Monday, May 31, 2010

Katrina in slow motion - Obama's photo op

A comment of a friend just made on Facebook:

Gary Weinstein I was in New Orleans this weekend when Obama visited the Gulf shore. All those people in the white hazmat suits cleaning the beach were brought in right before his arrival and left immediately after! Notice not one was dirty! Another photo op for your president! The people of New Orleans are pissed! Katrina in slow motion is what they are calling this. BP was one of his biggest contributers! Go Figure!

Friday, May 28, 2010

Plug the damn hole

I just read this from one of my Facebook contacts, a professor at CMU...

" BHO thinks he will find someone at CMU (land of computer geeks) who can tell him how to fix his "Katrina"....just great..."

Obama must be getting desperate, not because he cares for the environment, but because he cares for his own approval rating, which is plunging.

 


ABC: Anti-Palin Author Living Next Door Threatens To Call Police On Reporter

Ha ha ha, what a jerk when the tables are turned...

ABC News tries to talk to author Joe McGinniss, who is renting the house next door to Sarah Palin in Wasilla, Alaska. When the reporter knocks on his door, he is told by McGinniss that he's trespassing and threatens to call the police.

Anti-Palin Author Living Next Door Threatens To Call Police On Reporter


pretty much sums it up in a headline

Worst Press Conference Since 'I Am Not A Crook'

NYP: Obama still bumbling on oil spill

Obama is so inept, it is beyond compare. Bush was an order of magnitude better.

The only 'damn hole' we really have is a hole in leadership.

Where was plan A?

O still bumbling on oil spill

Do something, baby, do something: That's the cry from Obama supporters and opponents alike as the oil keeps gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.

The political firestorm kept growing yesterday, with supporter James Carville ranting that the administraion has been "lackadaisical" and "naive" in its response to the disaster. He urged it to rapidly "move to Plan B."

But that suggests there was ever a Plan A.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is so frustrated with the lack of response to his plan to stop the slick with sand barriers that yesterday he called on the White House and BP to either "stop the oil spill or get out of the way."

While the White House dithers, the damage has begun: Veterinarian Heather Nevill washing a pelican soiled with oil from the Gulf spill.

"Plug the damn hole," President Obama reportedly barked at staffers in frustration after the explosion. That's right up there with "Heckuva job, Brownie" in terms of clueless statements uttered by presidents in the midst of nationally televised disasters.

Meanwhile, White House regret over Obama's politically expedient embrace of the "Drill, baby, drill" trope is growing faster than the vast oil slick.

Back on March 31, Obama announced -- to the horror of many of his supporters -- that he was expanding offshore drilling along the coastlines of the south and mid-Atlantic and in the Gulf of Mexico. Worse, he painted a (too) rosy scenario of offshore drilling being eminently safe.

True, it is rare that a full-blown environmental catastrophe results from an offshore oil well. But it can happen -- and a Democratic president who's embracing drilling ought to know the risks, and be prepared for the worst. But rather than planning for a spill, Obama parroted McCain-Palin talking points about how safe offshore drilling is.

Turns out the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration back in 1994 drafted plans for responding to a major Gulf oil spill, a response called "In-Situ Burn."

Ron Gourget, a former federal oil-spill-response coordinator and one author of the draft, told the Times of London: "The whole reason the plan was created was so that we could pull the trigger right away." The idea was to use barriers called "fire booms" to collect and contain the spill at sea -- then burn it off. He believes this could have captured 95 percent of the oil from this spill.

But at the time of the Deepwater Horizon explosion, the federal government didn't have a single fire boom on hand. Nor is there any evidence that the government required BP to have any clear plan to deal with a massive spill. How is this OK?

The administration's chief response so far was to send out Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to do his best impersonation of a totalitarian thug, proclaiming that the government would "have its boot on the throat of BP."

(Fun fact: While in the Senate, Salazar backed an increase in oil and gas leases in the Gulf Coast region by promoting and voting for the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006.)

Since the "blame BP" strategy isn't working, Obama will today announce tougher safety requirements and more rigorous inspections for offshore drilling operations. Sounds nice -- except the problem isn't a lack of safety requirements, it's that the experts at the US Minerals Management Service ignored the existing requirements.

