Biden and the TEA Party

Biden Calls TEA Party “Terrorists”

VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN JOINED HOUSE DEMOCRATS IN LASHING TEA PARTY REPUBLICANS MONDAY, ACCUSING THEM OF HAVING “ACTED LIKE TERRORISTS” in the fight over raising the nation’s debt limit, according to several sources in the room.

Biden was agreeing with a line of argument made by Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) at a two-hour, closed-door Democratic Caucus meeting.

“We have negotiated with terrorists,” an angry Doyle said, according to sources in the room. “THIS SMALL GROUP OF TERRORISTS HAVE MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SPEND ANY MONEY.”
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/60421.html#ixzz1TrcFASz9

Well at last we know what strikes terror in Democrats. It isn’t threats of violence to Americans, but they not being able to spend money.

DC Adults Top Alcohol Abusers in Country

A new report says that ADULTS IN WASHINGTON D.C. ABUSE ALCOHOL MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE IN THE COUNTRY.

According to a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 8.1 PERCENT OF ADULTS AGE 26 OR OLDER IN D.C. ARE ALCOHOL DEPENDENT. Looking at a long-term sampling, alcohol abuse rate is on the rise for the District, according to the survey….
….D.C. was ALSO AMONG THE 10 STATES WHERE RESIDENTS MOST FREQUENTLY REPORTED SMOKING MARIJUANA within the last month. Alaskan residents inhale the most, according to the survey, with 11.5 percent of residents saying the lit up with four weeks of the survey.

COCAINE USE IN THE DISTRICT WAS ALSO HIGH.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/DC-DC-Adults-Top-Alcohol-Abusers-in-Country-126507408.html?dr

I’m thinking its democrats who are frustrated because they can’t spend money anymore.


What the Debt Ceiling Deal Means

…DEMOCRATS LOST ON VIRTUALLY EVERY ISSUE OF PRINCIPLE (TAXES, A CLEAN DEBT BILL, REAL SPENDING CUTS) BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT INSISTED ABOVE ALL ELSE ON GETTING HIMSELF TO THE NEXT ELECTION WITHOUT ANOTHER SHOWDOWN. (That position became more sympathetic to those who agonized through the last week or so.)

Republicans should be cautious. THE HOUSE HELD OFF THE PRESIDENT AND THE SENATE. It refused to raise taxes, and thereby maintained a stark and compelling distinction between the parties. It made some real, if not overwhelming, cuts. MORE WAS NOT POSSIBLE. You can’t get Rep. Paul Ryan’s Medicare reform bill with only the House. You can't insure an adequate level of defense spending with only the House. You can’t get Medicaid and Social Security reform with only the House.

RELIEF IS THE PREVALENT EMOTION FOR CONSERVATIVES — relief that the Tea Party didn’t divide the party, that the speaker maintained the affection and loyalty of his caucus, that taxes weren’t raised and that at least we are moving in the right direction….

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/debt-ceiling-bill-passes-the-house/2011/03/29/gIQAfUvJoI_blog.html

If this was World War II, the allies just landed and took North Africa. D-Day is still over a year away and it’s in Fortress Obama.

What the Debt Ceiling Deal Means as Seen From Europe

In both Britain and America, THE LEFT HAS BEEN REDUCED TO HOPING THAT CUTTING PUBLIC SPENDING ON THIS SCALE WILL SNUFF OUT ECONOMIC GROWTH AND PLUNGE OUR RESPECTIVE ECONOMIES BACK INTO RECESSION. Not only will the Coalition be turfed out as a consequence, but if Obama can somehow blame the Tea Party for the “double dip” he might be able to persuade the people to grant him four more years. WHAT THE LEFT HASN’T GRASPED – AND WHAT OBAMA HAS – IS THAT FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE NO POLITICAL CANDIDATE OR PARTY WILL BE ABLE TO INCREASE PUBLIC SPENDING AND WIN RE-ELECTION. Socialist welfare programmes have become politically toxic. A sea change has taken place within the West’s most developed countries and last night’s debt deal is a reflection of that.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyyoung/100099357/the-real-story-of-the-us-debt-deal-is-not-the-triumph-of-the-tea-party-but-the-death-of-the-socialist-left/

The left is dying and most don’t realize it yet.

