Write your Congressmen

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Obamacare summed up beautifully

FOXNews.com - Lieberman Will Vote Against Health Care Bill:

"Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell gave no indication of backing down.
'With the American people as overwhelmingly opposed to this bill as they are, for the Democrats to basically, arrogantly take the position that we're going to ignore public opinion and jam this through before Christmas, I think that's really a stretch,'
said McConnell, R-Ky."

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Race and Hypocrisy


Liberals are all atwitter over a doctored image (left) of Michelle Obama looking like a monkey which appeared in a Google search.

Racist image tops Google search results for Michelle Obama:
"The top-ranked result for U.S. first lady Michelle Obama on Google's image search engine is a racist caricature that depicted her with the face of a chimpanzee, just below a link to a suggested Google search for the terms 'Michelle Obama Monkey.'"

But is/was there any uproar when the pictures below were published? Not a chance.  Liberal blacks remain the protected species in America. 

'Black spinster' label pinned on Condi Rice


"A cartoon last week in the PA controlled Al Quds depicted Rice pregnant with a monkey. A caption read, "Rice speaks about birth of new Middle East.""







Then the libs made a monkey out of Bush:




















Of course, this is my favorite Michelle Obama picture:


Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Can a President be Impeached for Bankrupting the Country?

Thos eof you who voted for him, enjoy the ride. While the wheels are still on. God knows your kids won't like it; they have to pay for it.

Obama Shatters Spending Record for First-Year Presidents - FOXNews.com:
"President Obama has shattered the budget record for first-year presidents -- spending nearly double what his predecessor did when he came into office and far exceeding the first-year tabs for any other U.S. president in history.

In fiscal 2009 the federal government spent $3.52 trillion -- $2.8 trillion in 2000 dollars, which sets a benchmark for comparison. That fiscal year covered the last three-and-a-half months of George W. Bush's term and the first eight-and-a-half months of Obama's.

That price tag came with a $1.4 trillion deficit, nearly $1 trillion more than last year. The overall budget was about a half-trillion more than Bush's for 2008, his final full fiscal year in office."

Monday, November 16, 2009

Obama using Marxist Revolutionary Imagry



Not new, but interesting.

Obama using Marxist Revolutionary Imagry


Girls, get Ready for Obamacare: Mammograms at 50, Not 40


The left criticizes the right for things costing so much. But in an effort to reduce costs, are more cases of breast cancer OK?

In Reversal, U.S. Guidelines Urge Mammograms at 50, Not 40 - NYTimes.com:
"Just seven years ago, the same group, the United States Preventive Services Task Force, with different members, recommended that women have mammograms every one to two years starting at age 40. It found too little evidence to take a stand on breast self-examinations.

The group’s new guidelines, which are different from those of some professional and advocacy organizations, are published online in The Annals of Internal Medicine They are likely to touch off yet another round of controversy over the benefits of screening for breast cancer."

Friday, November 13, 2009

Ken Klukowski: Former ACORN fund raiser gets Obama judicial nomination. Yes, you read that right | Washington Examiner

Ken Klukowski: Former ACORN fund raiser gets Obama judicial nomination. Yes, you read that right | Washington Examiner: "President Obama's first federal court nominee was Judge David Hamilton of Indiana. If you are drinking your morning coffee as you read what follows here, you might want to put down your cup before reading further:

Among Hamilton's 'qualifications' is the fact that he is a former fund raiser for ACORN. That fact was conspicuously left out of the White House statement announcing Obama's nomination of the federal district judge for a position on the Seventh Circuit federal appeals court.

Even though it was only for a month, the fact Hamilton would work for any length of time for ACORN is disturbing. And there is no evidence that he has ever subsequently reputiadated his association with ACORN.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has scheduled a Senate confirmation vote on Hamilton's nomination for Tuesday, Nov. 17.

As the American Civil Rights Union's Ken Klukowski details in an oped posted earlier this morning here on washingtonexaminer.com, Hamilton is an ACLU big-wig who also has a deeply hypocritical view of Christianity:
'He has also shown surprising hostility to people of Christian faith. He ruled that any prayers uttered in the Indiana statehouse that invoke the name of Jesus Christ are unconstitutional and cannot be permitted.

'Nor can anyone offer a prayer that is 'sectarian' or 'pervasively Christian.' Oddly, although prayers mentioning Jesus are somehow a threat to the republic, Judge Hamilton said that it’s okay to offer prayers to Allah.'

Hamilton's various rulings are a good illustration of why so many social conservatives view attempts by the ACLU and other liberals to ban all expressions of Christian faith from the public square to be supremely bigoted and patently unconstitutional violations of the First Amendment's guarantee of religious freedom."

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Reid Considers Payroll Tax Hike for Health Care - FOXNews.com

Reid Considers Payroll Tax Hike for Health Care - FOXNews.com:
"It was not known how large an increase Reid, D-Nev., was considering, or whether it would also apply to a company's portion of the tax."

Thursday, November 5, 2009

'V' recap: Does Obama Come in Peace?


Many of you probably missed the series opener for ABC's science-fiction drama, V. Well it turns out that the "Visitors," (the fist letter of which is what the V means) are promising, among other things, universal health care. They're also controlling the media. They've also duped the entire population of the Earth with their charismatic leader. Sound familiar?

The internet is somewhat atwitter over the allegory to Obama, with the liberals having a near-hemorrhage over it.An excerpt from the article:

Our own real-world jitters about the authenticity and ambition of brazenly bold do-gooding leaders are reflected in the show. Can we really trust the charismatic crusader with the crackerjack plan for the future? What's the secret pricetag on a Brave New World? How can we be certain this new administration won't lead us into a new kind of ruin, let alone turn us all into sex slaves servicing the pervy desires of an evil megalomaniac who resembles the hot high class shuttle whore on Firefly? Because ladies and gentlemen, I do worry about that. Every. Single. Minute.

What fun Sci-Fi is, when it resonates with reality. Here is but one comment:


'V' recap: Do they come in peace? | TV Recap | EW.com:

"JSWed 11/4/09 03:34 PM

I agree with all of you who are pointing out the oversensitivity of Obama supporters to anything remotely negative, but keep in mind a fundamental plotline in the original V was how easy it is to fall into the follower role to someone who looks good and says all the right things, even if they are not acting in our best interests. The fact it happens to also apply to our current administration is just one more reason this show will resonate today."

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Is this a Joke?

The Dems with Obama at the helm are intrinsically responsible for the debt being so huge. Now they want to lower it?

Further, Romer is an absolute moron; that she was a professor of economics (albeit in the near-bankrupt California) is breathtaking. She needs to get out of the real world, where intellectual exercises do not work. Back to academia with you, Nessie, where your idiocy is encouraged and your damage is limited to textbooks written for intelligentsia and unread by your pot-smoking students. Outside of the ivory towers, it's clear the only other place Romer could make it would be in politics.


