Sunday, January 31, 2010

provisions that got snuck in might have violated that pledge

The Cat's out of the bag, and president Obama admitted it in his State of the Union:

The last thing I will say, though -- let me say this about health care and the health care debate, because  think it also bears on a whole lot of other issues. If you look at the package that we've presented -- and there's some stray cats and dogs that got in there that we were eliminating, we were in the process of eliminating. For example, we said from the start that it was going to be important for us to be consistent in saying to people if you can have your -- if you want to keep the health insurance you got, you can keep it, that you're not going to have anybody getting in between you and your doctor in your decision making. And I think that some of the provisions that got snuck in might have violated that pledge. [emphasis added]

How can we believe Democrats? for anything? note: ' think it also bears on a whole lot of other issues'
How do we know they won't sneak more provisions into their bill?
What's to stop them, even down the road, from sneaking more provisions into the bill?
Hypothetically, if you can't trust either party, then why not pick the party that wants a smaller bill?

Vote 'R'

Friday, January 29, 2010

Obama as... The Squire of Gothos

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/The_Squire_of_Gothos

Why is it that Obama seems to me to be a lot like General Trelane (retired), the Squire of Gothos, from Star Trek?

Trelane hunts Kirk for a time, but soon enough captures him. As Kirk is about to be killed, he calls Trelane's bluff, breaks his sword and starts to scold him, like he would a child. Salvation comes in the form of Trelane's parents. It seems that Trelane is essentially a naughty child who has overstepped his bounds. His parents, telling Trelane that it is "time to come in now", free the Enterprise and take Trelane away to be disciplined.

I keep waiting for Obama's keeper to take him away to be disciplined, and free us from this nightmare.

message: "Fine. You want me to cut spending? I'll cut spending! I'll show you! I'LL SHOW YOU ALL!"

The Obama administration stunned New York's delegation Thursday, dropping the bombshell news that it does not support funding the 9/11 health bill.

The state's two senators and 14 House members met with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius just hours before President Obama implored in his speech to the nation for Congress to come together and deliver a government that delivers on its promises to the American people.

So the legislators were floored to learn the Democratic administration does not want to deliver for the tens of thousands of people who sacrificed after 9/11, and the untold numbers now getting sick.


time capsule -- will it be individual liberty and freedom of choice?

Reagan, In His Own Hand: The Writings of Ronald Reagan that Reveal His Revolutionary Vision for America:

I'd been asked to write a letter for a "time capsule" which would be opened 100 years from now.
Oh I wrote of the problems we face here in 1976 -- The choice we face between continuing the policies of the last 40 years that have led to bigger and bigger government, less and less liberty, redistribution of earnings through confiscatory taxation or trying to get back on the original course set for us by the Founding Fathers. Will we choose fiscal responsibility, limited government, and freedom of choice for all our people? Or will we let an irresponsible Congress set us on the road our English cousins have already taken? The road to economic ruin and state control of our very lives?
If we here today meet the challenge confronting us, those who open the time capsule 100 years from now will do so in beauty, peace, prosperity and the ultimate in personal freedom.
If we don't keep our rendezvous with destiny, the letter probably will never be read -- because they will live in the world we left them, a world in which no one is allowed to read of individual liberty or freedom of choice.

Sept. 1, 1976

Obama has taken a government that was already too big and supersized it

Governor Palin's latest Facebook post on President Obama's State of the Union Address:

The Credibility Gap

While I don't wish to speak too harshly about President Obama's state of the union address, we live in challenging times that call for candor. I call them as I see them, and I hope my frank assessment will be taken as an honest effort to move this conversation forward.

Last night, the president spoke of the "credibility gap" between the public's expectations of their leaders and what those leaders actually deliver. "Credibility gap" is a good way to describe the chasm between rhetoric and reality in the president's address. The contradictions seemed endless.

He called for Democrats and Republicans to "work through our differences," but last year he dismissed any notion of bipartisanship when he smugly told Republicans, "I won."

He talked like a Washington "outsider," but he runs Washington! He's had everything any president could ask for – an overwhelming majority in Congress and a fawning press corps that feels tingles every time he speaks. There was nothing preventing him from pursuing "common sense" solutions all along. He didn't pursue them because they weren't his priorities, and he spent his speech blaming Republicans for the problems caused by his own policies.

He dared us to "let him know" if we have a better health care plan, but he refused to allow Republicans in on the negotiations or consider any ideas for real free market and patient-centered reforms. We've been "letting him know" our ideas for months from the town halls to the tea parties, but he isn't interested in listening. Instead he keeps making the nonsensical claim that his massive trillion-dollar health care bill won't increase the deficit.

Americans are suffering from job losses and lower wages, yet the president practically demanded applause when he mentioned tax cuts, as if allowing people to keep more of their own hard-earned money is an act of noblesse oblige. He claims that he cut taxes, but I must have missed that. I see his policies as paving the way for massive tax increases and inflation, which is the "hidden tax" that most hurts the poor and the elderly living on fixed incomes.

He condemned lobbyists, but his White House is filled with former lobbyists, and this has been a banner year for K Street with his stimulus bill, aka the Lobbyist's Full Employment Act. He talked about a "deficit of trust" and the need to "do our work in the open," but he chased away the C-SPAN cameras and cut deals with insurance industry lobbyists behind closed doors.

He spoke of doing what's best for the next generation and not leaving our children with a "mountain of debt," but under his watch this year, government spending is up by 22%, and his budget will triple our national debt.

He spoke of a spending freeze, but doesn't he realize that each new program he's proposing comes with a new price tag? A spending freeze is a nice idea, but it doesn't address the root cause of the problem. We need a comprehensive examination of the role of government spending. The president's deficit commission is little more than a bipartisan tax hike committee, lending political cover to raise taxes without seriously addressing the problem of spending.

