatedly to target small business enterprises, enabling them to borrow money that Wall Street has so far been loathe to provide through taxpayer funded TARP bailouts. And he no less proposes to do it with money that we don’t have; exclaims House Minority Leader Boehner, “We’re broke!”.

For Obama there are a number of other problems as well. Significantly, the proposal isn’t timely anymore.

To survive, small businesses already were forced into action much earlier in trimming both inventory and payrolls. Understandably they are now reluctant to take on debt. They’re looking for evidence of a sustainable recovery before increasing capacity and risking capital again; rather they would have reductions in the cost burdens imposed by taxes and ill-devised regulation. Time and again they have expressed those needs as incentives to job creation, and time and again a tone deaf administration and Democratically controlled Congress has accelerated job destruction.

As to the money…Obama proposes that the funding come from unused or repaid TARP money. However, Republican representative Mike Pence of Indiana has inconveniently reminded the Congress and administration to do so would violate the law in that TARP legislation states in Section 106, Part D: "Revenues of, and proceeds from the sale of troubled assets purchased under this Act, or from the sale, exercise, or surrender of warrants or senior debt instruments acquired under section 113 shall be paid into the general fund of the Treasury for reduction of the public debt."

Of course before passage, we can all remember the endless parade of Democrats and Republicans who assured and swore to the public and press that due to the unprecedented financial emergency and the scope of the funding, TARP funds would not be used for the kinds of purposes now contemplated by the administration or others in Congress. Excess funding and repaid money would be used specifically to pay down the national debt.

And the Obama solution to skirt the law … the funds go into the Treasury where they’re co-mingled with other money. Congress will then ignore PAYGO legislation, which requires there be no further deficit spending without offsetting revenues, as it has done all year long, and passes legislation to authorize the new Small Business Lending Fund as further deficit spending. Get ready for it, here it comes …no actual TARP moneys are used out of the Treasury.

Congressional and Presidential resolve to comply with the law, it’s spirit and their own assertions and promises is as substantial and as permanent as an ice cream cone in mid- August on the Washington Mall – it looks appealing right up to the point the sticky mess drips all over the place!

What remains to be seen is how weary the electorate is of more Washington sleight of hand and charades.

Obama Gets TOUGH ... sort of.

2010-06-09T14:59:00.002-04:00

Now into the 7th week of BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill, America has pretty much resigned itself to the notion that, due to Obama and his administration having bungled the handling of the crisis, we will be unable to avert a major ecological and economic disaster in the Gulf and Gulf States.

In an effort to salvage something of Obama’s credibility, Hollywood film director Spike Lee urged Obama to at least display anger for its public relations value. "One time, go off (on BP)!" Lee said on CNN's 'AC 360°.' "If there's any one time to go off, this is it, because this (handling of the oil spill) is a disaster."

During an interview aired Tuesday with NBC’s Matt Lauer, Obama tried it on for size, though unconvincingly, as it didn’t fit quite comfortably within his line of rhetoric.

Obama said during the interview that “I don’t sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar; we talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers so I know whose ass to kick.”

More to the point, Jon Stewart on the Daily Show observed yesterday that with regard to Obama’s failed leadership, “The ass has been kicking you!”

Unfortunately for Obama he also revealed in the same interview that he still had not yet personally spoken to BP’s CEO, Tony Hayward about any aspect of the disaster; despite the campaign in recent weeks by Obama and administration officials to assure the public that Obama himself was personally in charge of the government’s and BP’s efforts to clean up the entire mess.

Obama offered a weak explanation that left even Lauer incredulous. “My experience,” Obama said, “when you talk to a guy like a BP CEO, he's gonna say all the right things to me. I'm not interested in words. I'm interested in actions."

Surprise, surprise. For someone who throughout his entire term of office has had to deal with the perception and criticism of being incapable of doing any real work to accomplish much more than giving “pretty speeches”, Lauer’s surprised look must have been a moment of real revelation for Obama - that anyone could actually expect him to make good on any of his own words – nope, the irony just evaporated over Obama’s head.

Image is everything, isn’t it.

Close Enough ...

2010-06-09T13:41:00.002-04:00

Over the weekend in an interview with Chris Wallace about Obama’s leadership regarding BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Haley Barbour, Republican Governor of Mississippi, quipped that “The American people want problems solved. And they don't need Republican politicians like me piling on. The American people are making up their minds pretty clearly about what they think of the administration's performance in this disaster. And I'll let it stand at that.

You know, Napoleon said never interfere with the enemy while he's in the process of destroying himself. So people don't need me to pile on or to talk about what the administration's doing or ought not to do.”

The actual Napoleonic quote was “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”, but we get the drift.

Who, Me ??? ...

2009-03-20T17:06:00.002-04:00

When asked why she didn't bear responsibility in the AIG bonus scandal resulting from the TARP and stimulus bills she worked feverishly to rush through Congress, Nancy Pelosi said, "Is it worth it to transfer hundreds of billions of taxpayer money, as Secretary Paulson asked us?" "What are the results? Where is the credit circulating on Main Street? Our people are afraid of losing their jobs, losing their homes, losing their pensions, losing the college education of their children. It's just not right."...

You're right it's not ! YOU promised us that TARP wasn't just for Wall Street. That it was needed for Main Street, for credit, to keep people in their jobs, from losing their homes, pensions and college education funds for their children !!!

It was YOU who tried to cutoff debate on the House version of TARP, chided the American public with 'they just didn't get it' when they implored Congress not to vote for the measure, mocked the previous administration for the need for the relief, castigated the Republicans for its failure to pass and then engineered passage in the House of the Senate version of TARP. YOU beamed with smug satisfaction when the stimulus bill was similarly pushed through without meaningful debate or review and then took credit for being the principal architect of its provisions but got 'pissed off' when conferees knocked some of your more egregious social spending programs out - condoms ! for economic recovery ???.

Your indignation rings hollow and hypocritical ... but then you're still running true to form !

LONDON FREE PRESS, Oct. 3rd 2008
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the bill was needed to “begin to shape the financial stability of our country and the economic security of our people.” Typifying arguments the problem no longer is just a Wall Street issue but also one for Main Street, lawmakers from California and Florida said their state governments were beginning to experience trouble borrowing funds for their own operations.

Pelosi said, “We must win it for Mr. and Mrs. Jones on Main Street.”

BOOMERS_BANK, Oct. 3rd 2008
House leaders said the difference was lawmakers’ work to shift the focus from the bailout of financial companies to the boost it would give homeowners, small businesses and individual investors.

“All the attention was on Wall Street, and we wanted to turn that attention,” Pelosi said after the vote.

SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE, Sept 26, 2008
Pelosi accused Republicans of "choosing to protect oil companies rather than schools, libraries, and road building."

THE AGE, Sept. 27th, 2008
When Ms Pelosi replied "it's not me blowing this up, it's the Republicans".

REUTERS, Sept. 27th 2008
"It would be my hope, that this could be resolved today, that we had a day for the American people and members of Congress to review the legislation on the Internet that we could bring something to the floor possibly Sunday night or Monday morning," Pelosi said.

CNN, Sept. 29th 2008
Republican leaders, who had pushed their reluctant members to vote for the bill, pointed the finger for the failure at a speech given Monday by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Pelosi, speaking on the House floor, had blamed the nation's economic problems on "failed Bush economic policies."

THE SWAMP - TRIBUNE's WASHINGTON BUREAU, Sept. 29th 2008
"When was the last time anyone ever asked you for $700 billion?'' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) asked the House near the close of debate Monday.

"It's a staggering figure.... $700 billion, a staggering number, but only a part of the cost of the failed Bush economic policies to our country,'' Pelosi said, blaming Bush for inheriting a budget surplus and turning it into a record deficit with " reckless economic policies.... "It's really an anything goes mentality, no regulation, no supervision, no discipline.

"And if you fail, you will have a golden parachute, and the government will bail you out,'' Pelosi said. "Those days are over. The party is over.''

CNN, Feb. 12th 2009
Pelosi, however, said Thursday that, "We're proud of the product ... this is historical and transformational."

"While we would have liked to had more Republican support for it, and hopefully we will, we stand as Democrats ready to be accountable to the American people for this legislation and for the results we predict it will bring," she said.

WASHINGTON POST, Feb. 12th 2009
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), along with many other House Democrats, was disappointed that the final package more closely resembled the Senate's bill than the House's spending-rich package. But she called the legislation "historic and transformational" for its investments in Democratic social priorities.

"Let's just say it was a success," Pelosi told reporters.

FORBES, Feb 12th 2009
House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, calls it "the trillion-dollar spending bill that stressed-out taxpayers feared it would be," after hundreds of billions of dollars in interest are factored in.

Nonetheless, Democrats are confident it will create at least 3.5 million jobs within the next two years. "We will be accountable for this," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters in a press conference Thursday afternoon.

Obama ... Messes

2009-03-19T15:01:00.003-04:00

Way ta go Obama! You're The Man ... one of vision, one of keen intellect, one of ... oh well, you're just the ONE.