The Veil Slips

…White House press secretary Jay Carney was clearly in an upbeat mood during today's press briefing. Many of the reporters in the room, however, were not feeling the love.

Specifically, CBS'S NORAH O'DONNELL PEPPERED CARNEY WITH TERSE, ACCUSATORY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LACK OF TAX REVENUE (read: tax increases) in the debt ceiling deal. O'Donnell complained about how many GOP demands were met by the deal, and then said to Carney: "YOU GAVE THEM EVERYTHING THEY WANTED AND WE GOT NOTHING." That "we" is very telling. It was a tense moment in the room, and O'Donnell seemed to give voice to frustrated liberals who feel that the deal gave significantly more to Republicans than Democrats, and included no tax increases-something President Obama had demanded be included for most of the negotiations.

O'Donnell asked Carney about this a couple times, in a confrontational tone. FOX'S ED HENRY BROKE THE TENSION BY FOLLOWING O'DONNELL'S QUESTIONS BY JOKINGLY ASKING, "BUT JAY, WHERE IS THE TAX REVENUE?" to laughter from the room (and especially from a relieved Carney, suddenly more comfortable with Fox than he usually is). The moment encapsulated the left's reaction to the deal. The New Republic's John Judis wrote this morning: "Democrats in Congress, and any Republicans who have not lost their senses, should turn this deal down."…

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/08/cbs_partisan_complains_we_got_nothing_in_debt_deal.html

Obama got what he wanted, an extension that goes beyond the 2012 election, so CBS was wrong when O’Donnell said, ‘You gave them everything they wanted and we got nothing.”


What Good is Obama Now?

PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS HAD A GOOD TWO-PLUS YEARS, HANDING OUT DEFICIT-BUSTING GOODIES TO ALL THE FAVORITE DEMOCRAT CONSTITUENCIES. The EPA has become the monster it always threatened to be, the unions are stuffed full of automakers and have the mighty Boeing trembling at their power. The insurance companies are wards of the state, the medical profession has been saddled and broken. The symbiosis of Washington and Wall Street is complete, each too big to fail and utterly, sickeningly and dangerously co-dependent.

But YESTERDAY’S DEBT DEAL SHOWED THAT OBAMA’S GOODIE BAG IS EMPTY. There’s nothing more to hand out. Santa Claus has left the building, and the Grinch has taken his place.

“HONESTLY,” THE DEMOCRATS MUST BE WONDERING, “WHAT GOOD IS HE TO US NOW?”

BERNIE SANDERS SAW THE WRITING ON THE WALL A WEEK AGO, WHICH IS WHY HE CALLED FOR A PRIMARY CHALLENGER — and Obama might yet get one. Oh, no one to make the few surviving Obamanoids sweat their simple little brows; incumbent Obama almost certainly can’t be beaten in a Democratic primary race. And I doubt he has the magnanimity to pull an LBJ and refuse to seek reelection. In fact, on the off chance the President reads this, I bet he’d have to look up the word “magnanimity.”

And then he’d probably chuckle at it. Anyway.

Today, PRESIDENT OBAMA IS A SHRUNKEN EXECUTIVE, UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING TO INFLUENCE THE DEBT NEGOTIATIONS OTHER THAN TO SCOLD THE GROWNUPS DOING THE NEGOTIATING. And a nation mired in debt and out of work and with little remaining hope for the future, is tired of being scolded….

http://pajamasmedia.com/vodkapundit/2011/08/01/the-obama-administration-a-brief-pre-post-mortem/

The incredible shrunken man! Perhaps Hollywood should make a new movie with that title.


Lessons from Match.com

… It is a subtle shift, but one with profound implications. "Before, matches were based on the criteria you set. You meet her criteria, and she meets yours, so you're a good match," Thombre explained. "But when WE RESEARCHED THE DATA THE WHOLE IDEA OF DISSONANCE CAME INTO FOCUS. PEOPLE WERE DOING SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE THINGS THEY SAID THEY WANTED ON THEIR PROFILE."