W.H., Dems sound alarm on budget deficit - Washington Times:
"A speech last week by Christina D. Romer, chairman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, looked at the reasons for the deficit and at how it relates to health care reform. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner appeared on NBC's 'Meet the Press' on Sunday to make clear that the administration recognizes the deficit is growing too large.

'Well, it's going to have to come down. Now it's too high, and I think everybody understands this,' Mr. Geithner said. 'The president's very committed to bring down these deficits.'"

Monday, November 2, 2009

The Purpose of a 1990 Page Bill

One thousand, nine-hundred, ninety pages. Almost two thousand pages of legislation. That most people don't want.

What they don't tell you is that it's still not done.  There's still the "Manger's Amendment."

In Congress, the manager’s amendment is a final package of alterations made to a bill, right before it hits the House floor. It’s a series of tweaks and additions, designed to prep the bill for debate. The manager’s amendment usually fixes problem areas. But it’s also crafted in such a way to court the support of lawmakers who are skeptical about the legislation. This is called the Goldilocks Effect. Making sure the bill isn’t too hot or too cold. But just right.


...“There’s only one purpose for a thousand page bill,” said. Rep. GT Thompson (R-PA) last Wednesday. “And that’s to hide stuff.”

So Republicans grew increasingly concerned about the contents of the manager’s amendment the pending health care bill.

“To try to figure out what they take out…what they put in…it becomes a puzzle of such complexity that nobody will know what’s going on,” said Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO). “Which may be exactly what the majority wants to have happen.”

In a statement after the meeting, Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) proclaimed that “there is still work to do.” Lee added she would “work with my colleagues to ensure that the final package has the strongest public option.”



 

Saturday, October 31, 2009

The Problem with Liberals

"It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument."
- William G. McAdoo

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Pay Czar Increased Base Pay at Firms

It's one thing to reduce the exorbitant pay for CEOs and such at companies that receive public money. It's quite another to adjust the entire salary structure at those firms to make things more "equitable." Socialism, anyone? It sure ain't the free market.

Pay Czar Increased Base Pay at Firms - WSJ.com:
"Treasury Department pay czar Kenneth Feinberg last week announced sharp cuts in total compensation at the finance and auto companies under his control.

But while he cut total compensation by half, he substantially increased one important element -- regular salaries, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.

The move reflects the complexity of regulating something that mixes politics and economics.

Mr. Feinberg oversees seven firms that accepted bailout packages: American International Group Inc., Citigroup Inc., Bank of America Corp., General Motors Corp., GMAC Financial Services, Chrysler Group and Chrysler Financial."

Friday, October 23, 2009

Fed Gov't should help REAL American Problems - Chinese drywall

Rather than slamming its critics, why doesn't the WH do something about American homeowners getting slammed with problems from imported products? This is the clear domain of the federal government, as States don't have the rights nor the resources to fight international commerce - only the Feds have that.

Hey Dems - you want to be helpful? Help Americans with REAL problems!


Fla. insurer reverses on Chinese drywall - wtop.com:
"WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Florida's public insurance company now says it will continue covering a couple's home after to renew the policy because of tainted Chinese drywall problems.

James and Maria Ivory moved back to Colorado after finding their new Gulf Coast residence was built with the imported drywall, which emits sulfuric fumes and corrodes pipes.

Citizens Property Insurance Corp. denied their claim to fix it, then said the policy wouldn't be renewed. This week, the company reversed course after a second inspection and will renew the policy.

Experts say homeowners across the country could start losing policies on homes containing the tainted materials. In some cases, it's estimated the fix could cost more than owners paid for their homes.

(Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)"

UPDATE: WH Vs Fox News

To their credit (and my astonishemnt), the major news networks stood by Fox News when the Obama White House tried to freeze them out.

Perhaps the major networks know news when they see it, whereas the Administration does not.

White House Loses Bid to Exclude Fox News From Pay Czar Interview - Political News - FOXNews.com
The Obama administration on Thursday failed in its attempt to manipulate other news networks into isolating and excluding Fox News, as Republicans on Capitol Hill stepped up their criticism of the hardball tactics employed by the White House.
The Obama administration on Thursday tried to make "pay czar" Kenneth Feinberg available for interviews to every member of the White House pool except Fox News. The pool is the five-network rotation that for decades has shared the costs and duties of daily coverage of the presidency.
But the Washington bureau chiefs of the five TV networks consulted and decided that none of their reporters would interview Feinberg unless Fox News was included.
The administration relented, making Feinberg available for all five pool members and Bloomberg TV.
The pushback came after White House senior adviser David Axelrod told ABC News' "This Week" on Sunday that Fox News is not a real news organization and other news networks "ought not to treat them that way."


The decision to boycott the Feinberg interview unless Fox News was included was cheered by media analysts, who said the administration's gambit was taking its feud with Fox News too far. President Obama has already declined to go on "Fox News Sunday," even while appearing on the other Sunday shows.

Public Figures

"Today's public figures can no longer write their own speeches or books, and there is some evidence that they can't read them either."
- Gore Vidal

Further evidence of WH Tyranny

Obama gives Congress, and by proxy the American people, the finger.

W.H. tells Congress that policy 'Czars' won't testify - Washington Times:
"The White House has told Congress it will reject calls for many of President Obama's policy czars to testify before Congress - a decision senators said goes against the president's promises of transparency and openness and treads on Congress' constitutional mandate to investigate the administration's actions.
The debate goes to the heart of weighty constitutional issues about separation of powers. The president argues that he should be allowed to have advisers who are free to give him confidential advice without having to fear being called to testify about it. Democrats and Republicans in Congress, though, argue that those in office who actually craft policy should be able to be summoned to testify because they do more than just give the president advice."

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Looking at the WH vs FOX Flap - from the other side


Putting aside that the Obama Administration's behavior toward Fox News has been markedly un-Presidential, I wonder what the other networks think about this: Is the White house putting all news organizations on notice that if they criticize the Administration, they'll also be called out? And will that deter them?

Honestly, If I were the "courageous journalist" that all in the media think they are, irrespective of what political side I was on I'd not only be concerned, I'd be pissed.

After the election, with Obama winning, the proper thing is to move toward governance for all Americans. That means a transcendence of party politics. But Obama didn't do this, rather he continued a campaign of demonizing enemies. Now certain elements of the press are considered enemies. Can anyone remember when Richard Nixon did this?

To think that the government can control the "Fourth Estate;" if anything is un-American, this is it.  Think I'm out of my tree?  Here's what WikiPedia has to say about Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's Minister of propaganda:

He exerted totalitarian control over the media, arts, and information in Germany. In that position, he perfected an understanding of the "Big Lie" technique of propaganda, which is based on the principle that a lie, if audacious enough and repeated enough times, will be believed by the masses.

How about that for history repeating itself?


Obama Compares Fox News to Talk Radio, Says He's Not 'Losing Sleep' Over Controversy - Political News - FOXNews.com:
"Several top White House advisers have gone on other channels to criticize Fox News' coverage of the administration, dismiss the network as the mouthpiece of the Republican Party and urge other news organizations not to treat Fox News as a legitimate news station.