House Passes Bill to Punish A.I.G. Bonus Recipients
by David Stout

Published: March 19, 2009, New York Times

WASHINGTON — Spurred on by a tidal wave of public anger over bonuses paid to executives of the foundering American International Group, the House voted 328 to 93 on Thursday to get back most of the money by levying a 90 percent tax on it.

When no one at AIG wants to work there to finish winding down the remaining 1.6 TRILLION - do you get it Obama ! - that's TRILLION dollars - of derivatives exposure; what Warren Buffet calls weapons of financial destruction (WFD) and their performance suffers we all end up footing a needlessly more expensive bill or God, Forbid, - AIG actually collapses then we get to kiss anywhere from 80 to 170 Billion goodbye for naught and who knows what ensuing damage to the economy.

All because you couldn't rise up above the vitriol and lead !

Oh, hell, I forgot ... financial ruin, class warfare, institution destruction, constitutional crisis, panic, fear ... they're all necessary for your Socialist agenda ... silly me.

Reining In Congress ...

2009-03-19T14:03:00.004-04:00

Musing for a moment on ways to rein in Congress's reckless and wasteful spending habits ... Here's a better version of "Pay to Play".

Most people know that recklessly spending Other People's Money (OPM or "our" tax money) is a seductive temptation our legislators just can't seem to refrain from; equally, most people understand that when it's YOUR money - either going into or out of their own pockets that there's a lot less carelessness involved.

Keeping this fundamental aspect of human nature in mind perhaps our legislators should be required to be the FIRST to pay their share of any bills they introduce and pass in the future.

Before they are called to vote, the Office of Management and Budget could prepare a report showing the cost to every American citizen for the proposed legislation and then calculate each member of Congress' share.

Let's not forget though, that we want to be sure to apply Obama Socialist Principle #1 - "Each according to his ability to Pay".

Therefore, while it adds complication and more work, the OMB will have to look at each member's net worth - and because we know these rascals have already defeated the financial reporting rules by limiting meaningful disclosures on spouses' incomes and financial interests, the OMB will have to determine their "household" net worth - and each member's share will be adjusted proportionately (read upwards) based upon how wealthy they are in contrast to each other and to the rest of us.

Next the OMB will need to calculate the carrying or interest costs of the legislation since we're already running a deficit and otherwise someone else will have to carry the burden in future years - since that's our children and grandchildren and they have no voice or representation in the debate over the merits, if any, of the legislation but will assume the expense of it when they begin working for their own earned incomes.

Again to be fair and since Obama has determined that half of the deficit will be eliminated in 10 years we'll use an amortization of only 20 years to compute interest.

Now, also since Congress gets far better perquisites, and benefits than the rest of us at taxpayer expense; for the privilege of being our legislators each member gets to prepay the first year's interest and that is added to their graduated share of the legislation's cost. The interest for each of the following 19 years will be invoiced to them each year.

When the clerk calls the roll for a vote, each member of Congress dutifully files down to cast their vote with checkbook, though cash is preferred because we all still remember the Congressional checkwriting scandal from a few years ago, or credit card in hand. If they choose to use plastic, they also have to pay the card processing fees.

Once they have a receipt showing that they have paid, each member can proceed to cast his or her vote !

If Joe Biden was still seated can you imagine how quickly Mr. Liberal would turn into a Fiscal Conservative ... Okay, you get the point.

Bullshit ! ... AIG, again

2009-03-19T13:47:00.002-04:00

"Listen, I'll take responsibility...", Obama said yesterday while traveling in California. He noted that, "... it's my job to make sure we fix these messes, even if I don't make 'em."

You did make it - by pushing through your stimulus bill which had the provisions enabling the mess and to top it off - you've never even read the bill.

So it won't come as any surprise to you when all the other "messes" start rolling in from that wicked little piece of legislation. Nor, should it surprise anyone else that true to form you'll glibly accept responsibility, without any intellectual honesty or genuine consequence, when they do.

Pelosi's Oath ...

2009-03-19T13:05:00.005-04:00

"I, Nancy Pelosi, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

It was reported yesterday that Nancy Pelosi, in addressing a group of illegal aliens in San Francisco, declared them to be the true Patriots - she also decried the actions of Immigration and Customs law enforcement personnel and insisted that enforcement of the US Immigration laws was "Un-American" and unacceptable.

What alternate universe does Pelosi live in? Airlines, to insure our safety as passengers, are required to periodically perform evaluations of the mental and emotional fitness of their pilots. Nancy Pelosi stands as the best example as to why there should be the same requirement for the political leadership of this country !

The Speaker of the House has a higher standard of behavior and responsibility than any other member of Congress. Nancy Pelosi has and continues to fail, miserably, in meeting that standard of office.

By law the Speaker of the House is second in line only to the Vice-president of the United States for succession to the Presidency. That puts Nancy Pelosi two heartbeats away from holding the most important position of leadership in the United States.

It is time that Nancy Pelosi be removed by Congress from her office, BEFORE she is capable of inflicting any more damage on the United States.

Black Wednesday ... Printing Presses to Crank Up

2009-03-19T11:13:00.010-04:00

To most people, yesterday March 18th wasn't all that different a day save for the hypocritical excoriations conducted by Representative Barney Frank and friends at the Capitol during the day long interrogations of AIG Ceo Edward Liddy and the news of the tragic death of Natasha Richardson, actress and daughter of Lynn Redgrave, and wife of actor, Lliam Neeson.

What mostly passed notice yesterday though was the Federal Reserve's decision to purchase about 300 Billion dollars worth of US Treasury Bonds (debt) and up to 750 Billion in mortgage backed securities.

In the preceding weeks, the Treasury Dept tried to sell more US debt to pay for the Obama economic and domestic programs by offering another round of about $40 billion worth of 30 year US Treasury bonds. Notably, the subscription failed with less than half of the amount being purchased because investors either, didn't believe the treasuries were a good investment, and, or because for the risk involved they didn't pay a high enough interest rate.

To pay a higher rate of interest would spur on inflation. Something the Fed is loathe to cause.

It was not a good sign for the confidence of investors in the future prospects of the US economy.

Now, in order to purchase our nation's debt, which is a direct consequence of an undisciplined President and Congress hell bent on profligate spending and unwilling to set realistic priorities - the Federal Reserve has decided to step in to buy US debt to help prop up our economy.

This is important because the only way the Fed can purchase debt is to increase the money supply and the only way to increase the money supply is to print more, new US currency - that is, dollars. Too many dollars and too much debt result in all dollars being worth less, or devaluation.

And cranking up the presses to print worthless dollars is a major problem because it too will spur on both eventual inflation and the devaluation of our dollars - including those in the savings, and checking accounts and payroll checks of every American - as well those dollars held by foreign governments as cash and in the value of the US treasury bonds (debt) they already hold.

Printing worthless money puts all of us on the edge of a terrible precipice - one that with alarming rapidity can cause our country and the rest of the world to fall into a devastating depression.

And the Fed is going to print 1 TRILLION new dollars !

This is precisely what the Chinese government expressed as their concern when they criticized Obama and Congress about his reckless spending programs and the potential to devalue their holdings in dollars, both as currency reserves and in US debt.

In their view the Congress, Pelosi and Obama are acting like drunken whores on a shopping spree with a credit card - a credit card that belongs to the Chinese. Reallistically how long will it be before the Chinese, in an act of self preservation and desperation, cancel that credit card ?

The rest of the world is very pissed off at the change in their economic fortunes because of all of the toxic debt and assets that were created here and subsequently packaged and marketed to them - they see us accountable for it. They intend to hold us accountable for it in due course.

That accountability is already taking form with discussions about replacing the US Dollar with another "world" currency - if and when that occurs - the US and its citizens will really be screwed.

Why weren't you listening Pelosi and Obama ? Over the past 2 months the Chinese have sent earlier warnings about their posture on it. And while there have been no public disclosures as yet, the Chinese have almost certainly beaten up Hank Paulson over this issue during his watch.

Obama is too concerned about pushing his Socialist agenda to give much thought to economic and other realties.

Pelosi on the other hand, famous for wasting tax dollars on jet travel, has a real problem with hearing, and comprehension. While she protests she supports real protection for US taxpayers and their money - she has a bug for the Chinese about their internal domestic human rights policies and treatment of Tibet, because the Chinese audaciously do not conform to her "San Francisco" values and beliefs.

At the G-20 summit Obama's pleas for European Union support of his economic plan was rebuffed by Germany, who basically said that his reckless spending was not the solution and more likely to cause greater economic harm to both the US and the rest of the world. Ow ! - that was a slap in the face, wasn't it Obama ?

Ironically, Communist China, moving quickly and massively in cutting taxes to improve its economy is acting more like a capitalist nation than the United States, which under the Obama/Pelosi's leadership has rejected tax cuts in favor of uncontrolled reckless spending.

The Federal Reserve purchases will bolster concern that inflation will accelerate as borrowing costs fall, said Jessica Hoversen, a foreign exchange analyst with MF Global Ltd. in Chicago.

“The Fed is basically financing our deficit by buying the debt issued by the Treasury,” she said. “If the Obama administration pushes through another stimulus package, the dollar is done.”

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2009-03-18T14:25:00.002-04:00

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go here:

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Brown Shirts ...

