Random Stuff

Some random articles of interest from the Journal:

• How Congress Can Stop the EPA's Power Grab - WSJ
• Obama's Detainee Mess - WSJ

Budget related news:

• Confessions of a State Stimulus Czar - WSJ
• The Right Way to Balance the Budget - WSJ

High Taxes Equals High Emmigration

Results of the census are in and its not good for tax loving liberal states.

• States Taxing Themselves To Death - DickMorris.com
• Take My Congressman--Please - WSJ

Something else that I find completely ironic. We now, thanks Julian "Douchebag" Assange, have access to hundreds of thousands of classified documents that were never meant for public eyes. Now, admittedly, I have not heard of any seriously damning reports that gave away vital intelligence, but it certainly destroyed our diplomatic standing across the globe. This all strikes me as silly considering we cannot even see President Obama's birth certificate. I'm not saying he's not an American citizen, but something as simple as a birth certificate should easily be produced. Which brings me to this article on Hawaii's governor. He wants to see what can be done to divulge more information on Obama's birth. One statement caught my attention:

"What bothers me is that some people who should know better are trying to use this for political reasons," Abercrombie told the Los Angeles Times last week. "Maybe I'm the only one in the country that could look you right in the eye right now and tell you, 'I was here when that baby was born.'"

Here's the problem. That statement is completely ambiguous on 2 accounts. First, he refers to "that baby." In context we are to assume that means Obama. But in the vain of Bill Clinton, he could easily parse that to mean anyone. The second thing, let's assume Obama really was born in Indonesia or Africa or wherever the conspiracy theorists think he was born. Assuming that to be true, is Abercrombie's statement false? NO! Its still true, all he is saying is that HE was in Hawaii when Obama was born... wherever that was.

More Elected Official Incompetence

State governments continue to spend money like drunken sailors (no offense to drunken sailors) and push our commitments further and further into the future. It's just despicable. The second link below is a direct result of the nonsense in the first.

• State House Shell Games - WSJ
• A Nation in Motion - WSJ

So, is there an area that the government hasn't taken over completely or at the least heavily regulated in the last 2 1/2 years? Wall St, student loans, the auto industry, 1/8th of the economy with ObamaCare, and now the internet. This is absolutely insane.

• The Net Neutrality Coup - WSJ

The Washington DC Cesspool

I was mentioning today that we are currently in a time known as a "lame duck" Congress. I heard that a Gallup poll from last week showed that the 111th Congress has an approval rating of just 13%, the lowest in Gallup history. In light of that, can't we just call them the "lame" Congress?

So, in that vein of ineptness, less see why their rating is so low. Maybe this has something to do with it:

• The Wind Subsidy Bubble - WSJ
• Republicans Kick the Spending Dope - WSJ

Oh, and you thought the Congress was bad. Well, its not limited to elected officials. Its a blight upon the whole city apparently.

• The FCC's Threat to Internet Freedom - WSJ
• FCC Dems Narrow Net-Neutrality Gaps - National Journal

This article about made me puke. Obama is an absolute foreign policy imbecile.

• WikiLeaks, Honduras and the U.S. - WSJ

Now This Is Hope

ObamaCare took another blow today in Virginia. Let's hope the remaining dominoes fall in like manner:

• ObamaCare Ruled Unconstitutional - Bloomberg
• FLASHBACK: When Pelosi Asked about Consitutionality - CNS News
• Court Strikes at Health Law - WSJ

UPDATES 12/24/10:

• Congress's Monstrous Legal Legacy - WSJ

They Will Never Get It

Its unbelievable. We are not even a month removed from the elections and these idiots are already back to their old tricks. Are they completely deaf? What really surprised me is that James Inhofe joined 7 other liberal Republicans in voting down a ban on earmarks (another article). But its good to see this because these liberal RINO's need to go and this just puts another nail in their coffins.

It also appears that the Fed bailout of 2008-2009 is an even bigger debacle than even the most cynical of us could have believed.

• Fed Aid to Foreign Firms - Washingtong Post
• European Banks Take Slice of Pie - Financial Times
• Fed Withholds Collateral Data - Bloomberg

And in other news:

• FAQs on Bush Tax Cuts: Cutting Through the Noise - CNNMoney

A Week in Review - WSJ

I've got another cornucopia of articles from the WSJ over the past several days.


Spending and Economy

• The GOP's Spending Tests
• California: the Lindsay Lohan of States - Allysia Finley
• Wind Jammers at the White House
• The Great Transmission Heist
• Washingtonians Who Get It
• How to Shut Down Fannie and Freddie - Emil W. Henry Jr
• A Growth Agenda for the New Congress - Arthur Laffer
• A Deficit of Nerve
• The GOP's Earmark No-Brainer - Kimberly Strassel

President Obama

• Fan and Fred's New Boss
• The 1099 Democrats - Daniel Henninger
• The Accidental Statist
• Obama Has a Listening Problem - Karl Rove

Health Care

• The 8011 Person Crisis

Recount Shenanigans

Why is it that ballots are always "found" in races where the Democrats are losing. It happened here in MN when Al Franken stole the Senate election in 2008. Now, I'm not being facetious when I say that, he really did steal it. I documented how here and here.