And on Tuesday, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said White House officials 'render (that) opinion based on some their coverage and the fairness of that coverage.'"

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

How they lied


This is true; Anita Dunn, Obama's Communications Chief and proud admirer of Mao Tse Tung (in the video, watch her tongue; she looks like a serpent!), said it herself. It's not a report from a third party, not a hatchet job from the Republicans, not a disgruntled ex-employee. It's the word from the horse's mouth, how they misled the American people.

It's ironic that, while Dunn says they used YouTube to disseminate their message with the intent of controlling the press, that it's now YouTube being used to disseminate how they lied, and why. How they did it: They put out several videos featuring David Pluff, and then the establishment media just parroted that; no confirmation, no additional checking by the media. I'm not sure who's more to blame, the campaign, or the media. 

I wonder how the press is taking this, having been completely duped.  Do they even care? Journalism died a quiet, willing death, that's for sure.

Dunn is an idiot for revealing this, but I am thankful for it. Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLpmqO4xoHI

So now, how do we trust this Administration? 
Answer: We don't.
How do we trust the press?
Answer: We don't.
And the tyranny is complete.



Top White House Official Says Obama Team 'Controlled' Media Coverage During Campaign - Political News - FOXNews.com:
"The Obama campaign's press strategy leading up to his election last November focused on 'making' the media cover what the campaign wanted and on exercising absolute 'control' over coverage, White House Communications Director Anita Dunn told an overseas crowd early this year.

In a video of the event, Dunn is seen describing in detail the media strategy used by then-Sen. Barack Obama's highly disciplined presidential campaign. The video is footage from a Jan. 12 forum hosted by the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development in the Dominican Republic.

'Very rarely did we communicate through the press anything that we didn't absolutely control,' Dunn said, admitting that the strategy 'did not always make us popular in the press.'"

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

What to do about Afghanistan

Merriam Webster defines "retreat" thusly:

1 : a (1) an act or process of withdrawing especially from what is difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable
2 : a place of privacy or safety : refuge
3 : a period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, study, or instruction under a director

Americans have a penchant for banging our heads against a wall, without knowing why we are doing so. To wit: Is the prosecution of this war another quagmire, ala VietNam? That is, is it being run too closely along political lines, as LBJ and the Democrats did back in the mid-1960s, without a clear goal that's in American interests? Is the goal more to satisfy the requirements of domestic party politics than to keep the world (and America) safe? 

We need a reset switch. Why don't we use Merriam Webster's definition as a plan, not just words. Pull out entirely, and leave the rascals to their own devices. But don't for a minute give up on Afghanistan. This is just the first step in how to handle it with the least cost - in both American life and dollars.

Step 1: Retreat from Afghanistan, to a man. Trash the equipment and leave it there. Let the Taliban come back. That will take care of the corrupt government we somehow managed to empower there.

Step 2: Let our military heal itself.  There's a lot of battle fatigue going around, and they need a rest. But we learned a lot, and can train for the next dust-up. Reflect on what we did, and didn't do, while watching Afghanistan closely.

Step 3: When the Taliban/Al Quada come back (and they will), blast them again just like we did in 2001/2002 when we removed them in the first place. What did that take - 30 days?  Then pull out again, and prepare to do this repeatedly as an extended policy on Afghanistan.

American efforts toward rebuilding nations that we destroy actually seem to make things worse.  The gobs of cash that we always bestow on these locales are nothing more than an opportunity for the most clever among tyrannical, despotic, power-mad thieves to gain great position under our flag. Such has happened in Afghanistan, and there little we can now do about it. Hence the need for a reset.

The corrupt Afghanistan government will thwart any and all efforts we take there to stabilize the country. Instability is the name of the game for those who want to control Afghanistan, and we're footing the bill for it.

Again, hence the need for a reset.

To outright remove the current Afghan government is not possible; to do so spends too much in valuable diplomatic resources and capital. But pulling out with the intent to periodically return to ensure peace (AKA hitting the reset button) forces the Afghan government to sink or swim, improves our military by giving them a break, saves money and American lives, and is just the most efficient way to achieve the goal of a non-threatening Afghanistan. They won't be free, but our goal should be regional docility and peace. If it becomes free, that a side benefit.

It's like battling roaches when one lives in a rowhouse; you'll never get rid of all of them, but hiring an exterminator will at least control them to a point where life is livable.

 

McChrystal: More U.S. Troops May Not Prevent Afghanistan From Falling to Terror Haven - Political News - FOXNews.com: "WASHINGTON -- Rampant government corruption might derail the fight against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan even if as many as 80,000 additional U.S. troops were sent to the war, the top military commander there has concluded, according to U.S. officials briefed on his recommendations.

The conclusion by Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal is part of a still-secret document that requests more troops even as he warns that they ultimately may not prevent terrorists from turning Afghanistan back into a haven.

McChrystal has outlined three options for additional troops -- from as many as 80,000 to as few as 10,000 to 15,000, according to officials at the Pentagon and White House.

Each option carries a high risk of failing, according to U.S. officials, although they said McChrystal concluded that fewer troops will bring the highest risks."

Monday, October 12, 2009

More Hidden Costs of health Care Reform

The Democrats think their health care "reform" will end up costing taxpayers less. In an alternate reality that is probably true.

What the Democrats are trying to do is what liberals always try to do: Impose their myopic morality on everyone while getting someone else to pay.

Actuaries for the health insurance companies are now weighing in: while taxes may not go up, insurance costs are going WAY up. A tax by another name.

So, my word to the youth vote who put Obama in office: Now that you will be required to spend several thousand dollars a year on healthcare you now don't have and don't want, are you satisfied with your vote? I thought not.

Consider it a teaching moment - at everyone's expense.

Insurers Mount Attack Against Health Reform - Political News - FOXNews.com: "Late Sunday, the industry trade group America's Health Insurance Plans sent its member companies a new accounting firm study that projects the legislation would add $1,700 a year to the cost of family coverage in 2013, when most of the major provisions in the bill would be in effect.

Premiums for a single person would go up by $600 more than would be the case without the legislation, the PricewaterhouseCoopers analysis concluded in the study commissioned by the insurance group.

'Several major provisions in the current legislative proposal will cause health care costs to increase far faster and higher than they would under the current system,' Karen Ignagni, the top industry lobbyist in Washington, wrote in a memo to insurance company CEOs.

The study projected that in 2019, family premiums could be $4,000 higher and individual premiums could be $1,500 higher."

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Obama's Olympic Failure Highlights Limits of His International Appeal

Obama's Olympic Failure Highlights Limits of His International Appeal - Political News - FOXNews.com:
"Obama's failure in Copenhagen is feeding a growing perception that he is tall on rhetoric and short on results and more of a celebrity than a leader."

Friday, October 2, 2009

Laugh of the day: Mikulski earmarks go to top campaign contributors


See her comment at the end. It is to laugh...

Mikulski earmarks go to top campaign contributors -- baltimoresun.com
Democratic Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski has added tens of millions of dollars to a defense spending measure in earmarked grants for her top campaign donors, according to a Baltimore Sun analysis.