As a result, Match began "weighting" variables differently, according to how users behaved. For example, if conservative users were actually looking at profiles of liberals, the algorithm would learn from that and recommend more liberal users to them. Indeed, says Thombre, "THE POLITICS ONE IS QUITE INTERESTING. CONSERVATIVES ARE FAR MORE OPEN TO REACHING OUT TO SOMEONE WITH A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW THAN A LIBERAL IS." That is, when it comes to looking for love, conservatives are more open-minded than liberals….

http://www.slate.com/id/2300430/pagenum/all/

Not an article I would normally post, but the one tidbit I posted fits and I’m not surprised by what they found. However it is an interesting article about human behavior and desires.

Obamacare Strikes Again, Violating Conscience Rights

While everyone was watching the debt-ceiling debate, the Department of Health and Human Services announced mandatory coverage of contraceptives (including ones that may act as abortifacients) and sterilization in new insurance plans, with the narrowest of conscience protection.

In a statement in response to the move, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, who is chairman of the pro-life office of the bishops’ conference in Washington, explained that “under the new rule our institutions would be free to act in accord with Catholic teaching on life and procreation only if they were to stop hiring and serving non-Catholics.”

He asked: “Could the federal government possibly intend to pressure Catholic institutions to cease providing health care, education and charitable services to the general public? Health care reform should expand access to basic health care for all, not undermine that goal.”

The cardinal continued: “HHS says the intent of its ‘preventive services’ mandate is to help ‘stop health problems before they start. But pregnancy is not a disease, and children are not a ‘health problem’ — they are the next generation of Americans.”…

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/273389/obamacare-strikes-again-violating-conscience-rights-kathryn-jean-lopez

Just more examples of Liberal intolerance to ideas other than their own. Perhaps we should require them to date conservatives.

Keynes is Dead! Thank God

THE REPUBLICANS ARE KILLING KEYNESIAN ECONOMICS WITH THEIR ATTEMPT TO CUT SPENDING AS THE ECONOMY REBOUNDS FROM A RECESSION, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said in a floor speech on Sunday.

"I would say ... that symbolically, that agreement is moving us to the point where we are having the final interment of John Maynard Keynes," he said, referring to the British economist. "HE NOMINALLY DIED IN 1946 BUT IT APPEARS WE ARE GOING TO PUT HIM TO HIS FINAL REST WITH THIS AGREEMENT."

Keynes argued that aggregate demand was not always enough to spur full employment and that outside structures, such as governments, could influence the economy to create jobs and regulate business cycles. His thinking influenced later New Deal spending by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Durbin said the economy is too weak for major cuts in spending, a view that is shared by many economists.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/31/durbin-debt-deal-keynes-deficit_n_914356.html

Keynes is like any other medicine. In small doses it may help, but an overdose can be fatal. Better Keynes dies than the American economy.

Why Obama is doomed

…. "OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, WE HAVE BEGUN REBUILDING FOR THE 21ST CENTURY, A PROJECT THAT HAS MEANT THOUSANDS OF GOOD JOBS FOR THE HARD-HIT CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY. Tonight, I'm proposing that we redouble these efforts._ We will put more Americans to work repairing crumbling roads and bridges. We will make sure this is fully paid for, attract private investment, and pick projects based on what's best for the economy, not politicians._ WITHIN 25 YEARS, OUR GOAL IS TO GIVE 80 PERCENT OF AMERICANS ACCESS TO HIGH-SPEED RAIL, which could allow you to go places in half the time it takes to travel by car."

THE PRESIDENT IS DAZZLED BY THE VISION OF THOSE SHINY HIGH-SPEED RAIL TRAINS -- AND BY SOLAR PANELS, ELECTRIC CARS AND OTHER PET PROJECTS THAT HAVE CAUGHT HIS IMAGINATION. What he has been unwilling to do is to permit the vast private sector to make its own decisions -- to follow its own ideas.

Instead, THE ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN SADDLING THE PRIVATE SECTOR WITH A STIFLING LOAD OF REGULATIONS. The burden of Obamacare, most of which does not take effect until 2014, is mostly in the realm of fear and uncertainty. Employers do not know how much each new hire will cost under the new health care regime. Nor can they estimate how the 129 new boards, commissions and agencies will affect the business world.