He condemned bailouts, but he voted for them and then expanded and extended them. He praised the House's financial reform bill, but where was Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae in that bill? He still hasn't told us when we'll be getting out of the auto and the mortgage industries. He praised small businesses, but he's spent the past year as a friend to big corporations and their lobbyists, who always find a way to make government regulations work in their favor at the expense of their mom & pop competitors.

He praised the effectiveness of his stimulus bill, but then he called for another one – this time cleverly renamed a "jobs bill." The first stimulus was sold to us as a jobs bill that would keep unemployment under 8%. We now have double digit unemployment with no end in sight. Why should we trust this new "jobs bill"?

He talked about "making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development," but apparently it's still too tough for his Interior Secretary to move ahead with Virginia's offshore oil and gas leases. If they're dragging their feet on leases, how long will it take them to build "safe, clean nuclear power plants"? Meanwhile, he continued to emphasize "green jobs," which require massive government subsidies for inefficient technologies that can't survive on their own in the real world of the free market.

He spoke of supporting young girls in Afghanistan who want to go to school and young women in Iran who courageously protest in the streets, but where were his words of encouragement to the young girls of Afghanistan in his West Point speech? And where was his support for the young women of Iran when they were being gunned down in the streets of Tehran?

Despite speaking for over an hour, the president only spent 10% of his speech on foreign policy, and he left us with many unanswered questions. Does he still think trying the 9/11 terrorists in New York is a good idea? Does he still think closing Gitmo is a good idea? Does he still believe in Mirandizing terrorists after the Christmas bomber fiasco? Does he believe we're in a war against terrorists, or does he think this is just a global crime spree? Does he understand that the first priority of our government is to keep our country safe?

In his address last night, the president once again revealed that there's a fundamental disconnect between what the American people expect from their government, and what he wants to deliver. He's still proposing failed top-down big government solutions to our problems. Instead of smaller, smarter government, he's taken a government that was already too big and supersized it.

Real private sector jobs are created when taxes are low, investment is high, and people are free to go about their business without the heavy hand of government. The president thinks innovation comes from government subsidies. Common sense conservatives know innovation comes from unleashing the creative energy of American entrepreneurs.

Everything seems to be "unexpected" to this administration: unexpected job losses; unexpected housing numbers; unexpected political losses in Massachusetts, Virginia, and New Jersey. True leaders lead best when confronted with the unexpected. But instead of leading us, the president lectured us. He lectured Wall Street; he lectured Main Street; he lectured Congress; he even lectured our Supreme Court Justices.

He criticized politicians who "wage a perpetual campaign," but he gave a campaign speech instead of a state of the union address. The campaign is over, and President Obama now has something that candidate Obama never had: an actual track record in office. We now can see the failed policies behind the flowery words. If Americans feel as cynical as the president suggests, perhaps it's because the audacity of his recycled rhetoric no longer inspires hope.

Real leadership requires results. Real hope lies in the ingenuity, generosity, and boundless courage of the American people whose voices are still not being heard in Washington.

- Sarah Palin

Ryan reintroducing GOP health-care reform bill today

This is a fabulous health care plan, which attempts to solve the real problems that middle class Americans have with healthcare insurance. I'd prefer to purchase my own healthcare, by going across state lines, I'm confident I could get it for cheaper than this ridiculous plan that my employer has which cost me a boatload, and pays back, for me, almost nothing. I don't fault my employer -- it's the state of Pennsylvania that only has a few expensive Cadillac plans to choose from, we really need cross state competition. Either that, or I'll eventually be forced to move south.

I hope some of the Democrats cross the isle and vote for this Republican plan.

Ryan reintroducing GOP health-care reform bill today

posted at 10:12 am on January 27, 2010 by Ed Morrissey
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Democrats have called a halt to health-care reform, mainly out of concern for their own electoral health.  The big question will be whether Republicans take advantage of the opening.  While the public is entirely disgusted with this attempt at health-care reform, Democrats have been right to point out that people want some reforms of the system, and usually rank it rather high on their list of priorities.  When the GOP held the power in Washington, they mostly ignored it and left the field to Democrats, who shaped it as a populist issue against the big, bad, "villainous" insurers, as Pelosi put it last year.  Republicans have an opportunity to make the free-market case of dismantling barriers to interstate competition, reducing the role of third-payers in the system, and creating real pricing pressures that drive drown actual costs rather than reimbursements.

With the Medicare entitlement disaster looming, Republicans can't afford to ignore the opportunity again.  Rep. Paul Ryan apparently agrees.  He will reintroduce the GOP version of health-care reform ignored by Democrats last year in favor of their stampede towards government control:

Rep. Paul Ryan is re-introducing legislation in Congress today — amid criticism that his is 'a party of no' —  to offer Republican alternatives to health care and spending the same day President Barack Obama will deliver his State of the Union address to Congress.

Ryan, the House Budget Committee Ranking Republican and chief sponsor of the bill, said the legislation will "restore our long-held legacy of leaving the next generation of Americans better off."

The legislation, "A Roadmap for America's Future," was initially introduced in 2008, yet the version introduced today "will reflect the dramatic decline in our nation's economic and fiscal condition" since then, according to a release from Ryan's office.

"Simply saying 'no' to the further government expansions – simply maintaining today's 'status quo' – is no longer an option: our health care sector must be reformed; our economy needs sustained job creation and real growth; and we must tackle the greatest threat to our economic and fiscal future – the crushing debt burden driven by the unsustainable growth in entitlement spending," Ryan said in a statement.

The bill has its own website, and it should, because it rolls up several GOP initiatives into a massive omnibus reform.  It attempts to delink employment and health insurance with a refundable tax credit that allows people to purchase their own plans, which makes a lot of sense, although it doesn't address whether employer-based plans will get taxed as income. It also eliminates the barriers to interstate competition for health insurance, which will increase competition and lower costs.