In fact, it was under Salazar's reign that the MMS approved BP's drilling without getting the permits required by law for drilling that might harm endangered species. The agency routinely overruled warnings regarding the safety and environmental impact of drilling proposals in the Gulf.

None of this was a secret.

It also shouldn't be a secret that no matter how many inspections and safety requirements you have, you can't ever completely prevent disasters like this one. If you're going to permit offshore drilling, be prepared to respond to a spill.

If he promised us anything, Obama promised us competence. Instead, we've gotten the Keystone Cops.

kirstenpowers@aol.com

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Obama shuts down drilling

HA HA

BP is a British company, and those are international waters.
Russia is still drilling, so are all the other countries that drill.

I guess Obama just doesn't get it. He even shut down offshore drilling in Alaska.
How asinine!

Look for gas prices to ramp up.

Hopefully way up, just before November elections.


Obama plays while oil spills...

Obama's schedule of late reads like a self-indulgent narcissist's dream come true:

April 23: Four days after the oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, Barack and Michelle begin their golf-filled vacation in North Carolina.

April 26: Even after it is clear that thousands upon thousands of gallons of crude are spilling into the Gulf daily, Obama pays no real attention to the crisis. He's busy entertaining the New York Yankees at the White House.

April 29: Tired of campaigning for legislation in stops across the country, Obama stays in Washington, D.C.-and attends a DNC fundraiser at a private residence.

May 1: To freshen up before his photo op in the Gulf area the next day, Obama delivers a commencement address at the University of Michigan and then yuks it up with celebs at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.

May 17: Obama hosts UConn's women's basketball team at the White House.

May 19: 30 days after the oil rig explosion, Obama enjoys the company of New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez as singer Beyonce provides a live performance at the White House State Dinner.

May 25: 36 days into the spill and after repeatedly stating that he would not rest until the leak was stopped, Obama attends a $20,000/plate dinner for Sen. Barbara Boxer in California. At the same time, a recently-taped sports interview with TNT's Marv Albert airs during an NBA playoff game.

And the whirlwind of fun is hardly over! His Memorial Day weekend vacation plans were changed to squeeze in another Gulf photo op this Friday. And, after he skips out on the usual Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Barack will return to D.C. in time to host a concert with Paul McCartney at the White House.

With such a tight schedule, Obama hasn't had time to tend to a few important real-world matters. For example:

- Meeting with Arizona's governor about the illegal immigration crisis she's being forced to tackle almost singlehandedly

- Reading the Arizona law he continues to lambaste

- Doing anything to stop the oil spill other than demonize BP and reiterate that his boot is on the company's throat

To tamp down concern over its lazy response, the administration has leaked word that Obama-wait for it!-cursed as he vented his frustration. The president's order to "plug the damn hole" certainly proves his seriousness! With just enough luck his heavy lifting may be over soon and he can get back to plugging events into his social calendar.

ABC: Things Obama Is Doing Instead of Going to Gulf: Duke Photo, Lunch with Bill, Vacation...

That's leadership for you!

_____________

This morning, President Obama will meet with the NCAA men's basketball champion Duke Blue Devils at the White House to honor their 2009-2010 championship season in the Rose Garden.

Keeping up the sports theme, the president and the vice president will take a photo with the U.S. World Cup soccer team and former President Bill Clinton, who is chairing the 2018 World Cup bid, on the North Portico. The White House has previously announced that Vice President Biden and Jill Biden will attend the World Cup in South Africa next month.

Afterward, the president will a private have lunch with President Clinton in the Private Dining Room.

In the afternoon, the President will deliver remarks on the BP oil spill and the conclusions of his ordered 30-day safety review and hold a press conference in the East Room.

The president will announce standards to strengthen oversight of the industry and enhance safety, a first step in a process that the independent Presidential Commission will continue, a White House official says.

