Big donors dominate Obama panel

Washington Times - EXCLUSIVE: Big donors dominate Obama panel:

"President Obama's newly named Economic Recovery Advisory Board, the real-world Americans being asked to help solve the nation's financial crisis, includes a union executive who took the Fifth in a federal probe, a billionaire whose failed bank pioneered the subprime mortgage market, and deep-pocket donors who gave or gathered nearly $1.2 million for the president's campaign.

In all, 11 of the 16 board members donated or raised money for Democrats in the last election, according to a Washington Times review of campaign finance records. They include the president and chief operating officer of the American arm of UBS Investment Bank, the Swiss-based bank now at the center of a widening tax evasion probe by the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service.

In announcing the board's creation, Mr. Obama described its members as 'distinguished citizens outside the government' who were qualified on the basis of achievement, experience, independence and integrity to 'bring a diverse set of perspectives and voices from different parts of the country and different sectors of the economy to bear in the formulation and evaluation of economic policy.'

The board is headed by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, whose only political contribution last year was $2,300 to Mr. Obama."

Why Go To School If All They'll Do is Hassle Your ideas?

FOXNews.com - Professor Takes Heat for Calling Cops on Student Who Discussed Guns in Class - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News:

"Last October, John Wahlberg and two classmates at Central Connecticut State University gave an oral presentation for a communications class taught by Professor Paula Anderson. The assignment was to discuss a “relevant issue in the media,” and the students presented their view that the death toll in the April 2007 Virginia Tech shooting massacre would have been lower if professors and students had been carrying guns.

That night, police called Wahlberg, a 23-year-old senior, and asked him to come to the station. When he arrived, they they read off a list of firearms that were registered in his name and asked where he kept them. Guns are strictly prohibited on the CCSU campus and residence halls, but Wahlberg says he lives 20 miles off-campus and keeps his gun collection locked up in a safe. No further action was taken by police or administrators."

Former Justice Pushing for More Civics, Less 'American Idol'

ABC News: Former Justice Pushing for More Civics, Less 'American Idol':

"O'Connor, the nation's first female justice, pointed out that with between the push for better math and science scores and the No Child Left Behind Act, states have stopped making civic lessons a requirement, leaving many kids without the knowledge they need to take an active role in democracy."

What is Wrong with Him?

ABC News: Lawmakers Take First Whack at Obama Budget Plan:

"Lawmakers in both parties question Obama's call to reduce high-income earners' tax deductions for the interest on their house payments and for charitable contributions. Also drawing fire is his proposal to start taxing industries on their greenhouse gas pollution — a move sure to raise consumers' electric rates."

Depression? What Depression?

There are several "definitions" of an economic depression, and here's one of them:

Depression (economics) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Considered a rare but extreme form of recession, a depression is characterized by abnormal increases in unemployment, restriction of credit, shrinking output and investment, numerous bankruptcies, reduced amounts of trade and commerce, as well as highly volatile relative currency value fluctuations, mostly devaluations. Price deflation or hyperinflation are also common elements of a depression."

Now, I don't know about you, but I'm seeing this. With the Dow sinking 300 points today with no bottom in sight, despite the bailouts of the bailouts, what we have is a recession severe enough to be called a Depression. Yea, that's bad.

The reason you're not hearing it called a "depression," however, has more to do with politics than economics. The banks aren't caving in as they did in the 1930s, and the reason they aren't is that the Democratic Congress is propping them up, with what seems to be a never-ending stream of bailouts. Some might argue that it's good to not let American banking fail. Maybe so,maybe not. But the Democrats will pay any price - including sacrificing the long-term security of the country - to not be seen as the party that led us into another depression. Performance and reality be damned, they know that if this comes apart with them at the helm, there will be hell to pay at the polls. But through their actions in trying to limit the scope of the economic downturn, they have precisely caused the depression.

Further, don't expect the media to be jumping on the "depression" bandwagon; they were the ones who anointed Obama and the Dems in the first place, so they have a hand in this. But one has to wonder if they saw their own demise as part of the New Order?

The fruit on the Tree of Irony is, indeed, flush. Too bad we can't eat it.

Wall Street Tumbles Anew as Financials Slide

Yeah, this is bad, but it's even worse from this perspective; even the attacks of September 11, 2001 didn't affect Wall Street this badly. It took a bunch of corrupt bankers and their paid-for, more corrupt politicians to bring it to its knees.