All but one of Mikulski's 16 funding requests were approved, making her the champion defense earmarker for the state. Final numbers won't be available until Congress completes action on the spending legislation later this fall.

Included in the senator's $42.1 million total is a combined $10.5 million for three companies, Northrop Grumman, Thales Communications and L-3 Communications, whose executives and political action committees have been among her most generous contributors.

Northrop Grumman officials and the company's PAC gave $57,900 to Mikulski's campaign and her political committee between 2005 and this year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan organization that tracks political money.

That makes Northrop Grumman the largest source of contributions to Mikulski's re-election, according to the center's figures. The other two companies, Thales and L-3, also ranked among her top 15 donors.

The Senate bill contains $4 million for a Northrop Grumman radar system being developed by the defense giant at its Electronic Systems division in Linthicum. Another $4 million went to a radio project for Thales, a French company whose U.S. division is headquartered in Clarksburg. Mikulski also obtained $2.5 million for an L-3 Communications division in Lexington Park that is working on an antenna project for unmanned drones.

Mikulski, who is seeking re-election next year, said campaign contributions have no impact on her decisions.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Empire State Building Goes Red for Communist China, Sparking Protest

I wonder... This having never happened before...

...is it an Obama effect?

Empire State Building Goes Red for Communist China, Sparking Protest - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com:
"Tourists were squirming as the city's 102-story landmark — which gained a special significance for New Yorker's after 9/11, when it again became Manhattan's tallest building — was being converted into a shining red beacon for Chinese communism.

'I think it's a bad idea,' said Dick Paasch, 69, from Billings, Montana. 'The Chinese Revolution ... in the years 1958-1960, there were something like 26 million people starved to death. Why would we want to celebrate something like that?"

Monday, September 28, 2009

More school: Obama would curtail summer vacation - wtop.com

Once again, on a different topic that enters the intimate lives of people, Obama wants control. This time he reveals that he knows nothing about child development.

Obama wants longer school days and no or limited summer vacations. However, children need playtime. One learns this just about anywhere: through life, but especially in any health science-related discipline. Play develops the brain and all manner of emotive qualities. But once again, Obama doesn't know this.

What a dumbass we have elected.

More school: Obama would curtail summer vacation - wtop.com: "
WASHINGTON (AP) - Students beware: The summer vacation you just enjoyed could be sharply curtailed if President Barack Obama gets his way.

Obama says American kids spend too little time in school, putting them at a disadvantage with other students around the globe.

'Now, I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas,' the president said earlier this year. 'Not with Malia and Sasha, not in my family, and probably not in yours. But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom.'"

Friday, September 25, 2009

Moore: The Hypocrite



I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this fool.

But I think it's interesting (and good) when the media finally challenges one of its liberal own.

Moore has become a millionaire many times over, not just thanks to capitalism, but most importantly on the backs of the "little people" he claims to want to help.

Nowhere has it been said, even by Moore himself, that he ever donates to charity. Nor is it known anywhere that Moore shares his film profits with the "downtrodden and oppressed" people that Moore uses in his films to gain his notoriety.

Lies and hypocrisy, plain and simple.


Dissecting the facts in Michael Moore's new film 'Capitalism: A Love Story' - Zap2it:
"Moore was unapologetic when asked how his beat-down on capitalism squares with the benefits he earns by teaming with big names in the entertainment industry including Paramount, the Weinstein Co. and Overture Films, which is part of John Malone's Liberty Media.

Moore says his life has greater purpose now that he has found success, and he doesn't mind paying more in taxes. 'It is not right, if you get through the door and get to enjoy the good life, when everyone else struggles and lives paycheck to paycheck,' Moore said.

His passion is to convince moviegoers that the game is rigged against most Americans, while Wall Street, big business and the wealthy keep coming out ahead. Moore says the taxpayer-funded banking bailout amounted to a 'double robbery' because average people lost money in the market and then were asked to prop up the same companies that lost it for them.

Instead of laying all the blame on banks, Moore could have made the message of 'Capitalism: A Love Story' even more powerful with a more nuanced approach. He does note how some individuals unwisely used their home equity like personal piggybanks, but there isn't much discussion about how some of the people facing foreclosure got to that point. That would have bolstered his arguments and shown how damaging it is when greed is everywhere."

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

US Government is Corrupt

The corruption is so complete that they make so attempt to hide it, anymore.

Massachusetts Governor Says White House Pressing for Quick Kennedy Replacement - Political News - FOXNews.com:
"RICHMOND, Mass. -- Gov. Deval Patrick said Friday that President Barack Obama had personally talked to him about changing the Senate succession law in Massachusetts, and White House aides were pushing for him to gain the power to temporarily replace the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy amid the administration's health care push."

Monday, September 21, 2009

Control through Seduction


Seduction; we go there willingly. But the name of the game is control, and in the article below we see it well-versed for the first time.

The more citizens become dependent on the government, the more the government can control our lives. This was no secret to Karl Marx, Lenin, Louis Althusser and other communists, who talked at length about the role the Ideological State Apparatus - as opposed to the State Apparatus, like the police - can play in controlling a people.

Take schools for example. British Cultural Studies and Louis Althusser talked about the ideological role institutions like church and school play in determining what people think. Religious speech is hard to control, what with the written document of the Bible and all that, so places like the USSR simply did away with religion. That won't happen here, but the schools, and now health care, are ripe for the taking - and in fact have been infected to a large extent already.

Does anyone think the public school system is even good? Does anyone think that, even if it was good, that it's even-handed, politically speaking? It's not, because the liberals of the 1960s, understanding the subversive power of the Ideological State Apparatus, infected the schools in large numbers to the point where they now control universities. The same is true for the elementary and secondary schools, particularly through the the school boards who determine the curriculum. Remember, there were some districts which reduced discussion of George Washington to a footnote. This is why they're not even good; they spend too much time on ideology and not enough on facts. But schools exist now as an Ideological State Apparatus, and for better or worse we're dependent on the system.

Apply this to health care, if Obama gets his way. Imagine a people (us) dependent on the State for their health. How much dissent are you going to make if you need treatment to save your life?

The stakes are pretty high. For the individual, as high as it can get.


Romney rips Obama's domestic policies - Washington Times:
"Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said more Americans are being seduced into relying on the government instead of on themselves, thanks to the policies of President Obama and his fellow Democrats.

Mr. Obama's policies encourage 'a growing sense of dependency and entitlements,' and are making some Americans 'less apt to create new businesses, to strike out on new adventures and pursue opportunities that have always been the source of America's vitality economically,' he said."

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Obama Used Faulty Anecdote in Speech to Congress - Political News - FOXNews.com

Obama Used Faulty Anecdote in Speech to Congress - Political News - FOXNews.com:
"WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama, seeking to make a case for health-insurance regulation, told a poignant story to a joint session of Congress last week. An Illinois man getting chemotherapy was dropped from his insurance plan when his insurer discovered an unreported gallstone the patient hadn't known about.

'They delayed his treatment, and he died because of it,' the president said in the nationally televised address.