2009-03-18T12:34:00.006-04:00

Obama has planned yet this week 2 townhall style meetings as well as a guest appearance for Jay Leno's Tonight Show in California.

If you're wondering what the hell is he doing racking up more costs to taxpayers for transportation and security - which doesn't come cheap - to go to California when he should be at his desk at work in Washington ....

Well, take your pick:

It's the infatuation of flying on Air Force One for free - can't get enough of it, or,

I've never had a real job anyway, and I don't like this "tied to a desk" routine, or,

I'm still campaigning !

If you chose all 3 - Congratulations.

Now that Obama's popularity is starting to slide, and his budget proposals are taking heat on the Hill, it's time to try and fire up some grass roots support.

You may not be surprised to learn that the Obama campaign and it's members "Obama for America" have now become "Organizing for America" to promote Obama's Socialist agenda. Hey, same initials - they can still use all of those old, leftover campaign buttons.

Previous supporters of the "old" OFA, not to be confused with the "new" OFA, are being asked by the "new" OFA to sign a "pledge" to support the Obama economic plan and domestic proposals for education, health care and energy.

This coming weekend OFA supporters have also been asked to go out and canvas neighborhoods, knocking door to door, to garner even more support.

In the future don't be surprised if OFA organizers eventually finalize on a "Brown" shirt for the faithful to wear when they gather in groups to rally and pledge allegiance to Obama.

And Speaking of Honor ...

2009-03-18T12:16:00.003-04:00

Obama has gone out of his way during the campaign and as recently as this week to praise our service men and women; commenting on the honor they have earned and what we owe them. Yet this very same week, he, and members of his administration refuse to commit to avoid shifting the cost of medical services for veterans injured during service to private insurance carriers and subsequently causing veterans to bear the financial burden.

An Administration spokesperson points out that Obama is trying to save 540 million in the budget.

Honor ...

2009-03-18T11:57:00.002-04:00

Charles Grassley, Republican Senator from Iowa, in his zeal to blast AIG over bonus payments, called upon AIG management to do the "honorable" thing and follow the Japanese custom - for failure and dishonor - and commit suicide. A day later, though he continued to refer to the Japanese suicide ritual, Grassley tried to explain that his remarks were made only because he wanted a demonstration of contrition from those responsible, not that he actually wanted anyone to perform the act.

There aren't adequate words to describe how vile, irresponsible and idiotic this man's statements were ... ok, maybe there are ... but I don't want to put them in print !

Ineptitude ... AIG, TARP Revisited

2009-03-18T11:13:00.006-04:00

During his campaign and notably since taking office, Obama has been posturing for his Socialist agenda by pitting populism against the wealthy in America to entrench and further deepen the class schism.

Obama's latest overture - his recent "outrage" over AIG's latest abuse of TARP money - has been to exploit the same for political purposes. But in singlemindedly pursuing his socialist goals he's lost track of some other realities.

If he really gave a damn about taxpayer's money he would have "vetoed" the stimulus appropriations bill that wastes BILLIONS instead of ranting about AIG's millions in bonus payments. Given that he took such a strident position against "earmarks" and that he would champion the stewardship of taxpayer's interest - when it came to tackling the reality of confronting the political interests of Congressional legislators who sponsor "earmarks" - he limply backed away, saying in effect, "well, it's just an old business item carried over from last year; but we'll really address the earmark problem on future appropriations bills.". That's nice, it's only going to cost us 8 billion that could have been prevented.

Well, by signing that bill he not only squandered our money, but his credibility too.

Now he should re-think expressing his "outrage" over AIG.

Presumably some of these people at AIG have specialized knowledge on how to run that business. Unfortunately, we now own most of AIG, to the tune of 80% .

At this point what injures Americans the most ? Should AIG be abandoned and allowed to collapse - or do we continue to prop it up? If, it's the latter, then the same people are necessary to keep AIG functioning, and Obama's and Congress' rantings and threats aren't going to yield optimum performance over at AIG; to the contrary they will insure further failed performance. Yeah, it's piss poor that our leadership and legislators didn't heed the warnings or care and know enough about how to protect our interests before they rushed head long to pass TARP. But what is in our best interests now? It's certainly not the spew coming out of Washington from the politicians.

Obama also needs to consider whether or not he's setting this up for further backlash in Congress. Congress is going to be very hard pressed to justify the next 30 billion round of funding for AIG - and it's coming up soon - let alone any more so called TARP rescue for other financial institutions.

Secretary Geithner's and Treasury's accountability in all this is under scrutiny as well, with calls already for Geithner's resignation! Geithner says he will get all of the bonus payment money back from AIG. Wake up idiot, "WE OWN AIG - you're going to get it all back from US ! ".

Schumer, Dodd, Reid, Grassely, Pelosi, Frank and others are foaming at the mouth to pass some sort of legislation that targets the individuals who received the bonuses; interestingly those who are complaining the loudest bear the greatest responsibility for failing miserably to protect taxpayers in the first place.

The "thinking" of these legislators is especially dangerous - it is "wrong" when government resources are used to "punish" those who are not in political favor or seen as undeserving. In Europe, where they have had decades of injury, misery and suffering from totalitarian and fascist regimes, they understand just how dangerous this kind of political "thinking" is. There are real constitutional problems with what these legislators want to do, and they will be called to account for it.

Some voices are pushing for the bonus agreements between AIG and its employees to be blocked, voided or rescinded - essentially to interfere with legally binding contracts. If no fraud was involved, you can be certain litigation will follow and lost and the cost burden will be borne by the American public at greater expense than the bonus payments alone.

Because of Obama's ineptitude and his fanning the flames of outrage, responsibility for all of this can be laid at the Whitehouse's doorstep.

Lastly, AIG's abuses are only prelude - is there anyone in Congress or the Administration so gullible to believe that with the BILLIONS of dollars yet to be distributed from the stimulus bill that more financial abuses, fraud and voter outrage aren't on the way? Unfortunately, we already know the answer!

Yeah, this really is change we can believe in !

Nice Work ... If You Can Find It !

2009-03-17T15:48:00.000-04:00

How many hours of work a week do you put in...40, 50 or more? If you own a business it's probably not uncommon for you to work 12 or more hours a day, skip a lot of lunches and miss a lot of family events because of time on the job during weekends. If you're a homemaker, you probably work even longer hours.

Now how much time do you think Congress puts in for a full year for $174,000 in pay, not including perqs and benefits - which by the way includes an automatic $4700 pay increase that went into effect in January?

This year Congress is scheduled to work a total of 137 days - for everyone else a normal work year on the job is about 103 days longer or about 240 days.

The rebuttal, of course, is that members of Congress want you to know that they spend the rest of their time in their home districts working very hard - to get re-elected, that is.

Given the magnitude of the economic crisis confronting all of us, the limited number of days Congress actually spends on the job, and as precious as their time is, they apparently found enough of it to grind out that very vital piece of the people's business by legislating March 14th into officialdom as "PI Day" thereby promoting science and mathematics. It must have been a moment of tremendous satisfaction and personal pride, since clearly, quality efforts like this by Congress go a long way in assuring America's technical and scientific pre-eminence in the World.

Representative John Murtha, Democratic septuagenarian, said he thought they were voting for "Pie" Day - those of the fruit persuasion.

Apparently, my 6 year old grandaughter reads as much of the bills pending before Congress as our legislators do - though she comprehends more.

Ed Rendel, the Governor of Pennsylvania has something to say about Congress' work ethic - "How hard do you think Congress works?", he asks. "Until you can show me that you bust your hump every single day of the week—that you're working 10 hours a day, five days a week, and you have meetings on Saturdays—until you tell me that, don't tell me you're working too hard."

Personally, I'd rather see Congress not work at all, or at the very least not increase their hours ... for when they're on the job - it costs all of us a fortune.

Congress - please go away but more importantly, stay away!

Focus

2009-03-17T14:20:00.002-04:00

There must be a peculiar sense of vindication, albeit with a decidedly bitter aftertaste, for those who warned that AIG’s and the fortunes of other Wall Street miscreant’s should have been left to the judgment and correction of the markets rather than the misguided and incompetent meddling of our political leadership.

Now after 4 failed infusions totaling some $ 170 billion of taxpayer funded relief specifically to prop up AIG, our politicians are tripping over themselves to express their moral indignation and outrage that AIG would dare to use $165 million of taxpayer’s bailout money to honor employment contracts. Do these wonks really believe that they can deflect public resentment for the culpability of their own failures in this mess – that no one will recognize what is happening - that these very same politicians desperately want to shift the focus and blame away from themselves by scapegoating AIG? Well, yes … OF COURSE THEY REALLY BELIEVE IT or they wouldn’t be in such a mad rush to get “air time” or any other media coverage!

Certainly, AIG has a long laundry list of sins, misjudgments and missteps to account for, but honoring a legally binding contract is not one of them. And yes, it is one further abuse … BUT no, we should look squarely to place blame and responsibility where it belongs – on those politicians who enabled this latest abuse and the waste and squandering of 170 billion on AIG of our tax dollars in the first place. Those politicians rushed in boisterous zeal to pass legislation without having sufficiently debated the merits of it or comprehending its consequences. And they initially failed to provide for effective control or even rudimentary oversight.