It appears that things are no different now in 2010. Missing ballots continue to be found for losing Democrats:

• Ballots Found in the Truck in Bridgeport - NBC Connecticut
• Etheridge Can Ask for Recount - News Observer
• Missing Ballots in Franklin Co. - TriCity Herald

The Obama Chronicles

The Obama administration putting politics ahead of science... shocking.

• The Obama War on Science - Heritage
• White House Doctors Drilling Report - Yahoo News

And I would be remiss if I neglected to post anything on the President's "Imperial March" to India. What an absolute waste of our money.

• We Thought Obama Was a Trained Orator - Hindustan Times
• Bomb-Proof Tunnel... with A/C - Daily Mail UK
• 9 Aircraft in Obama's Entourage - Times of India

WSJ Cornacopia

• The Unseen Carbon Agenda - WSJ
• Where the New Jobs Are - WSJ
• Private Social Security Accounts Still a Good Idea - WSJ
• House Afire - WSJ

What Is This, Venezuela?

I'd say that I'm shocked, but I'm really not. After seeing how corrupt the Senate election was here in MN that got Al Franken "selected, not elected" to use the liberal manta from 2000, nothing shocks me anymore. It looks like the shenanigans are only now beginning:

• Reid Gets Help at Ballot Box - Fox 5 Vegas
• Voter Reports Problems with Ballot Machines - Sun Journal
• No Residency Requirement to Vote in AZ - Pueblo Politics
• Military Absentee Ballots Still a Problem - Fox55 Illinois
• Glitch in Illinois Vote System - ABC7 Chicago
• Daytona Commissioner Charged with Fraud - WFTV Orlando

Obama Continues to Act Inept

Lots of good stuff here today. We got articles about the oil spill to why trying terrorists in civilian court will never work.

• Obama, Not Competent or Not Candid? - Heritage
• Judge Strikes Down Witness - NYTimes

And I had to throw this one in again because its just so good. Anytime you hear a liberal say that "Bush's Wars" are the reason we are creating such a monstrous debt you can tell them they are full of it. No doubt, wars are expensive, but not nearly as expensive as Obama's social agenda.

• Stimulus Costs More than Iraq War - Washington Examiner

Felon Voters in Minnesota

I documented this quite extensively over a year ago about how corrupt the recount process was here in MN for the Senate seat ultimately won by Al Franken. There were allegations of dead people voting and voter rolls being out of date. Well, it appears now that on top of Mark Ritchie playing fast and loose with the rules of the recount, he also didn't do his job keeping convicted felons from voting.

Tea Party and the Economy

I still haven't figured out what the Tea Party has done to get so many people riled up, to the point of saying they are equivalent to the KKK. The Tea Party is for 3 things: limited government, fiscal responsibility, and free markets. What exactly about those things is reminiscent of the Klan?

• Tea Party Spells KKK, Civil Rights Leader Says - ABC News
• Tea Party Group Hit With Death Threats - US News & World Report

As for the economy, we have definitely not experience the "summer of recovery" that we were told was coming by the administration. I think this is explained very simply, when you have an administration that wants their hands in every aspect of business, its not surprising when businesses stop doing business!

• GDP For 2Q10 Downgraded to 1.4% - MyWay News
• The Most Fiscally Irresponsible Gov't In US History - US News & World Report

The President Just Doesn't Get It

Over the past week polls are showing the President Obama has dropped under 50% approval for the first time. Also, according to Rasmussen, his Presidential Approval Index is at an all time low. Its not surprising when you read the news just from this week alone:

• Obama Supports Ground Zero Mosque - Politico
• Obama Closes Curtain on Transparency - Washington Examiner
• 10 Reasons Why Obama Presidency in Meltdown - UK Telegraph

This Is What Happens...

... when the government takes things over:

• Social Security In Red This Year - Washington Times
• Postal Service Loses $3.5bln in 3rd Quarter Alone! - Reuters

And while we are on the subject of government ineptness. Let us talk about the ways our hard earned money got wasted via the stimulus.

• Wasteful Stimulus Projects - Tom Coburn's Senate website

Will of the People Be Damned

I think this would pretty much neatly emcompass the definition of judicial activism. The will of the people of California was trounced by one openly gay federal judge yesterday. The majority of Californians were in favor of Prop 8, that's why it won in the ballot box. Yet it was all for not, because apparently 1 man knows better.

• Prop 8 Judge Strikes Down Same-Sex Marriage Ban - SFGate

The Roaring Economy... NOT

As discussed in previous posts, here is another take on the crock of a panel that investigated the ClimateGate scandal:

• A Climate Absolution? - WSJ

And a few about how great our economy is doing:

• An Admission of Failure - Heritage
• Stimulating Unemployment - WSJ
• Liberal Tax Revolt - WSJ
• Jobless Numbers are Worse than You Think - WSJ
• ObamaCare Tax Penalty - WSJ

Extremely long, but an interesting read on the "Ruling Class"

• America's Ruling Class - The American Spectator

Socialism Doesn't Work... Yet Again.

The news coming out almost daily now is proving that Obama's attempt to "redistribute the wealth" ain't working. Not only that, but as these articles prove, the government is absolutely clueless. For instance, what in the heck gold regulation doing in the ObamaCare bill? It has nothing to do with it!