But Ryan goes from there to Social Security reform through privatization, a plan that ran aground in 2005 when the stock market was seemingly healthy, income-tax reform using an optional simplification process, while only mildly addressing Medicare through medical savings accounts for low-income recipients. That's three major reform projects in one bill, and Democrats ran aground on just two over the last seven months with a supermajority in the Senate.  It's ambitious as a policy statement for the GOP rolling into the midterm elections, but practically speaking, this bill won't move with all of these components in it, not with Democrats in charge of Congress and Obama in the White House.

It's a good start, though, and as Ryan says, the American people need to understand that there are alternatives to government control:

In tonight's State of the Union address, President Obama will declare a new found commitment to "fiscal responsibility" to cover the huge spending and debt he and congressional Democrats have run up in his first year in office. But next Monday, when he submits his actual budget, I fear it will rely on gimmickry, commissions, luke-warm spending "freezes," and paper-tiger controls to create the illusion of budget discipline. Meanwhile, he and the Democratic congressional leadership will continue pursuing a relentless expansion of government and a new culture of dependency.

America needs an alternative. For that reason, I have reintroduced my plan to tackle our nation's most pressing domestic challenges—updated to reflect the dramatic decline in our economic and fiscal condition. The plan, called A Road Map for America's Future and first introduced in 2008, is a comprehensive proposal to ensure health and retirement security for all Americans, to lift the debt burdens that are mounting every day because of Washington's reckless spending, and to promote jobs and competitiveness in the 21st century global economy.

The difference between the Road Map and the Democrats' approach could not be more clear. From the enactment of a $1 trillion "stimulus" last February to the current pass-at-all costs government takeover of health care, the Democratic leadership has followed a "progressive" strategy that will take us closer to a tipping point past which most Americans receive more in government benefits than they pay in taxes—a European-style welfare state where double-digit unemployment becomes a way of life.

Republicans cannot afford to cede this ground to Democrats again, now or in the future.  By ignoring it for so long, they almost allowed a Trojan horse for a single-payer system to succeed.  Political parties have to offer real solutions in order to remain relevant, a lesson Ryan has learned — and hopefully can teach the rest of the GOP.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

John McCain's common sense response to the 2010 State of the Union Address

John McCain's common sense response to the 2010 State of the Union Address.

This man should have been president, he was robbed!

As you know, the president and I have very differing visions for the future of the country.

I know that the staggering amount of money being spent in Washington is a large concern for many Americans, and I share those concerns.

We simply cannot continue down this path of reckless spending.

Citizens continue to voice their sincere and deeply felt concerns and anger at the Democrats out of control spending and their push for government run health care.

The president and the democrats in congress have legislated a fiscally irresponsible big spending agenda that's out of touch with the needs of main stream America. Heath care accounts for trillions of dollars.

Each bill that comes across president Obama's desk is laden with pork and kickbacks for special interests, while the interests of average Americans are left behind.

I will support the presidents plan for a spending freeze, only if he promises to veto pork.

Democrat's can't say on one hand, they want to freeze spending, while on the other hand, pass a second stimulus bill. The math just doesn't add up. It's political rhetoric.

I proposed a real spending cut, legislation to freeze non-defense non-discretionary spending until deficits are eliminated. I will oppose a new second stimulus spending boondoggle.

Democrats will be well served to remember that average citizens have been cutting their household expenses for a year while watching congressional democrats spend money wildly.

Just this week Senate Democrats proposed legislation to raise our country's debt limit by 1.9 Trillion Dollars, drafted in rooms far from the kitchen tables of Americans.

Congress needs to show fiscal sanity, and should begin by cutting taxes and giving more tax incentives to small business which in turn would help stimulate our economy and create more jobs.

I look forward to working with my friend Scott Brown, senator elect from Massachusetts. The voters of Massachusetts have confirmed what we have been saying for a long time, the American people want change in Washington and an end to big government solutions to problems like heath care.

We need all parties to sit down and begin a constructive dialog that brings together all parties, to act on problems like real medical malpractice lawsuit reforms.

I'm confident that America's best days are ahead of us. Where we agree, I will work with president Obama, and will never hesitate to stand up for what is right.

FACT CHECK: Obama and a toothless commission

It's good that the AP published these fact checks, even though most Americans probably won't see them, but they missed a few big whoppers that I heard personally:

Obama claimed he inherited a 1 Trillion dollar deficit

The Facts: It was about $450 Billion, in fact, the average of Bush's deficites over 8 years is around $400 Billion.
And furthermore, the Democrats took their $450 Billion 2008 deficit, and more than tripled it in 2009.

___
Obama claimed that the Bush tax cuts didn't pay for themselves.

The Facts: No one mentions this, but the fact is that after the 2003 Bush tax cuts, the revenue accumulated by the Federal Government went Way Up! That's because the capital gains tax being lowered to 15% spurred much more economic activity.
The deficit went progressively down from 2003 to 2006, then after the Democrats took back congress, they spent like drunken sailors, and the deficit grew again to $450 Billion in 2008 and $1.5 Trillion (estimate) in 2009. The CBO now estimates that the deficit won't return to 'Bush levels' anytime soon.

________
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100128/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_fact_check

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama told Americans the bipartisan deficit commission he will appoint won't just be "one of those Washington gimmicks." Left unspoken in that assurance was the fact that the commission won't have any teeth.

Obama confronted some tough realities in his State of the Union speech Wednesday night, chief among them that Americans are continuing to lose their health insurance as Congress struggles to pass an overhaul.

Yet some of his ideas for moving ahead skirted the complex political circumstances standing in his way.

A look at some of Obama's claims and how they compare with the facts:

___

OBAMA: "Starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze government spending for three years. Spending related to our national security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will not be affected. But all other discretionary government programs will. Like any cash-strapped family, we will work within a budget to invest in what we need and sacrifice what we don't."

THE FACTS: The anticipated savings from this proposal would amount to less than 1 percent of the deficit — and that's if the president can persuade Congress to go along.