Meanwhile, THE EPA IS REGULATING CARBON DIOXIDE AS AN AIR POLLUTANT. THE NLRB IS ATTEMPTING TO PREVENT THE BOEING CORPORATION FROM OPENING A NEW PLANT IN SOUTH CAROLINA. THE FCC IS SEEKING TO EXERT CONTROL OVER INTERNET COMMERCE through the deceptively named "net neutrality" policy. THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR IS STRICTLY ENFORCING RACIAL AND GENDER QUOTAS. And the Federal Reserve, along with the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (created by the Dodd-Frank law) is practically freezing small-business lending.

This president has spun fantasies about the industries of tomorrow, while punishing the industries of today. His fulminations against "millionaires and billionaires" and his wrath about "corporate jets" BETRAY A FUNDAMENTALLY CHILDISH URGE TO PUNISH SUCCESS. UNDER HIS ECONOMIC STEWARDSHIP, THERE IS LESS AND LESS OF THAT AROUND.
http://townhall.com/columnists/monacharen/2011/08/02/why_obamas_economy_wont_improve/page/full/

Let me see here. Obama has taken away NASA’s space vehicles, but plans to win the future with trains.

7 Examples of Liberals Unfairness

…3) THE RICH AREN'T PAYING THEIR "FAIR" SHARE. It's easy to take shots at rich people. There usually aren't enough of them to swing an election with their votes, nobody really feels sorry for people who have a lot of money, and as often as not, they give contributions to both parties as "protection money." But here's a thought: HOW CAN THE RICH NOT BE PAYING THEIR "FAIR SHARE" WHEN THE TOP 10% OF AMERICANS PAY 69.9% OF THE MONEY WE TAKE IN FROM THE INCOME TAX WHILE 47 PERCENT OF AMERICANS DON'T EVEN PAY A SINGLE DOLLAR A YEAR? Arguing that people -- who probably pay for all the services they'll get from the government in an entire lifetime over any given month -- aren't paying their "fair share" while so many people pay nothing at all, seems more than a bit....."unfair."…

http://townhall.com/columnists/johnhawkins/2011/08/02/7_examples_of_liberal_unfairness/page/2



The 10% Phenomenon

Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have found that WHEN JUST 10 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION HOLDS AN UNSHAKABLE BELIEF, THEIR BELIEF WILL ALWAYS BE ADOPTED BY THE MAJORITY OF THE SOCIETY. The scientists, who are members of the Social Cognitive Networks Academic Research Center (SCNARC) at Rensselaer, used computational and analytical methods to discover the tipping point where a minority belief becomes the majority opinion. The finding has implications for the study and influence of societal interactions ranging from the spread of innovations to the movement of political ideals.

"WHEN THE NUMBER OF COMMITTED OPINION HOLDERS IS BELOW 10 PERCENT, THERE IS NO VISIBLE PROGRESS IN THE SPREAD OF IDEAS. It would literally take the amount of time comparable to the age of the universe for this size group to reach the majority," said SCNARC Director Boleslaw Szymanski, the Claire and Roland Schmitt Distinguished Professor at Rensselaer. "ONCE THAT NUMBER GROWS ABOVE 10 PERCENT, THE IDEA SPREADS LIKE FLAME…”

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110725190044.htm

Interesting.  It may speak to why the TEA Party has become so influential. 
Spread the word…

Another Exhibitionist Politician

A politician who emailed a woman nude photos of himself that were posted on a GOP activist's website has resigned and said he will consider all legal options to have the pictures taken down.
NEW JERSEY DEMOCRAT LOUIS MAGAZZU, 53, ADMITTED SENDING THE PHOTOS TO THE WOMAN HE SAID HE HAD BEEN CORRESPONDING WITH ONLINE FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

He claims she requested the pictures but was working with an 'avowed political enemy' at the time and that he did not know.

In an email statement, THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY FREEHOLDER APOLOGISED TO FAMILY, FRIENDS AND CONSTITUENTS BUT INDICATED THAT HE THOUGHT HE WAS BEING SET UP.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2021715/New-Jersey-democrat-Louis-Magazzu-resigns-naked-photos-email-online-girlfriend.html#ixzz1TvYKAUtz

I swear anyone stupid enough to take nude photos of themselves and then send them to anyone is not smart enough to represent anyone in any elected office.

Big cuts proposed by Obama and other laugh lines

Chamber claps twice for Obama

THE GOOD NEWS FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA: THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BROKE INTO APPLAUSE TWICE DURING HIS SPEECH MONDAY MORNING TO WELCOME HIS IDEAS.