• Gold Coin Dealers Decry New Tax Law - ABC News
• Total US Govt Financial System Support Seen at $3.7T - Reuters
• Gov't Watchdog: Mortgage Program is not Working - Yahoo News
• Finance Overhaul Casts Shadow on Plains - WSJ
• Millions For Road Signs - ABC News

And a piece completely unrelated to the economic news above that I found interesting.

• My Biggest Mistake in the White House - WSJ

A Little Bit of Everything

Here's an interesting article by Fred Barnes about possible Social Security reform. It's something called the Pozen Plan. I'd never heard of it, but it atleast sounds reasonable and could trim 2/3 of the Social Security shortfall. Of course, there is no way Pelosi will let this through.

• Obama's Entitlement Opportunity - WSJ

The toothless UN strikes again:

• Blame the Torpedo - WSJ

Other various articles for the day:

• Governor's Voice Concern on Immigration - NYTimes
• Oil Spill Response "Stuck on Stupid" - Heritage
• Who Pays for ObamaCare - WSJ
• The Climategate Whitewash Continues - WSJ

More Economic Woes

A collection of articles on the continuing downward trend of the economy.

• US Trapped in Depression - UK Telegraph
• Welcome to the Double-Dip Recession - RealClearMarkets
• Massachussetts Health-Care Train Wreck - WSJ
• A Case Study in Teacher Bailouts - WSJ
• US Marks 3rd Largest Single Day Debt Increase - Washington Times
• The Obama-Pelosi Lame Duck Strategy - WSJ

Interesting take on the recent "not guilty" verdict against the East Anglia frauds:

• Climategate: Reinstating Phil Jones - UK Telegraph

This is probably the most concise article on how the economy works that I've ever read. Its 100% right.

• Unemployment Benefits are Not Stimulus - WSJ

Gun Control

More proof that Chicago politicians are morons can be found in this Chicago Sun Times article. I just absolutely do not understand the liberal mind. How do gun bans protect anyone? Its not the law abiding citizen's who commit gun crimes!!! All you are doing is making it harder for law abiding citizens to own guns. Meanwhile, the criminals will continue to stock pile their weapons caches. If someone can show me even one example where a gun ban reduced the amount of gun crime I'll change my tune. But since you won't be able to find an example I'm not too worried.

Clueless on the Economy

Several articles showing the absolute cluelessness of Democrats in Washington.

• Obama's Fiscal "Road to Hell" - WSJ
• The "Dodd-Frank" Financial Fiasco - WSJ

In other depressing economic news:

• 652k People Give Up Looking for Jobs in June - LATimes
• Largest Tax Hikes in American History in 6 Months - ATR
• Democrats Pass 'Faux' Budget - Human Events

Oil Spill Debacle

There are pundits out there saying that the oil spill in the Gulf is Obama's Katrina. Honestly, I think that's a serious slight to George W. Bush. Atleast they were actively trying to help even though the results were suspect. Obama does not appear to be doing anything. Consider:

• He has turned down nearly every foreign country who has offered to help


• He has not suspended the Jones Act which would allow foreign ships to aid in the clean-up.


• He has put a drilling moritorium in the Gulf which actually increases the likelihood of another Deepwater Horizon like incident.

This article sums up how absolutely pathetic our current administration, and government in general, is at running anything:

• Giant Crisis Met with Puny Response - Daily Caller

Weeks in Review

Been awhile since I've updated the blog. Here's some links from the past few weeks

6/29

• 'Summer of Recovery' - Yahoo Finance

6/25

• Why its Safer to Drill in our Backyard - WSJ
• Europe Laments Welfare State, US Runs to It - USA Today

6/24

• Kagan's Activist Judge 'My Hero' - US News

6/23

• Federal Gov't Halts Sand Berm Building - WDSU.com

6/22

• 'Allahu Akbar' Shouted as Christians Cuffed - WND
• A Tale of Two Disasters - WSJ
• Deepwater Drilling Ban Lifted by Judge - Bloomberg
• The Anti-Drilling Commission - WSJ
• The Sotomayor Precedent - WSJ

6/21

• Rahm Traded Favors With Blago - NBC Chicago
• Borrowers Exit Troubled Obama Mortgage Program - Yahoo Finance

6/19

• Crude Sucking Barges Stopped - ABC News
• Crude Politics - WSJ

6/10

• ACORN Tells FBI of Deliberate Election Fraud - Daily Caller

There Are No Private Sector Jobs

And the good news about jobs continue to poor in... not:

• Only 41k Jobs Created - CNBC
• Private Hiring Weak - Yahoo Finance
• Unemployment Dips, But Its a Mirage - CNBC

Joe Sestak Controversy

I am interested to see where this whole Joe Sestak debacle heads. If Obama can keep people from seeing anything about his history, I'm sure this won't be a problem either. The LATimes had a great headline about how its being handled, it was "Obama White House probe of Obama White House finds no Obama White House impropriety on Sestak"

• Sestak Scandal Obama's 'Watergate'? - The Hill
• Joe Sestak is Lying, Or Protecting a Felon in the WH - LATimes
• Senate Judiciary Committee Seeks Special Prosecutor - ABC News

Liberal Lunacy

Wow, what a treasure trove of great articles today disparaging the liberals and their complete lunacy.