Obama is a convert to the cause of broad spending freezes. In the presidential campaign, he criticized Republican opponent John McCain for suggesting one. "The problem with a spending freeze is you're using a hatchet where you need a scalpel," he said a month before the election. Now, Obama wants domestic spending held steady in most areas where the government can control year-to-year costs. The proposal is similar to McCain's.

___

OBAMA: "I've called for a bipartisan fiscal commission, modeled on a proposal by Republican Judd Gregg and Democrat Kent Conrad. This can't be one of those Washington gimmicks that lets us pretend we solved a problem. The commission will have to provide a specific set of solutions by a certain deadline. Yesterday, the Senate blocked a bill that would have created this commission. So I will issue an executive order that will allow us to go forward, because I refuse to pass this problem on to another generation of Americans."

THE FACTS: Any commission that Obama creates would be a weak substitute for what he really wanted — a commission created by Congress that could force lawmakers to consider unpopular remedies to reduce the debt, including curbing politically sensitive entitlements like Social Security and Medicare. That idea crashed in the Senate this week, defeated by equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans. Any commission set up by Obama alone would lack authority to force its recommendations before Congress, and would stand almost no chance of success.

___

OBAMA: Discussing his health care initiative, he said, "Our approach would preserve the right of Americans who have insurance to keep their doctor and their plan."

THE FACTS: The Democratic legislation now hanging in limbo on Capitol Hill aims to keep people with employer-sponsored coverage — the majority of Americans under age 65 — in the plans they already have. But Obama can't guarantee people won't see higher rates or fewer benefits in their existing plans. Because of elements such as new taxes on insurance companies, insurers could change what they offer or how much it costs. Moreover, Democrats have proposed a series of changes to the Medicare program for people 65 and older that would certainly pinch benefits enjoyed by some seniors. The Congressional Budget Office has predicted cuts for those enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans.

___

OBAMA: The president issued a populist broadside against lobbyists, saying they have "outsized influence" over the government. He said his administration has "excluded lobbyists from policymaking jobs." He also said it's time to "require lobbyists to disclose each contact they make on behalf of a client with my administration or Congress" and "to put strict limits on the contributions that lobbyists give to candidates for federal office."

THE FACTS: Obama has limited the hiring of lobbyists for administration jobs, but the ban isn't absolute; seven waivers from the ban have been granted to White House officials alone. Getting lobbyists to report every contact they make with the federal government would be difficult at best; Congress would have to change the law, and that's unlikely to happen. And lobbyists already are subject to strict limits on political giving. Just like every other American, they're limited to giving $2,400 per election to federal candidates, with an overall ceiling of $115,500 every two years.

___

OBAMA: "Because of the steps we took, there are about 2 million Americans working right now who would otherwise be unemployed. ... And we are on track to add another one and a half million jobs to this total by the end of the year."

THE FACTS: The success of the Obama-pushed economic stimulus that Congress approved early last year has been an ongoing point of contention. In December, the administration reported that recipients of direct assistance from the government created or saved about 650,000 jobs. The number was based on self-reporting by recipients and some of the calculations were shown to be in error.

The Congressional Budget Office has been much more guarded than Obama in characterizing the success of the stimulus plan. In November, it reported that the stimulus increased the number of people employed by between 600,000 and 1.6 million "compared with what those values would have been otherwise." It said the ranges "reflect the uncertainty of such estimates." And it added, "It is impossible to determine how many of the reported jobs would have existed in the absence of the stimulus package."

___

OBAMA: He called for action by the White House and Congress "to do our work openly, and to give our people the government they deserve."

THE FACTS: Obama skipped past a broken promise from his campaign — to have the negotiations for health care legislation broadcast on C-SPAN "so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents, and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies." Instead, Democrats in the White House and Congress have conducted the usual private negotiations, making multibillion-dollar deals with hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and other stakeholders behind closed doors. Nor has Obama lived up consistently to his pledge to ensure that legislation is posted online for five days before it's acted upon.

___

OBAMA: "The United States and Russia are completing negotiations on the farthest-reaching arms control treaty in nearly two decades."

THE FACTS: Despite insisting early last year that they would complete the negotiations in time to avoid expiration of the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in early December, the U.S. and Russia failed to do so. And while officials say they think a deal on a new treaty is within reach, there has been no breakthrough. A new round of talks is set to start Monday. One important sticking point: disagreement over including missile defense issues in a new accord. If completed, the new deal may arguably be the farthest-reaching arms control treaty since the original 1991 agreement. An interim deal reached in 2002 did not include its own rules on verifying nuclear reductions.

___

OBAMA: Drawing on classified information, he claimed more success than his predecessor at killing terrorists: "And in the last year, hundreds of al-Qaida's fighters and affiliates, including many senior leaders, have been captured or killed — far more than in 2008."

THE FACTS: It is an impossible claim to verify. Neither the Bush nor the Obama administration has published enemy body counts, particularly those targeted by armed drones in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region. The pace of drone attacks has increased dramatically in the last 18 months, according to congressional officials briefed on the secret program.

___

Associated Press writers Jim Kuhnhenn, Jim Drinkard, Erica Werner, Robert Burns and Pamela Hess contributed to this report.


Obama: 'I don't quit'

Declares in speech, 'I don't quit'...


When Bush did that, you and other liberals in the media said he was pig headed.
The truth is that Bush didn't quit because his course was the correct one.
He won the war in Iraq, and he kept unemployment at about 4% (until Democrats took congress in 2007).

Obama really OUGHT TO QUIT, because the road he is on will take us further down the road to economic ruin!

It's not too late, Obama can change course now and will reap the benefits, if he does, if he lowers taxes on small business, I will cheer him on!


Obama Embraces Limbaugh policy - eliminate capital gains on small business, tax credits.

I didn't watch the speech, I couldn't stomach more that 2 minutes of Obama speaking, I had to resist the urge to puncture my ear drums with two sharp pencils.

But I read this, this is actually good news if the Democrats follow through! 