The bad news: THEY CLAPPED JUST TWICE, IN A 35-MINUTE ADDRESS.


Obama himself acknowledged early on that he doesn’t have the best relationship with the Chamber. (“Maybe if we had brought over a fruit cake when we first moved in, we would have got off to a better start,” he joked.)

The first applause line came halfway through Obama’s remarks, as HE SPOKE OF OPENING UP NEW MARKETS AND SELLING MORE AMERICAN GOODS IN OTHER COUNTRIES.


“I’ll go anywhere to be a booster for American businesses, American workers and American products,” Obama said, to which the audience broke into applause. Then, in an ad-libbed moment, Obama remarked, “And I don’t charge a commission.”


The only other applause for Obama came at the end, when Obama once again hit the right note in CALLING FOR BRINGING JOBS BACK THE UNITED STATES.


“That’s good for everybody,” he said. “So if I’ve got a message, that message is: ‘Now’s the time to invest in America.’ ” As the audience applauded, Obama repeated, “Now’s the time to invest in America ……

http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0211/two_for_the_show_8135b507-60a3-4d2c-8a07-4a7f384328c8.html


Obama is not coming to the center and this demonstrates that while the MSM may be saying that, the Chamber isn’t fooled.



Obama Offers to Cut Federal Budget by .02 Percent

President Obama's budget director Jack Lew in a Sunday opinion piece OUTLINED SOME OFF THE “TOUGH CHOICES” Obama is willing to make to cut spending in his 2012 budget request due out on Feb. 14.

The piece details cuts that affect initiatives dear to the president: programs to help the poor and to clean up the Great Lakes near the president's home state of Illinois.

The cuts are relatively small, however, in the larger scheme of things. In total, THE $775 MILLION IN DETAILED CUTS FALL FAR SHORT OF DEMANDS BY CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS and will do little toward tackling the deficit, which is estimated to be $1.5 trillion this year by the Congressional Budget Office.

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/142335-lew-previews-cuts-in-obama-2012-budget?


I always like to put this in terms the average person can understand. Let’s say you are spending $4000 per month, but your spouse lost their job and you are only bringing in $2500. You realize you must make significant cuts in spending. So you come up with a difficult cut of 80 cents per month. Not only are you not serious, you are in a lot of trouble.




Obama’s Keynesian failures must never be repeated

President Barack Obama’s $814bn economic expansion has WOEFULLY FAILED TO REACH EACH OF ITS SELF-IMPOSED TARGETS. The president’s stimulus package promised (after adjusting for inflation) that gross domestic product in the fourth quarter of 2010 would be roughly $15,200bn. YET THE LATEST FIGURES, RELEASED THIS MONTH, FELL SHORT BY SOME $400BN. Instead of being an important milestone for the global recovery, the data are just one further example of the failure of Mr Obama’s Keynesian misadventure.

The fourth quarter target was set in a now-infamous January 2009 report, written by Christina Romer and Jared Bernstein, then economic advisers to Mr Obama and vice-president Joe Biden. Their analysis also concluded that US UNEMPLOYMENT WOULD NEVER SURPASS 8 PER CENT, AND BY NOW WOULD BE IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF 7 PER CENT. Payroll employment was also projected to be 137.6m. In fact, unemployment has stayed stubbornly above 9 per cent for 20 consecutive months, while employment is currently 6.8m below the target – and that is without even counting those who have given up looking for work…..


…The truth is that real GDP IS JUST 3 PERCENT LARGER THAN IT WAS IN THE QUARTER JUST BEFORE THE STIMULUS WAS PASSED, while the current employment situation is little short of dire….


…Some 47 OUT OF 50 US STATES, FOR INSTANCE, HAVE LOST JOBS SINCE THE STIMULUS WAS PASSED…

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d949c6c8-32fc-11e0-9a61-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1DNOnwlE5

A failed policy in a fail presidency.



Police sex files on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange are leaked online

Swedish police documents on the Julian Assange sex cases have been leaked online.

More than one hundred pages of interview transcripts, photographs and other evidence relating to sexual assault claims made by two Swedish women appeared on the internet this week.