• CT Senate Hopeful's Vietnam Gaff - Washington Post
• Texas Doctors Opt Out of Medicare - Houston Chronicle
• Press Freedom, Sure. But No Questions - CBSNews
• San Antonio Wars Against Sugar - Houston Chronicle
• Woody Allens Wants Obama Dictatorship - LATimes

More Financial Meltdown

Lots of news in the way of financial information over the weekend. First, Greece. One thing that I don't hear a single person talking about is that Greece is a foreshadowing of where the US will be in about 3-5 years if we continue this wild and reckless out-of-control spending spree. (*Late update, I actually just found this article on the subject). Why we are so myopic and can't see it is beyond me. And second, we must put Fannie and Freddie out their misery. But because they are bloated government run programs they will continue to fritter away our hard earned money.

• Fannie Lost $13B in 1Q - FoxBusiness
• EU Creates $1T Bailout Package - MyWay

And I don't want to spend too much time on this, because its just so absolutely ridiculous. I'm more convinced than ever that liberals are clinically insane. Why? Because they are so vehemently opposed to the state of Arizona making it illegal, wait for it.... to be here illegally. Oh the humanity!!! Listen to the people who actually live there.

A collection of good Wall St Journal articles from today:

• ObamaCare's Phony Medicaid "Deal"
• Islam's Nowhere Man
• Blame Obama? Why Not.

Who's Your Nanny?

And the nanny state is at it again. This is absolutely ridiculous. The last time I checked this was America, not Mexico.

• Students Sent Home for Wearing the American Flag - FoxNews
• Students Threatened with Suspension - Daily Caller
• New Push to Regulate Internet Access - WSJ

Gulf Oil Spill and Health Care

I first of all would like to take total responsibility for this disaster. I bought BP stock about a year ago. I should have known that I'm like the kiss of death for any company I invest in... so that's your warning to get out of EXC as soon as possible.



Anyway, lets get to the meet of this. Some articles on the disaster. First, let us take a look at the utter ineptness of the federal government, which should come as no surprise. This not a personal shot at Obama, its a shot at big government.

• Not a Single Fire Boom Available in Gulf - al.com

Now, this is where the knocks on Obama start

• There Since Day One? Not Quite - Google News
• More Inconvenient ObamaCare Truths - Heritage

Random Articles

• The Fog of Global Warming - Heritage

Some articles on the whole Goldman Sachs fiasco:

• GOP Suspicious of SEC Goldman Probe - Politico
• The Senate's Goldman Kabuki - Heritage

Tea Party 2010 Highlights

I thought I would keep a running scorecard of the days events. Of course, this all needs to be taken with a grain of salt in light of the first article.

• Dems Looking for Tea Party Crashers - NowHampshire.com


• Oregon Teacher to "Demolish" Tea Party - FoxNews


• Protestor Booted at Greensboro Tea Party - NewsRecord


• Infiltrators Driven From Tea Party Rallies - GatewayPundit

Obama IS NOT Reagan

Sorry Anderson Cooper, but this does not sound like Barack Obama. In fact, its Obama's current actions are diametrically opposed what Reagan is saying here:




And Obama and his science czar finally showed us how they really feel about America. Obama thinks its a burden that we are the dominant superpower in the world, while his science czar thinks its perfectly normal to shoot for sub-par behavior. These guys are absolutely nuts.

• Whether We Like It Or Not - FoxNews
• Can't Be #1 Indefinitely - DailyMotion

Hooray, Gov't Run Health Care Saves.... Or Not

I know that conservatives were trumpeting this fact long before the health care bill was passed, that on a percentage basis the government (via Medicare) denies more claims than any private insurance company. Well, in less than a month we found our first highly publicized example. The important thing to note here people is that Obama told us this thing only happens in the private sector! It was an absolute lie!!! (Not surprisingly, it took me 30 mins to find even 2 articles online about this.)

• Florida Women Loses Medicare - CBS4
• Community Rallies to Save Dying Mother - Huffington Post

This is a transcript from the Rush Limbaugh show on Monday, April 12th:

Regime Drops Cancer Victim's Medicaid, Sentences Her to Death
April 12, 2010

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: From Ft. Lauderdale: "A woman battling a cancer battle was dealt a surprise blow by Uncle Sam this month. Diana Smith has gone through six months of radiation and chemotherapy -- one week out of every month. She is in remission and had a donor for a transplant; being in remission is prerequisite for the transplant. But her hopes of receiving the transplant were dashed in March, when she says, the Social Security Administration contacted her -- without her soliciting it -- and told her that her three-year-old son was entitled to receive Social Security disability payments. Even though she didn't ask for it, she signed the form and received her son's first check check [sic]. In April, Medicaid canceled her universal health care policy because her income level had risen with her son's payments -- making her ineligible for the insurance program."

My friends, the largest insurance company in the United States, the United States government and its CEO Obama, tricked a woman! They tricked a woman out of getting off her medical coverage. Since when does the Social Security Administration start soliciting? We know the food stamp crowd does. But now the Social Security Administration called her up. "Hey, you want to get your kid on disability payments?" And of course she said, "Yeah," and that income vaulted her above her eligibility level. "The problem is Jackson Memorial Hospital cannot provide the procedure because the risk is too high. The universal policy from Medicaid helps shield the hospital from liability in this kind of case. Without it, they are subject to liability issues. Even though Smith offered to cancel her son's disability benefits, she was told it's too late.