The capital gains idea will help, but actually, small business doesn't really have capital gains for the most part because they reinvest most of that.  Also, the tax break for hiring is too short term, it is a one time idea that may give a slight bump to employment, but down the road what small business really needs is a permanent tax cut.

With any luck, Republicans will retake the house this fall, and by 2011 they will take this idea where it needs to go. But hey, this is a good start.

----------

BREAKING: Obama Embraces Limbaugh Policy Ideas

Obama the Great is giving his State of the Union Address and in it he just said that his plan to stimulate the economy and create jobs will involve giving tax credits to small businesses and ELIMINATING the capital gains tax on small businesses. He also talked of corporate tax breaks.

This is nearly the exact thing Rush Limbaugh TOLD Obama needed to be done. On January 26th of last year, six days after the coronation, Limbaugh proposed the Obama-Limbaugh Bipartisan Stimulus Plan of 2009. In it he said that his part of the plan would include tax cuts:

These tax cuts will consist primarily of capital gains tax cuts and corporate tax rate cuts.

Limbaugh said that the way to stimulate the economy and create jobs was to cut the capital gains tax and the corporate tax. This was poo pooed by the left who claim that tax cuts do not achieve the stated goals and that only spending will work. Obama opted for the spending and unemployment is now at 10% and his Stimulus has been a bust.

Tonight Obama embraced the wisdom of Rush Limbaugh. He did not go for it in total because he only wants to cut small business capital gains on investments and Limbaugh called for a capital gains tax cut on individual capital gains as well. But this is a start.

By making this proposal, Barack Obama has admitted that the liberal ideology is wrong. He has admitted that liberal tax and spend policies do not work. He has admitted that liberalism and its ways is a complete hoax.

And he has admitted that Limbaugh was right.

He has embraced the conservative principle of tax cuts to stimulate. He has taken the advice of the man he tried to demonize only a few short months ago.

Rush Limbaugh was right and Obama was wrong. Obama as much as admitted that.

Make no mistake. Obama is trying to appeal to an electorate (particularly Independents) that is fed up with the way he is running things. He is trying to stop the bleeding from the wounds of the Brown victory in Massachusetts. He is taking this approach to try and win in November.

But he has thrown his party and its ideology under the bus. When things get better the country will see that liberalism is a failed exercise in futility.

And they will see that Limbaugh was right all along.


NASA no longer explores space, now simply does climate change

Sad sad news. The one government program/agency that actually works, and as a side effect, generates lots of useful new technology and employs many with advanced degrees, is going all 'global warming' on us, basically to hell in a handbasket. This is just crazy, NASA is for space exploration, not climate change.

This isn't good for NASA... and dare I say, it isn't good for the country:

NASA's plans to return astronauts to the moon are dead. So are the rockets being designed to take them there, if President Obama gets his way.

When the White House releases its budget proposal Monday, there will be no money for the Constellation program that was to return humans to the moon by 2020. The Ares I rocket that was to replace the space shuttle to ferry humans to space will be gone, along with money for the Ares V cargo rocket that was to launch the fuel and supplies needed to return to the moon. There will be no lunar landers, no moon bases.

"We certainly don't need to go back to the moon," one administration official said.

Instead, according to White House insiders, agency officials, industry executives and congressional sources familiar with Obama's plans, NASA will look at developing a "heavy-lift" rocket that one day will take humans and robots to explore beyond low-Earth orbit. That day will be years away.

The White House will direct NASA to concentrate on Earth-science projects -- principally, researching and monitoring climate change -- and on a new technology research and development program designed to someday enable human exploration of asteroids and the inner solar system.


In 2003, Mars came within 35 million miles of Earth, a 60,000-year record.

Darn, that address was so boring and predictable. He's not the same orator that ran for office, is he? He was better as an candidate than he is as a statesman.

This state of the union was really boring because Obama was boring, and sounded jaded at best, and of course there were no 'You Lie' outbreaks, even though every other statement was less than truthful.

So instead of sending boring articles about a boring speech, I'll send something interesting:

> In 2003, Mars came within 35 million miles of Earth, a 60,000-year record.

That's really amazing if you think about it!

Best View of Mars From Earth in 6 Years on Wednesday

hubble_mars

On Jan. 27, Mars will be closer to Earth than any other time between 2008 and 2014. A mere 60 million miles away, the red planet will be a great target for backyard telescopes, and will appear bright to the naked eye as well.

Every 26 months, the two planets' orbits bring them closer together, sometimes closer than others. In 2003, Mars came within 35 million miles of Earth, a 60,000-year record.

Observers with a telescope will be able to see changes over the north pole of Mars as the carbon dioxide ice cap is nearing summer and evaporating into gas that affects the polar clouds. (If any of our reader-astronomers catch a nice image, send it our way!)

From the ground, Mars will look like an orange star almost as bright as Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. The display may actually be best on Friday, Jan. 29, when Mars will rise alongside the first full moon of the year, directly opposite the sun.

For help locating Mars, view NASA's full sky maps for Jan. 27, 28 and 29.

Image: NASA


Wednesday, January 27, 2010

An excellent Republican response to the State of the Union

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell delivered an excellent response!

1 in 10 American workers is unemployed. That is unacceptable. 

Good government policy should spur economic growth, and strengthen the private sector's ability to create new jobs. 

We must enact policies that promote entrepreneurship and innovation, so America can better compete with the world. 

What government should not do is pile on more taxation, regulation, and litigation that kill jobs and hurt the middle class. 

It was Thomas Jefferson who called for "A wise and frugal Government which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry ….and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned…" He was right. 

Today, the federal government is simply trying to do too much. 

Last year, we were told that massive new federal spending would create more jobs 'immediately' and hold unemployment below 8%. 

In the past year, over three million Americans have lost their jobs, yet the Democratic Congress continues deficit spending, adding to the bureaucracy, and increasing the national debt on our children and grandchildren. 