The documents raise key questions for both sides about the allegations including whether one of the WikiLeaks founder's Swedish lovers was asleep during intercourse. Those answers will determine whether rape was committed under Swedish law.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1353989/WikiLeaks-Police-sex-files-Julian-Assange-leaked-online.html#ixzz1DN39j0Zy


What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.


Can Mubarak survive?

After thirty unbroken years as President of Egypt, it had seemed as if Hosni Mubarak's charmed career was finally coming to an end

BUT YESTERDAY, CAIRO'S FAMOUS TRAFFIC JAMS WERE BACK. BUSINESSES, SHOPS, AND BANKS WERE OPEN ACROSS THE CAPITAL. Barack Obama spoke of the "progress" the Egyptian government was making towards reform. And though still in tens of thousands, the numbers at Tahrir Square were probably down on the previous day.

Meanwhile, Mr Mubarak, the great survivor, was using all the guile that has kept him in power for so long to PRODUCE A SERIES OF SWEETENERS – INCLUDING A 15 PER CENT PAY RISE FOR STATE EMPLOYEES – TO WIDEN HIS PUBLIC SUPPORT. He even held the first meeting of his new cabinet: the group he had hastily cobbled together as another means of staving off the end. His regime was doing everything in its power to suggest that things were calm once more. In another symbolically conciliatory move, the regime released Wael Ghonim, a local marketing manager for Google, who is a prominent youth activist involved in the protests and was detained three days after they began.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/egypts-revolution-can-it-stay-the-distance-2207427.html


You have to remember there are 80 million Egyptians and only a small percentage have demonstrated against the government. In Luxor over the weekend there was one demonstration and it was in favor of the government.



New Rasmussen Poll on Obamacare

One week after a federal district judge ruled in favor of 26 states and declared Obamacare to be unconstitutional, RASMUSSEN'S POLL OF LIKELY VOTERS SHOWS THAT AMERICANS SUPPORT ITS REPEAL BY A MARGIN OF 21 PERCENTAGE POINTS (58 TO 37 PERCENT). Among independents, the margin in support of repeal is even higher: 27 points (63 to 36 percent).

BY A MARGIN OF 40 POINTS (58 TO 18 PERCENT), VOTERS THINK OBAMACARE WOULD INCREASE, RATHER THAN REDUCE, DEFICITS. BY A MARGIN OF 31 POINTS (52 TO 21 PERCENT), THEY THINK IT WOULD REDUCE, NOT IMPROVE, THE QUALITY OF CARE. And by a margin of 36 points (56 to 20 percent), they think it would raise, rather than lower, health costs. Among independents, these margins are even greater: 68 to 13 percent on deficits, 60 to 16 percent on quality, and 63 to 16 percent on costs.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/new-rasmussen-poll-obamacare_541512.html


Obamacare has been passed and it appears the American public is now seeing what’s in it.

Tribe on the mandate

Since the New Deal, THE COURT HAS CONSISTENTLY HELD THAT CONGRESS HAS BROAD CONSTITUTIONAL POWER TO REGULATE INTERSTATE COMMERCE. This includes authority over not just goods moving across state lines, but also the economic choices of individuals within states that have significant effects on interstate markets. BY THAT STANDARD, THIS LAW’S CONSTITUTIONALITY IS OPEN AND SHUT. DOES ANYONE DOUBT THAT THE MULTITRILLION-DOLLAR HEALTH INSURANCE INDUSTRY IS AN INTERSTATE MARKET THAT CONGRESS HAS THE POWER TO REGULATE?

Many new provisions in the law, like the ban on discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, are also undeniably permissible. But they would be undermined if healthy or risk-prone individuals could opt out of insurance, which could lead to unacceptably high premiums for those remaining in the pool. FOR THE SYSTEM TO WORK, ALL INDIVIDUALS — HEALTHY AND SICK, RISK-PRONE AND RISK-AVERSE — MUST PARTICIPATE TO THE EXTENT OF THEIR ECONOMIC ABILITY. .

…The justices aren’t likely to be misled by the reasoning that prompted two of the four federal courts that have ruled on this legislation to invalidate it on the theory that Congress is entitled to regulate only economic “activity,” not “inactivity,” like the decision not to purchase insurance. This distinction is illusory. INDIVIDUALS WHO DON’T PURCHASE INSURANCE THEY CAN AFFORD HAVE MADE A CHOICE TO TAKE A FREE RIDE ON THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM…..