“What the hell, it was only tax money not my own!”

If it can be presumed that no fraud has been perpetrated at AIG and that the company entered into these agreements with its employees prior to receiving any bailout funds, then what an incredible irony.

First, that our pontificating politicians have not shouldered any responsibility for the mess; that our government on our behalf now owns 80% of AIG; that AIG still needs substantial future taxpayer funding; and that if the Federal government tries to block legally binding contracts the resulting litigation will only cost us, the taxpayer, even more than just increased dollars of expense.

Now comes Christopher Dodd, Democratic Senator from Connecticut and the beneficiary of more than $2 million of the financial industry’s lobbying, outlandishly proposing that the way for the Federal government to re-capture taxpayer’s money is to target those who received the bonus with TAXES specifically designed and legislated for them – Apparently, if our leadership can’t provide and exercise sufficient judgment to prevent the wasting away of BILLIONS in taxes in the first place, they can smugly recapture millions by using the resources of government to punish those they deem to be undeserving.

Congratulations Mr. Dodd, your thought processes, and those of your ilk, are indeed proving to be truly dangerous!

Assuaging our politician’s “outrage” is only going to cost the rest of us more in the long run. And sad to say but better to write off this latest abuse of $165 million in bonuses and move on. The least we can learn from it in the future is to better recognize the spoon fed crap we will get from our current political leadership.

Still not satisfied because of the unfairness? Ok, then you want satisfaction. Fine - let’s see the outrage placed where it could better accomplish something more meaningful – not on the $165 million - focus on the $8 BILLION in waste of our tax dollars on “pork” in the last appropriations bill – the $ 270 billion in the same bill that had nothing to do with stimulating the economy – or the TRILLIONS of dollars of debt we’re running up. Express that to Congress.

Take at least one small step ... Send a Teabag on April 1st – it’s a simple, but powerful and symbolic message they’ll finally understand.

Tea Bag Pictures and Artwork

2009-03-12T16:39:00.002-04:00

free pictures and artwork - coming soon

Tea Party Slogans -

2009-03-12T15:51:00.003-04:00

Save America Now … Send Pelosi Home - Economy Class!

Save America … Shut down Congress.

The Tree of Liberty Is Very Thirsty …

Hey Congress, Before You Raise Our Taxes, Again…Pay Your Own First !

Born Free … But Taxed To Death !

Hey Buddy, Spare Us Your “CHANGE”.

Don’t Stimulate … LIBERATE !

Your Choice - 1776 OR 1984 !

Paying My Mortgage … And Now Paying Yours Too!

Give Me Liberty Now … Not Debt.

Obamanomics – “Chains” You Can Believe In.

Obama, Commander n’ Thief

Stop Subsidizing Stupidity, Repeal CONGRESS or at least, Pelosi !

OBSCENITY – Nancy Pelosi’s use of the word “Bi-Partisan”!

WE GET IT, Pelosi … It’s not Stimulus, It’s Strangulation!

Your Mortgage Is Not My Problem!

If Healthcare is Expensive Now … wait until it’s FREE !

Congress … The Rise of the Incompetent!

Democracy … Not Pelosi’s Monarchy !

Obama’s CHANGE Checklist:
Loss of Wealth
Loss of Property
Loss of Freedoms
Loss of Liberty
Loss of Dignity

Free Markets … Not Free-Loaders!

Next Time Obama Read the Bill, BEFORE You Sign it!

OBAMA The RECKLESS!

233 Years to BUILD the Republic … 100 Days to Destroy It!

Things Congress Does Well … Ok, I Dunno, What?

The Obama Economic Plan … Haste, Waste and Fear!

Liberals - Working Louder … Not Smarter!

I’m 5 Years Old and Thanks to Congress I Have No Future !

Obama Lies and America Dies.

I Want My Money AND My Country Back!

Foreclose The Whitehouse!

You Can’t Fix Stupid … But You Can Vote Nancy Out!

It’s The SPENDING, Stupid !

Hey EveryBody C’mon Over to My Whitehouse – We’re Having Pork, Lobster and Caviar, again !

Pork – Congress’ Charitable Contributions … of our Taxes!

If Everyone Else Is Being “Laid-Off”, How Come Congress Isn’t ?

If It Was A Terrible Thing To Inherit 1 Trillion Of Debt, Why Was It A Good Thing Obama Doubled It ?

Paulson - The China Secret ?...

2008-10-06T16:05:00.006-04:00

What if a significant part of the urgency, scope and provisions of the "Paulson Plan" bailout were due to and a result of pressure by China to have the US cover and make China whole for its US based losses?

A Political Nitwit (3)...

2008-10-02T13:01:00.003-04:00

In Congress, it must just be that Audacity comes along with the office furniture, carpet, lamps and wall decorations, too.

FOX news reported that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has spent almost $100,000 of the contributions made to her own political action committee, "PAC To The Future"; paying the money to her husband's real estate and investment firm over the past 10 years.

Curiously, Pelosi supported legislation banning the practice of paying a spouse with political contributions last year. At the time, in a press release, Pelosi said, "Democrats are committed to reforming the way Washington does business...and preventing the misuse of funds."

According to the Times Network, since Pelosi's husband took over as treasurer for his wife's committee in 2007 federal records show that his firm will receive 8 times the payments in this year alone that his company got annually from the PAC from 2000 to 2005 when the treasurer's position was held by someone else.

Last week, Pelosi's office said the payments were perfectly legal, insisting that they were for work performed for the PAC. The payments were described as "business expenses".

PAC's are designed to help politicians build political influence when they use them to contribute to other politician's campaigns. It is illegal for members of Congress to hire family members to work on their Congressional staff, but not illegal to hire relatives to work on campaigns or a PAC.

The Times Network also reports, "Meredith McGehee, policy director at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, said putting family members on a PAC payroll is bound to raise questions and, in some cases, allow for abuse. The reality is that under the current system, PACs are rife with self-dealing transactions. The laws and regulations could and should be strengthened...any self-dealing transaction by a member of Congress is going to get scutiny, particularly with large amounts of money and prominent members."

In 2004 one of Pelosi's PACs, "Team Majority" was fined $21,000 by the Federal Election Commisssion for accepting political donations over federal limits. She closed the PAC shortly after the fine was levied.

A Political Nitwit (2)...

2008-10-02T11:11:00.004-04:00

More lip service to creating an environment conducive for a true bipartisan effort and solution:

"The legislation has failed. The crisis has not gone away," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said. "We must work in a bipartisan way..."
Sep 30, 2008 istockAnalyst.com (press release)

"... not our bill, President's bill," Rep. Nancy Pelosi, (d) Speaker of the House, said.
Sep 30, 2008 WFIE-TV

"What happened today cannot stand. We must move forward," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters. "We are here to protect the taxpayer as we work to stabilize the markets."
Sep 29, 2008 International Herald Tribune

Sept 29th...90 seconds of ill-judged, ill-timed bile that helped to kill off any hope of consensus on Capitol Hill. Ms Pelosi said: "Seven hundred billion dollars: a staggering number, but only a part of the cost of the failed Bush economic policies to our country, policies that were built on budget recklessness...the foundation of that fiscal irresponsibility, combined with an anything-goes economic policy, has taken us to where we are today.
Sep 30, 2008 Times Online

"This is the Administration's problem," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters. "They sent us their bill. We did the best we can to improve it."
Sep 29, 2008 TIME

"When the White House and the administration described a problem, we worked in a bipartisan way in legislation to help stabilize the markets." Pelosi said.
Sep 29, 2008 News 10 Now

"It isn't us, Democrats, who are the problem.", said Nancy.
Sep 29, 2008 ITInews - Insurance Times and Investments News

"People have to know this is not a bailout of Wall Street, it's a buy-in," said Pelosi in a Sunday afternoon news conference
Sep 28, 2008 The Miami Herald

"The markets need a message from us ...we understand time is important," Pelosi told reporters.
Sep 26, 2008 guardian.co.uk

"It's not me blowing this up, it's the Republicans," Pelosi said.
Sep 26, 2008 Slate

"It's their problem. It's their bill. And they're going to have to figure out if they can support it," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said of Republicans.
Sep 23, 2008 The Associated Press

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday lawmakers are, quote, "committed to quick, bipartisan action" to rescue Wall Street.
Sep 22, 2008 KARK

"It's about defining a difference between Democrats and Republicans," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Sep 22, 2008 The Miami Herald

"The worsening economy demands another bipartisan economic recovery effort," Pelosi wrote in a letter delivered to President Bush Thursday evening.
Sep 18, 2008 The Associated Press

"This is their problem. This is their solution," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Sep 17, 2008 The Associated Press

"The red tape, which every time you seem to cut some of it, it seems to still be someplace else, and there's just no way to explain that to people."
Sep 15, 2008 IowaPolitics.com

"Americans believe there is a compact with their government to help them in times of disaster," Pelosi said. "People want results, they don't want red tape."
Sep 9, 2008 Gazette Online

Stepping Up...