The amount of this debt is on pace to double in five years, and triple in ten. The federal debt is already over $100,000 per household. 

This is simply unsustainable. The President's partial freeze on discretionary spending is a laudable step, but a small one. 

The circumstances of our time demand that we reconsider and restore the proper, limited role of government at every level. 

Without reform, the excessive growth of government threatens our very liberty and prosperity. 

All Americans agree, we need a health care system that is affordable, accessible, and high quality. 

But most Americans do not want to turn over the best medical care system in the world to the federal government. 

Republicans in Congress have offered legislation to reform healthcare, without shifting Medicaid costs to the states, without cutting Medicare, and without raising your taxes. 

We will do that by implementing common sense reforms, like letting families and businesses buy health insurance policies across state lines, and ending frivolous lawsuits against doctors and hospitals that drive up the cost of your healthcare. 

And our solutions aren't thousand-page bills that no one has fully read, after being crafted behind closed doors with special interests. 

In fact, many of our proposals are available online at solutions.gop.gov, and we welcome your ideas on Facebook and Twitter. 

All Americans agree, this nation must become more energy independent and secure. 

We are blessed here in America with vast natural resources, and we must use them all. 

Advances in technology can unleash more natural gas, nuclear, wind, coal, and alternative energy to lower your utility bills. 

Here in Virginia, we have the opportunity to be the first state on the East Coast to explore for and produce oil and natural gas offshore. 

But this Administration's policies are delaying offshore production, hindering nuclear energy expansion, and seeking to impose job-killing cap and trade energy taxes. 

Now is the time to adopt innovative energy policies that create jobs and lower energy prices. 

Americans were shocked on Christmas Day to learn of the attempted bombing of a flight to Detroit. This foreign terror suspect was given the same legal rights as a U.S. citizen, and immediately stopped providing critical intelligence. 

As Senator-elect Scott Brown says, we should be spending taxpayer dollars to defeat terrorists, not to protect them. 

Here at home government must help foster a society in which all our people can use their God-given talents in liberty to pursue the American Dream. Republicans know that government cannot guarantee individual outcomes, but we strongly believe that it must guarantee equality of opportunity for all. 

That opportunity exists best in a democracy which promotes free enterprise, economic growth, strong families, and individual achievement. 

Many Americans are concerned about this Administration's efforts to exert greater control over car companies, banks, energy and health care. 

Over-regulating employers won't create more employment; overtaxing investors won't foster more investment. 

Top-down one-size fits all decision making should not replace the personal choices of free people in a free market, nor undermine the proper role of state and local governments in our system of federalism. As our Founders clearly stated, and we Governors understand, government closest to the people governs best. 

Roll back the 2009 increases

I say roll back the 20% increase in non-discretionary spending that Obama and the Democrats instituted in 2009. Let's go back to the Bush levels of spending. On a budget of 4 trillion, that will save nearly a trillion dollars. Instead, Obama tonight will propose saving $15 Billion, that's peanuts.

In his State of the Union address tonight, Obama will propose a three-year freeze on federal funding that is not related to national security.

What kind of effect will this proposed spending freeze have on our government spending?  Reason Magazine says it would save at max a whopping $15 billion in fiscal year 2011.


Obama Stumbles in The New Yorker

Obama Stumbles in The New Yorker? Yes, The New Yorker

PixObamaFirstAnniversary.jpg
This Year

Ah, how the mighty have stumbled.... and even gotten their pants leg wet. Things weren't always so much in the "Hey, kids, let's dump on our cool president" mode that's become fashionable these recent weeks.

How to Combat a Raging Deficit?

How to Combat a Raging Deficit?

By: Nate Beeler



Tuesday, January 26, 2010

mandate

Watching 'Man Hunt' on TCM. Walter Pidgeon resists the force of the Nazi played by George Sanders. Sort of a metaphor on the use of force to compel people to do what they do not want to do, a 'mandate' of sorts. Where have we heard that word 'mandate' before? The opposite of freedom
Man Hunt

ATM skimmers

Would You Have Spotted the Fraud?


Pictured below is what's known as a skimmer, or a device made to be affixed to the mouth of an ATM and secretly swipe credit and debit card information when bank customers slip their cards into the machines to pull out money. Skimmers have been around for years, of course, but thieves are constantly improving them, and the device pictured below is a perfect example of that evolution.

This particular skimmer was found Dec. 6, 2009, attached to the front of a Citibank ATM in Woodland Hills, Calif. Would you have been able to spot this?

This is fairly professional job: Notice how the bulk of the electronics fit into the flap below the card acceptance slot. Also, check out the tiny pinhole camera (pictured below), ostensibly designed to switch on and record the victim's movements as he or she enters their PIN at the ATM.

It's hard to know whether this was a homemade skimmer, or one that was purchased from online criminal forums. Some of the skimmers sold on these forums are extremely sophisticated, incorporating features such the ability to send an SMS text message to the thieves' mobile phone whenever a new card is swiped.

This type of fraud is actually far more common that you might think: A quick query on Twitter for "ATM skimmer" usually brings up plenty of local news reports about these devices being found on ATMs.

Practice basic ATM street smarts and you should have little to fear from these skimmers: If you see something that doesn't look right — such as a odd protrusion or off-color component on an ATM — consider going to another machine. Also, stay away from ATMs that are not located in publicly visible and well-lit areas.

Update, 12:10 p.m: Mikko Hypponen from F-Secure sent in a few fascinating Twitter pics of other ATM skimmers that include ingenious ways to send the stolen credentials to the scammers.