"'She's gone through six months worth of radiation and chemo, her body can't take anymore. If they don't allow her to have this transplant coming up right now next week, they're in effect signing her death warrant,' said her friend Tom Noonan." Can anybody say death panel? Now, here's your all-caring, all-loving federal government -- the Obama regime -- claiming that this only happens in the private sector. Only the evil, private sector insurance companies do this to people. Now the regime tricks an unsuspecting citizen into accepting disability payments for her son, which launches her income above the eligibility level, and universal care has been dropped. She can't do any more radiation, chemo, because it would wipe her out. The only thing now is a transplant. She is in remission. That has been denied. So they tricked her.

Your coverage will not change!

You wanna to keep your doctor? You can keep your doctor!

Your coverage won't change!

The only thing missing from this story is an official letter from the White House saying, "Just take a pain pill." That's all that's missing. This is an important story. They have a picture of this woman here. She's very young with her little son next to her, and she's bald because of the radiation treatments. I'm just struck by this, because this is the exact kind of thing that the regime used to accuse the private sector of doing to try to convince as many people as possible to support the government running everybody's health care. Yeah. Let's just see if this woman's son becomes an Obama sob story, because he's still out there selling this, folks. He's still out there selling his health care plan. Will he grab this woman's son, Diana Smith's son, and will he parade him all over the country on these sales pitches at various town meetings and say, "Look what the federal government did to this man, this young child"?

No, he won't. Of course Obama will not exploit this family for his own personal political gain. This is a woman, according to a friend, who's been sentenced to death by the regime. Now, I imagine with all the attention this story is going to get that there will be somebody come in as white knight, save the day, and suggest, "Oh, it was a mistake that happened. I'm sorry. We're going to make this right." We'll see now since this story has received a lot of attention. Especially now. We'll just see if an exception isn't made here, or some step is taken. If that happens, don't forget what caused it, and that is existing federal rules. You don't qualify for all this help if your income level is at a certain level and I bet it's not that high. This woman cannot possibly have a whole lot of money. So despite all the promises and all the talk about how everybody's going to get the coverage they want...

We tried to warn you before the vote that there are more denials of claims, more declines of insurance from Medicare and Medicaid expressed as a percentage than anywhere in the private sector. The regime's stories with all these kids, these sob stories, they're largely made up. Now, Big Insurance, if this happened? If he news had gotten out that a big insurance company did this, they'd admit they made a mistake. They'd do something because the PR would require them to. But the government does not have to admit that it made a mistake because it has no competitors. Medicaid and Medicare are it for the poor and to the elderly. So it will be up to the magnanimity of the regime and whatever PR value they think might accrue to them if they reverse course on this. I wouldn't be surprised if it happens, not to be compassionate to the mother and not to be compassionate to the child, but to limit the PR hit.

BREAK TRANSCRIPTRUSH: This
story involving the woman out of Ft. Lauderdale is far more dramatic and far
more painful than any of the sob stories Obama misrepresented or even made up in
his town hall tour to sell health care.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Bob in Sacramento from KFBK, our blowtorch affiliate out there. Hello,
sir.

CALLER: Hello, Rush. How are you?

RUSH: Very well, sir. Thank you.

CALLER: For 20 years I've been working in the Medi-Cal, Medicare veterans benefit field, and the story you were telling earlier is not an isolated event. That happens, has happened hundreds of times in my career.

RUSH: You mean the government will call, solicit Social Security in this case, Social Security supplemental payment, putting the patient above the eligibility line and losing her coverage from the government, Medicaid?

CALLER: Because they're different programs, people have no idea that one impacts the other. So they think that they're gonna go out and in this case she thinks she's helping her son, and in helping her son she finds out that she loses Medi-Cal. We have people denied organ transplants. We've had people die while waiting for medical care.

RUSH: From the government?

CALLER: Right now the VA takes a year to get people medical care in some cases. This is not new. I've been telling people for years that in effect -- I know it's not technically correct -- but the death panels already exist because we have government bureaucrats somewhere sitting in an office who are making health care decisions and life-and-death decisions for people, and they don't know anything about what's going on.

RUSH: Well, do you think it's possible this woman was genuinely tricked, that Social Security called her up to get her to take the supplemental benefits precisely to disqualify her from Medicaid payment for her organ transplant?

CALLER: I can't say that for a certainty because I wasn't there, but let me tell you, I've seen nefarious activities happen all the time in which workers don't tell people, "If you do this it will impact that." We see that all the time.We see it with IRAs, we see it with pension plans, we see it with homes, we see it with all kinds of stuff where people are given incorrect or very misleading information.

RUSH: Bob, thanks very much. That's excellent. The largest insurance company in the country, owned and operated by the regime, and this apparently is very common, which a lot of people tried to inform everybody of, and it wouldn't have made any difference. The Democrats in the House simply didn't care about any of these kinds of details.

END TRANSCRIPT

Goverment Ineptness

It seems that every time I look at the news there is yet another moronic and idiotic decision coming out of Washington. So, I've decided to create a new category and start keeping score. Anytime there is a stupid law passed, a stupid decision made from the courts, or any other general stupidity coming from our nations capital it will show up here. Enjoy.

Anyone willing to honestly look at the recent health care legislation knows that it will be a debacle... thank you Mr Obama and you other Democrats in Congress. And so the fallout begins:

• Nation Faces Shortage of 150k Doctors in 15 years - WSJ


• And what about when Obama said our premiums would go down 3000%? I guess he was lying, big surprise.