In the meantime, the moratorium on permits to drill new deepwater wells will continue for a period of six months. In addition, the planned exploration off the coast of Alaska in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas will be delayed pending the Comissions review and the August lease sale in the Western Gulf will be cancelled. The lease sale off the coast of Virginia will also be cancelled due to environmental concerns and concerns raised by the Defense Department.

After taking questions from press, the President will then receive a briefing in the Situation Room on the 2010 hurricane season forecast and an overview of the federal government's national hurricane preparedness. The briefing will be led by DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco, as well as five FEMA Regional Administrators.

In the afternoon, Mr. Obama will hold a bilateral meeting with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia in the Oval Office. 

Later in the afternoon, the President, the Vice President and First Lady Michelle Obama will host a reception in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month in the East Room.

Afterward, in the evening, the First Family will travel to Chicago, Illinois for a four-day Memorial Day weekend vacation. The Obamas have not been back to their hometown all together as a family for more than a year.

-Sunlen Miller

May 27, 2010 | Permalink


How's that Obama thing working out for you?

Sally Pipes: Massachusetts Mess Previews ObamaCare Woes

Dan Danner: ObamaCare vs. Small Business

Mark Gimein: I'd rather pay the penalty than buy health insurance

ABC: National Debt Soars Past $13 Trillion

Veronique de Rugy: When the Government Sector Grows, the Private Sector Shrinks

CNBC: More Cities on Brink of Bankruptcy

VDH: Death of the Postmodernist Dream

CNN: China statement on North Korea expected soon, officials say

The Economist: Iraq's tribes may hold the balance of power

AP: Public opinion turning against Obama

Gee, ya think?

Who are the morons that actually think he's doing a good job?


The American public is losing its patience with President Obama over his handling of the Gulf Coast oil spill.

In the five weeks since an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig sent hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, Obama had largely escaped political fallout. But as BP attempts yet again to seal the leaka new USA Today/Gallup Poll finds a majority of Americans unhappy with Obama's handling of the spill. According to the poll, 53 percent rate Obama's handling "poor" or "very poor"; 43 percent believe Obama is doing a good job.

Sestak offered job to drop out of race: Impeachable offense!

It's time to impeach Obama!

the White House lawyer behind the Sestak stonewall: Bob Bauer — a familiar figure if you've been reading this blog closely. He's the hubby of former White House Fox-basher-in-chief Anita Dunn and a veteran Democrat legal fixer.

video

In related news, here's a new video contrasting Sestak's accusations with Team Obama's blubbering denials:

More follow-up from Jeffrey Lord at AmSpec and Ben Barrack at the American Thinker.

***
Look who's behind the White House/Sestak stonewall
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2010

After three months of zipped lips and feigned ignorance, the Obama White House is finally taking real heat over Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Joe Sestak's consistent claims that the administration offered him a job to drop his Senate bid. Now it's time to redirect the spotlight where it belongs: on the top counsel behind the Washington stonewall, Bob "The Silencer" Bauer.

On Sunday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs glibly asserted that "lawyers in the White House and others have looked into conversations that were had with Congressman Sestak. And nothing inappropriate happened." With whom were these conversations had? Gibbs won't say. Neither will Attorney General Eric Holder, who dismissed "hypotheticals" when questioned about Sestak's allegations last week on Capitol Hill by GOP Rep. Darrell Issa of California. Holder is simply taking his cue from the commander-in-chief's personal lawyer and Democratic Party legal boss.

You see, on March 10, Issa also sent a letter to Bauer, the White House counsel to the president, requesting specifics: Did White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel contact Sestak? Did White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina (whom another Democrat, U.S. Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff, has accused of offering a cabinet position in exchange for his withdrawal)? How about the White House Office of Political Affairs? Any other individuals? What position(s) was/were offered in exchange for Sestak's withdrawal? And what, if any, steps did Bauer take to investigate possible criminal activity?

Bauer's answers? Zip. Nada. Zilch. While the veteran attorney ducked under a table with the president, Gibbs stalled publicly as long as he could — deferring inquiries about the allegations one week by claiming he had been "on the road" and had "not had a chance to delve into this," and then admitting the next week that he had "not made any progress on that," refusing the week after that to deny or admit the scheme, and then urging reporters to drop it because "whatever happened is in the past."