In fact, the man, Otto S. Raddatz, didn't die because the insurance company rescinded his coverage once he became ill, an act known as recission. The efforts of his sister and the office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan got Raddatz's policy reinstated within three weeks of his April 2005 rescission and secured a life-extending stem-cell transplant for him. Raddatz died this year, nearly four years after the insurance showdown."

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

White House Lobbies for Interim Kennedy Seat Appointment

I'm so upset by this I can't think straight. It means there is no government devoid of party politics, but rather a government by the party. That very different from what America is supposed to be. The government of the Nazis and the Communists ran this way, and still do to this day - everything is done at the behest of the political party, not the people.

It seems to me that once one is elected to the presidency, then that is supposed to rise above party politics. The President is the president of the people, not the Democratic Party President of the people.

This bad, bad, bad. It ushers in a new era in American government where power is lopsided, deaf and uncontrolled.

White House Lobbies for Interim Kennedy Seat Appointment - Political News - FOXNews.com:
"The Obama White House has left the sidelines and jumped in with both feet as Massachusetts lawmakers debate whether to change current law and appoint an interim U.S. Senator to replace the deceased Edward M. Kennedy.

FOX News has learned Senior White House adviser David Axelrod called the president of the Massachusetts Senate on Monday to lobby for the law change to fill Kennedy's Senate seat until the Jan. 19 special election is held."

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

News Outlets Largely Ignoring ACORN Scandal, Critics Say

The picture to the left is a screen shot of the front page of the ABC News.com site. Notice - no mention of the action taken in Congress to eliminate federal funding for ACORN.

News Outlets Largely Ignoring ACORN Scandal, Critics Say - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com:
"'A major national scandal and none of the broadcast networks is covering it,' said Dan Gainor, vice president for business and culture at the Media Research Center. 'This is the news media in the era of Van Jones and President Obama. The major outlets cover what they want and create the themes they want.'"

Friday, September 11, 2009

news: China considering restrictions on rare earths exports

news: China considering restrictions on rare earths exports
China is planning to further restrict or prohibit exports of rare earth metals, according to British press reports.

Rare earths—some of which are mined exclusively in China—play a crucial role in emission control catalysts and in a number of other technologically advanced products including electronics, electric motors, superconductors or magnets.

In a draft report titled ‘Rare Earths Industry Development Plan 2009-2015’, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has reportedly called for a total ban on foreign shipments of terbium, dysprosium, yttrium, thulium, and lutetium. A number of other metals including cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, and europium would be restricted to a combined export quota of 35,000 tonnes a year.

An estimated 95% of the world’s rare earth supplies are mined in China, mostly in Inner Mongolia. The proposal reflects the growing competition for diminishing resources, as the global usage of rare earths increases. The proposed export quota is insufficient to cover the global needs.

A number of the materials to be restricted are used in emission control catalysts.

Ourageous - when the whistleblower is at fault

2 ACORN Employees Fired, Could Face Criminal Charges - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com:
"Whether or not prosecutors charge any ACORN officials in Baltimore, the filmmaker himself could be in hot water.

A Maryland state statute requires consent from all parties whenever a conversation is taped, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Violations of the law are punishable by a maximum of five years in jail and a fine up to $10,000.

But that statute does not apply to videotape recordings — only to phone calls or other electronic 'communications,' Napolitano argued — meaning the filmmaker is likely in the clear."

I've never been comfortable with this law in Maryland - that one can be prosecuted for taping a conversation without the consent of all parties.

I believe that if one is on the up-and-up. then he will always act the same way. So if he's acting illegally in public, he'll do so in private; the latter just makes him easier to catch. As they say, it's what's in the heart that counts.

So when 2 student interns walk into an office open to the public, an office operated with federal public tax dollars (ACORN offices in Baltimore), it seems to me that that anything done there is done especially in public and should be subject to any form of recording. The expectation of privacy should be very low, making it legal to record anything that happens there, video, audio or otherwise.

Journalists should be free to record whatever they like in public. It's the expectation of privacy that's the issue. Only a fool has that expectation on a phone or anywhere outside his home.

Especially in light of the collapse of law enforcement in Baltimore, we need more people willing to do what these young filmmakers have done.

There's a special irony here: ACORN's core has as part of its "mission" to enhance communities. How does prostitution, especially child prostitution, and tax evasion do that? Is it an entrepreneurial opportunity for the unemployed? In the end, they'll argue that it's somehow Bush's fault.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

The Democratic Right to Dissent

The Gaggle : A Defense of Joe Wilson: The Democratic Right to Dissent

So when does our head of government answer to questioning by the legislature? Unless he’s impeached, the answer is never. (The only real questioning the president ever faces is when he chooses to call a White House press conference. Even these have become such stage-managed events that their inquisitorial value is close to zero.) Increasingly, the president’s most powerful officials are similarly aloof from inquiry. Consider Obama’s bevy of "czars" and "presidential envoys" to handle multiple areas of domestic and foreign policy. As White House officials, they are beyond the reach of Congressional questioning. But why? What purpose is served by grilling some cabinet secretary, when the administration has already made it clear that real power lies with the czar above them? To adapt an old and vulgar proverb: why question the monkey if the organ grinder remains out of reach?

The debacles of the past decade surely show how damaging is this inability to require America’s head of government to explain and defend his actions, at the time, to the legislature. Suppose President Bush had been forced to answer tough questions back in spring 2003 about his arguments for invading Iraq? Or his decision to set up Guantánamo and fill it with detainees scarfed up from faraway battlefields? Or his decision to allow the methods of interrogation that he did? The questions he never had seriously to address quickly mount up. Had President Bush been required to come before Congress, on regular and frequent occasions, to explain and defend his decisions, the outcomes might have been no different. I suspect they would have been. What’s certain is that national debate would have been more informed, more searching, more inclusive—more democratic.

So, back to last night’s address to Congress. The debate over President Obama’s desire to change America’s health-care system would surely have been less beset by angry fantasies, less in thrall to paranoid conspiracy theories about "death panels," if the head of government had been required, over these past months, to face Congress at intervals and answer questions about what he had in mind? It’s an axiom of American civic life that open government is the best government. In an age when the frenzies of cable-TV and talk-radio demagogues command the audiences they do, it's time to wonder whether open government—the chief executive forced to explain and defend what he intends, and why he intends it—might be our best hope of keeping our national debates within the bounds of rationality and, yes, civility that the Founding Fathers hoped.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

White House sued for free speech violations

White House sued for free speech violations:
"In the lawsuit, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) and the Coalition for Urban Renewal and Education (CARE) claim the White House had 'illegally' used its power to collect information on political speech.

[The lawsuit] claimed that the White House knew its data collection would chill free speech and in fact intended to do just that.

"The suit demands that the White House remove any information it might have already collected and that it be prohibited from collecting personal data in the future.

The lawsuit stems from a move by the White House earlier this month to push back on what it claimed was disinformation being spread about Obama's health-care reform plans. In an Aug. 4 blog post, Macon Phillips, director of new media at the White House, lamented what he called the disinformation and rumors that often traveled via chain e-mails or through casual conversations."