ABC News: Wall Street Tumbles Anew as Financials Slide:

"The credit crisis and recession have slashed more than half the average's value since it hit a record high over 14,000 in October 2007. And now many investors fear the market could take a long time to regain the lost 7,000."

Expecting Tax Help for your Education Expenses? Think Again.

The Obama tax plan was promoted to help people with higher education expenses. They do, as long as you perform more than 100 hours of community service along with going to school. That's right - you have to do the same duties as those who get community service as punishment for DUI, etc, in order to qualify for a tax break to reimburse yourself for spending your own money on education.

Now I wonder, if one is working a job full-time, and going to school at night, how does he/she find 100 extra hours, especially if they have children?

That's real Change, huh?!

To Those Who Voted Democratic Last Election

... how's your 401K doing, dumbass?

Selling Avalanche Sends Dow Below 6800 - FOXBusiness.com:

"The relentless selling on Wall Street hit another low point on Monday as fallout from the latest rescue of AIG and more financial jitters combined to shove the Dow to fresh 12-year lows and to its worst start to March ever."

Buchanan on race: What Obama needs to hear

By Patrick J. Buchanan

Barack says we need to have a conversation
about race in America . Fair enough. But this time, it has to be a two-way conversation. White America needs to be heard from, not just lectured to.

This time, the Silent Majority needs to have its convictions, grievances and demands heard. And among them are these: First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known. Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American. Second, no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the ' 60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, arned
Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream.

Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against white folks -- with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas -- to advance black applicants over white applicants. Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated their time and money to support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks. We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude?? Barack talks about new 'ladders of opportunity' for blacks. Let him go to Altoona and Johnstown , and ask the white kids in Catholic schools how many were visited lately by Ivy League recruiters handing out scholarships for 'deserving' white kids.

Is white America really responsible for the fact that the crime and incarceration rates for African-Americans are seven times those of white America ? Is it really white America 's fault that illegitimacy in the African-American community has hit 70 percent and the black dropout rate from high schools in some cities has reached 50 percent? Is that the fault of white America or, first and foremost, a failure of the black community itself?

As for racism, its ugliest manifestation is in interracial crime, and especially interracial crimes of violence. Is Barack Obama aware that while white criminals choose black victims 3 percent of the time, black criminals choose white victims 45 percent of the time?

Is Barack aware that black-on-white rapes are 100 times more common than the reverse, that black-on-white robberies were 139 times as common in the first three years of this decade as the reverse? We have all heard ad nauseam from the Rev. Al about Tawana Brawley, the Duke rape case and Jena 6. And all turned out to be hoaxes. But about the epidemic of black assaults on whites that are real, we hear nothing.

Sorry, Barack, some of us have heard it all before, about 40 years and 40 trillion tax dollars ago.

Atomic Energy and our Problems - Einstein

"The release of atomic energy has not created a new problem. It has merely made more urgent the necessity of solving an existing one.
- Albert Einstein"

How Obama's Taxes will decrease American Output and GDP

The Communist Ideal of wealth redistribution and sitting on your ass while someone else does the work is alive and well in this Administration. To wit:

ABC News: Upper-Income Taxpayers Look for Ways to Sidestep Obama Tax-Hike Plan

A 63-year-old attorney based in Lafayette, La., who asked not to be named, told ABCNews.com that she plans to cut back on her business to get her annual income under the quarter million mark.

"We are going to try to figure out how to make our income $249,999.00," she said.

"We have to find a way out where we can make just what we need to just under the line so we can benefit from Obama's tax plan," she added. "Why kill yourself working if you're going to give it all away to people who aren't working as hard?"

The attorney says that in order to decrease her income she'll have to let go of clients, some of whom she's been counseling for more than a decade.

This should be interesting...

Md. Residents Can Track Stimulus Cash Online - wjz.com:

"Maryland residents can now track just how much of the state's $3.8 billion in recovery dollars will translate into projects in their communities.

Gov. Martin O'Malley officially launched a Web site Friday designed to monitor the use of the state's share of federal economic recovery money.

It's called Maryland's Recovery and Reinvestment Act. It's an online web site that allows Marylanders to track the federal economic stimulus dollars and projects coming into the state."