…Even if the interstate commerce clause did not suffice to uphold mandatory insurance, the even broader power of Congress to impose taxes would surely do so….

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/opinion/08tribe.html?ref=opinion


I’m surprised Tribe wrote this. Tribe is a committed leftist, but his argument about regulating interstate commerce shows the weakness of his argument since we are not talking about regulating commerce, but in requiring commerce. And his fall back positions (the power to tax and the free ride argument) are not germane to the issue. The issue is whether the Constitution lets congress order people to partake in the interstate commerce the congress is allowed to regulate. This is a open and shut case, but Tribe is simply wrong on which side is the open and shut part.



And here is Ann Althouse’take on the tribe column.

Oh, come on. TRIBE’S RHETORICAL MOVE HAS BECOME COMICAL AT THIS POINT. It reminds me of an old-fashioned mother exerting moral pressure on a child by telling him how sure she is that he is such a good little boy that he could never do whatever it is she doesn’t want him to do. Put more directly, it’s an assertion of authority: I’m telling you what’s right and if you don’t do it, you’ll be wrong. COULD THE JUSTICES POSSIBLY YIELD TO PRESSURE LIKE THAT? IT’S CRUDE TO THINK THAT THEY WOULD, ISN’T IT? IT’S AN INSULT BOTH THEIR INTELLECT AND THEIR INTEGRITY.

And yet, Larry Tribe does think it, right? That’s what’s behind his rhetoric. I believe. Crudely.

http://althouse.blogspot.com/2011/02/professor-tribe-would-like-you-to-know.html


Basically she sees Tribe as trying the old Emperor’s New Clothes scam. Only smart people can see the fine fabric there. Another issue not brought up by either of these posts is whether or not Kagan will recluse herself. She should since she was part of the team justifying the Constitutionality of the mandate.

Discrimination within

DISCRIMINATION IS ALWAYS HIGH ON THE AGENDA AT THE SOCIETY FOR PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY’S CONFERENCE, where psychologists discuss their research on racial prejudice, homophobia, sexism, stereotype threat and unconscious bias against minorities. But the most talked-about speech at this year’s meeting, which ended Jan. 30, involved A NEW “OUTGROUP.”

It was identified by Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at the University of Virginia who studies the intuitive foundations of morality and ideology. He polled his audience at the San Antonio Convention Center, starting by asking HOW MANY CONSIDERED THEMSELVES POLITICALLY LIBERAL. A SEA OF HANDS APPEARED, AND DR. HAIDT ESTIMATED THAT LIBERALS MADE UP 80 PERCENT OF THE 1,000 PSYCHOLOGISTS IN THE BALLROOM. When he asked for centrists and libertarians, he spotted fewer than three dozen hands. And then, when HE ASKED FOR CONSERVATIVES, HE COUNTED A GRAND TOTAL OF THREE.

“THIS IS A STATISTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE LACK OF DIVERSITY,” Dr. Haidt concluded, noting polls showing that 40 percent of Americans are conservative and 20 percent are liberal. In his speech and in an interview, Dr. Haidt argued that SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGISTS ARE A “TRIBAL-MORAL COMMUNITY” UNITED BY “SACRED VALUES” THAT HINDER RESEARCH AND DAMAGE THEIR CREDIBILITY — and blind them to the hostile climate they’ve created for non-liberals.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/science/08tier.html?_r=3&ref=science

Not much of a surprise here. Conservatives will go into business. Liberals go into teaching, reporting and evidently the social sciences.

Discrimination in the enforcement of the law

….THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HAS GRANTED 733 WAIVERS FROM ONE OF THE STATUTE’S KEY REQUIREMENTS. The recipients of the waivers include insurers such as Oxford Health Insurance, labor organizations such as the Service Employees International Union, and employers such as PepsiCo. This is disturbing for many reasons. At the very least, it suggests the impracticability of the health-care law; HHS GAVE THE WAIVERS BECAUSE IT FEARS THE LAW WILL COST MANY AMERICANS THEIR JOBS AND INSURANCE.