ABC, NBC Won't Air Ad Critical of Obama's Health Care Plan - Political News - FOXNews.com

ABC, NBC Won't Air Ad Critical of Obama's Health Care Plan - Political News - FOXNews.com:
"The refusal by ABC and NBC to run a national ad critical of President Obama's health care reform plan is raising questions from the group behind the spot -- particularly in light of ABC's health care special aired in prime time last June and hosted at the White House.

The 33-second ad by the League of American Voters, which features a neurosurgeon who warns that a government-run health care system will lead to the rationing of procedures and medicine, began airing two weeks ago on local affiliates of ABC, NBC, FOX and CBS. On a national level, however, ABC and NBC have refused to run the spot in its present form."



Redistribution

We all heard a lot from and about Obama in his campaign and early presidential days about redistribution of wealth. We haven't heard much about that lately, and probably with good reason: he's taken the idea of redistribution and applied it to health care, this time with the elderly losing out.

Think about it; as a community organizer, Obama revealed his core as a "social justice" type, meaning that essentially, all people should have more or less equal outcomes (as opposed to the American ideal of equal opportunity).

In Obama's mind, equal outcome can be achieved in a variety of ways, but concerning healthcare, in order to get the bulk of the money shifted away from the elderly and middle class and toward the poor, he'd have to remake the entire healthcare system.

It's easier to hide his true intent this way, by casting the entirety of the healthcare system as completely broken, and necessary to remake it.

Just like any good con man playing a shell game, Obama and the democrats needed speed to push it through, so no one would catch on to what they were doing. That didn't work. However, Americans being the trusting (read: dopey) souls that we are, Obama may still get what he wants; that is, unless the voters speak out even more loudly than we have.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

What I got with Cash for Clunkers - Sterling Brooks: Too old for clunkerdom (4) - CNNMoney.com


What I got with Cash for Clunkers - Sterling Brooks: Too old for clunkerdom (4) - CNNMoney.com:
"My smoke-belching, fuel-guzzling diesel van doesn't qualify for Cash for Clunkers. I have insurance, current license plates, a safety-inspection sticker... but my van is one year too old to qualify."

Clunkers program could end soon -- with a crash - Aug. 20, 2009

Clunkers program could end soon -- with a crash - Aug. 20, 2009:
"Auto dealers, among the biggest supporters of the program, are pulling out in large numbers, worried that they won't be reimbursed for the up to $4,500 they have advanced to each customer who trades in older gas guzzlers for more fuel efficient models.

Dealers are complaining that slow processing of paperwork by the Department of Transportation has put them in a cash flow bind, requiring them to advance well over $1 billion so far.

They also worry that the delays in processing their applications could mean there are far more deals in the pipeline, a problem since the $3 billion allocated to Cash for Clunkers is already close to exhausted."

Monday, August 17, 2009

Tennessee Experiment's High Cost Fuels Health-Care Debate - WSJ.com

Tennessee Experiment's High Cost Fuels Health-Care Debate - WSJ.com

In 1994, Tennessee launched an ambitious public insurance program to cover its uninsured. The plan, TennCare, fulfilled that mission but nearly bankrupted the state in the process. Unlike Massachusetts's more recent universal coverage law, the TennCare plan's... runaway costs show that the public health-insurance proposal by House Democrats could bankrupt the federal government.

As originally envisioned, the Tennessee plan expanded Medicaid, the government health-care program for the poor, to cover people who couldn't afford insurance or who had been denied coverage by an insurance company.

In a letter to Congress last month, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) compared the public plan envisioned in the House bill to TennCare, warning that TennCare became so costly at its peak that it ate up one-third of Tennessee's budget.


"The promise of TennCare has gone unrealized," she wrote. "Many of the concerns we have expressed about the proposal before us today are the stark realities of a system that went terribly wrong in Tennessee."


With an initial budget of $2.6 billion, TennCare quickly extended coverage to an additional 500,000 people by making access to its plans easy and affordable. But the program became so expensive that Tennessee was forced to scale it back in 2005.

TennCare had its failings. The plan, for example, paid health providers less than private insurance plans, prompting some physicians and hospitals to increase charges to private insurers. Some of this resulted in so-called cost shifting, with insurance companies passing on the costs through higher premiums.

Rep. Blackburn says TennCare shows that a public plan would undermine the current employer-based health-care system, citing data from University of California at San Diego that showed 45% of people claiming TennCare's benefits had left employer-provided insurance.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

SPIN METER: Cash for Clunkers also helps consumers buy SUVs, trucks and crossovers too | Washington Examiner

SPIN METER: Cash for Clunkers also helps consumers buy SUVs, trucks and crossovers too | Washington Examiner:
"But what LaHood and other administration officials usually don't mention is that some trucks and sport-utility vehicles that get less than 20 miles per gallon, like the Ford F-150 truck and one version of the Cadillac SRX Crossover, also are being purchased with the new government subsidies. Both are bulky vehicles weighing more than 6,000 pounds when loaded that boast at least 248 horsepower.

Just how many consumers used the federal rebates to buy these larger, not-so-green vehicles is unclear. The Obama administration has declined so far to release detailed records of purchases under the program being compiled by the Transportation Department, listing every clunker deal requesting rebates. The Associated Press requested the data July 31."

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Intelligence from the Din

Below is a comment from an article on Sen Ben Cardin's town hall meeting on health care reform. It's probably the most intelligent suggestion made concerning the mess that is now health care "reform."

I have a great idea (which means Washington will never implement it). I am an engineer and make a living solving complex problems. When engineers are tasked to solve a problem the first thing they do is an in-depth study of why the problem exists in the first place. After that you take each cause and try and find a particular solution that fixes it. The problem here is that health care used to be affordable and now it is not. Why is that? Is it the insurance companies gouging consumers? Is it unnecessary malpractice lawsuits? Is it doctors padding the bill with unnecessary tests? Is it the government's inefficiencies? Is it illegal immigrants getting free care that the taxpayer ultimately pays? I don't know, but my idea would be for the government, Republicans and Democrats, to do a lengthy, thorough study and find this out. Then we could start tackling each cause one at a time and develop solutions that actually address the problem. Why does congress have to ram a hastily crafted bill down our throats? Why can't they figure out what the cause is and fix it? Like I said earlier, nearly 100% of the people against the Democrats bill are for some sort of reform, but they don't want reform for reforms sake, especially when the government has such a poor track record. Lets have real reform that really fixes the problem and you will see support from nearly everyone.
RixonGator (08/11/2009, 1:19 PM )


Opponents dominate Cardin town hall meeting on health care -- baltimoresun.com

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

What's "Bitch" In Congolese?

Clinton's Outburst in Congo Raises Concerns About Her Diplomatic Skills - Political News - FOXNews.com

Some foreign policy analysts said while her reaction may not have any political repercussions, it reflects her limitations as a diplomat.