2008-10-02T09:36:00.002-04:00

In a CNBC interview this morning, billionaire Wilbur Ross of Atlanta, Ga said that passage of the Senate amendment last evening for the "Paulson Plan" with all of its "Christmas tree ornaments" to induce House members to vote for it only shows why the American public is so frustrated with lobbyist influence on Congress in that the members can not resolve serious issues without resorting to political gimmickry.

Ross, who believes that a better solution for the financial markets and the taxpayer is an insurance fund program, and if structured properly his company is willing to invest up to $1 billion in it - further, he believes that many others are willing to put private capital into the program as well because "the math works" for all parties.

An Open Letter to Congress...

2008-10-01T14:48:00.005-04:00

Dear Legislator,

Please do not support passage of any Bill or Amendment that would make the 700 Billion "Paulson Plan" bailout become law.

You already know how enraged your constituency is with the prospect of having to shoulder the debt from yet another bailout plan for the misdeeds and failures of others.

More importantly the Administration is trying to railroad you into support of a bad plan with a sense of urgency that does not exist - this is a "you have to shake 'em up before you shake 'em down" alarmist approach by the Administration to get you and other Legislators to act quickly in favor of this plan without taking the time to fairly debate, and consider ALL of the alternatives.

Knowledgeable economists have said there is at least one month before action is needed to address Wallstreet's issues.

The "Paulson Plan" is a bailout that will, contrary to the Administration's assertions, hurt far more Americans and the American economy than it will help.

It will hurt all of us in these ways: First and foremost, 700 billion is an unprecedented amount of money in scope and timing that will add significantly to an already unsupportable national debt level. No doubt you've already heard that this alone will pose more than a $6,000 debt on every American man, woman, and child - or - more than $24,000 in new national debt for the average American family of 4 people. The impact of the existing national debt has already seriously eroded the value and strength of the American dollar - at the beginning of this year it had already lost more than 25% of its value since 2004 - cutting into savings and increasing the cost of nearly every commodity, service or product used by American consumers and commerce. This plan is a serious threat to our future financial security, especially if it is followed by further taxation.

Can you or any other Legislator seriously believe that the sponsors of this plan, who only arrived at a determination that $700 billion would be sufficient because it was " a really big number", will effectively counter the threat of trillions of dollars of exposure with this amount? There are sophisticated and expert financiers and economists, including former Federal Reserve Secretary Greenspan who don't!

Do you not suspect that as a consequence and once committed that you will be asked, just like the funding for the war in Iraq, for more money in the future - because failure to do so would jeopardize $700 billion already spent or because the Administration had vastly underestimated the extent of the "crisis" just as they were equally blindsided by it as recently as August?

Washington, unlike American business and commerce, does not have a culture of cost savings and cost containment. Can you imagine how vast the structure will be needed by Washington to administer, manage, maintain and market these "investments" , or the magnitude of the cost if it's outsourced, and for how long ? What will it take - 3 years, 5 years ??? Bill Gross of Pimco has bandied about the possibility of a 7% return - even if it was possible that's not net profit but gross profit. When all of the costs for the plan's administration are added up, there will be a loss not a profit. Even Secretary Paulson qualifies this outcome.

Pricing of these "toxic" (Wallstreet's own description for them) assets and instruments is paramount; yet this plan has no clear mechanism to assure the determination of a real and fair value that won't subsequently injure taxpayers. It's been pitched as "trust us to do the right thing". Well, poll after recent poll shows that overwhelmingly Americans do not trust the Government to do the "right" thing in this crisis.

I urge you to "step back" and recognize all of the Congressional Leadership's and Administration's posturing and arm twisting on this bailout plan and recognize it, just as the American public does, for what it is.

Please consider some of the other viable alternatives already put forth for discussion that do not harm the American taxpayer to the extent this plan does - Senator Schumer's notion of an FDIC-style insurance program to backstop these instruments and mortgages and make them marketable; the use of preferred stock for some classes of assets to give the taxpayer an equity position for their tax dollars; repeal of the "mark to market" accounting rules to establish an equitable value and market for the assets; and, lastly a substantial reduction and, or, elimination of the capital gains tax to instantly pump massive amounts of liquidity from private capital back into the housing and equity markets.

There is time to do this right - Christmas ornaments, political posturing and the notion that "a bad bill now is better than the perfect bill later" is absolutely asinine - no one believes that Congress will reform it's legislation later to make the perfect bill.

Americans recognize that this is a bailout for Wallstreet being packaged and "sold" to them as a "Mainstreet" issue .... if the "Paulson Plan" is passed into law, they will not accept any Legislator's plea afterward for having been misled by those who promoted its adoption. Gullibility will not cut it as a defense against a voter backlash. Constituents want representation and that's clear from the volume of mail, calls, faxes and emails that Congress has received over this - they don't want to hear that the American public just doesn't understand the issues and how it affects them - they're also smart enough to know that is just more Washington arrogance, suggesting the public is "too stupid to get it".

Moreover, Congress should fully expect in the wake of any passage of this $700 billion bailout, a wide sweeping voter effort to reform the "legalized bribery" of lobbyists and PAC's. The American public understands the extent legalized bribery has enabled and played an part in leading us into this financial crisis.

Nancy Pelosi has said, but unwittingly hasn't understood the implication, not only is the party over for high flying Wallstreet Ceo's, so too, will it be for the Congressional beneficiaries of influence peddling and legalized bribery if this plan passes.

* if you care to, feel free to use the above letter
Congressional Emails, Addresses, Phone and Fax Numbers

http://www.webslingerz.com/jhoffman/congress-email.html
http://www.conservativeusa.org/mega-cong.htm
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
http://www.congressmerge.com/
https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml
http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

A Political Nitwit ....

2008-09-30T09:08:00.012-04:00

is how Washington WMAL talk show host Chris Plante refers this morning to Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi in her handling of yesterday's House vote on the $ 700 billion bailout package for Wallstreet.

Pelosi emboldened by what she thought was the certain passage of the bill lambasted the Republican members of the House and the Bush administration before the vote with an inflammatory partisan speech seeking to gain political advantage for the Obama campaign.

Some Republicans pointed directly to the Pelosi speech as the reason for the bill's failure. Other House members, Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank among them countered that the notion Pelosi was at fault was absurd and a Pelosi aide stated that members vote on "the bill, not the speech". Frank also commented that he felt he was "not in a position to assess the reasons for the opposition to the bailout bill", even though 12 of his own committee members voted against it.

An interesting comment nonetheless from Frank, since Nancy Pelosi failed to deliver some 95 Democrats from her own Party in support of passage, including prominent committee and subcommittee chairs. Even though the Democratic party is in control of the House, Pelosi could not insure a Democratic majority for the Bill's passage, suggesting that 40 % of the Democrats found the bill to be sufficiently flawed - preventing them from voting for it.

The dissenting Republicans from the outset cited the fundamental structural problems of the bill and the saddling of the American taxpayer with a $ 700 billion debt burden - which they reported was the chief concern of their constituencies running at a ratio of 15 to 1 and as much as 20 to 1 against the bill opposed to favoring its passage.

Political Arm Twisting -

Generally, when Democrats and Republicans call for bipartisan cooperation most are really ducking for cover especially when it comes to legislation that is either widely unpopular but deemed necessary, profound in its potential consequence especially if it fails, or can be used for political advantage in upcoming elections - "If we work together on this and even though I may have to share any success with you at least you can't put me to political disadvantage and injure me if it fails!".

And all too commonly it's manifested in the practice of "arm twisting" by each party's leadership and rank and file at the back of the chamber out of range of earshot and the microphones. This is the political give and take of the legislative process of maintaining non-partisan balances and securing "deals".

Those members who might in principle be opposed to a bill and could be expected to vote against it but could be persuaded to support it are sought out by those seeking the bill's passage and it runs something like this. "Look, I don't like this damn thing and won't support it and won't vote for it", "Okay, I understand that but this bill is really important to me, and I'm asking you to do this personally for me.", "All right, but you owe me in the future when I need your support."

"“I do believe that we could have gotten there today, had it not been for the partisan speech that the Speaker gave on the floor of the House,” House Minority Leader John Boehner said. “We put everything we had into getting the vote to get there today.”

Minority Whip Roy Blunt said he had 12 Republicans who would have voted for the bill but changed their minds, while member Eric Cantor holding up a copy of what he said was Pelosi’s floor remarks - said the speaker “frankly struck the tone of partisanship.”".

Barney Frank complained loudly that it was irresponsible of the Republicans who said they would vote for the bill and then changed their minds after Pelosi's speech. Although, Frank knew full well that the votes reverted to their original opposition, not because they were "mad" at the Speaker as he said but because she and the Democrats by injecting partisanship (again) into the process had not honored the "arm twisting" deals.

No doubt Pelosi had the votes needed for passage before the roll was called. And no doubt her insults drove them away when she tried to inject a partisan shift in advantage that could be later used against those who had been "arm twisted' into supporting it.

Last evening Bill O'reilly reported that a 70,000 person survey by Fox news on the issue of who is to blame for the financial crisis, found 56 % attributed it squarely as a failure of Congress, with 20 % believing that unqualified borrowers were to blame, 19 % felt it to be the responsibility of "bad companies" (presumably, ceo's as well as predatory lending practices) and only 5 % felt that it was the fault of the Bush Administration.