But the laws governing such public corruption are still on the books. And unlike Gibbs, the U.S. code governing bribery, graft and conflicts of interest is rather straightforward: "Whoever solicits or receives … any … thing of value, in consideration of the promise of support or use of influence in obtaining for any person any appointive office or place under the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both."

Bauer is intimately familiar with electoral law, Barack Obama, ethics violations and government job-trading allegations. And he's an old hand at keeping critics and inquisitors at bay.

A partner at the prestigious law firm Perkins Coie, Bauer served as counsel to the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Obama for America. He also served as legal counsel to the George Soros-funded 527 organization America Coming Together during the 2004 campaign. That get-out-the-vote outfit, helmed by Patrick Gaspard (the former Service Employees International Union heavy turned Obama domestic policy chief), employed convicted felons as canvassers and committed campaign finance violations that led to a $775,000 fine by the Federal Election Commission under Bauer's watch.

As I've reported previously, it was Bauer who lobbied the Justice Department unsuccessfully in 2008 to pursue a criminal probe ofAmerican Issues Project (AIP), an independent group that sought to run an ad spotlighting Obama's ties to Weather Underground terrorist Bill Ayers. It was Bauer who attempted to sic the Justice Department on AIP funder Harold Simmons and who sought his prosecution for funding the ad. And it was Bauer who tried to bully television stations across the country to compel them to pull the spot. All on Obama's behalf.

More significantly, Bauer has served as Obama's personal attorney, navigating the corrupted waters of former Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich's pay-for-play scandals in Illinois. Bauer accompaniedObama to an interview with federal investigators in Chicago. And he's got his hands full fighting Blago's motion to subpoena Obama in the Senate-seat-for-sale trial — a subpoena that included references to a secret phone call between Obama and Blagojevich; an allegation that Emanuel floated his own suggested replacement for Obama's seat; an allegation that Obama told a "certain labor union official" that he would support (now-White House senior adviser) Valerie Jarrett to fill his old seat; and a bombshell allegation that Obama might have lied about conversations with convicted briber and fraudster Tony Rezko.

With not one, not two, but three Democrats (Sestak, Romanoff and Blagojevich) all implicating the agent of Hope and Change in dirty backroom schemes, "Trust Us" ain't gonna cut it. Neither will "Shut Up and Go Away."

What did Bob "The Silencer" Bauer know, when did he know it, and how long does the Most Transparent Administration Ever plan to play dodgeball with the public?

New Pledge of Allegiance - With Poverty And Misery For All

I Pledge Allegiance
To Obama
And the Socialist State of America
And to the Collective
For Which it Stands
One Nation
Without God
Unexceptional
With Poverty
And Misery
For All

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

AT: Living in Obama's Loony Parallel Universe

According to my psychoanalyst, I have issues. She believes our nation's dichotomous political climate and divisive political dialogue is affecting my mental state and I'm beginning to show a "disconnect."

It's disconcerting to confess that you're coming unhinged -- to admit you're losing touch with reality and are living in some loony parallel universe. Just this month, famed astrophysicist Stephen Hawking expressed his belief that humans are capable of time travel. No kidding. Welcome to my world.

My therapist says my anger issues are revealing, but it's not a personality disorder that's got me. It's not an addictive disorder because I'm still meeting society's expectations and functioning effectively. And it wasn't what I originally feared -- schizophrenia -- because I show no signs of a psychotic disorder. 

It's much worse than that, she said -- she suspects I'm turning into a liberal.

I was displaying three common symptoms, she explained, which confirmed her diagnosis. First, I become agitated and angry when confronted about opinions or facts that differ from my own. Second, I get defensive and deflect uncomfortable questions during conversation -- a technique not commonly found in healthy dialogue. And last, I'm showing aggressiveness by resorting to ad hominem attacks when someone doesn't understand that my point of view is always the correct one. 

I'm beginning to call people names when they don't agree with me -- similar to what a third-grader does when she doesn't get her way, my psychoanalyst admonished.