"If a student in the Congo can get under your skin with a mistranslation and you're unable to deflect it in a gracious diplomatic way, one gets a little concerned when an issue of more consequence comes along and she might indulge in a personal perspective as opposed to something that's good for the country as a whole,"


- Robert Schadler, senior fellow in public diplomacy at the American Foreign Policy Council.

"It's inappropriate for a diplomat to be so harshly personal," Schadler added. "You can't imagine the great secretaries of state with expressing that unnecessary personal view when they would be overseas and talking to a foreign audience."

No Wonder Obama Wanted to Ram Health Care Bill Through

There's always a reason for everything, and now those reasons are starting to emerge. Age-based healthcare was bad, but race-based health care is even worse. Read on.

EXCLUSIVE: Panel sees race bias in health care bill - Washington Times

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights says some little-noticed provisions in the House health care bill are racially discriminatory...

...and it intends to ask President Obama and Congress to rewrite sections that factor in race when awarding billions in contracts, scholarships and grants.

The commission also fears the programs, which are designed to improve health care in underserved areas, will not be effective.

In a draft of a letter the commission approved Friday, the group raises constitutional questions about giving preferential treatment to minority students for scholarships, and about favoring medical schools and organizations that have a record of sending graduates to areas with inadequate health care services.

"These programs are unlikely to reduce health care disparities among racial and ethic groups," according to the draft letter obtained by The Washington Times. "A growing body of evidence indicates that increasing access to high-quality physicians - whatever their racial or ethnic ancestry - is the best way to mitigate such disparities."

The draft letter also cites testimony from Dr. Amitabh Chandra of Harvard University who said the idea that expanding the number of minority physicians and providing "cultural competence training" will bridge the health status gap is "grounded in hope more than science," according to the draft language.

It cites research from Dr. Chandra that found that improving the quality of health care in the 500 largest minority serving areas would improve minority health care more than the elimination of racial disparities within every provider in the U.S.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Show me the money

Obama: Canadian Health Care Won't Work for America - Political News - FOXNews.com:
"Obama said the United States spends the most money per person on health care but some measures show the U.S. doesn't rank at the top in terms of outcomes.

'We're not doing better than a lot of other advanced, developed countries that are spending much less per person,' he said."
Right. Name me 2 countries spending less and doing more that have the same large and diverse population as the United States. The world's largest emerging nation, India, still has a population who takes a dump in the public streets (see Slumdog Millionaire).

But then, isn't it logical to spend money on the same old American system that mostly eradicated polio, measles, TB and brought the world penicillin, even though you think it's wretched?

I think it's a good thing to live in the country that spends the most on healthcare. Leave it alone. Those who don't have health insurance still have health care, let's be clear about that. Federal law says it, bubby.

I wish the people could see this for what it is: no crisis of any kind. Care is given to anyone who wants it and appears at the door of any American hospital. What Obama wants is to pigeonhole who will pay for it. So it's maybe an issue regarding accountability for costs related to the sick who get treatment not under insurance; it should fall on the shoulders of the feds because they enacted the laws. Actually, care for the uninsured is eaten by the hospital itself. Which is why hospital costs are high and rising - treating the poor under federal law without reimbursement. Obama seems to want to push that payment off onto the taxpayer or, more recently, onto the buyer (employer or employee) of health insurance. As if they have nothing else to pay for.

But who gains? Not the taxpayer, but actually the hospital - which is why a lot of them support the Democrats in this. Yep, it's always about the money.

In the bargain, Obama has embraced Hilary Clinton's notion: never let a good crisis go unused. Redefining the issue of health care payments for the uninsured as a crisis of the entire health care system is a good way to gain control over it. Convince the bumpkins that everything is a wreck, and then swoop in like the hero and make everything right. And what is created is under the control of our hero. Stalin, eat your heart out. The only problem is that there are 300 million screaming voters out here that need to be controlled, and not a Bolshevik in sight.

Enter Obama... but never, ever forget - it's always about the money.

A New Revolution?

Michigan crowd vents health care fury - Washington Times
ROMULUS, Mich. | There were no buses, no swastikas, not a piece of Astroturf in sight.

But there was name-calling, jeering, red faces and finger-pointing as Michigan residents shot back with fury at a congressional town-hall meeting geared to explaining President Obama's health care plan.

Rep. John D. Dingell, a Democrat and a lead author of health care legislation in the House, did his best to remain composed, even as many constituents and other residents argued that the plan is socialized medicine and rained down fury against a smaller group of supporters for the plan.

"You're a fraud, you have not read the bill," screamed Mike Sola, who got directly in the lawmaker's face in furious confrontation...

...wheeling his 36-year-old son, Scott, who has cerebral palsy, directly to the podium before police stepped in and encouraged the Milan, Mich., man to leave. He asserted that the bill would not help his disabled child.

"Fascist America," Mr. Sola screamed on his way out.


My question: Why was Mr. Sola asked to leave?

It seems to be perpetually "alright" to promote cultural imagery of people standing up for their rights, especially when it involves the health of people and particularly their children. The litany of films is endless: John Q, Erin Brockovich, Damages (on FX Networks), Sicko, The Rainmaker, etc etc. Those who lean to the political left love stories about people who stand up to the Goliath of government and industry. But they ain't loving this.

In the current real-life story, we have the Goliath of the US Government concocting a plan to control everyone's health care, perhaps even determining who is eligible for life-saving treatment based on their age and use to society (there was a film about that, too, called Soylent Green). We'd find it unbelievable and relegate it all to the realm of SciFi if it weren't actually happening in Canada with their national healthcare system.

But here we have everyday Americans not just afraid, but really pissed off and letting their representatives know it. Despite what the Town Idiot Pelosi and her pal, Hoyer say, this is the most American thing ever; it's how we got started and why we remain who we are - having the freedom and nerve to stand up for what's ours.

My hope is that this is a turning point in the way we view politics and politicians. I hope that people finally get off their laziness and tell their politicians what they want. And vote them out if they don't do it.

A new revolution?

Friday, August 7, 2009

Thank you, DNC. We appreciate further division.


Health Care Town Halls Turn Violent in Tampa and St. Louis - Political News - FOXNews.com:
"Town hall meetings called to discuss proposed health care legislation turned violent Thursday, with a meeting in Tampa, Fla., descending into shouting and one in St. Louis ending in arrests.

Inside [in Tampa, FL], Democratic lawmakers had a difficult time delivering their opening remarks, as they were met with shouts of "You work for us!'' "Tyranny! tyranny! tyranny!'' and "Read the bill!" the Tampa Tribune reported.

As tensions rose further, Rep. Castor was escorted out of the town hall by police after Reed encouraged her to leave.


"They're hiding from their constituents. She works for us and needs to listen,''

- Karen Jaroch, a homemaker and organizer for the 9-12 Project


"We said all along our role was to come and give an update on the bill in Congress. That's what Betty Reed asked us to do ... and that's what we did," Castor's spokeswoman, Ellen Gedalius, was quoted as saying.