Commentary last evening and this morning was divided along two lines: that Congressional leadership and the Administration failed to adequately explain both the urgency and impact on the average American citizen and those voting against it lacked "courage", failing to demonstrate leadership by virtue of a "safe" vote - basically, that the public, is "too dumb" to get it and that disaster is upon us because the bill failed! Not surprisingly Wallstreet, much of the press and the politicians who supported passage of the bill cling to this explanation and fear.

The other view is that in the rush to bailout Wallstreet that the American taxpayer is unfairly being called upon again to shoulder the responsibility of the failure of others - perhaps justifiably the American public no longer trusts Congressional and Administration leadership to get it right without screwing the public one more time - and they want all options to be considered; especially those that can avoid further financial burden now and in the future rather than the present alarmist "you have to shake em' up first before you shake 'em down !" approach.

Somewhere in the middle of all the chatter is the notion and growing consensus that there is a deepening financial crisis and some intervention by the Government is necessary soon.

All parties seemed to have pledged now to work in a non-partisan way to further modify the existing bill or craft a new one for the bailout.

Yesterday's vote though is just another ongoing example that Nancy Pelosi's zeal to blatantly advance her Party's interests makes her unfit to serve as Speaker of the House.

As one wag pointed out - "Bad Politics, Bad Bill, Bad Speaker - Bad, Bad, Bad!".

And another, "Congress actually voted as it's constituency wanted truly representing the people - Good God, what a radical idea!".

Well, Of Course, Now I Understand (2)...

2008-09-29T12:58:00.007-04:00

In the rush to "Bail Out" Wallstreet with $700 billion in taxpayer money and the resulting anger and outrage directed toward Congress by the American public is it any wonder that our politicians have made so much effort in their mad scramble to persuade us that they're "really" doing this to save "Main Street" ?

And if Wallstreet Ceo's are going to have their compensation limited why can't ALL of our politicians "give back" to the American taxpayer all of the lobbying money they took from Wallstreet?

Let's start by calling lobbying money to seek and garner political influence by what it really is - a system of legalized Bribery !

Wall Street Money - where it went in 2008

Barack Obama
Goldman Sachs $ 748,880
JPMorgan Chase $ 493,469
Citigroup $ 467,849
UBS $ 423,045
Lehman Bros. $ 393,324
Morgan Stanley $ 341,320

* Obama collected $28,000,000 from Wallstreet from 2003 to 2008

Speaker Nancy Pelosi
fin lobbying 2007 -2008 $ 468,232

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
fin lobbying 2007-2008 $ 1,409,992

Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd
2008 fin lobbying total $ 2,972,572
Citigroup $ 314,694
SAC Capital Partners $ 282,000
Royal Bank of Scotland $ 229,950
AIG $224,678
Bear Stearns $ 205,600
St Paul Travelers $ 205,400
Goldman Sachs $ 175,600
Morgan Stanley $ 155,000
Credit Suisse $ 154,550
Merill Lynch $ 135,950
Lehman Bros. $ 133,800
JPMorgan Chase $ 129,650
KPMG $ 113,100
Hartford Fin Svcs $ 110,450
UBS $108,500
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu $ 108,000
The Hartford $ 94,350
Bank of America $ 91,300

Financial Svcs Chairman Barney Frank
fin lobbying (top 20 contributors) $ 239,000

(data above from US Gov't via www.opensecrets.org/politicians/memsearch.php )

Well, Of Course, Now I Understand...

2008-09-26T12:32:00.011-04:00

Most critics agree that the current financial crisis was precipitated by excess, and the lack of both restraint and oversight at the GSE's - Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Obama, Pelosi, Dodd, Reid and Frank all complain loudly that the it was the Bush Administration's fault but they also fervently back and want to see salvaged the "social engineering experiment" of the GSE's that put unqualified borrower's into mortgages they could not afford as well as the current administration's 700 billion bailout plan.

And we are to believe that these folks at all times have the taxpayer's best interests at heart.

You Can Follow the Money....
Recipients of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac lobbying largesse:

Candidate Barack Obama $ 126,000
Candidate John McCain $ 20,000

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid $ 77,000

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd $ 165,000

member Jack Reed $ 78,000 member Tim Johnson $ 61,000
member Chas Schumer $ 24,000 member Evan Bayh $ 41,000
member Tom Carper $ 55,000 member Bob Menendez $ 31,000
member Dan Akaka $ 2,000 member Sherrod Brown $ 15,000
member Bob Casey $ 7,000 member Jon Tester $ 4,000
member Richard Shelby $ 80,000 member Bob Bennett $ 107,000
member Wayne Allard $ 20,000 member Mike Enzi $ 31,000
member Chuck Hagel $ 4,000 member Jim Bunning $ 33,000
member Mike Crapo $ 47,000 member Elizabeth Dole $ 1,000
member Mel Martinez $ 11,000 member Bob Corker $ 7,000

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi $ 56,000

House Finance Committee Chairman Barney Frank $ 42,000

member Paul Kanjorski $ 96,000 member Maxine Waters $ 17,000
member Carol Maloney $ 39,000 member Luis Gutierrez $ 3,000
member Nydia Velazquez $ 20,000 member Melvin Watt $ 17,000
member Gary Ackerman $ 5,000 member Brad Sherman $ 18,000
member Greg Meeks $ 14,000 member Dennis Moore $ 26,000
member Mike Capuano $ 6,000 member Ruben Honijosa $ 14,000
member Bill Clay $ 10,000 member Carol McCarthy $ 5,000
member Joe Baca $ 20,000 member Steve Lynch $ 22,000
member Brad Miller $ 18,000 member Dave Scott $ 17,000
member Al Green $ 4,000 member Emanuel Cleaver $ 7,000
member Melissa Bean $ 41,000 member Gwen Moore $ 8,000
member Lincoln Davis $ 5,000 member Paul Hodes $ 5,000
member Keith Ellison $ 2,000 member Ron Klein $ 11,000
member Tim Mahoney $ 11,000 member Chas Wilson $ 7,000
member Ed Perlmutter $ 5,000 member Chris Murphy $ 4,000
member Joe Donnelly $ 3,000 member Bill Foster $ 2,000
member Andre Carson $ 4,000 member Jackie Speier $ 0
member Don Cazayoux $ 1,000 member Travis Childers $ 2,000
member Spencer Bachus $ 103,000 member Deb Pryce $ 55,000
member Mike Castle $ 9,000 member Pete King $ 16,000
member Ed Royce $ 28,00 member Frank Lucas $ 3,000
member Ron Paul $ 3,000 member Steve LaTourette $ 17,000
member Don Manzullo $ 0 member Walter Jones $ 2,000
member Judy Biggert $ 17,000 member Chris Shays $ 2,000
member Gary Miller $ 38,000 member Shelley Capito $ 14,000
member Tom Feeney $ 14,000 member Jeb Hensarling $ 3,000
member Scott Garrett $ 0 member Ginny Brown-waite $ 21,000
member J. Barrett $ 17,000 member Jim Gerlach $ 17,000
member Steve Pearce $ 5,000 member Randy Neugebauer $ 20,000
member Tom Price $ 3,000 member Geoff Davis $ 21,000
member Pat McHenry $ 12,000 member John Campbell $ 1,000
member Adam Putnam $ 15,000 member Michele Bachmann $ 8,000
member Pete Roskam $ 11,000 member Ken Marchant $ 7,000
member Thad McCotter $ 0 member Kevin McCarthy $ 3,000
member Dean Heller $ 6,000

At Your Own Peril...

2008-09-26T12:24:00.003-04:00

You've seen the placards of the Obamamites blaring out the campaign's official slogan "CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN".

Now pay attention to what candidate Obama has to say about himself and what will happen to those who believe in him......

“Mr. Obama himself confesses that, “I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different stripes project their own views. As such, I am bound to disappoint some, if not all, of them.”” – The Economist, Aug 23rd-29th, 2008.

Yeah, right...of course, It's Their Fault Anyway !!! ... We understand faith just sort of happens - and really, it's not as though you could have possibly said absolutely anything that would have appealed to, and falsely encouraged them and their desires.

Check's in the Mail (2)...

2008-09-26T12:08:00.002-04:00

Hi, I'm Secretary Paulson and I can't tell you how this 700 billion bailout plan will really work, how much it will really cost in total, whether it will really do what I say it will or how soon, but IF it does work the American taxpayer will see a profit! Oh, by the way, perhaps I should mention, I won't be here anymore after January.

Check's in the Mail...

2008-09-26T12:06:00.001-04:00

Hi, I'm here from the Government, And I'm here to help you!

Obama Votes "PRESENT !" (again)...

2008-09-26T11:14:00.005-04:00

Presidential Democratic candidate Obama declares the present turmoil in financial markets to be the worst crisis our country faces since the Great Depression and after sounding the general alarm that millions of Americans and the country are facing imminent financial devastation and ruin in his very next breath says "call me, if you need me".