With this new assessment of my mental state, I certainly wasn't going to tell her I often chat with my cat named "Schizo," or that lately I've been drinking a lot of Syrah just to cope. 

According to her, my common sense is undergoing some kind of entropy, my interpretation of factual information is diminishing, and my judgment is suffering from abulia -- a deteriorating ability to exercise my will, to make good decisions, or to act independently.

Apparently I'm becoming excessively subjective and inordinately emotional, as opposed to having an objective, logical view accompanied by normal emotions. It seems I'm slipping into an altered reality where life becomes what I feel it should be, or whatever I want it to be.

Since my conversion to conservatism after a long bout with hippie-hood, vegetarianism, and philosophizing deep in the Big Sur redwoods while seeking my inner child, I've come to rely on the rock-solid truths of hard work, the unabridged exchange of ideas, and a reliance on facts and faith as opposed to feelings and unfounded fears. 

I felt I'd made significant progress over the past thirty or so years overcoming my "if it feels good do it," "you are what you think," and "it's my way or the highway" mentality.    

So it came as a shock when I received the bad news that I was regressing politically and returning to a time I thought I'd outgrown. Stephen Hawking said we could travel only forward in time -- not backward -- so I asked how this could be happening. She answered that astrophysics was theoretical, but my symptoms are real, and it would help if I stopped changing the subject -- that was part of my problem.

"So what do you believe is responsible for your regression?" she probed.

I was prepared to wax eloquent with my new political vernacular after recently reading a copy ofLiberty and Tyranny by Mark Levin, but her question put me on the defensive, so I opted to tell the truth.

I've been on a mission to convince liberals that America is moving in a dangerous direction -- we're speeding down a suicidal path toward a Marxist precipice, and Obama is our head lemming.

I've immersed myself in their social circles and have tried to convey the seriousness of the perils our country faces -- not difficulties inherent in our system, but dangers being created solely by Obama and his radical progressive advisers. 

The word "Progressive" seems to suggest some kind of positive movement, but it's distinctly the opposite -- it's a negative death wish for freedom and liberty. Progressive means "oppressive" -- massive, strict government; takeovers of valued American institutions; stifled speech; suppressed religion; and stunted freedoms -- replete with rules, regulations, and restrictions -- with cause and effect ultimately requiring repression. It's change we might all be forced to believe in! 

A gazillion facts, videotapes, manuscripts, confessions, and even live speeches of Obama's nefarious intentions and his questionable relationships don't stir his hypnotized following. My other world has become a continuum of mordant verbal exchanges with Obama's "living dead."

As a result, I've stopped trying to awaken liberals from their coma by battling against a paralyzing deficit, the constrictions of Cap-and-Trade, or unsubstantiated climate change. 

And I've given up discussing the largest breach of faith of our time: this administration's irresponsible and dangerously lackadaisical approach to homeland security. Other battles are moot if we lose this crucial war. 

I believe the Obama administration's perilous approach to terror is driving most normal people crazy.

When Obama appointed Attorney General Eric Holder, Holder departed the law firm Covington and Burling, noted for defending -- not prosecuting -- radical Muslim extremists. Other attorneys then followed him from that firm to the DOJ, as have a multitude of attorneys who defended terror suspects ad nauseam at other law firms. Without doubt, this creates a sympathetic milieu for terror conspirators.

Holder and his staff will not admit to a radical Muslim conspiracy. In fact, they won't even admit to a "concerted effort." Reid (the shoe bomber), Hassan (the Ft. Hood shooter), Abdulmutallab (the underwear bomb suspect), and Shahzad (who plotted the Times Square car bomb) all purportedly "acted alone" despite reams of contrary evidence. And thanks to Holder, if the "enemy combatants" seeking jihadi "social justice" blow a thousand Americans to smithereens, they still get Mirandized, so they can sit back, smirk, and remain silent.

Last week's 20% slashing of New York City's port and subway security funds from nearly $200 million to $145 million by the Obama administration, and Obama's recent decision to remove the terms "Islamic extremism" and "jihad" from our National Security Strategy document, are inane, naïve capitulations.  