This has "long day" written all over it

At the upcoming state of the union address, President Obama will announce his new jobs program...
All bosses will be mandated to work personally with their employees.
Additionally, Obama himself will personally oversee the whole economy...


http://www.dilbert.com/dyn/str_strip/000000000/00000000/0000000/000000/20000/0000/900/20995/20995.strip.gif




don't lose your shirt defending socialism

http://www.dilbert.com/dyn/str_strip/000000000/00000000/0000000/000000/40000/9000/200/49202/49202.strip.gif

Wall Street didn't cause the financial collapse — government did



VDH: The President As Philosopher-King

WSJ: New Bank Rules Sink Stocks

IBD: Wall Street didn't cause the financial collapse — government did

WSJ: Obama v. Wall Street

Mortimer Zuckerman: The Great Recession Continues

Hot Air: The Context Of Middle-Class Frustration

so-called spending freeze.

BTW, you've heard about Obama proposing a "spending freeze" on a handful of domestic programs --- an idea he ridiculed when John McCain suggested it during the campaign --- to show trick the gullible into believing he's serious about fiscal responsibility.

What the media won't mention in reporting the freeze is Obama has already exploded domestic spending 24% above even the profligate levels of the Bush Era in just two years. He's not proposing to cancel the remainder of the Spendulus. He is actually going to propose increases in other domestic spending. And he is still pushing a multi-trillion dollar health care entitlement.

My take: Obama already knows he's going to be saddled with a Republican congress next year, so he proposes a freeze on spending, that won't start until 2011. So this way, he gets to take credit for it, even though that's exactly what the Republicans plan on doing.

Bwahhahahahahaha

Monday, January 25, 2010

Change is simply a euphemism for big government

"Change is simply a euphemism for big government" -- Jill Dorson, a self proclaimed 'Independent' who voted for Obama, and now apologies.

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  via the Jill Dorson piece (via Hot Air Headlines) in which she regrets her Obama vote

What socialism will rot, if we let it.

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money is free speech

Looks like a majority of the People believe money is free speech as well, just like the Supreme Court.

You know, it works both ways, for both parties.

It also protects individuals as well. For instance if I contribute to a group, and that group wants to place an ad, then so be it. That's freedom. I believe I will be contributing to any group that will run adds exposing the hoax of global warming. Ain't freedom great!

----------

Democrats are sounding the alarm over the recent Supreme Court decision on campaign finance reform.  But Gallup polls show that the people agree with the Supreme Court decision ... campaign money is "free speech."

Friday, January 22, 2010

FALLOUT FROM THE SUPREME COURT DECISION

You need to show me HOW corporations rule America. That's a totally unfounded accusation. They don't have any POWER to make you or I do anything. I buy items on my own initiative. Corporations CANNOT force me to do so.

Only congress has that power. They mandate all the time. They force me to pay taxes.

Your argument is fatuous, why do you make that assertion, which is patently untrue, and which you cannot backup with facts?

What's so wrong with corporations anyway? They are what powers our country with jobs. Without corporations, we'd be back to the stone age.

I disregard your assertion because it is wrong and unfounded by any facts.

I've provided you with facts, and you probably didn't even read or review them.

One more thing, this decision will not change all that much. It is only the last 60 days before an election that this ruling affects.  Elections are the biggest reason why we have freedom of speech, and it would be totally against the FIRST Amendment to allow the ridiculous McCain-Feingold law to go forward.

I've always believed that a better mechanism to limit cronyism is to implement term limits.


On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 12:48 PM, Big Liberal wrote:
It makes little difference who gets what.  The fact remains - corporations now rule America.  Is this democracy? 

This is the TRUTH!

Look how much more the Dems get versus the Repubs.

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/mems.php?party=R&cycle=2010

Top Industries Giving to Members of Congress, 2010 Cycle

Who's got the most juice on Capitol Hill? Here's a list of the top industries contributing to members of the 111th Congress during the 2009-2010 election cycle. The first list shows the overall 50 biggest industries. The other two highlight the top 25 industries giving to members of each of the two major parties. In all cases, the Top Recipient listed is the individual member of the 111th Congress who received the most from the industry. Totals shown here include only the money that went to current incumbents in Congress.

Rank Industry Total Dem Pct GOP Pct Top Recipient
1 Lawyers/Law Firms $22,668,990 83% 17% Harry Reid (D-Nev)
2 Health Professionals $14,307,929 63% 37% Harry Reid (D-Nev)
3 Retired $11,285,022 55% 45% Mark Kirk (R-Ill)
4 Real Estate $10,842,041 64% 36% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
5 Securities/Invest $10,776,669 73% 27% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
6 Insurance $9,062,842 57% 43% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
7 Lobbyists $7,801,801 69% 31% Harry Reid (D-Nev)
8 Leadership PACs $6,624,511 64% 36% Roy Blunt (R-Mo)
9 Bldg Trade Unions $6,136,245 92% 7% Judy Chu (D-Calif)
10 Pharm/Health Prod $5,852,259 61% 39% Richard Burr (R-NC)
11 Electric Utilities $5,673,806 61% 39% Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
12 Misc Finance $5,563,770 62% 38% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
13 Democratic/Liberal $5,294,744 100% 0% Michael F Bennet (D-Colo)
14 Oil & Gas $4,703,998 40% 60% Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark)
15 TV/Movies/Music $4,661,525 69% 30% Patrick Leahy (D-Vt)
16 Transport Unions $4,423,410 87% 13% James L Oberstar (D-Minn)
17 Business Services $4,247,368 73% 27% Harry Reid (D-Nev)
18 Commercial Banks $4,163,241 52% 48% Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
19 Hospitals/Nurs Homes $4,051,154 74% 26% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
20 Public Sector Unions $3,895,921 93% 7% Scott Murphy (D-NY)
21 Industrial Unions $3,864,710 98% 2% Mark Schauer (D-Mich)
22 Air Transport $3,583,154 55% 45% Byron L Dorgan (D-ND)
23 Crop Production $3,536,166 61% 39% Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark)
24 Misc Mfg/Distrib $3,257,744 57% 43% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
25 Defense Aerospace $3,234,240 60% 40% Patty Murray (D-Wash)
26 Computers/Internet $3,104,709 71% 29% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
27 Accountants $2,975,508 51% 49% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
28 Beer, Wine & Liquor $2,909,375 61% 39% Mike Thompson (D-Calif)
29 Retail Sales $2,829,237 55% 45% Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark)
30 General Contractors $2,826,868 51% 49% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
31 Railroads $2,771,145 59% 41% Corrine Brown (D-Fla)
32 Telephone Utilities $2,690,007 56% 44% Rick Boucher (D-Va)
33 Candidate Cmtes $2,615,618 81% 19% Scott Murphy (D-NY)
34 Construction Svcs $2,599,922 65% 34% Harry Reid (D-Nev)
35 Misc Business $2,377,766 70% 28% Al Franken (D-Minn)
36 Education $2,361,123 82% 18% Harry Reid (D-Nev)
37 Health Services $2,341,038 69% 31% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
38 Defense Electronics $2,164,565 63% 37% John P Murtha (D-Pa)
39 Agricultural Svcs $2,021,026 55% 45% Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark)
40 Casinos/Gambling $1,833,238 76% 24% Shelley Berkley (D-Nev)
41 Food & Beverage $1,789,632 55% 45% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
42 Misc Defense $1,604,759 63% 37% Daniel K Inouye (D-Hawaii)
43 Misc Unions $1,593,270 100% -0% Scott Murphy (D-NY)
44 Finance/Credit $1,588,028 57% 43% Harry Reid (D-Nev)
45 Pro-Israel $1,584,426 71% 29% Harry Reid (D-Nev)
46 Automotive $1,509,219 47% 53% Roy Blunt (R-Mo)
47 Telecom Svcs/Equip $1,483,239 67% 32% Rick Boucher (D-Va)
48 Food Process/Sales $1,454,883 54% 46% Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark)
49 Chemicals $1,444,049 55% 44% Vernon Buchanan (R-Fla)
50 Publishing $1,294,683 75% 24% Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