Well golly gee Sir, should that be at the beginning, middle, or when the last light is turned out? Do you not understand the meaning of the word "depression" when you invoke it to express the gravity of the problem and what it demands in leadership?

The irony is absolutely astounding...Obama, Pelosi, Barny Frank and the rest of the Democrats are pushing to saddle the American taxpayer with 700 Billion (what will prove ultimately to be only a tiny downpayment for the bailout) in debt for an ill and hastily conceived plan by the Bush Administration - the VERY people who they have roundly and repeatedly condemned as being responsible for the financial disaster in the first place!

What remains true to form is the courage, conviction and decisivenees of John McCain who immediately suspended his campaign and returned to Washington and his Senate duties to help resolve the debate and insure that America's taxpayers were not screwed one more time because the "Paulson Plan" with its Obama/Democrat "socialism" tinkering does not adequately protect innocent taxpayers.

Once again, regardless of the political consequence to himself, personally, McCain demonstrates his willingness to tell Washington and the President they're wrong and that they are promoting an action that will hurt Americans and America for a very long time to come.

In standing unengaged, merely "staying in touch" with Congress, as Bush did with emergency planners and officials before and after destruction was wrought on New Orleans during its crisis, is this not the aloof Obama's own "Katrina" moment?

Missing the Point (again)....

2008-09-23T11:22:00.015-04:00

Democratic Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi continues to incoherently harp about the ongoing financial crisis in an effort to extract political advantage for her party and the Obama campaign by chiding McCain and the Republicans that the issue is about "main street" not "wall street" as if only she, her Party and Obama can advance the interests of all middle class Americans.

No madam Speaker, it's not just about "main street" either - the crisis is about "every American street". It's about ALL of us; regardless of economic class, advantage or disadvantage. It's not just about dealing with the financial industry's woes, or the captains of industry, or the average person and their savings security, or in money market vulnerabilities, or foreclosures or whatever myriad other things that flit into your mind and you want to lay blame for and at the Republicans' and current administration's doorstep - it is about what comes in the aftermath of the resolution of the turmoil on wall street - it is about the future health and vitality of commerce for the nation - and based upon Obama's gigantic and oppressively "tax and spend" plan, which you endorse and support - if our future has to cope with that ill-advised burden too, then the future's looking pretty bleak.

Epitomizing Nancy Pelosi and her office, one Washington insider described the "arrogance that comes from perennial re-election", as preventing, in part, bi-partisan efforts and solutions for the nation's problems; so, after failing miserably while leading a "do-nothing" Democratically controlled House of Representatives, please, please, please spare us your shrill cries now for reform.

And when it comes to meting out responsibility for the current financial crisis why don't you serve up a sizable portion for yourself and your cohorts in the Congress for enabling the entire mess with your pandering to the greed and excess of the GSE's (governmnet sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac) all the while as a $56,000 beneficiary of their lobbying.

After all, YOU could choose to rise above politics and do your own job, and not your Party's.

The Sick and Twisted (2)....

2008-09-23T10:41:00.003-04:00

NBC's Saturday Night Live airs a "skit" that accuses Todd Palin of an incestuous relationship with his daughters - a new, vile low even for the "jackasses" at SNL - and re-affirms for many Americans just how far removed the media and celebrity elite are from the traditional American values of decency and fair play - and how hypocritical it is for them to complain of character assassination.

Youtube yanks a copy of the video from it's website to avoid controversy of being accused as a party to drawing Palin's children into public ridicule.

Not surprisingly the mainstream press gives little coverage to criticism of SNL or to the "outrage" of Palin's supporters, hoping to avoid claims of vindication by the Republican Party for its ongoing accusation of "smear" tactics employed by Obama's supporters in the celebrity ranks and liberal press.

Palin's supporters wonder why, in Obama's earlier magnanimity when cautioning his campaign that Palin's family is a subject "out of bounds" that he remains silent on this reprehensible assault on the Palin family.

Obamanations...

2008-09-17T10:18:00.005-04:00

“Mr. Obama himself confesses that, “I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different stripes project their own views. As such, I am bound to disappoint some, if not all, of them.”” – The Economist, Aug 23rd-29th, 2008.

Yeah, right...of course, It's Their Fault Anyway !!! ... We understand faith just sort of happens - and really, it's not as though you could have possibly said absolutely anything that would have appealed to, and falsely encouraged them and their desires.

Please Pass the Salt...

2008-09-17T09:29:00.005-04:00

At $28,500.00 a plate, the Obama campaign worries last night's California fund raising dinner and fete with the "Hollywood power elite" might appear to the average American that candidate Barack Obama is an "elitist", too and his only interest in ordinary Americans is to gather up election votes from them to serve his own ambition and Hollywood celebrity friend's agenda. Naw...Do do you really think so?

The Sick and Twisted ...

2008-09-16T11:51:00.011-04:00

"Lost Your Job Yet ? ... Keep Buying Foreign !", is a popular bumper sticker which laments the loss of American jobs to outsourcing overseas. Based though upon recent revelations of product contamination this and last year, by those who deliberately choose to injure helpless and vulnerable children - well, it seems then it could be argued that the phrase ought to read "Lost your Health yet?...Keep buying Chinese!."

The International Herald Tribune reports the Chinese government is warning that the number of deaths and kidney ailments in infants due to complications from toxic melamine contaminated baby formula will rise as it continues to probe the industry. 2 infant deaths have so far been attributed to the poison and 1253 others are reported ill with 53 of that number considered especially critical.

Other reports indicate that the contaminate has also been found in Chinese yogurt products, and that at least 20 % of the Chinese dairy industry is guilty of adding melamine to fake the protein content of the raw milk.

Melamine was the culprit in an earlier scandal in 2007 involving adulterated pet foods exported from China.

This is the second time Chinese baby formula was responsible for infant deaths - in 2004 phony formula, lacking any nutrients, sickened 200 children and left 12 dead.

And it calls into question once again just how meaningful China's standards are for consumer safety practises especially with regard to food handling and processing, and how seriously China's government and regulators treat those standards when they fail repeatedly to both report and act upon deficiencies in a timely manner. The Tribune notes, "Shoddy and fake goods are common in China, and infants, hospital patients and others have been killed or injured by tainted or fake milk, medicines, liquor and other products.".

One company to be found producing the tainted baby formula product is Sanlu Group, a Chinese firm that is the country's largest producer of baby care and baby related products with 43% of its ownership controlled by Fonterra, a company based in New Zealand - it was Fonterra that notified the New Zealand government which in turn notified the Chinese government of the problem. The Chinese company, Sanlu, however was aware of the problem as early as March and in August had actually confirmed the presence of the melamine, which they said was added by the dairy producers and brokers, from whom they purchase the raw milk, to circumvent quality tests. As much as 3 tons per day of the contaminated raw milk was sold.

Sanlu, said that it was "sad" it had caused "severe harm to the many sickened babies and their families."

It is claimed that none of the milk powder was exported to either the US or Europe, although the US Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning that some of the Chinese product may in fact be on the shelves of ethnic grocery stores throughout the US.

Last year adulterants were added to Chinese produced Heparin, a drug used to thin blood, and which was imported into the US and responsible for several deaths before the US government forced a shutdown of the Chinese factories and imposed a ban on the importation of any more of the product.

The FDA recently announced that it will step up its monitoring of Chinese imported products and that it will open 3 offices in China to assist in the effort.

The deaths and injuries to defenseless infants dependent upon a product for their sustenance and very survival by callous "entrepeneurs" is both obscene and tragic.

It's bad enough that US jobs and incomes have been compromised and lost by expanding the industrial capability of China, but it is further insult and injury for Americans to have to use their tax dollars to pay to protect themselves from those very same products now made by the Chinese.

As of today 8.17.08 - 3 dead more than 6000 sickened. 21 more Chinese companies implicated.
As of today 8.22.08 - more than 56,000 infants ill, more yet to be tested.

Do Anything, Say Anything To Get Elected ...

2008-09-12T15:41:00.011-04:00

Much has already been written about whether or not Obama seriously considered Hillary Clinton as a VP pick for his campaign - Clinton's ardent supporters don't believe she was ever on his short list because of the bitter rivalry and harsh feelings between them for the Democratic Presidential nomination. That skepticism has continued to fuel a problem for the Obama campaign in keeping those Hillary votes loyal to the party and available for Obama in the November election, despite Hillary's endorsement and direct appeals.

How ironic and painful it must be then for both Obama and Hillary. That Obama needs her to stump for him to keep his poll numbers dropping any further due to the Republican candidate's dogged persistence and the "Palin Factor"; and for Hillary, to need Obama's help in retiring the $24 million of past due campaign debt she still has - $13 million of which are her personal loans to her own campaign.

Or is it?

In their shared need and, even to Obama, the increasingly evident and obviously bad decision in choosing Biden as his running mate, especially in the face of a newly re-energized McCain campaign courtesy of Sarah Palin, isn't it in every way conceivable, the Clinton's and Obama have already brokered a deal for Biden to be dumped from the ticket and Hillary to move back on in his place?