• Healthcare Overhaul Won't Reduce Premiums - LA Times

Next up on the ineptness radar, the president's handling of foreign policy. Does it scare anyone that this administration is more upset about Israel constructing new settlements than it is with Iran trying to go nuclear? Seriously, does that make any sense? We all remember the bow, well, here's his latest gaffes:

• China Cools Push for Sanctions on Iran - Yahoo
• Another Bow - Yahoo
• US-Israeli Relations On Rocks - FT.com

And this is rich. The science czar tells our kids that they can't continue on as the smartest kids in the world, or something like that:

• We Can't Stay #1 Forever - CNS News

I Got Your Taxes Right Here

I don't know if you heard, but nearly half of all American households have zero tax liability (Yahoo). You got that? 47% of Americans have no tax liability. Not surprising then when you see that 45% say their tax burden is "about right". Of course, that might actually change thanks to President Obama not keeping his word on tax increases.

• Dems Increase Taxes by $670B... and Counting - GOP Ways and Means

And in other Washington news:

• Don't Fall For Obama's Energy Shell Game - Heritage
• So How Is That Gov't Run Auto Company Working Out - Heritage

Health Care Already Hurting Business

The Health Care bill is barely a month old and its already leaving its mark, and not in a good way. Take a look at the companies that are taking hits to their bottom lines:

• AT&T - $1 billion
• 3M - $90 million
• John Deere - $150 million
• Caterpillar - $100 million
• AK Steel - $31 million

Other great articles on the subject:

• Obama in Rude Denial - American Spectator
• Waxman Calls Out CEOs - Business Week
• Repealing the Dem Health Bill - Jacksonville Observer
• Our Nightmare is Just Beginning - Heritage
• AT&Ts $1 Billion Headache - Heritage

UPDATE - 5/6/10

• AT&T, Verizon and Others Consider Dropping Health Plans - CNN Money

Health Care, Dissing Allies, and Big Government

A Health Care timeline:

• Timeline of HealthCare Provisions - GOP Ways and Means Committee

I know the left likes to think that George W Bush was incompetent. But seriously, watching Obama deal with foreign leaders make Bush look like Winston Churchill. There are only two possible explanations to Obama's actions, 1) he's a complete moron on foreign policy, or 2) he's intentionally trying to destroy all the alliances we have with friendly nations.

• Obama Disses Israel - UK Times Online
• Obama Disses the UK - UK Telegraph
• Obama Disses Poland and Czech Republic - Heritage
• Undermining Our Nuclear Security - Heritage

And speaking of big government....

• Dodd Bill Creates Permanent TARP - Heritage
• Debt to Rise to 90% of GDP by 2020 - Washington Times

And The Hits Just Keep On Coming, Pt II

I'm sure you all remember when Obama promised every bill would be posted for 5 days. I've blogged about this before, but that was just one of many broken promises from the campaign. So it should come as no surprise then when you read the following article:

• Obama To Sign Bill After Just 36 Hours - MyWay

Other Health Care related fallout:

• Its Going To Be Like Christmas - WRAL
• More Than Half of Americans Disapprove of Obama - CNN
• Pelosi and Reid Light Up the Polls - CBS News
• Move Over Health Care, Here Comes Global Warming - Breitbart

America, 1776-2010, RIP

Well, they did it. The Democrats have completely discarded the will of the people and yesterday passed the biggest power grab of the private sector ever.

• House Representative Roll Call - FoxNews
• Obama To Sign Health Bill - Yahoo
• Obama Has to Sell the Bill - CBS News
• New Health Care Taxes Help Spread the Wealth Around - Bloomberg

And The Hits Just Keep On Coming

• Democrats Plan Doc Fix After Health Bill - Politico
• The IRS Gets More Power in Bill - The Hill
• Kickbacks, and More Kickbacks - FoxNews
• 100k Call Per Hour to Capitol Hill - RollCall

Full Speed Ahead

• Dems Ontrack To Vote on Bill - Yahoo
• Dems Tout CBO Score Which Doesn't Exist - National Review
• Disingenous? - Boston Herald

Oh, and does everyone remember when Obama came out in front of cameras last year to tout his stimulus plan and how it was going help companies like Caterpillar rehire workers it laid off? Well, so much for that. Caterpillar has said that this bill will cost them up to $100 million in the first year alone! Its becoming more and more apparent to me that the Dems are not just going to lose seats this Fall, they are going to get killed. Unfortunately, they are tied to the President, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid. That spells big trouble. I'm predicting right now that the GOP wins back the House and Senate this Fall. Just wait, when they pass this health bill on Sunday they will be sealing their fate.

• Obama's Interview a Public Service - WSJ
• Worthy of Impeachment? - Washington Times

Connect The Dots, La La La La

This guy seems to be quite a nut job, but the story is interesting to say the least.

• Democrats Ousted Me Over Health Care - Politico
• Massa Hints He Cound Rescind Resignation - RollCall
• Massa Implicates Emanuel - OnCall

And speaking of health care. The shenanigans being pulled by Pelosi and Reid is just absolutely mind boggling. All I can say is that we are going to look back at this 10 years from now and be absolutely appalled that we allowed these morons to run this country.