In the end, liberalism is out of touch and myopic, and its quixotic lunacy has apparently begun to rub off on me. If the liberal expression "reality is a state of mind" is true, then their decisions now have me living out of state.  

"You've become angry, you keep changing the subject, and you're resorting to name-calling," my psychoanalyst described. "You're living exclusively in an emotional world -- like a liberal."

"However, you're not permanently wacky," she happily reassured me. "Simply return to your conservative roots -- be patient, speak with reason, and stick to the truth."

"My suggestion to you is," she affirmed, "go home, relax, curl up with your cat and a good book...say...Liberty and Tyranny, and have a nice glass of Yakima Valley Syrah. By the way," she added, "what's the name of your cat?"

Kelcy Allen is a freelance writer. He lives in the great Pacific Northwest.

AP: Obama gets an earful in clash with GOP senators

WASHINGTON

The president walked into a remarkably contentious 80-minute session Tuesday in which GOP senators accused him of duplicity, audacity and unbending partisanship. Lawmakers said the testy exchange left legislative logjams intact, and one GOP leader said nothing is likely to change before the November elections.

Obama's sharpest accuser was Bob Corker of Tennessee, a first-term senator who feels the administration undermined his efforts to craft a bipartisan financial regulation bill.

"I told him I thought there was a degree of audacity in him even showing up today after what happened with financial regulation," Corker told reporters. "I just wanted him to tell me how, when he wakes up in the morning, comes over to a luncheon like ours today, how does he reconcile that duplicity?"

Four people who were in the room said Obama bristled and defended his administration's handling of negotiations. On the way out, Corker said, Obama approached him and both men repeated their main points.

"I told him there was a tremendous disconnect from his words and the actions of his administration," Corker said.

White House spokesman Bill Burton, who attended the session in the Capitol,said the exchange "was actually pretty civil."

The senators applauded Obama, who had requested the luncheon, when he entered and left the room. Obama told reporters as he departed, "It was a good, frank discussion about a whole range of issues."

Some Republicans were less kind.

"He needs to take a Valium before he comes in and talks to Republicans," Sen.Pat Roberts, R-Kan., told reporters. "He's pretty thin-skinned."

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., said he addressed Obama, "trying to demand overdue action" on the giant oil spill damaging Gulf coast states. He said got "no specific response" except Obama's pledge to have an authoritative White House official call him within hours.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona, Obama's 2008 presidential opponent, said he pressed the president on immigration issues. McCain said he told Obama "we need to secure the border first" before taking other steps. "The president didn't agree," he said.

McCain said he defended his state's pending immigration law, which Obama says could lead to discrimination. It directs police, when questioning people about possible law violations, to ask about their immigration status if there is "reasonable suspicion" they're in the country illegally.

At the luncheon, McCain said, "I pointed out that members of his administration who have not read the law have mischaracterized the law—a very egregious act on their part."

Burton said Obama told McCain that he has read the Arizona law himself, and his concerns remain.

After the luncheon, no one suggested the two parties were even a smidgen closer to resolving differences over energy, immigration and other issues that Obama has said he wants to act on this year.

"We simply have a large difference of opinion that's not likely to be settled until November about taxes, spending and the debt," said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.

White House job offer to Sestak called 'impeachable offense'...

White House job offer to Sestak called 'impeachable offense'...


Related stories:

Obama: "Plug the damn hole"

He's pretty good at demanding, why doesn't he actually ACT and do something about it, instead of playing golf and taking two vacations!

'PLUG THE DAMN HOLE!'


Obama: "Plug the damn hole"

'PLUG THE DAMN HOLE!'

Obama: "Plug the damn hole"

Obama wants to "plug the damn hole"


(Reuters) - President Barack Obama has privately expressed his frustration to senior government officials that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has not been stopped and has made clear his feelings about it.

POLITICS  |  BARACK OBAMA

"Plug the damn hole," he has told them, according to aides.



One could land in jail for up to a year for making a false promise

If Obama ever goes to Louisiana, they can arrest him for making false promises...
Louisiana
credits: scrapetv.com
Louisiana Law:  One could land in jail for up to a year for making a false promise. 