More seriously, IT RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER WE LIVE UNDER A GOVERNMENT OF LAWS. CONGRESS CAN PASS STATUTES THAT APPLY TO SOME BUSINESSES AND NOT OTHERS, BUT ONCE A LAW HAS PASSED — AND THEREFORE IS BINDING — HOW CAN THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH RELIEVE SOME AMERICANS OF THEIR OBLIGATION TO OBEY IT?

THE DANGERS OF INEQUITY ARE OBVIOUS. Will only corporations and unions get waivers, or can individuals also get them? For example, if a family physician feels financial pressure under the health-care law to fire one of his employees, will he get a waiver to avoid adding to unemployment?

Indeed, can even a small corporation get a waiver? Small businesses provide most new jobs, but the answer is obvious: Waivers are mostly, if not entirely, for politically significant businesses and unions that get the special attention of HHS or the White House. The rest of us must obey the laws.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/259101/are-health-care-waivers-unconstitutional-philip-hamburger


Another Constitutional issue, but I suspect the law also gave the executive branch the right to grant these waivers.

Five regulations businesses hate the most

From more than 100 different new regulations either proposed or finalized by the Obama administration, THESE ARE THE FIVE BUSINESS GROUPS HATE THE MOST, based on the number of separate organizations that wrote Issa to recommend he look into them:

1. EPA CLIMATE CHANGE REGULATIONS

Though cap and trade was defeated in Congress, the EPA is sprinting to finalize its own regulations that would mandate reduced carbon dioxide and other “greenhouse gasses” scientists think are warming the planet….

2. OSHA’S “OCCUPATIONAL NOISE” REGULATION

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed a new regulation in October that would have put strict new regulations on the volume of noise experienced by workers on the job.

But the outcry over the cost and feasibility of the new regulations was so great the agency abandoned the regulation on Jan. 19, promising to start over after consulting with key members of Congress including Sen. Joe Lieberman, Connecticut Independent….

3. EPA’S NEW RESTRICTIONS ON OZONE POLLUTION

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson backed off the agency’s plans to more strictly regulate ozone pollution shortly after the midterm election “shellacking,” asking for more research on the issue in December….

4. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DODD-FRANK FINANCIAL REFORM BILL

Industry groups raised concerns about 20 separate provisions in the Dodd-Frank regulation that the Obama administration is currently implementing.

5. EPA’S NEW TRAINING REQUIREMENTS FOR RENOVATION PROJECTS

Lead-based paint, used for decades in homes and on buildings, is still found in many older buildings. Since lead is hazardous, especially to children, renovation projects that disturb lead-based paint can lead to the danger of inhaling lead dust

http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/08/the-top-five-obama-regulations-that-american-businesses-hate-most/#ixzz1DNwLvbvM


I find these kinds of article interesting. I hope you do too.


The steep price of crossing Nancy Pelosi

Officially, Jane Harman's career in Congress will come to a close in the next few weeks, when the California Democrat steps down in the middle of her ninth term to become the new president of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington. In reality, though, IT'S BEEN OVER FOR YEARS NOW -- EVER SINCE HARMAN CROSSED NANCY PELOSI AND PELOSI RESPONDED BY SHUTTING DOWN HARMAN'S POWER CENTER IN THE HOUSE (and her vehicle for national television exposure).

The break had its roots in the Iraq war, and Harman's role as the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee when it was launched, and as the occupation turned sour. A "select" panel, Intelligence is unique from other House committees in that it's composed of an equal number of Democrats and Republicans; members are privy to sensitive documents and top-level security briefings, and the idea is that their work on the committee is above partisan politics

The problem, from Pelosi's standpoint, is that Harman's status as the No. 1 Democrat on Intelligence essentially made her the highest-profile House Democrat in the middle of the last decade. At the time, don't forget, Republicans had been running the House for a decade, and they also controlled the White House and Senate. TO THE NATIONAL MEDIA, PELOSI, WHO WAS ELECTED THE DEMOCRATS' HOUSE LEADER IN 2002, WAS A BIT PLAYER, especially on matters of national security and foreign policy. Her caucus had little clout, and the press mostly tuned her out.

http://www.salon.com/news/nancy_pelosi/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2011/02/07/harman_pelosi_congress


Politics can be ugly and it appears it is especially ugly when women play it against one another.