• House May Pass Senate Bill Without Voting For It - Washington Post
• GOP Assails Dems Approach - MyWay News
• More Health Care Legislation to Follow - Washington Examiner
• Harry Reid Says GOP Should Stop Crying - CBSNews
• WH Threatens to Use Reconciliation - WhoRunsGov

Health Care and More

• Red Alert: Paul Ryan's "Roadmap" - Newsweek

And in news related to the health care "summit". These guys just don't get it. We CANNOT keep spending money like this.

• What Happens Next in Health-Care - Politico
• Pelosi: Health Reform Will Create 400,000 Jobs "Almost Immediately"- Real Clear Politics

You gotta love hot mics:

• Being the VP is Easy - Politico

Other interesting articles:

• Liberal and Conservative Rankings in Congress - National Journal
• January Hottest January Ever? - UK Daily Express

Global Warming Shenanigans

The information just keeps coming out show how AGW has been supported by doctored data and outright lies.

• The Great Global Warming Collapse - Globe and Mail
• Hansen Colleague Rejects IPCC Assessment Report - Watts Up With That
• Phil Jones Considers Suicide - UK Times Online
• RFK, Jr: Global Warming Means No Snow in DC - Washington Examiner
• Climate Scientists Withdraw Claims of Rising Sea Levels - UK Guardian

3/2/10 Update - More on ClimateGate

• Phil Jones Gets Grilled by Parliament - UK Daily Mail
• British "scientist" Admits Awful Emails - Breitbart

News of the Week - 2/11/10

• Feds Want to Track All Cellphones - CNET news
• Obama to Raise Taxes on the Middle-Class - Business Week

And some articles on the shenanigans in Iran:

• More Nutjobs with Nukes - UK DailyMail
• Huge Rally in Iran - MyWay News
• Iran Shuts Down Google Email - FoxNews

And here is a great article with amazing pictures from the 9/11 collapse of the WTC

• Dramatic Images of WTC - UK Daily Mail

UN Credibility

The question is not whether they have any credibility now, but whether or not they ever had it. The stories coming out lately about the IPCC and UNICEF are further proof that the UN is not credible (if they ever were).

• Africa-Gate - FoxNews
• World Misled Over Himalayan Meltdown - UK Guardian

There are about 10 more articles if you search on the "Global Warming" tag of this blog.

Conflict of Interest?

I've been talking about this with colleagues for weeks now. Its good to see that the American media is finally talking about this. My conspiracy theory has been that Obama and the current administration forced this recent Toyota recall when the situation didn't necesasrily warrant one. What first tipped me off was how GM came out with commercials the very same day the recall was announced. Coincidence?

At the very least, you have to admit that there is a major conflict of interest here. When the government owns 2 major auto makers AND holds the power to come down on any of its competitors, that's a problem.

• Is the US Bullying Toyota - Google News

Obama Deserves Some Praise

As a conservative both fiscally and socially I am diametrically opposed to nearly everything that Obama has tried to do since he was sworn into office a little over one year ago. But let's be fair here, it has not been all Obama. He has to a large extent shirked his responsibilities when it comes to formulating a plan for health care and cap-n-trade and handed those reins to the likes of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi . The list of things that these 3 buffoons have peddled on us include:

• a $787 billion dollar stimulus
• a cap and trade bill that will increase a households energy costs by up to $3,000 a year
• health care legislation that no one wants.
• a take-over of GM and Chrysler
• a take-over of AIG
• a $3.8 trillion dollar budget for next year.

And that's just a partial list. Pretty crappy, right? Well, yes, it is. Yet, part of me wants to also commend Obama and his co-horts. In a scant 12 months they have done what it took the "moral majority" and George Bush 12 years to do... lose the confidence of the people. And not only did they lose the confidence of the American electorate, they've woken them up! For years I have harped how the American people are mind numbed robots who are letting their elected officials get away with all sorts of things that were unconstitutional. And if they did know, they seeminly didn't care. So thank you Obama, Pelosi, and Reid.

But President Obama has changed that here in America. For the first time in my life everyone I know is engaged and passionate. The irony is that the man who campaigned on "hope and change" is now eliciting that desire from American's at an alarming rate. They want hope and change alright, but the change is in Obama and the Democratic leadership.

Unfortunately America, you got exactly what you thought you wanted. On the bright side, you no longer appear to be those mind numbed robots who elected a radical left wing socialist into the White House. Here's to hoping he won't do irrepairable damage before he can be replaced.

American Revolution

I have to say that it seems like just about everyone has had enough of this current administration. I think I'm finally ready to say that Obama really was the best thing for this country. He has awoken the slumbering, American Idol watching lemmings of this country, and he did it in a mere 12 months. Its breath taking to watch.

• America Rising - Daily Caller
  

And you wonder why people are getting pissed? Its this type of outright lying as seen in the Breitbart video.

• 'Overwhelmingly': Obama Claims Health Care Debate WAS on C-SPAN - Breitbart.tv
• Bonfire of the Populists - WSJ

State of the Union Reactions

• Obama's Answer for America: More Obama! - NYPost
• Heritage Responds to SOTU - Heritage
• Bob McDonnell's GOP Response - CBS News
• Fact Check - Yahoo News

Nice Flip Flops, Where Can I Buy Some?