As for Obama, embarrassment and betrayal haven't given him pause before; he's already demonstrated a lack of personal conviction by abandoning his early support from the liberal left in his bid to re-define, and re-create himself, and to be seen as a moderate Democrat. Getting rid of Biden in the pursuit of his naked ambition won't cause him any hesitation whatsoever.

Oh, how prophetic Rudy Giulliani's advice to Biden - "get it in writing!" - about any Obama commitment must now seem.

As prelude to a formal announcement of an Obama Clinton ticket, and for Biden to begin to bow out, Biden just confessed in New Hampshire that Clinton in every way was his equal in qualification to be Vice President and could even have been a better choice.

Bill Clinton and Obama met in Clinton's Harlem office where after the meeting yesterday, representatives for both suggested that they just whiled away the time reminiscing over the earlier primary campaign as opposed to being in any substantive and frank discussions and hard negotiations about how Hillary as the Democratic Vice Presidential candidate could help Obama stop the momemtum of the McCain Palin ticket.

Bill Clinton, who Obama indelibly labelled as a "rascist" during the primaries, and who does not like Obama personally, nor believes he's ready to be President, must be thoroughly enjoying this twist in political fortunes now that Obama, on bended knee, approaches as a respectful supplicant as he panders for Hillary's supporter's votes.

Clinton, for the ninth time, publicly announced afterward that he will do whatever the Obama campaign requests.

Watch for an announcement from the Obama camp to trump the Palin nomination.

Immutable Laws of the Universe...

2008-09-12T12:09:00.003-04:00

"There are no more wearisome things in existence than the apologies of the insincere."
- Luhrs

The Ugly, The Vicious, The Truly Offensive...

2008-09-12T10:59:00.008-04:00

Carol Fowler, the chairwoman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, on Sept. 10th announced her disapproval of Gov. Sarah Palin's credentials to run for Vice President with a personal insult to both Palin and her newborn child afflicted with Downes' Syndrome. Fowler mockingly described Palin as someone "whose primary qualification seems to be that she hasn't had an abortion.".

Afterwards, an Obama campaign member disavowed Fowler's statements and subsequently, Fowler said she was sorry if anyone had been offended by her remarks.

Interestingly, Fowler's husband, Don, a former Democratic National Committee member and ardent Hillary Clinton supporter was forced earlier to apologize for his remarks when Hurricane Gustav's approach threatened New Orleans in advance of the Republican National Convention; the impending natural disaster had raised alarm for major potential for loss of life, property damage and economic loss in the Gulf region. Fowler asserted the storm, "just demonstrates God is on our side".

Tuition Costs... One Strategy

2008-09-11T16:20:00.003-04:00

Government sponsored studies have shown that in most instances the selection by parents and students of a college or university for higher education is not a rational but an emotional process.

For the last 20 years, tuition costs have been rising faster than any other product or service in our economy and not entirely linked to either the demand for the education or actual inflation costs associated with it. Admission officers admit that many institutions capitalize on this emotional process by consumers, in that schools find that raising tuition rates attracts more applicants because families mistakenly equate high prices with quality education.

Even degrees from leading brand name institutions don't necessarily result in top paying jobs after graduation.

Aside from evaluating value for a higher education on a more rational, economic basis; one strategy that can save families, especially those that don't qualify for financial aid, thousands of dollars is to fast track the education by compressing a traditional 4 year program into 3 or 3 1/2.

Many schools have commencement programs for graduation between semesters, and by using Advanced Placement credits, local summer school credit transfers, and an increased number of semester courses the length of the time required for the diploma can be reduced - of course, meaningful results can only be produced if individual students are up to the task of shouldering the additional workload.

But importantly, it's not just another year of soaring school expense that can be avoided; it's another year in which to start earning income.

Fatal Prescription Drug Overdoses, Complications

2008-09-11T16:03:00.002-04:00

The Archive of Internal Medicine in July published a study showing that a particularly treacherous time of life is between the ages of 40 and 60 due to the self mis-administration of prescription drugs and because physicians now routinely prescribe potent medications for home use that had previously been limited to administration and supervision under hospital care. More responsibility has been shifted to the individual, who under the influence of the drug and, or because of the medical condition under treatment take the drugs improperly in combination with other drugs, alcohol or over dosage.

See www.arp.org/health/rx_drugs/usingmeds for more information on how to reliablely manage self care with prescription drugs.

Must Have Missed It ...

2008-09-11T15:15:00.008-04:00

It's interesting that the American public believes that the press is biased toward and for the Obama campaign, yet the press themselves believe they are presenting fair and balanced coverage; not favoring either candidate and certainly not in any way disadvantaging the Republican candidates, John McCain and Sarah Palin.

It would be unthinkable, wouldn't it, that the press corps could be subtley or even overtly pushing an agenda in support of Obama and Biden?

When John McCain, who all agree has had the most favorable access policy for the press than any other candidate, is held up to ridicule by the national press for stumbling with an irrelevant question on how many homes he has and Obama in similar fashion makes a statement in Beaverton, Oregon that he has visited 57 states and implies that the US is made up of 60 states and the coverage by the same press is nearly non-existent; then yes, it's credible that the public has an entirely different take on the fairness of press coverage.

Apparently, it would seem some in NBC management must finally believe so too, as both Chris Mathews and Keith Olbermann have been "re-assigned" and replaced by David Gregory; this coming after blatantly biased and lopsided coverage of the Republican National Convention by MsNBC.

He Said What ??? ...

2008-09-11T13:11:00.011-04:00

Barack Obama, at a campaign stop in Flint, Michigan on Sept. 8th objected to the McCain campaign's assertion that John McCain, was the real candidate for change by virtue of McCain's actual record of accomplishment as opposed to Obama's rhetoric.

Obama, complaining about McCain told the audience, “You can’t just recreate yourself,” said the Democratic nominee. “You can’t just reinvent yourself. The American people aren’t stupid.”

OK, doesn't he actually hear any of what he says ? ... afterall, this coming from a man, who, on both superficial and policy levels has diligently re-worked his own image, attempting to distance himself from his own voting record, memoirs, and earlier speeches on his more extreme liberal positions - all, in advance of the Democratic Convention in order to become palatable to the moderate left, press and public.

As such, and after widespread public criticism he now wears an American flag on his lapel, claims he never had Muslim training and as a Christian denounced his extremist, hate spewing preacher of the past 20 plus years, is the product of corrupt Chicago machine politics, yet assumes the mantle of reformer and agent of change, panders for the Jewish vote while downplaying his poor voting record in support of Israel, claims to favor 2nd amendment rights while voting for gun control, wants to pursue appeasement to resolve international disputes while dismantling defense programs, voted against support for soldiers in the field and pronounces he's tough on terrorism, and on and on.

The other notable thing about glass houses is the amount of light they let in.

The Color of Lipstick...

2008-09-11T12:01:00.007-04:00

The Republican National Campaign committee with the release of a TV ad, has decided that Obama's recent description of "a pig wearing lipstick" was not an innocent gaffe as he protested, but rather, a not so subtle and clumsy personal slam against Republican VP candidate, Sarah Palin, who had famously remarked a week before that the difference between her, and other "hockey mom's" and a pit bull was - lipstick.

On the defensive, Obama cried that it was he, who was victemized by the "manufactured" outrage of the Republicans over his remarks; but the controversy has not subsided despite Obama's call of, "Enough !" and for it to end. His subsequent explanation, to many, sounded like more indignation and a further attack. Other observers have commented that the more Obama tries to denigrate Palin, the more popular she becomes with the electorate; since they say, she, unlike either Obama or Biden, is more representative of the American working class population.

At best, Obama can claim that the remark was unintended, and thoughtless - an unfortunate metaphor with respect to timing; but then, if that were really the case, it's also probably reasonable to conclude that he would have been more conciliatory rather than as combative as he was, in acknowledging his remarks could and would have been perceived as personally offensive by Palin's supporters.

Or, shucks --- at worst, Obama intended the slam all along --- something similar to the time he leveled one against former President Clinton during the primaries; that the Clinton's were playing the "race" card against Obama, who again protested he was the victem.

Many have observed that Obama is a shrewd and calculating individual who prefers to remain aloof and at times can be petty.

In the video, during his Palin remarks, and after the audience reacts, groans and Obama sees that they "get it", he allows himself a wry smile of satisfaction.

In the end, the entire episode may have more to do with a reflection upon the poor quality of Obama's judgment and lack of political accumen in dealing with Palin - engaging her, a Vice Presidential candidate, in the first place, while failing to recognize that because of her obvious popularity, a cheap personal attack would be poorly received by the electorate. Especially, when he, himself, claims to be above that sort of dirty political manuever. By allowing his advisors to pressure him into being more "aggressive", he has, ultimately, only presented the image of a candidate successfully "rattled" by an opponent.

Honesty ...

2008-09-11T11:52:00.003-04:00

Rich Lowry, of the National Review online writes, that during the Democratic National Convention, former President Bill Clinton extolled Obama's virtues, promoting him as the best man for the Presidency, all the while that deep down, Clinton personally doesn't like Obama and "probably doesn't truly believe he is ready to be President.".

Standing the Test of Time (5)...

2008-09-05T13:20:00.001-04:00

A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.
Gerald R. Ford