Based on data released by the FEC on Sunday, December 06, 2009.


Democrat:

Rank Industry Dems Dem Pct GOP Pct Top Recipient
1 Lawyers/Law Firms $18,823,330 83% 17% Harry Reid (D-Nev)
2 Health Professionals $9,007,057 63% 37% Harry Reid (D-Nev)
3 Securities/Invest $7,897,986 73% 27% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
4 Real Estate $6,948,156 64% 36% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
5 Retired $6,252,797 55% 45% Mark Kirk (R-Ill)
6 Bldg Trade Unions $5,671,645 92% 7% Judy Chu (D-Calif)
7 Lobbyists $5,360,824 69% 31% Harry Reid (D-Nev)
8 Democratic/Liberal $5,294,744 100% 0% Michael F Bennet (D-Colo)
9 Insurance $5,195,660 57% 43% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
10 Leadership PACs $4,217,725 64% 36% Roy Blunt (R-Mo)
11 Transport Unions $3,851,160 87% 13% James L Oberstar (D-Minn)
12 Industrial Unions $3,799,910 98% 2% Mark Schauer (D-Mich)
13 Public Sector Unions $3,625,221 93% 7% Scott Murphy (D-NY)
14 Pharm/Health Prod $3,591,591 61% 39% Richard Burr (R-NC)
15 Electric Utilities $3,436,541 61% 39% Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
16 Misc Finance $3,424,743 62% 38% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
17 TV/Movies/Music $3,237,721 69% 30% Patrick Leahy (D-Vt)
18 Business Services $3,098,090 73% 27% Harry Reid (D-Nev)
19 Hospitals/Nurs Homes $2,998,048 74% 26% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
20 Computers/Internet $2,190,218 71% 29% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
21 Crop Production $2,173,490 61% 39% Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark)
22 Commercial Banks $2,150,411 52% 48% Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
23 Candidate Cmtes $2,124,434 81% 19% Scott Murphy (D-NY)
24 Air Transport $1,970,558 55% 45% Byron L Dorgan (D-ND)
25 Education $1,943,902 82% 18% Harry Reid (D-Nev)
Republican:
Rank Industry Repubs Dem Pct GOP Pct Top Recipient
1 Health Professionals $5,272,822 63% 37% Harry Reid (D-Nev)
2 Retired $5,022,425 55% 45% Mark Kirk (R-Ill)
3 Real Estate $3,865,685 64% 36% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
4 Insurance $3,857,682 57% 43% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
5 Lawyers/Law Firms $3,816,360 83% 17% Harry Reid (D-Nev)
6 Securities/Invest $2,858,783 73% 27% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
7 Oil & Gas $2,807,946 40% 60% Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark)
8 Lobbyists $2,433,077 69% 31% Harry Reid (D-Nev)
9 Leadership PACs $2,411,786 64% 36% Roy Blunt (R-Mo)
10 Pharm/Health Prod $2,258,668 61% 39% Richard Burr (R-NC)
11 Electric Utilities $2,230,265 61% 39% Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
12 Misc Finance $2,128,827 62% 38% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
13 Commercial Banks $2,009,430 52% 48% Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
14 Air Transport $1,610,096 55% 45% Byron L Dorgan (D-ND)
15 Accountants $1,462,546 51% 49% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
16 TV/Movies/Music $1,420,404 69% 30% Patrick Leahy (D-Vt)
17 Misc Mfg/Distrib $1,398,398 57% 43% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
18 General Contractors $1,375,251 51% 49% Charles E Schumer (D-NY)
19 Crop Production $1,362,676 61% 39% Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark)
20 Defense Aerospace $1,297,175 60% 40% Patty Murray (D-Wash)
21 Retail Sales $1,267,605 55% 45% Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark)
22 Telephone Utilities $1,187,307 56% 44% Rick Boucher (D-Va)
23 Business Services $1,147,278 73% 27% Harry Reid (D-Nev)
24 Beer, Wine & Liquor $1,144,164 61% 39% Mike Thompson (D-Calif)
25 Railroads $1,133,940 59% 41% Corrine Brown (D-Fla)

Based on data released by the FEC on Sunday, December 06, 2009.