Oh, how I love it. Obama is so diametrically opposed to the persona he portrayed during the campaign that its almost laughable. And the lemmings in this country bought it.

• Obama Opposes a Spending Freeze - Real Clear Politics
• Obama Seeks Partial 3 Yr Spending Freeze - FoxNews

• Obama Promises to Limit No-Bid Contracts - Boston.com
• Obama Steers Lucrative No Contract Bid to Dem Donor - FoxNews

The Truth Is Coming Out.... Finally

Again, note the lack of any articles here from the US media.

• Scientists Using Selective Temperature Data - Vancouver Sun
• Glacier Scientist: I Knew Data Had Not Been Verified - UK Daily Mail
• Global Warming, Lowest Priority in 2010 - PeoplePress
• India, China Won't Sign Copenhagen Accord - The Hindu

And some updates on our friends at East Anglia:

• Scientist Hid Data Flaws - UK Guardian
• Strange Case of Moving Weather Stations - UK Guardian

The Latest On Wall St

It appears that the majority of people are finally seeing what a few of us knew all along. That Obama was going to pound large and small businesses alike.

• Obama Seen as 'Anti-Business' by 77% - Yahoo News

Which makes these articles all the more interesting. The guy has not a single cabinet member who has spent a day in the private sector, so yes, I'm a little concerned when he starts meddling in the private sector's affairs.

• Obama Hammers Wall St Banks - FT.com
• Geitner Airs Concerns on Bank Limits - UK Reuters
• Senate Dems Might Not Confirm Bernanke - ABC News

Universal Voter Registration

The latest thing to come down the pipe are some rumors that Democrats will be pushing for 'universal voter registration.' It sounds good and wholesome and pure, but the more I think about this the more I don't like it. I've posted several articles below that discuss this, but there are a few reasons I don't like it.

1. This agenda is based on the notion that there are vast numbers of people who are not getting registered who want to be. But is that really happening? I'm not saying that it doesn't happen in some cases, but is it really widespread?
2. Enacting this legislation opens up the possibility to some very dubious situations.


1. This makes it possible for someone to be registered in more than one location. When that happens, how would the government be able to verify that one individual has not voted in more than one location?
2. This would more than likely register convicted felons and illegal aliens.


3. Voter registration was way up in 2008 compared to 2004. So that tells me that somewho who claims people are not getting registered has some other sinister agenda.

Here are some links:

• A Call to Overhaul Nation's Voter Registration Process - LA Times
• Democrats Plan to Steal the Vote - WND
• John Fund at David Horowitz Freedom Center - Courage to See
• Barney Frank: Bill Allegations are False - The Hill
• Confirmed: Dems Have 'Voting Legislation' in Works - WND

More Political Shenigans

I guess we should expect no less from Massachusetts.

• Seating Mass. Senator Could Be Delayed - Breitbart

Which is humorous, considering Barney Franks' feigned outrage over such an accusation:

• Barney Frank Lashes Out - Washington Times

You may recall that a similar situation occurred when Mitt Romney was the governor of Massachusetts. He was supposed to pick somone to fill a Congressional seat. But do the fact he would likely pick a Republican, the state legislature changed the rules. They passed a law that required the seat remain open until it could be filled through a general election. The article below only mentions it in passing, but the legislature changed the rule back, giving the governor the power to fill the seat, after Kennedy's death since they currently is a Democrat holding the governor position.

• Massachusetts GOP Seeks To Block Kennedy Interim Successor - Huffington Post

1/18/10 - UPDATES

• Dems Look to Bypass Senate Health Vote - MyWays
• Wall St Tax Unconstitutional? - NY Times
• Slow Count in Massachussetts - NY Daily News
• Ed Schultz: I'd Cheat to Keep Brown From Winning - Washington Times

These People are Insane

If you voted for Obama, how can you not have buyer's remorse right now? Remember how this guy promised to bring a new level of transparency to Washington? Well, forget about it. The Democrats in Congress have done nothing transparent in the last 12 months, except shove crap sandwich after crap sandwich down our throats.

• C-SPAN Challenges Congress to Open Discussion - CSPAN
• Dem Leaders Plan Secret Health Care Talks - US News & World Reports
• Hiding Health Bills Behind Closed Doors - Washington Times

And this proves it:

• Pelosi Says There Has Never Been a More Transparent Process - thehill.com

Some responses:

• Jack Cafferty Rips Obama on Failed Openness Pledge - CNN
• The American People Pay For This - RealClear Politics
• Obama Reneges on Campaign Promises - CBSNews
• Strange Tales of a Vampire Congress - RealClear Politics

Global Warming Sucks

Need I say more?

• Worst Winter in 25 Years - AccuWeather
• Iowa Temps 30 Degrees Below Normal - Des Moines Register
• Seoul Buried in Most Snow in 70 years - Yahoo
• Ice Slows NJ Nuclear Power Plant - Philly57
• Midwest Sees Near Record Lows - CBS2Chicago
• Miami Coldest Weather in a Decade - Breitbart
• 3 Dead in Memphis - WREG.com
• Pensioners Burn Books for Warmth - UK Metro
• Global Warming Kills Scores of Indians - IOL
• Dublin Airports Suspends Flights - Reuters

More updates:

• -50 Temps In The Midwest - Yahoo
• FL Races to Save Crops - WSVN
• Snow Shuts Down British Cities - UK Sun