A great law for the vengeful people, but this one being considered as a serious statute is rather comical.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Obama - and social justice for all

Obama:  transforming our nation into one where everyone has guaranteed equal outcomes. We all must be dragged down to the least common denominator - it's his form of social justice.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Senate Majority Comes Closer

Senate Majority Comes Closer

1. Connecticut

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has been caught repeatedly fabricating a record of service in Vietnam.  While he constantly claims to have fought, the fact is that he never went near the place.  His candidacy is falling apart as a result.

While Linda McMahon, wife Vince, the owner of the World Wrestling Federation, won the Republican convention, her primary opponent Rob Simmons is much more likely to beat Blumenthal.

Simmons, who won two Bronze Star medals during his eighteen months in Vietnam, worked for the CIA after his service as an Operations Officer in some of the key global trouble spots.  He went on to serve as a staffer on the Intelligence Committee in Congress and then to serve for six years in the House.  He can win this seat.  Go here to donate to his campaign.    

2. Wisconsin  

Ron Johnson -- an independent, successful businessman with great access to funding -- won the Republican nomination to run against Russ Feingold.  A true conservative, Ron has an excellent chance to win.  Feingold, who is way too liberal even for Wisconsin, is under 50% in the polls and Johnson should move up quickly.  This race could be the key to getting 51 seats.  Please give him money.  Go here to donate to his campaign.

3. Washington  

Dino Rossi, the strongest candidate against Senator Patty Murray may enter the race soon.  He currently runs even with Murray in the polls.  Stay tuned.

So those are our best shots for a tenth seat.  Here's how the other nine play out:

4. Delaware = No problem.

5. North Dakota = No problem.

6. Indiana = Should be no problem. Coats is far ahead of Ellsworth.

7. Illinois = Mark Kirk ahead thanks to scandal engulfing the Democratic candidate.

8. Arkansas = Blanche Lincoln will probably lose her runoff and Republican Congressman John Bozeman should defeat Lt. Gov John Halter.

9. Nevada = Harry Reid remains behind his opponents.

10. Pennsylvania = Joe Sestak will not be harder to beat than Specter was (conventional wisdom says he will be). He is waaaaayyy too liberal and Pat Toomey should beat him.

11. Colorado = Former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton is ahead of the appointed incumbent Michael Bennet, but both face tough primaries.  We should win the seat.

12. California = A virtual tie between Barbara Boxer and her likely GOP opponent.  With Boxer far under 50%, we should win this seat.

Obamacare bait 'n switch on small business

Another word for it: "YOU LIE!"  Yup, the Democrats and Obama consistently lie to the American public.

AP fact check: Tax cut math doesn't fly

Posted by Staff Zach Hoffman was confident his small business would qualify for a new tax cut in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law.

But when he ran the numbers, Hoffman discovered that his office furniture company wouldn't get any assistance with the $79,200 it pays annually in premiums for its 24 employees. "It leaves you with this feeling of a bait-and-switch," he said.

When the administration unveiled the small business tax credit earlier this week, officials touted its "broad eligibility" for companies with fewer than 25 workers and average annual wages under $50,000 that provide health coverage. Hoffman's workers earn an average of $35,000 a year, which makes it all the more difficult to understand why his company didn't qualify.

Lost in the fine print: The credit drops off sharply once a company gets above 10 workers and $25,000 average annual wages.

It's an example of how the early provisions of the health care law can create winners and losers among groups lawmakers intended to help-people with health problems, families with young adult children and small businesses. Because of the law's complexity, not everyone in a broadly similar situation will benefit.

Democrats - a definite correlation to the sinking economy

Note what happened at the end of 2006 - Democrats took back the house and senate - a definite correlation to the sinking economy

Referendum on Obama

Hawaii (specifically, Obama's hometown district) elected its first Republican in two decades to send to Congress.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Europeans Fear Crisis Threatens Liberal Benefits

Do you think our leftist congress will heed this negative example ?
Doubt it.

PAYBACK TIME

Europeans Fear Crisis Threatens Liberal Benefits

 the euro has also undermined the sustainability of the European standard of social welfare, built by left-leaning governments since the end of World War II.