Health care opponents said liberal organizers had tried to allow early admission to those who were seen as favorable to legislation making its way through Congress. "

"If socialized medicine is best ... why didn't Ted Kennedy go to Canada?"

Thursday, August 6, 2009

The American Left, the White House, and Totalitarianism

Not only is the Obama White House asking for people to "turn in" their neighbors, but they're also acting against citizens' rights to yell at their representatives by moving to counter the voices of these citizens.

Obama rallies health counterprotesters - Washington Times:
"A day after the White House dismissed protesters at town-hall events as people sent from opposition groups in Washington, the administration's political wing began mobilizing millions of its own supporters"

This is really extraordinary, because it harkens back to the McCarthy days, when Americans were expected and encouraged to turn in their fellow citizens for "suspected" communist activities. However, this time it's worse: it concerns no threat to the US (as communism may have been), but rather it's about Americans voicing their First Amendment freedoms countering Obama's and the democrats' proposed policies. In response, the democrats are moving to quiet American voices, so that they can operate without opposition.

I really can't believe what I'm seeing here in America. No right-wing politician in this country, even McCarthy, ever did anything close to this. It smacks of the early Nazi party days, when the SA started controlling the German people through fear.

The White House's request to "turn in" information and their efforts to counter American citizens' protests to their elected representatives supports the argument that the left is after totalitarianism. Clearly now, that's where Obama and the democrats want to head.

Unbelievable; having not just a president, but an entire political party, that runs so counter to the American ethos.


White House Draws Fire for Requesting 'Fishy’ Information From Supporters on Health Reform - Political News - FOXNews.com:
"The White House is under fire for a blog post asking supporters to send 'fishy' information received through rumors, chain e-mails and casual conversations to a White House e-mail address, flag@whitehouse.gov."

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Three More Downsides to the Clunkers Clunker

The Clunkers deal is being criticized roundly by those with policy experience. Here's another couple of bad things the Cash for Clunkers deal will introduce:

1. The Clunkers program is requiring that all cars traded in for federal cash be destroyed. This is taking out of the market cars that usually pass to the poor, because they can be sold cheaply. But taking all of these off the road will cause a dearth of vehicles that the poor can afford.

Mark my words, in a year or two, the Democrats will introduce a bill whereby in some form or another, the government will buy a newer car for the poor. They've almost done it for illegals, through giving driver's licenses to those in the country illegally.

2. The new cars being sold through the program are not American cars. What's up with that? Tis gets away from the basic tenet of the program, which was to revitalize the automotive industry and get the government out of it, words used by Obama himself. So what the hell?

3. Giving away cars to support charity will go away. Carities often accept donations of these very clunkers that they can then sell for scrap themselves. They use it as a means to support the charity. But with the ability to trade in your clunker and the government scrapping the cars themselves, they've taken away a very powerful tool for charities to raise much needed cash. I've donated a car myself to this, and still feel good about it.

On the upside: There have been many problems with the program, and still are, not the least of which has been the administrative costs and oppressive paperwork. So if you want to see what US Federal health care will look like, look no further.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Do the math

Considering the shoddy state of our schools, it's no wonder that congress can't do simple artithmetic. I say that, looking at numbers from the proposal to "reform" our the health care system. (As an aside comment, I have to wonder how congress believes it can reform anything, given that they have yet to reform a single congressman sent to federal prison. But I digress...)

If the goal is to get health insurance to what the Obama Administration claims is 46 million uninsured people, the central question no one is asking is: why not simply buy insurance for the uninsured? This question is especially important given that the democrats want to spend 1 trillion dollars on this debacle, and it will actually cost more than that because your individual health insurance rates are likely to rise, too. But in comparison, what would a simple, welfare-inspired and government-sponsored HMO plan cost? (Another aside: the health care of people on welfare and the unemployed are already covered under federal law; ask your doctor or nurse if you don't believe me.)

You can answer the cost question that yourself: take the cost of your health insurance, then multiply that by the number of uninsured Obama wants to have under the government healthcare jackboot. Inc magazine says the annual cost for an average HMO is $4,299 for individuals; multiply that by 46 million people and that gives us $197,754,000,000. In people-speak, that 197 billion, 754 million dollars.

That's less than 0ne-fifth of what the democrats are proposing, for simply buying a commercial HMO plan for the uninsured.


Of course, this number would be substantially less, because the government would bid the plan to a commercial company, which could reduce the 193 billion cost by at least one-third.

So tell me again how this crazy-assed, trillion-dollar plan of theirs is going to work better than this? More importantly, tell me who asked for it?

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Jefferson on Newspapers

I do not take a single newspaper, nor read one a month, and I feel myself infinitely the happier for it.
- Thomas Jefferson

Thursday, July 30, 2009

That depends on your definitions of "Efficiency"

This is such a stupid program on many levels... but what angers me the most is that viable automobiles are being trashed into landfills simply because some bureaucrats think they're not "efficient."

Well, I've got news for them: it's far less efficient to take automobiles than run just fine (but maybe use more gas than we'd like) and throw them away. Into what trash heap do they go, with all their waste oil, tires, rubber, plastic and other environment-polluting parts that make them what they are? Longer functional life of an auto, or any machinery, is the most efficient way to use it.

Duh.

Officials Say Government Set to Suspend 'Cash for Clunkers' Program - Political News - FOXNews.com:
"WASHINGTON -- The government plans to suspend its popular 'cash for clunkers' program amid concerns it could quickly use up the $1 billion in rebates for new car purchases, congressional officials said Thursday."

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

An Open letter to Congress on Health Care

Dear Congress,

I am very concerned about what the Democrats are forcing on America in the guise of health care "reform."

You are creating a problem where there is none, all so you, as a Democrat, can claim a sweeping change in American culture. This is not right. Changes in culture come in a slow process over time, brought about by the people who form that culture. Changes as large as health care should never come in a rush. Especially, they should never come in the form of legislation (meaning that's it's forced on the majority, who are unwilling).

Congress never takes a direct approach to anything, making me wonder what is being hidden? I recommend a direct approach in the case of health care for the poor, leaving the rest alone. If you think there are people who are not covered by health care now (and I disagree with that), then appropriate the money to pay for their health care and be done with it. Here are some ideas for health care so that you leave working people alone:

1. A simple suggestion is to just pay for the currently uninsured to be members in a low-cost HMO. Commercial HMOs can even bid on the service to the poor through a government contract. I really can't for the life of me understand why Congress doesn't simply do this.
2. A much larger idea is for the US Public Health Service to provide care for the uninsured. The PHS used to be much larger than it is now, and could easily be expanded using the VA as a model. Very expensive, but if you want a sweeping change, there it is.
3. Provide care for the indigent at VA hospitals. What's good for our vets is certainly good for the poor.
4. Give the uninsured the exact same insurance given to Congress.

It is clear that what Congress is doing is upsetting every American in the name of Democratic party progress, and control over the American health care system. I resent this. Government is not capable of running anything, and you know it. What the Democratic party is actually doing is ruining the American health care system, even for those coming from overseas to use it.

Don't ruin the best in the world!

STOP!