Payback Time

Articles in this series are examining the consequences of, and efforts to deal with, growing public and private debts.

Europeans have boasted about their social model, with its generous vacations and early retirements, its national health care systems and extensive welfare benefits, contrasting it with the comparative harshness of American capitalism.

Europeans have benefited from low military spending, protected by NATO and the American nuclear umbrella. They have also translated higher taxes into a cradle-to-grave safety net. "The Europe that protects" is a slogan of the European Union.

But all over Europe governments with big budgets, falling tax revenues and aging populations are experiencing rising deficits, with more bad news ahead.

With low growth, low birthrates and longer life expectancies, Europe can no longer afford its comfortable lifestyle, at least not without a period of austerity and significant changes. The countries are trying to reassure investors by cutting salaries, raising legal retirement ages, increasing work hours and reducing health benefits and pensions.

"We're now in rescue mode," said Carl Bildt, Sweden's foreign minister. "But we need to transition to the reform mode very soon. The 'reform deficit' is the real problem," he said, pointing to the need for structural change.

The reaction so far to government efforts to cut spending has been pessimism and anger, with an understanding that the current system is unsustainable.

In Athens, Aris Iordanidis, 25, an economics graduate working in a bookstore, resents paying high taxes to finance Greece's bloated state sector and its employees. "They sit there for years drinking coffee and chatting on the telephone and then retire at 50 with nice fat pensions," he said. "As for us, the way things are going we'll have to work until we're 70."

In Rome, Aldo Cimaglia is 52 and teaches photography, and he is deeply pessimistic about his pension. "It's going to go belly-up because no one will be around to fill the pension coffers," he said. "It's not just me; this country has no future."

Changes have now become urgent. Europe's population is aging quickly as birthrates decline. Unemployment has risen as traditional industries have shifted to Asia. And the region lacks competitiveness in world markets.

According to the European Commission, by 2050 the percentage of Europeans older than 65 will nearly double. In the 1950s there were seven workers for every retiree in advanced economies. By 2050, the ratio in the European Union will drop to 1.3 to 1.

"The easy days are over for countries like Greece, Portugal and Spain, but for us, too," said Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, a French lawyer who did a study of Europe in the global economy for the French government. "A lot of Europeans would not like the issue cast in these terms, but that is the storm we're facing. We can no longer afford the old social model, and there is a real need for structural reform."

In Paris, Malka Braniste, 88, lives on the pension of her deceased husband. "I'm worried for the next generations," she said at lunch with her daughter-in-law, Dominique Alcan, 49. "People who don't put money aside won't get anything."

Ms. Alcan expects to have to work longer as a traveling saleswoman. "But I'm afraid I'll never reach the same level of comfort," she said. "I won't be able to do my job at 63; being a saleswoman requires a lot of energy."

Gustave Brun d'Arre, 18, is still in high school. "The only thing we're told is that we will have to pay for the others," he said, sipping a beer at a cafe. The waiter interrupted, discussing plans to alter the French pension system. "It will be a mess," the waiter said. "We'll have to work harder and longer in our jobs."

Figures show the severity of the problem. Gross public social expenditures in the European Union increased from 16 percent of gross domestic product in 1980 to 21 percent in 2005, compared with 15.9 percent in the United States. In France, the figure now is 31 percent, the highest in Europe, with state pensions making up more than 44 percent of the total and health care, 30 percent.

The challenge is particularly daunting in France, which has done less to reduce the state's obligations than some of its neighbors. In Sweden and Switzerland, 7 of 10 people work past 50. In France, only half do. The legal retirement age in France is 60, while Germany recently raised it to 67 for those born after 1963.

With the retirement of the baby boomers, the number of pensioners will rise 47 percent in France between now and 2050, while the number under 60 will remain stagnant. The French call it "du baby boom au papy boom," and the costs, if unchanged, are unsustainable. The French state pension system today is running a deficit of 11 billion euros, or about $13.8 billion; by 2050, it will be 103 billion euros, or $129.5 billion, about 2.6 percent of projected economic output.